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You know, I guess I'm the only dissenter in the group. Bake it, eat a bite or two, then wrap it up and send it away. Send it home with the kids. Take it to the neighbors, or to a shut in. Enjoy a little bit. I lost 50 pounds years ago by Slim fast during the week, and then hubby and I would go out, and I would enjoy a meal and a bite (just a bite!) of dessert. Took a long time, but I could be good during the week as long as the weekend was coming. Moderation in all things.

I know that's a question that only I can really answer, but it's one that keeps spinning through my head. I came to this site today to do a bit more research and realized I had joined back in 2018! So yeah, this is something I've thought about off and on for the last four years. What's stopping me? First, I have had SO many surgeries in the last decade. Fourteen to be exact. I really don't want another one. Second, the thought of having part of my body removed (especially my stomach) is triggering and scary. Been there, done that. A bit of history: Up until about 8-9 years ago, I was a fairly thin and fit person. In Jan 2012, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I went through five months of really rough chemo, a mastectomy (a body part removal), anti-estrogen meds for seven years, surgeries galore (including an oophorectomy - another body part removal), depression, anxiety, depression and anxiety meds (even ones that say they don't cause weight gain - HA!)... just a lot. Through all that, the scale just went up and up. I'm now 80 lbs overweight, pre-diabetic, have sleep apnea, and my cholesterol is high for the first time in my life, and just mostly feel like hell. In the last four years, I have tried several (doctor prescribed) "weight loss" meds, injections, a liquid diet, an elimination diet, calorie counting, points counting, exercise, nutritional counseling, intermitant fasting, acupuncture... the list goes on and on. Nothing has worked or has been sustainable. So I came here to just get more info and couldn't resist clicking on topics that speak to regret (I know I shouldn't do that, but I couldn't help it). I mean, this is a no-going-back situation. Most of the stomach is being removed! I know there are no guarantees that I won't have regrets, or that the procedure will work or that I won't have complications, but I WANT those guarantees. So much in the last ten years has been up in the air and I hate that feeling. But I also hate feeling miserable in my own body, so... How did you make that final decision to go forward? I want to lose this weight more than anything. but this is a really huge decision I wish I didn't have to make. Sorry for the long post. And thank you in advance for any insight you can offer!

That was why I bought it. I know how I burn out fast on the sweet protein shakes post op. So I was going to add it to broth.

HI there! Sounds like we have similar paths. I was banded in 2010 and lost 80+ pounds. It was the best thing I ever did for myself. I kept the weight off for more than 10 years before I started having issues with the band a couple of years ago. It was either too tight or not tight enough. Sadly, without a functioning tool, I gained quite a bit of weight. I had my Lapband removed in April 2021 with hopes to convert to the gastric sleeve a month later. Long story short, my insurance denied the conversion and it took almost a year and a couple of appeals to get the denial overturned. Fast forward to today, my gastric sleeve is approved and scheduled for 4/27. I am so looking forward to getting my tool back so that I can get back on track and live my healthiest life That is great you have lost 85 pounds! Have you been able to maintain the loss all this time? It sounds like your surgeon is removing your band and converting to bypass all in one surgery, is that right?

So great to hear that you are one the other side of week 1! Keep moving and sipping! Your weight loss is amazing! I hope you feel the difference in your body. For every pound we lose it is like 5 pounds for our joints! You are a Rock Star keeping the kids away from fast foods! It just sets them up for health problems as they get older. I found a couple cool Bariatric cookbooks on Amazon. 1 was a 5 ingredient, the other was a regular bariatric cookbook. There is also a bari air fryer. I am approaching week 3 so still on purée but looking forward to getting back in the kitchen for my hubby. He will just enjoy different portions. Be Well! T

Hello everyone. I apologize for the late follow up. Surgery was successfull.. I weighted in a 397 before surgery. I was 450lbs at the beginning of this journey, on March of 2021. The first week was a bit difficult, buy I found ways to make my transition manageable. I cook many meals for my family, no fast food for the kids. I have been watching international cooking shows (food porn), which helped out a lot. Today I weighed in at 383, just 8days after surgery. I feel good. The pain I my abdomen, from the incisions, are less painful. I am looking forward to working out and playing basketball with my son, niece and nephews. Thank you all for the support, encouragement and advice.

I feel you on the mourning the food addiction all I want is to eat until I’m full it’s crazy how fast you have to come to terms with your addiction. Many times I wish I had never done this but I also recognize that that’s the addiction talking and that I will find more fulfillment in choosing to be healthy. Just have to keep the mindset I know I shouldn’t be weighing myself but I think after all the dieting that never stuck all the working out and the weight I would shed and quickly gain back the fact I’m watching the scale consistently show me I’m dropping weight it’s helping me realize that I made the right choice. I’m dreading the stalling period already but I’m getting better and not checking everyday but I have a smart scale called Fit Track Pro and every time I weigh myself it keeps track of it and I can watch it decrease and it also measure BMI muscle mass water intake and visceral fat of course not as accurate as the doctors office but it’s a very nice tool that I have I’m glad your feeling better if you ever wanna chat lemme know I’m always down for conversation ❤️

I have not had my surgery yet but its fast approaching, May 3rd. There is only 1 person who knows, my husband. I have older kids and younger kids (2 are still at home). Like others have said in their posts, I do not find it to be anyone's business that I have a sleeve. My kids I have not told because the older ones do not come around enough anyway to visit and Ill probably be on regular food by the time they do lol. My younger 2 children that are still at home (girl 17, boy 11) I have not told because my youngest son would be worried like crazy on surgery day. I do not want to cause any undue stress for him. As for my coworkers, no one knows from there either. I do believe most would be supportive because I had 3 coworkers who had gastric bypass. Two of which is on a fast track of gaining their weight back post surgery 4 yrs. At current I am still working from home and only go to the office 1 week a month. I was just there last week and one coworker said I looked like I have lost weight since she last saw me (Ive lost 17 lbs in the last few months) but I didnt think it was noticeable. Obviously we cannot dodge the looks and questions post surgery because we are losing weight, but at least I dont have to be judged or questioned why I would go down this road ahead of surgery. I kindof view it this way its my health, my decision. Once its done its done. My hubby is from (W Yorkshire) England and he left his family, friends and country because he loves me. He is very supportive of me. He doesnt necessarily agree with the surgical aspect of things but I know he will be there for me and will help me through the mood swings, the pain and he knows if I go down a dark path of thoughts to give me his hand and help me back to where I need to be (I hear some ppl become depressed post op) I have never experienced that but if I do he will be there to help me. He always has been. You will tell ppl in due time as you feel more comfortable (as will I perhaps) and I agree with what blackcatsandbaddecisions said If brought up we dont have to talk about it especially if its from a judgmental person/family member!

Mrsjo: I love the Muscle Milk zero sugar too. But right now I'm doing the liver reduction diet it's a really good choice for me right now other than a Slim-Fast see I have a option. I'm also looking at the nutrition being that I need some vitamins too. Sent from my SM-G930U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had a cold during my pre-op and there were no issues. I just had to be cleared up before surgery. Good luck, I hope it clears up fast.

Ive had Type 2 Diabetes for some time now (many years) I have been super fortunate so Im not sure Im the best person to compare to. My Type 2 was mostly controlled by my intake of carbs and sugar. I was also very lucky if my A1C climbed or even my daily/weekly checks were elevated, I could control it by watching what I ate. I am not on any medications because my body reacts well to reducing carbs and sugars on my own. My highest A1C ever was 3 years ago and it was 9.6. I was mortified. My Dr wanted to prescribed me metformin which she did but I had a horrible reaction to it (Im allergic it seems) I asked my DR to hold off on giving me something else and to allow me to control it by my food intake and what I eat. She told me I had 3 months and if I didnt have significant improvement that I would need medication. 3 months later I had an A1C and it was 5.1 my DR was shocked as was I lol. It seems for me if I am on insulin or drugs for diabetes my sugars go insanely high and often times its worse than what I started with. I suppose this is why my DR allowed me to try to control it by food. My sugars are usually around 113-120 if I am behaving myself, my fasting sugar hovers around 141-160 in the morning

Yeah, I honestly struggled the most in the beginning of the journey (a bit before my initial consultation) and then extreme struggle right at the end (just weeks before my pre op diet) because of that constant fear that eating was over and done with forever. Yeah...not the case at all but damn does it harbor the food funeral. I honestly wish bariatric centers would offer more emphasis and support in that. I think a lot of people go into it believing surgery means no more enjoying food at all in any capacity...not the case. I had a lot of trouble with overeating a month before my surgery. I was working out like MAD so I didnt gain weight but I wanted to eat everything delicious because I believed that was my last chance. It's literally maybe a month to two months until you can eat relatively normal foods again and it goes by fast. I had my surgery in February and I'm already eating everything again accept bread, raw vegetables and refined sugars. I feel plenty satisfied and enjoy what I eat. One can probably argue all day how to see food post op and how that can benefit your weight loss and weight maintenance but im talking more so about realistic, day to day stuff. For some the all or nothing approach works but for most, it's okay to admit to yourself that you still "enjoy" food while also not letting it take over your life or your weight. I can't stress enough how temporary the extreme dieting is. It's not meant to last. No you can't overeat post op, but you likely won't want to anyway and you can still enjoy a variety foods just like before. When I needed to get back on the horse pre op, it helped to remind myself that it's not a goodbye forever from food, it's a goodbye forever to overeating. Its merely a "see you in a month or two" to solid foods and complex carbs. Lol Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I would trust my teams instruction on the timeline (whether they think you are healed enough), but if I did decide to have a drink I would try it at home first (same mixer and all) to make sure it doesn’t make you sick. We are all different and our bodies react differently. For me, I can’t stand the taste of rum anymore and I used to drink it often enough. I can’t drink it fast enough to get a buzz so it seems like a waste of calories. I have tried a few times and it just tastes awful to me now. I have heard others who dumped and some it just made them feel sick while others got beyond inebriated so make sure you try it at home first and have a plan for your ride home.

Will Stop thinking about food - that’s what will happen. You will think of clothes and the gym etc., after get past the recovery stage. I think with gastric is best not to buy too much clothes as you will keep loosing for awhile. Go through your list of foods after surgery make sure you have what you need. I live alone, so will have to prepare all before. I won’t have surgery until late June if I get a miracle or early July. Things moving fast. Good luck. 🍀

Thanks. excited to get it over with lol. and i got your PM i will just answer here. Ive been overweight most of my adult life. I am 34 years old. I remember being 18-19 years old and a girl i dated at the time we weighed ourselves and i weighed about 200lb and i am 5'4. From then on my weight started to go up and up once i was out of high school. In high school i was very active being in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) always exercising, marching and such. Once i got out of high school i was no longer active working full time typically in a office environment always eating fast food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. By around 2016 i was around 270 and last year i reached 300lb and April 4th when i started my liquid diet i was 317.

It’s not normal. If you are having more than 3-4 loose or waterey stools and you are unable to keep fluids down please call your doctor. I would stick with sips of plain water or coconut water. The sugar free stuff might contribute to the issue right now. Any abdominal tenderness outside of surgical sites and gas pains, elevated temperature, chills or sweating should also be reported to your doctor. Generally after surgery we are kinda well hydrated by the IV fluids so we don’t get in trouble with dehydration to fast. There are different meds to slow things down depending on what the doctor feels the issue is. Be Well, Tina

My surgery date is April 22, 2022 it is approaching fast. Am excited.

Thank you so much for sharing! I am 44 not quite 50 but it’s right around the corner. I used to lose fast as well in my 20’s & 30’s and part of mind was hoping that my body would reward me like that again….lol Good Luck to you and your continued successes. Even the lows it’s all a learning experience I’m quickly realizing.

1) you're in a stall. Just make sure you're following your program to a "T", and it should eventually break 2) you're starting out at a much lower weight than many of us. Therefore, it's not going to come off as fast as if you started out weighing 300+ pounds 3). 1000 calories a day should be fine. I was eating 600-800 when I was about where you are in the journey. That 600-800 from about month 2 to almost a year out used to be pretty standard, but nowadays some surgeons are recommending higher levels. But 1000 should be fine. Again, you're likely just in a stall.

Okay breathe. You’re not expected to know it all at the very beginning. Have you met with your dietician yet? Have you met with a therapist yet? They should be a great source of information, guidance & support. Ask for as many appointments as you need. If your sister has been approved she is further along in the process so you can’t compare yourself. Remember it’s not a race. We’re all different physiologically & psychologically. We may have similar experiences but they won’t be totally identical. No wonder you get hungry if you’re starving yourself. And then the emotional torment is likely drinking head hunger & cravings as you consciously or sub consciously are looking to food to try to comfort you. If you want to start making changes start slowly by making only one to two changes to your diet at a time. Reduce portion sizes, reduce your sugar intake, increase your vegetable intake, try some different cooking styles, try some new recipes, reduce your caffeine intake or reduce how many takeaways/fast food you eat. You’ll be on your pre surgery diet before you know it & that’s a whole different ball game. Once you have surgery things will be different - you physically won’t be able to eat the volume of food you used to eat & you will be on a restricted staged return to eating solid food. & your hunger & interest in food may be greatly reduced. The learning about food nutrition, our own personal needs, what drives us to eat, etc, takes time. In fact you’ll continue to learn. Almost three years out & I still discover new things about my eating & what I need to be healthy.

https://www.withings.com/us/en/sleep I have this sleep mat and had it before surgery. It was actually how I learned I had severe apnea before surgery ... and I never got round to a CPAP before I didn't need it (which was super fast after surgery, crazy enough. Like 1-2 weeks and the apnea was down to mild or gone).

Today is my 1 year surgiversary. It's doesn’t seem like a whole year that went so fast. I'm still dealing with a few issues but overall I am doing very good. And not doubting having the surgery at all. Take care all

Could you get down from 390 to 200, or even lighter, and then keep it off? Yes, absolutely. Anyone can, with or without surgery. However, there's a difference between can and will. Obviously, I don't know your physiological intangibles such as your muscle profile, body type, genetics, ability to stick to goals, follow a bariatric diet, etc. BMI doesn't account for these things. Because of this, we can crunch some statistics, and assuming you're average when it comes to the intangibles, we can begin to get an idea of the odds for you. Based on the BMI chart, every pound over 154 pounds is excess for your height, which leaves you with 235 pounds of excess weight. Now with sleeve statistics, the average person loses between 60 and 70 percent of their excess weight. Obviously, some lose 100 percent or more of their excess weight, and some lose much less than the 60 to 70 percent average, but again, let's assume you have an average surgery experience and lose 60 to 70 percent (we can call it 65 percent as an even marker). 65 percent of 235 pounds of excess weight is 152.75 pounds. 390-152.75=237.25. So, by math alone, 237.25 would be your most likely outcome, which is obviously 37.25 pounds over your goal. To meet your goal, you would have to exceed statistical expectations when it comes to average amount of excess weight lost for sleeves. Instead of losing 65 percent of your excess weight, you would have to lose approximately 81 percent to hit 200. I'd certainly say this is doable, albeit not easy. Now the unfortunate thing about losing weight is that your body fights you on it, and it has various forms of ammunition. Cravings, plateaus, and different types of phantom hunger are all in its arsenal. Bariatric surgery depletes our bodies' weapon stock to an extent and limits the damage should we fall into one of its traps. It's something we can lean on. It won't do the job on its own, but we've essentially enlisted reinforcements that swing the odds of success in our favor. However, the one thing that bariatric surgery won't change as we get closer to our goal weights is adaptability, and this is probably why your weight loss has stalled in the past. Our bodies learn our tricks. They adapt to low carb and low calorie diets, and thus, the weight loss stalls until we give up. So what do we do? If a plateau occurs, we have to change our tactics (even slightly) to catch our bodies off guard again. Change the diet and eating patterns slightly. Try a little intermittent fasting, or maybe switch out your carbs for fat for a bit. Same thing with exercise. If you're exercising (let's say running for example), switch things up and go to HIIT training or swimming for a while. Once your body adjusts to that, then go back to running. It's a little weird to be "at war" with ourselves, but the reality is that we are. Got to be smart and merciless when it comes to confronting the weight monster.

I remember you from your other thread about 1199. You're already post op?!?! Wow that was fast! Congrats, and I hope you have an uneventful recovery!

Yeah, the RNY bypasses a few inches and the OAGB/MGB bypasses several feet. I don't know what's "full" about RNY that isn't "full" about OAGB/MGB but it surely isn't the bypass part. Maybe the "full" refers to the pouch that fills fast and gets ... full? Or the full absorption of carbs in the part of the intestine they somehow mangle to attach to that pouch that we're spared from? Or the full-on dumping? Or the full coffers of American surgeons who refuse to learn OAGB/MGB because RNY pays well? I don't know. All I know is a) do Optifast b) caffeine omg c) alcohol = pray to JeBuS and omg and areu4realomgomg d) Optifast e) Being fat definitely isn't a complex chronic condition, it's just about willpower. Or something. Anywho. ...