Luvin_Life125

I have also experienced late dumping syndrome and it isn't pleasant. The horrible thing is you believe you are in the clear and have escaped with your sweet treat. The dumping waits until we forgot our transgression and have moved on to another part of our day unsuspecting of the hell waiting to get us in a few hours. I hope you were able to get through it quickly and get your sugar level back in the normal range. It definitely makes you think twice before doing that to yourself again.

Ouch! Hang in there. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince. I can't imagine how tough dating is and would be. I give you a lot of credit for broaching the subject and handling the less than stellar responses with grace.

Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately the pain is nothing new and it waxes and wains at its own schedule. I have no discs left that low in my back to herniate. All of them have been destroyed and I am now working with bone on bone and my spine has started fusing itself. As more bone builds around my lumbar spine nerves sometimes get trapped or flared and becomes miserably painful. I am so so sorry your back did not get better with weight loss. I am hoping weight loss will bring some pain relief. Even if it doesn't, I know I at least tried it. If nothing else, the weight loss will help me feel better about myself than I have in a long, long time. I win no matter what, even if I don't hit a home run! I hope you get some relief soon.

@@CanyonBaby definitely check the Levi 590's out! If your Kihls doesn't carry them in store, order the 2 sizes closest to what you are through the Kohl's in store kiosk and they will ship them to you at home for free. Then just return the size that doesn't fit. They are great about returns and make it easy to find what you need. I hope they work for you!

Anyone who is an apple shape needs to check out the Levi 590 jeans! They are made for us girls with a larger waist compared to our butts and legs. My problem with jeans has always been my wide waist. When the jeans fit my waist, they are usually huge on my non-existant butt and thighs. The Levi 590 changed my opinion of jeans forever. I finally understand why people find jeans comfortable when they always felt like they were cutting me in half. The best price I have ever found on them is by shopping through Kohls when they have sales and coupons. I was able to get them for under $25 and practically lived in them until I shrunk out of them. I hope this helps someone else.

Thank you everyone. I was having a really bad week and just couldn't get my mind in the right place. I have tried and worked to get my head in the right place and I think I am getting there. I am forcing myself to continue to he active everyday no matter how bad the pain is. I walk at least a mile everyday even though some days it takes an hour or more. I can't let the pain win and I refuse to let it rule my life anymore than it already does. Thanks for the support and encouragement! It really helped me gain some perspective.

I am so sorry you are in such a bad place and your surgeon is a jerk. You can't do Protein shakes so let's figure out another way to get your protein in that doesn't make you gag. These are my suggestions to start with. If you want to try some of these, check out Nashua Nutrition's website to order single serving sizes of any of the protein they sell. -Have you tried the different flavors of Syntrax nectar? They are more fruit/ koolaid type of protein instead of the milk based drinks. - what about making a fruit smoothie that doesn't have protein powder in it? Try using Greek yogurt, the Torani sugar free syrup, frozen fruit, maybe ground flax seed if you like it. - how about getting your protein entirely from food sources and cut out the protein powder completely? The World According to Eggface blog has a ton of great recipes using real food. It may take a little while of trailing food to see what works for both your taste preferences and your sleeve. -Quest Protein Bars? I love the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor and it has easily become one of my favorite foods. You can buy single Quest bars in different flavors at GNC to try and see if you like them. - there is a liquid gel concentrate made by the brand Proti Diet that tastes very much like crystal light or sugar free koolaid and it isn't a powder. I have tried both the pink lemonade and the grape flavors and I really enjoy them. The packets are liquid and mix easily without any clumping or grit. Please hang in there. Let us help you find a way to establish a truce between you and your sleeve. Unfortunately, the surgery is a permanent change. I hope you feel better about this decision soon. Please try to find a more supportive surgeon who is willing to take over your care. It is an important relationship and needs to be comfortable for you.

The most important thing about shopping ahead for smaller sizes is to only buy clothes you absolutely LOVE! There are so many clothes you can buy at thrift stores and you only get to wear these clothes for a limited amount of time. Make sure you buy things you love and something you feel you will live in for the short time you wear it. It isn't any fun to get to a new size if you aren't excited about the new clothes you finally get to wear.

I am so with you on the thrift shops! I have been regularly checking the local thrift stores and buying clothes that I love in various sizes. I have been doing this for over 6 months and have a nice collection built up now. I have sorted the clothes by sizes and boxed them by sizes. I stack the boxes with the smallest size on the bottom and the biggest on top. It makes it easier as I drop sizes so I don't have to dig through looking for the next size I need. Sorting the different sizes into individual boxes has also helped me to know how much I have for each size and which sizes I need to concentrate on. I can't seem to imagine getting below a size 12 so I have very few things below that size. I figure once I start getting closer to a size 12, I will start shopping for smaller sizes if I feel I have a good chance of needing them. Thrift stores are definitely a WLS patient's treasure chest!

I am just starting to look at shorter hairstyles since I am starting to get small handfuls of hair everytime I shower. I never thought about not being able to pull my hair up . Yikes, that will be interesting out on the ATVs and when we are cruising topless in the Jeep. I never thought about my helmet size changing either. Maybe this time I will get a cool helmet that I like. You have to find the positives in the life changes we are going through.

Those are great suggestions! You may also need a few extra complex carbs. You burned off a lot of calories (energy units) and your body needs to replace the energy it expended. You have to replace what your body lost so it can get back to its balance point.

Congratulations, welcome to the world of estrogen. Now you know why women sometimes have no control over our emotions.

chocolate chip cookie dough is my addiction! The taste and texture are really great and it feels like a naughty treat. I also enjoy the cinnamon roll flavor warmed up for a few seconds in the microwave. Right now Groupon has a box of 12 Quest bars for $24.99 with free shipping. And if you shop through ebates you get 6% ($1.50) back per box. There is a limit of 5 boxes per customer. The hardest thing with Quest Bars is limiting myself to just one a day.

You can also try these other websites: figleaves.com lindasonline.com asos.com barenecessitties.com

For swim suits my go to has always been Land's end because I can order by cup size and get a top with an underwire. Now my cup size is beyond what Land's End covers I have started shopping at www.herroom.com for swim suit tops and bras. Their sizing program is great because they have created a universal sizing chart to help you choose the correct size/ same sizes between brands and cuts. Miraclesuit swimsuits are also great for WLS patients because they have a lot of built in support all over which helps a ton with loose skin or any "jiggly" areas that bother you. I have bought so many swimsuits and promptly donated them on because they just didn't support me or keep the jiggling down. Make sure you don't eliminate the pricier swim wear because they will be the ones that give you the support and quality materials that will last you a long time. Good luck! Please share with us if you find great swim suits we haven't found yet! Good swimsuits are hard to come by and are worth their weight in gold.

I had some changes in taste immediately after surgery, but not a lot. I am finding the further out from surgery I get, the less I want to eat. Food just doesn't give me any satisfaction any longer. I just don't want to eat anything. Food is now just a necessity not an ooh that sounds great. Even if whatever food sounds great, it doesn't taste nearly as great as I thought it would.

I really like the Proti liquid concentrate drink mixes. The grape is my favorite. My surgeons office uses the Proti products for the pre op diet so I got to try a wide variety of the Proti brand.

Very interesting topic! I have been fighting chronic pain for over 15 years and take a large amount of narcotics. I am very open to trying medicinal marijuana, but my state does not yet have the legislation in place for legal consumption. I am one of those people who won't even try marijuana if it isn't legal because somehow I would get caught or screw something up. I have researched the medical marijuana and I am hoping it will become a treatment option I can try. The narcotic medications I have used in the past and the ones I currently use have a wide array of side effects and have a sever negative impact on my quality of life and don't take the majority of my pain away. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and opinions. I know it is a controversial subject, but to each his own. I love hearing everyone's experiences and perspectives.

Welcome to the forum! It is very wise of you to consider all aspects of life after WLS. I had many of the same concerns as you. I am just now 4 months post op and down 50 pounds, about 47% of my excess body weight! I love to cook, have large family meals, and eat out as a form of socializing. None of that has changed much! I still cook, enjoy my family together, and enjoy our friends. The only difference is I eat less and better food choices. It really isn't a big deal because now that I eat slower, I have plenty of time to visit with everyone and relax through the meal. My family is benefitting from my surgery also. Our meals are healthier, we go to the gym as a family including my 8 & 11 year old boys, we take a lot of walks together, it is just a lot more quality time together. I am also much happier with myself now that I am losing weight and I am not nearly as self conscious. The weight loss is helping me become a more involved mom and person. I no longer shun involvement in activities and am a lot more confident. The surgery definitely changes you, but for me the positive changes outweigh the negatives by far ! So far my skin isn't too bad. My arms and thighs are holding up pretty well. My belly doesn't have much hope , but I knew that going into surgery. My two pregnancies did most of the damage and my weight just added insult to injury. I knew from the start the only way my drama wouldn't be jiggly or full of loose skin would be by having another surgery . I am ok with it because I am gaining so much of my life back. I will either have a jiggle belly or go back under the knife. I am also working very hard at the gym and have been since my surgeon cleared me. Strength training is as important to me as cardio. The muscle mass I am gaining will help keep the skin issues from becoming as bad as they could be. Great job considering all aspects of life after surgery and asking questions now. The more you know now, the easier your decision will be. Please keep reading and asking questions . The members on this forum are wonderful and supportive. You have come to the right place.

I take a lot of medication daily for my medical needs so adding in my vitamins wasn't a big deal. I discovered the Bariatric Advantage chewable calcium citrate and those are like chewy candy, the texture of Starburst candy chews. Now chewy candy is my favorite and I really, really missed it. Adding in 6 calcium chews, 2 chews 2 hours a part, 3 times a day, is perfect for me. It is like I still get my chewy candy treat multiple times daily. It is something I actually look forward to instead of more pills. If you can find something that works for you like that, it will help you not feel so bogged down by a pill schedule. My husband laughs because I get excited when it is time for my calcium. Heck I even keep them in my grandma's candy bowl on my kitchen counter because they are my "candy" now.

Some of my go to portable foods are: - apple slices (precut & single serving bags found in produce section if you don't want to cut your own) and Peanut Butter Greek yogurt dip (mix 1/4c plain Greek yogurt, 1 TBS of PB2, & 1 tSp of sugar free Torani syrup). I make the dip in 1.5 cup quantities and portion it out into small plastic containers with kids and keep it in the fridge and ready to grab. - hummus and cut up fresh veggies. I keep the hummus in single portion containers and ready to grab and go. I also keep fresh veggies chopped and sealed to go. You can also buy a veggie tray at the grocery store and just grab a handful of veggies on the go if you don't have time to or want to do the prep work. -tuna salad or chicken salad individually portioned and ready to go. I sometimes eat it on cucumber slices or use it as a dip for red pepper slices. - Syntrax nectar fruit flavors. I buy a different 5# bag every month and use the snack size ziplock bags to package single servings ready to grab. I use a sharpie to write the flavor on the bag. Buying one container a month allows me to build up a good variety of flavors without a big one time investment. The syntrax flavors mix easily and with little clumping in a bottle of Water, no mixer bottle needed. The ziplock bags keep the powder contained and easy to carry a few in my purse all the time. When I am ready to make a bottle, I just rip or cut the corner off the bag and it pours through the small bottle neck without making a mess. I like my flavors diluted so one scoop works perfectly for me in a regular bottle of water. You may have to adjust the amount you keep in your bags to suit your preferences. -Greek yogurt and kashi high Protein Cereal again portioned, bagged, and ready to grab and go. I gag on the texture of yogurt so I have to mix something crunchy in it to keep from gagging on it. Plus the extra Fiber is a great thing for WLS patients. There's a start for you. I tend to do my dividing and packaging of servings in one sitting so I don't have to mess with it when I am in a hurry. I hope this helps. Please share anything you come up with also. I always looking for new Snacks.

Congrats!