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I had RNY on March 8, 2017. This was the best day of my life. The photos are of me at my highest weight of 330 and my current weight of 231. Every day has been a struggle but I'm doing it. I have my eye on the prize. Onederland here I come. I haven't been there since the 90's. HW 330 SW 292 CW 231 GW- under 200 lbs. I'll let you know when I get there. Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

Stalls suck to put it bluntly but they are a part of the process and completely normal. I've stalled pretty much every month during this process for 1-2 weeks and I've still managed to lose 63 pounds in 5 months. The weight will come off, just focus on making good habits now and sticking to them.

Congratulations! I will be having my surgery that month also!

You're in one of (if not THE) hardest parts of this journey. My surgery was almost three years ago but I still vividly remember my liquid pre-op diet. I felt like I was drowning in hunger. The thing that got me through was diverting my attention. Indulge in a favorite activity that isn't eating & lose yourself in it. This phase is hard, but you're going to get through it. You can do this. Good luck!

It is common for your taste buds to change after surgery. Be willing to experiment. After my RNY gastric bypass surgery, my taste buds changed dramatically. Even water changed. In the hospital it tasted excessively chlorinated and I could not drink it. So I experimented. Sugar free popsicles became my best friend. Some individuals find hot or cold can help with fluids. For me, I found that I could tolerate flavored water. So I began using Crystal Light. I also found a new drink Bai which I liked cold. In the winter, I found that I tolerate hot drinks such as piping hot cocoa. But you have to use the "No Sugar Added" variety. Also fine English teas were very good. The fluid requirement is met by a combination. It is not only the water that you drink each day. But also the water you drink when you take your vitamins and medicine. It is the milk you drink. It is the fluids content of the protein shakes. It is the water component of the soups you take. It is met by flavored water such as Crystal Light. It is met by sugar free popsicles. It is met by tea and decaf coffee. It is a combination of all the fluids that you consume during the day. Many experience problems drinking protein shakes. I hated them. But in the beginning I drank them, three 16-ounce protein shakes a day, in order to meet my protein requirements. You do not have to like protein shakes only tolerate them. There are many varieties of protein shakes available today. Experiment until you can find one you can tolerate. I used Muscle Milk Light (Vanilla Creme) powder blended with water and a half a banana. That worked for me. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, you might try premixed Isopure. If you tried all the various varieties and still are unsuccessfully, then there is the fallback of fortified milk. 32 ounces of 1% milk fortified by adding 1 cup of dried milk provides 56 grams of protein. It also takes a dent out of meeting the fluid requirements. Mix up a pitcher and drink a little throughout the day. Without sufficient protein, your body will scavenge protein from other areas of your body, such as your muscles. Protein is extremely important after surgery as its job in the body is to build and maintain tissues including your body's major organs and skeletal muscles. Protein deficiency, when continued over a long period of time can cause a disease known as protein caloric malnutrition. Common symptoms are poor healing, fatigue, hair loss and muscle wasting. Immediate post op, protein promotes healing of the staple line and incisions.

I didn't have nausea or diarrhea either. There is "gas" pain initially but it's not typical, feels like a stomach ache but agree with the walk walk walk. Didn't have a catheter either. I flew 2 weeks later and was fine.

I had my period. I wore a tampon, pad, and mesh underwear. I woke up the pad and mesh underwear were gone, but that tampon was still there. There was no need for a Foley. They got me up walking half asleep 8hrs postoperative. That's when I had a chance to change and insert a new one. You'll be fine. Nurses are great. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320AZ using BariatricPal mobile app

I hurt on my left side for 5 weeks or so. Surgeon said that's because she did more on that side and the 2 incisions are larger than the one on my right side. My stomach was removed through the incision by my belly button.

I just don't believe it's one size fits all. I don't believe we're all traumatized, I don't believe we are all overweight because we're broken. I do think that being grossly overweight can cause some real emotional problems and that most of us have lost the ability to use food as simply fuel. But when you look at a lot of the medical studies and when you look at recent brain research, it's just evident that there are no simple answers. We each have to figure out what our own barriers are, and what we can do to overcome them. Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

I got pregnant 5 months out and all was PERFECT! I'm sure my pregnancy was much healthier than it would have been had I not had surgery. I worked in more snacks to boost my calories (all very healthy and some ice cream to keep my sanity) and all went well. Delivered just days before my due day all natural at a birthing center and got up and walked out with my baby girl 3 hours after I had her. I gained 17lbs throughout and was back to ore pregnancy weight two days later. I continued to lose after with breastfeeding. (Keep those healthy calories up if you're planning to do so. It takes up A LOT of calories!) You'll be just fine!!! Congrats to you!!!!