Sylvia13

I really wanted to have a sleeve and was planning all along to do it. But as the time got closer to surgery, my surgeon said to me that he did not recommend the sleeve for me because I had a hiatal hernia, which I was going to have repaired when I had the surgery. I was pretty upset to have the plan change at the last minute, but my surgeon did explain to my that the RNY is the "gold standard" of bariatric surgery. There are decades of statistics for this type of surgery. I eventually changed my mind and am SO happy I did. I've been very successful with weight loss and I no longer have any reflux issues.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/05/05/why-the-weight-loss-study-everyone-has-been-sharing-is-kind-of-misleading/?tid=sm_fb Excerpt below from the above article in today's Washington Post (my emphasis): Is there a metabolic penalty, in other words, for getting lighter? Much of the evidence shows that there is some, but the amount varies. And some of the evidence shows none. In the none category, there’s a study of women who lost 5 percent of their body weight (with a high-Protein diet and exercise) with no metabolic penalty. And two studies of people who underwent bariatric surgery, all of whom lost significant weight, showed no disproportionate decrease in metabolism. Sometimes, there’s a temporary metabolic penalty that disappears after a while. A 2012 meta-analysis that looked at data from nearly 3000 subjects from 71 different studies found no penalty.

I do the same thing! I log in to change my weight and look at my ticker. Huge motivator!

I've had a couple of stalls so far. I have found that what has worked for me is to try and put it out of your mind (easy to say, hard to do - I know!) and to just listen to your body. I found that each time I've been stalled I've also been more hungry than usual. I tried eating a little more (within my doctor's guidelines) and moving more -- that seems to have worked for me. I find that as you get closer to your goal, the scale moves more slowly. One last piece of advice -- focus on what you have lost so far and not on what you still have to lose -- enjoy your progress (and don't be hard on yourself)!

I knew I had a hiatal hernia which was scheduled to be repaired. No one said anything about it adding to my recovery. I think that the repair was relatively nothing compared to the rest of what was done. I took 2 weeks off. I'm glad I took 2 weeks because I was really tired. I didn't have a lot of pain -- I didn't take any pain relievers after I left the hospital. After going back to work, I missed my afternoon naps for a few days!

Love your post! Congratulations on all you've accomplished both physically and mentally! I've noticed that in my youth when I was a normal weight, I was always unhappy with my weight. Since my surgery, I've vowed to be happy with whatever weight I end up at. I'm currently at the weight I was when I got pregnant with my first child (19 years ago). I remember being upset because I had been hoping to lose some weight before I got pregnant. Today, I'm so thrilled I've made it this far! My plan is to lose a few more pounds, but if I stay right here - I will be so very grateful! I feel great and all of my creeping health issues have disappeared. I've learned to appreciate what I have.

Congratulations! I'm approaching 6 months and am still marveling at what a great decision I made. Keep your focus on the long run -- that will help you through some of the rough patches you will likely have. Remember, it does get better and you did this for some outstanding reasons.

Wow -- job well done! Thank you so much for posting. You are a true inspiration!

The exact same thing happened to me! I really didn't want the bypass because it seemed too drastic to me. I went to another well-known surgeon in the area for a second opinion. He explained to me that the bypass is "the gold standard" of WLSs. The medical world has a LOT more data with the bypass. He also told me that he was confident that if I insisted on the sleeve that I would regret it and end up doing a bypass in the long run. So I went forward with the bypass and have not regretted it. I was suffering from an autoimmune disease and post-menopausal - there was no way that I could get out of my downward spiral. My excess weight was aggravating my joint pain, and my joint pain (and slower metabolism) was keeping me from being active and losing weight. Tomorrow I will be 3 months post surgery, and I've already lost over half the weight I'd like to lose. I am pain free - my autoimmune disease is in remission - and I am no longer taking any medicines (except for Vitamin supplements). I feel and look 15 years younger! Think about why you wanted to do WLS in the first place - that should be your deciding factor.

Wow - that is some story! I am so happy for your success so far and I wish you continued success!

I am so happy for you!

My suggestion -- make yourself a promise to try something new every month, the only stipulation is that the something new has to be something you like. I bet that in no time you will meet a lot of new people with similar interests. And even if none of these new people are "the one," maybe they will introduce you to their other friends. You need to expand your network of friends -- I know you can do it! You've already lost over one hundred pounds -- you can do anything you set you mind to! Make this your birthday present to yourself. Good luck!

You should not feel stupid! But you should remember the lesson you learned -- serving size is very important AND it's important to read labels. I don't think too many of us got into the situation we were in to begin with if we were careful about serving sizes. Mistakes happen to everyone, but not everyone learns from their mistakes!

I was dreading the pre-op diet (which for me was just one week long) more than anything. I was shocked at how easy it was for me. I think that getting all that Protein was really helpful. I was also allowed nonfat, low sugar yogurt. The other thing was that I was very busy that week, so I really didn't have too much time to dwell on it. After surgery was a different story. I couldn't stay on just liquids -- I absolutely craved solid food. I started soft foods early and started solid food a little early, too. I did have a couple of problems with solids, but I have no one to blame but myself. All is good now.

I'm trying to imagine the voice....