LadyIvy

Look at the big picture. In 7 days you still lost 5 lbs. That is a lot! Keep up what you are doing. You will lose weight, your body just has to store up some energy for the next big weight loss jump!

I have a concern that I am not sure I share with everyone. Over the years, I have gotten used to (and even come to like) being slightly bigger. I think I look healthy at about 20lbs over what my doctor says is my target weight. Those BMI scales do not take a lot of things into consideration, like muscle mass, bone structure etc. I have been approved and am waiting for a date. However, my husband and I are concerned I will have problems stopping the weight loss at what we feel is good for me. I don't want to get too small. I am only worried because I have a friend who's mother had a gastric bypass and now she struggles every day to keep weight on. I would like to find my "grey" zone and stay in it. Have any of you had problems stopping the weight loss? Has it been a struggle at all? What did you do? Thanks again all

Congrats! That is a huge first step (allowing yourself to feel instead of curling up with Ben and Jerry). You even made the second step by deciding to do something about your feelings instead of just sulking. I hope the book helps you find some peace. Keep us updated! Even though you said you complained in your earlier blogs, I hope looking back helped you gain some perspective

I completely agree with everyone here. So why do I feel embarrassed to talk about it with people? This is not like me. I have to examine this.... Thank you for your post!

It is hard for a caring mom to take anything for herself. If you want to be the best mom you can be you just have to start chanting the mantra "if I can't take care of myself, I can't take care of anyone else". Congratulations to you for not only making a healthy change for yourself, but for your family as well. Your kids will learn from the examples you set when you are eating properly and become more active. Maybe learning from you will keep them from ever having to suffer what you have.

I have spent the past couple of days doing a plethora of research on bariatric surgery. I made sure to look at both the good and the bad. I am approved for surgery and want to make an informed decision. I simply do not like the idea of being a guinea pig and am wondering what will happen long term. I already struggle to a small extent with acid reflux and I don't want that to get worse. I don't mind taking medication for it if that is all I have to do. I am a bit worried, because it seems like surgery will be much more complicated if I develop esophageal or stomach issues in the future. I was also reading about a higher likelihood of my stomach twisting way down the line. I know that I need to do this for my health. There is no better option for me. My BP is out of control and I have had entirely too many family deaths due to heart complications. I want to be able to be active with my son and break the cycle of a sedentary, fat filled lifestyle that I was raised with. My best memories with my father all include food. He was a very big man and didn't get control of it until he had already begun to develop the diabetes that would eventually weaken his heart and cause his early death. The surgeon at the bariatric meeting also made a comment that I need to discuss with him. He said that I have to fill out a form saying that if some kind of emergency arises that he is allowed to perform a gastric bypass. I do NOT NOT NOT want a gastric bypass. I should have asked more questions, but at that point in time I was looking at a lap band and didn't really have interest in asking questions about the sleeve. I really want to know if it is just precautionary, or if he has ever actually had to do it. If it isn't going to kill me, I would rather he back out and not perform the procedure at all. These are the things that have been bugging me lately. My husband and I are both really concerned about my health and he just seems to have the most positive attitude about all of this. I tried to impress on him that this is permanent and there is no going back. Our discussions will continue. I have also asked for an early appointment with my surgeon so that I may discuss some of these fears. It may make me feel a ton better to get to know him and know his history better. It is hard to do internet research on military doctors. There just isn't much out there to find. I pray, but not regularly and have found myself doing it much more frequently for guidance on my decision.

I totally understand how hard it is going to be to stay on a liquid diet for as long as the doc wants. I just know that what I cannot trust myself when it comes to food or I wouldn't be where I am needing the surgery. I am going to have to keep telling myself that when I am so mad at the Dr. for starving me for so long. I feel for every one of you that has had to go through this. I'm not to far behind....

In the case of many insurance companies, you are not considered morbidly obese until you have a BMI of 40. A BMI of 35.5 to 39.9 are considered morbidly obese only if you have something on the list of co-morbidities. Unfortunately, (and fortunately too) the conditions you have are not considered "co-morbidities". They probably will not cover your surgery. You may need to look at the self pay route. I wish you the best of luck. There is nothing worse than walking around every single day in pain.

You are not crazy. This procedure is new enough that you have to weigh your costs and benefits. You have to accept the fact that you are going to willingly become a bit of a scientific guinea pig. I made sure that I took the time to research both the good and the bad possibilities that come with this surgery. There are so many unknowns right now it is pretty scary. One of my major concerns regards what will happen if I ever get stomach or esophageal cancer. They usually use stomach tissue for repairs and I won't have any to spare. There is also the hormone called gherlin that you are removing massive quantities of along with the stomach tissue. However, right now I have BP problems and cholesterol issues. My father died of complications with both diabetes and his heart and my grandmother died of congestive heart failure. When I factor these personal considerations into the possibilities it becomes clear that being overweight is so much more dangerous for me. What is good about this surgery is that while I have found some people experiencing "buyers remorse", when everything is said and done, I have yet to find one person that says that they would not do it again. This is why it is such a personal decision. Keep researching while you are waiting for a date. You will know if it is right for you. I have a million questions for my surgeon when the time comes. You are not crazy and should ask every question you feel needs answered (and maybe more than that for good measure). Good luck in your decision making. You will meet lots of nice people on here who have all thought about this in depth. I hope you get all the answers you need to find your peace

Don't try to change your diet based on what someone says on this forum. Listen to your surgeon, you picked him for a reason and he has the guidelines for a reason. Hang in there and talk to your surgeon before you change anything.

Seems really variable. Am I right in saying when you are finished your weight loss your overall proportions are still about the same? I hear the boobs go first, but in the end it is okay because it starts to even out. For those of you near your goal weight, is this true?

The ironic thing is, skinny people don't eat sugar free, low calorie, reduced fat crap. The chemicals confuse our bodies. Recent research has shown that diet soda is actually quite detrimental to you. Which kind of stinks because I have never been a full sugar soda kind of person. Its just too sweet.

Great find! I also read the other articles on the website as well. I shared this one with my husband so that he isn't blindsided by what will come after surgery! TYVM

I got to circumvent the whole 21/2 hour "couch" experience. I have been seeing a therapist for 3 years about twice a month. Turns out he does bariatric surgery evaluations. The whole thing literally took 20 minutes. He said he already knew most of what he needed to know. He has a couch too, but its like one you would see in your living room. I am so glad I didn't have to go through waiting. I knew when I walked out the door that I had the okay. Also, him telling you the response could take 2 weeks doesn't really mean anything good or bad. He has to find time to look over your responses and prepare a letter. Then he has to put it in a pile for his secretary to type up and send. It is a good sign that he just thinks you "are as crazy as the rest of us". Don't worry too much about your problems with food holding you back. We all have problems with food and that is how we got where we are. The psychologist knows this too! GL with your procedure Thursday!

I started taking the lysinopril just a couple of weeks ago. The sweating started not too long after which is why I thought they might be related. The side effects don't list excessive sweating, but I am starting to wonder....

I am not sure what to do here. Suddenly, in the past 3 weeks, I have started to have a serious sweating problem. On the days that I work (its a pretty physical job), I notice first thing in the morning up until about 5 hours after I wake up, the littlest movement makes me sweat like I am running a marathon. Yesterday when I got to work I had some work that involved repetitive squatting and standing. I started to sweat so badly someone felt bad and came over to give me help. It wasn't like a workout, it just involved movement. I realized I was sweating like crazy and my heart rate wasn't high and I wasn't even hot! I mean WTH!! This doesn't make sense. After about 5 hours, I could do the exact same activity even longer and I don't sweat at all. It just seems to be during the first part of the day. I am on BP meds, so I looked it up, and Lysinopril doesn't seem to have that side effect. I don't know what else it could be! Its REALLY embarrassing when I have to walk around work half the day with my hair almost as wet as had I jumped into a pool. Any thoughts?

I am pre-surgery atm. This has only developed in the past few weeks. I am wondering if it could have to do with my bp problems? I also have never been as big in my life as I am right now. This is a recent development too. Its just very frustrating.

This is so frustrating. I have been working on developing the habits neccesary after my surgery which includes no water 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after a meal. I haven't been drinking 15 minutes before and during and I have been making it about 10- 15 minutes after before I have to drink something. This is a big accomplishment for me. I have also been working on chewing my food very well. I still have to not allow myself to get distracted and do better with it when I eat alone. I will work on that too. I noticed that some of my changes seem to have resulted in me gaining weight. For example, now that I am focused on being sure that I get breakfast, my metabolism is higher so I am hungrier much more often throughout the day. Also, I have noticed that when I don't drink water during a meal, I need to eat much more to get the same feeling. I don't know what to do! I am bigger than I have ever been in my life and it only seems to be getting worse when I combine these habits. Not sure how to work on this.

If I only had a BMI of 30 I wouldn't consider surgery at this point. This surgery is permanent and carries risks of complications that may not be worth it at a BMI of 30. It changes your body permanently, but don't think it is a magic fix. You still have to do the dieting and exercise you would have to do with any normal program. You can also stretch out your pouch and gain that weight right back. Part of your journey should include seeing a nutritionist and a therapist. The nutritionist might be able to give you an idea of how to eat less and be less hungry (like eating more protein). The therapist can help you with why you keep gaining it all back, when you seem to have the ability to lose. If all else fails, consult with a surgeon. Good luck to you. I have lost and gained a lot of weight repeatedly as well. I know you are probably at your wits end!

I am having a little trouble with this and was hoping for some ideas from you all. How did you begin to make working out a priority in your life? Don't get me wrong. I am one of the lucky ones. After the first couple of weeks of working out, I start to love it and miss it if I don't for a couple of days. However, I have a problem making my health a priority in my life. I am learning to eat multiple times a day instead of skipping food until about 3 in the afternoon. I get so busy I just don't think about it. Also, I usually wind up giving up working out when my life gets hectic. I always feel like I have so much to do, I don't have time. There are days where I start at 630 am and am literally involved in something until bed time. I know that people find the time. In fact, I would like to make it a priority. I just don't know what I will have to drop or how to restructure so that it gets done. Usually, I do have a little time at the end of the day, but a workout really wakes me up and if I want to go to bed at all, its not a good idea. I'm really not a morning person, but need to motivate myself to do it then I believe. So how do you do it? How did you all make yourself a priority? I'm almost glad my surgery isn't until January so that I have some time to learn this. I need to get into this habit before both the surgery and grad school next year when life is going to go crazy again. I will be attending school at the beach and have always admired those people who get up and jog on the beach in the morning. It seems like an amazing way to start the day! Thanks,

Thank you for the advice. I do many of the things you both mentioned. I guess I just need to amp it up a little further. I am pretty active and get out and play with my son, as well as hike and ride my bike a few times a week. My job is also extremely active. I guess I should look at all that I AM actually doing and try to amp it up instead of focusing on finding time for a formal workout.

I had to quit smoking for this surgery. In June, I quit for a month and then wound up going back. I have been quitting for days here or a week there on and off since then. What I want to know, is how did you do it? I know lots of us continued to smoke to keep off weight. That is what made me break at the one month point. I have a few great non-smoking memory's that I am going to keep in my mind. I am wondering what else I can keep in mind or do that can help. I started smoking at 13 and have been smoking for 18 years. I am getting the surgery for my health. That is a ridiculous thing to say if I continue to smoke. Thanks again

I got the word today that even though I am approved, I still have 25 people ahead of me. This means that I may not get my surgery until January. I am desperately trying to find the good in this: 1. It gives me time to adjust to my new lifestyle 2. I get a few extra months at my new job before I have to take off a couple of weeks. 3. It gives me more time to get adjusted to being a non-smoker. 4. I have lots of time to explore how I got so overweight in the first place without feeling rushed. 5. I get to enjoy the holidays without recovering from surgery. 6. I get to test out how I am going to handle the holidays on my new diet. 7. I get time to save the money necessary to make sure I have everything I need when time comes for the surgery. 8. I get time to work into my new exercise routine without being thrown off by surgery. 9. I get time to learn that I need to commit time to myself and learn to be a bit more laid back. There are quite a few cons to this wait as well, as I am sure most of you know However, I am going to try not to focus on them since there is nothing I can do about it. Who knows? Since I am dealing with military insurance, it may not take as long as the estimate says.

Glad to hear that it is going so well! I think the pre-surgery diet is going to be pretty terrible. I told my family that they will have dinner without me for a week and my husband was going to have to do the cooking. I figure I am already going to be grumpy. Why expose myself to it if I can avoid it. Also, I know you hate trying on clothes when you shop, but I am willing to bet it becomes one of your favorite things soon enough!

Congrats! Keep up with following the rules. I can imagine the "starvation period" is really hard. You are doing great!