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OMG your weight loss is awesome. Based on your profile picture you would never imgaine that you needed it. Anyway, I'll admit that I have alot going on in my life. Although things have gotten better with my husband, they arent the best. I work 10 hour shifts and when I get home I am a single mother (hubby works nights) of 3 trying to get things done in 1 1/2 hours (before bedtime for kids). By the time they are out, I'm burned out. However, I do walk/run on the treadmill (2-3 miles a day). I also have a few medical conditions that I think may be contributing to my pause in weight loss (Thyroid & Hormone problems). Grrrrr, honestly I just wish that I had someone that I can talk to about this whole experience that can provide input. My family is a hispanic family that loves to eat (with no weight gain) and always call you out in front of others about your weight, pant size etc. Tried to post profile picture but something seems to go wrong each time. SMH.... lol

I had a revision on December 28,2015.It is the best decision.No more vomiting,gerd,weight gain,slippage,port site pain or protrusion etc.My RNY is great.Keep in mind the weight loss is slower with revisions but I feel great.My cravings for sweets are gone and I have never dumped.I feel so much better.Just went for my 3 month blood test this past week.Will keep you guys posted... I feel great!!!

Good luck! I'm supposed to get sleeved about the same time as you. Can't figure out how to add you to my friends list. If you know how, add me to yours. You are probably wise to do the liquids. My surgeon is not very strict either. He did say it will make things easier because rapid weight gain comes from your stomach and makes visibility better. So I'm with you, going to do it. After reading all these horror stories, I figure do everything possible. It's great that you are excited. After joining this site and reading all the things that went wrong, I have been thinking about canceling surgery. One lady sent me a great support letter so I printed it off and look at it when I start to freak out. Like you I'm not telling anyone about the surgery.

I was always skinny until puberty hit when I was 12. Then the boobs popped out and the hips spread. To me it was great. I never tracked my weight as a teenager. I was about average size and able to wear whatever I wanted. Once I became an adult my life was less active n I gained weight. Even with the weight gain I was able to meet the army standards. I was 140 and my height is 5'5. After that I gained weight over the yrs and had to struggle to stay under 150 for the military guidelines. A few yrs ago I got deployed and a lot of things happen that I'll never be able to talk about. Once I got home I became a recluse. The weight piled on and I was too depressed to care. Slowly I came out of denial n tried to lose weigh. I never thought it would be so hard to exercise and lose weight once your over 50 lbs. Now I'm hoping with WLS I'll have the extra tool to help me.

They suspected Lupus and thyroid problems with me for years, but all the tests always came out fine. I was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia and CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) in 2006. Stress brings it on full blown. My mom died toward the end of 2005 and it was so stressful for me. It caused the fibro to be full blown and I went to a new PCP. It didn't take him long to diagnose and I believe he has the correct diagnosis finally. It sure does explain all the symptoms I had for so many years. I think I've had fibro most of my life including childhood. He put me on cymbalta, Ultram, and a fab med for the fatigue ....... I'll have to think of the name of it and get back with you ........ It worked GREAT!!!! but then my husband's job changed and we no longer had insurance, so I had to stop the meds. Since then I have been able to control the fibro with stress reduction. I do still have to use some NSAIDS. I know they are contraindicated with the band, but I just take a double does of Jr. Strength liquid ibuprophen. I don't have to take it often because the stress reduction really works like a charm. I think that Rx for CFS is called Provagil. At the time it was new and very expensive. They may have a generic out now. The problem now is that with the band taking pills whole is bad and these can not be crushed. I don't take and Rx meds right now and only take vits. and things in liquid, sublingual, or chewable forms. I don't exercise. I'm not sure if the fibro & CFS can be part of the reason or not. I do find it much easier to be more active in general with all the excess weight gone. I know the FMS & CFS can be blamed for some of my excess weight gain over the years.

Ok, this will sound ridiculous but, I have friends tell me that I look prettier now. Mind you, my friends have seen me before and after weight gain. Even if it was a lie, they made me feel good by overlooking my weight publicly. Regardless of my insecurities, the comments make me feel good. But in retrospect and to be honest with you, since the weight gain, people in general are relentless in making you feel less than they are. In restaurants especially. One woman looked at me, (as I carried my kids food to them) as if she wanted to PB just b/c she looked at me. My husband is obese too so he was sitting there. She was probably 5ft 4inches and 120lbs. Her and her hubby were very lean but eating junk. I felt soo bad. I lost my appetite, was actually scared to eat. She kept staring at us. Sorry to hijack this.

My doctor is known for postponing surgery due to weight gain or lack of loss-- There was a girl in my group sessions who was sched for surgery on a Tues and had an appointment the day before - came to group that night and said he postponed her because of weight gain :thumbup:

I made positive changes before being banded - but I didnt lose any weight. Not that I had a requirement to. I recommitted to exercising regularly and got myself fit, which I believe was of major benefit to me in terms of recovery. And it was a mindset thing - I changed my life from the time I made the decision to have surgery. I ate healthy but I saw no point in trying to lose weight, nor did I ever feel tempted to have one last major pig out. I didnt eat everything that wasnt nailed down. So I get the point that several people have made above about weight gain prior to surgery. I dont think someone who goes out and stuffs themselves stupid for months is necessarily ready for what this surgery really entails, its more a desperate grab for a magic fix in a lot of cases. But I still think its heartless, judgemental and more than a little stupid to expect people who have such major weight problems and issues to do with food that they are willing to consider surgery to "prove" that they can do it before they have the surgery and i wouldnt use a surgeon who expected it.

The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily protein, fluid and vitamin requirements. Food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Weight loss is achieved after surgery through meal volume control. You begin at 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually over the next year and a half increase the volume to 1 cup per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore you need to rely on supplements such as protein shakes. I am assuming that you are following your surgeons directions on daily protein, fluid and vitamin requirements to a tee. Since you are several months post-op, one thing to do now at this stage is to assess your protein intake. Your daily protein requirement is met by a combination of the amount of protein you obtain from food combined with the amount of protein from protein supplements (protein shakes, protein bars). Right after gastric bypass surgery, the volume of food you consume is minuscule (2 ounces) per meal. But as you get further along, the meal volume increases. Therefore you have a very important option available to you. As a result, you can begin to reduce your reliance on protein shakes if you concentrate on consuming high protein meals. I went from 3 protein shakes a day, down to 2, down to 1 and eventually none when I reached 1 cup per meal at a year and a half post-op. This is important because protein shakes contain calories. If you can reduce your caloric intake, then you can end a stall. At least that was the approach that I used and it worked for me. In your case, I would recommend that you do not weigh yourself daily. Limit it to around once per month. Checking your weight daily seems to be causing stress. Stress can cause depression and weight gain. So avoid stress.

This is supported by other threads here but so well said. Basically it says, your gut microbes control your hunger for their own good, but not necessarily yours. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/831069?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=204266DY I don't remember if I needed to join this free medical research site or not to see this file... I love this site and get lots of interesting research results from several areas of interest.. including weight gain and WL surgery....

I'm 3 yrs out. My start weight was 442lbs. and now I'm 160-165. It was a loong journey but was well worth it. I would do it all over again. At the moment I'm on a stand still due to Spine surgery but I am recovering slowly & have gained 15 lbs. in the past 8 months. I'm sad & soo disappointed in myself for the weight gain though I have no control on my lack of exercise. Although, my recovery has been long I've still managed to eat Healthy & try to walk in my home. It's something but still very disappointing.. Eating Healthy, drinking plenty of water & exercise is the Key

Well, it's not that I didn't suspect my slow weight loss was attributed to the double grande iced mochas (with half and half). It was that I hadn't realized how they had actually set me on the doorstep of obesity, and now kept me from leaving. I never had a weight loss problem as a child or an adolescent. My mothers family tends to get chunky between 30-55, then get small. My fathers family are all beanpoles. After all three of my children were born, I was a decent size - about 150-160. I had successfully managed to get smaller, and had a few gains and losses, bumping me between 140-170. THEN, my coffee habit began. It was slow initially, no appreciable weight gain, a mochoa now and then. Then mochas became daily, but that wasn't overnight either. I've tried and tried to pinpoint what it was that caused me to gain. There were many other things that could have allowed me to gain, and that stopped me from maintaining that range that I had always stayed in, and then of course the decreased activity. But, after the lap band, I realized the one factor that was causing my weight loss to stagnate, appeared to be coffee, which might be the factor that caused me to gain so much weight slowly over so much time (my family could never understand why I kept gaining weight - I really didn't eat oversize portions, tons of junk food or lots of candy). After the Band was eating practically NOTHING, and yet NOT losing weight. Because I had paid such close attention to my weight, because I was so certain that the food I was actually ingesting could NOT be doing this - I realized what was - my RESTARTED coffee habit (the stagnation happened right around the time I started having my mocha once or twice a day (again). It caused me to realize how eating normally, and having that extra coffee or two a day had affected my body. It was a slow and steady gain - a lb or two a month but 12 months a year, over almost a decade has taken it's toll. I will never be able to have that mocha again every day - and I've realized that. I just can't do it. So every morning I drink drip coffee with coffeemate creamer, and the lbs are starting to come off. Every once in a while I treat myself - but not like before. I've learned to deny myself when I feel a craving. I can't allow it to hurt me any more. And, when I consider the cost - (I paid for my surgery) as well as the actual cost of the coffee - I realize - I just can't afford it. I usually depeleted the cash in my purse every other day (I was always trying to find a dollar or two for my daily coffee) - now, I can go all week and never spend that 10 bucks that's in my wallet. I indulge myself with sugar free candies (I am always carefell never to over-indulge as it has such negative gastric side effects -diahhrea). I hope this helps someone.

Last year I went to my pcp for a physical. When I read the report I was described as morbidly obese. I weighed in at 303 lbs with a BMI of 43. I have tried many diets and lost, regained, lost, regained. I decided it was time to change my life and started researching WLS. This journey started in June 2014. I went to one Weight Loss center and felt pressured into having the surgery. At my initial consultation I met with the bariatric coordinator and she was already asking me what surgery I wanted. This raised some red flags and I moved on. My PCP recommended a dr at Rex Bariatrics in NC. I then continued my research and started reading posts on the various forums. I scheduled a consultation with Rex and was very impressed with their program and level of support. I decided to proceed with my journey and started the process. I was required to attend three pre op groups, have a psychological review, get an endoscopy, meet with the nutritionist, etc. With my insurance company there was a six month physician monitored weight loss requirement. While completing the requirements, the insurance company dropped the diet the six month diet requirement. After completing all the prerequisites I then waited for the approval letter from the insurance company which arrived after about two weeks. There was not turning back at this point as I was certain that this will change my life forever. I decided to have the VSG and had a surgery date of October 15th 2014. One day before my birthday. On the day of surgery I weighed 284. The surgery went well. It is imperative to walk as soon as you get back to the room. Unfortunately I tried walking and kept on passing out. That evening I experienced severe shoulder pain. I was told that this was from the gas used to inflate my stomach being absorbed into my body. I was able to work through the pain and the next day I was released from the hospital. I would say that the first three days were challenging. I had extreme pain where they removed my stomach. I was definitely tired. On the fifth day I was feeling much better and off the pain meds. I was out shooting pool by the weekend. For the first month or two I was loosing about a pound a day. One big challenge for me was getting my required amount of Water in. With the lack of water I experienced severe constipation. This was the worst complication from the surgery. I battled with this for many months. I was taking colace and also Amitiza for IBS. When I added Fiber into my diet everything got much better. DRINK YOUR WATER. My goal weight was 195. I was able to hit my goal in about six months. I then went into Maintenance at that point. From eating 500 to 600 calories during my weight lose phase I then went up to about 1000 to 1200 calories and 120 grams of Protein and 60 grams of carbs. I continued to loose weight and leveled off at 187. I thought this would be my optimum weight and stayed between 184 and 187 for about two months. Currently I am eating about 1600 to 1700 calories a day. 120 grams of protein and 120 grams of carbs. I am petrified of weight gain and having a hard time transitioning to real food. I am still having yoghurt, Protein Bar (Quest Apple Pie) and cottage cheese. For lunch I have a protein bar and some fruit. I make dinner my big meal and usually have egg salad, salmon or tuna salad or eggs. I have cooked some baked salmon and some casseroles. As I write this I am weighing 183 and trying to not go any lower. My optimum weight is around 187. Well that is my journey and I hope it will provide some insight on tips and details to help with your journey. Please reply if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them. Again this was the best decision I have made in my life and I no longer have diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

I had my surgery 2/7. I am on liquids right now but since surgery I’ve gained 7lbs. How is this possible? Anyone gain weight immediately after surgery?

I was "fortunate" that I was too large to fit on a home scale (or most doctors scales) so I could only weigh at my Doc's office at follow-ups. As a result I didn't see any stalls or phantom weight gains, so the scale never messed with me, so I was never tempted to "change things up" to get the scale moving. I just stayed on plan. Eventually, when I could weigh at home, I did it for a couple weeks until the novelty wore off, then I went back to only weighing at follow-ups then only annual physicals. You don't necessarily need a scale for success. My weight ruled my life for so long that I resolved after surgery I would stay on plan and let my weight take care of itself. Good luck, Tek

Welcome! I encourage you to go to the Forum Jump at the bottom of the site and see all of the topics. I spent days reading doctors and hospitals and insurance issues. You can read my insurance woes in the Blue Cross thread. I weight 361 at this moment. Last week I was up to 372 having spent a week in bed from an ankle sprain. I fall so easily these days. I have Type II diabetes, high blood pressure which is controlled by medication. I also have diverticulitis and sleep apnea. I am on 8 medications and use a CPAP machine for the apnea. My insurance denied my surgery despite the all clear from all the other doctors. I have an "exclusion" that specifically does not cover anything related to weight loss or weight gain. Do as much research as possible. Make phone calls to these doctors and ask questions. do what you feel is the right thing for you. Most of us have been BURNED by the arch angel of weight loss who lives on the air at midnight in the form of infomercials or in print ads with promises of "tighter abs" (and a glowing white smile and hot looking partner to go with it). Do what is right for you.

Via Mary Jo Rapini’s Food Addiction Group Karen Askins Nov. 17, 2014 It all started out as another lie, not one intention to ever try- Once again I wanted an easy fix, because I was up to my usual tricks. I knew the words I needed to say, for her required signature to start me on the way- This time surgery would be the lucky charm, hopefully there would no lasting harm. She probably knew as well as I, that I was sick and would probably soon die- If I didn't get myself together, and start making me a whole lot healthier. I wanted to believe that it was only about food, not about everything that was affecting my mood- But she said I was eating to not deal with life’s pain, adding up yearly to a significant weight gain. I have always latched on to some current craze, the other surgeries, pills, diets, and starvation days-Maintenance was the problem that was never addressed, it would always come back quicker than I confessed. Just twelve steps, how hard could that be? I decided to try and just kind of see- So the first month I did as little as I could, of all the work I was told that I should. Step two was the first time I wrote in the book, I thought I'd write anything- who was going to look? What I found was not what had been expected, instead of a diet plan, it was like church resurrected. Higher Power this and surrender to that, what did that have to do with being so fat? Be of service, have faith, and listen to the call, meditation and prayer were suggested for all. What was the problem? I did all of that, lots of pretty feathers sitting in my hat- This would be a breeze once a month to meet, I could do this group and not miss a beat. The women there were all nice enough, but they had problems that were really tough- And then there was the tiny psychotherapist Mary Jo, what in the world could she possibly know? The irony of it all was that I already knew in my heart, the two words I resisted from the very start- After time was wasted denying the fact, I finally admitted that I was a Food Addict. That in itself was enough to make me blue, but there were also my legs and hands severely cramping every night like on cue- One doctor said vitamin deficiency, one RLS, and still another dehydration, all I knew was I couldn't take the horrible, all night sensation. The doctor had me try several medications- finally Flexeril, it would dull the pain, and he said, “As needed, just refill”- It didn’t get better on 10 mg. once a day, but he finally got it right when he said with 40 they’d go away. I didn’t hear any warnings about side effects, my other medications were not really checked- My mind became a blur and life started getting worse, I blamed everyone, God, and mainly the step study as my curse. For months I thought I was going to be like my grandmother, who had dementia worse than any other- She was functional one day and not lucid the next, that was me all because I didn't want my legs and hands to flex. When I could think straight, I was really on top of it, doing what I could to get my mind and body fit-But it was up and down around and back, my emotions were like a roller coaster track. I felt so depressed and couldn't always comprehend right, but I was sure that I still had pretty good insight- Still trying to believe it was a food issue and really wanting to win that battle, to try and not make every plate, fork, and spoon rattle. The “win” was bittersweet as my “perfect” life fell apart, and I hurt everyone I loved with all of my heart- There was no satisfaction with me as the boss, and my peace and happiness were at a complete loss. Beating myself up and causing more pain, literally drove me completely insane- It was all I could do to survive. I hated the way I was living; my husband kept saying that I was just barely existing. I was brought to my senses several times along the way, obviously though, I was still there to play- Panic attacks, totaling our truck, being paralyzed by fear, weren't even enough to see my way clear. I think I knew that the medicine wasn’t good but kept taking each prescribed dose, and it turned who I was into someone different, someone very gross- It made the original goal to deal with food addiction, a journey that was more like science fiction. Here I am in Mexico where I was forced to stay, mortified to wake up in basically a “detox unit” yesterday- Where everyone must have thought I was a long time street druggie, until they figured out it was a legitimate prescription written just for me. The doctor took away the Flexeril, allergy, asthma--all of my needed prescriptions, and the pain started back much to my aggravation- They brought in food- a lot of fattening Mexican stuff, and when I refused, the nurse threatened to get mean and tough. She gave me IV’s and a bottle of Ensure, and yelled, “You eat or you drink this!” as I tried to keep my composure- It was bad enough this mess I was in, no way was I going to eat that junk and screw up surgery once again. Doing last minute planning just two weeks before my son’s wedding I was forced to get aid, my family cried and yelled that I should I have known better, but mostly they prayed- And within 24 hours of passing out cold, my mind felt almost clear, and I had to get bold. With plenty of time here to sort it all through, I asked myself, “What in the world am I going to do?” Then there on the table left by my husband in plain view, was Mary Jo on Facebook clearly coming through. Yesterday, Sunday, Nov.16, her post spoke loudly and went straight to my heart, that is what made me decide I needed a fresh start- The picture screamed, “Be still- I’ve got this.” It was a message from God, and her added words stung like a lightning rod. She wrote what I knew but needed to hear, it was hard for me to swallow, but I gave her my ear- How could I ever have been so remiss? Her lecture ended with, “… trust God to be God, he’s got this- his promise.” I am pretty sure that I have been given a choice, self-destruct or stop and listen to His voice- It is now or never, and now is looking really good, for me to be honest and deal with what I should. All the fertility treatments, my children being my husband’s family blood and not mine, my mom’s death, my friend Barbara dying on Flight 77 on 9/11--all of that and more over time- To be strong for everyone else I always pushed away pain, and sucked down the food with no way to abstain. For several months I was crying most of the time and not actually comprehending what was making it so tough, but I think I kept trying to get through it because I was afraid of even more bad stuff- The confusion in my head sometimes made me think I wanted to die, but I had enough snap to question if I would get the chance to look God in the eye. So I read and studied when I could, but I would lose sight, I was in turmoil, and it was like I was in a life and death fight- To be truthful the cause wasn’t really food, nor 100% the medicine, and definitely not liquor, I know now the actual battle was over control between me and my creator. Realizing way too late that I am ready to begin, the opportunity of a lifetime that is quickly coming to an end- Wanting what I had started the step study for- a plan of action, to keep myself from eating even if it means being in traction. Mary Jo sent the answer to that and much more- what an idiot I have been, the wife, the mother, the one who everyone knew to be the “wonderful Christian”- Knowing much better, I had tried on my own to run the show, thinking I would eventually win- I guess like at a Las Vegas casino. She told us that she had felt God’s love. Not me, I went to Hell, but both had experiences we can surely tell- Grateful I didn’t make it my final destination, because I was given a chance for a needed transformation. Being as old as I am and with the “good life” I have led, no way should I have gotten so close to being dead- The truth is I did it to myself trying to go solo, sending life as I knew it down to practically zero. Mary Jo’s near death experience was a blessing to us all, she was sent back with a mission and accepted the call- To share God’s love, mercy, and grace, I can tell it’s authentic by the glow on her face. She told how it changed her own way of thinking, prayer, surrender, service, and love all linking- How she helps people and how she really cares, has inspired me to want to spend the rest of my life in His care. I feel that now I have a new purpose for which I must live, with love unconditional to receive and more for me to give- I have to let go and to be sure of my intention, and not just use this experience and God as a brief intervention. It's the gift of relearning what life is really all about, that the 12 step study journey gave me without a doubt- Something I never thought I would ever need, because I was always living “perfectly” I knew indeed. My inventories and amends were minor to compare, I needed a transplant or a full heart repair- May Jo said she pleaded with God not to send her away, but if He hadn’t, I would have never had this day. To know with 100% assurance, that I do have it in me for the endurance- It's really about how I used to live but more recently kept struggling to concede, the hardest thing for me was “the faith of a mustard seed.” The food addiction thing will be for all of my time, always aware of why I eat and on what I must dine- But that’s not the triumph of my battle when all is said and done, it is that I waved the white flag and allowed God back as number one. I am thankful from the bottom of my heart, for the group and Mary Jo’s words that guided me toward a new start- The path I took was awful to trudge for a year, but the journey gave me my wings and brand new flight gear. I took the long road with all the pot holes and detours, but I finally get it I know for sure- There is a sense of clarity and my mind is peacefully at rest, I am only going forward and will give it my best. The replay button has to go; it has to be left behind, in order to get through each new day with a clear, sane mind- I have done some stupid (mostly recently) things in my life, but the worst thing I did was cut God out with a knife. It is hard to believe that just a few days ago, I was so bitterly miserable from my head to my toe- Feeling horrible to be imprisoned that way, but now I am free, because I was reminded that there is a better life with the one who really cares for me. Strength and help for everyone else has always been there, but I never took time for myself to receive care- I don’t have all the answers nor can I say I’m not afraid, but I know I can trust that His loving hands on me are laid. I truly believe with all of my heart and soul, that our group was brought together each one with a role- Dana, Kathryn, Anita, and I came with one common thread, to learn to keep food from running our head. I learned a lot about them; sometimes more than I thought I needed to know, but God used them all to show me the way I should go- And that life is uncertain and forever changing, and that He is the only constant with love and forgiveness so amazing. Kathryn with her wit, humor, and wisdom to share, already knew there would be so much more for me there- She’s successfully been in recovery for an impressive amount of time, a real testament to me that being an addict is no crime. Anita Joy was given the perfect name, her face and her smile allude to why she came- To help bring that joy and light to the darkest place I could know, because she shares His love wherever she goes. Dana sat beside me just beautiful to see, ten years younger but way ahead of me- She shared her heart’s burden and taught me a lesson, about judgment and compassion sending me straight to confession. We were a small group. I’m sure there could have been more, but God’s plan was for there to be only four- Who would have guessed that the answer to managing an addiction to food, would be to relearn from all of them that God is so good? They never had a chance to know who I really was, since for more than half of our time together I was totally buzzed- They were too nice to say what my children and husband told, that for the definition of a fool I had broken the mold. I can’t believe I didn’t stop what was happening and see, the very thing many of my friends have asked for help for their loved ones from me- To steer them away from what could destroy their mind, the only difference was theirs were bought on the street and prescribed were my kind. I didn’t have an actual near-death experience, but as far as genuinely living, from that I was the farthest distance- The painful lesson I learned which I want to share with all, is that everything will fall into place, even managing a food addiction, when your life is lived listening to the Higher Power’s call. Writing this all down was for my often annoying, analytical brain, attempting to make sense of it all and understand that my suffering doesn’t have to have been in vain- It will be here to remind me just in case I ever forget, and going backwards suddenly becomes a major threat. I don't know what the future will bring, it’s too late now, but I wish from the beginning I had taken more advantage of this 12 step group thing- We are going to disband. Each one will go her way, but I will remember and thank God daily for them as I pray. I wish there was a way to make the ones like me who will come through this group understand from day one, that the only way they will conquer the food addiction thing is to give the program and their Higher Power their all even though it may not seem like much fun- Mary Jo, please tell them for me that whatever it is on their journey they may face, that their life is worth the fight and for them not to wait like I did to claim God’s marvelous grace.

Don't fear that weight gain is going to help you loser so much more. This is a good thing.

I think since I am self pay, and insurance isn't covering it I might be successful with the sleeve even though people have experienced weight gain. Maybe if you don't have to pay out of pocket you don't treat it as seriously? I don't know. I have a really bad sweet tooth, and when I get a craving for it, I can be really mean if I don't have it. I want the gastric bypass, but with less recovery time and not having to take vitamins forever, it might be the one for me. I really hope after I do this, I don't have to go back in for something else, because that would have been such a waste of money. I am leaning towards sleeve, but am still not convinced. For those of you having surgery or are going back, I wish you guys so much luck for a speedy recovery!!

You'll be fine they talk more about understanding how this is going to change your life and if your able to make that commitment they did ask what did I think lead to all the weight gain and a little weight history just be honest and you can do it

@@foodfighter I want to address what you're saying about pain and discomfort during eating. I most definitely experience eating differently than prior to surgery. One of the things wls surgery does is it removes a hormone responsible for eventual satiety from our stomachs. Wls patients feel fullness within minutes while normal people feel it only after 20 minutes or so. So right away, eating is a less pleasurable experience because one feels full so quickly. The sense of restriction or tightness I feel is not painful but it's not pleasant either. It feels like work to get food to pass. It takes work to eat. Chewing slowly, eating slowly. It feels like a task. Before surgery I ate mindlessly while distracted. I rarely tuned in to what I was eating but became lost in the sensation of pleasure. Now I am forced to eat mindfully and the pleasure factor is way down. It's like... If I had been a Heroin addict (just an analogy!) and someone made it impossible for me to get pleasure from the drug... But I still had to use it to stay alive... It would become a tedious task overshadowed by the memory of what it used to do for me. Eating can be slightly painful for me. If I eat too fast... If I have drunk liquids near to the meal (which I admit I find very difficult not to do), if I don't chew enough, if it's a dense substance... All of these factors and more can effect how it feels to me to eat. I also find eating with little to no appetite kind of painful in a way. More repulsive than anything but definitely not pleasurable. And then there is some mental anxiety and turmoil going on when I'm wondering if I am going to dump from the meal. If I'm in company or put in public this is a real concern for me. And then there is always a level of anxiety related to weight gain. I can push that aside to some extent and of course some foods are easier than others... But I live with at least some amount of anxiety related to food at every meal. Being anxious while eating definitely drives pleasure in the food down. So all these factors put together for me create an unpleasant experience when eating. When eating used to be my drug of choice, it's now a task. I'm not saying all meals are completely devoid of pleasure but most of them are more work than anything. It's the reality of how this surgery has effected me. Food just doesn't do it for me anymore. But that was the point. And would I go back to how it was before? No way. Not in a million years.

Do I regret every having surgery......Yes I do very much but there is nothing that i can do now. I'm somewhat independent and like you try to get my exercise in daily. the symptoms of low thyroid for me are brain fog, tiredness, weakness and weight gain i've gained 6kgs in just two months and am sitting at 70kgs right now which with your pounds conversion is 154 also my immune system is out of wack at the moment and i'm just getting over a 5 week old cold/flu in summer mind you. Don't forget too that the cramps could also mean a deficiency in magnesium and potassium. If i remember correctly you should notice a difference in three months unless of course the doctors decide to give you the calcium intravenously in which case the results would be instant.

That's is so inspiring, and I am so happy for you:) do you mind sharing how you went in the earlier weeks? I'm really struggling with this purée diet thin and have started seriously sneaking in normal food... Granted I only have 1 week of purée left to go, I'm just surprised that I can mane it with no issues plus I now feel like I am hungry all the time?? Like iv stretched my pouch whereas before I could survive hours in between the liquid shakes and stuff??? Is this normal or have I messed something up already.....Hi yummy mummy, thankyou so much :)The first few weeks were hard, I remember the first night in hospital after I had it done I would of killed for a ham sandwich with bowl of pumpkin Soup haha..I honestly believe there is no way you have ruined it so dont stress about that when you say normal food what do you mean? How many weeks out are you? I don't really remember what I ate but I know there was some trying times where I did sneak a bite of my children's food and would chew it until my jaw hurt! If you body is asking for more and sleeve excepting it you should be fine just make sure you don't touch the naughty foods just yet or pushing the limit if foods you def shouldn't be touching(steak, bread ect) longer you stay away from sweets the better your tolerance will be! I still to this day feel sick if I have more then I should I junk like chocolate chips ect, my sleeve hates maccas thankgod it feels like I'm swallowing a sponge lolMy biggest motivation was the fear of doing damage to my stomach, I was petrified of leak!!Please don't let me scare you that's what's going to happen cause you ate something a bit soon but that's what helped me stay in track..now it's still my fear that helps me to stay eating well but it's a fear of weight gain. It will be hard for awhile but eventually you will see food as fuel and when you can eat more you will realise why we are so over weight the portion sizes that out society has made us think is normal is crazy! I survive on eating as much or less then my 4yo would at a meal, always serve my food up on a bread and butter plate eating my meat and veg first then carb if still hungry. i will still have a little bit if dessert alot of the time but i have an even smaller serve then my kids or just a bite so I can still have treats and enjoy food but it doesn't rule my life anymore.Your still very early out so Water is very important, right now it's a mental challenge and you have the fear of doing wrong which is good as your conscious of your old habits meaning you wont slip back into them. Keep doing what your doing and if the hunger hits have a nibble of something healthy there's nothing wrong with that, itl keep your metabolism moving.Sorry for the novel lol but ask away I'm happy to answer any questions

When I met my husband of 8 years ago I already had RnY surgery...and was at my lowest adult weight at that time and looking and feeling fabulous! But about 4-5 years ago I started gaining weight and I can tell although he does not say anything he does not like the weight gain. I decided finally to seek a revision of my previous procedure and I am currently in the preop surgery process with all the tests and appts., we have talked about it and he is happy either way with my decision to do the revision surgery or to continue trying to lose it without surgery. People's inner self can manifest at any time,so for some the weightloss was their catalyst sadly!!

I have high cholesterol and high triglycerides, even on medication. I did have a fatty liver until last month. My family practitioner is well aware of my history of weight loss and weight gain. He's seen my struggle with weight for over 11 years and is behind me 100% on the surgery. Thank you for the information. I truly appreciate it! :w00t: Amy