Creekimp13

if you use a BMI calculator to find out whether Arnold Schwarzenegger is at a healthy weight, you might be surprised to learn that the BMI chart considers the former Mr. Universe as obese - not only now, but when he was in the prime of his body-building career. At just over six feet tall and about 235 pounds, the younger Schwarzenegger's BMI was over 31. So yep, Arnold himself....could get turned away by insurance companies and have his premium hiked....for his "obesity" based on an arbitrary number that has nothing to do with the reality of how much lean mass your body carries compared to fat mass. Would it horrify you to know that the most commonly used tool to determine obesity was created by a Belgium astronomer in 1830? And that even though we have really good metabolic testing devices that can accurately measure our fat and lean stores and give a much more accurate measure of our health....we still routinely use this archaic formula? To be fair....most of us can be fairly accurately represented with the oldschool BMI chart. But a few of us are badly misrepresented by it. See Arnold above. I've been a victim of the BMI chart most of my life. At 180 pounds, I was in athletic shape in my 20's. Had a washboard stomach and was doing huntseat trials (jumping horses in patterns) competitively. I'm 5' 6" and have extremely muscular legs, buttocks and arms and very broad shoulders. My husband says I'm "an amazon warrior...not a delicate beauty". LOL. Which is a nice way of saying I'm a sturdy Czech woman. One of the things that impressed me early on about my bariatric group was that they use a metabolic analyzer to determine our fat/lean composition and set a realistic and healthy goal weight. According to my metabolic analysis, I would have zero percent body fat at 145 pounds...the weight that would be recommended to me by a doctor using only a BMI chart. Most women my age do best with about 25% body fat....so my goal weight was set at about 170 pounds by my group using metabolic analysis. (I'm older now, so my lean mass is a bit less than my horse-flying days) I strongly recommend metabolic analysis for figuring out goal weight, calorie goals, etc. Human bodies are not standardized. Accuracy in measuring factual composition can be huge in developing the appropriate diet protocol for the individual.

I think most surgeons use empirical data from multiple studies as the basis of their views. While I appreciate reading the stories of patient experiences, feelings are not fact. "I didn't lose weight...so this surgery sucks and isn't worth is" is every bit as false as "I had 100% weight loss and anyone who really wants to can too, if they're disciplined enough." Anecdotes are not predictive. Statistical data often is.

It's actually quite accurate, statistically, to say sleeve surgery is 57-61% effective....since that is the amount of excess body weight most people lose long term. We all hope to lose and maintain a loss of closer to 100% of our excess body weight.... and a few of us will. Some of us won't make it to 50%. But most of us....the largest portion of people who have the surgery and try....will land on one side or the other of 60% and will maintain that weight loss at 5 years post-op according to available data. I don't know why anyone would find this discouraging. I think these data are astoundingly positive. Dieting and exercize alone doesn't come anywhere near this degree of effectiveness. Nor are its results as long term. We know that a 10% weight loss improves health outcomes drastically. SIX TIMES that number is an amazing victory.

Other suggestions... Walking and gentle stretches helped me a lot. Switching off the Rx Narcotic as soon as I could... and onto only liquid Tylenol helped my guts start to work again. Don't nap for longer than 30 minutes during the day...you'll lose precious hydration hours. Sip, Sip, Sip!

I don't mean to sound insensitive, but what in the heck is a pain pouch thing? What do you mean by you found a leak? Do you mean you have a drain that's leaking? I'm glad the pain is becoming manageable. My group had me drinking one ounce every 15 minutes....in ten sips. Little tiny sips is key. If it feels like you're spending ALL DAY taking a million little tiny sips, you're on the right track. Are you tolerating regular protein shakes? Have you tried them? Or is the protein water easier for you? Three days out, I was alternating 4 ounces of clear fluid one hour, 4 ounces of protein shake the next....all freakin day. Do your best. Don't get dehydrated. But, if you do...don't be a hero. Call your group and get in for some fluids and keep working at it.

Agreed. A good physical and some blood work sounds like a very good idea.

Actually, if you look closely...I think you'll find that about 2 in every one hundred posters here....have the results you do. That's not even counting the thousands of people who read and don't post, and the other thousands who post once or twice and lose interest. Just sayin...

Excellent, thanks! If true, I'll be shocked. And really encouraged:) But yeah...100% excess weight loss? I've never seen that over 2%. I'll be extremely interested to know the source and read the studies! Am writing a paper currently, and have searched medical databases at UMich, myself.

Are you feeling well? Any other issues?

would love to see one, Catwoman. Can you link me?

Congrats! wishing you a safe effective procedure and quick recovery:)

if you have a chicken serving, I'm sure they're fine as long as they're not breaded or infused with carbs. Check the label for carbs. All I got was shakes and fluids:)

Judy, don't change dates. Hospital staff doesn't care one whit about your period. It's something they see routinely, and I promise they don't care.

MOST people lose about 60% of their excess body weight. That's what median means. That's where the MOST people are clustered statistically......around one side or the other of 60%. People who lose 100% of their excess body weight are on the fringes....like less than 2% of people accomplish that. Out of 100 people attempting weight loss with surgery......only 2 of them will have the results you did, Introversion. That's the reality. You're an inspiration and I wanna be a little more like you because I admire your dedication.....but I'm never gonna be the fitness enthusiast you are. Few people will.

Who knows, but why question it? LOL. Maybe you've broken a stall...maybe the hectic pace of the holidays is giving you more exercise than you realize? Maybe you're eating fewer calories than you think, even though you're indulging a bit? If you'e really concerned, maybe get a physical and have some lab work done to make sure all is well. Are you feeling well? Any other concerning symptoms? If not...count your blessings and enjoy it!

Best wishes:) Also keep in mind that the occasional guy gets a little insecure about their significant other becoming all skinny and hot and sexy. it can be kind of intimidating and they'll wonder if you're working on trading up to a nicer model. it's a good time to reassure them that you're still very into them and you're not looking for greener pastures:)

Since weight loss is reported as a percentage, the number of pounds you shed per month depends on where you started. It also depends on the time since surgery. Findings in the October-December 2013 issue of the "Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons" suggested that people having sleeve gastrectomy lost more of their excess weight in the first few months after surgery. In this study of 100 patients, on average, subjects lost about 18 percent of their excess weight in the first month. Average weight loss by the end of 6 months was 50 percent of the excess body weight, and by the end of the first year, they had lost about 63 percent of their excess weight. Factors Affecting Weight Loss The amount of weight lost after gastric sleeve depends on several factors. An important factor is how well you follows your doctors' instructions about diet and exercise. Your preoperative weight also makes a difference, as people who start out at a lower weight tend to lose a higher percentage of excess weight than those who were heavier before surgery, according to the authors of a report published in the May 2012 issue of the "Journal of Obesity." Other factors such as age and gender may also affect your rate of weight loss. From: https://www.livestrong.com/article/293635-expected-monthly-weight-loss-with-the-gastric-sleeve/

I just read some studies that stated at the average first month loss is about 16-18% of excess weight. So...if you have to lose 100 pounds...you should lose about 16-18 pounds. If you have to lose 50...you should lose about 8-9. On surgery day, I was 230 and I'm hoping to reach 170...so I had to lose 60. I lost 10, and will likely lose about 12 by my one month anniversary.....which seems to be in the ballpark of the study. 16-18% of your excess weight seems to be the answer bariatric surgeons will quote for first month's expected loss. That said...people often report a stall at around week 3...which might be the body trying to conserve for repairs. Push though your stall....add a little extra exercise, get your healthy calories in.... and I'll bet your scale will get moving again:) Also...keep in mind that people are all different and every body works a little different. Do your best, keep steady, and eventually it all averages out. I should mention that my group pushes for higher calories and more exercise sooner. I've been eating 1000 calories a day since the start of week 3 with no problems, and walking at least an hour or two every day.

I took my husband to all of my seminars and most of my doctor appointments. He asked a lot of good questions and spent my first night home reading all of my instructions from the hospital out loud. Then, he read all my post surgical stuff from my doctor and nutritionist. He's been a key player in keeping me on track and being my cheerleader. My adult daughter has been amazingly supportive, too. Tells me she's proud of me all the time. I lucked out in the support department and i'm truly grateful. Even my mom...who was scared to death about the surgery...has become a cheerleader. She keeps protein drinks in her fridge for me and is completely supportive. Most of the folks who love us will have a little struggle with fear. Education helps:)

What you're describing is extremely common. Healing itch started for me at about day 4 and got intense at a week out. I got some edema tissue reaction to the sutures in my muscle and had funky lumps for a while under my skin at the incision sites. They've reduced now, no itching, and everything has healed up terrific:) Same thing happened with my gallbladder surgery years ago. Lumps finally went away, and the itching does stop, I promise.

While people usually don't lose as much weight as they hope to lose... They typically only gain back about 5% of their excess weight. I actually think that's pretty encouraging! Obviously individuals are individual....but this seems to be consistent in three studies I've found so far...give or take a couple percent.

"A Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases study looked at how successful gastric sleeve surgery was at helping patients keep weight off for an extended period. It looked at the results of patients who had the surgery five years ago. Things such as total weight loss, how quickly weight was lost, quality of life and complications were all evaluated. The average amount of excess weight loss for those studied in this professional study was 61.5% after just one year and 61.1% after just two years. The average for all five years for 57.4 percent (pretty close to the expected weight loss surgeons usually tell patients at their consultation)." Say you're a 250 pound woman who should be a 150 pound woman. Statistically, with sleeve....you'll lose 61 pounds. You'll end up being a 189 pound woman 18 months after sleeve. After five years...you'll gain a bit back....and end up being around 193 pounds. These are the median results for this surgery. You could do a little better than 50% of the people who've had the surgery, and you could do a little worse. But for the most part....if you start at 250, 5 years later, you'll end up around 193. Still, a really good, life impacting reduction that might not make you "skinny", but will definitely improve your health and quality of life. Sounds good to me.

They're standard at my hospital. They look like this: https://www.braceability.com/plus-size-abdominal-binder?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhunQwpWw2AIVnrbACh1lrg0MEAYYAiABEgKAjvD_BwE

My group says "70 minute rule" No drinking 10 minutes before eating A meal should last 30 minutes...no drinking with the meal No drinking 30 minutes after the meal. I'll admit, I'm not always perfect with these rule. But I agree with a previous poster....trying to drink while eating or just after is incredibly uncomfortable. Unless the food was a slurry like oatmeal...it's like trying to swallow a rock.

I think the OP has challenged us to look at reality. it can be a little discouraging to do this while you're working really hard and looking for the best outcome possible. Statistics back up most of what s/he said in the OP. People do regain weight. Statistically, it's a fact. There are also people like Introversion...who almost replace their food addiction with a health obsession. No offense, Introversion, I absolutely admire you....but you're unusual. Most 120 pound women are not as active as you, not doing the cardio you do...and certainly can't eat 2200 calories a day. You're in top athletic shape and that's incredibly cool....but you're not the norm. I think we can learn a lot from studying outcomes of whole surgery populations, particularly long term studies. If you've ever looked at the "estimated weight loss" calculators...you know that different people have different results. There's a big difference in weight loss between the top 20% and the bottom 20%. Some can be attributed to behavior and choices, and some seems to be the luck of the draw (or the curse of the draw...lol...depending on which way you go). I know one thing that has changed recently, is how doctors and dietitians are approaching calorie intake in the weeks after surgery. The old school of thought was to take advantage of inappetence and have patients lose as much weight as possible during the honeymoon phase of surgery by restricting calories severely. There used to be more tendency to limit patients to 500-800 calorie diets for months after surgery. And yep, people lost weight fast. What we're learning now, however, is that that rapid weight loss and super low calorie diet can reset the metabolism to a starvation level that actually can inhibit weight loss after a while, and can be correlated with more regain years down the road. A newer strategy being increasingly embraced in the bariatric community is to move patients up to a 1200 calorie diet as soon as possible after surgery, and encouraging exercise early on. This idea is to reset the metabolism to burning through a normal number of calories ASAP...and giving patients the energy to exercise hard and safely. Food choices are extremely important, but addressing exercise habits in resetting metabolism is becoming increasingly more important. Bariatrics is an emerging science. We're learning so much about the science of gut flora interactions, the roll of hormones and addictive behavior, genetics...all sorts of variables. Will your body pick a set point that is difficult to overcome? it's an excellent question. One I don't think we have a solid answer to, yet. Lot of different theories and a lot of studies to consider. It's fascinating stuff.