careya123

I've seen a lot of people asking about loose skin, and a lot of people showing loose skin pictures. Does anyone NOT have loose skin after reaching their goal weight? My BMI is 36.5 and the fat isn't concentrated in one place. I'm hoping that works in my favor.

Have you seen any of the YouTube videos by Dr. Matthew Weiner? He's a bariatric surgeon who has some unusual ideas about metabolism. In one of his videos (I forget which) he says that the biggest determining factor in how many calories we burn every day is how many calories we eat every day. In other words, if you eat low cal, your body will slow down your metabolism. You should check him out; I think he makes a lot of sense.

That's exactly what I'm hoping for! I have the same story. I lost weight when I put my mind to it, but as soon as it wasn't the #1 priority it came right back. I've never maintained a weight loss for any decent length of time--certainly not as long as 5 months. Wahoo!!

That's so encouraging to hear!

Thanks for posting. It's so motivating to see. We have similar stats, so hopefully in a year I can be where you are now.

My mom always said the difference between her and her skinny friend was that her friend, when she gained a few lbs, did what it took to lose it. Mom just accepted the few lbs, not thinking it mattered that much. Fast forward 20 years and it mattered a lot. Mom's been telling me that since I was a skinny teenager. I didn't listen, obviously, but it's my new mantra.

I'm glad you are on IV fluids. I have a friend with Crohn's, and staying hydrated is difficult for her. I've seen the terrible things that dehydration can do to the body. It seems especially cruel that once you get to a certain point, nausea kicks in. Don't give up pushing for answers: it's too important. Good luck!

I started thinking seriously about surgery when I did research on 5 yr outcomes of surgery vs diet and exercise alone. With surgery, people maintain their weight loss quite well. With diet and exercise alone, at five years hardly anyone has maintained their weight loss. So tell me, how long have you maintained your weight loss? If you aren't in maintenance yet, how confident are you that you can maintain your weight loss over the next five years?

I started tracking on My Fitness Pal a few days ago. (I'm going for my first consultation tomorrow.) It's shocking to see the nutrition in some foods. You can eat well all day, then one little thing will send the calories soaring in the wrong direction.

Glad Press'n Seal sticks to skin, I believe. You can cover your incisions with that while you shower.

Sounds good to me. My first consultation is tomorrow also. I'm so excited.

I wish! If they had it where I am, I would definitely try it.

I have two Great Danes. They are quite clumsy and their tails are weapons of mass destruction. Fortunately, they've given up the idea that they need to sleep on the bed with me. However, when I get up in the morning, apparently that's the signal that my bed is available to them.

Woo-hoo! Congratulations!

That is terrible! Was it someone online? If so, just remember there are lots of strange people out there. I knew a group of teenage boys that would go online to different forums, make up a persona, and say terrible things to other people there just to see if they could start a forum fight. It was their idea of entertainment, and they did it all the time. So when somebody says something negative online, I just picture some acne-laden 14 year old boy and roll my eyes and move on. But I'm so sorry you are feeling bad. We love you.

High blood pressure is scaring me right now. At the doctor a while back, it was 173/121. I freaked out.

I have the best reason of all: the five year outcomes of diet and exercise alone vs. with weight loss surgery. Check out this page and scroll down to Obesity Treatment Options and Effectiveness: Results of Five-Year Follow-up. Be sure to read the footnotes. Without surgery, you are far more likely to be obese again in five years (after weight loss). With surgery, you are more likely to have maintained a significant amount of your weight loss. http://www.surgery.usc.edu/uppergi-general/bariatric-amiacandidate.html Obesity Treatment Options and Effectiveness Results of Five-Year Follow-up Treatment Weight Loss (% of Patients) Diet and Exercise* 2% to 5% Medication** 0% Bariatric Surgery*** 50% to 70%< * Success measured as a loss of 10 percent of initial body weight. ** Weight loss is not maintained once treatment ends. *** Success measured as a loss of 50 percent of excess body weight (equivalent to loss of approximately 20 to 25 percent of initial body weight).

I've spent a bit of time lately thinking about how and when I got so fat. I'm surprised by my own conclusions. 1. Sugar: Brownies and fudge for Snacks during college. Every day. Net Gain: +30 lbs 2. Weight Watchers*: I lost the weight and I gained it back, plus a little extra. I re-joined, lost some weight and gained it back, plus a little extra. I'm sad to say I joined many times before I learned my lesson. The end result was always the same. Net Gain: +15 lbs 3. Phentermine: I loved Phentermine. It made me happy, gave me energy, and completely destroyed my desire to eat; I shed pounds like rain off an umbrella. I gained the weight back faster than you can blink and it brought many many many friends. In retrospect, I think I lost a lot of muscle and my metabolism slowed way down. Net Gain: +40 4. Cyproheptadine: An anti-histamine. The doctor told me not to worry that it was also used to treat anorexia; I should have worried. Net Gain: +15 lbs You know what's not on this list? All my other bad eating habits (besides sugar). I have plenty of them, but I truly don't think they've played a significant role in my weight gain over time. My weight has been incredibly stable apart from the periods listed above. It gives me hope for the future. *I know I'm about to receive a lot of flak for this one!

Great question! I always ask myself this question before starting a project, because it's too easy for scope creep to make me unhappy with the final result, even if I achieved my original goals. Ok, here goes: 1) Be able to wear clothes from regular stores and be happy with how I look in them. 2) Be able to vacation with my fit friends and not have to worry about what activity they want to do. (You want to hike up what?) 3) Get rid of my co-morbidities. I have 3, all severe. 4) Get my functional abilities back, such as tying my shoes and getting up off the floor. I can do them, but they've gotten uncomfortable. 5) Not be so sweaty and hot All Of The Time. 6) Preferably, size 10 or under. But I'm flexible with this one. 7) Wear high heels 8) Not be invisible 9) Get my thin personality back: friendly, outgoing (well, outgoing for an introvert), brave, adventurous EDIT: Forgot one of the most important: maintain a healthy weight! I've lost weight a million times, and it came right back with its friends.

I've seen that lots of people are required to have a sleep study. What changes if they find out you have sleep apnea? Is your treatment plan different in some way?

An acquaintance had lap band many years ago. Her eating habits, pre-surgery, included drinking at least a 2 liter bottle of Coke (full sugar) per day. She didn't lose any noticeable amount of weight post-op, probably because she didn't give up her Coke habit. Eventually, she had the lap band removed because it interfered with her eating habits. Some people aren't introspective enough before surgery. Maybe they think it's a cure-all, or maybe they think they'll miraculously get the willpower after surgery to eat right and exercise. Personally, I have thought long and hard about the causes of my fatness and how, specifically, the surgery might help. I'm still deciding whether or not to have it, but I think I have a pretty good handle on what the surgery will and will not do. Yes, it reduces portion sizes, but it definitely won't cure a 2 liter bottle of Coke per day habit.

Cannot wait for that! It'd be a first for me too.

When you wear cotton underwear because you need the friction to keep your pants up.

12 months?! I'd go crazy. I'd fail the psych eval for that reason alone.

I have BCBS Illinois and the requirements seem reasonable. In other words, no 3-6 month diet! Although I'm on the low end of the BMI scale, I have 3 severe co-morbidities. (I have a friend at the same weight, and she is perfectly healthy. Weird.)