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Hello! This is my first time posting, I have been lurking for a while. I hope I am posing in the correct section!! I am from Canada, and was referred to the Bariatric Program in my city. I know that the USA and Canadian programs are similar in terms of requiring time with a dietitian, psychologist, internal medicine doctor etc. In April, I was booked for my first class in June. As a smoker (now ex-smoker!) I planned to (and quit) a few days before the orientation class. In the orientation class, immediately we are informed that being in the program or class isn't a guarantee of surgery (which is completely acceptable!), it is posted everywhere, and we are reminded of it pretty much all the time. I had an appointment with the Nurse case manager in August. She was great. In each appointment, you book your next appointment with another discipline you need to see throughout the program. I was then booked for a nutrition basics class for the end of August, then with the dietitian in September. The nutrition class I didn't find particularly useful (personally), as the things that we covered, I was already practicing. I was excited that the dietitian wasn't the type to roll in there and tell everyone they had to eat a certain diet. In the class (there was about 20-25 attending) she had said that they started doing the nutrition basics class because they felt that they often had to go over basics with so many people...they thought one class for everyone for the basics, and then when you meet with your dietitian, it is more individualized, and targeted to your needs. I was very excited about this, and it turned out the dietitian that was teaching the class, was who I was booked with in September. Then I rolled into the appointment in September (the day before my vacation - a cruise) for my first appointment with the RD. I feel like we immediately started off on the wrong foot. I had blood tests done (as requested) and I don't think she liked them. Everything on the blood tests were fine. Whenever I get tested for my white blood cells they come back 'slightly high', and it's been like that for years and I chalk it up to obesity, knee arthritis and the steroids I take for asthma. My family doctor is not concerned. The other thing was my triglycerides were boderline high (the rest of my cholesterol is good), and I have spoken with my doc about that and he is not concerned. She didn't seem to like that I wasn't running to my doctor about my white blood cell count. I felt like she was snippy about the triglycerides, even though my doc wasn't concerned. She looked at my food tracking (every day religiously for 6 weeks), and looked at one day. I eat 1 banana and 1 apple everyday during the work week. She started telling me about substituting berries instead of a banana. She also suggested that I walk around the buffet a few times on the cruise ship before deciding what to eat. When she asked how much wine I was going to drink on vacation (I stopped all alcohol for over a month at this point), and I said "Maybe 1 glass per day at dinner...?" that was the WRONG answer...and told me to try again. So I said...I guess 1 glass every 3 days....? Then she suggested I use smaller plates to cut my portion sizes. I left there...and my poor husband...I came home in a flurry of tears, and frustration. I didn't ask how to reduce my portions on vacation...I already know how to do that. I didn't ask her to help with with my cholesterol, I have a doctor for that. She wanted to know why I was taking Omega 3 ...and seemed skeptical of my answer that most people don't get enough, so I figure it would help to take some. I am still so discouraged by this. A few weeks ago I went to the psychologist. There was a questionnaire I had to fill out (essentially about being compliant after surgery). I told him I struggle with exercise now because of my knees...so he suggested yoga. Really? I am obese, with painful knees....if I have a hard time on the treadmill or on the elliptical, why would kneeling on the floor help...? Oh. because you do Yoga. Noted. I tried to create some discourse: The link to obesity and sleep is something I notice...I started to tell him I notice my appetite increases if I haven't slept well because it's like I need to stimulate myself to stay awake. And that turned into getting tested for sleep apnea. I don't have sleep apnea. He mentioned smaller plates to me again (it just seems out of context) So I am feeling like because I am not a total trainwreck, they don't know what to do with me. I totally get that people need more help than 'read a label', but I feel like I have spent a lot of time researching diets, weight loss, obesity etc etc for the better part of 10 or 15 years...and they have not taken the time to find out what I do know. I feel like if I say certain trigger words like 'tired' = Sleep apnea! Wine = Alcoholic! So I don't know what I am supposed to be doing. I feel like I don't know what they want from me. If they want me to lose weight, then I want them to say it. If they want me to stop this or start that, then say it, and have a purpose. I have read all sort of literature about WLS and Set points etc etc and when I go to these appointments I don't want to walk away feeling like they think I am obese because I opted for a banana instead of blueberries (hate them) all these years. I want to get more out of this, but I am also very tempted to just try and tune it out and tell them what they want to hear so I can get the surgery. I am just a number, and I somehow have to fit in their flow chart...not the other way around. Does anyone have any advice? I just feel super discouraged and criticized and not looking forward to another year of appointments every month feeling this way. Thanks for your help!

I have my 3rd and final weigh in on 10/29, unfortunately this isn't the last thing i have to do before surgery. BUT I'm super excited for it and actually can't believe how quick it went by- even with some stalling from lapse in coverage with medicaid. All I have left to do after this is the endoscopy and a second visit with my nutritionist. My endoscopy can't be scheduled until after my insurance approves it on or after 11/1- which is when my lapse in coverage is officially over! My second visit with the nutritionist should have been done back in september but because of that lapse in medicaid coverage I mentioned, here I am. Still very excited to be where I am and just wanted to share.

Everyone looks amazing!!! 19 months out and meet and greet photos at concerts/comedy shows are so much easier to love...

I have a Vita Mix and a really small Kitchen Aid chopper. I've use the kitchen Aid twice since 10/1 when I had my sleeve surgery. I'm not sure if I would fork out the $. However, if you can see yourself using it in the future for smoothies, or things like that, then by all means indulge.

Time is really flying! I am doing well overall. Side effects/complications from surgery were minimal. In the hospital I had 2 dry heave events that felt like I needed to happen to release some pressure/gas or something, and only a couple nausea episodes after discharge. Abdominal pain subsided pretty quickly, except for that main incision site which would have occasional stabbing pain if I moved in a way it didn't like. I haven't had that for about 2 weeks now. Incisions healed very nicely. Energy level is improving, however when I overdo it I am definitely still wiped out. I am much more awake during the day. I can stay up much later than I did before, and still rise early. I sleep better. Still on my CPAP, but I no longer take my medication to help me fall asleep and stay asleep. Haven't taken it for at least a week, maybe two weeks. I also didn't take my restless leg syndrome medication last night and was fine. Wondering if I will be able to stop taking it altogether. Not sure on that one. That leaves me with my metoprolol (for tachycardia/fast heart rate) in the AM, along with Protronix which was prescribed for me to take for 60 days. I haven't had ANY acid reflux since surgery, so once the script is up I will probably go off of it unless I start having symptoms. I think I will be fine, and doc prefers to not continue it unless necessary. Yay! And at night I have to take my Lipitor for high cholesterol, but I am going to ask my doc if I can attempt to wean off of it when I lose a little more weight. Cholesterol has been controlled for a couple of years already and losing weight and eating healthier gives me hope that maybe I won't need it anymore. Seriously, the thought of only taking my metoprolol and no other medications daily has me really excited. Diet: I am doing well, but struggling with measuring and tracking. Need to improve on that for sure! I am finding that things that are higher carbs/higher fat do not sit well with my stomach, but that is fine with me since those are things I shouldn't be eating anyway! I usually take a bite or two and then just don't want them. What can I eat? I do well with ground beef, chicken, and beans as real food sources of protein. I love them when they are in some kind of a broth. I still really enjoy my homemade chili. I made a huge batch a couple weeks post op and froze most of it... and over the last month I finally finished ALL of it off. It seems to be my most complete meal that I actually enjoy. Debating whether or not to make another batch lol... on the fence since I don't want to get sick of it, you would think I would be already! I am fine with cooked veggies but don't feel quite ready to attempt many raw veggies. I am not doing any breads, rice, pastas etc. I have had a few whole wheat crackers with tuna/chicken salad twice... but not sure how much I want to eat of that even at this point. While I have definitely felt the effects of over eating... I have NOT thrown up even once. (Thank goodness lol) Weight loss? I am doing great, although I am on my 2nd stall right now. The first stall was at 4.5 weeks and lasted probably 5-6 days. Maybe it wouldn't have lasted so long, but I was at Disney with my daughter lol. This time I think it was triggered by me ordering take out from my favorite Mexican restaurant. I ordered healthy options and took several meals to eat it... but I am sure it was loaded with salt and such. I also find that when I order something, I am having a harder time keeping my portions small like they should be. Happened at Disney (though less so) and is happening again this week. Guess I need to not order any food for a while! Anyhow... since last May, I have lost 47 pounds, with 26 of those being post op. I wish it was more, but I think I am still on par considering I started at a lower BMI. I have officially lost more than 50% of my weight to get to MY goal (and only 19 pounds away from the docs goal). And as for the BMI... only a few pounds away from being "overweight" instead of obese! I am walking at least 2 miles every day. I hope to increase to doing this twice a day. I am also debating when to start pilates. Anyhow... for any lower BMI people on the fence about surgery... I don't regret doing this for one minute! It is a lot of work. It requires a lot of lifestyle change, with regards to diet and exercise... but it is SO worth it! Personal goals going forward: Do better with measuring and recording Walk more, twice a day preferred Consistently make a green smoothie with protein for breakfast (started this week). Attempt to eat small salads for lunch soon

New news. I have my Cardiac consult/appointment February 28th at 10:30am. I guess that shuts out February as my surgery month. A bit disappointed at that actually, but I know it will all be for the best. I'm supposed to travel for work in March - guess I won't make those arrangements yet until I know about surgery. Well, shoot. In other news, I gave my husband two articles about WLS in people over 50 last night. He just put them aside, not even bothering to look at them. I'm going to wait until my next NUT appointment next week and then he and I are going to have to have a talk, because I need his support or at least his understanding, and he needs to know that I'm doing this for me and it's my decision to do it for me.

So, today I had my appointment with my PCP to get medical necessity/clearance letter. It was a great conversation. My PCP has been my PCP for probably 10 years. I love him for many reasons- he is our local school nurses medical director and he has put together some great stuff for our nurses, his kids and my kids are in school together and we're both always there cheering our kids on, I was blessed to be able to take care of him when he was fighting for his life due to leukemia, but most of all, I love him because he's never addressed my weight issues. So I was nervous with how he would react. Turns out he is 100% behind me on it. He actually used to be the doctor overseeing the nurse practitioner at the clinic where all of my appointments are at. So he's done this before many times, including everything but the actual surgery. He agrees that the gastric sleeve is the best option for me, and gave me tips to make it easier now. He also said to let him know if there's anything he can do to help as far as running tests or stuff that may be cheaper with him than with them. He's excited for me. He took some concerns off my shoulders as far as wondering if it was something that I should do with this clinic or not, and if I was choosing the right surgery. He had me schedule an appointment for April so he can see me again before I go and answer any questions I might have at that point. Also, scheduled the appointment for my psych evaluation. Its not until Dec 13... but it's scheduled!

I have been very depressed since I broke my ankle 2 weeks ago. 6 weeks of no weight on it was a devastating blow. I have been sitting here in a funk binge watching my 600lb life. For the last 2 weeks I just kept thinking OMG I am going to stall sooo bad. My hubby kept encouraging me to get on the scale to keep up with my progress, so today I got past the fear of gain and HOLY CRAP 199 with my splint!! I also bet another goal I finally weigh less than my hubby!! This was the boost I needed today as they took my staples out and confirmed a month more of no weight on my ankle. Thankfully I'm not really capable of snacking or the last 2 weeks would have been horrible. Aug 19, 2019 - 253 Oct 22, 2019 - 199

TO misquote old Arnold, I'M BACK. Let's see- some updating. Went to see that durned General Surgeon, remember I said I was busting her down from General to Private? Maybe I should have given her a Dishonorable Discharge! . It will be a Full Month Thursday and it is NOT Healing by First Intention. I am now a client of our Local Hospital's Wound Care Clinic, have had it repacked 3 times, and now I have a a Mini- Wound Vac attached, this is not a happy situation, hurts, taking Tylenol when it gets too hurty, prop it up on a pillow, think it might feel like a a post- gunshot wound, really never have been shot, have had bullets fly close enough to be that I've smelled the chordite but never actually punctured. Now they do wet- to- dry dressings, because there is visible bloody drainage, the mini-vac keeps it from building up and distorting the wound again but it also means I have to wear jeans/slacks with pockets because the tubing snakes under my clothing and I carry Baby Vac in a waist level pocket. Said on the info literature "Single Use- in one week sequences- shoot I'm on my 10th or 11th day. Go there again tomorrow- OH JOY- hopeful it is starting to heal from the inside out- They Swear there are no signs of infection- so maybe my 1/2 of the affair is Okay. Saw my ortho for my monthly yesterday- he went Mildly Ballistic- said Why didn't I come to HIM or at least call?" Because I believed the Medical ethics were " You had to dance with the fellow what brought you to the BarnDance" or to put it in less colloquial terms, you weren't allowed to request Surgical provider # 2 to rectify Surgeon#1's Screw-Up, am I wrong in that assumption? Still approached Dr D , D for Doolittle, my orthopaedic about my Grand Plan, the "Happy Birthday" Reverse Shoulder Replacement-- said that was his plan also and he is amenable ONCE That Rotten Wound heals and I am again approaching a Healthy State. Said might even do it before Thanksgiving if. I didn't want to wait clear into December, but definitely BEFORE years end while all my deductibles are ALL Paid . And then I WILL STOP acting. like Barbie Doll and cease demanding surgery after surgery- I am truly weary of it all- instead of 2019 being "The Winter of My Discontent" it has become a Slash-Me Series and I have hung up my Masochism Booties for quite a while. My ganglion cyst has either developed a lot of subdermal scarring or it is returning-he did it arthroscopically in August but nearly even odds it will require another cutting into, he sees me again November 18th, at which time He will reevaluate. Who would have believed my Cataract Surgery would turn out the Most Successful? I now have 20/20 distance vision, haven't been That Way since I became Myopic at age 10. Well, I do now have to use Reading Glasses , hey NBD, I will do Just Fine with that mini- limitation! I REALLY REALLY wish Dr D had went ahead with my Lipoma removal even if it would be only on the fringes of Orthopaedia, his politeness of sharing ME with other professionals sure BACK-fired, didn't it? Got my Blood Labs BACK, hard to believe but my ONLY glaring deficency is Vitamin D, even with my pea-poor diet the vitamins and protein shakes are carrying me through. And I still am losing, slowing down the rapid descent, maybe a couple pounds a week but I don't seem to have a raging case of malnourishment after all. PCP says the other values are on the Low end but but still approximating " NORMAL". if there is truth in Advertising my t- shirt should READ "ALWAYS AWESOME---NEVER NORMAL" But my Peeps- I am Frustr8- 5ft8in and 180 pounds of Red- Blonde contrariness- an Orginal from the Get Go!😏😝👍

do your research also. it all depends on your willpower and your journey. i started at 303 when i started this journey, my highest was 340. i also was told about 75% of my excess. that would have put me at 118 loss to my dr. goal of being 145. my personal goal is 135. if i make it to 150 heck i will be happy. right now i am sitting at 129.4 loss.. over 10 pounds more than my 75% goal or 82% currently. i just hit my second stall (well it broke on Sunday) so i am losing again... i had the sleeve.. I am happy with what i had and i chose the sleeve because i had no other co morbidities other than the weight. Bypass reroutes your inside, and the sleeve removes some of it, but the organs stay in the same place lol.. it is all personal choice. I wanted my organs to stay in the same place, plus lets be real. I was self pay and the sleeve is half the cost of the bypass.

This will be my official last post as a Pre Op. I had my Sleeve surgery on 10/1 in Mexico at the Fabulous Hospital BC in Tijuana. My surgeon was Dr. Illan and his Team. He is marvelous surgeon! And the staff at Hospital BC treat you like you are family. I have had absolutely no problems and since surgery have lost 24 lbs. I'm not sure I could have been as successful as I currently have been without the wisdom and random questions put out there by all of you. You have all been my life line in times of doubt and panic, anxiety and fear. I can never thank those of you who have been here. Although I will be moving my main attention to the Post Op forum for help. Anyone of your detractors who may tell you this is the easy way out is full of bologna. Just ask them to give up a lifetime of bad eating and eating what ever you wanted, when ever you wanted to a a small amount of (2 to 4 oz) Healthy Foods for an indefinite period of time. This little fact isn't here to scare anyone, it's just the reality of my passed 3 weeks. My husband has gone through a steep learning curve as well. He has been marvelous and is learning about my diet, has been altering his. He is now losing weight as well. For those of you who are for one reason or another are going this alone, don't be discouraged! Just remember, in nature the most unattractive caterpillars, through a great metamorphosis turning into the most beautiful butterflies. And they go it alone as well! You my friends are starting that journey. So with all of this said, go have your surgery, live long, live healthy! And just remember, I'm still watching you.....

We filling up fast congratulations guys and good luck I’m currently doing my liver shrink diet 2 fulls days in it’s going really good I only have 10 days but it’s going

@MeredithElaine im on a “Tour De Fat” as well my pre-op diet starts Monday 10/28 and i feel like i have to have all my favorites this week including a few Margaritas 😩😂 but im not going to kill it to bad 😂😂

Hi Jeelena, first off... YOU LOOK FABULOUS!!! Congratulations! You had such a pretty smile then, and now - It simply radiates. You are stunning in your new gown. Nice arms, too. Thank you for sharing your process and specifics with us. Inspiring. I, too, have accumulated a lot of loose skin on my upper arms (¾ sleeves are a God send!) and very sagging breasts (another God send - a great supportive bra!) LOL!!! Wearing a size petite 8 or 10 jeans (2-3X before) but the mid-section droop does get in the way. The slight stretch in new generation slack/jean fabrics does help hold it all in!!! Petite medium to small tops with a 38C from 40DD. Experimenting with body foundations for the first time for wearing dresses. I rarely wore a dress before. I plan to start preparing, saving$ and interviewing plastic surgeons for a tummy tuck, hopefully before my 25th anniversary vow renewal + gala next May. I want this defined waist for my gown design below. :] I have not tried Pilates yet. I must follow-up on your recommendation for it as a new exercise routine. Actually, loved water aerobics even hovering at my highest of 298. Oh boy. Remained pretty active + happy despite all the weight and baggage I carried. For now, I walk with my dog and remain very active with work. I am meeting with a physical therapist next week to review my back posture, gate and balance before starting any formal exercise. Adhering mostly to The Obesity Code way of nutrition. 80-100oz.+ of water or hot tea per day. Add propel and Isopure. 21 pounds until my final goal BUT others who have already had plastics say 5 - 8 pounds can be attributed to the weight of loose skin. Factoring that in, I'm only 16 pounds to goal. LOL. Probably as a petite 5'0" and shrinking with age (turned 60 past May) - losing too much weight, not really. Some research says I should weigh 105 - 112. Will cross that bridge when and if I get there. Jeelena, how are you finding maintenance? Are you still losing? Keep up your wonderful achievement. Sending posies in way of celebration with you! ;]

I'm 8.5 months out at this point and am crawling along at a snail's pace. At my 6 month follow up the NP said I was doing so great, and only had 10 lbs to go - I said that I really had about 20 lbs to go, but you know how they formulate it differently to have as many success stories as possible. 70% of excess weight rather than healthy BMI. But whatever, I told her my personal goal was 128 not 138. I asked for guidance on how much I should be eating as I was aware of less restriction and more hunger - she told me 600 cals a day until I go back at the 1 year mark. That seemed extreme to me, but I did it for a while. I'm a compulsive tracker - have 8 years worth of tracking on MFP. Daily, I track weight, calories, protein, water, carbs, fat, steps, exercise, bowel movements, menstruation, ovulation. The scale didn't move on 600 and I gained a little. And my energy was terrible, my skin awful, and I began having more food cravings. Honestly - and I am a PCOS weirdo, and none of us are in any way typical at all, and I am not saying anyone else should do this - I only see consistent downward movement on the scale when I up my calories to 1100-1200 and up my carbs to 100g. It is terrifying to me to eat more carbs, but for now I'm going with it. My stats, graphs, and charts show a real correlation that I don't think is coincidence. I am well used to being disciplined - I think as PCOSers we all are - so I will stay on this protocol for a while and if it stops working, it won't be hard for me to go lower again. I avoided coming on here for a while as I felt like I was a fraud or a cheat or I would be admonished for not doing things the "right" way - but I know my body and I'm honest with myself about what I put into it, so for right now this is what is working for me, and me alone. I don't think it helps that it is the last 20 lbs I am trying to lose, and everyone always says they just don't want to budge. (I am also a vegetarian BTW - have been since I was 6 - and I don't have any trouble getting plenty of protein from food. I haven't had to have protein shakes since 6 weeks out. I do a lot of dairy though: FF cottage cheese, FF Greek yoghurt, light babybel cheeses.)

Since this whole surgery thing i have found it fun to test and figure out different things to do. How to cook ..... Vitamins and Minerals .... and now the cleanse Had a blood work up a few weeks back and finally got all the vitamins and minerals up to snuff. So the next thing was to cleanse all the chemicals out of my body - Background: Vodka, Nicotine, and Garbage food for 45 years and all that soaked into the body fat! So after a ton of research and plan from a Nutritionist the plan was ready to go. heck would be easy after prep for surgery and 4 months of eating like a bird. Plan - For 10 days only consume protein shakes with Vitamins and Minerals along with body cleansing potion. Body Cleansing Potion: You will find a ton of them to buy at Amazon, I decided to make my own! I am culinary Skilled so i made a gallon! I suggest you make your own You can mix up the veggies and Minerals each day. Plus you get to buy those weird veggies you had not clue what they were? 10 Day results 1 thru 3 - Not much different - Never Hungry anyhow so No hunger but definitely feel sluggish 3-5 = Game on time all of a sudden you can really tell you are getting flushed, Skin is happy, Energy level is good, Just feel Great 5-8 = Extreme flush is in order - Taking in 200G of protein and every dang vegetable and mineral thru a food processor in Juice form that Whole foods has . (Not really but about 4 different weird veggies a day - Rotating them) - Gallon of water a day 8-10 Wind it down time start limiting the flush and keep the healthy Veggie Drinks - The outcome was amazing lost a chunk of weight but the biggest thing is your body has been cleansed and recharged. Going to do this every 8 months - The feeling of being so clean and recharged is amazing. THE KEY DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY - YOU CAN NOT EAT A SINGLE FOOD THIS IS A LIQUID JUICE ONLY. NOTHING MADE IN A BOTTLE OR CAN OR BOX HERE ARE THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE COMBINATIONS BELOW: I used these as the base and added about 3 or 4 Just mix up all the stuff from the Produce are using these as the base. My Main base was always pinapple or bannana for taste adding fake sugar to help taste. You only need 4oz at a time 4 times a day so easy to slam down Drink Your Greens: Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Lemon, Ginger, and Apple (optional: parsley) The Detoxifier: Beets, Carrots, Lemon, Ginger, Apple The Vision: Carrots, Oranges, Ginger (optional: turmeric) Sweet Carrot: Apples, Carrots, and Parsley

Yesterday, Mon, Oct. 21 Maintenance : 5'2" / F / 1yr PO / 114.5 lbs ...so i guess I had me a wine-and-vinaigrette funeral yesterday. I am going to cut down on these two faves of mine for a couple weeks to see if it helps me wean off my PPI. Not sure if I will be able to totally cut out the vinaigrette though...my poor salads will be NAKED. 7:00am - coffee with Stevia 12:30pm - salad greens & vinaigrette + carrots + cucumber + pumpkin seeds + 3.5 oz steak + 1 french macaron 3:00pm - coffee with Stevia + 1 fl oz sake 7:00pm - salad greens & vinaigrette + pumpkin seeds + 5 Parmesan crisps + 4 oz steak with gravy + asparagus + 5 raw oysters with horseradish + 1 french macaron 10:30pm - 1.5 glasses of red wine + 4 squares dark chocolate + beef jerky Totals: 1953 cals - 102g Protein - 70g NET carbs - 106g fat

Well that's good to know! The Bragg's is on the expensive side. Did a quick comparison though: La Choy has 1g of carbs & 920mg sodium, 10 cals per serving Braggs' 0.1g carbs & sodium 320mg sodium, 0 cals per serving. (Ya, its very small on the grand scale of things, but just something to note...)

Thanks everyone for the support. Tomorrow is the surgery - I will get this done. I am so nervous I want to cry. Since I started my liquid diet on 10/7 I lost almost 30 pounds. I feel better already, I cannot imagine what it will feel like to lose 100 plus. Please keep supporting me, my god the nerves are killing me.

So further to this. I had my 1 year follow up at the hospital this morning to get my bloodwork/labs done as well as had appointments with both an RN and my new Nutritionist (my regular NUT apparently has moved on). This new NUT was an odd one. She was giving me all worried/disappointed looks as she told me that I must stop losing weight and increase my calories asap (despite the fact that I showed her MFP has me averaging 1800-ish calories the past 2 weeks-ish EDIT: oops I mean 1 week-ish). She seemed especially concerned with the weight I lost since my 6 month checkup as she said it would have been preferable if I stayed at the weight I was at that time (which was about 135-140lbs then - still in the "overweight" BMI category for my height, I might add). She suggested I try to gain back at least 10 lbs. Now compare this to the reaction of the RN (who I saw not even 5 minutes after the NUT), who clapped her hands and gave me a hug. Or even the reaction of the office staff at my surgeon's office (who I had an appointment with last week), who gave me high fives. Or even the surgeon himself, who was apparently so pleased with my progress that he asked if I would pose for photos to be on a poster, for eff's sakes. I mean, it might just be me, but shouldn't the people who are giving a pateint care/support at least all be on the same page as to what their vision for said patient be? My old NUT would have been cool about where I am. This new one seemed to want to employ scare tactics: she bought up malnutrition, bone loss, eating disorders. Um, I just had my labs done, I would think she'd want to see the results first. Long story short (with the added benefit of me being able to vent a little about this mildly frustrating/annoying encounter), the final weight we all get to should be the one we are comfortable being at (coupled with good lab results), and one that we can maintain in the long term. Opinions and advice from team to team (and even within teams) are going to vary, aim to take whatever info you can get and make informed decisions/plans based on YOU. Edited to add: P.S. Oh, and she said I don't need to track my calories or carbs in MFP, because I "don't need it" Huh?

CrystalV, why are you feeling that way and so soon after the surgery? Guilt, shame and disappointed? Why because you couldn’t succeed in weight loss without the surgery? It took courage to acknowledge your weight was an issue and to proceed with the surgery. It is not a silver bullet for weight loss. Losing weight is hard work with or without the surgery. I started really working on losing weight in February 2018 when my new doctor weighed me and I was at 315 pounds. I had always sworn I would never allow myself to get over 300 pounds. For the next two years, I watched what I ate and started exercising faithfully. I lost 35 pounds in two years. On August 21, 2019 I had my surgery. I have lost 45 pounds since then. More importantly I feel that this time I will be able to keep the weight off. I am glad you sought help when you needed it. I have been on an antidepressant for years and I accept that my brain does not produce enough serotonin bd that causes me to be depressed. I refuse to feel shame for that any more than a diabetic should feel guilty for taking insulin. We should just be thankful that brilliant minds have developed these wonderful medications to help us. Stop beating yourself up, keep an open mind and set realistic goals and then pursue them. A husband who is supporting you is a blessing (I swear my hubby is even more excited than me about my weight loss) so make sure to give him a hug and a kiss. Put the negative feelings away and look forward to the adventure ahead of you. Good luck!

I’m also 10/28 surgery! Also on day 8 of pre op diet plan and down 9 pounds! My hubby grilled himself a steak last night and I started crying a bit and went to another room! I love steak! He wasn’t doing it on purpose, but I was like omg wtf?!?! I weigh in Friday and I’m already 2lbs below what I need to be! So I’m sticking with it! Don’t want to cheat and gain weight and have my surgery get cancelled! We are strong and can do this!!

Yesterday, Sun, Oct. 20 Maintenance : 5'2" / F / 1yr PO / 114.7 lbs 10:00am - chicken broth 12:00pm - salad greens & vinaigrette + carrots + 3.5 oz grilled chicken + 4 oz roast lamb 4:14pm - salad greens & vinaigrette + carrots + 1 can smoked oysters + seafood sauce 8:00pm - tea with Stevia + 1 slice of fudge brownie cheesecake + 1oz shot of Amaretto 11:30pm - chicken broth + 10 almonds + 3.2 oz roast lamb Totals: 1323 cals - 81g Protein - 69g NET carbs - 71g fat

Long story short no, I did not go through with the surgery at that time. I started feeling apprehensive about my new surgeon and decided to try to drop some weight on my own. After about six months of that and not getting the results I wanted (lack of motivation on my part) I returned to my surgeon to reschedule the surgery. However, thanks to my 9 year old requiring an explanation of what will be happening to her dad and in an attempt to calm her about the associated risks didn't out weigh the gains I found a different procedure I wanted to check out called Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. It is a procedure that done through the mouth that sutures the stomach into a sleeve shape providing the same benefit of the gastric sleeve without the hospital stay. After researching it, I found that it is a relatively new procedure that does not have the statics to go by like the gastric sleeve. I was lucky enough to find two doctors in the Houston area that could perform the procedure along with providing more insight into exactly what it was. I had my consult with one of the physicians who explained to me that while the procedure is effective he didn't think it would provide me with the results that I hoped for and recommended that I stick with the gastric sleeve procedure that I had scheduled but put off for this consultation. I learned two important things in that meeting 1) my hesitation was partly due to my apprehension about my initial surgeon (who did not go over a lot and did not make me feel comfortable) 2) I would be scheduling my surgery but with this new doctor who not only made my wife and I feel comfortable but was willing to explain every detail to me and calmed my fears. With all that said, I finally had the surgery on September 23, 2019 and will be celebrating 1 month of my new life this week. Which I can honestly at the moment SUCKS but I know it will get better.

Banded in 2009; Unbanded 2012 (due to erosion) Lived life 2012-2019 struggling with weight gain and massive depression The decision to have Gastric Sleeve made Oct. 17th, 2019 Contacted my doc for initial consultation (Oct 30th) Self Pay This time...I tell nobody but my CORE family....I can't deal with the stupidity of people who don't understand this life! Here we go....finally getting back to ME Created a new blog to journal ALL of my thoughts and progresses www.SabrinaGoddess.com