mb20mom

I felt the exact same way since I was so successful at losing during the Options classes. And I feel this is exactly why Kaiser patients are so well prepared by the time they have surgery. It's so great that you're thinking long and hard about this and you have the opportunity to "weigh" (ha ha) all your "options" ha ha (I crack myself up). I can offer you this: with all my thorough thinking and even though I knew I was so sure about going through with it, the moment I woke up from surgery I said "why didn't someone talk me out of this?" (But I was just a miserable whiney surgery patient). But now? I love it. Every day I feel like I have a secret weapon that has finally broken the pattern. I finally feel normal and have such comfort knowing the weight is off for good. I have zero regrets. Zero. I can still eat whatever I want. I'm not deprived. Wish I had it done 10 years ago. Keep thinking and good luck on your decision!

I finally got a surgery date with Dr. Zane at South Bay, it will be on Sept. 14, my preop is happening on Sept 2. Bobcat:thumbup:

Congratulations!! That is so exciting for you. I know what it's like to wait that long, and I bet you can't believe it's finally happening. I don't know how Dr. Zane can keep any of his patients straight when he sees so many. Good luck on your surgery!

Kaiser Harbor City has a waiting list of 200 people and are not taking patients for another list nor is West LA.

Whoa! 200 people, really??? I guess I feel lucky that I got in when I did! That's crrrrrazy. Good luck on your surgery...you sound very excited!

Sorry to hear of your throat troubles. That's all you need when you have everything else going on to worry about...I remember Dr. Zane kept me longer too...until I could pee more (kind of obvious if you're not getting in enough fluid) ha ha. I'm sure it was good to get out of there and go home. I had a hard time too at first, and I can assure you it gets soooo much better before you know it. Just take in what you can and let everything heal. Keep us posted.

Yes the dense Protein is the most filling for me also. I was amazed the other night at the movies at how much popcorn I could eat! That stuff must press down to nothing when it hits your stomach. But if it's chicken or steak, maybe 4 bites and I'm done. I can eat a whole yogurt pretty quickly, but still can't finish a Lean Cuisine. I can eat almost a whole slice of pizza (minus the back of the crust), 1/4 of a sub sandwich (with the bread crust peeled off) or 1 taco. salad is easy to eat a lot of, and I can usually get in about 1/3 of a burger. Most importantly, food is not as important to me as it used to be. I remember before that upon waking up I would think about what there was to eat for Breakfast, but now I wake up with thoughts of what the scale might say today. Food is just a formality to eliminate hunger, and it doesn't matter that much what the food is anymore, especially since it's only 4 bites anyway!

I think being in the public eye is a great opportunity to be an advocate for the VSG! I've never thought it to be something we should be ashamed of. On the contrary, people's reactions seem to be more of curiousity and acceptance that we are taking action in our lives and making a courageous decision to improve our health. I don't think you have to worry about documenting your journey and not losing weight...you WILL lose weight! Anyway, it seems that when celebrities lose a lot of weight now, everyone just assumes they had some sort of surgery even if they aren't public about it. It's so much more accepted now than it used to be. I say go for it and be proud of yourself that you're doing it and let the public see that you are positive about it.

A week after the Dr. said I was turned down I received the information in the

mail for the orientation and classes. I go this Thursday. I not sure what happened, but I read one post that said Kaiser lowered the BMI requirements to 35.

Congratulations! That's good news for you!

Sounds like you've hit the "now what" stage. I've often pondered what it will feel like to be done with the weight loss and whether it will be depressing like a big let down. It's been so important to us for so long, and it's a goal we thought we'd never reach, and we forget that the people around us don't really care that much about our weight. And we must remember that people we meet now don't know we were ever fat. For so many years we told ourselves how much better life will be if we lose the weight. And now you've lost the weight, and maybe it's not the big hooplah we thought it would be...it's just life going forward as a normal person. No longer are we different, and there will be no parade for us. Hang in there and enjoy life in your new body! Try to remember all the things you thought you couldn't do when you were heavy and do them now. Go shopping and try on clothes you never thought you'd wear. I don't know, I'm not there yet, but I am trying to be prepared for when it hits me...hope you feel better. You sure look better! Remember that.

It's not impossible to drink soda, just not a habit you'll want to continue. There's not enough room for the bubbles and it causes immediate burping. I have a sip every once in a while, but I would never order a whole soda for myself. Now I drink Water, iced tea, crystal light, coffee and don't miss the soda too much. And I was a Diet Pepsi addict for 30 years! I think when you give up the beverages with meals, it's easier to give up the soda.

No you're not alone. I've been hungry since day one and it's never gone away, as I kept hoping. I also get hungry 2 hours after I eat, like you do. I don't have to eat much to satisfy it, but I'm jealous of those who lost their hunger from the surgery. It was my main motivation for getting it done and it has been disappointing for sure. I still wouldn't go back though.

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time with Kaiser. I had surgery at Harbor City, (which I hear they won't refer to now since they're so backed up) and thought my case went thru pretty well. I think part of the problem started when they shortened the Options class from 24 weeks down to 12. It's as if it didn't occur to them that this would double their case load and now they can't keep up. I don't know why they don't have more of their own hospitals do the surgery. I thought it was bizarre that I had to travel so far for my surgery when there were so many Kaiser hospitals between here and there. Seriously, it must be one of the most in-demand surgeries they perform, yet so few facilities can do it.

I honestly love my Kaiser coverage. I am very impressed with the level of care I get everywhere I go and feel very fortunate to have it. Good luck with your journey.

Sounds like Options is working for you. Great weight loss so far!

I had my surgery thru Kaiser when Options classes used to be 6 mos long, so you guys are lucky that it's now only 3 mos. But you might end up just postponing that 3 mos when you have to wait for your surgery date. Since everyone goes thru faster now, they get really backed up. In fact I think I read in another post that where I had my surgery (Harbor City) they're not taking any new patients for awhile.

The Options classes are very important. I've read numerous posts from people on this forum about how un-prepared they were after having the surgery, with no attempt at preparing for how to eat or even trying to lose weight. I felt very prepared, and as a result, knew a lot of what to expect of my new tummy.

Mr. Mason, I hope you do what's right for you, but I would highly recommend the surgery. I have no regrets and I don't miss a thing about my previous eating habits. In fact when I see restaurant commercials, the meals look so big and over sized that it's painful to imagine eating that much. I feel so lucky to have a built-in portion size regulator now! It really is almost effortless, and it's so great to know that the weight is NOT coming back on this time. Good luck to you and enjoy Options.

mb20mom wow 70lbs? How long did it take to lose that? How are you feeling? Was it super difficult to adjust? Sorry for all the questions...

I lost 27lbs of that in the 6mos of Options classes, so I've lost almost 50 since surgery. It feels like it's going slow to me, actually. Sometimes I go 2-3 weeks at a time without any loss, then I'll lose 2lbs and that's it. I'm always hungry though, so the whole loss of hunger thing didn't work for me...:thumbup1:. The other day I bent over to tie my shoe and I stood up and realized how easy it was...so to answer your question...I feel amazing!

Great to hear you got a date! That's a long time to wait though, so hang in there. Good luck with it all!

I think you'll still be able to eat it, just small amounts, and that's all that you'll want. It's not really a deprived feeling you get like I thought it would be. You can eat what you want, and after about 4 bites, you're too full to want any more of it, but you had some, so it's okay. I know the dread you're talking about, because I used to feel that way about Pasta and burgers, like I would have to say goodbye to my favorites, but I can have them if I want, and now I don't really want them, because it seems to be a waste of useful space in my tummy. I definitely think losing the weight is way better than not getting to gorge on our favorites anymore.

Yep, it's a great way to add flavor. I also use coffee (poured over ice) and mix it with Protein and milk. It makes a great iced coffee drink full of protein!

I highly recommend Dr. Zane! He's the best!

I just got over doing the exact thing you're talking about. After a year straight of pretty strict dieting/healthy eating, I needed a break. I found myself eating a few chips here and there, then Cookies, cupcakes, candy and so on. For 2-3 weeks I ate anything I wanted and at first it was like, hey, I can eat all this and not gain any weight...but I wasn't losing either. I knew I had to go on carb detox and stop it in order to stop the cravings and it worked. Now I'm back on track and I just follow one simple rule...eat anything I want as long as it's not sugar. Now I'm back to losing and just hit onderland! And the cravings are gone. Last night I had a shredded beef taco, tonight 1/2 a burger. For Snacks I eat mostly nuts. The other day I made a cherry pie for my husband's birthday and didn't even want a slice.

So I think what you're going thru is normal. Our brains remember the fat girls we used to be and those food memories are strong. I say eat what you want and get it out of your system. It gets old real quick and you'll be back on track soon.

I weigh every morning and I know it's going to fluctuate, but I don't let that bother me. I wake up every morning excited to get on the scale!

I must stay away from chips, ice cream, candy, cakes. Those were my main contributors to my weight. I love to bake, and must stay away from doing that right now. My best healthy fillers are chicken, beef, eggs, and a good hearty salad with chicken in it. You shouldn't have any trouble with the veggies you mentioned, I can eat any veggies.

Sorry, I know it's been done, but I can't believe I finally get to say those words. After a very long and disouraging stall, I'm finally back on the losing track again and today the scale actually said 199! I have a sliding scale like at the doctor's office, and I had to move to the 150 marker when I got on the scale today and I was shocked.

There, thanks for letting me boast, and I am so happy to join the club! I love my sleeve!

Great information, thanks for posting. Nice to hear that life is normal. You should give us some pictures!

I had to have 2 favorites prior to my surgery - a huge burger from Chili's, and the Black Tie Pasta with chicken at Claim Jumper. The thought of eating either of these now sounds disgusting because they are so huge. Funny how we see meal sizes now.

I quit 2 years ago after smoking for 25 years. The 2 tools that helped me finally do it, was a prescription pill called Chantix, and a book titled The Easy Way to Quit Smoking. The Chantix helps to make you forget about smoking as it blocks your pleasure sensors to the nicotine. You actually take it while still smoking. The book helped by teaching you to be joyous about quitting instead of deprived, and that it's an emotional addiction and not just a physical one. Kind of ironic, but quitting smoking is what led me to getting the sleeve because I gained so much weight that year. I hope you are successful. I'm still extremely proud that I finally did it and now I don't even think about it, ever...it's such a freedom to be unchained from it. Good luck to you.

I remember the burning feeling. I had to support my fat belly with my hands if I moved, but one day (maybe day 6 or 7) it was just gone. I thought I heard it was damaged nerve endings and once they repaired themselves the pain stopped.