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....

I repeat -- you were all very kind! (I'm comparing what you wrote with what I wanted to write )

I've just read through all of the replies on this posting. This just affirms why I really enjoy this site -- you are all so kind, supportive, and just plain NICE!!!! Even though Chuckster was obviously wanting to pick a fight, you all killed him with kindness.

Where I'm at you can find the Quest bars at 7-11s and at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

What a great topic! I've enjoyed everyone's advice. I've had plenty of chuckles. We have some very creative people on this site!

Murphy's Law at work again!

I'm in my 50s and was just beginning to have problems, nothing too serious, but I knew that if I didn't do something, I would be shortening my lifespan. I had thought about WLS and quickly dismissed it at first. I kept feeling that somehow WLS would mean that I had failed, that I would be taking the easy way out. Then I found myself chatting at length with woman that I hadn't known for very long. In the course of our conversation she told me that she had had WLS and had lost 135lbs. I was stunned! I had only known her as thin. I had never spoken to anyone who had had WLS. That really got me thinking. And then I was speaking to my rheumatologist and I confessed that I trouble not seeing this as admitting failure. She responded that I would be more of a "failure" if I did nothing. That was my turning point. I started researching and attending seminars, and now I'm 9 weeks post bypass surgery. No regrets.

I am so please that at 5 weeks post surgery I've lost 39 lbs (since I've started this journey). I feel so much better, it's amazing! However not one person outside of my family has noticed that I've lost weight. I realize that I'm 5'11" and proportionally that's not as much than if I was 5'2", but still I'm disappointed. I know, I know that I didn't do this for the reaction I'd get, but it still bugs me. I have to laugh though because I really didn't want to share with others that I've had the surgery -- I got my wish didn't I?

I just had my 6 weeks check up, which included a visit with my nutritionist. While I've been generally pleased with my decision, I was definitely starting to focus on the all the early struggles. My nutritionist did a great thing toward the end of our visit. She had me tell her all the good things that I have experienced so far. Well, I surprised myself with how many things I've come up with. I left my appointment really happy with everything and very happy with my decision. That was a real lesson for me that things get tough, it's important to remember the bigger picture.

I'm sorry, but what are the Slimies?

I had gastric bypass 6 weeks ago today. I have had very little problems introducing solid foods. So I started to get a little cocky -- a couple of days ago I had peas for the first time. I had a LOT of pain and gas. I was wondering what that was all about -- "Could that have been 'dumping syndrome'?" Last night, I had corn on the cob. After two bites, I decided to not have any more. Well thank goodness for some common sense! I really suffered discomfort, gas, and nausea - this time after about an hour of fighting it, I finally lost my dinner (which instantly relieved all my suffering). What was I thinking? Peas? Corn? Two veggies with a lot of sugar -- surprise, surprise I was having problems. I guess I'm not invincible!