What you like pre-op you may not like post-op... its hard to buy stuff before hand before you taste changes! I would just get the smallest possible of supplements so you can try them post op... if you get naseous you may want to look for liquid supplements. All surgeons/NUTs differ on what you are suppose to take so wed need to know what they told you to take then could give suggestions on what brands we use.

Every surgeon is different so you need to follow the guidelines yours set. Mine calls for 70-80 2 weeks post up then 50-60.. some people are 90+.. some even 120++. I am one month out and get in 60+ every day... my NUT wants me eating breafast, lunch, dinner and two snacks a day... not everybody is told no snacking! I am usually around 50grams before dinner time. If you are not allowed snacks you will have to focus on high protein foods... a shake for breakfast (30 grams), something like tuna for lunch (3oz or 1/4c has 21 grams)... just in those 2 meals you would be at 51 grams already!

Most insurance companies require the psych testing which is why we do it - mine was a joke! It was an hour long and we didnt talk about any issues - just if I was competent enough to be making this decision and knowing what I was getting myself into!! Most of the people in my support group are older - obesityhelp.com was brought up last night and most people didnt even know about it - maybe just being older some arnt computer savvy?? (my mom doesnt own a computer shes 51, my dad doesnt use his at home - just work for work purposes!). Yes people sometimes revert to their old ways, its important to know before hand what you are getting yourself into and be mentally ready. Its also important afterwords to have a good support system, friends, family and esp people who have had the surgery. I would find a support group in your area and start attending the meetings now. If there isnt one in your area maybe see if Overeaters Anonymous has meetings... if thats not your thing maybe check out some therapists that specialize in eating disorders so in case you need one post-op you know where to turn. The difference between this and diets is you lose your hunger for a period of time (some say 6+ months), your stomach is small and you cannot eat like you use to, your taste in food changes and some of your tolerances changes. You can also be prone to dumping from fats and sugars... so not only mentally are you doing this but physically! After about the honeymoon period (most say around 6 months) it will be up to you to make this successful so it gives you a good amount of time to learn how to use this new "tool" and lose/keep the weight off. Good luck with your upcomming surgery and be positive - this will change your life.

You didnt state how long you were at a "stand still". A plateau is when you do not lose weight for 4 weeks or longer. For most - the closer you get to goal the slower the weight loss is going to be. You said some is your fault and you can weigh every little thing and the scale isnt moving... but are you eating too much? not eating enough? getting your protein in? getting your fluids in? are you eating enough carbs/fat?? Try going back to basics - write down what you are eating, make sure you are not grazing... are you getting your exercise in?? If you are stalled for 4 weeks or longer I would think about calling the NUT and making an appt to have them go over what you are eating and see if they can help. Everybody at some point or another deals with issues such as these - just have to take control and move forward

Seems every surgeon/nut has a different opinion on this. From the research Ive done online there is a formula based on your weight to figure out how much protein you need - not sure how it works with somebody who had WLS. Mine said to get between 60-70 a day.

I had to do a 2 week liquid pre-op as well. The first few days were the hardest but after that got a little better. Just remind yourself in the end it will all be worth it - it definately was for me! Use this time to learn how to get all your protein and liquids in - it is much harder post-op!! Im glad I had the chance to figure out how much I needed to drink by certain times of the day so I could get everything in! Here is what I had to do 6 carnation instant bfast no sugar added a day - made with FF milk (I used soy) 6 cups liquid (water or SF drinks) "Blenderized" soups light yougert SF jello, pudding, ice pops Coffee - no sugar,cream or caffene No Soda

Tuna - 21 grams of protein in 3 oz! (I eat it on Whole Wheat Wheat Thins with some cheese - sooo good and TONS of protein!!) Cheese - there are mozz cheese sticks that are 9g each stick Veggie Chili - Amy's Oraganic makes a good one... add some cheese/sour cream Cottage Cheese - 12g 1/2 cup Yogert - most have 4-6g in a cup Refried Beans - add some cheese/sour cream Natural Pnut Butter Eggs - make quiche/omelet/scrambled... add cheese, sausage, veggie sausage, ham, spinach - whatever you like! Chicken - I take 2 chicken breasts, 1 pkg of low sodium taco seasoning (or use fajita), 1/2 jar salsa (I use a can of Rotel instead) and put in the crock pot... makes yummy shredded chicken after about 5 hours - can use as a taco/burrito fiiler. Also add black beans, kidney beans etc to it if you want! I have more receipes at home if you would like them email me and let me know!

You should only be weighing yourself once a week... if you weigh yourself each day you have to be prepared for the scale not to move every single day. Its hard to compare yourself to others since everybody loses weight differently. Did you surgeon tell you what to expect in the way of weightloss monthly??? I am a lightweight at the time of my 2 week pre-op I had 100lbs to lose. I lost 14 on the liquid diet and another 4 by the time I got out of the hospital. For the first 2 weeks post-op I didnt lose one single pound. Since then I had a 3lb loss then a 4lb loss. I do weigh myself daily but I have for years... I will go 3-4-5 days and the scale wont move then it will but I know thats expected! Hope this helps

Just some things off the top of my head... maybe try weigh****chers? you can eat what you want just only so much in a day. If you like to eat a lot maybe try adkins or south beach diet. One thing I found helpful was a rewards system... I would eat healthy mon-sat and sunday was a "free day" (not go super crazy but have a fav dinner and sokme dessert or something). Also, like you said, trying to cut out some things may help... soda is defaintely a big helper. Try cutting something else like fast food except once a week. Exercising will help because you will be burning more calories so if you do eat a little more at least the exercise will help balance it out. Remind yourself of the conequences of eating at this point - is a donut worth not having the surgery?? It is very hard but think of the reward if you can make it thru the next 3 months! Maybe see if there is an overeaters anonymous in your area if you need some support - they usually meet weekly and that could help out.

Does your multivitamin already have iron??

Try using baby power or medicated baby powder to help the areas rubbing. I found that neosporin will help if you are getting heat rashes or something similiar. I know that there is a product out there that is made for areas that may rub - its usually in the womens personal hygene section at stores - its a lotion or something... that may help as well!

it wont show up here unless you type it in. you can make one on the main message board that will show up - click on main messageboard then on the left you will see a link - you can go to tickerfactory.com to get a weighloss ticker - you have to copy the IMAGE and paste it into the signature box (from the main message board). Rule of thumb is 7 grams of protein per oz of food that has protein... found this to be pretty true. Havent found anything online that was a complete list. Eggs have the nutritional information on the inside of the carton - they differ but around 6 grams per egg. Chicken will depend on what part of the chicken you are eating. I bought a book called "Food Counts" that has a breakdown of foods information. Otherwise I will search online for something specific or just check out the package at the store. Chicken Breast skinless - Boiled 45g 7.5 grams - roasted with little oil 36g 10g - grilled using Grilling Machine 42g 6g - deep fried 34g 15g Chicken Leg + bone, no skin - boiled 28g 6g - roasted with oil 23g 7.5g - grilled with Machine 26g 3g - deep fried 22g 12g Chicken Wing + bones with skin - boiled 22g 8.5 - roasted with little oil 19.5g 11g - grilled using Machine 21g 7g - deep fried 17g 17g Breast with breadcrumbs, fried 25g 19g Fried in batter 21g 18g

When they do lap procedures they blow you up with gas in order to do the procedure. Gas pains could be from that - walking will help out tremendously. Also as stated above could be a lactose intolerance - should be easy to tell if you are having the pain after drinking or just all the time. Weight gain - you didnt actucally gain weight - you are retaining water... they pump you full of fluids in the hospital so it will take some time to go down. I didnt gain any weight in the hospital but I didnt lose any weight for 2 weeks post-op because I was still retaining fluids. As I said earlier walk as much as possible and that will help you out!