KS Fort Worth

Once my stall broke, I have been averaging 2 pounds a week. I'm ecstatic! 210 this morning, which I'm pretty sure I have not seen for over 30 years! I'm using MyFitnessPal to track everything, and am taking in 1000-1300 calories a day. I catch myself in the mirror sometimes, and I actually have a visible waist again. I find it interesting how people react with a look of puzzlement when I tell them my goal is 180. My surgeon's office said my ideal should be 170, so I don't think 180 is out of line. We shall see...

Patience and a positive attitude. It may be a struggle to get your liquids in at first and your protein a little later, but it will all pass. Avoid the temptation to push yourself on the diet as you get to feeling a little better. A leak is NOT worth whatever you may consider eating. I behaved myself, am 9 weeks out, and have had no complications at all. My daily hunger is minimal and I DO get full with much smaller portions. This is SO worth the temporary inconveniences, and it will be for you too. See you on the loser's bench!

One of my old, old set points was 225 or so. I was stuck there for just over two weeks, but I knew this would also fall in time. I finally broke through a couple of days ago, and weighed 219.9 this morning! I tend to think in 10-pound increments, so 210 is in my sights! Like many others have said, I think my body was readjusting things, because I had a LOT of people I know tell me I was getting skinny, even as I was stalled. I am SO HAPPY with the sleeve! We celebrated a couple of birthdays on Saturday (mine included!) and a family friend made some wonderful pizza from scratch and an imitation of 'sausage peppers rustica' from Olive Garden. I had been working on a car all day and was physically hungry, so I had two skinny slices of the pizza, one of each flavor. When I sat down for the pasta dish, I could only eat 1/4 of what I served myself! I had to exclaim, "Wow! This is EXACTLY how this is supposed to work! This is tasty and I want more, but I am SO FULL!"

That is EXACTLY how I feel!

Had my second post surgical appointment last Friday, down 20 pounds since surgery. I feel blessed that I have had ZERO complications. Dr. Kim's assistant said my risk of leaks or other complications was practically zero now, and that I was no longer a surgery patient, but was instead just a weight loss patient. I am very thankful to have been given this opportunity. I'm thankful for all the support I got from VST, as well as from my wife and family. I am looking forward to being a normal weight, for the first time in my life!

With numbers like that, when your stall DOES break, it will break in a big way! 600 calories does sound too low though.

just in case anybody is following this, I misread what I was seeing on MyFitnessPal. One whole teaspoon of salt is 1.5g, so 1/16 of that is 0.0938g. The sodium value is right for 1/16tsp, I just had the weight wrong.

I'm a bit older than you and have experienced the weight loss roller coaster too many times. I too told myself I was going to do it "naturally," and committed to be below 250 by my 50th birthday, from 290. (My all-time high was 330; I reached that twice.) i failed. I told my GP I was interested in WLS and he told me to call Dr. Kim. I finally started in February of this year. My insurance has a 3-month supervised program that must be followed. I took all the lessons on nutrition and eating habits to heart, and lost 30 pounds "on my own" by June. I actually considered cancelling because I had done so well this time. I posted here about my thoughts and was reminded that STRESS is one big factor we cannot control. Looking back on the two previous times I had lost 60-70 pounds, I saw that it WAS a stress event that undid all my work. That sealed the deal for me. What I had done and learned prior to surgery plus my commitment to the goal of being normal weight for the first time IN MY LIFE, coupled with the "tool" of the sleeve has given me the confidence to know I WILL NOT FAIL. I'm not saying "Yes! Go through with it!" only you can make that decision. You must ask yourself what is most important, and weigh the benefits versus the risks and the sacrifices you MUST make to make this work. Good luck, and I hope you make a decision you can live with. That is the most important thing.

I'm at the tail-end of the mushies stage, and really like my oatmeal. It's surprisingly low in overall calories. The way I make it now, because I just can't eat too much (a GOOD thing!) 1/4 c 1-minute oats 1/4 c Water 1/4 c 2% milk pinch of salt ONE teaspoon sugar microwave in two or three steps for around a minute, until it's cooked It's 121 calories, 21g carbs, 3g fat, 5g Protein, 2g Fiber, and 148g sodium. That sodium number may be too high. I looked up the definition for a "pinch" and it said 1/16tsp, which is apparently 1.5g. I'll actually weigh it next time. Using 1/2 milk and 1/2 water makes it very creamy and ups the protein a bit. I'm still amazed at how that one little teaspoon is enough sugar compared to how I used to eat oatmeal, which was TWO packets of brown sugar cinnamon instant with ADDITIONAL sugar, salt and raisins.

You should be VERY proud of yourself! I lost 43 pounds before surgery, but it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago, when it really started to show in my face, that people started really noticing. I also waited waaay too long to downsize my clothing, because don't want to buy a lot of stuff (even second-hand) that I will wear for only a short while. You too, possibly? Hang in there! I'm sure everyone will say something sooner or later!

I reeeally don't want to start a political debate, but First Ladies have always had causes they support, and I think she picked a good one, like her or not. We DO have an obesity epidemic and we here are all living proof! Absolutely agree about having healthier choices. We as consumers can effect change by voicing our opinions to dining establishments and voting with our pocketbook. Laws regulating what can be served would never work, and I don't think anyone (besides Mayor Bloomberg) would be foolish enough to try. I DO like the fact that restaurants have to disclose nutrition information. We cannot make good choices absent good information.

We see things the same way, thewellkeptwoman. I think some people view ANY weight loss surgery as a cure-all, and thus end up with problems or weigh regain. I know several people who never quite made it to goal with RNY, and are heading back the other direction, because they refused to change their habits. ANY of these surgeries can be beat if we continue to act stupidly. Like you, I wanted a TOOL, and that's exactly what I got.

Count me in those who had a hiatal hernia repaired during surgery. They are apparently very common in both obese and older people. No reflux before or after. Only effect from the repair was swelling at the site which made me straighten my abdomen to drink and eat comfortably, otherwise things seemed to 'hang.' Still does to some extent. In other words, no slouching in an easy chair to eat, which I probably should not do anyway. Given the increased risks all around with RNY over the sleeve, and if you are sure the sleeve is right for you, I would seek a second opinion. Insurance companies are happy with second opinions. Good luck, whichever path you choose. I have never heard that RNY has a lower risk of reflux. Is that really true?

I learned from a dentist dealing with insurance companies that sometimes they will deny just to push the claim out into the future a bit, and they subsequently approve on re-submittal. The dentist's office said they had seen that a lot, so it stands to reason that scenario would apply to medical as well. Make sure your ducks are all in a row, and bug the crap out of them! Your surgeon should have an insurance advocate who can help as well.

Confession is good for the soul, yes? Sorry you had to go through the discomfort though. Thanks for sharing! We can all learn from others' mistakes.