summerset

This. Both losing and maintaining is finally possible without that much hassle. I'd say the "normal" amount of vigilance a lot of other people who were never fat have to use is necessary to not gain at the moment. Because fat people need to be punished and need to suffer - at least this is what a lot of people seem to be thinking. Others might be thinking "I need a lot of discipline to battle my weight, too - why should you have it any easier?" which boils down to naked envy.

If you're having reflux issues with the band why does the surgeon want to make a sleeve and not a bypass?

"No excuses" - that was the mantra that got me to burning out. "Relax" - that is the mantra that helped me the most. --- Seriously, this whole holiday eating thing gets overblown on about every dieting website on the web every year. The relatively few holiday meals weren't what got us fat. It was the food choices and the amount of food during the rest of the years that were the problem. If you can stomach it, enjoy the food instead of making up some excuses why you need to deprive yourself of this or that particular food.

I wonder what she will tell you if her gallbladder really has to be taken out some day. That it grew back? SCNR

That's why I would never advice someone making up stories about "lifestyle changes" and "eating healthy and exercising". No need to broadcast it but I don't think there is a reason to lie about the surgery or hide it.

I hope people do the same if they decide to e. g. continue driving a car. Many people die in car accidents as well, even if they're good and responsible drivers and they have families that need to be taken care of, too. Same for smoking. I hope every smoker has a big life insurance policy.

This. It's a way to put other people down to feel better and superior yourself. It's the same "advice" people used to bawl about when they got it crammed down their throat by random people before they had surgery. I'll never get it into my head that this is really the top "advice" that is given to fellow WLS patients who're struggling. It strikes me odd that when it comes to WLS the most judgmental group is the WLS patients themselves. --- ETA: When I tell people that I have MGB done because of reflux and that I'm in the unfortunate group of 20% who got way better but aren't able to wean off the PPI I usually get an "Aw, this really sucks!" I guess the reactions would be different if this was about lack of weight loss or weight regain.

Overgeneralizing and judgmental. Some people need a second chance. Nobody gives a flying f**k if a patient needs a second fundoplicatio because of heartburn or a second PTA because that stenosis needs a second dilatation but God forbid that someone needs a second WLS procedure.

Sounds a bit like the mini mental test. Did you have to fold a piece of paper and drop it to the floor by any chance?

I absolutely agree with this. We don't know what "slightly under" means in this case, but if it's a BMI of 39 instead of 40 we're talking about only a few lbs right now (not even 10).

Had my fair share of these as well. My shoulder is still bothering me. Also obsession with "healthy eating" was quite bad for a whole while. I can feel the pendulum swinging in that direction again. I don't really have any red flags right now but something is different. My thoughts wander into this direction more often than usually.

Ultimately not many WLS patients will achieve a "new, thin, sexy body". Yeah, maybe with plastics and when young enough the body will look decent enough. Anyway I personally like being able to enjoy both food and a body that looks normal when not naked.

I personally don't believe that it's possible to become heavy enough to qualify for WLS without an ED. It's not uncommon that eating disorders change gear. Anorexics become bulimics. Anorexics become orthorexic and fitness obsessed (see websites on "recovered" anorexics who seem now simply obsessed with fitness and healthy eating instead of losing weight). People with COE or BED become bulimic. EDs very often don't go away, even with therapy there are very high relapse rates.

IIRC 3-4 months.

Makes me wonder what kind of stuff is usually sold as "bread" in the US.

This is kind of random now and maybe also off topic but this irks me since a whole while: general advice is given. What happened to "diagnosis before treatment"? When it comes to problems with gaining/stalls/etc. that have likely to do with food intake (or maybe supplement intake as well) I think the first advice should be that evaluation is necessary, i. e. "food tracking" and if there is a problem identified: "why is that problem there?". Everything else comes later.

Oh, as far as skipping breakfast goes: I did that, too - because when I ate breakfast, my weight would climb up even higher. Now I usually don't eat breakfast - or maybe I should rather say that I don't eat immediately after waking up? I usually get up a 6:30 and have a cup of coffee. I usually eat something between 9:00 and 10:00 when I'm actually getting hungry. I'm not a morning person.

This. And if 82% eat breakfast - what are the other 18% doing? In the end you don't know if you're in the 82% group or in the 18% group. You simply have to try what works best for you.

I don't. --- However, one can't order people to write in a certain way as long as they don't violate the board rules. If her style is bothering you, put her on ignore.

"How did you get rid of that toothache?" "Oh, I took a lot of pain killers, slept a lot and took an antibiotic for a few days! It was hard, but I got rid of it." "Oh, wow! Great! Maybe I can get rid of my toothache this way, too!" "Thank you!" (Of course I kept that tooth extraction surgery to myself, haha!) --- Can't really imagine this scenario but after reading this thread I'm no longer so sure...

It's the responsibility of the treatment team to decide if a patient is eligible or not. I don't know about the insurance system in the US but I doubt that insurance office workers in the US have the necessary knowledge to decide if a patients needs to be "protected" from their own decisions or not or if he/she is eligible for surgery or not. What's next? An insurance office worker deciding if therapy option A for treating a cerebral aneurysm is a better choice for the patient than therapy option B?

What a coincidence!

Insurance companies want to save money and nothing else. They're definitely not protecting patients. If they only wanted to protect patients the whole process would be different, e. g. you would have to go to certain classes and appointments and after a waiting period of e. g. 6 months you would be guaranteed to get the procedure if you still want it.

That's what you think.

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