Jobber

I use all the Body Fortress super advanced whey protein powders and the protein isolate with unsweetened almond milk. It's not super sweet. I despise premier protein, they taste like aluminum foil to me. I've also tried syntrax nectars, but they are not very good either.

I certainly understand about being a lurker here, I barely post and when I do its either because I've hit a new milestone in my journey or I feel very strongly about something. I feel like I know the regular posters here, but just can't bring myself to comment nearly as much as most do. I'm having my surgery in less than 3 weeks and I'm both nervous as heck and excited about the new lifestyle changes coming my way. I do not plan to waste this opportunity. Thank you for sharing your story, its inspirational.

I bought the nutri ninja 1000 watt. That thing would grind masonry, I think. I bought it because my whole family drinks smoothies, but going into this I didn't like the $20 Oster smoothie maker we had because things like pineapple and other fibrous fruits had an awful texture. Enter the Nutri Ninja and it will turn anything into smooth liquid. Only issue is the price point, it's like $75 on Amazon and $100 at Kohls before coupons.

Espresso? I was told absolutely no caffeine for the rest of my life since it's a major irritant to the new seam in the stomach. EDIT: I never realized there was such a thing as decaf espresso until I googled it. Who knew? Nice!!!!

I just received my surgery date today, it's March 26th. So relieved to be at this stage, it's been a long 6 friggin months. Good luck to everyone who's reached this point.

I was told the reason that any apnea needed to be under control was for the purposes of anesthesia and making sure you're not going to stop breathing when you're under for surgery due to extra relaxed airway. They have to adjust your air pressure based on your ability to keep your airway open. If you're undiagnosed and have apnea, this could be dangerous to not know before surgery.

I am pondering this as well. I'm getting sick of my current job and want to change badly, but I'm not because I'm already most of the way through the pre-surgery process. In your situation, I'd be honest with the hiring manager. You may be surprised how they respond. Letting someone take a week off, early in their tenure, may not be an issue. They will be looking at your qualities in bringing you on. An extra week off in the grand scheme of things is a drop in the bucket.

I also have a spouse who is supportive in one breath then in the next she says I just need to be accountable in my diet and exercise instead of needing surgery. In the end, I'm just going to do it and hope for the best since there's nothing I haven't already said in discussion that's going to sway her coming from my mouth. I'm done with 6 months of NUT and have my psych next week. She was invited to the psych eval, so I'm hoping she will have these kinds of questions for them and gets some more satisfaction that I'm doing the right thing. It's hard if you're not the person going through it, I think. Best of luck to you.

Also found out that the corporate office is closed on Monday but we're going to be open in the shipping office for some reason. I know this is a test of wills. I am very fortunate to have a job and to be on the path to getting healthy, I just need to remember that or I'll go bonkers.

My kids gave their teachers thank you cards that were taped to boxes of the Thank-yous girl scout cookies. They all loved it.

I just found out I have to work on xmas Eve after already making plans with family. What did the company give me for xmas? NOTHING....I need a new job. I found out that the exec management team had their own secret xmas party and didn't do anythign for us peons...

This is one of the best forum queries I've seen in a while, great post! Looks: to everyone that knows me, my motivation is and always will be Health, not looks. That said, I've been judged my entire life on my looks, I went bald at 20 and got fat around 30 and I've been passed over for so many promotions its not even funny. I don't care about my health if I can't get anywhere because of my looks and all the prejudging that goes on to my face. Health: Tired of being tired, plain and simple. Family: I want to see my kids grow and live life with them. Romance: Getting this big has come with a lot of drawbacks in my intimate relationship with my wife, nuff said. Mobility: I have heard about this thing that happens when you're able to do things like run and stay active in regards to keeping depression at bay. Longevity: Last but not least, I'd like to live longer but if I'm not having a better quality life by putting all the other things first, then forget longevity, which is why I've put this last.

There's really no need to until you are advised by the program. Plus shakes get old fast, you want to wait long as possible. Good Luck in your process.

I never really thought about using a little bit for something like coffee, that's pretty smart, plus you can make it mocha or french vanilla. I just discovered peanut butter powder this weekend and I mixed it with chocolate protein isolate in almond milk. OMG, it's freakin' amazing.... Total Kcal 247!

Until I was in the market for protein supplements myself, I never really noticed other people buying these things in the stores I frequent. This weekend at Sam's Club I saw about 10 different carts with cases of premier protein in the bottom of them. None of the shoppers appeared to be body builders, most were "overweight" but this sparked my question. Would it be fair to assume that many of these people at Sam's this weekend are in the WLS process or do people use these for other reasons than WLS or body building? Meal Replacements? What else?

Good Luck to you IANMS. I was thinking about starting this process a few years ago because of a person I met who had lost over 200lbs through WLS. I never once felt like they "took the easy way out" because I talked to her about the whole process and her experience. it was truly an inspiring experience. I knew I was going to do it after meeting her, but then my best friend's wife had the surgery and it was completely ineffective for her. I was forlorn and somewhat put off about getting it going. I found out later that she wasn't losing weight because she was drinking all her calories. Not just alcohol, but milkshakes and other bad sugary drinks as well. She finally decided to cut these things out and the pounds started melting away, it was just the catalyst she needed along with exercise and getting in her water. I know it will be hard, but there's no other way to do it. Good luck to you!

Prepackaged foods kill your tastebuds with salt and make people hate less salty things like vegetables; it's a fact. You're a product of your upbringing and if you're fed these things growing up, chances are you're going to continue the trend. Education on nutrition and applying this knowledge is important. Its the main reason most insurance companies for WLS require the months of nutrition appointments and/or classes. You must change your ways or your surgery will not be worth it. I know what I'm supposed to eat, I minored in nutrition in college, but my problem is that I don't apply what I know most of the time and I have a deadly relationship with full-fat dairy products, also loaded with sodium. This is going to be my biggest challenge going through this process, I wish you well. Like most of the others here said already, go slow. Try new veggies, but try to avoid over-salting them. Use herbs, garlic, non salt containing spices. If you like spicy things, use that, it's a great sub for salt. All the Best!

that sounds really good, thanks!

What's in the stuffing, may I ask?

Congrats @Matt Z, sounds like you went through a lot. I wish you continued success on your journey.

I'm in a somewhat similar situation with my wife. I think he sees you asking him to order food that way as another way to remind him yet again that you're doing this and he's getting more insecure about the whole thing. He'll come around if he truly supports you, but then again, it may also expose his true feelings as well. If you don't have a healthy foundation in the first place, I think this process is going to show what your relationship is made of for better or worse.

I was just jealous of their glory and had to resort to insults to conceal it....

Makes sense, I would imagine you can get sick of the same thing so many meals in a row. Thanks

No offense, it reminds me of the fake vomit you could buy at a joke store back in the day...

Thanks all, I guess I'll learn what I can do once I go through this myself and adjust accordingly. My plan is to eat the same things I feed the rest of my family so I just take a little at a time.