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I am with @@Threetimesacharm on this one. You should not be testing at this point because the nerves in your stomach have not healed and you really cannot feel how full you are. You should be following your plan, measuring your food, logging your food so you know exactly what you are putting into your body. I am sure you have heard this: just because you can eat that much doesn't mean you should. This is the head part. I would suggest setting up an appointment with your nutritionist and possibly a phycologist to help you through. Sorry for the tough love but you are on a slippery slope right now and these little tests can put you right back where you started. By the way, I am not a DS patient but I can eat anything I want. Every time I slip and eat something like pie or chips, I stall out sometimes for weeks at a time. My longest stall was 28 days and I clearly caused it myself. I will say I never tried to push the envelope until I was 6 months post op and fully healed.

The other suggestion I would make is to actually make home made chicken broth. I ended up having to do this during my liquid diet and it sucked because I really wanted to eat the chicken and vegetables. The reason I say this is because you really crave something savory during the liquid diet. Good chicken broth really helped me get through my diet. My surgeons office recommended it when they called to check up on me mid diet and I told them I was so sick of the sweet. Use a whole chicken, garlic, celery, carrots,onion, salt and pepper in a pot of boiling Water. Make it a large pot so you have a lot of it. Strain everything out, pull the chicken off the bones and freeze it for later. It will make some great chicken recipes when you can eat real food again. That would be my recommendation. This broth carried me through and like someone else said, the warm liquid really helps! Oh, and the canned broth tastes like dirty dishwater during this diet.

Nicely done! What a great year it is! Congratulations!

Not getting enough fluids will actually act like hunger. You need more Water and less Protein and calories. How many carb grams are you eating? The hunger you think you are feeling is either head hunger or lack of fluids. Having the sleeve it could also be heartburn/reflux. You should not be feeling actual hunger at this stage.

Ok, we all screw up and clearly it didn't hurt you so it is time for you to move on. You must get your Protein or you will get sick and your hair will shed worse. I could not tolerate milk or whey protein in the beginning either. My surgeons office told me to go buy Premier Protein ready made shakes. They taste much better, there is no grit and they do not smell like whey protein. they have 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar in each one. In the beginning they had me use half the shake and half lactose free milk just to thin them out a little. By week 8 I was able to drink the shake without milking it down. They are travel ready and you no longer need to deal with blenders or shaker cups. You can get them in bulk at Sam's or costco - January they will be on sale at Costco for $5 off a case again. I stock up. You can also get them in smaller packs at both Walgreens and Walmart They are great because you don't have to drink so much protein to get to your goals. 30 grams in one 11 oz. shake is awesome. I still drink 1 every day and I am 15 months post op. I simply cannot eat enough to get all my protein from food. Please be good to your body,both at protein is critical to making you feel full and stay full. Also with your surgery you should not be feeling actually hunger. So either you are dealing with head hunger or you are actually dehydrated which feels exactly like hunger. Make sure you are getting enough fluids as well as protein. Good luck to you!

Wow! You look fantastic! Congratulations!

I totally understand. It is really scary too to see how much hair sheds and how fast it happens. Once I learned the truth, that it will slow when your weight loss slows, then I got my head around that. I actually did not want to see it slow because I knew that I was not yet at my weight loss goal and was afraid I wasn't going to get there. The reality is you will, you just have to work harder at it.

Your hair loss will continue until your weight loss slows down. I have been to several doctors about this issues as I lost about 2/3 of my hair volume. It started by the time I was 8 weeks post op and finally slowed down and stopped by 12/13 months post op. The good news is while it was happening, I never had bald spots, I simply she'd like crazy. Also while I was losing, it was also regrowing. I took Biotin from the very start of it and I do believe that helped with regrowth. All my nutrients have been spot on the entire time and I always reached my Protein goals. I am not 15 months post op and my hair is already much thicker although not back to it full thickness. It is sprouting everywhere and almost driving me a little crazy because it sticks up. Also it is a different texture. It is more frizzy and a little course. I staighten mine because of the frizzies. The moral of the story, it will grow back and you will look great!

I know it is very difficult in the first 8 weeks to get all your Protein and Water in. Honestly you have protein stores for quite some time and the hydration is the most important thing. As the swelling goes down, it will get easier for you. These were the priorities I was given in order 48 - 64 ounces of water or liquid 70gr protein Vitamins It was literally 8 weeks before I could get it all down. Just do the best you can.

Hi there and welcome! As you research more and more your choice should become very clear for you. There are tons of threads on both of these surgeries and both can help you meet your goal. I chose bypass in the end mostly because I suffered from severe reflux and type 2 diabetes. Bypass has a proven record in curing these diseases and getting to better health was most important to me. By the way, I have never had a single episode of heartburn or reflux and my diabetes is completely gone! I have lost 135lbs and have 10 to go to hit an ideal weight. 1 pound to go to no longer be overweight. I do not get dumping syndrome at all although on occasion if I eat too much sugar at one time I do get a tummy ache. Also I cannot eat eggs, those make me sick. Other than that I have no complications whatsoever. Having bypass was the best thing I have ever done for myself. Good luck and feel free to reach out with questions!

Hi Amy! The binders typically come once you have begun the process and have your first actual consultation. There is a ton of info on line about these surgeries as well as here at Bariatric pal. The no drinking before and after is a pretty important rule. The before fills you up and you may not get enough Protein which is vital to your success. Drinking after can flush the food you have just eaten from your pouch before you even get yo absorb the nutrients and you will be hungry again right away. Many times people gain back their weight because they do not follow this rule. Caffeine can cause hunger but the real issue for us is that it is dehydrating. One of the hardest things for us is to stay hydrated well. Caffeine makes this harder. Feel free to reach out as much as you like. I had bypass 15 months ago and I am down 135lbs, 10 pounds from goal.

Merry Christmas Alex and thank you! This past year has been one of the best in my life and in part that was because I have had such a great support system both here at Bariatric Pal and at home with my family. I appreciate having a place to simply talk about my experiences and get my questions answered. God Bless! Deb

I will say the changing it up thing is sometimes hard when your body requires mostly Protein, fruits and veggies. I really go in phases. I eat a lot of salads with protein on them as my fallback. Otherwise chicken and beef are my two go to Proteins with pork tenderloin in there every once in a while. I also eat a lot of cottage cheese.

For me, it took 8 months to get from the starting point to insurance submission. My paperwork was then faxed to the insurance company in the morning and by 1pm the same day I was approved. I was in surgery 3 weeks later! Now I have to say I was shocked at how fast it got approved once it got in there but all that prework to get the paperwork right probably made it very easy for the insurance company to approve. I will say my insurance company required I use a Bariatric center of excellence and they did everything and were very experienced at submitting for this surgery. Had I gone through my PCP I would probably still be waiting. She was very incompetent and is no longer my PCP. Good luck to you!

Having WLS is really all about trial and error unfortunately. Sorry you had that experience! Things will get easier, I promise!

@@Margie122 You will get there! I promise! You and I are the same height and have the same goal! I a, just under 10 pounds away and I have been stuck for a couple weeks now. I have noticed in the last couple of weeks that my body makeup is changing a lot. I have become very Boney all over and part of me is now in the mindset that losing much more is not a good thing for me given I plan to have some plastics done in the areas where I have a lot of loose skin. I am definitely second guessing my goal at this point but whatever happens happens. So, I have been staying off the scale the last few days. You will definitely get to onederland, unfortunately that fluctuation always drives you mad. Once you are down to 195 you will never see that crappy 2 number again. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

I am with the others, if you simply go out and have fun with your friends, and literally focus on that you will meet someone interesting. It is when you are focused on finding mr. Right that it simply eludes you. I remember when I met my husband. He was not my type at all, I did not want to go out with anyone let alone him. He simply started showing up at our usual hangout a lot. I finally agreed to go eat with him and some other friends, after 3 months of grabbing a bite with other friends we went on an actual date. It was about 3 months after that when I realized I was actually head over heels in love with him. I remember it vividly because I had just gone through a divorce and was not looking. I wanted to be single for a while. I cried when I realized I was in love and finally told him. We have been married 28 wonderful years and he is my very best friend. I would not give up 1 second with him. It will happen when it happens whether you like it or not. Just go have fun! And good luck!

Sounds like both parties are off their game but certainly the insurance company is messed up big time. My info was faxed by the doctors office in the am and by 1pm same day I was approved and surgery was scheduled. I will say that happened on,y after my doctors office screwed up. They sat on my paperwork for 2 weeks before I called to check only to find out they screwed up. Maybe they were able to get it pushed along somehow. Not sure.

My nut requires 1 gram of protein for every inch you are tall minimum. If you have kidney problems it is not a good idea to drive your protein even higher than that.

You won't fail if you follow the plan. It is when we go off plan that you will see people struggle. Now don't get me wrong we are all not perfect but we have worked so very hard to get so far, if we get off track one day we get right back on track the next day. You seem to be working hard at understanding what you need to be doing ahead of time. Read everything you can and go into this knowing what to expect. Take it one day and one step at a time and before you know it you will reach your goals. I have lost 135lbs and I am 52 years old. Loose skin happens as a part of massive weight loss, the younger you are the easier your skin bounces back but honestly if you are obese or morbidly obese you can expect a lot of loose skin. I will take my loose skin anyday over that 135lbs I used to carry around. I can always manage to have some plastics done for the areas that I just cannot tolerate. I know I don't have a lot of money to do that but will figure out a way to deal with areas like my upper arms that really truly bother me,

I always have had breakfast. Before surgery I would usually have a yogurt and a giant delicious homemade muffin. chocolate chip was my favorite. I always have breakfast now. Usually it is a premier Protein shake but occasionally I will have cream of wheat, oatmeal or I will make homemade crepes (extra eggy) with sausage. I cannot eat eggs by themselves so I sneak more of them into things like crepes. Occasionally I will have cottage cheese pancakes with a couple strawberries. 99 percent of the time I go for the shake.

I feel your pain literally. The reality is, the damage to our joints and body is pretty much done. I have been dealing with severe osteoarthritis in my spine for years and although I lost 135lbs, nothing but surgery has helped. Now I am looking at shoulder surgery and possibly one more spine surgery. I know if I was still 135lbs heavier my knees and ankles were bad too and are better. I have had to have 2 back surgeries since June, both were much much safer because of my significant weight loss. I too wish I could take NSAIDs but have been told to stay away completely unless there is no other alternative. I hope you get well soon!

I love love love vegetables pretty much every way you can make them. I don't use canned vegetables ever. I use frozen or fresh veggies multiple times a day. Roasted, sautéed, steamed, grilled and raw. Yummo!

I have run into a few previous coworkers in the last couple of months. I find unless I am literally standing with my hubby, people don't even recognize me all. When they realize it is me there is a period of shock and usually followed by head shaking like they cannot believe it is me. Then they will ask how I did it. I honestly do not care who knows about my having bypass surgery. When I look at groups of people it is shocking to me how many in each group are obese or morbidly obese. I figure if I tell my story, maybe one or two might be so interested that they follow suit. When I tell my story I make sure they understand that having WLS requires a huge commitment to diet, exercise and a completely different mindset. It really does help them to understand it is not as simple as I have surgery and lose massive weight and it's easy. Yet, when they see someone like me continuing to meet my goals everyday it will hopefully inspire others in the same situation to do something about it before it is too late.

Before surgery one of the best things to focus on is removing all sugar from your beverages. No fruit juices, soda of any kind. Try to cut out all caffeine now by tapering down. Focus on getting good Protein in. 1 gram for every inch you are tall. Focus on drinking 48 to 64 oz. of non sweetened, non carbonated, caffeine free beverages. Cut back on, bread, sweets of any kind, Pasta, rice and bread like products. Try to cook fresh healthy foods. Remove all processed foods from your diet. The carbs you do eat should come from fresh fruits and vegetables. I know this is a lot so the best thing to do is set a goal to focus on every week until you reach your pre op liquid diet. Track everything you put in your mouth through a program like myfitnesspal. Both good and bad, it keeps you accountable and more important can help you make better choices throughout the day. If I have some carbs for Breakfast or lunch I find that I will stick to my guns and eat only protein and veggies for dinner. This should get you started. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!