Daydra

At some future date this will be my success story: Until age 36, I lived my entire life overweight and my entire adult life morbidly obese. I was literally either the fattest kid or nearly the fattest kid in class every year from kindergarten. I had been in and out of weight loss programs from age 11, all with some success in losing weight, all eventually failing when the minor successes or benefits no longer outweighed the level of obsession required to stay on the diet. There were a few times in my life that I managed to reduce my weight so that I was only obese, instead of morbidly obese. I seriously considered gastric bypass in my mid-twenties, but was ultimately scared out of the procedure. At the time, that was the right decision. I most definitely was not ready. As I got into my 30's, my life started to change. I increased my education. I became a professional in Public Health instead of working jobs that required little education. I began to realize who I really was. In 2008, my husband and I decided to have our pictures taken as Christmas presents for our family because we had not had our pictures taken since our wedding in 1999. I remember standing at the counter in front of the monitor, trying to select "acceptable" pictures, and just being in tears over how I felt about how I looked in the photos. I decided at that time to go back to Weight Watchers. Giving up and accepting my weight was simply no longer an option if I wanted to maintain my sanity. I cried at the counter while I signed up, again, for the program. I weighed in at 344.2. I was far more successful this time than I had ever been in previous attempts at weight loss. I began to realize how much easier it was to be successful when I no longer was willing to eat processed food. I learned about Clean Eating and began to structure my diet following those principles. I connected with a group of women at my weekly meeting that were a part of a group of women that trained together to "comPLETE" triathlons. They convinced me that women of all ages and weights participated and that I didn't need to lose the weight before I began to participate. I remember crying on and off during my first "meet and greet". I signed up and compLETED my first triathlon at a weight of 315. Over the next 2 years, I managed to lose 115 pounds. I continued with triathlon, finding that there really is an athlete inside me, that it wasn't just something I used to do in high school. I even managed not to be last at my first Olympic distance event (.9mi swim, 24mi bike, 10k run) and finished in under 4 hours, still well into the "obese" weight category. My dedication began to wane, some family stressors began to take their toll, and I began to gain weight again. Over the next two years, I gained back about 1/2 the weight that I had lost, and was thankful that at least I hadn't gained it all back. In the spring of 2013, I started looking into weight loss surgery again. This time, the gastric sleeve was an available option. I did a ton of reading, went to a seminar, and decided I really liked what I was hearing. This time I was ready. From the time I made my first call for a consult with my surgeon, to the time I had all of my requirements met to schedule my endoscopy and surgery, only spanned less than 14 days and I was excited to get the show on the road. I was scheduled for July, 2013, and have lost 105 pounds. I had a belt lipectomy and breast lift, and finally feel like I look like the person I feel I am. I returned to training for triathlon as soon as I was able after healing from my surgeries and gradually increased my endurance. I found that I had no idea how badly my endurance and capabilities had been hindered by my weight. It turned out that I wasn't lazy, I wasn't weak, and I wasn't really out of shape. I was physically miserable only because I was carrying someone piggyback for every bike ride and every run I had to perform to train. I increased my race lengths until I competed in an IRONMAN. And now, at long last, I can say "I am an IRONMAN" What's your success story?

Thanks! That was the thought that hit me as I drove home from my first consult with my surgeon. The thought hit me and I just started to cry on the freeway. I figured sharing it would help remind me of one of the reasons I'm doing this when I struggle along the way.

No. Not with the bodybugg. It's a completely different thing than the fit bit. I looked into the fit bit, but I don't trust anything that you clip on your clothing to be accurate. The bodybugg is worn on the arm, against the skin. It measures skin temperature and motion. These devices can also vary in accuracy for specific people because there is some variance in metabolism. I found that I was either overestimating my caloric intake or my metabolism was slightly faster than the bb measured. I usually lost slightly more weight than my numbers would have indicated.

Hmmm, that gets you enough grams of protein per day, but if that's all she eats (I have to assume it's not) it only amounts to around 420 cal or so. If she's short and has a small frame, I'm sure that's totally fine, but I'd have to eat at least double that plus carb and fat to reach my 1300 cal/day. And as much as I hated hearing cal in vs cal out my whole life, I still feel that knowing your calories matter, they just don't give the entire nutrition picture.

Bodybugg used to be sold by 24HourFitness and ApexFitness, but I just got an email that BodyMedia is taking over management. There are several options for this type of device now. The reason that I chose the bodybugg was because I wanted to see data data data. Some other devices give you more general information. With the bugg, when you download, you literally get a chart that shows you how many calories/min you burned for every 6 minute segment of the day. When I'm using it, I know exactly how many calories a workout earned me, how many calories I burn while I'm sleeping, and everything in between (except they haven't figured out a waterproof one yet, which is annoying, because I swim quite a bit). At any rate, the bodybugg is one of the older devices, there are other options out there now, so I would do some research and figure out which device will give you the information that you want without overloading you with too much data (if you aren't a datahound like I am...). Good luck!

Welcome! Hope all goes well for you! dd

That's super individual. What I've read says a 5-8 day recovery time on average (assuming no complications), but there are a lot of posters that say they wish they had taken more time off because they were exhausted and felt miserable.

I'm definitely a #3 too, so my only failsafe would be #2.

I'm all about risk management and compliance with doctor's orders. And you are absolutely right, not everyone is required to do a preop diet. My answers, when someone asks, are always going to lean toward the conservative or "safe and cautious" decision. I want everyone to have the best set up for success possible (in the world according to me, anyway...) dd

Best of luck!

My base recommendation is 1300/day. I'm about 5'8" and am built like an ox. My goal weight is 180. I will need to increase that when my activity levels are higher. Right now, pre surgery, at 285, my laziest day burns me around 2300 cal. (I use a bodybugg that measures my caloric output)

My grandfather was a corpsman in the navy. My mom got her ring stuck and he used the dental floss method to get it off. I've had to use it myself. See Macy6's link. Good luck!

I agree with the previous answers. There will be an enormous amount of temptation not to follow doctor's orders. Personally, I wouldn't risk my success or even a delay for a single weekend. Even if you decide to go, I only see a couple possible outcomes: 1 - you follow your preop diet faithfully, despite being on a vacation, but part of you is miserable, because you can't fully participate in what your friends are eating and drinking and you're obsessing either about what you're supposed to be doing or what you can't be doing. 2 - you fail to follow the preop diet and risk having to reschedule the surgery and spend most of your time with the worry of what the result is going to be when you get back, and still don't have all the fun you would have otherwise had if you were unencumbered by the worry. If you are really determined to go, you might consider rescheduling your surgery for a week or so, so you can start your preop diet after you get back. Good luck!

I'll let the experts tell you what it's like after surgery, but want to wish you good luck. And remember, one of the benefits of going with the sleeve isn't just the size restriction, but the removal of the part of the stomach that produces the ghrelin hunger hormone. So, the chances of you wanting food afterwards are very slim (pun most definitely intended!). Your stomach with be swollen and there will literally not be any space for food, plus you won't have the hormone impulses to drive hunger. On top of all that, you are going to be busy busy busy healing and getting plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. Oh, and it seems that a repeating theme in posts is that frequently gas discomfort is mistaken for hunger, so you might have a look at that before assuming you are hungry after surgery. (I'm learning so much here!) I also want to throw out a word of support with your therapy. There are so many things intertwined with being overweight and it can be super emotional. I think that you will learn a lot about yourself and your needs through this journey. Sending you thoughts of support and comfort, dd

I'm really glad you feel settled about it. Sometimes (and by sometimes, I mean almost all the time...) we try to push ourselves a little harder than we probably should and we would be able to enjoy things more if we just took some extra time with them. When you do get to your trip, I hope that it is great! dd

Oooh! I've got butterflies for you! Now you don't need to! Best of luck to you, and I am sending thoughts of comfort and healing your way! dd

Lisinopril is generally pretty effective, but if it's new to you and they put you on 10 mg, it may be a little low on the dose for you. You might need 20mg to see an effect. That being said, double up on all your healthy habits. Don't eat any processed food (the only real way you can avoid getting too much sodium). Drink as much Water as you can manage, and walk as much as you can possibly manage. Those have already been suggested, but you might also look into some yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, anything you can to bring down your stress level as well. 134/94 is a little high, but it's not terrible. I imagine with some really careful behavior changes and compliance with meds, you will be fine. Best of luck! dd

That's a great idea! I think we did either a Weight Watchers or Clean Eating recipe that was basically pizza on a portabello. It was pretty good if I remember correctly. If you can't quite manage the good ideas on this thread, I would suggest going with a super-thin crust, similar to the Papa Murphy's delite pizzas. Still white flour, and can't speak to ingredients, but at least you would be getting a lot less of it. My nutritionist said that I would need to largely avoid bread, but she said that something toasted and cracker-like would be fine if I was cautious with the portion. There definitely have to be solutions to getting the flavors that you love. Best of luck! dd

I really appreciated that article. I will definitely try to keep that info in mind when it comes time for me to have surgery and I"m hitting that 3 week mark. Also a good reminder not to rely solely on the scale when measuring progress, it's not always an accurate representation. Thanks!

Sounds like you are prepared and well on your way! You might give your billing specialist a ring and see what he/she thinks will be likely as far as approval and how long that might take to give you a better idea of when you might have a chance to get scheduled. Also, someone at the office should be able to tell you approximately (assuming no complications) how long it usually takes to be cleared for full activity. Once you start putting those pieces of the puzzle together, you should be able to make a well-educated decision on whether you should keep your vacation scheduled. I imagine unless your insurance takes forever, you'll be a-ok. Best of luck! dd

Based on the posts I've read so far, it seems like day 6-ish is when people start to feel human again and stop feeling so hammered by the shock and awe of the whole thing... Hang in there! Hope it gets easier! dd

I have chosen to tell the people that are close to me, including my work group (who are super supportive people in general, and I work in Public Health, so it was pretty easy). I have a friend who had LapBand about a decade ago, and she only told a very very few people. She chose to explain her weight loss as portion control, which most people accepted. She has noticed that some people have treated her differently as she lost weight, and she's glad that she did not tell those people about the surgery, because she believes those are the people that would have reacted negatively toward her. If you feel like you need to explain the surgery itself (and remember, it's really no one's business what your medical treatments and decisions are, so you are under no obligation to explain it to anyone unless you feel comfortable doing so), you could call it a treatment for diabetes, or partial gastrectomies are done in severe cases of ulcers and acid problems if the stomach tissue is damaged. Best of luck! dd

I was there nearly 10 years ago. It's totally normal. For me, however, I was signed up for gastric bypass at an army hospital. I went through all the requirements, and decided I was uncomfortable with the surgeon and the facility and the procedure was too much change to my body and ultimately decided not to do it. I was in my mid twenties. I know now that at that time, I wasn't ready to make the changes that would have been required. I'm really glad I made the decision to step back at the time, because I believe I would not have taken it seriously enough to make it a life change, and I now have the option of the sleeve which I am MUCH more comfortable with than bypass. I'm now 36 and I know the difference between being ready and not. This time I went through all of the requirements that I had control over and didn't have to wait on someone else to schedule or submit within 7 days of calling for my first consultation appointment (I'm self-pay, so that's easier than if you have to wait on insurance...) No one can make the decision of whether or not you are ready but you, but either way, a certain amount of questioning is completely normal and appropriate. This is an enormous life change. There will be a lot of emotion that comes with it. My nerves this time are more like excitement butterflies, like what I feel the first time I am about to start a race on a course I've never been on before or step up to a longer distance (can I really do this?), where last time, it was an underlying knowledge that I wasn't ready for the change. If you need help sorting out what you're feeling, I would seriously consider consulting a therapist a couple times to talk through it. A therapist is unlikely to tell you whether you are ready or not to commit to the work and changes that will be required, but they'll be able to help you examine what you're feeling and what it might mean. Rest assured, what you're feeling is totally appropriate. I would be more worried about it if you weren't at least a little nervous about the changes that are coming. And don't forget, you have time. You can try a diet while you wait for approval and you could delay your surgery for a little while to give yourself a little more time to figure it out. Best of luck as you consider the right thing for you, dd

Best of luck to you on whichever procedure you choose. I had the choice of 4 options (band, plication, sleeve and bypass) My insurance would have covered either the band or the bypass, I would have had to pay out of pocket for plication $14000 or sleeve $20000. I did not choose the band because the success and rate of loss were only a little higher than 1/2 as good as the bypass or sleeve based on a meta analysis I located on PubMed. Also, I wasn't too excited about having a medical device implanted and the risk for slippage, herniation, etc. I did not choose bypass because of the rerouting of the digestive system and the skipping of a section of the system and the high risk of nutritional deficiencies in the future (and let's not forget everyone's favorite "dumping syndrome"). Then there is the increased rate of complication. (My surgeon validated my concern and said that she felt that because some complications happen so long after the bypass is done, that the patient doesn't go back to the original surgeon so the complication may not get reported as such. It was really just more than I was prepared to allow. Based on the same PubMed abstract, it was only slightly more successful than the sleeve. I did choose the sleeve because it had a success/loss rate near the bypass, and the complication risk is lower. I'm more comfortable with having a section of my stomach removed than the other options. Also, there is the added benefit of the removal of the portion of the stomach that produces grehlin (hunger hormone, if you haven't gotten that far in your research). My surgeon validated my choice and said that if she had to have it done herself, she would pick the sleeve. Plication is still in the study stage ad my clinic. I'm just not comfortable with that... I felt strongly enough about choosing the sleeve over the other two common options that I was willing to pay $20k over having my insurance pay 100% of the cost of either band or bypass (I have double coverage...). As far as your timeline goes, do you know what your insurance is going to require you to do to qualify? Both companies I have required a 6 month medically supervised diet. In their terms, that didn't mean Weight Watchers, or multiple appointments to discuss weight management with my primary, or anything that made any modicum of sense. They wanted me to go to a doctor/nutritionist/whatever of their choosing for 6 months starting at the time the request was submitted (no credit for "time served"!). That played into my decision to pay out of pocket as well. I've made my decision, I'm not willing to fiddle-fart around for another 6 months to make my insurance company happy. Sorry, digressed a bit there... Anyway, if you have to do a 3, 6, or 12 month additional diet, Hawaii may be tough. Although, dieting in HI is pretty dang easy. There are grilled fish choices literally everywhere and it's super easy to be active. From what I've read so far, you probably won't be cleared for activity much more strenuous than walking for about 2 months, and it might take 6 weeks (I think that's what I read???) for your largest incision to fully heal. Hope this helps. (Full disclosure: I'm pre sleeve, but my research is pretty fresh in my mind...) Best of luck to you on your surgery and your new life!!! dd