Kristin Hernandez

My surgeon found an umbilical hernia during my surgery that I did not know I had. He said it was almost in the way, but he was able to work around it. He also said it does need to be repaired, but not until I have lost a significant amount of weight. It sounds like it could have been a reason to stop my surgery, so thank goodness he we able to work around it!

I had surgery in February, and got a runny nose every time I ate too! I seems to have stopped now. It was annoying.

I planned to do RNY from the beginning. But at my last meeting with my surgeon, he asked why RNY vs. sleeve? I told him about not wanting reflux, losing faster, etc, etc. His recommendation was the sleeve because it is less invasive, there is a smaller chance of complications, and it means less time under anesthesia. I decided he was the expert, as all I knew was from reading on the internet LOL. Had the sleeve in February and even though it has only been a few months, I am happy with trusting him with this big decision. Good luck to you in this exciting time!

Good for you! Aspartame is suspect in parkinson's and other nasty diseases.

Look into the health issues caused by most artificial sweeteners, including weight gain and insulin response. Organic stevia seems to be the safest out there. Sweet and lo, Equal and Splenda have been linked to cancer, parkinson's, alzheimer's, dementia, and lots of auto-immune disorders. I feel we should avoid the chemicals because we want to lose weight and be healthy too - not trade obesity for some other horrible disease. It's so hard to avoid the chemicals in low sugar "diet" pre-packaged items, like Protein bars. I do eat them when I need protein, but try not to have the chemicals in coffee, diet drinks, and processed stuff. I found a Protein powder (Jay Robb egg protein) that was approved by my NUT because I have a dairy and soy allergy. It is sweetened with stevia. Good luck to you!

I am in north east Baltimore, and had surgery at GBMC with Dr. Bello in February. I can't say enough good things about Dr. Dovec and Dr. Bello and the whole comprehensive obesity program at GBMC.

Every single day of my life, since I was 10 years old, I have worried about my weight. Not to a food disorder extreme, but every morning I had the thought that I was going to eat healthier. Every time I had to eat there was always this quiet voice questioning if I was going to gain weight from it. Even though I would eat the pizza, fast food, and other junk, I could zone out and not think about it while I was eating but I could never escape the truth - it was a poor choice and I needed to eat better the next day. Now at 46 years old, I know that is my thing - I will ALWAYS be in the mindset of "being on a diet" - because every day it is there, in the back of my mind - even on the days when all I eat is junk. I looked at the surgery as a lifelong commitment to making better food choices, since I was already there anyway, worrying about it every day. Now that I had the surgery, when I have to make decisions about food it is so much easier. I do not track every ounce of food I eat. The restriction makes it way easier to make good choices, and food has taken it's rightful place in my life. I am trusting the quiet voice in my head that knew all along I shouldn't choose cake for Breakfast or eat pizza as a late night snack.

They said it was about 50 minutes. It felt to me like I blinked and when I opened my eyes, they said I was done.

I had VSG surgery on February 5. It has been 9 weeks, and I have lost 20 lbs. It seems so slow. I know, I shouldn't compare. I know, I should be patient. I know, I should stay off the scale. BUT... Does anyone else who was a slow loser at first have a success story to share? I can't shake the feeling that I will be the ONE person that doesn't lose significant weight. Just a little reassurance will help set my mind at ease (Yes, most days I meet my Water and Protein goals. No issues with eating or drinking what I am supposed to, and I avoid carbs/sugar/etc. Thanks Kristin

My week three stall lasted for 15 days. Finally started losing again at a good pace. Hang in there!

Same here. Ugh. I believe that your fat stores hormones, so when you lose weight quickly it releases a flood of hormones into your system that throws everything out of whack. I also heard that it regulates after 6 months or so. Fingers crossed, cause this stinks.

Make a pizza on a low carb tortilla. Makes a great thin crust pizza!

I had surgery Friday. That morning, I weighed 240. After I came home, I weighed 248 on Sunday morning. This morning (Tuesday) I was 245. How long did it take you to lose Water weight from surgery? Thanks!