Thank you Angela, you have no idea how good you made me feel. I feel that MGB is the right decision for me, and I pray that you too will find peace in your decision. (AND WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS!!) 

When I wrote this post, I was feeling really depressed (sort of a compilation of things, along with not feeling well still and you know, when you don't feel good, EVERYTHING is magnified 2 gazillion percent. Folks offering their advice, which felt like I was being beat up instead,  I felt like a fool) I'm feeling SO much better now, I surrounded myself with positive people and my fear is slowly subsiding...slowly...s l o w l y ... S    L    O    W    L    Y (smile)

That's ok...I KNOW everything will be ok. EVERYTHING always works out!!

Thank you again for your advice...now...can you help me get thru this Nursing School thing...LOLOL

  ((no real purpose for this, except it makes me laugh, LOL))

Barbara, I read somewhere that the simplest way to calculate your necessary proteins for optimum fat loss vs. muscle loss is to take your lean body weight (to us this would be our goal weight) and eat .5 grams per pound per day. So if my ideal body weight is 175, I should consume 87.5 grams of protein per day.

Is this a more simplified way to calculate the same thing or am I missing something? Are there side effects or consequenses to MGBers for consuming too much protein? Any help would be appreciated...Angela

It sounds like some of this is physical and possibly mental with the feeling that you cant just eat a snack and move on so I just wanted to share something with you that I learned a few years ago...hope this helps! 

I  used to be a night time eater....would skip breakfast, half the time skip lunch, feel exhausted at the end of the day, eat some crappy fast food, feel sleepy from fat/calorie overload, take a nap, wake up and then graze the rest of the evening snacking on this and that sometimes good food and sometimes not so good.....

Then one night I was watching a special on TV about SUMO WRESTLERS and what kind of training etc they had to go through. Well since most of them are Japanese and the Japanese arent typically known as a culture plauged by obesity, I was curious as to how they got so round. It actually stated in this documentary how part of their training was to feed them large carb heavy meals and then make them take a nap. It went on to explain that the way to build a big fat tummy even in a body type that didnt naturally put on weight in the belly area was to have them lie down and go to sleep with a full belly.

Having a tendancy to carry my weight in my midsection already, that was the day I quit eating three hours before bed lol and I do believe I lost some weight just from that alone. I lost 50lbs that year and the ONLY things I did to achieve that were a.) stop eating fast food b). stop eating 3 hours before bed and c.) start eating breakfast no matter what (which also kept me from raging with hunger/snacking late at night because it started my metabolism earlier in the day)

I guess what Im trying to say is that you owe it to yourself after having come this far to put some effort into figuring out whats wrong and to exercise a little control of what you eat so late at night. It might be ok for now but any weight you do gain will probably go straight to your belly if youre not careful....just my advice! 

Angela

Heres my 2 cents worth of tough-love inspiration...hope it is received with the love in which it is intended....

First of all, dont beat yourself up about things you cant control (like getting sick) and dont consider yourself a failure,,,,maybe youre just doing research on 101 ways it wont work, lol. Life is about perspecive, start seeing yourself in a new light....You can do this!

Now about feeling like a misfit toy or the last kid picked at recess....This probably isnt the first time youve felt this way and it probably wont be the last since being an obese person in the US already feels quite similar (even though we are the majority at this point). Keep in mind that SOON you wont have to feel like that anymore. Keep your chin up and just remember to be kind to those tomorrow who are still where you are today! (sounds like a famous quote but I just made that up lol)

Never be scared to weigh yourself since hiding your head in the sand wont change the result. Seeing the number might be just the motivation you need to pull yourself back up by the boot-straps. Your life is on the line, you CAN do it! 

I havent had the MGB yet and I too am praying that it will be the answer for me but I can tell you that I have walked in your shoes and you are not alone. Im already thankful for this place and the generous people so willing to share their experience and their pain along with thier advice whether solicited or not. The bottom line is that you are the only one who has to live with the consequenses of your decision, so even if you have MGB and find it isnt right for you, at least you will know that it wont be because so-n-so told you it would solve all your problems.

Personally, I would love to be able to stand up and say hey, I did it on my own, I ate right, I exercised my patootie off and I took control of my weight problem without WLS but the fact is that I havent been able to do that in 26years. I need help, and thank God we live in a place and time where we have options and can educate ourselves and choose what we feel will work best for us...not so long ago that wasnt the case. 

As for choosing MGB over other methods, well thats the direction Im heading in and Ive done a lot of research on this...every time I weigh the pros and cons, I come back to MGB. Take other peoples comments and weigh their opinion with the information youve already accumulated and do whats right for you, win lose or draw it has to be your decision.

I imagine the forums are categorized by surgery method for that very reason. When choosing a WLS, we are all placing our futures in the hands of this decision so its completely expected for everyone to have some bias toward the decision they made personally. It comes with the territory so dont let it get to you, just do your research and you'll know whats right for you.

Wishing you the best results whichever way you decide to go and keeping you in my prayers for the strength to reach your goals! Angela

Thank you Kathryn! My insurance will pay for either, and after doing my research and talking to the doctors, counselors and nutritionist, I KNOW MGB is the best surgery for me.

I will keep your email addy and thanks for sharing it!!

((hugs to all))