bjc1971

Hi there & welcome!
I had RNY bypass nearly 16 months ago. I chose to do it because I was diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease. I was already dealing with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, very severe Gerd, psoriatic arthritis and severe osteoarthritis of the spine.
My decision was initially about getting healthy. I chose bypass because it was the best solution for someone who has Gerd. The sleeve can make that worse and in many cases create it. Lap and was not even in my decision tree for the very same reason.
I have lost 136lbs. I am about 8lbs from goal and am no longer overweight. For the first time since I was 19 I have a normal BMI.
My diabetes, Gerd, high blood pressure, high cholesterol all gone with a month or two of surgery.
My only regret is not doing this sooner, before I did so much damage to my spine and joints. I am 52 years young and have had 6 back surgeries and looking right in the face of 1 more.
Don't wait, run as fast as you can to the nearest Bariatric center of excellence. Call your insurance company, they can tell which clinics are centers of excellence that are covered. They will also share with you the requirements. Be prepared for a period of supervised diets, most insurance companies require them. These surgeries cost a lot and you really only get one shot at it. They want to make sure you really are prepared to make changes in your life.
Use whatever time your insurance company requires to start making changes now. It will help you be more successful down the road.
Having this surgery is the best thing I ever did for myself. Don't wait!

Hi there, welcome to the forum.
Con........a bit inconvenient because my tummy and brain were not getting their way all the time.
Con.........a bit physically uncomfortable while healing took place, but once I got on soft foods, I started feeling better and gaining energy.
Pros: My health is astronomically better. Here are what 1, 239 other people said:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/219831-what-was-your-final-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back/
It was a stroke that convinced me that being on a diet since 1978 was not working anymore and I had to do something!
If you keep doing what you've been doing, you are going to keep getting what you have been getting.

I am going on 17 months post-op, yet every single time a new diet commercial comes on the radio, a new weigth loss show starts on TV, I'm flipping around channels and come across an infomercial... my ears perk up and I get sucked in. Even just a new commercial for Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem and I have this couple of seconds where I focus intently. Will I ever get used to the fact that I don't need any of that nonsense anymore? I don't need to know the details of your new Portion Control container diet. I don't need to learn to swap this for that. I don't need to know what Oprah is doing this week to lose weight!
I've been at goal and maintaining for almost 5 months now, but I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I don't need to lose weight anymore and I certainly don't need the latest gimmick to do it.

They spend a lot of money to get our attention so don't feel too bad about it. Just think of all the money you won't be giving them!

I am nearly 2 months post-op and nearly 40 pounds down. Today as I was walking toward a reflective glass door I noticed the most amazing thing! There were these two dark, shadowy areas on either side just below my neck! I had to squint to see what they were. I have hollows above my collar bones! I don't know if they just appeared today or if this sweater is just highlighting them, but either way, I don't remember the last time I had hollows anywhere let alone at my collar bones!
Just had to share!
pam

I am with the others, if you simply go out and have fun with your friends, and literally focus on that you will meet someone interesting.
It is when you are focused on finding mr. Right that it simply eludes you.
I remember when I met my husband. He was not my type at all, I did not want to go out with anyone let alone him. He simply started showing up at our usual hangout a lot. I finally agreed to go eat with him and some other friends, after 3 months of grabbing a bite with other friends we went on an actual date. It was about 3 months after that when I realized I was actually head over heels in love with him. I remember it vividly because I had just gone through a divorce and was not looking.
I wanted to be single for a while.
I cried when I realized I was in love and finally told him.
We have been married 28 wonderful years and he is my very best friend. I would not give up 1 second with him.
It will happen when it happens whether you like it or not.
Just go have fun! And good luck!

@@sallo
Everything you are going through is perfectly normal, we have all been there. You are right the next few months will be emotional, hopefully most of it good emotions.
When you start to go through the process and your diabetes improves or is cured completely like mine, that will be a great day. It certainly won't hurt your heart condition either.
You may be able to lose the weight without surgery, the million dollar question is, can you keep it off or will you gain it all back and then some?
The best way to get through the pre op diet is to take it one day at a time, one hour at a time. After the first couple days it really does get better.
Keep your eye on the prize.
Think about all the reasons you decided to go this route in the first place, these will keep you motivated and moving toward your goals.
Don't let cold feet get in the way of getting healthy. I had bypass 15 months ago. I have lost 137lbs and am no longer overweight. I had type 2 diabetes, severe Gerd, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stage 3 kidney disease among other things. All of those disease have either been completely cured or are in remission.
I take medications for an auto immune disease. With a couple of adjustments things are well in hand. Don't worry so much about malabsorption, just make sure you are aware and if you feel yourself going off course call your doctor. You have chosen to have the gold standard in WLS, this means there is a lot of data out there that can help you.
You won't regret this down the road, you will wish you had done it sooner.
You have a serious heart condition, this can only help you in the end.
Take a big deep breath and focus on your goals.

As of this week I finally hit a normal BMI and i promised myself when that time came I would finally share some pictures. By the way, I still do not like having my picture taken but before I hid behind everyone and because I was tall it was easy to hide the rest of me. Now I definitely am willing to get in the shot and I no longer cringe when I see the pictures.
The only pics I could find before surgery were taken on a cruise with my hubby, Son and Granddaughter. These were taken 1 month before my bypass.


My after was taken earlier today, down 137lbs and finally at a BMI of 24.9

I was 5'2 and 237 pounds. I hit my goal of 129 in 18 months and have maintained it for 9 months. Even though we are sort of similar, everyone loses differently. I saw people with the same stats as me blow past me initially, while others were much slower than me. In the end, some from both groups hit goal and stayed there, some hit goal and regained, and some never hit goal. Moral of the story- the only person in this particular race is you.

Be honest: How does your extra skin make you feel?
I was watching the new show "Skin Tight" on TLC with the young lady who's name is Lauana, mentioning her excess skin and how it REALLY made her feel. I personally have always had the knack of pushing my feelings aside and just being happy with 'Good Enough'... but then she spoke.


Be honest: How does your extra skin make you feel?
I was watching the new show "Skin Tight" on TLC with the young lady who's name is Lauana, mentioning her excess skin and how it REALLY made her feel. I personally have always had the knack of pushing my feelings aside and just being happy with 'Good Enough'... but then she spoke.
I have always wanted to eventually get my skin removed, someday. I've been at or near goal for about 4 years now, or something like that. I've never really counted. But I also never acknowledged the fact that I may be more fit, healthier, smaller.. whatever, but I am not a finished product. I still have one more step to go and with watching that Television program I was slapped in the face with it. I need to have my excess skin removed.
To this day I've never ever shared photos of my excess skin, and I probably won't until it's gone. Kind of the Before and After effect. I can't stand it. The gal who was on there, we look exactly alike naked. And when she said, "Sometimes I wonder if it's just better to be fat and filled out rather than be left with this saggy skin..." I felt that a little too much! I almost cried. Honesty came to the forefront and it made me realize that until I get it through my thick skin... (pun intended?) that I will never feel complete. Later during her consultation, the surgeon pulled her excess arm skin to the back, revealing a slender beautifully fit arm. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing at that point. All I could do was reach next to my bed and grab a tissue and wipe away the shame of what I had done to my body. I could see in my imagination the many times I'd done that in front of my mirror when I'm all alone in the room. Wondering what it must be like.. going out in public without worry someone is looking at my saggy arms, or what they must be thinking. I want to feel that general confidence that come with that.
I have always said that yes, I wanted to have my excess skin removed, but not with as much certainty as I was at that moment.
So why am I sharing this here? Why am I not sharing this in the skin removal category? Because, this is something that majority and I mean 90ish percent of us will think about at some point. With WLS comes a lot of fat loss, and with a lot of fat loss comes a lot of extra skin. Of course there will be some lucky people out there without the extra skin, and God Blessed them. But me? No, I have it. I hate it. I want it gone. I also hope that through this channel of communication I can bring others some comfort. That you are not alone, you are not crying alone. You are not wishing and hating your skin alone.
I have gone through more than my share of surgeries since my Lap Band in 2008, so the thought of more surgeries has me turned off. That said, when I see my friends who have had the skin removed... my heart aches for that feeling that I know nothing about. What it must be like to look tight, and finally feel like a normal person (whatever that means!). I want to say however that I wouldn't change a thing about my journey. I am glad that I made the choice to have Weight Loss Surgery. I am glad that I kept fighting when things didn't seem to go my way. I am glad that I stayed positive and kept moving forward when it felt like I wasn't losing. I am glad I stayed strong mentally and kept working toward a new day.
I am mostly thankful to myself that I kept that part of me in the background when I really needed to focus on other health issues I was having. I most likely would have gone crazy otherwise... but I've gotten all of the other health issues resolved. So now, this issue is ready for me to fix.
I am now in that fork in the road of, do I just take one course and keep the skin? Or do I take the other road and help myself achieve what I always imagined in my head I could be?
Thanks to the new TLC show, I have finally made my choice.
Loving myself doesn't have to be accepting myself the way I am. It can also mean loving myself enough to be everything I imagine in my head. There can always be room for improvement.

I am now at 306.6 which is an 8 pound loss for the week. Can't wait for Twonderland!!!

223

I'm giving my sister the benefit of the doubt that she really didn't mean this as it sounds. She told me she started dieting after hearing of my approval for the sleeve surgery, because she didn't want to be "the fat daughter". I guess my being at 350+ all this time made it okay for her to be morbidly obese as long as I weighed more than her. Oh well, I'll look at my sleeve as benefitting not only me but as a sister diet tool too I guess.

As lonely as I was when my first husband died...I was alot lonlier knowing my second husband and I were like strangers while sharing the same bed. How horrible to be feeling alone when your spouse is sleeping right beside you.
I subsequently left him and was alone (without a partner) for 15 years. I was never lonely though. I make sure to have a support system of friends and family. And I learned that being by myself was not that terrible. Really...don't be afraid to be alone. There are alot of good things about being alone. You don't have to compromise..your life is your own. Be in control of your life and do what you need to in order to make yourself happy. Or if not happy, then make yourself strong...or better yet, find out how strong you really are.
Good luck.

You can be slim and not fit. I would also say that my personal experience is I felt pretty crappy about the first 10-12 weeks too - you might be dehydrated, lots of factors.
The way you get fitter is by doing... just start easy and slowly build up.
I went from a very obese woman to someone who is pretty fit for middle age, but it was a process, not an event. Hang in there, you will feel better!

@@Teaclinton
Finding motivation to be active is interesting. Here are a few things to try
music was a great way to distract and pump you up while walking, cleaning house or working out...Holy hell!!! sing loud in your car. It raises your heart beat.
Virtual weight loss simulator. See what the possibilities are. Remind your self you will only get out of your surgery what you are willing to put into it.
http://modelmydiet.com/
My favorite is after joining the gym. I secretly compete with people. If I can stay on the treadmill and walk longer than the person next to me..... I WIN!
Fitness web sites: Find what things to keep you active that you might enjoy...Kayaking, Join a group hike, mountain biking, Sports....Find what is fun and go with it.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/health
http://www.shape.com/
49 best fitness apps of 2015
http://greatist.com/fitness/best-health-fitness-apps

Hey guys!
Well, my nine month anniversary was on Christmas day and every month we take pictures of my progress. I still have a few pounds to lose so I asked my dietitian how do I make this stop, I don't want to look too sickly. She told me that at 135 pounds to slowly introduce good carbs and fats into my diet and watch the scale.
Well, with the holidays and the death of my mother in law, it has been real easy to slow down my weight loss. I guess you could say I'm at a stall at 137 and have been for a month. Which is fine, I have come a long way and looking back I can't believe how fast it went.
The first 2 months after surgery I was frustrated because I was still in my 2x and 3x clothes and not seeing a change. But by the 3th month my pant sizes were changing every 3-4 weeks. I was shopping at Goodwill every month buying a new pair of pants. I'm now in a size 8, CRAZY!
I'm so scared that I will wake up and it would have been a glorious dream.
This forum and the support from you all have been a blessing for me and I thank you!
May you all have a healthy and slimming 2016!
God bless,
-Kim

I've pretty much told anyone who would listen. I'm excited and feel like if everyone around me knows then it will help keep me on track. I figured I've tried dieting for years and now all of a sudden if I have rapid weight loss they would figure something was up any ways. When I here the negative comments I ignore them. This decision was for me and no one else. I may only be two weeks post op but I know it was the right one.

Bitches who would not give me a single glance before want to be my bestie and guys want to bang me. Just remember if you got fat tomorrow they would be gone. They are a fad. Stick with the people who loved you when you were a fatty and make friends with people who love you not your body. It feels great to be wanted. Just take care of who you give your precious time to. You need to surround yourself with people who don't want something from you. It's tough to go from invisible to popular. Some people can't handle it.

I have a Keurig too... only problem is it is located in a home with 4 children, so my steps would look something like this:
1. Dig coffee mugs out of backyard where the 6 year old buried them while playing pirates
2. Wash coffee mug
3. Stop to help 13 year old with algebra homework she just remembered she had
4. Put K-Cup in machine
5. Brew cup of coffee
6. Take a sip
7. Dart up the stars to investigate the loud thud noise that is obviously the 12 year old showing his 7 year old the finer points of a WWE style drop kick.
8. Re-heat now cold cup of coffee in the microwave
9. Gulp it down in 30 seconds so that kids are not late to school
10. Look into wallet to find that the two dollar bills (plus 10 of their friends) that I thought I saved by not going to starbucks was taken from my wallet the day before and spent on the ice cream truck.
So you can see, the 20 minutes of "me" time I spend at Starbucks is well worth the $2.50.

Start - 225. Goal - 215.

My time has finally arrived! I am en route to the hospital to have RNY gastric bypass. I am surprisingly calm. I have my wonderful husband and son by my side. Once I get checked in I will post an update. Have a great morning.

I had a really hard time in the beginning, too. It gets better. Try experimenting with different temperatures of Water. Some people like it ice cold (like me) and some people need to even warm it up a little so it doesn't make them nauseous. It's possible that the temp of the Water might be what's bothering your tummy. A couple people at my support group even make the water mildly hot, like tea. Whatever works for you.
As for 13 pounds in three weeks, I know that seems like less than some people, but it's still such a good amount to lose. I'm almost 9 weeks out and I've lost 43 pounds... so much less than a lot of people do, and I started in the high 300s. There's no telling how your body will work, or if you start slow and suddenly speed up, or if you speed up then stall for a week or two, or anything else. Look at the big picture (easier said than done, I know) - you have lost 13 pounds in only three weeks. You're doing great. Just continue to try to take care of yourself, and if you need to be admitted to get a bag of fluids, try not to be too discouraged. These things happen to a fair amount of people, and it's not the end of the world or the end of your success, it's just a little bump in the road. Give yourself time, and cut yourself some slack. You're doing well.

I was wondering when people who got the gastric sleeve done were able to eat certain foods. I have been craving a few things and I was wondering when I could have a taste of them. Namely potatoes, pizza, tortillas, and bread. Before anyone goes off and talks about how you're supposed to change your habits and all of that, I have. I've lost 177 pounds in 15 months, 117 of it before the surgery. My eating habits are great now. Every once in a while you just want a taste of something to satisfy a craving. I'm even open to alternatives to those foods if anyone has suggestions.

From a guys point of view you ladies are investing too much identity in you curves. You are all achieving fantastic losses and there are trade offs but you are who you are inside and give yourselves some great attaboy a over what's happening to your life first and if the looks are still critical do a little reshaping after that loss. The biggest successes in your lives are what you are doing now. Congratulations to all of you