rnsamantha

Also to clarify, you still need to take vitamins following gastric sleeve, and there is still potential for deficiencies with both sleeve and bypass. For me personally, I perceived the sleeve as having a lower risk for malabsorption because it did not involve bypassing a portion of my small intestine. Bottom line: there's benefits and risks to both surgeries.

Samantha did your BMI drop below 40 during your pre-op process? If so, how did your insurance company handle that? I was afraid to lose and to be honest, my surgeon advised me not to lose to much during my 6 month supervised diet. Subsequently, I only "lost" 6 lbs in 6 months which brought my BMI down to 40 (and for that last weigh in I kept my phone, keys, heavy necklace etc. all on!) I think it depends on your insurance. In the end I had mild sleep apnea on the required sleep study, which meant I met the "comorbid condition" requirement so my BMI could be 35+. I have Meritain insurance.

I was worried about long term malabsorption and vitamin deficiencies with bypass, so I elected for the sleeve. My surgeon said I was a good candidate for either (my initial BMI was 41)

If it weren't for dairy products I would likely starve (or at least I would have in the first few months postop). I eat 1-2 cheese strings daily, Greek yogurt every morning for breakfast, and my daily protein contains milk. 6 months out and hit my goal weight this morning! 103 lbs lost, so I'm going to keep eating dairy here!!

I don't seem to have trouble with the multivitamin (procare bariatric chewable), but the calcium citrate is not easy to digest!

178.1 this morning up a bit.

I did them myself too (photos). I didn't do any measurements, but that probably would have been good too!

I had the same thing. I was always rationalizing that the pants I picked out must have been a "really big" 16, 14 etc. now that I'm consistently down to a size 12, I still catch myself thinking that when I fit into a 10!

I have tried fried foods once or twice, but they sit like a rock in my stomach and make me regret that choice for the next 1-2 hours. I've learned my lesson and don't even bother anymore!

I've lost 100 lbs and have dropped from a 40 or 42 DD to a 36 C. Unfortunately, they're mostly just skin with a little bit of fat left in them. There's probably plastics in my future once I hit maintenance!

177.6 this morning. I've officially passed the 100 lbs lost mark (100.4 as of this morning)!

My eyes are still much bigger than my stomach, and I still catch myself picking out clothes in larger sizes only to have to make multiple trips to the fitting room when they are too big!

I ignore the message and typically don't "complete" my days. I'm basically just using it to log my foods and track my protein grams.

I have a picky sleeve that 6 months out still hates poultry--particularly breast meat, is hit or miss on pork, fish and eggs, but tolerates rare steak just fine (go figure). Greek yogurt is still a staple as are soups and shakes. Some days my sleeve even decides shakes are a no go....mostly if i drink it too fast though.

I stole all the tootsie rolls out of my kids Halloween stash and ate them...

Chapstick and your phone charger with a long cord!

I've lost 98 lbs in 5.5 months. While I'm thrilled, I do think that there is probably a benefit to losing a little more slowly. I definitely have loose skin, and still struggle with fatigue. I do workout 5 days/week but my trainer is concerned that I may be losing some lean muscle as well due to the rapid weight loss. Don't get me wrong though, I am still thrilled that I had the surgery as I would not have been able to accomplish this on my own!

I had surgery in June 2015, and I'm down 97 lbs so far. I'm working out 5 days a week (30 mins cardio plus 30 minutes weights 4 of the five days). I have a trainer 2 days per week and she recommended an amino acid supplement to preserve/promote lean muscle despite rapid weight loss as well as promote energy. I am getting at least 75 g protein per day. Anyone using additional supplements to protein powder? If you're using an amino acid supplement do you have any recommendations??

181.0 for me today

I'm able to resist most things, but do not leave me in a room with cake or ice cream! Ice cream is definitely a slider food for me!

185.0 for me today ????

I have encouraged my sister to consider it (we've always been the two obese ones in our family). She's two years younger than me and now that I've lost 90+ lbs and am no longer obese, I think it's making her sad that she's sort of "alone". Our financial situations are different and we live in different countries (I'm in the U.S. And she's in Canada) so her process may be very different than mine ones. That being said, when she comments about my weight loss, or that maybe she should look into surgery, I encourage it, but don't pester or push her. I think making the decision to pursue surgery is very personal, and to be successful you have to make that commitment yourself.

My BMI was 41 and I still was required to do a preop diet. Lost 16 lbs in that two weeks. On day of surgery my BMI was 38.2.

Oh I am right there with you...and I live in Arizona! Basically everyone in my office rolls their eyes when I complain I'm cold at this point, because they're usually all warm/hot because if I had my way the thermostat would be set to "tropical heat". My husband wanders around shirtless while I snuggle under a blanket on the couch in my socks, pants, and sweater. I guess it's a good thing that I've lost me thick layer of insulating fat??!

I'm further out than you, and unfortunately there will come a time when you "can" actually eat all those foods without it hurting your stomach. I'm now realizing that while my sleeve can handle the junk I used to put in my stomach, I don't want to go back to where I was before. Itvwas better when I was afraid to eat any of that stuff. Now keeping focused and maintaining my willpower is extremely important. I can relate to the "me vs. food" sentiment!