Karla Yates Phelps

I had a Sleeve done on 4/26/2010. They had only been doing them in the U.S. for about a year then. Four months post Sleeve I began vomiting bile randomly. Anytime day or night, on an empty stomach, it would hit. My sleeve surgeon told me that he would just live with it! I changed doctors right after that. On Jan. 20, 2015 I was converted to RNY. They have learned that some who have GERD before sleeve will have this problem and the RNY is the only way to stop it. By rerouting the intestines the bile is no longer able to get into my pouch, making me sick.
Looking at the timeline you can see that I suffered with it for almost five years. I had multiple scopes, x-rays, and had my gallbladder removed during that time. So far this seems to have fixed it.
Hope this may help you make up your mind. Best to you!

Self-sabotage may still live inside us, but it's not US.




We’re alive, and most of us want to stay that way. Fundamentally, underneath all of the noise and the preferences and the prejudices we just want to live as comfortably as possible for as long as possible. We want to be able to play in the world with the stuff we like and the people we love doing the things we want to be doing for as many years as we can. For most of us, this is our deepest truth. It makes sense that our fundamental drive, then, is to act in ways that keep us strong and healthy. It's this drive that inspired most of us to have - or explore the possibility of having - weight loss surgery.
Post-op, many of us realize that we still have something in us that wants to keep us from getting or staying strong and healthy. We still hear the voice of self-sabotage. When faced with the choice to follow through with or disregard a commitment we’ve made to ourselves and our health, it still chimes in with “Oh, screw it,” or “It’s not worth it,” or “Maybe later.” If you’re anything like me, it takes every chance it gets to slap me with “Exercise? Eating well? Who exactly do you think you’re kidding?”
Sabotaging efforts to take better care of ourselves has always worked against us, but after surgery, turning a blind eye to our nutrition plan, skimping on sleep, failing to take supplements, and / or not following our doctor's orders can have way more serious - and more immediately life-threatening, consequences.
The voice urging us to disregard our post-op commitments is not our voice, and the sooner we allow ourselves to recognize that voice as a separate entity, the better. I call my self-sabotaging voice the Beast, and when I remember that it’s the beat’s voice urging me to quit, or not even try, I can listen critically instead of just going with the flow, and doing (or not doing) whatever it suggests. Seeing the beast as separate from me gives me some space to remember my truth - I want to live, and live well - and to act accordingly, which means eating well, eating mindfully, and taking care of my body in every other way that I can.
One of my commitments is to work out every day, because it makes me feel breathless and alive and sexy and it ramps up my energy (I have two toddlers, and I can use all the energy I can get). After a long morning of working out my personal training clients, I’m tired, and the thought bubbles up that “I need a break.” I’ve been in this situation enough times to know that taking that “break” (which usually involves sitting, mindlessly snacking, and losing an hour to Facebook) will suck the life right out of me and set me up for a crappy, lethargic evening.
After years of practice, the moment this kind of self-sabotaging, undermining thought pops up, my radar goes off: “That thought isn’t coming from me.” I know it’s the Beast, and I know that listening to it will yield me the exact opposite of what I want most, which is to feel healthy and vibrant and fully engaged in my life.
And it’s that little mental shift that helps me walk into the gym, even after a long workday.
Odds are there’s a beast living in your head, too. I suggest giving it a name - you’re welcome to use the same one I do. When self-sabotaging and self-harming ideas bubble to the surface, practice labeling them with the name you’ve chosen. “I’m too tired to workout.” That’s probably your beast. “One cigarette won’t hurt.” Most definitely your beast. “Eh, it won't matter if I eat cake and soda while I'm on vacation - life is short!” It just may be short, or at least you may wish it were while you're in the midst of a horrible dumping episode. Surgery junk food after gastric bypass? Yup, you guessed it: Beast.
I work every day to disempower the beast in me and to give my clients the tools to disempower theirs. Today, my Beast tells me not to bother blogging because nothing I write will ever be good enough. It tells me not to bother giving people tools to end self-sabotage, like I’ll be doing in a free, live webinar on April 1 at 8:30 PM Eastern (CLICK HERE to claim your seat). It tells me I’m a fraud for trying to live a healthy life, nevermind trying to teach other people how to do it, too.
Because I default to self-harm and self sabotage, I need to keep my deep desires - to be comfortable in my body, to be available to my children, and to be a resource to women like me - front and center in my mind. When a thought comes up - to do or not to do something, anything - I ask myself “Is this in line with what I want most?” If it is, that’s me - that's my voice. When it’s not, that’s the beast.
Try it for yourself - you’ll be amazed how easy it is to figure out who’s talking.
Another way that I keep the beast from controlling me is to share the fact that it exists with you, so thanks for listening, and for joining me on April 1.
If you relate to my story, and you’re lugging around your own self-sabotaging demon, I empathize. I'm living proof that women like us can get a handle on self-sabotage, and live the lives we want: comfortable, strong, and free.
Please join me for "Of Course You Can: 3 Essential Strategies to End Self-Sabotage"
Details: FREE & LIVE, April 1, 2015 at 8:30 PM Eastern; webinar
To claim your seat, visit: http://webinarjam.net/webinar/go/14421/b8b8bcf46d

The only thing that bothers me is how long and flat my boobs are when released from my bra. That said, my husband still loves 'em and I don't care enough to go under the knife so...

Hubby lost over 100lbs with a bypass almost 9 years ago, and his loose skin didn't bother me one bit. I know mine doesn't bother him too much, but when I am in a "certain" position for sexy time, I can hear and feel the loose skin on my stomach flapping away. And let's not even DISCUSS the boobs. I could kill myself with the sheer trajectory. Or at least blacken my eyes. Bothers me more than it does him.

Ok, copied another one from my Bariatric centers website....again, a re-print from a memebr's contribution...(slightly edited)
10 Things not to say to someone who has lost weight!!!
1. How much more do you have to go?
Um, I just lost 50 pounds, pal.
I think I'm just about there.
2. Wow, you look so pretty/handsome now.
Oh, so that explains why children broke out in expressions of terror at the sight of my former fatness, clinging to their mommy's skirt hems for dear life.
It's as though a person who loses weight magically morphs from Frankenstein to Fabulous, and it's crucial that people point this out.
Hey, whatever happened to all that "it's on the inside that counts" stuff?
3. So, what size are you?
I know that these days, people are pretty comfortable telling strangers everything from what romantic bedroom positions float their boat to how they have a thing for collecting toenail clippings. But really, is anything sacred anymore?
Not that our clothing size is on par with revealing salaries or some horrible childhood memory, but I'm sure all of our lives will go on just fine with people not knowing whether I'm a small, medium or large or whether I went from a D or C cup to B or an A.
4. I bet you have so many admirers now!
Why yes, I say, as I toss the latest love letter from Brad Pitt and David Beckham into my stash of marriage proposals and naughty notes. (Some letters are more boring: "Jen, you look so pretty now. What size are you, anyway? XOXO, David B").
This one gets me because well, it's somewhat true. And like most humans, sometimes the truth hurts (some say it hurts, I say it often pisses me off). Because in reality, yes, people do treat me differently. No, not in that admirers-lined-up-at-the-door kind of way, but in daily interactions. Both men and women tend to be more receptive to ideas and interested in general conversation, doors are held open from longer-than-normal distances and restaurant checks with a missing side order will be dismissed with a smile.
Inside, I'm the same person I always was, just tinier. And it's that latter part that seems to make people a tad friendlier.
Some people I mention this to become angered, saying that such niceness was really around all along. They maintain that it was me -- grumpy, fat, miserable "the world is against plus-size me" me -- who refused to see it.
Perhaps they are right.
5. Do you have stretch marks?
Thanks for your, um, concern.
6. Are you dying?
Seeing another's weight loss transformation can be shocking, especially if they lost a significant amount. But sometimes the questions people ask are very rude.
"Are you dying?"
"Are you sick?"
"Do you have an eating disorder?"
I mean, who asks such questions? Thinking them is one thing, but outright asking is another.
Sigh.
7. I liked you fatter.
Great, and I liked you quieter.
I'm happier being able to tie my shoes without four rolls of belly bulge beating me to the punch, thank you very much.
And what's that supposed to mean anyway? Are people losing out on "I think she'll eat another slice in an hour" bets with friends? Am I suddenly void of all things jovial (because, as we all know, rotund folks are always super-duper jolly)?
8. Oh, c'mon. You can have another dish of ice cream.
I can. But I won't. That's what landed me in this whole situation in the first place.
This is by far the most terrorizing thing for those who lost weight. When you've just shed any amount of weight, a dinner out with friends is on par with driving in New Jersey traffic during rush hour: scary. (I can say that; I lived there for over 20 years and survived Garden State Parkway commutes. Bonus: While downing jelly donuts.)
Let us be!
9. What was it like?
Sometimes this question is asked meekly, as if people sense that I might break out in cheesecake-withdrawal spasms or screams. Or both.
Oh, weight loss is a feat to be proud of whether two or 402 pounds were dropped. Still, I'm not 1) a saver and protector of the world's bad eaters or 2) a sad soul who lost my way along with my weight.
Yes, I've seen people make mean puffer fish "fat" faces in reference to my heft. Yes, I've become infuriated at the limited clothing styles that many plus-sizes carry. I've cried while consuming an entire box of crackers, I've laughed while eating a tub of family sized popcorn at the theater. I've rolled my eyes at suggestions to lower my weight. Blah. Blah.
And now, I'm not in that world. I'm happy to not be there anymore, so sometimes, questions that force me to go back to a place and time I'd rather forget doesn't give me a case of warm and fuzzies.
I'm a green smoothie-making, kale-eating woman now. I eat hemp seeds, enjoy muesli and drink almond milk. Enough of the candy bar memories.
Next question?
10. You're so pulled together now.
Akin to the "you're pretty now" comment, this one makes me feel like I must have looked as if I was roaming the Earth in a state of bleary eyed nothingness. But now, I've lost weight. So you see, I'm all toss-my-hat-in-the-air Mary Tyler Moore with my confident self.
Funny how people view me because I've changed physically. I was always a hard worker, talking in perfectly-timed "close the loop," "make it happen," and "I'm on it" corporate speak. Hmmm. Perhaps saying it with a thinner body makes people think I mean it more.
So there you have it.
I'm thrilled to have kept 70 pounds off for several years, and I truly enjoy my healthier lifestyle.
I'm not dying.
I'm not a miracle story.
And no, I'm still not revealing my new bra size.

Great topic.
I'm actively working on my "insides" on several fronts.
What has/is changing:
I say "yes" more. It's a conscious, often difficult choice, but I say yes when the old me would say no. I just signed up to walk a 5k because someone here challenged me and I said yes. When I am asked to social things I say yes unless I truly have a scheduling conflict. This is new behavior.
I eat alone in restaurants easily without shame.
I eat inside Subway/etc. instead of a drive thru.
I'm not embarrassed at the movies if someone sits next to me. They have arm room now. I may even smile and say hello.
I'm brave. I'm going through a scary and contested divorce and with help from several sources, I am brave. I've started looking at houses. Scares me to death but I'm brave.
I walk for pleasure. On a nice day I get two miles in on my lunch hour.
I adorn myself. I do my nails, wear a little lipstick, earrings, jewelry.
I get down on the floor to play with the dog.
I walk 528 stairs at work every day because I can. Yep. 24 flights.
I'm a work in progress and I hope I always remain teachable.
I will never ever ever give up on myself.

The reason for the weight gain is because you can still eat all the stuff you shouldn't eat if you are dieting and eating right. chips, candy, icecream, donuts....you name it. Yes, surgery cuts down the quantity at one sitting....but it doesn't stop you from eating all day and eating all the unhealthy stuff your heart desires. With any diet....its you who controls what you put in your mouth. Surgery is not a quick, forever, fix. It is no where near the "easy way out" so many people seem to think it is. Continue to do your research and make a choice that's right for you. Just keep in mind there is nothing out there that will take the weight off and keep it off without constant hard work. Nothing.
Good Luck to you!

It's always better at home. Glad you are there and doing well! Hope your recovery continues to be easy. Keep drinking and walking!

So, of course, in this journey the idea of leaving behind some of the foods that got us to this state leads to the so called 'food funerals.' Any one not enjoy them? I'll say that my decision for WLS was so gradual and I've made so many changes up to this point that things that once gave me a 'high' (sweets, fast food), I've become uber selective over.
So as I finalize this pre op stuff, my mind sometimes seeks out what I 'need' to funeralize. Today I went to burger king, not someplace I've ever really frequented. I got a whopper, fries, but couldn't bring myself to have soda (I've been off all sweetened beverages for 3 weeks now). I didn't enjoy the meal at all. Actually I found that I enjoyed the fresh ingredients (tomato, lettuce, pickles) better than I did the burger and bread. I ate that at 1pm and have had no appetite ever since- the meal really turned me off.
So now I need to work past this sense of 'obligation' to say 'goodbye' to foods. I'm happy with my newly evolving diet. I cooked dinner for the family that I would have been much happier eating than the burger king meal. (pork chops and veggies).
Live and learn, right? Well, Guess I've got lunch for tomorrow.

I agree!!! My co-workers love their "afternoon chocolate" and roll their eyes at me and say something like, "oh that's right, you can't have chocolate" I tell them would you offer an alcoholic a cocktail, then rub it in?
I am proud of how how much I have transformed. I work hard!
I refuse to feel guilty for refusing or even wasting food. I deserve to be healthy!

And last but not least:

12. You learn to NEVER trust a fart.

(Re-printed from my Surgeon's website)
1. Your co-worker heard a strange noise and doesn’t bat an eye…knowing it was your stomach.
Patients often ask me why their new pouch makes odd gurgling noises. It could be too big of bites or eating too quickly. It could also just be your stomach moving around and making noises for all to hear
2. You have a space heater under your desk in the middle of July.
It may be in part to losing some “insulation” but many postop wls patients are colder than they’ve ever been using more blankets at night and space heaters to keep warm.
3. Your alarm just went off for the third time today to remember your next Vitamin.< /b>
While bariatric Vitamins have become much more simpler in recent years, it still takes reminders to get in your vitamins. Your family might even hear the alarm and hand you your calcium!
4. Protein is always first on your mind at your meals – it might as well be plastered inside your forehead.
Protein…protein..where’s the protein? Protein is what fills you up and keeps you full! You get the most out of your surgery when you focus on lean and solid protein sources.
5. Your waitress keeps asking if the food is okay. And if you’re sure you don’t want a drink.
When you can only eat an ounce or so, the wait staff may think something is wrong with the food. And what do you mean you don’t want anything to drink??
6. Your pants are barely holding on but you’re still holding off to go shopping.
Just make sure you don’t carry a heavy object and walk up a flight of stairs. At least not around anyone
7. Speaking of shopping, you still go to the plus sized section first out of habit.
It’s hard to wrap your mind around your new body. Leave plenty of time and stay patient with yourself as you find out what size your body is. Take a good friend to be your “runner” and someone to talk it out with.
8. You get overjoyed at the release of a new Protein Bar flavor…or a sale on your favorite Protein Bars.< /strong>
Quest® has a new flavor?!?!??! Ahhhhh!!!!!!
9. You rejoice at the small things like crossing your legs or getting a pair of boots that zip up your calves.
Some things you’ll never take for granted again. It may seem like nothing to others, but to you it’s something big.
10. You use lingo like “wls”…”bariatric friendly”…”pouch”…”vsg”…
You gotta know the lingo to be in the club!
11. You smile as you think of how far you’ve come and get excited to think of where you’ll be soon.
Patients wonder why they didn’t have their surgery sooner.

March 20, 2015 - Friday Weekend Warm-up
Reminder: If you were driving on the highway and missed your exit, would you say, “Forget it” and keep driving? No! You’d get off at the very next exit and turn around. If you make a mistake this weekend, immediately turn yourself around and get right back on track.
From Beck Daily Diet Solutions - http://www.beckdietsolution.com/daily-diet-solutions/

Update us once you can. I hope surgery went well and you are having an easy recovery! Gas pains lasted a few days after discharge. Walking was the only way to keep it moving for me. First day post op is the worst and should improve everyday. Best to you! Looking forward to hearing about your progress! Welcome to the losers bench!

I'm not sure if I'm posting to the right area, but I'm new to the community. I had my bypass surgery in January of 2014 and have had great results so far. I sure wish I would've found a support group before now because I've had a million questions that I would have loved to have answered over the last year. I'm looking forward to the rest of this amazing journey and to having some support along the way now

I'm a slow loser. I've "only" lost 47 pounds since I was sleeved on Sept.1 (6 months ago yesterday). Past the first month, I've only lost an average of 6 pounds per month. But I still just keep doing what I'm doing, because the scale IS moving... down, down, down. I work out 5 days a week doing both cardio and strength training. I get my 100 grams of Protein in and well over 64 ounces of Water. I take all my Vitamins religiously. I don't track calories regularly, but do "spot checks" from time to time where I track my calories for a day and I am right around 1050 per day now.
I came to terms with my slow loss a few months ago when I realized that there really is no rush to get to goal. If it takes 6 months or 16 months, I will still get there eventually. And 10 years from now, it won't matter how FAST I got there. I will just be enjoying my happy, healthy life.
It is hard to get past the diet mentality where you think of your goal weight as the finish line and after that you'll be "done" with the diet. I will never be "done" with my sleeve, so what's the rush?

I'm not one to promote products, really, but I see so many posts about folks not being able to get their surgeon's recommended daily Protein intake that I thought I'd toss a couple of options out there that are really helping me. I'm approaching 5 months post RNY, and still get the vast majority of my protein from whey isolate shakes. My surgeon doesn't necessarily have an issue with it, and I realize that at my point in this journey I should be getting more protein from food than shakes, but I simply can't tolerate meat of any kind, and the thought of eating an egg in any form makes me want to gag
Anyhow, I've been searching for a break from the Premier Protein bandwagon, and have found two products that I actually enjoy and are much lower in carbs than Premier, and don't taste like watery milk. The first is Pure Protein banana Cream shakes (a shake, yes... I know). These work well for me because they're lower in calories and just 1 carb/35g of protein in 11oz. And they actually taste like Banana Cream. Rather pricey- $32 for a dozen where I live, but definitely a nice break from the chocolate/vanilla humdrum. Even better than the Pure Protein is a product called Syntrax Nectar. I can only find it at the Vitamin Shop, and after trying several of the single serve packs, have decided that they're a great alternative for protein. Each scoop has 23g, and can be mixed with Water. I can easily nurse two 24 oz water bottles throughout the day, each with two scoops to give me 92g of protein in 400 calories with zero carbs, before even eating anything. Now, the canister claims it tastes just like refreshing fruit juice....I don't know that I'd go that far, but they do have decent flavors like strawberry Kiwi, Fuzzy Navel and Colada Cooler, all of which I found to be pretty decent. It's also pricey- $40 here for a 2lb canister, but if you're looking for a break, could be worth it.
Good luck to those who struggle with protein- we'll all get there

I'm starting my liquid diet today. My surgery is on March 26th 2015 so I'm starting my two week liquid diet today. Can't believe I will be having surgery in two weeks. I'm excited and scared st the same time. Been trying not to think about it too much cause I was having trouble sleeping. Drinking Premier Protein shakes, chicken broth with GENEPRO mixed in, sugar free Jello, zero calorie poweraid,and Water. Yum yum Hope it goes by quickly and smoothly.