sunflowerchild

You really don't hear what people actually say, do you?
What you were told, by two people who have PCOS - same as you, that they were able to lose weight. PCOS is not an excuse. It's harder, but it can be done. I went swimming every morning for 45 minutes before work, not dog paddling but Olympic size pool laps. Then I hit the gym, with a personal trainer, 5 nights a week. On weekends I literally walked for miles. If you want to lose weight, surgery or not, this is the kind of effort it takes for someone with PCOS. You think it's commendable that you are able to walk. You need to do a heck of a lot more than making it up the steps or the hill to your house to lose weight unless you live on the summit of Mt. Washington and park at the base.
No one said you have no right to be happy or healthy. I've read the thread twice, and there is no such post where you are told this. That's your belief, not what anyone said.
Yes, being almost 300 lbs and 5' 4" is abusing your body. There are thousands of reputable websites that detail what all that excess weight is doing to your body. Everything from increasing your heart attack risk six-fold to wearing out your joints. Even your chances of getting cancer are increased. Would you subject someone you loved to something that would do these things? Nooooo.
Your digestive issues and allergies don't prevent you from eating foods with a lower carb, sugar, fat and calorie content, do they? Never in my life have I seen someone besides you claim that a bagel with butter is a "healthy food choice". bread is not your friend.
For instance, Chickpeas vs Black Beans. You chose chickpeas. 1/2 cup of chickpeas has 269 calories, 4g fat, 45 carbs and 15g of Protein. 1/2 cup of black Beans is 90 calories, 0.5 g fat, 12 carbs and 7g of Protein. You could eat three times as many black beans as chickpeas and still be better off. 45g of carbs for a 1/2 cup serving of anything just will not work if you are trying to lose weight. Your carbs have to be restricted. There isn't anyone who is going to tell you that you can have all the carbs you want and you are going to lose weight. It doesn't work that way. It's like you can't even imagine that there are better choices than the ones you have made.
If you want to lose weight, you will have to change your mindset first, then your habits. You think there is nothing you can learn or be taught because you believe you have a "healthy lifestyle". You don't. Just because you aren't eating a tray of cupcakes at every meal doesn't mean you have made the best choices.
I want to loan you a book, on Kindle. You can use the Kindle app on your phone or computer to read it, you don't need a Kindle. It's by Dr. Duc Vuong. He's the weight loss surgeon that treated TLC's 900 lb man. He wrote a book about Gastric Sleeve Success, and it's great. It explains what you have to change and why, along with explaining the entire sleeve process. If you message me your e-mail address, I'll Kindle lend you the book.

#1 This was NOT what I expected as a pre-op, but I don't feel like I'm on "a low calorie restricted diet", AT ALL. Quite the opposite, actually. The restriction of the sleeve has given me the freedom to eat what I like exactly how I like it. I worked my way up to 1000-1200 calories during the loss phase, which sounds low if you've not had WLS, but is on the high end of what I see most WLS patients eating. I adopted an exercise routine which has given me a metabolic boost and allows me to maintain nicely on 1400-1500 calories per day which is a lot when you only eat 1/2 cup of anything! Pasta, yep. pizza, yep, a cookie or two, yep! (never in the same sitting anymore!) The difference now is that I do not over eat these things! I can't. It hurts when I do so I've learned not to do it, (these are painful lessons, lol). So, I feel like I miss out on NOTHING. I have fewer issues around food cravings because nothing is "forbidden", (other than carbonation which I don't care for anymore as it makes me uncomfortable now). Some folks CHOOSE to swear off certain foods. This is their CHOICE, and it works for them but is not the only path to success. I do not "diet" anymore. I DID food journal for the first year and 1/2 until I'd been maintaining for 6 months as I needed to understand what patterns work for me, ensure I got enough Protein and know what that looks like. I weigh once per week. If I go 5 pounds outside my "zone", I journal again and cut back until I'm back where I belong. I choose Protein first and still get 75-85g most days. I take my supplements. I exercise 5x per week, (this was not even a consideration before). For the changes I've made, I now enjoy being free of all the meds I was on preop for blood pressure, anxiety, cholesterol and asthma, normal labs and size 4 skinny jeans! HAPPY? I am ECSTATIC! The trade offs have been totally worth the life changes!
#2 The lose skin is... what it is. I can't expect that the skin that has carried 75-100 extra pounds for the last 30-40 years could "bounce back" with perfect tone. However, it's not as bad as I anticipated. Exercise helps some. What I've learned is that most of us will live with some degree of body dismorphia, maybe for the rest of our lives. Some days I feel like I look great, some days I feel like a busted can of biscuits! At almost a year and 1/2 out, I can't really trust my "feelings", so I've adopted a "fake it till you make it" mentality that works for me most of the time! What "helps"? Looking at old pictures, the new boyfriend calling me "hotness" and telling me how beautiful I am and the open mouth stare of old acquaintances or exes as they try to figure out who the hot chick rocking the skinny jeans is!
WORTH IT? I would NEVER go back! That said, you need to be prepared to make certain lifetime changes or you will make yourself miserable. So mull it. Chat it up with a counselor and the hubbs. Research it. Attend some face to face support groups if there are some for WLS in your area. Learn from those who are living it. This is a HUGE decision and not the answer for everyone. Best of luck in your decision.

Not sure if this has already been said but.... When you feel like you're reading about a lot of bad keep in mind that the people who are having a difficult time are the ones who need the most support so they feel the need to post more often. People who are successful and happy don't necessarily need support from a forum.

Today I am wearing a sweater I haven't been able to get into for 3 years! It is so exciting!

Worse how?
If you're not ready, you're not ready.
But if you wanted people to give you reasons to have the surgery I think there have been several.
Ultimately it's up to you.

I just ordered some tasteless, odorless Protein Powder on Amazon so I really hope that helps! I never thought it would be this hard

"They" say that many people won't or can't change their lives until they hit rock bottom.
You could be one of those people.
How to hit rock bottom? Keep doing exactly what you're doing now.
You'll get there soon enough.

I'll get real with you too ... and believe me, I'm being realistic, not mean.
PCOS makes it much harder to lose weight, but not impossible. I lost 70 lbs at one point through diet and exercise. It can be done. I went through early menopause so my symptoms are pretty much nonexistent now, but women with PCOS can lose weight. It's harder and slower than the average person, but I did it and I didn't have superpowers. Don't use PCOS as your catch-all excuse. Lots of women with PCOS have the surgery.
I've been a vegetarian for 30+ years and I have to tell you, as far as weight loss and real nutrition, your diet is crap. Bagel with butter? Skipping a meal? Chickpeas (btw, I love them) have 45 carbs in a cup and close to 300 calories. 1/4 cup of feta is loaded with sodium. A cup of quinoa has 39 carbs. Where's the Protein? You think you are eating a lot healthier than you are.
You're not in "great health". You're 5' 4" and almost 300 lbs. You are a morbidly obese woman who is used to walking. Not having a heart attack at this very moment doesn't mean you are in "great health". What you are is someone whose body hasn't started showing the signs of breaking down yet. The key phrase is started showing. It's breaking down. You can walk? Great. We're SUPPOSED to be able to walk without effort. You're not getting the Gold Star of Health because you can still walk and you don't have obesity hypoventilation syndrome ... yet.
I weighed 268 and was 52 when I decided to look into surgery, and I could actually sprint, touch my toes, run up the subway stairs, walk for miles, you name it. I also had a family history of people dying in their 40's and 50's, and if they made it to 60, it wasn't for long. I really didn't want to die. That was the tipping point for me. I was in my genetic "dead zone". I was 53 when I had the surgery, and I'm 54 now. I'm confident I'll live to see 74.
Have you seen any 5' 4" 300 lb women in their 70's and 80's walking around? No. Do you know why that is? It's because there are aren't any. They are all dead.
If you aren't ready for surgery or just plain don't want it, there is nothing wrong with that. It's not for everyone. If you want making it up the stairs to your house to be your personal best, go for it (and I'm not being sarcastic). Sometimes people are happy with the way things are and don't adapt well to change. I had this sort-of uncle who lived in his mother's basement his entire adult life. He had a pool table, a full bar, a dart board, state of the art (for the 1960's) stereo, color tv (a big deal back then), fridge, some type of velour sofa and a bed. The only time he would leave was to buy beer and Slim Jims. He was truly happy. His whole life was spent in that basement. He loved being down there until the day he died.
I personally am so grateful for my surgery. Every day I wake up and think about what I was this time last year. I ate clean before, but now proper nutrition is a priority. So is exercise and making the best possible choices for me at all times. What I put in my mouth, what I do with my time, what I will accept from myself. My personal standards for myself and my goals are a thousand times higher and it really shows.
Is there something you are afraid of? There are some downsides (like sagging skin), but it's small potatoes compared to all the health and personal benefits. I don't pray to not die in my sleep every night before I go to bed any more. I'm not jonesing for Bagels any more. I get excited about working out. When stuff happens, I have to deal with it instead of eat. The happy switch has been turned on for me. I wish I had done this years ago.

These are two of my scars 19 weeks out. I've been using Mederma since about two weeks post op.

It's been an amazing year. I'm in genuine awe over how this process has affected every aspect of my life.
The biggest impact is of course that my life expectancy has dramatically improved. My polycistic ovarian syndrome, insulin resistance, and depression were spiraling out of control. I was 25 years old and on a fast track to knee surgeries, diabetes, and other co-morbidities. I honestly don't think I would have made it much past 50.
These days I'm active, healthy, confident, and happy. I had my one-year follow-up appointment Monday, and my lab work was all perfect. They don't need to see me for a year, so now every doctor is on an annual basis. That blows my freaking mind. I've made many new good friends: with members and trainers at my gym, with support group peers, people here on bariatic pal, and with fellow Obesity Action Coalition convention attendees. I traveled to Orlando for the convention in September and learned so much much more about our disease, and I will be at the 2015 convention in San Antonio. I'm even putting feelers out for a possible career in obesity prevention and treatment.
I've attached a few before and after comparisons. My husband hasn't had surgery, but he's lost about 65 pounds of his own. He joins me three times a week for boot camp and is 100% supportive of keeping foods out of the house and our vocabulary. I couldn't ask for a better partner! I also attached a comparison of photos I took with my cat... The Oct. 2013 photo is profound to me, because it epitomizes the cloud of depression and shame I was living in. I was literally hiding myself behind my kitten. I've come so so far.
My highest ever documented weight was 289 lbs. Start of process, I was 268, and day of surgery I was at 254.
This morning, I weighed 142.4 lbs, only two pounds from goal. It would have sounded good to meet my goal at my one-year anniversary, but this morning I was my lowest ever, which I'm more than happy with. In total I've lost 147 lbs (at least) and weigh less than half of what I did.
My body's set-point is forever 289+, and I'll always have to manage my obesity. Today I'm happy and proud as hell, and I'm confident that I'll maintain this new healthy and fulfilling life.

You guys, I couldn't even believe it.. It just made me emotional!
https://vvvgastricsleeveafterlife.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=x9oL6kkBAAA.ZIYraod8RjdPZSoAGKHPLA.6m60CIT9o4dDYSsE60nLEA&postId=3974497035237936303&type=POST

I weighed in yesterday morning at one pound from my surgeon's goal. Reaching goal has been my raison d'être for the past year. Now that I'm nearly there, I am reflecting on the lessons learned and planning for the next year's phase.
I know that my initial goal weight was an arbitrary number and fully intend to continue in weight loss mode until my middle section has a lot less fat. But even if I can't lose anymore, I am so happy with my results so far. My diabetes is completely resolved (unfortunately not before I developed glaucoma, as I had confirmed yesterday morning). My blood pressure has been mostly stable. And wonder of wonders, I rediscovered how much I love walking, hiking and bike riding outdoors. Before weight loss, I found it difficult to walk a block.
I have so enjoyed coming to BariatricPal each day since I discovered it pre-surgery. I have learned so much about what works for most people and what doesn't work for almost anybody. This is a good thing because otherwise I might continue to believe that my old way of doing things was mostly ok. Well guess what? The old way had me weighing in the mid 200's. So the chief thing that I have learned in the past year is that I need to pay attention to the experience of others and apply that knowledge to the maintenance phase. This is a big lesson for me, because I tend to be stubborn.

Definitely get some unflavored Protein. I couldn't stand any flavored protein for the first couple weeks after surgery so unflavored was a life savor. If you want some flavored not chocolate /milk protein try Isopure RTD or syntax nectar. I've heard a bunch of people recommend these.

Soda was one of the easier things to give up. I quit well before I ever considered WLS. The point of the surgery is ti change the way we eat and help us adjust to a healthier way of eating. Most foods we eat have some nutritional value. Soda has none. I haven't had a soda in probably 5 years and don't miss it one bit.

I tried carbonated drinks 3 or 4 months out and it was painful enough to dissuade me from trying again for a long time.

Yes that's more than likely caused by your body being in ketosis. It sucks but it's a good sign because your body is breaking down fat (that's the short of it) brushing your teeth ect really won't help. It's coming from your insides not you mouth. Drink lots of Water and disguise it as you are.

I take the Flinstones Multivitamin and Bariatric Advantage brand B12 and Calcium. The unflavored un jury Protein Powder isn't flavored so it isn't likely you'll get sick of it. Every Protein that I liked pre surgery I couldn't stand post surgery so be careful about buying anything flavored in bulk. There are a couple of forums on here where people have posted long lists of Protein Drink recipes so that should help you out.

Hi, my name is Lindsay and I'm 22 years old.
I had the sleeve done march 14, 2014.
Starting weight :242.4
current weight: 127.6
total weight lost: 114.8
I workout about twice a week but i mainly lift.
I've found that lifting has firmed me twice as fast as any type of cardio.
I love myself but I've learned how this surgery has not only effected me physically but socially as well. I've learned who is really my friend and who is there for me.
and thee isn't anything wrong with that.
id like some bariatric friends so hit me up with any conversation or questions or whatever!

Even though my surgiversary is December 20, I consider today my 1 year mark since it was December 4 that I started my preop diet. Hey, 16 days of liquids and leafy greens and 22 pounds lost deserve to be counted! I really don't know where to begin to describe how wonderful this past year has been, but here are some highlights...
My surgical experience at Obesity Control Center in TJ was better than I could have hoped for. It was more of a fun mini-vacation with my sister than anything. Recovery was nearly painless and I have had no reflux, food intolerances or Hair loss. My sincere thanks goes out to everyone there who took such good care of me.
I discovered what a wonderful, supportive community I live and work in. I was very ashamed and angry about letting myself get so fat. But despite the initial embarrassment, I chose to be honest about my surgery and talk about it openly. Turns out that was great therapy. I am now proud of my decision rather than feel it's something I need to hide. Literally hundreds of people know I had WLS....friends, family, clients, fellow beauty shop patrons.... and no one has made me feel bad about it. Nobody treats me any differently and turns out people like and respect me whether I'm fat or thin. Everyone is just happy for me that I feel better, both physically and mentally. I see from a lot of posts that not everyone has such accepting, non-judgemental people in their lives so I am incredibly grateful that I do.
The first first 3-4 months postop were certainly not without struggles.... Feeling bloated and full all the time that first month, Trying to get in all my Protein and Water despite having no appetite, learning how to chew and eat slow, almost 2 months of diarrhea from a C. diff infection from antibiotics for a tooth infection 6 weeks after VSG, being on medications that made me nauseous, getting IV fluids 3 times for dehydration because I couldn't drink enough water with my tiny sleeve, and needing a fecal transplant to finally cure the C. diff. It was at least 4 months before I felt normal, but I never once regretted surgery and would do it all again. Although I wouldn't particularly care to relive the two excruciatingly painful gall bladder attacks I've had....by far the WORST part of this journey.
First NSV....my rings fit! (they have since become too big and I've had to resize them down...even my high school ring)
I learned from these forums that stalls are normal, so I never worried about them. In fact, I never even bothered to buy a scale. NSV's are much more satisfying and mean more than numbers on a scale.
Went from size 22 relaxed/curvy fit jeans to 6 or 7 slims. XXL tops to mediums. Size 44DD to a very saggy 36B (but I still consider this a good thing). I can shop in regular stores and even online because I know the clothes will fit and look good!
I can wear tall boots because they fit over my calves.
I can swing up into my saddle without having to find a log or rock to climb on. Even had to buy a new saddle to fit my new skinny butt. And I have no doubt that my horse is at least as thrilled with my weight loss as I am.
I am saving hundreds of dollars every month on groceries....good thing since I've had to buy a whole new wardrobe.
I can easily cross my legs, kneel, squat and sit "Indian style". I can bound (yes, bound!) up several flights of steps without even breathing hard.
My blood pressure is normal and my PCP is thrilled with my bloodwork. I had my first normal PAP and negative HPV test in 7 years....eating healthy has allowed my immune system to finally clear the virus and abnormal cells from my system.
My feet and ankles and knees haven't hurt in at least 10 months. I'm on my feet all day and went from daily NSAIDS and occasional tramadol to zero of both.
Blew past my surgeon's goal weight at 6 months, passed my personal goal around 7 months and have settled in the middle of a normal BMI range....100 pounds lost forever! More than I ever dreamed possible.
I have maintained within a 5 pound bounce range over the last 3 months with very little effort. Getting enough protein and water, taking my Vitamins, eating a well balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruit and whole grains and limiting white carbs seems to work for me. No counting calories, tracking or measuring. The sleeve does its job of Portion Control and I do my job of making good choices. I live and eat like a normal person and enjoy everything in moderation.
And somewhere along the way I've learned how to deal with life's stresses without turning to food and alcohol. I never thought I could feel this good about myself. I am truly blessed and I sincerely wish everyone as much success, confidence and happiness as I have found. (Sorry this was so long, but I just have so much to be grateful for)
Before/after pictures taken Dec 4, 2013 and 2014. Competitive Trail Ride Event pictures taken September 2013 and 2014.
 

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I'm ecstatic that I broke the 100lbs lost mark! Today I got to 101lbs lost. 47lbs PRE OP & 54lbs POST OP since 9/10/14.

#If-I-Can't-Eat-Them-No-One-Will #Joke

Almost hard to believe it's been a little more than a year now. 95 lbs gone forever and I'm healthy!! No more HBP, no more diabetes, no more gout, no more chest paint or shortness of breath, no more knee and back pain, my heart rate at rest is now in the 60's (formerly around 100). Most importantly I have the energy to play with my kids!!
So happy I got my sleeve!!

Bought my dress for Christmas parties this year, and looked great in a size 14!!! A normal, not plus size ! I am beyond thrilled, especially when I think how 2 months ago I would have needed a 20.
Woooooohooooo!

Ahhh...good point. I need to go check out those posts. I swear I'm a nervous ball of energy thanks to excitement and just worriation! @sunflowerchild