careya123

My main problem is that I eat too much at every meal. I'm not an emotional eater, but I am a celebratory eater. However, celebrations don't happen every day so I don't think that's a big problem for me. I was raised with a lot of brothers, and eating was a competitive sport. I ate as much as possible as quickly as possible, because I knew there wouldn't be any later. I haven't been able to break that habit. That's why I think the sleeve will work for me: it will limit how much I can eat at any one time. Oddly enough, I think my biggest caloric "sin" is milk. I drink a lot of it every day, and that's a lot of calories. I am cutting back there. I do love ice cream and baked treats, but I don't eat it every day. I don't especially like fast food, fried foods, chips, crackers, etc. I actually have a pretty good diet. I eat more fruits and veggies than most. What really bothers me about my GP's comments is that he's never even asked me about my diet. And, ironically, most of my weight gain can be attributed to medications I've taken, one of which was prescribed by him. So for him to tell me to get my eating under control leaves me in a state of disbelief.

I was asked when my baby was due once. I wasn't even overweight at the time, just wearing a high-waisted dress. In retrospect, I wish I would have said, "Ten months."

I got lucky; my insurance doesn't require GP approval. I've been to the surgeon and got all my tests done, and now I'm waiting for my insurance to approve it. I'm hoping to get it done mid-March.

I can't believe no one ever mentioned it to me. I saw something about it online a month ago, and decided to look into it. Until then, I thought it was only for people who were 500 lbs. I wish I'd looked into it sooner.

That's exactly what I do. Food was a dog-eat-dog affair when I was growing up, and I haven't been able to get me out of the habit. My friend tells me, "You inhale your food."

I do need a new PCP. I almost didn't tell him about the surgery, because I knew he wouldn't be for it. I should have stayed with my plan.

@@Babbs That's exactly what I need to hear. Thank you.

This is terrible, but...can you have a few donuts and go back to the same surgeon? Most people are up and down within a few pounds the same day depending on water and the food they've eaten. Seems crazy to cut you off.

I went to the dr yesterday and told my GP I'm considering WLS. He said I wouldn't be successful unless I controlled my eating first, or else I'd gain the weight back. He recommended Weight Watchers. I've done that a few too many times already, and told him that it wasn't sustainable for me--I always gained it back. He said if I couldn't be successful on WW, I wouldn't be on WLS either. I said I the sleeve would give me an advantage that would allow me to be successful. He responded by saying I'd lose weight at first but then I'd learn to eat around it, and the whole thing would be a waste. A heated discussion ensued. When I was researching WLS, the first thing I did was look up the five year outcomes of diet and exercise alone (specifically Weight Watchers) compared to WLS. There's no comparison. WLS has a success rate of 50-80%, depending on the type of surgery. Diet and exercise is under 5%. Also, the definition of "success" was much more strict for WLS. I'm so frustrated. I think I'm doing the right thing. I need some encouragement, folks! EDIT: He seems to think I sit around and eat donuts all day.

No idea, but maybe they have the requirements listed on their website? I would call them and ask for a list of requirements. And maybe just casually ask the question about that test along with the other potential tests.

Woo-hoo!!!

It's tough to find a great replacement, because you can eat and do other things at the same time. So if you are stressed at work, you can grab a favorite treat and keep working. That's not true for so many other soothing activities. I love hot chocolate, so I've been trying to perfect a Protein hot chocolate drink. Unfortunately, the sugar replacement gives me a headache so I haven't had success yet. I wish I liked herbal drinks, but they don't appeal to me at all.

Have you seen that calculation where you take your under bust measurement and add five inches to get your band size, then subtract that from your bust measurement? I always get -B. Yeah, that's right--apparently I'm concave! I never could figure out why I always got such a wonky result until I heard that it doesn't work for people with a broad back, which I have. More weird bra math.

@@VSGAnn2014 That cartoon made me laugh right out loud!

That PCP needs a new career! What's the point of going to the doctor if s/he can't tell you the truth? Unbelievable.

I like to read. It makes me quit thinking about the here-and-now and takes me to another place. Good question. I'm interested in hearing all the other responses.

Oh, how frustrating! And I hope you found a new dr after the one said, "Learn to close your mouth." I want to smack him for you. Have you talked to your bariatric surgeon about the meds and the associated weight gain? Some drugs cause weight gain by making you hungry, but others cause weight gain via other means. I've been on two different drugs that didn't make me hungry, but they did cause very fast weight gain. Not sure the sleeve would have helped me in those cases. Might want to confirm with your surgeon. Good luck!

You don't have a family doctor already? I don't think you can go wrong there. Pick one covered by your insurance, or call around for rates if you are cash pay.

Did you track your food? If not, you're just guessing at how to improve. Until you do this, nothing else matters. Track Your Food! You should also go to a therapist, to rule out or to help with any psychological eating issues. Even if you've been before, It's probably a good idea to go again. Once you've figured out what caused the sleeve to fail, and only then, should you think about another surgery. It sounds to me like you should think about gastric bypass. It's more fool-proof than the sleeve.

Yayyyy!!!!!!!!!

I definitely need to practice this. Thanks for posting.

I didn't grow up poor, but I did grow up with lots of brothers, and I can tell you my eating habits were defined by that. I learned to eat as much as I could as soon as possible; there would be no chance to have any later. Sometimes I would even hide food under my bed so I could save it. Similar idea to the article--I learned to eat based on opportunity, not hunger.

Ugh, what a way to start a vacation! I'm so sorry. I'm hope things have improved since then. I'm with @@Babs about the staycation. Although I do like to travel, my favorite vacation is in my own house with a stack of good books.

I've seen the brand, but I've never tried it. I had no idea it was different. I will definitely check it out. Thx

I haven't had surgery yet; I'm waiting for my insurance company's approval. They don't require an MD supervised diet before surgery, but I wanted to get a head start on my weight loss. Oh, I've been drinking 2%! Definitely 500-700 cals per day. And 50-75 g of sugar per day. Ouch. I've since started drinking 1%, and I think that's as low as I'm willing to go as far as fat is concerned. It's funny how certain foods are eaten together. I love cold cereal, and baked sweets such as Cookies and brownies. By cutting back on the milk, I will be cutting back on the others too. I've tried other 'milks' and they just don't cut it for me. Water it is!