Inner Surfer Girl

Don't give up! Take it one day, one hour, one minute, or even one second at a time. Have you considered attending some OA meetings? You may find it helpful. There is information and meeting lists online at OA.org.

Do it!

This is great to hear. WLS is a process. Just because it doesn't happen initially doesn't mean it won't. Sometimes the answer isn't yes or no but "not right now". I experienced delays due to financing issues but the time to prepare (mentally and physically) pre-op was invaluable.

Welcome! This is quite an adventure. I am looking forward to a time when you can say "I love my body!" In the meantime, be gentle with yourself and enjoy the ride. Just an aside, a few things I have incorporated into my WLS journey that have helped me are: Swimming. Swimming has always been my exercise of choice. I make it a priority. Massages. I get periodic massages to Celebrate milestones and just because. Mani/Pedis. I get my nails done professionally more often than I used to. Creativity. I try to practice creativity every day --- writing, photography, art classes, etc. Sleep/rest. It is very clear to me now how important enough restful sleep is for me. I look forward to hearing about your journey. Welcome aboard!

I just count from my highest weight.

Are you drinking throughout the day? What are you eating?

I highly recommend you stay off the scale for a while. Early out I only weighed at my doctors appointments.

Before you have another surgery I would recommend taking a hard look at what you are doing. Your medical team is there to help you. Why not make an appointment with your NUT to talk about your challenges and goals? Are you following your program? Tracking your food? Eating Protein first? Getting in all of your protein and fluids? Avoiding starches, added sugars (especially high fructose corn syrup), and fried foods? Are you eating mindfully? Eating slowly? Taking small bites and chewing thoroughly? Are you taking your Vitamins and supplements as directed? Are you exercising? If you are always hungry, my guess is that you aren't getting enough protein and eating too many starches and sugars. I could be wrong but that is how it works for me. Have you been attending support group meetings? Have you seen a therapist or counselor? There are many things you can do. If you take a long hard look and still decide, in conjunction with your surgeon, that another surgery would be helpful then great. But, if you go into it as a magic fix without addressing the underlying issues then it probably wouldn't be a good idea.

You look awesome! I love getting in the Water. I have even been wearing a non-tankini 2-piece lately. Just not in public! You are braver than me!

Aww shucks.

If in doubt, go to the ER. Didn't your surgeon give you a 24 hour emergency number for this type of question. This is certainly not the type of question strangers on the Internet can answer. Better be safe than sorry.

One day down! Go to bed early and get some rest.

Congratulations!

Yes, it is normal. None of us lose at a constant or steady rate. We all experience stalls and slow downs in weight loss. Just about everyone experiences a stall about three weeks after surgery. Your primary focus right now is healing: that means getting in all of your fluids and Protein. Stay off the scale! Embrace the Stall http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

Welcome! I believe Kaiser has a pretty standard WLS pre-op process. My guess is that your first class will go over the process and requirements. Best of luck!

I am so glad you were able to get checked out. You should feel better eating more and more frequently. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

Welcome!

The comedian had some pretty good advice buried under the condescension. Whitney has a basically positive message buried under all of her self delusion and denial. If they actually had a conversation without resorting to attacks and defensiveness, the audience might have had some interesting ideas to think about. As soon as she mentioned "No Body Shame" specifically, I knew that the comedian (sorry, can't remember her name) had one objective: to confront Whitney.

I am curious. What 5 books were recommended for you to read?

After watching every episode of My 600 Pound Life, it has been good to see Dr. Now even start to talk about the importance of protein. I think that may have been a relatively new focus based on research.

I don't think she has any self-esteem at all. I think she is trying very hard to build a self-protective shell while also craving attention. I see a lot of my old behavior (when my obesity disease was raging). She is trying very hard to control everything and everyone around her so she can practice her food addiction. When things don't go her way or she has to experience any discomfort or pain she lashes out at everyone around her. This week's encounter with the comedian appeared to be completely engineered by the production. Do I agree with 100% of the message and the way the comedian handled the conflict? No. Do I think Whitney handled the situation well? Absolutely not. Instead of trying to fix other people and "lead" a movement, I think her energy would be better spent with some self-healing. She is powerless over food and her life is unmanageable. She is not even willing to be willing to accept help. Her life: still not fabulous. I waver back and forth between feeling very sorry for her and completely aggravated and annoyed with her and her behavior. But, I can't look away. I think maybe I need to see how bad it can be to go back to the food.

Normally, I would say listen to your surgeon, but since the advice your surgeon is giving you is diametrically opposed to what my surgeon's instructions are I will have to go with your NUT on this one. Yes, you can get most of your energy needs met by the energy stored in your fat, but that doesn't give you the Protein you need. You need protein, especially to stay healthy and lose weight, and if you don't get enough to meet your bodies needs your body will slow down your metabolism and draw critical protein needs from your own tissue (think muscles like your heart). The way my surgeon explained it is if I am not eating enough protein my body interprets the lack of protein as famine and will do everything it can to store energy, not expend it. My protein goal is at least 100 grams a day. 700 calories is extremely low even if I had a lower protein target. In my opinion, you need more protein and calories.

Welcome! Best of luck with your surgery and with school. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

Congratulations! You look great and, most importantly, happy. I think it is so great that you want to become a bariatric surgeon. I am really looking forward to a time when we don't assume they are all men. (Although I love my surgeon and he happens to be a guy.) Best of luck with school. It will be so much easier to focus on your education now that you are healthier.

That's a great idea! And sorry if this sounds crazy! But OMG omg omg! It's so good to see a familiar name on here! You helped me through so much as a pre op and was/are a super huge role model to me. I remember joining bariatric pal and feeling so apprehensive about everything and you always have great advice! I just want to say thank you for all of your amazing support, it's people like you who motivated me to be where I am today and I hope I can inspire people half as much as you have me. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App You are so very welcome. I just read your other post with pictures and it sounds like you are doing so great! It sounds like you are living life to the fullest. You go girl!