facorsig

Sleeved 9/11. Down 152 pounds from 361 to 209. Did my first 100 mile bike ride last Saturday. Won't be my last.

Visit today with primary care physician following my sleeving in mid-September. All of my blood chemistry is fine, except uric acid remains high, fatty acid/omega-3 is very low (near zero) and the two parameters associated with inflammation were in the higher range. The doctor gave me a prescription to address the uric acid as it can result in kidney stones or gout. I will take fish oil supplements to address fatty acids. The inflammation metrics are a mystery to me, but could be an artifact of the surgery. Comments? Fred

No, I have not experienced gout or stones, but neither is something I would look forward to.

The Bariatric Pal chat room was a great source for real-time information while I was making decisions to prepare for surgery. With the relocation of the chat room, it is really dead and difficult to find anyone. I think the veterans know about it, but I rarely see "new faces". Can the chat room be restored to the main menu bar? Fred

Down to 229 (goal achieved) and within striking distance of my 220 pound target that I set last December...thanks Susan, these events have helped me lose me than 40 pounds since January

Can I create a private email thread with the ten or twenty people who were regular at chat or is the function limited to one person?

We used to have a chat board here on Bariatric Pal. Many of us used to participate, but Alex got rid of it because he didn't see it was being used to his expectations...suggest to send a note to Alex and ask for it to be restored. I can relate to what you're feeling. I was sleeved in September and I am now only 11 pounds from my target, but anxious to keep the momentum.

231....reached my target although I set an easier one this time....took my road bike out 50 miles in rainy conditions on Saturday and suffered flat tire in last mile.

235.....completed bike rides of 30 and 40 miles this past weekend

Forgot to post last week...I went up for the first week in the last month to 243 and I am down to 239 this week...I am changing mobile phone from the iPhone where I use the Healthy Clouds application to track my weight to the Android...any suggestions on moving the data over would be appreciated since Healthy Clouds is not supported on the Android and I need a new app.

Starting 241...targetting 231...50% of the reduction to reach my initial target weight I set in August (before surgery)

I've enjoyed these challenges. I completed my last two challenge successfully. Can I make it three in a row?

Each insurance company has their own rules. I gained three pounds and was approved. I think Aetna sets an expectation not to gain five or more pounds. The whole weight loss as a condition for insurance approval is a lark created by the insurance companies. My surgery was nothing short of a spectacular success even though I did not lose weight during the four month period I was required to wait.

245 pounds...goal achieved with 2 ounces to spare! I won't be setting as aggressive goal for the next challenge. Rate of loss is slowing with each successive challenge.

Yes, this is a great thread with some unique information. My friend from Australia who inspired me for WLS had a 50 bougie. I did not ask until after my surgery, but mine was a 36. The doctor told me that there is a table used for sizing the bougie. I am sure there is some discretion applied, too, but his comment was that surgeons were moving toward smaller bougies compared with several years ago. My friend lost a tremendous amount of weight, but still would have liked something more restrictive, like what I have.

246...down from 248 (forgot to report last week)...within 1 pound of goal

250 today...completed another 35 mile bicycle ride yesterday.

A better title for this thread may have been "2015 Sleevers" (assuming you recently had surgery).

No, sublingual B12 is taken as a pill under the tongue. Nascobal is taken as a spray in your nose.

255 today....going on 33 mile bike ride this morning and hope to keep this pace of loss going.

The difference between the chat and the forums is not the information content, it is how the people exchange. There are probably fewer than ten frequent users. To me, if we help one person who would not have been helped otherwise, we have been successful. I read some threads in the forums and see permanent nastiness. The chat content is gone once it scrolls off the page. I received a note from another chat friend today and see chelly12A here, too. For the chat to be more utilized, don't bury it in the Patients menu. The link we had 4-5 months ago solicited a lot more participation.

Eating Greek yogurt is one of the topics I share with others about this lifestyle. I started to eat Greek yogurt on the advice of a health coach about two weeks before my pre-op diet. I detested it. I mixed in chocolate Protein powder, but the sourness was strong and it was like gagging with every spoon. After a month, I stopped gagging, but really hated it. I found I had tried so many brands hoping to find the one.....and I did.....Lucerne. It is the cheapest plain Greek yogurt. I had tried organic ones and ones with bigger brands or better packaging. I think Lucerne is a local, Texas brand. I must say while I don't like plain Greek yogurt, it has become a staple. I attribute some reductions in flatulence volume and toxicity to the yogurt (sorry if this is TMI). It remains on my doctor prescribed diet even after the Protein Powder and so many other things have gone away. I go through a 2# tub each week for $3.45. I don't shop at chains other than Randall's because other chains don't sell this brand. To me, it was part of the lifestyle change I needed to make, and I made it successful.

Today marks four months for me....crossed 100# of loss and still continuing to move toward my goal. Certainly, dietary changes were imposed somewhat with the surgery, but my pick-up in fitness activity has been dramatic. I rode my bicycle for first time in about 25 years on Saturday and I've committed to ride in MS150. PM me if you want to support the MS150 charity and my attempt to ride 170 miles over two days in April! Fred

I was significantly influenced by individuals on other websites who fed me their opinion that DS was "the only way to go". Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I went to my surgeon making a case for DS and his assessment was otherwise (he initially recommended RNY). I ultimately changed my mind three times, including the week of the surgery. I recently saw a statistic that only 1% of bariatric surgeries are DS. For me, VSG has filled the need (down 100# in four months (today)). If your case is significantly different than the others, you may be in the 1%, but when I looked at patients in the waiting area, physically people appeared to be worse off than I was .