joatsaint

I never found any blogs that lasted very long. I found almost every question I had (and some that I didn't even know to ask) were answered on this forum. All I had to do was check the forum in the evenings, after a few weeks, I could see that someone would post a thread or blog post about an interesting topic. I always look at the "New Topics" listed on the right hand side and check the new blog entries at http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/ Or you can hover your mouse over the "Forums" tab or the "Community" tab at the top of the page and the newest content will be listed.

In my workplace, I have 3 ladies that have had the Bypass. I had the Sleeve. We are all very happy with our results. I am by no means an advice expert on either, so you should ask your surgeon which one he recommends. And find out the pro's and con's of each type. My surgeon had 12 years experience doing Bypass and Sleeve. He was doing the Sleeve as part 1 of a 2 part surgery (part 1 was the Sleeve to lose enough weight to safely do part 2 (revision to Bypass) for the super obese and found the many of his patients (after having the Sleeve) lost so much weight, they never had to have the revision to Bypass. Once the Sleeve was recognized as a stand alone legitimate insurance approved option, he only recommends the Sleeve. It is said that the Bypass is more effective for losing weight vs the Sleeve. The trade-off is having to take Vitamin supplements for the rest of your life, having part of the intestines removed, and Dumping Syndrome (food moving too quickly from the stomach to the intestines - in the Bypass, the valve at the lower end of the stomach is bypassed. It controls the flow of food from the stomach to the intestines). With the Sleeve, only the stomach itself is trimmed. About 80% of the stretchy part of the stomach is removed. After about 9 months, I could eat almost anything without any grumbling from Frankensleeve. The trade-off is having to be more attentive to what and how much you're eating. Once the healing process is completed, it's easy to overeat (although no even close to the amounts I did pre-surgery) and get back into bad habits (since I can pretty much eat anything I want). I had chosen the Sleeve before I had lined up my 1st doctor's appointment. I had been watching hours and hours of Youtube videos from new and veteran weight loss surgery patients. And I had been lurking on this board, reading every thread I found about complications, regrets, and pros and cons. This is one of those things where it's a life changing decision, so be sure of what you want.

The main reason I did not tell anyone about my surgery, pre-op, was that I had made up my mind and committed myself to following through. But I didn't need anyone second guessing my decision and possibly making me doubt my decision.

"The cordless jump rope allows you to get all the calorie burning benefits of a traditional jump roping without the interruptions of tripping on the rope. The rope tracks calories burned, number of jumps and time based on the user's height and weight." Why do you need a rope in a Jump Rope? So you know you're doing it right!!!!!!!!!!!! So what's next? The barless Chin Up bar? The Virtual Stair Master?

I've only walked for exercise. I started out by parking as far from the front door of my office to force me to walk a little extra. 18 months later, I regularly walk between 4 and 5 miles a day and have even started speed walking and a little jogging. But I've never done weight training.

I don't think you're expected to be able to hold that much for a while after surgery. I was eating only an ounce or so per meal for weeks and weeks. It was over a month before I was able to eat more than 4 or 5 ounces a day. I never worried about getting in the calories, only getting enough water. I had enough calories stored in my fat to feed a small nation for a while. :-)

I was on the CPAP for a couple of years before surgery. At 9 months post-op, I was down about 100 lbs and the CPAP was pumping a lot of air into my stomach. So much so that I was waking up with gas coming out both ends! :-) I wasn't able to change the air pressure on my machine, so I started putting tape across the air outlet, trying to limit the pressure, but it didn't work too well. I started experimenting, sleeping without the CPAP. After about a month, I realized I was getting the same quality of rest without the CPAP as with it. And I stopped using it completely sometime in month 10 post-op. Never went in for a sleep study or asked my doctor about it.

My 1st visit wasn't about 2 hours. I spent about an hour filling out paperwork. My surgeon went over the procedure (and every test and requirement I'd have to fulfill before surgery), explained what realistic expectations I should have for weight loss and made sure I knew enough about the different types of bariatric surgery to make an informed decision. Afterwards, I had my 1st visit with the nutritionist.

My exercise has only been walking since surgery. For years I've had foot and knee pain. I started out by parking as far from the entrance to my office and the stores as possible to force myself to get in some extra walking. Then I graduated up to walking around the inside of my office several times a week. After about 8 months, I was walking up to 5 miles a day. Now I'm focusing on speed walking and jogging. Take it a bit at a time and do just a little more each day. Here's my post where I keep track of my progress. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31216-nsv-2-you-best-step-off-b-hatch/

I never worried about getting in the recommended Protein and carbs my doc recommended. I just ate what I could. I figured I had several months worth of calories stored on my body, so my only worry was getting in enough Water. Here the video I made about how much I could eat during my 1st 6 months post-op..

18 months post-op, and I'm still a gas factory! Not near as much gas as the 1st 6 months post-op, but still quite plentiful! Here's on post I made about passin gas - http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31056-post-op-28-days-passin-gas-or-can-you-smell-what-the-rock-is-cookin/

I walk 5 days a week, 3 miles a day. And I feel like warmed over death when I'm done. I've never gotten an energy boost from exercise. I might feel a little more awake after an early morning walk, but never a boost in energy. I've just started adding in jogging to my walking routine and have had to take a 2 hour nap each day afterwards.

I was on a 1 week pre-op diet, lost 10lbs. I was supposed to drink only low carb protein shakes, but I broke down and allowed myself some solid protein, but no carbs.

What you're going through was normal for me. For weeks and weeks post-op, I could only eat about 1/2 tablespoon of solid food and then Frankensleeve would feel like he was trying to grind up rocks. I was eating Cream of Mushroom Soup for almost every meal once I passed the puree stage. I think it took about a month later before I was able to tolerate different solid foods - chicken being the hardest to eat. Funny think is, I was able to eat processed food (the bad stuff) more easily than the healthy foods I was supposed to be incorporating into my diet.

You are doing fine. I lost 28 lbs my 1st month and I too thought I was behind the curve. I read lots of threads and my mind tends to filter out all the threads I didn't want to remember. I only wanted to remember the threads from the "fast losers". So don't feel left out. You're on the half-fast losers bench. :-) Here's a post about being a half-fast loser I made just a few months after surgery - http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31257-are-you-a-half-fast-loser/

If they were truly your fiends, they would have supported your reasons for having WLS. You need to cut those people out of your life. It's takes less effort for them to try to bring you down and say, "See she couldn't do it either!" And use that as an excuse for their failures in life rather than try to improve themselves (whether it be weight loss, education, a better job, getting out of a bad relationship...) You have to learn to shake those people off and do what's best for yourself.

You just had major surgery (no matter how common and easy people make it seem). It took me about 3 months to start feeling normal levels of energy again. Your energy levels will return, just hang in there.

The psych test was pretty easy. My elevator really only wanted to see that I knew what I was getting myself into, was committed to living a healthier lifestyle, and was realistic about how the Sleeve worked and how much weight I would lose.

It's an 8 oz bowl. Up until around month 6, my bowl was 4 oz. At 6 months I noticed I could eat a bit more every meal and by month 9, I was up to 8 oz. Now at 18 months, I can eat between 8 oz to 14 oz depending on the food. Protein is much more dense, so I can't eat as much as something like salad, vegetables, or fruit.

In the beginning I had to eat slowly because I didn't know how much it took to make me full. And one bite too many was very painful. My stomach has different limits depending on the food. At around 10 months post-op, it had become a habit. I also have an unconscious "food meter" which tells me when I'm approaching my limit. So I can quickly scarf down a few bites of whatever safely, if I'm in a hurry. But most of the time, I eat everything out of the same bowl, so I know I can eat the entire amount at whatever speed I want without getting overfull.

I had lost over 100 lbs when I started trying to sleep without my CPAP around 9 months post-op. My CPAP was filling my stomach with so much gas every night that I couldn't sleep the entire night. I'd try sleeping without it about once a week. I reached a point where I felt like I was getting the same amount of rest without the mask, I stopped using it. I haven't been back on the CPAP since. It's fantastic not being on the CPAP anymore. When I 1st got my CPAP, the difference in my sleep was so incredible, I didn't mind wearing the headgear, but I don't miss having to arrange that hose!

I agree with Season26, just don't stock up too much. You won't be eating near the amounts you are now. My 1st week post-op, I was not even able to finish a sugar free popsicle per day. My 2nd week, was about the same, but a little better. And for weeks afterward, I was only eating about 3/4 can of soup per day with a tablespoon of peanut butter here and there.

From personal experience, I know that I hold onto weight when I eat high glycemic foods - breads, Pasta, rice - even apples, grapes and pineapple will do it to me. As long as I stick to a diet of about 75% Protein and 25% low glycemic foods (lentils, Beans, salads, eggplant, squash) I can lose weight.

Okay, I hate to admit this, but I'm addicted to making Diaper Cakes. I made my 1st one 2 weeks ago for a friend's baby shower and I had so much fun making it, a week later - I had to make a 2nd (for another friend's baby shower). Now I'm out of legitimate excuses for making a Diaper Cake and I've got a half--finished "Frozen" Diaper Castle in my living room!!!!!!!!!! Is there an "AA" for Diaper Cake addictions?????