MichiganChic

I hope this turns around for you. You have a gem of wisdom in your sorrow - you did this for good reasons. Your doc should not have made this seem easy, because it is not. I have to say, I don't think mine did much better, but the nurse did. I also spoke to someone had it, so I had a better understanding of what life would be like. Even still, I do think I was a little surprised at how bad I felt for the first 6 weeks. But now I'm 82 pounds lighter, and I look and feel so much better than I have in a long time. I think once you start feeling better physically, it will get better for you - however, only if you change your attitude. Don't mean to sound harsh, but it what it is, and you can choose to focus on the negative or the positive. Try to focus on the positive. Sometimes we have to "fake till we make it" when it comes to that. Best of luck to you. (PS - I hate taking vitamins, too. I feel like it's a full time job, lol. But you could get that B12 sublingual)

I did, and I had an infection. Call the surgeon just to be safe, they want to know.

My advice is cut yourself some slack. That's almost as hard to do as being accountable to yourself for what you put in your mouth. Even if you eat too much or the wrong things, being aware of it can go a long way in helping to keep you focused. So, my next advice is to track - and get rid of the stuff that's a temptation! Good luck.

Are you being honest with yourself and tracking? Because if you are eating 1000 calories a day, you should still have a pretty decent defecit, and should still be losing. The fact that you said you feel like you are stallling mentally and physically just made me wonder, because I recognize this pattern from my own personal experience in every diet I tried before surgery. It just gets hard after a while to stay focused. I always see a direct correlation between where my mind is and how my body responds to diet and vice versa. So for me, the one thing I have FORCED myself to do is be brutally honest with myself about what I put in my mouth. I track every bite, and work hard not to graze - the two things I know for me, always lead to backsliding. Just ignore if you are already brutally honest with yourself, and good luck!

My particular program requires no alchol for one year, and never anything carbonated. I was never attached to pop before, so it's not been a struggle to avoid it. I wasn't a drinker either, so I haven't missed the occasional beer or wine I used to have. I avoid carbonated drinks because I'm supposed to (I'm a rule follower, lol), and I don't think there is anything in them that would support my weight loss and health efforts at this time. However, I don't believe that it would stretch my stomach, and I'm sure at some point, I'll have something carbonated from time to time.

Wow, that's great! When was your surgery?

I don't really count carbs, but I do limit them at a high level, in that I avoid rice, bread, and pasta for the most part. I primarily make sure I get at least 70 grams of protein a day, keep my calories around 900-1100, and I don't graze. Other than that, if there is nothing special going on, I eat pretty much the same stuff all the time, like protein shake for breakfast, greek yogurt, cheese, lean meats, some fruits and/or vegetable with lunch and dinner. If something is going on, I eat whatever everyone else is eating, whether it's pizza, burgers, mexican, etc. So far it's working for me. Even when I'm indulging on those special occasions, I count my calories. I've been known to go as high as 2000 on a holiday, which makes me nervous, but I probably only do that once a month. I firmly believe it's what we do over the course of time that makes the difference, and a rare day of getting up to 2000 calories is OK (it doesn't take much volume to add up with high calorie foods). I burn more than that just sitting around, so I'm still at a defecit. I had this surgery as opposed to RNY because I don't want my diet controlling my life, and so far, it's working.

I'm going to one of those It Works! parties in a couple of weeks, where they do wraps. Has anyone tried that? I'm sure it's temporary, if it works at all, but what the heck. I also wonder if anyone tried anything with lasers? Lifestyle llifts? Not sure what those are either, but I have a feeling I'm going to become an expert, lol.

I've found this to be true, too! We were recently on vacation, and I swear, that's all they wanted to do was eat! It takes so much time (and money when you are vacationing in expensive cities) that is just sort of pissed me off. I'm really happy I'm not worried about eating all the time anymore. It made me a little sad, too, because they are young adults/teens, and I made them that way, thinking the thrill of the trip was to find the best food. They don't know any other way.

I'm not sure...some days are easier than others for me.

1. It's the policy, determined by the employer, that dictates what insurance companies can and cannot provide. 2. It IS weight loss surgery, so yes, "exactlly how fat you are" should play a role 3. Insurance companies are all about lowering costs of health care, and they know statistically what is likely to increase claims. High BMIs fall in that category, and hospitals can even bill a higher dollar amount for the care of people with a BMI over 40 in Michigan, regardless of the reason for the visit. A known history of obesity with a BMI over 50 is statistically likelly to increase their claims. 4. I interpret your statement to be condescending and rude toward people who are heavier than you because they "...ate themselves up to a BMI of 50". We all contributed to our obesity, so please don't throw stones from your glass house. I understand you don't want to wait, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt in that you probably didn't mean to offend anyone.

I take Urso Forte to prevent gallstones. My doc does not automatically take out gall bladders, and does prescribe this medication. He said its 97% effective in preventing stones. He prescribes if for 6 months, during the most rapid weight loss time. Personally, I would not be having any more organs removed unless I had to - it's also not without risk and there is the possibility of long term side effects. Do you have known gall bladder disease?

You might want to ask them if they will charge you a reduced rate for the NUT service. My insurance didn't cover it either, but I didn't know it and already had the visit, and they discounted the $150 visit to $30. They don't get the full amount from insurance companies either, and many will work with self pay patients.

Yep, mine have gone down about one size - from a 10 to 8.5-9. I used to be an 8 before I had kids/gained weight. I step right out of all the old shoes I had. I have a newish pair of sperrys with a floral sparkle. and I only wore them once or twice, and now they are too big. Too bad you can't alter shoes.

I worry about this, too. I know I can eat more than others say they can. If I thought it would stay like this forever, I'd be thrilled. I'm currently 5 months out, I'm doing fine and losing, but I do wish I was one of those who report being full after a few bites. I totally know what the OP is referring to - it's a little frightening to think we went through all this only to end up with minimal restriction. Its just too soon to know how much we will be able to eat, but I try not to worry too much. We can still lose the weight, it was never a magic bullet anyway. For me, even without great restriction, it is still way easier than before surgery.

Yeah, 600 calories is not much. I know my doc would like me to be at 600-800, too. I just can't function on that. I do fine at 900-1100, but try to stay in the 900 range. I tried a few weeks ago to cut back to 700-800, and I found that I could barely make it up the steps in the morning at work, and I actually didn't lose anything for a couple of weeks when I did that. For me, I just find it's not helpful. I applaud you for being able to do it, I know lots of people do and are fine with it, just not me.

Congratulations! You look so wonderful. Enjoy your success. Can't wait to see those post op pics!

How many calories do you eat? I find that I just can't function on the recomended 600-800 calories a day. I need at least 900-1000, or I'm just fatigued and foggy. I'm not hungry, just dragging. As long as I stay around 900-1100 and exercise regularly, I feel pretty darn good. I keep telling my husband I'm the only person I know who is getting younger instead of older

I know what you mean. When you have so much to lose, it does sometimes feel a little impossible. However, I'm still shooting for that, doing everything we are supposed to do, so time will tell. The weight is coming off slower now, and that's disappointing, but as long as it keeps coming off, we can get there!

The Leslie Sansone walk away the pounds videos are great. I have the 1 through 4 mile workouts, and it's also where I started. In the beginning I would do the one mile, and just did what I could. You will build endurance and strength, and it does feel amazing! I worked my way up to walking at our local rec center at a pace of about 3.2 miles per hour. Now I use a ski machine, a bow flex, or elliptical. What I love the most is how agile and strong and energetic I feel the rest of the time. My endurance is so much better, and I just feel so much better. I know I wouldn't feel like this with weight loss alone. I've started to view the exercise as a gift I give myself. I think it also help me manage stress. I don't do it every day, but shoot for 4-5 days a week. I also wear a fitbit to help track activity, and at work I take the steps when I can, and I try to get in as close to 10,000 steps a day as I can. Good luck, you are so worth the effort!

She's never going to keep her mouth shut, sadly. You might just want to get in front of it and tell people yourself. Once once person knows, then everyone does. I told a couple of people at work, and they told others - and these are people I thought I could trust. They are my closest work friends. They just don't see it as a big deal and are happy for me, and most people are out in the open about it. I learned the hard way the only way to keep a secret it to really keep it to yourself.

I was in 2 days, but could have stayed longer. I didn't have any issues other than just not feeling great. Most insurance pays on the DRG, not number of days stay, so it's not likely a patient would be billed for a longer stay, other than copays and deductables.

For me, it was about 4-6 weeks. The first few weeks are really rough, you are not alone. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how things do turn around. Just hang in there a little longer.

I'm supposed to wait 30 minutes before and after, and of course, nothing with meals. I usually stop drinking 10-15 minutes before, and I usually end up waiting more than the 30 minutes after. I agree, this is probably the biggest adjustment for me, too, particularly having no liquids with meals.

Time, fluids, and nutrition are key. However, at this early stage I remember feeling super weak too. I would suggest contacting your doc. You are describing symptoms of low blood sugar, which can be dangerous. I wouldn't be overexerting until then.Good luck and hope you feel better.