Betty1971

Hello friends! 2 and 1/2 years out post VSG, donated a kidney to my daughter 15 months ago and had a full tummy tuck with muscle repair 5 ish months ago, here is my issue/concern. I have seen my Bariatric team, primary dr, kidney transplant team and I am still have no real understand of what’s happening!!! they slapped a Dexcom on me die to crazy blood sugars. Spike to over 350 and at night drop below 40, yes I said 40. Full on symptoms of hypoglycemia aboit 4 days out of the week despite anything I try with my diet. The endo ordered acarbose for me three times a day, I’m carrying glucagon nasal spray for my lows that get bad. all my blood tests come out pretty good, my A1c is a little higher than I would like it and they are throwing around things like insulin resistance (blood tests don’t show it), pre diabetes and insulinoma. My Bariatric team is a little concerned because they have never had to treat anyone with acarbose (anti-diabetic medication) and it isn’t supposed to lower my lows at all but help lower my spikes after meals. I’m eating super low carb and high protein and all the dietitian could give me for advice was to cut out bananas. Has anyone here out a year or two dealt with such a thing. I can’t take a lot of medications due to only having one kidney?? im just out of ideas and options !!!

Hello everyone!! I am one week post tummy tuck with muscle repair and they fixed a hernia while they were in there. I’m SHOOK !! I got to take the bandages off yesterday (completely) for the first time and I don’t remember the last time I looked down and seen the, my know what without the big apron of skin. anyway to those that are veterans how long did you stay swollen? My team said it varies so much with activity and wearing the binder ect…. Did anyone do the belly button training or will my cute little scabby mess turn out good with out it? i feel super self conscious showing this picture but I think we can all appreciate our “before and after” photos at some point

I am two years post VSG. I have used it for a year and a half. I have been pretty successful. I just had my tummy tuck three weeks ago. My team had no problem with it at all.

Oh the strange things that people have to me and about me during my weight loss journey. My own family (estranged family now) have accused me of being on drugs, it has been said I must have cancer, my favorite one is she must have developed "an eating disorder"! I mean nobody said I had an eating disorder when I weighed 247 pounds but now that I am 125 I have one? lol People say that they have no idea how much their words affect others but I think they do know and that is why they weaponize them. I had to learn how to let their words roll off my back like a duck lets water roll off their back. I know what I was working towards and why, that is all that matters

Holy moly friends. I survived the first night at home!!! This is kind of rough BUT I cannot wait to see results. They took 6 pounds of flesh off me!!! I mean holy moly is all I can say. It took two years to lose the 105 pounds so if your a slow loser have faith in the process. My hubby as VSG in june and I’m jealous because he is losing it so much faster than I did

They were prepared to do a full FDL but he said after they got in there he felt a partial would give me great results. I can’t imagine having arms, thighs or butt done at the same time. The first week was rough! Now I don’t have pain but uncomfortable and tightness

I got it off Amazon. It’s called a drain belt. It is super handy, I don’t know about flattering but it’s nice to keep them in one place

I got to take all the bandages off yesterday and I took a good look for the first time,like a really good look. First I couldn’t believe I actually have hip bones, I’m pretty sure they have been in hiding since 1989. Second, I think they took me seriously when I said I wanted to bounce a quarter off my tummy. It looks amazing but the back pain for walking all slouched over is REAL! Lastly, I have a cute, scabby, discolored belly button and I can’t wait for the scab to fall off so I can really appreciate all its beauty! I am 51 years old and really went back and forth about this because of my age and I was really worried that it wasn’t going to be worth it….. people hear me when I say, if you have the opportunity to go for it, do it. I cried on and off today for no other reason than pure joy!

Well right now there isn’t much to be jealous about. I’m grounded to the recliner for 3 weeks and walking around like I am a 90 year old woman!! But it will be worth it in the end.

I go back on November 9 for a follow up and Hopefully drain removal. I’m a picture nerd so he did take photos of the skin they removed. It’s pretty graphic but I think it’s super interesting. In the meantime I will just be praying the first poo goes well!

Hello everyone! I am 20 months post VSG and for the most part I would say its been successful! I was able to donate a kidney to my daughter in January and she is doing GREAT! My hubby is 3 months post VSG and absolutely killing it! I am very happy for the most part. I have changed my goal weight a couple times and really wanted to get at a 125 or 130 but my body is just holding on to the last 10 pounds! I have tried all the tricks to get things rolling, upping my calories a tad, more exercise, less exercise and even did a three day protein shake restriction just to see if that would bump me out of this. I have a tummy tuck with muscle repair scheduled in November. My team told me this is just where my body is comfortable, he called it my new set point. Has anyone been able to knock off that last few pounds without a super crazy calorie deficit. Now that I only have the one kidney I am very aware of what goes in and out of my body and I don't want to do it any harm. I am keeping my protein at 100 grams per the nephrologist and nutritionists request and my calories run about 1300 a day. The math tells me I should still be in loss mode, but clearly I am not. I also keep telling myself that I am no longer overweight and I do not need to hyper focus on that damn scale!!!! BUT watching my hubby drop so many pounds makes me really really want that end goal! Anyway they set me up for my tummy tuck (flur de les with muscle repair) for November and I am excited for that :)

How I got to this number is a little silly actually. I weighed 125 when I was 25 years old, in my mind it was the last time I was happy with my body and weight. I am completely aware I am 51 years old now and its silly to compare BUT that mind is an evil thing sometimes. I am very competitive and I am not a gracious loser and I feel like this is a battle against my will. Anyway, I am just going to keep doing what I am comfortable doing and what I know is sustainable and deal with my demons in my brain! Thank you everyone,

That darn number is a crazy thing. It gets in your head and kind of takes over your brain. I still worry every single day that it will start creeping up regardless of what I put in my mouth. I have retrained my brain when it comes to eating and my relationship with food BUT the mirror and scale are the devils

Holy Moly it’s been a year this month! I have attached a photo and it’s actually hard to look at! I have some work to do yet and I have moved my goal weight around so I am not done yet but what a ride If I can do it at 50 anyone can !

I actually ordered some resistance bands but I will look into some dumbbell trainings and see what else is out there.....ANYTHING for these last pounds would be awesome!

I am also at the one year mark and have about 15 pounds to go. I don't find myself snacking BUT my body is fighting to keep every ounce of fat on. Its a battle for me to try to cut back because then I am constantly feeling like I am not getting enough protein in or I feel "cheated" (and I am not really I just feel that way) if I try to cut back. I have never really focused on calories but instead on protein so to me its super hard to try to cut back because then I am afraid I am shorting myself something necessary...... I know in my heart of hearts I should focus on working out more but I am just not a fan of exercise ....that may be the answer for me and that sticky 15 pounds.

OK folks I am not trying posting this to be saleys! I have been so disappointed in so many clothing lines in clothes. I cannot find clothes that have decent compression that hold in all this stinking skin while I work out. After a few washes its like I may as well go to Walmart or target. I am so sick and tired of buying workout clothes to throw them away after a couple weeks because I am shrinking in size and they are losing their stretch and the compression is lessening. Well I found a brand that is straight up a god send and I am going to post a link here. Right now they only sell ladies clothes but I believe they will sell a mens line down the road. I bought a crap ton of their stuff and they did send me some discount codes so if you want to save 25$ off any purchase just use SHARE25 in the coupon at check out and you can have 25 dollars off your purchase. I am super impressed with every single thing I have bought. I wash in cold water and hang them up to dry and they haven't lost their compression or color at all!!! They are true to size and I really cannot say enough about how they hold in all the skin, I haven't had any trouble with chaffing while I run or ride bike (sorry if that is TMI) but that was a problem with all that skin before. With 80 pounds lost that is an issue.....Hope this helps anyone looking for high compression work out clothing!!! https://savvi.com/savvikrenzy

They took me to radiology and had me drink an ounce or two of some type of dye and they watch it under fluro Xray to make sure your new system does not have any leaks anywhere. Its pretty simple. It doesnt taste too good and it wasn't easy to get down but it wasn't awful either......its pretty standard.

They took me to radiology and had me drink an ounce or two of some type of dye and they watch it under fluro Xray to make sure your new system does not have any leaks anywhere. Its pretty simple. It doesnt taste too good and it wasn't easy to get down but it wasn't awful either......its pretty standard.

Once you get to the soft stage I highly recommend the fuel for fire protein packs!! I love them all!!! https://www.fuelforfire.com

I spend a great deal of time in the tractor and I am in love with Fuel for Fire protein packs! I love the flavor and the how easy they are to pack and eat on the go!!!! https://www.fuelforfire.com

I stalled frequently if I dropped below 80 grams of protein. Talk to your dietitian but as hard as it is and as silly as it seems to be....getting in those few extra grams of protein really do matter. I still stalled, don't freak out about the stalls they are going to happen no matter what you do, your body just has to catch up and that is normal. But stay the plan and keep up the protein and water.....those two ingredients are the secrets to success and a whole lot of patience!

Whoop whoop!!!! Its so flipping awesome! Way to go

Hello, I had a bowel resection myself. I went in to my consult certain I wanted the bypass and after the consult the surgeon helped me decide that for my situation the sleeve was a better fit. My surgeon said the resection did not take the bypass off the table for me BUT due to the number of issues I have had in the past with diverticulitis and other abdominal surgeries he thought that it was best no leave them alone and do the sleeve. I couldn't be happier with the results!! Your surgeon will look at the portion of bowel that was removed and the reasons it was removed, those are the two big factors

Ok so here is my situation: My daughter was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 5 and is now 29 years old. She got married two years ago and has two adorable baby girls. She is in full renal failure and needs a kidney. I am a match. I have been through all medical and psych testing and I am a match. The U of M has given me until May 20th to lose 10 more pounds to become an "ideal match" to do surgery in June. As an ideal match we can blast through so much garbage and red tape and just do the transplant it would be a miracle. No exchange program or waiting, just straight up pick the date, go in and do the transplant. We did not know about the need for a transplant when I decided to have the weight loss surgery in November. Had I not done the surgery then, there is no way I would have ever been able to get to the ideal weight of 140 to 150 pounds to donate for her, I was 235 pounds then! My labs came back with a clean bill of health, no high cholesterol , my a1c was 5.1, everything was good except my b12 was low but that is not a factor for this at all, just a vitamin tweek I do have a question to all you veterans out there: any idea how I can push the weight loss!!!!! I am still losing but 10 pounds in 20 days could be a tough one. I am running about 3 miles every other day , drinking about a gallon of water every day, 90 grams of protein and keeping it under 900 calories and under 30 grams of carbs. I am trying to do some yoga every day, I wanted to start weights but I don't want to do that now because I am afraid that muscle weighing more than fat could be a problem now......yikes. In normal circumstance I wouldn't focus much on the scale and I would try to focus on the measurements but the transplant team focuses on the scale only at this point.