Creekimp13

If we're being absolutely technical....since humans ARE great apes...indeed, our ancestors are great apes as well. I could have technically said Hominidea, our taxonomic family of great apes (which includes humans and the other great apes and our combined ancestors)...but I wanted to keep things simple for the sake of conversation. Human beings are one such example. A hominoid, commonly called an ape, is a member of the superfamily Hominoidea: extant members are the gibbons (lesser apes, family Hylobatidae) and the hominids. A hominid is a member of the family Hominidae, the great apes: orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. We ARE great apes.

In my family, if hubby did well with surgery, and was making good progress healing at a week out....I would go ahead with my surgery. I do think this is a workable situation. Tricky, but survivable. You do need extra help, though. It is absolutely essential that you have people ready to help. Mom and sis have to be willing for you to do a lot of leaning on them. Also, consider hired help for a few weeks. A college student or retiree would be perfect. Someone trustworthy who could help wrangle kids, drive you both to medical appointments, pick up a list of groceries, etc. it's a comfort level thing. Some folks are ok with fighting in the trenches for a few weeks a day at a time, and some just can't handle that level of complication. You should do what you're most comfortable with. Best wishes whatever you decide.

Here's the thing....if both of your surgeries go like they should....it'll be tough....but you will be fine. BUT... (and this is a big but)....if either of you experience any complications....that might get tricky. This is something to consider. Have a talk with his doctor about your surgery plans....just get it all on the table and get your own surgeon's advice and his surgeon's advice. Be sure to mention you have the support of your mom and sister. And it sounds like they're ready to jump in with support. It's worth getting their input...and it's worth researching exactly what you're up against. If you do go ahead, you need people on deck to help, and you need to be ready for all possible outcomes.

Be sure to have your vitamin D level checked if this is the case.

You fill out a big questionnaire that asks you in a dozen different ways if you're suicidal, have depression, have addiction issues, etc. Then, you'll talk briefly with a therapist who will likely ask you why you want to have surgery, what motivates you, how your diet's going, if you have support at home, and basically how you're doing. It's no big deal. It's essentially just to establish a relationship in case you need a little help later.

My mom was terrified of the surgery. She's a master in the art of worrying and guilt. LOL. So, heading into it...I made a point not to bring it up too much or expect her support because I know her anxiety is tough for her. After surgery, she became incredibly encouraged about it and has cheered me on. Sometimes, with people who love us....fear and anxiety can play into their ability to support an elective surgery. Just sayin. In a perfect world....all of our people would have our back....but people feel how they feel. Ultimately, it's our responsibility to make the best choices we can for ourselves...with or without their blessing.

Woot!

We have a lot of them on this board. I've been one of them. People who might NOT be as bitchy...if they weren't eating starvation level calories and dealing with losing a coping mechanism they've depended on for most of their lives. There's science behind it. Low blood sugar and dieting in general can create irritability, anxiety, depression, etc. Hangry isn't a myth. I'm mentioning it because it's something to remember while interacting with others here. Most of the folks here are terrific. Genuinely nice folks who want to help each other out and share their experiences. But a lot of us are right in the middle of some really stressful changes...victories, disappointments, impatience, feeling stuck and discouraged, feeling smugly accomplished, feeling a little lost, dealing with new challenges in relationships, dealing with other emotional crap that feeds into our eating issues.....there's a WHOLE LOTTA shite going on with folks here under the radar. And a lot of it is stressful. Add in the fact that obesity is strongly correlated to mental health issues anyway...and it can get kinda....interesting...around here. Just wanted to remind people to keep this in mind. We're all human. Stress sucks. This is HARD. Compassion is important.

I think all of us have probably done this walk of shame... bought the diet pill/product/supplement that didn't work. Or that special piece of exercise equipment that would change everything....and didn't. What's your confession?

It can detect pneumonia, lung tumors and lesions, enlarged heart. The last thing you want to do...is anesthetize a person with an active lung infection or an undiagnosed pulmonary issue. Breathing is important.

"Head Hunger" is when you've already eaten a nice substantial healthy meal...and a Burger King commercial comes on and you want french fries. That's "head hunger" REAL HUNGER is experienced by people eating starvation levels of calories...like we do...for weeks...before and after surgery. It is often especially experienced by people who are healing and using hundreds more calories each day trying to repair their body. When we start calling any hunger..."head hunger".....we're behaving pathologically toward food. It's eating disorder speak. I was fecking STARVING a few days after surgery, too. Could have eaten my leg off. I didn't get relief until I started eating about a thousand calories a day. Hunger sucks. It's real. It gets better:)

I think one of the reasons my program has lower protein requirements than you'll often see....is that my program serves a LOT of international clients, many of whom are vegetarian or semi-vegetarian culturally. High protein diets DO promote faster weight loss. This is undeniable. But I'm building my forever diet...and I'm trying to get my body used to a diet it can be on forever...so I don't have a big metabolic shift later. (or the weight gain that can occur with big dietary changes) For me, a high protein low carb diet is not a great choice for a forever diet. If I were 400 pounds...I would consider a very restrictive high protein diet for a short period of time for rapid weight loss. At 190...I want something sustainable and permanent. I want a forever diet that I can live with...well...forever. LOL:)

I lived in Japan for a year. People in Japan have the second longest longevity in the world, right after Monaco (Mediterranean). Both the Japanese diet and Mediterranean diet are high in complex carbs and much lower in protein than the American diet. They eat carbs and veggies...and live to be an average of 85 and 89, respectively. I follow a semi-vegetarian lowfat diet because I feel better, my cholesterol is perfect on it, and I want to be healthy and active like a old Japanese lady:) Japan has one of the lowest cancer rates among developed nations, too. And one of the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease.

No, our protein goal is the same. 60g per day, during loss phase. We encouraged to go up to 80g if we choose to, but it's not necessary. I end up in the 70's typically. We can stick with 6 little 200 calorie meals per day...or transition to three 400 calorie meals. I like to do little meals and snacks for breakfast and lunch, and a bigger meal for dinner. All ok with my program. Just have to keep the calories at or under 1200. Exercise is written on a prescription pad and is talked about with as much urgency as diet in my program.

Funny how different they all are, isn't it?

And of course, this all depends on which diet you follow and your nutritionist's ideas. I eat a ton of whole grains and fruit. Eating a pear for a snack would work perfect on my plan. My plan requires 60g of protein a day. I drink a 30g protein premier protein over the course of the day in my coffee....so all I have to really "worry" about is getting 30 more grams in during the day. There are 5 grams of protein in a piece of whole wheat toast:)

Vitamin levels out of whack can screw up energy for sure. Have them checked, do your follow ups. I feel like a rug if I'm not getting at least 1000 calories a day. Another thing to consider is depression. Lot of folks go through some big emotional upheaval in the months after their surgery. So much change, grieving the loss of a coping mechanism...it might figure in more than you realize.

My surgeon was extremely explicit about you needing to bring it...or you wouldn't have surgery. (if you have one...I didn't) But I remember them mentioning it in the seminars over and over.

Sleeve folks typically don't dump. The closest i've come...is eating WAY too much sugar around the holidays...and getting a little nauseated. Had to have a big glass of water, and felt better in 15 minutes. Bypass people dump. It looks incredibly painful. They sweat and look like they feel horrible. Sometimes I sorta wish I had a worse reaction to sugar. I love it...and it's a really bad choice. Easy old habit to fall into. But yeah...no dumping with sleeves for the most part.

Had my sleeve about five months ago:) I had a super fast recovery. I credit this to doing a ton of walking, getting lots of exercise pre-surgically, and taking minimal pain meds in the hospital. (my opinion...if you need them, fine...but they slow you up and you might be surprised how well you feel) I had no nausea with surgery, and have never vomited since surgery. I started feeling "back to normal" at around three weeks post surgery. My group stresses getting exercise and returning to normal levels of calories as soon as possible. At around 3 weeks out, I was eating about 1000 calories a day and felt like myself again. Great energy. I still eat 1000-1200 calories, and will continue to do so until maintenance.....so probably for another year. I feel terrific on 1200 calories a day. I have enough energy to exercise and keep up with my responsibilities. Eating is different. It's weird to eat small amounts frequently (I do 6 little 200 calorie "meals" a day, generally)....but I feel really full and like I can eat most of the things I like. I don't feel deprived. I've made a lot of changes and substitutions to create my "forever diet"...but it's food that I genuinely like and am not lying to myself about liking (big problem in previous diets) Hunger is better now, too. Cravings are better. Food urgency is better. I feel like I have a much healthier relationship with food, and I know I have a much healthier relationship with exercise. Life is good. I'm off all of my meds (with the exception of thyroid and vitamins)....my blood sugar is no long pre-diabetic...it's normal. My labs are terrific. So yeah...it's been an incredibly positive experience:)

3 week stall is super common. Google it.

I would have told myself... The risks you are taking with your health....by choosing to remain fat.....are MUCH GREATER than the risks involved in a scheduled surgery that you've done pre-screening for. Don't be scared of a low mortality surgery. Be scared of high mortality cancer, diabetes and heart disease as a fat person. I love my sleeve. No regrets. Zero.

Ok...here it is: https://menu.wendys.com/en_CA/product/southwest-avocado-chicken-salad/ Now, here's the cool part... You can order it in a full size, or a half size. The half size has 300 calories. The packet of dressing has 90 calories, but I used less than half on the half sized salad. Could only eat about a half...of a half size salad....but it was pretty good food on the run. Less than 200 calories in what I ate....felt full...got some avacado, some greens, some protein. Nothing super special, but it's not a bad fast food option! I LOVE that they offer it in a half-size. Way cool!

I drink one caramel premier protein in my coffee everyday. I figure 30 bonus grams of protein doesn't hurt:)