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I survived my first family event today. The nice thing about Covid is I haven't had to worry about gatherings. But today was a special birthday for a relative so we had a BBQ with about 20 people. I was asked to bring an Angel Food Cake, so I made that....and I didn't eat the part I cut off like I normally would. I had one small bite, the rest went in the compost. I'm only 3 months out. Not everyone there knows I had the surgery, but no one commented about the fact that all I ate was a chicken burger (that I brought) and some pickles. I used a dessert sized plate like I do at home. Timed my bites, and as expected could not eat it all. I didn't have any of the other food there. There was no desire, I was full. A little later I had dessert. I was still "full", so just had a small bite of cheesecake (no crust or topping) and a sliver of the angel food cake with 3 fresh strawberries that I brought for myself. There is no way I could have ate more than that.

I had my VSG the last week of June so I’m almost 10 weeks post op. I normally have really thick, long hair but the last few weeks I’ve lost so much hair that it’s about 50% gone. Most people I’ve read on here didn’t experience hair loss until later so I’m scared I might lose even more. How long until it stops and should I be worried about bald spots?

Are you taking your vitamins every day? There's nothing you can do about the normal amount of hair loss from surgery and weight loss, but not taking the prescribed vitamins can make it worse. Hope it gets better!

Sorry you are having so much trouble I’m 4 days post-op still in the hospital

Thanks, Dave. That's so strange...even in the Medicare book, it says a 6-month medically supervised program. I have Tricare as my secondary. Maybe that's the difference.

Yes on the skin and no I dont feel like its worse then being overweight but it does suck after doing all the work. You are never too old to feel better.

I’m actually shocked by how little loose skin bothers me. I’ve gone from 339-180, and I’m still planning on losing 15 more pounds. I have some loose skin on my upper arms, and some on my abdomen, but overall it just doesn’t look bad in my opinion. Will I be wearing a skimpy bikini around? No but I’m not the kind of person who would do that regardless. I wear regular clothes and it has not bothered me. I may consider skin removal on my upper arms but overall it’s just not these huge hanging piles of skin I had pictured. Think of it this way. The skin is there right now. You already have all the skin you’re worried about on your body today. Do you want that skin filled with fat? I didn’t!

Hi Cheryl, my pre-op appt consisted of going over the surgery (I had the sleeve) risks/side effects, expected hospital stay, meds to have filled prior to surgery, pre-op photos, weigh-in and follow up appointments to be scheduled after surgery. Hope this helps!

I had gastric bypass on 5/7/2021. I began my weight loss journey in August 2020 when I attended my hospital’s bariatric seminar. My insurance required 6 months of diet before surgery approval. My fist dietitian appoint was mid-October 2020. Prior to this appointment I had very little motivation to lose weight. I was 280+ pounds (5’ 7.5”) and depressed. My ankles swelled every day, I had trouble moving, none of my clothes fit well and my wedding rings didn’t fit at all. I had gone off the rails. Between October and March 21’ I managed to lose 45 pounds. I attribute my success to my husband also taking charge of his health and being a great partner. My packet was submitted in March and approved 1 week later. My surgery was scheduled 7 weeks form the approval to my disappointment. It was a long 7 weeks! I didn’t gain or lose weight during my wait. I was officially 237 at my pre-op appointment. I managed to lose 10 pounds prior to surgery on the liver shrink diet. I was 227 the morning of surgery The surgery went fine. I had some nausea and dry heaving the first few hours. I was able to get water down but not much else. The drain really caused me trouble so it was removed 12 hours later. I ended up only staying 1 night in the hospital because I was determined to get released early. I walked all the time and really kept my RN on his toes. Thankfully the doctor agreed with me that I would recover better at home. The next evening I was discharged and could sleep in my own bed. I followed the diet exactly for nearly 8 weeks. I went on a cruise with my family and 95% ate to plan. I would have a taste of dessert but let me tell you I sure paid for it. Dumping is real and it affects me. I seem to dump if I eat too fast, too much, or an item too high in sugar (hello chai tea!). I learned many lessons that week I’m thankful for. The surgery did exactly what I needed it to do- deter me. I have had trouble with constipation. I am taking 3 colace per day and benefiber each morning. Seems to help but my body likes to hold onto waste. I might go back to miralax to help move things along. I’ve always had trouble in this area but now it’s more consistent. On Saturday I hit “onederland” and weighed 199. I never thought I would get here. I weigh myself each day and I am fluctuating between 198 and 199 this week. I have a heck of a lot more energy than I did a month ago. I am moving my body every day and using my elliptical at least 3 times a week. I have changed sizes! Last summer I wore a 20 and now I need a 12. It blows my mind. It’s hard to describe how I feel. I can see the change but I don’t believe it’s me. People I haven’t seen in a year take a look at me and their mouth drops and tell me they didn’t recognize me or make a comment like “omg you have lost so much weight!” In a way it feels good to be validated but at the same time I hate the attention. Honestly if I didn’t lose another pound I would be happy. I am under 200 and I feel/look great! I can move without pain and I have energy. Heck I mowed the yard today! I’ve had some negative comments too- mostly from my parents- “you’re starving yourself, don’t loose too much weight, and I think you’ve lost enough” It’s painful so I don’t speak with them much. I feel my weight loss has been slow but I remind myself how far I’ve come. 80+ pound weight loss is nothing to bat at! I’m doing a great job! I hope to be better and update this thread monthly! Thanks for reading.

Can we have mashed potatoes? I figured it would be too starchy? Im entering pureed/soft foods tomorrow. I would LOOOVE mashed potatoes! I ordered flavorless protein powder and can add it in to make it more protein heavy.