Spinoza

You sound like you've totally got this Angelina. Best of luck to you. 😊

I don't know what to say LadyH. I really really hope it doesn't get cancelled again. Did they give you a reason? Is there any room for you to go back to them and explain that the reason isn't a good one? I have absolutely everything crossed for you. 😥

I lost 2lbs today - about time too! Felt like I had been stuck for a century.

Yes, I have a few meals out lined up over the next 3 weeks and I think I'm just going to order whatever the softest starter is, to come out with everyone else's main courses. If there's Soup on the menu better still. I haven't told anyone other than my partner and children about the surgery but all my family and friends are so used to me permanently 'being on a diet' so they won't turn a hair at this latest restriction to my eating. 😏
Gmast - if you had asked me in my before life to split a meal I would definitely have looked at you as if you were mad. 😍

Had you never tried diet and exercise previously? If not, you're right, it might have been premature to leap right to surgery. But most of us who have had WLS have tried for years to permanently lose weight via all kinds of eating plans and all kinds of exercise plans. And many of us HAVE lost hundreds of pounds over the years (or decades), only to gain them back, plus extra. You know the quote about the definition of insanity? There comes a point where you know in your bones that "one more diet" or "one more workout plan" is not going end any differently. If you really believe you can lose the weight on your own, then it might be too soon for surgery. Most of us were long past that point by the time we had our procedures.

You sound like you've totally got this Angelina. Best of luck to you. 😊

There's truth in the gherlin explanation, but it's also oversimplified so maybe gives people the wrong impression. There's multiple hormones that affect hunger. Leptin is another hormone that makes you hungry - it is made by your fat cells as they lose energy. Leptin is proportional to the number of fat cells you have, not the volume of fat. Fat cells multiply as you gain weight, but they don't die just because you lose weight - they just get smaller. A normal weight person that used to be fat will be making more leptin than a normal weight person who was never fat because the person who used to be fat has more fat cells. Leptin is part of the reason why people have a "set point," or a weight that their body likes to be at that is maintained by the body by changing your hunger and metabolism. Insulin also increases your hunger in the long term. You make insulin after you eat, while you are feeling full. But if you are constantly making a lot of it, your muscle cells get resistant to insulin and have trouble getting food even if there's plenty of food in your blood already. They will feel hungry and tell you to eat more. This is why sugar is kind of addictive to people who tend towards insulin resistance. If your body isn't getting enough Protein, that will make you feel hungry too, even if you are eating enough calories.

Also, there's two sets of neutrons involved in hunger - your brain is one set, but your gut also has its own neural network, and scientist understand much less about how this "gut brain" works. One of my friends is a scientist in nutrition and physiology, and a member of obesity research societies. He's the one who told me about this "gut brain" stuff.
Scientists in the field don't entirely understand why WLS works. One puzzle is that they've observed that insulin resistance improves right after surgery - within a day or two people will be off their diabetes meds. They know insulin resistance improves when you lose weight and when you exercise, but they don't know why there's this fast change after WLS. Another puzzle is that they've found that a few years out, WLS patients have a higher metabolism that is closer to a person that was never fat, whereas people who lost weight through diet/exercise have a much lower metabolism than a never fat person. WLS somehow resets your "set point," but they don't know how exactly.

Scientists have tried to develop drugs that change these hormones like gherlin and/or leptin. "WLS in a bottle" would be much easier than actual surgery. But none of these approaches have worked yet. That's another indication that they don't fully understand how WLS works.

But it seems likely that resetting your set point is a process that occurs as you lose weight. It's not just a change that occurs instantaneously when the surgery is done. It's not just that your smaller stomach makes you feel less hungry and you can't eat as much, so you lose weight. It's that the process - losing weight while spending a lot of that time not feeling hungry because your stomach feels really full - changes what your neural networks consider to be your set point, and that in turn makes you feel less hungry without your hunger increasing and metabolism dropping in the long term.

If this is how it works, that would explain why the people who stick to the diet more strictly in the beginning have more success in the long term. For instance, if you eat sugar early on, that sugar is going to increase your insulin and insulin resistance and make you feel more hungry over the next week. Even though you may be eating exactly as many calories and have exactly the same stomach size as a person who is more strict about what they eat, that process won't work as well, and your set point won't get as low.

I hope it all goes smoothly for you 🤗

I wanted a way to track bowel movements with Baritastic so that I can better tell when I’m ok vs constipated. I couldn’t find anything in the app so here’s my workaround. 😂

I just record it as strength training!

I disagree that its drastic for anyone with up to 100lb to lose. People have and maintain obesity for many reasons, some quite complex, which is aside from individual factors such as gender, height, age. I am quite short 100lb extra on me is massively obese, whereas, 100lb on a 6ft1 person may well be overweight or just in the early stages of obesity.
What a lot of people don't realise for lighter weight overweight person 25lb or 50lb is just as hard to lose as 100lb or 150lb for those who are more overweight.

Hi, yes I had a week of clear fluids and then a week of Soups and shakes. You're almost there and you have done so well - just one and a bit more days to go! Every step feels like a big one towards a completely new way of eating but it's like waiting for the holidays - I get all "hurry uuuuuup!" every single day 😂

@Spinoza btw I adore your profile pic!

I had my surgery in Mexico. It was literally the best health care experience I've ever had. I researched the hell out of it and chose an excellent doctor and hospital. The doctor was trained and certified in the US, and had excellent success rates. If it's a quality hospital and up-to-date surgeon, they use the same medical practices as they do in the US. But because labor is so much cheaper there, the nurses hover over you and take such good care of you. I did have one issue when I had an allergic reaction to a medication and we had trouble explaining what was going on to the nurse, but then they went and got one of the doctors that spoke better english.

I'm absolutely sure that your friend has your best interests at heart. But she may not be well informed about this subject. Lots of people think bariatric surgery is a bad idea no matter who you are and where you do it. My mom was definitely worried when I told her I wanted to do it. But she talked to my sister-in-law, who is an endocrinologist, and told her "oh yeah, bariatric surgery works, it will add 10 years to her life."

And surgery in Mexico sure sounds shady. But there's crappy surgeons in the US too. No matter where you are getting surgery, you should research the hell out of it and choose someone who you trust. My mom was nervous about it, but she also went with me and helped me communicate. I was very happy to have her along since you often feel pretty bad right afterwards.

There's nothing wrong with re-evaluating your plan and making sure you're comfortable with your choices. But there's basically a 100% chance that someone who loves and cares about you will think its the wrong decision. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. In the end, it's your choice, not theirs. You're the one who is living in your body, you're the one who knows best what you need, and you're the one who looked into this and got the information and made the decision. That's how it should be.

Hi,
The November surgery thread on the gastric sleeve forum seems to have disappeared. Please can you reinstate it or allow me access again? It's where all my buddies are!

It's really hard. I found hot things (broth, herbal tea) filled me up a bit better than cold but whatever way you look at it it's brutal. BUT - it's shrinking your liver right down so you can have your surgery and your new life. I hope the last 2 days fly by for you and your surgery goes super smoothly. Please let us all know how you're getting along.

Honestly don't worry LadyH - trust your procedure, the weight will come off when you've recovered from the surgery itself. 5lbs in 5 days is amazing actually! I am 18 days post sleeve and have lost 4lbs only. I know it's disappointing because we compare ourselves to others who sometimes seem to have lost lots more. Keep the faith, drink your Water and get your Protein - you'll be fine!

Your food sounds delicious too OG! Full of Protein too. Fingers crossed for a good loss for both of us this week. 🤞

It's really hard. I found hot things (broth, herbal tea) filled me up a bit better than cold but whatever way you look at it it's brutal. BUT - it's shrinking your liver right down so you can have your surgery and your new life. I hope the last 2 days fly by for you and your surgery goes super smoothly. Please let us all know how you're getting along.

Kirsten I suspect you just hit a stall at the wrong time! You've already lost 25lbs so if they need evidence that you can stick to a diet there it is! At 800 calories a day you will definitely start losing again, I really hope you see a good loss this week, sounds like you're doing amazingly.

Thank you all I'm still hanging in there.

Sent from my SM-A015AZ using BariatricPal mobile app

It's really hard. I found hot things (broth, herbal tea) filled me up a bit better than cold but whatever way you look at it it's brutal. BUT - it's shrinking your liver right down so you can have your surgery and your new life. I hope the last 2 days fly by for you and your surgery goes super smoothly. Please let us all know how you're getting along.

Lol-none of us on THIS site can be “lesser” people, that’s for sure!
just kidding, folks.

One month will seem like a crazy long time as it quickly zooms by. Time is funny that way.
Make a list. You will likely be surprised how underwhelming your list is. It seems like a lot in our minds but manageable when written down.
Tests and appointments: Each of these are 1) Schedule it; and 2) Do it. Once you schedule it take it off your list and put it on your calendar. The calendar is in control now. Nothing to do but wait.
The list get's shorter quickly.
Supplements: Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good. Good will work. Heck, not so good will work. Just eeny, meeny, miny, moe a choice. It's not like you are committed to your choice for life. You can do ridiculous amounts of research when you have time post-op because of all the not eating you will be doing. Cross this off your pre-op list and move on.
Write down your questions so you don't forget them. Research when you can't do anything else. Presumably questions related to "Should I do this?" have been answered, so the questions you have left aren't do or die. You will have plenty of down time that you can fill with research.
Lists are good if you tend to get overwhelmed.
Good luck,
Tek

I had a drain. It was the bane of my existence because there is no medical tape that could secure tubing designed not to allow surgical tape to adhere to it. I tried them all. I finally threw caution to the wind and found the solution: Duct tape. Angels sang. By the time I went for my follow-op Doc had to get through layers of duct tape just to talk to me.
Duct tape. I hear those angels sing every time I say it.
If it doesn't move when it should: WD40. If it moves when it shouldn't: Duct tape. :angels singing:
Most folks don't have a drain with their Gastric Bypass. But I recommend the duct tape for your surgical tape needs.
Good luck,
Tek

I am also hungry - properly hungry - since my op 16 days ago so I guess I might be one of the unlucky 20%. Sticking to my volume restriction of 1/3 cup pureed whatever per meal and also taking 2 Protein Shakes. And a tiny cube of cheese every day. Cannot wait for soft foods, also keen to see whether solids will allow me to feel my restriction and to finally feel FULL!