IncredibleShrinkingMan

That said, I think we can be fair evaluators of ourselves to a certain extent, but we really need to avoid the danger of letting our dietary choices, body shape, and everything else related to weight percolate the much bigger picture of who we are. The more sources of self-esteem and pride we can find in the world outside of the physical image, the better positioned we are to isolate this one troublesome area of our lives. Successful individuals tend to have enough of these outside identifiers that there simply remains no room for judgment based on food problems. But we also don't want to become so full of ourselves that we lose sight of the issue we all came here to work on.

That is rough, although probably not without basis. I was told that as soon as I could get the required 64 oz of water, I could begin having coffee again, and I did so without delay. The ban is due to the fact that caffeine is a diuretic and removes water from your body of which after surgery, you can hardly spare.

You shouldn't be "talking yourself" into it or out of it. This is a very serious move that involves looking at yourself objectively, looking at the facts of your history, and judging for yourself the prospects from others that have gone before you. Once you have made a decision based on those factors, you should not be trying to make up arguments that steer it in any direction...not even as to what procedure you would like to have. If you have reservations based on something in your life, that is perfectly legitimate and needs to be thought over...it does not constitute a mind game and certainly doesn't amount to talking yourself into or out of anything. Best of luck whichever way you go!

If you are at the end of the line with the hunger, go to liquids now, even if that wasn't specifically what the doctor ordered. It will make life after surgery so much easier as well. The first week is always brutally tough, and then your body gets used to the pre-op (that doesn't mean you could continue that way forever without the surgery, just saying)...liquid protein will help speed that process.

Oh...and NO, you should not even be saying the word revision at this point unless you are working on a paper for class.

In the United States a lot of people see the surgeon at the bariatric program first, then begin progressing through the motions of pre-op, and somewhere in that whole circus go to their primary care doctors and get the required referral. Insurance requires the PCP letter (not an issue in Canada obviously) and the surgeon also generally requires it for his own purpose. I highly doubt your PCP will refuse to issue a letter of referral once you are any more than knee deep with the bariatric program. I attended a weight loss information session and within two weeks of that I was able to see a surgeon in the same hospital as the one that gave the session. That is another way in.

It is probably allowed a lot sooner than you should really start having it. It doesn't provide much satiety and the brown sugar can cause glucose spikes...read...HUNGER LATER ON. I was cleared for it very early on...last few days of full liquids, but standard is pureed stage.

How much weight have you gained back? If it is three pounds or less, it may be glycogen or water retention, especially if you aren't being diligent about your water intake. Nothing a honey bun and some sweet drinks couldn't do in the course of a single meal. But when you exercise, those are the first three to fall off.

I totally get it. It's a vicious cycle. My personal experience, however, has been that food existed independently of everything else in my life (and consumed it like a cancer). It didn't matter whether I was sad, happy, depressed, ecstatic, nervous, stressed, angry...what have you, it was just there in the same ruthless form in January or June, and in morning, night, or noon. It knew no limits, no breaks, and no compassion. But I can understand why people with actual emotional eating have it so much worse. It was easy to become numb to it the way I experienced it. Hence, why I was once a 50 BMI.

Awesome job! I am August as well. I can't wait to blow some minds at Thanksgiving!

List of people I let know: Immediate household (not feasible to hide it from them, and didn't care to either) Boss Best friend Best friend's roommate who, as luck would have it, works as a NUT for a local bariatric program (not the one I used) To me, that's a complete package. However, anybody on this list who wouldn't be supportive should not be told just because they are in one of these categories. It is probably best not to tell people who would try to talk you out of it. Especially if they aren't heavy, they have no reason to know about the grim data facing old-school weight loss hopefuls.

Congratulations, and welcome to the other side!

Are you weighing yourself at the same time each day? This is the second thread I've read today in which somebody is freaking out about a slight increase on the scale. My go-to response is that if it is three pounds or less, stop sounding the SOS. That is easily accounted for by either Water retention (ironically caused by not consuming enough fluid), glycogen build-up, or just the fact that you weighed yourself at a different time of the day than when you got the lighter reading. Try and keep it consistent, and remember that your weight after a hard workout (if you are cleared by your surgeon) will be more consistent than weight after any particular meal (not too consistent from day to day).

I would relax. You may be at your first mini-stall (I speak to you today from a very long and frustrating one). Water retention could very well be a factor, especially if you had some carbs during your meal. That would cause your liver to store up to three pounds worth of glycogen. So, you may have lost two pounds of fat, but gained three in glycogen storage, totaling a gain of one pound. Those three stored pounds are the first to come off if you work out. This is why I only weigh myself after workouts...so that the amount of glycogen stored doesn't depend on what I've eaten, which is hard to standardize even when counting very meticulously.

I have already had sashimi (as well as a lot of fish in general) and it has gone swimmingly (much like the fish were before they landed on my plate). I have made a "commitment" to try real sushi come the holidays, when such meals become more frequent with the family, but my approach will be quite conservative.

I heard 50-60% average excess weight loss for sleeve, and 65-75% for bypass. As to pace, I am not sure.

For Halloween I went to Six Flags just to go on one roller coaster that was size-prohibitive last year. We spent the whole day there and went on old ones as well and stayed for Fright Fest. I don't buy new clothes unless they become worn enough that they need to be replaced. Nothing gets thrown out or purchased on account of new size. I reward myself with exercise. Plain and simple. food just can't happen in the way it did before, so it wouldn't be a reward anyway, and I don't really like most slider foods.

Congratulations. I don't want to influence you too much, but I am from outside Philly too and I went with Noel Williams at UPenn. All the other surgeons there (Korus, Cha, Schuricht, etc...) are marvelous as well. What procedure are you thinking of having?

Plenty of hunger pains, no gas pains at all. As soon as I started trust the liquid protein a bit more, those abated to a manageable level.

This sounds very difficult...I am sorry to hear about your struggles. My Dad will be having this done for entirely different reasons at the end of this month. If you have any advice or particular pointers I'd appreciate it. Many congratulations on your weight loss success.

This has been exactly my experience. It is an incredible thing and apparently very common. I used liquid during my pre-op despite the fact that it wasn't one of my surgeon's requirements, and it eradicated all the horrible cravings I had at the beginning of my 1000 calorie diet. Post-op was made much easier, especially in the early going liquid stages, and now, three months out, I use liquid to break out of stalls (I just broke out of one in the last few days). Unfortunately, my taste buds haven't completely changed, nor do I expect them to, but I crave healthier food in general when a) I exercise, and I am doing a mini-cleanse with liquid Protein.

I did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with my big clothes. Even leaving them with somebody else can be a jinx on your efforts. I put them in boxes at a relative's house, and then needed to ask for them back a year later (I didn't have any surgery at that point). Likewise, I never did anything with my small clothes from back then, and now I don't have to spend all my free hours in department stores looking for stuff that I don't even know how long I'm going to need. I've never understood why people do anything with their old clothes, other than give them away as gifts or charity. Even the biggest stuff I have still fits fine to wear around the house in a sloppy manner. Not that I would wear them out on the town any longer.

I think everybody has stalls without exception. Many people stop taking vitamins, but that's not a good idea. I hear a lot of bandsters say they regret it, but that's probably because they see more dramatic weight loss in people who've had other surgeries. If you are happy with your results, that's great, and try not to let that get in your head.

Best of luck. I think liquids will do wonders for your mindset and stop any cravings. It will make the early post-op go extremely smoothly for you!

You've made a great decision, and your reasons align very closely with mine. I thought about food during school, work, the movies, going to bed at night, and even if I never lost a single pound, that would provide reason enough to go ahead with it IMHO. You are also very disciplined to have chosen the date you have chosen...that means pre-op Thanksgiving to Christmas and a very tough New Year's Day. It is so worth it though.