I am lost and would love to hear more advice !!! :)

Hi All, I have been reading, re reading taking notes etc, from this Forum. I Did receive some WONDERFUL!! info on the support groups. Thank you all! Also, I had my well ness/ nutrition class today. So now my questions are a. can you really truly get in 60 grams of protein a day, or is that something you work up to? b. do you get bored with the protein shakes, does any one have favorites? I prefer less sweet stuff, if I can. c, why am I so freaked about about being thin again, and d. how do I add this stuff to my profile and how do I put pics on and all the cool stuff that you all have? I can not thank you enough for being honest and letting me adn the others read your struggles and successes. I am starting to lay awake at night and worry about the what ifs, but on the other hand I am looking at the summer catalogs and thinking " this time next year< I can wear shorts and not elastic banded capris." Also< let me add one more thing to this long list did any body have people be ovewhelming supportive to the point that you feel weird or even hurt? My Mother in Law, ( we will call her Devil Woman for short) kept trying to take a ton of "before Pictures" of me and kept telling me how great and pretty I will look. Now, I didn't have too low of a self esteem before, but now I am thinking, **** fire, how ugly can I be? Sure I would love to feel attractive, but truth be told, I felt that way before I started to consider wls. Oh well. Thanks again Va! I feel like I already know you , and hopefully,I will get to meet you all soon. Ohps. The Indian River YMCA in Va Beach has a free Aerobics class on Thursday for Bariatic patients. They say it isn't well attended, so there is more one on one time! Thanks again!! Cindy

Yes, it is feasable to get in your protein, it takes some doing, and some work and a great deal of committment, but very doeable. Shakes are a very personal taste thing. When I first met Leilani she had some green apple nectar, she hated the taste and texture of it, she gave it to me, and I loved it. Now 2 years out, I can't say that I would care for it. We all find those little things that work for us as individuals. I have found that a combination of a cappucinno flavored sugare free shake mix with shaved ice will give me a 'frozen cappucinno shake' tast that is awesome. Who knows, my taste will more than likely change in a year and I might hate it. Other people will definitey start to treat you differently, and sometimes it will irritate the hell out of you, because you are still the person you were, just a few (maybe a lot) lighter! So who the heck are they to treat you that way? You'll discover that your miond, your emotions and your hormones will do such a roller coaster ride that you may think you're going nuts, but all the while, the pounds are dropping off and life gets better and better every single day. So just smile for the camera and let her take all the pictures, and then relish to look on her face as you drop the pounds, and approach her weight, and then be prepared to suffer the indignities of possibly weighing less than she does, it happens a lot, but it's worth it! SO smile, take it on and let it roll off your back. You''ll need to get used to it for a while. Feel free to read through the profiles, I learned (and am still learning!) from what people put in thier profiles. You'll never find a more supportive group of folks than right here on the board. Good luck on your journey!

Cindy, I'm glad you're getting started the right way with tons of information. I think too many people get so excited about the weight loss aspect that they forget about all the what if's. Anyway, I'm 3 months post-op and doing well so far I guess. I'm a slow loser but I seem to be relatively healthy (at least my blood is cooperating). To answer some of your questions... A.) 60 grams is a doable thing. At first it will be almost all supplementation but it gets progressively better. I'm now to the point where I get most of my protein thru food but I have to be ultra diligent about the choices I make. B.) I have yet to find a shake I can tolerate...mostly it's the texture or the smell so I use the profect "shots". They're little and I can get them down while holding my nose so it's all good. But many people find a protein shake they really like...i've heard a lot of people like the Necter ones (I wasn't crazy about them but hey that's me) C.) You're freaked out because surgery requires not just a change in your eating and drinking habits but also in your attitude, your determination and also it's a walk into the unknow...it leaves a lot of unanswered questions about self. D.) About the computer stuff you'll have to speak to one of the guru's...i'm not a geek (I don't mean geek in a mean way either, I wish I was a tech person but computers don't always like me), I leave that to my hubby. The only thing else I can tell you is this...even if there was a pill developed tomorrow that would instantly shrink all the fat cells in your body I still wouldn't regret my decision to take back my life and my health and have this surgery. I feel so much better, not just self esteem wise but just a general feeling of health and energy. I even find myself smiling for no apparent reason other than I just feel good. Liz

Hello Cindy ~ Elizabeth and Track McCrear (Old Man River) have already given you great answers to most of your questions, so I won't toss out any reruns. Did want to share a link with you that ObesityHelp.com ("OH")has put together that helps newbies to CREAT and ADD to their profiles. I'll be honest, Ive never actually read or followed it through (my profile was already up and running when they put this cheat sheet together) but Ive heard back from several that I shared the link with and they said the directions worked well. http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/memtu/ "OH" is in the process of revamping their entire system and soon, even the profiles will be handled/created differently - because of this, they no longer have volunteers available to help with creating them. Not sure when that's all going ot happen, but if you read "Amy Williams" post at the top of the VA Board (green sticky posts that stay up top) it'll explain it better. Have fun, JOURNALING!! ~ Lei Thanks for the tip on the YMCA and the free Aerobics - Im not far from there and maybe I can talk a few of my girly-friends into going.

YIKES - sorry about ALL the typos - Im trying to respond in turbo mode, too lazy to proof and I have a 18 pound kitty kat on my lap who's NOT making this easy.

Hi Cindy! I am 2 weeks post-op, and so don't have tons of info to share, but here goes what I do know: a. Yep, like others said, you can get in the protein, though maybe not at first. You'll only be able to take in little sips at first. I am up to an ounce, but am concentrating more on my liquids than proteins right now. b. I haven't found a powder that I "love" yet, but I've been able to tolerate what I do have. Unfortunately, most seem to come in some variety of sweet flavor, and I can't stand the taste of anything sweet right now! I am currently using Z-Pro, because it will give me 25g of protein in a 2 oz "pudding" or 4 oz "shake", so it goes a long way to the daily requirement. I have some "natural" flavor powder (re: spackling!) that I will try with broth or some flavoring next time. I think it's a matter of trial and error...everyone has different tastes pre AND post-op! c. I wouldn't call it being freaked out, though when it consumes every waking moment it sure feels like that! You are human and having natural feelings. You want to have more energy, be healthier, feel better about yourself when you look in the mirror, buy cute clothes, etc. Even people without a big weight problem feel that way! Personally, I had to get to the point of "you HAVE to do something about this problem NOW" to even consider gastric bypass. At only 2 weeks out, I am seeing a big difference in the way my clothes fit, the way my face looks, how my joints feel, it is amazing, and will only get better! After a very rough day of nausea yesterday, I had to remind myself that I am in this for the overall result. You have to look at the weekly/monthly changes to stay motivated, but you also have to remember the ultimate goal when you hit the rough patches. d. Like Lei said, the profile sprucing is on hold...OH is going to launch (I think it said early summer) a way for everyone to do their own sprucing. As far as getting your picture on here, there is an email address to submit your request and picture to, and they'll add it (I can't remember the address, sorry!). I don't know if that has changed as well, but it takes a while to get it going (notice my picture?! LOL) As for family pressure, I think they are just excited for you (though I'm afraid that "excitement" doesn't always have the same basis for everyone). Just remember that this is for YOU...yes, your family will be affected, hopefully in a positive way, but you have to decide to do this for your own reasons. My surgeon required that he meet my husband and any other key support people to get an idea of what they expected and how they felt, because he wanted to make sure I wasn't either being pushed into having the surgery, nor being pressured NOT to have it. Good luck to you, and hope to see you here again! Elizabeth

Thanks Guys! I am going to try a the cappucino(sp?) thing and the zero pudding,shake thing as well. I thought that the unflavored sounded good, but I guess like every one says, it's trial and error. Also, I am very relived to hear that people do treat you differently after and during the weight loss. At first I was thinking, Who cares, I'll be getting thin. But lately, I am thinking that perhaps people do base my value on my weight. Uhhhhhh. I can't stand that. Even years ago, when I did have two distinct knees, I never judged people , on their weight and I try to not judge people period. Again, thank you all so much. You just don't know how much I appreciate this! Cindy