careya123

Lol, I think this all the time!

I just bought a box as a gift to a friend with Crohn's who had a bunch of intestine removed. For years I have wondered why no one made a vitamin/mineral patch for people like her (I searched online, but couldn't find anything). And on this site, I finally see a promising product! I'll post when she reports back to me on the outcome.

Here's another review of the literature: Surgery for weight loss in adults concludes that "surgery results in greater improvement in weight loss outcomes and weight associated comorbidities compared with non-surgical interventions, regardless of the type of procedures used."

Unbelievable! When I was researching WLS, the first thing I did was go straight to PubMed. Here's one article that states it pretty well: The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of bariatric (weight loss) surgery for obesity: a systematic review and economic evaluation compares conventional methods of weight loss to WLS and says, "Bariatric surgery was a more effective intervention for weight loss than non-surgical options. In one large cohort study weight loss was still apparent 10 years after surgery, whereas patients receiving conventional treatment had gained weight."

I considered a therapist for eating issues in the past, but never went through with it. Mostly because I didn't think I had eating issues, aside from really liking food! But after researching bariatrics, now I'm convinced that it would be a good idea. I found someone I really like, but my insurance doesn't cover her, and she charged $250/hr. Ouch! I guess I'll keep looking.

For all the veterans out there: what size did you end up after surgery? Did you decide on a size ahead of time, or did you go by what your body seemed to like? I assumed the smallest I could ever be was a size 10, because that's the smallest I ever was as an adult. But I'm hearing about so many women who ended up in the very small sizes (0-6), that I'm wondering if that's possible for me. The thought just about makes my brain explode. I have a hard time picturing it.

My main problem is that I eat too much at every meal. I'm not an emotional eater, but I am a celebratory eater. However, celebrations don't happen every day so I don't think that's a big problem for me. I was raised with a lot of brothers, and eating was a competitive sport. I ate as much as possible as quickly as possible, because I knew there wouldn't be any later. I haven't been able to break that habit. That's why I think the sleeve will work for me: it will limit how much I can eat at any one time. Oddly enough, I think my biggest caloric "sin" is milk. I drink a lot of it every day, and that's a lot of calories. I am cutting back there. I do love ice cream and baked treats, but I don't eat it every day. I don't especially like fast food, fried foods, chips, crackers, etc. I actually have a pretty good diet. I eat more fruits and veggies than most. What really bothers me about my GP's comments is that he's never even asked me about my diet. And, ironically, most of my weight gain can be attributed to medications I've taken, one of which was prescribed by him. So for him to tell me to get my eating under control leaves me in a state of disbelief.

I was asked when my baby was due once. I wasn't even overweight at the time, just wearing a high-waisted dress. In retrospect, I wish I would have said, "Ten months."

I got lucky; my insurance doesn't require GP approval. I've been to the surgeon and got all my tests done, and now I'm waiting for my insurance to approve it. I'm hoping to get it done mid-March.

I can't believe no one ever mentioned it to me. I saw something about it online a month ago, and decided to look into it. Until then, I thought it was only for people who were 500 lbs. I wish I'd looked into it sooner.

That's exactly what I do. Food was a dog-eat-dog affair when I was growing up, and I haven't been able to get me out of the habit. My friend tells me, "You inhale your food."

I do need a new PCP. I almost didn't tell him about the surgery, because I knew he wouldn't be for it. I should have stayed with my plan.

@@Babbs That's exactly what I need to hear. Thank you.

This is terrible, but...can you have a few donuts and go back to the same surgeon? Most people are up and down within a few pounds the same day depending on water and the food they've eaten. Seems crazy to cut you off.

No idea, but maybe they have the requirements listed on their website? I would call them and ask for a list of requirements. And maybe just casually ask the question about that test along with the other potential tests.

Woo-hoo!!!

It's tough to find a great replacement, because you can eat and do other things at the same time. So if you are stressed at work, you can grab a favorite treat and keep working. That's not true for so many other soothing activities. I love hot chocolate, so I've been trying to perfect a Protein hot chocolate drink. Unfortunately, the sugar replacement gives me a headache so I haven't had success yet. I wish I liked herbal drinks, but they don't appeal to me at all.

Have you seen that calculation where you take your under bust measurement and add five inches to get your band size, then subtract that from your bust measurement? I always get -B. Yeah, that's right--apparently I'm concave! I never could figure out why I always got such a wonky result until I heard that it doesn't work for people with a broad back, which I have. More weird bra math.

@@VSGAnn2014 That cartoon made me laugh right out loud!

That PCP needs a new career! What's the point of going to the doctor if s/he can't tell you the truth? Unbelievable.

I like to read. It makes me quit thinking about the here-and-now and takes me to another place. Good question. I'm interested in hearing all the other responses.

Oh, how frustrating! And I hope you found a new dr after the one said, "Learn to close your mouth." I want to smack him for you. Have you talked to your bariatric surgeon about the meds and the associated weight gain? Some drugs cause weight gain by making you hungry, but others cause weight gain via other means. I've been on two different drugs that didn't make me hungry, but they did cause very fast weight gain. Not sure the sleeve would have helped me in those cases. Might want to confirm with your surgeon. Good luck!

You don't have a family doctor already? I don't think you can go wrong there. Pick one covered by your insurance, or call around for rates if you are cash pay.

Did you track your food? If not, you're just guessing at how to improve. Until you do this, nothing else matters. Track Your Food! You should also go to a therapist, to rule out or to help with any psychological eating issues. Even if you've been before, It's probably a good idea to go again. Once you've figured out what caused the sleeve to fail, and only then, should you think about another surgery. It sounds to me like you should think about gastric bypass. It's more fool-proof than the sleeve.

I started thinking seriously about surgery when I did research on 5 yr outcomes of surgery vs diet and exercise alone. With surgery, people maintain their weight loss quite well. With diet and exercise alone, at five years hardly anyone has maintained their weight loss. So tell me, how long have you maintained your weight loss? If you aren't in maintenance yet, how confident are you that you can maintain your weight loss over the next five years?