Is herbal tea ok in fasting hours as it has flavor.

Thank you! I’m in Alison’s group and always had a question about protein. Thanks for the answer to that.

Congrats Wendy! You are working so hard for your loss and deserve every success. I admire your perseverance. You refuse to give up the fight and that is very motivating for others- like me! :)

Informative video Wendy….I want to try intermittent fasting too. I have a 30 lb post RNY surgery regain. Never got down to goal weight, I need to try a combination of IF and Keto (protein first). 👍

Please note I made a mistake with Gin Stephens name. It’s not Jill it’s Gin. I don’t know why I had made that mistake! I’m guessing at that point, when I was making the video, I didn’t have any food in my body! So I can just blame brain fog.

Thanks Wendy- another video that really ticks all the boxes for me. I am riddled with guilt for my regain and growing increasingly resentful of people who appear to be able to eat anything and not battle a weight issue. I have experienced the self-imposed isolation after weight regain, and the self-loathing. I am currently in a situation where we are heading over to the UK to visit my husband's family in early November. Last time we were over there, I was 40 lbs lighter. I am really battling with myself over this because I don't want to go looking like this. Typically I would be counting the days till this trip in eager anticipation. Last time we went over, I was looking and feeling my absolute best, and our family there was stunned at my transformation as they had, of course, known me at my physical worst. Now I am facing the reality of facing them in shame, 40 lbs heavier, and wanting to hide and find a reason to not go. Mind you, even at my current weight, I am still over 100 lbs lighter than I was before my sleeve. You are so right- I am bullying myself. I am stressing out beyond belief about getting some of this weight off so I feel better about going over. It's probably no surprise that my metabolism is shot after a lifetime of yoyo dieting, and being post menopausal....it seems like a complete uphill battle. I feel like I am living in a state of perpetual driving hunger and my body is doing everything within it's power to sabotage my success. I appreciate your candid podcasts and your wonderful guest speakers. I look forward to your next post.

That’s a very good episode, I send you a big big hug to both of you

Hi Wendy congratulations you look great I saw your current videos wow!! Just wondering what weight you started off at since you lost 73 pounds after 4 weeks of optifast?

i had my surgery in mexico and am involved in this organization's FB group. i believe it is criminal to not warn people that there is a honeymoon period with any WLS. i've grown tired of expressing this phenomenon in my group. it is such a shame that this warning is not given to everyone that has the surgery. i only knew about this up and coming complication because my sister had her surgery 14 years prior. you are not a failure! you're absolutely normal for the vast majority!

I got to 34:00 minutes and got lost!!! 😂 Very interesting, but....😵‍💫🤯😵

i love your videos! i have not yet heard you mention something that happens when you lose weight. when you get to your ideal weight, your basic metabolic rate is lower than the charts. someone who's never lost weight, at say, 150 lbs, versus someone who's formerly morbidly obese, now also 150 lbs... these two people will have a different BMR. this is another wrench in the whole thing called maintenance. doesn't seem fair, but it's real.

Wendy, It was a great pleasure and a lot of fun to speak with you about our mutual interests on obesity. I very much look forward to continuing our dive into the root cause and cure of emotional compulsive overeating resulting in overweight and obesity.

Thank you for another wonderful podcast with great information and great concepts to contemplate.

Again, very well done!❤

Well done, it makes me really angry because I know you so well how horrible your father was. I guess we'd all do the best we can, even him. He probably received similar treatment when he was young. Your podcast is evolving as are you?!❤

Once again, I thank you for sharing. There are so many parallels to our stories. My timeline is similar to yours. I am 61 yrs old and 5 1/2 yrs out of my sleeve surgery. I started out at a highest weight of 344 and hit my lowest at 177 (for about a day). I literally felt like a million bucks. My life was dramatically changed and I had a newfound energy and confidence level that I wish I could have bottled. But like so many others, despite the emotional and physical high I was feeling, and the absolute joy I felt in getting dressed every day and clothes shopping, I blew it. And I hated myself for it. I promised myself before I had the surgery that this was the last chance I needed and if I was given the opportunity to have the surgery, I would never turn back. Similar to you, I struggled when the pandemic hit. Working in health care, I was stress eating, big time. As you described.... slider foods. I couldn't eat much volume, but I could eat often. I don't want to completely fault the pandemic because I also got sloppy and made bad decisions. I started picking, eating at night, increasing carbs and sugar- and, well, you know the rest. My weight crept back up to 260. I started backing out of social situations again. Didn't want to see anyone because I was ashamed. The self loathing crept back in and I got irritable. I felt like such a failure and I was absolutely devastated. And because of that, all I wanted to do was....you guessed it.... EAT. My weight has been a fight my entire life and even post surgery, it continues to be a daily battle. I finally forced myself to return to the bariatric practice where I was followed for my surgery. I swallowed my pride and I spilled my guts to the nurse practitioner, tearful and full of remorse. She was absolutely wonderful and non-judgmental. We put together a plan to get me back on track and I felt better as soon as I dried my eyes and left the office. I felt hopeful again. So, with the help of some medical weight management, I am getting back on track and have my sights firmly fixed on the prize of the return of my self-worth and the freedom I felt when I was below 200 lbs. I don't even aspire to get back down to 177. I just want to get comfortably back in to "Onederland" as they say..... and STAY there. A step at a time. And as you said- we are all in this together. And that is my very abbreviated story. :)

Thanks Wendy- boy, you're singing my song here. Mental abuse and self loathing is a huge issue for me with the weight re-gain. It's so easy to spiral down to a really dark place and decide I am defeated and throw in the towel. This lifelong battle with obesity is mentally exhausting. It's amazing I have any self esteem left at all- and at times, I truly don't. I appreciate your posts and open honesty.

Looking forward to future episodes. Your story is always inspiring.

Every episode is going to get better and better and you'll feel more comfortable every time. Thank you for giving these and I hope that It catches on. My chosen platform to listen to these is youtube❤

❤

Congratulations Wendy. Time sure flies, doesn’t it? Coming up on 18 years for me. One day at a time! Take care

Thank you for posting this - it’s great to hear about your journey! I was nodding when you were mentioning the NSVs - they make such a difference to just living life

Way to go Wendy, happy anniversary. Some great NSV's. Thank you for being open and sharing with all of us. Never give up.

Thank you for sharing. Look forward to your videos. I too am coming up on 6 years. I stalled after losing 100 lbs. I gained some back but have been working on taking it back off, and hopefully even more.

you're doing great! love your updates especially since you're one of the few who posts videos that aren't still in the honeymoon phase of weight loss surgery. thanks!

Thank you for such honest testimony. I have just passed my 5th year and certainly share many of the same struggles as you have throughout my journey , and similar impact from the pandemic. Being a healthcare worker, I stress ate and am fighting that dreaded re-gain issue. It's such a head game! As you said, so much of this is mental. SW 344 LW 177 CW 235 UGH! Fighting to get back under 200 and STAY there!! Thank you for your inspiration. :)

Thank you for sharing this so openly and honestly.

Glad you are back !

Wow time passes so quickly ( at least when you look back...maybe not when goining through it) So glad to have stumbled on your live chat 👍

Thank you so much for all your videos! I’m just starting out, waiting to hear from the OBN, so it’s really helpful to hear from a fellow Ontarian. It’s also an inspiration not only that you lost initially, but then after regaining some weight later on (my biggest fear), that you’re losing again (hurrah!). Looking forward to more videos 🙂

December is a tough month, with all the Christmas food and sweets.

I’m going in April 2024 for my gastric sleeve, were you only on the Optifast Shakes ? I’m a huge food lover, just worried about cravings. Does the Optifast make you feel full ?

'Promo sm'

This was a very informative video Wendy! Well done & take care. 😊

We are very good about lying to ourselves about our food issues. When we snap back to reality, we recognize our food issues and likely our diet comes into play with regain. We go through many different phases of our journey. This is for life after all. I lost my regain last year at 17.5 years out. . ❤ all the best to you, Wendy. You would likely qualify for a revision if that is something that you’d ever consider. I wish you lots of good vibes for your new journey

Hi there, Found you when searching for Vyvanse videos. I'm 57 and was diagnosed with ADHD back in December and was put on20mg of Vyvanse as of Dec 19th. I've also dealt with BED but I haven't disclosed that to my doctor but the meds working for both conditions is just a happy bonus. I have about 100 lbs to lose and was really hoping to see the pounds drop but so far I haven't lost a lot. I haven't found the meds are affecting my appetite but I do find I'm not snacking in the evenings like I had been in the past. I see the doctor next week & I'm hoping he increases my dosage because overall I feel so much better. I don't have the constant food chatter in my brain anymore. One side effect I've been dealing with is joint/muscle pain. Almost right away I noticed my knees felt really stick & my lower back & si joints were sore (I've had this in the past but its been good for about a year). Just curious if you noticed any muscle or joint issues?

would love a 5 year surgaversity video! with VSG statisically, 30% regain all their weight; 50% keep off 60%. only a very small percentage keep it all off. you've done a remarkable job!

Hi Wendy, I'm a bariatric patient also. I hope you don't mind - be sure to drink a gallon of water a day. As a singer I always worried about dry mouth. There is a great product called Biotene. Toothpaste, spray and lozenges. It has an ingredient that encourages salivary production. That helped me tremendously. Also if you can find sugar-free sweeteners of malitol or sorbitol, usually in chocolate and puddings, that may I help you with that other problem you mentioned. Someone told me to look you up on KZbin and I'm so glad. I am thrilled with your progress with Vivanse. I have ADHD, and I take another drug for it. I wanted to go on Vivanse, but my insurance doesn't pay enough of the cost. Good luck, and I look forward you your next video. Brava!!

Congratulations on your weight loss and the success you are having with the Vyvanse- and Merry Christmas wishes to you and those you love. Thanks for the honest testimonial!

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away!” I guess the ole saying is true. And you look beautiful in Candy Apple Red too 🍎 Happy New Year, Weight Loss Friend! 🎉

Congrats Wendy! Excellent video! Merry Christmas & a very Happy New Year!!! ♥️

Merry Christmas Wendy..

Great update Wendy. Wishing you continued success. Keep it going. You can do it, and continue to inspire us all.

Congratulations Wendy ! So glad you found something that works.

That's fantastic, Wendy! I could see it in your face right away :)

Great job keepin’ on, keepin’ on! 👏🏻

Yay!!! Wonderful news. Great education for so many people.❤

Thanks for sharing Wendy . Going to discuss Vyvanse with my weight loss dr tomorrow. I hope he agrees and prescribes this for me .

Great news Wendy. I'm really happy you are making great progress with this. Thanks for the update, love hearing from you.

Wonderful. I'm so glad that you talked about the side effects. I want you to share if you feel comfortable, the psychological issues that you've had to sift through also having an binge eating disorder. Cuz I think there are so many people out there who have BED. Not just about taking this wonderful magical pill, but there is a lot of hard mind and spirit work as well and it would be great to hear some insight on that as well.❤