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sfh PURE is what I use: 24g protein, 130 cals, 4g carbs. 1 g sugar. It has only 4 ingredients: grass fed whey, natural vanilla flavor, sunflower lecithin, stevia leaf extract. Less than $2 per shake ($8/day). Tastes great!! I just had a vanilla shake with an orange and ice cubes blended in and it was delicious!

When im asked im honest about it. Im 61 i guess when your older you dont give a sh**t what people say or think. And it really feels good that u dont let the BS get u down. Sent from my LGMP260 using BariatricPal mobile app

Leslie.( And all the rest of you.) good to hear from you again. What I want to share I hope doesn't cause any offense. I joke that I live in Bible Belt North, a fair amount of gospel music moved in from farther south, think,Kentucky and Tennessee. There's a song keeps running through my head: Wouldn't take nothing for my journey now Gonna make it to Heaven somehow The Devil, grabs ahold and tries to turn me around We all have our devils, our self-doubts, many of us even say "oh I can do this on my own" well it just doesn't work, I've tried every diet known to man, up to and including starvation. What weight I have lost was rubber, it bounced right back on and sometimes it brought friends. Don't waver in your resolve, surgery is your hope and future tool, trust you are doing the best thing for future health, an inceasing lifespan and the fitness to walk proud and strong. Some of us, moi,included, are one step away from spending life and traveling through the rest,of our days in a wheelchair because our legs gave up, they said(in Spanish) No Mas! I ain't a -doing that no more. You weigh less than I do but I'm 4 inches taller and 80 lbs heavier. Oh,i'm not proud of it and I'll have quite a road to make it down to the size 15/16 I do dream of. My surgeon says a normal BMI weight,would be 144 to148 lbs, I will never be there short of cutting my esophagus in two or severe chemotherapy. My dream weight would be 175 but I'd even accept up to 190-195, that's the size I was when I visited BC in 1967, I was not petite but dang I was muscular and fine then. Doubts? We all go through them, I myself am in limbo or maybe its purgatory? I finished all my prerequirements, thought I was done, I had jumped through every known hoop, was waiting on a surgery date,& received a call from surgeon's office. The 3 bariatric doctors in the practice had a commitee meeting and decided not to perform my surgery. Their excuse(mind you I don't believe this) I wasn't emotional stable or had a lack of something mentally. Bovine excrement, I asked for more clarification, she said Dearie(oh I loathe people calling me Dearie) I don't know if I can explain. When I saw the psychologist in my adult son's presence I was told I had passed all questions with perfect answers and she would forward her notes to the practice. What happened? So I will apply to another bariatric facility, I have 1 seminar Friday March 9th, another March 10th. I will have my records released to whichever one and go on from there. I've screamed my screams, cried my cries, now I'm picking myself up and progressing onward. Why don't I give up? Because not having surgery, continuing on with this fat tired and aching body is a step by step path to my death, I fear surgery less than the vision I see. So doubts, I'm the chairman and CEO of that club, and I must have missed my election but I'm stuck with the job. If you want to talk more, I'm always here to listen. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

It’s definitely different for me. I don’t get a full feeling ...I feel like the food sits in my throat (assume that’s food that isn’t in the stomach bc it’s full?? Dunno) Either way- I always measure and just go with 3-4 ounces HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 175 CW 191.4 5’6”

I'm barely two weeks out from surgery and still on liquids only. A friend threw a party for another friend of ours and I had assumed it was going to be the open house sort of situation she normally hosts, but it turns out it was a small group and a sit down dinner. Neither of these friends know about my surgery and I wasn't ready to share so I had decided to say my stomach was a little upset so I wouldn't be drinking and prolly wouldn't eat much. Well turns out my stomach WAS upset and I had diarrhea (it cleared up before I left for the party, but I was worried it would resurface!!), so I guess I talked it up. In any case, that excuse worked and I put a few things on my plate moved them around, fed some to the dog, sipped water and nobody cared. But I was determined not to be "niced" into eating something (you know what I mean "have a small bite, it's OK!" or "Just taste this" or "a sip of champagne shouldn't upset your tummy anymore") before I left home and I was glad it turned out to not be needed. Just made me feel good about going forward and my commitment to lifestyle change.

I have bcbs. I did 4 weigh in, endoscopy, pulmonary, cardiologist, nutrition, pysc, and sleep apnea test. BMI is 40. Having my surgery on march 12. It seems like a lot but it goes by really fast. I remember when I started dreading all the BS but now it's here and I can't wait!!

Please share bc I'm 1 week in to my two week and I'm starving. I was good in the beginning but now I'm dying!!!

I guess it should be no surprise I raised a lazy obese cat. For some reason, I see myself in the cat. I don't think he can jump as high as the other cats so he probably gets left out by the other cats. He also gets excited when he gets fed.

Honestly? You need to forget almost "all" you "think" you know about medicine. Which will be a tall order. You need to not rationalize "the kind" of surgery you think you need and really lean on your doc to give you the most effective surgery that will help prevent regain given you steroid use and probably your ass-load (non-medical jargon) of insulin resistance, and go with that. Cuz I do not believe as a lay person hearing your story, that a VSG will be sufficient to put your metabolic issues into remission. If it were me, and it is...cuz I have degenerative disc disease, bilateral SI joint erosion and bilateral hip bursitis requiring cortisone injections + pre-diabetic Syndrome X + BC (remission) + Asthma with steroid inhalers + HBP + pericardial effusion + a couple of other dandies like GERD, etc, and the very least I would settle for was an RNY and I was tempted to go for DS. I'm not tearin' up the boards with post-surgery weight loss, but it is slow and steady so far and I keep chipping away at the weight very slowly, pound by pound, inch by inch. And that's with eating a very low carb (about 20g net carbs) diet daily. I wish you the best and welcome to the boards.

I am almost 6 months out. I am down about 60 lbs and I am 13 lbs from my surgeons GW and a " normal" BMI. I am curious to know what other people who are as far out as me ( or further) are eating. I have not been cutting anything out and letting myself even have cake sometimes in really small portions bc I can only take like 1 bite. I have always been an extreme dieter and decided to approach this as a forever thing. I will eat healthy most of the time but nothing will be off limits. The problem is as time goes on I can eat more. I am scared now bc I am able to eat much more than I was in the beginning. I also know the " slider " foods that I can eat when I am really hungry. How are you guys coping with this ? I don't want to fall back into old habits.

One thing that might help you with long term success is to realize the mistake many doctors and even their nutritionists make, encouraging their patients even right after surgery to eat sweet tasting foods. This is a huge moment for you to rid yourself of sugar cravings. Stop eating anything sweet, period. Get your protein powder from grass fed PLAIN whey (or another plain protein powder, no sweetener in it, no flavor). I mixed it into full fat milk, or even water (really tasteless and boring), and then learned to enjoy it with a bit of flax seed in the wonderful full fat plain Greek yogurt. Get used to plain water. Unsweetened tea or coffee (use fats at will, cream, ghee, coconut oils). No fruit. And no fake sugars. None. No sweet tasting anything. Eating is difficult at first, and your gut bug population will change from your pre op diet. What a glorious opportunity you are given, to change the content of your diet. The surgery provides portion control for a long long time. But YOU can grab the opportunity to stop eating sweet things. When your gut population evolves over that first month, it will end up being the good bacteria that crave resistant starches like cooked and cooled potatoes and root veggies. You can even add some inulin (a fiber powder) or potato starch to your protein drinks. These starches will feed your gut bugs and keep them happy and regular, and they will only have you crave those starches. You won’t crave sweet foods if you avoid the sweetened whey powders and drinks and the fake color, sucralose jellos and crap. Broths and cheesy bakes taste way better than fake flavored fake sugared jellos. And keep you losing. Use the pause in your diet to choose nonsweet foods. What a great opportunity not to waste.

I tried 'em both and was not too happy with either -- too sweet for me. I'll bring the rest of the boxes to my office and someone will take them off my hands! The thing with Premium Protein that turns me off is the ingredients list. My sfh Pure protein powder has 4 ingredients: grass fed whey concentrate, natural vanilla flavor, sunflower lecithin, and stevia leaf extract. To which I add frozen fruit, PB2, decaf coffee, spinach, etc.

Look, I enjoy your posts and your compassion. But I don't do "guilt" or "martyrdom". No one should be jelly of me. I'm as big a sinner as ever a sinner there was. I'm not looking for acolytes, but I always welcome buds. But like anyone, I appreciate speaking for myself and not having others presume to know what I think or feel. If that makes me Big B-i-t-c-h Fluffy? Then so be it. But we all have a right to our own narrative and I won't be pushed or manipulated through martyrdom. My mom was the queen of that BS Sh*t Show and I never bought into it then and won't start now at 55.

Really, reading all of this is really helpful and for the first time in 10 years I feel hopeful. I didn’t know why I wasn’t losing baby weight and worked my butt off only to be really discouraged. So having another baby (7years ago) didn’t help lol I first wanted to know why I swelled so bad (water retention) and why I was working so hard to lose and NOTHING was helping...I was so tired of dr’s telling me to just lose weight and take a water pill....ugh...Phentermine was the only thing that helped but only about 15-20 lbs. it has since been brought to my attention that my condition, while trying supplements, people only lose the 10-15 lbs and it’s mostly Water weight. So a year ago I suggested to my PC that I see an endocrinologist...right away he knew...I swear I heard angles! After trying metformin, saxenda and diet restrictions I think I only lost 5 lbs and gained that + some. Dr said “well maybe we try WLS”....I was devastated...bc in my mind I was still smaller...but after I cried and prayed I looked into it. It is now a growing treatment for PCOS sufferers! I was gonna talk to him at my next appointment but before I could have a chance he said it again and made the referral. I went to the seminar and left there with SO MUCH HOPE! I am so anxious s excited and nervous lol I do believe it is God sent....

Mines didn’t! I have BCBS of IL. I only had to do those requirements, bc of the hospital I was going to get it done at required it. Good luck!!

1 week out and I feel great! No different that pre surgery! I'm able to meet protein and liquid goals (I'm still on full liquids). The first couple of days were not fun because of gas but once that was resolved I have been great. I took pain pills for the first 2 days bc of gas but nothing, not even Tylenol, since. Today is the first day I have not felt run down at the end of the day. If it weren't for the incisions I would not know I had the procedure.

So sorry to hear you have to deal with all this! Don't let the BS steal your resolve, just know that the surgery will happen but maybe not when you thought. Frustrating as all hell, but you'll get your surgery

Most of us are going to have bad days, I mean most of us are here bc we have issues with consuming too much food for the wrong reasons. I've eaten the chips and the cookies and a lot of other things I probably shouldn't have in the last 6 months, but I try to get back on the horse the next day. In the past I would let a food "failure" derail my whole program, now i try to forgive myself and do better next meal, next day etc.. In the end I eat very well 90 plus percent of the time, the weight is coming off. This is a learning process, keep striving to do better. You got this :).

No. When they called she asked if I had 3 months of “diet” and I didn’t then she said “oh never mind, insurance isn’t requiring it”...so idk of its bc of the other stuff I have going on that diet isn’t a factor...maybe?

My aunt is a size 0-2 and can indulge in anything she wants to eat, anytime. She has the genetic advantage. So I bought myself a little surgical advantage. People think that thin people look that way because they work hard and have good willpower. Sometimes that is the case. Often it is not. So there's this stigma with WLS that it's cheating because everyone wants to think they earned the right to be thin with their own hard work. Most of the time it's BS. You are giving yourself an advantage so you don't have to struggle as hard. Now there will be new struggles, restriction, vitamin deficiency, etc. You're choosing your new struggle, but no one waved a magic wand. Some people it won't be worth trying to convince. Just let them be and move along. Others will listen and their minds will be opened. Little by little, that stigma might subside, but it's not going away anytime soon.

I am about a month and a half post-surgery and things have been going well...have had energy, losing weight at a decent pace and seeing a difference but literally all my happiness went away yesterday and struggling to find it again. Just like many of us, my weight has been up and down for many, many years and I actually have a lot of clothes (some even new) that I haven’t been able to wear in the past 2 years or so bc of weight gain (again). I’ve been as small as a size 4 in the past and I have all those clothes, plus some other sizes Even though I told myself I wouldn’t do it just yet until I lost a little more, I decided to go through my closet. I know I am not a size 4 so I didn’t touch those clothes and felt ok waiting for the near future to even look at them. But what really bothered me is that I tried on a shirt I wore in 2015 when I was literally the same weight i am today (I know bc i kept track on my Fitbit the last time I went through a major exercise and diet plan and lost a whole bunch)....and it didn’t fit!!! [emoji20][emoji20] i even went back to find a picture Back in 2015 when I had the shirt on and it looks good! I am so confused. I know bodies change and all but I really thought it would and it completely crushed me. I know it shouldn’t and I should be happy with where I am at but now I am super depressed and trying to understand why. You would think that if it fit then it should fit now right? Just needed to vent bc I hope some of you understand how I’m feeling. It’s amazing how one little thing can completely take away all the positive thoughts I had about this journey and my way forward. Btw, I have lost a total of 43 lbs.

I think I will go with the truth first and if you get a bad response then use the lie....... I'm 13 mths out and I get the same bs...... Just make them lots of fattening casseroles and junk food once a week lol Sent from my LGL84VL using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi. You’re not alone. I also struggle with CFS/Fibromyalgia, inflammatory and osteoarthritis, and hypothyroidism too. I had a successful career and could no longer work. It was a position I really enjoyed so it was a double loss of a career and money. Like you, walking is the best I can do and sometimes I need a break for a week because my body hurts so much and I have such intense exhaustion. VGS was my answer to get rid of some weight too bc I am unable to exercise enough to get it off. I had gained weight initially bc I was trying to get as much as rest as possible to get better, except I never got better. Emotional eating became a pattern, although I didn’t see it at the time. My surgeon is understanding and encouraged me to focus on doing as much as I can with walking on my better days and rest on the tougher days. The third week post-op I was exhausted. The exhaustion itself caused (just like it does w/fibro) difficulty with focusing and short-term memory loss. On top of that, you are dealing with huge stressors. The stress alone could do that - add your health isssues in and there’s no wonder why you are struggling so much. There was a time years ago where my stress and exhaustion was through the roof. There was a school event where I went to talk to teachers about my son’s grades. I had recently moved and one of my new neighbors approached me and asked to be reminded of my son’s name. I needed a reminder too. I stammered trying to come up with it because my brain was exhausted. My husband finally chimed in after I looked like a fool for a minute (it felt like an eternity). My thoughts are with you with all you’ve been through. Hoping that fond memories of your Dad will brighten your darkest days 🌸

Maybe this might help someone else. I’m 7 months out from being sleeved. I enjoy a healthy carb snack at the end of my day. Mine is a homemade granola made of seeds and oats. Eaten with full milk. Well, some days as I calculate what I ate that day, I do see I am lower than I want to be on my protein. So a few times the past few days, I’ve added a scoop of plain grass fed nonflavor no sweetener whey protein powder to my granola (which I always measure in the same little cup thingy). Half a portion of protein powder, so really about 11 g. Guess what? The same exact snack I have almost every night and finish it no trouble, I CANNOT FINISH because I get that terrible fullness about half way through because I added protein powder to it. And I eat less of it. So I might not get to add the whole amount of protein to my day’s nutrients, BUT I GET THAT RESTRICTION. This might help others who sometimes worry they aren’t getting enough restriction. Try it. Add some plain protein powder to something liquid or mushy at the end of your day, or to your tv snack. Hope it helps someone else.

YES!!! This is exactly how I’ve been doing it. My mom had the sleeve done and there have been times when I’m crying bc I want something off my diet and she keeps saying “be good to yourself.” So I bought an airfryer and made my favorite thing for dinner tonight: Chicken Parm. Homemade gravy, fat free cheese, air fried and breaded in branflakes!! Was a great variation of my favorite food. Buying an airfryer was a great idea bc I don’t miss out on my favorite foods!!