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@@bayougirlmrsc Thanks so much! I am actually terrible at updating my pictures. That one in my before and after pics is over a year old already. I did update my profile picture today, mostly because I look a lot different than the one I had posted. I am still not good about having my pictures taken. I had to go peek at your before and after pics as well. First, you were very beautiful even before your transformation. After...vavavoom! You look fabulous!

@@LittleBill I often wonder what my husband does around here when I leave him. Ha....now I know already that not only does he eat off paper and plastic, he just plain eats fast food crap. Have at it! Live it up a little!

Maybe I am doing something wrong when i use the link someone provided but I could not find my bariatric center of Excellence in that link which was confusing to me. So I went to my center's website: http://www.parknicollet.com/SpecialtyCenters/Bariatric-Surgery-Center Doing a small bit of research to understand what makes a Bariatric Center of Excellence I found this link that I thought was very informational. It might help some folks that are looking to better understand. http://www.obesitycoverage.com/insurance-and-costs/pre-approval-process/center-of-excellence

@@meantforsunshine Hi There, Congratulations on having your surgery. So sorry that you now have this crappy diagnosis. I have Psoriatic Arthritis and my mother had Rheumatoid arthritis. Recently I started showing signs of Rheumatoid as well and I was tested for it when I was tested for Psoriatic and the tests were negative. Not sure what the Paddison program is but I will tell you this. I have to limit my Protein because of kidney issues caused by years of medications for my arthritis and being overweight. I have a strict no more than 65 grams of protein per day or it taxes my kidneys. I eat a diet mainly of meat, veggies and fruit. I have noticed that my Psoriatic Arthritis has improved so much since my 152lb weight loss. My disease has been in remission and the only time it seems to kick up now is when they put me on oral or IV steroids so I avoid them unless it is life threatening which has not happened since 9 months post op. In fact, I spoke with my doctor on tuesday and we have been weaning me off of cyclosporine which is a immuno suppressant and are even lowering my dose of Stelar which i get every 10 weeks now. It used to be 8 weeks and double the dose. There is even talk of removing me from it completely at some point. So, I tell you all this because both my rheumatologist and my dermatologist are amazed at the transformation this surgery has done for my health. I suffered with Psoriatic Arthritis which is auto immune my whole adult life. I remember the onset began when the weight started piling in in my mid 20's. Obviously with RA, the goal is always to get you on a biologic that stops the progression and the same is true of Psoriatic arthritis so i am nervous about taking me off of the thing that gave me my life back. Anyway.....the diet you are speaking of meats, veggies and fruits are exactly what got me to the point that I am at. I did not have to pay for a special diet as this really is what the bariatric diet is centered around. Not sure if this helps but it has been my personal experience and I could not be happier.

Welcome and congratulations!

If you chat with your surgeon he may make some recommendations for you. I had RNY and take several medications and the only one i have had a problem with is thyroid replacement. It isn't so much about the absorption as it has been about keeping up with the weight loss and regulating it. I am on a time released drug and that has worked perfectly. Pain medication however metabolizes much faster for me. Also, I have found with time, medications that I once could not take work great now. If you talk with your surgeon and your doctor they may be able to work with you on a ADD med that will work for you with the RNY.

Here is what I find funny. When I had my surgery my insurance company gave me a list of accredited bariatric centers of excellence that I could use. They would not cover if I went to someone not on their list. This was Medica - United Health Care which actually was an excellent insurance and very very strict on their full page of requirments needed to have bariatric surgery. The number 1 center on their list was Park Nicollet Bariatric Center of Excellence located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Part of the Park Nicollent care system. They are still there today and still my bariatric team. In fact, an entire floor of the hospital had suites for bariatric patients. These people knew their stuff. I was assigned to a Bariatric nurse (who herself had bypass 14 years ago), a Bariatric doctor that followed my case the whole way, a nutritionist, a physcologist and finally a surgeon. When I looked them up on the link provided they did not show up. So.....not so convinced That this link is the end all be all. It seems like a lot of work to go through to disprove a poster. Just saying.....

@@j16 I hope eventually comes really soon. LOL. I am 28 months post op and I keep a heating pad on my side of the sofa. I wear long pants, long sleeves even in the summer and as I sit here and type, I am considering going to get my gloves because my hands are cold. It is 3 degrees here in lovely Pewaukee Wi. I had to go out yesterday and I was so bundled up I looked like Nanook of the north. It is very rare that I am warm enough, that being said i would much rather be cold than hot and sweaty when i was 315lbs. I hated that much worse.

Congratulations! I remember that day well, it was like my new birthday. Keep us posted!

@@LittleBill Have you seen American Pie 2? Everytime I see a tube of super glue I think of that poor kid. Hahaha

Ok.....I think i will pass on the majority of that. Especially the shake one, mostly because my poor group pouch actually spasms just looking at it. Nothing that cold and fattening for me.

If I only knew that before. LOL

@@minervaxx6 I had RNY and had a great experience. The gas pains were the worst of it but honestly if you know how to deal with it, it is very tolerable. What worked for me was walking as much as possible. I literally was out of bed immediately out of recovery. When not walking they gave me hot packs to place on my belly and once I got home I used the heating pad. After day two we added Gas x which helps when your bowels start working again which can be uncomforatble. I honestly had discomfort, no real pain. I had surgery on monday, went home on wed and took my last pain medicine on thursday. I seriously had no real pain. I do have a high tolerance for pain but this really was not a big deal. Getting used to your new lifestyle was much harder than the pain itself. Sipping Water and getting all your Protein is what is the hardest the first few days.

yup....stay away from those crackers. They are a slider food and as you said add zero nutritional value, cause you to crave more carbs. Depending on the type of meat, i still (28 months out) can only eat a couple of ounces and I am full. That dense Protein however keeps me fuller longer than anything else I eat. I like variety in my meals and have always been given advice by my nut to eat a well balanced meal. 2 bites of protein for every one bite of good carbs like veggies and fruit. It does not mean that I always do it but I am telling you from personal experience it really is the best advice. I like you, tend to want to go for those mixed dishes and of course like you love crackers. They will ultimately stall you and honestly you will have issues with your nutrition in the long run. I have been in maintenance since March. Since Thanksgiving when i allowed myself some of those foods that I shouldn't I have gained 7lbs in just about 8 weeks. It will catch up with you and it is a lot harder to get back on track once you let them in because they call to you. Suggestions for other things besides dense protein is cottage cheese, ricotta, greek yogurt, cheese, refried Beans (yuck). Try making some homemade beef stew or Stoup as Rachel Ray calls it. The heartier the better and minimize the potato or leave it out completely. That sort of meal fills me up, keeps me full longer and meets the protein and veggie criteria. I also make a beef barley Soup. Hope you are able to make the transition. In the end it is worth it.

I stayed at 700 calories on average per day until i hit the 9 month post op mark. I then had a very long stall - 28 days and I was told to increase my calories by adding more veggies, fresh fruit and some Protein. I was also told to reduce excercising from 1 hour per day to 30 minutes 5 times per week. I increased to 800 -900 per day until I hit 1 year and then slowly increased to 1100 per day. I was still in weight loss phase until 18 months. Then increased to 1200 to 1300 per day. I did and my stall broke. I continued to lose weight for the next 9 months until i reached my ultimate goal.

@@computercat Egg can be very harsh. I am 28 months post op and still they feel like bricks in my stomach. I get sick every single time I try them by themselves. I can eat a tiny and I do mean tiny amount of a hard boiled egg if it is in a salad. I can pretty much eat everything else but I have found it very common for people to have trouble with eggs. I have also learned that you need to keep trying every couple of weeks or months. I last tried them about 6 weeks ago and I just cannot handle them so I am giving up on eggs.

@@danithomas It is reversible in extreme situations. I would not choose my surgery however based on that because it is very very rare that they would consider reversing. I am guessing just knowing that is giving you some peace of mind? It is normal to be scared about this surgery. The reality is when done by a surgeon who has performed this surgery successful and knows what they are doing, it is very safe. You can google it and get the facts. That assumes of course that you follow the plan completely. You take your Vitamins for life and have your nutritional panels pulled once per year after the first 18 months. In the first 18 months mine were checked at 3, 6, 12 and then 18 months. After that, it is annually. It is important that they catch any issues with your nutrition early and address it through supplements if necessary. Many long term RNY patients who choose not to have them checked regularly nor follow the high Protein diet end up in trouble. I think I would literally freak out if a doctor recommended reversing my RNY. It gave me my life back......and I know I need this tool to continue to be successful with my weight management.

@ I am so sorry you are dealing with these things. I will tell you from personal experience although we lose the weight, our body makeup changes drastically. I was told by my orthopedic spine surgeon that all that fat was actually providing some structure even though it was causing pain then too. Since having my RNY bypass I had a 3 level cervical fusion (9 months later and down 100lbs), then I had to have a second surgery in my mid back relieving pressure in my mid back 4 months after that. Then, like you my left shoulder finally got so bad that It was causing severe headaches and neck pain. Turned out I had a 50% torn rotator cuff and bone on bone arthritis so back to surgery I went. (that put my plastics on hold for 5 more months. In 2 weeks I have my second plastics surgery and about 8 weeks ago, my right shoulder started kicking up again. I saw the orthopedic surgeon, we are trying to hold off so we are trying cortisone first. Well, we did and it helped for two weeks but I am completely unwilling to reschedule my plastics so we agreed that we would address my right shoulder sometime after my plastics. I guess the good news is, my knees, ankles and feet are definitely much better since losing all the weight. I am hoping it stays that way. I am 53 so a little older and I do have an auto immune disease called psoriatic arthritis. My Mother had infectious rheumatoid arthritis and I am showing signs of that disease as well. I have to go back to my rheumatologist and have him test me. The good news is, I am on a biological that should help both diseases. All that being said, I have so much more energy and ability even with all of this crap going on with my joints. I hope you are able to get resolution quickly. If they do rotator cuff repair it takes a while to recover but I should tell you my left shoulder feels and works fantastic now. I can even sleep on that side. Best of luck to you!

A few people have already said this but that time really does fly by fast and honestly once you have had the surgery you wish you could go back and do some things differently just to prepare your mind. It is true you are having surgery on your stomach but that does not fix the brain. Use this time to change any habits that will sabotage your progress. Things like: - Drinking carbonated beverages - Drinking caffeine - Not drinking enough Water -Eating too fast - Not chewing your food well enough - Not paying attention to your body when you are eating (mindful eating) - Remove distractions like tv or iPad while eating so you can pay attention to the signs. -Eating without drinking at the same time - Walking as much as you can - Adding more Protein and less simple carbs to your diet - No smoking This list can be very cumbersome if you have to fix it all a month before your surgery. Use this time to change a few things at a time. It will set you up for success post op. For some reason after I healed I still struggle with eating too fast and not chewing my food enough. That sucks when it happens because there are times now 28 months post op that I find I can overeat by eating too fast. It really is harder than you think once your stomach has changed. Take too big of a bite or now chew and the pain in your chest can really end your meal thereby making you eat again a little later. Take this time.....that is my best advice. Best of luck to all of you awaiting surgery.

@@gowalking I am with you on the cravings thing. I still crave some things that I did before surgery, that has never gone away. I would say in the first 10 months post op, i did not crave the bad stuff and there were instances where I tasted the Peanut Butter cup and it was gross. Now 28 months post op, I do crave some of the sweet stuff and even some of the breads. But honestly if I eat them, they just are not that good. I would much rather have some pepperoni or cheese. That being said, i tried enough of it over the holidays that I gained 7lbs.....and now I need to take control again. Ugh..... I do not like the idea of snapping back to a higher set point even though my body is leading me there. My goal was 165, I made it down to 158 and I was not comfortable there. To me, I felt almost boney in parts of my body but I loved being 165, now I am keep moving between 167 and 169. I DO NOT want to even see 170 or I might lose it. LOL.

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch Absolutely tasted great, both what I cooked and what I didnt. LOL. I honestly think most of my gain has come from all of the dinners out. With the holidays we went out probably 5 times per week. Then of course there is a bite of this, and a taste of that and I chose not to track what I was eating. Also, I am positive there was alot of salt in all that restaurant food and I know I am retaining Water. So, it is back to tracking and controlling what I eat. I know what I have to do, so I just need to buckle down and get it done.

Yes, I do get hungry every few hours and I also get reactive hypoglycemia if I allow too many carbs into my diet. When that happens it can be a vicious circle. Instead of eating 3 regular meals a day, I eat 5 or 6 small meals ensuring I get dense Protein. It does help with feeling hungry inbetween. There are also times when I am truly not hungry but my brain is telling me I need to eat something. I fight that head hunger all the time using distraction. Having gained 7lbs between thanksgiving and now, I have to get myself back on track 100%. I may do a 5 day pouch reset just to help get any sugar out of my system which I think will help with that hunger every few hours.