Jonathan Blue

Saying goodbye is difficult. It is one of the hardest parts of this process. That is why I say to take the time to have those last meals. Savor each taste and each bite. Say your goodbyes and cry a little. Mourn the loss. You will definitely go through a process of grieving. I did. Then pick yourself up and move on to the next item on the list. Something that really helped me out was every time I was done crying or grieving or towards then end I would watch someone doing something that was a goal of mine after surgery. So I would watch a youtube of a triathlon or I would do something physical like go for a walk or a swim until I was completely done crying. That way you begin replacing the old high with a new one. It will not be an easy process and it really sucks going through it. I know! Savor each moment, each tear, and remember the hold that food had on you. How much it ruled your life. Keep that inside because that will help you remember why you never want to go back. The other thing that helps is time. I used to love and crave pop. I am now pop free for over a year and I never even think about it. Right away it was about all I could think about. As with any loss the further away it gets the less it hurts. Also, it helps that the surgery will make it so you really can't enjoy any of that stuff like you used to. I promise those things will taste entirely different to you after surgery. There will probably even be a point where you loath having to think about food it all. It is amazing! You will both get there. Just stay strong. You have support and friends here. If there is ever anything I can do for you please let me know.

I wouldn't purchase anything that small at first. Remember baby steps. I would pick something a size or two under what you are currently wearing. You want the results to be something you can reach in a month or two. That way you notice the difference faster. Then you reach that goal have a party. Wear the clothes until they fall apart and buy another size or two smaller. Make those little jumps and you will small victories throughout and you will be at that size 8 in no time!

I am one year out. My best advice is to sit back, enjoy the ride, and take it all in. It is an amazing adventure. Though you are probably a little scared or nervous, this is all a part of embarking on something truly remarkable. If you are still a little too jittery in the morning, they doctor can always put something in your IV to calm you down while you wait. You will just need to ask because they don't always offer. Best of luck tomorrow. I know you will do awesome. I am so excited for the amazing journey you are about to go on. Please keep us all updated on your progress!

@Morganamazing Good luck. The hardest part is over. Getting through the surgery. Now you can work on enjoying your amazing new life. There will still be ups and downs, but the hardest part is taking the plunge. I am so excited for you. Please keep us all updated on your progress.

Thank you all for the love and support. It means the world to me!

I agree with what everyone here has said. My nutritionist told me that the way I viewed my eating priorities compared to a regular diet would need to change. My first priority every day was to get up to 64 oz. or more of Water or other liquid like the Protein shakes. The next priority was the Vitamins and supplements to make sure you get your nutrition. The next priority was getting 60 to 80 grams of protein a day. In the end once I got all of this I could add fruits and vegetables. Aside from the vitamins and water, I got nowhere near these requirements the first month or so. It just takes working up to them. You get the point that you loath food really. I know I did. Every second of every day revolved around drinking something, eating something, or planning to eat something. The diet is honestly the hardest thing to get used to post surgery and it is all about making a set routine out of it. I also agree that when you are feel too full, get up and move. It will help work the liquid down a bit faster. Also, with your water, try mixing in a little zero calorie gatorade or Powerade at a 50/50 mix or less. This will also help you get some much needed electrolytes into your system and hopefully prevent some of the lightheaded and dizzy feelings. Best of luck and if there is anything else I can do for you, please contact me at one of the links below. I want to see you succeed. This is only the start of an absolutely amazing journey!

One thing to do is phrase it in the form of a question and let him answer for you. Explain how you have been overweight for a long time and have tried many diets. Ask him if there are diet pills, programs, or any other options out there he would recommend. Then listen to his answers and say some your previous doctor had mentioned the idea of a surgical option and ask his thoughts. With his answer ask him if he would refer you somewhere to look into all the options. Most places have weight loss programs that incorporate doctor supervised as well as surgical weight loss options. Once there you can let there program decide on surgery for you and just let you PCP know. Its a lot like getting a referral from your PCP to see a specialist. I actually lucked out in my journey in the my PCP has known me for years and on several appointments prior to starting my journey had recommended that option. The other thing is a lot of these surgical weight loss programs offer introductory meets and consultations without needing a referral from a PCP. They would be able to tell you if they take your insurance and if a PCP's referral is necessary, they can actually contact them for the referral directly. So you would even necessarily need to see them prior. I hope this helps a little. The first steps are always the hardest. Once you get the ball rolling it gets a little easier. There will still be tough parts, but resolving yourself to do this and getting started are the hardest I think.

I agree, I haven't really heard of this from sugar free foods. There is a possibility that you have become lactose intolerant. I know right after surgery I handled dairy alright, but about a week out I started on the same general thing. I switched to using almond milk for everything and it was fine. This was only a temporary thing which is true of a lot of people who experience this with the surgery. It is not uncommon. As far as handling your current bout, you really just need to let it run its course. I do highly recommend that you drink plenty of fluids if you can keep it down. Watered down 50/50 zero calorie gatorade or Powerade is best. If that does not work then just Water. If the symptoms keep on until morning without lessening then you need to go to the doctor immediately. It could be a sign of something else. For now it does just sound like dumping syndrome. I know it sucks, we have all been through it at one time or another. Keep strong. If you need anything else at all feel free to reach out to me at one of the links below.

@gahannagal. You can just scroll to the bottom of the page or there is a link in pink writing right under the title that says leave a comment. You can also click on that. Thank you so much for your willingness to help me reach this lofty goal.

Awesome! I am so happy for you! It will be an absolutely amazing journey. I can't wait to follow your progress. I urge you to check out my blog. There is a series of three posts about how I prepared for my surgery. I think you would find them very helpful. http://wakingupfromheavysetdreams.blogspot.com/

Good luck today! I know you will do awesome. I am so excited to hear updates from the rest of your journey! Take a deep breath and enjoy the ride. Today you start the rest of your amazing life!

@@MsUjima Thank you so much for filling out the comment and for your kind words. Pass it around so I can hit that 100 comment goal! It means the world to me to have a community of people behind me supporting what I am doing. I hope that a lot of good will come for the bariatric community from putting myself out there. Keep up the awesome work with the FitBit. It is my go to tracking system. Keep working at adding just a few extra steps each day. You will be surprised how quickly they add up.

I fully understand that there are a lot of unknowns with this process. I can also deeply appreciate the feeling of wanting to get it over with. It is as if you finally made this life altering decision and you are hyped up for it only to wait. Like a racer waiting for the gun to go off. I want to strongly encourage you to take this time to soak it all in and prepare. This is an amazing journey and you will want to be able to look back in a year or so and see everything you went through and how grateful to be where you are now; skinny and healthy. Savory every moment. There is a link to my blog below. On it is a series of three posts about how I prepared for my surgery. I think it definitely addresses some of your concerns and goes into more detail than I can here. Unfortunately this is a process and rejections do happen. Typically if you fit the guidelines physically like BMI over 40 or above 35 with at least one co-morbidity you should be fine. Just take a deep breath when you feel yourself getting worked up and take that next step. With each step know you are getting closer and closer to your goal. With each step it becomes more likely you will get full approval. If for some strange reason you do not, you can always try with another doctor. If it still fails, answer me this question. Years down the line, when you are much older and looking back at this time, would you want to look back knowing you had done everything you could, or that you didn't even try. For me, the turmoil and regret connected with "what if" I had actually gone through the process far outweighs the rejection I would feel of getting denied. I really hope this helps and if there is anything I can do for you at all or to help out, please let me know. I am here to see you succeed!

I would definitely check with your doctor. The biggest concern I have in researching this particular product is that I cannot find the company or manufacturers website. I agree, getting that much Protein in a shot sounds amazing, but the fact that I can't find the website makes me think they are hiding something. Most of the recommended brands on here all have a website and plenty of information out there about them. At the end of the day though, it is your call. I suggest checking with your doctor or nutritionist. Better safe than sorry. Also, please let us all know what they say. I am very curious their take on that product.

I know that putting yourself out there is always a very tough thing to do. Especially when, if you were like me, you hated being in the public eye at the size you were before surgery. I hated getting attention because I always felt it was negative. You will soon come to love all the attention and even crave it because it will all be great! That will be like a new drug that you need to have instead of food. Plus it keeps you accountable to your thousands of fans! lol. Amazing work putting yourself out there. I followed you on instagram. I can't wait to see your progress and all the amazing things you will be doing!

I am living proof the bypass is really effective.

Every surgeon is a little different. I admit I have not heard of only doing one day. Perhaps you should talk to your doctor to ask his reasoning. He should be open and honest with you about his methods. I only had to do one week of liquid but had to do a modified diet a week before that. The reason behind the time and even longer times is to clear out your system and to shrink your liver so it makes working around in your stomach a little easier. One thought I just had was if he was having you take something called Miralax the day before. It is the surgical equivalent of a roto rooter lol. I know it sounds kind of gross, but it is used to rapidly clear out your system. It is used pretty commonly for other procedures. If he is not concerned about your liver, then it could be the option he is choosing because it would be easier on you in the long run. My best advice would be to just ask though. Your doctor and his office are there as a resource. They are working on you and you have every right to know what he is planning on doing and how.

I need some help from my surgical pals! We need to represent and support each other. Please help me out below. They just posted an article on the FitBit website about my journey. I am trying to get as many people as I can to comment on the article. Right now the story with the most comments only has 40 and it been a year. I want to set the lofty goal of having 100 comments in two weeks. Would you be able to help me out with this? Please share it around and get as many people involved as you can! http://blog.fitbit.com/fitbit-success-stories-jonathan-b/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=success%20stories%20jonathan%20b

sugar free instant pudding would be great. Also for a sweet treat try the Protein fruit sorbet that I have posted on the blog. Just try to stick with peaches and mangoes instead of the berries right away. I know they don't like you eating things with seeds even if they are small at first. most of your sweet treats wont be entirely sugar free, just no sugar added. Immediately after surgery try to stick with the actually sugar free Jello and instant pudding. As time progresses the no sugar added options are fine.

Sorry I was a bit of a dum dum and forgot to post the link. Here it is: http://blog.fitbit.com/fitbit-success-stories-jonathan-b/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=success%20stories%20jonathan%20b

I need some help from my surgical pals! We need to represent and support each other. Please help me out below. They just posted an article on the FitBit website about my journey. I am trying to get as many people as I can to comment on the article. Right now the story with the most comments only has 40 and it been a year. I want to set the lofty goal of having 100 comments in two weeks. Would you be able to help me out with this? Please share it around and get as many people involved as you can! http://blog.fitbit.com/fitbit-success-stories-jonathan-b/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=success%20stories%20jonathan%20b

@@Kiki2004 That is too funny. I am so glad that everyone is getting behind my story. My ultimate goal is to just be a guide and an inspiration to others like me. At the end of the day I am just some guy who made a choice to take back his life. If I can do it, you can too! If there is anything I can do to help you along on your journey please let me know. I do know that I will be taking over the January support group meeting to talk about my story and to maybe even do a cooking demo and answer questions. PS They just posted an article on the FitBit website about my journey. I am trying to get as many people as I can to comment on the article. Right now the story with the most comments only has 40 and it been a year. I want to set the lofty goal of having 100 comments in two weeks. Would you be able to help me out with this? Please share it around and get as many people involved as you can!

Congratulations on deciding to take this journey. I started researching all of the options available to me about 6 months before the actual surgery. I knew everything going in. I would strongly suggest you check out my blog (link is below) for a series of posts I did on how I prepared for surgery. I finally came to that realization that I needed to do something drastic after several of my family members pulled me aside to say they were very scared for me. They even offered to pay. My BMI at the time was 62. From my initial meeting with the surgeon my whole process took about two months. This was extremely fast. My insurance didn't require a doctor supervised weight loss period of six months to a year like a lot of insurances do. I did still have to have multiple meetings with a nutritionist, psychologist, exercise physiologist, and have a battery of tests done. I was instructed to begin preparing for surgery. From there I just had to survive a two week liquid diet heading up to surgery. It is to this day the hardest two weeks of my life, but something I wouldn't give back for the world. Just like a marine going through boot camp. That was my hell week. If you have any additional questions about the surgery or I can help in any way at all, please contact me at the links below.

The people above commenting about the duodenal switch are correct. I have heard very good things about it. It was just not an option my surgeon provided. I just researched the ones he offered which were the bypass, the sleeve, and the band. I also definitely agree that you should research them all. In this journey, knowledge is power. The more you know and understand, the better.

Right on @Jorrin. That is what I like to hear. Just keep at it. I promise it will work. If not let me know and we'll kick its but together. How does that sound? Keep in touch and let me know how everything keeps working out for you.