VIN_IN_AL

Very large selection on Amazon, simply do a search for "unflavored liquid protein" I have tried: Liquid Protein Hydrolyzed by Proteinex 15 Grams Protein, 30 Oz No Fat, Sugar Free, No Carbs. Predigested Hydrolysate Supplement. It was recommended by my orthopedic surgeon as a supplement to take after full hip surgery.

Walmart just started stocking these and yes I agree, they are VERY good. They have two other flavors: Swanson Sipping Chicken Bone Broth with Ginger & Turmeric Swanson Sipping Chicken Bone Broth with Lemon & Rosemary https://www.campbells.com/swanson/broths-and-stocks/

I have one last insurance appeal in place but confidence of a reversal is low. I will not allow the results to derail my desired procedure date of 2nd week of April. I already have funds in place to "self-pay" within minutes of appeal update so either way its happening.

Amazon has a huge selection of "Personal Size" blenders including several that are are battery/USB charged and do not require an AC outlet for use. These are not as powerful and will not crush whole ice cubes but can handle partially crushed ice or the small ice cubes from the included ice cube tray. This is the one I have been using for the last year, works perfect for meal replacement drinks. PopBabies: Portable Blender Glass, PopBabies Smoothie Blender to go, Rechargeable USB Blender with travel, Wireless Personal Blender Protein Shaker 5200mah 25+ per charge: https://www.amazon.com/stores/node/17691775011?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=PopBabies&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_17691775011

Unless you live on a farm and "self provide" 100% of what you consume your going to have chemical's in one form or another in just about whatever food you eat, including Organic grown.

Honest advise? Similar situations for me, making excuses to avoid being around friends, families and others due to my excessive weight. At first, I also felt "guilty" until I learned the excuses I made to friends and family were simply lies. The reality was the guilty feelings I was experiencing where more related to what I call the "self-preservation mode to avoid embarrassment and shame". Why did I feel embarrassment and shammed, I can probably write half a book just on that topic alone. There is a good write up in Psychology Today that discusses the similarity between feelings of Guilt, Embarrassment and Shame, I would say it's recommended reading for those who are morbid obese. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-pathways-experience/201709/embarrassment-guilt-and-shame Battling excessive weight goes far beyond "eating less and excising more", there are many Psychological related factors that MUST be addressed or your chances of successfully loosing weight and keeping it off will be reduced substantially. The lies, specifically to yourself have to stop. Perhaps if you told your friend the REAL reason why you did not want to participate they would be more understanding to your weight situation? And if they are not, I would say perhaps it time to surround yourself with new friends. When you say "I feel like no one can relate", I find that hard to believe, this forum is FULL of people who can probably relate to your situation in one form or another. You have already taken the first step by posting your message, never be afraid of asking for help, within this format or professionally.

It’s amazing how sugar creeps into just about everything we eat, including the so called “low-fat” foods. Looking at the nutritional information of the meal replacement packages from BariatricPal they appear to have very low sugar, 2 grams or less, although I would have liked to have seen the standard nutritional label on the package. I tend to avoid anything labeled “fat free” these days since I feel they provide a false sense of security. I had a habit of consuming a larger the quantity of fat free foods only to find out I was consuming MORE calories and sugars when I was eating equal amounts in normal form. The nutritionist I see now simply says I need to focus on “Good Fat’s” not “Fat-Free”.

I would also like to say THANK YOU for sharing your experiences and congratulate you for achieving something that I feel is the BIGGEST hurtle in weight loss, you have manages to keep your goal weight after almost 5 years, I find that amazing! I never wanted WLS and tried just about everything available in the weight loss industry to avoid it, including attending a weight loss “boot camp”. Unfortunately, every time I lost weight; it slowly came back. When I encounter people like you it gives me hope.. 😎

Curious on what information your husband’s family used to formulate their group “assumption” of WLS being dangerous and a waste of time/money; are members of his family in the medical profession? Print this and hand it out to his family at the event your attending tomorrow: https://asmbs.org/resources/studies-weigh-in-on-safety-and-effectiveness-of-newer-bariatric-and-metabolic-surgery-procedure

I never wanted WLS and tried just about everything available in the weight loss industry to avoid it, including attending a weight loss “boot camp”. Unfortunately, every time I lost weight; it slowly came back. I decided to see four surgeons from different health provides when I finally decided the surgical route would have to be considered. I left it up to them to tell me what procedure I should have. Of the four, only one recommended a full bypass, all others suggested Gastric Sleeve so that is what I am planning to do in April 2020.

If you’re going down the financing highway to pay for your surgery, check the interest rates of the health cost financing programs that may be available from your surgeon’s office. They offer “instant” approval if your credit rating is above average. I got a very decent rate from Prosper but was able to get an even better rate from the Credit Union that financed my truck.

Even when I hit 389 lbs last January 15th, which was the highest amount of weight in my life, It never bothered me much knowing what other people may be thinking of me, I have more important things to focus on.

I have had appointments with 3 surgeons overt the last few weeks and when the question of "expected weight loss" comes in all three were very conservative in the numbers with a range of 60 to 70 lbs in one year. I am assuming they keep the suggested weight loss numbers within reason, this way the expectations are more realistic and there is less disappointment when the weight loss begins to slow down Like you, I would like to loose 100 pounds, even more if I can, I have done it before, in fact more than once using non surgical methods. I would not focus on the expected or desired weight loss but more on keeping whatever pounds that do come off from returning... this is where I have failed constantly. I am hoping the surgery will help me break my yo-yo weight loss history.

From 256 pounds to 189 pounds you must be experiencing some change, at the very least your pant size.? I have a very large frame also, I am also 5 foot 10, my chest is 56. When I was 389 pounds, I was wearing 56 x 32 dress slacks. At my current weight of 365, I am 54 x 32 dress slacks, can probably do 52 x 32. I know from experience that when I am under 300 pounds, say 280 pounds I am at 48 x 32. At my goal weight of 225 I hope to be 40 x 32

The scale should not be used as the only measurement of your weight loss success, I have experienced STRONG desires to fling my scale like a Frisbee in the general direction of the nearest wall. Measurements and photo's need to be added to your process to track progress.

I know 4 people I see almost daily who have had WLS within the past 3 years and I keep open communication with 3 others from my WLS support group from last year. The question of loose skin is a complex one, as someone already mentioned in a previous message there really is no consistent diagnosis, simply to many factors that are involved. So it’s nearly impossible to come up with a pre-surgery answer to the level of loose skin you may have to deal with, however you do have some options to consider when you do find yourself with that extra skin. Obviously, a man’s situation may be different then a woman’s when it comes to dealing with loose skin, also one’s financial resources will be a factor. If you think of it, you only have two options. You either deal with the loose skin and consider the weight loss a major positive over the negative of loose skin or you have it surgically removed. Here is a quick survey of the people I know and what they have done: Female - 46, lost 85 pounds, spent a boat load of money on plastic surgery. I must be honest and say it was money well spent, she looks fantastic, totally different person. Female - 62, lost over 175 pounds in 2 years, her plastic surgery to remove loose skin at the stomach level was deemed a medical necessity and was completed. However, the loose skin on her legs and arms was not and currently she is trying to save money for a future visit, she will be heading to Mexico to get it done I am told. Male – 55, lost 79 pounds year 1, gained back 45 pounds in year 2, struggling to get back on track, schedule to revise sleeve to bypass later this year, no loose skin issue currently. Male – 60, lost 103 pounds year 1, gained back only 20 in year 2, history of gaining and losing weight over the last 10 years, does not care about loose skin at the moment.

Experiencing those pesky repetitive weight loss plateau’s and the “Yo-Yo” dieting affect it seems to produce is one reason I am doing WLS this year. Unfortunately knowing that a plateau can happen after WLS is a reason why I opted out last year. When I was on other non-surgical weigh loss plans over the past 5 years the only thing that worked for me when I got stuck at a certain weight (usually between 320 and 330) was to get a clear understanding of what I was consuming daily by using a food tracking program called MyNetDiary. There are many different food trackers available Apple as well as Android, but I felt the paid “Pro” version of MyNetDiary had the best combination of tools. To get the scale to move in the expected direction I always reduced my net-carb intake, reduce my total calorie intake by 200 for the week and increased my physical activity. It always worked but eventually I would slide back a few months later after breaking the plateau, would stop that extra day at the gym, start overeating on those so called “healthy” snacks and before I knew it I was back to square one. I know what works, at least for me but I simply can’t do it consistently. I sure wish there was an easy answer but if there was, likely this forum would not exist and everyone would be fit and trim. 🤪

I am thinking this is due to the boatloads of miss-information provided by (unfortunately...) the professionals we depend on and our health insurance companies where it seems surgical pre-approval policy is always a moving target. I am thankful there are people who have already ridden the WLS roller coaster (or are still waiting in line....) and then take the time and effort to share their experiences, good and bad.

Assuming your bariatric surgeon’s office has a dietitian, I would bounce that question off them first. I had all kinds of issues with the liquid pre-op diet last year, it was one of the reasons why I opted out at the last minute, 2 days before surgery last year. I am not looking forward to doing it again, but health matters dictate I must get past it this time around. I kept in contact with three others who were in my pre-op support group who went through the sleeve surgery in 2019. All three are now reaching a year post-op and the feedback I am getting is encouraging, but cautious. One of them has not been as successful as the others but she knows what she is doing wrong. From what she tells me, she “grazes” and eats small amounts of food constantly during the day and evening. She has gained back about 35% of the weight she initially lost and is now considering revision surgery and moving to full bypass. She says her biggest mistake was not reaching out for help. I plan to be active in this support group, I know I am going to need help and I want to make myself available to help others.

Open and equal channels of communication with your Spouse is the foundation of a successful relationship. If you did not keep her “in the loop” during your decision process, then I can’t blame her for being upset. I would think that with the pregnancy in the picture she may be upset and/or worried that there may be complications and she is worried about what would happen if a worst-case scenario comes into play. My Spouse has been involved in all decisions I make concerning my health and I am involved in all her health related decisions. In 2016 I had full right hip replacement surgery, a week before my schedule hospital stay I sat down with her and outlined exactly what she needs to do “IF” a worst-case scenario came into play. This pre-surgery discussion included location of financial paperwork, insurance documentation and a checklist of what she needs to do if something unexpected happens. The mortality rate for bariatric surgery is VERY low yet I plan on having the same conversation with the wife whenever I have a confirmed surgery date.

I have been told the average is three to four weeks for the sleeve. Assuming no complications I am going to take a full five weeks off. I have access to short term disability, however since I am doing self-pay the short-term disability is not available and I have to use personal leave time (sick and/or vacation time).

Native Floridian from West Palm Beach now living in Daphne, "Sweet Home" Alabama

I went from 398 pounds in January 2019 down to 319 pounds at the end of June 2019. I was on a Saxenda prescription since February 2019 and I also attended a live-in weight loss boot camp where I finished 6 of the 10 weeks I had paid. I stopped the Saxenda injections when I started the boot camp and canceled my weight loss surgery at week 6 thinking I got this handled. On week 7 there was a death in the family and I had to stop the boot camp and return home to deal with the mess. I am a stress eater, it's been a problem the majority of my life. Old habits are hard to break so before I knew it I was putting the weight right back on. By October I had regain just about everything I lost, it simply amazes me how easily the weight comes back if you deviate from the process that helped you remove the weight.

Have you tried Premier Protein's Protein Shakes? They have 30g of Protein per 11.5oz, You can find them at Sams, Costco and Amazon. They come in 9 different flavors, depending on your taste some you will really enjoy and others.. well, its still a good source of protein. https://www.premierprotein.com/products/protein-shakes

Setbacks are normal, no one is perfect, if we were, then we would not need the surgery. Recently my current PCP provided a prescription for Contrave to help control my appetite, unfortunately after 2 weeks I feel no difference. I have been on several different weight loss prescriptions over the last couple of years and unfortunately no long term changes either. The only thing that really worked for me was being active in Weight Watchers, going to the weekly meetings and actively participating in the support groups. Although I am going the self-pay route to avoid the insurance company BS my PCP wants me to loose about 20 to 30 pounds before usury. I plan to rejoin Weight Watchers a month or two post opp when I am back to eating somewhat normal.