VSGAnn2014

Definitely got a new driver's license. TSA suggested I do so.

Thanks for the info. And no, Nature Valley granola bars are not OK for a snack. As you can read on the box and on each wrapped bar, the 2 bars in each packet are: Calories 190 Calories from Fat 54 Total Fat 6g 9% Saturated Fat 0.5g 2% Sodium 160mg 7% Carbohydrates 29g 10% Dietary Fiber 2g 8% Sugars 12g Protein 4g Anything that is 190 calories that has only 4 grams of protein is AWFUL. Even for a slim person. I am in maintenance (not trying to lose weight) and I would never eat this food even now -- much less when I was trying to lose weight.

I was definitely told: No fried foods!

@@Babbs ... I don't recall there being a lot of time (perhaps none) spent by my surgeon's educational programs on "stalls." I learned about stalls by reading WLS message boards for a good 9 months prior to my WLS. As a result, I realized stalls didn't matter -- as long as I did what I was supposed to do post-op, which was to eat sufficient Protein, not eat slider foods, graze, drink my calories, drink with meals, or violate any of the other behaviors I was instructed to follow post-op. I also learned by reading WLS message boards that some patients who were "stalled" were simply not losing weight anymore because they weren't doing what they should be doing to lose weight. You could see that in threads that started out: "I've been stalled for a month / two months / six months," and when others would ask what / how much they were eating, you'd see the OPs admit they were grazing, eating crackers, chips, not focusing on protein, etc. Obviously, that's not a stall.

The longer you're online, the more you'll realize how much variation there is in programs / instructions given by bariatric centers. Some do a good job, some not so much, and that some programs are much more conservative (risk-averse) than others. Yes, there are some basics, but boy is there a lot of variation on the basic program themes. Another thing you'll see is that many WLS patients assume that the WLS experience they're having is the same WLS experience others should be having. That assumption results in some odd advice / reactions / comments on WLS message boards.

I have a less-than-normal functioning thyroid (hypothyroidism). Have taken levoxyl for nearly 35 years. I think a lot of WLS patients have thyroid issues. There's no way to know how much (or even if) my hypothyroidism has affected my weight loss. Frankly, it doesn't matter whether or how much your thyroid affects your weight loss. It is what is is. And you just go ahead post-op with all the same behaviors you're supposed to use. And you will lose weight. And if you are consistent with your new behaviors / lifestyle you'll reach your weight loss goal and maintain your weight loss. For the record, here's my pre- and post-WLS monthly weight losses. I'm 70 years old and 5'5" tall: Highest weight - 235 pounds Weight on surgery day - 216 pounds (Weight lost pre-op) - 19 pounds Post-op weight losses: Month 1 - 10.4 lbs Month 2 - 11.8 lbs Month 3 - 9.2 lbs Month 4 - 10.4 lbs Month 5 - 6.8 lbs Month 6 - 5.0 lbs Month 7 - 6.2 lbs Month 8 - 4.4 lbs Month 9 - 3.8 lbs Month 10 - 1.8 lbs Month 11 - 2.6 lbs Month 12 - 0.6 lbs Month 13 - 1.2 lbs Month 14 - 1.0 lbs Month 15 - 1.6 lbs

I agree with the value of seeing how fast others have lost weight. Here is my own monthly weight loss experience: Highest weight - 235 pounds Weight on surgery day - 216 pounds (Weight lost pre-op) - 19 pounds Post-op weight losses: Month 1 - 10.4 lbs Month 2 - 11.8 lbs Month 3 - 9.2 lbs Month 4 - 10.4 lbs Month 5 - 6.8 lbs Month 6 - 5.0 lbs Month 7 - 6.2 lbs Month 8 - 4.4 lbs Month 9 - 3.8 lbs Month 10 - 1.8 lbs Month 11 - 2.6 lbs Month 12 - 0.6 lbs Month 13 - 1.2 lbs Month 14 - 1.0 lbs Month 15 - 1.6 lbs Having been online for 2 years and reading about hundreds and hundreds of other successful WLS patients' weight loss rates, Babb's and my weight losses are typical of people who started out around our initial weight (235 pounds). Heavier people, men, and younger people lose more rapidly than "lighter weights," women and older folks.

Good luck!

@@Sophie74656 ... have you had weight loss surgery yet?

Odd as it is to you, it isn't odd to me. And it's not odd to the OP. The difference between my surgery weight and my goal weight was only 66 pounds. Yes, I lost 19 pounds before surgery. And I lost another 12 pounds after I reached my initial weight goal. But I'd have been deliriously happy if I'd only lost 70 pounds in total. To say that my life was "unworkable" when I weighed 235 pounds is understating the misery I experienced. I was agoraphobic and could hardly walk. I now walk as far and as long as I want -- many miles a day. I no longer take Aleve. I'm no longer in pain. My doctor told me to cancel knee replacement surgery. I sleep well. My anxiety / stress levels are so much lower now. I no longer worry that my husband will become my caregiver. Life is full of joy and potential again.

Uh ... ten pounds weight loss a month is not untypical of "lighter weight" WLS patients. Several months pre-op I weighed 235 pounds. On the day of surgery I weighed 216 pounds and lost around 10 pounds a month the first 4 months. Then the monthly weight losses slowed down. Still, I still hit my target weight of 150 at 8.5 months post-op. In the next 6 months I lost 12 more pounds. I'm now maintaining at 138 pounds.

P.S. Here's a current thread on the same subject: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/356712-has-anyone-done-this-without-any-family-etc-at-the-hospital/

Good grief! She's not dying. She's going to be in the hospital. She'll have nurses watching after her. She'll be fine. My husband who adores me (and vice versa) certainly did not spend the night with me post-op. That's what nurses and call buttons are for. Yes, she'll need someone to take her home when she leaves the hospital. My hospital required a friend / family member do that. They won't let a taxi driver take you home. So she needs to cover that situation with her boyfriend or her son. But otherwise, she'll get plenty of medical attention from the people her insurance company is paying to do those jobs.

Sounds to me like you need to find a general surgeon who can meet a much wider range of bariatric surgery needs than your current surgeon can handle.

Uh ... just because someone doesn't agree with your use of marijuana doesn't mean they're "bashing" you. It generally means they wouldn't use marijuana themselves and they and you disagree on this topic. That is all. Welcome to the Internet.

To @@heartofthetinman ... Reading your initial and subsequent posts, I think you are related to some of the most ignorant, selfish people I have ever read of. Sorry to talk that way about your people. They aren't educated about this surgery. Yet they refuse to be educated about it. They aren't showing you any love -- probably because they aren't loving people. Your husband really is an asshole. Sight unseen. Here's what it boils down to: Ultimately, each of us is responsible for the life we get. No matter what others do that affect us we all have to then respond. You can respond by caving in and becoming *their* victim (probably wouldn't be the first time you did that). OR you can make your decisions and have the conviction to follow through with your convictions. Accept that your family isn't going to support you -- at least not on the front end of this, and maybe not on the back end either. Maybe never. And what if you were wildly successful with your WLS and they never supported you -- because they (semi-consciously) felt how wrong they'd been, but didn't have the balls to own up to their ignorance and errors? You could still go on and live a much, much, much better and longer life than you will live as an obese person with all the health issues that come with that. You can bitch about them. And that's OK. But you still have to make your own decision. And you have to stick with it every day thereafter -- if you truly want to build a better life for yourself. I honestly, truly wish for you a better, happier, healthier life than you've got now. Things can get much better for you if you choose that different life.

It's a great question, but one that I certainly feel inadequate to answer for you. YOU have to figure this out for yourself. And if guilt is a significant barrier to your emotional / psychological growth (and it sounds like it is), I'd encourage you to explore these issues with a therapist. Good luck.

What Winklie said. IMHO, there's no single ideal weight for everyone of the same height. One of my favorite representations of how different human beings' bodies are is the images on this page -- of the variation among Olympic athletes' bodies: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/howard-schatz-beverly-ornstein-athlete

I second the "take pictures" (works better than the mirror) suggestion. Also, eventually you're going to get down to REAL normal sizes. With no X anywhere in the size. When your sizes hit the single digits it's going to get very, very real. And I believe, given your weight loss record thus far, that that will happen for you. This whole WLS transformation is just a mind-twister. I'd honestly advise you that you're not weird or abnormal at all to be struggling with these changes. I think many people do. Just relax and enjoy all the good sensations you're having now. Fortunately, we don't have to go through all this personal growth in a month's time. It just takes a while. Can't rush it. You'll get there.

Sooo coool! Congratulations.

It taught me some very good social skills. I think (?) I'm more aware of the nonverbal stuff people put out. In other words, I think my social antennae are longer and fuzzier as a result.

Well ... by your own description you've got some other issues going on (depression, for one) that no amount of WLS will fix. I'll almost guarantee you that your heartburn is being exacerbated by all those sugar carbs you're drinking. Milkshakes are full of sugar, and sugar causes heartburn -- at least it does for me! Stop all the sugar, and you'll surely get some heartburn relief. Too much coffee and any carbonated beverages at all also make my heartburn flare up horribly. Also make sure you're using the correct antacids for your heartburn -- my doc gave me a proton pump inhibitor antacid shortly after surgery that resolved that problem for me; I'm now back on my old-fashioned ranitidine. But more importantly, as the saying goes, they operate on your stomach, not on your head. And since you're medicating your uncomfortable feelings with food, you will always be able to figure out how to do that, no matter how many weight loss surgeries you get. I would strongly recommend you start seeing a therapist who deals with eating disorders and can help you change how you use food to numb yourself. Good luck!

@@jstachic ... I would seriously love to learn more about how / why you gained 30 pounds. I'm nearly 16 months post-op and maintaining easily at 138 pounds. I'd LOVE to avoid gaining significant weight going forward, so if you have any specifics to share I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Just want to say I do NOT have big boobs. But I'm in 34D and 34DD bras that fit. This is just to underscore that D / DD bras don't seem to be constructed for seriously big-boobed girls.

We also cruise, but on smaller ships where the food is wonderful, but not served in US portions. There are no buffets, and 3 meals are served each day. Of course you can overeat if you try. Prior to WLS I always came home a few pounds lighter than I was on day one. I would not want to cruise on Golden Corral eating-style ships.