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@@lovestohike Welcome and congratulations on making the decision to get healthy! I am 19 months post op, down 147lbs just below goal. I had the surgery because I had many terrible comorbitities, I was sick and depressed at how I let my life get so out of control. I started at 310lbs. I had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe Gerd, anemia and stage 3 kidney disease. I had to follow a six month supervised diet process. I had many tests during this time. An EDG, stress test, ultrasound and many many labs. I met with a trainer and a nutritionist every month along with a couple of meetings with a bariatrician, Bariatric surgeon, my PCP, my nephrologist and my gi Doctor. I had RNY gastric bypass because of my severe Gerd and diabetes. This procedure if successful can cure these diseases. I had my surgery and within 3 months all of my comorbitities were gone or in remission with the exception of apnea. This was resolved at the 12 month mark. Immediately I began dropping lots of weight and also experienced lots of hair shedding. That went on from month 2 until my weight loss slowed way down at the 12 month mark. I got all my Protein and Water and my labs have been excellent. My body simply gets stressed and likes to shed. Incidentally my hair immediately began regrowth so although it was a little scary, it was no big deal. I will say my hair is coming in like crazy and the texture is more coarse and it's very curly. I had body before, now I have curls everywhere. Having this surgery was the best thing I ever did for myself. Today I had to break down and buy some new clothing. I have been living in yoga pants and tank tops for the last year and I needed some real clothing. I had the best time trying on clothes and colors I normally wouldn't even consider and they all looked fantastic on me. My husband couldn't believe how great I look in a sheath style dress. I look and feel beautiful! When I was fat, I wouldn't look in a mirror or have my picture taken. Now I find I am always looking in a mirror, having my picture taken. I look fantastic in clothes! Out of clothes I am a mess. 147lbs down I have loose skin everywhere and plan to have surgery some day to resolve it. Best of luck to you and feel free to reach out with questions. I used a Bariatric center of excellence and they really are great at submitting what the insurance company needs so it gets approved. My paperwork went in a 9am and by 1pm I got a call from the surgeons office. I was approved and in surgery two weeks later!

@@axlr8n Yes and it is terrible when you suffer from chronic pain. I am not even sure of what to advise. I have been on narcotics since November due to severe spine pain that is extremely bad. They started me out initially on Vicodin 5/325. Then immediately had to move me to the Vicodin 10s. The problem was they would give me about 1 to 2 hours relief and this didn't come close to helping. When I had my shoulder surgery in feb. they had me start taking morphine long acting and then using Vicodin in between. This definately helped but unfortunately my kidneys do not like all the oral medication so in early March my PCP changed me to a fentanyl patch and then increased it a week later. I get about 1 full day of tolerBle pain before the patch starts wearing down and it takes almost a day for the new patch to get up to full power. So, we are still playing with the dosage and days but I definitely would not recommend this solution unless you never drive and really don't have to function. It really is strong and causes memory loss for me. I don't like it but honestly have not found a solution that I don't malabsorb besides the fentanyl. Hopefully we will figure out what the heck is causing such severe pain and do something that might give me longer relief.

@@axlr8n So sorry to hear about your accident! I just had my AC joint in my left shoulder reconstruction. I had very severe bone on bone arthritis and the week before my surgery I had a nuclear stress test which required me to raise my arms above my head for 2 15 minute sessions. After the first session I could not move my arm back down without help and when we finally got it down, my shoulder separated and the clavicle stuck out about a good inch out of the top of my shoulder. So they fixed that and cleaned up a frayed rotator cuff as well. For me this surgery was a piece of cake but I have had a lot of spine reconstruction which has to be some of the worst pain. I had mine done on February 12th. I am still in rehab and of course I have stiffness and swelling anytime I over do it. I can tell although the pain is gone unless try to reach above my head when it is swollen, it is going to be a longer than I thought recovery. The first 4 weeks were the hardest because I couldn't raise my arm to brush my hair let alone straighten it. LOL! Hubby had to do it for me. For the most part though it really has not been bad. Hopefully all goes well for you too! I was allowed out of the sling by week 3.

I would google the 5 day pouch test and leverage it to get back to basics. It will help reset your system. Then I would get back on the rules. If you do that and remain there the weight will come off. 1. A minimum of 70 grams of Protein per day 2. No Pasta, rice, bread, potatoes or processed foods, also no sugar. Get your carbs from healthy vegetables and fruits 3. Do not drink your calories. The only calories you should get from liquid is a Protein shake. I use Premier Protein ready made shakes and I still have 1 per day. They have 30 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar and only 160 calories. 4. Nothing to drink 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after eating 5. Take no more than 30 minutes to eat and at least 20 minutes. Chew your food slowly and completely. 6. Log everything you eat into a program like myfitnesspal. This helps you see where you are at and holds you accountable. It helps me make better choices because I take a moment to log after I eat something. So if I had something I shouldn't have, I can make up for it with a better choice later in the day. 7. Get yourself moving a little more each day. This is what I do and how I got to goal. I have also gone off track for a short couple of weeks, gained a few pounds and following this helped me lose those few pounds and more. Good luck to you!

I am now 19 months post op. I have been cooking since I was 3, literally! My granddaughter calls me the family chef. LOL! I met my weight goal after a lot of hard work in March. I love food. My relationship has changed dramatically in the last 19 months and I have had a ball figuring out new recipes for my family. I am also Italian and used to cook Pasta 2 to 3 times a week. Spaghetti has been my favorite food since I was a little girl. Daily I cook fabulous Proteins, vegetables and fruit. Maybe once or twice per week I will add a starch dish. Honestly there is really nothing I cannot eat, but I choose to eat the dishes that are good for me. My tastes have changed dramatically and I seriously no longer care for pasta at all. I used to love the texture of al dente pasta, now the only time I eat pasta and like it is in a Soup. My love of food has not changed, It simply transformed. I wish you all the best in your upcoming surgery.

Oh and you cannot believe how exciting it is to cut up your Lane Bryant card! When you realize you cannot shop in a plus size store ever again, it is a great NSV!

Trying on clothes is my favorite thing to do. There have been several times now where I go into a dressing room armed with a couple items. Then low and behold someone has left items in the dressing room that they didn't want. I find myself trying them all on just because I can! It's like a new challenge for me. The last few times I went shopping my hubby came with me. I disappeared into the dressing room for 30 minutes. I come out and he's laughing because he knows exactly what I am up to. Trying on clothes. Sometime in the next few weeks I have to go shopping for summer clothing. I really own 1 pair of jeans, a few pair of yoga pants and 4 tops that are starting to get pretty raggedy. I hit my goal a few weeks ago but am hoping to stabilize before investing in another whole new wardrobe. I have done that 4 times since this all began. I am hoping I am ready for my end game wardrobe.

@@Elode I just saw them and wholly Hanna you look hot! Even with the drains and bandages. Your belly button looks fantastic, you have to be absolutely thrilled. I cannot wait until I am healthy enough to have mine done. Just seeing your pictures made me feel great! I am so happy for you. By the way dilaudid is a wonderful drug for pain control. After my cervical fusion in June, they put me on dilaudid and I had to fly home 2 days later. I really don't remember too much from those first 2 weeks post op. LOL! I don't remember how I got home, 1 night in a hotel or even bits and pieces of the flight except when I got jostled on the landing. That hurt like hell. Stay ahead of your pain meds. You look fabulous!

@@Elode I am so excited for you and cannot wait to see pictures! I hope you are doing well!

I have read so many articles and talked to several Bariatric doctors who continue to tell me that my pouch will not stretch however your brain somehow adapts allowing you to consume more. At about the one year mark I noticed depending on what I choose to eat, I can eat 1 cup of food max. I am now 19 months post op and I still have that same restriction. I can eat 2 to 3 ounces of dense Protein and a bite or two of veggies/fruits and I am almost overly full. However if I eat a bowl of cream of wheat, I can eat almost a full serving. I believe what I have researched, that we adapt, our brains do that. Our stomachs don't stretch. Incidentally I have also learned that I can over indulge in things like Cheezeits! I do eat them but if not careful I can mindlessly nibble way over a portion! I know this because I gained 2 lbs eating the wrong stuff for about 2 weeks. Boy was I pissed at myself. I got back on track and within 1 week I lost those 2lbs eating the right foods and never feeling hungry. Also, I noticed when I was eating too many carbs those 2 weeks I had several episodes of hypoglycemia! It came on so very quickly that it was scary. It became a vicious cycle. Eat too many bad carbs your body will crave it. So now that I know what not to do, I think I will stick to the plan and if I want Cheezeits, I will measure out one serving and watch my carbs the rest of the day!

This is a great topic! I am honestly having a hard time with understanding where I should really land. I am 5'10" barely. I currently weigh 164lbs. When I started my journey I was 310 and sick and miserable. Initially my goal was 100% focused on getting my diabetes, kidney disease and many other comorbitities under control. That literally happened for me within 3 months. Then I was all about getting to onederland. That happened late last summer. Very slowly the weight kept coming off until I realized I could in fact get to my ideal weight which I am at currently. Now, I have been restricted from exercising since June and I have lost a lot of muscle mass which worries me because prior to June I felt a lot healthier when I was doing an hour of cardio every day or every other day. Now the best I can do is short walks and pt type exercises. Anyway, i believe my body really has control over where I am going to end up assuming I stick to my plan. Recently I had a week where I was eating things I shouldn't and I gained 2lbs and literally freaked out. Today I am back to 164. I have been adding whole grains and better calories but have yet to find the sweet spot where I will either stop losing or not gain. To @@Babbs point, there is a part of me that wants to lose another 10lbs which will give me a buffer but I honestly know given my muscle mass that would not be healthy. I am tiny on top and can count my ribs, I do have hip bones and sternum sticking out yet I still have some fat in my legs and upper arms. I wish we could take that fat and put it in my butt because that is gone and my tailbone sticks out and hurts badly. Anyway.....I think my body will ultimately decide what it is going to do.

I am so glad everything went well and you are on the road to recovery! Welcome to a whole new beautiful life!

I have had severe back problems and my orthopedic spine surgeon told me it is very common post weight loss. I am very sad to say mine has gotten progressively worse over the last 18 months. I did have skeletal spine problems before my weight loss but after it got drastically worse very quickly. I had to have 3 level cervical fusion in June and following that started to have severe pain in my mid back radiating to my rib cage. They haven't figured out the cause yet but I cannot function well at all due to severe pain. They finally put me on a fentanyl patch for pain relief and it is barely touching the pain. I cannot work at this time at all. What I don't know is if this would have happened had I stayed heavy. I suspect it would have as I had this pain but it was more tolerable. I am down 146lbs and at goal. I am so thankful I am not carrying around all that extra weight and I suspect I simply waited to long doing severe damage to my spine. I hope that your back pain is simply muscular and will go away quickly. I have had severe back problems and my orthopedic spine surgeon told me it is very common post weight loss. I am very sad to say mine has gotten progressively worse over the last 18 months. I did have skeletal spine problems before my weight loss but after it got drastically worse very quickly. I had to have 3 level cervical fusion in June and following that started to have severe pain in my mid back radiating to my rib cage. They haven't figured out the cause yet but I cannot function well at all due to severe pain. They finally put me on a fentanyl patch for pain relief and it is barely touching the pain. I cannot work at this time at all. What I don't know is if this would have happened had I stayed heavy. I suspect it would have as I had this pain but it was more tolerable. I am down 146lbs and at goal. I am so thankful I am not carrying around all that extra weight and I suspect I simply waited to long doing severe damage to my spine. I hope that your back pain is simply muscular and will go away quickly.

For me, I actually feel like I have a burp stuck and it hurts. As soon as that happens I have to be done or I will be sorry. That also happens if I don't chew properly or if I eat too fast. It doesn't happen often but when it does I know to stop right there and spit out anything I may have in my mouth.

@@leag78 I love Peanut Butter too. Instead of using bread or uncrustables, use an apple and skip the jelly. Maybe have a spoonful of 1% cottage cheese with half an apple and a tablespoon of peanut butter for lunch. I leverage that sometimes as my lunch and other times a small apple with a tablespoon or 2 of peanut butter but I do measure my peanut butter. Mostly because I love it so much I could easily eat more and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is 190 calories which is fine but it also has fat and sugar in it so I like to measure and track it. Other times for lunch I will have a larger portion of cottage cheese, a few fresh strawberries and some canned peaches. It's filling, has great Protein and valuable carbs. If you like breaded baked chicken try breading your own using almond meal, or even crushed nuts. They make fantastic breading and much lower on the carbs front. I make baked chicken Parmesan using almond meal and Parmesan cheese for the breading. It is one of my favorite meals. I use a jarred marinara sauce that is all natural with no added sugar and I top it will full fat mozerella cheese. I no longer make Pasta with it, so I serve the chicken next to fresh steamed whole green Beans. Yum! One of my favorite dinners, very healthy with great protein!

I had it for years and finally after two rounds of cortisone injections it went away. It has been gone from my life since 2001 thank goodness because it can be so painful!

I have tried many but my favorites are the hot chocolate. Many flavor to pick from and very good.

I was home alone the first day I was home. Hubby made sure I had everything I would need and then he had to drive to Wisconsin. Now I have had lots of surgeries so I knew what to expect and this one was a piece of cake for me.

As soon as your weight loss slows way down or stops. Mine stopped between month 12 and 13. I spoke with several doctors about this and they all told me the same thing and they were right.

@@Gaylene Davison Hi there! I had RNY and have lost all my weight. I am now in maintenance and I fight head hunger every single day. Some days I win and others my head wins. Bypass will not cure head hunger at all. Only you can work through this possibly with a therapist. If you are considering having RNY to resolve a possible erosion issue then great but if your expectation is that RNY will cure your head hunger you will be very disappointed I am sorry to say. Good luck!

I had a huge double chin 146lbs a go. Now I am at goal. I did have some loose skin under my chin that was very noticeable. Now 18 months post op that sagging under my chin has improved some and is hardly noticeable. There are excercise should can do to help too. I wish exercises would get rid of all my other loose skin but I fear that is not going to happen. Good luck

@@Titaniumsleeved2014 Diarrhea is very common while on the clear fluids and full liquid fluids stage. Once you start puréed constipation is very likely. I also would not worry about the weight loss. The first month or two works like that and then everything slows down to about 10lbs per month. It's funny because people assume when they go from losing that 1lb or more a day to 1-3 lbs per week, they think they are stalled. A stall is no weight loss whatsoever in 10 days or more. Congratulations!

So I am 18 months out. For the first 2 weeks I had diarrhea and then when I went to puréed foods I became constipated. I literally went a whole week without going. Even now I have to take stool softener with laxative twice daily to stay regular. If that doesn't do it for me I take a third dose. Until I had this surgery I never knew how bad constipation and it took me a while to figure out how to stay regular. For me, I will be on stool softeners probably forever but seriously the trade off is well worth it. I am down 146lbs and at goal!

Dang.....I had a whole list of things but they are not vegetarian! My favorite snack is something I really never cared much about before surgery. Bacon! I love bacon now. There is nothing better than a piece of baked crisp salty bacon. Mmmmmm......

Hello everyone! I am looking to the veterans out there that lost a significant amount of hair and have experienced changes during regrowth. I lost a good 2/3 of my hair during my journey. It began at month 2 post op and I had severe shedding until month 12 when weight loss for me slowed down. At month 12 I noticed that I hardly had any more shedding. I took Biotin from the beginning. I was at full Protein fairly quickly following surgery and all my macronutrients have been excellent. I just tend to have more shedding when my body is traumatized. Now the good news is my hair has been regrowing all along and the thickness is back. Yay! The strange thing is the texture of my hair has changed significantly and it literally is coming back in Curly and I do mean curly. I have ringlets especially in the back and underneath. I always had body to my hair but I would never call it curly. I can handle the curls, what is bothering me is the texture is quite frizzy especially on top. I have yet to figure out how to deal with the frizz. I try straightening it, using products for curly hair and even used hairspray to try to get it to lay down. Nothing seems to work. Has anyone experienced this and do you have any suggestions that I could try? It is now taking me forever when I wash it and honestly I no longer wash it daily because 2 or 3 days later it is easier to deal with. My hair is thick again and I love that it is all coming back but never had it come back with such a weird texture. I spoke with both my hair dresser and my dermatologist who specializes in hair. He actually mentioned that my hair is behaving much like a cancer patient who lost their hair due to chemo. This happens a lot apparently but no one can tell me how to get it to defrizz. Any suggestions would be appreciated!