RobertaMSN

I officially weigh less than my husband!!! 177!!!! Woo Hoo!!!
It's the little things!!! LOL!!!!

What @catwoman7 said. I wouldn't change a thing from that!

at that far out, it's going to be a very individual thing. If you're not already doing so, log your food intake for a couple of weeks to get a sense of your average calorie intake per day. To lose more weight, you'll have to cut your calories back, so try cutting 100 calories from your average. If your weight doesn't budge after a couple of weeks at 100 calories less than what you're currently eating, then cut another 100 calories. Rinse and repeat. You'll eventually find your "sweet spot" where you're losing weight again.
Keep in mind, though, that the closer you get to a normal BMI, the harder and slower it is to lose weight. It took FOREVER for me to get the last 20 lbs off.
the eating/drinking thing is for life. Most of us are told to wait at least 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything (although my surgeon wants us to wait for at least an hour, which I USUALLY do...)

I really wanted to be at 150 by today, but missed my goal by 11 pounds. I am really happy with my progress though.

Is it worth it? Do you regret it:

OMG yes it's worth it! I had it at age 55 and should have done it YEARS ago! No regrets AT ALL! I'd do it again in a heart beat - and if I had to go back every year and have it done again, I would!
Do you feel your life is normal?

Not sure what exactly you're getting at here, but yes - I feel my life is normal. The first few weeks can be a little iffy - you're tired, you have to figure out what foods you can tolerate, you have to get used to the new routines, etc - but once I got through that, I felt pretty normal

Losing weight first:
depends on your surgeon and your insurance. Many insurance cos (not all, but many) require a six-month diet supervised by a physician or a dietitian, but some don't necessarily require you to lose weight from that.

Is the loose skin as bad as people make it out to be?

I think most of us who are out a couple years or more wonder why we even wasted one brain cell worrying about this. Some loose skin vs weighing 400 lbs? It's a no brainer. I've since had plastic surgery, but no one could see my excess skin other than me. I would take my loose skin any day over weighing 373 lbs again. ANY FRICKIN' DAY!!

hair loss:

I didn't have that much. Most of us do lose hair, but for the majority, it's not enough for other people to notice.

First off this is NOT an easy way out! You have to WORK for your surgery to work. And Vitamins are for life. You are making a lifetime commitment to better your health and if people don't understand that then tell them to do the damn research, because there is no EASY way out! Sorry, a pet peeve of mine is hearing the uninformed thinking that we took the 'easy' route. It never fails to piss me off...
Yes, it IS okay to be scared! It's perfectly normal to feel that way. I probably would have been if I hadn't had brain surgery two and a half years before (which to me, was a bigger deal). And risk is relatively low.
At my heaviest I was 389 (though I COULD have been heavier, I just avoided scales like the plague). I finally decided to do something about my weight after my niece was born and I feared that I wouldn't be around to watch her grow up. I had always been scared that I'd fail, much like you are. In a way I did use food to cope because I'd eat junk food when I was upset. I didn't think I'd be able to do well and doubted myself constantly. Because my willpower is sh*t, I decided to pre-diet despite the fact that the only thing they asked was that I not gain weight in my six months of required weigh-ins. I did an elimination thing where I cut out one thing a month so that I could get used to the way I'd be eating. First month I cut my portion sizes by eating smaller amounts with no seconds, second month I cut out soda, third month was rice, fourth month was Pasta, fifth month was bread, and six month I cut out Beans and potatoes. My goal was to lose 35 pounds before my surgery, but I lost a staggering (at least to me) 64 pounds before my surgery. I amazed myself at my own willpower, which was far stronger than I had thought! Losing that weight on my own helped me gain more confidence in myself that I COULD do this!
Is it worth it/ do you regret it?
Yes, it's worth it. I felt like I got hit by a bus after the surgery and for a few days I was like, 'Why the hell did I do this again?' but it gets better! It's totally normal to feel like crap after surgery lol. I had my surgery 10 weeks ago today.
Do you feel like your life is normal?
What IS normal? I've lost over a hundred pounds since I started this process and I feel much better about myself then I did and I don't regret taking this route. I sometimes wonder if I should have gone the gastric bypass route instead since my particular surgery causes some... stomach upset that at times can be troubling because it sometime seemingly comes out of nowhere. But other than that I guess I feel normal... or as 'normal' as I'll probably ever be lol. (I've never defined myself as 'normal')
Can you do it with 50/50 support from those around you?
The most important part is your own willpower. Not everyone is going to understand the reasons why surgery is the best option. Even I had my doubters, but after I had my surgery they understand a lot more. It took me 8 months to lose 64 pounds and in the 2.5 months since my surgery I've already lost another 44. Meaning I'm likely to lose the same amount in HALF the time with surgery. Sometimes you just need to show them that you were right by showing results. It shuts the doubters up! x'D
Do you have to lose weight first?
It depends on your insurance actually. Mine didn't have the requirement, but I did it anyway. I have thyroid issues so I didn't have much expectation for a large weight loss, but I was pleasantly surprised with the amount I lost and am very proud of myself.
Is the loose skin as bad as people make it out to be?
It bugs me, but I'd rather have the loose skin than the fat. I'm trying to work on the loose skin on my upper arms as that's the area that bugs me the most. However, my insurance pays for skin removal after you've maintained for a year so... I'm not so stressed about it.
Hair loss?
I've only lost slightly more hair then normal. It's really not as bad as I was warned and it's honestly not noticeable.
Tips?
My only tip is to honestly give it your all. The psych doctor, shockingly, passed me on the first try. She advised me that if I was having trouble though to make an appointment with her. My advice is if you need someone to talk to about the struggle then by all means take advantage of that and speak with the psych doc when you need it.
I wish you luck on your journey and in whatever surgery you decide on. It'll be difficult, but it's 100% WORTH it! Set small goals for yourself and don't stress over every little thing. And stalls happen, it's normal.

It's totally natural to be scared! But trust me when I say this, there's very little to be scared about. Having any kind of gastric surgery has about the same risk as having an appendectomy. However, the thing to remember is that the heavier you are, the more risk there is for you on the operating table (assuming you have no other major health issues which would impact this). The good news is that surgeons have been doing this for quite a while now and have reduced surgery times significantly. Of course, you have to speak to your doctor about your own issues, but I imagine you would have to lose some weight before surgery (often you need to, to be approved by the insurance company). This is not only better for the surgery itself (in terms of complications, it also helps to shrink your liver, which is important for the surgery as well), but to get you on the right track in terms of eating habits.
Also, having surgery is NOT CHEATING. It is NOT THE EASY WAY OUT. I've written about this extensively before, but basically obese people, especially morbidly obese people, have a ton of things stacked against them when it comes to losing weight. Low metabolism, lots of fat cells (which you can never lose, only shrink), leptin-resistance, insulin-resistance, food addiction, etc -- all conspire against your weight loss efforts. There's a reason why people lose weight, then plateau, then regain (probably more than where they started from) - it's the body fighting back to get back to where it was. There are lots of books and research done about this, I highly recommend the book Fat Chance as a good overview. What surgery does (bypass or sleeve) is it "resets" the body back to normal. Hunger is gone (literally - that part of your stomach gets cut out). Metabolism goes back to normal. If you're diabetic, you have a good chance of not being one after surgery. They're still not sure why this happens, but it does. And what that does is it gives you a fighting chance to lose weight and to keep it off.

To answer your other questions:
What if I still want to use food to cope, what if I fail, what if I die? This is probably why you'll need a psych evaluation and you'll have to have some kind of counselling, or group sessions, or something like that, to help you deal with these issues. A lot of people who get the surgery are able to deal with their food addictions afterwards, but you have to be careful about transferring your addiction (as a coping mechanism) to something else, like alcohol. That happens. As for dying - honestly, at your current weight, that is a reality that will come sooner, rather than later, if you do nothing. The chances of dying in surgery are extremely low, and the success you can achieve from it is worth the risk.
Is it worth it/ do you regret it? Yes! I've done it twice now - sleeve, and a recent revision to bypass. Why? Because I failed - I went back to old habits, and after a while it was too difficult for me to realise any kind of success. I'm angry that I had to do it twice, but I don't have any regrets about it. I feel great, I have a different relationship to food, and my failure the first time taught me a lot about what I can and cannot do. I'll have to be careful about what I eat for the rest of my life.
Do you feel like your life is normal? Yes. In the beginning, it's a bit harder due to food restrictions and the size of your stomach, but after a while you just get to know what you can handle and what you can't.
Can you do it with 50/50 support from those around you? I did it with ZERO support from anyone - I did this by myself (self-paid) and have not told anyone about it. Not family, not friends (well, a couple of old friends, by they live halfway around the world from me). It's nobody's business but my own. Not everyone does this, a lot of people share, but many people regret sharing. Unless you are truly confident in what you are doing, and you are confident in the support of those you confide in, you may want to consider how much you tell, and to whom.
Do you have to lose weight first? In most cases, yes.
Is the loose skin as bad as people make it out to be? It depends on the person. Your age, how long you've been overweight/obese, how much you lose, etc. all impact what your skin will do afterwards. In many cases people will opt for some sort of plastic surgery afterwards to deal with problematic areas.
Hair loss? It's common to have Hair loss after surgery, during pregnancy, etc. It happens to most people but it only lasts for a couple of months, is probably not noticeable to anyone but yourself (unless you already have extremely thin/thinning hair), and it will start to grow back.
Tips? Think of things you want to do in your life that you can't, because of your current weight. It may help you with your motivation about what to do. Educate yourself - not just on forums like this, but find real articles, books, that look at real research and make your own decisions based on that. It seems overwhelming at first, and it can take time to overcome your reluctance, but in the end it's worth it.

~Thank you all for your love and support!!!
Also how do I update my profile? CW, surgery date, type, etc.?
It's better to do this on a computer, not a phone. Go to the top of the page and click your username. There's a dropdown menu. You can update your profile there. Near the bottom of the menu is says "My Surgery" - that's where you can put your surgery information, and update your weight, etc.

Hit two years earlier this month! Definitely out of the honeymoon phase and working daily to keep the scale between 135 and 140.

HW: 320
SW: 285
GW: 160
CW: 138

doing great keep up the good work looking amazing cheers !!!!

dont be scared here we are all in this together you look amazing keep up the great work and effort cheers

Waking a sleeping Giant.....
The reports are that the truckers are getting supplies to the stores.
People are stocking the shelves all night and letting old people shop first.
Carnival Cruise line told Trump “We can match those big Navy Hospital ships with some fully staffed cruise ships”
GM said hold our cars and watch this; we can make those ventilators where we were making cars starting next week.
Women and children are making homemade masks and handing out Snacks to truckers.
Restaurants and schools said, We’ve got kitchens and staff; we can feed kids.”
Churches are holding on-line services and taking care of their members and community.
NBA basketball players said, “Hold our basketballs while we write checks to pay the arena staff.”
Construction companies said, “Here are some masks for the medical staff and doctors”.
Breweries are making sanitizer out of the left-over ingredients.
We thought we couldn’t live without Baseball, NASCAR, NBA or going to the beach, restaurants or a bar. Instead, we’re trying to keep those businesses open by ordering take-out.
What communist China didn't count on was America saying "Hey, hold my beer and watch this."
I think a Japanese Admiral in the middle of the Pacific said it best in 1941, "I think we have awakened a sleeping giant."
Give us a few more weeks (maybe months) and we will be doing much better! Look at your community and the activities going on!

I used mederma also worked great

I used Mederma. My scars were small and now they are almost invisible.

Absolutely - only now at three months post-op has much of my normal level of energy returned - my calorie intake now averages 950-1150 per day and am still steadily losing weight. I'm able to work in my garden and take longer walks on the beach. My thoughts are it's a combination of very low calorie intake and recovering from surgery that causes the fatigue. Also make sure you're not anemic.
Don't worry, it came back for me and I'd expect you'll be feeling capable of doing a normal level of activities in time. Good luck!

Well I hope everyone is surviving with this virus issue?
Here in Australia things are going ok just the issue of supermarkets being raided and hard to get toilet paper before everyone buys it all... But no quarantine or anything yet...
Umm I don't go online as much because I'm happy and doing things my way... Fired my useless dietitian months ago...
I started this diet journey 7 months ago pretty much to the day and I've hit 150LBS lost I cannot even fathom it.
I never ever thought I would even get this far or this low but this bypass just seems to keep working for me.
I started my journey at high weight of 322lbs and today I weighed in at 172lbs first thing this morning 😁
Some might say I've lost more than enough but I feel I'm going well just taking each day at a time..
Still experimenting with different foods I can tolerate but taking it slowly and doing it my own way.
Some days I'll still feel like a shake or two.
Some days I'll be real hungry other days no hunger at all...
I've been doing it my way not worrying about specific stages or phases really.
So yeah 150lbs gone and I feel amazing. I feel like a new man and I'm like where did all the fat go?
It feels great people calling me skinny and I weigh less than most of my mates now hahahaha
I know I'll eventually need to start weights and stuff but I'm in no hurry yet.
Love Mikey xo

As an RN I can tell you the stresses, terrible working hours and conditions in nursing are why so many nurses are obese or morbidly obese. Top that with common sugar addiction - coworkers bringing in tons of sweets to share with all the nurses and staff to get through the 12+ hour shifts.
Having gastric sleeve surgery (at 58) was the absolute best decision of my life and my health has improved tremendously. I wish I'd been able to do it years ago. Going into the nursing profession already at BMI 40 is a time bomb. Please take care of your weight and health now, whatever you decide. In addition, you'll be on your feet for most of those 12+ hours which wrecks havoc with the knee joints if we weigh too much. Knee surgery is no joke.
I'm not trying to scare you, just letting you know the reality of the nursing profession. Whichever treatment option you decide on is up to you - just know I'm thrilled with my gastric sleeve It will take lifelong diligence with diet and weight monitoring to keep the weight from coming back but it's been a great tool helping me lose the weight and regaining my life and health. Good luck!
One thing I almost forgot to mention: Be aware that post-surgery your calorie intake will be very low but will increase gradually once on solid foods. I had trouble remembering things when on 600-700 calories a day - my brain wasn't getting what it needed to be "up to speed." It's only now that I'm averaging 900-1100 per day that I seem to be back to normal. Prepare for a temporary challenge with studying and test-taking if it affects you the same way. Will you have a summer break? Maybe do it then. Nursing school is intense and challenging, needing all our brain power to succeed.

As an RN I can tell you the stresses, terrible working hours and conditions in nursing are why so many nurses are obese or morbidly obese. Top that with common sugar addiction - coworkers bringing in tons of sweets to share with all the nurses and staff to get through the 12+ hour shifts.
Having gastric sleeve surgery (at 58) was the absolute best decision of my life and my health has improved tremendously. I wish I'd been able to do it years ago. Going into the nursing profession already at BMI 40 is a time bomb. Please take care of your weight and health now, whatever you decide. In addition, you'll be on your feet for most of those 12+ hours which wrecks havoc with the knee joints if we weigh too much. Knee surgery is no joke.
I'm not trying to scare you, just letting you know the reality of the nursing profession. Whichever treatment option you decide on is up to you - just know I'm thrilled with my gastric sleeve It will take lifelong diligence with diet and weight monitoring to keep the weight from coming back but it's been a great tool helping me lose the weight and regaining my life and health. Good luck!
One thing I almost forgot to mention: Be aware that post-surgery your calorie intake will be very low but will increase gradually once on solid foods. I had trouble remembering things when on 600-700 calories a day - my brain wasn't getting what it needed to be "up to speed." It's only now that I'm averaging 900-1100 per day that I seem to be back to normal. Prepare for a temporary challenge with studying and test-taking if it affects you the same way. Will you have a summer break? Maybe do it then. Nursing school is intense and challenging, needing all our brain power to succeed.

As an RN I can tell you the stresses, terrible working hours and conditions in nursing are why so many nurses are obese or morbidly obese. Top that with common sugar addiction - coworkers bringing in tons of sweets to share with all the nurses and staff to get through the 12+ hour shifts.
Having gastric sleeve surgery (at 58) was the absolute best decision of my life and my health has improved tremendously. I wish I'd been able to do it years ago. Going into the nursing profession already at BMI 40 is a time bomb. Please take care of your weight and health now, whatever you decide. In addition, you'll be on your feet for most of those 12+ hours which wrecks havoc with the knee joints if we weigh too much. Knee surgery is no joke.
I'm not trying to scare you, just letting you know the reality of the nursing profession. Whichever treatment option you decide on is up to you - just know I'm thrilled with my gastric sleeve It will take lifelong diligence with diet and weight monitoring to keep the weight from coming back but it's been a great tool helping me lose the weight and regaining my life and health. Good luck!
One thing I almost forgot to mention: Be aware that post-surgery your calorie intake will be very low but will increase gradually once on solid foods. I had trouble remembering things when on 600-700 calories a day - my brain wasn't getting what it needed to be "up to speed." It's only now that I'm averaging 900-1100 per day that I seem to be back to normal. Prepare for a temporary challenge with studying and test-taking if it affects you the same way. Will you have a summer break? Maybe do it then. Nursing school is intense and challenging, needing all our brain power to succeed.

Background: I’m a 20 year old female with PCOS. Highest weight I’ve ever been at, even with rigorous diet and exercise. My BMI is 40.7 or 42 depending on who measures my height. I have not been diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes so I don’t qualify for surgery, yet. I go for diabetes testing next week and I’m certain I will be diagnosed with it based on family history of diabetes and PCOS. With that diagnosis I would qualify for surgery through my insurance. My doctor gave me two choices: medication weight loss or the gastric sleeve surgery. I don’t know which one to pick and I’m terrified of having to make a choice. I’m scared of medication because I know I cant stay on the meds forever and when I come off the meds I could gain it back. I’m scared of surgery because I think its a big change at the age of 20.
Side note: I’m in nursing school(AKA no time for anything), my family does not support me, but my boyfriend does. I currently don’t make my own meals but I could.
I really need help and opinions or even stories of young people getting the surgery!!

The sooner you do it, the sooner you can live your life. My sister had rny when she was 22, an ex gf had a sleeve at 28. I just did the sleeve at 34. We are all doing fine.

I've been having one cup of regular coffee a day within a couple weeks of gastric sleeve surgery with no problem. I add some liquid pre-mixed Pure Protein chocolate shake to it and like the taste.

I've been having one cup of regular coffee a day within a couple weeks of gastric sleeve surgery with no problem. I add some liquid pre-mixed Pure Protein chocolate shake to it and like the taste.

it's hard to answer this because surgeons are all across the board on this. Some are OK with caffeine right away, some say never drink it again. Some are OK with it after a certain amount of time (e.g., after 4 weeks, or after six months). Some say it's OK if you limit it to one cup a day. Does your clinic have guidelines on this?

Sandra congratulations on making it the 100’s! I’ve got about 20 pounds to go to get there. I haven’t seen that number at the beginning of my weight in way too long.
Also, sending positive vibes to you and your son. That sucks to hear about the job loss. We’re in uncertain times right now and it is very scary.

I hit the hundred land goal and now none of my clothes have the "X" in them or a 2... in them. Prayers for all of you out there facing the challenges that face us in this time of stress. My son just lost his job, remember nothing is solved with comfort food and comfort eating. Hang in there and hang tough.