AJW

I weigh 100 pounds less than my husband and he's 215 and 6' tall. I used to outweigh him by 15 pounds. It's all good.

I read this post and thought size 8 sounds pretty normal size to me. Skinny is my size 2-4 when you're over 5'-7" tall; that's skinny. I wear a size 26 waist pants in skinny jeans/leggings, and the thighs are a little loose. I'm definitely skinny, as in "too thin," and am having trouble gaining or keeping weight on. I gave away all my size 8s and 6s already as they were way too big. I will have to have my husband point out someone else who's as thin as I am, but to tell you the truth, it's hard to find anyone. I look all the time, and most people are overweight in my part of the country - So. California.

Saw my granddaughter yesterday. She's only 11 and approx 5'-2" tall and I'm guessing 135 pounds, with quite a big belly and butt on her. Her Mother has gained approx. 20 pounds since I saw her last time, and she was 170 then; now she's easily 190 or 200. I'm sad to see my granddaughter this heavy, she's an obese child, and the parents aren't doing anything to make sure she's getting the right Portion Control or good food choices. They eat a lot of junk food, so there you go. It's setting her up to be an obese adult unless she gets a handle on it. Nothing we can say, though. They think she's just fine, I'm sure. Oh well.

Good morning Lissi!!

I think it's hard, if not impossible for someone who has not gone through this to understand. I read on this forum that we should have a friend, relative or significant other point out people who are our size when we are at a mall or something. I have done this since shortly after surgery when I started losing weight, and I have also had my husband point out people who are the size I WAS before surgery, which is interesting. I was heavy but I don't think we ever see ourselves the way others see us. Or maybe he was biased, I felt heavier and more uncomfortable in my own skin than he saw me. It is soooo weird though for him to point to others now and say, you are her size.

I know IN MY HEAD that I am thin (skinny, yikes, I STILL CANNOT wrap my head around that word) but because of the size I am wearing, an 8 in jeans and a medium top, I do know I am thin, but still, it is hard to "really" equate "thin" with ME!!!!

I still find myself glancing at the women's clothing as I walk by and know, I KNOW that I will never shop in that dept. again. Isn't that a cool feeling??!! I hoped for this, and I knew that I would lose weight, a size 8 was my personal goal, but part of me knew I'd be happy if I could get down from 18's and 20's to a 12!! An 8 just seemed like a long shot!!! I would have never really thought I could go from a 1x and 2x to a medium and be comfortable in it!!! Wow!!

As far as exercising, I do a little, nobody can ever say I lost weight because I started exercising. I have a theory on this!! I have made life changes with eating, I started this several months before surgery. I cut out a lot of carbs, cold Cereal, which I ate almost every morning, had as an afternoon snack and a bowl every night before bed; chips....gone forever unless I have guacamole, then I will have several baked "Scoops" ; I eat very little bread; as far as sweets, I don't have them often, very seldom, although since I'm at goal, I do have a little, but I do NOT feel deprived. I'm lucky, I am not hungry. With the sleeve, we have forced portion control and I lost my hunger on June 11th!! Thank God and Dr. Davidson!! I attended an exercise class offered by a physical therapist for six weeks...it was one day a week, no big deal. I went to get ideas mainly because we have a stationary bike here at the house. I was riding it for two miles a couple of times a week. I discovered I liked the weighted ball and the band. The weighted ball, throwing it in the air 20 - 35 x's randomly is quite a workout, believe it or not. It weighs 5 lbs. It is something I can do here in front of the TV and I like it....I found one at WM and I DO IT, some times two times a day. I also like the band, the PT gave us all one, I am sure you can buy one too....I tied a knot in one end, threw it over a door and shut it. I do arm exercises with it. My arms are what I have really been working on. So, that is the extent of my exercising.

My theory is this.....I lost weight, and really have been quite sucessful in my opinion, because I've made changes in eating and because I listened to the dietitian and surgeon. I park as far out in the parking lot as possible so I have to walk, I go up and down our stairs and I "move" like they said. I do a LITTLE exercise but I didn't want to have surgery, become and "exericise nut" for six months, lose weight.....and then burn out on exercising... I KNOW ME!!! If exercising were a big part of WHY I LOST weight rather than change in how I dealt with food....then when I got bored with it and slowed down or quit.....then what happens???? I am afraid I'd gain.....so, I lost weight doing what I can do from now on, making choices and changes that will "stick". I attended this exercise class with five other women, THREE were 3 - 5 yrs out and regained weight. Granted, all three were RNY patients, but still. I had the opportunity to talk to the physical therapist alone after class one evening and asked her WHY they'd gained the weight back. The first class is when we'd all introduced ourselves and given a little of our story and that's when I'd learned that they had gained some back, all three had gained approx. 30 lbs. Anyway, the PT said that they'd fallen back into some bad eating habits and also had been exercising, then stopped. NOT ME!!! See my theory, my weight loss is because of changes I've made that are life changes I can stick too; I did not go from not exercising, to being a exercise guru, which is NOT ME.....losing weight, then burning out, quitting, only to regain. I've lost weight, reached my goal by making changes I can live with!! Make sense??!!!! I know.....way to wordy!! Have a great week!!!

You're so young with wrinkles; imagine being my age (61) with a face that is too thin and wrinkled after the loss of so much weight. It's an issue, big time, only I need a face lift and neck re-do, along with fillers and whatever else I can manage. That on top of new implants - my skin shrunk around the saline implants so now you can clearly see them if viewing naked. All the clevage went away, so I look like I have (basically) bolt-ons. I'd be happy with face/neck work and a boob re-do. I don't even care that much about the stomach, although there is loose skin, none is hanging off. It reabsorbed pretty well considering the 132 pound loss.

It has NOT gone away for me in the least. I've been having major issues with wanting plastics right now. My poor husband is so fabulous about reassuring me that I don't look old, and withered, but I seriously look and nitpick every damn wrinkle on my face (that I should add are not visible until I smile which is apparently NORMAL), but for me, when I was fat, I could smile for days and never see a wrinkle.

I'm start counseling after the 1st of the year, and I'm sure this is a topic we will cover. I'll report back with what we discuss. I'm not seeking counseling due to VSG, or my weight loss. It's family therapy/counseling since we are trying to conceive, and my husband is legally adopting my son. It's a requirement we have to fulfill to please the courts, and I figured, I'd do some individualized counseling for my "issues" as additional support. No amount of reassurance from my husband or closest friends here can convince not to have a BOTOX party and load up my face with fillers.

It's a battle I can honestly say that I was not mentally prepared for. The kicker was when I was photographed recently posted on my FB, my friend said "you look so much like your mom!" That was the nail in the coffin so to speak. . .

Oh sorry, well I stuck pretty much to the Medifast diet which is a whole lot easier to do after the surgery. I had their Protein Shakes and supplemented with extra Protein, I had Snacks, ate their oatmeal for Breakfast, and had a regular small portion (real food) lean and green dinner. I lost the weight because I couldn't eat very much and that's b/c of the surgery. It was just a lot less calories than I had been eating before starting Medifast and the surgery. Hope that helps you. Keep your protein up, carbs down, follow some kind of plan, and it will come off barring any other physiological issues, etc.

My surgery was 8/10/09. I lost 26 pounds on Medifast before surgery (from end of May 09 to Aug. 10th) and weighed 220 on surgery date. It took approx.9 mos. to get to 135, then I kept losing from May 2010 to current date down to 125, then 120, then 118, then 116. I was at 113 when I got a stomach bug, but gained back 3 pounds. This is where I hover. I hit stalls along the way, too, but the loss continued. Now, as I say, I have to remember to eat to maintain and not lose more. I could easily slip down to 112 or 110 if I'm not careful. People who are normal size but heavier than you, and some who are obese, will tell you that you're TOO THIN. Remember that their POV is skewed to the heavier side and your POV will be "I'm not thin enough." I saw myself as FAT when I was FAT. There was no denying I was fat; I had trouble looking in the mirror at all. Now I'm thin, no denying that, but I like looking in the mirror. I look sometimes and think "you're too thin" as my face looks gaunt (hey, I'm 61, so the weight came off differently now than it would when I was 31) so yes, I've lost the "pad" in my face. That can be fixtured with plastic surgery and I'll get to that once we get moved and settled in our new home coming up. With surgery, I'd look put back together and more in my late 40s because I basically have good skin. This is a process of transformation and nobody's process will be the same. Go for what you want and what makes you happy. If you get a little thin, you can always gain some back if you eat all the time (every 2 hours), and supplement with some high calorie foods. I like this weight and prefer to just fix the cosmetic things I can. I can dress in high fashion (couture) sizing which is NOT vanity sized by any means, wear skinny jeans, high heels, rocker chic, etc., in other words, I can dress any way I want to within reason, and still look THIN with clothes on, in the mirror, in photos. My normal sized friends are very jealous, and that's fine with me. My heavy friends think I'm anorexic; that's fine too. It's my process and I have the clothes, shoes and bags to prove it.

How long have you been at goal, or rather, since you hit your original goal? How long did it take for you to get there? How much weight did you have to lose to get there? You say you didn't exercise, so how did you eat? I guess I'm wanting to live a bit vicariously by hearing from a person who has achieved goal, since I am experiencing a horrible stall/gain pattern that is really putting me down in the dumps.

Yes, I see what you mean, since you've basically done this twice, first with the band and now with the sleeve. I thought I wanted a band until I researched it and figured out I didn't. So glad I listened to others re that.

When I got to goal at 135, I thought a little more would be OK, to me (in photos) I still looked a little "plump." So I went to 125 and thought, OK, this is good. But then it was ........well, maybe 5 lbs. more would be better. So when I hit 120 I thought, yeah this is good, and then thought well maybe 118 would be better. You can see how I ended up where I am, definitely too thin, and yes, I see that I'm too thin in the mirror, but in photos with clothes on, I think I look normal according to fashion magazines, which as we all know, are stick thin models in winter clothing (these days.) Anyway, now I'm bouncing between 115-116 lbs. and trying to maintain the weight and even gain a couple of pounds which is not that easy to keep on you. We're about to go through another residential move which always causes lost pounds, and to a cold climate in the winter, which also causes lost weight. I'll be a challenge to maintain during the next month. C'est la vie.

I definitely have some body dysmorphia (sp? - too lazy to look it up) ...anyway, I feel the same as I ever did. Most who have posted in this thread are at goal, past goal or close to. But I've been very thin in my past and even then I saw FAT in the mirror. I have to look at pictures of myself to really get a good guage on how I really look. Even then I still "looked fat".

I never did have a real goal set in mind. I'm going for size more than weight. Even then, I won't really know if I want to stop until I get close to, or actually there. It's just strange... not knowing how I'm supposed to feel about that. It's like being blind, trying to feel for familiar settings... kinda.

I'm actually Welch by ancestry, although born in Calif. My maiden name is Evans.

Hahahahahaaaa, yey!! Interesting observation...lol!

I am British, well Welsh specifically.... x

You must be British; no one in the US says Gob smacked. Well, good for you and there you go.

I never saw myself fat, even though I clearly was; so when I became thin again, my response was "Well, there you are!! Been a long time since I've seen you."

Interesting update for me... I was told that I looked small and narrow by a friend the other day, at first I thought it was just words of kindness cos of this damn stall - yes I was bleating on about it to my friends too! Anyway, she compared me to her sister, who has ALWAYS been smaller than me...ALWAYS!! i sat there and didn't believe a word of it and in the end the actually measured us....lol.... I was a good 3 inches narrower!!! I was absloutely gob smacked! My own body image is really distorted and I think I need to work on this too...

It is interesting to hear others say that it has taken a while for the head to catch up with the body, I am starting to understand that a little now!

OK, well nobody will probably like my response to this question, but here goes: You are only 9 days post-op so yeah, your emotions are all over the place at the moment. Your body is going through a major shift and your hormones will go wild for awhile before all settles, but it will settle. A year from now you're start looking at obese people in a different way, as well. You will know what it's like to be them, and yet you'll feel like you want to tell them they could have a different life and why don't they?! Of course, you won't say a word to them, but you'll think it. As for your husband, he probably doesn't get his feelings hurt as easily as you - does any man? I mean seriously? You know that we're the drama queens in the emotional department. I think men can let stuff roll off them a lot more easily than women, so I wouldn't worry about his sensitivities. He'll deal with his weight as he sees you becoming smaller and more healthy. As for other people's comments and what not, you have a choice: you can choose to be offended or you can choose not to be. That's totally on you. I always go with it's better to be/stay positive than go to the darkside on any issue, WL included. When you get "hurt" by every little thing, the only one hurting is you, and you have a choice. I'd stick with the concept that I'm "difficult to offend" and keep a positive frame of mine when there's a choice to make. Choose to be grateful for what you've chosen for yourself, and screw anybody else, kwim?! Yes, of course you do. Stay in your happy place. Everyone has issues - be it weight or some other - you've taken the step to fix that issue for you. Let the others do as they may and know they don't speak for (or to) you. That's my 2 cents worth of ADvice.

I'm 14 mos. out and below both goals I set (one was 135 and one was 125 lbs.) I look too thin. I'm 5'-7.5" tall and have a small frame, so I look kind of a like a tall stick. When I dress to the nines, I look like a model because I'm tall with boobs (from implants - any such fat associated with that area is gone.) I have no butt - we now refer to the behind area as the "Buh-thigh" because that's all that's there. I have to exercise to maintain leg and hip flexor muscle mass because that sort of slid south b/c I didn't exercise with the loss. My weigh varies from 116 to 115, I weigh daily to keep tabs on it lest I lose too much. I do need to consciously eat to maintain that weigh and try to add a few pounds when I can.

On the upside, I can eat 1/2 of an In-and-Out Burger now (yay!) and a couple pieces of pizza. Hey whatever, it doesn't cause me to gain any weight, and I do it to keep what I've got. There are challenges on both sides of the scale. At first all you can think about is losing the weight; once you're there, you need to maintain the weight. I'm a size 2-4, and my bones protrude. Who knew my breast bone was so protruding?! Ewww....don't like how that looks, but there it is for all to see.

I need plastic work to get my Sharpei hiked back up to original position, but that will come in time. So there you go.......my synopis of what's what in the WLS world.

Do you happen to work for this doctor or in any way have you agreed to advertise for his procedure posing as a patient? Because your post sounds rather like a member of the staff and not a real patient. I shared your post on another WLS thread and that was the response most everyone had, that you don't sound like a patient. Whatever, I'm not judging, just wondering if you are for real. Thanks

I understand that at the moment there are only 2 surgeons in the country that utilize the spider technology to perform the sleeve. My surgeon Dr. Robert Marema and is at Flagler hospital in St Augustine, Fl. They have a hospital concierge (Angel Gulick) that will help you coordinate if you choose to travel for surgery and an awesome support network. I spent a week there in St Augustine, only 2 nights in the hospital. I know that some insurance companies even reimburse you for mileage, hotel, and meals if you are traveling more than 100 miles for your care.

I was first going to have my surgery at mayo in Jacksonville...then I discovered that they were out of network with my insurance (which they failed to notify me of) they wanted to limit me to only a band procedure, I wasn't given a choice, and they were not a Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery...so I started to do my homework and I actually moved once I found Dr. Marema. The staff was incredibly helpful in guiding me to obtain the right paperwork and records as well as scheduling me for visits and follow up on my schedule.

I do hope that you find the right place and surgeon and wish you well on your journey. If I can answer any more questions for you I am happy to.

1000 calories is too many calories a day unless you're burning 200 of those a day on exercise. Are you? Obviously, the combination of foods you ate did not agree with you, hence, the heartburn. Too rich and wrong combo.

This whole WLS thing is a lifestyle change mostly which means even on holidays you can't eat like you used to back in the day. Go back to your regular food schedule and drink lots of Water. You're probably retaining water from the salt in the food. My husband goes up and down 2-3 pounds a day just in normal non-WL eating. Of course he eats very fast and then holds his chest due to the heartburn and wonders why he doesn't feel good. I've given up trying to explain the eating too fast issue to him. For lunch today he had Medifast chicken Soup ( a diet food) and then cuts up 10 slivers of fattening cheese, triscut crackers and a bunch of tomatoes. Bet that goes down real well. That has nothing to do with you, but you get my point. He was complaining this morning that his weight was up, well DUH, I'm thinking, look at what you eat?! For you, just get back on track. Everyone - except me who needs to gain a little - gains a couple pounds with the holidays. The main point is to get it back off ASAP.

Thanks you guys. I don't take a PPI, and haven't since about 6 weeks out. Whatever happened to my stomach - bug or whatever - has left me 4 pounds down from where I was, and at this weight (today 113) I just feel weak and unsteady. I had a Protein Drink this AM, with over 300 cal. in it, so if I can keep that down that will help. I ate some turkey and potatoes last night, very small amt., and was stuffed. I later tried a small piece of pumpkin pie and could only eat 1/2. I haven't had much appetite since getting this bug thing, if that's what it is, and am facing a lot of stress with an upcoming move. The stress of the move has me stressing just sitting here, and we're moving to a colder climate which I can't tolerate as well now as I could with fat on me. I honestly don't know how I'm going to handle all this. Please keep me in your prayers and thoughts. Thank you.

OK, never thought this would be an issue but here it is. I'm 114.2 pounds today. That's a loss of 132 pounds from where I started, and I'm 5'-7.5" tall. I have no butt and my pubic bone is protruding. I've lost the fat pads in my face and look gaunt. It's not that attractive on an older woman, trust me. I've had a stomach bug the last 4 or 5 days, so have not been able to eat and will lose a pound a day if I can't eat. This isn't good. My skinny pants are getting lose and I'm a size 26 in pants now. I can't eat junk because it makes me ill, so I have to eat good stuff only. It's an interesting place to be. My friends are saying I look TOO THIN; people think I'm ill. Wonder if any of you share this perspective yourselves? Let me know if you're considered by friends and family as too thin. Thanks

You're just going through a RELEASE. Releasing stress, that's how it comes out of you. You moved to a foreign country, that's huge. You've had major surgery, that's huge too. Give yourself some credit; I think you're doing really, really well. I personally don't like tribal gatherings at the holidays; I'd rather it just be me and my husband, but that's me. I was an only child; my husband comes from a tribe of 5. Whatever. I do fine by myself. I realize I'm not the norm, but whatever. I think you're doing great. You'll make new friends in time, until then just do the things you enjoy with the people you love. The rest will come. I can't imagine moving to a foreign country; it's quite enough that we are preparing for our 28th residential move in 30 years. Yep, you heard me right. It's craziness, but the Universe moves us around a lot. We moving out of state and that's quite enough headaches right there, and we have to pay for it all. Also starting a new retail business in the bargain, so there's lots of stress. I was sick on Thanksgiving so we haven't had our "feast" yet. It's completely wasted on me because I can't eat more than a morsel anyway. You're just grieving for your comfort zone, my dear, that's what happens when we experience radical CHANGE. All your reactions are completely normal. It gets better.

Thanks everyone -- I kinda feel ridiculous now (Water fountain has stopped) -- I'm thinking that something is going on inside (release of hormones??) -- you all are exactly right, volunteer, get to know people, etc. -- in fact, you all gave me advise I would have given someone else (isn't that the best -- you all are so wonderful! )

In any case, I'm not a wreck anymore -- don't really know what my Water fountain was about, BUT!!! I didn't eat over it (don't really have the desire to) -- so, whether it's hormones (ugh), real emotions coming out from not eating over them, whatever, THANK YOU!!

I know one thing I have to be thankful for - you guys --

Thanks, Tiffy, and the rest of you. The tannins don't bother me and I do like red wines. Sometimes it doesn't like me back, but that can happen with anything taken too far, huh?!

It has to do with the tannic acid in the red wine. Iowagirl here on the forum explained it best. My surgeon never gave me a straight answer. He just said to avoid it so I followed his directions. I have lost my taste for most red wines. I'm not sure why, but it just doesn't make me feel "good" like whites do now.

Here's the post where Iowagirl explained. She's made some great posts about acid/stomach issues/pH of certain drinks and even why plain Water bothers some of us.

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/5477-booze/page__p__51479#entry51479

Tiffy, WHY did the doctor say stay away from red wines? I've noticed that if I over-indulge I can have a hypoglycemic reaction aka dump syndrome, so I have to really watch it. I drink mostly champage and red wines, so do tell me about the red wine issue. Thanks I'm below goal and have lost 130 pounds.

I was cleared for wine consumption at 3.5 months out. My surgeon warned me to steer clear of red wines. I didn't drink until I was at goal, I was pretty carb/calorie conscious and didn't want to waste my calories on alcohol.

The first time I drank a glass of Riesling, it hit me hard and fast then I sobered up pretty quickly. I am that "party girl", and have been socially drinking for the last ummmm few months. I tie one on monthly with mixed drinks and shots, and my tolerance is the same as it was pre-op now. In my little social circle of military wives, I'm know as the "afternoon cocktail" girl, and have been known to drink a strawberry mojito, have a glass of wine, or even a rum/coke at lunch. I don't drink at home, and I typically keep my drinking to a 4-6 times a month kind of thing, and it's typically just one drink unless it's my monthly "girls night out".

I'm below goal, and the only thing I do notice is that I retain Water like the hoover dam after a big night out. Other than that, I have zero ill effects from drinking with my sleeve. I refuse to give up anything forever that includes any type of food or beverage. I had surgery to be as close to normal as possible, and being a social drinker is part of my "normal".

How awful for you, embarrassing, etc. I don't want to be nervous around people thinking oh crap, be very careful of what you eat. Until this episode occurred I was able to eat pretty much everything. We were in Idaho at a resort that gave out the Brutels butter brickle. OMG, I don't even like sweets that much, but the BB was to die for. They give you a big square as your nightly dessert from the hotel. They leave in your room. I ate that and it was soooo good with no bad reactions, that when I got home I ordered some online. I was fine the first few times I ate it. Then I ate too much and just felt really crappy. Then when it was gone, I did not reorder as it was a one time indulgence.

Then Halloween came, and you know how it is, after dinner you're hunting around for something with a sweet taste, just a bite. We bought bags of little wrapped baby bars of Snickers, Butterfingers, etc. I ate about 6 Butterfingers and again, felt crappy, and had to go to bed. I threw out left over Halloween candy. Then the cheese and honeycomb, definitely not a combination I can eat, although I did eat it at a restaurant with a glass of white wine, and then went onto taste wine all day and had no problems. When I tried the same food at home, did not work 2X in a row. So now being duly scared sh*tless, I'm very leery of any sugars at all. Hope this event becomes history quickly so I can relax and not stress over it. I'm stressed enough as it is with DH being out of work, and contemplating a move out of state as soon as our house sells. Gads, don't need extra stress over what to eat/not eat. Thanks for listening to my tale of woe.

I had it recently at my in-laws' Golden Wedding and I hadn't particularly eaten a lot but I had been nibbling on buffet food and cheese. I was fine and then I had a piece of cake with a cup of tea and it hit me after that. We had already left and were in the car when I started to retch and my husband had to turn back so I could rush back upstairs to be sick! It's not the same as the sickness you get from overeating as it's just liquid that usually comes out. I don't get it at all when I totally avoid fats and sugars but it can catch me out even when I think I have only had a tiny bit. Sometimes I can go out and have coffee and cake no problem, other times I am rough after a couple of chocolates.

Thanks you guys for responding. I was over at OH reading the bypass patients' accounts. Then someone suggested reactive hyperglycemia and after reading what that's about, it scared the snot out of me, talk of seizures, etc. OMG, how do those folks survive that stuff?! Scary, very scary. I had to keep reminding myself that I HAVE a stomach, just a much smaller one. I never reacted to sugars before. I don't eat high fat foods. This whole thing took a new turn when I had the honeycomb and yes, little pieces of cheese. Tonight I had a low fat "taco soup" which is mainly Proteins (recipe from WW old time), and was OK after dinner. Of course I was watching my watch and timing things to SEE IF anything would happen. I got myself so worked up by "sensing" heart rate, etc., that I had to go take a Xanax to come down from the ceiling where I was putting myself. No dumping occurred, but the anxiety about whether it would occur is enough to set off an adrenaline rush all on its own. I don't want to be having these problems whatsoever. I stick pretty much with the Medifast diet plan and eat their healthy Snacks, etc. I get that the combination of the cheese and honey was not a winner. I just want to KNOW that I'll be OK, no seizures or anything of that nature in the future. Thanks for talking me through this; I PRAY that I am over it.

I had the sleeve and it worked great. I also sent someone to Dr. Aceves who weighed approx. 400 pounds or slightly over. Dr. Aceves recommended the sleeve for him. He's doing great, and at last check has lost approx. 150 pounds, probably more by now. The people I know who had the RNY procedure initially lost, but all have since regained some of that weight - anywhere from 20-30 pounds. You only malabsorb for so long and the pouch stretches making it possible to actually regain all the weight if you're not careful. The sleeve is different; it's still your stomach, just less of it. You'll ultimately have to decide which procedure is best for your body, I'm just telling you what I've experienced personally. Best of luck with your decision.

I am trying to decide between the sleeve and the RNY. I know it is just a tool and we have to work at it. I am just afraid that the sleeve will not be enough for me due to my weight. i have more than 200 lbs to lose. More like 250. I am a self pay so I don't want to do something that will not be enough. I am goign to see the surgeon tomorrow to discuss it but would like feedback from those who might be in similar boat. Thanks in advance.

Hi All,

I've been having an issue in the last month with what I suspect is dumping syndrome. I had VSG in August 2009, so I've lost all the weight and am below goal. That part is fine. I suspect this dumping issue started as the result of eating too much sugar after dinner. Last night and the night before, I ate what we call an Artisan cheese plate. It's little tiny bits of different cheese (like an inch by an inch sizes) with a little fig jam and honeycomb (like a one inch sq. size of comb) with some Water crackers. Not a lot of food at all, but man within an hour of eating I was getting not only the sugar rush, but rapid heart palpitations, adrenaline rush, sweating and shaky. At first I thought hypoglycemia, but that wasn't it, just same symptoms. When it happened a second time (yeah, after eating the same thing - I know, I know) I figured out it was dumping syndrome, or food moving too fast into the small intestines. I do NOT want a repeat performance. Now, in the past year I've certainly eaten dessert, sometimes frozen yogurt, if at dinner somewhere out, shared a dessert, and nothing happened. I've had this dumping scenario occur about 4X in the last month. It started with eating some soft butter brickle after dinner one night, but it was more like a feeling of just feeling awful, with no specific symptoms. Then it happened when I ate some Halloween candy (too many Butterfingers), but I figured it was just a sugar rush. But after eating the honey, I got the full on dump. Here's the weird thing: I ate this same Artisan Cheese plate at a restaurant at lunch time and had NO ISSUES, just at night does it come up. How do I AVOID having this issue in the future? And is it just a too much sugar problem? Please, hope someone has been through this door before and can help me with this. Thanks!

Hey Mary, isn't that sweet?! Good for you. I was thinking that very thing as I was reading your story: get out of the W section. Awesome! Enjoy the high, it only gets better from here out.

Thanks for sharing your story. I think these heart-felt stories really explain the process and what it's like to be the one on the journey. No one truly understands this experience until they've done it, but by sharing your personal accountability really speaks volumes. I am hoping it will inspire those who really need this surgery but allow fear to hold them back. It is indeed life-changing. I am below my goal weight and out 13 mos. from surgery. Dr. Aceves was my surgeon too. He's a great guy with a great team and a wonderful, caring doctor. I can't praise him highly enough. Thanks so much for sharing your true-life adventure with all.

I've been married 30 years this Oct. Haven't had sex in a couple of years. We're best of friends and the problem is all me. IDK why but I have no desire for it with him or anyone else. He thought the weight loss would move me in the right direction; nope. Now he thinks plastic surgery will do the trick. Can't say b/c I haven't had it yet, but probably doubtful in that regard. We don't discuss this. We get in bed and go to sleep. We're both 61 years old, not too old for sex, obviously. Does it bother me? No. Does it bother him, probably, but we deal with it and he channels his energy into projects here and there. No, he's not cheating on me, I know where he is all the time. IDK what to say except that it's not that big of an issue. I know I'm the odd one out. We used to do it a lot back in the day, but when I became fat, it stopped, that and he has a particular type of syndrome that causes the penis to curve -I forget the name - but the erection isn't as big and doesn't last, so I think I sort of lost interest. To get that "fired up" and then get no pay off, is sort of a waste of time, kwim? I know, way TOO MUCH information I realize. Just wanted to throw it out there in case anyone else is in my situation. :001_unsure:

I find that people in general are just uninformed and way too opinionated. I have an acquiantance who works in a hospital. She's seen maybe 2 bad bypass scenarios and keeps telling me how fortunate I am that I didn't end up like them. I'm like, "you have no idea what you're talking about." She's obese and chooses to stay that way; that's fine, can't change anyone or make them want to do something good for their health, that's totally on them. But then when they complain that their husband doesn't want to have sex with them and they don't know why or what to do, I'm like....."Well, you could take off some of those fenders and feel better about yourself," but you can't say that, can you?! She complains that she has "back boobs" and how ugly that is....yep, that's true, but to actually take the action to fix these self-esteem issues, oh HELL NO, not going to do that, way too scary. You see where this goes, right? Some people would rather just be fat and use food as a crutch than to have a real life, be healthy, and unobsessed with food, but then they'd have to deal with the underlying issues of their personality dysfunction. Yep, it's one big old rolled up ball of wax, all that emotional junk that gets trapped in us. At some point you have to start to unwind all that crap and get down to what's really going on. The eating and weight is just a symptom of the underlying trapped junk. You got to fix it eventually, either from the outside in or the inside out. I say congrats to all of us who've taken the initiative to resolve our addictions and create a better life for ourselves and our families. Yay!! :thumbup: