Clementine Sky

I'd have the surgery and tell him that he needs to do whatever he needs to do. He doesn't sound like a great person, and once you get yourself where you want to be, you can likely do better.
Don't let him bully you. Do what is best for your health, your goals, and your happiness.

Double check with your insurance. Many pay at 60.

Nope my DR doesn't think I need the BETTER vaccine. She said insureance is hard pressed to pay for it. I might just try again.

It depends on the steroids and the reason for taking them, and whether they are imperative. I am dependent on steroids because my body does not naturally produce them due to Addison's disease, and even missing a single day's dosage can be catastrophic. My endocrinologist actually increased my dosage before and after surgery to compensate for the additional stress. Steroids definitely make weight loss far more difficult, but having the VSG was enormously beneficial to me. I'll still be ravenous at times, but can be satiated with far less food than prior having the surgery. I wouldn't ever advise taking steroids long-term unless it was crucial, because they are horrid in so many ways, but if you do not have the luxury of going off them, you don't have to despair.

ehh.... well... kinda sorta. Insulin resistance can lead to Type 2 diabetes, but not all Type 2 diabetics are insulin resistant. With a person that is resistant to insulin, the pancreas tries to keep up by producing more insulin so that the liver, muscles, and fat can absorb the glucose from the bloodstream. As long as it can produce enough insulin to overcome the resistance, blood glucose levels stay in the healthy range. In an obese person, there are a lot more cells that need insulin and it falls short leading to increased blood glucose levels.
A type 2 diabetic who just doesn't produce enough insulin for a 40 BMI will be given metformin or something like that. After gastric surgery, the BMI can go down to a level that the amount of insulin produced is sufficient to metabolized the glucose in the bloodstream. However, that does not mean their pancreas will continue to produce enough the rest of their life. They may return to metformin at a later date. Hence they are not "cured" of diabetes.
Here is a pretty good link to describe it better than I:
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance

You can do this! I gained pre-op too. At my first visit I weighed 209, then pre-surgery visit I was 229 and had to be on a liquid diet over the holidays for almost three weeks! I dropped 20 pounds in those 3 weeks. Good luck to you!

A bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Weiner has several informative videos on YouTube, and one is about the reasons people regain after losing a significant amount of weight due to WLS. He was not my surgeon, but I found his videos to be very helpful. Besides lifestyle choices such as being sedentary and overeating, there are other possible causes of regain, such as certain conditions or medications. Steroids such as Prednisone can cause rapid weight gain. If someone injured their knee, as an example, and was prescribed steroids as part of the healing process, he'd have the double challenge of having to limit physical activity and taking medicine that will likely cause weight gain. Many antidepressants cause weight gain, as do various hormonal medications.
Your stomach does not significantly stretch after having the VSG, but as your body heals and adapts after surgery you will be able to consume more than you initially did. There are many caloric "slider" foods that you can quickly consume without having the same level of restriction as with denser foods.
I had the VSG in 2015 and have been maintaining a BMI on the low end of the normal range for over a year, but my weight bounces around about 10 pounds due to medical issues. I have Addison's disease which makes me dependent on steroids, which can cause my weight to rapidly surge. Anytime I'm going to be encountering a stressful situation, with work or even just something like a really long flight where I'll be sleep deprived, I have to take an increased "stress" dose, and I gain weight. I then just work to get that weight off again. But I can see how if someone was in a chronically stressful situation, that would be much harder.

I read this article, and then did some reading of the studies she seems to draw her conclusions from. IMO, she comes to conclusions that are not entirely supported by the research. The idea of transfer addiction sounds good, and seems logical, but the data is not so clear.
From my own perspective, I find it difficult to believe that someone like myself who has had unrestricted access to alcohol for the last twenty years, and no addiction problems, will suddenly develop one post WLS.
Also not everyone needs WLS due to food addiction. I know for myself, and many other overweight people I know, it is about poor food choices and inactivity, and nothing to do with compulsion or addiction.
For me, the biggest deterrent to alcohol post surgery will be the empty calories. I know I can easily drink 1000+ calories a night. But I also know that will undermine all the work of having WLS and keep me from my goal.

I have severe asthma and that is one of the reasons I did this. I am petrified of being put on any/more steroids for the reasons you touched on. While there is no doubt I made terrible food choices there is no doubt that long courses of steroids did little to benefit my weight.

What I like the most is your pose in the second picture. You look fantastic, but more importantly, you look so proud and happy. That made me smile.

Dr. Fernando Garcia in Tijuana.

You're very welcome.
No, I haven't experienced any major longterm side effects or any complications. The only thing I need to be careful with is having too much to eat (I won't be in excruciating pain or anything severe, but will feel unpleasantly full) or having hot liquids like coffee too soon after eating. I began drinking with meals a few months post-op, in moderation, without any issues except for Hot Drinks. And I also resumed drinking coffee, in moderation, a few months post-op. I normally have iced coffee, but when that hasn't been available, I've had it hot. When we were on vacation I had a larger brunch than typical, and my coffee had been forgotten about by the server and then finally brought right at the end of the meal, hot. I drank it all too fast and got sick for a couple of hours. That's it. I was ready to go zip lining by the afternoon.

I was a self-pay patient (my insurance would not provide any coverage due to my BMI being too low to meet their criteria), so I took on the responsibility of educating myself about the surgery prior to having it. I did not attend any classes, have any counseling, or meet with my surgical team in advance, but still felt reasonably equipped with knowledge and confident on the day of surgery. Several reputable bariatric centers - like Stanford, UCLA, and the mayo Clinic - have information and instructions they provide to their patients available online. I read through it all, as well as published studies in journals and articles, and also found the videos of a bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Wiener who posts on YouTube to be very helpful. I gleaned valuable information from online forums, too, so I was prepared for the "dreaded three week stall" and other common experiences.
1. Did your team discuss your post surgical diet with you in detail before your surgery?
No. I received an email with a PDF of the post-surgical diet, and instructions for the 48-hour pre-op preparation diet in advance, but did not discuss it. Had I felt the need to, I could have contacted the surgeon's nutritionist prior to surgery.
2. Did your nurses go over your immediate diet with you in your hospital room?
No, but I met with the surgeon's nutritionist the day after the surgery.
3. Were all stages of your diet given to you in written form? Did you understand when to start each stage?
Yes, and yes.
4. Did anyone ever tell you not to eat or drink more than a certain number of ounces per hour?
I most clearly remember Dr. Weiner's advice on his videos about being careful to avoid having too much liquid at once, but in the month post-op I really could not have tolerated copious amounts anyway. On my instructions it said "sip, sip, sip" to emphasize that you shouldn't guzzle back liquids.
5. Did anyone ever tell you what could happen to you if you ate foods that you weren't approved for yet?
It's on all the information bariatric centers and my own surgeon's office provided, but what really captured my attention was reading on this forum about the horrible experiences people had when they ate solid food too soon. That was the best motivation to not deviate from the post-op dietary instructions. I also learned from my own body. It wasn't ready yet to advance, so I stayed on liquids and then soft foods for a little longer than the timeline given.
6. Were you allowed to order a meal in the hospital, and if so, what did it consist of?
No. I was brought Gatorade and then broth. I was not at a hospital; I was at a clinic specifically for bariatric surgery, so they did not provide typical meals.
7. Did you have a clear understanding that the surgery was permanent?
Yes.
---- I know doctors are all different and we all go to different groups that handle information differently....I just wondered how well these basics were covered for you. Did you feel well prepared to monitor your own Fluid and nutrition after surgery? -----
I made sure the basics were covered and felt prepared.
-----Is a lack of basic instructions a common thing? -----
I think basic instructions are commonly provided, but we're all unique learners and have our own level of incentive to remember and follow instructions. I am grateful I didn't have to attend classes because I preferred getting the information on my own and making sure I was familiar with it, but that was a personal preference.

If only people who are "ready" (i. e. who won't overeat) would get the surgery we would have a 100% success rate of surgery. Everyone would lose 100% excess weight, everyone would maintain it. If people would already have overcome overeating before surgery - they wouldn't need the surgery at all.
It's completely unrealistic to expect WLS patients to never overeat again. A surgeon who has his things together should be aware of this. And white knuckling over an amount of six months or three months or whatever the magic timespan for your surgeon might be doesn't proof diddly squat, let alone the patient "doesn't overeat anymore".
Why wear the willpower of the patient out before surgery?

Sorry if this was already posted, I tried it Saturday on the app and I don't see it so maybe I did something wrong. I'm a low BMI obese, now out of obesity after only 10 weeks post surgery. So the WL has been very slow. But it's been steady with no stalls. The before was like a day before surgery and I'd already lost 13 lbs on pre op. The after Is now, about 10 weeks after, after only losing 18 lbs. I've also finished one round of Jillian Michaels beginner workouts on her app (8 weeks). I finally went down a size - maybe 2! I'm on the right track.

What I like the most is your pose in the second picture. You look fantastic, but more importantly, you look so proud and happy. That made me smile.

Hi sleevers!! So this is my progress pic so far! On the left we have me at 5'8 314 pounds. This pic was taken 2 days before my surgery on August 18,2017 and in the right this photo was taken the other day and i am down 67 pounds! My weight now is 247! Trying to hit 200 by my bday (end of April) but I am so glad I put myself on this journey! I'm starting my YT (under victoria shadoan) blogs for fitness and healthy eating this weekend so please subscribe for recipes and on my Instagram! I do mini cooking tutorials in my stories every evening 😁😁❤️ @torriqurll001 ✨

Hi, I stared at 212 now I am 124. It will be 2 years in April. Dehydration and low blood pressure are the main problems I deal with on a daily basis otherwise I am doing great. [emoji4]

What I like the most is your pose in the second picture. You look fantastic, but more importantly, you look so proud and happy. That made me smile.

Things in life may not be easy or pain free. We all have things in life to overcome ..right?
I have scoliosis, arthritis and knee issues when I was heavy.... I still have the same issues now.
Compared to other people's struggles...my issues are minimal things. Yes there is pain. I reminds me I'm alive! lol I push forward anyway.
I work with a physical therapist who is also my running trainer. I train to minimize injury.
My goal is to be an old bitty that people see on a race routes! ( the photo of the 50 year old guy..I love his shirt!)

Oh! Also, on mybariatricpantry.com you can buy a mix-and-match sample pack of up to 10 of the nectar flavors of your choice (not the naturals - that has its own sampler of all six varieties). You can opt for up to three of the same flavor, and since you get to choose your flavors (depending on availability, but I've never had a problem getting what I wanted there), you can avoid ones you know you won't like.
Mix and match: http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/SYNTRAX_NECTAR_PROTEIN_POWDER_SAMPLES_p/nectar-sample.htm
Naturals sampler: http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/SYNTRAX_NECTAR_NATURALS_PROTEIN_POWDER_SAMPLES_p/nectar-natural_sample.htm

@FluffyChix
i have this "alleged" friend. she is a big mouth,
obnoxious , know it all, jerk, , a$$ hole,- wait a
minute - that sounds like you!! or could apply
to my DH too! LOL (hopefully you all know i am
kidding) LOL - they are both aces!!
kathy

If your doctor called you a "fat pig" RUN- don't walk - to a new doctor. I would never want a doctor to cut me open who treats their patients like that. That's not firm; that's abusive.
I like the firm approach form my doctors. Not mean, but straight to the point without sugar coating anything. However, I would be mortified if my doctor called me a "fat pig."

Yes bananas are high in carbs the equivalent I'm eating is 1/4 a banana. About 6 grams. Much better than a reg pancake with Syrup to flavor, I don't even want to think about that carb content. I have hypoglycemia which is opposite of my pre op diabetes high blood sugar. So for me under 8g of healthy carbs in the morning is a good thing.