moondoggie1983

I could have (and I think I did) written this word for word! The first week I was SOOOO HUNGRY! Not head hunger either, but stomach rumbling physical hunger! Turns out my stomach was producing WAY too much stomach acid. Once I got on protonix, it went away. I just started the soft food diet today, and let me tell you it was a real struggle to eat 2 tablespoons of vegetarian retried beans! And I’m not hungry anymore. Now I have to push myself to eat because I know I need to. Trust me, it’s working. I freaked out to, to the point where at my 5 day follow up I was asking the surgeon “what size bougie did you use???” 😂 Poor man was like 32 French. And I make stomachs smaller than most surgeons do. You’ll start feeling that not hungry bit when you get out of liquids I promise. Just keep trucking and it’ll all work out. Good luck!

I’m jealous! It took me 18 months to finally get approval from my ins company! I certainly don’t regret it, but it would have been nice to have a much smoother journey like yours! Good luck! I’m happy for you!

I’ll be honest, I’m 2 weeks post VSG and sometimes I do regret it. It’s a HUGE change. And the only real thing I regret is not being able to chug water 😂. But when I’m down about it, I just talk to someone (my friends, family members, my psych) and they remind me that it’s better to struggle for a little bit to be healthier and live longer. That ALWAYS stops my pity party! Sometimes in the early days I guess it’s easier to get sad than think about the good reasons you did this. Everyone in my support group has had a little case of buyers remorse, but not very often. I’ve had 2 days of angry and sad out of 2 weeks. But I really wouldn’t change my decision for the world. Like the above poster said, most of the time it’s the regret that I didn’t do this sooner! You’ll be fine and you’ll do great! And I think almost everyone gets the cold feet/nerves before. You’re totally normal lol

I like Baritastic. It keeps track of fluid intake, carbs, fat and protein. It keeps track of weight loss and inches lost. They email me stats when I request them. And I have yet to scan something that doesn’t come up immediately. And if I ever do have that problem, it’s easy to input the stats quickly. And it syncs with my Fitbit, which is nice for me. It doesn’t track the macros and micros though, so if you’re looking to do that, another app or site is probably better for you. I haven’t tried the Chronometer one, but for me, I just really like Baritastic.

I also said “most doctors”. Which from what I’ve seen on the boards appears true to me. Just wanted to correct that misquote. And BTW, I wasn’t even responding to you in the first place. Have a nice day.

Listen. I don’t care. If you want to take it, take it. There’s protein in it. For lots of people it’s the only thing they can get down. If you don’t want to take it, don’t. And I like this place because people do give suggestions. If I checked webmd every time something was different from what my surgeon said, I’d have been in the ER like 6 times in 14 days. OP asked a question, I gave an answer. And I’m not the only one who gave the answer. So how bout we let people decide for themselves?

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT02919657?sect=X70156#outcome1 These are the blood draws that show you can still meet your protein goals on GENEPRO. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/alexmorrell/2015/03/12/lawsuits-say-protein-powders-lack-protein-ripping-off-athletes/amp/ And this shows just how many protein brands add other ingredients and claim them as protein. I guess nothing can be easy for us WLS patients huh? 🤷‍♀️

11 grams in the small scoop is still impressive, especially when it mixes better than anything else I’ve seen and the reviews have labeled it completely flavorless (except for some people suffering from synesthesia). I don’t understand why so many people have such a big deal about this. It’s not harmful in any way. Plenty of NUTs recommend it. If you’re struggling with getting in the shake version of protein, like I am, and the RTD’s are gross (which I think they are) GENEPRO could be for you. It seems to mix well with anything from water to Mac and cheese from the videos I’ve seen. It would be one thing if you’re trying to cram as much protein as possible into one small dose, but that’s not what the selling point is to me. Also, like I said, the independent studies done show that there is protein in it. All protein powder can be sketchy anyway, which is why most doctors want patients to wean off it and use food instead. They include ingredients that are not protein and try to say they count towards protein. I’m not looking for a fight, but if you’re looking for a flavorless protein powder, this seems to be the best. If you’re just trying to cram a bunch of protein in with one dose, then you’re looking for something different. Since the OP didn’t mention wanting to get a huge amount of protein and just that they wanted a truly flavorless powder, I suggested the GENEPRO.

Thank you Orchids&Dragons! I’ll check it out

I’m 2 weeks post op and I was producing so much extra acid I was constantly vomiting it up. My doctor put me on protonix in the morning, nexium at night and carafate 4 times a day. No more extra acid!

Stalls are normal, so I advise keeping track of the measurements of your body. Your neck, arms, thighs, calves and waist. Even if you are stalled on the scale, odds are you’re still losing inches in those places

I also use the Unjury, but I’m considering the GENEPRO. I’ve seen labs that have been drawn that were GENEPRO vs regular and the GENEPRO labs actually did have more protein in the blood than the others. Not a drastic amount, but every little bit counts. My advice is to do your own research before you don’t consider GENEPRO at all. There are a lot of independent studies out there.

I also tried to my be into the full liquid diet of my program too quickly, and it made my sleeve angry. I actually couldn’t keep anything down for 4 days after that and got super dehydrated. I advise everyone to stay the course. Your sleeve is swollen for 6-8 weeks. I didn’t even try a solid or mushy food. I tried a cream soup. Now I’m back on track, but the best way to think about for me is like a detox. The two weeks you’re on clear liquids (and even the time you’re on full liquids) is like a detox from all the bad habits we’ve developed that lead us to the point of needing WLS. My advice is stick to your program because you don’t want to end up back in the ER like I did.

I was on the 14 days of Optifast as well. I just walked. I work a fast paced job as well, so I was running around too. You do NOT get extra to compensate. And don’t worry about exercise after. You’ll be up and walking within a couple hours of surgery (I walked the halls for the whole 24 hours I was in the hospital). Then after surgery I walked 30 minutes a day for the first 3 days, 30 minutes a day twice a day for the next 4 days and I now walk 30 minutes a day 3 times a day, plus whatever housework or whatever else I’m doing. At 14 days out I’ve lost 23 lbs. I’ve had one follow up appt that was 5 days post surgery, but my surgeon doesn’t even think about clearing you for over 10 pound of lifting for at least 3 weeks.

Did you already have WLS? I’m a little lost. If you did have WLS and just put on a couple pounds later, then yes, liposuction could help with that. If you haven’t had WLS, and your BMI is above 35-40, liposuction can’t fix that. Can you let us know if you’ve had WLS and what your stats are? HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Awesome! I’m going to pick some up tomorrow! Thanks for the recommendation! HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

The Gatorade sounds like a good idea. The crystal light didn’t work for the orange flavor. I’m going to try the grape tomorrow. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I got the RTD. I’m just having a really hard time keeping down any kind of protein that’s not food. I’m in the full liquid stage, so I’m getting some from milk. I’m thinking of trying the protein pudding that some people talk about on here. Going to have to find a recipe. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

It’s because it causes you to swallow air, so it gives you terrible gas. Same idea as straws. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Oh! And make sure you’re at least walking 30-60 minutes a day. You won’t lose if you’re not active. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I sure am! I did 13 days of it before my surgery on 5/10. I got to have 3 shakes and then 2 other Optifast items per day. That’s IT. No broth, popsicles nuthin. Just good old h2o. In 13 days I lost 10 lbs. The first 3-4 days were awful. After that, it was ok. Don’t weigh yourself to begin with. I was pushing 90+oz of water a day because the better hydrated you are before surgery the easier it is to not get dehydrated after. Personally, my calories never exceeded 800/day. Sometimes less because I wouldn’t have the appetite to eat another soup or bar. It will work. I promise. It’s just a real pain in the patoot in the beginning. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC