pratthobbies

I like "no longer eat my emotions." Well put.

Interesting article, and I'm glad research is continuing. But "I thought I was cured" brought me up short. Cured? That's not what we're dealing with here. You have to say goodbye to the days of eating as much of anything as you wanted, trading that for the fact that you will have more of your life left to you and feel better during the time you have left. I have friends who have been successful with the bypass. I'm doing great with it myself so far. But I have one friend who has gained most of his weight back, because he couldn't give up alcoholic drinks. That's not a failure of the surgery. It's not a cure, it's a tool. We have to learn to use tools.

Boost Glucose Control. Nestle is the maker.

Definitely. I learned the hard way to shop around, and more sources are always useful. My favorite pre-mixed protein shakes are available at local grocery stores, but are almost half the price on Amazon.com...and thanks to Amazon I discovered that they are available packaged in juice-box-like "brick packs" rather than the plastic bottles at an even better price!

When I began to research weight loss surgery a year ago, I bought four books. The best one by far was "The Big Book of the Gastric Bypass" by Alex Brecher. I was impressed with the way that it presented the whole picture: all the alternatives for dealing with obesity, and what can be expected from each one. Rather than trying to sell you on bypass, the book gives you the facts you need to decide whether or not the bypass is right for you. If you decide that it isn't, the first five chapters of the book are worth the price of the whole thing. If you go for the bypass, the rest of the book tells you exactly what the experience will be like. No sugarcoating, no axes ground, just what you need to know to make the bypass work for you. I got the bypass last September and am down 70 pounds. I have had so few complications, I don't even know what most of them feel like. Adapting to the new lifestyle has been almost shockingly easy for me. I credit this to three things: my intelligent and understaning wife, my excellent surgeon, and Alex's book. I've been narrating audiobooks for a few years now, and will soon finish up my 20th title for Audible.com. When I got back into it after my surgery, I was thrilled to discover that Alex had put "The Big Book of the Gastric Bypass" up for narration. I nailed the audition, and I'm quite proud of the result. Alex must have liked it too, because I'm currently working on "The Big Book of the Lap Band." It was a real pleasure to do these books that I admire and respect, and I hope that the chance to listen to them will help a lot of people be as successful with weight loss as I have been. So, Audible has given me some free coupon codes to promote the audiobook version of "The Big Book of the Gastric Bypass." I would be delighted to share them with folks here on BariatricPal. First come, first served, of course. If you would like a free copy of the audiobook, please drop me an email at dad@pratt-hobbies.com and I'll send you the instructions. You do not have to subscribe to Audible.com to get the free book, and if you have an Audible subscription you can use the coupon code to get the book without affecting your monthly points. If you decide to subscribe to Audible and pick one of my narrations as your free first book, the author and I get a nice little royalty bump. Email me if you have any questions. I also have some coupon codes left from some of my earlier Audible releases, including "Titan II, A History of the Cold War Missile Program," "Unhinged" by Michelle Malkin, "The Virginia Handbook" travel guide, and "All Ears," a wonderful collection of small-town newspaper columns from upstate New York. Thanks for listening. http://www.audible.com/pd/Health-Fitness/The-Big-Book-on-the-Gastric-Bypass-Audiobook/B00S6VO8SU/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1421768324&sr=1-1

Hello, y'all. I'm a big guy who has been struggling with weight loss all my life. I had been successful for a while with Adkins, but when the diabetes kicked in I hit 400 pounds. My internist (who I love...he's a little round fellow, so he doesn't get holier-than-thou about weight loss) recommended RYGB. In the process of researching it I bought a copy of "The Big Book of the Gastric Bypass," and it was the best thing I'd read. I got the procedure in September and everything has been working out great. Now for the coincidence. One of the things I like to do is narrating audiobooks. I've done 18 titles now for Audible.com, recording and producing the files myself. I'm quite proud of some of them, and I love working with interesting authors. I've done biographies of Buster Keaton and Howard Hughes, and histories of the War of 1812 and the Titan II Missile program. I'm always on the lookout for interesting books that would be a good fit for my voice and style. Imagine my delight when The Big Book came up for audition! I sent in a sample immediately, and darned if I didn't get the contract. I've got the recordings underway, and the finished producion is due January 15. The first two chapters are edited and mastered. It's going well. I enjoy the easy, conversational style...and of course, the material has a personal interest! I wanted to plug into the online community because I bet that a lot of folks here already own a copy of the Big Book, and I would be glad to hear any advice or suggestions you might have for the audio version. It's a little tricky to make an interesting performance of a book that is primarily a reference or information source. I want to produce something that a person who is considering RYGB might listen to in their car during a commute or a long trip. That means doing a little judicious editing; I'm not going to read the reference footnotes or the blank worksheets at the end of each chapter. I would be glad to hear any thoughts from members of the community. If you would like to listen to some of my work, I have some free coupon codes for three of my titles. Drop me an email at dad@pratt-hobbies.com if you would like one. I won't clutter up the board here with all the details or links, it's easier via email. There's no charge to use one of the codes, and no requirement to subscribe to Audible.com, but if you do decide to subscribe and you pick one of my titles as your free first audiobook, the author and I get a nice little bump in our royalties. Best regards, Doug Pratt

Wise choice. The Big Book is the better of the two just in terms of raw information, as well as the fact that it presents it better. Thanks for the good wishes.

Me too on the Kindle. I love the fact that I have the app on my smartphone so it's always with me. When I'm recording a book it's a huge help to have it on Kindle. I can highlight parts that need attention and the highlights show up on my laptop and tablet. I boughd and read Gastric Bypass Surgery by Mary McGowan and thought it was very good. It's written by a doctor so it's from the doctor's viewpoint. One of the best things about the Big Book is that it's written by a patient with help from a nutritionist. I also bought Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies, although I don't consider myself a dummy and I've always wondered about the wisdom of running down your readers' intelligence in the book title...sorry, pet peeve. It's really a very good book. Well organized.

I really wonder where some of these scare stories are coming from. Teeth falling out? Sounds bogus to me. Maybe if you completely ignored your surgeon and nutritionist...even then, I'm betting something else was going on. So many problems go away when you lose 50 or 60 pounds, it's hard to imagine life not being better than before surgery. I would absolutely not be influenced by some scare story from the Internet if your doctor tells you not to worry about it. After all, everyone is different, and your doctor knows YOU. Don't worry about anything unless he tells you it's a concern. And do ask him anything that's on your mind. That's his job. Attitude makes a tremendous difference in your health, and stress is a known killer. Do whatever you need to do to reduce your stress, and don't look for things to worry about!

Thank you! It's a very good book. I got several when I was researching RYGB last year and it was the best.

I have had no issues at all with the bypass. You have to decide what is best for you. People tend to lose more weight with the bypass because it is both restrictive and malabsorptive. Your small stomach fills faster so you eat less, same as the sleeve. That's the restrictive part. Malabsorption means you absorb less from what you do eat, since your stomach is connected farther down your intestine. I wanted that part to deal with my diabetes and it worked. You also get less of the hormones that make you hungry. I had a problem getting enough water at first but once I got in the habit, the slight constipation cleared right up. My strategy was to drink apple cider, diluted with water, and V8 juice. If you drink plenty of water and follow the post surgery diet carefully, constipation shouldn't be a problem.

I've finished recording "The Big Book of the Gastric Bypass." I'm not done by any means; it generally takes three hours to edit and master an hour of finished audio. It's always a bittersweet experience to get this far. I don't narrate books I'm not emotionally involved with, in some sense. On this one the connection is obvious, and I'm pleased to be invoved with a work that I know is doing a lot of good. Now I'm processing the files, running them on a split screen with the Kindle book on the top half of the screen and the sound editing software on the bottom. I'm trying to stick as close to the text as possible. The problem with reference books is that there is no way of reading tables of data and making them sound interesting...it's like trying to read a phone book, The purpose of the audiobook is to be engaging and entertaining not to be a detailed information source. I try to decide what's important and include it without breaking up the flow. Of course, if the author disagrees with any decisions I make, I re-do it his way. It's his book. I'm catching edit points where I mispronounced something, mush-mouthed a phrase or fluffed a word. I usually know when I haven't done a sentence well, and I re-record it on the spot. If I catch something on the first edit pass I'll go back into the studio and re-record the whole paragraph so I can easily blend in the edit. I'm also working on pacing by tweaking the empty spaces between sentences and paragraphs. After 19 audiobooks I've gotten pretty good at the process, and I still enjoy the heck out of it. It feels like craftsmanship. Once the file is edited there will be at least two more passes to catch missed edits or noise. Then I'll process the WAV files into MP3s and send them up the line to Audible. They do their own quality control, and I fix any problems they find. The author is also reviewing the final files, and I will fix anything that bothers him. Once we're all done, the title goes live on Audible, Amazon and iTunes. One of the details I have to take care of is selecting the five-minute sample that is part of all Audible listings. You can listen to five minutes of any Audible title before deciding to buy it. I wait to pick the sample until the book is recorded; some segment will recommend itself for the job. With this one it was pretty easy. I don't think it will upset anyone if I give folks here on the board a sneak preview of the five-minute sample. I'll attach the file to this message. Please let me know what you think of it! rygb_5min_sample.mp3

My hair was getting thinner anyways, since I'm an old geezer. I think it might be getting a tad thinner but it's hard to tell. I' going to ask my nutritionist about it next week. I haven't noticed any hair falling out or sticking to combs or anything. I can relate to the redundancy. I was a government consultant until last May when political shenanigans cut the budget and they didn't pick up the last two years of my contract. I had plenty of time for the surgery since I've been filling in the gaps with my small mail order hobby business. I also started a new career narrating audiobooks. It gave me plenty of time to deal with the surgery but no insurance to pay for it. I managed, and it was worth it. Your mon's a nurse? What could be better than having your own in-house medical professional! If you and your mom want to travel a bit next spring, come and see Niagara Falls and visit me. My grandfather planted an arboretum with rare trees and built an amazing house out of Medina sandstone. Now that I've inherited the place I'm setting up an educational nonprofit to manage the arboretum. Take a look at www.robinhillpreserve.com to see some pictures. If you come in the fall you can enjoy the apples, and the wine is good all year round! I had surprisingly little pain from surgery. They wrapped me with a wide band that held my muscles together, which I wore for five weeks. My surgeon was excellent. No problems with healing from the laproscopic incision. I still have most of the prescription painkiller they sent me home with. The more you lose ahead of time, the better your chance that the surgery will stay laparoscopic. They do so much of this kind of surgery these days. They can even remove your gall bladder without converting the procedure to open. If you impress your surgeon with your dedication your chances should improve. The surgeon doesn't want to surprise you, so if he thought it might turn into an open procedure he would certainly tell you.

Your surgeon sounds like he is heavily invested in your success. That's great! Don't be afraid to ask him anything that is on your mind. There are NO trivial questions. Your surgeon will be able to give you a detailed plan for post-surgery food. Generally people are on Clear liquids for a week or so to be certain that everything is healed. I was expecting this, so imagine my surprise when the hospital brought me pureeed food the day after my operation! They knew what they were doing, since they do a lot of RYGB, and I was home on schedule. I had planned on living on Protein shakes for a week or so, and I had tried a few before surgery so I had settled on one I liked. I don't feel deprived when I can have something that tastes like a chocolate milk shake three times a day! I live in upstate NY near Niagara Falls, and October is apple picking season. My wife made me applesauce with some of the new varieties, and it was like ambrosia. Hard to feel like you're suffering when you're eating apples right off the tree. A week later we found the miniature blender we used to use to make baby food for the kids, and I started with tuna fish, green Beans and more applesauce. I learned to scramble an egg with 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil and some pepper, and things seemed like they were getting back to reality. As the weeks went by I made ham salad with diced ham and lowfat mayo in the little blender, and progressed from Fuji to Empire apples. Thanksgiving was when I was scheduled to hit solid food, and I could probably have done it sooner, but it seemed appropriate to wait and Celebrate. I even had a small glass of wine. Our wines up here on the Niagara Frontier are exceptional, just like our apples. Your mom sounds just as supportive as my wife and daughter have been to me. It helps a lot to have someone going through the process with you, keeping you honest and upbeat! Attitude is very important, it has direct physical results. The better your attitude the healthier you will be. It sounds like you're making a good start. I would encourage you to learn all you can. I bought several books when I decided to get serious about the bypass. The best one is the reason why I'm here...The Big Book of the Gastric Bypass was written by the guy who started bariatricpal.com. It wasn't my first read, because I thought it might be a sales pitch for the web site, but when I got into it I realized that my first impression was wrong. It lays out exactly what the experience is like and what you can expect, pulling no punches and doing no weaseling. I recommend it highly. Snag the Kindle version and use it as a reference as you go. Knowledge really is power.

If you did your homework and got a good surgeon, you should be just fine. There are risks associated with any surgery. I frankly think some of the scare stories are over-hyped, to "encourage" people to stick to the diet. That's the key: don't cheat and follow the instructions. This is all about getting back in control, so keep your hands on the wheel. I get my supplements in a package deal, and I take two multi Vitamins a day and three calcium/magnesium supplements. The package includes an Iron supplement but my nutritionist said I didn';t need it becahse there are no signs of anemia. I also suffer from severe guy-ness, and I understand ladies are at a greater risk of iron deficiency. So far I have added in a B Complex sublingual pill once a day. I learned a lot about vitamins when I was on the Adkins diet (which worked very well for me, I lost 80 pounds and held off the diabetes for a few years). I'm accustomed to taking supplements by the handful anyway. I'm proceeding into the world of solid food. Being able to eat a slice of turkey and some mashed potatoes, as well as a small piece of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner was a triumph. No one remarked on m small portions, they told me I looked great and we talked about other things. Actual life, who would have thought? Since then I have baked a ham and divided it up into appropriate serving sizes in ziplock bags. Works great, and I really look forward to it. I think it's important for your attitude that you don't feel deprived. I don't spend time looking at ice cream and sighing wistfully...more like "You no longer control me!" I'm figuring out my own strategies and techniques for eating right, and it feels good. Don't be scared. This can really work. Nothing worthwhile is easy, but it is well worth the effort...YOU are well worth the effort. And when you value yourself enough to work at your quality of life, surprise surprise...other people notice your self-respect and start respecting you too. They can't help themselves.

Absolutely no regrets. I have an excellent doctor I've been seeing since 1981. He told me a year ago that diabetes was kicking in and I should consider RYGB. I decided to try one more time and put myself on 1200 calories a day. In a year I gained 30 pounds. I had to prove to myself I couldn't beat it by being stubborn (a family trait). Preparing for surgery was actually easier than usual because I was paying for everything myself and didn't have to deal with insurance companies. Within days of the surgery I was off diabetes meds, and every time I test it my blood sugar is normal. I'm down 50 pounds and am feeling better than I have in years. I'm over 60, and I decided I was not going to spend the next 20 years in a 400 pound body. Now I have lots of plans, projects and goals, and a good shot at making them.

I had surgery 11/30 and everything is going great. I followed the post surgery diet very carefully and never had complications. I discovered what dumping syndrome feels like by trying some chocolate pudding that wasn't sugar free...once was enough for that! Other than that it has been smooth sailing. Food no longer controls my life because I have a good plan and am following it. It feels good.

Good luck to all of you going in for surgery! I had mine November 30 and everything is working great. My best advice based on my experience is to learn as much as you can about what is going to happen. If you understand what is going on, you are less likely to feel helpless and out of control. After all, taking control of our lives is what this is all about.