Briswife15

Welcome, and best wishes! There is a wealth of info and support here!

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Hello, and welcome! I did not work on losing weight prior to consultation. I also had a 6 month supervised diet and nutrition period. I was in the hospital 2 nights but had gastric bypass. Yes, the support group meetings were helpful. Good luck as you embark on this exciting journey!

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All of us here are food addicts to some degree or another, or else we wouldn't be here at all. My question to you: Are you willing to take the scary steps to give up your addiction? You WILL lose weight with surgery - no question, and you will be given a grace period of 6-18 months in which to learn new behaviors and new ways to cope with stress and emotions. Are you willing to learn new skills? If so, you will be successful.
The other warning for all of us is the issue of transfer addictions. We MUST learn new coping mechanisms or else risk other addictive behaviors like alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, etc.
There is simply no easy way to overcome obesity and all the related issues without commitment and a willing heart. Counselling is very important for many, as this is uncharted territory for all of us. I can assure you that there are plenty of tools and resources available. The bottom line is whether or not you are willing to make the lifestyle and dietary changes. You cannot possibly figure out all the answers at this point - it is a journey of discovery. But if you are willing, the help is there are you will be successful.

Maybe the key works here are "went," "walked," and "ran." They are past tense. Exercise has got to be part of your daily lifestyle now. By this time you should have incorporated an hour of exercise each day into your life. Then you have to look at your carb intake. I'll bet it has slipped upward. Are you still logging all your food? If not, it would be good to go back to logging and measuring. Honestly, the research says that the most weight loss is achieved by those who follow the eating plan AND exercise. The exercise won't move the scale on its own, but it does build lean muscle tissue which has a higher metabolic rate than fat. Another tool is to explore is intermittent fasting or limiting your daily caloric intake to only 6-8 hours per day. This can be a very powerful tool, as it puts your system into a different metabolic pathway that helps burn fat. There are extensive conversations in the intermittent fasting thread about what others are doing.
You also need to make sure you are getting your fluids in, and getting quality sleep. They are essential for weight loss. It's about going back to the basics and tightening things up, as well as adding some new tools.
5'9" at 200 pounds gives you a BMI of 30, which is still in the moderately obese category. The thicker fat on your abdomen will go with more weight loss. To reach the upper end of "normal" BMI you need to get down to around 162-164. You've done an amazing job so far. Restart the engine and take it through the final stretch!

Im the odd one out perhaps since I was hoping for RNY to have some amount of calorie malabsorption due to extremely slow metabolism. Turned out the doctor agreed anyway since I had severe GERD so bad my ears would burn from it. Both have similar surgeries and recovery, the only difference is more initial restriction with RNY. Better to have RNY now than have sleeve and end up needing revision later. RNY is seen as the gold standard.

I was told not to bring my machine, but yes, to bring the hose, mask, and headgear. The hospital provided the machine through their respiratory therapy department. I don't think it has anything to do with the type of surgery you're having. It's for nighttime!

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I'm over 8 1/2 years out from my Gastric Bypass. lost over 100 lbs and have kept it off. Along with the handfuls of medications I use to take daily.
I'm rarely hungry now. food smells and tastes good. The trick is to share meals... buy meals you can save and nuke later. Eat small amounts and STOP eating once your fill the least bit full.
Find what works for you and keep to that regimen.

Are you in pain? Feeling overly full even when not eating much? I had severe strictures and ulcers after my bypass. Couldnt keep food down either. You should get checked for a stricture. Keep us posted!

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Are you in pain? Feeling overly full even when not eating much? I had severe strictures and ulcers after my bypass. Couldnt keep food down either. You should get checked for a stricture. Keep us posted!

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Thanks, all!! I do appreciate all your advice.

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Thank you! It's goid to have the perspective of seeing it through her eyes.

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Thanks, FluffyChix! I do appreciate your affirmation! I saw a comment in another post that said something like..."I appreciate your concern, but my doctor says I'm healthy. " i will be using that line!! 125 here I come!!

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So, I saw my very best friend last Saturday after not having seen her in a few weeks. While we were talking about my weight loss, and I mentioned I was in a bit of a stall, she very firmly told me not to lose too much weight, and that I shouldn't get smaller than a clothes size medium!
Background on her. She used to be obese and lost 60 pounds a couple of years ago. She is still an "apple " shape with a bigger tummy, but basically looks good.
I'm still obese at 5'3" and 174 pounds, but will soon be just overweight. I have not been overweight my whole life, but she has only seen me obese. Most of my adult life I weighed 125 or lower, which looked good, and was healthy. I did wear small sizes.
Do you think she is somehow feeling unsettled by my weight loss? Does she want to keep me the heavier one?
I love her dearly but am wondering what is going on!
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How much do you take? I already get quite alot in my Multivitamin. I read for Vitamin A deficiency you need vitamin A in oil and at very high doses for a short amount of time. Then taper it off.

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I spent 2 nights in the hospital and went home late in the afternoon on the 3rd day. I had to be able to sip a certain amount of liquid to get released.

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Hi! I had 6 dilations, and the surgeon said I was the worst case he had ever seen! I am 6 months post bypass, and still not on a full "normal " diet, but I'm fine with that. I eat mostly soft and ground foods. I had a very scary, horrible incident of food stuck in my anastomosis this week and almost went to the ER, but after 4 hours it cleared itself. All and all, I'm doing well. Thanks for asking!!

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Thanks, Steven! I needed that encouragement today as second endoscopy was a failure.

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Well, I had my endoscopy with supposed dilation today, but the opening was as narrow as a pin, and he could only get a wire in there, no balloon. Will have to have several more little dilations. Spent 5 hours on recovery vomiting up foamies so bad. They had to try 3 different anti nausea medications to get me to stop vomiting. The anastomosis was completely ulcerated. Ugh!

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Thanks, you all!! Going thru a tough time with a stricture and this thread really cheers me up!!!

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So here is the question. Is the remaining belly adipose fat tissue or left over skin. If its skin....no amount of exercise will remove it...you may need plastic surgery. If its still fat thats remaining...some of my colleagues are a little mistaken. A flat belly starts in the kitchen. You can do all the situps and crunches you want, and trust me, you will build up an amazing six pack belly, but it will be covered by that layer of fat. You have to eat the right foods and do general whole body exercise to remove fat. There is no such thing as targeted fat loss, i dont care what you tube video or "fitness expert" you see out there.

Make sure your diet is right and increase your exercise, and that belly will slowly dwindle (and keep up the crunches and situps).

Thank you all! I tried a little liquid and it came right back up! I will check of the surgeon has someone on call. What a rough lesson to learn the hard way!!

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Happy Birthday, FluffyChix!!!

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Congratulations on your progress! I know the feeling. I tend to have body dysmorphia and although I've lost 81 pounds since my high weight, when I look in the mirror I look fat to me! As your clothes get loose you'll feel better.

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Thank you all for your advice! As I was hemming and hawing about going to the ER, and after 4 hours of agonizing pain and frothy spit, I suddenly felt way better as the food worked its way out! Ugh. What an awful experience! Do you think I stretched out my anastomosis permanently? Or should I be fine? I really need to remember to chew, chew, chew, and maybe avoid chicken unless it's ground!!

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Thank you all! I tried a little liquid and it came right back up! I will check of the surgeon has someone on call. What a rough lesson to learn the hard way!!

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