Travelher

the reality is that with a band, it is unlikely you'll be able to eat anything other than an smoothie for breakfast or soup for lunch. Once I had my fills I could only eat real food for dinner. One of the many downsides of the band. so I'd say if you arent doing simple carbs in your smoothie. go for it.

totally normal. you need to take a lot of pictures. the mirror lies, even the scale sometimes lies. Pictures seem to be the most reliable. Body dysmorphia is common. it takes a long time for the brain to catch up. I'm wearing a size 2 now! and I still often think I need to lose more...when I'm in that mindset i take a picture and go...right, never mind it was just my fat brain talking.

you may want to check out dr. Weiner on you tube. He has some good videos on why bariatric surgery works and dietary changes alone tends to not. being obese changes our metabolisms. Bariatric surgery is a metabolic surgery. His videos indicate that long term it is not about restriction...the reason it works is the metabolic changes that happen when they surgically remove or interrupt your hormones produced in the stomach. I was a healthy eating fat person...because of my years of yoyo dieting I tanked my metabolism. when I was young, i would fight to get to a normal weight, when i was in my 30's i was fighting to get to overweight.. in my 40's the fight was to stay at a lower level of obesity... the stats do say 5% will be able to maintain weight loss. they also say that for the most part those people in the 5% tend to work in the fitness/weight loss industry. They are people who are 100% all in because their livelihood depends on continued success with maintenance.

size has nothing to do with it. Dating is a numbers game. My experience was that the super charming guys were that way because they had a LOT of practice....so those ones got weeded out pretty quickly. Also, for the most part, if a man makes it to his 40's never married or in a serious relationship...there is a reason. Seems to be different for women...but men...usually an indication of a maturity issue..at least it was on almost every single date I was on. I found the pool to be better quality in the divorced/separated crowd...just my experience. I assume you are internet dating, thank god for that because that is for the most part where the singles are. one of my biggest revelations was that I wasn't going to meet someone sitting on my couch hanging out with my best friend. and as a woman in your 40's if your experience is like mine. not many friends know single men in our age range or the ones they do know they would never set anyone up with. You need to go to a target rich environment...which nowadays is online. I have a friend who used to meet guys at bars and dated a lot of alcoholics, so would not recommend that as a venue for meeting people. Fact is online dating is the best place to meet people who are also looking to meet people. I used to do short chats, then a short coffee date where I could assess whether I wanted to get to know the person further. it is just a screening process. I really needed to think about what I really wanted and get away from my pattern of dating charming hot guys who were never going to be long term material. You need to do a lot of self examining and figure out what patterns you may need to consciously break. I went on a lot of dates before I found someone who was relationship material. you need to change your way of looking at things. It is not about you it is about them, they aren't meeting your criteria, why are your making it about you? I met more than one good guy while dating. When I met my husband I was worried he might even be too nice for me, then I gave my head a shake. 2 things I did that helped when I was dating. 1. did it with a single friend that I could connect with and download with after a date. 2. We created a blog for a creative outlet. dating became more fun with that because the bigger the disaster, the better the story (and a lot less depressing). Also I would take occasional breaks if I found it getting to me.

I think you can't go wrong following a nutrition first outlook. no need to follow "diet plans". ask yourself if this gives you the highest number of nutrients? Post RNY nutrient dense food is critical. I don't avoid carbs, about 35% of my diet is nutrient dense carbs like fruits and vegetables, seeds, sometimes beans etc. 40% is protein (critical post op) and the remainder are healthy fats like salmon and avocado, nuts. I avoid processed foods and simple carbs because they have little nutritional value. post op there isn't a lot of real estate in your stomach so nutrient dense food needs to take priority. Now that I'm in maintenance and eating more. I may have the occasional simple carb choice...but i treat it like a condiment in terms of portion.

I like the celebrate soft chews (Berry) they taste like starbursts. also like the celebrate protein and calcium bars

I did balanced macros from around 3 months post op onwards...so 40% protein 35% carb, 25% fat. early days was lower carb by default as calories were lower and it was tough to get protein in.

Are you on a PPI? if you are early post op...hunger pangs are often stomach acid. as soon as I went on prevacid my hunger pangs were gone. I stayed on the prevacid for about 2 months and then weaned myself off and was fine after that. Looks like you were sleeved so you will need to stay on top of it. GERD is a potential complication of being sleeved and is not something you want to let continue untreated.

i can relate. I can recall in my first months post op posting something that read something like. "my husband just made fresh buttered popcorn and I really want to go bop him on the head and steal his popcorn" I went and had a bath instead. I agree with others, we had the surgery not them. i have to deal with the temptations, they will always be there. I would also do the grocery shopping...so other than snacks for my kids lunch, i was not buying junk....if hubby wanted it, he'd have to put the effort out to go get it...or order it in. My husband has never had a weight issue, but having said all this I did bring him to get a dexa scan with me at the beginning of the summer. He was horrified to find out his body fat put him in the obese category (even though his BMI was just a teeny overweight). My bodyfat was healthy. Boy did his perspective turn around fast. He decided to change his eating to my plan and has lost 10lbs. lol.

I started in a size 20, am now wearing a size 2 or xs. I thought a size 6 was ambitious when i was starting.

For starters Gallstones are not a complication of any one surgery or even surgery at all they are a complication of obesity. if someone wants to lower the risk of gallstones they should not become obese to begin with. it can become exacerbated by weight loss (of any kind). Weight loss is the goal of weight loss surgery so they will be a risk regardless of surgery choice (about 30% vs. 12% in the general population). Strictures, deficiencies and ulcers can also occur with either surgery. You will be given instructions like no NSAIDs to help avoid conditions that can invite ulcers. Strictures are treatable as are deficiencies (with supplementation) both surgeries are viable options. I chose bypass as I had a history of reflux and could not afford the risk of a second revision and Gerd is the #1 reason for Sleeve to bypass revisions. also my doctor recommended it. Having said that, sleeve was my back up should the band damage have been so bad as to prevent a bypass. I strongly suggest you talk to your surgeon for guidance and for his/her own practice results and complication comparisons. every doctor should be able to provide that. I looked at the comparison between the two and found the complication rates to be negligible between them. eg at most a 1% difference. eg. in his practice RNY vitamin deficiency was 2% RNY vs. 1% sleeve. the only big difference being anemia 10% vs 5%. Dumping syndrome happens for about 30% of patients and if you are lucky enough to get it, it really works as a deterrent. research shows that the size of the pouch is not the determinant of long term weight loss. that people who regain typically have pouches the same size as people who do not regain. it is healthy eating and lifestyle habits that are the greatest determinant in long term success. the surgery buys you a metabolic reset for a period of time and rapid weight loss. that period is ideally used to develop good eating and lifestyle habits so that you can maximize loss and maintain it in the long run.

Get it out! they can do permanent damage. I revised to RNY (self pay) and would do it ten times over. wish i'd just saved myself the 11 years of torture and done it years ago.

Yes, they turn the sleeve into a pouch and remove the pyloric valve and do the bypass. revisions are usually pricier than virgin surgeries because of the degree of complexity. Most revisions from sleeves to bypass though are done for medical reasons most common being severe GERD.

restriction didn't really happen for me until purees (and only on some). keep in mind that nerves have been severed with the surgery. it may take a while for full feeling to come back...so stick to your portions and don't worry about it.

agree with the others. the stall will break on it's own.

I am totally out of shape and yet it applies to me. I gained 3lbs of muscle in 5 months...don't ask me how.. But i am in love with Dexa scans (I'm a data junkie). and I love that I can ignore the scale.

one thing to be careful about with this calculator is that it is likely underestimating the lean mass. It was off for me by about 7 grams of protein (too low). as former or current obese people we have more bone density and more muscle (from carrying around extra weight) in general than the regular population (at least I do).

There are many schools of thought and every bariatric program is different. I just found one that makes sense and works for me. My focus is essentially simply nutritious foods first. I lost and am maintaining on balanced macros, which simply means 40%protein 25-30% fat and 30-35% carbs. Other than that I avoid processed food and choose complex carbs for my carbs and ive pretty much cut out cheese as it is too easy to go over on fat with cheese. Again nutrition focused always. I want to ensure I'm not one of the people with nutritional deficiencies down the road

My being afraid of bypass is what led me to the disasterous decision to do a band to begin with. I have realized very much the hard way that I should not make medical decisions based on things I am afraid of that I have no expertise whatsoever in and that I should listen to the people who do have the expertise. I went to my revision doctor wanting the sleeve. He suggested bypass as a better option. Thankfully this time i listened. I ultimately realized this was the best course to take to avoid the risk of yet another revision. And I'm done with bariatric surgery! He was right and I'm mad at myself for wasting 11 years of my life in denial with the band where I could have just had success and eliminated my health issues in one fell swoop instead of trading them in for The new ones the band caused.

Picture of me nude sunbathing.

Thanks. I'm lucky to not have any hanging skin, but my skin has started to wrinkle and pucker in the last couple of months. Hence the lbl. For exercise I walk. 10,000 steps or more. Plus I'm generally more active, I walk to the fruit and vegetable market every week and carry my groceries home instead of driving to the grocery store...those kinds of things. I like kayaking on the lake etc. No gyms or anything.

Thanks! No no plastics yet. Scheduled for a lower body lift and breast lift in April.

Pretty psyched by my Dexa scan results, the technician said she's never seen results like it. I was able to bring my body fat down to 23.7% and gain muscle while doing it! This puts me in the 9th percentile for women my age....Thrilled with the results. Now I need to stop losing.

I've never been on blood pressure meds. at 260 my blood pressure was around 115/80. Now post op my new normal is 85-90/55-60. very common to have a drop in blood pressure, so you should go to your doctor and see about reducing your meds.

For starters it doesn't matter how much of your stomach they took. Research says the size of the stomach is not a determinant of weight loss success. it is eating habits and the metabolic reset the surgery gives you. I am an RNY my pouch is twice the size of a normal post op pouch because I was a revision from a band and they had to work around the band damage. Check out my stats. You are on fluids so at this point you don't know how restricted you may be because fluids go right through...they don't hang out. it is why all the bariatric programs in my province no longer have a wait before meals to drink policy. Just after. Once you are on solids you will see your restriction level, but you won't be able to count on it. over time you will be able to eat more...that is how it works. the surgery buys you a year or two to develop good eating habits and lose while you still have full restriction. I suggest you go to youtube and look up dr. Matthew Weiner's videos. THey are very informative on the realities of post op life...there is one on pouch stretching that is interesting.