biginjapan

Hi Walter,
I haven't had my surgery yet, so you can take this with a grain of salt if you wish.
The odds of you losing weight (and keeping it off) the so-called "natural" way is almost zero. A lot of people say you have a less than 5% chance of keeping the weight off non-surgically, but I've read other studies were the odds were worse than that - 0.015% for women, and for men it's closer to 0.001% (sorry, I can't find the study now, but I'll try to look for it). The human body, for whatever reason, will fight you tooth and nail to stay fat, if you are obese. The best book I've read so far about this is by Dr. Robert Lustig, called Fat Chance. If you prefer YouTube, my favourite videos about all things related to bariatric surgery are by Dr. Matthew Weiner. He explains things very well. You might also want to watch this HBO special, called The Weight of the Nation. If you want to see the effects of how bariatric surgery can help obese people, there's a great series out of the UK also on YouTube called Fat Doctor which focuses on real people struggling with obesity, and doesn't have the Jerry Springer-like feel of some of the U.S.-based shows.
You say you are worried about the surgery, but honestly, for most people, the odds of anything happening to you are about the same as having gall bladder surgery or an appendectomy. And those are pretty routine surgeries. But remember - if you stay the weight that you are, any surgery will be a risk, as it is for all people who struggle with obesity. You listed quite a number of conditions that you suffer from -- two questions to ask yourself is, 1) do you want to keep suffering from them and know that they will only get worse with time? and 2) what odds are better for you, in terms of being around for your family - staying morbidly obese, or having the surgery and be given a real chance to not only lose weight, but to keep it off? Sorry to be blunt, but there it is.
Is this a big decision? Of course it is. Could there be complications? Yes, but that's true of any surgery. However, I think most people who have had the surgery will say it was the best decision they ever made, and that they wish they had done it sooner. For whatever reason, sleeve or bypass (not lapband, which few surgeons do anymore do to low success rates and other problems) "resets" the body in many ways - within 24 hours to a few weeks to a few months after surgery, people may no longer be diabetic, get off high blood pressure or cholesterol meds, have no hunger to fight against (some forever, but most regain some sort of hunger pangs within a year and a half of surgery), and there can be major changes to your metabolism. Your taste buds will probably change, and you may find that certain foods that you used to like will no longer appeal to you after you've had surgery. Of course, there can be some negative side effects too, like food restrictions and gerd and dumping syndrome, needing gall bladder surgery, some depression (immediately after surgery, but I haven't come across any long-term stats about that), and sometimes addiction transfer (for example, changing your food addiction to something like alcohol addiction).

I would really recommend to write down a list of all your concerns and talk about them with your surgeon. Finding a therapist would probably also help. I don't know where you are (I'm assuming the U.S.) so if you have insurance I'm sure you'll have to jump through a few hoops in order to qualify for the surgery, but that can be a good thing, as it gives you time to deal with your fears/concerns before having the surgery.
Whenever I get worried about anything, my motto is: think of the solution, not the problem. I find it really helps to get my mind out of the self-defeating loop that will make the problem seem bigger than it is. In this case, I think educating yourself about the surgery, about anesthesia, etc. will help you feel better (or not) about having the surgery done. Good luck.

Yeah...Japan. In the summertime, during vacation, elementary school students often meet in a local park to do their exercises at 6:30 in the morning! Daily! That used to drive me nuts because the music would wake me up when I wanted to sleep in. In the last city I lived in, I lived directly across from a large park, and it was the same thing, only with old people. Every morning, 6:30 start, through all seasons except winter. I always watched them as I did my laps around the park. JHS and HS students who are on the track team are expected to run to and from school (from home) - they have a friend who cycles along them to carry their school work and regular clothes. So yeah, exercise is definitely a part of daily life here. Yet Japanese food is very carb (and protein) heavy with few, if any, vegetables. I try telling my students that Japanese rice is not healthy and they are in shock - it's so contrary to everything they've been told.
The first time I realised I was morbidly obese, I went into a deep denial about that. I always thought morbidly obese meant people who were so large they couldn't walk 10 steps, or used a cane, or used a mobility device, that sort of thing. I've had friends (and relatives) who were that large and had so many health issues, that it was hard for me to make the connection that I fell into the same group. But, my weight is what it is, and the truth is there in every picture of me. I tried to avoid pictures for so long, but since I started on this journey I've been forcing myself to really look at myself objectively and there's no avoiding the fact that I am a long way away from the days of being somewhat overweight and active.

I started my pre-op diet on Thursday and I've already lost 10 pounds in 3 days!
I'm on 3 Protein shakes a day (which I make myself) and 2 meals with lean Protein and veggies. No dairy, no fruit, no alcohol, no caffeine, etc. I've been averaging about 1100 calories and about 120g of protein per day. I find it interesting that some programs allow for dairy and fruit, as they are both quite high in sugar.
I love the Syntrax nectar protein powders - they taste like regular juice when mixed with Water. I have 2 of those a day. I also have a Protein shake in the morning where I mix almond or soy milk (and sometimes a block of soft tofu) with either flavoured Protein Powder (like vanilla or chocolate) or unflavoured. I have both Syntrax and Isopure for those, plus the PB Peanut Butter powder, which mixes in great with the chocolate Protein Powder.
Edit: I had a bunch of links posted, but this site overruled them. Amazon carries a lot of good protein powders, but for unjury you may have to buy directly from them. I also shop from vitacost and iHerb, as they ship to Japan and many other countries (whereas Amazon will not).

Welcome and good luck with everything. I was just sleeved on Wednesday. So far so good. No pain, no pain meds and went home the day after surgery
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To quote Dr. Lustig, from his book, Fat Chance (2014):
"It's from (the) perception of choice that we derive our current societal mantras around obesity: gluttony and sloth, two of the original 'seven deadly sins.' (...) people exhibiting the other five deadly sins (...) have gotten a pass in the press and in society as a whole. ...
We've found absolution for nearly every vice and sin we can commit, except for these two. They continue to defy our society's ability to forgive. This despite the fact that 55 percent of Americans are either overweight or obese. Thin people are now in the minority, yet our culture continues to punish the majority. ...
Our society continues to glorify thinness even though it appears to be less achievable every year. Those of us who are overweight or obese are immediately assumed to be gluttons and/or sloths. (...) From this condemnation, it's a quick jump to the determination that obese people became so due to a behavioral defect."

These two people have very different lives, the one on the left hated Mondays because he had to go to work and didn't feel well because he only had 3 hours of sleep due to the fact his sleep apnea tried to kill him every night. The one on the right cannot wait to wake up after a great night sleep, to get to the gym and sculpt his guns.

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Agree that you need to get a handle on this now, if you don't you aren't ready for surgery. Nobody other than you can sabotage you. My husband and my son still eat chips and popcorn and pizza, dessert etc, but I don't.
Is it hard sometimes? Um yeah!!!
Was it hard cooking thanksgiving dinner 5 days post op while still on liquids? Totally!
Did I want to bop my husband on the head and steal his popcorn when he made a batch of delicious hot buttered popcorn and then proceeded to eat it in front of me? You betcha!
So here is what I did/do to cope...
Thanksgiving dinner...made a Bari friendly full liquids Soup with chicken bouilllon and some of the thanksgiving sides and turkey. It felt and tasted like thanksgiving dinner
With the popcorn, I left the room and had a nice long bath and ranted on here with my iPad.
Christmas dinner at my mom's...I cleared and cleaned up while dessert was being served.
Other things I do is make Bari friendly versions of what my family are eating. Zucchini noodle Pasta etc. Pinterest is your friend.
The other thing you need to do is address your sister head on. When she is engaging in behaviour that is self destructive or feels like sabotage tell her (she can keep her ideas to herself). Separate yourself. Do what you have to do to be successful.
Your other option is to do what you always have and stay at your current weight.

I had the same issue. I rarely looked at myself in the mirror and when I saw myself in pics, I was absolutely disgusted. I have not been in pictures for many years. I had the sleeve in August and I am down almost 70 lbs and I still don't take pictures yet. I want to lose about 30 or 35 lbs more, but I really need to improve my self esteem. I am 52 and have struggled with weight since I was 10. People have not always been nice about it either. Good luck. You are going to do great.

Welcome and good luck with your journey!
I'll be having gastric sleeve surgery in 2.5 weeks, and I can't wait for that date to arrive. I've found a lot of useful info and support on this site, and I hope you do too!

@@Newme17 - I had this feeling for a long time too. I was the jock in my family, my brother was not. I was on multiple sports teams throughout my teenage years, but even in my 20s I was active with dance lessons, hiking, and other activities. That said, the weight came on and off throughout the years, but it wasn't until I went to see a new doctor, that he referred to me as "obese," that once I got over that shock, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was, in fact, obese. Even here in Japan, I've felt "fit fat" because living here kind of forces you to be. I don't have a car, which is pretty normal, as you really don't need one in the city. Which means I walk a lot. On a normal workday, I can easily hit my 10,000 steps a day without trying. There aren't a lot of escalators or elevators here, so people constantly take the stairs. You know that when you realise everyone, from small children to the super elderly, are taking the stairs, all the time (usually 4-8 staircases sometimes) that they are doing something right here (Japan has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world).

I have always thought this way. It's upsetting when I finally see a full body photo or see myself in a full length mirror. I've always had the "fit girl stuck in a fat body" thinking. I wonder? those of you who feel this way as well, were you once fit and trim too? Athletic? Healthy for a long period of time before gaining the weight? This was me. Maybe we don't associate ourselves with obesity as we would have if it's been years of being obese? Our minds can't connect until we see the reality? Guess this is something I should talk/share about in my psych eval, huh?

Thank you. I'm trying to stay positive. Taking it one day at a time.

My surgery was on Tuesday, and I had second thoughts, even as they were rolling me back to the OR. I kept worrying about all of the possible bad outcomes. I am not far enough out to say that everything is great and it is the best decision of my life yet, but I can say that I have had no complications at all. Even last night, I was thinking, "what the hell did I do to myself?" I have had lots of gas pains mostly, and a lot of discomfort. That being said, I was doing so well that they sent me home a day earlier than was expected. Just remember that when people are posting bad experiences it is typically because they are in that less than 2% complication group of people who experience complications. The other 98% are not having any issues at all, so they are not writing in this forum asking what they should do because everything is going well. The one thing I can say about reading all of those posts about things going wrong is that I was prepared for just about anything. Had I not done the research I did pre-op, I think my recovery would have been much tougher. At least I knew what to expect, which made it easier to deal with what I was feeling each step of the recovery so far.
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Starting day 4 down 6 lbs and and still feeling ok , we can do this
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I first thought of getting the surgery done 9 months ago, I'm now less than 3 weeks away from surgery (also in Mexico, but with Dr. Cabrera). In some ways I feel lucky - for a morbidly obese person, I'm pretty healthy (no co-morbidities), active, and while I obviously overeat (mostly, because I can), I don't have food addiction issues. I don't have any support here in Japan (and I wouldn't even if I had the surgery here), so I've been educating myself, watching videos, reading tons of articles and blogs, and learning from forums like this one. The only thing I miss that other people have is the ability to join groups of people in real life who are dealing with WLS pre- or post-op. I'm so thankful for places like this though, because otherwise I'm not sure how well I would do without that kind of support.
I used to worry I was missing out on a lot because I didn't have to jump through the hoops that most everyone else has to, but I've also read that a lot of that is for insurance purposes, and that the quality of care you get pre- and post-op can range from fantastic to indifferent. I think for those of us having surgery in Mexico, not having all the tests beforehand is not necessarily detrimental to post-op surgery success. It just forces us to be more pro-active about educating ourselves and finding local medical support that may or may not have experience with WLS, but are willing to help us out anyway.

This past Sunday I completed another goal I set for myself. I completed the 2017 Disneyland Star Wars Half Marathon. While I wasn't fast I finished in 2:51:33.

Despite the look on my face I was actually very happy (almost in tears #revokemancard). This event will hold a special place in my heart.

I have completed many 5 and 10k events. My first being in a 5K in November of 2015. Now here I am coming up on my 2 year anniversary in March and completed my first half. Before having this surgery I would have never entertained the idea of running a half let alone anything else.

I'm on day 2 of my pre-op diet and I'm doing okay so far. I do feel hungry if I don't have my Protein shake around (like right now) but otherwise I'm surprised how it's been. That said, I'm not on an all-liquid diet, I am allowed small amounts of Protein and veggies, so I think that helps a lot.
I blended tofu into my Protein Shake this morning with a handful of berries and soy milk and it was fantastic - nice and thick like a milkshake, but so much healthier! (I find I need something more substantial in the morning to help me make it to lunch).

Feb 9th for me! I started my pre-op diet yesterday, so it's really starting to feel real now.

@I'm Changing 4 Me
I created a spreadsheet to help me figure out what I wanted. Personally, I contacted each and every one of these companies/doctors. How are you going to know if you like them unless you deal with them directly? I think in reality, you have to go through some kind of coordinator. Do you expect your surgeon to be dealing with email and phone queries all day? (In fact, out of all these doctors, the only one I was in contact with was Dr. Illan - and while he seemed very nice, the wi-fi connection was so bad I have no idea if he actually answered any of my questions). So, while it would be nice to talk to them, it's not always possible. However, in some cases the coordinator will contact the doctor if you have any specific questions.
This is far from a full list, but based on this, and other sites, I felt that these were the most consistently well-regarded companies and surgeons. As I've mentioned in other posts, I think the biggest reason for price differences are the reputation of the doctor, the hospital used, and the hotels used.
Unless otherwise mentioned, all these doctors are in Tijuana, and these are quotes I got for a Gastric Sleeve (prices may vary depending on your personal health conditions):
Bariatric Pal Team MX: Dr. Jalil Illan ($4399)
Endo Bariatric (in Piedras Negras): Dr. Alvarez ($8900)
Mexico Bariatric Center: Dra. Louisiana Valenzuela ($5500) and Dr. Ismael Cabrera ($4995)
Obesity Control Center: Dr. Ariel Ortiz ($6500-$9000)
Pompeii Surgical: Dr. Sergio Quinones ($4500)
Ponce Bariatric: Dr. jaime ponce de leon ($5000)
Tijuana Bariatrics: Dr. Fernando Garcia ($4250)
WLSC: Dr. Ramos Kelly ($4870-$7710)
Another option seems to be Trinity Medical, also promoted by a pretty active member here, but unfortunately I didn't come across that company until after I had made my decision.
In my particular case, I live in Japan so unlike most of you in the US and Canada, I have some pretty long international flights, and my pear-shaped bottom can no longer squeeze into a 17" economy seat. I might have done that one-way, but I definitely did not want to be squeezed in for 14 hours after major abdominal surgery. Knowing that I would have to buy a business class seat on an international flight meant that I couldn't afford the more expensive doctors - so anything over $6000 was out. I did not like the way I was treated with Tijuana Bariatrics - all I got was a form letter "you've been approved - send money" - and all requests to speak to a coordinator or doctor were completely ignored. In the end the surgeons I was most interested in were Dr. Q, Dr. Ponce, and either Dr. Valenzuela or Dr. Cabrera at MBC. What swayed me the most was how well I was treated by the coordinator, and the amount of information they could give me about the operation, hospitals, etc, how many surgeries the doctor does daily (some doctors work out of more than one hospital, so make sure you find out the daily total and not the hospital total), and finally the price. Oh - and whether or not the surgery could be done on a day that was most convenient for me (for some reason it seems like a lot of the doctors will be away or on vacation or are already booked in February).
I know in the beginning it seems overwhelming, but the best thing to do is bookmark the sites you like, fill out the forms, and see what happens from there. I started with 3 different companies, but over time I expanded my search a little. That said, the problem is the paradox of choice: the more options we have, the more difficult it becomes to choose. Keep it small for now as you get your feet wet. Ask questions. Do research (other bariatric forums, Facebook, etc.) It should get better as you go along.
My surgery is less than 6 weeks away, so I can't tell you how it went, but I'm confident enough that I will be treated well. Anyway, I hope this helps.

I'm a big fitbit fan too - I usually can hit 10,000 steps daily, just from work, but it's the days off that I have to push myself to get out of the house and walk as much as I can. I hope the fact that I'm walking so much now will help me out when I am post-op.

I'm a big fitbit fan too - I usually can hit 10,000 steps daily, just from work, but it's the days off that I have to push myself to get out of the house and walk as much as I can. I hope the fact that I'm walking so much now will help me out when I am post-op.

I'm a big fitbit fan too - I usually can hit 10,000 steps daily, just from work, but it's the days off that I have to push myself to get out of the house and walk as much as I can. I hope the fact that I'm walking so much now will help me out when I am post-op.

hello everyone .... And thanks for sticking around. From someone that's been on this site for a long time.... Since 2009.... from time to time a change is needed.... We should never let a few bad apple spoil the whole bunch.
Never is it ok to allow any person/persons to make anyone feel bullied, belittled, unimportant, dumb... Etc. We are all here for basically the same reason.... To be with people that have been in our shoes... We all started at the same place. We were all obese and looking to make a change in our lives for the better. We found this site looking for answers. Answers to questions no matter how large or small. I'm sure if you thought of the question... someone else is thinking it too but may be afraid to ask. NO ONE has all the answers.
So I say.... ask... I'm sure someone here may have an answer... if not, must of us will say... Check with your DR.
So stick around... there are still plenty of the Vet's here with years and years of experience, knowledge and advice to give. Lots of amazing people here with amazing success stories to aspire too...
I'm not going to say the thought of leaving didn't cross my mind... it did. I was going to only because i didn't like the drama..... Then that night I got a PM asking if a member could share my Before/Afters with a coworker... I said sure and the next message was how encouraged he said she was to start her very own journey. THAT.. makes it all worth it... so I stay to try and encourage those who are to come behind me, like I was encouraged all the years ago...

I pretty much agree with the consensus here, but I want to add one thing: a LOT of people on here will not condone thinking up ways to eat around surgery. Whether you are just fantasizing during a weak time (liquid diets make people crazy) or simply not ready to make the changes you will need to succeed (your psych eval should have revealed that), you really do need to decide what you want from your surgery. I, personally have had my insides rearranged twice, and I do not plan to go back to the behaviors that got me into the mess I am in with my weight and eating habits. If you are willing to have major surgery, why then are you not willing to find a different way to eat so that you can succeed? People on here take offense because they feel like you are disrespecting the choices they have made for themselves, I suspect. It's a little much to take when you bust your ass to change your life, and then someone asks you to tell them how to cheat the system. It's just not going to be well received. You need a thick skin in this forum, so be insulted if you want, but you'll find little sympathy here.

You need to get therapy for your food issues, or you're going to fail.
I'm not saying this to be harsh. It's simply the truth. You can eat around any surgery. You shouldn't be trying to learn how to do it. Instead, try to learn how to not want to.
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