The Greater Fool

You kids and your new fangled ideas. Batteries in a scale, what will they think of next. Tek

Even back when insurance was problematic, I got a date which was part of the insurance approval process. Once approved, I got moved to a week earlier. It's SOP. Tek

Sorry, going to be a 'nudge' here: 90 miles a week and 5 marathons beg to differ. From when I started to when I finished the 5th marathon, I dropped 150 pounds, which was about 40 too many. I'm pretty sure it was mostly fat. Less effective exercise is better than no exercise. I hated exercise, so never did any Tek

4 out of 6 posts. You obviously find me fascinating. Pots, kettles. etc. Tek

I do charity work trying to help credulous people that believe the claims companies don't even make. It's thankless work, but I enjoy giving back. Pure intentions mean nothing. The road to hell is paved with pure intentions. I prefer reality, You might try it eventually, it's pretty cool. I'm having fun, are you? [ETA: You must be, you've spent 3 of your 5 posts here on me. Exciting!] Tek

Yes, you sure got me with that one. People always deflect when they can't defend. Now learn where "The Greater Fool" comes from: Who is the greater fool? The fool, or she that argues with the fool? This is my world, you just live in it Enjoy, Tek

If you are indeed doing your plan then the scale is lying to you. You have evidence you are succeeding, don't let the scale screw it up or take it away. Tek

It *IS* amazing, isn't it? You know, there are doctors right now telling idiots they don't need masks. Yeah. Doctors. WOW. Sure, the SAME ingredients (sugar, salt, potasiam) in your product work MAGICALLY 3x better than WATER, but the SAME ingredients in gatoraid don't. Isn't that special. I did the research, I know better. And we both know you didn't do research, or you would have posted it. Instead, you got offended. Boo Hoo. Have your Surgeon explain it to you clearly the difference. In small words. Have him explain exactly the mechanism that causes SUGAR, SALT, and POSOSIUM to hydrate you 3 times more than water. Since that is not even a claim the company makes, it should be interesting. VITAMINS? What the fig are you talking about? The product has no vitamins. I posted the INGREDIENTS! You do understand how labels work, no? Another WOW. Research is my thing. This was easy. Enjoy, Tek

I'm a guy and a bit further out. I was 600+ pounds. Now normal for my height. Before 2003 I was rarely seen in pictures. There were a few situations I couldn't avoid, but being tall I could stand behind everyone else. No solo pictures, no way, no how. Post-op I am still rarely seen in pictures. There are a few situations I couldn't avoid, but being tall I could stand behind everyone else. No solo pictures, no way, no how. In my work world, I've been a consultant for 45 years. I go to a new place, tell them how it needed to be done, I did it, then in 1-5 years when it was done, I moved on. Pre-op, I never went to social engagements, or out with staff. I was there to do a job, that's all. Post-op it's exactly the same. The one place it has changed is just out and about. People no longer bump into walls or poles because they are staring at me. Turnstiles don't freak me out. Restaurant seats don't freak me out. I no longer fear children. Well, I still do, but not as much. I can do physical activities as well as the next person. And, I can DO stuff. Stuff which I never dreamed I had any inclination to do. So, while a lot stays the same, a lot changes. Good luck, Tek

Just so. Tek

As several people have said in different ways that people differ. We need to learn this simple truth. I was fortunate(?) that I was too large to fit on a scale. As a result, I only got a weight at each monthly follow-up. Even then, I learned the scale didn't always reflect my progress (or lack). The scale didn't know if I was eating correctly or not. If I was exercising or not. If I was happy or not. I looked at my journal to verify this: My first month, I lost 41 pounds, next 3: 20, 19, 20 pounds. The 5th month I lost 8 crumby, miserable pounds. It was confusing. I felt defeated. I was doing all the same stuff, what went wrong? I was scared (as many folks report) that my weight loss was stopping well short of goal. This was all in the 15 minutes I was waiting for the Doc. Doc looked and said "Great! Any issues? Still following plan?" I expressed all my anxiety above. I got a kind but firm talk about how scales lie. At my weight, day to day fluctuation could be dramatic. It's the trend that is important. He also expressed that tracking food, calories, carbs, exercise was a trap. Our inputs today may not influence our weight for 3-5 days. So looking at our weight change today then looking at yesterday for why is natural human boneheaded wrong attribution of cause and effect. Worry about following the plan, day in and day out, and you will find success, because success is about how you feel, not numbers on a chart or scale. He said that unfortunately, too few people listened to this and made themselves miserable. The next month my weight loss jumped back up to my 2nd highest monthly change. I didn't change a thing. I liked my Doc, Supportive and he kicked my ass when I said or did something stupid. I also know, as he knew, people are people. Tek

Beans, beans, the wonderful fruit... Pay more attention to chewing and swallowing to ensure you are not swallowing air. I'm unsure which surgery you had. So from here on, I can only share my RNY experience. Other than when food gets stuck and getting it out is a requirement, anything else that upsets my stomach results in just such a situation, repeated burping. For me, it's a prelude to dry heaving if I don't do something to head it off, like drink something, or eat just a tiny something. I also have Ondansetron (try to say that!) stomach medicine which also heads it off. Hope this helps, Tek

Cool, I just posted about this in another thread. But in this one, I can tell the truth! My Doc didn't demand a liquid diet before surgery, just no food or drink after 6:00pm the night before. If you don't eat the day before, your stomach and upper intestines will be clear and able to be rearranged. Good luck and enjoy the ride. Tek

This is gonna be one of those posts I should not make. First, do what your Doc says. He's the boss. Stay on plan. :looks around to see if anyone is watching: OK, my Doc never asked for a liquid diet before surgery. What he did ask for is no food or drink after 6:00pm the night before. He oddly preferred that my stomach and upper intestines were empty, and I obliged. Actually, I had a meal planned late in the after noon, but skipped it. Of course, I was on my pre-op weightless diet which involved, of all things, actual food. The horror! I also failed my pre-op diet weightless diet, so there's that. Your surgeon won't be able to tell if you had a huge 10k calorie meal 3 nights before. The reason for the draconian pre-op diets are to shrink you and some organs as much as possible to make the surgery marginally easier. This is no small thing. They had to take out my HUGE gallbladder, get around my fatty liver, fix a hernia, do something about GERD, so I had a 3 hour open surgery. I don't remember much as I slept through it. When I woke up the first thing he said was "You have massive sleep apnea!" "Oh." :shrug: The laparoscopic folks were threatened with "If you don't lose weight and we can't get in there, we'll have to open you up" but that was no threat for me. :loooks around again: So remember kids, ALWAYS do what your surgeons ask, it's for the best! Tek

I know the quantities I *generally* can eat of most foods, but even then many are moving close to the cusp of dumping even when I don't. An ill considered extra bite and I'm over the top. Or, if I'm just slightly tired, or slightly other things, the needle moves a little and what I generally can eat is too much. Which is why I generally don't eat the things that have taken me over the edge. It's simply not worth dumping every 3rd or 7th time I eat it. I imagine everyone learns this eventually. My follow-up appoints after the 2nd month followed the same routine: 1) Check in; 2) Weigh in; 3) Talk to Doc about the last month, my plan, my eating. 4) Make next appointment, pay, walk out. No examination. You will need to use your words. Make sure your Doc understands your issues, and that you need a path to correction. Any questions you ask here you should ask your Doc. If there is a difference in answers, your Doc wins. Do that. But, we are will to share experiences so you know you aren't alone, weird, or crazy. Well, related to WLS. The other stuff, we live with Tek

I'm sorry, but liquid i.v. is just like any other electrolyte drink like gatoraide. It CANNOT hydrate 3x more than simple water. Their CLAIM is that it hydrates 3x faster. Even that is questionable. check the ingredients. 11g of SUGAR. There is your 45 calories right there. 500mg Sodium. May help fluid into bloodstream quicker, but also water retention. it has 2x the salt of gatorade, 1/2 the sugar. Serving Size 1 Stick Pack(s) Servings Per Container 16 Amount Per Serving % DV Calories 45 Calories from Fat 0 Total Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Total Carbohydrate 11g 4% Dietary Fiber 0g Sugars 11g Protein 0g Sodium 500mg 21% Potassium 370mg 11% Water works, we're in no hurry. The military gives salt pills to prevent dehydration. Think about it. Tek

You've done your research which is outstanding. Whichever way you go, success is about working your Doc/Nut's process. Trying to mix other program plans implies you think you know better. You got you where you are. Listen and follow. Try not to test things as long as you can, but we all do it eventually. Then get back to plan. Your thoughts on the RNY match closely to mine. RNY has better statistics in success, but also more complications. Dumping itself is a complication most of us wanted, for the reasons you seem to. I too wanted the negative reinforcement of dumping if I ate wrong. Little did I know that most of the negative feedback would be doing the mechanics of eating wrong: Not chew enough, too fast, not paying attention. They work also. 17+ years later I've done things of which I never dreamed. And my plumbing still works as designed in the operating room. I have a good life. Tek

Congratulations and welcome. Tek

Sorry, was going by your profile. It says MGB and 6 weeks ago. ETA: Crap, 2019. I'm an idiot. Tek

Back in the early 2000s there as a protein powder that advertised here that everyone said tasted like NesQuick chocolate powder. Turns out NesQuick chocolate powder was the main ingredient, and the company got into huge legal trouble. I didn't worry much as my program didn't include protein drinks. But it did teach me to research any product or program that I counted on for my health. Don't believe product claims.

Thanks for the invite. I'm not overly hopeful but I'll pitch it to the wife.

When I had RNY I could only be weighed on my Doc's scale, as I was too big for any others. Even hospital scales didn't go so high. Once I could weigh elsewhere, I didn't. By then I had learned I didn't need to know my weight to succeed. Now, these years later, I weigh at my annual physical. That's it. How I feel, what I can do, those are the important measurements. Thus, I say to thee, cast away that demon scale. Be free and joyful in good health! Tek

You may not have much control, as simple shock (such as surgery) can cause hair loss. Enjoy the additional micro-ounces you will lose It will probably come back. If not, I'll bet you can rock the bald look! Tek

If you are eating on plan the scale is lying to you. Cast it aside! Tek, who doesn't weigh himself.

After 17+ years RNY I still physically can't.