Strangefruit

I had the surgery fall 2012... The first year was great... The end of the second year, I have gained 18lbs and went through menopause... I am wondering if this is common... I still average about 1300 calories a day, but cannot seem to shake this weight gain... On 1/15, I started doing the 5:2 Intermittent Fast Diet... One week out, I am finally down 3.6lbs... I am committed to doing this 5:2 plan for at least a month to see if this gives me the results I need... I have read that a weight gain after menopause is not uncommon, but I thought 18lbs was quite a bit for one year. ????

I am. You are. He is over there… and she is too. Everyone reading this article is a success. Being a success has nothing to do with how much weight you have lost. It isn’t determined by your tape measure. It’s not proclaimed by everyone on your buddy list. You are a success as long as you wake up trying and go to bed planning to fight tomorrow.


Who is a “Success Story”? I’ll tell you…

I am. You are. He is over there… and she is too. Everyone reading this article is a success. Being a success has nothing to do with how much weight you have lost. It isn’t determined by your tape measure. It’s not proclaimed by everyone on your buddy list. You are a success as long as you wake up trying and go to bed planning to fight tomorrow.

I just realized it at this very moment. I mean, I’ve always known… but it never really hit me in my gut (no pun intended) until right now. What I have been searching for, for so long – ten years now to be exact. That is when I really started getting into the health and fitness community. It was when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and I was scared enough to change my life. I’d recently lost an Uncle when I was diagnosed, due to complications (many tormenting and painful years of it) of this horrible disease also known as “The Silent Killer”. And from there I was set to change my life, forever.

Fast Forward many years to 2011. That was the height of my health and fitness and going into 2012 until I blew out my knees. I created a thread here called “Bariatric Surgery Do’s and Don’ts”. In case you have not seen this thread yet, here’s the link: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/194624-bariatric-surgery-dos-and-donts/

Well, little did I know at the time of creating that thread that today it would become the Top Most Liked Post here at BariatricPal.com – now you might be wondering what the heck that thread has to do with this magazine article? Well, here it is: what you do today will someday have a profound effect toward your distant future. Have you heard of the “Butterfly Effect”? Well it’s exactly the same idea. Tomorrow you may not even notice the results of yesterday’s decision make, but one of these days – maybe next week, maybe not until 5 years from now but you will realize the finality of your decision.

That’s not all though, back in 2007 I finally realized that I needed help. I started to research Weight Loss Surgery on Google. Well those searches lead me here. I mean, back then it was called LapBandTalk. My, my… has it grown since then! Since that time I have had 2 revision surgeries due to complications but I know there is absolutely no way I wouldn’t have gotten through all of it without the support of this website. I am forever grateful to the Site Owner, he (Alex) has been a true blessing for me.

In that time I have become somewhat of a Bariatric Community leader, both here and abroad. It’s special to me because making that tiny Google Search was the first flutter of my wings to now. Even being a Global Moderator here and writing my very own magazine articles. I am so thankful for the opportunity to express myself the way I believe I am meant to.

Even though I am fluttering all over sharing my story, I always know where my home is.

Life is not all wonderful however; you have to be just as prepared for the results of your bad decisions too. If you’re choosing to binge for several days your result will show up on your next weigh-in. Just like if you chose not to make your house payment for a few months, you can scar your credit report for maybe an entire decade of your life... it’s the same idea.

So again, if you woke up this morning with the idea that you are going to at least try… then you are a success. Your results may take time to catch up to this truth (you just need to have faith and practice patience) but it will come about.

I had the surgery fall 2012... The first year was great... The end of the second year, I have gained 18lbs and went through menopause... I am wondering if this is common... I still average about 1300 calories a day, but cannot seem to shake this weight gain... On 1/15, I started doing the 5:2 Intermittent Fast Diet... One week out, I am finally down 3.6lbs... I am committed to doing this 5:2 plan for at least a month to see if this gives me the results I need... I have read that a weight gain after menopause is not uncommon, but I thought 18lbs was quite a bit for one year. ????

I am nearly four weeks out. My experience with this is that it happens when you eat too much or too fast. It is not like vomiting, in that there is no "upheaval". Rather, there is pain in the chest and a kind of foamy saliva slowly comes back up your esophagus until it reaches your mouth and you can spit it out. In my case, the first time was with a popsicle. It took about ten minutes for all of the popsicle to come back up - a foamy, purple substance (grape popsicle). It was very uncomfortable and unpleasant but to me not as bad as vomiting because there was no nausea. You just knew it was coming up and waited it out.

The way I understand it, if you eat too much too fast,,you will vomit a slime like substance. Dumping syndrome has a variety of symptoms.

I'm 10 days post surgery. I've lost 33 lbs and I feel fine! Everything's going to be alright! (and I'm not lying)

I had a six month wait. During that time I focused on getting ready for surgery. I trolled this forum and obesity help, attended a face to face support group, got all needed tests, bought the Vitamins my program recommended and started taking them, followed a pre-op diet and dropped 32 lbs., worked out 5 days a week (3 x strength training for 30 minutes, 2x walking for 1 hr.), bought or gathered stuff I needed for post op (small spoon, small fork, little plate and bowl, nightie, slippers for the hospital, books to read while recuping from surgery) tested Protein drinks, and as time drew closer, I cleaned the house and did as many errands as I could pre-op so I had less to do post-op.
It seemed so long at the time, but when surgery came, I was so grateful that I was well prepared and informed.
Best wishes on your journey!
Lynda

So i am on my way to the hospital in a few minutes and i will see you all on the losers bench!! Yay...nervous and excited all at the same time. Wish me luck! :wub:

BEAUTIFUL ring. I am so happy for you. I am still PRE op, but I am hoping to have NSVs of my own to share one day! Congratulations!

Congratulations on getting your surgery date! You will do fine! I am anxious to hear back from you post surgery! (I am still awaiting my date)... good luck and be well!

I am too excited to concentrate! I have been calling my Dr's office two or three times a day to find out if they had all of the required paperwork and then to see if they had submitted me to insurance. I was told on yestersday that I'd been submitted but I called the insurance company to confirm and I hadn't been.
I called the Dr's office AGAIN today and left a couple of messages, I got a returned call saying that they actually submitted the paperwork today. Called the insurance company and THEY HAVE THEM!!!! To my suprise they have to make a decision w/in five business days. I am truly hoping to have a decsion by the weekend but I am prepared to have to wait the full five days.
Since making my final decision of proceeding with surgery I have been excited to know that w/in a couple of months I may no longer have to deal with swollen feet and ankles, the seatbealt poking me in my butt and all the other issues that come with being overweight.

I was nervous about what my best friend would say, so I didn't tell her until I got home. She was stunned silent, but later that evening, this is the text I got:
"If u need anything let me know. I think you are very brave for what you did. I really admire that. If you need any help along with this process let me know what I can do. Maybe it was good I didn't know bc the mother side of me would have come out and I would have been a nervous nelly.."

I have people like my brother & some more people who object to surgery say that it's not natural to cut your body. Without getting hostile I say supprt me or be quiet. I'm 4 1/2 weeks out post op & I'm down 40 pounds including the weight from pre-op. bottom line, do what's best for you & pray about it.

Ok so I was skeptical that it would mix well but I took a packet of unjury protein powder unflavored, and mixed with two sugar free pudding cups I emptied them into a bowl and whisked it was probablt the first time I had protein powder that actually didn't taste like protein powder.
I recommend making it kinda runny consistency, tastes delicious and less than 20 net carbs, but great for us on pre op diet not yet used to it, or trying to get by without chocolate.