RNBSN786

I am blessed and grateful to God that I had to only pay $300 as my copay for my surgery. And everything else was covered. Kudos to those who had to pay out of pocket or a big chunk of it. I can't complain but be gracious and thankful for what I have. God is great!

I am not sure if it's addiction but I prefer everything unsweetened. Even at Starbucks I get passion tea unsweetened...I don't have the desire for sugar nor salt. I didn't like salty things before surgery and now I don't have the tolerance either. I like every that is also low salt....

I had my surgery on march 31...I had lost 10 pounds in my 10 day liquid diet before surgery and I have lost another 21 pounds since my surgery. I started at 210 and now I am 179 plus my height is 5 feet. I want to be down to 110-120. Am thinking it would take a good year to reach my goal and I am excited to be going down this journey. Plus I am eating better, no more health issues and I am much more energetic than I was before. So this works and it will keep working. God bless us all with strength to reach our goals so we can live a healthy life.

It seems like we are on the same period schedule...I have mine also. But yes proteins is the key to weight loss which I struggle with. Hard to get it all in one day. I think I am going to have to drink more protein shakes through out the day.

Kim you also have the flex? I won't wear it in the shower for sure and not sure about swimming. But am worries if I am washing my hands and if the water splashes on the flex...I think I am going to invest my money and get it. Cause I walk a lot...esp out here in NYC area and I don't own a car. So this will at least give me and idea about my steps plus I want to start hitting the gym in June. Thnks for the info!

I really want to get a fitbit. Been looking on amazon and I don't know which one to get. The flex got so so reviews vs. One and zip. Anyone have those? Which one do you recommend? Please let me know. Thnks

Yes yes I felt the same way as you and many others have also. So don't get down and feel upset. It's called buyers remorse and most us go through this. Just think how much better you are feeling and will keep getting better with your weight loss. No more dm2, high bp, or other health issues. With time you will feel better and be able to eat soft foods and eventually regular foods and have small portions and with the results you will feel even better. So hang in there and let your body heal. You did the right thing. Good luck and hang in there!

I am sorry to hear you have gastroparesis...I just read about it and it seems like there is no cure but to change the diet. Thank God you did reach your goals and it's ok if you can't eat some things but as long as you are taking your vitamins and meeting your goals by having other types of foods, that's what matters.

I had my surgery on march 31, I lost 10 pounds before the surgery and after surgery I lost 20 pounds. I was 210 and now I am 180. My clothes are fitting much better and clothes that I have not worn in yrs fit nicely. So losing inches also make a big difference. Everyone's journey is different. Some people lose it fast and some lose it slow. I don't compare myself to anyone except for myself. People are right in this forum we need to eat more proteins and exercise. I struggle with my protein intake cause a lot of times I am not hungry but more thirsty and I walk but have not done anything rigorous. My goals are to reach my protein intake daily and to hit the gym in June which will bring me 2 months post op. So see what you are doing in your daily diet and see where you need to tweak it to reach your goals. Best of luck!

I love edamame...going to have to get bag of it and steam them. Glad we can have them...

I can tolerate nuts, tilapia, and salmon. Have not tried anything else. What surgery did you have?

Love for food will not change but the hunger will and you will have more control over it. Actually your taste buds will also change. For example, I had a teaspoon of ice cream and I didn't like the taste cause it was too sweet for me. And I still prefer my sugar free Popsicles. Would I have ice cream again? Sure, probably the sugar free or might have it in low sugar. I even tried a thin crust slice of veggie pizza today which took me an hr to finish and I didn't have the end crust and I was satisfied. Would I want another slice? Maybe but def not for a while. And I am 5.5 weeks out and had a gastric bypass. So for my cravings I do taste things but I don't like them as much as I did before surgery. Even with milk, I used to love drinking it before surgery, I would have 1-2% and I tried that's after my surgery as well as skim and I still can not get used to it so I switched to almond milk. So this surgery really helps you stay focused and yes you can try all your fav stuff again but might not like it anymore like you used to before surgery. Good luck and this is the right thing you are doing for yourself and your health!

I am and have been open about my gastric bypass surgery to people. For me it's important to educate people on how hard it is for a lot of us to lose weight and we have tried many many many times and it has not worked. And what we are doing is taking care of our health issues and not just weight loss. As I tell people I rather take lots of vitamins vs taking meds for bp, dm2, pcos, etc etc...and I have gotten a lot of support from family, friends, colleagues etc. Plus I work in the medical field so I want to also teach my patients to be healthier, just like what I have done for myself. Also WLS is not a quick weight loss, it's a tool to help us get to our goals which a lot of people don't understand. So why not teach them? And the reason why insurances cover the WLS because they don't want to pay for long term health issues like kidney failure, cardiac issues, liver problems, etc. So best for insurances to pay now vs a ton of money later. I was not ashamed of my weight before nor am I now but I did go through this surgery for myself so I am accountable for my intake, I don't have to worry about health issues anymore, and I can feel sexy again. And I am very proud of the steps I have taken and the changes that are happening in my life for the positive...At least that's my take on it...

Well said and I agree with you 100%.

Initially I wanted sleeve myself and the first few visits my surgeon and I decided on that. Later I did my own research and again had conversations with my surgeon and what he has seen in his experience. He is well known surgeon in NYC and all around the world and I trusted his opinion and he said with my weight which was 210 before surgery with high bp, dm2, cholesterol, pcos, gerd, sleep apnea that I should go for bypass. He did say there has been a lot of success with sleeve but whatever I want he will do. I wanted to get the max benefit out of my insurance and wanted to do this one time only so I moved forward with bypass. After almost 5 weeks I am down to 184 and have no more health issues. I still take protonix which we have to for 6 months to avoid ulcers. Do I regret it? I did the first few weeks but I am now very happy with my decision now. Also I felt sleeve is a new thing vs bypass. But everyone makes a decision on what works best for them. I am sure it will be the right decision for you and your body. Good luck!

I will be there can't wait to meet everyone. So happy to see that there is a lot of local support!

Congratulations...Yayyy

You look awesome. Congrats and good job. Very inspirational

What kind of fish do your recommend?

See that's the thing everyone has a different experience either we like it or not...i was prepared for a 2 week turn around but that doesn't happen for everyone. Even my surgeon said it's best to take a month and luckily I am in between jobs where I have something part time and not have to worry about being at a job full time. But not everyone can do that...so it varies from person to person and situation to situation. I did have dumping 2 times where I drank my skim milk with my Protein powder and I drank it too fast and second time was that I had my yogurt and I ate it down fast. Luckily I am not lactose intolerant so far but that can also change later on. The other thing I struggle with is eating really slow...living in NYC area, everything is done in a hurry including your meals. Before surgery I would have my meals fast so I can get back to work or I can do other things. At times I even would eat my dinner standing in the kitchen so I can go do other things. So now I have to really take the time to eat my meals....slow and chew a millions times and also now I do sit down. I am not eating more than 500 calories a day but def load up on my Vitamins. Just be prepared for everything.

I live in NYC area and the culture in here is that people eat out 99% of the time. It's a social thing plus convenience and if you work crazy hrs you don't much time to cook. I just bought myself the griddler by cuisine art to make kebabs or burgers or grill everything and anything. But also this past week I was out a lot and I ended up ordering small soups and are half and brought it home. I even had chipotle but just the salad with proteins and I still was not able to eat the salad but had the meat and beans and that whole tray of salad lasted me for 4 meals. Before surgery I would eat the whole salad in a sitting. I am not much worried about eating out cause I can always get eggs or just a piece of chicken or fish and eat that. I love sashimi without the rice so I am looking forward of trying that out. And also am glad that I can order app size meals and be full. But any advice you guys have about eating out let me know. Thnks in advance!

I had my surgery on March 31st and was in the hospital until April 3. The first night after surgery was terrible. I was feeling nauseous and felt like I was going to throw up. The following day of my surgery I couldn't have anything to drink..nothing. The following day which was Wednesday they took the tube out of my nose, had me drink some nasty stuff to see if there is any leakage. Which gave me diarrhea which also helped me pass gas. I was on liquids but couldn't get anything down my throat. I was on pain meds and have to keep using the device they gave me for it. Thursday I was discharge and was so glad to be out of the hospital. Now I am 4 weeks ago and today is the first day I am back to work. I still have pain internally but minimal due to the stitches...since the last week I have been feeling much better but I still feel something internally. I still struggle with my energy and my appetite. I definitely had buyers remorse the first week or so but now I am glad I went through this. I have lost 25 pounds since I started my preop liquid diet. I thought this wouldn't be so hard but I am wrong...it will get easier in time and I keep reminding myself that I am not the same person as I was before surgery. I take my Vitamins through out the day and I am glad I don't have to take anything for diabetes, high blood pressure, etc etc...I still have to take protonix which my surgeon said I need to take it for 6 months so I don't get any ulcers... Everyone has a different experiences and heals differently. My surgeon says it would take 6-8 weeks to feel "normal" again and probably 6 months to get my energy back to being "normal." Everyone goes through it differently. I am still glad I went through it cause I definitely do not want to have health issues in the long run. I don't have sleep apnea, no more diabetes or high bp or GERD and yes I miss some foods but I know I can eat them in moderation later on to satisfy my cravings. I think you are moving in the right direction and will go through the same feelings like most of us. If there are any questions I can answer for you, please do not hesitate to contact me. Wish you all the best.

That's awesome you have started to exercise already. How long did you wait before you started to work out? I have been walking a lot but still I am tired during the day and I need more rest than I needed before my surgery. What stage are you in at this time? Does your appetite fluctuate?

I just past my 3 weeks and now into my 4th week. I was on 10 day liquid diet, 10 day puréed diet and now into soft foods. My appetite is up and down. There are days I don't want to eat and I am not hungry and thee have been few days including today where I am hungry and want to eat more than usual. You are right it will take a good time to get used to the whole thing about being tired. I am scheduled to see my surgeon middle of May and the NP I saw 10 days after my surgery said that it will take sometime to get used to the new stomach and that if I have to stay on puréed diet longer than I should continue...when so you start your puréed diet? How do you feel so far? I am sorry to see you going through all this but I know you will bounce back pretty quickly. Praying for your recovery.

Nut = nutritionist...no worries I didn't know it either and figured it out.