brightfaith

Ugh. What is wrong with people? I don’t understand tearing down others at all — whether for their weight or any other reason. I have been on the receiving end more times than I can count. Honestly, years ago in college when it could be especially bad, I came to see my body as a built-in jerk detector. Lol. My own superpower. It must have been very strange to hear the comment made in front of you with the assumption that you would agree or join in because you are not fat. I suspect if that happened to me (not that I’m in any danger of that at this point), I might haul off and hit the person. I’d at least want to!

Congratulations! Good luck to you!

I'm sorry to hear about your Parkinson's diagnosis. I will be pulling for your approval and hope that the surgery helps you keep your body healthy and mobile! I haven't had surgery yet and can't answer the question about time frame -- just wanted to show my support!

Many congratulations on being cancer-free! You are just lovely.

I'd thought about surgery off and on for years, but I had always concluded it wasn't right for me--too much struggle and management for someone so depressed and too much restriction for someone with a difficult binge eating disorder. Over the last 18 to 24 months, my depression has been improving (finally after decades) and I've had much more drive to live a full life. At the same time, my mobility challenges due to weight and deconditioning and worsening diabetes complications have seriously limited how much I could actually lead a fuller life. I have great fear that they will cut my life very short. I've felt a great deal of dismay over that and little hope. Then in June, I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Hawaii, and it gave me such joy, joy like I hadn't felt in some time. And at the same time sadness -- I wanted to do so much more. I ventured into the ocean at one point and there was a bit of a step down -- not much, and none of the others on the beach seemed to have any problem with it -- but I actually wasn't able to get myself back onto the beach, losing my balance, and kept being knocked over by the surf. A lovely woman came over to help me, for which I was so grateful. But sad...I want to be able to do something as simple as go into the ocean (and get back out). And then I decided to re-look at surgery -- it seemed to me the most effective path for addressing my mobility challenges and diabetes is surgery. I've been down the "natural" weight loss road many times and have lost, 30, 50, 70, 90 pounds in the past just to regain and mire myself further in disordered eating. Surgery provides a much better chance for long-term maintenance of weight loss and just makes more sense -- I do not want to simply repeat the past. I cannot do that to myself again. So I got up my courage and decided to move forward.

I have chosen gastric bypass for myself (high BMI, diabetes), but I think if I were in your position, I would choose the sleeve and agree with Introversion. Good luck!

Hello all. I received a checklist from my surgeon's office of habits to adopt now (I am at the beginning of the 6-month supervised nutrition program) so that when I have the surgery, I can focus primarily on healing rather than changing many behaviors at once. For those who have been through surgery, what would you add to this list? Begin all of your vitamins (done) Eat three meals a day around the same time and decrease meal skipping (have been doing this, a major change for me) Meal length should be around 20-30 minutes (I am about there, usually more like 20) Decrease portion sizes (mine have definitely decreased as I am really working to reduce/eliminate non-hunger eating and overeating) Stop all fried food (done) Stop all carbonated beverages and sweetened beverages (done) Limit caffeine and coffee intake to 1 cup per day (does not count toward fluid goals) (done--eliminated) Drink at least 64 ounces of non-caloric (<10 calories) fluid daily (done) Do not use a straw (allows air into stomach, which will stretch the pouch) (done) Practice chewing foods thoroughly and stop eating when you are full (practicing--haven't been focusing enough on chewing, though, I think) No drinking during and 30 minutes after meals (done) Track steps daily and increase by 500 per week until you reach 10,000 steps daily (bought a FitBit, trying to do it, but mobility challenges make increasing difficult) Exercise for at least 30 minutes three times per week (does not count toward daily steps) (doing it by water walking) I would very much appreciate input! Thank you!

Thanks so much, James, this is very good advice. I have some good photos of myself from an event in August, so I think I will use those. I do really struggle with walking. My leg muscles fatigue extremely quickly -- they feel like lead after just a short distance of two blocks, likely related to some diabetic neuropathy in addition to deconditioning. And I am very out of breath. This is my major motivation for the surgery -- wanting to regain mobility. I walk in the water, and while I feel fatigue, moving through it is more doable. But I can't be in the water most of the time. I think what I need to do is start with several short walks throughout the day (around the office, to the other end of the building) until I can work up to 10 minutes at time, then 15 minutes, etc. I feel for your caffeine withdrawal! After I went to the orientation session, I stopped carbonated/caffeinated drinks -- I was drinking 2 or 3 Diet Mountain Dews a day to make up for poor sleep. I am happy to have stopped (and to have the money back in my wallet). I do wish I had some caffeine to pick me up in the mornings, though. Never been a coffee drinker.

I have told three friends. All have been supportive, and that means a lot to me. The first actually came to my orientation seminar and surgeon consult with me. I really appreciated her because she was clear that she was supportive of me but was also not a rah-rah cheerleader -- she had some healthy skepticism. I trusted her as we spoke after each appointment, and while I ultimately make my own decisions, it was good to have a trusted person to talk to. The second friend I told I was concerned about but wanted to make sure to talk with her about it. I was concerned because I was worried my making this decision would put pressure on her, as she is a very large person struggling with her weight and mental health, and we had previously discussed not wanting to have surgery. She has also been supportive, but I do think she feels pressure and worries that our paths will diverge. My third friend was mildly surprised but has also been supportive -- we've talked less about it, but I'm glad she knows because this is a very important part of my life right now, In general, I am likely to be fairly open with people I trust and feel no shame about having surgery. I am concerned about dealing with people at work and others prone to making comments about peoples' bodies -- I wish I could do this invisibly so as not to raise their attention. I think ultimately it can be very helpful to share but only with people you trust.

Very happy for you! So glad you are feeling good.

Thank you, celticNgel! I hear you, and I think the visualization advice above is good advice. And don't wait for your life to start until you have the surgery! You are alive right NOW, no matter what your size. Plan that trip to Europe, go outside and smell the fresh air, go out with a friend or your husband--not just as a distraction but because you are worth it,

I understand. I'm just starting the nutrition classes, so for me it will definitely be next May. I at first was dismayed about the wait, but I'm working on being Zen and really making the most of this time to address non-hunger and binge eating and get myself into as good physical shape as I possibly can (given that I have some mobility challenges due to my weight) so that I will heal well from the surgery, But I totally feel you. The day will come!

I go to a psychiatrist, and he prescribed the Vyvanse (as well as my other depression and anxiety medications). I don't think the bariatric surgeon would have prescribed it. My primary care doctor may have, though, if I didn't have a psychiatrist. I'm sorry to hear that Vyvanse was $200/month for you. I am lucky to have a lower co-pay of $30/month. It is very much worth it to me at that cost. I don't get a "speedy" feeling from it, but I am better able to concentrate and my otherwise voracious hunger and accompanying thoughts of food decreased.

So happy for you!

I am using Baritastic and really like it -- tracking food, vitamins, water, and exercise. Thinking about using it to track medications as well. I was wondering how it compared to My Fitness Pal since I know many people use that.

I'm so glad you asked this. I am far away from surgery but have not been clear on whether the measurements were by weight or volume. Was volume what makes st were told to use?

I currently take Vyvanse for binge eating disorder (it is also used for ADHD). It has made a big difference in my appetite and thoughts about food, and I wonder if it could help you. Honestly, it has also made a big difference in my depression by giving me a bit of oomph during the day. Here is some information: http://www.vyvanse.com/binge-eating-disorder

I second MarinaGirl and wonder if there might be other hospitals/WLS centers within reasonable distance that do not have a BMI maximum? While my surgeon prefers that the BMI is in the 60s (or lower) prior to surgery, he has operated on people with BMIs of more than 90. I will keep you in my thoughts.

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate this post and your sharing that there has been a time that your journey was more difficult and that you've come through it. As someone starting this process with a BMI over 70, I have read your posts and been very inspired by you. I hope to be able to regain my mobility and be a much more active participant in life rather than being someone forced to sit on the side. Thank you so much for sharing.

Tammy, oh my goodness. I am so sorry you have had to go through all of that. I hope that they have sent you home with nursing care is a sign that you are in recovery and doing better. I wish you all the best and smooth sailing from here.

Karleena, I didn't go into a pool or other body of water for about 16 years because I was uncomfortable being seen in a bathing suit. But I came to a point where I just said to hell with that! I love being in the water, and no one is going to stop me regardless of my size. I got a suit for a vacation one year and wore it, and I have gone to pools and the ocean ever since. Water walking is the main way I exercise, and I have just desensitized myself to wearing a suit at the gym pool and changing in the locker room. I would very much appreciate being able to have a suit that fits me better -- past a certain size, you can mostly only get swimdresses, which are super annoying to exercise in.

This is a great idea, thank you! Pinterest would be fun. I hear you on the travel. My knees are fine, but my back and stamina cannot hold up to the kind of sightseeing and activities I would like to do. I honestly haven't let myself dream of travel too much since I have been limited, but I think it could be healthy to start pulling together some ideas.

For me, it is all about mobility. I want to walk...and walk...and walk...and walk some more. I would love to travel to Yosemite National Park and hike in to see the waterfalls. I want to take a trip to Italy (made much more affordable if I don't need to purchase a second plane seat for myself) and walk all over Venice and Florence. I want to enjoy a day out with family and friends and be able to keep up with everyone. I was thinking of creating something like a vision board with the places I want to travel and start a travel savings account. I would also love to treat myself to adult swimming lessons. I love exercising in the water, but I never really learned to swim. I do water walking and jogging and aerobics now. What I am realizing as I type this is that there is actually no reason I couldn't take lessons now...I just feel very uncoordinated and would get out of breath easily. Would be great to have a little more energy and stamina.

I would like to plan well for this, too, as I tend to overeat in the evenings to quell boredom and loneliness. Evening gym visits and a meditation class are what I have started. I was also thinking about crafts like knitting and paint by numbers . My other idea is volunteering somewhere one evening a week, but I haven't found anything yet that doesn't involve a lot of standing (which is difficult for me). I need to investigate more.