SuzeMuze

@@proudgrammy
I know, right? I was practically peeing Pixy Sticks! I can't believe with the other issues (that were ultimately caused by the diabetes) that no one ever thought to do a check for it sooner! Hey, I'll take "normal as you"- you're one of the happiest people I've seen...I'll take it as a compliment!
Yeah, I'm pretty close to my goal, but it's slowing way down, and that's ok. I've also come to grips with the fact that I'm a human being, and I deserve to relax a bit. I'd been pretty militant about what I ate until a couple of months ago...when it hit me that it won't hurt to enjoy food every now and then. Is it "Cheating"? Nope.. cause I chose to eat those no-sugar-added fake chocolate covered raisins. And ya know what? It may take me a while to lose these last 8 pounds...but I'm a happier person and I'm not gaining any weight!

Everyone's different. ( as is the case with nearly everything dealing with RNY- opinions are experiences here) I stopped taking Metformin & all other meds I was on the night before surgery 9 months ago & haven't taken a pill (other than the Vitamins now) since then. My A1C went from being nearly 13 when I was diagnosed with Type 2, to about a 9 with all the meds....to a 4.5 at my six month post check up.

Yep. It happened to me when a friend was asking me how it felt after losing so much weight. She commented that no matter what she did, she couldn't get below 160. And I thought to myself, "Wait... I weigh less than 160...how can that be?" I look at her, and she looks to be a perfectly normal weight (we're the same height) but when I look at myself most times, I still see the overweight person I was. Personally, I think it's all the extra skin that's clouding my view in the mirror. <shrugs>

Yep. It happened to me when a friend was asking me how it felt after losing so much weight. She commented that no matter what she did, she couldn't get below 160. And I thought to myself, "Wait... I weigh less than 160...how can that be?" I look at her, and she looks to be a perfectly normal weight (we're the same height) but when I look at myself most times, I still see the overweight person I was. Personally, I think it's all the extra skin that's clouding my view in the mirror. <shrugs>

....and the purpose of shrinking your liver is primarily two-fold. First, it's beneficial to try and reduce the fat around your belly and liver prior to surgery. Your liver is located very near to your stomach, and a too large and/or fatty liver can cause your surgery to be delayed, or possibly be performed as an open procedure, which has a higher complication rate. Also your liver and spleen are surrounded by little things called triglycerides, and by reducing them prior to surgery, you're also potentially reducing the likelihood of complications and recovery issues. With that being said, I'm not a doctor... nor do I play one on TV. But I did read a whole lot before my WLS, and I ask a ton of questions

@nuzzlebear40- wait till you go see your PCP a few months after surgery and (s)he writes either "resolved" or completely erases "Diabetes Mellitus" from your chart! That was one of my best victories from having this surgery- I have absolutely nothing on my medical chart now

@nuzzlebear40- wait till you go see your PCP a few months after surgery and (s)he writes either "resolved" or completely erases "Diabetes Mellitus" from your chart! That was one of my best victories from having this surgery- I have absolutely nothing on my medical chart now

@@leag78
I've read through your post several times, and will offer my thoughts with the disclaimer that it's not my intention to offend anyone. At. All.
While I do believe that some friendships/relationship will change as a result of bariatric surgery, I think the causes can be quite different. I can't say that I've had the experience of a friend suddenly becoming jealous or try to sabotage what I'm trying to do- in fact, they've been some of my biggest cheerleaders. Then again, I'm not a young person anymore, which may come into play as well. My circle of friends and I are comfortably nestled into our 40's, and none of us play the part of the "hot friend". At the risk of stepping on any toes here, it's my thought that if one of my friends suddenly became distant or resentful of me making a decision to live a healthier life, I'd question the friendship itself. If it's a friendship that's really special to me, it would definitely be worth having a heart-to-heart to find out where the insecurities lie. Truth be told, weight loss seems to bring out a lot of insecurities in other people, just as our weight revealed a lot of our own insecurities. Friends who were once close can become distant. Significant others can suddenly feel left behind, wondering if you'll "trade up" once you've lost your weight. I try very hard to remain cognizant that while my decision to have WLS was primarily for health reasons, there may be those who only focus on the physical changes that accompany it. I would hate to see anyone go through relationship changes that are negative- but we're worth being good to ourselves, and removing not only the "toxic" food from our lives, but also the "toxic" people who can't understand what we're going through, or feel threatened by our decision. Just my 2 cents

Ok, I've got two from my Lane Bryant days...
One being that just cause I was a size 22/24, does NOT mean I have huge boobs. I get it that cutting sizes need to be proportional to the overall garment, but I am not proportioned correctly, and by the time I found something that fit over my belly, it was so huge in the boobs that the arm and neck holes hung way too far down, so I ended up having to tailor stuff anyway.
Second...how short so many things seem to be! I appreciate the plus sized industry wanting to make the same cute clothes as the smaller gals, but c'mon...at the size I was, the last thing I wanted was a crop top!

Ok, I've got two from my Lane Bryant days...
One being that just cause I was a size 22/24, does NOT mean I have huge boobs. I get it that cutting sizes need to be proportional to the overall garment, but I am not proportioned correctly, and by the time I found something that fit over my belly, it was so huge in the boobs that the arm and neck holes hung way too far down, so I ended up having to tailor stuff anyway.
Second...how short so many things seem to be! I appreciate the plus sized industry wanting to make the same cute clothes as the smaller gals, but c'mon...at the size I was, the last thing I wanted was a crop top!

I've mentioned it somewhere before, but my personal fave is the Syntrax Protein drinks. (Lemon Tea is the best, in my opinion...it actually tastes like iced tea) I can nurse a 24 oz. shake for a couple hours & it gives me 46 grams of Protein. Two of them a day & I'm way above my NUT's recommendation for the day before I ever eat a bite of food. And for the record- I haven't taken a single diabetes med since the night before my surgery 7 months ago. My A1C went from about a 12 pre-op to a current 5! It was one of the best feelings in the world to watch my PCP erase "Diabetes Mellitus" from my medical record! Best of luck to you!

I can only speak from my own experience, but I sat in the waiting room for pulmonary clearance longer than the test actually took. All I had to do was breathe into a machine a few times, and done. The cardiac clearance depends on what they find. It may start with a simple EKG, and if everything looks great, you're clear. If it's inconclusive, you may be asked to take a stress test. If the stress test images are ok, you're clear. If not, you may be (like me) on your way to a hospital for a heart catheterization. Once again, if THAT comes back clear (as it did for me....whole lot of stressing out for nothing in the end- not that I'm really complaining) then you're good. If not... a stent is a possible solution, which from what I understand could delay your surgery.

I can only speak from my own experience, but I sat in the waiting room for pulmonary clearance longer than the test actually took. All I had to do was breathe into a machine a few times, and done. The cardiac clearance depends on what they find. It may start with a simple EKG, and if everything looks great, you're clear. If it's inconclusive, you may be asked to take a stress test. If the stress test images are ok, you're clear. If not, you may be (like me) on your way to a hospital for a heart catheterization. Once again, if THAT comes back clear (as it did for me....whole lot of stressing out for nothing in the end- not that I'm really complaining) then you're good. If not... a stent is a possible solution, which from what I understand could delay your surgery.

All depends on what your NUT wants you to "watch" post op. Cereal's "empty carbs" for me. Trying to stay between 30-50gm a day, and cereal would make up over half of that. It's not worth it to me, so I don't eat it.

If you're unsure of how to apply the makeup, I don't think the brand or level of investment you make will help much- kind of like thinking if you buy expensive art supplies it will end up making you an awesome painter
I'd suggest going into a place like Sephora, Bare Minerals (my brand) or Merle Norman and asking them for a makeover- unless you don't mind people watching you, then you could sit in the middle of a JCPenney for the same thing, but as a former teacher myself, the thought of doing that in a place where my students could saunter by would be a living nightmare. I'm sure those folks would be very patient with allowing you to ask questions and even practice on yourself while they were there. Let them know your level of expertise, what you do for a living, and how much time you're willing to spend on your makeup each morning, and I bet you'll get set up in no time!

I let go of "Numbers" pretty quickly. I get asked a lot "At what weight will you stop trying to lose?" (or something similar) I think I'd have to answer the dress size question the same way. I won't have a magic number. My idea of perfection is clothes that I feel great in, and that won't make my butt look like a shelf. I know the old cliche, "Clothes make the (wo)man", but I disagree. I don't want the focus to be on my clothes... I want it to be on me!

At such an early post-op stage, it can be difficult to figure out how to get all the Protein in, for sure! I'm just shy of 6 months post-op RNY, and not being a meat or egg eater, can completely sympathize with where your'e coming from.
With that being said, I would suggest looking into the many types of Protein "shake" supplements that are out there. Everyone has their own favorites- mine happen to be the Syntrax nectar line. Every flavor I've tried has been amazing so far- I make a 24 ounce Water bottle and nurse it all morning, and another one for the afternoon. With 46g of protein and zero carbs per water bottle, I get 92g of whey isolate protein without "eating" a thing. I also really like the banana Cream flavor of Pure Protein- 35g protein, 1 carb per 11 oz can- a nice break from the chocolate/vanilla/strawberry humdrum I found myself in. Another one that I started out with was the Premier Protein shakes: 30g of protein, 5 carbs per 11 ounce container. However, to get that 90 grams in, it put me at 15g of carbs just from shakes- my suggested daily carb limit is 30g, and most of the time, I'd rather get my carbs from eating food I like, rather than "wasting" it on a shake. I also dabbled with the Isopure Protein Drink line, which gives 40g whey isolate per 20oz. bottle. I didn't stick long with them, as they all had a strange metallic aftertaste that got grosser to try and choke down.
When I was newly post-op, I also used a protein "shot" I picked up at the grocery store which had a whopping 40some grams of protein in just 4 ounces. However to me, the taste was horrifying. If you find a Protein Drink you like, (most stores like GNC or Vitamin Shoppe have single serving packets so you don't have to waste money on a tub of powder you can't stand) check with your nutritionist. Everyone's surgeons are different in what they permit/encourage for you to attain your goal quickly and in a healthy way.
My final suggestion is when/if you do find a supplement you like, to monitor how quickly you take in your protein. From what I understand, your body can't process more than about 30g of protein at a time- if I drank my Syntrax too quickly, a good portion of the protein would just "pass through" because my rerouted innards just can't process a lot at a time. Good luck!

<bursts into applause>
'Nuff said.

I'll put in my two cents worth and say yes, without a doubt... if your head is in the game. I don't think ANY diet or tool (and WLS of any kind is a tool, not a cure) is successful if you're not willing to make a lifelong change to your attitude about food and the role it plays in your life. I spent decades on the weight roller coaster because I simply liked sugar too much- some folks have much deeper issues with food addiction and the like.
I'm also not going to blow sunshine up anyone's tailpipe and say it's been a skip through the garden the whole time. It's HARD to make that permanent change in what you eat, how you eat and when you eat. I'm nearly 5 months post op and still learning what I can and can't tolerate...and it's not even consistent. Eating out is generally a failure because the vast majority of stuff that's served in restaurants are nutritional nightmares for bariatric patients.
However...for me, gastric bypass has resulted in more physical changes than just the rerouting of my innards and over 60 pounds off my frame. Once I got over the pre-op detox hump of a sugarless life, I don't even want it now. I can easily go all day long on 3 Water bottles of Protein shake and not even think about eating till dinnertime. I get my Protein, Water and Vitamins easily. Everyone has their moments of "regret" I suppose, but my health is better now than it was in my 20's, and I'd never have gotten here without WLS. Truth be told, the actual surgical procedure and recovery is the easy part. <points to her head> The changes up here were much harder to make once and for all

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes on Valentine's Day 2013 and an A1C of nearly 13- that was the tipping point for me that I knew something had to change. I managed to lose about 40 lbs. on my own, but was taking a handful (literally) of pills a day to help bring my sugar down. 40 lbs. is great, but it and the medication wasn't enough. I chose RNY because of the promising results I learned with Type 2 diabetes. I took my last handful of pills the night before surgery, and since then, my sugar hasn't gone above 85 or so, no matter what time of day, or whether I'm fasting or not. I'm a total believer that the surgery is what did the trick- I've got about a month to go till my 6 month post op bloodwork, and I'm very eager to see what my A1C is now and to watch my PC doc type "resolved" on my chart!

I started taking 2500 mcg daily about 3 months prior to surgery, so for about 8 months total. I also have a dose of Biotin in the Multivitamin I take. Originally, I used to be on the "more is better" bandwagon & took huge doses of anything I could get my hands on, since the idea of losing hair was my worst nightmare. However, GB limits the amount of anything we can process from what we eat, so I don't know that it really makes a difference- kind of like protein- from what I understand, if you try to eat/drink more than 30 or so grams of Protein in a sitting, it just passes on through, since your body can't process that much at a time. Best of luck to you!

Great topic.
I'm actively working on my "insides" on several fronts.
What has/is changing:
I say "yes" more. It's a conscious, often difficult choice, but I say yes when the old me would say no. I just signed up to walk a 5k because someone here challenged me and I said yes. When I am asked to social things I say yes unless I truly have a scheduling conflict. This is new behavior.
I eat alone in restaurants easily without shame.
I eat inside Subway/etc. instead of a drive thru.
I'm not embarrassed at the movies if someone sits next to me. They have arm room now. I may even smile and say hello.
I'm brave. I'm going through a scary and contested divorce and with help from several sources, I am brave. I've started looking at houses. Scares me to death but I'm brave.
I walk for pleasure. On a nice day I get two miles in on my lunch hour.
I adorn myself. I do my nails, wear a little lipstick, earrings, jewelry.
I get down on the floor to play with the dog.
I walk 528 stairs at work every day because I can. Yep. 24 flights.
I'm a work in progress and I hope I always remain teachable.
I will never ever ever give up on myself.

I think that all the time Both my grown kids who are in their 20's are overweight. But I also know by my own experience that no amount of nagging, begging, cajoling, or even educating them about the dangers of being overweight can get people to do something about it until they are READY to do something about it. That's why I don't do it with people, including my kids. They know the toll it took on my health. Right now I can only lead by example and hope they follow suit someday. But yes, I WANT to take people by the shoulders all the time and say "Take care of yourself NOW before it's too late!"

I'll put in my two cents worth and say yes, without a doubt... if your head is in the game. I don't think ANY diet or tool (and WLS of any kind is a tool, not a cure) is successful if you're not willing to make a lifelong change to your attitude about food and the role it plays in your life. I spent decades on the weight roller coaster because I simply liked sugar too much- some folks have much deeper issues with food addiction and the like.
I'm also not going to blow sunshine up anyone's tailpipe and say it's been a skip through the garden the whole time. It's HARD to make that permanent change in what you eat, how you eat and when you eat. I'm nearly 5 months post op and still learning what I can and can't tolerate...and it's not even consistent. Eating out is generally a failure because the vast majority of stuff that's served in restaurants are nutritional nightmares for bariatric patients.
However...for me, gastric bypass has resulted in more physical changes than just the rerouting of my innards and over 60 pounds off my frame. Once I got over the pre-op detox hump of a sugarless life, I don't even want it now. I can easily go all day long on 3 Water bottles of Protein shake and not even think about eating till dinnertime. I get my Protein, Water and Vitamins easily. Everyone has their moments of "regret" I suppose, but my health is better now than it was in my 20's, and I'd never have gotten here without WLS. Truth be told, the actual surgical procedure and recovery is the easy part. <points to her head> The changes up here were much harder to make once and for all

I'm not one to promote products, really, but I see so many posts about folks not being able to get their surgeon's recommended daily Protein intake that I thought I'd toss a couple of options out there that are really helping me. I'm approaching 5 months post RNY, and still get the vast majority of my protein from whey isolate shakes. My surgeon doesn't necessarily have an issue with it, and I realize that at my point in this journey I should be getting more protein from food than shakes, but I simply can't tolerate meat of any kind, and the thought of eating an egg in any form makes me want to gag
Anyhow, I've been searching for a break from the Premier Protein bandwagon, and have found two products that I actually enjoy and are much lower in carbs than Premier, and don't taste like watery milk. The first is Pure Protein banana Cream shakes (a shake, yes... I know). These work well for me because they're lower in calories and just 1 carb/35g of protein in 11oz. And they actually taste like Banana Cream. Rather pricey- $32 for a dozen where I live, but definitely a nice break from the chocolate/vanilla humdrum. Even better than the Pure Protein is a product called Syntrax Nectar. I can only find it at the Vitamin Shop, and after trying several of the single serve packs, have decided that they're a great alternative for protein. Each scoop has 23g, and can be mixed with Water. I can easily nurse two 24 oz water bottles throughout the day, each with two scoops to give me 92g of protein in 400 calories with zero carbs, before even eating anything. Now, the canister claims it tastes just like refreshing fruit juice....I don't know that I'd go that far, but they do have decent flavors like strawberry Kiwi, Fuzzy Navel and Colada Cooler, all of which I found to be pretty decent. It's also pricey- $40 here for a 2lb canister, but if you're looking for a break, could be worth it.
Good luck to those who struggle with protein- we'll all get there