Leaderboard

1. When you are dehydrated.. your urine smells BAD! I almost gagged the first time I went to the restroom and couldn't believe what I was smelling.. (yeah so I make sure to get those liquids in!) 2. You don't use the restroom as much.. I only go maybe twice a day. 3. Acid Reflux! I've noticed when I swallow something too quickly or if I eat that soup too fast! I get hiccups or I burp a lot. (Never had this issue before). 4. I am always cold! This drives me crazy! (I'm a little dramatic) BUT!.. I literally have to sleep with my pajamas, snuggie with the covers over my head to keep warm. (And yes I take all my vitamins). I am freezing as I am typing this now 5. Waiters/Waitresses will assume you think their is something wrong with the food when you ask for a TO-GO box. I went to BJ's the other night and ordered a soup and had just a few bites and I became full. I asked our waitress for a TO-GO box and she went into apologetic mode and asked if she could offer me another dish and so on and so on.. very nice of her.. but long story short and lesson learned.. stay away from restaurants as much as possible.. it can be quite annoying dealing with the pressure of not eating your meal. 6. Do not purchase a new wardrobe after you lose those first few pounds. You are losing weight every single day and if you buy jeans today, I promise.. they will be too baggy just a couple weeks later. 7. My advice is to not tell people you are getting/ or had the gastric sleeve surgery. I made the mistake by telling my friends and I get asked a lot of questions such as; "So are you happy now?" "Well.. when are you going to stop losing weight?", "Are you going to act different when you lose all the weight?" It's pretty annoying and people act weird for some reason when you lose weight. I swear people weren't sweatin' me at 330 pounds. 8. I still have cravings! I thought my cravings would go away.. but nope! Still there! The sleeve is really a tool to help you lose weight and it doesn't solve all your problems. I almost had a nervous breakdown because I was craving Taco Bell and I couldn't do nothing about it. But the Good News is.. once you put something in your tummy.. you are full after a few bites and the cravings goes away. But it's a struggle everyday. 9. It takes people awhile to get used to the new you! So in my case.. a lot of friends were still inviting me out to Wine Festivals, Clubs, Brunch and Pop Up Bars. Just recently, my friend invited me to go with her to a Star Wars themed restaurant and I couldn't go because I can't have alcoholic drinks and all they offered were fried comfort foods. My new phrase is "no, sorry I can't go.. I can't eat that stuff remember?" Then it's "ohhh yeahh.. I forgot.. so when will you be able to eat/drink again?". Listen. I have come too far to let ANYBODY sabotage my weight loss journey so I am quick to distance myself from ANYBODY who will sabotage my journey and my advice is to anyone reading this is to stay CONSISTENT. People will catch on and know you mean business. 10. Regret. I did experience some regret after having the sleeve because I would use food to cope with issues I dealt with. And when that was taken away, I had to deal with my issues head on. That was difficult and I wanted to reverse the surgery (which you can't) but now that I'm over that hurtle, I have no regrets at all. I have my good days and bad days. My food addiction was real. And I take it one day at a time like I am in a12 Step Program. I used to socially drink every weekend, I was a heavy marijuana smoker, I DJ on the weekends- so I would get free drinks while I'm at the club. And I stopped everything cold turkey. It's tough, but I can't deny the way I feel. I have more energy w/o caffeine, I get 8 hours of sleep, before I was only getting 4 hours, I am in a much better mood, my skin is glowing, my depression is gone, before I was taking anxiety medication and I have completely stopped that. I look and feel like a new person.. and I never want to back to my old habits. Good luck to everyone that is on this journey. You will go through physical and mental challenges but stick to it! You will never have to start over again, if you never give up. Keep at it!

No matter which surgery you get.. you will experience some of the same things. I put this information out there to let people know they are not alone and you may not receive the support from your family/friends. You will receive 100% support from the bariatric community. Losing the weight is easy, but their is no way to truly prepare for the mental challenges ahead of you. Keep in mind that we all go through the same challenges and we are all fighting obesity together. Best of luck to you! And Congratulations on getting your surgery date!

So sorry for your child's hurt. Please seek therapy for the family. This is going to sound a little odd, but when you relive it over and over in your mind and try to take blame you are just causing that pain to yourself. The original pain has already happened and you cannot change the incident; while it takes healing and dealing with that when you revisit it you yourself are continuing it. I know it is new information and takes time to absorb. Don't give it power by hurting yourself with food, then you become a victim and it wins again. if you can't do therapy for whatever reason, go to the library and look up books by Byron Katie, one I found useful was 'Loving What Is'. There are others and other authors that help with trauma. At your desk, bring snack bags of 20 almonds, a couple string cheese, and maybe a greek yogurt. I know you say you don't move around much at work, but I worked a desk job and I know you are allowed breaks - so especially at the break after lunch I insist you take it and you walk for 10 minutes, and don't eat lunch at your desk. You are actually more productive if you take those breaks. You are already a success with your weight loss. Honor that now by continuing. Good luck.

Hi Everyone, I am almost 5 weeks out and I am having a hard time eating within 30 minutes. It usually takes me at the most 20 minutes to finish a meal. I don’t really have a problem with food feeling “stuck” and was just wondering if other had the same issues and any tips to help!

I attended my last pre-op MD visit and pre op visit today which included a class on the pre and post op diet. I was expecting something way tougher based on my reading here. What I received was: PreOp: Starting 2 weeks prior to surgery date, daily diet is: -3x Nectar or Unjury protein shake -1/2 cup oatmeal or cream of wheat -1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce -1 cup of vegetables -1/2 cup of light n fit or carb master yogurt -1 cup of low fat soup This is not an "or" list, but rather I'm supposed to eat everything on that list daily on the 2 week pre op diet. -1 day prior to surgery = clear liquids only. Curious as to why different surgeons have such drastically different requirements for the pre op diet? Also of note, for post op, they only have you on clear liquids for the first 2 days, then full liquids and purees from day 3-20, soft foods (meaning can be cut with a fork) from week 3-6, then all normal food after 6 weeks with the exception of bread/rice/pasta, which cannot have until 12 weeks.

Thank you. I really thought I had a grip on the emotional eating. I don't stop my family from eating what they want. I even cook it for them. Hasn't bothered me. But this new thing has turned my world upside down. I was like a drug addict with the food at work. Eating anything I could put in my mouth. We had mini kit kat bars at work and I ate 2 of those. Had a sleeve of Ritz crackers. A bite off a dough nut. But didn't want lunch or anything healthy. I knew then the surgery was no quick fix. I've had stress since my surgery and overcame it. Guess this just rocked my world. Thank u for all the advise. I know I can power through. I gotta be strong not just for me but for my kid too. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using BariatricPal mobile app

Let's try this. What are you eating? If you are eating lean protein and veggies, then the amount really shouldn't matter. I haven't thrown up, dumped, or found a food I couldn't eat at almost 4 years out. This surgery isn't supposed to be a diversion from food, but a reset for food and your life. Eat nutritious, non processed food 90% of the time, drink lots of water, and move more, and you'll do just fine. If you are really concerned about how much you can eat, weigh and measure your food so you won't overeat. The tool itself is really only temporary in the grand scheme of things. Over time it becomes less effective, then it's all on us. Practice good eating habits now and take advantage of the honeymoon period while you can.

Me too

Good luck to you both I’m 4 days out but my advice would be to bring some gas x, walk, sip, burp and repeat! Take it easy it gets easier everyday that pasts!

@Danny Paul, I have Keystone Health Plan East right now, part of Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia. We are self employed, so we have an individual plan through a broker. Our policy excludes all weight loss programs and bariatric procedures (except a $150/yr max gym reimbursement w/proof of attendance). We recently moved closer to Reading, PA, so we are in Berks County now, and apparently out of IBC's coverage area. So we had to switch plans during open enrollment anyway, but we were already considering it to try to find a plan to cover me for this. We found out that no matter if we get our plan through a broker, like we have been, or through the healthcare marketplace, that No individual or small business plans from any insurance provider in PA offers bariatric coverage anymore. So, we can't even pay extra to get the coverage. You can only get it if you work for a Co with 51+ employees - which I cannot work except for helping my husband with office stuff from home a few hours per week - and he is a 2nd generation painting/carpentry contractor doing this for 30 yrs, so him just getting another job is not an option. PLUS, it's not guaranteed the Co you work for has the ins plan that covers it either. The employer has to choose that coverage allowance when they choose the plan for their employees. PA is one of several states that doesn't require it. Also, you can get it covered usually via Medicare (not old enough yet unless I get SSI/SSD - have begun applying for SSD, but will likely take a few years if I do get approved and I'm not waiting that long to have the surgery...) And, it is covered by Medicaid, but we are above the income limits for that. We discussed so many scenarios for ways to get coverage (all surrounding states do cover it, so should I move to MD/DE/NJ for a year, rent a room, get ins there, and get it paid for? But in the end all of that what such a hassle and took me away from, well my family of course, but also my doctors and everything else. Just too much work. In the end, my husband said he was willing to take out a loan for it. I didn't even ask because I felt it was too much - but even though this is only one step in trying to help with all my many issues, he could see how it could be a catalyst for helping make everything else a little better. So he thinks it's worth it, which kind of blows me away. Obviously I think it's worth it, but always worry about my "issues" being such a burden on my family. Right now I am feeling really blessed by their support. So, let's just hope lots of people need their houses painted this winter so we don't have any slow spells and we can make our loan payments!! Sorry, I this is probably way more than you were asking...