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i found one on Amazon, NOW Foods whey Protein Isolate, that i have been using for almost six months. It dissolves well in my morning smoothies and in instant fat free/sugar free pudding. It is very close to tasteless and I have found that mixing it in anything up to warm works well. It clumps in hot liquids, however. It has worked really well for me and you can buy it in a bulk 5 lb size which lasts a while.

Congrats on what you have done up til now! Dropping your BMI like that and losing that weight is a great achievement! I had previously lost 100 lbs and gained back 150 over a decade, so the sleeve was the best option for me. I have lost almost all the weight I gained back and feel better now than ever. All my co-morbidities have gone away, so I am certain I made the best decision in having the surgery. I was certain I couldn't lose all the weight by myself and decided that the restriction of the sleeve, combined with lifestyle changes, would make gaining the weight back much more difficult. Given where you are right now, WLS may not contribute much more than what you have already achieved as far as dropping weight and lowering your BMI. On the other hand, the restriction might prove effective in limiting yo-yo weight loss in the future. In the end, you have to gauge if you think that you can maintain the healthy changes you have made already without the assistance of the sleeve. Good luck!

@@fireman9302, your fears are normal. I had them before i had my surgery, but in my case the potential upside was far greater than the downside as I had lots of co-morbidities and mobility issues. Seven and a half months later and they are gone. I feel better and much healthier than I have in decades and I have no regrets, save for wishing I had been ready for this change earlier. There is a lot of commitment involved here, and if your fears extend to whether or not you can handle that, think seriously about whether or not you can do this. Also, if anyone told you this was easy, they never did it. But nothing really worthwhile in life is easy. You have to work at it. I am a huge proponent of WLS now, but recognize it is a very personal decision. Good luck whatever you decide!

Thanks @@Dub for sharing that NSV. It's a great example of how your success can inspire those around you!

Congrats on the great results and new lease on life! Like you, I marvel at how much things have improved since surgery in July!

After seven months I have learned that a half cup is about all I can take of solid Proteins, but I can go to a cup on things like chili. More than that and I experience the memorable experiences @@Dub spoke of. I have managed ok, but I have had to cut out some high Protein Snacks, which I found opened my appetite in a big way. Right now I focus on three meals per day, a couple of small snacks (usually Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit) and about 100-110 gms of protein daily. I find that if I keep my calories below 1000 I tend to stall out, but if I go up to 1100 or so, with at least 50% protein, I start losing again. I am looking forward to the future @@vsg Ann 2014 discussed, where veggies and fruits play a bigger role, but right now once the protein is done, I can barely get in a few bites. I have also relied on v8 (the low sodium variety) to at least get some veggies in and use berries in my morning protein smoothies. This has been working for me, but in participating in these forums over the past few months, it appears that there is absolutely no one size fits all approach. I am also still working on slowing down my eating. I am successful compared to how I used to vacuum food, but I need to go even slower. I aim for twenty minutes a meal, but normally don't get past 10.

This may sound counter-intuitive, but have you tried increasing your intake of Protein and complex carbohydrates? You are working out quite a bit and your body needs inputs. Our bodies kick into a survival mode when caloric intake drops. You might be there. Have you been dropping sizes? It could well be that you have replaced fat with much denser muscle, so they scale has not moved but your body composition has.

Stall, lose, stall, lose, repeat - the story my journey so far. I have only been able to find some peace by taking a step back and realizing that I've dropped a lot of weight since this began and the trend is definitely still going down. I have stopped judging my success by the scale and am now going by how I feel. I have not had a long stall, but I stay at a weight and sometimes go up for for 7-10 days at a time, then drop a few days, then repeat the process. I am now co-morbidity free and can move without pain. I have energy I haven't had in decades and am wearing sizes i thought I had long ago abandoned. I decided not to let my weight loss total rule me,and it has made a huge difference in my perspective. Since I stopped obsessing about the exact number of pounds lost, I feel much healthier. I focus on getting in my Protein and Water and exercise (in other words what I can control) and accept the rest.

I took 2 1/2 weeks off from a desk job and am glad i did, as I felt that I had the energy I needed to complete my job wen I returned. By the end of the first week I was working from home about 5-6 hours a day, but at my own pace. Speak to your supervisor and HR about options available, including telework for the time period you are recovering. Every person is different and you will only know how you react to the surgery after it's done. Good luck and congrats on starting this process!

I usually stop drinking about five minutes before eating and don't drink for about 30 minutes after eating. Like many here, I found out the hard way what happens when you drink too quickly after a meal. In my case, even seven months out from surgery, there simply isn't room for food and Water after a meal. I also have Soups with veggies and meat and Cereal with milk and it's been fine and I have had to sip water at times during meals if the food was too dry. You will learn your own pace and restrictions, and as time goes by you get more comfortable.

I'm down about 100 lbs in these pics, have since lost around 15 more. This has been a wild, but wonderful, ride!

Congratulations and thanks for all your great insights!

Congrats! Keep up the great work!

I'm seven months out and can eat about half a cup at meals. That usually translates into a portion of Protein and a few bites of some veggie carbs. I still do a protein supplement shake a day and add unflavored protein to things like sugar free pudding to make sure I get my protein in. I am finding that the amount I eat is increasing and rather than try to increase meal sizes, I am increasing frequency and adding things like Jerky and high protein Snacks during the day. Right now I am eating three meals and two snacks per day. This allows me to feel satiated throughout the day without eating too much at meals. My weight loss has slowed, but it still continues and I am feeling a lot less stressed about food.

I enjoy going out for meals, although I make sure that it's to a place that has something on the menu I can eat. I usually order an appetizer and have it brought out with everyone's main course and usually take as long with my plate as most do with their's. I enjoy the social aspect of dining out and find that the conversation allows me to pace myself. Yeah, I eat less than many people my wife and I dine with, but they all know about my WLS. As far as eating choices of others, that's on them. When I quit smoking I didn't stop socializing with smokers, and I see this the same way. As far as drinking, maybe a glass of wine to accompany, but normally I don't drink, so it's not that big a deal.

OK, so today is seven months since my surgery and I have lost a small person (about 125 lbs). It's hard to wrap my head around that. I am still having serious issues with exercise (or the lack thereof) and finding motivation for working out. My eating is going better, and I am tolerating a lot more foods. Even when they don't go down right, they at least stay down. I am also not understanding calories. I upped my calories from 1000 to about 1100 and my weight loss has picked up. I am also focusing on protein (125+ gms per day) and I am feeling better. I am very close now (8 lbs) from my goal, but my Doc is urging me to go 15 lbs beyond that so that when I bounce back it my weight will still be within goal. I have also discovered lots of snacks at the bariatric pal store and I have been integrating them into my diet. I'm happy where I am right now and looking forward to keeping the positive momentum going!

Our grocery bill has gone down some, but not as much as I had expected. We are now buying higher quality meats and grocery items although the quantities are smaller. Also, some of the specialized things I am purchasing, such a high Protein Snacks, are more expensive. I am eating healthier and more natural, however, and really enjoying it!

Ron, Just keep at the company. I was initially denied by BCBS Fed and I contacted customer service to appeal. They requested a bunch of additional documents, but as I was about to submit those, the initial call had generated an appeal that overturned the initial decision. Just keep pressing them and hopefully you will have a positive outcome. Good luck!

Everyone has moments of weakness, but you shouldn't let them derail you. Please remember that you are modifying years of behavior and that will not be a perfect, linear process. You have to cut yourself some slack and realize its not the fact that you slip up that matters, but how you get back on track. Just start up your diet today and next time you want to binge, remember how you felt.

If anyone needs inspiration, they only need to look at the pics here!! AMAZING!!!! Way to go @@ABTexas1984, @@3bzmom and @@Dub!

I was 51 when I had surgery and had limited mobility because of the damage excess weight had done to my knees and back. Seven months later, I am down 120 lbs and feel better than I ever have. If I could have done the surgery at your age, and avoided all the damage, I would have. I lost large amounts of weight over the years, only to gain it back with a vengeance. The restriction that VSG brings hopefully will mitigate that, as will my desire to keep feeling as healthy and alive as I do now. This is a great opportunity to be there for your child, not just in the future, but mobile and energetic in the present.

Congrats on the awesome progress! Fantastic job! That picture really says it all!

Part of the process, whether we like it or not, is re-educating ourselves on how to eat. Smaller meals, protein first, complex vs simple carbs, etc. it isn't really a diet because diets are by their nature temporary. This is a lifestyle change to eat and be healthier. Increased physical activity is also part of the program. I find that when I eat my meals and get my protein in I have energy for the day, but if I go too long without food, I get exhausted. Keeping to a regimen has worked for me so far and I intend to keep it going.

Retired Fed/gov't contractor

Congratulations! What great results!