A BRIEF HISTORY... SIMILAR TO MOST ...

I AM NOW 57, AND YO YO DIETED ALL OF MY ADULT LIFE....(LOWEST 125!!) AFTER GIVING BIRTH - AGE 30- I FOUND MYSELF WEIGHING IN AT 235... MY HIGHEST!! I AM NOW 230. LIKE MOST OF US, I HAVE STRUGGLED WITH MY DIET, TRYING EVERY SINGLE FAD, EVERY SINGLE DIET TO NO EVAIL. I AM AT AN AGE NOW THAT I JUST CANT DO IT ANY MORE. MY METABOLISM HAS SLOWED AND NOW IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP WEIGHT OFF OR EVEN GET IT OFF. MY KNEES, HIPS, ACHE, I HAVE PLANTAR FACIATIS IN BOTH HEELS, HIGH CHOLESTEROL, ETC..JUST TO NAME A FEW.

I STARTED THIS FINAL JOURNEY SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN I HAD A FRIEND WHO HAD A GASTRIC BYPASS..SO I STARTED TO WATCH ON THE INTERNET FOR OPTIONS TO A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO MY DIETING INSANITY!

FINALLY LAST YEAR I WAS ON LINE SPEAKING TO A SURGEON IN MICHIGAN WHO HAD SUGGESTED FOR ME TO LOOK INTO PLICATION. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I DID. I FOUND A SURGEON NEAR MY WINTER HOME IN JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA. I WENT TO HIS SEMINAR..LIKED WHAT I HEARD. FROM THERE I MADE THE DECISION TO FOLLOW THRU. I CONTACTED MY INSURANCE, WHICH OF COURSE DENIED IT BECAUSE IT WAS STILL EXPERIMENTAL! I KNEW THEN I WOULD BE A SELF-PAY.....SO I ACCEPTED THAT AND FOLLOWED THRU WITH ALL MY REQUIREMENTS OF SEEING A DIETICIAN, AND A PSYCHOLOGIST AND GETTING A PHYSICAL WITH MY INTERNIST....GETTING THROUGH TO THIS DOCTOR WAS LIKE CALLING THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA!! ANY QUESTIONS I HAD HAD TO GO THRU A MESSAGE SERVICE THEN I HAD TO WAIT FOR DAYS FOR THEM TO CALL ME BACK! I DID NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE WHOLE PROCESS.

SO BACK TO THE INTERNET I WENT...I KEPT SEEING Dr. Ortiz NAME, AND HIS OCC CLINIC OVER AND OVER AGAIN....I STUDIED HIS VIDEOS , READ TESTIMONIALS AND FOUND HE HAD DONE SO MANY BARIATRIC SURGERIES INCLUDING THE PLICATIONS THAT IT WAS A NO BRAINER! SO I MADE THE PHONE CALL TO CAROLYN WILLIAMSON. IT WAS A GREAT CONVERSATION AND I FINALLY FELT LIKE I HAD MADE THE RIGHT DECISION....... FOR ME!

THE REST IS HISTORY.... MY PLICATION DATE IS SET FOR APRIL 17TH, I WILL MEET MY SISTER THERE (SHE IS HAVING SOME COSMETIC SURGERY AT THE ARIEL CENTER - WHICH I MAY HAVE SOME PLASMA INJECTIONS IN SOME FACIAL LINES TOO)!! WE WILL STAY AT THE MARIOTT UNTIL THE 20TH THEN GO ON A VACATION FOR ANOTHER WEEK!

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS JOURNEY AND PRAYING IT WILL BE MY LAST DIET ENDEAVOR!!

I STARTED MY 2 WEEK DIET YESTERDAY, AND AM NOW 227.....SO I AM ON MY WAY. I WILL KEEP UPDATING AS I GO....SO TALK TO YOU SOON!!

PS HAVE ANY ONE OF YOU NOTICED HOW PEOPLE TREAT YOU WHEN YOU ARE HEAVY? I THINK THEY LOOK DOWN ON YOU...BUT JUST MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE IT IS THE VIBE IM GIVING OFF BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF WHEN IM FAT? NOT SURE, BUT AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS, IT IS DEFINATELY A FACT! BUT I WILL REMEMBER THESE PEOPLE AND MAKE SURE WHEN I AM MORE SLENDER AND HEALTHIER TO EMBRACE MY REAL FRIENDS WHOM I LOVE.

:) :)

Good luck! My wife and I saw Dr Ortiz on March 26th and have been happy with everything so far.

Good luck! My wife and I saw Dr Ortiz on March 26th and have been happy with everything so far.

Manwithkids, how is your wife doing now? Are the pains better for her? Is she seeing any weight come off?

You ARE making the right choice to do the surgery! I didn't have mine done in Mexico, but I am really happy with my results. Just know that the first couple months are the hardest! Once you can start eating solid foods you will be back to normal and full and satisfied after a much smaller portion!

Thanks for the well wishes!! I am on my second day of my pre op fast, and I am down 5 pounds!! (ummmm do you think water weight??? oh yeah!) A little over a week and a half and it is op day!! I am very excited!! I decided that i hate muscle milk...it has a really gross after taste..yuck!! I will start my breathing exercises today (spirometer) which the doctor has asked me to do. I am also taking all my vitamins...b12, multi, and calcium citrate....plus they said if i am hungry to take one pill each at 10 am and 3 pm of metamucil, and for burning fat 1 chromium picolanate a day!! So that is my plan....and I'm sticking to it!! hahaha. Anyway, I will post later on.

I HATED muscle milk too! I liked the protein shakes you get at costco. They don't have any weird after taste and just taste like chocolate milk. Well done on the weight loss! I had a 7 day pre diet and lost 8 lbs. My goal was to lose 10 lbs, but they seemed pretty happy with 8 . You are already doing great!!!

Today I completed one month post op .. feeling gr8 .. eating good .. lost 20 KG (44 pounds) 10 days pre op + 1 month post op .. feeling more normal now .. small portions fill it in wd satisfaction and can stay long without craving if ever as before!!

No craving no bad mood without eating nor drinking problem is it goes to water as well so water intake at first dropped dramatically now begin to increase it so it's vital and so imp. Best of luck in yours did the right choice and you'll begin a new you a much better self confident You .. post op only 2 days of disorder and some mild to normal pain then way better ev day .. best luck and best wishes

Abdulalux - You are doing INCREDIBLE!!! 44 lbs in 1 month!!! I am 7 months out and have lost roughly 55 lbs (find out exact amount tomorrow). I thought I was doing good, but you are kicking butt and taking names!!!

Becky

ok, i am stuck on only loosing 8.5 pounds pre-op for 3 days!! I only have 3 days left on 2 shakes a day plus one meal! Then 2 days of clear liquids only....i hope I can loose the required 11 pounds....it is sooo hard..i'm doing everything right.. This tuesday is my op-day!

Honestly Sue.... You are smack in the middle of one of the hardest parts! If you can get through the pre op diet you'll be 1/2 way there. The next hardest part is the post op diet. Post op is easy at first because you don't want to eat much. As you feel better, it is only hard because you want to eat solid foods but can't. Again it's a will power thing! Once you're on solids, you're home free.

Keep yourself as busy as possible during the pre op diet, so you don't have time to think about food.

You'll do great!!!

I am on day 15 of my post op diet. I'm getting sick of soups and wondering what I can eat on the "soft food" diet which starts in a few days. I have munched on a couple Very small pieces of ham but feel like there's a rock in my gut after. Makes me wonder how I'll be able to eat real food soon. Anyone else been thru this?

Hang in there @man you're almost there take your time. Have u had Protein shakes too? Yogurt?

I drank keffir strawberry lactose free for a while it was almost the only thing I could get down in the am. Protein Shakes w frozen berries, cocnut juice, half a banana and egg white protein all from whole foods was my 2nd option. I know how you feel I got pretty aggravated right about where u r but ur almost there...get through this and try more soups...go to expensive rest and order to go...black bean Soup helps too. My only recommendation when u start your soft foods is to take it slow...believe me I wanted to eat but like that stressful feellig you get when u first intro new food...I would revert back to liquids..and stay away from mashed potatoes unless it's a special occasion or you're only choice at a rest or public forum. It's fatty carbs and before you know it youve consumed more calories than u were before surgery. For dessert I would have baby food fruit like bananas. Super yummy not healthy butna fun snack. Your soft foods will not be very exciting but I dont like to purée much hopefully you have more inclination to it than I do therefore might have more options. How is your wife doing?

thanks Bekrudz!! Your comments are so helpful...I really appreciate your help and information. I have lost 10 pounds, they would like me to lose 12 total...which probably happen since i have 2 days of clear liquids (Sunday and Monday)....I leave Monday for San Diego! How are you doing? Do you have much further to go? I would love to hear someone say "Hey I have lost all the weight I need to"....have you heard anyone say that?

Hey Sue!!! How are you feeling? I hope everything is great. Tommorow is my big day. Let us know how you are doing when you get a chance.

I had my surgery finally on April 17 th. flight was easy...waited for driver for an hour. One of the other gals in the van had problems with her plication!!!! That freaked me a little seeing that I was on my way to get the surgery the next day!! She had a rupture of sutures I guess...they could not repair it so they removed the stitches...she had her original surgery in January.... She was hoping to just have them fix it...instead she will heal, and then decide if she wants a sleeve(not crazy about doing that!). So my surgery went well...stomached sore and I had some shoulder pain! While there my sister and I had some plasma injections with dr so! Looking forward to seeing those results! I left a few days later to visit with my sister in Cabo. I was very tired...not a lot of strength...I cant get even 24oz of liquids down.....I did not loose any weight for a week!! I was swollen and constipated. Finally I lost 5 pounds so now I have a total (incl pre op) of 16 pounds off! Sensation is weird...you feel only a tinge of hunger and it goes away after only a couple of sips! I feel some cramping. I'm at the airport now in San Diego not looking forward to a grueling red eye...only had a few sips of yogurt drink and ice tea with a quarter cup of tortilla soup! Very full!

now 14 days post surgery, and I have lost a total of 23 pounds...incl pre-op. Im so happy about that! I am getting a little tired of soup, but I only have one week left of full liquids....then on to soft pureed food. (can't wait) I am feeling a little more hunger, but I will keep the plan on track. Having trouble with the water...i can only sip, and am tired of carrying a bottle everywhere I go.