Low Carb Help
 

My daughter is having a gastic bypass and will be on low carbs forever. She can have 30-35 a day. Government guidelines say you should have between 200 and 300 a day. Now you see my problem. Could you please search thru your recipes and see if you have any low carb , taste somewhat good and share with me? Thanks in advance.

Something to consider before having a gastric bypass for sure!
I doubt that your government guidelines were designed for gastric bypass patients.

Have you been referred to a dietitian to learn how this is possible?

If not, seek the help of a professional to ensure your daughter remains healthy and lives a long life.

Yes dietitian is involved. She is having the surgery becuase her tummy has quit working. Food goes in and just sits there. Her stomach does not process the food. We have spent 2 years trying to figure out the best way to handle it. Thanks for your inputa and hopefully a recipe.

The dietitian and your Dr. are the people your daughter should be relying on for sound info and advice.

There are different types of carbs and so it will be important to know the difference and whether all are wrong for her? or which are allowed within the severe limitations.

Good Luck!

If you search the recipe section for "low carb" you will find many low carb recipes. I posted some a while back. For the most part, eating low carb means eliminating breads, pastas, sugar, SUGAR, sugar, and sugar! lol Even MILK is high in carbs, but half and half has none, so I sometimes use it to replace milk, but add water to thin it. I don't know how old your daughter is, but if she's still of an age where she likes cereal and you've found one without sugar, the almond milks that come in a box on the store shelves near the cereals, usually, are very good. Be sure to read the labels as nearly all of those milks have sugar in them in one form or another, ie corn syrup, etc.

Helen...Thank you Thank you Thank you. That idea had a goldmine of ideas and recipes.

DITTO.....Of all the people I have known to have that surgery none have ever said that about the carbs.....

My husband and I do a low carb diet off and on when we feel we need to take off a few pounds. During those times we tend to eat between 20 and 30 net carbs a day. Net carbs are where you take the carb count of foods and subtract out the grams of fiber. Be sure to ask the dietition if it is net carbs or total carbs that she should be counting.

Anyhow, we eat really well on a low carb diet. Think meats and veggies. Some veggies are higher in carbs like peas, corn and carrots, so best to avoid those and stick to things like green beans, broccoli, cauliflower etc. Pretty much anything "white" is too high in carbs, including flour, potatoes, rice, sugar. Most fruits are higher in carbs, some of the lowest carb ones would be berries...strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc. Milk is higher in carbs, but heavy cream is not. Cheese is usually very low or no carbs.

A site with lots of good low carb recipes is http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html. Carb counts per serving are also included.

When we do low carb, I tend to substitutue things for starches. Cauliflower mashed with heavy cream, cream cheese and/or sour cream is a good sub for mashed potatoes. Cauliflower can also be riced to take the place of rice. Spaghetti squash or zucchini in place of pasta is good. Lots of salad in place of any starch on my plate along with a protien and a veggie works.

There are low carb tortillas and low carb breads in the grocery stores, but they are getting harder and harder to find these days.

www.Atkins.com has loads of information on "carbs" and great recipes. Doesn't matter if you agree with his diet plan or not the site has tons of FREE information. Actually, low carb can be very delicious!

I had gastric bypass 2 years ago - I have lost 106 pounds. My Dr. stresses Protein Shakes and Bariatric Vitamins, but I have a problem with the shakes, as a result my hair is thinning. The Protein Shakes were great before the surgery, but after, not so good... I try to eat as much meat as I can, and things like peanut butter, beans and any high protein things that I can. Milk, cottage cheese, cheeses of all kinds and the like. Good luck!

Low carbohydrate diets go in and out of fashion for weight loss but a new piece of research suggests that an occasional low carb day is better to weight loss and heart disease in old age people.Exercise alone would not tend to help many people lose a few pounds. Low crab diet is necessary with daily exercise.

I like blending 1 container of cottage cheese in a blender with a little milk or cream till smooth. I then add a diet jello
that is mixed with only 1 cup of boiling water and blend till smooth. Tastes good and is low carb
I also make different home made soups and limit the carrots and potatoes to keep it low carbs but filling and tasty

We make low carb pizza. Take 1 lb. hamburger and spread it out as thin as possible on a cookie sheet that has sides. Bake it in a 350 degree oven for 10 min. Bring out of oven and drain off excess grease. Spread on pizza sauce...cooked sausage...pepperoni...ham...cheese...onions...spic es...anything you like on your pizza. Return to oven and bake till toppings are heated through. Slice and serve.

I had gastric bypass over 4 years ago and lost almost 100# and have kept it off. What I found is, although I did my research for over a year before considering it, the physician's office did NOT have the long-term care in mind of the patient. I had to go to the hospital Medicare told me to so I didn't really have much choice. They only gave me close assistance for about 3 months then I was basically on my own.

I found a local hospital that had a support group and I was welcomed into the group. I learned there that they had long-term guidelines like what to eat, how much to eat, what to stay away from, etc. etc. It was very defined and well done. Unfortunately, because I didn't use their practice for my surgery, I could only go to the support meetings and not be able to obtain that 2" binder of great info. I even offered to buy it but they said no.

When my surgeon left the hospital I went to, I tried to get switched over to the doctor with the good support group. Again, I was denied. I discovered at that time that once you have this surgery, no other surgeon wants to take you for followup. The only way you can switch surgeons is if you moved very far away, like another state. So, when I needed hernia repair surgery, I had problems getting this taken care of.

Bottomline, I'm not sorry I had it done and would do it again knowing what I now know. BUT, I would have waited until I was able to choose the "right" surgeon group who really cared about the long-term care.

I'll answer the low carb question in this post -- I did see a dietitian for guidance and she said she treated weightloss surgery patients. However, she still insisted on those government guidelines which caused me to put on a few lbs the first month with her so that didn't work.

I found (for myself) that I need to stay away from carbs, specifically bread. My diet consists mostly of a good protein and vegetable. For a carb, it's just a small portion of whatever carb I'm serving for that meal.

Example - instead of 2 pieces of toast for breakfast, I have 1 and I also look for thin-sliced grain bread which is healthier and less calories. As an evening snack, I'll have cottage cheese (Daisy is the tastiest) with pineapple or other fruit. The fruit becomes the carb (and low carb / calories).

You have to be careful with fruit because of the sugar but her body will tell her how much sugar she can handle. Too much and you get dumping....not fun.

At this point, I can pretty much eat anything I want except milk and ice cream (I can have a little DQ without getting sick) but I'm not much of an ice cream eater anyway. I just eat about half and I don't feel deprived and am much healthier.

I'd be happy to explain further what works for me so feel free to PM off-list and pick my brain.

I still consider myself a work-in-progress since I still need to lose another 40#. The doc said if I can't exercise enough, I won't get those last lbs. off but I'm not giving up, even if I can only lose 1 lb. a month, I'll get there eventually.

Sorry for rattling on and on but this surgery isn't for the faint of heart since we love our food.

She will do fine on low carbs; Ive been doing it since I had the surgery for about 20yrs now. I do have my vitamin levels check alot and they just found out that zinc is another one that can run low on this surgery. Most of the people who gain alot of thier weight back is due to the higher carb intake. Ask me how I know.

The government guide lines aren't forevery one. Just like people who have this surgery won't all tolerate or not tolerate the same things; it's different for each person. Even before my surgery I always had problems with iron no matter how much I took and it's alot higher than the governments guide lines. I also have and do have problems with Vitamin D; my specialist says I take more Vit D than any of his other patients. We are all different and so are our needs. Cutting back on carbs is not that hard. Dreamfields makes a really good pasta; better than most. You just have to look and there are tons of books and info from online. Good luck to your daughter. She'll be fine and they know more about this surgery than they did 20yrs ago so it's gotten better. I just had a friend who had it last month. My best advice especially in the beginning (practice before surgery) is taking smaller bites and swallowing slowly. If you don't learn to do this your daughter will have lots of issues with reflux. My friend practiced before and couldn't believe how hard this its to do when you stop and think about how you are eating. She still has some problems now that shes slowly eating real food.

By the way; you can't have this surgery without having a dietition involved along with a phsyc eval and tons of other classes and test. There are even pre classes and after classes to help you understand what is going on. It doesn't take away you wanting food you have to put in the work there. When I went back up to 160 I went on the Southbeach diet; it follows closely what the surgery diet is; low carbs,low fat and higher protein. I lost my weight in less than 2 mos and that was about 10yrs ago and I stay around 130 now. Have her to check out the Southbeach diet; they have great recipes.

I agree; I'd do it again but with a different surgeon. I ended up having 2 hernia surgeries and a tummy tuck with second. The doc didn't bill me for the tummy part and the hospital was covered by insurance. The reason I'd have a different doc is that he did what a lot do saying it's an easy fix (NOT) and never told me half of what I needed to know to make my recooperation easier. He had a support group at his house but I found out yrs later that I was one of the lucky ones. He ended up losing his license to practice first in a few hospitals then not being allowed to practice at all. There were alot of botched up jobs and people who had lots of problems due to his work. I'd had a referral from a friend when I went to him and she didn't have a problem so I figured I was good. I did get 100% checked out when I heard about all this and found out I was fine. It was scarey to think of what could have happened and not because of my body rejecting what I was doing but because he wasn't doing it like he should. Chose your doctors carefully. I've never had a doctor refuse me for anything but its not related to the surgery and I have a PCP who I see for most things. It is one of the best things that I ever did for my health, my staying around longer for my kids and grandkids.

We use the Blue Diamond Almond milk. They have 1 that is Unsweetened and that is the 1 we get. It is very tasty (unless you don't like almonds).

Wow...being a nurse for 37 years, I would think twice before having gastric by-pass....Everyone responds differently but there are a lot of serious repercussions that could be in place. I hope this is her last resource and not her first...Best of luck to her.

[h=2]TUSCAN VEGETABLE SOUP RECIPE<o:p></o:p>[/h]
Prep Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 servings (1-1/2 cups per serving)

<o:p></o:p>
Really great, low calorie soup. Very easy to make too!<o:p></o:p>
Ingredients:<o:p></o:p>
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

<o:p></o:p>
1 cup diced Onion (about 1/2 large)
1 cup chopped Kale or Cabbage
1 cup diced Celery (about 2 stalks)
1 cup diced Zucchini (about 1 medium)
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Sage (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper, plus more to taste

<o:p></o:p>
4 cups low-sodium, fat free Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced Tomatoes, with juice

<o:p></o:p>
2 handfuls Baby Spinach Leaves (about 2 cups packed)<o:p></o:p>
Directions:<o:p></o:p>
· Heat oil in a medium-sized soup pot over medium-high heat. Add veggies and spices (onion thru pepper), and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about five minutes.<o:p></o:p>
· Add the broth and, tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about three minutes more.<o:p></o:p>

[h=3]Roasted Cabbage with Lemon<o:p></o:p>[/h]<o:p></o:p>
1 medium-sized head of Green Cabbage<o:p></o:p>
2 tablespoons Olive Oil<o:p></o:p>
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed Lemon Juice <o:p></o:p>
A generous amount of Sea Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper<o:p></o:p>
Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray or olive oil.<o:p></o:p>
Cut the head of cabbage into 8 same-size wedges, cutting through the core and stem end. Then carefully trim the core strip and stem from each wedge and arrange wedges in a single layer on the roasting pan (leave some space around them as much as you can.)<o:p></o:p>
Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. Use a pastry brush to brush the top sides of each cabbage wedge with the mixture and season generously with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Turn cabbage wedges carefully, brush the second side with the olive oil/lemon juice mixture, and season with salt and pepper. <o:p></o:p>
Roast cabbage for about 15 minutes, or until the side touching the pan is nicely browned. Then turn each wedge carefully and roast 10-15 minutes more, until the cabbage is nicely browned and cooked through with a bit of chewiness remaining. Serve hot, with additional lemon slices to squeeze lemon juice on at the table if desired.<o:p></o:p>
Makes 3-4 servings as a side dish<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>
Butter for greasing baking dish<o:p></o:p>
1 (10 ounce) package Frozen Chopped Spinach - thawed and drained<o:p></o:p>
4 large Eggs – beaten<o:p></o:p>
1/4 teaspoon crushed Garlic<o:p></o:p>
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8x8 glass baking dish. Mix together spinach, eggs, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes until mixture is set. Allow to cool slightly. Cut into 4 squares. Use spatula to remove squares from pan. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.<o:p></o:p>
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Variation: To make a whole loaf of this bread, triple the ingredients and pour into well buttered loaf pan. Place pan on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees. A whole loaf will yield 12 slices. Use what you need, wrap well, and freeze extra slices or loaves.<o:p></o:p>

Hi everyone. This is buttons922 daughter. I want to say thank you for all the help and recipes. I can't wait to try them. There are good support groups for me and place I can go to. It is nice to see that my mom has a great support group and people that she can ask question to.
Second I just wanted to share the reason I am having the gastric bypass surgery is not just for weight loss. I have what they call gastritis pernicious at a serve case. I had a test done in the hospital where I ate a egg sandwhich on an empty stomach so they could watch it digest and after 4 hours the guy sent me home because it had not moved. The food that I have eatten has even turn moldy and I have strains of ecoli in the bottom of my stomach and the start of my small intestine.
The doctor (my family and my self) are hoping that by creating a new stomach and being on the new deit that I will be able to lead a normal life without the pain and ecoli.
Thank you again to all who have post and sent your support.

Buttons922, hope all goes well for you and this procedure works. A cookbook you might look into is the lo carb book written by Suzanne Sommers. I remember watching her whip an egg with a bit of water, pour it into a small skillet and make a crepe of it. Since breads, biscuits, etc. have some of the most carbs, she used these as a wrap, to make a sandwich. She also made a stack of them then sliced them and used them as 'noodles' for pasta dishes. Eggs have no carbs, neither does butter, cheese, whipping cream, beef, chicken, pork, fish as long as they are just that, like in the butcher shop. You can also use olive oil, olives, no carbs in olives, skip the pimento. You can scramble eggs in butter and slice ham, olives and no carbs. Peas, corn and carrots are full of carbs so try to stick to cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and green beans. Oil and vinegar makes a good dressing for a salad. Don't pour it over the salad, dip an edge of the fork full of the salad in a side of dressing. Just remember, everything else has carbs, some LOTS of carbs and basically anything that is sweet is out but no sugar gelatin is very low. Adkins cook books are very good too and you can find small books that list food and their carb and calorie count. Remember even fresh friut can been heavy with carbs. I love cauliflower cooked, mashed with butter and whipping cream, it's so good and you almost can't tell them from real mashed potatoes but then I like cauliflower any way. Good luck.

I too wish you the best of luck; it's been over 20yrs for me and you learn alot about foods. While carbs are an issue so is the fat content and lots of these things are high in fat which will send you to the bathroom constantly and it's not nice. The diet is low carbs and low fat and high protien which is why I like the South beach diet because that's what it does; Atkins says high protein, low carbs and not to worry about the fat. There was a lady here at the hospital that brought in a couple pounds of fried bacon one night and I asked her if she thought it was good for the diet she said as long as it's high protein and not carbs. It doesn't take alot for any sane person to know while bacon is awesome tasting it sure isn't good at that rate. It's no wonder she still over 300lbs after all these yrs.There are so many ways to fix veggies and even eggs that are great. Paula Dean beat up an omlet and put it into a sandwich bag; squeezed out the air and put it in boiling water about 10 min. I tried it and it works great; it is really fluffy and no fat and it just slides out of the bag so no clean up. It's good you'll have support; I think that's one of the best things that has come about in all of these yrs is the support teams. I hope this takes care of your problem and can live a healthy pain free life.

Buttons922's daughter, Everyone has given you so much good advice. I too like South Beach. I have not had surgery, but I wanted to give you a little hint. You can use Stevia for sweeting and it has no calories and is very low on the glycemic index. There are cookbooks out there using Stevia. This is a natural sweetener that is sweeter than sugar. I wish you the best and hope this surgery will "cure" your problem. My prayers are with you.

This was my fav on LC
http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/

My hubby cut out all the carbs he could when he learned he was diabetic - lost 70 pounds very fast. But, that was really too drastic. He has kept the weight off for 5 years by eating 1/2 of whatever he used to eat. Worked for him.

My daughter in law had a gastric by pass 2 years ago and she had to have her food measured in teaspoons. So many teaspoons per hour of food and liquid. Everything had to be liquid for every s o long after the surgery - all meat, etc was liquidized in the blender then she got a teaspoon. It was very regimented and she followed it exactly. Still, she had complications to the surgery and now is scheduled to have most of her colon removed next month. Her body did not react to the by pass as expected. some things are tragic.

I must be missing something ... why would one have this surgery done for a weight loss measure? it seems that post-op you do not return to "living" a normal life, eating by teaspoonsful, liquids, etc. Others have shared that they have eaten normally, just less ... if so, then why the surgery and not the change of eating without surgery?

Maybe someone will explain this to me!
Thank you!</SPAN>

sorry for any confusion on this surgery. I, personally, had this surgery after my cardiologist, respiratory and orthopedic doctors suggested it for health reasons. My orthopedic problems caused me problems from being able to exercise enough to actually benefit weightloss. As the weight increased, the weight put more stress on my joints creating more problems with exercising. Also, the added weight caused severe sleep apnea (a potential life-threatening disease). I basically stopped breathing every few seconds for a few seconds. All this put more stress on my heart....I think you get the idea. SO, for me, without the surgery, my life was shortened severely.

On the flip side, I also had a hiatal hernia so couldn't eat very much at a time anyway but the weight still increased. So, simply eating less doesn't work for all people. My hubby eats junk throughout the day and doesn't exercise. His weight maintains -- I can watch him eat the junk food and put weight on....all people aren't created equal.

I was also afraid of being one of those patients who couldn't eat more than a teaspoon or two. To me, this was worse-case scenario. When you first have this surgery, that IS all you can eat for several weeks (that's why the weight drops so fast because you're barely eating anything). That's also why it's so important to get the right nutrients to stay healthy during the first year. But, after about a year, I eat semi-normally. I can eat out but always bring a carryout box home. I can eat pretty much anything now, except milk and ice cream which I don't really need anyway.

Ex. I can eat half a sandwich -- 1/3 of a restaurant meal -- eating a little of whatever is on my plate. I do have to watch bread - if I have more than 1 piece of bread per day, my weight starts to rise.

Although I still have about 40# to lose and might not get that off until I can exercise more, I still feel 200% better than I did prior to the surgery. I get out and walk almost everyday now (my fibromyalgia keeps me down some days), my outlook on life is so much better, and I'm enjoying life so much more now than before. And....I no longer get those stares from people because of my weight.

Hope this helps...

Thanks VickiG for all the added info.
First of all, please don't get me wrong in thinking that I am saying it's wrong or that it's easy to lose weight. Believe me, I know that all too well.

I come at this from the "experienced" weight loss/gain scenario myself and having worked in the industry for almost ten years as well. Add to that, a friend who is having the lap band done next Tuesday. So I am trying to learn and understand more about it all.

So for the first weeks after surgery it's only a teaspoon or two at a time to eat? How often? Were you hungry thru this? I know my friend is virtually not eating the two weeks pre-surgery, and only on a supplement drink, mixed with water and from what I understand will have that post-op for a spell as well.

As with all weight loss, nutrition is key. For most of the population, we get the nutrition we need, just by eating and with no planned menus. It just kind of comes together by the odds. The main problem is eating too much. Cutting back to virtually nothing, definitely I can see why the nutrition concerns may arise.

Interesting that you said that you have to watch bread intake or else the pounds come on ... hhmmm? no different than most of us, right? So, the surgery really isn't the resolution then, UNLESS the patient changes his/her eating habits. Again the parallels.

It's good to know that you are now eating semi-normally! Is it a matter of just eating less for all, post-op? or are certain foods no-no's? or totally restricted? (bread already mentioned)

From what I have read and understand, it still takes a lot of commitment, change and patience. I'm not sure that my friend has those, and whether she truly understands what's ahead. And I will admit, I fear for her. I hope it works for her. I really do. Though from what you have said, it's no magic cure-all ... you have to work at it, work hard and be ready to change.

I'm glad for you that you have seen progress and recognize the importance of patience in the process!
Here's to continued better health and more results for you!

Again, please do not think I am criticizing this ... I am just trying to understand more.


P.S. ... as for your husband ... we'll both just be envious!! :)

George Stella has the best recipes I have ever tried for low carb. He used to be on Food Network (Low Carb and Lovin It). Don't know if he still is, I don't watch much tv. He, his wife and 2 sons lost over 560 pounds on low carb and both are chefs. You should be able to get his cookbooks cheap on half.com or amazon. I have 3 of his books and use them. I love a book you wouldn't think of "Eating for Life" by Bill Phillips it has some of the best easy, healthiest and best tasting recipes. It has pictures of all the recipes and it using every day items you can buy at any grocery store. It also should be cheap at half.com or Amazon. I bought mine at the Goodwill. It has the best turkey meat loaf recipe ever.

did not take your message as critical. it did sound like you just want to be more informed and that's the main key. I was concerned about not being able to eat anything and becoming "sickly" looking. I saw so many at the doctor's office who looked like death warmed over as they say and I definitely didn't want to look like that. Nutrition has a lot to do with this issue.

If you are not eating properly, you will get sick. Part of the reason for having the psych eval is to make sure you are mentally ready for this type of change. We are in love with food and the thought of giving of that love affair can be very devastating for some. I'm glad I can't eat all that food anymore but, like I said, I couldn't eat much at a time anyway because of the hiatal hernia. The surgeon fixed that during the surgery. That was worth the surgery alone!! The constant acid reflux was horrible and it's now gone.

Since I've had to watch my weight my whole life, getting used to the new way of eating wasn't much different other than eating mostly protein and veggies, then if there's room, a carb (potato, pasta, rice, etc.). I still eat a little carb regardless during my meal. The biggest change is not drinking anything after a meal. This is so you don't "wash" your food out of your little pouch too fast.....hence, staying full longer. If you drink with a meal, the food gets washed through faster and you get hungry sooner.

My prep for my surgery was 2 weeks of nothing but protein drink. The main reason for this is to shrink your liver so the surgeon can easily move it out of the way. I did have an enlarged liver but the surgeon said it was nice and plyable (spelling?) for the surgery. I also lost 18# during those 2 weeks. That part was pretty hard...not being able to eat real food but the protein shake was very healthy and I really wasn't hungry. After the surgery, you will have to drink the protein drink for several weeks as well....a few ounces every 30 minutes or so. This gives your stomach a chance to heal and not have to work very hard. The first month or so, I was never hungry. But it seemed that when I started getting back to regular food, my appetite came back. This surgery was not a fix for the hunger unfortunately.

We got an eating plan to cover the first 6 weeks after surgery. Every week, we added a little more food until we get to the point of eating meat (chicken, fish for several months). This is because these are easier to digest. Then move on to hamburger (about 6 months). I was able to eat pork chops and steak, stew, etc. red meat at about 10 months. Some people NEVER are able to eat red meat.

As for nutrients, I now have to take a B vitamin, calcium, multi-vitamin daily and get a B12 shot every month. My body no longer absorbs these vitamins from my food intake so this will be life long now.

My stomach signals me when it's getting close to meal time so other than that, I'm not hungry. If I wait too long to eat (typically every 4 hours or so), I start to get dizzy (I guess like low blood sugar) so I try to have a little snack of some carb and protein about 2 hours.

I did have some problems in the beginning and ended up back in the hospital with a couple of hernias but I'm ok now.

The lapband is a totally different procedure so your friend won't go through the same issues. My insurance wouldn't pay for lapband which I didn't think would be in my best interest anyway.

Knowledge is power so feel free to ask whatever questions you have. I wish I had someone to help me understand this surgery better before I had it done. Although I thought I did plenty of research (several years actually), there's so much they don't tell you because each person is different.

Tell your friend good luck!!

Thanks again, VickiG ... I really appreciate all the "knowledge" (is power!)

It's good that you are so attentive to the nutrient needs ... wow, though at the B12 monthly along with the rest. Why won't your body absorb those nutrients from the food intake?

The big question now ... what is lap band vs. gastric bypass?
I was given the understanding they are one and the same ... and now wonder which she is having?

I know it wasn't covered by OHIP nor her private insurance (Canada) as she has paid $18,000!! :)

QuiltE - She probably had the lapband because it's less invasive hence cheaper. Mine was around $56K billed to Medicare but was actually paid around $30K.

If you google lapband surgery, it shows you that no cutting the stomach and making it tiny. The lapband simply puts a "band" around the upper portion of the stomach, creating that tiny pouch. The band itself is adjustable and can be adjusted by the surgeon as needed. From what I understand, the band can be tightened or loosened depending on how the patient is doing. The food goes into this tiny pouch created by the band then it slowly releases into the rest of the stomach for digesting. Since the stomach isn't surgerically touched, nothing changes for the patient other than the amount of food they can eat.

If the person is losing too fast (and getting sick), the band can be loosened a little to allow the person to eat a little more. My understanding is that the band CAN be removed......gastric bypass is a permanent surgery.

With the bypass surgery, since the stomach is surgerically altered, the "plumbing" of the digestive system is also affected which is why nutrients aren't absorbed like before. Again, google gastric bypass surgery and you'll find tons of videos and info on how this works.

One thing that isn't thought of -- I have bad sinuses so have a lot of sinus drainage which goes "into the stomach". So when I first had my surgery and this tiny little pouch (only holds 2 oz right after surgery), my sinus drainage filled my little pouch up and I couldn't eat (since I felt too full to eat). They had to go in via the throat and drain the mucous. Now, I have to take an allergy pill everyday too to keep the mucous down....again, something else doctors don't tell you. Now that my pouch has healed and can hold approx. 1-1/2 cups of food, the problem isn't as bad.

I do feel doing your homework for such a serious operation is necessary since gastric bypass is not reversible.

Thanks VickiG ... I appreciate your open comments. Yes, it will be the lapband, as she goes in and out the same day and non-invasive. She really hasn't been open to me, and I have learned what I know thru her husband ... and she has told him very little! From there, some googling, and knowing where the work is being done, and I have been learning. Then this thread came along and I was all ears and eyes!! :)

She actually had it booked, deposits paid, and was ready to make the final payment before she told him ... I think that was probably only because the $ and need to move $ between bank accounts, so had to own up to it. He is disgusted with her doing it ... and basically is keeping out of it with her to keep the proverbial peace.

In the meantime, with the prep for the operation and drinking of the stuff she's been given ... the poor man has literally been starving as she doesn't see the need to cook ... and he is so obliging to just let it be. I wonder how much he will lose as a result ... and doesn't have a lot of room for weight loss!

The procedure isn't til next Tuesday, and then after?
Only time will tell! :D
I wish her well ....

Probably a good time for him to learn to fix his own meals.

Oh don't worry, he does, but of course, they don't tend to be "meals" ... just something to eat to get by. And he;s one of the types who can not eat and be quite content!!

Amen to that. If he can't even fix himself a sandwich or whatever, he deserves to starve. :p