LisaLouBop

I eat at restaurants everyday with no problems. They all serve Protein and I take home what I don't finish.

I have a friend who is a bariatric dietician and she feels that a larger portion of her patients don't completely understand expectations. she had theories about it including education levels, ability to read well etc but i actually doubt that is the primary issue.
I think that WLS is incredibly emotional, many of the people who go through it are not in the best state of mind at the moment (anxiety, fear, hopelessness, wishing for a miracle etc) that they just CAN'T HEAR the details.... it is like deer in the headlights kind of thing.
I could be wrong of course, but my sense from reading some of the things posted here... people going to USA based surgeons with bariatric programs who say they were not told "fill in the blanks" and I have decided that all those programs can't be THAT lacking in basic info.
This isn't a judgement against those patients - I was pretty rattled too - my personality type is to dig and to try to understand every nit when i am rattled.

Hi everybody
24 days WFL and I lost 15 lbs after 7 months stall, yes wine was definitely the cause for not losing anything for that long. I knew that was the case but I wasn't ready to quit drinking wine or quit drinking period. Well I invested way too much money and my time to sabotage my success so I told my self this is it, get on with the program and figure it out what's the right path, drink wine and stay overweight or quit wine and get healthy. I chose to get healthy and only when we are ready to make that commitment things will work out for us. We made a commitment to get banded but we had no clue how difficult will be to adjust our lifestyle completely as bandsters.
I love support we have on here and it can only get better from here
Thank you everyone
PS. Do you guys have Facebook page for Bandsters? Would love to join

@@BigViffer
I ride a BMW R1150R.
I had responded to your previous post, but I was using my tablet and things go kablooey on bariatric pal with tablets sometimes. I typed 2 paragraphs about bikes that I've had and how much I like this sport tourer only to have it all disappear, and then "edit"showed up. Ha ha, I don't know how it does things like that.

As you grow emotionally and healthier, focus on your life ahead. You will get stronger and your babies will get a little older, and you can plan. I used to visualize my verbally abusive second husband would be beating me with his cane when we got old. Four years and I was pathetically abused and a mess. Tearing me down, humiliating me, then telling me it was for my own good. they are called misogynists. Find the book, Men who hate women, and the Women Who Love Them". It saved my life. Verbal abuse is worse than physical abuse. Read up on it.

When people show you who they are, believe them.
~Maya Angelou~

I also signed up for personal training yesterday. Time to tone up!!

Thanks for sharing all of your pix - You guys look great! Although I do have this part of me that is much more private, I have this camera shy mindset that is so deeply ingrained, It doesn't occur to me to have my picture taken for anything. Perhaps I will work on that

I posted this is in another section, but it makes more sense here:
This is my opinion based on my observations of testimonials and stories of WLS patients that I read prior to getting my surgery - most of the hoops that third party payers (people with insurance) are forced to jump through are ways of weeding out those who are not motivated to properly use the tool. Part of the testing is CYA stuff that we do in the US to prevent lawsuits.

While this is an observation, it is obviously not universally true...there are some highly motivated people on this site who jumped through the insurance companies hoops to have their surgery, and they did so quickly to get the show on the road. But if you were motivated enough to put your own money into WLS and go down to Mexico, odds are you are highly compliant and ready to make the change.

So which ever route you take, self-pay or insurance, those who make it through the initial process, eh, already have skin in the game. The people who are not disciplined enough to get through all the steps, are probably not good candidates, and those who have someone else do all their work for them, or were pressured into surgery are often the biggest whiners that "it doesn't work."

It's just a tool, you still have to do the work.

I'm glad I found this forum because to be honest I wasn't impressed with the people in my Weight Loss Seminar:
Now do I approve of surgery for somebody just needing to lose ten pounds? No...Seriously that did happen in my weight loss seminar. There was a woman just needing to lose ten pounds wanting bariatric surgery. She complained about her back aches and knee hurting. Yes I know extra weight is no fun. But to be cut open just to lose ten pounds in a blink of an eye is not a good idea.
One guy started yelling when he found out he couldn't smoke marijuana afterwards and not be issued medical marijuana.
One woman's cell phone kept playing annoying music throughout.
These two older woman acted like Twelve year olds when the word "Dumping" syndrome was announced they laughed so hard and said "Poop."
I felt as if I was in the Twilight Zone gone berserk!
Then came the end portion of the questions:
"Will I ever be able to eat a large bag of chips again?"
I think the doctor was at her wits end by the end. She quickly left the room.
Then a fight broke out between two woman screaming at each-other about who needed the surgery most.
The nurse asked if one of them had been drinking!
I left so fast at the end I didn't even want to know the answer.
I can laugh about this now but trust me at the time NOT FUNNY!
Has this happened to anybody else?
Like I said it was a mixture of the circus in the twilight zone during a bad dream.
Lisa

Happened to me also, just the other day. I responded with a long post, it did something weird and now the only thing the post says is "edit". I have no idea. A while ago I paid to upgrade to the VIP to stop all the ads thinking that that might be the problem but so far I still see ads blinking and flashing, so much for that Idea.

For my job I was overseeing a project that the news videotaped and put online. I couldn't believe with all that was going on and how little I was on camera how many nasty comments and judgements there were about me. It was humiliating!

Book Review - Alex Brecher's The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery
by joatsaint
I just recently bought Alex Brecher's book - The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery. You maybe asking, "Randy (by the way, my real name is Randy), you're almost 3 years post-op, why are you still reading weight loss surgery success books?" Go ahead, ask me... I'll wait. :-)
(insert the theme song from Jeopardy)......
Okay, here's the answer. Years ago, I was listening to and still listen to a great motivational speaker - Zig Zigglar. He said champions never stop training and learning. Even after Micheal Jordan was at the pinnacle of his success, he still trained like he was a rookie. Even though the workouts were grueling and he didn't like it, he still met with a trainer that pushed him to his limits on every workout.
Champions in any area, read and reread articles, books, listen to audio books, and watch video on being a success in their field. I know I don't know everything there is to know about successful WLS. And by continually reading, I remind myself (I have the attention span of a gnat!) of the things I need to do to maintain my WLS success. Sometimes it's just a reminder and sometimes I learn something new that I can apply to my life.
So, on to Alex Brecher's book - The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery: Living Your Best Life After Weight Loss Surgery

My favorite quote from the book: "From recovering from surgery to losing the extra pounds to keeping them off, weight loss surgery is a part of your life forever. The path to losing weight and keeping it off can be challenging at times, but the rewards can be worth the investment many times over."

You need to know up front, this book is not about choosing the right weight loss surgery for you. It’s great resource if you want to know what to expect life will be like after weight loss surgery.

I found the book well written and very informative. The book's style is such that it doesn't assume that you know everything already, and is easy to understand.

The most important part to me was the emphasis on the importance of lifestyle changes. Weight loss surgery is not a set and forget procedure. WLS success is a continuing process that requires active participation from the patient.

Alex doesn't pull any punches in describing how hard WLS can be. I know! Been there, done that! Had 80% of my stomach removed and I didnt' even get a T-shirt!

You don’t just wake up after surgery and are magically thin!

For months after my sleeve surgery, I had trouble steadily losing the weight. I'd have stalls and get discouraged, or worse, I'd gain a pound or two and freak out. So I especially like emphasis on taking a long-term view of the surgery and life. Alex reminds the reader that successful WLS is not all about the scale.

The book is a great resource for information about:
discussing diet exercise mental toughness success factors that contribute to the long term weight loss surgery success setting goals dealing with friends and family members who may or may not be supportive eating right setting realistic expectations for your weight loss goal I walked away with new ideas on everyday things, like scheduling my meals and supplements, getting in enough Protein without getting too bored with eating the same old things again and again, and making meals that both my friends will like and that I can eat – so I don’t have to worry about social events!

Overall, I found it full of useful/practical information and even some funny parts.

Well-written and easy to read, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery to anyone considering weight loss surgery, as well as to anyone who has had any type of bariatric surgery.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/books/recommended.html

My surgery is coming up next month. I have told my 4 closest friends, my oldest son (22), my daughter (14) but NOT my (separated) husband. The emotional abuse of my 25 yr marriage is a bit part of why I overate to begin with, and I have no desire to hear more comments from him. Middle son (15) can't keep his mouth shut so I haven't told him either. Eventually, maybe.
I started a new job last month, had hoped to get approval and have the surgery before then but it didn't work out that way, and the approval came in time to have a late June surgery. I had to delay it due to the new job start (small business, desperately needing help). I was upfront that I needed to take some time off for surgery but could wait until Sept when things in our work quiet down a lot. At first I didn't say what it was for, but my boss is more overweight than I am, and diabetic as well, and I thought it might be helpful for her to hear it so I blurted it out one day. Immediately I heard about the negatives (another employee had it and now has severe anemia, but it turns out she drinks soda, doesn't eat much real food and doesn't take vitamins). I really like my boss so I explained the real risks and benefits and laid out why I need this and she's been good about it since then, but for awhile I was really wishing I hadn't said anything.
My plan is not to bring it up with anyone else unless it's a close friend who asks, or someone who is genuinely interested in losing weight themselves. I'll be sticking with the general "eating smaller portions and avoiding sugar, working out" answer for most.

I had my surgery 2 year ago in August. I was 320 lbs and couldn't run a half mile. I just competed in my first triathlon and have raced in 3 half marathons. I can't believe how far I have come.
I did this for my kids and now they want to compete in triathlons. I am a proud dad.

I started at 250 and am now at 128. I'm 5'6, 35 years old.
   

Progress pics. Third set are me at my highest weight where my journey towards surgery began. I had surgery on 2/27/15 and am down 66 lbs. (96 from HW). LIFE altering to say the least. I am about half way there. Best decision ever!

I am definitely a stocker-upper! On hand for myself (I do a lot of cooking without partaking):
100-calorie Greek yogurts (what did we do before Greek yogurt!)
gluten-free Cereal (I put a little in my yogurt as otherwise it's a slider food for me. I need to chew)
Walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds
cheese, Grommit! (@@LipstickLady, bet we could open a cheese shoppe!)
eggs -- a fried egg is my go-to when I'm suddenly hungry
Smoked salmon. I just feel better if there is an extra packet in the freezer. olives -- they are something I can have just a couple of and feel very satisfied. Good ones, oil-cured are my favorite.
Black Beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans
Hummus
Celery -- I have to destring it and/or cut up into small pieces
Scallions & cilantro --seem to use in everything
Carrots, onions, garlic - scallions
Ground beef (we only buy organic grass-fed now)
Ground turkey (Costco has organic ground turkey, yippee)
Things I still can't have in the house:
Peanut Butter -- I can't be trusted not to find a tiny spoon and start in...have not tried almond butter for the same reason but I may give it a shot as I used to love a rice cake with almond butter.
Cottage Cheese -- I have this when I go visit my parents and I can just have a little, but at home I have a tendency to go back for more, more....
Very few foods hold that old power over me. I am able to ignore the ice cream and sorbet, etc., that we often have in the freezer. Wouldn't go near the breads, Pasta or rice, etc. I can even have chocolate in the house -- in fact that should have been on the list of staples above. I let myself have a little dark chocolate when I want it. No depriving myself, that is over.

At the risk of a trainwreck, I'm going to use a phrase I used recently...
"beg your pardon?"

So I've been REALLY putting in a good fight to lose weight going into surgery and to change my old habits NOW so that it's not so foreign afterwards. In June, I could barely walk across my house without having to sit down. 2 weeks ago, I nearly died going around the block and yesterday, I walked 2 miles! Seriously my heart was pounding out of my chest and I was coughing like a 50yr smoker when I got home(if home counts as the front lawn and my fat ass laying on it like a fish pulled out of a lake LOL), but I was so proud! I walked 2 miles!!!! At this rate I wonder if I can get to light jogging even before my surgery(I wish!)

Happened to me also, just the other day. I responded with a long post, it did something weird and now the only thing the post says is "edit". I have no idea. A while ago I paid to upgrade to the VIP to stop all the ads thinking that that might be the problem but so far I still see ads blinking and flashing, so much for that Idea.

@@Alex Brecher,
My NUT is great.
To answer one of your questions, my NUT clarified that: 1) Sleevers don't have pouches and since we have our pyloric valve the "rule" of not drinking right after eating because liquid will wash food out of our stomached doesn't apply; and 2) unlike RNY and lapband, we don't have an artificially narrow stomach opening so we can take meds (we don't have to make sure pulls are the size of an eraser or smaller.
Those are the two specific things I remember off the top of my head.

On the regain issues ... my shrink works with a number of bariatric patients and has seen many people go through this process. Back in January 2015 I asked him, "What issues do you see patients struggling with who regain weight? And by that I don't mean that they're eating too much. I'm really asking what's going on inside them that leads them to regain?"



After thinking a moment, he said: "What I mostly see is that they're struggling to find new reasons and new motivations to focus on their weight and fitness.



"After they hit their goal weights, many of the rewards they got while losing weight go away. They're no longer motivated by seeing the scale move down. After a while, their family and friends get used to what they look like and stop commenting on their weight loss or weight. Even people who were their strongest supporters during the weight loss phase no longer offer supportive comments. And when this positive reinforcement disappears, that has a negative effect on the patients.



"So then they must find new goals and new motivations to maintain their weight and to be fit. And for some folks that's not easy."



So that's one shrink's brief observations about the psychological (not medical or physiological) causes of WLS patients' weight regain. Maybe that will ring some bells for other readers.



Interestingly, over a year ago I committed to see my shrink for three years during:



* The year of losing weight

* The year of maintaining weight

* The year of boring real life