Lyngolean

Summerset, you are absolutely correct. That was part of my logic- feeling that part of me was fighting against myself with the proverbial cookie jar on the tippy top shelf and wanting it all the more because of that. I just hope this approach continues to work for me. Intuitive eating is my goal indeed. I used to eat that way for the first 25 years of my life (or so) and manage my weight just fine. I figure if I did it before, I can do it again.

My surgeon relayed that it could be done as same day surgery also, about the same risks as a gall bladder removal which is typically same day as long as it's done laproscopically (and not open). My surgeon prefers patients stay overnight due to feeling that managing the symptoms post op can be tricky, and the nurses do a good job of helping you figure out how to manage your pain and stay hydrated and any other things that might come up that first night. I have to say I had a great experience and was happy to have the watchful eyes of the nursing staff. I am biased though as I am a nurse myself.

jrobin13, I was just reviewing old posts and noticed that after 4 days post op I stopped waking up from pain and was able to start going longer than 4 hours between doses of Tylenol. Every person is different though. What is feeling crummy to you? The first week is definitely the worst, and then advancing to each new food stage I remember being very welcome! (clear liquids to full, to purees, to soft). It all gets better and better, and when you start to feel so good from dropping all that weight behind you, you feel MARVELOUS! My son pointed out to me when I hit 80 pounds of weight loss that that is what an aluminum canoe weighs. So glad my portaging days are done!!!

This is a fascinating topic to me. I have a friend who seems to be distancing herself from me since surgery. She won't talk about what's bothering her, but I can only imagine my WLS is an issue as it is one of the things we used to commiserate about regularly. I have another friend who was unsupportive of WLS who hasnt asked a thing about it nor seen me since surgery. Not much of a friend apparently, so better off knowing that now. I think it's interesting when people won't acknowledge the huge amount of weight I've lost in the past 5 months. It is freaking obvious, but I suspect some people just don't know how to broach the subject and/or are fearful of saying something to hurt my feelings or make things awkward, so they just don't. I have a sister who lost a good amount of weight in her 30's who said she had unwelcome attention from men when she became thinner. She was no longer invisible. Glad I'm not the only one.

What is FOMO? How are you doing, Topher B? I haven't had lengthy vacations yet- I did have 6 days at a camp where I was the camp nurse. I brought plenty of my own protein due to fear of what would happen if I didn't have enough, and I'm so glad I did! The camp totally skimped on protein!

I have not tried this. I just focus on getting in enough protein, veggies and fruit as much as I have room for, and pretty much zero carbs. It's so simple I don't feel the need to track. That may change as I get further out from surgery though. Did you end up buying the app? If so, how do you like it?

I agree with so much of what's been said. If you have another option for a surgeon without having to start over, I think I'd take it, just on principle. That said, I think this attitude about muscle might be kind of common among the WLS/bariatric community. My insurance company has WLS patients have health coaching by phone, and one session with someone with a background in exercise had a comment that "they" (meaning at the clinic) won't like it if I build too much muscle because it weighs more. I was really put out thinking it's MY body, and I'll have as much muscle as I want thank you very much. I suspect that clinics keep stats and maybe they are worried about what percentage of weight lost they can tout as their average. Regardless, my clinic also offers a post-op exercise program, and I mentioned it to the instructor, and she dismissed the concern completely stating that as a woman, we are naturally not going to build too much muscle due to the nature of our hormones, and that people who exercise, including lifting weights, are shown to do much better in terms of overall weight loss. She cited an example of a doc who recommended she stop exercising due to high blood pressure. She offered the opinion that there are a lot of medical professionals who know precious little about exercise.

The first week is definitely the most difficult. Hang in there! I used protein shakes for my protein. Sips just like fluids. All best wishes to you!

So glad you survived your heart attack to continue on with better health! Looking good! Got your life back with tennis too. Hooray!

My hair loss started sometime after the 3 month mark and continues (now I am 4m 1w post op). I haven't taken Biotin, but maybe will consider it. My hair is very thick, and my stylist joked that if enough falls out we can stop thinning it, so it's more a plumbing issue from my point of view.

Increasing awareness of how I feel physically when I eat some of my formerly favorite foods has helped reduce my liking of them. I second the recommendation of Overeaters Anonymous. Food addiction is real and powerful.

My process was much longer. I had my first consult in December 2017 and had surgery April 12, 2018. It's a lot to wrap one's head around. Good luck!

I can't imagine any medical professional using anything but titanium for a body part. I would expect anything less inert would corrode with all the stomach acid. Aluminum would be too soft I would think. Here's what I found online: " Staples are usually made of Titanium. Human body does not respond to this metal, that's why most of the prosthetic organs are also from this metal. They do not disolve, also they don't set off metal detectors and are ok to go through MRI. Therefore very safe. The body heals over them after 4-6 weeks... H. Joseph Naim, MD, FACS 9 reviews TOP CONTRIBUTOR www.drnaim.com

What is a foamie? Sounds like I hope to never have one...

I would agree with Bariatric Hero that it's important that you like your surgeon. I think it could affect your recovery. You don't see him or her all that much, but having a bad vibe...ugh! You are VERY vulnerable during surgery! I could have hugged my surgeon when he told me his views about how determined patients are who keep trying to lose weight despite the lack of long term success, that they are the MOST determined in light of continuing to try despite proof that it doesn't work. Our scheduled consult time was 40 minutes, but I could have picked his brain for longer than the 75 minutes he seemed to happily spend with me. He shared a lot about the most recent research which was informative and thought provoking. I had a list of questions prepared prior to my consult. Good luck!