JanetteH

You're absolutely right, Writerjennifer. I never thought that people might puree everything to together - yuch! I bought a recipe book (recommended by my nutritionist) "How to eat well after weight loss surgery" and all the recipes are for Protein and some kind of sauce with vegetables pureed separately etc. They're all very tasty and puree well - the book tells you how much you can eat at each stage and for each procedure. My family could eat the same as me (just not pureed) so that was convenient too. I admit that after a month I was happy to eat something other than pureed food, but it was not a difficult or disgusting phase - in fact some of the recipes have become family favorites - not pureed : ) - even now that I'm 3 months out.

I disagree with Cupcake and Marathon girl - sorry : ) The effects of surgery are different for all of us - I had crazy, almost painful hunger pangs for the first 2 weeks - and it definitely was NOT head hunger. My doc told me that although they know the physiological effects on the body, they still don't know the effects of WLS on the brain and everyone is different. My brain thought I was starving although some people are not hungry at all. I'm afraid I just had to tolerate it until it went away - I wished I had not had the surgery because of it! Hang in there BariatricCeliac - it does get better. For me, the difference started after around 2 weeks and by one month, the hunger had pretty much gone away. I'm 12 weeks out now and hunger is no longer a problem - just the head hunger or cravings we all get now and then : )

I don't have this as an app on my phone.
I can add the picture now, but it's upside down. I can't get it to rotate and save. Sorry. The picture is me with my shirt tucked in! First time in years!

Congratulations Erin! You look fabulous - so smart to get the surgery when you're young - you have the whole of the rest of your life to enjoy being "skinny" I haven't reached my goal weight but I'm holding steady at about 20 lbs over (lost 105lbs) - not bad for a grandma.

Hi Erin
So glad to hear you're feeling better - that was not a good way to get down to your goal weight
I have been so fortunate in that I haven't had any problems so far - I will take your description of the symptoms very seriously just in case something like that happens to me. Thanks for posting.
I can't believe the emergency room doctors let it go so long until things became life threatening. Horrible!
Anyway, glad it's all in the past - enjoy your cruise - you deserve it so much.
Janette

I really hope everyone is doing well!! Can you believe it's been over a year??? Omg!!! Here's how things are going for me...down 135lbs, still not all the way to my goal but proud of how far I've come. About 10 more pounds to go...seem to be at quite a standstill though! I survived my 1st vacation since the surgery, and didn't gain any! I've gone from a size 18/20 to a 4/6. My moods have stabilized and my hubby had the surgery in December! Our lifestyle is so much healthier!!
Love to all!! Hope life is finding you all healthy and happy!

Hey Layknee - just think about where you're posting this comment We're all so positive and talking about our NSV's; how wonderful we feel about ourselves after surgery etc. Why would you not want that for your friend too?

Hey Layknee - just think about where you're posting this comment We're all so positive and talking about our NSV's; how wonderful we feel about ourselves after surgery etc. Why would you not want that for your friend too?

Hey Layknee - just think about where you're posting this comment We're all so positive and talking about our NSV's; how wonderful we feel about ourselves after surgery etc. Why would you not want that for your friend too?

Deanna, so sorry you had a "brown out" - I've never heard of that but it doesn't sound like fun. Feel better and drink your Water
Claire, how are you feeling? I'm really concerned that you're either doing too much and getting run down or that there's something more serious with your hormones /electrolytes /iron /other blood work. I asked around and didn't find anyone else feeling that poorly after a year. Hope Hawaii really helped (silly me, how could Hawaii not help). Make sure Allan spoils you (even more than usual) and let us know what the doc says. As far as the food is concerned - my advice is order what you want - even if it's a main course and way too much food. You're worth it! You can always adopt the American "doggy-bag" trick. I order whatever I want and then just take the rest home (one of us has it for a lunch the next day).

Just checked out a BMI scale - I've gone down from "Super Obese" to "Morbidly Obese" and now I'm just "Obese" - can't wait to be "Overweight" and then "Normal"!

I can now walk down an commercial airplane aisle without turning sideways.....
I'm flying for the first time in September - can't wait to see if I can walk down the aisle that way too - and if I can do without the dreaded extension!

Congrats, Ginger Snaps - that's a great NSV.
I was at a conference at our local university last weekend - it was spread out all over the campus and I could walk between the buildings with no problems. Also fit into those little chairs with the fold down desk in the lecture halls

Hi everyone,
Glad everyone did so well - I too had a successful "first" Thanksgiving. I use MyFitnessPal to track my food and I actually ate LESS than usual - dinner at 3pm and just a half sandwich for supper. We were out of town so I exercised all 3 days - the hotel had an exercise room and a pool which I used Thursday & Friday; went for a 3 mile walk with my hubby on Saturday. I've been on a plateau for a month and then I lost 2 lbs over Thanksgiving!! LOL
My husband asked me if I missed being able to eat all the food I used to, and I realized I could honestly say "no" - I tasted everything I wanted to and just stopped when I was full. I always enjoyed healthy food - just ate way too much - so this quantity limitation is the answer to my prayers. I'm not mourning the loss of food at all. In fact, now my diabetes is resolved, I allow myself tastes of things that were taboo before.
Let's keep it up over the Christmas season!

Before and current pictures

Decided it was time to clean out the closet, all my clothes had started to drown me and I was putting off replacing items for as long as I could. Well now I'm within 38 lb of my goal weight I decided it was time to shop. OMG I am now in a PXL and some of the tops I bought were a Large. I've not been able to wear these size's since I was a teen. My hubby has also lost 85 lb and we had to replace his clothes to, he's gone from a 44 to a 32/34 waist and a 3XLT to a M to L top. I am currently wearing a size 10 Jean haven't done this since I was 18. We took 15 bags of clothes to the good will store as every item we had was way to big.

I agree with Terry - just do what your doctor tells you to do. We all see such variation in diets on this website - it gets confusing. I was way more restricted than some other people - but I just complied with my own Doc/NUT and I've been successful.
Interesting tip about alcohol - I've heard about the addiction transfer too! I'd like to become addicted to exercise instead

Hi all,
Here are my most recent before and after pics. This is at my 6 month mark prior to my follow up with my surgeon.

Just got this article from a friend in the medical field. Apparently we won't just be thinner, we'll also be smarter Does that count as an NSV for all of us?
Brain Benefits From Weight Loss Following Bariatric Surgery
Wed, 08/27/2014 - 10:31am; JCEM
Weight loss surgery can curb alterations in brain activity associated with obesity and improve cognitive function involved in planning, strategizing and organizing, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Obesity can tax the brain as well as other organs. Obese individuals face a 35 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to normal weight people.
Bariatric surgery is used to help people who are dangerously obese lose weight. Bariatric surgery procedures are designed to restrict the amount of food you can eat before you feel full by reducing the stomach's size or limit the absorption of nutrients by removing part of the small intestine from the path food takes through the digestive tract. Some procedures, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYBG) surgery, use a combination of these methods. This study was the first to assess brain activity in women before and after bariatric surgery.
"When we studied obese women prior to bariatric surgery, we found some areas of their brains metabolized sugars at a higher rate than normal weight women," said one of the study's authors, Cintia Cercato, MD, PhD, of the University of São Paolo in São Paolo, Brazil. "In particular, obesity led to altered activity in a part of the brain linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease – the posterior cingulate gyrus. Since bariatric surgery reversed this activity, we suspect the procedure may contribute to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia."
The longitudinal study examined the effect of RYBG surgery on the brain function of 17 obese women. Researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) scans and neuropsychological tests to assess brain function and activity in the participants prior to surgery and six months after the procedure. The same tests also were run once on a control group of 16 lean women.
Before they underwent surgery, the obese women had higher rates of metabolism in certain areas of the brain, including the posterior cingulate gyrus. Following surgery, there was no evidence of this exacerbated brain activity. Their brain metabolism rates were comparable to the activity seen in normal weight women.
After surgery, the obese women also performed better on a test measuring executive function – the brain's ability to connect past experience and present action – than they did before the procedures. Executive function is used in planning, organizing and strategizing. Five other neuropsychological tests measuring various aspects of memory and cognitive function showed no change following the surgery.
"Our findings suggest the brain is another organ that benefits from weight loss induced by surgery," Cercato said. "The increased brain activity the obese women exhibited before undergoing surgery did not result in improved cognitive performance, which suggests obesity may force the brain to work harder to achieve the same level of cognition."

Isn't it amazing! I tried to lift a 60 lb bag of charcoal into my car - thought it was too heavy and asked my husband to help me. I used to carry 66 lbs more around with me all the time Congratulations Ginger Snaps - keep it up!

Just got this article from a friend in the medical field. Apparently we won't just be thinner, we'll also be smarter Does that count as an NSV for all of us?
Brain Benefits From Weight Loss Following Bariatric Surgery
Wed, 08/27/2014 - 10:31am; JCEM
Weight loss surgery can curb alterations in brain activity associated with obesity and improve cognitive function involved in planning, strategizing and organizing, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Obesity can tax the brain as well as other organs. Obese individuals face a 35 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to normal weight people.
Bariatric surgery is used to help people who are dangerously obese lose weight. Bariatric surgery procedures are designed to restrict the amount of food you can eat before you feel full by reducing the stomach's size or limit the absorption of nutrients by removing part of the small intestine from the path food takes through the digestive tract. Some procedures, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYBG) surgery, use a combination of these methods. This study was the first to assess brain activity in women before and after bariatric surgery.
"When we studied obese women prior to bariatric surgery, we found some areas of their brains metabolized sugars at a higher rate than normal weight women," said one of the study's authors, Cintia Cercato, MD, PhD, of the University of São Paolo in São Paolo, Brazil. "In particular, obesity led to altered activity in a part of the brain linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease – the posterior cingulate gyrus. Since bariatric surgery reversed this activity, we suspect the procedure may contribute to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia."
The longitudinal study examined the effect of RYBG surgery on the brain function of 17 obese women. Researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) scans and neuropsychological tests to assess brain function and activity in the participants prior to surgery and six months after the procedure. The same tests also were run once on a control group of 16 lean women.
Before they underwent surgery, the obese women had higher rates of metabolism in certain areas of the brain, including the posterior cingulate gyrus. Following surgery, there was no evidence of this exacerbated brain activity. Their brain metabolism rates were comparable to the activity seen in normal weight women.
After surgery, the obese women also performed better on a test measuring executive function – the brain's ability to connect past experience and present action – than they did before the procedures. Executive function is used in planning, organizing and strategizing. Five other neuropsychological tests measuring various aspects of memory and cognitive function showed no change following the surgery.
"Our findings suggest the brain is another organ that benefits from weight loss induced by surgery," Cercato said. "The increased brain activity the obese women exhibited before undergoing surgery did not result in improved cognitive performance, which suggests obesity may force the brain to work harder to achieve the same level of cognition."

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I finally broke this stall I weighed in yesterday (on home scale) and I am 331.2lbs...yaay. My next doctor's appt is on August 27th so I will find out for sure what my exact weight is, so hopefully I can lose at least 1.2lbs by then...lol

You've heard the saying "I'm not overweight, I'm under-tall"? Have you also noticed that there's a banner advertising limb-lengthening surgery at the top of this site
Just did my weekly weigh-in and I lost 4 lbs this week!! I guess we expect fluctuations - I've only been losing 1lb a week for several weeks so this was a big surprise. I'm so encouraged that I will get to ONEderland soon. Didn't tell my mother or brother in Scotland about WLS (my brother is also obese, has diabetes etc) - wonder what she'll say when their not so obese daughter steps off the plane.

Hi Delillieflower - I empathize - I stalled for 4 weeks once so I know how discouraging it is. Don't worry, this will come to an end and you'll start losing again (as long as you stay motivated and don't start eating all the wrong things). If you're being really strict about what you eat, try adding a little good fats for 2 days - olive oil or avocado - that's what my nut. told me to do. If you're NOT being very strict, try tracking what you eat (I like MyFitnessPal because it already has the nutrition for thousands of foods) and increasing your physical activity. Change of some sort or another seems to help snap our bodies out of "starvation mode".
On the other hand, you've lost 94 lbs in 6months (I've only lost 76 lbs) so you're doing great! Don't get discouraged - you'll be losing again soon. Don't set your heights/expectations too high - we all lose at different speeds. I had hoped to be down to 200 by now and it hasn't happened - that's OK, the scale is still moving in the right direction, SLOWLY Stay positive!

Congrats, Ginger Snaps - that's a great NSV.
I was at a conference at our local university last weekend - it was spread out all over the campus and I could walk between the buildings with no problems. Also fit into those little chairs with the fold down desk in the lecture halls