cinwa

Hang in there Lisa. Stalls are normal (regardless of WLS or not) and because I had a 35+ year documented history of yoyo dieting - all sabotaged by what I perceived a failure the moment the scales recorded a zero loss, I chose not to have scales in the house until I got into the normal BMI range for my height. Not for everyone but it allowed me to focus on following the programme and keeping up with my exercise. Just keep doing what you're doing .... it will work for you.

That is a sad story AB - it must be difficult for you to see your sister on such a life threatening downward spiral.

It's been close to 2 years since this thread was started Brenda and the OP hasn't been back since. Sadly, regardless of what bariatric surgery we choose, if we don't follow the guidelines on food choices and portion control, surgery will be a waste of everyone's time (and money). I personally know of one woman who had the gastric band. From the day she got home from surgery she has ignored all the guidelines - especially when she realised that you can put pretty much anything in a blender (think candy bars, cake and icecream) and without the issues of fat and sugar intolerances that comes with a gastric bypass and to a lesser degree with the VSG, there was nothing to prevent her from piling the pounds on and I'm guessing that she's close to 100 lb heavier that when she started out. She had one follow-up with her surgeon and never went back. She had comorbidities going into surgery ... she has more now.

That's great news Binary. We're halfway through July already so you don't have too long a wait. Don't forget to update your profile with the surgery date (even though it's provisional).

I'm sorry you're dealing with severe pain Jennifer. It really is best to see your PCP about prescription non-NSAID pain medication because other than Acetaminophen, there really isn't any OTC pain medication available to gastric bypass patients. My surgeon always prescribed Percocet (Oxycodone and Acetaminophen) following surgeries and would prefer not to take it but there really isn't a suitable alternative. Tramadol works for some people but for me, it didn't bring the relief that Percocet does.

You're doing an amazing job Austen - congratulations!

As and when time and emotions allow Trish. I know from old that life has a habit of throwing us a curveball and the Lord knows, you've had more than your fair share of late.

You are so right - it is a balancing act for sure and for me, the key is to remember that one indulgent snack or meal doesn't resurrect the feelings of failure as I always felt pre-op which inevitably ended that dieting attempt. If I can plan ahead for an indulgence then great but if not, I just cut back the following day.

And it's all the special when you do post Trish. Truly - I miss you when you don't post.

I bet that even with a few bites of your DH's mashed potatoes, you still ended up with calories to spare Trish. Either way, you don't have to be perfect every single day of your life to make a success of your WLS.

Docs differ. Mine was fine on my hitting 70+ grams of protein early out (the bulk of which was protein shakes made with milk). His goal was 60 to 80g per day. Even now at 10+ years out, it's rare that I don't get 75 - 80g protein in daily, half of which comes from a protein shake (made with milk). I don't eat meat or eggs but eat fish and shellfish but I don't always want that for every meal. And he was fine with me continuing to use protein shakes to keep my intake up.

Actually LB - it can - well, the crust anyway: Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Most people with iron deficiency need 150-200 mg per day of elemental iron but it isn't likely that you're going to be able to come close to eating enough iron-rich foods to get on top of your iron-deficiency anemia LB. Clams are one of the highest of iron rich foods but at 28 mg of iron per 3.5 oz (it varies considerably), you're going to have to eat a minimum of 6 x 3.5 oz servings/day. Hands down, carbonyl and polysaccharide have 100% elemental iron so you get what you take and are the least abdominally distressing (unlike ferrous fumarate (33% elemental iron), ferrous sulfate (20% elemental iron) and ferrous gluconate (12% elemental iron).

Happy surgiversary Heidi! I've been on this forum for 11 years and I know that for me, planning and logging my food intake is the key to success. Even now, if left to wing it, I fall off the wagon when it comes to carbs (still my achilles heel). Not in a big way but mentally - it really does mess with my head and when those emotions kick in, I'm totally derailed from doing what I need to do to keep on track.

Welcome to Thinner Times Binary! Best advice I can give is to read all you can from people have walked the walk with the RNY and VSG and ask questions.