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No but I do have PCOS and endometriosis and I am insulin resistant. I used to be Hypo thyroid and right around surgery it was fine and I am due for my blood test because it changes often so I might have to go back on meds for that (my dr took me off ) if its out of balance now.

thank you both for the comments! nice to know people are reading my musings @Stella S thanks mama and congratulations on maintenance! @MiniGastricBypassDude thank you! i find it easy to maintain late 170s no problem i did for over a year. i actually would like to drop pounds and get to say 160 if i dont look too small. im about 5'8 and around 180 i look pretty normal. wearing a US 8 or UK 12 in jeans and US6/UK10 on tops. i often crave popcorn and i think thats to do with zinc. cookie dough currently because there is a chocolate orange version i saw and chocolate orange is my absolute favorite LOL. Yesterday i went running, and then just ran errands with my friend, i havent brought a new scale or been able to locate a battery so just really thinking about what i am eating and physical activity. im sure calories came in at about 1300, so i do need to watch it more. I have a friends birthday tonight and will be drinking. my day should look like 2 protein shakes, 2 cocktails, and small amounts of what i want to eat, im off to Hakkasan! i think from monday i will stop eating at 7pm, also want to reach out to my GP as i think i might be reactive hypoglycemic,

I managed to lose my weight and keep it off, but about a year ago they diagnosed me with Reactive Hypoglycemia. I wear a monitor and eat very low carb. I recently spent the day in the ER due to being light headed and the only thing that showed up was my red blood counts were slightly low. Otherwise I feel pretty good, like the way I look (except some loose skin) Love wearing a size 4, but sometimes it is hard to find my size. Funny, that was an issue when I was in the 200's. Now I look at the larger sizes and wish they were in my size, lol. Picture of me on the right.

I've been hypo for a long time, and my TSH level NEVER reflected how I felt. Mine is very very low, and I still have many hypo symptoms. Depression and lethargy are at their worst right now. My PCP finally upped mine a bit just this week, even though I had to beg her...so I hope it helps. When she checked my reflexes I had NONE, so that convinced her. Sometimes you have to shop around for a doctor who will treat you instead of the numbers.

Obviously, patients should not violate dietary restrictions imposed by hypo- or hyperglycemia. However, barring these medical conditions (most of which go into remission after weight loss), there is absolutely no empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of abstinence from certain foods in weight loss and weight loss maintenance: NONE. Barring the aforementioned medical conditions, rigid abstinence from certain foods, such as a hamburger or piece of cake, is a psychological issue, not a medical one. I can write this with confidence as a professor of psychology who worked in the field of addictionology for over 15 years. The problem with abstinence is that it leads to the well-documented abstinence violation effect: I must abstain from doughnuts. If I break down and have just one, then I must have 100. This effect is psychological, not medical. There is no more evidence to suggest that compulsive eating is a physiological addiction than alcohol dependency is a disease. Porting over the AA philosophy of disease and allergy to overeating is a psychological travesty. I challenge anyone who disagrees with this to present empirical evidence to the contrary that has been published in a referred professional journal. You won't find any. Granted, abstinence may be temporarily working for someone (although it won't over the long haul). However, this does not mean that those wedded to the abstinence model should try to shame those who are trying to learn how to eat in moderation. The underlying premise of abstinence is unfounded, shaming and chastising are never helpful, and that kind of post is entirely self-congratulatory. If I were unable to eat, for example, one hamburger without obsessively craving more and more of them, I'd see a cognitive-behavioral therapist who specializes in eating disorders. I would not be attempting to shame those who are able to successfully eat just one in an attempt at denying and avoiding my own highly conflicted relationship with food. Doing so may not rise to the definition of Nazism or fascism, but maybe we can all agree that it's not very nice.

@ Grave's disease here too. Had my thyroid destroyed by RAI (radioactive iodine) swallow when I was in the Navy Sometime in 1999. Been Hypo and on Synthroid since 1999. I am Pre-op and hope my thyroid does not hinder my weight loss progress. Time will tell. Currently on 300 Mcg tablet once a day and skipping Sundays. I never knew about taking it with Calcium..will have to watch for that. I take it everynight at bed time and my levels have been steady ever since. I see an Endo once every 6 months, I find the Endo knows a bit more about Graves then my PCP.

Mommy202... yes, I have lost 80 lbs 4 times in my adult life... the last 3 were adhering to a strict low carb diet. I have hypo thyroid and PCOS.. so for me the Low Carb is what helped SO MANY things..... but something would happen and I would go off plan and then it would spiral til I was all the way back up and this last time was no exception..... I have thought long and hard about the band, and it took me a year of debating it in my head before I really decided to go for it. I was really ticked off that I just couldn't maintain a loss on my own. So, for ME I view the band as a FORCED committment to a LC way of eating WOE. Protein First, Veggies Second, Carb 3rd....... Yes, I know I will be able to eat around the band, but I KNOW what my body needs.. so I believe I will be fine.. most of my problem is VOLUME, and the band will help with that too..... I am the first person in my Real Life that will have a band. I do have 2 friends that went the bypass route (now 2 and 4 years) post op.. I always knew that surgery wasn't for me.......... Lemme see.... I am 37, divorced in 2002 but with a great guy now going on 2 years... we share a life and kids but not married.. I have a son who is now 3 and the light of my life.. although he is often to smart for his own britches... I think my light bulb moment was at his skating party I could not get up off the floor of the rink without help (I was in skates, and on one knee to tie his laces) I was humiliated and p.o.'d!!!!!!! I want to be the active mom not the "let mommy rest" mom.... so here I am with baited breath (as you said it perfectly) waiting for a surgery date, so that the rest of my life can begin!

@@Daisee68 Yes, I kept my beta blocker for "just in case". I have both propranolol and atenolol, and I am glad that I kept both. This disease can make life so much harder, especially when trying to get back on track with all the responsibilities, and social interactions. I have been on 100mcg of Thyroxine since January this year. 4 months after my RAI and thyroid destroyed, I swung to TSH 17.4 Now, back to square one .... My Endo doesn't want me to cut my pills (ironically I got another refill for more 100mcg script, recently, and still have 1/2 box of the currrent 100mcg .....) She just wants me to take my med for 6 days, then not take it on 1 day per week. So, I am to take it Monday-Saturday, then not take it on Sunday My blood tests are due in 6 weeks time, then again 6 weeks later. Yes, I have to monitor it carefully. If in 2-3 weeks I don't see a change, I may have to cut the tablet, and try it that way. I don't want to go hypo, but hyper is tough too ..... Thank you for your support.

I haven't been around much since I had surgery. The site went nuts and wouldn't load properly for the "formative months" after surgery, so I kinda quit coming around. But I find myself really needing to connect with you guys on the maintenance issues these days. I hope you'll have me back. Before surgery, I was not a dieter. Diets clearly weren’t working for anyone else, not in the long-term, so I didn’t really bother with any certain plan. Instead, I exercised and tried to be aware of what I ate. Clearly, that didn’t work for me. I ended up, at my highest weight, at about 235 pounds on a 5’1” medium frame. On a recent Disney World vacation my hips, back, and feet hurt so much that the thought of going back made it clear that either I had to lose the weight or I’d be one of those people on the motorized scooters at the ripe old age of 34. The greatest gift of this surgery was the clear guidelines and the months following surgery in which, while unable to eat as I used to, I changed my approach to eating and understood that I can manage to eat anything I want, just not everything that I want. I recently celebrated my 1-year anniversary. In that year, I lost 100 pounds, with my lowest weight being 134.4. The upsides of surgery are undeniable and I have no regrets. This was the verry best decision I ever made for myself. I’m a bit of an introvert and misanthrope, but I find myself jubilant for days when I get some appreciative attention. No one has flirted with me for years and it feels great. I have become a bit of a clothes horse (LOL) and have a great time shopping and dressing, things I never cared about in the past. I generally just feel a whole lot better about myself and the world, I find. But learning to maintain my new habits, my outlook, my motivation, that is where I find myself struggling. I’ve noticed since I made it into the 130 pound range that eating has gotten noticeably harder. It could be timing, my weight, my body’s adjustment, my mental state, or any combination of factors. But suddenly I find myself in a place where my past handle on controlling my eating has become completely unhinged. I’ve tried the “let’s just get back to basics” approach a few times and then found myself right back to the bad habits. So, what are these basics and the bad habits? Here is the score: Daily 60-70 grams of protein daily – easy, peasy without fail 64 oz of water – I think I’ve been pretty good here, but I recently began to really push water I hopes that it might solve some hunger issues. Weekends are my only big concern and I’m actively working on it. 2 Bariatric Fusion multi-vitamins daily – like clockwork I exercise (cardio, strength, and core) 3 times a week without fail, shooting for a 500 calorie burn each time. I also use my heart rate monitor when I walk the dog and track what calories I burn. I track my food, even my crazy binge eating days, every day on myfitnesspal.com and my food diary is open to my friends. I’m “HeatherTakesCharge” if anyone wants to find me. I am still trying to lose, so I try to keep my net daily calories (after exercise calories burned) to 800-1000. I find myself well over 2000 calories too often. My ultimate goal is 125 pounds, though I’m not overly concerned with it. As long as I’m not going up, I’m pretty happy. My biggest scare happened last week. I woke up one morning and found my weight above 140. Something has to change. My blood work, taken every 3 months since surgery, has been perfect. No issues. I can comfortably eat a HUGE amount of food compared to the limited number of bites I read many of you saying. My restriction is definitely there, but not like I’d hoped. I’d love to go back to the days when I could only eat a handful of bites at a time. I feel physical hunger pangs as well as dealing with head hunger. For the first 6 months, I could easily eat a piece of candy and satisfy my sweet monster. Now, even thinking about eating something sweet sends me into a monster craving to which I too often give in and in a ridiculous, binge eating way. It is SO scary. I swore I’d never eat like that again, yet here I am. I have intense acid reflux without medication, but my prescription Prilosec controls it well as long as I don not forget to take it. I battle reactive hypoglycemia occasionally. If I get a handle on it quickly, I can recover. But sometimes it just ruins my day, both calories-wise and by making me feel ill for an extended period. My food intake during the day is usually exemplary. It is the time I am at home when I make the very worst choices. My partner is fighting some insecurity and self-esteem issues, leading to what I consider deliberate attempts to sabotage my eating. Her answer is, “You did this to yourself. I’ll do what I want. You make your own choices.” Therefore, at least at home, I am unable to keep out the foods that I find most damaging. And she is the primary cook. I try to make my own dinner sometimes, but if I do it constantly, this also becomes a point of contention. Her choice of meals or places to eat out NEVER consider how it will impact my diet. The sabotage extends to the gym as well, with at least one melt-down a month about how my trips to the gym are ruining her life. Seriously. But that is a whole different issue, I know. I’ve dealt with the relationship issues successfully in the early months, so I know I can continue. But it is simply one more strain on the bigger picture, you know? So that is it. My head isn’t in the game any longer. I feel myself becoming more and more depressed and fearful that I’ll slip into that old “I’ll eat what I want” person who can not find the motivation to get back on track.

Yikes. That sounds terrible. I don't currently experience either hypo nor hyper glycemic issues. I have a friend who had roux-en-y surgery and she is having terrible light headedness from low blood sugar. Her doc wants her to refocus on eating plenty of Protein and eating it first (going back to her early ways again now that she is several years post surgery). He is hopeful that it will "fix" her. I have seen a big drop in my blood glucose. I was running about 99 for fasting glucose prior to surgery. I now run about 84 not even fasting. I am surprised by the "improvement" as my doc said he doesn't see improvements to "normal fasting blood sugars. I wonder if I may start having hypoglycemic issues with time. Hang in there. I am sure there will be a fix. Do you qualify for Obamacare health insurance? I'd love to see you get good care for your medical issues.

So you don't think I've got reactive hypoglycemia? Sorry a bit confused as I'm not oregnant I'm 48 and a year post op these symptoms only came on a few weeks ago and this is what another experienced sleever said I had and fits my symptoms. I will ask my GP for a blood monitor when I see her next week and as I'm in the uk I hope they supply it on the NHS even though I'm a self pay bariatric patient.

@@rose1504 Definitely get your Thyroid checked, and not just TSH and T4, but T3 as well. I have Graves Disease (autoimmune thyroid disease), this kept me slim my whole life, till 2014 when it did 180 degree turn, and I was piling on weight at a frightening speed. I went from 60kg to 101kg between 2014 and March 2016. I also developed astonishing sweet cravings during that time, which made a mess of me. Graves is Hyper-thyroid. I had every symptom of this disease, except of bulging eyes and goitre. There is also Hypo-thyroid (under-active), Hashimotos etc which also can really mess with metabolism and general well being. Good luck @@rose1504 I hope you don't have thyroid disease, as I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy ...... Had my both ear Daiths pierced 3 weeks ago, to see if they would help my thyroid migraines and severe headaches. They (the acupressure point piercings) helped me tremendously! I was living almost daily on very strong pain killers. Now, I don't take them, and so those piercings really helped me. I have a huge stock of heavy duty pain killers at home, and now I forget all about them. So, Good Luck with all your tests. Please let us know how you went.

I finally had my first fill this past Saturday ~ 2 1/2 CC's. There are a couple of reasons why I wasn't able to gett a fill sooner.... 1) my insurance would only cover it if it was at least 90 days after surgery... and 2) I was going on vacation... and my Dr. didn't want me traveling across the country for my first fill (just in case I would be too tight). So........... this past month I was totally stalled. It was pretty frustrating... plus I found myself to be REALLY hungry. Well, so far the fill seems to be working.. and I'm not hungry. My Dr. has me on liquids for 2 weeks... YES ... 2 weeks. Seems everyone here is only on liquids for a couple of days. Well.... I asked why.. and they told me that they have found it very successful in "jump starting" the weight loss again. I have a hypo-thryroid... so I definately could use a "jump start". I'm gonna give it my best shot. So far.... so good. If a few more days go by and I find myself craving solids... I'll call my Dr. and see what he says. I also have to admit that prior to my fill, I was able to eat everything and anything. On vacation, I found myself going back to "BAD" habits. So, maybe, if nothing else, the 2 weeks on liquids will get me back on the right track.

I haven't been on this board in over a year, but I see this thread has been reactivated so wanted to put in my two cents. I was sleeved by Dr. Kelly in March 2012. I booked directly with him and had no problems doing so. I was originally going through a Lighter Me, and then chose not to do so after the Dr. they wanted me to see after they stopped working with Dr, Kelly had some really negative issues posted on this forum. I did know about the patient death with Dr. Kelly but did my research and found many people who had been happy with their experience with him. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about him, he came to see me several times before and after to make sure that all my questions and concerns were answered about the surgery. I felt that he honestly cared about my well being. As for my surgery, he did a great job. I had no complications, and my incisions healed really well. Weight loss surgery is hard, don't kid yourself otherwise. You can't eat very much for quite a long time afterwards, and it takes a while to kind of return to feeling "normal". I did have my sister go with me to Tijuana so I didn't go by myself. Anyway, just wanted to voice my opinion that Dr, Kelly is a good surgeon in my opinion and I have no reservations about recommending him to anyone who is considering surgery in Mexico. As for my weight loss, I am down seventy pounds from my surgery. Should be more, but...that's me, not Dr. Kelly! Currently a size ten, started out at a size 18. Very happy I had the surgery, it changed my life. Everyone has to make the right decision for themselves, but if you are considering a surgeon in Mexico, I would definitely recommend you consider Dr. Kelly.

Good on you for walking out. She's a f**king idiot -- uninformed and passing along wrong information to people who need good info. Jeez! Yes. I also forgot to mention that she made me climb on a machine supposed to calculate my muscle mass, fat, water and bones weight. It seems that I have around 90 pounds of muscle. Then I was trying to explain that it is physically not possible for me to have the same Protein intake (the famous 60-70 grams a day) as for a woman of 160 pounds that would have 60 pounds of lean muscle. Any fitness instructor, website or magazine would also customized to protein intake in function of the activity and goals. Giving the same recommendation for everybody is just dumb. Anyway, I am looking for a different NUT, but not easy to find one that is experienced with VSG patients. I've seen another one that wanted to put me on a regular hypo caloric diet...of 1200 Cals a day when I am barely reaching 900 a day. I guess I need to contact other clinics / surgeons that are used to VSG to get names of the NUT they work with. I'd it does not work, I will stick to the program I found on the web (Ottawa hospital) which is very detailed. For anybody can recommend me a website or program, it would be great.

I will pray for your family. My daughter and I have Hashimoto's. My daughter's goiter was very larger a few months ago and the endocrinologist increased her medicine. That disorder comes and goes.....hyper and hypo....so many doctors don't treat it. We take medication. I hope she gets the treatment she needs. Hypo or Hyper can really make you feel bad. Cheri, the info about muscle helping you burn calories came from DietandNutrition@EverydayHealth.com I thought you could just go there and get the information. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Lori, I wish I could go to Las Vegas with you! Have fun!

I have had thyroid disease since I was 15 yrs old. I am hypothyroid as I had my thyroid removed surgically. My endo told me as I lost weight she would most likely reduce my thyroid medication. I had a check with her recently and have lost 30 pds and I am more hypo than I was before the weight loss. I have decided to keep my meds the same for the time being and recheck again in 2 mths. As you lose weight typically you should need a lower dose of thyroid medication. This thyroid business had a mind of it's own and can be quite fickle at times.

Hi meggiep! Glad you mention it's coumadin...whole different animal. When it comes to razor cuts, there is no way to assess how superficial the cut is until we see the patient in the ER. If I were you I would tell your friend to go to his PCP and have his PT/PTT times checked (coagulation times). There is a possibility that he may have to have his dose adjusted. Just a thought. Remember...preventive medicine always beats reactive medicine!!! Best,

OM, YES! I first called my gastric band Dr.'s office and they said the pain I was having wasn't related to the band. So I call my regular physician and she tells me to take gas relief pills or heart burn meds and if it is still bothering me in a few days to come in. So, a few days later I come in. She runs all types of test and everything is normal except the c-reactive test. Took almost a week to get an ultrasound...I too thought it was ovarian cysts or appendix since I was told it's not band related and the pain was that bad. Go in for a fill and they can't get Fluid back out..uh oh better have the doctor see me. Wait another few days and uh oh - yep there is a problem. GRRR, I am so mad right now. Now I have to wait for them to get the paperwork to the insurance to find out if its covered. Hello, I can't sleep at night because I can't get comfortable...sorry, I needed to vent. I am glad to hear everything turned out ok for you once they finally repaired it. How long did it take you to get surgery once they figured out what was going on? Thanks for replying! TJ's Mama

Just saying hello to fellow Feb 2013 buddies. How is everyone doing? I'm down 136' to 155. That's where my body wants to be. I had two problems-- hernia with small bowel obstruction and reactive hypoglycemia. The hernia was repaired and then it was found I needed abdominal wall reconstruction and a re-repair of the hernia. That I had done with a panniculectomy in Dec. I have the hypoglycemia under control by eating right. I wear a size 10-12, down from a 24/26. I can wear high heels and have energy and feel great! Best decision ever to have RNY.

yup, i had this when i was pregnant. i highly recommend getting a blood sugar monitor to check blood glucose levels before and after eating and exercise to see how food and exercise affects you. it's different for everyone. some people get high surges and then drops. some people are only reactive to high GI foods, so people are reactive to not eating enough carbs, some people have sudden drops whenever they eat. if you track your BGL you will be able to more easily treat it.

BJean, I'm still trying to figure out why I bought the scale but it is fun to use! It has one function where you can calculate whether you have "average" muscle mass related to your age and height...as some people can be at ideal weight but undermuscular or over fat. I liked that even though it describes me as overweight, I am also overlymuscular, or have more muscle than the average person for my age and height. It describes me as "stout".....but I'll take that as a compliment! Great news....I went to my regular doctor for a follow up on cardiac concerns....had what's called a highly specific c-reactive protein drawn pre-band. It is an indicator of arterial inflammation and was off the charts. My bad cholesterol was high and good cholesterol too low. Well, the bad cholesterol is still high (they want it under 100 since I have a bad c-reactive protein) but the good cholesterol is still high. So...I start on Zocor. Seems it is genetic and even though I run about 10 miles/week now and have lost weight it hasn't changed it enough. But the good news is that my blood pressure is that of an athlete's.....90/60 and my pulse is at 60 while sitting. That means my heart is in such good shape that it doesn't have to pump hard to get blood out to the extremities. The doc says I can eat all the salt I want! So.....I am genetically predisposed to arterial disease but I have strengthened my heart significantly. Frankly it is nice to hear that even though I will have to take a pill to reduce my cholesterol, it is not entirely my fault No weight loss for me...still at 183. Had another NSV this week though...I went out and bought some size 14 clothes in resale shops and most of them fit nicely. THAT was a huge motivator and reaffirmation for me. I can now say that I really am losing inches, even though the pounds aren't dropping. I may have to reconsider my goal weight of 138 and move it up to 145 or 150. I would like to be in a size 10, maybe an 8 but don't want my face to look too drawn either. What a dilemma :mad:

I've been wondering the same thing! I deleted my Facebook (gave it up for lent) and then reactivated when the Facebook group was mentioned. I never received an invite, so I deactivated it again.

5 of my 6 sisters as well as myself have thyroid disease/conditions and we all have children,,my mother also had hypo and had 8 kids. I'm sure if you let your thyroid condition go and not treat it, it would cause all sorts of problems.

Well, have to tell you all ... my baby turns 21 at midnight!!!!! YIKES!!! Talk about a restless and nerve racking night!!!! She just left for the evening and I am a bundle of nerves!!!! I can't wait til these next few days are over!!!! She just thinks her dad and I are way to over reactive, but man, it scares the daylights out of me!!! She did promise not to drive and will stay at a friends, but nonetheless, they are going out too!!!!:nervous Oh well, besides that, we took her to Red Lobster tonight, because that is where she wanted to go ... I'm thinking well, what am I gonna eat there? ... it wasn't bad, I had about 3 bites of salad, 5-6 bites of mashed potatoes, probably 1/4 cup of cooked veggies, and 1/2 of a haddock broiled and lightly seasoned haddock fillet. So wasn't bad, no problems and I am feeling great this evening!!! So there is life after the band!!!! I do enjoy going out once in awhile, it is nice to know we can!!!