catwoman7

totally understand your struggles with weight loss. I tried for literally decades to get my weight off. The most I could ever lose is about 50 lbs (and those losses were rare - it was usually more like 10 or 20 lbs). And I could never keep it off for long. Within months, I was back up to almost 400 lbs. Weight loss surgery was the only thing that ever worked for me. Not saying it's easy - it's work. A lot of work. But the difference is, your efforts actually pay off.

I'd be a lot more afraid of NOT having the surgery than having it. I hesitate to say this, but you're more likely to die from obesity complications than you are from the surgery. These surgeries are much safer than they were years ago - mortality rate is very low - even lower than hip replacement surgeries, which they do all the time. I was heavier than you are (although fortunately, I didn't have any co-morbidities), but I knew it for me it was either have the surgery or die from my massive weight (I was well over 300 lbs). Having that surgery probably gave me an extra 10 years of life. I'm much healthier today in my 60s than I ever was in my 30s and 40s.

no - mine completely went away. But...do they have you on a PPI, like pantaprazole (SP?). My surgeon had us all on one, regardless of surgery, for a year - but that was back when they didn't know the side effects of long-term use of those. Most surgeons nowadays have people on them for 3-6 months, which is supposedly safe.. I would definitely let your clinic know. If you're not on a PPI now, they'll probably put you one on for at least a couple of months, until you heal. And if you ARE on one, they may increase your dosage for awhile. It may go away after you're healed up, but in any case, you should be on something for it. For one, that acid can't be good for healing - and for another, no one wants to deal with severe heartburn, and you don't have to!

right away. But some people are told to wait for a couple of weeks. I'd check with my clinic to see what they recommend.

pretty common - and take full advantage of this "feature", because for almost all of us, hunger and appetite come roaring back sometime within the first year post-op. I know this may sound strange to you, but...I wish my hunger and appetite had never come back. It came back at five months post op. It was so much easier to lose weight when I was never hungry and didn't give a flip about food. So, I know it sounds weird to say, but enjoy it while it lasts!

stalls became more frequent the further out I got. And they tended to last longer, too. Every time I'd hit one, I'd think "well, this must be it...", but then my weight loss would eventually start up again. I kept losing until about the two year mark. It was slow going after the first year, though.

I agree with the others. We normally don't feel restriction until we move to solid foods. In the mean time, follow your program - you don't want to screw up any sutures, etc.

88 lbs down sounds fine. I think that's about where I was. I continued losing until I was almost at the two year mark.

before surgery, I mostly did water aerobics and "rode" the stationary bikes at my gym. Two hundred pounds later, I still do those, but i also bike a lot, too, now - in fact, I bike four or five days a week except in the winter. I also do Zumba occasionally. exercise isn't going to have much effect on your loose skin. You may get some more muscle definition if you do some strength training, but if you've got a lot of loose skin, it's not going to look A LOT better, even with that.

I was only allowed to walk for the first four weeks. After that, I was cleared to do everything but weights (I had to wait until I was eight weeks out for that). I mostly did water aerobics and used the stationary bikes at my gym.

I had RNY but it's probably similar. I don't go by ounces anymore - I just know that it takes about 1600 calories to maintain my current body weight, so I try to stay around there (or under if I want to lose a few pounds). And the above person is right - the number of oz depends on the food. I can easily eat 8 oz of yogurt. But a piece of meat? No way. Maybe 2 or 3 oz. btw - no one would be able to tell now that I've had weight loss surgery. They'd just assume I'm a "light eater", just like lots of my female friends are who've never had a weight problem. I'll go to a restaurant and order a salad or an appetizer. Or I'll get an entree and eat half of it (and box up the rest to take home).

I didn't notice any skin tightening (I wish, though!), but I do know fat seems to re-distribute during or after weight loss. I looked pretty gaunt (and frankly, kind of awful) when I hit my lowest weight, but I looked a lot better a few months later, even though I hadn't gained any weight (yet...I unfortunately did during year 3, which is common). My face didn't look so drawn anymore and I just looked better - healthier. I think things just kind of moved around. So that might be what's going on with you, too.

yep - intolerance to eggs after surgery is common - although usually temporary.

eight years out. I still have "big pouch days" and "small pouch days".

it's not too late - you're still in what they call the "honeymoon stage". and you probably didn't stretch out your stomach. From what I've heard/read, that would take constantly overeating over a long period of time. You're probably just used to eating however much you're eating now, so it could be a bit of a challenge to start eating less again. But once you're used to eating a smaller amount, it'll be easier.

log everything you eat. Weight loss surgery is a tool - you have to make sure you're doing your part of it, or it's not going to work. And yes - it's work and it's hard. But the difference is, with this tool, your hard work will actually pay off. But unlike what naysayers say, this isn't "the easy way out". If you're having difficulty sticking to your clinic's eating plan, then make an appointment with them. The dietitian and/or health psychologist can be of a lot of help (and if they don't have dietitians or psychologists on staff, they can probably refer you to one) also - yes - like the other commenter said, temporary "gains" from water weight or full intestines aren't unusual. But if this "gain" lasts more than a couple of days, look at what you're eating and make sure you're complying with your clinic's guidelines. and btw - hair loss after surgery is very common, but it's temporary. It'll grow back.

I haven't heard of anything that extreme, but yes, screwed up menstrual cycles are pretty common for the first few weeks or months after surgery. Sorry you went through that!

the standard eligibility requirement is with a BMI of 35 you need to have two co-morbidities, but if your BMI is 40+, co-morbidities are not necessary. Although your situation depends on whether or not your surgeon and/or your insurance company follow this standard. co-morbidities include sleep apnea, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol

very common problem. For some folks it improves quite a bit after you start eating more fibrous foods again (a few weeks out), but for many of us, it's a chronic issue. I'm eight years out and still take a capful of Miralax every morning to keep on top of it (a lot of us use Miralax (or the generic equivalent), by the way). Others use stool softeners, magnesium, Smooth Move tea, or eat a few prunes every day. Whatever works! PS sounds like you're in the UK. If so, it's called RestoraLAX there

same as the person above - I was told I could go back to the pool once the incisions were healed and the scabs fell off. Took about four weeks for me.

re: menstrual cycles. Very common for hormones to go a bit wacko the first few weeks or months after surgery. It'll eventually stabilize again.

I'm not sure how much I was eating at that point because we were told not to count calories early out, but I'm sure it wasn't that many. I averaged around 800-ish calories from about months 2-10, I think. But then, plans differ. Your surgeon's office may be able to give you some guidelines.

wow - that was quick!!

yes - I"ve also heard stomach acid can be the culprit.

I have osteoporosis. There are bone-building drugs available that do build bones. I was on Reclast for three years - will be starting Forteo in the fall. (I don't know if mine was caused by malabsorption or not - but since I'm in my 60s and osteoporosis runs rampant in my family (all the older female relatives I know of have it), it likely could be that, too.