thatchbo

I am in the same boat - surgery was 12/30/16 and the scale hasn't moved in over 6 weeks - it is so frustrating but I know I am doing all I should be (protein, Water, exercise) - I appreciate the advice others have given here.

That is great news!!

I am in the same boat - surgery was 12/30/16 and the scale hasn't moved in over 6 weeks - it is so frustrating but I know I am doing all I should be (protein, Water, exercise) - I appreciate the advice others have given here.

Everyone is different.

Why Psychologists Deny Certain People for Weight Loss Surgery and How to Not be One of Them


I have worked as a psychologist, providing psychological evaluations prior to bariatric weight loss surgery for the past eight years. For the most part, people need a power tool to help them lose and keep off the weight they have lost over and over again in their lives. The gastric sleeve, bypass, and now balloon are those tools. However, every once in a while, I will encounter someone who believes these procedures are the magic bullet.
I can pick this up in five seconds when I learn that:
this person has no exercise plan to maintain their weight loss a barrage of excuses as to why they can't exercise anymore zero insight into why they are overweight ("I don't know why I am overweight, I just eat steamed vegetables and grilled chicken mostly.") a lack of motivation or understanding for why they also have to engage in behavioral modification in addition to the surgery "Why would you reveal all of this?" you ask. Aren't I giving away the keys to the kingdom to anyone who reads this and wants to pass a psychological evaluation? Perhaps- but who are you really cheating if you don't go within and face the real demons that got you here in the first place?
When I ask people about their eating styles, I tend to group them into four categories:
1) emotional eater- someone who uses food when they are bored, stressed, tired, lonely, sad, or even happy in addition to eating when they are hungry
2) skip and binger- someone who fails to think about food until it is too late, and when they are ravenous end up going for whatever is available which is usually some type of carb and calorie laden fast food
3) miscellaneous- someone who just recognizes that they eat too large of portion sizes and/or the wrong types of food
4) food addict- usually someone with a history of other addictions, trauma, and a significant amount of weight to lose. They usually have comorbid psychological diagnoses that have been unaddressed or ill-addressed.
Out of the four categories, the 4th is the most troubling for a psychologist. This particular person is most correlated with the patient who fails to address their core issues, eats "around the sleeve," or bypass, experiences dumping syndrome, comes back a year later and asks for the bypass, or a different procedure.
This is the person who, ironically, is usually the most resistant to my recommendation that they seek therapeutic support prior to the surgery. They want it done YESTERDAY. They want it NOW. It is this type of thinking that got them into trouble in the first place. The impulsivity and lack of emotional regulation.
I've witnessed people fail to address their maladaptive eating patterns and never quite get to their goal weight. I had a male that would buy a bag of pepperonis at the grocery store and snack on them all day and couldn't understand why he wasn't losing weight. This daily "snack," which was a mental security blanket, served as a veritable IV drip of fat and calories throughout the day.
I've had a woman who figured out how to ground up her favorite foods into a liquid form because she never quite let go of her attachment to "comfort foods." One of her most notable liquid concoctions consisted of chicken and Cheetos. I'll just leave that for you to chew...er swallow.
They say with drug and alcohol recovery- you "slay the dragon," but with food addiction recovery, you have to take it for a walk three times a day. If you don't fundamentally shift your relationship with this dragon, you're going to get burnt when you are walking it.
My number one tip for transforming your relationship with food is to start looking at eating the same way you do as brushing and flossing: You don't necessarily salivate at the idea of what type of toothpaste you will use, where you will do it, who you will do it with, right? You just do it twice a day because you don't want to lose your teeth and you want to maintain healthy gums.
Food has to be thought of in the same way. You fuel up. You don't use food as a place to define your quality of life. You don't use food to Celebrate. You don't use food to demarcate the end of a long day. You don't use food to help you feel less alone. You figure out healthier coping alternatives to meet these needs.
Loneliness-call a friend for support
Celebrate- get a massage
Demarcate the end of a long day- start a tea ritual and use essential oils
Another reason you must say goodbye to comfort food is that it triggers the pleasure center of the brain, which ignites our dopamine, which perpetuates the addiction. Many people think we are just telling them to get rid of the comfort food because of the carbs or calories, but there are unique and harmful chemical consequences to ingesting these types of food we know are bad for us.
If you are ready to take a modern approach to weight loss and stop dieting for good- check out my wls/vsg psychological support course here for free.
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There is a really good post from 2016 that explained this based on needing to change the way we sit after losing weight ... I will try and find it to post .. or try and check it out

Sure you can. Why wouldn't a 14 year - old be allowed in Mexico?
Poor kid - to lose a parent so suddenly and at such a young age and then to be far from home - I can't imagine.

Sure you can. Why wouldn't a 14 year - old be allowed in Mexico?
Poor kid - to lose a parent so suddenly and at such a young age and then to be far from home - I can't imagine.

Sure you can. Why wouldn't a 14 year - old be allowed in Mexico?
Poor kid - to lose a parent so suddenly and at such a young age and then to be far from home - I can't imagine.

Sure you can. Why wouldn't a 14 year - old be allowed in Mexico?
Poor kid - to lose a parent so suddenly and at such a young age and then to be far from home - I can't imagine.

I'm sorry you have to wait but it is good they discovered your spleen problem. I read A LOT before my surgery to find out all I could and did read that sometimes they do find the spleen needs to be removed but often they remove and proceed with the surgery - sounds like you had a special case.
Look at it this way....there is a reason - who knows why but you were not mean to have the sleeve that day. I am sure all will go well in July. Be patient (I guess you have to) and continue to work on your pre-op diet. Good luck to you.

Be the outlier!

Be the success in the family.

I have 2 brothers, 2 sisters and a mom who the surgery had failed.

I intend to be the outlier, and be the one who will not fail the VSG!

Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you for posting this. I am almost 3 months post-op and my hair is starting to thin. I came here today specifically to find some info to help me.

I read this from John's Hopkins and thought it was helpful: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/johns_hopkins_bayview/_docs/medical_services/bariatrics/nutrition_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf

My weight loss has slowed. Surgery date was 12/30/16 and I have lost about 40 lbs. I had to have another (unrelated) surgery to my parathyroid last week so I haven't been able to exercise for a few weeks nor have I been able to get all my Protein in. So..perhaps that is why my weight loss has slowed. It is frustrating, the scale hasn't moved all month.

I started taking Biotin 5 000 mg before surgery and GNC Mega women's chewable vitamins which has Biotin in it ! And I haven't lost ant hair my beautician said it's growing! So thankful[emoji3]

Make sure you are getting enough Protein and water/fluid intake. Not getting enough of either one of these can contribute to Hair loss. I'm not saying the shampoos aren't a good thing but make sure you're getting your nutrients as well.

Thank you for posting this. I am almost 3 months post-op and my hair is starting to thin. I came here today specifically to find some info to help me.

Thank you for posting this. I am almost 3 months post-op and my hair is starting to thin. I came here today specifically to find some info to help me.