Lyngolean

Very interesting! I had just read the New York Times study of participants from The Biggest Loser tonight also, and the role of the hormone, leptin. Fascinating stuff, for sure! https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?rref=collection%2Fseriescollection%2Fthe-science-of-fat&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=collection

Very interesting! I had just read the New York Times study of participants from The Biggest Loser tonight also, and the role of the hormone, leptin. Fascinating stuff, for sure! https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?rref=collection%2Fseriescollection%2Fthe-science-of-fat&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=collection

Im in the same boat. I bought a few of the plastic ring guard things but they suck. I am constantly checking to make sure my ring is still on my finger. I can now put my wedding ring on my middle finger. I need to have mine resized, but yes want to wait a little while longer since Im still losing weight.

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My process was much longer. I had my first consult in December 2017 and had surgery April 12, 2018. It's a lot to wrap one's head around. Good luck!

yea i hear you. ive been trying to keep my calories at 900 or below. I have NOT had the surgrey yet. 900 calories is low and holy crap i can feel it, i feel hungry. There are some days though I can do 900 calories and just be fine.

I am so sorry. But glad they did the safe thing. Also rooting for you to have the actual sleeve ASAP for only the anesthesia fee as someone said above! Good luck tomorrow at the cardiologist.

I have cardiac disease strongly in my family, before I got my cardiac clearance I had testing over a 3 week period. Like my BariBud BeeCat above I had all those, stress test , Holter Monitor etc. Did find a teensy anomoly, did not bar me from surgery but I will be on a every year check to make sure of no progression. And I gleaned a wonderful young female cardiologist in the deal. So it worked for the best. if I need more medication in the future, if I later require cardiac surgery, maybe 5-10% chance, she can and will take excellent care of me. Now I am 72 years old, yeah I know , not an usual age for major surgery let alone Bariatric surgery. But I am special, I am as healthy as a 45 year old, just trapped in a fat 72 year old shell. Peeves my PCP I have better test readings than he does and he isn't 50 yet.
I told my Dr Needleman I would prefer an open rather than ending up as you did. These days 99,9% are laprascopic , so open is pretty rare. He leaned back in his rolling office chair, grinned and Said " Do you really want an 8-10 inch abdominal incision to have to heal?" I flipped up my 👕, and smiled back , I have an 6 inch right paramedian scar from 34 years ago when I lost my appendix and gall bladder. It lies just to the right of my navel, 3 inches above, 3 inches below. I smiled sweetly when I did it and he said " Okay, Okay, point taken. I'll keep that in mind!" His nurse told me later I had won THAT challenge.
And Cardiology was only one of many. Began to think I should have had my good friend who will be my tattooist, put a representation of a legal tablet on the other side of my belly from the scar, that way each speciality could put their initials and date.
And on September 5th At 7 AM EDT, Yes the first of that day, so if it takes more than 1.5 hours he will be in no rush, My REBIRTHDAY will come, my Wonder Wednesday when I become a " kangaroo" because like them I will have a little pouch.
Scared, heck no! I drowned my fears in my tears long ago, now I yearn to start on my new improved life , use my surgical reconstruction for my benefit and live, baby, live!😝👍😷👍🌈

An infuriating comment someone said to me was, "Why don't you just eat like that and skip the surgery?" Talk about ignorance... Hopefully those closest to you are supportive and helpful!!!

Frustr8, glad you have your date now! Shelly, I am loving hearing your story! Keep the updates coming! I had VSG 4/12 and am down 73 pounds. You are wise to hold off getting new clothes Shelly. You will need them all too soon and OFTEN! Thank goodness for thrift stores! Your neighbor to the north and west (as you are in Iowa and Ohio)... I have asked for an InstaPot for my birthday which is next week. Looking forward to having it!

My one supporter said the same thing like 2 days before my surgery!
I.LOST.MY.MIND.

VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 167

Frustr8, glad you have your date now! Shelly, I am loving hearing your story! Keep the updates coming! I had VSG 4/12 and am down 73 pounds. You are wise to hold off getting new clothes Shelly. You will need them all too soon and OFTEN! Thank goodness for thrift stores! Your neighbor to the north and west (as you are in Iowa and Ohio)... I have asked for an InstaPot for my birthday which is next week. Looking forward to having it!

An infuriating comment someone said to me was, "Why don't you just eat like that and skip the surgery?" Talk about ignorance... Hopefully those closest to you are supportive and helpful!!!

There is nothing shameful for trying to better yourself. You don't deserve a scarlet letter, rather you deserve a shining twinkling 🌟. If others don't understand that it's a lack in them, not you. Continue on your path, for you might be an inspiration for someone to start their own.😝👍🍀

You know whats interesting? I only told a few hand selected people from my place of employment also, however someone came up to me and said "I heard a rumor...." I switched the topic instantly and made a fast getaway. Like HOW are people finding this out or why does it matter so much what im doing?
Now im just assuming but that's the only thing that is going on in my life that they would "hear" about. By logical deduction he was being ultra nosy (hes one a mega busybody) and wanted to get the info. It just really irks me. Since when did I become so frigging interesting? I swear WLS does something to people. Where it's like this crazy SUPER interesting topic that people HAVE to chime in for, kinda like politics or religion.
People are very uncomfortable about others changing. Ive really started to realize this. Anytime a constant is changed especially if you are close to them (family, friends, significant others) or work in close proximity (work places), people literally have to confront themselves with how they feel about YOU changing. It's crazy. The psychology of it all.

Girl, we've all heard those comments too and it does hurt. I'm with you--is it jealousy, concern, rudeness? I am 53 years old and decided to quit giving people any power over me due to their own emotional struggles with my decision. I have struggled with obesity for 30 years. My loved ones and friends are all very supportive and I'll just be satisfied with that. There will be a ton of support on this forum. Maybe tell them you decided to take control of your life and be proactive. If that doesn't shut them down, make it clear that you are firm in your decision and that you would appreciate any support they'd like to offer, but that the decision is made. Period.

Today was hard. I have surgery this Friday 20th. I've been eating the pre-op "envelope meal" diet almost 2 weeks and today the office ordered Cheesecake Factory. It's not their fault that I made the decision to do the surgery, but I still wanted to kick their chairs out from underneath them. It's literally all I can do to keep myself from saying "Eff it" and going for a steak and beer. I know I know, I am so close to surgery; I wont sabotage myself.
One other thing that has been on my mind is how some people I have told have reacted to my news. I honestly didn't tell people for a long time about what I was doing because I didn't want to listen to everyone's opinions. I've worked in the medical field for 20 years and if I have questions I know who to ask.
It doesn't stop people from saying things that are seriously discouraging:
- "Oh wow. Can't you lose it on your own without having surgery?"
- "I could NEVER do a liquid diet for that long."
- "Haven't people died getting that done?"
- "Awwww! Your surgery is the day of my party?? That sucks! We were having a Mexican food buffet too! I know that's your favorite. Well, at least you are missing for a good reason."
- "I'm fat too, but there is no way I would have surgery."
- "Let's go to {insert restaurant/bar here} before you have surgery since you wont be able to do it after that."
- "You know you can't have carbonated beverages the rest of your life, right?"
- "Don't people gain their weight back most of the time anyway?"
It's hard to tell if people are trying to make me feel bad about my decision because they don't understand it, or it they are jealous or just being downright hateful. I don't get it. I just needed to vent. Today was the hardest day I've had so far and I needed to get that off my chest. I keep telling myself that by this weekend it will all be over and I can start focusing on living a normal life again, just healthier this time.

Hi Shelly! I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your posts of your sleeve journey. My surgery date is August 1st and it is so comforting to be able to read about how others are experiencing what I am about to experience! I hope your transition to pureed foods has gone well. Best wishes to you!

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Well Shells83 I have had news to update you with. Yes yesterday morning I got my call. I meet with my Surgeon Dr Needleman 7/17/18 at 11:15 am, and then after my appointment I should get MY Date. Oh I am excited that it truly will be happening. So stay tuned the Frolicks of Frusrt8 are not yet over!📝📦📆

@Frustr8 You're getting so close! Hold off on that DIY just a few days longer! 😃

Well, I'm officially sleeved! I wasn't as nervous as I thought morning of (the 2nd) and walked to the surgery room at 7:30am. Last thing I remember is them putting oxygen on me and the anesthesiologist joking that it was his second day. I don't remember the post-op recovery room at all, but do remember them moving me back to my room. After that, the nurses were in an out and so was I!
All I wanted to do was sleep, I didn't care about anything else and never even called my husband until 5pm! The surgeon had called him afterwards of course.
Day two was up and down. I kept having nausea and didn't feel like the gas was moving. But every time I was uncomfortable, the nurses gave me what I needed, so my husband came and picked me up.
Day 3 (4th of July) I was finding I'm getting my liquids in very well, above what they expected of me. I still like the Protein Shakes and flavors I liked before surgery and I still love water! YEEESSSSSS! I was so afraid that I wouldn't like Water anymore after the surgery, which seems to happen to a lot of water lovers. But I wasn't able to get very good rest due to my neighbors setting off fireworks all afternoon/evening. Oh well.
Day 4. So far today I've had almost 40 oz of water, a Premier Protein shake, 4 oz chicken broth, one 2 oz SF popsicle, and my new coffee substitute, which is 8 oz of skim milk, ground Decaf instant coffee, a dash of unsweetened cacao powder, and a scoop of vanilla Protein. I'm trying to decide if I want to try to get down another premier Protein Shake today or just more water. I'm getting more walking in today but it's been pretty hot here so sometimes I just walk circles inside my house. I'm still having some spasms but no nausea or vomiting at all.
I'm very happy I went through with this and am looking forward to seeing my heath improve. My goal is to post here most days (at least through the food progression stages) so I can remember my journey and hopefully help others. Then probably weekly or biweekly thereafter, just depending on whether I have anything interesting to share.

I enjoy reading other people’s journeys and stories, so I decided to create one of my own! I’m Shelly, about to turn 35 years old on July 7th, and I’m from Iowa. I’ve struggled with my weight ever since I was 10 years old and have been up and down too many times to count. My lowest adult weight was 165 (very briefly) and I’m currently at my highest adult weight, 242. At 5’6”, the top end of the healthy weight range for me is 154, so 150 is my goal. Funny thing is, the last time I got measured as an adult I was told I was 5’4” so I always thought I needed to get to 138 or less to be at a healthy weight!

Currently, I am in the final stages of being approved for my VSG. The surgeon is supposed to sign off on everything today and the gal handling my insurance paperwork said she would submit to insurance today and call me. She said approval could take anywhere from 15 minutes to 7-10 business days. Fingers crossed for 15 minutes! 😉

Backing up a bit, I originally went to Iowa Weight Loss Specialties for their non-surgical weight loss program on 5/10/2018. Knowing my BMI wasn’t 40 or higher, I thought trying for the surgery would only end up in disappointment if I didn’t get approved through insurance plus I was still struggling a little mentally with the idea that I thought I should lose the weight on my own. While meeting with my nurse practitioner, I mentioned that I had considered WLS and she asked if I’d like them to at least look into it with my insurance company in the meantime and I agreed.

At my next appointment two weeks later, my nurse practitioner told me that surgery would be covered, all I’d need is one more nutrition counseling appointment and a mental health assessment. I thought that meant my insurance was approved, but I had misunderstood what she said. So for the next couple weeks, I was happy as a clam thinking I was approved as long as I completed the steps, until I went to meet with the surgeon and found out I wasn’t approved yet! I was devastated and in tears, which was really embarrassing but I had my heart set on this surgery and it was extremely disappointing to hear that I may not even get approved without a comorbidity. However, they did tell me they wanted to do bloodwork and possibly a sleep study to see if I had a comorbidity, but the wait time for the home sleep study kit was two weeks. ☹ Luckily, the next day when I came in for my bloodwork they magically had a sleep machine I could take home immediately, which was great news.

My bloodwork all came back normal, so I was really riding on the sleep study and praying I’d have at least moderate sleep apnea. My husband told me he thought I definitely have sleep apnea based on how loud I snore, but I was still worried. Plus I thought all this time he was exaggerating on my snoring! 😉 So I returned the sleep machine on Monday 6/11 and they said it would take 7-10 business days for the results. I was happy and surprised to hear back on Friday 6/15 that I did have sleep apnea which qualifies as a comorbidity and scheduled an appointment to come in Monday 6/18 to hear the results and do my nicotine test, which was the last step before submitting to insurance. I was completely shocked to hear that I have SEVERE sleep apnea. Which all makes sense now that I know and think about it. But I have to get a CPAP machine to wear from now on. She indicated they’d have me do another sleep study after I lose 10% of my body weight to see if I still need the CPAP machine, but that my weight might have nothing to do with it. Not getting adequate sleep may have been one of the reasons I have not been able to lose weight on my own in recent years. Although I dread the thought of wearing a CPAP machine, I’ve grown so used to being exhausted that I’m actually looking forward to seeing what getting a good night’s sleep feels like.

After hearing that I have sleep apnea, I briefly wondered if I really needed the surgery after all and that maybe lack of sleep was really what had been holding me back from losing weight through diet and exercise. But then I remembered how I’ve been struggling all my life and that the hunger hormone ghrelin was going to continue to be a problem for me. I really feel like the sleeve is what I truly need to become a healthy person for the rest of my life.

Finally, in addition to sleep apnea, I suffer from depression, anxiety, back pain, heartburn, and ADD. I am hoping the surgery will reduce my depression, anxiety, and back pain.

That’s all for now! I’ll update again next time I have news, which will hopefully be my insurance approval!

I needed my 650mg Tylenol every 4 hours around the clock for the first 3-4 days. After that, I started sleeping longer - maybe 6 hours or so and wouldn't wake up from pain. I used my abdominal binder, an ice pack, an anti-cramping medication called hycosamine (prescription) and lots of walking to help with pain. I had zero gas pain for which I am eternally grateful. I thought recovery was very similar to recovery from giving birth where every day is appreciably improved. I had a fair amount of fatigue and took 2 naps a day for the first week, then reduced to one daily nap, then just a rest in the afternoon. My first 3 weeks back to work, I did NOthing after work other than my exercise, food prep and personal hygiene. NO extra energy. All best wishes to you!

I'm with others. Your work situation does not sound legal.

Which thread?

At about three months out....I had a three week stall. I was pulling my hair out (and it was coming out, believe me...lol) trying everything to kick my weight loss into gear again. Barely eating 1000 calories (I typically eat 1200), exercising like a maniac, being stupid and listening to bad advice in desperation.... starvation, cutting my healthy carbs, all sorts of stupid...I did it...and got no where. STUCK. For three freaking weeks. Finally gave up, said, feck this...and went back to my regular healthy carb based 1200 calorie mayo Clinic Diet. Figured I'd either eventually lose weight, or just maintain my loss, call it a day... and feel sane again. Started losing again slow and steady. Did I mention slow? LOL...but steady...and I felt terrific.
I'm at the end of my weight loss phase these days...which is evidence that even the most flawed dieters can be successful if they don't give up! You can be an absolute screw up....and as long as you wake up each day and make an effort....and move your habits just an inch or two in the right direction every day...you'll get there. You really will. Be patient with yourself. Love yourself. Let little screw ups go and move on...they're not world ending. Focus on permanent habits. Try for good change EVERY day. Let the little **** go. It's not worth torturing yourself and throwing in the towel over. We don't have to be perfect.
I have gotten extremely comfortable with my forever diet...no more crazed desperation, no more rushing shite, no more frantic yaya.... just lots of really good healthy food, lots of exercise I enjoy....and 75 or so naughty calories a day. A livable, healthy, balance. (for me)
So...this week, I thought I really blew it...
Cause I had a McD's ice cream cone after the fireworks with the fam, I ate half a veggie burger at Burger King on Tuesday with my bestie after my tattoo (with the bun and some of my bestie's fries!), ate a ton of awesome treats at our pool party...though it was all pretty dang healthy:) And....ok, I'll be honest...was kinda relaxed about my food journal. Hubby and kiddo were around and it was vacation...so I relaxed a little.
So, I'm thinkin...well crap...it's not gonna be pretty this week. Stepped on the scale and lo and behold....I lost a little over two pounds...in one week...which this far out is freaking incredible!!! ( I started thinking about the walking I did at the air show and fireworks, and all the pool party prep and swimming, lawn mowing, gardening, pulling weeds for party...and yep...I worked that two pounds off my butt pretty easily given the extra hours of exercise)
That said? Isn't it nuts how you can work so hard and get no where...and relax a little and make awesome progress sometime? Sometimes it feels like we're at the mercy of a sick joke. LOLOLOLOL!
I will never understand how the weight loss Gods work.
They are a cruel, twisted, unpredictable race of beings.
Hoping everyone's having a terrific summer:)