MemphisWLS

Congrats to you all. Absolutely incredible. For all those who have been on this journey for a couple months and have lost a ton of weight, any issues with loose skin? How to prevent if any? Thanks so much.
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I just completed the survey as well and have 2 suggestions:
First, what is the difference between "just a little" and "not so much"? In the survey it goes from:
Not at all / just a little / not so much / much
To me, "not so much" would be closer to "not at all" in that they are both negative statements. "Just a little" would seem closer to "much", but really you have 3 terms that refer to nothing or a little, but you don't have third term for "kind of important" or "a little".
This question: Is weight an obstacle for your physical activity? To me, there is almost no difference in the just a little/not so much answers, but a huge leap to much. Having made many surveys myself, I'd much rather see more definitive answers that are not open to interpretation. What kind of conclusions can you make from such ill-defined answers? A Likert-scale (1-4) or even adverbs of frequency like never/occasionally/sometimes/always I think would be less prone to mis-interpretation. (To be fair, this may have to do with Australian English, IDK - maybe "just a little" and "not so much" are much more clearly defined in the Australian psyche, or have different definitions to what the rest of the English-speaking world uses, but it's not something I've come across with any of the Aussies I've known.)
Finally, I would prefer to see a completion bar/status of some type. There is no indication of how long the survey will be and at some point I got tired with the endless questions and didn't know when it would end. Knowing that I only would have 1 or 2 pages to go would have me more likely to complete it (which I did - but only because right when I was going to quit I got the last page) - I have a feeling you may have people dropping out because of the endless nature of the questions - especially in the beginning, as you seem more interested in introversion/extroversion personality factors than weight loss, and that is a long page to go through.
This isn't meant to be a overly critical, but I don't like taking surveys where I am not sure of what the answers mean and I have to guess what you are trying to say and that my interpretation may not match what you are looking for.
Also, perhaps it would maybe be good to have a "other" or text box option where people could clarify their answers, if they wish.

No she meant Protonix(Pantoprazole) used for GERD. Sorry I am a pharmacist.
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No she meant Protonix(Pantoprazole) used for GERD. Sorry I am a pharmacist.
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I cheated on my pre-op diet too and mine was only a week. I had diet cheese puffs and a Lean Cuisine I think, which given it was a clear liquid diet did note exactly demonstrate my willpower. A lot of people cheat on their pre-op diet, feel bad about it, and then cheat more because they feel bad, so the trick is to just get right back on the wagon.
I'm almost 3-years post-op and the last 10-days or so I haven't been the greatest on eating very well. I was feeling pretty pleased that I wasn't gaining weight until two days ago when my weight jumped up a few ounces and then yesterday I woke up at the top of my acceptable 3-pound from goal weight range. So, the last two days I've been being careful with what I eat, and this morning I woke up right back where I usually am, although I'll keep being careful for a few days to balance out what I did to myself last week. A big difference for me now is that I don't consider it cheating anymore when I eat something bad, which I think is why I find it fairly easy to get back on track without totally derailing myself like in the past. Last week I had dental work done and my face hurt, so I had corn chowder and Peanut Butter and jelly and all kinds of soft junk food. Man it was good and before surgery I would have used the fact that I didn't eat very healthily to justify going on a few week bender where I gained 10 pounds. Now though, I'm not saying I cheated on my diet, because I'm not on a diet...I eat what I want to and I modify the foods that go into my mouth when the scale says I need to eat better. I'll exercise more in the next few days, and I'll be extra careful logging everything into MyFitnessPal, and soon enough I'll be back at the bottom of my 3-pound allowed swing range.
So, to make a long story less long, lol, after surgery (like way after surgery- not a week after surgery) if you have a day or two where you fall off the diet wagon, try not to think of it as cheating and just see it as a day where you had too many calories that you will make up for later. It's kinda like when you spend money you shouldn't so you budget for a few days to make up for it. As long as you aren't shopping your way into overdrafts and bankruptcy, in this analogy, your checking account recovers from an indiscretion, just like your diet will. The key though is to make sure you're paying attention to your balance, or in this case, the scale. I weigh everyday so I know immediately when my weight is going up and I make steps that day to fix the problem. Hopefully, maintenance is more about keeping the checking account balanced rather than consistently being perfect about having a high balance, or ignoring a run of overdrafts.
Thanks to my analogy...I now want to go shopping, but hopefully you get what I mean.

If we all had the willpower we wouldn't need the operation.
I'm pre-op too... and I've cheated too. Hopefully now it's out of your system. I have a voice in my head that keeps telling to have one more meal .... I'm also on a 4 week pre-op diet, and put myself on pre pre-op diet too. So of course over that time I've cracked... twice to be exact.
Just jump back on that horse.... the excuses that we come up with to eat are almost comedic. You can feel really strong, and then next minute you think something that talks you into cheating.
The one thing being on this surgery diet has helped me with is that I haven't cheated as much as I would if I wasn't on it. It's given me a bit more of a reason to stick to it. As they say, they aren't doing surgery on our brains, just our stomachs. It's a tool, and hopefully we can learn moderation of treats and bat down the hungry girl voice.
Plus this pre-op diet is hard! I'm on 3 shakes and 2 cups of low starchy vegetables. Least post op I can broaden my range slowly.
You should be really proud of the amount you have lost so far. Back on that wagon, keep going

Whoa there girl...lol...you sound like my inner voice and I'm not even on my pre-op diet yet. I just wanna say BREATHE! You have a lot to be proud of. ANY weight loss at all is a major cause for celebration. You are no doubt gonna have f-up moments even after the surgery, but you can't let it drive you nuts. You're human. We're flawed.
Im gonna confide in y'all (just don't judge me). I've gained 30lbs since I made the decision to have surgery last summer. I mean I GAINED...even thru the 3 months of nutritionist visits. Its been like watching a runaway train...while you're flapping along hanging off the caboose. I've switched surgeons and they don't do things the same. Right now I have to start my 2 week pre-op diet and Im like freaking out, Im thinking what happens if I don't lose anything!?!? Even worse...what happens if I gain again. On top of that worry there's my general surgery worries(what if I don't wake up), after surgery worries(who am I gonna call if I get stuck on the potty), life worries(where is my dog gonna get her French frie fix if Im no longer eating them)...the list goes on and on. The noise gets so loud that I just SCREAM(then I get strange looks from people). But it helps. I calm down I say self your doing what you can, every day is another opportunity for progress, you're making the ultimate sacrifice for a better life for yourself...everything is gonna be alright(then I sing). Lol.
Yeah that was a lot, but really though...don't sweat things that are technically in your rear view. Whatevers happened, has happened. What's going to be is going be. All you can do is attempt to not make the same choices again, and if you do, ehhh its ok the next day is a brand new day!

Congrats on the hard work, u look fabulous.
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I wonder how many of the women who are advising the OP to leave her husband (or worse) are happily married to perfect men!

Thanks so much. Appreciate the response. We only have 3 doctors here in Memphis. Dr Woodman for both Baptist and Methodist hospitals and Drs. Wagner and Weaver at St. Francis. I work at Baptist so my ins will not pay for me to go to St. Francis. I only have the option of dr. Woodman and he is a brilliant surgeon I hear, but from threads he has horrible follow up and a bully. I am going to call Nashville areas centers to see if my ins will pay and what other options I have.
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