Sajijoma

My advice would be to talk to your NUT and if you no longer have one, maybe look into finding a new one who is experienced and can guide you through getting back on track. You didn't lose your sleeve. It's still there and is capable of doing everything it did the first time around, but you've got to get your head around the emotional side of this and the physical pain side. It's easy to fall off the wagon when you can't exercise and are stuck in a painful way. It's like falling down stairs, you just keep falling til you hit the bottom unless you can stop yourself. Your NUT and maybe a psych will both be able to get you back on track.

First of all, don't stress. Stress raises your cortisol level which then makes more weight pile on. Stay calm. Most programs have a no net gain policy so if you gain 3lbs you gotta lose those 3 lbs to qualify. They just want to see that you can lose weight and maintain it. I too had trouble losing weight pre op. I would lose 10-15lbs and then like them back on without changing a thing. It was frustrating! I kept upping my exercise and Water to make it through mine each time I'd gain 1lb, I'd add 5 more minutes of walking or 15 more sit-ups or whatever just to get through. In the end, I did lose quite a bit of weight before the actual surgery, but it was a fight to keep it off. Now that I'm on the other side, I haven't had those problems anymore and my weightloss has been just amazing! My recommendation is to try to do a low carb high Protein diet with lots and lots and I can't say it enough lots of water! It will prepare you for life after surgery and help with the weight gain.

The best piece of advice I received post op was from a surgery vet at a support meeting. He said you either have to be all the way in, or your not in it at all. You can't just do some of it. You can't just exercise on the good days or give yourself permission to eat crap because you just miss it. You have to be all in every day and stick to your plan and basically think of it as a new job and if you don't do your job, your body will get fired from the weightloss job. There's no second chance to get it right if you mess up your tool by abusing it or not using it to it's full potential so don't blow it.

I have all 3 sizes. In the beginning I used the 16oz and although it was great immediately post op when I couldn't hold a whole shake so I didn't make one, now that I am 7 months out, I really prefer the 20oz. Because my average Syntrax shake is about 14 oz of liquid and then I have room for ice without spillage. The 28oz has more room, but a lot of wasted space so it's just more cup to clean for no reason. LOL

Society loves to kick people around. It's no longer politically correct to make fun of blind or mentally handicapped people or drug addicts or alcoholics, but no one is championing or calling foul for fat people being made fun of. Fat people are the last acceptable(according to our society anyway) people to bully, mock, shame, abuse, and ridicule despite the fact most of us did not choose to be obese any more than someone chooses to have any crippling or debilitating disease. It doesn't help than many in the medical community are still trying to perpetuate the idea that we all are just lazy and eat too much and if we just went on a diet would lose the weight, but don't because we are lazy and lack willpower. Until those misconceptions are finally taken out of the medical community and the fact that obesity is a life long disease we must battle and surgery can help us battle, then I don't see this ever going away. It's just too fun for people to kick the fat guy afterall "he did it to himself" unlike the alcoholic or the drug addict who had no choice in the matter at all! [emoji849]

It has been 2 months since my surgery and all of my eating habits have changed for the better. Sometimes I do slip up but my body quickly reminds me EAT HEALTHIER! My boyfriend however is eating worse and worse everyday, It is already a struggle to say no temptation and so it's even more difficult when he's eating all the foods I cannot everyday. Am I just being a brat because I can't have it and he can?

I don't think you are being a brat. Right after my surgery, my husband went on an epic eating crap binge and put on almost 80lbs eating all the things he used to moan and groan about me buying. My first few months after surgery were sheer hell watching him eat a train wreck of Cookies, candy, ice cream, doughnuts, ice cream and fried foods galore chased with soda all the time. It was hard to watch and I would tell him "that's how I got here in the first place" but he wouldn't listen. Fast forward 6 months and he just had his checkup and he's not doing well. Everything is elevated and his doctor wants him to lose the 80lbs ASAP plus the baggage he had before and adopt basically my eating style-low carb, Protein and not too much fat(except good fats). I just want him to be healthy, but now that we are in a colon cancer scare waiting to find out if it is or isn't, he's finally decided if he makes it through unscathed that he will turn it around and start caring again. We have healthy food in the house now always, we own a ton of exercise equipment(thanks tax return!) and videos and even have a room that is semi dedicated for exercise (it's also the storage room in our basement) but it's cool in the summer and private so you don't have to feel like you are being watched by all the eyes in the house and as long as someone is watching the little ones, I actually get time to myself now. I spend 2hrs a day down there working on me, but during the hours he's home, it's always free(unless my teenager is in there but usually she does her workouts during the daytime). Anyway, I kind of got distracted a bit, but my point is, you can try to lead by example, but you can't make him do it anymore than he could have made you lose weight or exercise. You have to want it for yourself. Just keep pressing the "how good I feel now that I exercise and eat better" and hopefully he'll come around on his own without having to have a crisis to scare him into it like mine.

I'm aiming for a size 10. I'm sure I could get lower, but I'm afraid I would look gaunt and scary since I have broad shoulders and bigger frame.

For me, I lost 2 months stalled out because I wasn't eating enough. As soon as I bumped up my calories, Protein, and carbs(my NIT had taken them all away when I stalled out in the beginning) then the weight started melting right off again. Being near the end of your journey, I'm sure it gets harder to lose so that might be playing a role in it too...

The only requirements I had was my 90 day program with my NUT, the psych eval, and then pre op, I had a brief like less than 5 min EKG and bloodwork done. No sleep study, no EGD, no X-ray, or a pre op liquid diet or anything. It was really a lot easier than I expected.

the pic on the right is me at 429lbs getting ready to go to see the surgeon for the first time. The pic on the left is me last week at 275lbs trying on a LARGE shirt and finding out it actually fit! I hope the next 6 months are as productive! [emoji4]

I like the chocolate, the caramel, and the strawberry is ok in small doses. I have a sample of the coconut, but haven't tried it yet. I'm not a big fan of coconut really.

My insurance said a sleep study wasn't needed and my surgeon didn't fight it. He just screened me based on my snoring and waking up choking and made sure they watched me carefully as I was waking up so I didn't choke. They actually left my breathing tube in until I woke up completely because of the risk that I did have it.

Everyone in my family is super morbidly obese. My parents, my 4 living brothers, my aunts and uncles, and my cousins. There really isn't anyone who isn't at least "obese". None of them support the idea of wls and get enraged when doctors suggest they consider it before their long list of comorbidities does them in, but they would rather die than commit to a lifestyle that doesn't involve drinking soda and eating whatever they want when they want it. For that reason I didn't bother telling them about my choice, but now that family members are seeing pics of me, they are getting upset and making comments that I must be severely ill or anorexic because I've lost so much weight. You would think they would be happy and supportive-but that's never been how my family works and why I keep my distance now.

At 6 months out, I've gone from a 50 G to a 44 D. The cups are just filled with empty skin though. Without a bra on, they are completely flat, long, and so so sad compares to their former beautiful selves. It's

On my list of things to fix after I reach my goal though. Right behind my belly, thighs, and arms.

Way to go!!! I was at 355lbs in March last year and am at 225 today. Wait until you get in the low 200's - sooo much more energy!

Sent from my A846L using the BariatricPal App

I can't even imagine more energy than I have right now! I feel like I'm going to explode if I sit down now!

I've gone from a size 32/34 down to a size 20/22 on bottom and size 18/20 on top!

Thank you everyone! I'm a work in progress, but if I can hit 220lbs by my 1yr mark, I'll be considering myself successful even though I'm not giving up til I've reached my goal weight. I'm already the lightest I've been since 1999 so it's exciting! I cannot wait to see what the next 6 months brings!

I am so sad for you, but look at the bright side, if you can swing it, it's going to cost a lot less thrown in with a hernia repair that is covered. That means no second anesthesia charges, and they can cover the things like sponges and sutures and that stuff too. It'll bring the cost down really to just the surgeon's fees for the vsg so hopefully the surgeon will work with you to get that number as far down as humanly possible.

All I can really add to this conversation is to look for dense Proteins and add Fiber to your diet. The thinner the food the faster it will go through you, so chicken salad is less desirable for staying full than say bites of a strip steak or chicken cubes.

Mederma scar cream will lighten them. They will always be there, but they are much less noticeable after mederma. It takes about 6-8wks to lighten though so it's a slow process.

I'm so happy for you! Life is definitely different on this side of the surgery. Just to be able to not feel the constant and bone gnawing hunger all the time has made it so easy to stick with the plan and get the job done. I love my rny

I'm 6 months and my hunger is definitely different. There are days where I am hungry and still have eyes for a huge plate of food and after a couple of bites, I'm done and there are days I still have to remind myself to eat because I just don't feel hungry. It's not the same as before. It would be almost desperate like I would die if I didn't eat right that second and now, it's more like "hmmmm I could eat something right now".

I wasn't allowed to have Protein Bars til I was 3 months out so just make sure your NUT clears it before you actually try to eat one. That being said, Quest has some really good flavors. The chocolate chip cookie dough and the double chocolate chunk are among my favs. Just make sure you are getting the newest recipe because last year they jacked it all up and made it gross, but they fixed it at the beginning of the year and it tastes good again.

Try taking your food slowly like take a small bite using a cocktail fork or a baby spoon worth and then wait a full minute between bites. It could be that you are just eating too fast. Also if a good bothers you, just put it to the side and come back and try it again later down the road. The first time I tried shrimp I thought I would die from the miserable feeling, but now at 6 months I find I eat it often because it's good Protein and sits well. chicken or pork however....even at this stage I can't tolerate chicken or pork.

@@Sajijoma ... Sounds like time to be fitted for a new size?

I was fitted recently. The problem is massive amounts of hanging skin that needs to be pulled in unfortunately.