Fred in Pa

High B and Folate can be a sign of poor methylation. Your GP should check your homocysteine levels. This is especially true if you have the MTHFR gene mutation.

First and foremost, if you are religious person, pray. Pray for God to deliver you from the situation, and to give you the strength to face these most difficult times.
Second, try to find some quiet time and meditate. Go back to your time pre-surgery in your mind. Try to evoke the feelings you felt and the reason for getting the surgery…try to put yourself in your body, how you felt all the emotions and the feelings. Then live each day after the surgery again, thinking about how good you felt with losing the weight. Try to reclaim the positive feelings and the motivation you had to be that new person. Find that place again…live in it…let it be a part of you.
Third, find distractions. Exercise, walk, hobbies, etc. Find anything to get you away from the biscuits.
Fourth, don’t buy them! Walk past them. Buy something more healthy to snack on.
Finally, know that you are not alone, there will be ups and downs in your journey. Weakness and strength will come and go…come here often…ask for help…ask for support… ask for motivation and don’t forget the most important thing, PRAY.

First and foremost, if you are religious person, pray. Pray for God to deliver you from the situation, and to give you the strength to face these most difficult times.
Second, try to find some quiet time and meditate. Go back to your time pre-surgery in your mind. Try to evoke the feelings you felt and the reason for getting the surgery…try to put yourself in your body, how you felt all the emotions and the feelings. Then live each day after the surgery again, thinking about how good you felt with losing the weight. Try to reclaim the positive feelings and the motivation you had to be that new person. Find that place again…live in it…let it be a part of you.
Third, find distractions. Exercise, walk, hobbies, etc. Find anything to get you away from the biscuits.
Fourth, don’t buy them! Walk past them. Buy something more healthy to snack on.
Finally, know that you are not alone, there will be ups and downs in your journey. Weakness and strength will come and go…come here often…ask for help…ask for support… ask for motivation and don’t forget the most important thing, PRAY.

Thank you for providing this information. I was looking into the SADI-S procedure, but did not know If Aetna would cover it. I am switching insurances in January from Kaiser and I may need to do all of the prerequisites again since I was not mentally ready for the Kaiser requirements. I had so much going on in the last year.

Technically, they should not even be asking in a professional environment.
But, tell them an old gypsy touched your cheek and whispered “thinner”. Then walk away. That’s sure to get a laugh.

High B and Folate can be a sign of poor methylation. Your GP should check your homocysteine levels. This is especially true if you have the MTHFR gene mutation.

I went to see my GP this week to get some testing done. I actually looked forward to going, knowing things would to be better than the last time I saw her pre-op. She along with everyone in the office flipped out when they saw me. I'm down over 80 pounds in 5 months. The nurse said I lost a small person. LOL
I could fit comfortably in the chair when they drew my blood. You know that little table that folds down in from of you? I had room to spare. She asked if I was having fun buying new clothes. I told her yes. I love thrifting and now able to get around to do it.
The head nurse had to come in and take a gander at me. She called me yesterday and told me my bloodwork results were amazing. Everything is in normal range now. I am no longer pre-diabetic. Even my liver and kidney functions are normal. Those things scared me the most and my main reason to get the Gastric Bypass. Don't ever let anyone tell you those things aren't reversable.
My GP said she can't believe my numbers. Told me all her sleeve patients don't have these kinds of results in a year, even after prescribing them Ozempic. She sees patients from a local surgeon who only does the sleeve with no follow up support. I'm guessing most of those people aren't following any protocol because I see the good results on here, every day, of sleevers' success stories. I love reading them.
I went out of town to get my bypass in April that thankfully has a great Bariatric support team. I go back to see them for my 6-month checkup Oct 11. They did a Vitamin panel on me last time and all was well except my B12 was a bit high but nothing to worry about. And I go back in January for my annual physical with GP. Was told they can hopefully start taking me off my meds. I will be closer to goal weight by then. Something else to look forward to.

Fascinating article. Despite having taken several of them myself over the past few years, (including Saxenda and Wegovy), I'm very hesitant to embrace a world where weight loss drugs are the first line of defense against obesity. I say this knowing that at least some of my issue comes down to poor nutrition choices, made far too easy by an environment swimming in garbage foods and a culture that values quick convenience over everything else. When I commit to good nutrition, my weight decreases. I don't get skinny, or even "not obese" but I do lose weight. When the Snacks and junk food make their way back in the house and I have stressful weeks with work where I'm at my desk for 12 or more hours and fast food feels like my only option because I'm too tired to cook, I gain weight.
In about the past 60 years, we've gone from 13% obesity to 40%, with a 10x rise in severe obesity. This isn't just a weird thing that happened in a vacuum. There are pretty obvious reasons for this, some that could possibly be solved with significant changes to our food policies and investment in real nutrition instead of lining the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and massive food corporations. Much of our so-called food today has been designed to be addictive, by the same folks who brought us cigarettes, no less. That should give people pause the next time they're in the grocery store looking at all those shiny boxes and bags.
On the other hand, in the days when only 1% of the US population was morbidly obese...that was my family. And some of my family lived really long lives, into their 90s. Except the ones who didn't and died young. And you don't know which you'll be until it's too late. Up until my 40s, I was one of those people who had healthy bloodwork despite being 90+ lbs over my "ideal weight." I didn't worry about my weight because I was healthy. But that changed rapidly with middle age as my weight went even higher. Now I take blood pressure meds and am prediabetic. My feet and joints ache and I worry what that means as I age. I wish I had done more to keep my weight lower when I was younger and developed better habits early on. I can't believe how ignorant I was of nutrition facts when I was in my teens and 20s.
One thing I know is I can't afford $12k or more a year for the rest of my life to take these "miracle drugs." I'm not sure who really can or should. I'm grateful for surgery being an option, but it's not for everyone, and neither are the drugs. As a society, I would like to see more acceptance of humans in all sizes, and more focus on real health and nutrition instead of fads and gimmicks that make a few people really rich.

First off, congratulations on the weight you’ve lost so far! You should be proud.
I am about seven months past surgery and I’ve hit my goal. As others have said, weight loss is very slow. I’ve only drifted down a pound or two in the last 2 to 3 weeks.
It’s important to realize that you are still losing weight, so you are still working towards your goal. Some things you can do is take a look at how clean are your calories? Are you eating good, healthy food? Eating right keeps your body in-tune in all areas…keeps all the systems working harmoniously. Makes you feel good and keeps your MIND on track.
Another thing you can do is look at your exercise. Keeping muscle is important as it burns the fat and cardio will help you in your daily calorie reduction. It doesn’t take much to energize your body to help burn even more calories.
And above all else remember, slow loss is still a loss!!

First off, congratulations on the weight you’ve lost so far! You should be proud.
I am about seven months past surgery and I’ve hit my goal. As others have said, weight loss is very slow. I’ve only drifted down a pound or two in the last 2 to 3 weeks.
It’s important to realize that you are still losing weight, so you are still working towards your goal. Some things you can do is take a look at how clean are your calories? Are you eating good, healthy food? Eating right keeps your body in-tune in all areas…keeps all the systems working harmoniously. Makes you feel good and keeps your MIND on track.
Another thing you can do is look at your exercise. Keeping muscle is important as it burns the fat and cardio will help you in your daily calorie reduction. It doesn’t take much to energize your body to help burn even more calories.
And above all else remember, slow loss is still a loss!!

must be an individual thing. I can eat corn with no issues.
P.S. I didn't eat it the first couple years post-op, though. Not sure what my body's reaction would have been at that stage since I never tried it until I was out a ways from surgery

Have you checked your calorie intake? If you’re reducing your fat & sugar intake you will have reduced your calories which would explain your weight loss.
Why are you trying to reduce your pancreatic enzymes (which are produced naturally within your body & are needed for digestion & absorption of nutrients)? How does cutting fats & sugars stop the production of the enzymes or are you doing that for a separate reason?
I take pancreatic enzymes because I don’t absorb Protein well (side effect of my gall removal) hence my questions. I worry that reducing your enzyme levels may be causing your weight loss too because your not absorbing nutrients well.

Ty to stop before you get that full feeling. It takes a good 20+ minutes for the message to get through so we’ve often eaten more than we need by the time we feel full. It’s why we’re told to eat slowly & to take small bites. Try to stop when you’ve had enough. I still ask myself do I need the next bite or do I just want it. I found it helps a lot - mindful eating.
I wasn’t given weight portion only told 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée to about a cup at 6 months so at 3 months it was probably about 1/3 - 1/2 cup. But check with your dietician for their recommendations for you & your needs. It’s okay if you can’t eat the portion they recommend straight away or at every meal but of course don’t eat more than they recommend.

Same here…always cold…and I’m worried about heating oil costs!
Yesterday was a really cool day here in Pennsylvania. High was only 60° and I had to mow the yard. I was bundled up like Randy on A Christmas Story! 😆
I don’t enjoy being cold, but every time I am, it makes me smile, knowing that I am thin and healthier. I no longer sweat at the drop of a hat.
So embrace the big chilly!!!

I was just thinking the same thing, about making my own NSV goals. Or whittling them down to a small list, anyway.

1. The ability to sit on the floor/ground, so that I can play with and train my dog
2. Walking more and eventually being able to jog and do 5ks
3. Kayaking
4. Swimming. My late grandfather swam competitively until he was in his 80s, so I'd love to get lessons at his swim club.
5. Wearing a bathing suit that's not a swim dress, and not feeling self-conscious about how I look
6. Shopping for non-plus size clothes
7. Reducing/eliminating meds & sleep apnea. Would love to not have to use a CPAP

1. Less aching in my feet and joints
2. Being able to walk faster and longer
3. No more blood pressure meds (hopefully!)
4. Healthy lab work and no more prediabetes
5. Shopping in a store and not having to think "they probably don't have it in my size" or "that won't look good on me."

I've really been enjoying reading the non-scale victories thread. But since I haven't had the surgery yet obviously I don't yet have any of those. It has got me thinking about what my goals/ hopes for the future are and I was wondering what things others are wishing for.
For me:
1) Regaining my fertility / becoming a mom
2) Being able to shop for non-plus sizes
3) Being able to hike / bike without foot or knee pain
4) Getting rid of my sleep apnea / not being tired all the time
5) being able to comfortably sit in stadium seating
6) Lowering my cholesterol

Same here…always cold…and I’m worried about heating oil costs!
Yesterday was a really cool day here in Pennsylvania. High was only 60° and I had to mow the yard. I was bundled up like Randy on A Christmas Story! 😆
I don’t enjoy being cold, but every time I am, it makes me smile, knowing that I am thin and healthier. I no longer sweat at the drop of a hat.
So embrace the big chilly!!!

Same here…always cold…and I’m worried about heating oil costs!
Yesterday was a really cool day here in Pennsylvania. High was only 60° and I had to mow the yard. I was bundled up like Randy on A Christmas Story! 😆
I don’t enjoy being cold, but every time I am, it makes me smile, knowing that I am thin and healthier. I no longer sweat at the drop of a hat.
So embrace the big chilly!!!

Same here…always cold…and I’m worried about heating oil costs!
Yesterday was a really cool day here in Pennsylvania. High was only 60° and I had to mow the yard. I was bundled up like Randy on A Christmas Story! 😆
I don’t enjoy being cold, but every time I am, it makes me smile, knowing that I am thin and healthier. I no longer sweat at the drop of a hat.
So embrace the big chilly!!!

Same here…always cold…and I’m worried about heating oil costs!
Yesterday was a really cool day here in Pennsylvania. High was only 60° and I had to mow the yard. I was bundled up like Randy on A Christmas Story! 😆
I don’t enjoy being cold, but every time I am, it makes me smile, knowing that I am thin and healthier. I no longer sweat at the drop of a hat.
So embrace the big chilly!!!

Same here…always cold…and I’m worried about heating oil costs!
Yesterday was a really cool day here in Pennsylvania. High was only 60° and I had to mow the yard. I was bundled up like Randy on A Christmas Story! 😆
I don’t enjoy being cold, but every time I am, it makes me smile, knowing that I am thin and healthier. I no longer sweat at the drop of a hat.
So embrace the big chilly!!!

I had my surgery in the winter. I was cold straight away. The only time that I am in a comfortable temperature is when it gets to 35 + degrees. I have no need for Air con.
My poor husband sits in his underwear in the house
I wear base layers all year round. This summer I have rarely put my boots away. I have never worn thermal underwear, socks, slipper boots, gloves, scarves, jumpers or big coats before.
The bonus is that I make good pastry now, pastry loves cold hands

Yep, like @GreenTealael, I still feel the cold. Hate the refrigerated section in grocery stores. Take a blanket like long coat into cinemas. Brrr.
We’re almost halfway through Spring here but are having a bit of a cold snap. It’s about 70degrees F today & I’m in thickish leggings, socks, a hoodie, have a blanket over my knees & the air conditioning on warm. Some say it gets better & you reacclimatise but I’m still waiting.
I always dress more warmly than others & always keep a coat in my car just in case I need something extra.

Welcome to the club! We really should have jackets made (and sweaters, mittens, scarfs etc)
How being cold has affected my life:
I’m still cold years later. I have to carry extra jackets during outings just in case. I’ve started looking at base layers in stores again. No insulated mug is hot enough for my needs. If I need something from the refrigerated section of the store it feels like a burden. I completely avoid open refrigerated and freezer areas. I will never travel to Svalbard with my partner, I want to sit exactly at the equator.
But the bright side is I still have plenty of insulation so it’s not as bad as it could be.