karen_marie

You can answer, "Either is fine with me.", when asked, "Would you like a table or a booth?"

I just got a really big one done this summer, but I am definitely going to get one once I hit goal Any excuse for a new tat lol but I'm thinking I'll do some sort of minimalist roman numeral thing, like HW-GW (so CCC-CLX)under one of my wrist tattoos.
Please share pics of tats or tat ideas! I love seeing the artwork. This is the one I got done this summer. Watercolor style, shows my journey on where I've lived: Cardinal is state bird of VA and IL, Oriole is state bird of MD, and a cherry blossom branch for my career in DC. Got it when I moved back home to IL

I just got a really big one done this summer, but I am definitely going to get one once I hit goal Any excuse for a new tat lol but I'm thinking I'll do some sort of minimalist roman numeral thing, like HW-GW (so CCC-CLX)under one of my wrist tattoos.
Please share pics of tats or tat ideas! I love seeing the artwork. This is the one I got done this summer. Watercolor style, shows my journey on where I've lived: Cardinal is state bird of VA and IL, Oriole is state bird of MD, and a cherry blossom branch for my career in DC. Got it when I moved back home to IL

Well, I got sleeved Monday and I feel that I need a tattoo. Anyone got a tattoo after their surgery?

I'm right with u bro. I got sleeved on Oct 5th. I got tattoos now but I'm getting both sleeves filled in and a ton more. All over as long as I can hide em with the suit ill be wearing in my career I just graduated college for. How u holding up post op ?

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I've posted this before. It's based on a combined document that was created in the forums awhile back that I found. I don't think I'll bring everything on this list, but it gives me a good starting place. <<make sure you're logged in so you can open the attachment>>
Hospital Stay Checklist.pdf

I would also HIGHLY recommend watching the documentary From Fat to Finish Line if you haven't yet. It's on most of the streaming sites now, including iTunes to rent or buy. I watched that last year and it got me motivated to start interval running, and I have done a number of 5ks since then. After surgery, one of my big goals to work towards is to complete a 10k and then a half marathon

I've posted this before. It's based on a combined document that was created in the forums awhile back that I found. I don't think I'll bring everything on this list, but it gives me a good starting place. <<make sure you're logged in so you can open the attachment>>
Hospital Stay Checklist.pdf

I've posted this before. It's based on a combined document that was created in the forums awhile back that I found. I don't think I'll bring everything on this list, but it gives me a good starting place. <<make sure you're logged in so you can open the attachment>>
Hospital Stay Checklist.pdf

I would also HIGHLY recommend watching the documentary From Fat to Finish Line if you haven't yet. It's on most of the streaming sites now, including iTunes to rent or buy. I watched that last year and it got me motivated to start interval running, and I have done a number of 5ks since then. After surgery, one of my big goals to work towards is to complete a 10k and then a half marathon

I would also HIGHLY recommend watching the documentary From Fat to Finish Line if you haven't yet. It's on most of the streaming sites now, including iTunes to rent or buy. I watched that last year and it got me motivated to start interval running, and I have done a number of 5ks since then. After surgery, one of my big goals to work towards is to complete a 10k and then a half marathon

I just had the surgery yesterday.... and now that it has happened I realized my fear was not being able to do what got me here in the first place..... eating whatever I want.....
Everything went excellent and now a new stage in my life begins.....

A large percent of pre-op weight loss surgery candidates feel that once their waistline changes, so will their thinking, and their dead wrong.




Today, during one of my pre-op psych evaluations, I heard a woman say “I just feel like once I start losing weight and start feeling so much better about my self- I will stop doing all the destructive things that got me here. Don’t you think?”
My response was “no I don’t agree.” I went on to explain that hers was a common assumption, a dangerous “magic-bullet” fantasy about what weight loss surgery can do.
Here’s why: The part of our brain that is responsible for the thought : “wow I look so much better, I better not mess this up,” or “I feel better than I have ever felt in my life, I am a changed person,” is not the same part of the brain that wakes us up in the middle of the night and says: “go on, finish that 1/2 pint of Chunky Monkey in the freezer, there’s only a little bit left anyway, and I have been so good here lately.”
We are dealing with two very different brains; the frontal cortex and the reptilian mid brain. The frontal cortex is the most newly developed (relative to other parts of the brain) part of the brain. It is the component that separates us from animals. It gives us the ability to think about consequences, plan, and execute. It is the “higher” part of ourselves, that often says “why do I keep on doing the same things I keep saying I won’t do anymore?” Or “I feel so out of control. This _______ (eating, smoking, drinking, gambling, pick your poison) is a temporary solution that produces long term pain. I have to find a different way.”
Our reptilian midbrain is the Commodore 64 to our MAC; it is the palm pilot to our iPhone; the horse and buggy to our Prius; the Tommy Lee to our Oprah. Our midbrain is antique equipment, long ago evolved to keep us alive and hence the reason it is still with us today- it keeps us alive. Our midbrain contains the parts of the brain that make us recoil at the site of a snake or a spider in our peripheral vision. It is hardwired to not have to go through superfluous channels of the brain that might otherwise say “hmmm what is that crawling over there? How do I feel about that? Oh its just a spider, my aunt had a collection of spiders, maybe I should collect things, etc etc.” We just jump, and process later.
That very system has helped humans survive for thousands of years. There is an adaptive quality to a brain that proverbially acts and asks forgiveness later. That very old structure once kept us out of harm’s way when a pack of tigers were first seen galloping across a horizon, or when a rivaling tribe could be heard in the far off distance, threatening to pillage our territory.
Our midbrain is associated with learning and reward. Learning what makes us feel bad, what eats us (in the past that would be in a literal sense- like tigers, but presently it might be a mercurial supervisor or unending debt), and even more relevant to this article- what makes us feel good. When our brains come across something that makes us feel good (ex: sex, drugs, food), we are then flooded with an influx of the powerful neurotransmitter- dopamine. Just like not everyone that is exposed to drugs will develop an addiction, not everyone that eats a Nutella crepe will develop a food addiction.
Much of the research on obesity currently, postulates that food addiction, no dissimilar than alcohol or drug addiction- is a reward system dysfunction or dysregulation, born out of genetic predisposition. It’s almost as if some brains think “if one slice of pizza feels good, how would four slices of pizza taste?”
To break these two very different parts up in a different, more basic way; our frontal cortex is the voluntary, while our midbrain is the involuntary.
This very dangerous fantasy, many people carry into weight loss surgery is a myth that I try to dispel quickly. This type of “magic bullet’ thinking is the very thing that gets so many gastric bypass and sleeve patients into trouble years down the road. No one wants to look at triggers. No one wants to sit with a therapist and devise a strategic coping plan. We want a pill, a surgery, a 16 minute solution to a 40 year old problem.
This is not to say that weight loss surgery is not a solution, just that its only part of the solution.

Despite our best intentions, we are still in some ways animalistic, hedonically-driven to feed our most basic impulses. This is part and parcel of why recidivism is the rule not the exception when it comes to recovery from most addiction. So what does this mean? Are all weight loss surgery patients destined for disappointment and disenchantment when the WLS honeymoon ends? No. But the answer to long term change lies more in two-pronged approach to long term weight loss success; surgery + behavioral change.
Simply thinking ourself slim is a fantasy. Think about your specific triggers for eating. For some it is that golden hour when all the kids are in bed and Narcos is queued up on your Netflix. For others it is that 2-3pm mid day slump. For some - it is when they are alone, the only time they can eat with abandon free from others’ judgement or their own embarrassment.
Whatever your triggers- the key is to identify what need is being met in that moment and to find a non-food alternative to meet each particular need ( many people have multiple triggers for over eating). If it is because its “your time,” after the kids are in bed- maybe you invest in a foot massager, or cultivate a self care space with textures, aromatherapy, candles, and books. If your trigger is that mid day slump, maybe you develop a yoga routine easily done in the office to help re-energize you. If it is the secretive quality to the trigger of being alone and eating, maybe it is finding another thing that is just your own that no one knows (going to a movie in the middle of the day, getting an overly priced facial on your lunch hour, playing hooky with your kid one day, etc).
The rule of the brain is : what fires together, wires together. So over time- if you have paired 8pm, Narcos, and nachos- you have created a neurological super highway. The moment 8pm rolls around, you are likely already getting the chips ready and didn’t even realize the thought pathway that just occurred. The idea is to repair our triggers with alternative behaviors and over time “clip those wires” or create “toll roads” to our superhighways (aka neurosynaptic pruning), so that we no longer experience such strong urges and can call upon the higher structures of our frontal cortex to guide the way again.
When we are in the midst of addiction, it is important to understand that our frontal cortex is not at the wheel. It has been duck taped and tied to a chair in the basement by our hedonic midbrain who is used to getting what it wants when it wants it. The closer we come to accepting this principle, the closer we come to being more mindful of our midbrain’s powerful rationalizations and sick contracts and see them for just that. We are better able to dis-identify from the thought, knowing it is not coming from our best self, but from our most carnal self.
Think of that distant cousin that only shows up when they need something, the Uncle Eddy that tells you he’ll move the RV when he leaves next month, indifferent to how it makes you feel. Except in addiction- that distant cousin has taken over, pretending its you until you can no longer tell the difference.
References
http://brainspotting-switzerland.ch/4_artikel/Corrigan & Grand 2013 Med Hyp paper (proofs).pdf
Blum K, Chen AL, Giordano J, Borsten J, Chen TJ, et al. The addictive brain: all roads lead to dopamine. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2012;44:134–143. [PubMed]
Avena NM, Gold JA, Kroll C, Gold MS. Further developments in the neurobiology of food and addiction: update on the state of the science. Nutrition. 2012;28:341–343. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
Gearhardt AN, Yokum S, Orr PT, Stice E, Corbin WR, et al. Neural correlates of food addiction. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011;68:808–816. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
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Noble EP, Noble RE, Ritchie T, Syndulko K, Bohlman MC, et al. D2 dopamine receptor gene and obesity. Int J Eat Disord. 1994;15:205–217. [PubMed]
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Everything went great with my procedure ... hospital has excelent pain management... i am in sooo little pain... I hope the other two or three persons that had they surgery today are doing great !!

and for those that will have them in the following days , do not worry , everything will be just fine...

Thank you all for
lostening. I have my 1st visit with The MGH of Boston WL center this Friday. I’m going to LISTEN TO THEM!! It’s scary but I find the high blood pressure sleep apnea and other issues more scarier❤️

This reminds me of a weird problem I had in my last apartment. My scale never seemed to be accurate, and I would have to weight myself like five separate times in a row and take an average. I realized that the floor wasn't level! That wreaked havoc on the scale trying to accurately weigh me.
It's probably not what the issue is for you (@chasingpolaris321 is totally right in the daily fluctuations). I ended up having to find the one place in my apartment that was hard flooring and level to weigh myself - and it happened to be the front door entry. Since I tend to weigh in my birthday suit, I had to make sure that door was triple locked haha.

Pre-op diet has been not as bad as I was fearing lol luckily I've drank many Protein Shakes in the past, so I like them just fine. I've been doing different smoothie/shake recipes to keep some variety going. Did a pina colada one the other day (pinapple chunks and coconut extract for the flavoring), and a pumpkin pie one last night (pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon for flavoring). Don't get me wrong, plain chocolate and vanilla are fine, but since I'm able to blend some stuff into them for pre-op, I'm doing it haha Tried having just chicken broth for lunch one day to get something more savory, but I was NOT a fan. Just tasted bland and unappealing at the same time.

Pre-op diet has been not as bad as I was fearing lol luckily I've drank many Protein Shakes in the past, so I like them just fine. I've been doing different smoothie/shake recipes to keep some variety going. Did a pina colada one the other day (pinapple chunks and coconut extract for the flavoring), and a pumpkin pie one last night (pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon for flavoring). Don't get me wrong, plain chocolate and vanilla are fine, but since I'm able to blend some stuff into them for pre-op, I'm doing it haha Tried having just chicken broth for lunch one day to get something more savory, but I was NOT a fan. Just tasted bland and unappealing at the same time.

Logging can be a pain, but it definitely helps! You can even note just general gym activity you did that day, just so it's all in one place. I would hope your doctor wouldn't ask you to provide the actual gym logs, but crazier things have happened lol At least you know you can get them if need be.

Thanks Karen, you're right. Unfortunately the only paper trail I have would be a log that my gym would be able to print out detailing every visit. I haven't kept a religious log of my food. I will start one now, though, and hopefully if I run into any issues I can use it.

I know others can chime in that have been in similar situations. From my view, my legal background tells me ‘the one with the most paper wins’ - make sure you’re logging all of your food/drinks and your activity. You can use that as ammunition to say ‘look, I’ve been doing what you told me and still haven’t lost weight.’

It’s also a great tool if you wanted to reach out to your nutritionist just to see if they have any suggestions for anything you could be doing differently before your pre-op appointment. I’d def recommend that if you haven’t already.

For peace of mind, I’d call and talk with your surgeon or their office too. Point blank ask them if they will cancel your surgery if you show to have gained or not lost weight, even with a food/activity log showing that you’ve followed their instructions.

I had trouble conceiving my first two pregnancies and lost weight to become pregnant actually with my first baby I had the lap band placed 12/26/06 and became pregnant 6/2007 So be prepared you can become very fertile after weight loss surgery. I then lost 60 lbs for my second but it took us a year to conceive her. My last and final baby was a surprise and I was at my highest weight. Now that I'm done having babies I'm going to finally focus on getting healthy for good. Good luck on your surgery!!! I know you will do great!!

Started mine last Thursday, and so far so good! I've found that having sugar free syrups and different flavored extracts help to add flavor but not sugar or calories.

Thank you! Yeah as my Mother says she has no filter... But my husband , Dad and other family is supportive so that's good. I'm very anxious about the recovery because I have small kids a 1 year old and 3 year old home all day . So hoping It all goes smoothly lol

I have BCBSIL through my husband's employer (Boeing). They have been marvelous! All my surgery costs, nearly 200K billed, were paid at 100%. We have a low yearly out of pocket that had been paid by the time of my surgery in May. BCBSIL has even assigned me a nurse case manager who calls me about monthly. She is a former WLS pt so she's been there.

Surgery - RNY GBP
Surgery Date - 5/16/2017
HW - 368
SW - 352
GW - 150

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