SammieJ

You can do it! Positive vibes your way on that "liquor"diet you speak of. ( LOL. Just kidding, don't you just love stupid auto correct?) iBut seriously, you can do this. I may need this encouragement in a few weeks when mine gets scheduled... so maybe you can give me some good ideas on what "liquor" tastes best!!! . Sorry, I couldn't help it. LOL. Best of luck hun!
❤️️Amy ❤️️

First pic 1 month after - others 5 months
   
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I would not do it simply because this journey is about discipline !

This is my opinion as it applies to me...during the weeks prior to surgery giving up alcohol, carbonated drinks and caffeine were really more about the mindset that I was reinforcing rather than if I could get away with drinking them. I've spent many years seeing if I could get away eating and drinking certain things. And guess what? I had 85% of my stomach removed last week because I can't. I believe very strongly that this difficult decision requires full commitment. Again, based on my experience. ☀️
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Im so nervous my hands are shaking writing this. My sleeve is scheduled for 7am and i have to be at the hospital at 5am and i should be sleep. Im so nervous. I have so many things running through my head. Im thinking about all the new clothes im going to be able to buy....lol. This process has been long, but well worth it. Learned a better way of eating for life and my family will all be better for it. SO, I'LL SEE YOU ALL ON THE LOSERS BENCH AROUND 10AM. Wish me luck
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@@cbonet The fact you lost ANY weight 5 days post-op is excellent! Others who lose faster may have more weight to lose - or they had more Water weight to lose (depending on whether they had a pre-op diet or how they ate prior to surgery). Your loss is not slow - nearly 10 lbs in 2 weeks is a great loss! Stay strong - you're going to stall - you need to follow your program and just keep working at it.

Well, it has now been 1 year since my gastric bypass surgery. Looking back, the year really flew by. There were ups and downs along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing about it... well, my only regret is not getting the surgery done sooner.
I have stuck to my diet, which is primarily vegan/vegetarian, for the entire year. I don't crave junk food and really feel like I've hit a groove and can keep this up for life. It's no longer a diet... it's simply the way I eat now.
A year ago I thought a lot about my own funeral... I was convinced I'd die by the time I hit 50. Not healthy thoughts for a 35 year old with 4 kids. I pictured my parents, brothers, kids and wife being at my funeral. I told my wife I wanted her to promise to cremate me as I couldn't bear the thought of all the people it would take to carry my coffin. Happily, those thoughts are a distant memory.
The stats to date... my "high" weight (I know I was higher) was 425lbs. On the day of surgery (October 1st) I was down to 404lbs. October 1st, 2016 I clocked in at 217lbs, so 208lbs down. I've gone from 56 waist pants and 5/6XL shirts to a 34 waist pant and size large shirts. I do have the much talked about loose skin around my midsection and inner thighs... but it's actually much better than I anticipated after viewing pics online before surgery. I figure I'll start looking at plastics in 6-months to a year... but honestly, I'm not that worried about... loose skin beats being over 400 pounds.
Things I've done in the past year:
Traveled on an airplane a few times with no worries about being forced to buy an extra seat or seat belt extenders... no worries about infringing on the space of the passenger next to me. Started playing ice hockey again in a beer league after a 14+ year hiatus. Took the family to Universal Orlando and rode every ride. Trained for and completed the couch to 5k program. The last bullet was a big goal of mine. I've always hated running, but I wanted to do something big for my first surgiversary, so with the help of my cross-country running 14-year old daughter, I began the couch to 5k program 10 weeks ago. There was a local 5k that just happened to be held on October 1st... the exact date of my first surgiversary. So I was able to run it this past weekend with my 14-year old daughter and 12-year old son. I really wanted to do it in under 30 minutes... which I just missed with a time of 30:34. My daughter finished first in the under-19 female with a time of 25:45 (4th woman overall) and my son (who didn't train and has never run anything beyond a mile) finished 1st for under 19 men and 4th overall with a time of 21:44.
Bottom line, I feel like I've been given a 2nd life to live thanks to this surgery. I couldn't be more happy with the decision. Big thanks to my family, my surgeon (Dr. Garth Davis in Houston, TX) and to all of the great posters here on BariatricPal... I wouldn't be here today without the support and kindness all of you have shown through this journey... while I may not post as much as others, I read this forum daily.

I have definitely had a life changing experience. I'm a mom too and really struggled being active with my kids. I usually just hung out at home watch tv with them and then sent them to the park with their dad when he got home. Part of it was not having any energy and part was not wanting to be seen because I hated how I looked. I've lost 168 lbs and I feel amazing. I'm not worried about what people think anymore and I'm much more energetic. I can take them out and have fun and I have no problem keeping up. Expect great things and make great things happen!

You will definitely have a life changing experience. I was a big couch potato now I go to the gym 6 days a week at5am and biking on weekends for 2-3 hours. Surgery was the best decision I ever made. I was 350lbs now 200 solid . Definitely have more energy

I had surgery 5/29/15 but lost all my weight by thanksgiving the same year. Now I'm just maintaining

I have not taken the time to share my story, as a matter of fact I have still not changed my Facebook pictures, or the ones of me at work. food. I believe I had an actual addiction to food, the same as an addict, I didn't see it as an issue... But now I realize that I had a problem.
I eat to live now, instead of living to eat. The surgery helped by taking away the cravings, but I worry that if I reintroduce things like breads, fried foods, and other crap, I will develop the addiction again, just as if an alcoholic was to just have " 1 drink". It is a disease, with horrible side effects including low self confidence, depression, and humiliation.
I have made it my mission to find healthy foods, and replace all of my old favs, with healthy... And what I call, feel good foods. An FG food is one that I can eat comfortably, and they just basically feel good. for me, my list of items that I probably have a little of everyday would include... Chobani Flips. (190-210 cal, 12 gram protein)... These are my go to, if I haven't eaten in a while and am hungry, I can put this down a bit faster, and the size is pretty perfect for a meal. Love them all! Pickles- (0-5 cals) I love the spicy pickles, but I can eat them all. Pickles have become a regular snack in my life. Spears, slices, whatever, they all rock! Soup, soup, and more soup!!! My souls have been a huge part of my success. I make a huge crock of soup and it lasts me weeks. You can freeze some, but always have some in the fridge ready to microwave. I make a few varieties, but the basis is always the same. chicken broth base, cut with Water. Chicken or Cod fish, yep... I said fish! My family hates the smell of my "fish soup" but I loved it! However if you are not a big fish can just go with chicken. Vegetables- carrots, onions, mushrooms, kale, spinach, and even Brussels sprouts... Whatever you like and then I would spice it up with Cayenne and red pepper flakes, I even used Sriracha at times. This soup has been a staple for me since the 3rd month post, and I still make a lot here and there now. It was just great for me to grab a coffee cup, fill it, microwave it, and enjoy it.
I pushed myself to walk, and then I started "1 TED" lol. That means 1 thing every day. If it was parking in the back of the parking lot when at a store, or walking down the street and back when going to pick up the mail, I would just push to do 1 thing, which then would keep except use in the front of my mind.
Get an Apple Watch or Fitbit, make goals and hit them! What I learned is that we are capable of so much! When you are used to walking around with an additional 100 plus, your body has been working out for a long time. Now when the weight is gone, you still have that strong frame. Put it to work! I made some new friends that are athletic, I try and play Pickleball ( the game kicks ass, combo of tennis, volleyball, & ping pong) instead of cardio... I want to transition to a healthy lifestyle, not a 30 minute gym session that I won't be looking forward to.
Think of your weight loss as a super power, but only if you stick to the guidelines. This works for me, and I believe it to be a super power... Let me explain.
Since the weight loss, the world has been easier for me. I can go to an amusement park and get on the rides. I can fly on a plane and not need an extension. I can walk into a crowded bar and not start sweating my ass off! I can buy clothes at a normal store, and with actual brand names on them. I can tie my damn shoes, and without holding my breathe! I can sit in any chair, and not just the ones without sides... I can even sit in the plastic ones.
Woman treat me so differently! I am no longer just the funny guy... Even though I haven't changed! Life has just become much easier, much better, and much healthier, and I never want to go back, so I will continue to treat it as an addiction and will not look to be able to re introduce "everything" back into my eating habits, but instead I will work to find better foods. The nice thing about eating less, is that you can afford to buy smaller portions allowing for better quality foods. Take advantage of that! I always have almonds in the house, and I love veggie chips, especially the jalepeno, but now I grab a handful and walk away... If I want another handful, I will go get it at 30 cals, per handful, but I am going to force myself to get up and walk to the kitchen to get a handful
I feel so lucky to have had this surgery, and if I can help you in anyway let me know! I hope you have found this helpful, I know that writing it has helped me... So thanks!
 


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Generally I recommend three things for those that are preparing for surgery.
1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success. In my case I was the photographer of the family, so I rarely appeared in photographs. Also the only time I saw myself in the mirror was a straight on shot which doesn't really show the extent of my obesity prior to surgery. So I am attaching my before and [6 month] after photo as an example. I tried to create the same pose, so it was a good one-to-one comparison. 2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery. 3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.

Yes, I know this is shallow... but it broke my heart and now I am completely upset.
One of my two year olds (I have twins) took a picture of me while messing with my phone. It was completely off guard and a picture of me standing sideways... I LOOK HORRIBLE. Absolutely horrible. I'm 22. I have been overweight and this isn't new, but I didn't think I looked that bad. Now all I can do is wonder if this is what the world sees of me? A sloppy extremely fat black girl...
To make matters worse, my family laughed. My mom said "that'll be a great comparison picture," but she laughed first. I know they're all extremely supportive. But that completely made me wonder what they've been thinking, and saying behind my back...
My very last thing before submission, my class, is Wednesday. I have my sleep consultation on the 12th. But was told that it wouldn't put a pause on submission and rather or not I'd be approved (I have a BMI of well over 40...). I am longing for this surgery. Longing for the days I'm able to have these random "off guard" pictures of me taken, and be able to laugh and say "wow!!" I am longing for the days where I won't be the biggest person in the room, heck or the biggest person in the gym. I am completely 110% ready for this surgery and today has confirmed it. There are moments in which I doubt, and try to scare myself into thinking this isn't for me, but it is. I am suffering from addiction.
Addictions make you feel good even when they're horrible for you. I'm not a sweets person, my whole thing was chips... but now I'm ready.
I cannot wait for the next part or this journey.
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Me too..@ 8:15...my face is breaking out I'm so nervous...Best wishes...
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Pre-op complete...surgery set for tomorrow....I don't think I can sleep tonight!! So ready and scared for this next journey.....
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@@mommabear2311 It not only depends on the State but often on your particular BCBS plan and patient circumstances. You need to find out the requirements specific to you and have the surgeon's office confirm them (I was given wrong information by BCBS Rep).

Mine was 10 days first 8 Protein drinks, broths and raw steamed veggies ( no starch) and plenty of Water. Last 2 days Protein Drinks, clear broths and Water, water, water, but worth it. My surgery is tomorrow
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Pre-op complete...surgery set for tomorrow....I don't think I can sleep tonight!! So ready and scared for this next journey.....
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12:15 today is getting sleeved! I'm a big ball of nervousness and excitement all wrapped in one. I can honestly say last night was probably one of the worst sleep nights I've ever had! Wishing myself much luck today and a speedy recovery!
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When they give you the anesthesia, you will have the best sleep of your lifetime.. That was the best sleep I have had in over 10 years..you are just too excited.
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Oh congratulations and speedy recovery.
Keep posting so we know how you are

Holy mosses emotions up and down one day before the surgery. Flying to Calgary to do this.
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Pre-op complete...surgery set for tomorrow....I don't think I can sleep tonight!! So ready and scared for this next journey.....
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Although I have completed all the steps, my insurance company hasn't approved me yet. So I hope I'm not starving for nothing! My surgery is less than 2 weeks away!

Nope, mine only Protein shakes Clear liquids and raw or steamed veggies, but 2 days before surgery only Protein Shakes and Clear Liquids which I am on now surgery on Tuesday
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I went from 335 to 215 in 6 months
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