BarrySue

I paid 15k out of pocket. If I could do it all over again, I'd have run off to Mexico and saved a bundle!

The best thing about food is the instant gratification. The moment a salty or sweet food touches your tongue, you get a sense of satisfaction. That's why long-term weight loss is so freaking scary -- we can't get what we want, and it sucks. It's okay to be terrified of stalling. I mean, we've all gone under the knife and had our organs cut apart, cobbled back together like Frankenstein's monster, or removed outright. I'd be weirded out by someone who didn't care, honestly. So come here, be a wreck, commiserate with us, beg for affirmations and reminders that it will eventually get better and the scale will move. And then when you get what you need, resume your life, stick to the plan, and return when the scale gets stuck again and you need more support. You'll make it, OP. You've already taken the biggest, most difficult step.

I was in your boat, OP. I had an extremely limited window in which to get the surgery due to school and work obligations, and I went under the knife a month after my first doctor's appointment. However, as a nurse, I had a strong medical and nutritional background, and I had done mountains of research as well. Only you truly know if you're ready, well-informed and totally prepared. Whether it is jumping the gun depends entirely on you. If you feel it's too much, too soon, don't force it. If you feel you're committed and have a strong system of support in place, go for it.

Babbs, your posts give me life. This forum should not be an infinite plane of eggshells we tiptoe over. It is absolutely a place of support, and sometimes, reality checks and doses of humility are supportive. I think there is great value in having people check you on your bad habits, not just when they are diet-related, but when they are behavior-related too. Asking for validation mislabeled as advice, or demanding that opinions be bubble-wrapped and lukewarm so as not to appear judgmental or finger-wagging? Believe it or not, demanding these kinds of emotional cushions likely play a bigger role in your weight loss struggle than you'd like to think. food is comfort and self protection. So is demanding others pull their punches when you ask for advice. Both can be destructive, and neither really helps you in the long run. P.S. Slapping the "bully" or "shame" label onto anything that makes you feel uncomfortable does nothing but shut down honest discourse and let you swallow down moral superiority like a deep-fried carb. Don't do it. **Edit: I know the convo has moved on, but I still wanted to address some earlier points. Back to your regularly programmed macronutrient tallies

Ugh, sleeping was the worst. I was always a stomach/side sleeper, and it was 2-3 months before I could return to normal. I also had to prop myself up on 4-5 pillows, especially for the first four weeks. It was annoying, but eventually it got better.

I feel you, OP. Twice now I've had two weeks where I've just chomped away on chips because I was feeling impulsive and out of control. You're good. Slow your roll. Take a breath. Rome wasn't built in a day, and this is not some mad dash sprint to the end. It's finding ways to eat that you can live with for the rest of your life. You've lost the equivalent of a third grader, and you should be immensely proud. Your journey is not my journey, or his or her journey. Don't get discouraged or try to compare yourself to those who, quite frankly, are sometimes blessed by youth, genetics, or other factors that help them lose weight faster (I'm young, and my entire family is thin, I don't have to combat genetics like so many others). Hang out on the forums, too. Find people to chat with who can empathize. Whenever I'm having a bad week, I come spend time here to feel less isolated and get into a good headspace.

Between my job and work, sometimes fast food was just the easy, convenient thing for me to do, so I've had Wendy's chili on occasion starting at about 6 weeks out. I could never finish more than 1/3 of a cup, but it was a nice change of pace from drinking my protein. I still have chili every once and a while, it's a go-to especially when I'm out at a restaurant or want to blend in without wearing a giant "I HAVE SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS" blinking neon sign.

Started at size 32 at 353 lbs, down to size 16 at 199 lbs (although sizing varies a little by brand).

Sorry, this topic is puttering out, but I just have to say: Is Water aerobics the most rapid, drastic weight loss exercise? Nope. That would be starving yourself, working out twice a day seven days a week, running, ellipticals, weight-lifting, boot camp type crap that has you vomiting and burning through thousands of calories per session. It is also one of the most unsustainable, metabolic-ruining, terrible ideas ever. A user claimed you could drop 300 lbs in a year through this brand of exercise alone? That's an average of 5.7 lbs per week. Please find me a single doctor on the planet who agrees with that. Hell, even drastic sleeve/bypass surgery doesn't have people losing that much. As a nurse, I have to say it's unhealthy and a terrible idea to advocate that. Water aerobics may not be as strenuous as Rocky-style training in the siberian forest. But it's a fun, sustainable way to incorporate exercise that OP wants to try. The goal isn't immediate weight loss. The goal is maintenance and long-term change. You can put in gym hours as a full-time job, then end up quitting and throwing your plan out of whack (not to mention permanently damage your metabolism), or you can choose something smart and sensible that you can manage over a long period of time. Biggest-Loser type stuff is awful and should be discouraged. The recent studies that came out showed their brand of weight loss caused people's metabolisms to run ridiculously low. As in, they burned 400-600 calories LESS per day than a regular person, because it irreparably damaged the way they process and expend energy.

I waited until 8 months post-op, simply because alcohol gave me tummy issues BEFORE the sleeve and I was worried about reflux/nausea. In the end, I skipped the champagne but had quite a few mixed drinks. Despite my weight change, my tolerance remained the same, and it still took quite a few drinks to get me to that happy place where I voluntarily danced at a wedding (my friends have the video evidence to prove it). I felt fine, but given the amount of empty calories, it's going to be a "at awkward weddings only" or "endure family on the holidays" deal. There's no point in having one or two drinks, since I don't feel any sort of change/difference until I'm four shots in (Yeah, I'm *that* girl). So I just avoid on the whole, knowing it is still an option for special celebrations.

Doctors are very smart and very knowledgeable, and should always be the first person to ask a question to before the internet. That being said, doctors are also human. They can be biased. They can suffer from pre-conceived notions and faulty assumptions. They can get burned out, discouraged, and disenchanted when their patients don't meet goals. They can get bitter. And sometimes, doctors can be wrong. Stick with your Water aerobics. That much exercise for many of us simply isn't sustainable, and doing something that isn't ridiculously exhausting and you ENJOY is much more likely to stick than putting in 20+ hours/wk at the gym. I work, go to school, have an internship, and have virtually no free time in my life. For me, my "exercise" is walking to and from the places I want to go, taking stairs, parking far away, and when I have a second to breathe, taking my dogs on a brisk walk. I simply don't have the time for intense exercise, so I'm fanatical about my diet instead. And when the time is right, I'll try to incorporate more physical activity into my life. But it sure as hell won't be five days a week, lol. It's great that you at least tried to share your plans with your doctor and get his feedback. Now that you have consulted with the dude responsible for your care, carefully consider his words and keep it in mind. Then make the right decision for YOU.

Haha, yes. I look at a box of saltines and say, "NOT TODAY, SATAN!"

I started eating crackers about 8 weeks out because I started having severe nausea and became unable to eat practically any food. I didn't eat them indiscriminately, though (because I could barely keep anything down). They were PB-smothered crackers for protein, and I never ate more than a few every day. I practically lived on peanut butter crackers, fairlife milk, and vitamins for six weeks until my sleeve settled (and only on the advice of my doctor). Once I felt better, I weaned myself off the crackers though. They are definitely not something you wanna rely on. If you have room in your tummy, it's best that you leave it for protein and not such an empty nutritional carb.

Grats! Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy to be approaching Onederland, but twoderland was the first time I said "Oh, wow. I'm starting to vaguely resemble a human-shaped person." It was a nice milestone.

Starting weight: 353 Current weight: 202 (Soooo close to Onederland, yet so far) Weight loss thus far: 151 lbs Just hit the 10 month mark.

Awesome! How far out are you? I just hit my 10 month mark

I know I'm not the norm, but the sleeve actually solved my reflux issues. I had horrible reflux before surgery, and laying horizontal pretty much guaranteed I was going to wake up with bile in the back of my throat. I was TERRIFIED if it becoming worse after surgery. However, I have never ever had a single instance of reflux since I got the sleeve. There was nausea in the beginning like everyone else, and occasionally I have vomited if I drank too soon after eating, but no reflux. I never even had to take any anti-acid meds. It's wonderful.

Sounds like a trip to Mexico is in order!

I am in Orlando and did 14500. I tried to use Shillingford, but his office never returned calls or emails, and I didn't want to make the 3 hour round trip down there just to walk into his office and ask for an appointment

Because sometimes, people are stupid. They are uninformed, short-sighted, and very, very stupid.

Tell them you are working with your doctors to determine what your true healthy weight is. It is scary that we have so conditioned ourselves to be used to larger bodies in general here in America that overweight seems average, average seems skinny, and skinny seems incomprehensible.

I'm in the US, but I'll be moving to Austria from August until December. Does that count? I do see some European posters, but primarily UK or northern Europe, not south. They never really post in the euro-location section of the boards, their posts are just kind of sprinkled in along with everyone else.

I'm at about the same. Any week I go over the usual 1100-ish calories, my weight loss stagnates.

I hate TBL. Why? Because it tells the audience that obesity is simply the result of not working out enough. That weight loss is a process of quick-fixes and instant gratification. Dehumanizes overweight people as pathetic and miserable, demonstrates to the world that it's okay to scream and belittle someone to encourage them to lose weight. That weight loss comes from working out until you vomit, jogging until you pass out, and not in quiet, resolute moments where you choose apples instead of a candy bar, or vegetable skewers instead of mashed potatoes for your side. That obesity is due to laziness and we just need to "toughen up." That it fails to acknowledge the forces working against you from the moment you're born: billions of advertisement during kiddie shows, food scientists working for multinational corporations that invent ingredients to act on the receptors of your brain and trick your body into thinking it is not full, cutting P.E. and physical education programs, portion sizes at every restaurant enormous, working more hours per week than people in any other country in the world and not having time to cook meals, psychological care being reduced or cut from most health insurance plans. American culture plays a huge role in developing and sustaining obesity. The Biggest loser doesn't dismantle the system. It doesn't try to educate. It exists for ratings for a major network, and that's that.

Honestly, if it's right in front of me and I'm craving it like mad, I take a bite. Sometimes two or three. Life post-sleeve isn't about deprivation. It's about building new and sustainable habits. In the nine months since my sleeve, when someone goes "hey, you wanna bite" or I become totally fixated on some treat, I indulge. I sit there, and once I have it in my hand and have a bite, I've satisfied the urge and it goes away. I take a bite, then wait. Then I take another bite, and by then, the impulse that drove me to it has passed. Then, I throw it away immediately. I don't save it, I don't say "I'll eat some of this later," it goes right into the garbage can. Sure, it's resulted in a huge waste of food (it'll end up in two places: the trash or my hips, and I've learned to choose the trash), but it's how I manage to still feel like a normal person and find balance. Oftentimes, I can simply have a bite or two of someone else's treat, or offer to "split" something with a friend and only take a mouthful or two. I was a binge-eater and food-obsessed person pre-sleeve, so my post-sleeve plan is to try and live a normal life. It's worked. As time goes on, I become more committed rather than less. The urges and thoughts about eating naughty foods decreases. The emotional attachment has slipped away, and I make good choices for myself. Yesterday, I had four little bites of Peanut Butter ice cream, and it was the first "bad" thing I'd eaten in weeks. It may not work for everyone, but I stick to the plan by not ALWAYS sticking to the plan. I'm at nearly 150 lbs lost since July, totally on track, and more focused/committed to leading a healthy life than ever. How do I keep from sliding completely? By allowing myself to occasionally slide a little bit. Oh! And any of that snacky bad food I try? It never, ever comes home with me. I indulge every once in a while OUTSIDE the house. Nothing but appropriate, high Protein foods and nutritious stuff in my house. I won't even keep things that are good in small amounts (aka: carbs, anything salty or sweet) because it's too strong a temptation.