lizonaplane

I don't have RLS, but I take medications for Bipolar disorder and for that reason (worry about medication absorption) my surgeon and doctor both recommended sleeve rather than RNY, so that's what I'm going to do.

Did your surgeon clear your for strength training yet? I haven't had surgery yet, but I've seen online that heavy exercise isn't recommended too soon after surgery until you are eating more calories. Having said that, 10 lbs a month is a LOT. Unless you are the size of the people on My 600 LB life you will not lose a ton of weight each month. Someone in a FB group posted a Bariatric Surgery Averages and for people in your weight category, the average lost in the first six week is 15-25 lbs, so if you've lost 20 lbs since surgery, you're smack dab in the middle of that!

I agree that it may be time to tell them you're not comfortable talking about your weight... but they're trying in their own way to be supportive. Also, you've lost 60 lbs! that's a lot!!! Yes, exercise will help, but eating according to your plan is just as important, if not more so. I know when I'm depressed, I just can't get myself to exercise. I know there is evidence it is helpful, but it just doesn't help me. If I'm feeling good, I enjoy it, but I just start thinking too much if I exercise when I'm depressed.

When I lost 100 lbs on my own 5 years ago I went down 1 or 2 sizes. I have heard it's common, but doctors don't believe it...

I don't own any dresses but I've seen some people recommend to wear a dress after surgery because it won't rub against the incision sites as much. I don't know if it's worth buying a dress I would never wear again to wear for the week of surgery. I don't even have a nightgown or anything like that, nor a robe. Can I just wear baggy, elastic/drawstring waist pants? Thanks!

That's great that you feel ready now to tackle this life-long challenge head-on! Go you!

I am having the sleeve and I have GERD (Mild) but I do not have to have an upper GI. My surgeon doesn't think it's necessary.

I would talk to your doctor. Are you awake because of pain? Nausea? Just restless?

I agree with everyone who says you will need to work with a therapist. Otherwise, you will just gain the weight back after surgery. The surgery doesn't fix your mind. There are therapists who specialized in binge eating disorder and other eating issues. Now with online therapy, it's easier than ever to find a therapist and get therapy. I don't think that serious eating issues can be tackled with self-help books, especially if depression is compounding the issue. If you are seeing a therapist for depression, they may be able to recommend a specialist in eating issues. If nothing else, make sure your depression is being adequately treated with medications that don't exacerbate your eating issues.

I make a pot of iced coffee at home an use Fairlife protein milk and splenda. After surgery I'll probably switch to protein drinks in my coffee. I don't like starbucks, though. Their coffee is really bitter. And soooo expensive! I can make at least 20 servings of coffee for what it costs for 1 starbucks drink.

I have hair that is short/buzzed on one side and short/a few inches on the other. I was also wondering about this. I have a lot of hair, but each hair is pretty fine. I was wondering if I would want to change my hairstyle before surgery, or just see what happens.

I'm really hoping that this is true for me. I find it uncomfortable to most exercise and so I don't do much other than slow walking. I also enjoy slow hiking and swimming when I'm on vacation, but somehow I don't seem to do those things when I'm not on vacation. I've always blamed it on the noise level of fitness classes, but I think if I'm honest with myself I really don't like not being able to keep up.

I also really like Fairlife Chocolate Core Power or 30g Protein Nutrition Plan, both taste like chocolate milk to me. I'm not a big fan of the vanilla, and I haven't tried the strawberry or banana because artificial versions of those flavors never work for me. Just look for the ones that have low total sugar (2 g or 5 g) because they do have some with added sugar.

Yes, I just came back from a hiking/walking/swimming trip on Sunday. I haven't gone snorkeling in a year and have only gone a few times in my life, but that's because I live where it's too cold and I'm scared of the ocean (I like to swim in pools). I was more worried about my incisions healing and having enough energy. I know people say they have more energy after surgery (once healed) than before, but I have a ton of energy now (until dinnertime and then I fall off a sleepy cliff until 5AM when I'm wide awake).

I haven't had surgery yet, but I can definitely taste genepro and isopure. I find if I mix them with luke warm water and add them to things that are more strongly flavored it's more tolerable, although I can still taste it. I have had success with lobster bisque, chicken curry, and steel cut oats. I tried some canned campbell's soup and that was meh. The most important thing is not to heat up the protein powder. Also, sometimes I only use a half serving of the isopure because it's so much. Yes, a lot of people report their tastes changing after surgery, at least in the short term.

I know what you mean about rice in certain cultures. It will take some getting used to. My semi-ex-boyfriend (I know, right?) is Colombian, and even though he is skinny as a rail, he doesn't like to eat a lot of carbs (maybe that's why he's skinny as a rail?), and he got his parents to start eating cauliflower rice for a lot of their meals, maybe try it! I usually don't like rice, but I feel like I need it with curry. I made curry this week and used cauliflower rice. Definitely not the same thing, but it's tolerable. And you can try wild rice, brown rice, quinoa, etc, just use less (and maybe not right after surgery!).

I'm probably having surgery in August and I'm wondering when it might be possible for me to take a trip to Hawaii to go swimming, snorkeling, and hiking. Would November be too soon? So, that's about 3 months post-op. Due to my work schedule and COVID, I haven't been able to take much time off this year and I'd like to take a vacation after surgery. If swimming, hiking, and snorkeling would be too much, are there other things that would be easier, like just walking around a city? I thought of Hawaii because it's in the US and going abroad might be hard due to COVID, plus it's warm in November. Would a long flight be really challenging? What are some things I'm not considering about how I'll feel 3 months out? I can't get anyone to go with me, so I'll almost certainly be going on my own unless I take a package tour.

I love buying craft jewelry, some of which is pretty expensive. My favorite is rings because I get to look at them when I'm wearing them. Due to all my weight changes over the last decade I have lots of sizes. Craft rings are hard to resize because the shafts are not standard. After my weight is HOPEFULLY FINALLY stable after surgery I will probably have some of them remade by the original crafts peoples, if I can't just find a different finger to wear them on.

That sounds terrible. I am pre-op and I used to be hungry all the time until I started eating high protein in preparation for surgery. I'm still hungry in the middle of the day a lot, and it sucks. Can you have protein shakes and bone broth? Maybe it's head hunger, too, like you are used to eating stuff you can't have now? Maybe you can take a nap to at least pass the time?

I have lost 28 lbs in 3.5 months just doing lower carb/higher protein and eating 1400ish calories a day. No sketchy pills.

You should talk to the surgery center about why the insurance is denying you. The insurance company would normally provide a reason for the denial, at least I think they do. And you can call the insurance company and find out the reason. I have had to deal with insurance companies for a chronic illness and it's really a PITA but you can always EVENTUALLY find out why something is denied.

I have researched this a little bit and I have read that there is so much variation depending on hydration level and other factors that it's very hard to get an accurate reading from home "smart scales" that say that they measure body composition. Like, you may think you are getting leaner but then the next week it will show you as having higher body fat because you have a lower hydration level. Whether you can still get trends over time, I couldn't tell, but I decided that I would want to know more accurately and more consistently than these were likely to provide, and that the numbers being all over the place would drive me bananas.

I think you'll find that for almost any issue there are a variety of recommendations across surgery centers and even surgeons. It drives me nuts, because I work in clinical research and we have to ensure that everyone at every site follows exactly the same protocol to make sure things are consistent, here the surgeons just do whatever each one thinks is best and there doesn't seem to be a consensus. My mom works as a consultant in the field and she says this is how it is in surgery; things just aren't standardized. I would talk to your surgeon or nutritionist about your concerns about using straws, ask why they feel it's important not to use a straw. I think some surgeons feel that you swallow more air that way, which can be uncomfortable. There are water bottles that have openings that are similar to straws but a bit bigger; maybe that would be a good compromise? If all else fails, remember that it's your body and you get to decide what you want to do with it.

I'm pre-surgery still, but I will say the hardest thing I've done so far is go on vacation and not eat everything in site. Usually I gain 5-10 lbs on vacation, but this time, I gained only 0.4 lbs. I did it by tracking everything I ate and sharing meals with my mom (she actually did gain weight, which is unusual for her, but she's a lot thinner than me). It's hard especially because my mom is so focused on which "nice" restaurants we go to and what we're going to eat; if it was just me and my dad we'd eat from a chain salad place every meal.

I think it's hard for us, non-medical professionals, or even if some people are medical professionals, to say what it might be. If something "doesn't feel right" I always find it's best to call your doctor, especially since you're just recovering from surgery. That's why they get paid the big bucks!