Margie14

I'm taking Biotin and folic acid too. My daughter's nutritionist told me to buy her methylfolate as it is more bio-available and her folate level was low (not a bariatric patient). She said regular folate doesn't absorb nearly as well. I also have been following a woman on youtube (actually a bunch of people) who goes by attagirlsherrie and her hair is amazing 7 months out. She recommended a product called SIBU http://www.amazon.com/Sibu-Beauty-Liquid-Supplement-Nails/dp/B002C6T1JQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1394485896&sr=8-3&keywords=sibu
I put a serving in my smoothie as it's not the greatest tasting stuff, but it is full of omega's including hard to get 7. Take a look at her videos and her hair! I also read zinc is important and have been sucking on a zinc lozenge everyday and will pick it up again once my tummy heals a little better (only day 5!) Keep up your Protein too. I'm going to try minoxidil if my hair starts shedding too bad. What does Nioxin do? Is it a minoxidil Shampoo?
From what I have researched Hair loss happens and it's an individual thing as to how much and where. It can't hurt to try and slow it down until the regrowth phase!

Yes! The over the counter medications used to work for me and now I have to take a prescription one. My Doc wanted me to take chewable pepcid after surgery and that was like taking nothing after years of using a variety of antacids and PPI's. The funny thing is the one I use now (dexilant) I can get by taking once every other day. This makes it so much cheaper in the long run. You can actually develop a "resistance" to medications. Talk to your doctor though, as he/she may want to up the dose first, try another, or It could be something else that needs to be addressed. I do know that dexilant has been very user friendly for this sleeve patient from at least a month after surgery till now. I used to break it open and swallow the little beads, now I can take the whole capsule.

I'm five months out and I have a problem with some foods. I can eat certain foods and not feel full until the damage is done. I'm talking about the bad stuff. I'm able to eat a lot bigger portions as well on everything. chocolate, ice cream, and cheese puffs will go down a little too well, so I have to avoid having them in the house. I have to make a concerted effort to stay away from certain things and measure the rest. It will slow your progress as well as I speak from experience. Everyday is still a food struggle for me. I do get hungry unfortunately it's not head hunger or acid. Two hours after I eat...bam...hungry! I know I will never be able to eat the portion sizes I once did, but it scares me that I can eat as much as I do sometimes. Most people don't have this issue, I'm just one of the unfortunate ones that do.
I think the best food for me personally is any form of Protein. It stays in your stomach the longest. chicken, tuna, salmon, cheese, Greek yogurt. And, don't drink after eating when you get to solid food! It flushes the food out fast and you want to eat again much sooner. I know why that rule was put in place. I'm really trying, but I still struggle everyday. Food, evidently, was my drug of choice and I need to deal with it.
I was just like you after surgery, could drink the 64 oz of liquid with no problems. Liquids slip right on through where as food kind of sticks in your sleeve for a while.

For Clear Liquids, maybe get a sample pack of different clear Syntrax Nectar flavors. Also the Unjury chicken Soup Protein Powder makes a nice change from the sweet Protein Drinks.< /p>
Other things I did that counted as clear liquids:
--miso broth with a little unflavored Protein powder
--beef broth with steak seasoning and unflavored protein powder
--Isopure mixed 50/50 with G2 or Essence Water (I couldn't handle straight Isopure, that stuff is disgusting IMO)
--chai spice tea with vanilla protein powder stirred in
--decaf coffee with chocolate or vanilla protein powder stirred in
For full liquids, I had tons of samples of different kinds of protein powders to mix with milk to keep things different. I also got a bunch of Torani sugar free syrups, flavor extracts, flavored sweetleaf sweet drops, PB2, instant coffee, unsweetened cocoa powder, and sugar free/fat free pudding mixes to add to protein powders to change up the taste. Why have a plain vanilla Protein Shake when you could have a cinnamon dolce latte protein shake*, or a peach cobbler shake**? Why have plain chocolate when you could have chocolate Peanut Butter banana***? I was on full liquids for four weeks (and not allowed things like "runny oatmeal" or thinned out mashed potatoes that are allowed on some versions of full liquids) so I became an expert in doctoring up protein shakes!
Just remember if you are doing hot liquids mixed with protein, you need to use a food thermometer and keep the temperature 130 degrees or lower.
*vanilla protein powder + 2 tsp instant coffee + sugar free cinnamon vanilla Syrup
**vanilla protein powder + sugar free peach syrup + sugar free brown sugar cinnamon syrup
***banana protein powder + unsweetened cocoa + PB2 + chocolate sweetdrops
--I mix my milk-based Protein Shakes with CarbMaster milk for higher protein, lower carbs, and lower calories than regular skim milk.

For clear liquid before surgery I made sugar free Jello jigglers and ate them constantly because i was so hungry. I also had the clear Protein drinks (which I hated the taste of, btw) Isopure makes them. A lot of people like them, but I didn't. I drank them anyway because they helped with the hunger. I really like Osem chicken consomme for a hot broth to sip. Popsicles are good before and after.
After surgery the Isopure, regular Jello, the Osem, popsicles, and caffeine free iced and warm tea with stevia. My stomach really like the popsicles and they seemed to calm it for some reason. By the time I was into full liquids I was ready and so sick of jello!
Three days after surgery I started full liquids and had puddings, Protein shakes, pureed Soup of any kind, applesauce, and anything that could be made semi liquid. I think after two weeks I started on puree foods. I didn't have any resistance with liquids like some people do. I could drink fairly regularly pretty much as soon as they let me. I know a lot of people say they can only sip. I was taking full swallows.
Good luck on your surgery!

For clear liquid before surgery I made sugar free Jello jigglers and ate them constantly because i was so hungry. I also had the clear Protein drinks (which I hated the taste of, btw) Isopure makes them. A lot of people like them, but I didn't. I drank them anyway because they helped with the hunger. I really like Osem chicken consomme for a hot broth to sip. Popsicles are good before and after.
After surgery the Isopure, regular Jello, the Osem, popsicles, and caffeine free iced and warm tea with stevia. My stomach really like the popsicles and they seemed to calm it for some reason. By the time I was into full liquids I was ready and so sick of jello!
Three days after surgery I started full liquids and had puddings, Protein shakes, pureed Soup of any kind, applesauce, and anything that could be made semi liquid. I think after two weeks I started on puree foods. I didn't have any resistance with liquids like some people do. I could drink fairly regularly pretty much as soon as they let me. I know a lot of people say they can only sip. I was taking full swallows.
Good luck on your surgery!

Hi Firefly!
My son is due to have surgery soon and it's good to see another guy on the forum.
I never did use slim-fast because it has a high carb/lowprotien ratio. That may be why your weight loss is not as big as you may want. Did you mean diet Jello or Jelly? If it's Jelly, take a look at the carbs on what you are eating. A better Protein shake would be something like Muscle Milk light or Premiere Protein ready made shakes. They have a very low carb/high protein (premiere has 30 grams of protein per shake) ratio. If you try to stay below 6 grams of carbs per meal you should be dropping weight super fast. If you get bored with the flavors of the shakes nectar makes some really awesome flavors of shakes, but you have to mix them yourself with either Water, non-fat milk, or almond milk.
Hope I helped a little. Good luck on your surgery!

I buy the VANILLA, and add frozen bananas, strawberries, or pineapple....... Blends to a thick shake consistency in my Ninja blender. Sometimes, I add a scoop of chocolate Protein powder to the vanilla, PB2, and ice...... that one gives me over 60 grams of Protein in one shake.

A big warm welcome GOM! Yes, you will feel much better and have energy to spare! I've lost 41 lbs. and feel amazing. I'm an old fart on top of it all, so at your age you will feel even better. I started to get my energy after losing about 20 or so lbs. I remember the days of having two little ones to keep up after and that's not an easy job. Pretty soon you will be wearing them out, and still have energy for "me time". Good luck on your journey!

A big warm welcome GOM! Yes, you will feel much better and have energy to spare! I've lost 41 lbs. and feel amazing. I'm an old fart on top of it all, so at your age you will feel even better. I started to get my energy after losing about 20 or so lbs. I remember the days of having two little ones to keep up after and that's not an easy job. Pretty soon you will be wearing them out, and still have energy for "me time". Good luck on your journey!

A big warm welcome GOM! Yes, you will feel much better and have energy to spare! I've lost 41 lbs. and feel amazing. I'm an old fart on top of it all, so at your age you will feel even better. I started to get my energy after losing about 20 or so lbs. I remember the days of having two little ones to keep up after and that's not an easy job. Pretty soon you will be wearing them out, and still have energy for "me time". Good luck on your journey!

Gosh LL, true that! I don't admonish anyone for their path. Mine, good some days and bad others. I wish I had the tenacity and drive of some people, but I don't. I have a cup of reg. coffee everyday and have had extra thin crust pizza with chicken chopped on top (Dr. Oedeker's I believe). Of course one small slice (oh yeah, I also add stuff like olives and sauteed asparagus on top) is not bad! I do know my weight loss has slowed and stalled on my bad days. I just broke out of a 2.5 week stall by getting back to phase 2 (all liquid). I still have hunger not related to acid (take medicine for that, the strong stuff - dexilant) and wish the surgery had killed that for me, but sadly it did not. When my sleeve gets empty I am starving! Just about every 2-3 hrs my sleeve says, "feed me Seymour" like a monster! I do know when something bad happens I tend to chew thoroughly... all day long. Emotional eating is still my problem and something I have to struggle with on my own. Plus, I never had to sip Water, I started gulping from the start and the only reason I know I'm sleeved it the amount of food I can take in is limited. liquids go down real easy for me.
One thing I did give up that was excruciatingly hard was diet Mountain Dew. Yes, prior to surgery I was addicted and had at least one two liter a day. I gave up that a couple months before surgery and weened myself off of caffeine completely. If you do it slowly you don't notice it as bad. I know the fear of those who drink it everyday as I never thought I could give up my sodas! But, I did and you can too, just focus on what you really want out of life and try to de-focus on the "bubbly". I recently had a sip of my kids just to see and found the taste disgusting. If you give up the soda, you may(like me) not crave or want it anymore. Now I'm a Decaf tea with stevia junkie. Water is still hard some days to get down plain and I cannot stand the fake tasting overly sweat flavor drops. So, my poison of choice is Iced tea.

I'm a bit shocked at the (thankfully VERY) few who are knocking those who strive to be "perfect". Isn't that akin to the middle school kids who picked on their classmates who work hard to get straight A's?

No matter what path you choose, whether it be following your doc's orders to a T, cheating as much as you can along the way or somewhere in the middle, it's YOUR CHOICE. I don't give a flying rat's patoot what *ANYONE ELSE* thinks of me and what I'm doing. My opinion is the only one that matters about me. If I am successful, I'm successful because of ME. If I fail, I fail because of me. No one can take that away from me.
If I ask for advice, I expect to get it whether I like it or not based on the facts that I present. If I post my opinion or my thoughts, I expect feedback whether it be positive or negative. That's what happens when one posts on a public message board. Just as I am the only one responsible for my actions, I am the only one responsible for my words and more importantly, I am the only one responsible for how I respond to any feedback I get.

Take the good, leave the bad, and keep doing what makes you happy. That's the bottom line.

3 mos. Out went out to eat last night...Mexican restaurant. Oh man that food was soooo good. But no matter how good it was I could only eat a few bites vs. Before sleeve I wouldn't have leftovers. Had enough leftovers for a week. THANK YOU SLEEVE!

Fat is not the problem, your body (especially your brain) required fat. Sugar is the problem, in any form. As a matter of fact, a lot of people who suffer from seizure disorders are placed on a high fat, mid Protein, extreme low carb diet and they either have remission of seizure or a remarkable decrease. Fat was demonized in the early 90's with the low fat diet craze which was a complete failure for so many of us. I would gather to say that the fat in the Atkins shake is very acceptable. What are the calories of the shake? What is the sweetener in the shake? I think those would be the more important issues. If you are tolerating the Atkins shake with it's high Protein, I say good for you and keep up the good work!
Believe it or not you can drop a lot of pounds on a high fat, mid protein, extreme low carb diet. Problem is it's boring and hard to keep up. I lost 24 lbs in about three weeks on one, then lost all control to carbs as I missed them and was bored. Gained every bit back and then some.
(reference Keto Diet)

Just want to thank everyone for the input and thoughts. I was feeling much better by day 5 and now at 1.5 weeks I have to slow myself down. I am amazed at how well I have been feeling.

Yesterday was my 6 month surgiversary and I cannot be more pleased with this journey. I have so much more energy, have discovered a hidden runner inside me, am more active with my kiddos, and all-around more confident.

I'm surprised Bluebonnet isn't on there I think it tastes awesome....very fine powder and not grainy at all. 1 scoop = 26P, 3Carbs, 116Cal.
Ingredients= whey Protein isolate, natural vanilla flavor, stevia extract.
It is micro filtered, no artificial sweeteners/flavors.

Where's Jay Robb? His stuff is great and it's whey Protein isolate. I especially love the tropical dreamsicle flavor. I mix mine with part water/milk or part water/OJ. Sometimes I do OJ with Water and milk. I just use the part water to help disolve the powder a little before I add the milk or OJ. I usually let it sit over night in the fridge so the powder is totally disolved. It's yummy! You can also get chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and pina colada. Vitamin Shoppe sells the single serve packets that you can try out to see if you like it. I'm sure GNC has them too. It has 25 gm protein per serving, 1 gm carbs and 0gm sugar, and is made with Stevia.

I personally will not eat or drink anything with aspertame in it . I think it's poison in my book!

Great thread. But I'll refrain from posting a photo of my bariatric pudding and/or my Cracker Barrel scrambled eggs from earlier. If I had one of those.
In a few weeks, though…watch out.

So, here is my train of thought...I'm going to take Biotin, methylfolate, SIBU, and zinc. If it starts to fall out...minoxidil. If that doesn't work I will let it fall, buy a pretty jon renau wig, and wait it out. I haven't heard of too many people saying it never grew back! Jon renau also makes a nice topper that can be matched to your shade and blends right into your natural hair. Don't get discouraged. We are lucky we have all the cosmetic junk to cope with just about anything, except my face getting wrinkly and saggy...but then hey, that can be fixed too! I'll be happy to be rid of the weight that is holding me back. The rest is just peripheral and can be fixed.

I know I won't be "Perfect" and I'm sure I'll have my little cheats here and there, but I do believe this will work. You can only eat so much, so unless you plan to graze all day long (you will gain doing this) on really bad food, it will work. Exercising only speeds results and gets you closer to your "personal" goal. So let's say you have 100 lbs. to lose and the doctor says 60 is the perfect amount, but you want to get to fighting weight, exercise will get you there. As you lose the weight your body is not carrying around all that extra weight that helped it lose so fast in the beginning. Carrying around 100 pounds is exercise, believe it or not. The closer you get to goal the more you need exercise to compensate for the lost weight your body no longer struggles with. It's all up to you. I really don't think anyone has gone 100% and not had a treat now and then. After all of this work we deserve it! Just don't go hog wild!

I'm taking Biotin and folic acid too. My daughter's nutritionist told me to buy her methylfolate as it is more bio-available and her folate level was low (not a bariatric patient). She said regular folate doesn't absorb nearly as well. I also have been following a woman on youtube (actually a bunch of people) who goes by attagirlsherrie and her hair is amazing 7 months out. She recommended a product called SIBU http://www.amazon.com/Sibu-Beauty-Liquid-Supplement-Nails/dp/B002C6T1JQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1394485896&sr=8-3&keywords=sibu
I put a serving in my smoothie as it's not the greatest tasting stuff, but it is full of omega's including hard to get 7. Take a look at her videos and her hair! I also read zinc is important and have been sucking on a zinc lozenge everyday and will pick it up again once my tummy heals a little better (only day 5!) Keep up your Protein too. I'm going to try minoxidil if my hair starts shedding too bad. What does Nioxin do? Is it a minoxidil Shampoo?
From what I have researched Hair loss happens and it's an individual thing as to how much and where. It can't hurt to try and slow it down until the regrowth phase!

So, here is my train of thought...I'm going to take Biotin, methylfolate, SIBU, and zinc. If it starts to fall out...minoxidil. If that doesn't work I will let it fall, buy a pretty jon renau wig, and wait it out. I haven't heard of too many people saying it never grew back! Jon renau also makes a nice topper that can be matched to your shade and blends right into your natural hair. Don't get discouraged. We are lucky we have all the cosmetic junk to cope with just about anything, except my face getting wrinkly and saggy...but then hey, that can be fixed too! I'll be happy to be rid of the weight that is holding me back. The rest is just peripheral and can be fixed.