joatsaint

Here is your profile. Click on "activity". You can see the posts you made under melissagaspers77 http://www.bariatricpal.com/user/260555-melissagaspers77/ Here's one topic you started: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/348085-new-girl/ And here's the other: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/348081-how-much-my-sleeve-holds/

Weight loss surgery: To Tell or Not to Tell? I find it interesting that we are so conditioned by the weight loss industry that we feel NOT disclosing weight loss surgery is being deceptive. Like we are hiding a fault within us. That there’s something wrong with us and YOU need to know about it so you can decide whether you want to know me or not. We don’t feel the same way about other non-communicable diseases. On your first date, job interview, or social gathering, did you make a point of announcing that you had Lasik eye surgery? Chemo therapy? A heart/lung transplant? So everyone could decide if you were good enough to be part of the group. Not being up front about WLS does not rank as high as not disclosing to your date that you used to be a dude before the sex change. :-p It’s not the same. Not telling anyone that you had weight loss surgery is not going to impact/change their life in the slightest… unless they might benefit from it. But I would not ever suggest to them that they need weight loss surgery. I would not have taken the suggestion as being helpful. :-P You would think that with all the societal pressure to be young thin and beautiful, people wouldn’t care how you achieved it. And would even congratulate you for doing what you had to do to take control of your life. But I guess there will always be those that will make comments or criticize us because they don’t understand, think we’re taking the easy way out, fear of losing us or are afraid of seeing us succeed.

Weight loss surgery: To Tell or Not to Tell? I find it interesting that we are so conditioned by the weight loss industry that we feel NOT disclosing weight loss surgery is being deceptive. Like we are hiding a fault within us. That there’s something wrong with us and YOU need to know about it so you can decide whether you want to know me or not. We don’t feel the same way about other non-communicable diseases. On your first date, job interview, or social gathering, did you make a point of announcing that you had Lasik eye surgery? Chemo therapy? A heart/lung transplant? So everyone could decide if you were good enough to be part of the group. Not being up front about WLS does not rank as high as not disclosing to your date that you used to be a dude before the sex change. :-p It’s not the same. Not telling anyone that you had weight loss surgery is not going to impact/change their life in the slightest… unless they might benefit from it. But I would not ever suggest to them that they need weight loss surgery. I would not have taken the suggestion as being helpful. :-P You would think that with all the societal pressure to be young thin and beautiful, people wouldn’t care how you achieved it. And would even congratulate you for doing what you had to do to take control of your life. But I guess there will always be those that will make comments or criticize us because they don’t understand, think we’re taking the easy way out, fear of losing us or are afraid of seeing us succeed.

I guess the best way I can answer that is to describe a typical week. Over the weekend, I usually gain up to 5lbs because of the food/salt/carbs/alcohol I'm eating. Friday morning, I was 212. Monday morning, I was 216, Tuesday: 215, Wednesday 213. I tend to lose the excess weight I gain over the weekend as I go back to my weekday diet. In the evenings, I can expect to be 1 to 2 pounds heavier than in the mornings. But overnight, all the Water gets flushed out. If I don't see my morning weight at the same or lower weight as the previous morning, I pay more attention to what I'm eating during the day and cut out as much processed food/carbs as I can. And that usually is enough to keep my weight in check. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

I too was on a need to know basis. My commitment to weight loss surgery was pretty weak. I was so afraid of the unknown. I only told my best friend and my parents. I was incredibly surprised when all 3 were so supportive.

At 20 days, I was eating about 2 tablespoons of food per meal. And eating about every 2 hours.

I really tried not to take getting on the scale too serisously. Weight loss is not a continuous steady downward path. There will be stalls, slowdowns, and even gains along the way - for reasons that are completely unrelated to your diet and exercise. I could be doing everything right - the right amount of calories, the right amount of protein/carb ratio, the right amount of Water.... and my weight loss would plateau for weeks. My 1st week after WLS, I made a deal with myself. Only the 1st weigh in for the day - in the morning - counted. All the other times I weighed myself were just for fun. :-P I was weighing myself - when I got up, before I drank, after I drank, before I peed, after I peed, before a BM, after a BM, and once in the evening. It was a game as far as I was concerned. Nothing counted except the 1st weigh in, there's just too many variables that can change during the rest of the day. After 31 months, I still weigh myself daily. I'm too paranoid about weight gain to only weigh once a week or God Forbid! Once a month....eeek! Daily weigh in's keep me aware of how much I'm eating and provide the feedback I want. Hope this helps. Down Scale Down! The Fear of Seeing the Scale Move UP! http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31534-down-scale-down-or-the-fear-of-seeing-the-scale-move-up-instead-of-down/

Congrats on your surgiversary!!!

Every doctor has their own recommendations. I've heard as much as 2000 calories to as low as 500 per day. My doctor wanted me to eat about 800 calories per day.

I tried the fettuccine noodles and couldn't get past the slippery feeling in my mouth. I think if I had tried the thinner angle hair version, I might have liked them better. And as stated above, rinse them thoroughly before cooking. They smell pretty bad right out of the bag, but water washes away the smell.

The short answer is: I wanted the least invasive surgery. The Sleeve doesn't reroute my intestines. But now that I've found co-workers that had RNY, (and had great success over multiple years) I realize I couldn't have gone wrong with either surgery.

You mentioned juice? You might try cutting it out of your diet. Any kind of fruit tends to cause me head hunger. You may be getting so many carbs that it's triggering head hunger. Read the labels on your foods and cut out anything that has more than 5 to 8 carbs per serving. When I was on my post op diet, I was only allowed meat, chicken, pork, cheese and vegetables. Nothing processed or with added sugars.

I did notice that the flavor of a Quest bar went up a notch when heated for about 10 seconds in the microwave. But it also melted to the plate and I had to burn a few calories trying to scrape every last bite off, cause I didn't want to waste one bit! :-P

I can't wait for the National Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Day, so I can get my favorite Quest bar too! :-P

Thanks for letting me know. I checked the link, and the offer has been removed. I guess they met their giveaway limit quickly and pulled the page.

***Sorry, but the offer has been sold out*** Just ran across this, don't know how long it will last. Two Quest Bar Protein Bars free when fill out a short questionnaire (like 4-5 questions) They ask for your email and mailing address. They even pay shipping. Choose from following flavors - The bars will arrive in 4-8 weeks. chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & White Chocolate Raspberry Double Chocolate Chunk & Apple Pie Chocolate Brownie & Cinnamon Roll Chocolate Peanut Butter & Coconut Cashew

It was my best investment ever as well. I even calculated my ROI (return on investment) and figured out that the money I saved on food costs would pay for my surgery expenses in about 3 1/2 years. After that, it's pure profit! There goes the BOOM! :-)

I lost a half size after WLS. It took about 6 months to get there. I was a 10 1/2 in high school, but when I put on the weight, my feet would swell - on and off - and I had to buy size 11's.

Book Review - Alex Brecher's The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery by joatsaint I just recently bought Alex Brecher's book - The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery. You maybe asking, "Randy (by the way, my real name is Randy), you're almost 3 years post-op, why are you still reading weight loss surgery success books?" Go ahead, ask me... I'll wait. :-) (insert the theme song from Jeopardy)...... Okay, here's the answer. Years ago, I was listening to and still listen to a great motivational speaker - Zig Zigglar. He said champions never stop training and learning. Even after Micheal Jordan was at the pinnacle of his success, he still trained like he was a rookie. Even though the workouts were grueling and he didn't like it, he still met with a trainer that pushed him to his limits on every workout. Champions in any area, read and reread articles, books, listen to audio books, and watch video on being a success in their field. I know I don't know everything there is to know about successful WLS. And by continually reading, I remind myself (I have the attention span of a gnat!) of the things I need to do to maintain my WLS success. Sometimes it's just a reminder and sometimes I learn something new that I can apply to my life. So, on to Alex Brecher's book - The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery: Living Your Best Life After Weight Loss Surgery My favorite quote from the book: "From recovering from surgery to losing the extra pounds to keeping them off, weight loss surgery is a part of your life forever. The path to losing weight and keeping it off can be challenging at times, but the rewards can be worth the investment many times over." You need to know up front, this book is not about choosing the right weight loss surgery for you. It’s great resource if you want to know what to expect life will be like after weight loss surgery. I found the book well written and very informative. The book's style is such that it doesn't assume that you know everything already, and is easy to understand. The most important part to me was the emphasis on the importance of lifestyle changes. Weight loss surgery is not a set and forget procedure. WLS success is a continuing process that requires active participation from the patient. Alex doesn't pull any punches in describing how hard WLS can be. I know! Been there, done that! Had 80% of my stomach removed and I didnt' even get a T-shirt! You don’t just wake up after surgery and are magically thin! For months after my sleeve surgery, I had trouble steadily losing the weight. I'd have stalls and get discouraged, or worse, I'd gain a pound or two and freak out. So I especially like emphasis on taking a long-term view of the surgery and life. Alex reminds the reader that successful WLS is not all about the scale. The book is a great resource for information about: discussing diet exercise mental toughness success factors that contribute to the long term weight loss surgery success setting goals dealing with friends and family members who may or may not be supportive eating right setting realistic expectations for your weight loss goal I walked away with new ideas on everyday things, like scheduling my meals and supplements, getting in enough protein without getting too bored with eating the same old things again and again, and making meals that both my friends will like and that I can eat – so I don’t have to worry about social events! Overall, I found it full of useful/practical information and even some funny parts. Well-written and easy to read, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery to anyone considering weight loss surgery, as well as to anyone who has had any type of bariatric surgery. http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/books/recommended.html

Book Review - Alex Brecher's The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery by joatsaint I just recently bought Alex Brecher's book - The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery. You maybe asking, "Randy (by the way, my real name is Randy), you're almost 3 years post-op, why are you still reading weight loss surgery success books?" Go ahead, ask me... I'll wait. :-) (insert the theme song from Jeopardy)...... Okay, here's the answer. Years ago, I was listening to and still listen to a great motivational speaker - Zig Zigglar. He said champions never stop training and learning. Even after Micheal Jordan was at the pinnacle of his success, he still trained like he was a rookie. Even though the workouts were grueling and he didn't like it, he still met with a trainer that pushed him to his limits on every workout. Champions in any area, read and reread articles, books, listen to audio books, and watch video on being a success in their field. I know I don't know everything there is to know about successful WLS. And by continually reading, I remind myself (I have the attention span of a gnat!) of the things I need to do to maintain my WLS success. Sometimes it's just a reminder and sometimes I learn something new that I can apply to my life. So, on to Alex Brecher's book - The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery: Living Your Best Life After Weight Loss Surgery My favorite quote from the book: "From recovering from surgery to losing the extra pounds to keeping them off, weight loss surgery is a part of your life forever. The path to losing weight and keeping it off can be challenging at times, but the rewards can be worth the investment many times over." You need to know up front, this book is not about choosing the right weight loss surgery for you. It’s great resource if you want to know what to expect life will be like after weight loss surgery. I found the book well written and very informative. The book's style is such that it doesn't assume that you know everything already, and is easy to understand. The most important part to me was the emphasis on the importance of lifestyle changes. Weight loss surgery is not a set and forget procedure. WLS success is a continuing process that requires active participation from the patient. Alex doesn't pull any punches in describing how hard WLS can be. I know! Been there, done that! Had 80% of my stomach removed and I didnt' even get a T-shirt! You don’t just wake up after surgery and are magically thin! For months after my sleeve surgery, I had trouble steadily losing the weight. I'd have stalls and get discouraged, or worse, I'd gain a pound or two and freak out. So I especially like emphasis on taking a long-term view of the surgery and life. Alex reminds the reader that successful WLS is not all about the scale. The book is a great resource for information about: discussing diet exercise mental toughness success factors that contribute to the long term weight loss surgery success setting goals dealing with friends and family members who may or may not be supportive eating right setting realistic expectations for your weight loss goal I walked away with new ideas on everyday things, like scheduling my meals and supplements, getting in enough Protein without getting too bored with eating the same old things again and again, and making meals that both my friends will like and that I can eat – so I don’t have to worry about social events! Overall, I found it full of useful/practical information and even some funny parts. Well-written and easy to read, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery to anyone considering weight loss surgery, as well as to anyone who has had any type of bariatric surgery. http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/books/recommended.html

I'm only a 31 months post-op Sleever, and I realize that's not really long enough for a scientific study. But, my epsiodes of head hunger have almost disappeared and the intensity of the head hunger is nothing compared to the constant "little nagging voice to eat" I dealt with daily pre-op. I still get the occasional head hunger, but it's because of a trigger food. Pre-op, head hunger used to happen every 2 hours. And I knew that no matter how much I ate, in 2 hours, I'd be hungry again. I've had to learn what are my trigger foods and how much I can eat before the cravings kick in.

Your fears were mine...not the dying part, but the "not working for me." I too was afraid I would be the one person WLS would not work for and I'd have chased another "miracle cure" just find my hopes dashed against the rocks. I wish I could transfer to you the "knowing what it's like on the other side", my experiences, and how WLS is unlike any pill or program or diet I was ever on. The main 2 things I got from WLS was: 1) The overwhelming head hunger I experienced every day was gone the day after surgery. 2) I was physically unable to overeat, even if I wanted to, for months post-op. And that gave me the time to instill new eating and exercise habits that have stuck with me for almost 3 years. Willpower and resisting temptations never became an issue. Hit me up in a private message if I can answer any questions. Hope some of these videos help.

At 4 weeks I was released to full foods. I was eating a mixture of taco seasoning, turkey hamburger meat, refried beans and salsa. I could tolerate almost any level of hotness and brands.... except Taco Bell Taco Sauce. For some unknown reason, Frankensleeve just does not like that stuff. All the other brands, he's okay with. You think maybe it's because Taco Bell Taco Sauce is made in New York City? (Frankensleeve is from the South) :-P http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/31168-my-favorite-mexican-food/

I totally felt like a failure at permanently losing weight. After years and years of hearing the success stories and being told that, if I just had enough will power, I too could lose the weight. But at a certain point, June 2012, I realized that without WLS my life was just going to continue to spiral down ward... socially, emotionally, and career wise. I had to decide if the pain of change was less than the pain of staying the same. December 2012 I was sleeved and it was the do-over I needed to get my life back. But I realized going in, that this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. So I better make the most of it. The one biggest mental mistakes I see posted in thread after thread is: Can I still eat ____ after surgery? Sorry for going off on a bit of rant. :-P But I believe a person really needs to be at a point in life where they are ready to do anything required to succeed a WLS before going under the knife. If a person is not ready to give up any and every food flavor that they love, then they are not ready for surgery. They ARE going to be able to eat almost anything they want within a year post-op. BUT they have to be at the point where they don't want to continue eating the foods that got them to this weight. Are you prepared to let go of the hold food has on your life?