So is anyone actually here?

Does anyone participate in this group?

Hi there,

I am here,

I just joined this group along with a group from our weight loss surgery class... and I don't ususally answer or respond to the forums, but saw your message and the heading of Gastric bypass surgery... so I thought I would answer...

I am a member of Kaiser in No.California Santa Rosa... and have been going thru the process for Ru N Y gastric bypass surgery.... I have two appointments in the next two weeks and then surgery is scheduled for January 28th... so pretty soon!  How are you doing?

Susan

User name:   weberson

I'm nearly 5 years post op (WOW I can't believe that).  I did really great the first two years but it becomes a struggle.  I don't dump unless I eat a lot of sugar, I have no aversions to any foods, meats or veggies or otherwise.  My labs have been perfect.  Biggest problems have been: sticking to exercise; "rebound" weight ie Oh no my stomach isn't so small anymore and I have to actually pay attention to what I'm eating!; head hunger; drinking too close to meals/not drinking enough; and now that I'm living on an island in Africa, it's finding the healthy foods that kept me on track for the past 4 years.  My lowest weight (that was only maintained for like an hour lol) was 155, but I settled around 165 and was pretty happy at a size 10-12 (though at the time I still thought I was a cow).  After several life events (a 100 day road trip and moving to Africa) I was up to 185, and now I'm back on track.

Your just starting out, so just remember it's a tool that will only work if you use it, and use your "honeymoon" period to fall in love with healthy foods and get used to the bizarre food/water schedule lol.  You will hit a point though where you feel like you could eat as much as you used to (ok, not as much as I used to but as much as a normal person can eat) and that is OK, that's why we retaught ourself healthy eating practices! 

Hello,

I am 8 years post op. I did well for the first 4 years, had a baby, had postpartum and ballooned up 60lbs. I am now off meds and went to a dietician to figure out a plan to get me back on track. It has been 2wks and I am doing ok. It is amazing how much you forget! I had to re teach myself to chew everything more, not to drink during meals, I also have no aversion to any foods and I don't have any dumping. Sugar or not...well I get some heart palpatations but that is it. My labs are great.  I have head hunger, am a stress eater and am finally putting myself and my weight issues to the front burner now that the postpartum is finally gone. Look foward to hearing from you and good luck!

It's so hard when you first start out to ever think that those "pounds lost FOREVER" might not actually be gone forever!  It's so hard to remember that if you don't use your tool correctly it won't work, and even if you DO use it correctly, if you don't deal with your "food issues" they'll still be there when the honeymoon is over. 

The good thing is that once we get back on track I think it's easier to lose weight because I'm still now not as hungry as I was at 300lbs and a whole stomach.  I mean now that I've started back on water, I don't even need to eat my 1600 calories (I DO becuase it's healthy and what I should be doing, but I don't feel the hunger). 

I hope we can be good examples of how "Success" is defined - it's not about losing all the weight and being skinny, it's about learning by trial and error, falling off the horse and getting back up again.

-Dove

SW 296

Lowest weight 155

SW on CC 184.5

CW 179.8

GW 159

Thank you for the words of wisdom.  I am 6 months out into my gastric bypass and everyday I struggle to make sure that I never go back.  However, it is true what you say that nothing is a guarantee and we must USE THE TOOL to be successful.  I just joined this group so that I could have some online support.  I love calorie count because I can account for the calories I take in.  now that I'm six months in, I find that I can tolerate more things than before so this tool for recordkeeping keeps me on track.

Good luck to you all.

Hey everyone - My name is Cheryl and I'm almost 2 weeks out of my surgery.  I joined calorie count because the site which my surgeon recommended didn't have the same amount of food choices and this seemed more in depth.    Next week I start on stage three of my diet and after scrolling through all of your posts, I have realized that I really need to deal with all of my "food issues" now in the beginning in order to ensure my success later.  I have never been so terrified of anything as I am of actually eating food again.  Now that I have gone two weeks on protein drinks, sugar free jello and water, the idea of food scares me.  I'm afraid of reverting back to old habits and would love any advice anyone could offer to mitigate against that.

Thanks.

Just joined this site and been roaming around trying to find a place to fit in.  I am preparing for RnY surgery.  don't have date yet but I have an appt with nutritionist tomorrow and an Endoscopy on Thursday and that's the end of my pre-op appts..  I will probably be scheduled for sometime between November and January.  I am reading, with lots of interest, all of your postings and hoping to glean insight from your experiences.  Hope this group will grow and we can all learn from each other.  BTW, I live in the San Francisco East Bay so not so far from Santa Rosa....  some of us are all but neighbors!  Where is everyone else from?

mary

Hello Everyone My name is Brooke. I am a 27 year old mother of two and I just joined this group. I have not had my surgery yet but I have completed the program through Tufts in Boston and now awaiting my surgery date. Does anyone have any advice? I have a had two friends do the surgery and both had no complications and look great. Although one of my friends had allot of excess skin and the other did not. I would say that both friends were in the high 300's. I am in the mid 200's. Does anyone have any advice on the saggy skin problem? (besides tummy tuck). Well I have been reading everyone's post's and everyone seems very positive and helpful. I wish you all a happy halloween! and thank you for any advice that you may give me.

Brooke