gustavo52974

I had about 90-something pounds to lose. I'm about 6 weeks out and I've lost around 48 pounds. I completely agree with all the people who posted above, so I'll just add that everyone's body is different so everyone loses weight differently. It's true whether you're sleeved or not. Comparing your weight loss with others' progress is kind of a dangerous game in this respect. I lose muscle quickly, and I lose fat slower than muscle, so I'm sure a good portion of my weight loss is from muscle weight instead of fat. Also, I'll be headed back to the gym soon and I plan on toning up, so I'll probably gain muscle weight now. And muscle weighs more than fat. Although I step on the scale every morning, I'm trying not to fixate on it. Instead I'm focusing on being able to fit back into my "thin clothes", which I'm happy to say I've started doing. My wedding band is starting to fit better too. In sum: don't just think about how fast you lose weight. You can get excited by all your NSV (non-scale victories) just as much.

That's a really good idea! Don't underestimate the power of subliminal self-suggestion. However, never use a phrase in the negative. For example, don't say "I'm not fat" because the subconscious mind doesn't hear the word "not"...it just hears the words "I'm" and "fat". So put it in the positive: "I'm thin", or whatever it is you want to affirm to yourself. I know this is kind of gross, but it's a case in point: I had an acquaintance who used the s-word so frequently (in practically every sentence) that he was on the toilet nearly all day long.

I just read an article about a celebrity chef named Art Smith who dropped a "startling 120 pounds thanks to portion control and rigorous workouts" in just two years. Uh huh. He ate a lot of salad too, apparently, which he claims is part of his success. Whether he had WLS or not, look at his before and after pics...he must have had some plastic surgery to remove excess skin or something. http://shine.yahoo.c...-180300777.html

Christ on the Mount of Olives! He lost 224 lbs? That's...well...no words! Someone give this man a trophy!

Oh, I was so there with you! I thought I was going to go insane if I had to have another spoonful of broth. And I also hated having to rely on others, but you'll become a lot more self-reliant very quickly. The recovery is rather quick in most cases and the pain goes away. Just think about all the new shoes you'll be able to buy! Hang in there! It will be soooo worth it.

My interpretation: He likes to do RNY because it's a surgery he's more familiar with and comfortable doing. He doesn't like the sleeve as much because he's probably only done it once or twice (or never). I was a volume eater, so the sleeve was the right choice for me. I never really liked sweets unless it involved chocolate. But I didn't even have much of that because caffeine is a trigger for my migraines.

Lucky s...t. I eat when I'm hungry, but I tend to stick to 3 meals a day. That's what my NUT told me to do. I'll have a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese between meals if I feel hunger.

Which story are you referring to?

I'm about 5 weeks out and I'd say my appetite is about a third of what it was before surgery. And I was one of those people who had a gargantuan appetite. So I still have an appetite, but it feels more "normal" now as opposed to the elephantine monster appetite I had before. As far as hunger, I still get hungry...sometimes very hungry...but not as hungry as before surgery. I even sometimes get that gnawing painful hunger, but it's not as common for me now. I'm disappointed that my experience wasn't as drastic as a lot of others on here in that their hunger and appetite virtually vanished. This was one of the reasons I chose the sleeve: I just didn't want to be voracious all the time. It's not as bad now, but surgery didn't make it disappear. I know it's not necessarily supposed to, but damn...

Yes, they cremate it. I just asked a surgeon friend of mine.

That's an interesting question and I've wondered the same thing. They might use it for research, though they'd probably have to obtain your consent first (or it's in the fine print that no one reads).

I agree. Having a breakout space would be cool. I've never used Google groups (I don't think)...is it easy to use?

Post-op I thought I was going to turn into Laughing Cow cheese.

Hi all. I thought I'd share my story. I'm a guy, 38, 5'7", and I was up to about 255 (I stopped weighing myself at that point, so I was probably heavier). I come from a long line of short, fat Italians, so I knew early on that I'd struggle with my weight all my life. This turned out to be quite true. My only saving grace was that I had a "large" frame for my height (according to the doctors' charts). And I was able to gain muscle quite easily as well, which is a trait I share with most of my family. I was skinny until puberty, which is when I became "husky", or "stocky", or as my evil sister would say, "fleshy". If I dieted, I would lose weight, but I found dieting extraordinarily difficult because I loved to eat. Went I went to college, I discovered weightlifting. I was able to put on muscle rather easily, so I concentrated on doing that rather than "dieting". I followed the bodybuilding diet as close as I could, but that too was unthinkably difficult: tons of lean Protein (mostly chicken), sweet potatoes, and broccoli for just about every meal. Sure, I started to look really good, but I'd injure myself somehow (not always gym-related), and I would have to stop working out for long periods of time. This happened several times over the years. And whenever I stopped working out, my body was used to taking in tons of calories and it would still want them even though I wasn't weightlifting. So I'd end up gaining weight. Finally, I injured my shoulder very badly and I had to take nearly a year off from the gym. By the time I could go back, I was so burnt out on the gym that the idea of returning literally made my stomach turn. i'd been working out for over 15 years and I was tired of it. The other reason I was hesitant to return to the gym was because my doctor put me on Effexor. The one really bad side effect that I experienced on that drug was constantly feeling hot and sweating profusely with even the slightest amount of physical activity. I'd go to the gym and would finish looking like I had jumped in a pool. It was embarrassing and impracticable. However, Effexor is the only antidepressant that has worked for me, and trust me, I've tried them all. I didn't want to go off it since it worked so well, but I knew going to the gym would mean leaving puddles of myself everywhere and needing at least two or three showers a day. Oh, and I dehydrated easily because of that. Then my doctor put me on Elavil to help me sleep. The bad side effect with that drug is that it made my appetite skyrocket. I ended up eating all day long. No, literally, I was eating ALL DAY LONG. I couldn't stop myself. I ended up gaining about 75 pounds. My doctor took me off it, but I just wasn't able to lose the weight. I just wasn't strong enough to do it on my own anymore and I was still on Effexor. My doctor is going to reduce the amount of Effexor I'm taking, but I'm still wary of working out heavily again. So, I met a guy at a party who bragged that he had lost 100 pounds or some ridiculous number like that. I asked him how, and he said he had had a lap band put in. Now, I was only peripherally aware of such a thing, and I had heard of gastric bypass, but I thought those were only for morbidly obese people. I knew about gastric bypass because a famous opera singer had had it done and she went from scary obese to quite svelte (the great soprano Deborah Voigt, if anyone cares). I had never thought I'd do something as drastic as surgery, but a friend of mine took a picture of me recently and I just about died when I saw myself. I just didn't see how big I'd gotten. I couldn't see it. I guess I fooled myself into thinking I wasn't that fat. So the party guy gave me the name of his surgeon, Dr. Manish Parikh at Bellevue Hospital, NYC. He explained to me what was involved in all procedures. But I vacillated back and forth between the different procedures--I couldn't decide at first. But then I decided to go with the sleeve. It was clear that I was on the lower end of the body mass index for the procedure (39 or somewhere around there, <40), but since I had sleep apnea, my insurance ended up approving it. My insurance did make me wait six months, which I found unbearable, but I was patient. I finally had it done on July 9, 2012. I'm at my 7 day mark and I've already lost quite a bit of weight. I just never want to be fat, "husky", "stocky", or god forbid, "fleshy" ever again!

Exactly...my ancestors converted to Catholicism. It was quite a surprise to find out that some of them were originally Jewish. One of my Jewish friends seemed to think that Sephardic was appropriate since I have a somewhat dark personality and outlook on life. Go figure.

How long does your plateau have to last in order to be considered a "stall"?

I'm six weeks out and I've been at exactly 209.1 lbs for 5 days now. It's the first time for me that I've gone more than a couple days at the same weight. So my question is, all things being equal, how long does a stall last?

And you may sneeze when you're eating for what seems no good reason. This means you're full AND STOP EATING!

Gross, but true. And stool softener was essential in my case. I learned the hard way. I'll just say the words "bowling ball" and leave it to your imagination.

I completely agree with you. But, I'm not sure why you're quoting me here...I did know what her NUT was talking about when I read her post, I just thought that a mandated deadline of one year was meaningless.

Yeesh. Your NUT sounds like real jerk. You have to use your teeth? That's preposterous. Your teeth won't fall out if you don't use them, at least during a puréed food stage. And I've never heard that you have one year. That doesn't sound logical. I'll ask my surgeon about that but I bet he'll just laugh.

As the surgery gets closer, especially when you're in the hospital gurney right before they wheel you into surgery, you might start freaking out and questioning your decision. Try to remind yourself that you made the decision to have surgery when you were clear-headed, calm, and rational, and that a little freaking out now is normal. Fear is natural.

Oh my god, me too!! Now I can't believe how much people can eat! Or that I was ever able to eat that much (and usually more). Now I absolutely LOVE that I can't eat that much. I'm full after only a few bites! It's great!

6'3"? Damn...what happened? You have two Y chromosomes or something? hehehee...just kidding man. I wanted to grow to at least 5'9. But no...I inherited my parents' genetic garbage from the shallow end of the gene pool.

Yeah, it has been a source of both humor and contention. He's one of those high-energy guys who can never just sit still and relax. It'll be literally 1 o'clock in the morning and he's building furniture! That's what the Amish do, they build things. Yup. All the time. Never a dull moment. Yup.