IncredibleShrinkingMan

This is about a lot more than weight loss. This is about curing co-morbidities (or at least improving them), feeling better, and being able to concentrate on things in life other than food 24 hours a day. Honestly, I would do it again even if somebody told me I wasn't going to lose a single pound. I hated my relationship with food prior to surgery, and I always had crippling hunger no matter what I consumed. Those days are over. Incidentally, I have lost a bunch of weight, and just a month after surgery I am more than half way to goal, but I felt healthier and freer as soon as I woke up in the recovery room. I'm not saying that weight loss isn't the main purpose, but for some people, it will become a complete afterthought because of the non-quantifiables associated with getting healthier.

A Multivitamin is an absolute must. For the first 30 days you might need something chewable. I am 4 weeks now, and I get nauseated every morning from my One-a-Day, but that is partly because there is no way I can get down food in the morning. You should also be taking B12, D3, and Calcium. These do not give me anywhere near as many problems.
Try Isopure whey isolate Protein drinks. It is a clear liquid, and has 40 g of Protein, no carbs, and no fat. Ensure and the like makes me absolutely sick (both before and after). I hope that's not what you are drinking.

There are things I gave up to have this done, and I occasionally mourn them, but the calculus never leaves the front of my mind...the benefits are worth so much more than a good ol' fashioned pigout and the memories of good times they conjure. 10 years from now, the memories you will have will be of looking fabulous and proud, and you'll have an addiction to eating healthy because that's how you will get there. It is important to never take your eye off the prize. Every day is better than the next, even during a stall. Just believe!

Unless they work for the insurance company directly, they are looking for every reason to approve you, rather than deny you. Whichever case this may be, the psych eval is completely pro forma. They will write anything they need to achieve their goal of getting you in or keeping you out. I said some pretty crazy stuff about my food relationships in mine and he just sat there smiling and approved me.

Welcome to BP @betterlife7. The above post is absolutely correct about GERD. However, RNY has more complications in general and is far more notorious to what we all refer to as "dumping syndrome," which is a feeling of sickness caused by eating something that cannot be digested by the pouch, most commonly sugars. I would say that unless you have a serious problem with sugar and you feel that is primarily responsible for your weight gain, I am a strong advocate for sleeve (although you need to sit down and discuss this intensively at your consultation and also see what your insurance has to say). Eventually, we can eat just about anything we want with impunity, albeit with dramatically reduced portion sizes. Even years out, we will become full just on hors d'oeuvres, but eventually, the ultra-vigilance can stop, because the volume restriction helps us lose and maintain our desired weight.
And, perhaps most important to me, the hunger hormone ghrelin, which is produced by the part of your stomach that is removed during a sleeve, no longer causes the unbearable hunger sensations that occur when you lose weight with diet and exercise.

Have you been going in for appointments? It's probably worth it to make sure something isn't wrong with your sleeve, because it sounds like you may not have the same restriction you had early on. Stretching may occur, and eventually re-sleeving could be a possibility, if not an RNY revision, as you seem to have trouble with carbs.
Are you getting all the recommended Protein? Doing this is probably the simplest and most effective way to stave off carb cravings. Also, stop and make sure you aren't consuming slider foods as part of regular intake. Don't lose your confidence!

So, I am 4 weeks out and I still have more pounds lost than days since surgery. I expect this won't be true much longer, and eventually I'll just settle into 3 lbs/wk mode. What I told myself at the beginning is that if (God willing) I ever reach my goal weight, I will not attempt to halt it there. I want to have some reserve weight loss for the very common slight regain that happens in the second year, so that when all is said and done, I am comfortably at my goal weight with no complaints from my body. I think you should view every pound lost, even after goal, as a gift, and not be scared of it. Your doctor will tell you what to do if you overshoot it by too much.
That said, if you really don't want to go lower, I would simply increase your lean, high-quality Protein intake so that you can continue to lose fat and simultaneously build some more healthy muscle. This will actually ensure that you don't start to creep back the other way by raising your metabolism. You will likely need to do this anyway since, inevitably, some of what all of us have lost is lean, desirable muscle, even if we followed everything to the T. Best wishes!

How far out are you? If it is any less than 3 months, that's a must even if your surgeon didn't say so. Those things will expand in your stomach and stretch your sleeve, not to mention they will put a halt on your weight loss and possibly reverse any you have achieved. Eventually, some surgeons say overcooked Pasta is OK, but this stuff is one of the big reasons many of us are here in the first place. But here's some good news: you will likely have an extremely negative reaction to it and once you try it you will want no more than a trace amount in the future anyhow. Best of luck!

Have you been going in for appointments? It's probably worth it to make sure something isn't wrong with your sleeve, because it sounds like you may not have the same restriction you had early on. Stretching may occur, and eventually re-sleeving could be a possibility, if not an RNY revision, as you seem to have trouble with carbs.
Are you getting all the recommended Protein? Doing this is probably the simplest and most effective way to stave off carb cravings. Also, stop and make sure you aren't consuming slider foods as part of regular intake. Don't lose your confidence!

The band causes all kinds of discomfort, less weight loss, and less permanent weight loss. People like it because it's "reversible," and sometimes even reverses itself by slipping, causing more trouble for the patient. It is also an extremely high maintenance instrument, requiring you to go into the hospital for filling every six weeks. I don't know what your schedule tends to be, but personally that sounds extremely irritating. Additionally, with your anatomy unchanged, your hunger hormone will respond to weight loss like it always does...increase your hunger and lower your metabolism when you lose weight.
The sleeve is in no way reversible, but has minimal complication rates, weight loss similar to bypass, and arrests your body's efforts to block your weight loss, and is better in this area than even the bypass. This was a no-brainer for me, and from what I hear the band may not even be offered in another decade. Weight regain is still possible, as is failure, but the sleeve is a lifelong opportunity to get it right, as hard as it may be to adjust at first. Good luck with your decision!

Also, @@byebyefat please never be ashamed of setbacks. They are part of this process and they will happen post-op as well. This is a very good lesson in picking yourself up and dusting yourself off so that a minor annoyance doesn't become a major problem. I've followed that advice way too infrequently in my life and I refuse to ignore it when it comes to my weight loss. Best of luck. The 14th is an eternity from now (I am visiting twelve different states just between now and then). You will make up that ground and do fabulously.

I haven't had dumping (and I'm not convinced that sleevers actually ever experience it, being that it is a lapband/RNY thing), but I am 4 weeks out and any carb of any kind (starch in potatoes to a bite of a cracker) causes some kind of fever, lump in the throat, and nausea, but all passes quickly. While it lasts, it's brutal, and I'm therefore not eating carbs for another month, at which point I'll try again. I have some September weddings that I wouldn't mind looking my best for either.

Have you been going in for appointments? It's probably worth it to make sure something isn't wrong with your sleeve, because it sounds like you may not have the same restriction you had early on. Stretching may occur, and eventually re-sleeving could be a possibility, if not an RNY revision, as you seem to have trouble with carbs.
Are you getting all the recommended Protein? Doing this is probably the simplest and most effective way to stave off carb cravings. Also, stop and make sure you aren't consuming slider foods as part of regular intake. Don't lose your confidence!

Also, @@byebyefat please never be ashamed of setbacks. They are part of this process and they will happen post-op as well. This is a very good lesson in picking yourself up and dusting yourself off so that a minor annoyance doesn't become a major problem. I've followed that advice way too infrequently in my life and I refuse to ignore it when it comes to my weight loss. Best of luck. The 14th is an eternity from now (I am visiting twelve different states just between now and then). You will make up that ground and do fabulously.

You are a very fortunate person not to suffer anxiety in general. That is ubiquitous among WLS patients, and in the days before surgery, it is nearly unavoidable. So I'd say even if your surgeon didn't instruct liquids, go ahead and transition to them, as post-op will be much easier that way if you do that now. That will help you make up the ground that might have slipped. Also, begin some exercise to help with those pounds and to help relieve stress. I know my anxiety goes down, however briefly, when I exercise and work up a sweat, and I think it should help you on multiple grounds.
How did your pre-op diet go? Did you just get a low calorie plan or strict liquids?

T-shirts are nightgowns, and tank tops are t-shirts!

Also, @@byebyefat please never be ashamed of setbacks. They are part of this process and they will happen post-op as well. This is a very good lesson in picking yourself up and dusting yourself off so that a minor annoyance doesn't become a major problem. I've followed that advice way too infrequently in my life and I refuse to ignore it when it comes to my weight loss. Best of luck. The 14th is an eternity from now (I am visiting twelve different states just between now and then). You will make up that ground and do fabulously.

The band causes all kinds of discomfort, less weight loss, and less permanent weight loss. People like it because it's "reversible," and sometimes even reverses itself by slipping, causing more trouble for the patient. It is also an extremely high maintenance instrument, requiring you to go into the hospital for filling every six weeks. I don't know what your schedule tends to be, but personally that sounds extremely irritating. Additionally, with your anatomy unchanged, your hunger hormone will respond to weight loss like it always does...increase your hunger and lower your metabolism when you lose weight.
The sleeve is in no way reversible, but has minimal complication rates, weight loss similar to bypass, and arrests your body's efforts to block your weight loss, and is better in this area than even the bypass. This was a no-brainer for me, and from what I hear the band may not even be offered in another decade. Weight regain is still possible, as is failure, but the sleeve is a lifelong opportunity to get it right, as hard as it may be to adjust at first. Good luck with your decision!

I didn't have to do liquids for two weeks, just 1000 calories or fewer. Now I wish I had been put on liquids, and went there voluntarily two days before to have a soft landing into clear liquid phase of post-op. My surgeon visited my room at the hospital and I asked him how big my liver was and he said it was pretty fatty but nothing he couldn't handle. I had never been that hungry in my life. I know that if I had been more lax with the pre-op diet that I would likely have had my surgery cancelled.
Fatty liver is real, and there's a very small chance that if we are in this category we didn't have it. The two weeks make a big difference. It doesn't completely cure it, it just makes it manageable for surgery. The lifestyle you lead after the surgery is what will restore your liver to normal.

Have you been going in for appointments? It's probably worth it to make sure something isn't wrong with your sleeve, because it sounds like you may not have the same restriction you had early on. Stretching may occur, and eventually re-sleeving could be a possibility, if not an RNY revision, as you seem to have trouble with carbs.
Are you getting all the recommended Protein? Doing this is probably the simplest and most effective way to stave off carb cravings. Also, stop and make sure you aren't consuming slider foods as part of regular intake. Don't lose your confidence!

I haven't had dumping (and I'm not convinced that sleevers actually ever experience it, being that it is a lapband/RNY thing), but I am 4 weeks out and any carb of any kind (starch in potatoes to a bite of a cracker) causes some kind of fever, lump in the throat, and nausea, but all passes quickly. While it lasts, it's brutal, and I'm therefore not eating carbs for another month, at which point I'll try again. I have some September weddings that I wouldn't mind looking my best for either.

First of all, cut toxic parents out of your life. Completely. No questions asked. If he can't be supportive he has no place in this journey.
Second, and to respond directly to your question, it gets much easier. You probably already notice an improvement from how hard you were struggling to get Water in while you were in the hospital. In fact, I noticed an improvement every day, and I am now worried that I'll drink so much that it will stretch my sleeve. I am 4 weeks out. Do not, however, expect your Water intake ability to ever return to pre-op levels. The good news is that with reduced calorie intake you should never have the urge again with so little to wash down.

The best Proteins at this point are ones that are ground up or made into meatball/sausage like consistency. Lean turkey meatballs have gone down fine, but I haven't yet had the gall to try a grilled chicken cutlet or the like. I really think I can wait until Thanksgiving to try real bird. I accidentally swallowed some raw ahi tuna without chewing on Friday and I drove to two different ER's (didn't go in) before the scare subsided. Say the alphabet chewing and then swallow. I've never had anything get stuck following this rule.

Even though I have awful GERD that has been made worse by the sleeve, I went with the sleeve so that a) dumping is not even a word on my map, I can rely on restriction to get me where I need to go without constantly being on the lookout for some sugar that could make me totally sick (sugar wasn't a weakness anyway so bypass would've been a waste in that sense), and c) I am not convinced that the hunger hormone completely goes away with bypass as the stomach remains inside your body. The latter issue was the most important to me by far, and while I am not one of those lucky few that have to be "reminded" to eat or find old favorites sickening, I can eat and be satisfied for the first time...ever.

I wouldn't go to any gym that didn't have a one-strike policy against c**ts like that woman.