gastric bypass

gabbytup

hey! Im about to undergo gastric bypass surgery with the hopes of finally getting my weight under control. this is happening april 20 2012 and what i really need is a support group to encourage me and keep me honest. please friend me!
Julie

meldins0831

I did it back in October of 2008. It was the best thing I ever did. I started off at 312 and got down to 161. But it's not a permanant fix, you can still gain weight back. I always went to obesityhelp.com before my surgery. It's a great website.

PeggyWoodson

Obesityhelp.com is really a good web site. I found it after I had my GB. There was not much support for me when I had my surgery 18 years ago.

Weight will always be an issue. Now whether it is a really bad issue again after your surgery is pretty much up to you. I have a neighbor who had it done and three days later was eating pizza and hamburgers. You just can't do that. She completely undid the surgery she worked so hard to have done.

The best advice I can give to anyone getting ready for GB, is find out what portion sizes you are supposed to be eating and keep that as your number one, above everything else, goal. If you eat more too soon, you will stretch your pouch. You want that pouch to stay as small as possible as long as possible.

I'm 30 lbs above my goal weight set by my surgeon. He wanted me to weigh 160 which was more than reasonable for me. I weighed 160 for all these years till I broke my arm and the Neurontin they put me on caused me to gain weight. 35 lbs of weight. So luckily someone told me about this site and here I am along with everyone else trying to loose weight. It is a wonderful site. Friend me if you would like.

MiniLopHop

Gabbytup, congratulations! Please be strong during the liquid phase leading up to surgery. I had three weeks of just liquids and I was so hungry and grumpy! It shrinks your liver so you are less likely to have complications. I was worried if I cheated the doctor wouldn't do it so I made it, but barely.

I am one week post-op today and feeling stronger every day! I went from 295 on the morning of surgery to 287 this morning. I find that shocking since I have never been able to lose weight in my life. I know there's still a long road ahead, but I feel like now I have a fighting chance.

Peggy, OMG! How could they eat crap like that so soon? Just thinking about it makes me queezy. I had 1/2 cup plain tomato soup yesterday and felt so extravigant. I guess some people are not mentally prepared. I find I like to smell food now. Luckily my husband doesn't mind me sniffing his dinner. I feel like that way I am feeding my brain who wants it, but respecting my tummy who does not. Luckily smells are calorie free and the best part of eating the food anyway.

PeggyWoodson

Gabbytup, congratulations! Please be strong during the liquid phase leading up to surgery. I had three weeks of just liquids and I was so hungry and grumpy! It shrinks your liver so you are less likely to have complications. I was worried if I cheated the doctor wouldn't do it so I made it, but barely.

I am one week post-op today and feeling stronger every day! I went from 295 on the morning of surgery to 287 this morning. I find that shocking since I have never been able to lose weight in my life. I know there's still a long road ahead, but I feel like now I have a fighting chance.

Peggy, OMG! How could they eat crap like that so soon? Just thinking about it makes me queezy. I had 1/2 cup plain tomato soup yesterday and felt so extravigant. I guess some people are not mentally prepared. I find I like to smell food now. Luckily my husband doesn't mind me sniffing his dinner. I feel like that way I am feeding my brain who wants it, but respecting my tummy who does not. Luckily smells are calorie free and the best part of eating the food anyway.

I never could understand anyone eating like that post GB surgery. I think there was more to her actions than even I could understand.

You're right about the smell of foods. Also, the taste is an issue. Once I had my surgery and realized that I just couldn't eat much, whatever I ate had to taste absolutely fantastic. Something like lobster with lemon butter sauce even if it was only one bite. I think those who have had the surgery will know what I mean about that. I didn't have room in my stomach for the bland things and rice was out completely by my choice. I didn't want to waste stomach room on things that did not have much flavor, plus rice would swell in my stomach and I learned quickly to just avoid that issue. And aside from all that, I wanted to eat things that were good for me. Not junk food or fast food.

My surgeon made my stomach pouch as big as his thumb which wasn't much. I know, I know, but that was 18 years ago and things change thank goodness and it didn't kill me. My weight fell off so fast. I lost over a hundred pounds in a year two years in a row.

tmalina

I had surgery on 2/17 and I've lost a total of ~56 lbs si nce I started the whole process. Weighed in at 296 the day I met with my surgeon and weigh 239.8 now. The surgery is definitely an amazing tool to help those of us who have struggled with dieting for so long.

Good luck to you on your journey. I sent you a friend request Just an FYI, I am just now getting used to eating soft foods so I am getting back into the habit of tracking foods.

tmalina

oh, and btw..thinnertimes.com has been absolutely amazing. the support you get from those folks is awesome.

gabbytup

Hey thanks for the tip! I was 315 when I decided I had to do something and 298 when I saw the Doc about it (I had to find a family doc first) So I was a very little bit over your start weight too. I have managed to lose on my own in prep for the surgery, because I figure the healthier I go in the better the chances I come out! I love having support and will def check out that site.

PeggyWoodson

I think you two ladies will do just fine. You are both doing what you need to do and that is finding support from others. When I had my surgery 18 years ago, there just was no such support. The doctor had a group support meeting once a month and I hated it. My own family thought I was nuts having it done. My mother had just died in August that year and here I was in September facing major surgery. I was scared to death but determined to do what I had to do to be healthier.

You are both giving it your best and that is such a good thing. If I could, I would pat you both on the back and give you each a big hug. Keep up the good work.