TakingABreak

Yes way, I was born in Peoria and lived in Pekin until I was about 10 years old. Moved to Chicago and spent my teenage and college years in that area. Moved back to Peoria after college, met my husband, so on so forth. I've been back for the last 8 years.

nice, that's where I live now

There is inevitably someone in everyone's life who won't support this decision. This is why I don't advocate telling people. Its is really necessary to tell anyone who doesn't live under your roof, and who may be affected by your recovery time? I don't think it's anyone's business. Lean on your therapist, husband, best friend if they are supportive for the emotional stuff. And your surgeon for the medical questions. I see too many people who get discouraged by other people who think this is the "easy way out". This surgery is life changing, but for the better. I sincerely hope that you move forward, and your fears are eliminated.

Again, if it was advice on medication or surgical intervention... I agree with you. But a PT assistant is typically still going through education to become a PT. They aren't completely uneducated, and probably more so than myself. If they gave advice on exercise or core strengthening, ect. I wouldn't think it was inappropriate. Hell, if you allow a PT assistant to do exercises with you (while doing physical therapy) then why not take advice if it's within their realm of expertise? Just my opinion.

I guess the reasoning behind feeling uncomfortable discussing medication, surgical intervention.... If the PT can't prescribe medication, I don't want to discuss it. I also wouldn't have an in depth conversation with my PCP about surgery either, I'd ask for a referral to speak with a surgeon. Nor have I ever had a PCP who offered info about surgery. They always ask if I'd like a referral. I know that PT's are knowledgeable, but I think I'd feel better talking with experts in the area in which I have need.

I've had my fair share of physical therapy. For my back injury and foot surgery. My PT talked to me about weight quite a bit. I never thought it was outside her scope of expertise. If she was giving me advice on medications or surgical intervention, I may feel differently. But my PT discussed ways to do low impact exercise and stretching for my injuries that would help me get back to working out. It was all relevant to her qualifications.

I didn't answer that last question at first, because I didn't know exactly how I felt. But after reading your response, I agree with you. I think I ignored the "you need to lose weight" because it had become a catch-all. Every. single. thing. was due to weight. Strep throat, ear infection, ingrown toenails... you name it. It became increasingly hard for me to take my doctor serious when they say.. "losing weight will cure you from all your ailments".

How should a doctor tell you to lose weight? Or should they just not say anything? Who can you help by ignoring it? I think they should say something, but it should be said in a way that is advocating for the patient. There were so many times that I went to the doctor and they said that I needed to, but offered no resources to me on how to move forward. There were many times that my doctor didn't say anything at all. Would it be better if nutrition classes or a healthy lifestyle program was offered at the same time? I never even thought about going to a nutritionist prior to this journey. I think had the benefits been explained to me and I knew how helpful it was, I would have went a long time ago. Even when I got diagnosed with diabetes, I took a mini course in nutrition, but it wasn't nearly as thorough as the one for WLS. Should the conversation only happen with another big person? Would you feel less judged that way? I don't think that its necessary to have another large person present. In fact, if my doctor brought an overweight nurse in to discuss my weight problem, I'd probably be offended. Side note, I once had a doctor who was overweight, and I honestly didn't take his advice very seriously because he clearly wasn't taking his own advice. Shallow of me, yes, but that's how I felt at the time. Or does it seem silly for a fat person to tell another fat person to lose weight? Empathy or irony? I think two fat people can relate to one another, and you know if someone who is overweight brings yours up it comes from a genuine place. However, I could see how it could be hypocritical. Prior to my WLS surgery, my girlfriend who is overweight, and I used to talk about our weight all the time. We offered empathy and advice. But now that I'm headed down this path of success, I don't talk to her as much. I don't want to come across as judgmental. Would it be better or worse if bariatric surgery was mentioned? Would it help if I flashed my scars? I wish any doctor would have talked to me about this years and years ago. I think I always knew that people had WLS but didn't know enough about it. I always thought over the years, I'm not that big yet, or I wouldn't qualify. I couldn't afford it.... blah blah blah. Little did I know, my surgery was paid 100% besides my in hospital copay of $450. And I more than qualified. I would have never done this if it hadn't been from someone I know doing it.

Such a great accomplishment! Congrats! 5 miles a day is a serious commitment! I need to take a lead from you.

I had RNY and eat tomatoes all the time. Never have bad a problem.

Today I went to a public pool with a big water slide. I went down 5 times! I felt so young and good! Such a wonderful NSV! My smile says it all!

It sounds like it could be dumping but 2 hours after a vitamin doesn’t sound consistent. Hmmm. How much glucose syrup per serving? There are a lot Bypass folks who take flinstones...I don’t know, hard to tell. I guess the bad part is you’ll know for sure if you take another one. Another thing it could be is a kidney stone, time will tell.

Neat! Never heard of single shots of protein.

Thank you ladies! It feels incredible.

I could hit “like” 5X!

You know, I think it honestly just depends. My neck was HUGE....I had no neck at all. I’d feel choked just sitting upward...my apnea’s were over 120 per hour, but I have no loose skin on my neck. I have the tiniest bit of a fat pocket left. And my stomach was huge as well, I thought surely my skin would hang below my pubic bone, because my fat does. I still have a ways to go, so maybe once the fat is gone and it’s just skin, I’ll feel differently, but right now it’s actually shrinking upwards.

Incredible! Congrats!

I’m also sorry to have offended you. I hope you don’t think that we don’t care or we roll our eyes (or in my case SMH) at every OP’s post, but perspective does come with experience. Like I said to the other gal, I hope you come back and participate because it’s truly a NSV to relate to this thread. Much love! ❤️

Also, just remember that we are talking about the far far extremes here. I always take my time to give answers to questions in a thoughtful manner and will continue to. Again, sorry to have offended you.

I’m sorry if we offended you as a newbie. I hope you revisit the thread 6 months post op and I think you’ll even participate. It’s all about change of perspective and when you can relate to this post, it also is a NSV. Much love, and honestly sorry for offense. -Ashley

My fav is this combo: Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey (1tsp), grainy mustard, crushed red pepper flakes, and a little salt.

It very well might have been the shell. Did you use a flour shell around the burrito?

Girl, i know it works for you, but i would die. I'm still a fat girl who had WLS, LOL.

I mean, zero offense, but I just don't know how you have a 400 calorie day. I just cant fathom it... I would be super curious to see what you eating? and I'm not making mockery of you, I just can't see less than 200 calories in a each meal. Sometimes, I even go over that, rarely, but still. Therefore 200 calories per meal, is minimum of 600. Unless I skip breakfast, which is never going to happen LOL. And of course I'm typing this as I'm eating carrot sticks and greek yogurt veggie dip.

Hi Jessie! Here's my top 13 tips for the process: Start altering your diet now. Cut out processed food, or at the very least processed sugar. Practice eating your protein first and then focus on non-starchy veggies. Also, start tracking your food. There are lots of apps that make logging very easy. I personally use MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there. Find something that you like to drink that doesn't have calories. Try different caffeine free teas and water additives. I still can't drink plain water....so you want to have something on hand that you know you like. Cut out caffeine. Most programs allow caffeine back in relatively quickly, but caffeine can hinder your body's ability to heal. You don't want to go through caffeine withdrawal along with the aches and pains of surgery. Don't use protein shakes before you absolutely have to! I made the mistake of supplementing some of my meals with shakes to "prepare myself" for the pre-op diet. Big mistake. You will get to the point where they are DISGUSTING, and you don't want to increase the timeline of that by drinking them before you need to. Start incorporating exercising (even if it’s just walking) somewhere in your daily routine. It will make it easier if it’s already a habit. Practice chewing your food at least 20-30 times before swallowing. Muscle has memory and it will be so much easier if you already have this habit. If you screw up and swallow too soon after surgery, you will pay the price. Set timers and don't drink and eat at the same time. I highly recommend having at least 1 visit with a therapist to establish with someone for after surgery. It’s not required, but everyone seems to have some emotional struggles afterwards. Whether its 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years you may struggle with the changes. I personally wouldn't share with people, unless you know they will be 100% supportive. It is nerve wracking already and you need nothing but positivity. Plus it’s a lot of pressure from people who know you've had WLS, versus people who think you are on the weight loss track. People think that the weight is going to melt off after surgery, and sometimes it doesn't. You don't want the extra judgment. Don’t engage people with people who say “WLS is too dramatic” or “You could just diet and loose the weight” or “You aren’t big enough for surgery” or “It’s the easy way out”. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE, they don’t know. They will never know how triumphant our victory will be. I would also remember that you need to make time for you! Make the time to shop healthy, meal prep, cook healthy, and plan ahead. And I’m talking to all the selfless mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives. We give so much to our families, but NOW is the time to focus on ourselves. We are doing it for them, after all. We are doing it to prolong our lives and improve the quality of our lives. Come up with a reward system of sorts. You want to acknowledge your successes. For my 50lb mark, I went and got pedicures with my girlfriends. For my 75lb mark, I bought myself some new dresses. For my 100lb mark, I already bought myself a really nice full length mirror. Stalls happen and are completely natural. There are tons of threads in this community that you can search for suggestions or for advice. Hunger happens. Some people don’t experience a decrease in hunger, but it is easily manageable with a small amount of the right foods.