Gingerisgreat

Today my husband helped me recheck my measurements. We took them and recorded them in my journal two days after I started the pre-op liquid diet on November 17th, 2014 because a friend of mine had told me that she didn't take any measurements and that was one of her biggest regrets from preparation. Today, in comparison, each of my upper arms are nearly 3 inches smaller, my neck is a full inch smaller, my chest shows a five inch decrease, my waist is a full EIGHT inches smaller, and my hips are three and a half inches smaller!!!! Each thigh is three inches smaller, and each calf is an inch smaller. I am SOOOOOOOO thrilled with these results! Here's to dressing like a hobo for the first few months of 2015 as my clothes are hanging on me and i REFUSE to replace them as of yet!

I also went to my first surgeons appointment with the mindset of having the sleeve. Throughout my appointments, we discovered that I had an ulcer as well as esophagitis due to reflux. My surgeon couldn't believe that I didn't have chronic stomach pains however I had been dealing with chronic pelvic pain due to a metabolic disorder, which masked the stomach discomfort. It was determined that my chronic pelvic pain caused me to use NSAIDs like Ibuprofen and Naproxen so often that it caused my ulcer. Due to those discoveries, and my metabolic disorder, my surgeon highly recommended that I have RNY instead of the sleeve. He stated that the RNY would give me a better chance at metabolic changes that I needed to get rid of the pelvic pain (the WHOLE reason for looking into the surgery in the first place), and that the sleeve would only be a riskier option for me because of the history of ulcers and reflux. I was hesitant and it took a few months of prayer and research before I finally made my decision. I will be three months out on Wednesday and I have NO REGRETS. I do feel that it is a personal decision for each person, but i know that the RNY was without a doubt the best option for me. I feel amazing, my pelvic pain is almost non-existent. I am off of ALL medications, including diabetic meds, reflux meds, and hormonal medications related to the metabolic disorder. I sleep 6-7 hours and wake up feeling RESTED!!! That never happened to me before. I am half way to my goal after only three months, and the changes that I have made are positively affecting both family and co-workers! Prior to surgery, I had an insatiable sweet tooth, and I was known for skipping meals to eat sweets with a coffee. No longer! The cravings are no longer an issue for me, and I feel wonderful. I even get comments on how great my skin looks!

If you are on Facebook, look up and request to join a group called "Rock's Kitchen". It is a mainly WLS community site that is dedicated to health and wellness, with a wealth of recipes and ideas shared DAILY about what to cook, eat, prepare, freeze....all geared towards healthy living, cooking, and smaller portions! It has been inspirational for me and they are at nearly 10,000 friends now because it is so popular.
I meal prep every week and I utilize a lot of the ideas mentioned above. I also cook for a family, and I rarely eat an entirely separate meal. I too make a lot of meals now that contain meatballs because my family loves anything containing them, and its easy for me to just pick out two and eat them with a side of something else. If my family has spaghetti, I will have two meatballs and a small amount of ricotta. Last week I found a recipe on Pinterest called "meatball sub casserole". It is a base of garlic toast, made using fresh french bread, that has been toasted under the broiler, then placed in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Then you top that with a low fat cream cheese/mayo mix that has italian seasoning in it. Then you top that with meatballs that are already cooked and cut into halves so they lay flat on the bread. Then top with low-sugar marinara sauce, and top that with low-fat mozzarella. Bake in the oven on 350 until the cheese melts and is brown and bubbly. This meal was such a hit that my family fought over who got the leftovers TWO NIGHTS LATER!!!! They wanted it three nights in a row! I did not eat the bread part, I just took some meatball and cheese mixture off of the top. I ate mine with some cottage cheese because it made it taste like lasagna!
Eating properly even with a family CAN BE DONE!!!!! My entire family has improved their eating habits because of my surgery. My husband is not a large man but he lost his excess 20 pounds over these last six months just by way of the environmental changes. I used to cook large breakfasts every weekend morning that we were all off and at home. NO MORE!!! Now we all enjoy fruit smoothies, or yogurt with homemade granola, or Breakfast burritos inside low-carb wraps. It is hard at first because you will feel like your list of "Cant Have" is bigger than the list of "Go Ahead" but you will find in time that the things you used to enjoy, crave, desire, are no longer important to you. You can do this:)

If you are on Facebook, look up and request to join a group called "Rock's Kitchen". It is a mainly WLS community site that is dedicated to health and wellness, with a wealth of recipes and ideas shared DAILY about what to cook, eat, prepare, freeze....all geared towards healthy living, cooking, and smaller portions! It has been inspirational for me and they are at nearly 10,000 friends now because it is so popular.
I meal prep every week and I utilize a lot of the ideas mentioned above. I also cook for a family, and I rarely eat an entirely separate meal. I too make a lot of meals now that contain meatballs because my family loves anything containing them, and its easy for me to just pick out two and eat them with a side of something else. If my family has spaghetti, I will have two meatballs and a small amount of ricotta. Last week I found a recipe on Pinterest called "meatball sub casserole". It is a base of garlic toast, made using fresh french bread, that has been toasted under the broiler, then placed in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Then you top that with a low fat cream cheese/mayo mix that has italian seasoning in it. Then you top that with meatballs that are already cooked and cut into halves so they lay flat on the bread. Then top with low-sugar marinara sauce, and top that with low-fat mozzarella. Bake in the oven on 350 until the cheese melts and is brown and bubbly. This meal was such a hit that my family fought over who got the leftovers TWO NIGHTS LATER!!!! They wanted it three nights in a row! I did not eat the bread part, I just took some meatball and cheese mixture off of the top. I ate mine with some cottage cheese because it made it taste like lasagna!
Eating properly even with a family CAN BE DONE!!!!! My entire family has improved their eating habits because of my surgery. My husband is not a large man but he lost his excess 20 pounds over these last six months just by way of the environmental changes. I used to cook large breakfasts every weekend morning that we were all off and at home. NO MORE!!! Now we all enjoy fruit smoothies, or yogurt with homemade granola, or Breakfast burritos inside low-carb wraps. It is hard at first because you will feel like your list of "Cant Have" is bigger than the list of "Go Ahead" but you will find in time that the things you used to enjoy, crave, desire, are no longer important to you. You can do this:)

My Op is booked for 14th May but I've still to decide which one. I initially wanted the sleeve but I have GERD / acid reflux so the surgeon recommends bypass. The sleeve doesn't worry me but the bypass does - the re plumbing, the Vitamin deficiency, etc etc. Reading your posts above has been a big help. I'm leaning more toward bypass now. Any additional advice would be great!

I was 245 and asked the same question about being "heavy enough" for the gastric bypass. Ultimately, I chose this surgery because it has a higher success rate for getting rid of diabetes and PCOS, which I had. I can proudly say I no longer have diabetes nor PCOS and feel so much healthier. I did have some complications which are not common and I am still dealing with them, but I would do it again.

I also went to my first surgeons appointment with the mindset of having the sleeve. Throughout my appointments, we discovered that I had an ulcer as well as esophagitis due to reflux. My surgeon couldn't believe that I didn't have chronic stomach pains however I had been dealing with chronic pelvic pain due to a metabolic disorder, which masked the stomach discomfort. It was determined that my chronic pelvic pain caused me to use NSAIDs like Ibuprofen and Naproxen so often that it caused my ulcer. Due to those discoveries, and my metabolic disorder, my surgeon highly recommended that I have RNY instead of the sleeve. He stated that the RNY would give me a better chance at metabolic changes that I needed to get rid of the pelvic pain (the WHOLE reason for looking into the surgery in the first place), and that the sleeve would only be a riskier option for me because of the history of ulcers and reflux. I was hesitant and it took a few months of prayer and research before I finally made my decision. I will be three months out on Wednesday and I have NO REGRETS. I do feel that it is a personal decision for each person, but i know that the RNY was without a doubt the best option for me. I feel amazing, my pelvic pain is almost non-existent. I am off of ALL medications, including diabetic meds, reflux meds, and hormonal medications related to the metabolic disorder. I sleep 6-7 hours and wake up feeling RESTED!!! That never happened to me before. I am half way to my goal after only three months, and the changes that I have made are positively affecting both family and co-workers! Prior to surgery, I had an insatiable sweet tooth, and I was known for skipping meals to eat sweets with a coffee. No longer! The cravings are no longer an issue for me, and I feel wonderful. I even get comments on how great my skin looks!

@@pupichupi THANK YOU SO MUCH for those words of encouragement!!! I have not really been "secretive" that I was having this procedure done. I did share with a few people what I was doing but prior to surgery I was VERY selective about whom I told for one very specific reason. I did not need all of the stories....."I knew someone who had that and she developed a blood clot"....."my cousin did that and now looks horrible because of malnutrition"......"you will lose all of your hair!!!" You get the idea. I am a medical professional and i am WELL aware of all of the risks, as are all of my coworkers but I didn't need anyone discouraging me. I knew if i didn't do it, I would one day be diabetic, and it would also mean NO change whatsoever of my husband and I making the decision to have a child together (he has one and I have one, but none together and we both had negative experiences with having our firsts so we would like to make an Educated and Heartfelt decision as to whether or not to have one together someday and enjoy the experience). I plan to really make it known what I did to TAKE CHARGE of my health, my life, my future, my families future, and to possibly inspire and help educate others who are investigating this option!!!! My only concern with it is that for me it was not a decision of vanity......I did not do this to look better. I was always very happy with my appearance, I have always taken good care of myself. I always wear makeup, dress up, and do things with my hair. My husband loves me with all his heart, and has never been able to keep his hands off me NO MATTER what my size is. I can already tell that I am going to have to bite my tongue to not say things to the men that will make comments in the future but didn't in the past. Does this make any sense?
I guess the attention thing just infuriates me because nothing has changed about WHO I am......I am the same person that I always was, just with less health problems. But I suppose only people that have done this will understand how that feels. On a side note about the comment "EASY WAY OUT"....my husband has been by my side, held my hand, watched me struggle a few days, dried my tears, tried EVERY single shake that I make, and walked the track with me as I exercise....and he says "If anyone says that to you, you tell me because I am kicking them in the NUTS!!!!! This is NOT the easy way out!"

@@pupichupi THANK YOU SO MUCH for those words of encouragement!!! I have not really been "secretive" that I was having this procedure done. I did share with a few people what I was doing but prior to surgery I was VERY selective about whom I told for one very specific reason. I did not need all of the stories....."I knew someone who had that and she developed a blood clot"....."my cousin did that and now looks horrible because of malnutrition"......"you will lose all of your hair!!!" You get the idea. I am a medical professional and i am WELL aware of all of the risks, as are all of my coworkers but I didn't need anyone discouraging me. I knew if i didn't do it, I would one day be diabetic, and it would also mean NO change whatsoever of my husband and I making the decision to have a child together (he has one and I have one, but none together and we both had negative experiences with having our firsts so we would like to make an Educated and Heartfelt decision as to whether or not to have one together someday and enjoy the experience). I plan to really make it known what I did to TAKE CHARGE of my health, my life, my future, my families future, and to possibly inspire and help educate others who are investigating this option!!!! My only concern with it is that for me it was not a decision of vanity......I did not do this to look better. I was always very happy with my appearance, I have always taken good care of myself. I always wear makeup, dress up, and do things with my hair. My husband loves me with all his heart, and has never been able to keep his hands off me NO MATTER what my size is. I can already tell that I am going to have to bite my tongue to not say things to the men that will make comments in the future but didn't in the past. Does this make any sense?
I guess the attention thing just infuriates me because nothing has changed about WHO I am......I am the same person that I always was, just with less health problems. But I suppose only people that have done this will understand how that feels. On a side note about the comment "EASY WAY OUT"....my husband has been by my side, held my hand, watched me struggle a few days, dried my tears, tried EVERY single shake that I make, and walked the track with me as I exercise....and he says "If anyone says that to you, you tell me because I am kicking them in the NUTS!!!!! This is NOT the easy way out!"

I am still very new to this journey and I am only down about 40 pounds so far but I already miss just being "me". I know that eventually this will wear off since right now the weight loss is drawing peoples attention, but I miss walking into a room and not having everyone stare. The other day I went to work to drop off a tray of Christmas treats. Nobody has seen me since November 14th since I can't return for a long time because my job is very physically strenuous. When I walked in someone whistled at me. I felt myself turn red. I don't like that kind of attention, it embarrasses me. Now I am dreading returning to work as I don't want all the attention and questions that will ensue. And I miss being able to wake up in the middle of the night thirsty to chug a glass of Water and go back to sleep satiated. My thirst is NEVER quenched so if I stayed up until I was satisfied, I would be up all night long. No regrets, just stuff that I miss.

Today my husband helped me recheck my measurements. We took them and recorded them in my journal two days after I started the pre-op liquid diet on November 17th, 2014 because a friend of mine had told me that she didn't take any measurements and that was one of her biggest regrets from preparation. Today, in comparison, each of my upper arms are nearly 3 inches smaller, my neck is a full inch smaller, my chest shows a five inch decrease, my waist is a full EIGHT inches smaller, and my hips are three and a half inches smaller!!!! Each thigh is three inches smaller, and each calf is an inch smaller. I am SOOOOOOOO thrilled with these results! Here's to dressing like a hobo for the first few months of 2015 as my clothes are hanging on me and i REFUSE to replace them as of yet!

I am curious if anyone has experienced any symptoms similar to my own. I had been progressing very well, I saw my surgeon at two weeks post and he was pleased with my profess. I was walking and had little pain unless if I tried to sleep on my left side. He progressed me to puree stage foods and a few days later (I started with eggs and Soup first), I attempted some moist, pureed chicken. The chicken did NOT settle well with me at all and I was sick for two days. Since being sick, the prior "dull ache" that I had in my left side flared up and now I can barely control it. It hurts to cough, sneeze, reach, turn, and I can not let anyone hug me. Has anyone else had an increase in pain and a setback in how they feel after a week or so of feeling great?!?! I am getting discouraged. I want to be able to have fun with my children this holiday.

Today my husband helped me recheck my measurements. We took them and recorded them in my journal two days after I started the pre-op liquid diet on November 17th, 2014 because a friend of mine had told me that she didn't take any measurements and that was one of her biggest regrets from preparation. Today, in comparison, each of my upper arms are nearly 3 inches smaller, my neck is a full inch smaller, my chest shows a five inch decrease, my waist is a full EIGHT inches smaller, and my hips are three and a half inches smaller!!!! Each thigh is three inches smaller, and each calf is an inch smaller. I am SOOOOOOOO thrilled with these results! Here's to dressing like a hobo for the first few months of 2015 as my clothes are hanging on me and i REFUSE to replace them as of yet!

I was a HUGE fan of cream of wheat prior to my surgery, and I have only tried it once since. I was only able to consume maybe two teaspoons of it, broken up into very small bites before I felt ridiculously full! Now I am afraid to try it again but It has been a horrible craving of mine ever since surgery, I believe because during my pregnancy with my daughter I was sick the entire time with constant nausea and vomiting. Cream of Wheat was one of the only things I could keep down and now whenever I am sick I want it. For me it's a comfort food and as most of you know, this surgery takes away most of those!

I had the gastric bypass procedure on November 25th, 2014, so my journey is only beginning!!! But I can tell you a few things that I wished I had known prior to beginning the surgical steps. The first thing that I would have done differently is that I would have slowly eased myself into a Protein Shake for Breakfast every morning, or maybe occasionally for my lunch. The reason why I would have done this is because (for me) the pre-op diet would have felt like less of a mental "shock" had I been already doing this for a period of time. Now that I have been drinking the carnation drinks for six weeks, I find that I love them and I crave their taste and texture. Now I can't say that about ALL of the Protein Shakes because well I think all bari patients can agree, not all of them will appeal to you. Finding one that works well for you is IMPORTANT.
As far as motherhood goes, I also have two children and I was definitely more concerned for how they were going to handle this that I was concerned about myself. The oldest child is really the only one that even noticed that things were different, and her main concern was "Will you still sit with me at the table while we eat, even if you're only drinking?". I worried that I would feel left out while they all ate a real meal and I had a shake, but it has not felt that way to me at all. During my pre-op diet I was allowed broth, and some steamed veggies once a day for the first five days of the diet, so I saved my veggies for dinner time, added them to broth and viola! I had Soup with my family while they ate. After surgery, you will feel tired for a few weeks as you recover. This is considered a major surgery, and weight limits are usually placed at 10pounds or less for the first few weeks so you will need to line up help with the little ones but it definitely can be done as you will be feeling better in no time.
About the pain level, my dearest friend in the whole world had the sleeve done in June. I was there with her and she had issues with pain control. I watched it all and I STILL went through with my surgery. Why? Because being overweight is painful every day. I knew that I was strong enough, and I believe that you are as well. Two weeks ago, this friend and I were hanging out and she asked me how it compared to child birth as she has yet to have children and I have already been through it. She said she feels less scared of child birth now because she made it through that surgery. I told her I didn't want to scare her but childbirth is hands down much harder than WLS and I would definitely do this over again if I had to choose between the two. After my surgery, I actually requested that my pain medication be discontinued as I wanted to walk and the medicine made me dizzy every time that I stood upright. I knew it was a side effect of the medication as I am a medical professional. The doctor of course agreed to allow them to stop the medication and within a half hour I was up walking. Walking moves the gases used in surgery which causes the most discomfort in my opinion.
The hardest part, as others here have already told you, is all mental. The learning, educating yourself, and the convincing your brain that you are NOT being deprived of joy by not eating as much as you used to, or WHAT you used to. There are other joys besides food and you will find them. Good Luck, you're already doing the right thing by reaching out! This is a GREAT place to start!

I had the gastric bypass procedure on November 25th, 2014, so my journey is only beginning!!! But I can tell you a few things that I wished I had known prior to beginning the surgical steps. The first thing that I would have done differently is that I would have slowly eased myself into a Protein Shake for Breakfast every morning, or maybe occasionally for my lunch. The reason why I would have done this is because (for me) the pre-op diet would have felt like less of a mental "shock" had I been already doing this for a period of time. Now that I have been drinking the carnation drinks for six weeks, I find that I love them and I crave their taste and texture. Now I can't say that about ALL of the Protein Shakes because well I think all bari patients can agree, not all of them will appeal to you. Finding one that works well for you is IMPORTANT.
As far as motherhood goes, I also have two children and I was definitely more concerned for how they were going to handle this that I was concerned about myself. The oldest child is really the only one that even noticed that things were different, and her main concern was "Will you still sit with me at the table while we eat, even if you're only drinking?". I worried that I would feel left out while they all ate a real meal and I had a shake, but it has not felt that way to me at all. During my pre-op diet I was allowed broth, and some steamed veggies once a day for the first five days of the diet, so I saved my veggies for dinner time, added them to broth and viola! I had Soup with my family while they ate. After surgery, you will feel tired for a few weeks as you recover. This is considered a major surgery, and weight limits are usually placed at 10pounds or less for the first few weeks so you will need to line up help with the little ones but it definitely can be done as you will be feeling better in no time.
About the pain level, my dearest friend in the whole world had the sleeve done in June. I was there with her and she had issues with pain control. I watched it all and I STILL went through with my surgery. Why? Because being overweight is painful every day. I knew that I was strong enough, and I believe that you are as well. Two weeks ago, this friend and I were hanging out and she asked me how it compared to child birth as she has yet to have children and I have already been through it. She said she feels less scared of child birth now because she made it through that surgery. I told her I didn't want to scare her but childbirth is hands down much harder than WLS and I would definitely do this over again if I had to choose between the two. After my surgery, I actually requested that my pain medication be discontinued as I wanted to walk and the medicine made me dizzy every time that I stood upright. I knew it was a side effect of the medication as I am a medical professional. The doctor of course agreed to allow them to stop the medication and within a half hour I was up walking. Walking moves the gases used in surgery which causes the most discomfort in my opinion.
The hardest part, as others here have already told you, is all mental. The learning, educating yourself, and the convincing your brain that you are NOT being deprived of joy by not eating as much as you used to, or WHAT you used to. There are other joys besides food and you will find them. Good Luck, you're already doing the right thing by reaching out! This is a GREAT place to start!

You should try PB2. It's a powder in the Peanut Butter section and I think you'll like it.

Today my husband helped me recheck my measurements. We took them and recorded them in my journal two days after I started the pre-op liquid diet on November 17th, 2014 because a friend of mine had told me that she didn't take any measurements and that was one of her biggest regrets from preparation. Today, in comparison, each of my upper arms are nearly 3 inches smaller, my neck is a full inch smaller, my chest shows a five inch decrease, my waist is a full EIGHT inches smaller, and my hips are three and a half inches smaller!!!! Each thigh is three inches smaller, and each calf is an inch smaller. I am SOOOOOOOO thrilled with these results! Here's to dressing like a hobo for the first few months of 2015 as my clothes are hanging on me and i REFUSE to replace them as of yet!

Today my husband helped me recheck my measurements. We took them and recorded them in my journal two days after I started the pre-op liquid diet on November 17th, 2014 because a friend of mine had told me that she didn't take any measurements and that was one of her biggest regrets from preparation. Today, in comparison, each of my upper arms are nearly 3 inches smaller, my neck is a full inch smaller, my chest shows a five inch decrease, my waist is a full EIGHT inches smaller, and my hips are three and a half inches smaller!!!! Each thigh is three inches smaller, and each calf is an inch smaller. I am SOOOOOOOO thrilled with these results! Here's to dressing like a hobo for the first few months of 2015 as my clothes are hanging on me and i REFUSE to replace them as of yet!

My surgeon had told me to expect about three or four hours and he advised my family of that as a timeline. I had the bypass which does take longer than the sleeve to have done. On the day of surgery, one of the only things that I remember from waking up was seeing my husband and my best friend standing at the foot of my bed and they said "It went so well that he finished in 2 1/2 hours!". My surgeon did say that my liver was no issue so my pre op diet must have done the job it was intended for but I was very strict and followed it to the letter. Also, I am not built with a very large abdomen, I carry most of my weight in my hips and legs which his nurse said sometimes is a benefit in the actual procedure. One of my best friends had the sleeve done this summer and her family lives on the other side of the state so I waited in the waiting room and reported to her dad while he traveled. Her procedure took several hours, I was in the waiting room for at least three hours. Again, her shape may have played a part as she carried most of her weight in her abdomen and has long legs. We are built exactly opposite. I hope this may help to answer some of your inquiries. Best Wishes on your journey!

I was informed from a friend of mine that had surgery before me that the 30/30 rule does not apply to your Protein drinks. I was told that its not a wise idea to "wash them down" with Water or another beverage, however it isn't as important to wait the entire 30 minutes like it is after food. I have been making sure to stick to the 30/30 when eating a little something but I don't worry as much when I am having a shake.

A few of our family traditions really helped me this year. The first is sliced deli ham with cream cheese and wrapped around a pickle spear and cut into bite size pieces. These were a great new taste for my sleeve and Protein based. The second thing was homemade meatballs. The meatballs usually sit in a crock pot with a sauce that isn't sleeve friendly. Fortunately, I was able to catch some before they went into the sauce and kept them hidden in the fridge for me to eat later.

This holiday season I was newly post-op so I couldn't participate in much....RNY on 11/25 thus on pureed/softs through the entire holiday. We made bean dip a LOT. I would section out a small amount for myself prior to adding sausage and seasonings for my family. I would add a little cheddar to mine for added Protein and they would use theirs with chips, or on tortillas as burritos (my kids' favorite). It worked great for all of us, was high protein for me, and my husband always LOVES to have it leftover to heat up!!!

It took nearly 50 pounds lost for me to drop a size or two from 26/28 to maybe 22/24. But once I hit oh...around 100 pounds down, I dropped sizes faster than you can imagine.
I was in a size 16 when I lost the first 100 but since then, I've dropped 50 more and gone from size 16 to a 6. Just hang in there...it will happen soon enough.

Their comment: "man, surgery to lose weight, that's pretty extreme"
My reply: "yeah but dying early is more extreme"