Ivanova8

@@winning_by_losing You're right about the rice, breads and Pasta. I know I'll have to permanently wean myself off of them except for very special occasions - like my birthday. But overall they need to stay out. You set a fine example and I wish you continued success!

@@Ginger Snaps That is so encouraging to hear! I noticed when I did the low carb diet that I didn't have the cravings but boy once I let bread, baked goods or Pasta slip back in it was a slippery slope to overeating again. I'm really happy to hear that it's working for you. Looks like you are really acing it out of the ballpark. The very low carb diet I did last year had only about 30 carbs per day and that was just not sustainable. But a reasonable low carb diet sounds like just what I need to do. I'm looking forward to discussing it with my nutritionist. Thanks for you input and continued success in your journey!

@@Tikvah Thanks for letting me know. I love it! It's very encouraging. I hope I can continue to eat all of these things after surgery too. Grape juice is my drink of choice for Shabbos kiddush but the wine on Pesach is of concern. But it can also be grape juice too. Thanks Tikvah and continued success on your weight loss journey!

I lost quite a bit of weight on a very low carb diet a year ago that also included "special" B12 Vitamin shots that you got 3 times per week. But like so many extreme diets I quickly gained it all back plus some after stopping. And unless you have a tiny stomach it seems like an impossible way of eating forever. I have not had my surgery yet which will more than likely be a gastric bypass. I've read that you really should try to max out your first year honeymoon period for as much weight loss as you can manage. After rearranging my insides I'd really like to make the most of it. I was thinking maybe a regular low carb diet for life might also be my best option because from that diet last year I think I discovered that carbs are really my Achilles heel. So has anyone tried a low carb or a very low carb diet after weight loss surgery? If so for how long did you do it before transitioning over to a more normal way of eating? Did you think it was helpful? Thanks.

I work from home as a bookkeeper. But I'm getting the impression that for gastric bypass you should seriously consider taking 4-6 weeks off even if you have an office or sedentary job. I don't have a commute so I thought after maybe 2 weeks it would be okay to get back to work. But what I'm hearing, which I find interesting is that your insides are still healing even though you may feel fine, getting used to the new ways of eating takes time, people seem to be tired & physically exhausted and focusing on your new lifestyle is important. So I guess even with an office job one should aim for at least 4 weeks of time off and take the time to pamper the new you? It's a tough call if you're feeing great at 2-3 weeks out though. As someone else said no work no pay. Thank goodness for my dear husband but clients are still left hanging.

I lost quite a bit of weight on the Dr. Bernstein diet (offered mainly in Canada) a year ago, but like so many extreme diets I quickly gained it all back after stopping. It's very expensive unfortunately. And unless you have a tiny stomach it seems like an impossible diet to do forever no matter how much money you have. The Dr. B diet is basically a very low carb diet with "special" B12 Vitamin shots you get 3 times per week. I thought now that I've gone through the program and have all the materials that I could duplicate the diet at home after my surgery. From what I've read the B vitamin shots they give could come in handy if I could afford to go again. But some people (not having done WLS) just take the sublingual B12 and say they have good success that way. Several people on this forum mentioned that B12 doesn't absorb well after gastric bypass so injections I guess could be a plus. I have not had my surgery yet which should be a Roux N-Y or gastric bypass. I've read that you really should try to max out your first year honeymoon period for as much weight loss as you can manage. After rearranging my insides I'd really like to make the most of it. So has anyone tried the Dr. Bernstein diet or a very low carb diet after any type of weight loss surgery? If so for how long did you do it before transitioning over to a more normal healthier way of eating? Did you think it was helpful? I was thinking maybe a regular low carb diet for life might also be my best option because I noticed from being on the Dr. B diet that carbs are really my Achilles heel. Thanks.

@@brinasl Oh yes, I must remember to ask about doubling up when possible. Good reminder.

@@cab127 I'm sure it will soon. You have the midas touch!

Success! My social worker meeting has been rescheduled for Tuesday instead of being at the end of the month. That's a very nice improvement. Thanks cab127. The staff person I spoke to was really nice and helpful. She asked about my other appointments too. The nurse meeting only moved up one month but she said to call back each week and keep checking.

Can anyone tell me what happens at the social worker meeting? What's it all about?

@@cab127 Excellent! Thank you. They didn't get annoyed with you calling every other day!? I'm almost afraid that they would penalize me for being too pro active. But, I'm going to do it right now. This is a very long process left to it's own devices so anything to shorten it would be a major plus. Let the calling begin!

Thanks for that reminder McButterpants. I'm trying to keep in mind too what is more important. Being fat with no saggy skin or being healthy with (possibly) saggy skin. It the big picture of life it's really a no brainer.

@@Katcloudshepherd The Venus freeze treatments sound interesting. Please let us know how they work on your legs too. It's encouraging to hear that you liked the results on your neck. Good luck!

@@labwalker Complications are scary too. At a support group meeting at the hospital (they allow pre-ops to come) the social worker mentioned that they have had someone there now for 2 months after their surgery. Definitely a wake up call reminder that this is major surgery.

@@brinasl How did you reschedule your appointments? I had orientation in September then I have an appointment with the social worker at the end of this month and then I meet the nutritionist in February. That's 5 months just to get to the nutritionist! How would you speed that up? With a BMI of 35 I'd love to get this moving in case I drop below the threshold.

@@cab127 your really started your weight loss journey in August 2014? How did you manage that??? How were you able to reschedule most of the appointments? You must share your secret. I just had orientation last month so I'm at the very beginning and patience is not my strongest character trait to say the least! There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to the length of time each person takes. I think 9 months from orientation to surgery at least is more reasonable. Sort of like giving birth to a new body. =) But three months would be awesome! I hope you get your surgeon appointment soon.

Thank you everyone for your insights on exercise. I see that it can help with recovery. And I especially like the point that was made about getting up from the bed and needing to use your core muscles. And walking as much as you can as soon after surgery as you can. I read that a lot so it must be really important. Disappointing to hear though that trying to prevent saggy skin is not really possible if you lose a lot of weight....and I hope I do! I go to the gym now kicking and screaming but I'd love to see a turnaround where I actually looked forward to it. Now that would be something! Continued success to everyone on your weight loss journeys!

Hi everyone. I'm wondering if a regular exercise program before surgery will help with your recovery, weight loss and the dreaded skin sag? I've heard that if you have more muscle before surgery you'll burn fat better and you'll possibly have less saggy skin issues. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks BriWLS. I'll keep you posted.

I'm 5'3", 207 lbs and I have high blood pressure and arthritis. My BMI shows 35.5 on the Mayo Clinic's calculator. Just a 5 lbs lose would put me at 34.7 BMI. Ugh! I love your advice on being honest. What you said about lifestyle changes etc. certainly hits the head on the nail. I'll for sure let them know all of that. I think I need to stop worrying about all this because I'm driving myself crazy. If it's meant to be fantastic! If not, well then losing weight some other way will be a definite challenge.

Sure that makes sense BriWLS. But were you under 35 BMI when you met the surgeon? I thought that if you aren't 35 BMI or over that the surgeon would then deny you even though you were initially approved.

This is all so confusing......and maddening! I thought someone said earlier that you still have to have the minimum BMI when you meet the surgeon and that's many months away for me. At my current BMI I have no room to lose weight and still qualify. I have a long history of weight loss, diets and regaining the weight since my teenage years, so that's no problem. I'd be happy to diet again but not if it's going to disqualify me. 53, 5'4" and 207 lbs.

Thanks BriWLS. It's almost depressing thinking that I have no choice but to remain at the same weight for what may well be a year or more. It's so hard to just do nothing. I'm always trying to eat right (though I often fail) but sometimes I have good stretches where I might lose a few pounds. Now I feel like I'm being held hostage to my weight. No trying to eat healthy food or I'll be penalized. This is so frustrating. I'm really looking forward to seeing the social worker this month.

I'm Jewish and frum. No surgery yet. I'm still in the pre-op stage. I'm also worried about Shabbat, challah, 4 cups of wine on Pesach etc. How have others handled this? Here in Ontario, Canada they usually approve the Roux N-Y unless your have a medical condition that requires the sleeve. Does one of these work better with challah, wine and brisket?

I can't wait to take ice skating lessons again. Right now it's almost impossible for me to get up off the ice. And unfortunately I found myself there a lot. LOL! Plus of course some serious clothes shopping and actually enjoying the great outdoors like I used to.