JanetteH

Hi Claire Over here since things are not "nationalized", it all depends on your individual insurance - some people pay big bucks for really excellent insurance, others pay for the minimum. For example, I have a plan somewhere in the middle - plenty of coverage but a large deductible - nothing is "free". One generalization I've heard is that most insurers here pay for a panniculectomy (remove the front apron of skin) but many do not cover a full abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), arms, thighs etc. Probably easy to argue that removing the excess skin is medical due to rashes, cysts etc but more than that (tightening muscles, removing fat) is considered cosmetic in most people - but 210 lbs is a lot of weight so I've no idea where they draw the line - plus it's all up to your own individual insurance company/policy. I'll know more when I get to that point - I know I want at least a panniculetomy

Hi everyone - great to catch up on all your news (I've been mostly without access to the internet while in Scotland). Tammy - so glad you found us again! I had the same problem so I've "bookmarked" our group. Sorry about your weight fluctuation - in my own experience, exercise has been more of a factor in my weight loss than just what I'm eating. Good luck! You can do it! Deanna - what a huge difference - you look amazing! Erin - you look fantastic too - I can't believe you've still got 25 lbs to go - you'll be downright "skinny" I had a lovely visit with Claire - she's exactly as positive, kind and supportive as you would imagine from her posts - and she looks great. I loved a comment that she made - she said we are "melting downwards" (maybe a British thing?) - it's true! - we've both lost lots of weight in our faces, shoulders, arms etc. Can't wait for the "melting" to reach my belly!! (We're both still "apples") In fact, Claire has lost so much weight from her face that it was her yellow VW Bug I recognized - not her Change that picture, Claire! We had so much in common - not just WLS - and her husband is a sweetheart - hope to see them again soon. Lots of NSV's on my trip - no seat extension on the plane (in fact I had to tighten my belt!); easily got in and out of the back of my brothers tiny car; walked everywhere without difficulty etc. My mother lives in the city of Glasgow so I took the train or bus "into town" to go shopping several times and walked for hours around the pedestrian precincts checking out the latest styles, visiting large book stores etc. So much fun - I was really "chuffed" with myself. And I lost weight over the past few weeks - despite having my fish and chips, sausage roll and haggis (yes haggis!), I've finally entered "Onederland". Still got a ways to go but I'm feeling so positive - it's definitely worth it. Glad to be home - missed my hubby!

Hi everyone I talked to two different friends who each had the surgery over a year ago and both are still losing weight - so there's hope - don't presume you will stop losing. The main thing one of them advises is to keep tracking food and get as much exercise as possible - most "bounce back" is caused by reverting to old eating habits, not tracking Protein etc. She hasn't reached her goal but is still moving slowly in the right direction. The other has now hired a personal trainer and sees lots of inches going away although weight loss is slower (but still going in the right direction). Claire - so glad you had fun "down south" although food was a problem. Happy you lost a little weight - you'll get back into your routine at home. Also happy the hair loss wasn't too bad. Doesn't look like I'll make ONEderland before my trip (a small goal I set) - so close but yet so far (201lbs) - but that's OK. I'm getting there. HEY EVERYONE - I'm going to visit Claire in England - I'm so excited to meet one of "us". I'm originally from Scotland so I'm going home for my mother's 90th birthday. Taking a little side trip to visit my new online BFF. Feeling a little nervous about the sausage rolls, fish and chips, Scotch pies etc. Those foods from my childhood just call to me whenever I'm over there. I won't have much access to the internet - so "talk" to you all in 3 weeks.

Just got this article from a friend in the medical field. Apparently we won't just be thinner, we'll also be smarter Does that count as an NSV for all of us? Brain Benefits From Weight Loss Following Bariatric Surgery Wed, 08/27/2014 - 10:31am; JCEM Weight loss surgery can curb alterations in brain activity associated with obesity and improve cognitive function involved in planning, strategizing and organizing, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Obesity can tax the brain as well as other organs. Obese individuals face a 35 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to normal weight people. Bariatric surgery is used to help people who are dangerously obese lose weight. Bariatric surgery procedures are designed to restrict the amount of food you can eat before you feel full by reducing the stomach's size or limit the absorption of nutrients by removing part of the small intestine from the path food takes through the digestive tract. Some procedures, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYBG) surgery, use a combination of these methods. This study was the first to assess brain activity in women before and after bariatric surgery. "When we studied obese women prior to bariatric surgery, we found some areas of their brains metabolized sugars at a higher rate than normal weight women," said one of the study's authors, Cintia Cercato, MD, PhD, of the University of São Paolo in São Paolo, Brazil. "In particular, obesity led to altered activity in a part of the brain linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease – the posterior cingulate gyrus. Since bariatric surgery reversed this activity, we suspect the procedure may contribute to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia." The longitudinal study examined the effect of RYBG surgery on the brain function of 17 obese women. Researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) scans and neuropsychological tests to assess brain function and activity in the participants prior to surgery and six months after the procedure. The same tests also were run once on a control group of 16 lean women. Before they underwent surgery, the obese women had higher rates of metabolism in certain areas of the brain, including the posterior cingulate gyrus. Following surgery, there was no evidence of this exacerbated brain activity. Their brain metabolism rates were comparable to the activity seen in normal weight women. After surgery, the obese women also performed better on a test measuring executive function – the brain's ability to connect past experience and present action – than they did before the procedures. Executive function is used in planning, organizing and strategizing. Five other neuropsychological tests measuring various aspects of memory and cognitive function showed no change following the surgery. "Our findings suggest the brain is another organ that benefits from weight loss induced by surgery," Cercato said. "The increased brain activity the obese women exhibited before undergoing surgery did not result in improved cognitive performance, which suggests obesity may force the brain to work harder to achieve the same level of cognition."

Delilieflower - congratulations - that's great. Stalls are so discouraging. Do you have a special reason for wanting to be down to 330 before your appointment? Millergirl - so sorry you're going through this. I just had my 6 month checkup today and was told I could stop taking the gallbladder medication they put me on. Apparently the fast weight loss in the first 6 months often causes gallstones. Take care of yourself and feel better soon.

You've heard the saying "I'm not overweight, I'm under-tall"? Have you also noticed that there's a banner advertising limb-lengthening surgery at the top of this site Just did my weekly weigh-in and I lost 4 lbs this week!! I guess we expect fluctuations - I've only been losing 1lb a week for several weeks so this was a big surprise. I'm so encouraged that I will get to ONEderland soon. Didn't tell my mother or brother in Scotland about WLS (my brother is also obese, has diabetes etc) - wonder what she'll say when their not so obese daughter steps off the plane.

All those little things that thin people take for granted - fitting in seats, using seat belts, crossing your legs etc I discovered a new part of my body - apparently I have this thing called a "lap" that I haven't seen in years! Little children can sit on my knee now

Congratulations, Claire - what an accomplishment (and I don't mean keeping your flip-flops on!) Have fun in the Smokie Mountains - aren't they beautiful? I just booked my flight to go home to Scotland and upgraded myself to "Economy plus" for extra legroom. I was assigned an Exit row and confidently said OK because I won't need an extension for the first time in years - YEAH! (They don't allow extensions in Emergency Exit rows in case it trips people as they get out of the plane - I got moved last time)

Hi Sarah - I've been struggling a bit with making choices when I'm eating out or at someone else's house but I'm doing fine at home. What situations are you struggling with? Wanting to eat all the old fried foods etc? I went to a reception last Friday for international students and had a few things I should not have (a fried spring rolls; 2 fried samosas; a fried shrimp purse). I felt ill about 30 minutes later, threw up and had to come home. The next morning was spent in the bathroom! These negative repercussions are great reminders but we don't always get them - especially if we sneak just a little of the fried foods/sugar into our diet every day - not enough to actually make us sick. My first thought is - just don't keep any bad/tempting foods in the house Is that possible or do you have a partner/children who want those things around? My local face-to-face support group has started reading "Women, Food and God" by Geneen Roth. Discussing that together is going to help me I think (and despite the title, it's not a "religious" book - more Buddhist philosophy - living in the moment etc.). I also did some work with a psychologist before my WLS surgery which was very valuable. If we don't also work on the reasons we ate too much before, we may not be as successful after surgery. We need to change our way of thinking about food; our relationship with food. The surgery is a tool to help us control the quantity of food we eat, but it's not a magic bullet - we are responsible for the quality of the food we put in our mouths. For example, my relationship with my mother was an influence on my eating and I had to change my thinking and accept responsibility for my own actions. OK, sermon over! Tell us more about your struggles and maybe someone will have a suggestion that helps. Good luck - stay positive. You're still losing despite your struggles. I'm jealous that you're in ONEderland - that's absolutely fantastic. Congratulations!

Hi Delillieflower - I empathize - I stalled for 4 weeks once so I know how discouraging it is. Don't worry, this will come to an end and you'll start losing again (as long as you stay motivated and don't start eating all the wrong things). If you're being really strict about what you eat, try adding a little good fats for 2 days - olive oil or avocado - that's what my nut. told me to do. If you're NOT being very strict, try tracking what you eat (I like MyFitnessPal because it already has the nutrition for thousands of foods) and increasing your physical activity. Change of some sort or another seems to help snap our bodies out of "starvation mode". On the other hand, you've lost 94 lbs in 6months (I've only lost 76 lbs) so you're doing great! Don't get discouraged - you'll be losing again soon. Don't set your heights/expectations too high - we all lose at different speeds. I had hoped to be down to 200 by now and it hasn't happened - that's OK, the scale is still moving in the right direction, SLOWLY Stay positive!

Here's a mashed potato tip - as well as making them with low-fat milk, you can mix a scoop of the flavorless Protein powder into them = high-protein mashed potatoes. Also works for sweet potatoes and pumpkin "pie" custard (pumpkin, evaporated milk, Protein Powder and sugar substitute - no pie crust). On my Doc's plan, nothing is off-limits except fat and sugar. Eat the protein first and if you have room, eat some of the rest (potato, veggies). I personally limit my processed/bad carbs but nothing is off-limits for a taste; I get most of my carbs from fruit and veggies and occasionally brown rice or whole wheat bread. Racewalker48 -when I was allowed creamed soups (first 6 weeks) I had to strain them to remove the solids because I was still healing. I was only allowed the low-fat soups and again I was told to make it with milk and add a scoop of unflavored protein powder per can. That made 2 or 3 servings. Bottom line - do exactly what your own doctor and nutritionist tell you!

Congrats, Ginger Snaps - that's a great NSV. I was at a conference at our local university last weekend - it was spread out all over the campus and I could walk between the buildings with no problems. Also fit into those little chairs with the fold down desk in the lecture halls

Congratulations Claire - that's fantastic!! You must be very proud of yourself - I'm proud of you. You've lost a whole small person! (132 pounds; nearly 9½ stone) WOW! We both still have around 60 pounds to lose - I expect it to be slower now but with the encouragement of this group we'll make it. Just keep on keeping on. I'm so glad I found this group - you have become my main support in losing, encourage me when I'm down, make good suggestions etc. Our local support group, run by the hospital isn't very good - some people boasting about how they got around the WLS to eat what they want! Not for me. Congratulations and keep it up you loser

Claire - sorry I don't have a gremlin - so I can sympathize but not empathize. I do get occasional & urgent diarrhea but it's not preceded by any extra growling (the growling and the gas are just constant factors in my life now 24/7) I occasionally get constipated too - my poor interior just doesn't know what "normal" is yet. Heidi - I've stalled twice on my journey so far - once for over 4 weeks. I have 2 contradictory suggestions - the common denominator is make a small change. Last week I went back to weighing and measuring for a few days and found I was eating more than I had been 3 months ago - so I re-calibrated my eyes and this week I lost 3 pounds. The time before that I did the opposite on the advice of my nutritionist - I actually increased my calories for a couple of days - including more good fats - avocado and olive oil. That seemed to work because it knocked my body out of "starvation mode". Give one or the other a try - but no matter what you do, know that this will pass and you will continue to lose weight. My other piece of advice is don't weigh yourself more than once a week - daily weight fluctuations can be discouraging. On the positive side, I see you're in ONEderland - I'm jealous - I haven't reached that yet and it's my next small goal. You're doing great - 52 pounds in 6 months is wonderful. As Claire says, don't panic and for the love of Pete, stop taking diet pills - they won't help and might do harm.

I agree with Terry - just do what your doctor tells you to do. We all see such variation in diets on this website - it gets confusing. I was way more restricted than some other people - but I just complied with my own Doc/NUT and I've been successful. Interesting tip about alcohol - I've heard about the addiction transfer too! I'd like to become addicted to exercise instead

At my jewelers they have called it both things. I have no idea what drug users say,so forgive me. You're lucky, Pik - I'm a group counsellor in a city - so I know all too much about "speed balls" in that context LOL. Another very inexpensive (very temporary) solution is to try "mole skin" - It's a thick pad with adhesive on one side - found among the first aid stuff in pharmacies. It can be cut to size - a small strip inside your ring will make it tighter until you loose all the weight you want and get it resized.

Wow - what a beautiful ring! No wonder you want to wear it Both my wedding ring and my engagement ring are too big for me - I still wear the wedding band but not the engagement ring - we were poor when we bought them so it's not too valuable. For our 30th anniversary last year, I bought my husband a new wedding ring so he wants to buy me a new one when I'm ready - maybe next year. I'll have to have the engagement ring resized. BTW - a speed bump sounds better - a speed ball is used by drug users!

Congratulations Dreamingbig - you look fantastic. That is a goal I'm also aiming for - just 11 pounds to go 'til I get into the Ones - haven't been there in 25 years. BTW after the pep-talk from my PCP about people starting to fall back into old habits around 6 months, I brought out the food scale and measuring cups again this week and tried to stick to the original plan. I lost 3 pounds!! Haven't had that kind of success for a long time. I ate out several times and just ordered sensibly and ate half the food - I wasn't a maniac about measuring but clearly my idea of a cup and the measuring cup's idea have begun to get more and more different Anyone else discovered this?

I have lost 78 pounds in 6 months now but 126 since I started Slimming World 4 years ago. It won't mean much to you all but I got my 9 stone award last week! I also now have a personal trainer coming to my house to do exercises sitting down Congratulations Claire! I know what a 9 stone award is. That is absolutely amazing - you should be very proud of yourself. Can I have a 5 stone award please? (You've made me think - when I was in my teens and twenties, I weighed 10 stone - so I've lost half a person.) We may have slowed down but 78 lbs in 6 months is great (I've lost 72). Keep working at it. Also well done on hiring a personal trainer - your physical strength, mobility and well-being are as important as the weight loss. Good luck - I hope you feel stronger soon. Yes I live in a suburb of Rochester called Pittsford. Upstate New York is lovely - we have Lake Ontario to our north and the Finger Lakes to our south - that's wine country. We're only 4 hours from Toronto - I'd love to have you come visit next year.

I concur - I was even given Crystal light in the hospital - I alternate plain water and Chrystal Light during the day - funnily enough I prefer it to Mio - maybe it was the flavor I tried - I love Raspberry Lemonade by CL.

Deanna - sure sounds like dumping syndrome - but with eggs? I though it was caused by fat and sugar. Hope it doesn't happen again Congrats on your loss and the fact that you were out jogging! I'm only walking (and not very fast) but I'm so thrilled that I can go much further than before - my dog's thrilled too Kim - glad you checked out your cleanse with the nutritionist first - good luck - I have friends that do a 7 day cleanse occasionally but 28 days!! - wow - you're either very brave or crazy I saw my PCP yesterday and he's really pleased with me - especially since I'm apparently still losing fairly consistently if slowly - I had lost 11 lbs since my last check-up in the "system" in June (my hospital is all computerized records so my docs etc all read each others reports). He said that around now (6 months) is when he sees some people falling back into bad habits - then they stop losing. Let's not join that group - stay motivated and eating well everyone. Happy 6 month anniversary!

Congratulations Sammy and Blankita - you both are doing so well!

Congratulations jtickle - I try to only weigh myself once a week - much more satisfying than all those daily ups and downs. You rock!

What no one has said so far is that you're not allowed to eat out for several months - liquids only, then pureed food lasts for 2 months according to my plan - so unless you're taking a blender to the restaurant....... Raw vegetables/salad was one of the things that I could not have for 3 months - check with your doctor and diet plan. Now that I'm 5 months out, I order off the regular menu - I often eat an appetizer as my main course; Soup and a side salad is another favorite; and a few days ago my son and I shared chicken and had a side salad each - restaurant was fine with that.