southernsoul

You look gorgeous!!! Congrats!

Don't be nervous, it's generally pretty simple. They're mostly looking to see that you have realistic expectations of what postop life will be like (in terms of behavioral changes like diet adjustments & exercise) & that you have prepared yourself with some support around you & preparation for the changes & challenges. Also that you don't think surgery is a magic bullet, like that losing weight will solve all the problems in your life. Good luck!

Wow, you look great!!!

I chose the sleeve over bypass because I wanted the least amount of stuff inside me altered and because I was concerned about the malabsorption issues that can happen with bypass. I like that the food I consume doesn't skip the beginning of the natural digestive process since it is not funneled directly into my intestinal tract. I have had no cons to speak of. The first week or so postop was a little rough, but not really any worse than I was expecting. So far I haven't come across any foods that I can't tolerate. The pounds are dropping, my physical condition is improving by leaps and bounds, and I feel better than I have in years. For me, these things are all very motivating and keep me on track. Like with anything else, it's necessary to change behaviors and use self-discipline....but it seems easier to me to do that now with this wonderful tool to help me.

I don't really have any advice, but my husband's cousin just had a baby last month after RNY & she was less than a year postop when she got pregnant. This was her 2nd child & she had been told that the only way she had a hope of getting pregnant again was to lose weight, so that's why she had the bypass to begin with. She has mentioned that she only gained 17 lbs during the pregnancy & I know they kept a pretty close eye on her because of the bypass. By the time her daughter was about 2 weeks old, she posted that she had lost 30 lbs from the delivery date & actually weighed less than when she got pregnant. Her pregnancy was pretty easy & her new daughter is healthy as can be. Good luck to you!

Welcome! I'm in Athens, so we're almost neighbors. I feel ya on the fried chicken, too. I've had about 4-5 bites of that once since surgery & I was OK. I've also tried a bit of country fried steak & that was OK, too. Neither one will be a regular player in my diet anymore, but it was nice to know that I can do OK with it once in a while.

I'm in school as well, but I was able to schedule surgery right before a summer class that was held online instead of face to face, like we usually do. I checked the calendar & MLK's birthday is January 20th, so maybe your school won't have classes that day. If your class is a Monday-Wednesday schedule, you might not have to go back til Wednesday, so check the academic calendar. You might still not be allowed to drive that soon after surgery, but hopefully you could at least be able to show up & sit through class.

BAHAHAHAHAHA....I guess you've got to give the dude points for effort.

When I started planking last month, my back was hurting & I asked my trainer to watch me do it & check my form. He said that I had my butt too high in the air & that lowering it would take the strain off my back. My problem is that I am still pretty big, so in order for my butt to be low enough & my back to be straight, my belly is only an inch or two from the floor. I see what Fiddle is saying about the nekky girl above hyperextending her back, but I still wish there was that much air between the floor & my belly!

Tammie, my surgery was on June 19th, so you will be almost exactly 6 months behind me. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I'm happy to answer questions & share my experience. And as you know, I'm also in school right now. I will be sending you lots of good vibes next week, for sure...If I had to cope with 7 final exams on the preop diet I would likely have stabbed somebody in the neck!

Personally, I wouldn't have worried about a few parsley flakes, but that's just me. If they were dry, the soup will have softened them.

What has changed your mind?

I don't use my unflavored powder as much as the flavored ones, but I've used it to make non-high-Protein foods a better choice. I've put it in mashed sweet potatoes, applesauce, pudding, and yogurt. I used it more often in the first 3 months postop, but I have used it a couple of times recently. You could add it to oatmeal for Breakfast. Also, I think I remember seeing a recipe for muffins or something baked with the unflavored powder.

I first saw my surgeon on Jan 4th & had surgery on June 19th. My insurance company required a 90 day period of NUT & psych appts & supervised diet & clearances & whatever else. But I'm in school full-time right now, so once I registered for my summer classes I knew that June 19th would have to be the day for me. That was the only way I could get it in between classes & after a big family vacay in May. I was done with pretty much all my preop stuff by April, so then I had a long wait until June. I was busy, though, so the time went pretty quickly. January will be here before you know it!

I'm so sorry that's happening right now! I know it must be super stressful to worry that surgery might be cancelled while trying to stay on the preop diet in case it's not. But how awesome that the stress has not caused you to get off track with the diet! I think that's a really great thing you should be proud of. I really hope your toe gets better & surgery isn't cancelled...please keep us posted.

This has nothing to do with being a non-believer, but I figured y'all would appreciate the story. Last Sunday morning, the hubs & I went to a drag brunch. It's a fundraiser for a local AIDS awareness charity & it was held in one of our nicer restaurants downtown. They put out a wonderful buffet brunch & there are 5 or 6 performances by local drag queens. The two guys we were sitting with at the brunch were going to church beforehand at the big Presbyterian church up the street from the restaurant. The overflow parking lot for the church is located just behind the restaurant, so the church folks walk past it to get to their cars. Our friends came walking down the street & we all stood outside on the sidewalk chatting while we waited for them to finish setting up inside. Three or four of the drag queens (in full regalia) had also come outside to chat & greet friends. Two older couples who had just attended services with our friends and were on their way to their car stopped for a moment to speak to one of the guys. One of the women asked what we were all doing there & my friend said, "We're going to have brunch here in just a few minutes." Right then, the lady noticed the drag queens behind us, swallowed, and said, "Oh, well, how lovely. Enjoy it!" As they walked past the queens, a couple of them smiled at the older couples and said good morning, and the older couples said good morning right back, and they exchanged a couple of comments about the beautiful weather. I'm certain the ladies were checking out each other's hats, too. It was very funny, but also kinda sweet, and reminded me once more why I love this little town I live in. Here's hubby with 2 of the ladies who performed. I hope it posts right.

I'm so sorry that the scale isn't moving as much as you expected. I'm almost 6 months out & I remember there was another member who was sleeved about the same time as me who also had very slow loss in the first couple of months. Eventually, her loss ramped up (maybe around 8 weeks or so?) & I think she's done pretty well since then. Hang in there just a little longer!

My postop diet is mainly based on Protein & being low-ish on carbs, but definitely not as low as 30g per day. I'll be 6 months out on the 19th. I eat green vegetables every day & occasionally a higher carb vegetable like squash or sweet potato. I generally stay away from bread, Pasta, & rice, as well as super carby vegetables like corn. I average around 80-100g of protein, and 70-ish grams of carbs (mostly complex & unrefined carbs). I use olive oil a lot, eat regular cheese, & Greek yogurt. I haven't tried oatmeal yet, but if I did I would probably not choose the packaged oatmeal with flavors, because I think those are probably full of sugar. I would cook plain oats & flavor it with some stevia & apple pie spice, and maybe add pecans for extra protein, or even some Protein powder.

I wasn't allowed to drive as long as I was on pain meds (3-4 days), and then was told I had to drive with a pillow under my seatbelt for the first week or so. It protected my stomach from the steering wheel & seatbelt rubbing. The discomfort of getting in & out will depend on what kind of a car you have...I wouldn't have wanted to ride in anything too low. You don't realize how much you use your ab muscles until it hurts to do so, and driving or riding in a car was pretty uncomfortable for me for about 2 full weeks.

So sorry you're going through this! Your fear & anxiety is very understandable and normal, but try not to let it overwhelm you. I doubt they would have tried the glue if there wasn't a really good chance that it will work. Know that we are in your corner & please keep us posted. Good luck!

Ultimately, you are the only person who can truly answer the question of whether or not you really want to do this. But to address your other questions... Would it be better to try to lose the weight on my own? Well, define "better". Better in terms of being more successful? I'm assuming you've lost weight in the past, so how were your results? If you can lose it & keep it off & feel like you're not on a diet all the time, that's wonderful & it would then be a good choice. Better in terms of healthier? In my opinion, yo-yoing up & down is really very unhealthy & destroys our metabolism. Will the sleeve be the tool that helps me maintain a major weight lost when in the past I have always regained every pound I lost with a few years? Maybe. The answer may depend on how willing you are to make the changes you will need to make. We're all different & we all stumble and/or struggle at different points or with different aspects of this process. Reducing the size of your stomach is not the only change you will need to make, far from it. Being sleeved makes it way easier to control portion sizes and minimize any bingeing behaviors, but it's definitely still possible to "eat around" the sleeve. Will the sleeve help free me from my obsession with weight or reinforce it? That's really hard to say. You may still be very focused on the number on the scale, but you also may be happier with what you see. I weigh most days, but sometimes I forget. I never weighed before, except when I had to at the doctor or something. I pay much closer attention to my weight now, but I don't think it's in an unhealthy way. I've definitely heard some folks say they have to restrict themselves to weighing only once a week or so, just so they don't get too focused on it, so maybe that will be the way you are. I'm not quite 6 months out yet, so I can't really speak to the long term. But this was definitely the best choice I could have made. I am still able to enjoy my food, but my portions are no longer out of control. I have the energy & the stamina to exercise regularly & make my body stronger. Seeing the weight come off & feeling the physical improvements has kept me motivated in a way that never happened before. It's definitely a big decision & you are smart to really think it through. This forum is a great place to learn & ask & reflect on how you feel.

Hmmm interesting. Cause when I saw that on FB the only thing I thought was "she looks so happy". No thoughts of your ass entered my mind Luckily, having a ginormous ass does not prevent me from being happy. And it tends to make Tony happy, too.

I'm currently working on a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling & I completely agree with this article. I see this a lot around the WLS forums...people struggling to find meaning and purpose as they go through this process, and also getting caught up and blocked by (sometimes) unanswerable questions. True happiness does not depend on a number on the scale, but on recognizing what is meaningful and valuable to each of us and then surrounding ourselves with it.

I know exactly what you mean, so here's my example from a few weeks ago. Same day, same outfit, but the angle makes all the difference. When I saw the second one my friend took & posted all I could think about was how ginormous my ass still is. I'm pretty sure that even if I lose another 50 or 60 lbs I'll still be carrying enough junk for me & 2 others.

I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling, but you're definitely not alone in that. Instead of thinking of it as "blaming" yourself for where you are, would it help to think of it as simply accepting responsibility? You can certainly accept the responsibility for the choices that brought you to this point, but also you need to accept responsibility for (and celebrate!!) the choices you are making to move yourself to a different & better point. YOU are making those good choices, they are not being forced upon you. You are actively seeking out a better life for yourself & that's a huge and wonderful thing to do. Focus on what you are doing for the positive & forgive yourself for what's in the past. You cannot go back & change the past, you can only move forward from the present moment. I love Bufflehead's ideas for a gradual & constant schedule of steps building up to surgery. To that, I would also add to work closely with a therapist. Psychiatrists often just do general med management & not as much in terms of counseling. Work with a therapist to get yourself into the best head space as possible preop. Good luck to you!