catwoman7

if you have problems with GERD, then most surgeons will recommend the bypass. There may be other health issues that would make one more appropriate than the other for you, but that is the major one. If you don't have such health issues, then it'll most likely be your choice (well, it'll be your choice regardless, since no one can FORCE you to have one or the other). I chose bypass because I did have GERD. Also, it's an older surgery and has a lot more research behind it, and at the time I had it, it was considered the gold standard. The sleeve is more popular now, but I would still choose the bypass for myself because of the GERD issue. I did not want to risk it getting any worse. But both are good surgeries and there are a lot of people who have been successful with both.

I lost very little. There are some people who lose noticeable amounts of hair, but most people just shed for awhile, and they're the only ones who really notice it. And yes - it grows back.

p.s. If it turns out to bother you a lot, there's always plastic surgery. Mine is less than I thought it would be, and it's very easy to hide. The only people who know it's there are me, my husband, and my doctor.

I worried about excessive skin (and hairloss) excessively before I had surgery. All I can say is, I would take my excess skin any day over weighing 373 lbs again. ANY DAY! In retrospect, I can't even believe I used to worry about that - life is SO MUCH better being normal weight, loose skin or not!

actually, most RNY'ers can eat anything, too, once we're a few months out. Some of us, of course, dump, but a lot of us don't (unfortunately - I wanted to be one of them!). The statistic I see thrown around a lot is that 30% of us dump. I don't know if there's any hardcore research behind that, but suffice it to say, I've been hanging out on bariatric boards for about five years, and there are a lot of us who don't dump.

check "The World According to Eggface" blog, too. She's got tons of recipes on her blog

btw - I would do it again for sure and wish I'd done it years ago. In fact, if I had to go back every year and have it re-done, I would. I can't believe I waited so long! But I was really afraid to take this step for a long, long time. I'm so glad I finally did it, though. one of the best decisions I've ever made!

gaining and losing the same 30-50 lbs over and over and over again. This went on for almost 20 years. And I had over 200 lbs to lose altogether. At some point I admitted to myself that I just couldn't do it on my own, so I started looking at surgery. Plus I knew if I didn't get the weight off, I was going to cut my life short. I wanted to live a normal life.

if your only issue is sleep apnea, you can probably go with either surgery. The surgeon will explain your options and let you know if he/she thinks one or the other might be more appropriate for you (I had GERD, so mine recommended bypass over sleeve)

sounds like you're experiencing the "three week stall" (doesn't always happen the third week, but for sure sometime in the first 4-6 weeks post-surgery). It happens to almost everyone. Stick to your program and it will break. I had mine weeks 2 and 3 post-surgery. It broke during week 4, and I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days.

not sure - but I know high protein diets make your kidneys work extra hard

stay away from the lapband. Most surgeons refuse to do them anymore because so many people have had problems with them. Both sleeve and bypass are good surgeries. Your particular medical situation might make one or the other more appropriate for you, but either one is a good choice.

liquids won't stretch it. Constantly overeating solid foods might - but if you're following your plan's guidelines, you'll be fine.

it gets harder the further you get out. Bad habits do tend to try to slip back in to many of our lives. That's why a lot of people experience regain. You just have to have the resolve that that will NOT be you, and be diligent about sticking to your plan. It is a lifelong struggle for a lot of people....

a 10- to 20-lb regain after hitting bottom is very common - but not inevitable. If it's bothering you, then deal with it now rather than waiting until it gets out of control. It'll be a lot easier to lose 13 lbs than 50. As the above poster said, go back to the basics - protein first, then veggies. Then if you still have room, a piece of fruit or a small amount of "good" carbs (like grains or beans). Ditch the sugar and "white carbs" if you're eating them. if, on the other hand, calories are the problem rather than carbs, then cut back a little - or bump up your exercise. My maintenance level is 1700 calories/day. I've noticed that if I go over that too many times in a week, my weight starts to go up..... Maintaining weight is going to be a lifelong struggle for most of us, unfortunately - but it's do-able.

you can definitely still lose weight - the tool still works. It'll be harder this time because you'll be fighting hunger (the first few months post-surgery when most of us don't feel hunger made things fairly easy!!), but you'll still have the restriction, which should help a lot. You really need to ditch the carbs, though - or cut way back. Go back to way you were eating in the first few months after surgery - protein first, veggies if you have room, and if you still have room after all that, then a piece of fruit or small amount of "good" carbs (grains, beans, etc)). Some people have found that cutting *way* back on carbs for a few days (like below 30 grams or so a day) will cut their carb cravings. I've never tried that as I'm not particularly carb sensitive, but some people swear by it.

you're physically not going to be able to eat enough to worry about calories at this point - that comes later. Definitely push the fluids, and aim to work up to at least 60 g of protein a day (or whatever your surgeon recommended). That's the most important goal this early out.

as long as you're compliant, you *will* lose a ton of weight!

yes - normal. Any big drop is going to be within the first month or so - after that, it slows down quite a lot. Just stick to your plan and it'll come off. Two pounds a week is 104 lbs a year...

You probably won't have a full feeling until you start eating solid food. For now, just sip on beverages (including protein shakes).. I pretty much sipped all day..

I think I was eating more than 600 at that point - but I was in the 600-800 range for several months. I didn't get up to 1000+ until I was a year out. But people (and surgeons) are all different...

I was not allowed any alcohol for a year (and to be honest, I haven't had since before I had surgery - so probably three years). I think coffee is different - there's a wide range of opinion on that among surgeons, so my guess has always been that coffee is probably OK, but some surgeons are overly cautious. There seems to be more of a consensus on alcohol - most agree you should avoid it that first year.

I use Centrum Silver or the generic CVS equivalent. Two a day.

sodium? Full intestines? If you're eating less than 600 calories a day, I'd bet on one of these two.

I used to worry incessantly about loose skin. No more! I would take my loose skin any day over weighing over 300 lbs again. ANY DAY!!!