Natasha Estrada

In general there is nothing in a carb your body needs other than energy. Simple energy. Protein and fat how ever have amino acids and essential fatty acids. Tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin. Tryptophan is an amino acid, a less common one. Ingesting carbs allows tryptophan to be taken up in the body faster but you could get a similar effect from ingesting more tryptophan.

Carbs are seductive I'll give you that. I used to feel awesome when I used to eat about 20g a day.
​Very complication explanation of the above if your into biochem
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201105/sunlight-sugar-and-serotonin
"Having obscene amounts of sugar and carbohydrate over long periods of time can max out our serotonin machinery, leaving us unhappy, carb-craving, and depressed."

"Now, personally, my friend was completely oblivious to how her actions could effect me at all. I chalk this up to pure self-centeredness"
Wow she has no idea that the self centeredness she refers to is her own. Why should a decision as big as WLS be based on your friend's feelings. Honestly all these tirades are not about you but about how the change your making is making her feel. There is not a lot you can do about it.

Sounds like you might benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy.
In the book they give us to read preop with my program there is a section on grieving the loss of being able eat the way we used to. A therapist might help with that.

I would tell you but then I'd have to eat you.

I would tell you but then I'd have to eat you.

I would tell you but then I'd have to eat you.

I would tell you but then I'd have to eat you.

Think about the preop process this way. It's like a train once you're on you have to stay on until you get to your destination. If you jump off you just end up at the side of the tracks and you don't know when the next train is coming.
Take your family and spouse to a support group.

Are you restricted to certain products when you pay with food stamps or is it pretty much anything in the supermarket. Some of the markets I go into sell the tubs of Protein powder. Thats usually more economical than the ready to drinks.

I'm having the same dilemma though am also leaning towards the bypass. The sleeve seems like a good idea because it's a simple operation but so is the lapband and in the long run that turned out to work not so well. I think a lot of the places that used to push the band are now pushing the sleeve for the same reason the band was attractive

Y'know I have been wondering the same thing myself. I love to sew, have my degree in design but have sworn off clothes because of my size. I have cast on for a sweater though in a medium since they take me a while to complete.
I plan to sew t shirts in several sizes to get my through my initial weight loss. I have a stack of jeans from the way up. Not sure I would start on a fully hand padded jacket though.