Can you be too picky to have WLS?

Troy, At 4+years out now? I haven’t had a "Protein Shake" as such In over 3 years. I never liked them, too sweet and "fakey" tasting. I did use unflavored protein powder And mix a little into soup and such early on, And I did use the Zeroc Carb Isopure liquid Mixed into Peach Ice Tea so I couldn’t taste it. How not liking Protein drinks figures into failure with Rny Is a bit of a mystery to me…. I eat meat, cheese, eggs, beans, chili, and carbs, and fats…. Not a lot of potatoes, but when I do have them there’s no ‘Adverse effect.’ My intake is approx. - 40% protein, From Meat, eggs, beans and Dairy, 30% Fats, mono-unsaturated mostly (nuts, olive oil, canola, etc) but plenty from cheese as well, and 30% carbs (mostly low-glycemic carbs- whole grains, veggies, oatmeal, etc…) The idea that an RNY’er lives on bite-sized nips of low-fat cottage cheese And protein shakes, is the image projected by the overwhelming number Of early post-ops posting on the boards. In the first 6 months? Sure, it is hard to get in all of the needed protein With out using some supplements. But later down the road? Other than stoking up with gravy and Ice-cream and chips, It’s the typical dietary intake of Most Normal-sized people who Are not and have not been Obese or overweight. If in fact you don’t imagine you would be able to "Eat like a Normal (non-Obese) person" then I would suggest this--- WLS might not work for you. Approx. 70 out of 100 people succeed at maintaining their weight loss When using WLS to support their Diet and Exercise. Approx. 5 out of 100 people succeed at maintaining their weight loss When using Diet and Exercise alone. Those 30 out of every 100 who don’t maintain? Some have an actual mechanical issue with their surgery But the most common factor is failure to make a long-term adjustment In eating habits and lifestyle. Picky eater? Then you are unique. Most of us got Obese or Morbidly Obese By NOT being "Picky Eaters." I was "picky" in that I wanted mustard instead of Mayo On my second Whopper with Cheese, And I wanted my Super-Sized Fries nice and crispy… But truly "Picky?" Not so much. Now? You bet I’m "Picky." I want the choicest cut of meat, The juiciest and most tender Grilled Salmon or Chicken, The freshest and perfectly spiced Anything. Before? I just wanted quantity. Now? Quality. If you want to be able to eat Meat and Carbs and some fats, but little sugar, Just feel full on much less, Then RNY will probably work. If you want to be able to Eat More Fats, same Meat intake, but less carbs in general, and still enjoy ‘occasional’ sweets, Then DS may be your better option. If you want to be able to eat most anything, just in smaller amounts, And not worry about needing to supplement Vitamins and such, And are committed to watching your overall calorie intake vs expenditure And commit to an exercise regimen, Then Lap-Band may be more suited to your needs. But, I’d say if you’re not sure about changing the way you’ve eaten in the past, In some fairly radical way, Then more than likely- No. WLS (of any sort) probably Won’t serve you well at all. But then, If you continue eating the way you do now, without substantial change, How might you expect a different outcome? If you haven’t already, try an Adkins Diet. Or look into the "Abs Diet." Or a combo of exercise and reduced fat intake. Only after you have exhausted the non-surgical methods, Then, see if you might Really be a candidate for WLS. For 3 out of 10 people, it is NOT their answer. Counseling, dealing with Compulsive or Emotional motivations For over-eating are far more helpful for such cases than getting Approved for WLS. Sorry not to have any "Quick and easy" recommendation like- "Try Achieve One, You’ll Love it! It’s The Way to Go!" There are plenty on the MainBoard to throw glitter… Sorry. Consider the "Question Behind your Question." "Seriously, is this a big red flag, am I doomed to fail if I go through with my RNY? Should the criteria for WLS be, you have to stomach some pretty awful stuff?" It doesn’t sound like a question about "Flavors." It sounds like Doubts about heading down a road you may not want to be on later down the line… Those doubts may be unfounded, just normal anxiety, etc… But those are the questions you do really need to look at BEFORE You get too far along into the pursuit of surgery. What about the food choices you make now, Are you willing and ready to change, So that you can lose your excess weight? On the plus side, I do have this- Many long-term WLS post-ops who maintain their loss Don’t live a life forcing themselves to "Gak down" Crap they don’t like. Nor do they all "Develop a taste for it." Use the time coming up, to question what you are willing to change…. But know that having to stomach crappy tasting Protein shakes Isn’t one of those things… Best Wishes- Dx

Joe and DX and Flop, Thanks for the responses. I have been wrestling with this more lately, like everyone does that gets closer to their date. Things I know about me. Diets do not work for me. Atkins was the only one that even came close, and I only lost about 40lbs on that before I failed. I eat to much volume, I rarely get the feeling of being full. I dont eat many fruits (because I have a mild but bothersome allergy to them. They make my throat and lips itch, and cause havoc with my digestive tract. Oranges, Alvacadoes, Raw Tomatoes, Banana, Watermelon all do this to various degrees. Apples do not bother me.) I dont eat vegetables because they are horrible to me. (Exception is Potatoes, Corn, Beans that are not green) I can eat a lot of sugar, but I can also steer clear of it pretty easily. We do not keep candy, or sugar snacks in the house other than blue bell ice cream from time to time. I eat way way to much Fat. Fried food, butter, sour cream, ribeye. I loves me some fat. In my opinion, I have a hair trigger gag reflex. Some people can eat something they dont care for, not me. I can not get a piece of brocolli or celery down my gullet to save my life. This has made it difficult on most diets because salads are many times a main stay. I have even come up with a humorous explination for this that I may share one day. I need the tool of WLS if I am ever going to lose the wieght. My thoughts on Lapband vs RNY I dont like the thought of the Lapband staying in me. That may sound odd, but for some reason it just worries me. Common sense would seem to say that the thought of having your guts moved around would be more worrisome, but not for me. My perception of Lapband is high fail rate. Now I know this is not entirely accurate, but of the 5 people I know that have had it, 4 are failures of various degrees. I know it is the responsibility of each person to use their tool, but I fear that if I could cheat it I may. My perception of Lapband is constantly having stuff hang up on you. I have seen some of this in action. I know both RNY and Lap require you to chew well, but it seems as if Lap requires it to be a blended paste. I like the thought of getting through the surgery and being done with it. I like the thought of a consequence for a poor choice of food. I am prepared to take the vitamins I need and to change the way I live with food. My concern about RNY isnt a year after, it is immediately after, and for that matter, just before when I go on liquid diet. Getting the protein I need is something I have targeted as super important. Now I just have to figure out how to do that in the least nasty way. As always, thanks for the response, and I welcome anymore feedback. Troy

Paul, That is awesome. I hit Central market semi regularly I will check that out for sure. And Walmart, well we are their daily it seems. Troy

Hey Troy.... for me...protein shakes suck.... something I found intresting is what is generally thought of as healthy food, you can not tolerate....not the allergic stuff, but the veggie stuff... Sounds like you may have boxed yourself into a corner as far as the choices go....since you are makeing a big lifestyle change....it may be time to revisit some of your old "uneatables" side note....I always hated green peppers..I would tell people I had a deadly allergy to make sure there were no peppers in the dish....then one day after surgery....I was walking through the grocery....and I had a brain fart...I guess....I picked up a green pepper and aite it like an apple in the middle of the store...spooky ain;t it...now I eat peppers all the time....not the texas type....keep that hot **** away from me But you will change russ

My wife would think I was an imposter if I actually liked brocolli after WLS. Hope your recovering well Russ. Troy

I couldn't tolerate whey for the first 9 mos post op.  I had soy protein shakes and that's when I started flavoring them using DaVinciGourmet sugar free and fat free syrups.  I continued to use the syrups once I was able to have whey shakes.  I order my protein and the syrups from www.netrition.com because of their prices, handling, and abitlity to send bottles in all kinds of weather (many on-line stores won't send the syrups during cold weather).  There are syrups that are good in shakes and others that are good in coffee.  I'll bring that up some day in response to Randall's posts.