CowgirlJane

The YMCA is the most expensive option, but I was a member for about 2 years post op. I liked the types of programs they had, Water aerobics, family friendly - I felt comfortable there. They also had lots of fun classes like spinning classes, boot camp style, stretching, yoga... etc. etc I am fitter now, don't need water aerobics, so when I join the gym (temporarily) this winter I will pick a lower cost option, but I think the Y is great.

I was on my kindle when I replied - i didn't realize you are bypass, probably different advice. For a sleever, i would seriously suspect mild acid (which feels like hunger) but probably not applicable for gastric bypass. My hunger amped up about 8-9 month post op, but the good news is I am 4 years out and while I experience hunger, it is quite managable/normal.

A few things to try... -Experiment with avoiding fruit for a few days and choosing low carb veggies. I find that sugars like in fruit trigger hunger. - Water load. When you feel that tinge of hunger drink alot of water fairly quickly. Not to point of discomfort, but you will feel full another 30-60 minutes. -take proselec for 14 days. Low level acid reflux disguises itself as hunger.

My decision was based on largely irrational fear of the bypass. I suffered mightly with the band and I dreaded something permanent that would make me vomit alot and often without predictability. Tighter in the morning, certain foods especially Proteins, fiberous veggies and rice often triggered vomiting. I had watched a reality show about a very big (800#?) man who was bitter about the bypass and vomited ALOT. What I recognize now is that he was not over his food addiction and ate too fast/too much. So I choose the sleeve 4 years ago and am quite pleased! I am half my former size and maintaining a normal weight/size. I would do it again in a heartbeat (so far no complications!), and a lucky member of the majority that don't have reflux. However, I would advise a smart person to be open and research both. Like, read research abstracts. Ask opinions of people who are years post op. Ask your surgeon for his reasons behind whatever he recommended. Go to support groups, heavily biased toward newer post op, but another perspective. BTW, they have their biases too. First surgeon I went to recommended bypass for me since I failed with the band and was high BMI. I didn't question him but was not comfortable with the bypass. I went to one of the support groups, and all the patients were bypass. I realized that this surgeon strongly advocated bypass, so I wound up switching surgeons/clinics. There were other reasons (hated his NUT) and it truly worked out for the best.

I would say "fact based decision" Your BMI is not at the higher end, so I am guessing it is your # of comorbitities that is pointing the surgeon toward the DS? The latest studies indicate that the bypass has a better track record than the sleeve for "curing" diabetes - what do the facts say about the DS? I was more obese (my BMI was over 50 when I was sleeved) so it was a tough decision. i had band induced reflux (but it went away when band was removed) and luckily have been fine since being sleeved. One thing I found out when I was researching plastic surgery... I went on multiple consults. I heard from TWO plastic surgeons that the only serious complications they had were both DS patients post massive weight loss. Truth of the matter is that all of us that were morbidly obese have some level of permanent damange/change to our bodies. The DS is a bigger surgery, bigger risks, more malabsorption and I believe very good results. If I was alot heavier/higher BMI I would have definately considered it, in spite of the bigger risks. Frankly, it remains my backup plan that I hope to never have to exercise! I have had tremendous success with my sleeve - lost 150# and maintaining for a few years now - so far so good.

I was a failed band patient (banded 2001) so doubly scared! In late 2010 I was referred to the sleeve by my sleep apnea doctor. He told me i wouldn't be successful and poo-poo'd the sleeve and steered me to the bypass. I was on the verge... but just couldn't do it. I spent a year in emotional misery over it. I found a different surgeon; had the band removed in Sept 2011 and was sleeved Dec 2011. 4 years, down over 150# and not looking back. I like to think that my year of suffering and anguish over it helped me to be successful. By the time I was sleeved I KNEW I needed the help of the tool and knew it was my "last chance". I was a no regrets, just gotta do this! sleever at that point!

I never figured a cheater to be trustworthy so I would not want him even if he left the wife and their baby.

I don't eat much fast food at all - but Taco Bell has a "fresco" menu which transforms soft tacos to being pretty healthy and low calorie (they put lettuce and tomato instead of cheese and sour cream) I recently when to Taco Time and had their "chicken corn chowder" - not bad and modest calorie. I found it to be quite filling. In general though - I am not crazy about fast food. It doesn't taste as good, tends to be over processed etc. I like going to nice restaurants and ordering small portions of delish food.

I think I lost fairly proportionally. Smaller shoe size took awhile I think because I didnt have too much Water retention but actual fat on my feet. . After getting to goal, I got about 18# under goal (not really intentionally) and it came 80 percent off my already skinny butt. I lost some in the waist, very little in the upper body. Having that ridiculous top heavy look was one reason I thought I looked a bit thin (well, and I felt like carp) I am back at goal, tend to be skinny butt and top heavy (not just breasts, but my shoulders and ribcage) but much more proportional.

What triggered me was when I went clothes shopping and for grins tried on a cute bra. I could NOT believe how much better I looked in the clothes with a well fitting bra!

I have read that the binders in regular multivitamins are so strong that it interferes with absorption. This is a big advantage for bariatric multivitamins. Trouble I had was those bariatric multi vitamins made me feel ill. First 18 months post op I did a liquid multi but I hit a rough patch and was having trouble eating. I switched to gummies figurimg they'd be fine along with good nutrition and a daily premier protein(enriched with vitamins). I also eat healthy and take other vitamins. I take B complex sunlingual drops, vitamin D. I used to be good about the calcium citrate but I understand that is controversial now. Big ugly pills that I have way reduced. Need to talk that over with the doc.

I believe the original poster has long since abandoned us....see page 2 I believe...yet this thread continues with much good advice!

My approach is to acknowledge this is tough, since I am in maintenance..I just dont want to gain. I came out of this weekend eating and drinking overdose with no gain, but I will eat lightly this week to restore balance to my calorie universe! I think the most important thing is to weigh every Monday, even if I don't want to.

If I am with galpals we share. If I am on a date, I only order appetizers. I pick good ones like a shrimp skewer or asian chicken salad in a lettuce wrap that kind of thing. I discovered I am not compatible with dating someone who eats at places (like greasy spoon diners) that don't have those choices. I have never had a date question why I eat small portions and what I order is usually so good, I can get his help finishing it. I will pretend to take a sample of his dish if he insists but people who are not "food orientated" simply don't notice that I took one tiny bite while he managed to eat a good portion of my food. Interesting study of people actually.

Wow, maintained right at goal even after over doing it for the long weekend. Experience tells me I am on borrowed time (or weight!) So buckle down now or the fun will show up in pounds!

Woo hoo.. I didn't gain! 158.3

You can do this!!! Time for a little tough love but only because I want you to have epic success! This isn't a stall, this is not following the program. A stall is when you are on program but the scale doesn't immediately reward you. I am 4 years post op. It took me 14 months to lose 150#- I had to "restart" my program at around 8-9 months and was losing just as well then as I was during the "honeymoon." Heck, I regained 10 and lost it this fall, so I don't think it ever expires! I recommend going back to what worked before as a good start. My body loses weight best when I go low carb and high intensity exercise but I know that isn't for everybody. Keep seeking support and most importantly NEVER give up. Even for peeps who get to goal, it can be work to stay there! Best I can tell what works is persistence.

Problem was the excess skin, not just the damaged ab muscle Exercise is great,cut just doesn't remove skin.

I was revised from band to sleeve in Dec 2011 - nearly 4 years ago. I hit goal in Feb 2013 after losing half my body weight. I spent some time under goal, spent sometime with a small regain to slightly over goal and am now at goal again. A success story as I have never maintained a weight loss of signficance for any length of time. I am gaining confidence that I will remain in the ballpark of my goal weight for the long haul these days. I had major plastics in Oct 2013 and while I got off my workout schedule, i got back to it according to a very clear plan and it didn't interfere much. However, I have had a very disappointing turn of events that have impacted me alot, especially over the last year. Even when I was in the 250-300# weight class I was as active as I could be. I pushed through pain and discomfort to keep up with my slender friends, to do horse events, take care of my little farm etc. One of the biggest joys for me of losing all that weight was becoming very fit and capable. I worked out alot.... then.. the problems started showing up. Overuse injury triggered by an overzealous and under educated personal trainer - hip injection needed in 2014 Elbow overuse injury got so bad I had to send my horses to live elsewhere for several months which triggered a bunch of other issues (horse behavior related) Left knee starting to hurt - I believe compensating for hip Find out right hip actually has arthritis, looking at a replacement in a few years and now get injections a couple of times a year to manage the pain Right breast starts mysterously swelling earlier this year - massive tests, MRI, labwork and no conclusions really. Good news cancer has been ruled out. A week ago I had to have the implant removed since nothing worked to resolve the swelling issue. I don't have the labwork back but I am optimistic that I can have a new one put in after the 3 month resting / healing period. So, I now have a plan to deal with the hip pain, the elbow is "ok" but I am avoiding pushups for sure and the breast surgeries interfere, but I also know it is temporary... just disappointing and not part of "the plan" So, I give myself a pat on the back for maintaining my weight even as my fitness level is disappearing. I need to get back on the fitness train (hip doctor has a very good plan for my hip anyway!) but have to wait to get clearance post current surgery and then wait for a new hip injection as it is hurting again. So, the moral of my story to pre-ops: one thing to consider the longer you remain morbidly obese, the more likely you are to have problems. It is pretty clear that i had a childhood injury or perhaps birth defect that triggered the hip issue, but packing around all that extra weight is of course a major component to that hip issue, the knee issue and ongoing back pain too Moral of the story to active post ops: your body is not as healthy and strong as it seems if you have a long history of morbid obesity. Losing the weight, getting fit improves all those bloodwork, the blood pressure and all that stuff, but the muscular skelatel system damage may have already been done. I was careful to avoid high immpact workouts like aerobics, but I very much enjoy high intensity, high fitness creating activities and while they didn't cause any of my issues, they helped expose them, that is for sure. Moral of the story to all of us - don't self identify so strongly with one thing. I got really into my physical prowess (for my age), became a much bolder and stronger horseback rider and loved it. I had to cancel plans to do an intense equitrekking adventure to Iceland because with that hip - I can't spend 8 hours a day in the saddle for a week or two anymore... it is sad to me. I had also planned to do barrel racing, drill team and other speedy events that were on hold for a bit - but i think i can see my way back to some of those goals again. It has been heart breaking to watch myself very quickly drop in capability. At times it has felt a bit sad or depressing. I am currently working on creating a life with more balance - physical fitness and identification with the inner athlete, balanced with other things in life that are still satisfying even when my body isn't quite cooperating. I thought that I would feel horrible at having one implant removed. Truth of the matter is my implants were pretty small, intended to give me that lost "upper pole" fullness so I actually don't look as mismatched as I feared. I am finding my ability to deal with this physical set back that impacts my feminity/looks so much pretty okay so far and I am happy with myself for being able to handle it. It will be alot better once the effing drain comes out, but overall I am coping pretty well with this set back.

@@WendyLee what surgery did you have? How long has this been going on- the under nourished? I went through a time when I was heading down this path. In my case, what seemed to be physical (just could not eat much of the time) turned out to be emotional and I reversed course before I had health consequences. I had to work hard at it and accept help too.

I noticed I was very content with syntrax nectar (good quality high protein uber low carb) in the early months...but now that I am years post op, I need a drink with a bit more substance to satiate me. My favorite by far is the premier protein (premade) that I buy from Costco. 160 cal/30 g. of protein, under 5 carbs. No protein bars are really low carb and I believe should be used in moderation.

@@MichiganChic yes your story is exactly what I was talking about and truth be told we have seen it before. Sometimes people regain as part of that cycle. Kudos to both of us for not letting the physical limits be an excuse for regain. I never want to discourage anyone from their dreams, and there is that giddy honeymoon period post massive weight loss but truth be told, obesity probably beat alot of us down. Only docs that ever had the guts to tell me straight up "you are not as healthy as you think" were plastic surgeons I consulted with. One told me that in spite of perfect blood work, massive weight loss people tend to have more issues healing. Another told me that there are more blood vessels etc. Like our insides actually LOOK different. Obesity causes permanent damage and change. I don't intend to be discouraging..just sharing the truth. We focus on social stigma, not looking our best, sleep apnea, diabetes and high blood pressure but morbid obesity hurts us in many, irreversible ways. Take it seriously. Good news - update on implant. They biopsied for everything - even TB and fungus.ha..all clear! This means my replacement is likely to go very well. Perhaps more importantly I am pretty at peace - if my body rejects it, I will live a happy life with no implants. Turns out that the lift gave me my cute figure, the implant really just gave a bit more fullness. This post was a good thing for me to share, because I just feel my own inner life continuing to evolve in a good way.

What pain -incision, stomach, gas pain in shoulder? Are you on a ppi like proselec or medium? It gets better

It's good to see you here! I am sorry that program didn't work out but I am thrilled that you are choosing health! I believe that you will come out of all this for the better. Over and under eating are both disordered eating and by facing this head on I think you lay a great foundation for the rest of your life. I also think your story might help someone else decide to get help and chage course - I appreciate your sharing your difficulties. I cannot put words to how happy I am to be trim and healthy, but I am the first to say that some aspects of massive, rapid weight loss have been a rollercoaster for me as well.

I had a super day with family but ate too much, wished I had skipped pie. I have a bad headache and I thought..You know I think I often felt poorly due to bad eating habits in the past! It was a reminder...