Danny Paul

The other day I attended my monthly group meeting that my surgeons office offers. Any new prospective candidate for WLS has to attend one meeting as per the surgeon. I myself found my first meeting to be very informative as I was allowed to ask the veterans questions that I had about the procedure, life after and how they felt about their experiences. One reason I go to the meetings is to share my experiences and to answer any questions the prospective surgery candidates have. The group is strong with veterans and it runs smooth as everyone is polite and will allow for a cross flow of opinions and experiences. My last meeting was attended by a woman who had WLS 10 years ago and had a 85lb regain. With the help of the surgeons office she lost the excess weight and has a good story to tell. (This was the first time in 2 yrs that I've been attending these meetings that she has attended) She not only gave us the long version of her story but when the prospective candidates asked a question she went into long winded answers. This of course cut the time others could have spoke and to offer their prospectives. It got to the point where one of the veterans put his hands to his head as to simulate shooting himself. She still didn't get the message. Finally, one other veteran gave the nurse practitioner who runs the meeting the "evil eye" and for a short time, decorum was back. Of course with this woman it only lasted a few minutes. It should be understood, that when attending a group meeting it is important to get as many people into the conversation as possible to get the best benefit from the meeting. By having one person dominate the meeting it not only limits the knowledge gained it also makes those attending frustrated that their voices cannot be heard. After the meeting a few of us spoke to the nurse practitioner and said that if this continues into future meetings we will not be attending and that it was her responsibility to monitor the meeting so this does not happen again. Let's see if this woman comes back next month and if so, lets see if she doesn't monopolize the time.

I recently used an app called Freecycle. Those in your area that need what you don't want use the app to set up a time to pick up the stuff. Not the perfect solution but helped me reduce a lot of clutter from storage sheds.

When I had gout pre op I was prescribed Allopurinol. It has to be taken daily but, it stopped my attacks. Post surgery, I'm gout free. Some people I know also swear by Cherry juice.

My nutrionist asked me why would I eat popcorn it has no nutritional value for me. It is a food that I should avoid to maintain weight loss success. She suggested that I bring healthier snacks when I go to the movies. I take nuts, cut up fruit or a Costco protein bar with my water bottle.

I could remember prior to my WLS I would feel the same way after losing weight. My enthusiasm subsided, I stopped physical activity and eventually I regained the weight and then some. Staying motivated is a key component to maintaining the weight loss. It is difficult over the long term as I have experienced (19 months out). I take it one day at a time. I plan to do my best for that one day. The key is to plan, I don't wing it. I plan my meals down to weighing them. I purge my home of the stuff that I know will harm my weight loss success. Most of all I keep reminding myself that I have failed miserably in the past and today will be a successful day. Whatever you do, do not give up. You are at the point where you can be successful just change your tactics. Take it one day at a time and make each bite of food count towards that success. Good Luck.

That's a good track record. I'm sure that your determination and past success will get you back to where you want to be. Good luck

How cold I get Needing a pillow between my knees when sleeping My tailbone would hurt Sitting on a hard surface would hurt Realizing I bought a lot of clothes when I was heavy (All given away) The amount of money I spent eating out 3-4 times a week I'd look so much younger. My kid brother (10 yrs younger) used to introduce me as his Father and people believed it. Now when he does it people tell him how can he be your Father, he looks younger than you. How much I took good health for granted, now I cherish it.

I use Costco Multi Vitamin, Calcium and B12 (sub lingual).

There are two prevalent of thoughts on this subject. Some will say that you should not deprive yourself and if you have it in moderation you'll be good. Others will say that you should not eat the stuff that made you obese to begin with and now is the time to reset your food plan. It's different for everyone. Since I am a compulsive overeater and the type of person that cannot eat only one I chose to reset my food plan. There was a reason that I was obese with a heart condition, diabetes, acid reflux, gout, high blood pressure and other assorted maladies. I cannot not eat one so I eat none. It's not for everyone. I look at WLS as a golden ticket to good health. I know that I will only get this one golden ticket and I have to make the best of it. I cannot speak for others as I know only about myself and my past track record with dieting and managing food. I was 100% successful at failing at every attempt at keeping off whatever weight I lost. I have to be strict with myself. This April made one year that I have kept to my goal weight. That year is over and now I am working on year number two, one day at a time. Will I be successful? From past experiences it doesn't look promising. I take it one day at time and use all the support and resources I can to get through the day. Then I work on the next day. Losing the weight after WLS for me was the easy part maintaining it is now my full time job.

I used Premier Shakes and the comparison breakdown is as follows: Calories, Fats, dietary fiber and proteins all the same. There is a slight difference in Cholesterol 25mg to 20 mg, Sodium 270mg to 210mg, Potassium not listed to 450mg, Total Carb 4g to 5G and Dietary Fiber 1g to 3g, If the Equate is budget friendly it could be a good product for you. I used to get my premier shakes at Costco for a bit of a savings. (I'm off shakes at this stage of my progress) Please note that the app Fooducate does not rate these shakes high at all so they are best to use short term.For you to get the protein you need when you can't get it from regular food. Premier was rated a D minus.

Get an app called Fooducate. You scan the bar code of foods and it rates the foods A - F and gives you the reason for the grade. If it isn't in the data base you can add it and they will research it for you. I use it when I go shopping for food. Remember, just because it sounds healthy doesn't make it so.

I myself haven't experienced these problems but I have heard of others in my support groups who have. Some said the ready made shakes such as Premier protein or Muscle Milk did not agree with them They switched to the powdered versions such as Syntax and found it easier to handle. As for the acid reflux the surgeon prescribed a medication for them. Good luck with your success and future good health.

I couldn't drink water too fast for at least eight months after surgery. I could only zip it. If I drank too fast I got a pain in my sternum area and had to walk it off. On the other hand I have a friend who recently had WLS and on day one he's gulping water down with no problem with no bad effects. I told him that I wished that I was able to drink that way post surgery. So, to answer your your question, if you can drink a lot of fluids in one sitting with no bad effects, go for it.

My experience was somewhat the same. I could not drink anything until a leak test was conducted. After the test was conducted and the staple line was shown to be intact then I was permitted to drink plain water. At that stage you don't need much more than plain water. A few hours after the leak test and my being able to drink water, I was discharged. At home I had all of my liquids (on liquids for the first two weeks) that I chose. Good luck and get ready for healthier you.

I took off for two weeks after my surgery. I had very minimal pain mostly at the incision where my stomach was taken out and Tylenol helped with it. The reason I stayed out two weeks was because I was just tired.I planned on returning to work after one week but the fatigue was too much for me. I also had my surgery at 60 so that might have played a part in my fatigue as well. I wish you well with your surgery and with your continued new found good health.

Who ever you dealt with was way out of line. OA is a Fellowship and we support each other. We don't pass judgement on the way you went about losing weight. I have never had anyone in the many meetings that I've attended speak that way to another OA member. If at all possible see if there is another meeting nearby for you to attend. As for reading. There are meetings which are called Big Book Meetings where the Big Book is read and then discussed. There are other meetings called Qualifiers where the person who signs up to lead the meeting that day will speak about her/his experiences. We then go around the room and speak about ours. These meetings are such eye openers as people will give us their struggles and successes in life, food or anything else that they want to share. You are 100% right in saying that people do not give advice at the meetings. At the meeting a book is circulated. It is called the We Care Book. I put my first name only and phone number with the times I want other OA members to call me. Everyone does this. I have gotten the numbers of other WLS patients and we call each other to offer advice and support. One OA member who is a WLS patient texts me every morning so that we can go over our plan for a successful day. Others call or text when they need advice or if they need just to talk when they have cravings to eat food not on their food plans. This is the way you get your advice and the way for you to help others with your experiences. It takes work but I find the program very helpful to me. You should also seek out a sponsor who will help you with a food plan and to help you through the steps of the program. It does take effort and it is very rewarding when you help others and they in turn get to help you. The group you attended broke not only the rules of OA but the spirit of the Fellowship that we try to foster. Try another group if possible. If you do attend the same group seek out others who had WLS (not everyone will say) and take their numbers from the We Care Book. If not seek out a sponsor who can help you. Use every tool that you can to be successful as we take it one day at a time. Good luck.

In May I will have been a member of OA for a year. I find the fellowship and comraderie a great source of support for me. There are people in my meetings that have had WLS. There are others who are working the steps. We don't read from the Bible. We use the AA Big Book. It isn't religious but spiritual and you can believe what you like as far as a higher power guiding and helping you. I have a sponsor who I call everyday and we go over the program and address any food concerns that I might have. I also call or text other members if I need additional support and they call or text me for my support. Together with my therapist, bariatric group sessions and therapist group sessions OA is an internal part of my recovery from my Compulsive Overeating. I had my WLS in August of 2017 by April of 2018 I had reached my goal weight. This April marked one year that I sustained that goal weight. I'm now working on year two of sustaining that goal weight. OA, for me is an important part of that strategy. It isn't for everyone. I attend three meetings a week. Sometimes we have as little as four people show up and there are times when 25 people show up. As long as there are two of us we can conduct a meeting. Like I tell my friends who have had WLS, if you are looking for a quick fix this is not it. It is a program that you have to work at to gain the benefits. I lived a long time with my compulsive overeating and I didn't know I had such a condition. Now that I know what I'm up against, I'm using as many tools to combat it. OA is one of them. I hope this helps. If you have any questions you can PM me.

Went through much the same early after my surgery. It's important on many levels to get yourself regular with bowel movements. I tried everything but found that adding fiber to my water helped a great deal. I'm sure the three pounds is due to not having regular bowel movements.

So true.

I'm nearly 19 months out and I need support EVERY day. There isn't a day that I don't call someone just to talk and help me work through my maintenance. I go to support groups a therapist and Over Eaters Anonymous. For so many years I Failed at weight loss and I Failed at maintaining what weight I did lose. Today, I ask for and I receive the help I need. It isn't easy, I attend meetings, I call people, I meet with healthcare professionals and I ask for help. You will get support here but you will also probably need to surround yourself with others who can help you on a daily basis. Don't be afraid to seek help or ask for it, you'd be surprised at the amount of help there is to be had.

You will be restricted in the amount of weight that you can lift. I was speaking to a friend the other day who hd WLS two weeks ago. He lifted a bag of groceries and immediately regretted it. He said that he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. You will in all probability be on only liquids for the first two weeks. If so you have to monitor your fluid intake and get the proper amount of fluids. If you need to go to work you should plan for the time you will be at work and have your liquids/foods at hand. Most of all you should have a strategy to get through the day physically so that you don't cause harm to yourself. If at all possible, take the time off from work to heal properly.

Keep in mind that these are thing that will help you post weight loss surgery. The surgery will only give you a jump start on weight loss and a healthier life. You will need need to work on the maintenance of the weight loss. As for the haters, do what you think is best for you. My wife gave me a hard time about the surgery. I told her that I wanted her to be part of my journey but if she couldn't support me I'd do it without her. She realized that it was in my best interests to get the surgery and has been my number one supporter since. Sometimes you just need to have a heart to heart talk with the ones you love. I also didn't tell everyone about the surgery.

If you get a pain in your sternum area that's normal. When I eat fast or a bit too much I get a pain in my sternum area. I have to walk it off and I don't consume anything (solids or liquids) until the pain subsides. It does after awhile of walking it off.

Congratulations on keeping yourself healthy over these past two years.

Marissa, I make my own. I buy unflavored Isopure protein powder (25 grams protein per scoop) I put that with Crystal Light and Fiber powder into a 32 ounce water bottle. One thing of note, though listed as unflavored the protein powder does have a taste. I don't find it to be overwhelming. The other unflavored protein powder (21 grams of protein) I used was Unjury. It had less of a taste but it was more expensive.