The Greater Fool

It's ok, I'm used to your attacks. And I *AM* a plan this, plan that person. Just owning it. Finding a carrot is an interesting idea. It must be important since with surgeons that have a different philosophy on everything except no eating on the night before surgery. As a group (super) morbidly obese folks aren't known as a group that can control what they eat. Would you trust that we didn't break the rules? I wonder if they scope the stomach before they start to ensure there is nothing there? Or that there is no disease process. Damn you, I'll be working this out all day! Tek

Welcome to the forums. I'm one of those people MsMocie was talking about. Plan this and plan that, that's me. It's best to stay on plan. There I said it, got it out of the way. My plan pre-op was closer to a low calorie diet. I sucked at low calorie diets, and on top of that I had one of my favorite high calorie meals about 5 days before surgery. In other words, It won't end the world. It can't be the night before but otherwise... But don't do as I did, stay on plan. Enjoy your meal Tek

Welcome to the forums. That's an interesting procedure. I'm glad it's working for you. Good luck, Tek

It's possible you may never know the cause. Tek

Nonsense. Not stupid. The interface is a little wonky [technical jargon] sometimes. It's a wonder it doesn't happen more. But, I'll bet it's a mistake you don't make twice. At least twice in a row. Tek

Read your original post. Each sentence is posted twice. Just a bit of humor.

Any one else getting the feeling of deja vu? It could be related to vacation over indulgence. If you return to your plan meal sizes (or your previous meal sizes), you'll likely get back safely. Good Luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. Is it constant? Particularly good or bad at different times? In relation to meals? When did it start? Did anything else change then? Tek

Ask your Doc. Tek

There are no rules for this sort of thing. You have to do what satisfies your tracking method and accuracy. My method is: Don't count. Perhaps the easiest of all the tracking plans. Good Luck, Tek

Welcome to the forums. While getting a referral for WLS is helpful, you can push the process yourself. You can also Doctor shop yourself, do research on the Docs and narrow down the options. It's important that you research each of these procedures yourself, not that we won't do what we can to help. Pros and Cons are difficult because some folks can view the same issue as a 'con' while others view it as a 'pro.' Also, some pros and cons are in relation to the other procedures. As you research each of your options, pros and cons will sort themselves out for you. Here is a quick summary of WLS options: LapBand: I think they are still doing these. This is a restrictive procedure where a band is wrapped around the top of the stomach. Beyond the band is your full size stomach working the way it does now. This is a low impact procedure. Sleeve: a restrictive procedure that creates a small 'sleeve' out of your existing stomach. The sleeve runs from our esophagus to your pyloric valve. This procedure has the least impact on your plumbing. The weight loss mechanism is that the amount of food you can eat is dramatically limited; RNY: aka 'Gastric Bypass'. This is both a restrictive and malabsorption procedure. A 'pouch' similar to the sleeve above is created out of your stomach that bypasses the pyloric valve and a portion of your intestines. The weight loss mechanism is two fold: The amount of food you can eat is dramatically limited, and what food you do eat is not absorbed completely; DS: [There are a couple variations of DS] This apparently has changed a bit since I was paying attention 17 years ago, so I'll let the folks who know what's going on describe this for you. I do know that there is both a restrictive and malabsorption aspect to this. But the plumbing is changed a bit more. I had RNY in 2003. I'm pretty much healed. The first two weeks were toughest for me, and by 6 weeks I was getting around pretty well. I reached goal about 2 years out. With this basic information you learn almost nothing that is important. My health is good. I am happy without the weight. I've done things that I never imagined I would do, like horseback riding, kayaking, running, 5 marathons, better marital relations, theater seats, airplane seats. The joys go on and on, and still new ones every so often. I am unusual in that I still have not much of an appetite, still only eat smaller portions (not like immediately post op, but probably less than most people eat 2 years post-op. Don't know why it worked out this way, but I'm happy about it. Good luck in your research and your journey thereafter. Tek

Welcome to the forums. Since this is the "Gals' Room" I should probably make a subtle withdrawal. Tek

I'm sure there are other sites out there that can get you Obesity Help. It's likely the folks here would not want us to send you to possible competitors, but there are other places where Obesity Help can be found. Good luck finding Obesity Help. Tek

Except for OUR opinions, of course. Ours are supportive and caring opinions. Good opinions. All in good humor Tek

Don't freak out yet. Wait until your Doc says it's time to freak out, then have at it. I don't wanna take your Doc's thunder but Doc will have your answers. Don't panic. Tek

I must be an aberration because while my portion size has increased from where it was 17 years ago past the 2 month mark, not by much. The video doc above claims that folks will be back up to a plate of food at 5 years, but I have found that is not the case with me. I take his point that pre-op, we were able to eat 2 plates. I could probably have done more, what with being a binge eater. I can't eat a normal plate of food, even now. If it's a 5" plate, I won't leave as much, but there is still usually left over food. I don't think this is necessarily attributable to anything I did, at least purposely. I also don't have much of an appetite either. I can't see how anything I did could have had an impact all these years later. I'm just wierd. Tek

Congratulations! Get ready for the thrill ride of your life. All the scary stuff is setup at the beginning of the ride, then comes the fun and exciting stuff. Enjoy! Tek

I take complete credit for this information. After all, I suggested MsMocie share her knowledge. Your welcome Tek

Welcome to the forums. Take a breath. You have a lot on your mind, We have time to get to know you, and you us. 6 months before I had my RNY I rejected the very concept out of hand. I believed that if I really wanted to I could lose my extra (1/4 ton) weight. Know thyself. 🙄 I didn't have the same sort of issues you have. I wasn't diabetic. Heck, I wasn't anything. I had a couple issues I wasn't aware of, but most of my comorbidities were in the near future. Your choice to have WLS is all about you. Not everyone you thought would support you will. Your heavy friends will feel like when you lose weight you will abandon them. Or judge them. This is their problem not yours. You may lose friends because of your choice. Don't let them guilt you about doing something for yourself. When we get the technology to switch lives, then maybe they can have a say, but until then, no way. Your life is hard right now. You have it within your grasp to change this. You just need to reach out... If you choose WLS, life will get harder before it gets easier. The first 6 weeks will be challenging in ways you can't imagine. You will get through it. Then it will get better, in some ways quickly. Then as things progress, you will find you are feeling better. You are looking better. You are doing better. Month after month. Keep up your therapy, it will help you process things. Good luck, Tek

You'd think we would have learned that nothing diet-wise is forever. "I'll never eat this food, that I love, again." Yeah, that's gonna happen. "All things in moderation. Including moderation." (Oscar Wilde, probably) But, we have to put off certain food exploration as long as we can. Learning that we can eat that little candy bar, or we can drink 1/2 that chocolate shake, are things we don't need to know in week 5. Learning to eat around our surgeries is the beginning of a long, hard road filled with "wanting to get back on track" It's funny, though. "It was nice to add a little something different that wasn't just protein and veggies." Protein and veggies where heaven for me. My "perfect" meals where generally protein and vegies. You were excited to add brown rice. Yuck. We are all built so differently. It's amazing our surgeries work for so many people with such differences. Keep up the good work, Tek

Hello and welcome to the forums. Neck pain could be related to them moving you around on the table while you were sleeping. Give your Doc a call get his opinion on the incision pains. Good luck, Tek

You are in a weight loss phase, yes? In weight loss phase one needs to lower calories [calories in] and/or increase activity and/or exercise [calories out]. You want [calories in] to be less than [calories out] to lose weight When you reach your goal, you're plan will likely change to approximate [calories in] = [calories out]. You will have to learn where this balance is for you, but it won't be what you are eating now, unless you want to lose weight forever. So, don't eat 1200 calories now unless it's on your plan. 👍 It's been so long since I read anything on set point theory, but it may be worth the time to read about 'starvation mode'. I'll bet MsMockle has the info off the top of her head. I'm old and have no memory. Good Luck Tek

Back when I was very active on a couple other message boards, someone did a poll on people's age when they had their wls. The groups were 20-29, on up to 90's. The 90s and 80s were empty, but 70s had a couple, and 60s was many people. They may look at your health a bit more, but it's mostly up to you. Good luck Tek

You've apparently done reading on this subject so I doubt there is much I can contribute on "damaging metabolism" and "set point" theory. With or without WLS we need a minimum number of calories to support a healthy body. 800-1000, or even 1200 calories as a daily norm seems low, except the most extraordinarily sedentary life styles. Health.gov puts average healthy calorie intake generally [age/lifestyle breakdown at site] for women (5'4", 124lbs) to be 1600-2400 calories and for men (5'10", 154lbs) 2000-3000 calories. An RNY or DS patient, who absorbs fewer calories than we eat would need some amount higher than the averages above. Of course, the calories not absorbed would at best be a WAG (Wild Arse Guess). Now, honestly the Health.gov calorie requirements seem high to me, but who am I to argue with Health.gov. Good luck Tek

No surgeries. Yeah, the worst is the unknown. I've had more surgeries than I can count, so I'll take you through it. First, do what they tell you to do. It probably won't end the world if you're a few minutes off, but try to stick to the instructions. Things vary by surgeon and surgery, so I won't get into any specifics. If I hit on something your surgeon didn't mention, don't vex. For WLS, they may have you on a special diet, possibly liquid, for weeks before. This is because they want you lose weight to shrink organs and give them room to move about in there; They will likely turn off the last time you can eat or drink. This is because they'd prefer your stomach and upper intestines empty; You will be asked to show up at the hospital on the day of the surgery. They find it difficult to operate if you're not there, so it's best to show up; They will have you gown, setup your IV, maybe give you something to relax you. Now is when you start waiting. Once I was old enough to read, I started bringing books. Cell phone might work, but some hospitals are testy about cell phones; Eventually, the Doc will come in and say hi and talk about things. My Doc made sure he asked everyone 2 questions: "You know you can die?" and "Do you want to continue?" Yours will do it slightly differently; More waiting; The Anesthesiologist will make an appearance. The order of Doc & Anesthesiologist may be reversed. The Anesthesiologist will talk about things like smoking, what issues you may have had in the past, and whatever else tweaks his/her fancy; More waiting. How the book going? A Nurse will come in, get rid of anyone waiting with you, then wheel you into the OR. It's cold. They'll scoot you onto the operating table. Everyone is doing something but you. You're just laying their; Soon enough, everyone settles into starting positions, the starting gun fires, and we're off. Your Anesthesiologist will ask you to count backwards from 10. Or the alphabet, or whatever this Doc does; OK, 10, 9, 8... You sleep through all the exciting stuff; You become aware that you are more or less awake. Someone will notice and come over to check on you. You're doing fine. The get you more awake, eventually your whoever can come in to sit with you. They'll bring your book, but you really don't have the focus to do much of anything; You're Doc told you if you are going home today or not. Back for mine, it was a 3 day thing. Nowadays, you might have an overnight stay, maybe not. I don't know if you're going home. Pay attention. It's hard, so don't worry about it. If you're going home, they'll get you stable and awake, give you instructions; More waiting; They'll come in and tell you to get dressed; More waiting; Ooh, going home paperwork! More waiting; You could have gone home hours ago, why are you still here? And out the door you go! After a bit more waiting; If you're not going home, they'll get you stable and move you to your room; This is mostly wating; If you get a magic button (for pain) push it. They may want you to drink (or not); They may give you food if the docs want's you to have it. (Mine wanted me to have puree, but I had 3 days to go); Enjoy the rest; You're now on the way home. Enjoy the ride; Good Luck and enjoy Tek