SuzeMuze

I let go of "Numbers" pretty quickly. I get asked a lot "At what weight will you stop trying to lose?" (or something similar) I think I'd have to answer the dress size question the same way. I won't have a magic number. My idea of perfection is clothes that I feel great in, and that won't make my butt look like a shelf. I know the old cliche, "Clothes make the (wo)man", but I disagree. I don't want the focus to be on my clothes... I want it to be on me!

Mine's pretty simple but it made me smile... I got out of the shower this morning, and realized a regular sized towel fits all the way around me now

@@leag78 I've read through your post several times, and will offer my thoughts with the disclaimer that it's not my intention to offend anyone. At. All. While I do believe that some friendships/relationship will change as a result of bariatric surgery, I think the causes can be quite different. I can't say that I've had the experience of a friend suddenly becoming jealous or try to sabotage what I'm trying to do- in fact, they've been some of my biggest cheerleaders. Then again, I'm not a young person anymore, which may come into play as well. My circle of friends and I are comfortably nestled into our 40's, and none of us play the part of the "hot friend". At the risk of stepping on any toes here, it's my thought that if one of my friends suddenly became distant or resentful of me making a decision to live a healthier life, I'd question the friendship itself. If it's a friendship that's really special to me, it would definitely be worth having a heart-to-heart to find out where the insecurities lie. Truth be told, weight loss seems to bring out a lot of insecurities in other people, just as our weight revealed a lot of our own insecurities. Friends who were once close can become distant. Significant others can suddenly feel left behind, wondering if you'll "trade up" once you've lost your weight. I try very hard to remain cognizant that while my decision to have WLS was primarily for health reasons, there may be those who only focus on the physical changes that accompany it. I would hate to see anyone go through relationship changes that are negative- but we're worth being good to ourselves, and removing not only the "toxic" food from our lives, but also the "toxic" people who can't understand what we're going through, or feel threatened by our decision. Just my 2 cents

@@QueenieB I remember feeling exactly the same way you did when I started my liquid diet- it was like a "food funeral", thinking everything good in my life was just taken away from me. I did a lot of reading about why I was suddenly starving, plagued with headaches, and generally crabby all the time. One of the theories (which I believe in) is that our bodies are truly going through a withdrawal process, with sugar, carbs and/or caffeine as the "drug". I'd become so sugar and caffeine dependent that when I suddenly cut it completely out on the pre-surgery diet, my body/brain was out of whack for a few days...so bad that I actually purchased Vivarin pills and took them to wean myself off gradually because the caffeine withdrawal was so bad. But it does get better, and once you have the surgery, you might be surprised how little you actually want that food that calls out to you now. Plus, if you have the unfortunate experience of "dumping" if you do eat any of that stuff after surgery, you'll want it even less. Keep your chin up- we're all here for you!

I agree with ready2B. Nearly everything varies depending on what your doctor believes and/or feels is the best decision on your behalf. Some folks regularly use/eat things that were an emphatic "no" from my doctor- like using straws and drinking sodas. I doubt there's a hard and fast list of "nixed" foods for all bariatric patients.

@@Emmamac This is one of those questions that the best we can answer is "it depends on your surgeon". You'll find that everyone's experiences/requirements are very different, depending on what was recommended to them. I can share with you what my first visit was like, and perhaps it will give you a bit of an idea what to expect. My initial appointment didn't even involve the surgeon. I met the office staff, the office manager and the nutritionist, all of whom took down an intensive medical history, as well as provided a binder filled with information about the entire surgical process. The office manager spent a great deal of time with me explaining all of the pre-operative tests, how and when to schedule them, and what to expect when you go. (these included a lower leg ultrasound, abdominal ultrasound, sleep study, coronary clearance, pulmonary clearance, liver scan, and psychological screening) It wasn't until I had nearly all of my clearances finished before I met the actual surgeon. Good luck to you

This might sound nutty, but you know what always works for me? Getting up and moving. I know, right? When I get nauseous, the last thing I really want to do is walk around, but it never fails to make me feel better if I push through and just walk around the yard a couple of times (the fresh air helps too). Plus, my surgeon gave me a prescription for anti-nausea pills in case I needed them as I recovered- might be worth asking about.

Yaaay! That's Fantastic- I'm so happy for you!!

9 weeks post-RnY here, and no regrets so far. The first 6 weeks were the most difficult, as not only are you saying goodbye to your old dietary lifestyle, but your'e also very limited at first with what you can eat- I was near certain that if I cut myself I would bleed chicken broth! However, following my surgeon's advice no matter how sick of each baby food stage served me well- I can now eat anything I like if I can tolerate it. Every now and then, I do miss my old soda habit, and night time Snacks, but seeing the changes in my body, and not having to take a handful of pills with dinner each night has been worth way more than anything else. Good luck to you and best wishes for a smooth procedure and speedy recovery!

Personally, I avoid the word "resolution/resolve" like the plague. I feel that it just sets someone up for failure- forget to live up to it once, get depressed, give up, and on the cycle goes. I'm going into 2015 with the attitude of "try my very best" rather than resolve. I'm human, I'm not perfect, I'm going to make mistakes, and that's ok. With that being said, I'm going to "try my very best" to: 1. Keep pushing myself on that treadmill- some music motivates me more than others! 2. NOT be judgmental of others' eating habits. "Before" I ate all the wrong stuff... now I eat too little, according to some people. It's my journey, it's my life! 3. Remember that every single one of us is fighting our own battles, wrestling with our own demons, and wading through our own personal hell. I'll try not to hold it against you if you try not to hold it against me. 4. See the beauty in everyone and everything- I took it to heart when Dr. McKenna came to my hospital room and wished me a Happy Birthday the morning after my RnY. (after all, it was the first day of my new life!) I've been given a second chance, and there's beauty all around us if we pause to open our eyes and see it. I raise my glass of Crystal Light to all of you, my BP friends- here's to an amazing 2015 and all the success it will bring us! Cheers!

Wow- what an amazing transformation! Thanks for sharing

I think that question, along with many others, depends on your procedure, your tolerance from surgery/pain, and most importantly...how you feel. I took two weeks off from work after having RnY. In retrospect, I think if I took it easy, I could have returned earlier, but my health and healing was most important to me. Even after two weeks off, it was still an additional several weeks before I could get through the day without feeling wiped out by midafternoon.

Good luck- we're all rooting for you!

@@krisstep I wish I knew why taco meat has turned its yummy, spicy self against me! I think it's the idea of ground beef overall- I seem to have issues with it. I ate just a bit of it a couple of weeks ago and thought death itself would be a better option than living with the pain under my breastbone that plagued me for a couple of hours afterwards. As far as the Black Bean Spaghetti recipe goes, I found it here: http://www.snixykitchen.com/2014/06/16/southwestern-black-bean-spaghetti/ I don't actually make the avocado sauce, but just chop up an avocado and add it in with all the other veggies- it's awesome! Black bean spaghetti is an acquired taste, I think... or maybe it was just me trying to get over the notion that it looks like a pile of black rubber bands on my plate It's chewier than regular spaghetti, but if you want to make a cheaper, "safer" option, regular Pasta would be ok, I guess. I found Dreamfields pasta in my diabetic journey and continue to use it even though my sugars are fine now- I can enjoy it w/o having to worry about overloading on carbs, though it doesn't have the fabulous Protein count that the black bean counterpart does. Hope you like it

I'm 8 weeks out or so, and started experimenting with Cholula sauce around week 4 on refried beans- I'm a Mexican food junkie too! At this point, there's very little spiciness I can't handle, thankfully. Just need to be careful what I put it on- so far taco meat is definitely "out", which brings a tear to my eye, but I have a killer Southwestern Black Bean Spaghetti recipe that I just had for lunch today- covered in red onion, chopped fresh jalapeños and hot sauce. Yum!

After literally looking to check where my incisions were, my lowest one is about 2 inches above my bellybutton, if that helps

The same company (I think) also makes Lentil Crisps in a Red Pepper variety- just as addicting!

I can't say as there was anything "wound-wise" that I needed. My incisions were very small, glued shut and covered with those steri-strips that fell off after a few days. The only thing that was a help to me once the strips fell off was gently rubbing baby oil on the incision sites to get that glue residue off- it was getting covered with fuzz from my clothes!

@@MarylandCrab Glad to be of help! If you scroll back through November & December, I've been sending Jonathan blog entries of my experience- hope it provides some insight & comfort. @@lovedXJesus Dr. McKenna's office is absolutely incredible! I like to think we're all here to help each other, whether we're "Virtual acquaintances" or actually have the same surgeon. I'd definitely give them a call- I would think they'd be happy to see you at our meetings!

@@lovedXJesus My pleasure! My last visit with my surgeon was eye-opening, for sure. She told me that the numbers on the scale were the worst indication of WLS success. Numbers fluctuate all the time, and aren't an indication of true progress. I wish I could convey her voice here on the boards- she has a beautiful voice with a lilting "island" like accent. She told me, "True success with weight loss surgery lies with two things, Susan. Are your clothes getting too big, and are you able to do things now easier than you could do them before?" And the answer to both of those things is a resounding "Yes!" I think her words are my words to live by. The numbers may not be going down as fast as I'd like, but I'm also thinking that I'm replacing fat with muscle, which weighs more. Plus... those baggy clothes don't lie!

@@lovedXJesus Dr. McKenna has a support group that meets at Frederick Memorial Hospital the last Monday of every month- in fact, I met MarylandCrab there just last week! @@MarylandCrab If you click on the link at the bottom of my signature/post, it will take you to Jonathan Blue's blog. I've posted there a full-blown account of all the tests we're asked to go through and how they "work". Happy reading

I had RnY and have 6 incision marks. They're really small- some have healed perfectly flat, and some are still "dimples" in my belly. They don't bother me though- my stomach hasn't seen the light of day in years and probably never will The only thing that bothers me about them (being the artistic type) is that they're not in a perfect circle!

I started to notice it after about 20 pounds came off- probably from just not having as much padding on the fanny as I did before. I remember wondering how skinny people tolerated sitting in wooden chairs if this is what it felt like, lol. It's not as bad as it once was though- I'm chalking it up to another adjustment our bodies need to make as we're changing.

Ahhh, more sweet toothed folks out there! Good to meet ya! Everything suggested above looks yummy, but I would throw a word of caution out there (not to seem like a wet blanket) that I make a point of checking the calorie count of those Protein bars. 20 grams of protein sounds great, but some of those bars I've seen can pack over 300 calories! sugar-free doesn't necessarily mean "low calorie"- those things are sweetened with sugar alcohols, which can be just as high in carbs as some high octane sugary stuff. All depends on what you're trying to accomplish and watch, but for me, 300 calories isn't worth it. I can be happy with one sugar free Peppermint Pattie type candy from Weight Watchers for about 60 calories... I just eat it all slow and dramatic-like, like they do on the commercials & walk a little extra on the treadmill With that being said, sugar free pudding, Breyer's Carb Smart fudge bars & Hershey's Sugar Free baking chips are awesome!

I've been using a FitBit for just a couple of days now, and really like it. It's way more accurate (and encouraging with little "you can do it!" messages on my phone) than a steptracker app on my phone (which seemed to count everything as a step), or the pedometer I used to keep clipped to my bra strap that would register a "step" just by bumping it. Plus, the FitBit is Water resistant so I don't have to take it off to shower or do dishes. FitBit also syncs wirelessly to my Android phone & laptop via a USB dongle anytime you're within range. Just my two cents