Elizabeth21

No, it's not so simple.I read somewhere recently that there's evidence that once a body has become obese, it will fight like hell to maintain that weight. Makes sense really as our ancestors grew up in times of feast and famine. Rings true for me having lost the same 60 pounds several times over but never being able to maintain it for more than 6 months. And you're right. Speaking as someone a few years older, I was a pretty healthy fat person in my 30's, but once you hit 40... OMG does the extra weight take its toll! High bp, uncontrolled on 3 meds, high cholesterol, a family trait, breathing issues, pain all over. NOT a good time. ALL of that GONE now with no meds! Then there was the memory of losing my dad to morbid obesity (yep, that was COD on the certificate) when he was 52. This. Disease. Kills. WLS is a way out for some. I'd not call having 80%-90% of one's stomach surgically removed, committing to a lifetime of Protein and Vitamin supplements, losing hair, barfing as you learn where your limits are and committing to exercise should be EASY, but who am I to judge? It sure was WORTH IT!

I have a question. What if it WAS the easy way out? It isn't but what if it was? WHO CARES. What does he want you to carry a wooden cross across the public square and pay penance for you sin of being overweight? Give me an effing break. This whole notion that fat people are some sort of moral failures is so messed up. If there WAS an overnight pancea that required no surgery and no work on my part, I'd probably use that too. Why is MY BODY someone elses example for moral failing. Your health issues and decisions are none of anyone's freaking business. I think that's why people love that Biggest Loser show. they just love watching us cry, and puke, and basically get whipped and humiliated in public for just existing in these bodies. It makes me very mad.

My 19 year old son sent me this text this morning. Support is critical in this journey. Feeling blessed.

@@*Lexie*
Excellent information. Thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing this article.. I was not very strict with taking my Vitamins and drinking Water, this has made me rethink on my bad habits and forced me to readjust and to correct my wrongs.
Again, thank you xox

I was a little weary about buying Vitamins from my bariatric center. Like wannaBthinsoon mentioned, I thought they were just trying to make more money off of me. After I did some research and experienced some trial and error with other brands, I decided to give their Vitamin a try. I'm glad I did because I feel great now and my blood work is in a healthy range at five months post op. Also, I haven't had any hair loss.
The Vitamin is a one a day capsule or chewable formulated by the University of Missouri Bariatric center. One capsule contains all the required supplement needs for sleeve, gastric bypass, and duodenal switch patients. It also has added nutrients like Biotin to prevent Hair loss. It's called "Bariatric One-a-Day" and you can find it at
www.procarenow.com. A 90 day supply is $34.99.
I don't make money promoting this vitamin. I just wanted to help others out who are trying to find a reliable bariatric vitamin. There really isn't much of an excuse to not take your Vitamins when all you need is one daily.

My NUT and surgeon told me to use the real stuff and not use diet because of all the hidden sugar. They said if they take out fat they add sugar and if they take out sugar they add fat...it's pretty accurate.

One of my problems prior to WLS was that I was constantly hungry. By removing 80%+/- my stomach I don't get hungry the way I used to. Then when I am hungry I can only eat a little bit at a time. Prior to WLS I would eat 3 meal plus 1 snack a day. Those meals are larger than I can eat now. I now eat 3 meals plus 2 Snacks.
I am not real far in this journey so I can't tell you I will succeed in keeping all or most of the weight off. I do know dieting and exercise alone wasn't working.

The success rate for WLS is much higher than dieting. While it is true that some WLS patients never reach their goal or regain some/all of the weight, it is much more rare than the failure/regain rate of dieting. The highest number I have ever heard as an estimate of the percentage of people who regain weight after WLS is 50%. Whereas the failure/regain rate for dieting is estimated to be around 95%.
When I was researching sleeve and reading studies about failure rates, I found it very encouraging. VSG as a stand-alone procedure is fairly new, so there aren't as many studies as there are for bypass, but one study I read defined "failure" as a regain of 20 or more pounds. In that study, 20% of patients had "failed" by that definition at 5 years post-op. I will take those odds any day! If I lose 100 pounds and regain 20, I'm still down 80 pounds! Meanwhile, I've lost 90+ pounds "on my own", not to mention 40 pounds here, 50 pounds there, only to regain ALL of it and then some 100% of the time!
But, I don't want to make it sound like there are any guarantees. It's all about risks versus rewards. Can I lose weight on my own? Heck yes! If losing weight was an Olympic sport, I'd be a gold medalist! Can I keep weight off on my own? Clearly not, since I have yet to manage to. I am hopeful that with my sleeve, it will be easier for me to maintain my weight loss in the long run. I have always been a binge eater. When I was "done" with a diet, I'd go right back to eating a whole pizza and a pint of ice cream. No wonder I piled the pounds back on. That won't be an option with my sleeve. I would really have to work against my sleeve by eating slider foods, grazing, or drinking my calories to regain the weight and I feel like I'm very unlikely to do those things. I've never been a snacker/grazer so why would I start now? I haven't drunk caloric beverages in years and years... since LONG before my sleeve, so why would I start now?
It's on me to eat right and exercise, just like it was when I did diets in the past. But now I have a great tool to help train me on portion sizes and prevent me from bingeing.

I am not sure I was depressed - but i felt "not myself, not quite human" for the first 12 weeks post op. It was sorta strange, like I felt as though I was an observer of my own life, kind of a surreal feeling. Is that depression? I have many theories as to why I felt that way, but it did pass. I would say by around 6 months post op I was becoming... jazzed, excited, happy, astounded even...
My theories of what causes that weird, unsettled feeling:
-Fat acts like a body organ and releases hormones. It is well documented that rapid weight loss releases stored estrogen. Sometiimes that makes people feel very emotional. I felt stupid, couldn't remember things etc
-Many of us probably used food to help "quiet" feelings. Could we perhaps be starting to "feel" some things were weren't used to feeling? how unsettling to wake up one day and realize that you just cannot, under any circumstances continue to live with XXXX in your life that you tolerated for a long time, with the help of a little food to bury your true feelings.
-Wow, it's kind of hard adjusting to the water/food/vitamin schedule. Felt like a freaking full time job. I was so huge nobody could even SEE my weight loss until I had lost about 50#.
So, those early months I was parting ways with a close friend (food and obesity), realizing aspects of my life really sucked and needed to change, spent huge energy on managing my food/water/activity/vitamins etc etc AND I was still HUGELY FAT. That kind of thing could get a girl down if she let it...

I've been having some memory and brain foginess as well. I did limit my carbs to less than 10 grams a day (many days were less than 5) and my doctor said that it probably has something to do with it. I did my own research and she was right. Carbohydrates are necessary for brain function. I've raised my daily carb intake and have noticed some benefits in thought clarity and memory.

@@downsizingdiva and @@BigTink2LilTink, I definitely recommend talking to your PCP or a psychatrist (note M.D. not Ph.D.) to see if a prescription of antidepression med will help. I had memory loss issues and this helped. It may be a "chemistry" issue in addition to "attitude."
Good luck!

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I hit 100 lbs lost, my surgery date was June 11th, so that makes it 100 lbs in 9 months. This morning I weighed myself again convinced I would have bounced up a pound (I have been stalled for nearly three weeks, so understandably suspicious :-D). But to my delight I had crossed over the fabled "One-derland", 199 lbs. I say fabled because it seemed like something that happens to other folks, I just wasn't sure it would happen for me. I guess you can say this is how I have felt through this whole process. Probably nearly 30 years of weight loss failures affecting my attitude! But somehow I lived through the presurgery liquid diet, the immediate post surgery diet phases, fearing different foods, first for my tiny tummy then for impacting my weight loss, multiple stalls that made me wonder if this was the end of the losses, would I be the near the bottom of the spectrum, only able to lose 40-50% of excess weight? But my sleeve has kept me on the straight and narrow, I have made the good food decisions and exercise changes and together we have lost 102 lbs! Which as of today is around 70 percent of my excess weight. I feel like I definitely have another 50 lbs to lose both in my heart and on my body, I really think I will by-pass my Doctors goal of 165 and get down to 145 lbs.

If you are reviewing these posts to decide if weight loss surgery is a good decision - let me share that not only do I thank myself ( and my Mom for helping with the cost) everyday for choosing this solution, I wish I had done this 10 years earlier. I feel great, I can walk and workout without feeling like I am gong to pass out. I started in a size 26W and 3X, today I am wearing a size XL fitted tee and size 16 misses jeans. It has all been worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

@@Bonawanabfree and @@Nikkidoodlebug, hang in there!! It's very early still. Remember that this is major surgery and your body is working hard. Give yourselves the gift of rest!! Also remember that your doctor works for you! If you are struggling contact his office to see if there are meds/advice that can help. Also, take a look around this site -- there's lots of helpful tips. It WILL get better!!
Good luck!

Thanks for the tip!! I've also found that when I want a chocolate fix the Cocoa Roasted Almonds from Emerald are awesome, no sugar, and satisfying. They come in 100 calorie packets too, so, you don't have to worry about portions. Also, an occasional Swiss Miss Diet Hot Cocoa is good -- I add a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of unsweetened Special Dark Cocoa powder to it (under 5 calories). (You can add that Cocoa powder to other things for a little chocolate zip.)

You have great aspiration! I'm just happy I can use a regular bathroom stall again!!

Ask for a refund!!!

I'm really sorry that you have had this experience. If your surgeon does not give you a surgery date, I recommend that you find another surgeon whose prep is more streamlined. I am amazed at some of the hoops these surgeons put people through.

You have great aspiration! I'm just happy I can use a regular bathroom stall again!!

You have great aspiration! I'm just happy I can use a regular bathroom stall again!!

You have great aspiration! I'm just happy I can use a regular bathroom stall again!!

Trust me, you won't. Make it a new habit to eat on a schedule, measured amounts, at regular intervals. Retrain your body to eat healthy REAL foods instead of grazing on crap all day.
Your appetite will come back. Hopefully it will never come back at the level it was, but you will enjoy food again.

Eat on a timer. If/when your appetite comes back, it will be a good habit to have, because it will keep you from grazing and snacking. Just set an eating schedule and stick to it.

Yup. NOT making a choice IS a choice!! So is NOT doing something. There is no "none of the above."