AZhiker

congratulations!!!!!!!

No for me. I figured if I cheated before surgery I would cheat after. I lost 15# prior to surgery. It is hard - no doubt, because you still have your normal appetite function. That will change after surgery. Hang in there! This, too, shall pass!

One other thought - basically a matter of WASTE or WAIST! I'd rather throw it to the chickens or in the trash than back on my belly and hips! That would be a real waste!

Good job. I might add one other idea. Basically, insulin surges are what make our calories go into fat storage, That's what insulin does - drives the calories into storage (fat). When insulin gets real low, guess what? The liver tosses out glycogen for energy and after the glycogen is gone, the fat stores start being utilized. The key is to keep insulin levels low throughout the day. Every time you eat, there is going to be an insulin surge. Now protein will raise it a lot less than sugar or simple carbs. This is why fruit should be eaten AFTER the meal when protein is on board, And eating less frequently during the day results in less insulin surges, The worst thing you can do is snack throughout the day or follow the silly strategy of 6-10 small meals a day. All that does is keep your insulin up all day long. ***It's not really how much you eat, but WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat it.**** Eat healthy proteins and meals ONLY 3 times a day with NO snacking. This is the bare minimum. The next incredibly powerful strategy is eating those 3 meals all within a restricted time period which can be 12, 10, 8, or even 6 hours. This is called intermittant fasting and gives long periods of low insulin levels, resulting in fat breakdown and killing off the "zombie" cells which contribute to aging, fraily, and mental decline. It is quite amazing how eating the same food, but in restricted time, can melt off the last pounds. Several of my relatives have experienced this, and there is a ton of literature to back it up. IF is not something a lot of WLS patients can do right away because we are just trying to get in the bare requirements for the first several months, but it is a goal to shoot for down the road. I was doing 18/6 (18 hours fasting, 6 hours food) before surgery and it helped me a lot, but am back to 12/12 right now until I can eat a bit more with each meal. This is basic physiology of how our bodies work. A calorie is not a calorie. Our bodies do not respond to the same calories of olive oil as they do to sugar. It's all about insulin. Best of luck to you. Keep up the great exercise! Give IF a try and you might find it does the final trick for you.

At least it will be so much easier to get a decent mammogram!

My adult daughter has started eating better - no snacks, more veggies, and doing intermittant fasting. She is not heavy, but has still lost 12 pounds. My husband eats crap - hotdogs, processed meats, junk snacks, sweets, simple carbs, cheap pizza, sweetened beverages, hardly any veggies. He will never give this stuff up. He is not overweight, but has a bowling ball on his belly. I think years of poor eating has started to affect his memory and his mood. His choice. Am I tempted? Nope. The only thing I asked is that he not bring tortilla chips into the house - my nemesis. I basically eat my healthy food and he eats his crap. It is what it is. I am only responsible for me and after all this surgery has done, I AM NOT GOING BACK. Nope, not tempted by his junk food because I know where I would end up and I am not going there again. IT IS JUST NOT WORTH IT.

I worked to get my RNY surgery for almost a year. As the date approached, I got more and more nervous. It is a big deal - choosing an elective major surgery. As I was lying on the pre-op bed, I started crying and thinking maybe I should get up and leave. My surgeon came in and assured me that it would be OK and that none of his patients had ever come back regretting the procedure. My PCP previously had told me that if I had been able to do it on my own, I would have by now, Both doctors were right. This is about the best thing I have ever done for myself. Yes, I had a complication of a blood clot and am still on a blood thinner, but after 70+ pounds gone I feel like a new person. I am doing things I have not done for decades. I wish I had done it sooner in a way, but I really did need to come to a place in my life where I was willing to make the needed lifestyle changes first, and for the right reasons - health. And my commitment needed to be total. My life slogan now is "I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" If that means no more sugar, wheat, soda, coffee, alcohol, or processed foods, then so be it. My health is worth more than any of those things. Yup, my skin is getting saggy - but I am 63 years old, and the collagen just aint what it used to be. But so what? I am happier and healthier and saggy skin is just a badge of the journey. Haven't lost any hair yet, but again, if I do, so what? It will grow back. (have been taking Biotin 10,000 mcg since week 2 and nails are super strong so I hope it will also prevent hair loss). I have so much energy and stamina, my mental health is better, my sleep apnea is nearly gone, asthma improved, no GERD, my back and joints don't hurt anymore, I am not embarrassed in public, and I actually feel cold instead of sweating all the time. What's not to love? Being scared is normal for a lot of people. It just means you realize the risks. But you will never realize the benefits until you get to the other side. And this is the chance you have to take. If you could have done it on your own, you would have, It is still going to be a lot of work. This is not easy, but WLS is a tool that can give you the jump start you need for health and happiness for the rest of your life.

Go up to the top menu bar and click on "Create" and then "ticker." That will give you the prompts to custom design your own progress ticker to follow. I walk a lot, too - 14,000 steps a day. What I don't get at work, I do on the hills around my house after work. I also am climbing 14 flights of stairs a day (working up to 20.) And upper body weights 3 times a week. I really do think this has helped me, too. I feel so much energy now, even though I can only get down about 600 calories/day. I really want to take advantage of the first 6 months and the 'honeymoon" stage before the appetite starts coming back. Hopefully the major dietary changes I have made (no sugar, wheat, soda, alcohol, coffee, snacking) along with the exercise will work to keep the weight off forever.

What is your exercise routine like? I have lost fairly quickly, too, but I exercise a lot (walking hills, stairs, weights) - something I could never do when I was heavier. My joints just couldn't take it. But now I am afraid NOT to exercise. What are you doing? And super congrats on your progress. Make a ticker for us to follow!

I am now officially overweight and not obese. This is such a mile stone for me, as I have been obese for 40 years!

I just want to cry in gratitude for how much my life has changed in 3 months. I feel so much more alive with energy to do whatever I want. I feel so blessed and fortunate to have been able to have this surgery. It has changed my life. My ultimate goal now is to hike the entire Arizona trail - 830 miles from Mexico to Utah. I could barely walk up a flight of stairs 3 months ago. I sure have a lot of saggy baggy skin and a wrinkly face now, as the collagen isn't what it used to be. But the flaws are beautiful now to me. Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather a skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "Wow! What a ride!" Hunter S. Thompson

At my pre-op psych visit, the doc told me that often people who give up one addiction (food) will take on another addiction. It can be alcohol, drugs, smoking, gambling, shopping, exercise, or any manner of things that can be either positive or negative. Has anyone discovered a new passion, OCD behavior, or outright addiction that you have exchanged for food? Personally, I think I am becoming OCD about my exercise goals. I increase them each week, and am happy with the results, but I find myself thinking about it a lot. I think it is OK as long as it doesn't become an obsession. Anyone else?

I met 2 people this week who were long term gastric bypass patients (15-20 years out). Both had erosion/bleeding from one of the anastomosis sites and ended up in the hospital. Is this something that is very common? I sure hope not. Anyone have any data or sources for this type of complication? I would have thought once the sites were healed they would be good for life. But apparently for some folks that is not the case. Just wondering if there was a difference in how older surgeries were done compared to techniques today.

I saw yet another patient this week who was 1.5 years post gastric bypass. Lost 150 pounds, and developed an ulcer. I asked one of the GI docs about why it happens and he said that the protective lining is gone and so anything that causes inflammation or irritation of the tissues can lead to an ulcer. This includes alcohol (extremely irritating to tissues) and smoking which increases inflammation. Regular acid reducers cannot reach the area of the ulcer, which is why Carafate is used. Yes, ulcers can heal with the medication, but ulcers can also kill you if they perforate and bleed badly.

Well, my poor Tessie is 20 years old now and developing arthritis. She has battled partially torn ligaments for a few years and is doing well now as long as she only carries the grand kids or my 135 pound daughter. I am not allowed to ride, as I am simply too heavy for her. This has broken my heart, as riding has been my passion all my life. So...…. one of my really big goals is to get below 150 pounds so I can mount up again. I can hardly wait. It has been way too long!

The reason for not shaving is infection control. Shaving causes micro-abrasions in the skin. The skin is loaded with bacteria and even with the disinfectant soaps, there is the possibility of starting an infection that could spread to the surgical site. Even if the bacterial growth is NOT in the exact area of the surgery, people tend to touch their surgical sites after touching other areas. Believe me, nurses don't care what your legs look like and as an RN who worked in pre-op for 3 years, we were very happy to see women who followed the no-shaving instruction. Very hairy surgical sites don't even get shaved in the hospital - clippers are used instead.

I like the battle ribbons! You bet - we've earned them!

I had the run around from insurance, also. (BCBS). I had to have 6 months of documented PCP visits with attempted weight loss, Then once everything was submitted I was denied because my surgeon's office failed to submit the psych eval. Eventually, it all came together and I got surgery 8 months after the beginning of the process. I am very thankful, however, for this time. It helped me get my head around all the changes, really solidify the decision, and gave me a bit head start in getting rid of sugar, carbs, caffeine, soda, snacks, BEFORE surgery so I didn't have to deal with those addictions during recovery. I also had a sleep study done during this time which gave me the diagnosis of extreme sleep apnea. This helped push the insurance company, I think, because I didn't have other co-morbidities. I think you will get approved, The companies just have their process and they have to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. From what I understand, the need for revision from failed surgery is a big push for them to approve.

It seems like the fat melts from the top down. My poor old 63 year old face looks about 80 to me - so many wrinkles and a turkey skin neck. I have always had genetically heavy upper eye lids, but now they are falling into my eyes. (If I have plastics, the upper eyelids will be the first thing to get done.) Going south with anatomy, the boobs are half their size and twice as long. Arms are getting pretty baggy. Belly and inner thighs pretty wobbly. BUT...….. the ribs look great! I've gone from a 24 pants to a 16. 2X top to a med-lg. Bra from 42DD to 38C. Underwear from 13 to 8. Most of my weight is still in the lower half. So funny how it is so different for everyone, but my aging skin is not so funny. No more collagen, I guess, and the elasticity is just not there anymore. But all these wrinkles are just my badges from the best decision I have every made for myself. It's just a matter of perspective. I'd rather look older and wrinkly and have my life back, than be obese with smooth skin and hardly able to move.

Fluids are the highest priority. Then protein. Then the vitamins. Hang in there. Tiny sips every few minutes will do it. Did you get a prescription for anti nausea medicine like Zofran?

Yup, that first week can be uncomfortable, for sure. I slept in a semi reclining position with a little pillow under my belly to give support.

You might try a couple of things to trigger the fat burning mode to amp up. Increase your exercise a lot this week - especially cardio. Try intermittent fasting for one week.

WOW! Congratulations. You look fantastic and I bet you feel really great, too.

So glad you are having a good recovery! Like you, I have had some painful experiences (fractured pelvis/ribs, thoracic surgery, and a total knee replacement). Bypass surgery was a breeze. Like you, I was up walking right away, and walked at home a lot. BUT... I still got a blood clot in one leg! Anyway, I hope you continue to recover well. Keep using that little incentivespirometor - pneumonia is not something you want to deal with. Congratulations!

does it happen 100% of the time?