Mattymatt

I'm March 12th but RNY. Does that still count? Stupid diabetes pretty much dictated the course of action.

10 hours ago, goldenbarbie said:

I’m about 14 months post opp and last night I had alcohol for the first time since surgery.... half of a small glass of Pinot Grigio. Honestly I didn’t feel anything or maybe I took to long to drink it or maybe I should’ve finished

Now that I’m not as scared to drink, what kind of wine do you guys drink or recommend??

It sounds like you were smart about it. Alcohol effects different people in different ways, just like there is a minority of people that don't get dumping syndrome as a result of RNY.

3 hours ago, goldenbarbie said:

I was in hospital for 2 nights, so when I got home after surgery and started seeing commercials on tv I was craving everything. From wings and pizza to ice cream and cake. Honestly I think the head hunger was only there because I couldn’t eat and barely sip Water. When I got to my soft foods stage which took much longer than expected (month 3) I didn’t even think about bad foods twice cause I know I couldn’t eat it or I’ll get sick AND because I lost so much weight already I didn’t want to slow down the progress

Coping wise I just kept telling myself this is all temporary. I will be able to eat again soon and honestly now that I am able to eat anything I don’t look twice at those types of food. You’ll see with your sleeve how your body reacts to certain things. It will go away soon!!!! Stay strong

This is the way to go about it! You have to always keep the voice in your head that you want to continue to progress stronger, than the voice that's telling you to eat. This is what has helped me in the past to lose weight. I was (obviously) not very good at the maintenance phase.

If you're overweight, though, it does increase difficulty.

I wouldn't do it. Why obsess over 10-20 pounds if you are otherwise healthy? Did you take measurements along the way?

If I remember correctly from diabetes education classes that you want at least 50% of your weekly numbers to be in target, which for a T2 diabetic, is 77 - 140. I am a new diabetic having just past the 1 year mark on Jan. 15th of this year. I am also still pre-op so I don't really know what to expect post-surgery. You may want to get in touch with your endocrinologist because they might recommend a low dose of an oral medication for a little while until your body adjusts to the new you.

1 hour ago, ajmsp8879 said:

Hello,

I have been journaling my food in anticipation of my upcoming first visit with the dietitian. I'm a little mortified by how poor my diet is. It's one thing to know you don't eat healthy, but it's another thing to see it documented for a full week.

I have to have between 2-3 appointments with the dietitian in order to be able to schedule my surgery. What can I expect a these appointments? I'm open to all suggestions and really want to make solid lifestyle changes. I'd be most interested in hearing about your experiences.

But you've been honest with yourself. This will help the dietitian help you. The more data they have to go on, the more they can do to make suggestions and offer tips and ideas.

50 minutes ago, JohnnyCakes said:

no... it’s not anything external. definitely chemical. just feel antsy as ****. like whatever i’m doing, it annoys me and i wanna start doing something else. then i start doing that and wanna stop. really weird.

It's not weird at all. I get that way myself sometimes and your explanation of it is a lot better than what I could come up with.

Well, I cannot afford the gym membership now that I am back on the unemployment line. You know what, right now I don't care that much. I am just going to keep consistent until I get through surgery. Not looking to make too many changes right now.

9 minutes ago, kakatlady612 said:

Mattymatt I am your spectrum sister. I'm part of a group for years denied, a female Aspie. Not only am I invisible as a fat person, NT didn't take the time to know me and interpersonal social rules eluded me. I have felt,the square peg in a world of round objects. Here on BariatricPal I feel accepted. No longer do I feel inept and innately flawed as i did thru childhood and adolescence. I did finally marry but dating wasn't easy. I couldn't,understand ,inferences and sarcasm. I'm a literal person and few guys could understand it. Will losing weight help me interelate with others? I doubt it but I'm losing the weight for myself, and I'm strong enough to say, not for them. Have a day with joy.

Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Dating isn't easy for an NT person, let alone you and I. My heart has been played with now too much. I want to get to goal weigh and stay there for a while until I have found my "new" normal and rhythm. Then I might dip my toe in the Water again.

At long last I am finally understanding what head hunger is. Since last December, I have been taking Victoza in an effort to get my blood sugar under control. Victoza is a physical appetite killer but I still have this drive to eat. Thankfully, my blood sugar is under control and my A1C is 6.7%, safe enough for surgery in March. But man, I feel like I could reach for something to eat despite not being hungry. It's not a pleasant feeling ....

1 hour ago, dgirl1229 said:

March 12th here!!

Hey I'm a March 12th as well!

On 2/8/2018 at 11:34 PM, JohnnyCakes said:

i've been extremely irritable/restless for about a month now. i’m at month 7 post-op.

very unusual for me. i’ve never been an irritable guy. i truly hope it goes away.

Is it possible that now that you're healthy, you're just less apt to put up with what you once would? Now you kinda know what you want and you aren't willing to settle?

@CalGuy64 It could be that you are now feeling physically stronger and healthier and just less apt to be bullied by people. When I was healthier, I gladly rose to the challenge when placed in a fight or flight circumstance. Now, I am less apt to do so because it will be trivial to whip my ass. I certainly can't run and I hurt all over from being overweight so one good punch in the right place and I'll be down.

On 2/8/2018 at 6:43 AM, Todd_196 said:

The past week or so I've felt like I just don't care. I don't care about my job, writing in my journal, cooking, cleaning, being with my family. You name it, I don't care.

To be clear, I don't want to hurt myself or do anything radical. I'm just tired of struggling every day. I know life isn't easy but it feels like I'm pushing a boulder uphill every friggin day.

@Todd_196 You're not alone! I am right there with you! In fact you took the words right out of my mouth. If you do one thing only, just one thing, move forward in any amount, no matter how small, that you can.

1 hour ago, abefroman329 said:

I met my wife when I was 300 pounds and had several long-term relationships prior to that, so I don’t think the demand is nonexistent or even low. I also know scores of people without weight management issues who’ve had trouble with relationships, so losing weight isn’t a magic solution, either. Any clue as to why these relationships haven’t worked out for you so far?

That is from your personal experience. If we look into the research that has been done on dating and physical attraction, it has been well-studied that overweight people have a harder time in the dating market. There will always be exceptions, but I am certainly not one of them. Losing weight only opens the door to the dating marketplace a little bit wider, it isn't the answer. I have problems with relationships because I tend to lean towards co-dependency and losing my ability to define myself externally to the relationship. I also suffer from Autism so I have a whole other set of challenges. Finally, I am at an age where, by society's rules, I should have an established career and some sort of "future." Whatever that really means.

So I am not a prime catch. I am overweight, disabled, and was just let go from my job today for reasons that I cannot comprehend. I share this with @CalGuy64, not to gain any sort of sympathy, but to let him know that if I haven't given up with my set of challenges, nor should he. I will only quit when I am 6 feet under. For now, surgery comes March 12th and dating comes at goal weight.

2 hours ago, CalGuy64 said:

My wife left me two years ago. One of the reasons I had WLS was because there isn't much demand for 300 pound guys in the dating market. While I still have 30-40 pounds left to lose I'm currently pretty average now size wise (38 inch pants; XL shirt). I updated my dating site photos and I've had some dates. But so far nothing has gone past the initial stages. I had been hoping (perhaps unreasonably) that being thinner would have made dating easier than this.

I am sorry that your wife left you. That's never easy, man. Being at a healthy weight simply opens the door a little wider to dating but does not automatically make it easier. The two times in my life when I had lost weight and the door opened, I still had difficulty dating. Plenty of 1st date flops! Just don't quit. You have invested a lot in getting yourself healthy and you continued that investment despite the pain of breakup. That's huge and shows you've got some immense resolve. I've only had two relationships in my life and I am a pretty broken person as I am a high functioning autistic, but because of those two relationships I strongly believe that there are multiple people out there for everyone - I am walking proof of that.

Admittedly, I am not jumping for joy over the liquid diet phase but I understand that it is a medical necessity so I'll grin it and bare it. Speaking of surgery, @FluffyChix, yours is right around the corner in no time at all. How are you feeling?

Please stop binging! It's not going to help you at all. Perhaps you will consider a revision to a sleeve or bypass.

Finally, after a long journey and lots of ups and downs, I will be going to have gastric bypass on March 12th. The pre-op Optifast diet begins on February 26th. We thought I was going to be able to have the surgery in February and that will not happen but March 12th is only a blink in the eye of time. I began the entire affair in September of 2017. Between the doctors appointments and the fight to get my blood sugar, I am tired and elated that the time is almost here. A new beginning ....

Today I had a small setback. I've been pushed back until March for my surgery. While disappointing, it's still not that long of a time. I was really hoping to get this done sooner than later but it is what it is.

On 1/31/2018 at 10:39 AM, BigViffer said:

katkatlady612 - Good question. Yes diabetes is a medical condition; and I am one of those people who no longer has to take medication for my blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Most obese Type II diabetics will benefit from the surgery because diet has such a huge influence on it. If you were insulin dependent, you may step down to metformin, if you were on metformin you might come off completely. However, if you are a Type I diabetic pre-op, you will still be one post op.

Bariatric surgery does not cure these conditions, but it does make managing them much easier.

Type 2 Diabetes, as I understand it, is insulin resistance. If it is caught and treated early enough, it can be reversed. Type 2 Diabetes is what brought me to the information session on bariatric surgery last September. I realized that I am not going to win the battle by remaining stuck in the cycle that I am in: I could get progressively worse. The doctors tell me that I will most likely not need my diabetes meds after surgery. I actually have a small glimmer of hope for a healthier life.

@orionburn Those are the thoughts that are going through my head right now. I am concerned about "mourning" the loss of being able to eat all those comfort foods. I was thinking about how I am going to deal with life's upsets without having those foods. A part of me almost said, "Screw it! Maybe it's just better to eat whatever I want and enjoy ... " I stopped there because I realized that I was doing just that but not enjoying life at all.

The psychologists want me to have a game plan for dealing with this. I don't have a solid one now, just some vague ideas. Sometimes it's very hard to think clearly when you feel so physically bad that it effects your mental and emotional health. I am just barely stable enough physically and mentally to get through this. I am really going to have to lean on my support systems during this time.

I don't know what to call it but I had some of that same issue. When I lost weight the first time, I kind of felt bereft when the compliments went away because I was at goal weight. I sort of asked myself what the next big thing was and I picked something from my childhood that I always wanted to do but couldn't - backpacking. And by golly, I did it. Then the second time I lost weight, I realized that I could do distance bicycling and would ride 50-60 miles per week. I don't know what I am going to do this time around. My physical and emotional health is a lot worse now than it was on my last rodeo. I believe this will truly be a grind. I am just barely healthy enough to undergo surgery. At least I haven't had a heart attack or stroke.

1 hour ago, Down South Aussie said:

So i am right in the middle of getting my requirements done (NUT, Psych, classes etc) and i am still undecided if i want to go with the sleeve or the by pass.

So my question to the community at large is; if given the opportunity would you change the type of procedure you had and why?

Im curious what people think, both those that are just now post op and those who are years out and everyone in between.

Thanks in advance everyone.

I honestly think it depends on your set of circumstances. I am a T2 diabetic so every one of my healthcare providers strongly encouraged RNY because of the well-documented effect of curing the diabetes. This is what made the decision really easy - I want to have the surgery best suited to end the malady of diabetes. T2 is a misery that I just want gone. I was also concerned about GERD from the sleeve and I do not want to potentially have to do a revision surgery. Going through one of these is enough.