BKLYNgal87

You do realize that surgery is a tool, not a cure, right? There are people who don't lose all the excess weight they needed to and people who lose it all and gain some back. You have to be mature enough and dedicated enough to be in control and stick to your diet and exercise program, even in maintenance. And maintenance is for life. There are plenty of adults who have a hard time wrapping their heads around that. I had a serious food addiction as a teenager [i suspect your daughter at her weight does too] and nothing would have stopped me from overeating except counseling, which I finally started when I was 21. I made sure I had all my ducks in a row before I had the surgery to give myself the best possible chance of success. Ultimately this choice is up to you and your daughter but you are still the parent and she is still the teenager. Furthermore I implore you as I said before to get a second or even third opinion from a doctor who doesn't have a vested interest in your daughter having surgery.

This is a very weighty (for lack of a better word) decision. You need to be honest with yourself from the get-go. Your daughter at 5'3" and 246 lbs is not overweight. She is morbidly obese. If she doesn't make serious diet and exercise changes, she is at great risk of developing serious illnesses at a younger age (heart disease, diabetes, to name a few). A drastic change is needed but at her age and development, surgery may not be it right now. There are diet plans run by clinics especially for children and teenagers. I think it will be easier for her to implement these changes once you've had your surgery. You can be her motivator. If you're strongly leaning toward surgery and after extensive trial and effort dieting doesn't work then ask yourself: First off - does her primary care doctor have any thoughts as to whether she has finished her bone growth? What is his or her opinion on obesity surgery on a teenager? It is very important to get at least one or two medical opinions from doctors and not just your surgeon. He has financial incentive to approve her. Second - do you think she is mature enough to handle surgery and the life altering changes she'd have to make and stick to? I know I couldn't have done it at 14, though I wish I hadn't gone through high school and college obese. People can be cruel and they certainly were to me in high school, less so in college. Bottom line is both regular diet and exercise and surgery diet and exercise are difficult and require ongoing compliance and dedication. It's a lifelong change. We can never eat what most people normally eat. We always need to take our Vitamins. We can't be lazy. Both avenues require emotional stability. At 14, I just don't think most teenagers are mentally up to the challenge. There is no rush, you and your daughter should take more time to consider all the options. Teenagers love to make impulsive decisions, and this choice would be a bad one to make impulsively. I wish you and your daughter all the best.

I can see why women would be intimidated. I was always the sort of girl who would look from afar and never approach. Awesome work !

Why does he hurt you to make himself feel better? Because that's the way he is. That's the way all abusers are. It's a cornerstone of their personalities and that is why they seldom change, whether they seek help or not. Since you've done therapy before and it hasn't helped your relationship, I'd say you know where things stand with him. If it were me, I'd take the high road out of his life for good. You deserve better. You should never be asking yourself "why do I let the things he says get to me?" because if he really loved and cared for you he wouldn't discourage or belittle you in any way. This life change you've made doesn't stop at surgery.

Sounds like this behavior is familiar to you. Do you really want to live the rest of your life with this man knowing he is manipulative and abusive? Do you want him to keep sabotaging your health and happiness? The best advice I can give you is abusers don't change - you're the one that has to.

I saw this a while ago. It's ironic because nothing gets a dissertation written like caffeine and carbo-loading.

22 lbs in not even 3 weeks?? CONGRATS!! In my week 3 I also stalled for most of that week. Then I started kicking up the exercise and the scale started dropping again. i think your experience is typical and the numbers will go down again soon - I promise! Also I hope you're not weighing yourself every day. It's a very bad habit! I've found since I've started eating more dense Protein and less slider-type foods (soups, refried Beans, eggs, etc) I feel more full for longer. Dense protein takes longer to digest than most other foods. Some days I eat up to 750 cals but I do also go to the gym 5x a week and ride my bike the days I don't work out. My sleeve also seems to be made of steel so I'm working on being as vigilant as I can about what I eat. There's no turning back now!

Great work! Congrats on your engagement too! I'll jump for joy the day I can wear normal sized clothing.

Thank you for your honesty and your humility. Complications can happen to anyone. I hope after your surgery your acid pain will be much better - it's an awful thing to live with. I can understand your concerns about a second surgery too. There are liquids and puree's that are not so light in calories/sugar you could have if your surgeon gives the OK. That should help stem continued weight loss until you're back on your maintenance diet. Other than the complication it seems your health and wellbeing has dramatically improved. It was a hard road but you overcame so much and you should be very proud .

Awesome work!! I agree your arms are enviable!

OP - mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy have great tools for battling the "head" hunger. I've been keeping a mindfulness food log since my psych eval and it has actually helped tremendously. I also know people who have had bypass and a few have regained or never did well to begin with. I think their mentality was "well now I'm thinner so I should be able to eat like a thin person" not realizing that one's body make up and chemistry (hormones, genetics, metabolism, etc) are still mostly the same. We will never be able to eat like the girl who can stuff her face and stay thin. I believe we're just not wired that way. I am not making a judgement about you. Bypass may be a solid option for you and you may be successful with it as long as you go in with as much knowledge and confidence as possible. Wishing you well!

My apologies for the poor word choices on my part. I meant to say if getting attention from men is the reason, that it was the guiding factor in one's decision, then the hypothetical person ought to do some real reflection. Sometimes the thought does't reach the keyboard for me . Here's a hard truth: relationships come and go and one should never peg their happiness to being in one. I did that for many years and it left me hollow, depressed and dissatisfied. Thin people can also have a hard time getting dates. One of my best friends is thin as a rail, blonde and blue eyed. Typical cheerleader looks. She is also funny and smart - has a PhD in the basic sciences. I think she's an amazing catch but the eligible men of New York seem to disagree. She doesn't let her occasional bouts of loneliness and perpetual singlehood interfere with getting the most out of life and having fun with her family and friends. In any case, sounds like you did this surgery to change your life completely and I can't think of a better reason. You've done an amazing job thus far and have so much to be proud of and I know you'll find people who are supportive and understanding. They can't argue with the results. All the best.

C_TimesThree is correct. They will require a 2 year history. You can check with your employer to be sure but it's a general fact that insurance will want to see documented evidence of obesity for a certain timeperiod. Even though your husband saved them money by not going to the doctor . http://www.aetna.com...0_199/0157.html ^ this lists the general requirements. Good luck.

Commercial frozen yogurt (most types you find in shops or grocery stores) has minimal protein and LOTS of sugar, so yes.

Let me ask you something - have you tried to lose the weight on your own? I have been dieting since I was 10 years old. I'd be successful in the beginning but eventually I'd plateau and get frustrated, then gain the weight back plus another 10 lbs! It was a vicious cycle and I decided I needed to try something different. I did a lot of research before I opted for the sleeve. I can't tell you why they gave you an "unimpressive" goal number. It could be for the benefit of their practice stats, it could be something else. You certainly aren't bound to it - if you surpass it and then some then GREAT! My surgeon didn't give me a goal number at all. He said a weight in the healthy BMI range is important but that the number isn't absolute. It doesn't account for muscle-fat ratio. He told me getting my waist size under 30 inches is equally important with my family history of diabetes. As for exercise - working out like a banshee is required for effective weight loss (surgery or not). There's really not much getting around it. Can't think of too many people who got to goal without regular exercise. I know a lot of people hate to do it but exercise has so many more health benefits than just weight loss. For me, I have been off antidepressants for over 3 years because I started working out 4-5x a week. For me it has been much more effective than pills. food for thought.

At about 3 weeks PO I had about a half cup of frozen yogurt. Legit frozen yogurt that skimps on the Protein and heaps on the sugar. I tried to get the flavor with the least sugar but it probably had 20g. I felt so guilty after eating it I developed my own "fro-yo" recipe with greek yogurt. It tastes like pink berry and it fits perfectly into my meal plans. I think it's okay to treat yourself every once in a while but I found that, for me, I have a mental list of foods that are trigger foods - once I have a taste it's hard to walk away. So I try to stay away from them for now until I am more confident I can enjoy them in moderation.

Sugar alcohols [sorbitol, maltitol, etc] always made me "sprint to the bathroom" sick . Splenda and stevia usually don't because they are a very different chemical composition. What sweetener to they list on the ingredients of Protein powder? You could try using unflavored [therefore unsweetened] Protein Powder and add it to Soups or hot Cereal. This is what I have done to break up the monotony. As for regular gatorade, if your plan allows it, my advice is drink a small amount at a time and wait. See how it makes you feel. Don't drink too much of it at once because you may not like the result. Hope you feel better soon!

Totally normal. -52 in 11 weeks is amazing! Great work!

Don't take this the wrong way but sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. No one risk factor alone will cause cancer. Not even smoking. As someone with a lot more than a layman's grasp of how it works and I have to disagree with your interpretation of studies that deal mostly with either total gastrectomy or peptic ulcer surgery (both for alleviation of peptic ulcers - a very nasty condition to live with). I looked at that case report someone mentioned above and I think it's pretty clear VSG did NOT cause his cancer to develop. Pancreatic cancer is very, very slow growing and hard to detect until it has advanced. It does not develop 3 months after a surgery, which was when he was diagnosed. Don't sweat the remote possibilities. Think about how you are taking steps [including this surgery] to not succumb to more real threats - heart disease, diabetes, and the rest of the horrid obesity related diseases.

On week 3 I was still on purees. You can put lentil soup in the blender to make sure it agrees with you. Hmm now I'm hungry...

I applaud your self control! You're making great progress. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-national-donut-day.html ^ Here's a recipe for donuts you can eat, should you ever want to!

I drank coffee up until the day before surgery and picked it up again about 5 days post op. I had no problems. The only reason you may want to taper down at this point is so you can get used to drinking less. I used to need 2 cups a day (not large cups) to get me through but now one cup in the morning is all I need.

Awesome! The countdown begins...

This surgery is for YOU darling, not him. No doubt you have already determined this procedure is the best path for you to take. My fiancé is from a similar culture as your boyfriend but he would rather I have a healthy longer life than worry about what his friends/family think of him or us. But his head is screwed on straight, not everyone's is . A successful relationship mandates both parties support each other through challenges. This is a good test for your boyfriend. Give him as much information as you can about what to expect from the surgery, drag him in to meet your surgeon, don't totally write off his worries and see what happens. The body is a temple, yes, but I believe God gives us [or shows us] the tools we need to overcome our trials and tribulations. It's up to us, for the most part, how we proceed from there to meet and surpass those challenges. This may not fit with your beliefs but it's my two cents as a Jew engaged to a Muslim .

Amazing work! Can't wait for the day I can do this post