ValerieInMexico

I have also been hitting the gym hard, the past 6 weeks. My surgery is on July 31. My last session will be the 26th. My personal trainer said, because of the low calorie pre-surgical diet we are going to change things the last week. I will find out what that is today. She does a lot of isometrics with me, so I think we are going to focus on flexibility, strength and balance and not fat burning. We'll see! I am just going to walk and do some light exercise on my three day clear liquid diet, just prior to the surgery.

Yeah!!! The wait is over for you. Best of health to you during the next few days!

I began reducing my volume and caloric intake about 8 weeks ago. I slowly, slowly lost around 10 pounds. Hard to know because I only bought a scale half way through. I began the pre surgical diet 3 days ago and my scale has shown a drop of 4 pounds! That encouraged me! I have no problems until night time. That's when I get hungry! I have been splitting my delicious shakes in half. Taking a 20 minute break between the two halves. I also make a bowl of sugar free jello in the morning and that is my evening snack. So I think the actual fact you can loose weight on the presurgical diet is a huge motivator. I am having problems with some friends who are really all about just staying fat and enjoying their lives. They are very against me doing this. My supportive friends are all really into eating healthy, and they are into smoothies and shakes already so its pretty much easier with them. All kinds of people are drinking protein shakes and smoothies for breakfast and lunch so that should be easy for you at work. Best of luck! I am going in for a tune up of my pouch and RNY, on July 31.

Really wonderful to see. You are so, so close! Good luck to you!

How long ago did you have your surgery? How are you feeling?

Great feedback. I think I will pick somewhere in the middle of my ideal weight and my first goal, which is 10 pounds less that I have been in 30 years or so. Now I just have to learn how to edit!

I am retired so I decided to volunteer. That is my post surgery plan. This is for two reasons: 1. It will allow me to have some purspose in life. 2. I will have a reason to get up, do my hair, dress in some of my beautiful clothes, wear my jewelry and interact with people. When you quit working, you just don't have an opportunity to dress up. Thought I might just join a church too. Get good with God AND have a place to wear my dresses!

That is the way I have been since childhood. My parents thought there was something wrong with me, but I really love to stay in my house and read books and just be lazy. I do have to push myself and, for the half the year I live in a city where I really do not know anyone. The gym gets me out every day, and I have a lot of friends and family who live about an hour away, so I try and make plans to see them. I shop out of loneliness sometimes. Most of the time I enjoy my solitude. I think finding a gym buddy and a walking partner will be my next step. Work on changing now, don't wait until you are older. Find that one or two people who will help you set a time and place to get out.

I am so like this. One thing I am doing in my house, because I am on the presurgical diet and entertainment by food is not an option, is working on a list of fast tasks. Things I can do in 10 to 30 minutes. Otherwise, besides going to the pre-paid gym sessions, I would stay home with the curtains closed. That is my nature. Glued to the recliner. My list of tasks include: . Load or Unload the dishwasher . Do a load of laundry . vacuum . sew that button on the shirt (the one that has been waiting 10 months . steam the wrinkled clothes that have been waiting for weeks. . clean the fridge I set the timer to 30 minutes and tackle a task or two. At the end of the day I feel better and it keeps my mind off food. I am avoiding going out because I am also a recovering shop-acholic. That is one of my fat time things to do. Avoidance. To mitigate the risk of shopping for things I do not need: I have a list of errands to run that I postpone because it requires I wash my hair, put on something other than sweats and leave the house AND not shop or stop at starbucks! I just focus on the list, bring a big bottle of water and try and drink it before I get home. Also: I am wearing my best clothes because they will be too big next month and I might as well! Also, been putting on makeup cause, why not. Anything to get my mind off food. I smile and say "thank you" to everyone. Ask the clerks "how is your day?" Then, they smile back at me and I feel I have achieved a small thing. Finally, another thing I did was ease myself into the pre surgical diet by using noom, the app, which set a 1200 calorie goal for me, and 3K for steps. Why not do that? It helps to motivate you, noom helps you work on that lazy bones attitude too. Good Luck. Getting outside feels good once you actually get yourself out the door!

This sight has been such a help to me. I went through both of my other surgeries not having anyone to talk to. There is so much available now and this site is so helpful in setting up a plan for success. I initially picked 160 as a goal because I just have not reached that weight for 25 years and it seemed like something I could achieve. Now, after reading about the success stories I think I should pick a weight that puts me in the normal BMI range. So, 145 would be more realistic. My other big goal is to not have a fatty liver. That really bugs me. I felt my best at 135 which is where I was in high school and early 20s. I thought I should aim for 145 and see how I am. Have the liver test and see if it is healthy. If so, I would accept 145. I am 62 and I know that I do not have a lot of wrinkles because of the extra volume in my face. My face is where I lose it first so I do not want to be a thin person. Just a healthy person. So: How did you pick your goal? And, how do I edit my goal? Thanks!

Well, I am July 31 - RNY and Pouch revision or "tune up", as I like to call it. I was worried that I would be too late for the July group, so I was also going to follow with the August group. My pre op appointment is July 29th where the Internist will review my test results before giving the final go-ahead for the 31st. I am doing well on the pre-op diet, and have lost about 10 pounds in the past month total. My tests show a fatty liver so I am really following the protocol closely. So if it is not too late, Please include me. I have met all the requirements for surgery already, in terms of test results so I am pretty sure it will be a go ahead. I really would like to be involved in the post surgery followup, to see how you are all doing!

Woops: I meant July 31st. Reassured myself with a lot of reading last night. Trust the surgeon, but really not sure if I am doing the smartest thing.

I am going, on July 1, for my RNY revision surgery. My surgeon is going to examine the pouch and stoma, and make smaller if possible. What concerns me is that he is also going to increase the amount of intestine that is bypassed. My original RNY, done in 2000, what a short length. I am worried just because I have not read about anyone else having this done. I may just ask him that, if the pouch and stoma just appear stretched..... make that smaller and not do the bypass work. This will be a situation where I will be on my own after surgery. I mean, they are very responsive over phone and with emails, but there is no follow up appointments. My GP will work with me on monitoring my Iron, Calcium etc. Did any of your surgeons suggest this approach?

Ruth, work on your self esteem and take some chances. It does not get easier as you get older. After 7 years of marriage, my ex broke my heart. I was still in my 20s, but my self esteem was in the pits. I was only about 150 pounds and I thought I was a giant. I would look at my body, without cellulite or stretch marks and wonder why someone would want to be with me. I just felt ugly. Even when men would tell me I was pretty.... I was worried how they would feel when they saw me naked and saw how big my thighs were. What if they found out I had some acne on my back! I was freaked out over one or two zits! I never, ever looked that good again and my weight only went up and up and up. As I got older, no one was chasing me! I pushed away the ones that showed interest. If I could go back in time, I would find a therapist and work on building my self esteem. I would say "yes" to invitations and allow the men to decide if they found me attractive instead of making the decision for them. So my advice to you is to take a chance, be up front if you need to. If someone asks you out, just go. And if you can afford it, go see a therapist. It can really, really help. Good luck, and do save for plastic surgery. I had a breast lift after my first big loss and, after 15 years, they still look great! Even skinny women can have cellulite and stretch marks, by the way. Love yourself! Good luck with the weight loss journey.

I live in an expat retirement community in Mexico, for half of the year. There are 110 houses in our gated community. The town is about an hours drive from Guadalajara. With the age of the residents in our community (there are over 5 thousand Americans and Canadians), you can imagine that there are a lot of urgent health care issues. The first hospital I went to was a shock to me. It looked like a five star hotel. The café in the lobby was a French bistro. I went for gastro tests, sent there by a bariatric center when I was having some problems with my RNY (done in the US). All was well with me, they just lectured me about the importance of taking my vitamins and eating as advised for a RNY patient. I also had minor surgery and a stay overnight at another hospital. It was a rehab hospital, specializing in sports medicine. It was spotless and my room and bathroom were like a holiday inn room, but smaller. I have visited friends who have been rushed by ambulance for cardiac and other issues. The hospitals were all private and top notch. Now, Guadalajara is a big city with a lot of different hospitals. They have a excellent Medical school. Many of the surgeons, like mine, had a rotation or a residency in the US. There are also the public hospitals run by the equivalent of Social Security/Medicare. Not at all the same, but many of the same surgeons and specialists. Often, the Dr.s have a private practice, but also work in the public hospitals. I have friends who had kidney transplants and knee replacements there. They had to bring their own family member to help them. It is no frills. Not for me. However the results were successful. The BariatricPal hospital in Tijuana has a wonderful reputation. That is where I would have chosen if I did not have my casa near Guadalajara and friends there for support. So, if you are considering surgery in Mexico, do your research and you can have a very safe and pleasant experience. If you are retired, consider Lake Chapala for a month in the off season. Its beautiful and you could stay around after your surgery and enjoy the culture and the beauty..... and the shopping! (Not the restaurants).

Thanks for the posts. I have made notes on a couple of things to bring that I did not think of. One thing I will bring is Clorox wipes and hand sterilizer. In the hospital, locally, there are signs in the room that say "you have the right to ask the Hospital employees and Dr.'s to wash their hands before touching you". I just have the pump bottle on my near by table and I do ask, with a smile. Also, if friends visit. Good luck with your recovery!!!!

Ha! And here I thought Plugged was a new social media term! I plan on doing the same thing, here, recording my experience.

Good luck to you! My modification of my RNY is on July 31. Reflux was a problem for me due to a really bad experience with a band and the resulting condition of my stomach. I am on a prescription that had completely resolved the problem, but I want to get off. I will follow you to see how you do in that regards.

Good luck. I hope everything goes well.

I begin my preop on the 20th. My biggest challenge is coffee. Picture this: On my kitchen counter I have an nespresso espresso machine, a Keurig, a grind and brew coffee maker. In my pantry I have a coffee press and a large coffee maker for when I have guests. I live in a 924 sq foot apartment. In Mexico, I have all the same coffee making things. I just ordered a portable espresso maker for travel. I am a 3 shots of espresso a day person. I always drink the espresso with milk in the form of a latte or cappuccino. Three decaf coffees throughout the day. I am now down to one shot of caffeinated espresso per day. 4 coffee drinks with cashew milk made with decaf espresso. Giving up that final, last shot of espresso is going to be the hardest thing ever. I thought I better go down to 1/2 decaf espresso shot during the first week of my pre-surgical. Four days before.... I will give it up completely and deal with the headaches.... ugh.

I am just getting used to using this forum site. I love it. I hope to post pictures of every step, including what my home in Mexico looks like, the hospital, staff etc. I think it would be interesting for people to see. I am excited, nervous, but feeling very fortunate. This is Round 3 for me, with the modification of my RNY. I am feeling good that I am 87 pounds below my pre 2000 surgery. I have kept a lot of the weight off. With this site and all the great tools out there, I feel really hopeful that I will succeed in getting off the rest of the fat. Good luck to everyone here, and I hope we all have wifi on our phones in the hospital. It would be great to see pictures!

Well, I am scheduled for July 31, but will still be in the hospital in August! Liquid diet will begin August 2, at home, I hope. Please consider me an August buddy. All the July people will old hats by the time I am discharged!

Really great progress. So encouraging to hear. Good luck and hope that you continue to feel that way. I met a person last month that has not had a cookie or sweet for the entire 4 years since their RNY. It just does not appeal to them anymore. It seems to work for some people that way. Maybe your one of the lucky ones!

Ha! I know. I switched to "wine Fridays" last year, so I would only have wine once a week. Now, it just once in a while. It is my favorite thing, so. I will pick up my last and final boxes of wine club wine, stick bows on them and drop them off at friends houses. I need a clear and clean environment. I will resign from the wine club.... so sad, but necessary for now. Don't want a fatty liver!

I met with my GP, here in Canada, yesterday. I told her what I had planned. I am having the surgery in Mexico. My original gastric band was self pay in Sweden. My gastric bypass was covered by Insurance when I lived and worked in Washington State. Now, I am back, retired in Canada. I would not qualify here, because I really am healthy at this time. Fortunately for me, my Dr. is from Colorado and had many patients in the US who had bariatric surgery. She is supportive, but is performing more tests today. This year, I have had endoscopy, abdominal ultrasound, and bone scans. No problems found. My mineral levels are good now, after a lot of work so I feel good to go. She is wondering why I have a fatty liver and is just giving me a diabetes test to see if I am diabetic or insulin resistant. She gave me copies of all my tests for the surgeon in Mexico. My surgeon said he has done 200 revisions, including redo of the RNY. I am nervous, of course. I do not have kids, pets or plants so if I have problems..... no one dependent on me so that helps me handle the risk. Plus, I have a winter home near where the procedure is taking place, so I can hang around for a month in case there are any problems. Honestly, the struggle with weight has been life long, like so many of us. I work so hard, in the gym, walking, and I am so careful what I eat. I do not even have sugar in my house and have not for years. I do not eat any junk food, soda, frappes. Once or twice a year I binge on a pint of ice cream. I drink wine. I track calories. It takes years and years of dedication to lose 30 pounds and then: BAM One bad winter and all 30 are back. I just can not do this yo-yo anymore. So I will take the risk. My last four months have been about portion control and counseling to find ways to stop the evening eating (where all my extra calories come from). So.... that is also a big reason why I am taking the risk. I need help. Yes, I can lose it again with dedication, but will I keep it off? I need help......and now...…. I am mature and disciplined enough to do this correctly. Thanks for all the interest and I will keep you up to date. Pre Surgical diet begins in 4 days. I will post from the hospital and will appreciate the support.