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I really want some cherry tomatoes w some ranch dressing. I wont eat it bc Protein first and i never have room for more than that, but its a new craving to me.

I felt that exact same way. I am 7.5 mos out and still cringe at a meal but not nearly as much as I used to. I snack all day so when The do sit down at a meal I don't feel so "depressed" and fed up about food. I starting to get my taste back for food which is good. Give it time. You'll enjoy food again but this time it'll be the right kinda like veggies and good proteins.

Answering to the best if my ability. I was banded in 2006. Always had GERD issues or unsuccessful long term weightloss. I went straight band removal to bypass in one surgery. I did not want multiple procedures though some surgeons insist on letting your stomach heal first. Mine is fantastic and I trusted his skill. I had gallstones and amd gallbladder removal at 14 and it never made me throw up in the night! That's classic band issues to me and you're right very dangerous. A. Do I have to jump through all the hoops again with the psychologist, nutritionist etc. if I do this? I did not have to jump through too many hoops bc my surgeon deemed removal of band medically necessary and suggested rny. He was also a "center of excellence" meaning they hold a high standard along insurance companies and are more trusted. I had to have an endoscopy, 2 nutritionist visits (mine actually did I two in one for me bc I begged) and psych eval but that was it. B. Having just had 2 surgeries in October do I have to get all new blood work etc? Yes and you need it to determine Vitamin levels etc before a surgery like this. You don't want to be deficient going in. C. Do most bypass patients spend 2 night in the hospital. Many spend 1-3. I spent two but that was bc band removal was very painful for me. D. In revision, how long did you have to do all liquids? 3 weeks post op. E. Post-op....how long liquids until puree's then finally solids? 3 weeks liquids, 9 weeks soft foods (only pureed at first then soft meats etc). F. Do you find it daunting Vitamins for the rest of your life? Are they expensive? Yes but not outrageous. My health is most important. They are expensive if you get fancy ones from your surgeon which I will take for a year bc they are the most trusted and I'm not messing with my health. G. If you need 60-80 grams of Protein per day yet can only intake 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food, how am I reading that people eat apples etc. doesn't almost all food need to be protein? Any way around drinking the shakes? Shakes are great bc you can get 30 g of protein in a shake. First 4 weeks I had two a day. That was all my protein. I'm six weeks out of surgery and know I have one shake and eat protein first at meals. Sometime protein is all I have other times I add veggies. Fruits should be last. (There is fruit in my yogurt double win). H. How do fats work? I try to eat a low carb diet yet I do enjoy my salad dressings, butter and olive oil? I am doing low fat when possible (except some cheese that's my weakness). Olive oil is a good fat. I am not over thinking the fats. Some fat is good. No ribs, ribeyes etc. I. It freaks me out that one can gain weight and stretch out their pouch....hence landing up where they started. This surgery is so final but it would be worth it if I keep my weight off. My main problem is my appetite! So far best thing about this surgery is having less appetite. I never really had that with band. Good would her stuck and painful but I didn't exactly feel full or satisfied. Now I feel satisfied. I will do my best to not stretch out my band but at least we have malabsorption to help us out. They did not take out as much Intestine on me bc my bmi wasn't over 50. There is a food routine you can do if you stretch out your pouch to help it shrink. But don't go there. J. Is it like the band in that you can really eat pretty much anything but just smaller portions...like really small? My band was very inconsistent. It was super tight in the morning and lose at night (sometimes). Mornings I couldn't eat eggs and night I could eat pizza. The restriction is different. I don't throw up now or make myself. I don't get stuck. I just feel full. All my avid reflux is gone. It's a wonderful feeling. I wish I had this to begin with. The band is a horrible procedure for many. Half of them inserted have already been removed. Many respected surgeons have quit doing them entirely. The pharma company that makes the band has been trying to sell it. Many banded patients do not do quite as well when switching to rny as first time surgery folks. We know the tricks of the trade, how to cheat, and are used to severe restriction. Just be aware of this and work the program. Many have great success too. You will experience stalls. Keep pushing through. HW 296 (in 2006) SW 237 CW 212. 6 weeks out. Goal weight 160. I am 5'5".

@@BeagleLover well then that test had to BS, I work out 1-2hours 4 day's a week..

Today I woke up with a horrible UTI (Probably my 3rd in the last 6 months) so I went to the Dr's and she did a Urine Test that came back positive for High Sugar content and she went on to say that she wants me to come in and get blood tests done for Diabetes after I finish up with my Antibiotics...I am 5 months Post-Op and 65lbs down, has this happened to anyone else?, Is this even possible?.. I mean I thought diabetes was something you got before losing weight not after!..I had mentioned this to her and she just chuckled at me and was like "Anything is possible". I want to call BS on the whole thing and say that her test strip was simply wrong, But I don't really know. Sees unlikely since I just had a urine test done 2 months ago and everything was fine, I had a battery of tests done this past summer before surgery and everything came out ok and I have no other symptoms of diabetes I feel great, No family history either.. WORSE VALENTINES DAY EVER...

I bought almond milk today in hopes that I can drink it.. and omg I got my butt chewed today over posting a pic of supper from a few friends who have had wls bc ot was fruit. They was like where your protein. Hello I drank it before hand been craving fruit so I subbed the protein for fruit but I had drank it about 30 to 40 mins before I ate so I could eat fruit.

Just an update for those pre-op people who are wondering how post-op people are faring. It really helped me to read about other's experiences when I was pre-op and scared, nervous, etc, Hopefully this will help some of you. Surgery: 12/31/14 (currently I am a month and a half post) Height: 5'4" High Weight: 195 (at first pre-op on 12/5/14) Surgery Weight: 188 (no pre-op diet required for me) Today's weight: 168 (27 total pounds lost... 20 since surgery ... lost 12lbs in the first 12 days, since then I'm losing at a rate of about 2lbs/week) FOOD: I was on a liquid diet for first 8 days. I was extremely hungry day 8, same day as my post-op appt. Surgeon said to start slowly trying to eat real foods. I have and can eat ANYTHING now. I've thrown up ONCE, when I ate some chicken too fast at 14 days post op. Last night I ate about 4oz of filet mignon, a couple bites of au gratin potatoes plus a 1/2 glass of yummy cabernet (2012 Charles Krug, Napa). It was wonderful, zero issues. Drinking LOTS of Water... aim for 64oz of water per day; I don't always make that goal, but I try (my massage therapist said she can really tell that I am super hydrated bc my skin looks great). I am eating Protein first with a total daily calories of ~500-600. Some people say they are not hungry the first year post; well, I have been. I'm okay with it. I just plan and always have a cheese stick or almonds to curve my hunger, not to graze on or snack on... just a few bites to curve until meal time. I stay away from bread, Pasta, and most sugars. I have a couple chocolate kisses when I just have to have some. PYSCH: I have had ZERO depression. In fact, the reverse. I'm much happier knowing I have this TOOL to help me. Please know you still have to PLAN and follow an eating regiment; the sleeve is not a magic solution to our obesity. I am feeling great. sleeping great. Zero headaches (suffered from migraines). My snoring is just about gone!!! EXERCISE: I have logged 56 miles since my surgery (started walking on treadmill two days post). Hoping to run a half marathon again in the fall. WORK: I returned to work on January 5th, just 5 days post-op. I work in an office, thus no manual labor. PHOTOS/MEASUREMENTS/CLOTHES: I took pre-op photos; I can't wait to take the after photos. I'm holding out until I'm close to my goal weight, then I will take the after photos. I also took pre-op measurements and have lost over 26 inches. Today I cleaned out some of my closet... giving away eleven pairs of size 14 pants... going to Goodwill donation! WOULD I DO IT AGAIN? Hell YES! My hubby has been so encouraged watching my success, he has scheduled to have the surgery March 9th! Good Luck to you all!!!

Hi. I think y'all know that I follow the Paleo way of eating. This means grass fed/finished beef, pasture raised chicken and eggs, pasture raised lamb and pork and only wild caught seafood. And veggies and a little fruit of course! I also eat a lot of fat. But the good fats. Coconut oil, avocado, butter from grass fed cows, etc. I honestly don't experience any dumping (except once when I ate too fast!) or any other issues that happen to us. There are a gazillion free paleo recipes on the Internet too. I haven't even tried anything with sugar or empty carbs at all. No bread, pasta, rice, etc. I'm scared to!!! Fear is a great motivator! I am hoping to stay away from all the bad carbs. I HOPE this will last forever! But I'm also human so I have no idea where I'll end up on the eating journey. Just hoping I can continue the way I have been. If anyone wants more info, let me know. I love helping!

@@naan Good Morning! I hope you are enjoying your wonderful Friday! I have a question for you and please forgive me if I come off strong because it is not my intention, but I am being honest... When you decided to get this surgery, you knew that it would be a life changing process. Why deprive your body from its needs? I have a VERY BUSY schedule myself to where I can't even spend a full day with my own husband, but I make darn sure that my body is being fed what it needs between liquids and food. You do know that you can really harm your body by depriving it right? You might want to take the time out to see what lacking can cause on the body. Have you tried taking on the go protein shakes? I carry a bag on me all day which includes my meals, shakes, water, etc to make sure that I have no excuse as to why I can't keep something in my system. Also download "water your body" app which is an alarm to remind you to put something in your body. Why put your body through something like that if your not "mentally" ready to put your body first before the rest of your life? Your health is number 1 everything else can wait. If you can go to the bathroom you can sit on a toilet and drink something while your using the bathroom.. Hope this helps

Excellent advice! wish I had followed through with this in my case. Thru a comedy of errors in the surgeon's office staff I am still dealing with this & my denial since Jul 2014. I dare say my surgeon's office dropped the ball, and it has cost me a lot of time. Oye!I wish I had been more proactive by going directly to the office & dealing with this head on. My insurance is BCBS Fed emp (Anthem)

Actually, it's not even saturated fat (gasp!) that is the problem. It's the type of saturated fat - fat from grain-fed animals is way too high in Omega 6 vs the Omega 3 ratio. Grass-fed cows have a much healthier ratio of omega 6:3 that is actually good for you. Also, high cholesterol is not the problem - another fact that has been known for quite awhile. It's the ratio, and specifically of the LDLs, the type of particle - large fluffy LDLs are good for you, while the small hard particles are bad. But few labs automatically report that breakdown, and few doctors bother to ask for it. Two excellent books on nutrition are http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About-ebook/dp/B003WUYOQ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423833525&sr=8-1&keywords=why+we+get+fat+and+what+to+do+about+it+by+gary+taubes Why We Get Fat and What to do about it, and The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_21?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the%20art%20and%20science%20of%20low%20carbohydrate%20living&sprefix=the+art+and+science+o%2Caps%2C263 The second one is more sciency but I highly recommend both books.

Almost 7 years since banded and I am awaiting removal. I've learned a great deal. The band has been a tremendous tutor. I'm not sure I fully knew or considered what it would be like to have the band when all the weight was gone and after so many years. My nurse did tell me they didn't really know how long bands lasted and that there was little research past 10 years at the time and so I was aware of that but it's tough to think so far forward when you are so anxiously consumed with getting your weight off. I think I still would have gone ahead even if they had told me I only had 5 years in it to be honest. I lost all my weight quickly. I have been completely unfilled for about 4 years but about 18 months ago I started having some vague abdominal problems and the band started to behave erratically with some days feeling as tight as being filled and others wide open. It actually created maladaptive eating as I would eat sliders in order not to drop below 112 pounds, even though it made me feel physically sick. I had a few investigations but there was nothing showing up and I just tried to carry on hoping it would resolve itself. About 6 months ago the acid reflux started, pain at night, constant nausea, sliming without eating, every mouth full of food sticking in my throat before it even got to the band and just an immensely sore chest. Medication only helped a little. My Barium swallows were all clear. Finally had the scope last week. I have severe eosophagitis and reflux, no erosion thankfully but they know they can't get the eosophagitis under control with the medication and it's just not resolving. I had never had reflux pre banding, it does seem to be a common complaint but that's not to say I wouldn't have had it anyway. It's been great but the advantages are now being outweighed by constant pain and discomfort and so we have decided it's time for removal. I'm quite stoical about it. I've spent the last 18 months testing my various hypotheses about my eating as I knew it would need to come out somehow. Things I know are 1. I underestimate calories and overeat when not monitoring so need to be vigilant 2. I have developed maladaptive eating to counteract the inability to eat decent foods 3. If I vomit or can't eat, I crave sweet foods intensely, if I don't eat sweets I feel so much better 4. My maintenance calories are 1250 a day (I'm small and have a desk job) 5. The more I eat when I don't need it, the greater my capacity to eat and hunger pangs are 6. I want to nourish my body not feed it non food stuff which is more for my head 7. I miss solid Protein, salad and veg more than I ever imagined I could, I dream of salmon! 8. I need to keep moving 9. I'm still at risk of telling myself quite a lot of bs prior to eating stuff I don't need and so need to keep saying it out loud before it hits my mouth to check its not bs lol 10. Band eating rules are the best for health and maintenance, banded or not. My husband lost and has kept off 45 pounds independently just following them - no surgery. We now have to wait and see if the application of that knowledge helps me to keep off the weight post un-banding. My whole life has changed since the band. I have a fabulous supportive husband and family who have confidence in me and want to help. I expect it to be an enormous challenge, I expect to be hungry and gain some back but point blank refuse to let it go past a certain point. I will not waste the £15k spent on my band and the plastics, that's just money I can't afford to lose, so wish me luck.........we will see! x

So this Monday at 6 am I went to a lovely hospital about a half hour from my home and had my surgery. I am not sure how I went in thinking I would only have three scars and would be able to leave that same day. First, they have you strip and pee in a cup. Then they give you the first of many shots that help to prevent blood clots (ask them to give them to you in the thighs/arms bc the tummy was very painful). Then they take some blood. Three or four different people will come in and ask you the same set of questions over and over again- who are you, what are you here for, etc. It's sort of funny as long as you don't get annoyed. Then you get your IV in your hand and you are all set to go. Then you are wheeled away and asked to count backwards from ten- I got to four. Then I was dreaming. Then I was being shook awake from lovely sleep and was in more pain than I have ever been in before in my life. I immediately started dry-heaving, nothing came out of me. It was incredibly painful. They wheeled me into post-op where I would stay until a room opened up for me- this was the worst part. They were not allowed to give me the "good stuff" because I had just come out from anesthesia. I lay there for hours- until 1 pm- all the while doing some combination of sleeping, waking up from pain, hiccuping, moaning, crying, asking for meds, and dry heaving. I felt as if I had been hit by a train. I felt as if I wanted to die. Finally, they wheeled me upstairs and I was able to get some real meds and some real sleep. I was able to get a dose of meds every two hours but, for that first day I could sleep for an hour and then would whimper for an hour, trying not to watch the clock. They also gave me nausea meds every six hours. My nurses were... how do I put this nicely... Very busy? All throughout this day you are so thirsty that you would do anything for a drink or an ice cube but, NO WATER FOR YOU. NONE. I was able to get up and take a walk this first day and was encouraged to do so again during the night- I tried but, couldn't I needed pain meds more than a walk. Through that first night you are woken up by pain, and an endless stream of nurses who give you clotting shots, take blood, and pain meds. That second morning, I knew I was in for a tough day- when I woke up I felt like I was going to puke everywhere. I called the nurses station and told them just that and they showed up- twenty minutes later with not even a bowl for me to retch in. Luckily there was nothing in my tummy so I dry-heaved into a tissue and cried as they slowly made their way to my room. That morning I was up and walking about and was lucky enough to run into the xray woman who told me I could be first on the list because I was up. About an hour, a tiny cup of horrible tasting dye, and three x-rays later my doctor was visiting me for the first time. He told me that everything looked good, that I had minimal swelling, and that if I could keep food down I would be released in the afternoon. Unfortunately, he did not say this in front of a nurse so I waited two hours to have food delivered to my room- they brought me a cup of tea? Not water? Really? Broth and a green Jello. I asked for a cup of water and it was like milk of the heavens. I could have cried over this water. After finishing my meal my mom came to come see me so that we could start the process of getting home... This process took hours. My doctor came to see me around 1 and cleared me for release but, somehow didn't complete all the paperwork till about 5. There was another woman on my floor who had the same surgery after me and while my mom and I were cruising the halls we saw her leaving. Luckily my mom is super pushy and we made phone call after phone call till my release was sped up. All in all, very painful, and full of red tape BS that made a slow process even slower. Also, very glad to be three days out and to only feel like I got hit with a bowling ball- it went train, car, moped, bowling ball.

Since your surgeon is a real piece of work, I suggest you find a specialist. If your primary doctor is just a regular physician, it would be a good idea to look into having an internal medicine specialist be your primary doctor. Regular phyiscians are just "bandaid" doctors, take vitals, give prescriptions and referrals. An internal medicine doctor education is more with the internal workings of the organs and they will be more of help. I am sorry that your surgeon is not being helpful. If he feels that his work is "done" and is not being cooperative, this is a classic sign of a physician who may not have the best practices in mind. A good surgeon will listen to your complaints and if he/she feels that it is out of their scope, then they would at least suggest which specialty doctor you may want to look into. They are surgeons, so their studies are deep and know the internal workings of the body. So I think it is BS and just tossed you to the PCP. Classic. Internal Medicine Specialty doctors are the best primary care physicians you can have. Like a one stop shop. Keep that in mind.

I just went to my weigh in and have gained 4 pounds. I seriously don't know how it's happened bc I've been watching and exercising. My NUT was very mean about it. I showed her my food log and exercise log and I felt like she thought I just made it all up. I have hypothyroidism and wasn't on meds for awhile and have just recently gotten back on them. I'm hoping that it will be good soon and I can start loosing/maintaining my weight bc the NUT told me they won't approve me if I have gained even an ounce.

I just finished crying becuase I've been waiting for 2 weeks to get approval from insurance and coordinator just told me my paperwork was kicked back (not rejected) due to BC (CALIFORNIA) 2015 new regulations. I worked so hard to get everything done and dr's office supposably didnt know new rules were going into effect starting 2015. Coordinator states they were told rules would apply starting in March. I'm doing so good with my diet and motivated that I dont want this to slow me down, it just plain SUCKS! I'm all about choices and if i would have known, then I would have spread out all my requirements. Anyhow, I'm a fighter (not in the ring), so I guess anything good is worth waiting for (this is me making the best of it). Anybody know any details on the new requirements (Anthem BC CA)? Super mad face

Here is a new article about a change in US nutrition guidelines related to cholesterol. It's pretty comprehensive and illustrates why nutrition guidelines evolve. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/10/feds-poised-to-withdraw-longstanding-warnings-about-dietary-cholesterol/

Having wrist surgery last week and discussing pain med dosage and she said "you probably only need the low dosage, you're pretty small." Putting on the size small triathlon kit I got on clearance a month ago bc they didn't have a medium and having it fit.

I haven't read all the responses, so I'm sorry if this contradicts or reiterates what others have already said... I can't really speak to the binge eating, but I can speak to the whole Canada waiting dilemma. I started the WLS process in Nov of 2014, my surgeon is in Victoria, BC, and i know exactly what you're going through. I'm told I should have a surgery day by November of this year. After I had my first consult I decided to start with small changes, my perspective is that even if I didn't see the scale moving at first, at least I was moving in the right direction. I started out just logging what I was eating, no restrictions, to get an idea what I was eating on average every day, and started doing just 5 min of yoga every day. I learned a lot about myself in those first few days... I use myfitnesspal.com to log what I am eating. I made a deal with myself that I would cut my calories back by 20/day every week, and every week I'd also add 1 min of exercise to the 5 min/day I started with. I also set small goals. I switched to decaf coffee at Christmas, and I slowly started replacing higher carb/calorie items with higher Protein things as I finished what I had in my pantry and fridge. Each time I go grocery shopping I buy more protein, fruit and veggies, and less high carb foods. I'm now on day 20, I've gotten my calories down to 1960/day and stayed below my calorie goal for a full week as of today. The first week and a half was ROUGH, I went over my calorie goal most days, I struggled with a lot of hunger and feeling discouraged by how unfit I am, but now I've found my stride and it's getting easier... I'm even breezing through 30 minute work outs now. If I have a day where I'm not feeling it, I still make myself do the min amount I set for myself, this week it's 7 min of exercise per day. Small changes add up to a big lifestyle change. My mantra has become this. Motivation comes from action, not the other way around...

I can't wait for my plastics I'm terrified of the pain bc I'm a huge baby and had the hardest time with recovery from my gastric bypass but I feel I've earned this i worked my butt off literally to be healthy and fit now I wanna be happy and feel comfortable in clothes I have to constently tuck in my skin and my breasts are like a 100 year old lady my arms don't bother me but the loose skin from my breast and belly honestly hurt the more weight I lost the more pain I was in I can wait to wear jeans comfortably and feel like a 26 year old!! Instead of the old women I feel like now so I'll spend the 18,500 dollars to be comfortable in my own skin I need skin removed from my thighs but that can wait!!!

Just wondering if there's anyone who has had WLS in Victoria?

Shiz, thank you for that run down! I'll probably just do PTO, because I think there's some kind of clause in ours that in order to do STD you have to use all the PTO first. ...then STD comes in if it has to. I'll have to check into it more when I talk to my director. If I play it right, I could essentially have 21 days off with only having 8 days of those 21 being considered "work days" because I have three off plus a holiday which makes it 4. Then I have 4 days on, 4 days off bc it's a built in long weekend, then 4 on, and a 5 day long weekend. Now, that all depends on if my surgeon can schedule me on that first 4 day weekend. But even still, it should pan out that I can use minimal time. And I have like 6 weeks PTO banked. I think. We will see how it goes I guess. I'm just nervous about that "what happened to Danielle?" Conversations. Eh. Eff em.

Skip the BS and go to Mexico, they will take you in a heartbeat

I've also lost around 150 lbs. and my tummy looks alot like yours. I have flabby thighs, a saggy ass, breasts that look like I fed all of Cleveland, and a turkey neck. I think about plastic surgery all the time and might have work done in the future. I need a break from any surgical procedures as I've had several over the past two years but I will consider it for 2016 if I still feel the need. I haven't had a flat stomach since I was 16 years old and part of me wants that fixed badly. The other part of me feels that I shouldn't be so critical of myself. I hope to have a better handle on my motivations next year so that I make the right decision for me and not for anyone else.

I have seen this before about a Dr. recommending sleeve or bypass vs. Band. Not sure why they feel it would be better than having a less invasive surgery . I am totally happy with my band. I have lost almost to my goal and I feel like a million dollars. I do have to do my part but you have to do that with any WLS. My husband is a cancer survivor, if he only had part of his stomach he would not have survived without being tube fed. It's your body and your choice. Go with what you feel comfortable with. Any WLS is better than being unhealthy and unable to move.