VSGAnn2014

Happily, I've never cared much for any Quest bars. They seem dry and chalky to me. I eat one only when I'm on a very long airplane flight and need an easy Protein source that doesn't have to be refrigerated or cooked.

What others have you had? I keep buying random samples at GNC, but haven't found one I love other than the Quest Banana Cream. Others I just kind of tolerate, like the Premiere Protein. Whoops, you're right ... GNC does make a Banana Cream Lean Shake 25. Forgot about that one. It's OK, not wonderful ... again, for me. I've also tried unjury powders -- and didn't like any of those except the chicken flavored one. I used that in the early days when I was drinking a lot of chicken broth. And believe me ... after that phase you could go a long time without drinking chicken broth by itself. I also tried some vegetarian protein powders, but cannot remember the names of any -- and they all sucked. Although I've not tried Chike coffee flavored Protein drinks, I've heard from multiple sources online that they're great. http://www.amazon.com/Chike-Coffee-Protein-Drink-Packets/product-reviews/B008O6J8QO

Boy, do people's opinions about shakes differ! My fave Protein shake was / is the GNC Lean Shake - 170 calories, 25 grams of protein. Comes in vanilla, Swiss chocolate and strawberry. My fave was (shocker!) Swiss chocolate. Isopure was my least favorite -- still cannot believe how bad that stuff tasted to me. And some others adore it.

I thought I'd posted here on my first surgiversary (August 2015), but apparently not! I reached my goal of 150 pounds 8.5 months post-op. Since then I've slowly lost another 10 pounds for a grand total of 95 pounds lost. The difference that VSG surgery and my hard work has made in my life is enormous and all positive: Recovered mobility, energy, strength, enthusiasm for life, no knee pain, and a very relieved husband (who was so worried about me over a year ago). My agoraphobia is completely gone. I've rejoined the land of the living in every way. I wear size 8s and 6s. I look and feel 20 years younger. For those of you who wonder if WLS can help you, please consider it seriously. It literally has saved my life.

One of my biggest behavior changes post-op (13.5 months ago) is that I now eat so much slower and enjoy my food so much more than I did pre-op. My husband used to remark in years past about how fast I'd eat. No longer. I take small bites, chew my food longer, and wait longer between bites. I enjoy 4 ounces of wine most nights, and I now drink much slower, too (which means I don't drink as much as I used to drink). I savor the wine's nose, its multiple tastes, and the feel of the wine in my mouth. As a result, food and wine have become so much more interesting to me. This has translated into a first-time-in-decades interest in cooking again, which means we're eating "cleaner" than we have in years. Fast food eaten fast isn't enjoyed. And it isn't good for you (for many reasons). In many ways, I think that pre-op I may have been trying to ignore food while eating too much of it too fast. So slooooow down. Enjoy your food. Get acquainted with food again. It's OK to have a relationship with food. It's a healthy way to live.

I pay a lot more attention these days to how much others are eating. (Pre-op, I didn't notice that so much.) And in my estimation, only a few of my skinny friends are eating "a lot." When eating out at restaurants, they generally order what they enjoy eating and what they find delicious (not particularly low-calorie food), but they usually don't eat it all and leave food on their plates. They don't eat a lot of bread (or any). A lot of them are "foodies" -- they cook a lot at home, share recipes, and are on the lookout for where good food is served. They exercise -- walk a lot, do strength training, and yoga. Every once in a while, they take a break from food -- doing a mini-cleanse diet, eschewing alcohol for a few weeks or a month, etc. They stay well hydrated (they're seldom without a bottle or glass of Water nearby). Yes, some of them do complain about having gained five pounds and how they need to take it off. But they always do seem to lose those five pounds. And then gain it. And then lose it again. This is what their normal looks like. Sounds like "maintenance" to me.

Dub, You're going to be a great WLS success. As a sleeve patient, I can tell you I'm THRILLED with my "journey" (I think you adore that term ). I'm 13.5 months post-op. I've lost all my excess weight and been maintaining now for 5 months. I have a friend who had VSG surgery about the same time I did. I met him online and then met him IRL recently. He's probably your age (late 40s) and has lost over 200 pounds in the last 13.5 pounds and just hit Onederland. TWO HUNDRED POUNDS IN A YEAR PLUS. Since his surgery he has been very active. He has eschewed alcohol the entire time. He eats very healthy, follows all the good eating guidelines (you know them all). You will not believe, I promise you, how much your life is going to change in the coming year. Even your best dreams won't be able to predict how good you're going to feel - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Your life is about to change dramatically for the better. I'm so tickled for you!

Yup, it bit me, too, about 4 weeks ago. Happily, it was only a two-day experience. But it did scare me. On Day One I thought about going to the hospital (worried I might have some horrible deer tick disease), but on Day Two I realized it was only an intestinal bug. BTW, I ate only 400 calories the day I came down with it -- and that's the least I've eaten since my first week post-op.

Babbs is right. I'm as happy as a baby doe about my new life! Minor correction: I had VSG surgery at age 68. Am now 69, almost 70. Unlike many here, I don't care that I didn't have VSG surgery earlier. Heck, I had it as soon as I could after I found out it was available. One other thing ... there's some bizarre idea floating around that "old people" don't have a lot of things going on. That's so wrong! We have SO much we want to do and SO much life to enjoy. We finally have the money and the time to live like we want and no longer give a fig what others think. It's one of the best times of your life!

I agree with those above who think the "You're too thin" comments are due to others trying to rationalize their memories of how you used to look with how you look now. The differences between the "old you" and the "now you" are significant. After all, you've lost 121 pounds -- you've lost a whole person by now. And if we (WLS patients) sometimes have dysmorphia and can't accustom our own eyes to our new shapes / sizes, it's no surprise to me that others are also having the same difficulty. After all, we look at ourselves a lot more frequently than those old friends you recently saw who haven't seen you in a long time. I bet that if they had seen you every day since your surgery, they'd have gotten used to your new look more easily. BTW, posting current pix of myself on Facebook is how I've tried to keep my family, friends, clients, acquaintances in touch with my changing look. And when I see them, they're already semi-prepared for the changes.

When I'm eating at home I do use smaller plates / containers. Just got used to it during the losing phases, and it still works well for me now that I'm maintaining.

WTF is this "bobble head" effect? That are they talking about? And yes, many people are absolutely nuts. Not to mention uninformed about WLS. So glad I'm on the down low re my own WLS. Sheez. I wouldn't want to have to endure the crap some of you do.

This is what I'm doing. I now wear mostly size 8s (and a few 6s). I'm keeping the few 10s I still have for now. But everything before that -- sizes 12 and on up -- I let those go long ago. I'm not going back.

I'll watch you. Thanks for the notice.

LOL! "I need a break from our friendship." What a ridiculous thing to say. I don't think you lost a darned thing.

@@Queen of Crop ... every time I see a post by you, I feel like: "There's my friend whom I've never met!" I don't know when hubby and I will next revisit Amsterdam, but I'd love to meet up with you when we do. I just met an online VSG friend this week for the first time in real life in New York, and it was so much fun. There are some wonderful people on these boards -- people who have such courage and ambition and dreams for their lives. Good on us! And quoting Dickens: "God bless us, everyone!"

Months 7 and 8 I was averaging 1,200 calories/day.

I have hundreds of men friends about whom I have zero romantic feelings and, I'm sure, they don't have any romantic feelings for me. This has been true for me when I've been happily married and when I've been single. Of course, women and men can be friends. And co-workers. And enemies. And confidantes. And pretty much anything else. I will admit, however, that there are some creepy men and some creepy women with whom I would have a tough time being friends. The trick is not to be friends with creeps of either gender.

I'll tell you why not: * There's virtually no nutrition in that food -- and it's "expensive" for the calories that are in it (I'm guessing around 150 calories for a half-cup). That's a lot of calories. For 150 calories, you could eat more Protein, some very nutritious veggies and fruits, and even a little whole grain. The point to WLS is not just to lose weight any old way, but to get healthier. (I realize you may not care about this, but I did.) * It indeed may be a gateway drug -- and lead to a second, third, fourth half-cup serving. . * The sugar alcohols in there (that sweeten it) will give you diarrhea of the worst kind. Try eating two half-cups and see what happens. Best to you.

I'm going with this theory, too. It's a true "type" of woman. The kind who has to be the drum majorette and lead the band into every bar in town. Everyone else behind her is just there to be her backup group and make her look good. Honey, you're no longer going to be her fat friend.

OMG! I've lost 95 pounds. I'm nearly 70 years old. The resurgence of energy for me has been miraculous. I can walk so far, so fast, so long. It's hardly believable to me. You're going to LOVE what happens to you.

Interesting and worthwhile topic and discussion. My original weight goal was 150 pounds -- at 5'5". That was just a hair above "normal" on the BMI scale. So I reached my 150 pound goal. And then 149. And over the last 5 months, although I was eating a lot of food (1700 calories/day), I kept losing slowly. I now weigh just a hair under 140 pounds. I never thought I'd lose these last 10 pounds. But I have to say that I feel SO much better at 140 than I did at 150. I'm really surprised. For instance, the difference in how my knees feel is amazing. I have terrible osteoarthritis and was headed for a double knee replacement surgery over a year ago. Now my docs say, "Forget about the surgery. You don't need it!" I can walk so fast! And so far! Without pain. I haven't take any NSAIDs since June 2014. I'm wearing sizes 8 and 6, which I never imagined would fit me. And as we all know, sizes 6 and 8 are a lot bigger than they were 30-40 years ago. Shockingly, I don't feel like "a twig." I thought I would. But I think that's because I hadn't been this weight in so long. When your "slimmest" weight in decades has been 165 (my situation), it's hard to imagine that 140 is healthy or sustainable. Please understand I'm speaking for myself -- and not for others. Because of my age (I'm almost 70) I'm not interested in weighing 130 or even 135. I need a little more weight to keep my face "fluffed out." For now, 140 is just fine.

And according to this study, only 2% of those who are obese ever achieve normal weight without bariatric surgery. We are so smart!

Charming. Except that's not how fat is actually broken down and excreted from obese bodies. It doesn't leak through our pores.

What would you / should you have done differently to avoid this problem? Or was it just deemed by your doctors to have been unavoidable?