Proud2BMe

I saw the same broadcast too. It offers an alternative to people who don't want WLS to reduce the ghrelin and the associated feelings of hunger. They just shouldn't expect the same results as techniques such as gastric bypass or the sleeve unless they are fully dedicated to a lifestyle change -then again WLS is only a tool too, not a "golden ticket" either, it requires a lifestyle change too. Maybe they can use this in conjunction with the stomach stent I read about, one day as a less evasive approach. The medical field is advancing. Look at this weight loss approach many years ago: I think I'm more concerned about the 16% figure. That's not good at all. 50% is good but not 16%. Plus there is no restriction produced in this procedure.

With regards to the "pepperoni nipples" comment, so far every man I've seen whose had the surgery, regardless of the surgeon, has had bad nipples. They just look really weird. I don't know if it's because of the damage already done by decades of morbid obesity or what. It could just be the trauma of having to cut the nipples off and reattach them to new areas. I fear mine are going to look nasty or worse, my body might reject them and then I'll be left looking like I have Ken doll's chest.

I still don't see how that is even possible. When I first began eating food I used an empty pudding cup as a portion size and even at that I couldn't eat even half of it.

The procedure isn't new. It's been used for decades to stop bleeding in the stomach. What is new is the procedure has recently been used to try to combat obesity. It's been given the thumbs up. The procedure involves using a catheter to deliver tiny plastic pellets to certain arteries in the stomach which block and kill the artery. This somehow translates to stopping the release of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. I first saw this tonight while watching the world news. They showed a patient who was "overjoyed" at her "success". Problem was she was still quite large. So I did some research on what I could find on it. I found a YouTube video where a man said that the mean average weight loss in the study for the procedure was 16% reduction in body weight. That's not good in my book. The news segment kept touting the figure of "50%", which is better, but it makes me question if this is the latest fake procedure that has been marketed as alternatives to traditional surgery. I say fake because some doctors seem to be preying off of the fears some people have of surgery. I would hate to see someone who truly needs the surgery opt for this or a similar fake procedure with the expectation that it will be effective for them. If the 16% figure is the accurate figure then such people are better off just dieting and exercising. So what do you guys think? Could this surgery be the next big thing for weight loss?

Very common. If you want to maintain your marriage then get into couple's counseling fast. It's very common for couples to get divorced after one person loses a great deal of weight.

Are you on medication? Just curious.

My highest was 388? So not exactly 400 or over, but close. Many doctors will not perform the surgery if you way over 400 lbs. So just look around and see if you can find one will will do it.

I think it's a female. It would make the most sense if you were going for maximum effect. Probably Sasha.

They told me mine took longer than expected, don't know how much, but honestly I didn't care since I was out of it from anesthesia. From my perspective, It felt like I literally lied down on the table and then the next thing I know I awake in a dark room.

I didn't but each person is different. Be observant of pain levels and monitor your temperature for fever, which may be an early sign of infection or leak.

Ashley's mother concerns me greatly. I sense so much resentment and negativity coming from the mother that I'm very concerned for Ashley. I don't know if she is just jealous of her daughter or what but I sort of think that Ashley may be better just cutting her out of her life or limiting contact with her. The mother's "advice" seemed so fake, as if she was just saying it because she knew that people expected her to be supportive since she was her mother.

Well, Most people do lose more than 12 lbs on the pre-op diet. So you are going to have to do a lot of cheating to avoid it.

Congrats! Yeah, I truly believe vaping is the easiest way to quit and it will save lives.

I was self-pay, in Tijuana so I didn't have the issues you faced. However, I can tell you that you will not be able to continue smoking if you want the surgery. Most docs today will have tests run to check you for nicotine to make sure you have indeed quit before surgery. They may tell you they won't do the surgery if you test positive. As a former smoker myself (April 10 will be my 3 year anniversary of quitting), I would strongly recommend e-cigs/vaping. It's what got me to quit. I would advise you go ahead and transition to e-cigs now. Then you can mange your nicotine level, stepping down each week until you get to "0mg nicotine" at which point you will have beat the addiction. Since I was self-pay I didn't have to undergo this and I vaped literally until 30 minutes before my surgery. I resumed vaping on day 3 after my surgery.

Yes, exactly! If it wasn't for the children I feel she would have left him a long time ago.

That's why you just sip, sip, sip, all day long.

For me the show is good because it reminds me that I can never let myself get to that point again. I also like to see other people who were far worse than I was overcome their own struggles. As far as bad eating habits, I developed them all on my own and without any enablers like the people on the show. I cringe at just remembering what my life was like. I routinely ordered a large pizza, salad and bread sticks and consumed them all in one meal. I would then usually also eat dessert. I would binge like crazy. I would eat entire boxes of little debbie Snacks. I would order a dozen cupcakes from the bakery and consume them all in one day. Just terrible. I don't want to ever go back to that.

Both are common at your stage. Pay attention to any pain and or associated fever and if these develop see your doctor pronto. Otherwise, nausea and being cold are quite common side effects. In time they will go away.

So I watched last night's episode and it made me really depressed. It was a "Where are they now?" episode that featured Melissa and Ashley, who had bypass 10 years ago with Dr. Now. Both of them regained considerably. However, I was really upset with Melissa. She was Dr. Now's "golden child". At the time of her surgery she was the heaviest person to undergo bypass. She was over 600 lbs and got down to 150 lbs and looked great. She became a motivational speaker for Dr. Now's patients. Fast forward 10 years and she weighs close to 300 lbs. Ashley regain 60 lbs I think, maybe more. So watching the show has made me depressed and fearful that I too will end up like them and regain most if not all of the weight back within 10 years. I know that it doesn't have to be that way that if I stick to it and don't let my bad eating habits return that I should be okay. However, I am still depressed over the episode though.

I try to keep fast food to a minimum but if the situation calls for it..... Subway salads - usually veggie with chipotle dressing Tacos (Taco Bell, Taco Mayo, Taco Bueno) - minus the shell Refried Beans (Taco Bell, Taco Mayo, Taco Bueno) - w/ cheese, red sauce and onions pizza (Usually Mazzios) - just the toppings. Mazzio's has good salads. Boneless chicken wings KFC grilled chicken Side of eggs and/or bacon (Braums has good bacon, Grandy's has good eggs.) Arbys - Just the roast beef w/ some horsey sauce Burgers (Burger King, Whataburger, Braums, and only occasionally McDonald's) -minus the bun

I've been told that if you have been diagnosed within 5 years of having the surgery then your chances are good that it will be gone. Same with high cholesterol and blood pressure. I've even heard of people who don't need to lose weight getting the surgery just for those benefits. If you are on meds for high blood pressure they will need to be adjusted or even discontinued as blood pressure drops drastically after surgery. So if you are on these meds check with your doctor. I would check for the Meformin as well. As an added oddity, your body temp will also drop. I think my lowest in the weeks after surgery was an average 96.0 degrees (98.6 is normal).

Well, I'm not so sure it's that cut and dry. But if you feel that you should have had the bypass you can always revise to one. I personally recommend a bypass for people who fail with the sleeve. However, they are both pretty much the same in the long-haul. The average weight loss for the sleeve is 60% and for the bypass is 70%, not much difference at the end.

Three week stall. Most people hit their first stall at this point. Continue on as normal, assuming you are following the diet.

I'm going to be honest here. You might consider whether or not the relationship is working for you anymore. It's very common for relationships to dissolve post-bariatric surgery, and for a variety of reasons. You are going one direction in life and he is standing still, or should I say, rapidly declining. Let him know that your needs are no longer being met and that you are wanting couple's counseling. If he absolutely refuses, even though you've explained that you are not satisfied, then start making plans to leave him. You have already given him the opportunity of joining you on your journey and he has so far declined. You should have to be forced to put up with a sexless, unhappy marriage with constantly being worried about his health and how to replace furniture. Trust me. It will only get worse.

I was excited at first but quickly got over it because it was only half of what I need to lose. Now I'm looking forward to getting in "one-derland", which I haven't been since 1999.