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Going in for surgery on Monday for the exact same thing, I have Hiatal Hernia and severe GERD/Acid Reflux. I also gained back a bit of weight, so I'm definitely looking forward to having another chance at this.

Mine is a PA. The key differences between the role of a PA vs. an MD come to light when complex issues arise. MDs have knowledge about complicated conditions that many PAs may not possess. I was not happy to leave my family doc of many years for her to begin with. But my insurance changed with work, and he was no longer considered in network, sadly enough. My company has their own doctors and pharmacy, and the coverage is amazing, but the choice of doctors there are limited. Yes, before ever considering WLS, I wanted to find an internist to sort out all the meds I was on. Some I knew were necessary, some were preventative and some questionable. To be told that I will be on all of them the rest of my life after my bariatric team told me otherwise was disappointing to hear and questionable. She's always been quick to prescribe meds. I didn't see her often but when I did, I always walked away with one or two more. She prescribed Ozempic to me years ago before it became a thing. I didn't take it long, after reading it caused tumors/cancer in mice plus it made me feel horrible every day. Then recently, when I saw her to get a release for WLS, she wanted to put me back on it. I declined. Ironically, we had a discussion about Ozempic face at that time. She told me if I lose too much weight in my face after surgery, to look her up and she will fix it. She owns a business that does fillers. botox etc. So she lives in that world. I guess I've always felt that since she is a PA, she may not be as knowledgeable as an MD when it comes to medication. But I will wait to see what the bariatric team tells me first before deciding anything. Like assuming I would change doctors based solely on her looks? I recently had 3 of her patients tell me they already changed doctors for some of the very reasons mentioned here. So nothing "snap" about it. If anything, I'm biding my time and giving her the benefit of the doubt. For now. Agree... I'm more holistically minded and need a doc who's likeminded. Not someone that hands meds out like candy. I'm not working this hard to be told I can never reverse the need for them. I realize it will take time and I may not be able to eliminate all of them but just never tell me never. Not yet anyway.

We went for a short staycation over the weekend to celebrate my 41st birthday. We spent most of time playing in the nearby theme parks and water park and my kids wanted to try almost all the rides. Daddy was more than confident and happy to join the fun too. The fun we all had specially my son who very happy that daddy is riding with him made the WLS all worth it. Here is daddy squeezed into a tiny police car and train ride with little princess. We went shopping also and I got two shirts (as if I need more haha) in XS size which fit me like a glove. I'm still in disbelief. That was the best birthday ever.

Doctors…. As I get older, my opinion on doctors has changed quite a bit. Going through taking care of two parents and all their medical needs has shown me quite a bit. At the end of my fathers life, I came to the conclusion and can sum it up in a very easy statement. ” A Doctor graduating at the bottom of their class is still a Doctor.” Both of my parents were of the generation the doctors were on a pedestals . As their journeys towards end of life progressed, it became very very apparent to them that they are not. Bad diagnosis, bad care, wrong medication‘s, not listening to patient feedback on and on. I can’t give horror stories on the amount of bullshit that came from doctors mouths. Doctors now tend to be not very thorough and have blinders on. Gone are the days where they treated a patient as a whole person looking at all results and all the conditions. You need to be your own advocate, and do what is right for you. I’m not saying there aren’t good doctors out there, but they are becoming harder and harder to find. And we MUST question and research and push back…or find another Doctor. like any other profession, do you need to seek out the best and discard the worst. You are right to be skeptical, and have the right to find a Doctor who aligns with your thinking and care.

That is totally not me. LOL I question everything. Thank you for the kind words. And I agree. I am the first one to admit to being a nonconformist. I am a little over halfway to meeting my weight goal and who knows how I'll look when I get there. At the moment friends and family are all telling me how great I look, but who knows if that will change as the scale goes down. To be honest, it won't bother me at all to have a rail thin body. But if it comes with a face that ages me twenty years, I don't think I'll be happy with it or need anyone else to point it out to me. Does that hurt anyone else? No. My point in bringing up Sharon Osbourne and my family doc is one... if you read the article, she is warning people against the use of Ozempic. She saw and recognized the effects on her own body and stopped using it. Doctors doling it out to anyone that can afford it, regardless of whether they are diabetic or overweight is hurting people. And some of the side effects are life threatening. And two, how my doctor misuses this drug directly affects me. She's not diabetic or overweight and making decisions on meds for me and others that are potentially harmful to continue long term. More than one patient has voiced their concerns to me regarding her. So, if you have more than one person telling you it's gone too far, it might be advisable to listen. Especially if it's coming from people you love and trust. If it's from people that are jealous of your weight loss than that's another matter and they can wanker off. xD You got that right brother. Thanks for the input.

It's my first day of purees. I just blitzed 4 mini Italian style meatballs with 1/4 cup of tomato basil past sauce and 1/6 cup of shredded skim mozzarella, and it's entirely possible that it was the best thing I've ever eaten in my life. 220 cal, 13g protein, 15g fat, 8g carbs

Those calorie amounts are still in your losing phase right? Or are you planning on staying at that amount for life? I agree that I haven't even tried seeing how filling an extra 400 calories is so it might end up being a non issue in the long run but it was just a shock mentally. I always though the goal was to become average/normal but it doesn't seem to be the actual goal and that switch surprised me.

https://www.amazon.com/Torani-Sugar-White-Chocolate-64-Ounce/dp/B000IEXK6E This is my favorite sub for white chocolate. I find the sauce to be a much superior sub than the syrup when it comes to coffees. What I like to do is order a skinny iced or hot plain latte then when I get home, add the sauce to it. Then it's literally the same thing only sugar free.

I am 10-months post op, gastric bypass. How much I eat, depends on what I'm eating. If I'm eating leafy greens, I can eat quite a lot. If I'm eating a drier meat, I can't eat much. A typical salad for me would be one leaf of iceberg lettuce, 5 grape tomatoes, about 2-3 ounces of protein, and a little over a tablespoon of salad dressing. If I'm eating a burger, it will usually be one 1/4 pound patty, served with a slice of cheese and condiments, on a fajita-sized low-carb tortilla. I generally eat about 3/4 of this. My usual breakfast is 1 whole egg and two egg whites, scrambled with cheese. Sometimes I can eat the whole thing and sometimes I can't. I have hungrier days and less-hungry days. I've learned that overeating is unpleasant. If I eat too fast, food gets stuck in my chest and hurts. And that cuts my meal short, which is annoying. Do I still eat too fast? Yes - especially when I've waited too long to eat and I'm hungry. When I eat slower, the meal is more satisfying. With what I'm eating, I'm basically in maintenance mode. My weight bounces between 166 and 170. Though I haven't hit goal, Both my nutritionist and I are okay with where I'm at, right now.

OK. So here was my experience. But I do want to stress that this may or may not be the same for you or anyone else. During weight loss phase and a few months after I was in maintenance, I looked pretty haggard (and older). This was my own opinion, as well a as a select few who who had the balls enough to say to my face. There were likely others who thought the same way, but had the grace to not say so to me, lol. What i did find that in after a little bit more time into maintenance, i looked much, much less skeletor-ish, and I attribute that to as increase in carb consumption. And now, 3.5+ years out, i *think* I look younger than I actually am. Im 50 this year. Mind you I do think I look older than before I started the road to obesity, but that was like 15 years ago! I think alot of people who at first thought they looked pretty run down in the face after weight loss phase find that they start to fill out a little more as time goes on. You'll know when you know. Good Luck! ❤️