VSGAnn2014

I swear to God! Sometimes I think NUTs are f**king idiots. After my experiences with a couple of NUTs and after reading so much off-kilter NUT advice for WLS patients on these boards, I have come to regard them as the dumb blonde Barbies and Kens of the medical field. shakes are "artificial protein"? 36 pounds isn't enough weight loss in 2.5 months post-op? What crap. P.S. The above rant comes with my usual caveat that, yes, some of your NUTs are wonderful. Congratulations, but I don't think they're typical of most NUTs who advise WLS patients.

Yes, an acidy stomach DOES mimic the feeling of hunger -- even without any reflux symptoms. I know. One winter I gained 25 pounds, in part because I got out of the habit of taking my antacid (Ranitidine). Those feelings of hunger were especially tough at night, which is when I ate 25 extra pounds of calories. BTW, it doesn't take a lot of overeating to gain 25 pounds. Just 500 extra calories per night of whatever (even "healthy" food) will add a pound a week to an already overweight ass -- especially one that's not moving much. 500 calories is roughly a cup of full-fat ice cream; a cheese/meat/mayo sandwich; a second serving of most dinner leftovers; half a tube of Pringles, etc.

In the meantime, in your shoes I'd keep a detailed food diary of everything you eat and drink (and how much -- measure, don't estimate, if you need to do that) -- so that you and the NUT both know exactly what and how much you're eating. And don't forget the bites between meals. BTW, at 2.5 months post-op I'd lost 26 pounds. I don't think you're doing so bad. Good luck!

Macaroni Pasta with a bechamel based cheese sauce. Often then baked with bread crumbs and more cheese on top That would be lovely, but in the States "mac and cheese" usually means this:

Yes, it's possible. I've told my husband and two close friends. The only other people who know are my doctors and their staffs. My highest weight was 235 pounds. I slowly lost nearly 20 pounds before surgery. I had VSG surgery 18 months ago. Since then I've lost another 80 pounds. My surgery day weight was 216 pounds. In the next 8.5 months I lost 66 pounds and reached my goal of 150 pounds. In the last 11.5 months I've very slowly lost another 15 pounds and am now maintaining at 135 pounds. In all that time I've described for those who ask how differently I eat now (more Protein, more healthy veggies, fewer simple carbs -- and eat much more slowly) and how much more active I am, how much help my shrink has been -- all true. But I don't mention WLS. No one else has ever brought up WLS either. So, yes, it's possible.

As others have said, weight loss rates vary so much -- for so many reasons. For the record, my first 4 months post-op I lost: Month 1 - 10.4 pounds Month 2 - 11.8 pounds Month 3 - 9.2 pounds Month 4 - 10.4 pounds I agree that 60 grams of Protein is low. That was my surgeon's minimum requirement during Month 1. But when I read that someone is "sticking to pretty healthy diet" I have no idea what they're really eating.

A bagel has WAY more empty calories and carbs than thin crust pizza dough. If you're going to fornicate with slider foods, you should learn more about them.

When I first ate pizza, I also ate only the toppings (meat lovers). Protein is protein -- even if comes on the top of a pizza. However, if pizza is a trigger food ... well, only you know how vulnerable you might be in that situation this early on in your weight loss phases.

No drain.

Nope, that's probably not what happened. You are still expecting your body to operate like your car does when you drive it -- and you see the gasoline gauge needle move steadily downward during a few hours as you drive. But our bodies don't lose weight in that kind of linear, steady, fast way. They lose weight in jagged, start-stop-(even gain) movements. Bet you never saw your gas gauge move back up 3/4 full after it was at 1/2 full. Weirdly, our bodies hold on to "weight" (meaning mostly water) thanks to monthly cycles, sodium content, constipation, how much we're working out (more gym work certainly makes the scales stall or even rise) or who knows why. And then suddenly it drops weight in response to nothing we ate or drank or did yesterday. That's why you literally need to ignore the scales and focus SOLELY on what you are doing. Who knows -- perhaps if you'd eaten better on the trip, worked out more, not drunk so much alcohol you'd have lost 5-7 pounds. Seriously -- do not expect that what you did yesterday or this week will show up on the scale tomorrow or next week. But you will certainly see results on a month-by-month basis. This is how weight loss happens for most WLS patients. Your body is not the only "crazy" one.

Before this thread I never heard of hemachromatosis. So much stuff I don't know!

@@dapplepie26 ... lol .... I was also 206 on surgery day. During Month 1 pre-op I lost 10.4 pounds. Congratulations. You're already ahead of where I was. BTW, I now weigh 135 pounds.

That's a lot of judgment passed on people who are judging. The reasons often cited for WLS patients initially having that reaction to seeing others who are morbidly obese is that they're fearful (terrified, actually) of regaining their weight and returning to the hell on earth that their own obesity felt like for them. Experiencing weight loss surgery from pre-op to maintenance years later is full of a lot of changes in attitudes, opinions, perspectives, etc. I expect your surgery buddy (and you) will go through many such changes. For example, just five minutes ago I said to my husband, "It's so weird! When I first weighed 135 pounds (having lost 100 pounds) I thought I looked anorexic. Now (many months later) I don't think that at all -- now, I just look normal." Lotsa attitudinal changes on this journey. Lotsa changes! I don't know if they will ever end.

Some people really are snowflakes. And maybe you don't have that hemawhatsis either. Further tests may reveal it's nada. But even if you do have it, aren't you glad you found out now? Your pal, Pollyanna

Jeez, @@Bufflehead ! That's the same conversation I have with my shrink. Constantly! Thank you. Very well said!

I was also a too-fast eater pre-op. I used the following new behaviors to learn to eat more slowly. Now (18 months post-op), I eat SO much more slowly than I did pre-op. Chewing more and eating more slowly satisfies me so much more and allows me to taste and enjoy food more than I used to. * Count my chews -- 20-30 times. * Put fork down between bites. * Eat on smaller plates. * Use smaller forks and spoons. * Breathe deeply and relax before and while eating. * Focus on the food and its tastes, smells, and textures. Honestly, doing these things makes your food so much more interesting. You can do this. Good luck.

I suspect that my own issues with weight, weight loss, weight maintenance, exercise, etc. are not universal experiences for everyone who deals with obesity-related challenges. It's important we each learn what our own issues are. And that we find and employ constructive ways to address and resolve our issues. Congrats to everyone who's been able to do this. Best wishes to all who are working in this direction.

If you can't live without bread and wine, I think you should have both now. But have no more than three bottles of wine at a time. And no more than a pound of wine -- preferably something soft like an aged brie. Your newly traumatized stomach will love it. Or try this: What does YOUR surgeon say? There are so many different versions of surgeon instructions re alcohol post-op that we have wars about the subject here at BP. Search for the alcohol threads. You'll be entertained for weeks.

Bull f**king s**t. He just told you what HIS experience was. That is all. It makes me nuts when someone on a WLS board assumes their experience is a universal experience and then broadcasts "their truth" to everyone in the world. This is NOT a universal experience. Sheesh!

Oh, girl ... use the butt falsies. They are amazing!

When I brought up WLS to my doctor 3 years ago (after he had seen me lose and regain 45 pounds on a medically supervised diet overseen by his medical practice) he said, "I'll support you in anything you want to do. But I would strongly urge you to find a good therapist and try to understand why you are unable to care for yourself. You have lost weight many times. You've proven that. But you can't maintain the weight. I think you need to understand why you take better care of everyone else than yourself." It's one of the best things he could have ever said. I did (eventually) find a good therapist who has been great. I have (finally) understood that living healthy (including living healthy after WLS) is purely about your self-care abilities. In my case, everyone else and their needs were more urgent to me than my own. I have gradually made myself #1. No one else notices. But that change has made all the difference to me. Later on (still pre-op), I asked my PCP what was his experience with WLS. He said, "About 50-50. Some do well, some don't." And that's what all the research about WLS says -- 50% success rates. I know you don't think this, but let me just underscore that the WLS surgery alone is not the panacea some think it is. To make WLS work well for you it requires a lot of mental switches. It requires a lot of discipline. It requires a lot of humility. It requires a lot of head-shrinking -- whether done on your own or with a therapist or a smart doctor or whoever works for you. It's probable your PCP did not say what he/she said just to be a pain in the butt. Sounds like he/she has seen a lot of people not be successful long-term with WLS. There's much to be learned from negative modeling -- who failed and why did they fail and how can I not do the things they did (or fail to the things they failed to do) that will lead me to that same kind of failure? This journey is not about being "right" all the time, but about learning continuously what will lead you to a better destination than you've arrived at in the past. So keep learning!

LOL! Oh, lardy!

Perfection! Thank you!

I'm 18 months post-op (today). I've lost 100 pounds and am maintaining at 135 pounds. Everything @@Djmohr and @@stacyrg1 said (above) is true for me, too. "Obsessive"? I dunno. Mindful? Always. Disciplined? Pretty much. Plan my food and track it? Most of the time.

Screaming laughing here! Just saw a TV ad for the latest dating site, although I'm not sure how much actual dating is involved: www.cougarlife.com "Meet Divorcees, Single Moms and Sexy singles looking for a young Stud! Start searching right now! - It's easy" BTW, the splash page urges visitors to see the commericial. It seems neither cougars nor their studs can spell or punctuate.