Rebel*Cat

BlackberryJuice, I think you're right about stress, etc. contributing to the binge eating, I often discuss these issues with my friend, who is a habitual binge eater, far worse than I am, but without the co-morbities (thankfully). She has clinical anxiety disorders and eating (poorly and in large quanities) is sort of like her drug of choice, which I totally understand. Who doesn't feel better, at least for a little while, while chowing down on cheesecake? When I am calm and stress-free, I can control myself far better than when I am under pressure from work or family problems, naturally. I will look into the book you recommended, thank you. I probably will see a doctor soon because along with everything else, I've been having difficulty sleeping, I've begun, more or less, the five-day pouch test to try and detox these carbs from my system. I have not been good about getting excersize lately, which I can easily blame on my utter lack of energy. I'm trying to break the cycle because I know for a fact that excersize makes me feel wonderful, once I get off my butt and do it. I was once an avid cyclist and was in better physical shape in my teens (at 220lbs) than I am now.

Hi everyone! I had my surgery just about ten months ago. I was a "lightweight" to start with- probably around 190-ish on surgery day (after liquids only for a week though). My high pre-surgery weight was around 200lbs, give or take. Since then, I am hovering around 165lbs (varies between 160-170, depending on how "hard" I'm trying). My problem is that I can simply eat way too much. Even the "dense" Proteins that should stop me in my tracks are no match for me. I find that, at best, I eat "normal-sized" meals and it has been a constant struggle to even stay at my current weight. My diabetes is under more control than it has ever been- even on my worst binge days (and when I say binge, I mean like a pre-surgery binge) my blood glucose levels are never getting to dangerous levels anymore. I also have PCOS and insane insulin resistance. I blame a lot of my problems on the insulin resistance- I'm fairly certain it's the root cause of my binging. I've started low-carbing to try and get back on track. I mean, I know there's a problem when I can take down two slices of NY-style pizza (not those little Dominos sized slices) in one sitting. I very deeply suspect that my pouch is larger than it should have been- partially due to my height (5'7" and a half) and large frame and partially due to the fact that I don't think the surgeon believed I needed to lose much weight to begin with. (My short-term goal is 159 at night, fully dressed and long term I would like to be around 140 or so.) Is anyone having this kind of problem? I find it very unfair that the capacity of my stomach is so large, especially since I discovered this months ago. I fear I may have irrevocably stretched my poor stomach back out. I just do not get those "full" signals, not physically nor mentally. I am astonished when I read about those of you that get full from half an egg or a tablespoon of yogurt! I've even been taking Prilosec every morning in case I have acid (yeah, I tried to quit it, but that's when I really went off the rails). Yes, I understand you get out of this what you put in. I get that I have to work at this and make lifestyle changes. What I'm having trouble with is never feeling full, no matter what I eat. I do not drink before, after or during meals. I never expected to be able to eat cake all day and lose weight, but I did expect to feel more restriction. Will I have to eat low-carb for the rest of my life? If that's honestly the case, why is the surgery even necessary? I could have white-knuckled my way through the rest of my life without shelling out 5k, you know? Sorry for the long post; I'm just disappointed and need to vent a bit. I'd love to hear from anyone having similar issues and whether someone has tips for overcoming this. I'm wondering if I should convert to a full DS (Does anyone know how much cash I'd be looking at for something like that? I was self-pay because I wasn't "fat" enough according to my insurance company-- yet I'm sure I've saved them the cost of my surgery tenfold by not needing constant hospitalization and a zillion different medications/insulin for diabetes/PCOS/high blood pressure/high cholesterol, etc...)

Hi Foxbins! You know, I have no idea what size bougie was used on me- there was kind of a language barrier since I had my surgery in Mexico... They were not very communicative. The main reason I was considering completing a DS is because of the research I've seen showing how effective it is with the diabetes. I am very proud of my weight loss and the general improvement in my health. I think I'd be a millionaire if I could figure out why anyone would eat two slices of pizza just because they can. :-/ Maybe I'll see if I can get in touch with my surgeon's office and see if I can drag some info out of them about my bougie!

Hello everyone. I've been lurking around this forum for awhile now and figured I'd introduce myself! I am scheduled for surgery on 6.10 with Dr. Almanza in Tijuana. I originally requested and paid for a Lap Band, but after learning more about the VSG procedure, I decided this would be a better option for me. I was beginning to feel aprehensive about the band after learning more about the complications and extensive aftercare/maintenance. I honestly didn't know anything about VSG going in; all I knew about was the band and gastric bypass. I'm espcially glad I found this forum; it has been such a wealth of information for me! I am self-pay, obviously. My insurance does cover WLS, but I do not meet the required BMI to be considered. I am currently a 31; with my insurance, you have to be 35+ with co-morbidities. I am insulin resistant, type II diabetic and have PCOS. I feel like crud nearly every day and look forward to the day I can not always feel tired, run down and sick. I am 30 years old, but feel 90 most of the time! I decided to go the Mexico route due to the huge difference in price. My in-laws gave me the money for this, but I'd never have been able to afford surgery stateside, with or without help from family. My current weight is ~201 at 5'7" tall. I hope to get to 145-150, right in the middle of my healthy range. Hope to be on the losers' bench with the rest of you soon! :thumbup:

Hey all, I'm back from surgery as of yesterday. I'm doing okay, not fantastic, but no actual pain. I'm still very sore and have gas pains from time to time. I could not believe the way some of the others in my group were just hopping around the next day! It wasn't like that for me at all and still isn't--I feel like an old lady. I get that ouchy pulling pain when I get up or sit/lay down, cough, etc. so I've been taking it waaay easy. I'm having a hell of a time getting in any Protein (or calories, for that matter, since I try and watch my sugar intake) on this clear liquid portion of my post-op diet. I have the Special K packets and am heading out to GNC in a bit to get some unflavored Protein powder and the clear Isopuke. I'll be happy to progress to full liquids--can't believe I'm actually looking forward to those darn low-carb Slim Fasts! I also ordered a sampler packet of the different flavors of Chike, which I heard is pretty delish. We'll see next week when I start full liquids; I'll certainly order up some more if I like it. I also started a blog in an attempt to avoid clogging up the boards with my rambling. Feel free to check it out, though I'm sure I'll still be around here with hundreds of questions! Losing to win! (or some other cliche)

Chelsea: The weird thing with Metformin, for me, was that I had no digestive trouble with it until after about 2-3 weeks! After that, I was just in constant pain from the side effects. It did very little to lower my blood suger levels, so I quit taking it. More recently, I was on Lantus insulin and Glipizide. My blood sugar improved, but my doctor didn't think it was good enough. He took me off the Glipizide and increased my dosage of insulin. Needless to say, once I was off the Glipizide, my sugars skyrocketed. I am among that elusive 0.001% that insulin doesn't work on, apparently. Unfortunately, doctors have been trained to push the insulin since it does work well for most people. When I tried to explain that it doesn't work for me, the doctor blew me off as some kind of moron. Needless to say, I walked out of his office and never looked back. I'm not risking my health just to feed some doctor's ego. That was the day I decided to do whatever it took to finance this surgery; if losing weight is the biggest key to alleviating my health problems, I need this kind of help to accomplish it. I am not looking forward to these post-op liquids, but it is what it is, right? The benefits are worth it to me!

Thanks for all the encouragement and advice! My date has actually been changed to June 9th! I am so nervous and excited I cannot stand it! I started a full liquid diet one week prior to my surgery date--my diabetes is poorly controlled (insulin does nothing for me and I cannot tolerate metformin) and it is important for me to lower my blood sugar levels in any way possible. I'm ready to chew my own hand off, but I'm in this for better or worse. My insulin resistance causes me to always be starving. I should be twice the weight I am; I can really eat an unbelievable amount of food in a day. I don't gain a pound from eating so much, but I can't lose a pound either. In the few days I've been doing liquids, I've cut my blood sugar levels in half, which feels amazing. Despite how hard it is to not stuff my face, I'm finally able to sleep a full night without having to wake up and pee two or three times. It's nice to be feeling better before even having this surgery. I've even managed to shed a few pounds!