thesuse2000

190 - made goal!!

Good luck all.

Thanks again Susan! Looking forward to the next one!

I love that! I'm down two cinder blocks too - and hoping to go for a third.

Congrats!

Thank you!! This will help me stay on track through the holidays!

I've been wearing 11s for a while, but I think I was really a 10 1/2 wide. Now 10s usually fit. This is beyond feet, but I bought some boots last week - and not wide-calf! That was a total NSV for me.

I wonder if you need a small unfill? That might help you to be able to eat more filling foods like chicken and veggies. Not sure, but it might help. People with too tight bands often end up gaining weight.

Have you tried asking the OCC if they can recommend a doctor/practice in your area for after care? I had my band surgery at the OCC (great experience) and they connected me with my surgeon in NY who did my follow ups and who ended up doing my band revision and then sleeve revision. I hope they can help.

I was thinking maybe he misheard you - and thought 211 was your start weight, but the subsequent looking you up and down makes me think that wasn't it. Whatever- you have accomplished SO much! Regardless of what one doctor has to say about it... hope your abcess heals soon!

193 today - finally broke stall!

Can you imagine if people in communities suffering from starvation/malnutrition said to their children - Don't eat all of that! There are obese children in America!

I was never told to avoid coffee/caffeine after surgery, so I haven't changed my habits at all. Still generally drink one cup of coffee in the morning and usually a cup of tea in the afternoon.

It sounds like you've had a very rough year. Be kind to yourself and acknowledge how far you've come. In the scheme of things 15 pounds isn't that much damage. You're catching it early enough to make some changes and get back on track. I agree with beaglelover - try to make the time to go to a therapist just once a week. I know, sometimes finding the time to research and find one can be a bigger deal. Maybe post here to see if anyone in your area has a recommendation!

If things are just super crazy right now, maybe wait till you get through the current hurdle and then make a plan to spend some solid time mapping out a plan to get back on track. Think about what foods you were eating when you were doing well - or what activities you were doing, or what your mindset was. And take time to work through all the changes in your life and the loss of your mom. Might not be a bad idea to think through the implications of working from home - maybe that's not ideal for you. Or maybe you need to map out some ways to make it work while sticking with healthier habits.

You've been so successful - you can and will get back on track. Good for you for reaching out here. Take advantage of all the support you can right now.

Lipstick lady and Cynthia have made all the points I would. For me as well the intestinal rerouting just felt like a bigger deal - it's a bigger surgery with a higher risk of surgery complications, but mostly I just worried about longterm problems associated with the malabsorption. I didn't want to have to worry for the rest of my life about getting doctors to prescribe pills specially for me given my anatomy. And of course as we age we tend to take a lot more pills! I liked that the sleeve was just simpler - my stomach is smaller now, but that's it.

That said - I think your GERD concerns are important. Other than due to lap band problems I never had GERD, but since my sleeve I do have to take a PPI daily or I feel the acid building in my stomach. I really hope this dissipates over time. I hear that it often does. I wish you the best in your decision. Either option will give you a great opportunity to take back your health.

I love it! I've been experiencing a similar thing. Congrats!

I'd tell me that everything is going to be okay. That the sleeve will actually help manage my/her out of control hunger and cravings. I'd tell her to make a strong commitment to thinking about food in a new way and redefining her relationship with food. (Actually I told myself that last part back then and I really did shake things up).

I was a band-to-sleeve revision, so having had one weight loss surgery fail I was so much more scared of failure the 2nd time.

I assume you're pre-op? I recommend reading a lot on this site and getting yourself as prepared as you can for the way you'll be eating post sleeve - and for what to expect before/after surgery.

Agree with points above as well. I didn't share my surgery widely when I did it. And I debated sharing it at all. But once people started asking me what I was doing I just wanted to be honest. I thought about the people I work with or associate with who struggle so hard and can't keep weight off. I felt like it would be cruel to make them think that I just found more strength than they had.

And sharing has led to lots of conversations with people who've considered it, or have a loved one thinking about it. It's nice to feel like my sharing might help someone else - and help reduce the stigma associated with it.

I agree! I understand that some people would rather avoid the negativity, but it generally does a disservice to those who suffer from obesity to project a false image of someone who's successfully lost a significant amount of weight without surgery. It just perpetuates the myth that with just a little more will power anyone can lose that weight.

The best kind of exercise is the one you'll actually do! So if you will work out at home, and it's more convenient and you're set up - I say go for that. As for weights - you can get yourself some weights - but there are lots of things you can do at home without any equipment - like push ups, crunches, squats, leg lifts, etc. I just started working out at a gym with a personal trainer - and that's what he's got me doing for now. I hope to build up to weights, but for now this stuff is plenty intense for me!

I agree that you should confirm with your surgeon's office, but "net" refers to the final amount - as in net salary after all taxes are removed. I imagine that means that your final weight can't be higher than your start weight. But again - confirm with the experts!

My husband was against it too, but didn't try to stop me. He's naturally thin and I think it just seemed unnatural and unnecessarily risky to him. I think he doesn't understand how risky obesity is. And like yours, he thought if I try harder I can do it without surgery. But that is just not realistic for 99% of us!

Maybe if you educate your husband on the realities of longterm weight loss success for morbidly obese people - and the risks of remaining there he might better understand that the risks associated with surgery are much lower than the risks associated with not doing it.

This page has a nice comparison of diets and WLS: http://www.realize.com/education

And here are some educational videos about obesity risks and WLS:http://www.realize.com/education/online-seminar

I hope that you choose what's best for you even if he never truly approves of it. I'm so glad I did!

Congrats on getting a plan that will cover WLS!

Yes - most surgeons require a pre-op diet. Diets vary, but most common is 2 weeks of high Protein, low calorie shakes. It's meant to shrink your liver which allows for a safer surgery (because the stomach sits under the liver, and so a smaller less fatty liver will allow the surgeon to more safely lift it out of the way).

I've never heard anything about pre-op colonoscopies. In some cases an endoscopy is done - but that's more for people who formerly had a band or have other stomach issues.

I was told no fingernail polish for surgery (for reasons you mentioned) but toe polish was okay.

Yeah - I find I become much more interesting as I lose weight.

Alas, I fear that I may be guilty of doing the same. We humans are imperfect and we generally just prefer interacting with prettier, slimmer people. It's something for all of us to try to stay conscious of.

I would recommend against flying to west africa now, unless you have an important reason to do so. Otherwise, no, I don't think it's a bad time to fly. I'm pretty sure the risk of a plane crash (very low) is still higher than the risk of catching ebola on your flight. And your risk of dying in a car crash on the way to the airport is way higher than either of the above.

This outbreak is a huge tragedy and emergency in west africa right now, but it is not anywhere near as threatening for Americans as some news channels are making it out to be.

How many Americans die each day from guns? About 30

How many die in car crashes every day? A little over 3000

How many Americans have contracted Ebola in this country? I've only heard about two. And I'm guessing they'll both survive as well since their symptoms were caught early.

Here's a good article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2014/10/16/ebolas-very-contagious-ebolas-also-hard-to-catch-confused-heres-how-to-understand/

194. Down 1 pound.

(now entering stallville)

I agree on the clothes. Another thing to try is ebay - I've bought a few things there for cheap.

About the stall - maybe think about whether you might have let little Snacks and meal additions work their way into your diet over time. If not - and you're still eating pretty clean and under 1200 calories of so - then the scale is bound to move in time. Your body may just be adjusting to where you are.

gastric bypass is a bigger surgery, that involves rerouting of intestines. It has been done for much longer than the sleeve and so is a more proven method, but is more likely (from early comparisons) to lead to longterm complications than the sleeve. The "bypass" of intestines leads to not all of your calories being and nutrients being absorbed, so this is an additional way that it supports weight loss and maintenance vs the sleeve, but this can also lead to problems associated with malabsorption of nutrients.

One other benefit of the sleeve is that more of the part of your stomach that secretes ghrelin is removed. This is a hunger hormone, so removing it helps manage hunger.

I'm very happy with the sleeve. I would also ask your doctor to explain the relative risks and benefits of both. There may be reasons specific to your health/body that make the sleeve a better option for you.