Soon2BMiniMommy

I also have been on Metformin for years for insulin resistance/prediabetes secondary to severe PCOS. Both my surgeon AND my PCP say I can go off of it as soon as I have surgery as my body will be in a catabolic state (weight loss) and my body will naturally lower my insulin levels while losing weight, even more so over time. They both say it's almost immediate.
Note that I am on 1000 mg, twice a day, the maximum dose as there have been many, many studies done that state the maximum dose it's what's needed for PCOS/insulin resistance and anything lower than that really doesn't do much of anything. Metformin isn't really for weight loss....that's a huge misconception and most don't lose weight while on it, but it does help your body utilize the insulin it produces better, and therefore can minimize some of the side effects of hyperinsulemia (high insulin and insulin resistance). Metformin also allowed me to get pregnant after many years of infertility due to PCOS. But, honestly, if you have had the sleeve, you will lose much more weight from that than from taking Metformin....that would be like winning a million dollar lottery, then someone giving you a monthly allowance of $100 dollars - not enough to even make an impact in my opinion.
And yes, it will make you feel nauseous and often causes diarrhea....takes your body a while to get used to that.....but it will get better if you decide to take it.
Disclaimer here - I am NOT a doctor but have worked in health care for many, many years, specifically in endocrine disorders, so this is just my educated opinion. Many people think Metformin is a magic bullet to help them lose weight, but just as many are disappointed because they don't. Metformin does many things 'behind the scenes" that are beneficial to your body, but weight loss is really not one of them, and if it is, it's very minimal. For many, though, it does prevent them from gaining weight if their insulin resistance is severe. The sleeve will allow you to really lose weight.
Hope that helps some....

I LOVE and eat chinese food a lot.....i LOVE moo goo gai pan (chicken and mushrooms) and also love chicken egg foo young! Lots of veggies and Protein. But, I can also handle rice/pasta just fine, so I also love me some chicken chow mein.....it's just not as good for you since it's full of noodles. I've found it's fun to try new things on the menu that I never tried before now that I know I shouldn't go for the fried stuff with sweet sauces (almond chicken, sweet and sour pork, general tso's chicken, fried rice, noodles, etc, that used to ALL be my favorite!). Don't get me wrong, I still steal bites of sweet and sour off my hubbies plate, but only one or two. Now I try to look for menu items that are mainly stir fried Protein with veggies....shrimp with pea pods I love. I wouldn't have eaten that before cause there was not much shrimp, lol (it was always about the quantity!)....now I don't care because I can't eat it all anyway! Oh, moo shu pork or chicken! The pancakes are so thin, and it's good without the pancakes, too! Again, more veggies and protein.
It's fun trying new things, things I wouldn't have tried before. And now, Chinese food lasts me DAYS if we order out or take home. I love having all those leftovers! Oh, mongolian beef is a good one, too! There are SO many options.....have fun experimenting!

Thank you SO much for the info and follow-up! I, too, suffer from extreme hirsutism, along with all the other symptoms, and it so helps to know there is light at the end of this tunnel. Yes, if you can let us know what type of laser was used, that would be GREAT!!! Thanks again, Madison!!

That, my dear, is a LONG explanation on how it's supposed to help lose weight. First, your doctor must think you're insulin resistant, or he wouldn't want to prescribe it. If you have not been diagnosed as insulin resistant, or prediabetic and he simply wants to have you take it for weight loss, he is an idiot....sorry.
If you are insulin resistant, that means your body has high level of insulin all the time and doesn't use insulin like it should. To make a very long complicated story short, if you have high levels of insulin in your system all the time, your body wants to store fat, not lose it. It's much more complicated than that, but that's the Cliff notes on how it works. So, by taking Metformin, your body is better able to use the insulin it produces, thereby theoretically not wanting to store fat all the time.
Now this sounds good, but in practice, like I said before, almost no one loses weight by just taking Metformin - if they did, EVERYONE would be on it and it would all over the news as the magic bullet/pill everyone is looking for and none of us would need surgery!! Your sleeve has put your body in a catabolic (losing) state already, which has already forced your body to produce less insulin and use it more wisely - that's why I can't see how on earth at this point, you taking Metformin would produce any sort of weight loss.
So, all that being said....you have lost almost 16 pounds since surgery on 8/31. That's 16 pounds in 5 weeks.....sure it's not as much as some lose, but we are all different. I also noticed that you were on the 'smaller side' when you started and in my experience on these boards, those that don't have a large amount to lose, tend to lose slower. You also lost weight prior to your surgery, and that's fantastic, but that also could mean that you wouldn't drop weight so dramatically after your surgery as your body wasn't 'shocked' like those that didn't lose weight beforehand (like those that didn't have to do preop liquid diets, etc - they tend to lose more right after surgery).
I honestly think you need to look at your calorie intake and the makeup of foods you are eating (carbs, Protein, fats). If you are not eating ENOUGH calories, that will definitely slow down weight loss, as well as they wrong type of calories.
You can certainly try the Metformin, it won't hurt....I just don't want to see you disappointed when you don't lose weight on it.
And, any doctor that tells you that your weight loss to date 'sucks' needs a quick swift kick right up the ass, in my opinion. What a horrible, horrible thing to say to your patient! You have lost an average of over 3 pounds per week! Which is amazing compared to all other types of weight loss plans. As long as you are losing, and the slope is downward, keep your chin up, honey. Don't get discourage...you just may be one of the 'slow' losers. But it will come off!!

I also have been on Metformin for years for insulin resistance/prediabetes secondary to severe PCOS. Both my surgeon AND my PCP say I can go off of it as soon as I have surgery as my body will be in a catabolic state (weight loss) and my body will naturally lower my insulin levels while losing weight, even more so over time. They both say it's almost immediate.
Note that I am on 1000 mg, twice a day, the maximum dose as there have been many, many studies done that state the maximum dose it's what's needed for PCOS/insulin resistance and anything lower than that really doesn't do much of anything. Metformin isn't really for weight loss....that's a huge misconception and most don't lose weight while on it, but it does help your body utilize the insulin it produces better, and therefore can minimize some of the side effects of hyperinsulemia (high insulin and insulin resistance). Metformin also allowed me to get pregnant after many years of infertility due to PCOS. But, honestly, if you have had the sleeve, you will lose much more weight from that than from taking Metformin....that would be like winning a million dollar lottery, then someone giving you a monthly allowance of $100 dollars - not enough to even make an impact in my opinion.
And yes, it will make you feel nauseous and often causes diarrhea....takes your body a while to get used to that.....but it will get better if you decide to take it.
Disclaimer here - I am NOT a doctor but have worked in health care for many, many years, specifically in endocrine disorders, so this is just my educated opinion. Many people think Metformin is a magic bullet to help them lose weight, but just as many are disappointed because they don't. Metformin does many things 'behind the scenes" that are beneficial to your body, but weight loss is really not one of them, and if it is, it's very minimal. For many, though, it does prevent them from gaining weight if their insulin resistance is severe. The sleeve will allow you to really lose weight.
Hope that helps some....

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

That, my dear, is a LONG explanation on how it's supposed to help lose weight. First, your doctor must think you're insulin resistant, or he wouldn't want to prescribe it. If you have not been diagnosed as insulin resistant, or prediabetic and he simply wants to have you take it for weight loss, he is an idiot....sorry.
If you are insulin resistant, that means your body has high level of insulin all the time and doesn't use insulin like it should. To make a very long complicated story short, if you have high levels of insulin in your system all the time, your body wants to store fat, not lose it. It's much more complicated than that, but that's the Cliff notes on how it works. So, by taking Metformin, your body is better able to use the insulin it produces, thereby theoretically not wanting to store fat all the time.
Now this sounds good, but in practice, like I said before, almost no one loses weight by just taking Metformin - if they did, EVERYONE would be on it and it would all over the news as the magic bullet/pill everyone is looking for and none of us would need surgery!! Your sleeve has put your body in a catabolic (losing) state already, which has already forced your body to produce less insulin and use it more wisely - that's why I can't see how on earth at this point, you taking Metformin would produce any sort of weight loss.
So, all that being said....you have lost almost 16 pounds since surgery on 8/31. That's 16 pounds in 5 weeks.....sure it's not as much as some lose, but we are all different. I also noticed that you were on the 'smaller side' when you started and in my experience on these boards, those that don't have a large amount to lose, tend to lose slower. You also lost weight prior to your surgery, and that's fantastic, but that also could mean that you wouldn't drop weight so dramatically after your surgery as your body wasn't 'shocked' like those that didn't lose weight beforehand (like those that didn't have to do preop liquid diets, etc - they tend to lose more right after surgery).
I honestly think you need to look at your calorie intake and the makeup of foods you are eating (carbs, Protein, fats). If you are not eating ENOUGH calories, that will definitely slow down weight loss, as well as they wrong type of calories.
You can certainly try the Metformin, it won't hurt....I just don't want to see you disappointed when you don't lose weight on it.
And, any doctor that tells you that your weight loss to date 'sucks' needs a quick swift kick right up the ass, in my opinion. What a horrible, horrible thing to say to your patient! You have lost an average of over 3 pounds per week! Which is amazing compared to all other types of weight loss plans. As long as you are losing, and the slope is downward, keep your chin up, honey. Don't get discourage...you just may be one of the 'slow' losers. But it will come off!!

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

I LIVED on this in my pureed stage.....loved it!! It is soooo good! Now, later on, I add italian sausage or ground beef for even more protein/substance....it's from www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com. WONDERFUL website for recipes!!

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

See, that's why it's so hard - so many different opinions My doctor said if there is a leak from the surgery, it will most likely happen in the first one to two days (and you'll know!). Then, if you damage your staple line, up to six to eight weeks later (which is why our diet is so strict). I specifically asked him about months down the line (as some have had leaks months later) and he said it's pretty impossible to get a leak after two-three months....those that have are most likely tiny, undetectable leaks the patient had from the beginning but didn't get found till later due to the stomach acid and contents slowly eroding the leak point, and/or build up and abcess down the line.
That was my biggest fear, too....

Phewie! I am SO afraid that this horrendous, horrible, never-ending stall is not really over and the scale is just teasing me.....I'm afraid to hope, since I lost so much hope over these last 8 weeks!
On February 4, I hit the 50-lb lost mark, after only 3.5 months out of surgery. I hit 252 from my high of 302. I was so ecstatic, but I wanted to get to 249 so bad....that is SUCH a major mental marker, to be under 250 - the lower half of the 200's and on my way to onederland.
Then, my body betrayed me I was literally STUCK at 252, 253, 252, 251, 252 for EIGHT FLIPPING WEEKS! The worst part was, I wasn't losing inches, either!!! I kept getting on here (but not contributing much, I was pretty down), and everyone's response to everyone else's stall was "but wait, measure yourself, I bet you're losing inches" and most were losing inches, even though the scale wasn't moving. But not my body, no way, no how. It was a nightmare. All the momentum and excitement and hope I had since way before the surgery depleted a little bit more week by week. I kept logically telling myself, 'you know this is temporary, you know this happens, you know you're not done losing weight, you know you will break this.' But no matter what, it still sucked me down into the vortex of self-doubt and blame. I kept telling myself 'you need more Protein, more Water, more exercise, less carbs, stand on your head, try the cabbage Soup diet, try this, don't do that, etc, etc,' back into the world of diet failures and worrying 'am i doing enough? am i eating too much, am I not trying hard enough?'. I kept checking on here and reading about stalls, thought I knew it all, used to tell people to 'relax, you know you'll lose, we all do - stalls don't last forever'. Kept reading about people's three day, four day, one week, two week, and even *gasp* FOUR week stalls. They just made me feel even worse since no seemed to ever hit a EIGHT week stall after THREE months of surgery. Criminey...what the hell was wrong with my body!!?? What have I done to ruin my surgery so soon! Yes, I don't always eat right, and yes, I don't always get my protein or water in, but dang.....EIGHT WEEKS! NO pounds and even more devastating, NO inches, either. All under 1000-1200 calories a day....is it even physically possible??
But fast forward to late last week. The scale went to 250.8. Had been at 250 before, no biggie. Then 250.4, then 250.6, then 250.2, then 251, then 250.0!! Are you kidding me!! Really!! Then 250.0 for THREE MORE DAYS....it hovered there, hovered, taunting me, laughing at me....not even an ounce to help me along....
I had even stopped weighing daily during this stall, only doing so once a week, which hurt even more, cause I was sure after trying with all my might to not weigh for a whole week I would lose....but no, waiting until Monday didn't work, only disappointed me worse.
Then, miraculously, this morning.....got up, went pee, stood on the scale. 249.8. Off the scale, rub eyes, step back on. 249.8. Repeat 8 times. Same reading. Could it be?? Finally? Broke the stall? On my way to onederland? Finally below 250!!
So scared to get excited and hopeful again. What if it's not over?? It did this once before. From 252, I got down to 250.8 once in late February, but then shot up to 253 the very next day....and never saw it again. Till last week.
Now......249.
So scared....but excited, but scared to be excited, too. Wish I could see just a week into the future to know if I really finally broke my stall or not....actually, scratch that....If I have a wish, I want to see a YEAR into the future to see if I ever even get to onederland!!
Sorry for the negative post....those that know me know I'm not usually like this...which is why I've been so absent lately.
Love you all.....and SO glad you are all here, and we are here for each other!! :wub:

Phewie! I am SO afraid that this horrendous, horrible, never-ending stall is not really over and the scale is just teasing me.....I'm afraid to hope, since I lost so much hope over these last 8 weeks!
On February 4, I hit the 50-lb lost mark, after only 3.5 months out of surgery. I hit 252 from my high of 302. I was so ecstatic, but I wanted to get to 249 so bad....that is SUCH a major mental marker, to be under 250 - the lower half of the 200's and on my way to onederland.
Then, my body betrayed me I was literally STUCK at 252, 253, 252, 251, 252 for EIGHT FLIPPING WEEKS! The worst part was, I wasn't losing inches, either!!! I kept getting on here (but not contributing much, I was pretty down), and everyone's response to everyone else's stall was "but wait, measure yourself, I bet you're losing inches" and most were losing inches, even though the scale wasn't moving. But not my body, no way, no how. It was a nightmare. All the momentum and excitement and hope I had since way before the surgery depleted a little bit more week by week. I kept logically telling myself, 'you know this is temporary, you know this happens, you know you're not done losing weight, you know you will break this.' But no matter what, it still sucked me down into the vortex of self-doubt and blame. I kept telling myself 'you need more Protein, more Water, more exercise, less carbs, stand on your head, try the cabbage Soup diet, try this, don't do that, etc, etc,' back into the world of diet failures and worrying 'am i doing enough? am i eating too much, am I not trying hard enough?'. I kept checking on here and reading about stalls, thought I knew it all, used to tell people to 'relax, you know you'll lose, we all do - stalls don't last forever'. Kept reading about people's three day, four day, one week, two week, and even *gasp* FOUR week stalls. They just made me feel even worse since no seemed to ever hit a EIGHT week stall after THREE months of surgery. Criminey...what the hell was wrong with my body!!?? What have I done to ruin my surgery so soon! Yes, I don't always eat right, and yes, I don't always get my protein or water in, but dang.....EIGHT WEEKS! NO pounds and even more devastating, NO inches, either. All under 1000-1200 calories a day....is it even physically possible??
But fast forward to late last week. The scale went to 250.8. Had been at 250 before, no biggie. Then 250.4, then 250.6, then 250.2, then 251, then 250.0!! Are you kidding me!! Really!! Then 250.0 for THREE MORE DAYS....it hovered there, hovered, taunting me, laughing at me....not even an ounce to help me along....
I had even stopped weighing daily during this stall, only doing so once a week, which hurt even more, cause I was sure after trying with all my might to not weigh for a whole week I would lose....but no, waiting until Monday didn't work, only disappointed me worse.
Then, miraculously, this morning.....got up, went pee, stood on the scale. 249.8. Off the scale, rub eyes, step back on. 249.8. Repeat 8 times. Same reading. Could it be?? Finally? Broke the stall? On my way to onederland? Finally below 250!!
So scared to get excited and hopeful again. What if it's not over?? It did this once before. From 252, I got down to 250.8 once in late February, but then shot up to 253 the very next day....and never saw it again. Till last week.
Now......249.
So scared....but excited, but scared to be excited, too. Wish I could see just a week into the future to know if I really finally broke my stall or not....actually, scratch that....If I have a wish, I want to see a YEAR into the future to see if I ever even get to onederland!!
Sorry for the negative post....those that know me know I'm not usually like this...which is why I've been so absent lately.
Love you all.....and SO glad you are all here, and we are here for each other!! :wub:

I LIVED on this in my pureed stage.....loved it!! It is soooo good! Now, later on, I add italian sausage or ground beef for even more protein/substance....it's from www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com. WONDERFUL website for recipes!!

Frumpy don't participate in the blame and shame - yeah you made some food choices that didn't help matters, but the amount of effort we have to put into keeping the weight off is absolutely shocking and not something people are willing to really admit/talk about. At my lowest weight I had lost 135 lbs since surgery (it took almost 4 years). I still wasn't at goal but I was close. That was one year ago. In eleven months I gained back 43 lbs. Also, that grand total of 135 pounds lost since surgery represents a loss of about 34 pounds a year, or about 3 pounds a month. That is actually worse than had I just gone on a VLC diet. And as it turns out, I will be on a severe diet the rest of my life - we all will, if we want to be starkly honest with ourselves. This last regain was my second regain since surgery. My surgery was July of 2010 I was 294 lbs,17 months later I was at my lowest post-op weight of 172 lbs. My first regain was Summer 2012 and within 6 months I had gained 30 lbs. I plateaued around 200 for the next 6 months and then got on a serious recommittment kick and dropped 40 lbs in 4 months. I held onto my new lowest weight since surgery (159 lbs) for 5 months, until May of 2014, before I started to gain again. From May 2014 to May 2015 I gained the aforementioned 43 lbs. May 28th 2015 I weighed in at 223 lbs and on the 29th I recommitted again to faithful post-op style eating, all the strict guidance we are initially given and that we follow to. the.letter. In the past 20 days I have lost only 5 1/4 lbs. To say this is frustrating cannot even begin to express it. And before anyone starts suggesting reasons for this slowness, yes I have had all my thyroids checked, yes I have done everything to the letter of the law, yes I have done all one is meant to do.
The truth is that our bodies get f***ed up, metabolically, which they already had problems with to begin with which is what was part of what made us obese in the first place. For the rest of our lives we do not get the luxury of eating a reasonable sensible diet and exercising reasonably to keep a healthy body and weight. It requires an unreasonable amount of diligence and a level of concern over calories/exercise/and the components of food that is usually reserved for those with severe eating disorders.
If you want to keep that honeymoon weight (if you were actually lucky enough to achieve goal during honeymoon phase, which I was not) then resign yourself to eating between 600 and 800 calories with less than 40g carbs, for the rest of your effing life. *
*take this rant with a grain of salt as I am obviously terribly upset and frustrated and sad right now.

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

LOL! I love this one, heh heh. Too true. Can't wait for that day! There are so many on here that have me laughing....unfortunately, I'm not where everyone else is, yet, but I will be! I have a list of 100 reasons why I want to lose 100 pounds, and I just added two things off this thread

I LIVED on this in my pureed stage.....loved it!! It is soooo good! Now, later on, I add italian sausage or ground beef for even more protein/substance....it's from www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com. WONDERFUL website for recipes!!

I LIVED on this in my pureed stage.....loved it!! It is soooo good! Now, later on, I add italian sausage or ground beef for even more protein/substance....it's from www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com. WONDERFUL website for recipes!!

Sounds like acid, Wine......are you on a PPO (antacid the Dr prescribed you?) Check out this video.....