MIZ60

I know someone who gained back a lot after bypass. She constantly drank regular coke and ate candy and was really into pasta and rice dishes. She lost over 120 lbs. and the last time I saw a picture of her I estimate she has gained at least 80 pounds. We worked at the same place for 7 years and she was constantly up and down on her weight but it was due to poor choices and lack of self control.

Depending on what medications she is taking to control her diabetes, she may need to adjust or change them in order to do her preop diet without hypoglycemic episodes. In this case, she should really see her health care provider to address her needs and come up with a safe plan.

Went to breakfast yesterday on the motorcycle with my husband at one of our favorite diners. Rode about 160 miles round trip. I have not been able or willing to ride with him in 2 and 1/2 years so this is a major non scale victory for me. It was fabulous!! And NO I did not have any pie

I will be 5 months out tomorrow and have lost 42 pounds since the day of surgery. I lost an additional 15 pounds on the preop diet. I am actually happy with this. Of course at age 60 I expect my weight loss to be fairly slow.... I follow a fairly low carb diet with adequate protein and moderate healthy fats. I get most of the carbs from veggies and some from dairy and legumes. I avoid all starchy foods as well as most grains (gluten intolerant). I avoid fruits because I do not like most of them. I walk 1.75 miles 5-6 days a week and do occasional upper body weight training which I need to increase. I weigh myself every day but only change my ticker when I lose. I have gone back and forth with 2-3 pounds many times. I think you are doing fine. The closer you get to goal the slower the scale is going to move. My advice would be to continue what you are doing, focus on the positive (losing 76 pounds is the equivalent of a 9 year old) and be proud of yourself.

Not sure if pureed food is included in full liquids, I know it was not in my program. In my mind full liquids are just that, liquids. Broth, protein shakes, popsicles, a little plain greek yogurt and water was all I had for the first 2 weeks. You need to be really careful since you sleeve is healing.

That is a truly amazing transformation. You do look taller and you can see so much more wall around you. Plus your radiant smile says it all. Congratulations!!

That sounds about right to me. I am almost 4 months out and able to eat about 1/2 cup or so before it becomes uncomfortable. It is a plus to me to be satisfied completely with eating that much food. I still put it on a small plate and sometimes if I put a little too much on there my husband finishes it for me.

It may be different since I have the sleeve, but I have not noticed any issues with having a couple of drinks 1 or 2 times per week. I only drink good tequila on the rocks, Crown Royal and water or a vodka martini...none of which have any sugar or additives. While on vacation 2 weeks ago I ordered a prickly pear margarita (a former favorite that I used to love) and the experience was not good. After 2 sips I felt hot and nauseous so I just put it aside. We ate and then after 30 minutes I tried a little more and it just tasted sickening so I just left it. It is the first sugar in anything that I have tried since April and I will never try it again.

I chose the sleeve because my doctor recommended it after reviewing my medical history and because it seemed less invasive than the bypass. I was familiar with RNY since this surgery is also done on babies with liver disease to allow them to grow big enough for a liver transplant. It seemed a little extreme to my nurse's brain to have all that done to lose weight. I have never had signficant GERD issues or I might have considered the bypass. Approaching 4 months out next week and I do feel I made the right decision. I still have a ways to go but if I do not lose another pound I will still be ecstatic since I feel a million times better than I did before surgery, have no back pain and have been able to stop 3 asthma/COPD medications. I have great energy and feel happy most of the time. My life has done a 180 degree turnaround since April 18 and I am very grateful for that. For me, the sleeve (so far) was the right choice since it is working well and I feel more comfortable with it than the other options.

I would think once you are allowed to eat regular foods that the only way to know how you would tolerate these things would be to try small amounts of them one at a time and see how they affect you. Also be really aware of the nutritional macros since you can only eat a little bit at a time and snacking/grazing is discouraged. You can also google some of these and often find a way to make yourself something very similar that has more nutrition.

My program required clearance from cardiology, psychology and attendance at 3 group classes as well as a one-on-one meeting with the nutritionist. I saw the surgeon for the first time on 12/26 and the longest wait was for the nutritionist (3 months)...they have since hired a second nutritionist. I finished everything in early April and was offered a date mid April but wanted to take a trip with my husband for his birthday and did not want to be on a preop diet during that time. Had surgery 5/2 and I was lucky that my insurance covered it 100%. There was no weight loss requirements but I was encouraged to start making changes in my diet which I did. I only lost about 6 pounds before I started the preop diet.

There is no excuse for this. I have been a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner for 28 years. Sure, there are situations that come up that I talk about with other providers in my office but not in that way. Just because a door is closed does not mean someone is not eavesdropping. I had a shared office with a pediatrician for several years and if we needed to discuss anything sensitive about a patient, parent or staff member we actually texted each other back and forth while sitting at our desks because the walls have ears. I urge you to make what happened known to the doctor and practice administrator. The people involved need to be counseled and warned that further behavior like that will not be tolerated. I am very sorry this happened to you, especially with your son there.

My surgeon recommends the sleeve for everyone unless they have significant GE reflux disease. He is one of the bariatric surgery pioneers in Texas and has over 25 years experience.

When I started my preop diet on 4/18 I could hardly wear anything in my closet. I never bought anything above a 20W and just got by with super stretchy leggings and jeggings, loose tunic tops and open cardigans. I now can wear many things I could never get into and have actually sold brand new with tags clothes on eBay that are too big. Clothing sizes are so variable that it helps me to try a bunch of stuff on that now fit that lets my brain know I am getting smaller. I still get frustrated when I am out shopping and some things are too tight even though I have other things in my closet the same size that fit.

Drank regular coffee (my beloved Columbian Supreme from Sams for the Keurig) up until the day before surgery then changed to Green Mountain decaf for two weeks post op. At my 2 week post op the PA approved me going back to my regular coffee and I have had absolutely no problems. I do use about 3 ounces of Premier Protein shake instead of the half and half and Davinci syrup I used before.

That exact thing happened to me with the cookies and cream flavor. Not sure of the cause but I thought maybe it was the heat and/or the inulin/cellulose clumping up but I took the box back to Sams and they gave me a refund. I did not like that flavor so I have not purchased it again. No problems with the caramel or vanilla I currently use in my coffee. It was pretty nasty....

I was put on omeprazole once a day for 3 months after surgery. Stopped on 8/2 and so far have had slight indigestion a few times which responds well to a couple of tums. PA says to go back on omeprazole if needed but I really do not want to take it long term due to side effects and risks. So far so good....

Every morning, naked and after using the bathroom. I feel it helps me stay on track.

My experience was the complete opposite.....even though I was morbidly obese with severe lower back pain and severe asthma that occurred and got worse over the past 4 years not one of my physicians ever brought up the possibility of my weight being the cause of my issues. I think deep down I knew that it was but I could not be successful losing weight on my own. Even my primary care doctor whom I have seen for about 12 years never said a single word about it, he just prescribed more steroids when my wheezing got worse and made referrals to a spine specialist and pulmonologist. The fact that these comorbidities are now completely resolved and I am off all medicines except vitamins since surgery 3 months ago clearly illustrates the effects being obese can have. I saw my PCM for something unrelated about 2 weeks ago and I asked him if he ever recommends WLS evaluation and he just shrugged and said that most people do not want to be told they are obese (like they don't know already). There is so much focus on patient satisfaction nowadays that I think doctors are afraid of saying anything that makes someone mad or unhappy. Of course, assuming that being obese is the cause of everything is just as bad.

How/why did you get locked out of the forums? Never mind, I just read your other post. I had to stop all the notifications because they were filling up in inbox but since I usually look on here a few times a day I am able to keep up with it.

You can always try going on the bariatric diet but you need some big changes in what you are currently eating. You need lean protein first, then non-starchy vegetables with some fruit and small amounts of whole grains and dairy. Aim for calories about 1000-1200 per day with daily exercise and a boatload of water (at least 64 ounces but more is better) No sugar, soda, juice, processed carbs or snack foods. Give it a go. Three and a half months ago I was in bad shape. Wheezing constantly despite 3 daily asthma/COPD medications, terrible lower back pain if I was standing for more than 5 minutes. Almost a prisoner in my home due to feeling so bad and defeated. I am a nurse practitioner and hated the idea of surgery and anesthesia but I came to the conclusion that I could not fix my situation without medical assistance. So, I had the gastric sleeve. The first 3 days after the surgery were hard due to pain and general irritation about the whole thing. I got sick of drinking sips of water almost every waking minute and forcing protein shakes down a little at a time. At that point, things started getting better every day. Tomorrow is 3 months since my sleeve and I can tell you honestly it is the best thing I could have done in my situation. I am off all of my asthma/COPD meds, absolutely no back pain, walking 1.75 miles daily and doing weight training and almost 50 pounds lighter. I do get hungry at mealtime but the amount of food it takes to fill me up simply amazes me. You are not to blame for being obese any more than anyone else on here. It is a serious problem for many and bariatric surgery is just a tool to help us succeed in solving the problem. Spend time reading on here...there is a lot of great information and sometimes brutal honesty. Good luck to you!!

Baby foods were not allowed by my program and are really bland but it is easy to puree anything in the food processor. I did baked chicken breast, baked salmon, baked cod, black beans, cauliflower, green beans and canned tuna. Everything was good except the tuna and the green beans which were just okay. I did buy some little applesauce cups (natural, no sugar) but other than that made it all myself. The key with the meats is to bake them in liquid (broth) and then add things like greek yogurt, light butter, ranch dressing and broth to make the consistency smooth and not too dry. I used a lot of Montreal Steak and Montreal Chicken Seasonings because I really like them on just about anything. Since you are only eating very small amounts (1-2 tablespoons for me) I only had to cook and puree stuff about once a week (my puree stage was 4 weeks).

I feel this way sometime and I have lost right at 50 pounds. I go in my bedroom and try on clothes ….that used to be way too tight and are now way too big...and that is PROOF to me that my body is getting smaller. Just be kind to yourself and trust the process.

Call the hospital, ask for a financial counselor and explain the above and ask if they can draw up some payment schedule and have you sign it. Maybe monthly payments for a year or something like that. They want the $$ from you and your insurance company so they will hopefuly go for it. Good luck!!

Cheers and best of luck to you!!