Djmohr

I know how hard this waiting game is and how depressed a person can be pre op. The important thing is that you try to stay positive and focused on building good habits now because you are going to need them. It took me around 10 months from when I actually started the process before I got my surgery. It was very frustrating but now that I look back it really helped me to prepare for what was to come. Focusing on things like eating slower, chewing your foods until it is basically pureed. Not watching tv while you eat. Doing some type of physical activity every day. Making better food choices now vs. waiting until after surgery. If you smoke, drink or drink soda, changing those behaviors now are critical to your success. I look back now and after reading many forums/posts where people had their surgery right away, I have noticed many of those folks struggle to work the plan right from the start. I have often wondered if it was because they did not get the time to learn and practice good behaviors. In terms of how you feel about your body post op. I would suggest talking to a phsycologist about this. The reason this is important is because it takes your brain a good long while to catch up to your body. If you have image issues or self doubt those feelings don't just disappear with the fat. In fact as you lose weight everything sags ( I call it the mudslide). You have to live with that for a long time before you can do anything about it. It is good news because you are losing weight but it can bring you down if you do not have the right positive mindset. A phsycologist can help you through those hurdles. Good luck and I hope u get a date soon!

I think I love these posts the best! Congratulations on your progress.

Here is the thing, what you put in your pouch is so important to how hungry you feel throughout the day. I can eat anything I want without getting sick as well. What I have learned over time is, the Protein is what keeps you full for longer periods of time. If you choose protein and good carbs for a meal they seem to last 3 times as long. Good carbs being fruits and vegetables. If you choose bread, Pasta, rice or even too many potatoes you will be hungry again in an hour or so. Protein is critical to your success and ability to heal. I start out every day with a Premier Protein chocolate shake which has 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. I too could not tolerate many other brands. My doctors office suggested this one and I have never gone back. This is what has been working for me, if I have a day where I want a bite of rice or potatoes I will make sure I have two bites of protein to every 1 of everything else keeping the bad carbs to a minimum. I usually only do carbs once a week or so. I usually don't even cook them for my family so they don't tempt me. Sunday dinners are the place where I will cook a starch and I will try to stay away. Good luck and keep us posted.

I had some serious medical issues and was pretty sick and tired when I got my surgery. I healed so quickly and had my stamina back and then some within 6 weeks. Everyone is different but I would not be too worried. You should definitely be aim a good place to write. By the way, what kind of books do u write. I am an avid reader and always looking for something new to entertain me. Good luck with your surgery!

I am 51 and I feel better than I did in my 30s! I actually find myself acting and dressing younger than I ever have. I always used to hide myself in too big frumpy clothes. The doctors that invented and perfected these tools for WLS are my heroes! I feel like they gave me my life back!

I can only speak to my personal experience on the pureed stage. I did not do well on this phase at all. For me it was a texture issue. I do not eat Beans with the exception of green beans so this option was out for me. I survived this phase by using premier Protein shakes and milking them down with lactaid. At first it was about 50/50 until my puch could handle that shake all alone. I still cannot eat eggs and I used to love them. I believe it was pureeing eggs that ruined them for me. For me it is both about the taste and the heaviness of them What I did eat during this stage was cottage cheese, yogurt, creamed soups, cream of wheat made with fair life milk, protein shakes.i do remember wanting some cooked carrots so bad that I actually made fresh carrots and cooked them to the point they were somewhat mushy. I used a little butter (ver little), salt and pepper. I mashed them with my fork and then made sure I chewed them to a pureed stage before swallowing. I am not sure if this is true or not but I believe it is for me, because I had such a small variation of these foods it allowed my tummy to truly heal in that first 4 weeks. I did not always hit my protein but I was told to do the best I could. At the end of that 4 weeks I was able to start eating chicken, fish, ground meats with no problem what so ever. Chicken breast became my new best friend. I was also allowed vegetables and fruit as long as it was softer. At the 10 week mark, I could eat pretty much anything with no trouble as long as I chose nice tender cuts of meat. I eat beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin, chicken, shrimp, fish and I love them. I also crave vegetables. The trick is NOT over cooking your protein or it becomes dry. Also adding sauces, gravies helps in the beginning. Personally pureed foods was the worst stage to tolerate for me but I made it through and my tummy healed well. Although I don't need to drink protein shakes any longer I do have one every morning (premier protein). I have come to actually love them and it gives me a protein boost before I work out.

Congratulations on taking the steps to educate yourself! Please make sure you go to a few Bariatric seminars using a center of excellence in your area. They can answer all of your questions and provide all the statistics for you on each surgery option. I started out with the mindset that I wanted the sleeve, mostly because I was "weirded out about rerouting" after meeting with bariatric surgeons and them understanding my health issues I ended up getting RNY. I have not regretted it for even 1 second. I only wish I had done it sooner! I had uncontrollable reflux that caused me to cough all day long, every day for almost 2 years. I was on max dose of nexium and lost so much sleep over that period of time that I could probably sleep for a month straight and still be tired. I also had type 2 diabetes although it was very controlled, high cholesterol, sleep apnea (which it sounds like u have), high blood pressure and the worst of all Stage 3 kidney disease. Immediately after spending 2 very short days in the hospital, my diabetes, and acid reflux were both completely gone! At 8 weeks my cholesterol was normal and suddenly I no longer had high blood pressure. Last week I went to my kidney doctor for the second time since surgery and my kidney function is normal!!! I was told I no longer have stage 3 kidney disease, I just have a past history of it. I have to say, I would have loved to had this done before all the bad stuff happened but I am so glad I did it. I actually exercise regularly and can RUN up several flights of stairs without feeling like I can't breathe. Good luck to you, do your research. It will help u decide.

It was an interesting article. I guess now it is wait and see. I am guessing that maintenance after removal would be the biggest issue. They would have to resolve that before they can call it successful.

I am still in the weight loss process and doing well but I had to reach out. Have you tried resetting your pouch? From what I understand there is something called the pouch test, you can google it. It is basically like starting over/fresh. It will help you get back on track very quickly. If I am ever in your situation it is the first thing I would try. Good luck and keep us posted.

It was very sad to hear this news yesterday. I did not realize he was 83, so it did come as a shock to me and my husband. He was such an iconic personality and he will be missed. Live long and prosper!

You are not crazy, everyone goes through a mourning process. It is probably the food that you are really mourning. The surgery will help you deal with that as it helps you really not care so much about food. You go from living to eat to eating to live. I still enjoy eating but now my body craves things that are good for me and my new weight loss tool helps me control how much I eat. In my head I sometimes mourn Pasta (a trigger food for me), bread and sweets. When that happens I will have one forkful to satisfy that craving. Here is the thing, those foods either don't taste as good or leave a heavy feeling in my new tummy. Therefore I really stay away and honestly I no longer mourn them. Now, I crave Protein rich healthy food. I absolutely hate any fast food (yeah me). It tastes terrible and does not satisfy you anyway. I know a lot of this is in ones head so if you can train your head hunger to appreciate the healthier things in life, you don't even miss it. My nutritionist loves the fact that if I really do have a craving that I satisfy it after I have all my protein, vegies and fruit. That way I am full and can only tolerate a bite. If u use the rules of the food plan, you won't get into trouble. You will just develop better habits.

It really is the only way to get all your protein in. I still eat 3 meals and two snacks. My meal portion size is between 1/2 cup and 3/4 depending on what I am eating.

Sorry, I had a $6000 max out of pocket with 80/20 when I had my RNY completed in September. The only thing I can say is it is worth every penny to get healthy. I suppose the good news was, it took so many appointments to get me to the surgery that by the time I had it, my max out of pocket was met. That way it hit me in much more manageable way. Ugh! This year I took out new insurance where everything is covered 100 percent after I meet a 3600 deductible which covers both my hubby and I. I take an injection every 8 weeks for psoriatic arthritis. The shot costs 10,000! I figured after I get my first shot in March our deductible will be met And everything will be covered 100 percent for rest of year. No company's on anything.

Isn't it a great motivator to see progress happening?! Congratulations you are well on your way. I was the same weight as you when I started, of course it does start to come off a bit slower after that first initial month but seeing progress every week toward my goal keeps me motivated. For me it was about getting healthy at first and in just 5 short months all my co morbidities are gone and kidney function is normal. I was stage 3 kidney disease when I began the process and headed for a very bad place. Now everything is normal! Of course now I love the fact that I can shop at almost very store! I bought my first pair of Lucky jeans this week in a size 14! I always wanted a pair of Lucky jeans! I was wearing 24/26 when I started this! I still have 65lbs to go. I cannot even think about what that would mean for me in sizes! You keep pushing forward, it is a very exciting time for us! Good luck and keep us posted!

Congratulations on your progress! I am glad to hear you are feeling better and I am guessing your hubby is pretty excited about your health as well.

Dont be afraid of being annoying. It is so easy to get lost in the shuffle at both the doctors offices and insurance companies. It happened to me at my doctors office. The nurse who processes the paperwork went on vacation for 3 weeks and left my completed file somewhere before submitting it. Unfortunately I was not calling to check and 3 weeks went by with no answer. When I called the surgeons office I that nurse had just returned and apologized to me for the delay. I think I cried for 2 hours because now I had another wait for the insurance company. I had already been waiting for 9 months! The good news is, my insurance company took less than 24 hours to approve me and I was well on my way. Stay on it!

Hi there! These are all great questions that we all think about all the time. The good news is you are young so your skin is definitely more elastic than those of us that are older. I am 51. Also, where you carry your weight makes a difference, if you have had children and if you exercise. , for me there are areas where I will need some plastic surgery to help with the skin issue. The best thing you can do for yourself is exercise regularly, drink plenty of Water and use lotion on your body. You won't know until after you lose the weight whether or not all of your skin will bounce back and where your problem areas are. The good news is you will be healthier and your body will absolutely look better than it does as a obese person. You can decide after what you want to repair if anything.

I know it is a scary time but I promise you will make it through. I am Italian and my favorite dish was any type of Pasta. It is one thing that I have stayed away from entirely because I know I would have no problem eating it and it is a trigger food for me. I can also eat bread, rice, and sweets if I really wanted them. The funny thing is those items no longer satisfy me. I have worked really hard to stay focused on good Proteins vegetables and fruit. Because I eat those things regularly, they are what I crave. Thank heavens! I have simply found that the other stuff like bread, rice and sweets simply don't stay with you long enough to keep you full and you end up grazing. Some of my favorite recipes: chicken cacciatore: chicken breast, green peppers, mushrooms, garlic and onions. Saute in a pan with a little olive oil. Brown the chicken first and then add the vegetables. Add your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce. Simmer until chicken is cooked through. It is delicious and very satisfying. I use my vacumn sealer to then portion out the leftovers and I freeze them. You can pop them into some boiling Water for a quick lunch. Chicken souvlaki - very easy recipe and my family loves it too. Marinate the chicken in lemon juice, olive oil, crushed fresh garlic, fresh rosemary chopped, salt and pepper. Marinate for at least an hour, longer is better. Skewer and grill with zucchini and mushrooms. Or you can leave the chicken breast whole. It is delicious! You can even buy some tzatiki sauce to dip your chicken in. My family likes that extra flavor.

You will do great. Just take it one day at a time. It is surprisingly hard to get all the liquids and Protein in the first few weeks but I promise you it will happen. At this point you have to do what you can, the most important thing is to stay hydrated. Sip sip sip.....then comes protein and lots of walking. It will work out and you will be amazed with the results. Good luck!

For me it lasted more than 3 weeks. Then I lost another 10lbs over 3 weeks and hit another stall. The good news is my next couple of stalls only lasted about a week each. It is frustrating!

Congratulations on your fabulous progress! I can so relate to your experience. Even though I still have about 65lbs to go and have lost 80, I look so much different and I actually enjoy taking pics now. I went on a cruise to Puerto Rico, one month before my surgery. Those pics made me cry. I just came off a cruise to Hawaii and I look great. The difference just a couple of months makes!

That protein is very important for healing. Even if you can get an once or two down it is very important along with water. The banana might make it very heavy. I had a similiar experience and found that the milk in my protein shakes was causing a very heavy feeling. After speaking with my surgeons office they suggested I move to lactose free milk and change proteins. I moved to Premier protein and was told to milk it down. Half and half for the first couple weeks. Chocolate is the best flavor for me and this worked like a charm. To this day, that is about the only protein shake I like. You can get them at Costco or SAMs in large cases or I have even seen them at Walgreens in smaller quantities.

A warm heating pad and gas x helped me through this period. I was also diabetic and that first 2 weeks was only allowed clear sugar free liquids, broth and Popsicles. Also, I could water down apple juice which did give me some carbs. The reality is I made it through but the most important thing is to stay hydrated and keep walking. It will make that bloated feeling go away.

I have lost half a size on some shoes but most importantly the width has changed drastically so every pair of shoes I had no longer fit. I have been doing a lot of shoe shopping. Still wondering if I will lose more size.

Believe it or not it is normal and it will happen frequently enough to make you a little crazy. The body is pretty interesting when it comes to weight loss. If it thinks it is starving it will go into starvation mode and hang onto stored fat. For me the longest was about 3 weeks before things started moving again. Then you lose another Ten pounds and it all starts happening again. I have learned that you can almost move past it a bit quicker if you change your routine a little bit. Try exercising with a different routine, on different days with different times. The body does not like routine. Even food matters, the best luck I have had is by increasing Protein and Water. The good news is, you will get past it but you must stick to the plan and keep moving forward.