Alex Brecher

gobeit, I agree with some of the other posters. I think it is your doctor’s duty to tell you the truth – that weight might be making your conditions worse (or even causing them), and that improving your eating could help you lose weight and improve your conditions. It doesn’t sound like your doctor was necessarily anti-WLS – or even that your doctor addressed it. It sounds like he was talking about the WHAT (weight loss) and not the how (dieting on your own versus adding WLS as a tool in addition to dieting). MichiganChic makes a really good point – losing weight to achieve a healthy weight without surgery is preferable. Heck, maintaining a healthy weight from childhood without ever GETTING to the point of overweight or obesity would be preferable. And, like she said, it’s not an option for all of us. That’s why some of us need WLS – it’s not perfect, but it’s the best thing we’ve got. Anyway, back to your doctor. From what you’ve said, it doesn’t sound like he’s said anything wrong. The next test comes when you tell him you understand and agree with his assessment, but you feel that WLS is the only way you can actually lose weight long term. Then see if he is supportive, or if he refuses to listen. If he refuses to listen, you might want to get a new doctor – not because he disagrees with you, but because you need a doctor who gives his opinion, listens to yours, and supports you no matter what. Good luck!

Indieflickers, As the others have said, everyone’s different. The important things that everyone needs to do are to get the needed protein; make healthy food choices such as fruits and veggies and healthy fats instead of sugary and low-nutrient starchy foods and saturated fats; and develop healthy eating patterns that you can stick with long-term. You’re probably doing fine if you’re feeling comfortable and in control at 1300 calories, and losing weight, even if it’s not as fast as it was 8 months ago right after surgery. If you want to cut back on Protein because you said you’re getting “too much,” you can always go for nutritious alternatives, like nuts, peanuts, oatmeal, avocados, and sweet potatoes. Also, if you exercise a lot, you need more calories than someone who doesn’t exercise, so that’s something to consider, too. Congrats on your weight loss so far! You are doing phenomenal, so it’s hard to believe there’s even a chance that you’re not doing everything right!

yerawizardamy, Just to clarify, I wanted to add that it’s not the weight loss surgery itself that clears up sleep apnea, but rather the weight loss. There’s a good chance your sleep apnea is directly caused by the extra weight, as long as you have obstructive sleep apnea (that’s the more common form and the one where your airway is blocked) and not central sleep apnea (where your brain forgets to tell you to breathe). If you have obstructive sleep apnea, losing weight will probably help. Good luck at your surgeon’s appointment! Good for you for getting all your questions ready so you can get the information you need to make a good decision. Let us know how the appointment goes!

MrsKarenC2008, I know exactly what you’re talking about! It makes me roll my eyes when someone with a perfect body eats something that would make me gain 2 lbs if I even looked at it! And then they have to talk about the trouble it’s going to get them in. Yeah, right. But to be fair…most, if not all, of the thin people I know work really hard at it. At least, all the thin people I’m close enough to to be able to have some idea of what they do to stay thin. They go to the gym. They think about each bite they take, even if they don’t log it like most WLS do or count grams of Protein. They worry about the scale. Yes, a lot of them had a “head start” on us – maybe they have better genes, or grew up with more nutritionally-oriented parents, or naturally loved to be active, but many of them work really hard at it. I understand their need to say they’re going to start a diet, or they feel guilty about eating some bad food. They’re only human, just like us. Maybe if WLS had a little more empathy for naturally thin people, and naturally thin people were a little more understanding of our extra struggles…the world would be a nicer place. Until then…yeah…keep your donut breath out of my face!

I should receive access to the results and will post on BariatricPal once the data is in my hands.

Please email valentina.ivezaj@yale.edu and she'll add you manually to the lotto.

Please help science by completing an ANONYMOUS online questionnaire. We are interested in the opinions of adults who have had bariatric surgery and body contouring surgery within the past five years. http://yale.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2blFHEywu0OsYDP 1 in 20 participants will win a $50 electronic Amazon.com gift card Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health HIC: 1501015172

http://www.questnutrition.com/protein-bars/pumpkin-pie-box-of-12/?type=box Your wish is granted! Though, they use the new "soluble corn fibler" formula, which makes me SUPER gassy. So I don't think I'll be trying them. I was just about to post a link to the new Quest Pumpkin bars but you beat me to it! "We're excited to announce the next step in the evolution of Quest Bars! Just like S’mores and Mint chocolate Chunk, all 18 flavors will now be made with soluble corn Fiber. This ingredient upgrade means all Quest Bars will stay softer longer and withstand heat better (and they bake unbelievably well). It’s the best bar experience yet!" You should let them know that soluble corn fiber doesn't agree with you! They won't change things unless they receive customer feedback.

fairee, Good for you for getting your kitchen ready! I’d get rid of carbs like Pasta, rice, and any of the boxed and canned meals and side dishes like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, Hamburger Helper, etc. Definitely, like someone mentioned, get rid of the brownie, cake, pancake, and other mixes, unless you need them regularly such as for baking Cookies for events, for example, AND if you have the self-control not to eat them. Toss the chips, cookies, fruit Snacks, and any other sugary, fatty, or starchy snacks. Keep the healthy Proteins, like canned tuna and chicken, Peanut Butter (although you won’t be eating it until later), and Beans. Canned fruits (not in syrup) and vegetables (no sugar added) are also good. You can also keep some things that will be good for your pureed foods diet even though you won’t be eating them later on your solid foods diet. Cream Soups, for example, are fine early on even though not after a few months post-op. Also think about stocking up on the post-op items like Protein powders and shakes, broths and bouillons, and low-calorie flavored Water enhancers. I love your idea of freezing spices!

cookie_girl, It’s always a tough choice. Here are some of the pros and cons I see of not telling your co-workers. Pros: -(as you said, it’s none of their business and you don’t need them bugging you about how much weight you’ve lost) -you don’t need to feel guilty if they say something that makes you feel like you’re doing something wrong, like if they start monitoring your lunch choices. Cons: -it might be nice if they understood why sometimes you feel sick all of a sudden, or have lots of doctor’s appointments. -It gives you an easy and true excuse (“Have some chocolate.” “No, thanks, I can’t eat that because of my surgery.”) -you might make some new friends as you find out who supports you at work. Either way, do whatever you think is right. And remember it’s not an all-or-nothing thing. You can tell some colleagues but not others, and you can tell half-truths, like you had a medical procedure that changes your eating rules.

Inner Surfer Girl, Hey, good for you for breaking out that slow cooker! I bet a lot more of us (more than we care to admit) depend too much on others and should be cooking for ourselves a little more. Thanks for sharing your idea and starting this thread. Cervidae: sounds good!

Carole61, You are doing fantastic! You’ve lost 35 pounds in less than 2 months! In this month, which you’re saying is disappointing, you’ve lost 5 lbs, or an average of 1.5 lbs per week. If you were able to keep that “disappointing” amount up for the next 10 months, you’d lose a total of over 80 lbs. by your one-year surgiversary! I don’t know how much you were hoping to lose, but 80 lbs is nothing to sneeze at. Keep up the good work, and stay positive.

Wow, this is a hot topic! How interesting it is that some of us needed to have that last binge to get it out of the system, and others didn’t want to because it would just need to be undone with more dieting. I didn’t have much of a “last supper.” It wasn’t so much because I was afraid of the consequences, but because I was just sick of my old self and eating habits. I was ready to move forward. Astrosgirl, whatever you decided, I hope it was great! Good luck with your pre-op diet and surgery – let us know how it goes.

sajijoma, Those sizes are reasonable, but completely unpredictable! Something else that is a toss-up, besides the exact amount of weight you’ll lose, is where you’ll lose it from. Different people have different size clothes at the same weights. What you expect to look good may not actually fit right when you get to that weight because your shape isn’t quite what you expected. I’m a fan of saving money, too, so I completely feel what you’re saying! I would just be afraid of wasting more money than I saved if the clothes I bought in advance didn’t end up working out. Either way, congratulations on your weight loss so far, and good luck with surgery and beyond! Keep us posted.

tblovingme, The signs of concern that you listed are pretty common, and very possible if you had the sleeve surgery. You started on the lighter end of the BMI scale for the gastric sleeve, so that could have helped make recovery easier, especially if you’re fairly healthy or in good shape. If you’re seriously concerned that you were duped, your concern might get in the way of your weight loss if you don’t believe in yourself and your sleeve/stomach. You have a right to ask your doctor for proof. You could also, if you haven’t already, look at your doctor’s patients’ past results – are there a bunch of successful losers? If so, your doctor is probably doing actual surgeries.

It’s a tough one! Some people are better off going cold turkey, while others like to ease out of it. I would suggest getting over a caffeine addiction before surgery so that you are finished with the headaches from withdrawal before surgery. You don’t want to be going through withdrawal symptoms at the same time you’re dealing with post-op recovery. One thing to think about when getting over caffeine addiction is to get enough sleep to make up for the lack of energy you may feel without your usual caffeine jolt. Also, stay hydrated to fight headaches. Also be aware that even decaf coffee isn’t usually allowed after surgery. It is acidic, even though it doesn’t have the caffeine. Later, when you add decaf or even caffeinated coffee back in, there are tons of fun low-cal drinks you can try with sugar-free flavoring syrups.

Diet Coke – probably not a good idea. Even if you’re okay with the artificial sweeteners, it’s carbonated, which can stretch your sleeve. Plus, it has caffeine (unless you go caffeine-free), which is a bad idea when you’re post-op with the sleeve. Bread – It’s a problem (as others have pointed out) because it’s doughy. It’s probably one of the last things you’d add back into your diet post-op, after you get through other solid foods such as raw vegetables. Once you get there, as long as you’re able to tolerate it, bread should be okay. The keys are portion control and quality. Keep it small! A portion is tiny, like a half-slice of thin-crust pizza, or a thin slice of bread, or a half of an English muffin. A bagel from a bakery or a 6-inch sub roll can have 3-4 servings. Also, get whole grain instead of refined when you can. It’s higher in natural nutrients, including Fiber. Cookies – well, they’re never actually a super healthy option…but you probably already knew that. They’re best as an occasional treat, if at all, and only a small amount. Some people have trouble with trigger foods and need to avoid them entirely because they can’t keep them to a small amount. But if you’re able to keep it reasonable, and the sugar/starch/fat doesn’t give you sleeve troubles, they’re okay when you’re well into the solid foods stage. AllisonK1986…I think almost every culture would characterize themselves as focusing on food. Certainly as a Jew I know our culture is pretty food-centric. I would guess that plenty of other cultures feel the same way. It’s often the centerpiece of religion, and sharing meals is a way of showing love and caring…and it’s not always healthy foods!

Dr. Sowemimo, Thanks for this article. You’ve given a lot of incredibly good information. It’s always good to know which activities are safe, and when it’s okay to do certain activities after surgery. Your guidelines and suggestions for activity can really help make it easier for BariatricPal members to prepare for surgery and to start exercising afterwards. I just have one more piece of advice: make it fun! Find an activity or a few that you love, and see if you can find a friend or two to join you. That way, you’re not forcing yourself to exercise. It becomes a good part of your day or week, and it’s more sustainable.

Teresa contacted me before she posted and I've been working with her in the background since she reported this issue. I believe that we have fully researched and investigated this topic. Video footage from the hospital was reviewed. There were two males that had contact with Teresa. They both underwent a blood test for Herpes this week and both individuals (including the one that was alleged to have possibly perpetrated this incident) reported back with Negative results. I personally received the lab results directly and will share them with Teresa. There was no possible way for them to be altered. At this point, I have no choice but to close this topic. I wish I had more answers, but I'm 100% certain without any doubts in my mind that Teresa did not contract Herpes from individuals at the Hospital.

Staying active and participating on BariatricPal keeps me accountable. You're very welcome!

It was moved to the New Maintenance Forum.

Please don't take this personally but that's called "shouting" and people don't like seeing that on message boards or forums like ours

We’ve lost a lot of weight as a community. How much? Nearly 3 million pounds! Check out the counter on the right side of almost any page on BariatricPal. Don’t forget to add your weight loss to the total! There are two ways you can do this. Way 1: Log in to BariatricPal. Just under the community’s weight loss total (where it says, “Together, we have lost…”), just enter your starting weight and current weight. Select “Update your weight,” and your weight will add to our growing total! Way 2: Log in to BariatricPal and go to the Surgery Information section in your User Control Panel settings. You can get there from here. Type in your starting weight and current weight, then select “Save Changes” near the bottom of the page. You get to choose – Way 1 or Way 2. Either way, make sure we count your weight loss in our total! It’s just another way of celebrating your hard work and the progress you’re making in your weight loss surgery journey.

Like it or not, the scale is a big part of weight loss surgery. It holds you accountable and lets you know when you’ve been doing well and when you’ve lost focus. But when does the scale get too much power over you? Should you weigh yourself every day? You need to find what works best for you, but for most people, once a week is enough. If you weigh yourself more often than that, you can drive yourself crazy. You might find yourself focusing more on the number on the scale than on the healthy eating behaviors that are letting you hit those numbers. It’s okay if you want to weigh yourself more often than once a week. Just make sure you don’t take every day’s weigh-in too seriously. Your Body Weight Goes Up and Down Naturally If you’re not careful, you could end up giving yourself quite a scare when you step on the scale. That’s because your body’s weight goes up and down with normal fluctuations. Even if you’re losing weight, your weight could go up temporarily because of fluid retention for many reasons. You ate a lot of sodium (high-salt foods) in the past day. You got dehydrated and your body is now holding onto water. You ate a big (heavy) meal…which shouldn’t be happening after weight loss surgery! (Women) time of the month – your menstrual cycle. You’re wearing heavy clothes. How to Weigh Yourself Did you know there’s a “right” and a “wrong” way to weigh yourself? If you accidentally weigh yourself when your weight is on an “up” fluctuation, the number you see could be pretty discouraging. Here are some tips for getting a trustworthy number when you get on the scale. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning. Wear only light clothes or weigh yourself without clothes after getting out of the shower. Do not wear shoes to weigh yourself. Choose a certain day of the week to weigh yourself for your “official” weigh-in. Take a second before you step on the scale to think about what number you expect based on how well you did in the past week. What to Expect from the Scale Post-Op Everyone’s weight loss surgery journey is unique and unpredictable, but you might experience some of the following during the first year after WLS. Very fast weight loss in the first two weeks post-op – from 10 to 30 lbs. A stall during weeks 3-4 as your body catches up. Some weeks and months of steady weight loss from 0.5 to 2 or more lbs. per week. Some stalls of 1-2 weeks or more with no weight loss. Using the Scale to Prevent Regain The scale may not be as exciting once you hit maintenance, but it can still be helpful. While some people put the scale away, others continue to use it for regular weigh-ins. But how seriously should you take the number? Fluctuations of a couple of pounds up or down are normal, so there’s no need to worry about little changes. You might want to take notice if your weight goes up by 5 lbs. above your goal weight. That’s when it’s time to take a good look at your diet and see if you’ve slipped up in any of your habits. Are you still taking small portions, eating protein first, and avoiding junk food? The scale is one of your best tools for losing weight and keeping it off, so make the most of it! Using the scale properly can help you monitor progress and stay motivated. Just don’t take a single reading too seriously. Your eating decisions and healthy behaviors are way more important in the long-term than a single number on the scale.

Tracking your food is one of the biggest keys to success after weight loss surgery. It holds you accountable, and can help you discover patterns about your eating, like which foods make you feel fuller and when you tend to crave junk food. There are tons of possibilities for food tracking. Which program/site/app do you use to track your diet, and why? Which features does it have that you like or even depend on?