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At times I feel guilty for lying. I have two stories, some times I combine them. "I am taking Topamax, a preventive for my migraines. One of the side effects is weight loss" (this is true, sadly, i did NOT lose weight when I started taking it) I also devulge part of the truth. I'm eating healthier and portion control. Ok....this is all factual, but I have FORCED portion control. There are many people who know, but there are others I am not close to and I don't feel like telling....but if it is someone who is overweight, moderately or quite a bit, I feel bad. I hate for someone to feel like a failure because I could 'do it' and they cannot. We all know, it is just about impossible to lose it and KEEP IT OFF. So.......this is what I do, and how I feel about it some of the time. So much baggage!! LoL

Absolutely brilliant!!! Nobody, NOBODY wants TMI - this is a great answer!!!

I had surgery in June of 2010 - I could eat soooo little afterwards, and I mean tiny amounts! Now, just in the past four months, I am eating more. I can still only eat a half cup of cottage cheese and about an eighth cup of pineapple for breakfast, but a few months ago I would not have been able to add the fruit. I can eat several oz of meat along with a fourth cup of side veggies. In my mind I KNOW this is still very little compared to pre-op, but compared to five months ago, it is a lot. My fear is I'll be able to eat more and more. Is my sleeve stretching or is this normal??!! The PA at the doctor's office saw me at one year out, she said they don't ever want me to eat more than 1.5 cups of food. I cannot imagine EVER eating that amount at one sitting....but will I? If so, is my fear of re-gaining rational or not??!!! Anybody this far out that is experiencing the same thing/feelings...or maybe someone who have been here already!!!

I season it just like I do with beef. We like salt, pepper and McCormick's 'hot shot' (black pepper and cayenne) on the burgers, maybe liquid smoke. I cook the roast in a couple of cans of cream of mushroom or golden mushroom Soup. We like to do the steaks outside on the grill; i use extra virgin olive oil, fresh ground pepper, sea salt and the minced garlic (in a jar) to season it. Mix all of the above and put the steak in it. Spoon it over the steak, turn it over and do it....just make sure it's on all sides. This is delish!! Do NOT overcook, it is very lean and will get dry!

It shouldn't hurt your sleeve, but it's extremely addicting. I suffer from migraines, I have for about 20 yrs. You need to get your doctor to prescribe something for you. I take Imitrex or Maxalt at onset, it is non-narcotic, and takes care of my headache usually within 45 minutes. Good luck!

Actually, many if not all, insurance companies REQUIRE many of the tests you listed - including a psyc evaluation, many have you diet for 6 months and so on. It is THEM who makes it so hard for someone to have surgery. Most patients that are covered have to jump through hoops before they are actually wheeled into the operating room.

I had a great experience at Forest Park - it was not like being in the hospital. I had a personal nurse for each shift - it was more like the Hilton of healthcare. I thought it was only for cash pay patients. Whoever said 'what is billed and what is paid are two different things' is totally correct. I personally hate insurance companies, I don't think we should have to fight to have them cover something that should be covered. It's as though they make the rules as they go. A colonoscopy is a 'screening', covered at 100% UNLESS there is a polyp, then it becomes a 'procedure'. BS - you go in with a screening covered at 100% and come out, without giving consent, owing 1000 dollars!!! Talk about a racket! You get a discount, a large one, if the physicians don't have to **** with an ins. company! I don't blame them, they tack on a PITA fee. (pain in the ass) I'd go back to Forest Park in a heartbeat. Sadly I will compare all others to them....top notch!

This is really exciting! We moved back home to Texas three weeks ago. I'm headed to get a new drivers license in the next week or so!! I can't wait!!!

Here's the link! Great meat!!! http://www.northstarbison.com/

I lost 94 lbs and did not lose my 'batwings' AKA angel wings! It's the only thing that bothers me, but I deal with it. I do not and probably will never wear anything sleeveless. On an brighter side, my arms are MUCH smaller, so that is good. I'm 51 and am sure that accounts for less than perfect biceps! Good luck!!

Congratulations Karen - you look wonderful!!! I celebrated one year yesterday! I've lost 94 lbs give or take a lb or two. I reached goal in just under five months. I too was a cash pay patient - and feel just like you do, it's the best thing I've ever done! Someone suggested I take a picture every month on my anniversary for the first year....so I have. We bought a disposable camera and took the first picture the morning of surgery and have taken a pic the 11th of every month since then. We took the last picture yesterday and ran the camera up to Wal Greens. What a difference a year makes!!!! It's fun looking at my transformation!!! My life has changed so much, I'm 51 yrs old and for the first time in my life, I LOVE TO GO SHOPPING. I use to buy clothes because I needed something, now it's fun. I am just now getting to the point that I feel comfortable tucking a shirt into jeans! Never in my life, even when I was 'small' back in HS did I tuck a shirt in...I wore a 9 then. Now I'm wearing size 4 and 6's in jeans!!! Good luck to you.....I hope you have as easy a time. I love my sleeve...and highly recommend this surgery. It's been disgustingly easy for me!! BTW - I weigh every single day, I have since I got home from the hospital....I knew the scale would go up and down and would stall. I knew that I was following the 'plan' and it would move again....I just had to keep an eye on it, now I do because I don't want to lose any more and if I start to gain, I want to nip it in the bud! I know how you feel about your cheekbones, one of the most exciting things that happened initially was when I could see my collarbone!!!!!!!!!!! Cheekbones, collarbone....my legs feel boney some times and I have hip bones and I can actually feel my ribs. It's soooo weird, in a good way!! Enjoy the journey.....it's a blast!

Deb - I underestimated what I could do with this "tool". I wanted to lose, I thought I'd be doing good if I lost 65 lbs!!! It started falling off of me so quickly, I knew I could reach my surgeons goal and then my 'personal' secret goal. To wear a size 8!!! I am down 94 lbs, give or take a lb or two on any given day.....I wear size 4 and 6 jeans, depending on the brand!!! Never in my wildest dreams!!! I was never an exercise guru....I didn't want to lose weight doing something I KNEW I'd lose interest in....I knew I'd have to make life changes I could live with. I did it with food. First of all we have forced portion control...wonderful, but I don't eat bread at home (very rarely do I) - no chips, I am very aware of every single thing I put in my mouth. Before, I mindlessly ate. Now it has to count. I do 'graze' during the day because I have to or else I'd continue to lose. Graham crackers and Natural Peanut Butter is my favorite! I split a piece of pumpkin bread at Star Bucks with my husband every Friday night.....life is "normal" now....I think this is how a normally thin person lives....wrapping my head around this is the hardest part, getting past the guilt of eating and feeling no guilt. You'll get to YOUR goal....look how far you are already!!! You're doing fabulous!!!!

Poo poo her! I will be a year out day after tomorrow! I reached goal in just under five months and am now under goal. (i have been since December!) I could continue to lose weight if I wanted to!! I'm sure she is envious of you success....at least that is what it sounds like. I am certain the sleeve will eventually become the new 'gold standard'. I personally know 13 people who've had RNY - only one reached goal and has not started gaining weight back. She had surgery five years ago. The others...some never reached goal and all have gained some back, more than a few have gained quite a bit back. Two have mentioned a second surgery to 'tighten' things up.

I don't eat tofu, but isn't it high in Protein? Also milk - 8 grams per cup and cottage cheese, 13 grams of protein per half cup. Those are the things that come to mind after just one cup of coffee!

My panties aren't in a wad and I'm cool as cucumber, but I sure got your attention. Sounds to me like you needed to move on to another doctor if this Westmoreland guy was trying to pressure you into a surgery you didn't want. Paragraph #2 is what it comes down to though, isn't it? Money. You didn't want to pay the almost 18k - and that's fine. 'Nuff said.

Hi Jovigrl62!! My dad lives in Longview and my in-laws live right outside of Tyler. Small world! We just changed realtors....or will be this week. The contract with the other realtor expired at midnight this past Friday. We'd been listed with them for a yr!!! It is time to try something new, fresh...shake it up a little. We are hopeful. This lady is a certified stager too, so she tells us what to do, where to put things, what to put away. She had us paint the kitchen a neutral color. Our fingers are crossed - it would be nice to move before fall!!! Thanks.....we appreciate all prayers!.

More experienced? More experience than who? My surgeon is a center of excellence guy....I paid 12k - I happen to think you get what you pay for some times. I had absolutely zero complications. I had basically zero pain from day one except when I coughed or rolled over in bed at night. I reached goal in just under five months. I may be nuts, but it sure seems like this fella you're crowing about has people on here advertising for him. My doctors name is listed below with my stats, but I'm not shouting his name from the roof tops - his reputation speaks for itself....I'm not his walking, talking ad. I'll talk to someone about him if asked or if the thread is about surgeons or someone needs the name of one in Dallas....I also name two others that I know of that are top notch. God knows my physician is not the only one who can do wls safely and isn't the only one who can do a bang up job! Just sayin'

Yay!!! How exciting - like you said, enjoy the ride, oh-so-fun!!

Kudos to you.....you're doing great!!!

Amaziing!! You've done great!! I had surgery two days after you. I've lost about 93 lbs - depending on the day. Isn't life wonderful as a slim person??!!! Kudos to you!

It's ok, so am I!!

This is waaay to wordy for me to address all of it with one cup of coffee under my belt, but I do want to say. I was a cash pay patient, so I was in private hospital, kind a like an Embassy Suite with medical staff. Private room, personal nurses each shift, couch, flat screen etc. They too were partnered with a big hospital - Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. The "Bariatric Bible" I referred to was MY term....NOBODY elses, I mean nobody has ever called it that. It's strctly MY name for it. It tells us everything we always wanted to know about WLS but were afraid to ask, or didn't think to ask. It starts from arriving the day of surgery to the six week diet afterwards, sample menus. How long before we could lift more than 10 lbs. Exercise.....A place to record weight and inches lost for 2 yrs. and literally things we'd never, ever think of on our own! You get the idea and maybe understand why I call it my "Bariatric Bible" - they certainly didn't call it that, my gosh!! LoL I have the attention span of a four year old, I can't possibly sit here and digest the rest of your post this early, but I think anyone who is a few days out....should act as our Guinea Pigs, go against whatever their surgeons say, if they think that's a good idea.....eat whatever, chew well, and as Dr. Phil would say, let us know how that's workin' for them. I never said there were not 'good physicians' in other countrys. I wouldn't know. I gave MY opinion on this one subject and I don't care where they practice, you seem to be a bit sensitive. I stand by that opinion. You have yours, I have mine. If you want to call that arrogant, ok, I would rather just call it being a Texan, of course, on second thought, we are called an arrogant bunch!! LoL

There's a distinct difference between a sore throat and "puking and vomiting" - (your words) - with just about everything that passes your lips. First you asked about sugar....then we digressed to nothing with artifical sweetener will do. The aftertaste is too horrible...obviously developing a taste for it is out of the question. Water makes you 'puke' - seriously now, really??!! All this from what? Please do NOT insult me, or try to....I am not dialing "it" back at all. I stand by every single thing I said. Call a spade a spade, a quack a quack, I don't give a rat's rear end where he/she is located. If starting solids a few days after having 85% of your stomach removed is common 'over there' - then YES, I will shout it and post it.......QUACKS!!!!! If we have doctors here that do that.....then, quack, quack. BTW, they've been doing this surgery for years and years...before it was being done for the first part of a 2 part WLS (DS) it was being done, (removing all or part of the stomach) for ulcers and cancer. My step-mother had a large portion of her tummy taken out over 30 years ago.....weight loss was just a bonus, she lost 45 lbs, not that she needed to....and remains thin to this day. I remember exactly what it was like at week 1 and week 2. I sat around with a heating pad, walked a lot around the house; tried my hardest to drink HALF the Water they wanted me to. Slept with a flat pillow under my tummy because it hurt to turn over. Stopped pain meds after a few days. I only took it at night anyway. I really had no issues except getting enough liquids in. I felt good except when I coughed....I needed a pillow to hold against my tummy. Every day I felt better. My memory sucks, but I remember....I also remember giving birth to my children. I really don't agree with you, I don't think I'm arrogant, but that doesn't offend me. I'm pretty thick skinned. I've said what works for me. Take it or leave it. People ask for advice, I can only tell you my story. Some times people ask questions and they really don't want answers....or they already KNOW the answer.

You can get off your high horse; I believe I said "I can't imagine any reputable doctor in OUR country recommending putting solids in our new tummies at day 3 or 4; We are stitched and full of staples, but I guess you never know, there are quacks, we all know that" referring to 'over there' as well as here in the good ol' US of A. I do believe any surgeon that moves straight to solid food, although well chewed "of course" is probably not a "Center of Excellence" doctor - that's my opinion. Nothing I've ever read or any video I've ever seen ever suggested that was in any plan. I did extensive, obsessive research for six months prior to surgery....at least that is what some have accused me of. I know exactly how that handy, dandy little tool gets into our tummy, but gee, thanks for the lesson - i didn't think it just magically got there. I appreciate the link, you can never see too much now, can you! Don't worry, no more advice from me. It is apparent you wanted sympathy, not advice. If you really wanted answers, you'd call your physician. Peace out right back at ya. Seriously- did you read this? You actually called the doctors in Europe quacks because of their approach to this surgery? Seriously? American arrogance personified. BTW- how do you think the bougie gets in to your stomach? Do some research. How about this video -

I'm obsessive, I weigh every day and track calories and Protein. Which is what they wanted us to do. I enjoy it though, it's like a hobby! Crazy, I know!!