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You're exactly right...your body gets comfy and won't let any fat go so when you bump up your calories a bit it's tricking your body into saying "hey! I'm not starving I think I'll let this 'excess' go!". I worked for many years with a nutritionist to the stars in Hollywood and learned many of his tricks and tips a long the way. He is deceased due to a car accident but I have no problems helping anyone in their journey, just ask. In 23 or 24 days I've now lost a total of 31 pounds. Keep in mind I have A LOT to lose so it's coming off quickly right now but I know that when I "stall" I have the tools and the knowledge to get it moving very quickly again. Renee`

Well, you won't get stuck in a pose, but farting may be an issue....just saying... :embaressed_smile:

Actually my daughter just told me there was an interesting article on calories on yahoo. It's called "The Truth About Calories" http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/MH/the-truth-about-calories

Heya sweetie! I totally agree that Protein is the foundation to good weight loss, however, not everyone will get into ketosis and it's absolutely not needed for weight loss. Weight Watchers is a hugely successful program that cuts calories and increases exercise, or at least, they used to. At any rate, science is science and if you're burning more calories than you're putting into your body, you will lose weight. Science. Fact. Another fact is that just by being alive you burn calories. We have very very small tummies now and can't hold a lot of calories so yes, we will lose weight, especially at first because we're drastically reducing calorie intake. Does this make sense? Ketosis IS the way for some people but not everyone has to, needs to, or even should put their body into ketosis. Granted, Ketosis is not the same thing as ketoacidosis (a very dangerous condition that happens to diabetics) but ketosis can be dangerous for some people and I wouldn't want anyone to think that ketosis is the ONLY way because then maybe that would turn someone away from having the surgery when in reality, it may save their life. A proper diet for anyone would be protein first, then veggies / fruits and then empty carbs like Desserts. This is a good diet for anyone to follow in order to be healthy. I have to say though that this may or may not end up being low carb, depending on your choices. Hope this makes more sense Renee`

This problem was horribly embarrassing for me and I kept it hidden and didn't tell anyone about it. I was hoping that the surgery would help me and guess what? 1 week out of surgery and I could stop wearing "protection" because it was 99.9% GONE. This in itself would have been a reason for me to go through the surgery and the weightloss a side benefit! Renee`

Mkay, I just busted out laughing and sprayed my monitor with Gatorade. gah...kids say the damnedest things LOL dang, who knew laughing could be a workout? My tummy muscles are killing me lol Renee`

Paige, I LOVE number 12. I think so many of us have forgotten how to love ourselves or, like me, felt unworthy of love, especially my own. It's a wonderful reminder...thank you! Renee`

All of these are valid to me, actually! I could go back and add to my list now but to be honest, some of the things just didn't hit me until after my surgery. I was really in a fog and just couldn't think I was so nervous / excited/ SCARED! lol I know now that just being able to get out of bed when I wake up (without help!) was a big milestone for me and it happened at about week 2. Some of my fibro pain has gone down considerably, to the point that my son said it was so out of place that I was walking "normal" again, without a limp, that it was odd to him and he had to do a double take. So yes, I could certainly add to my list now but at the time I just couldn't think of all the things I wanted to do or to be because I wanted it ALL and it was jumbled up in my head LOL Renee`

You're absolutely right Irene, unless you want to make yourself very sick! The body wasn't meant to run on that few calories for the long haul. Depending on the amount of fat you have to burn, someone may get away with it for a little while but then burns out and starts eating the first thing available to it...muscle. Remember, the heart is a muscle and it's not immune to the body devouring itself when there's nothing in it. This is partly why I never go more than 2 1/2 to 3 waking ours without putting something healthy in my mouth. Even if it's a bite of Protein. Listen to your body and feed it if it's hungry. A car doesn't run without gas and neither will your body, at least not for long. Renee`

This is NOT true, sorry, but it's not. You have to remember that the vast majority of your stomach was just removed. In no way will you be able to eat the same amount of food that you did pre-surgery and so by drastically cutting calories, no matter HOW you do it, you WILL lose weight. With that being said, later on when weightloss is a bit tougher, don't put junk into your body but on a balanced diet, you will still lose weight. Low carb IS right for some, but for some people that have kidney disease or kidney problems, low carb is not an option (this is what Atkins says in his book. Pregnant or nursing women should up their carb count and people with kidney disease should ask their doctor to see if it's safe for them). No matter what you do, there is no alternative but to lose weight, especially at first. If later on your weight loss slows or stops with a balanced diet, then yes, move to low carb and it will pick up again...probably. Everyones bodies are different. There is NO scientific evidence suggesting that the ONLY way to lose weight is to be in ketosis. I am a fan of low carb dieting but sorry, this is NOT true and I don't want someone to take this as fact and possibly not have the surgery done because they have kidney problems, which are common with diabetes. Renee`

I know Sarsar is real because I was next door to her at Almater Hospital. Her surgery was the day before mine and she was in and out of my room helping me when I was sick and dry heaving. A true friend, she even tied my hair back for me. We talk on the phone almost daily and have developed a great friendship. It IS scary and I had the same thoughts that you are but then I realized there as so many people on here that no way could ALL of them be paid, the doctors would go broke! lol So yep, these are real people with real experiences. Some good, some bad. LOTS of questions and answers that in reality, a paid person wouldn't post. Hope your experience is a wonderful one and don't let fear hold you back. As Nike says, JUST DO IT! Renee`

If they did a catheter it could be from that as well. When they did my hysterectomy they used one that was too large and actually hurt me. I didn't know it because I was knocked out at the time they put it in, but I did have blood in my urine for a couple weeks afterwards. I'm glad you're going to your doctor about it. I don't think it's surgery related, like he said, maybe just a UTI. Hope everything goes well, Renee`

This is my guess as well. spasms in the diaphram or new tummy. Gas can cause way bad pain as anyone here can tell you. It totally sucks at first because everything is new and scary. New noises, spasms, feelings and even sounds. Everything is different and it always makes you want to grab the phone and call the doctor. Just know that they DID do 3 leak tests before you left the hospital so it's more than likely NOT a leak! Take eating and drinking very slow and try different temperatures to see if that helps any. Try Gaviscon or Gas-X (gas x never did much for me but the gaviscon works like a charm) and see if that helps. Just my suggestions, coming from a total hypochondriac, these are what I tried. Renee`

My kids are all older; 18, 21 and 23 so I didn't have those issues. They've watched me struggle over the years with weight but nothing like my most recent 287 (the morning of surgery). They want me to be around for a long long time, so they were all supportive of me going under the knife. My youngest sons only concern was my going to Mexico with a friend (both of us female) and so he came along to be the body guard chaperone LOL He wasn't needed for that, but I was really glad he was there! Can you explain to him the being heavy will dramatically decrease your lifespan? It makes it so that all the fun things you'd love to do, you aren't able to and *LE GASP!* you'll have a nice big lap for him to sit on! Tell him in a few more years he won't want to "lay on" mom anymore to get comfy anyway and you'd like to be around for a long while and not die a young death. Having more energy is one of the perks of having the surgery done and even now, my boys love it when I have enough energy to go outside and pass the football with them. So will he! Renee`

It's ok to be pissed off and upset, but not ok to stop dead in your tracks and not keep going forward! Remember the saying "if it's worth having, it's worth fighting for." ? It's SO true in this case. Your life IS worth fighting for. Put down the Haagan Daaz and step away from the freezer... LOL Renee`

These are wonderful! I sincerely hope you get your lap back, I know how important that one goal is because I too want mine back. I'm a wife that loves to sit on her husbands lap and I can't WAIT for the day I'm small enough to sit there again! Renee`

The only two surgeries that guarantee a "cure" are the rny and the DS. IF her diabetes can be controlled by diet, then the VS would work for her. Keep in mind, most patients do low carb after surgery to get the weight off and then keep it off. If this works to control her blood sugars, then yeah, the vs is probably for her. Keep in mind, I don't have the cool white coat OR the MD behind my name, this was just what I found to be true during my research phase of WLS. Renee`

Check out youtube as well. I know there are a lot of post-bariatric patients on there that have had surgery done and yeouch....looks painful to me but I'm a total wimp

HELLS YES I see a difference! Arms, face, tummy..WOOT! rock on woman, you look amazing! Renee`

I left you a message with my phone number in it, please feel free to call me. Renee`

Believe it or not I was dreading post-op because I wouldn't be able to walk outside to go smoke. However, considering I remember very little of my time there and the whole first day and night was a total blur, I guess I didn't miss it or b***h that I wanted to go have one. So, smokers out there don't be afraid, you won't even know you're missing it the first day. Second day you can get up and walk so then you can go outside LOL

They need to be able to see the nail bed to see if it's turning blue which means a lack of oxygen. Yeah, this is important. I feel for ya, my nails hadn't been bare since Jr. High School and every time I looked at my nails I was like..UGH! I took my nail polish with me to Mexico so I could paint them after surgery. Stupid, I know! LOL Renee`

I've never heard of protonix, is that available in the US? Keep in mind I never really suffered from real heartburn or acid reflux until post-op, so I'm not real up to date on the ppi's that are available.

I started Gatorade G2 on the day I got home from surgery and haven't stopped it. I feel horribly weak but I think that's because I'm not eating enough. To be honest nothing sounds good so I take a bite of something here or there. At this point I'm not even sure what I *can* have because I've had serious heartburn issues (fixed now with more nexium and Gaviscon) and now a horrible lactose intolerance. I live by Murphy's Law LOL My advice and what's helped me through this (without a trip to the E.R. I'm sure) is the Gatorade. The only one I can tolerate now is (what I tell my husband) "the red kind" so I'm guessing fruit punch or something lol Good luck with your upcoming surgery and keep me posted! xoxo Renee`

Just an idea, when you're feeling that hunger kick in, what about taking a sip of Gaviscon to see if it goes away? Then you would know if it really is acid or if you're seriously hungry. I was suffering horribly with hot acid bubbles in my throat and my esophagus on fire and my tummy seriously pissed off before I swallowed the Gaviscon and it helped a lot! No heartburn now, no acid reflux. I take the Nexium 3 times a day (20 mg each) just to stay on top of it because it was so horrible, but the gaviscon really did work miracles.