WendyJane

Hi Marisa, You can use this forum for all of your questions and hope that you get answers. There is another platform if you can afford a little bit of money to become a member of BariNation. The money you save on cigarettes, you can join the nation. Just my plug. Community of people like you, and there is room for beginners, and a lot of former smokers all on the bariatric journey. Licensed professionals for groups and meet-ups, a great place for support and answers, celebrating non-scale victories. Quitting smoking is hard, it took me a year of taking Chantix twice a day to keep me from smoking. I "cheated" and took a cigarette now and again. Totally changing your life by going on a liquid diet and quitting smoking can make you nuts. I know that if you begin the quitting phase now, you will much more successful once your surgery comes to fruition. Wishing you the best!

When I feel that I need to snack, I drink a protein shake, that takes my hunger away. I get my movement in and do both strength training as well as cardio, now that I got clearance to do so. I track everything I put in my mouth from the water I drink to ever morsel of food. If you think you need a therapist, I would suggest spending only 40 bucks a month and join BariNation. They have groups with licensed people, including social workers, counselors, dieticians, physicians, and quite frankly there are people just like you and me and everyone in this forum, all bariatric patients and we help and support each other. You can attend any group or meet-up you wish, and there are so many ways to track your wins every day, particularly your non-scale victories. Just a nudge to check things out, you will be surprised. To see a little bit, they have YouTube videos too, for free if you want to check them out. All of the professionals in BariNation are well versed in working with Bariatric patients/clients. Community is therapy. Hope for the best!

Sometimes, it is your brain thinking you are hungry, it is called head hunger. Stop and think to yourself and ask during the pause about is this truly hunger in your stomach, or is it some other reason that is making you think you are hungry? Sometimes people eat due to boredom and if you are only a couple of weeks out from surgery, you will have to suffer through the hunger signals that your brain is putting out. Kind of like mind over matter. You don't need the matter, find something to do, like journaling and make it just go away. It is hard, very hard, but we all need to focus on the reason we are hungry, the head or the stomach. I hope you find something to keep your brain occupied, other than food.

If you are on capsules for your bedtime keep in mind that the capsules are for those who have a whole stomach, and will dissolve so the pearls inside can be metabolized. My surgeon told me to open the capsule and just take the little pearls inside. That worked for me so I could get some reasonable sleep. Good luck to you! Glad you have had some good nights.

Fabulous work....inspiring to us new folks!!

I'm still really new at this stuff, but when your friend tells you that you need a smaller swimming suit, you need to pay attention. My boobs went flying last week, and I bought a size smaller, too big, bought another the next size smaller, fits! Is it strange and unnerving, you betcha!!!

Congratulations! Up your protein to save your hair.

Have you tried any of the Ricotta Bake recipes out there?? They are so yummy. I make mine with Pizza sauce and it adds all the flavors I like.

Hello, and welcome!

Hello AngieNM, That is a body image issue that sometimes will rear its ugly head. We all here can tell you that we experience it. Just the other day my husband asked to see my hand. I didn't know why but he looked and said "wow, you are losing weight". I didn't believe him so I got on the scale, which I try to avoid, and sure enough, I had lost weight, lots of weight and I looked into the mirror and saw the same large body, just flabbier. I'm a member now of BariNation, which you can be too. They have Licensed Social workers, Registered dieticians, physicians and registered dieticians all that are bariatric specialists and they hold groups where you can learn, get therapy, ask questions, and a whole host of other things. Instead of waiting for a response like in this forum, you get instant gratification from having a community of people like yourself, and friends that are long lasting can be made easily. Remember that your goal was not just a weight loss surgery but a metabolic surgery that will bring you to a state of wellness. As you lose weight, you will have body image issues, and because you see yourself as the large you and do not see any differences this is because you have no real record unless you took pictures of yourself and still do to help you with your differences that you can see. It takes time, but it is worth it in the end if you can work through your feelings in groups or with private therapy about the criticism from your family that is a life long battle. All of us were criticized, mocked, teased and otherwise shamed about how we carried our weight never realizing what it was doing to us on the inside emotionally and psychologically. Join me in BariNation, get some group therapy, at least try it for a month and see how you like it. It is really worth the 40 bucks a month, just a little over a dollar a day for all kinds of therapy and peer support to help you. I wish you the very best!!

My pre-op was a waiting game, and I joined BariNation. I watched their podcasts and thought I would try it for a month. I have been there ever since, and am glad to have people to learn from, licensed therapists to talk to and nutritionists that are registered dieticians to get recipes from and information about nutrition. There are physicians that give answers to questions, and peer meet-ups that keep you involved and are very helpful. I spend most days there because there is always something to attend during the day or in the evening. It is depending on the time zone you are in as to when these zoom meetings take place. There is a lot to learn, and one thing I learned is that I have a lot of Non-scale victories both before surgery and now after surgery. I have made friends that get me, and we talk, instead of write, and some I have numbers for and when we have some head work involved, we call and talk to each other to help us past the hard stuff. I would recommend it to help you during your waiting period. Isolation is not a good thing. I learned over the months that isolation can actually be detrimental to your work and progress. You want to continue to progress before your surgery that is nothing more than a tool. Being in groups helps to keep you grounded, and you can learn about emotional eating to help you to get some work done in the emotional eating realm of our lives. We used to use food as comfort, and we can't do that now, once you are post surgery. Wishing you the best.

Why on earth do you want to have 160 grams of protein? Are you trying to kill your kidneys? Too much protein isn't good for you, and your body only metabolizes 50 grams max at a time. What is your eating routine? Do you eat snacks too? Are you drinking protein shakes? What are your absolute yuck foods on your list so we can stay away from them? What do you like to eat?

Great goals and congratulations on putting away the CPAP!! Welcome to the group for support and to cheer your victories.

Thanks for the congrats. So tell me what are those "no-wanna-do" things on your list? Most women are not mind readers, lots tend to mold into what they think the man wants them to be, unless you find a solid woman that holds her own and is independent. My 28 years of marriage comes from being frankly honest, apologize later if necessary or start a conversation with "this might come out wrong, but..." Having open and honest conversation is the key to success in a marriage. Many women just want a wedding and don't think about the marriage. It takes work just like our new lives with surgery takes work. So be careful of those sneaky women just looking for a great way to have a huge party (the wedding).

My take on lifting, I hired a personal trainer, and we laugh through it all the time. Having a partner with you really helps to make the time go by, and your partner counts the reps because you have to focus on the good form. But yes, sexy muscles, not a 6-pack please. LOL

You would be surprised, women like men who make errors or embarrass themselves, it makes them "vulnerable" and more lovable, adorable and fun to be around. If you can laugh with your friend, that friendship can easily develop into something more. I married my goof-ball husband who has two left feet that he freely admits, and we laugh more than anything else. Of course, I too have messed up a few times, on purpose and unintentionally and it made a lasting impact on our relationship. Been married 28 years this year.

Definitely wine is the culprit for you not being able to sleep. You know what you did, but do you know why you drank wine? Knowing the why is always the hard part. If you can identify why you drank 2 glasses of wine at 10pm, how big was the glass.? What prompted you to want to drink that late? One must be aware of the why to understand why they can't sleep. Hope you got some sleep!!

Hello SammyGold, Welcome to the Bariatric Forum. I was on a GLP-1 since 2013 without knowing it was a GLP-1, and it changed over time. I was prescribed it by my endocrinologist for my diabetes. What I did once I started on Mounjaro was to lose about 70 pounds, and changed my eating habits to protein and veggies. That's all I ate. More Veggies than protein. I have a bad hip and decided I would take the next step and get the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Bariatric Surgery. While I am only 7 weeks out since surgery, I have seen a huge difference on the scale, and in the size clothes that I can wear already. My face doesn't even look like my picture anymore. I had to lose weight and get my BMI down so I can get a new hip, and I'll be getting that in August, I have exceeded the goal, and plan to keep on going. With the GLP-1s that I was on, I never experienced nausea, but that is a huge side effect for many. It has to be the right dose for you, so look carefully at the different meds, and find out what your insurance covers before you ask for a specific medication from your provider/doctor. Insurance companies are getting ridiculous about weight loss drugs and surgery. They deny due to the cost of the medications. 6 months worth of GLP-1s can cost what it would if you had a gastric bypass surgery!! So contact your insurance company to find out what they cover for weight loss. That is my big take away!

Congratulations maintaining your weight. What is your secret to a healthier life?

Welcome to the Bariatric Group! Diabetes is a strange critter. With diabetes, you have to remember that your liver will push out glycogen and convert it to glucose overnight, that is why you have differing numbers with the same breakfast. It is also dependent on what you ate the night before. I still get strange numbers, but I'm off all of my medications and insulin for diabetes and I'm only 7 weeks out from surgery. I haven't taken any meds or insulin since the day before my surgery. The highest I have been is 137, and I don't go below 83 mg/dl. I got rid of my Dexcom 7s to a needy friend, and will be giving my syringes and unopened bottles of insulin to my endocrinologist who I see next week on Thursday. Already, it has been quite a ride. From the hormones flying about, to not having to inject insulin and reduced medications, I'm moving better, walking a lot and recently was released to go back to the gym where I swim, cycle and lift weights. I can't imagine my life any different now, best decision I've ever made. Ask me in a year how I feel. LOL

Welcome Magicman, Here is where you will get a lot of answers to your questions that you may have. Feel free to ask anything and everything. I know that knowledge is power, and you want to be powerful going into the Metabolic Surgery/Bariatric Surgery. The last time I took my insulin and meds for my diabetes was the day before my surgery. I have not been over 137 mg/dl since that time and got rid of my Dexcom 7's to a needy friend since I don't need them anymore. I see my endocrinologist next week, and I already know that my A1C is 5.1 which is a lot better than it was before. I basically don't have the A1C to be called a diabetic, but it is in remission for sure. I just need to keep on the program and not regain weight. I'm only 7 weeks out from surgery, but already I have to buy a smaller swim suit and clothes, my pants keep falling down. I'm feeling better and know I'm healthier. Welcome to the Bariatric Club, you found a good spot for support and question asking!!

Being 3 weeks out, you do probably still have swelling from the surgery inside your body, and thus you need to sip and eat carefully. Not sure what diet stage you are on, but certainly you have a post-op visit coming up, I would definitely bring it up to the team and see if they want to do further testing. Three weeks out is still newly fresh post-op, and things should get better in time, but certainly bring it to your teams attention if it persists.

I'm not to drink any carbonated beverages, and that is okay since there is too many chemicals in those sodas, and they make you more thirsty. I stopped sodas years before surgery anyway and have been drinking crystal Light, all flavors for the variety. I urge you to try that and some have caffeine if you need the caffeine. I'm not to drink any caffeine until I am about 6 months out. But you go with what your team says, or do what you think is best. Wishing you the best.

Nobody should hurt, if you hurt, something is not right. If you feel like it is in your esophagus, you are probably either over the ounce limit for you, eating too fast, eating too much. I would slow your pace down, chew really really well, and eat a bit less than you have been and see if it helps. If it doesnt help then think about seeing your surgical team, you may need an upper GI test to see if you have a hernia up in the diaphragm area. Wishing you well.

I had to be at the hospital at 10am, but my surgery wasn't until 2pm, I was able to take my meds in the morning that my doctor wanted me to take before surgery that day with little sips of water only, otherwise, I stopped anything by mouth at midnight, well over 12 hours before surgery. I would err on the side of caution and give yourself 12 hours to have a dry stomach and digestive system before surgery. Wishing you well on your journey.