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My stepfather tried to bribe me to lose weight with a whole new wardrobe when I was 14. He constantly judges women’s value on their body and whether or not they are married. I’ve told my mother that I do not want comments from him on my weight loss. He’s stuck to it.

I am week 18. Everything tastes different to me, I don’t care for what use to be my favorite foods. Most things seem to taste like pennies an too salty. Anyone noticing similar?

Good luck!!! Congrats on taking this step to becoming a new, healthy, beautiful you! I am also over 60, so I am late to the game, but that's okay - we're adding quality years to our lives and we'll be able to enjoy those grandkids! 😊

Excited to finally be at the point I've been waiting for but also increasingly nervous. Like I know rationally the risk is relatively low but I have a small child at home and I'm still nervous about something going wrong, or recovery being worse than I'm anticipating. I'm trying to mentally prepare to feel like crap for a week so then if it's better it'll be a pleasant surprise.

I know I don’t belong here but I just wanted to pop in quick enough to wish all the Moms in here a Happy Mother’s Day. Ok I’m out, carry on. :)

Hi Im new on here I recently had gastric bypass about 6 weeks ago. Overall the surgery was a success however I feel like Im at a weight hick up dr says im doing everything right but I was still expecting to be dropping more weight. And drinking is a little bit of a challenge but im pushing through. I know everything takes time and Im still healing. Anyone having these issues too?

I completely relate to all of your feelings about this! I first started looking into WLS 15 years before I actually went through with it. I considered it many times over the course of those years, but the reason it took me so long to go through with it was exactly what you said -- I hated the thought of giving up everything that I loved. I couldn't imagine not eating a whole Red Baron pizza every week, or giving up my diet sodas. But I eventually reached a point where I had to choose between my health and continuing to eat the way I wanted, and that's when I went through with the surgery. The first few months (including the pre-op diet) are HARD. It is a huge adjustment to make to your life, especially in the liquid/purees/soft foods stages. Even when you get to the "normal food" stage, it's hard to know what to eat because it feels like everything you want is now off-limits. I still have the occasional pangs of sadness when I see something that looks delicious and realize I can't have it. I think the biggest surprise for me after surgery has been how little I miss my old diet. I have gradually discovered new, healthy recipes and foods that I never even would have tried back when I was eating pizza, french fries, pasta, ice cream, etc. I'm actually enjoying eating healthy food. I don't miss eating rice at all (in case you didn't know, most WLS patients don't eat rice because it expands in the stomach and can be painful) because I have found that cauliflower rice is a great substitute. I didn't even try it until my pre-op diet because I hated cauliflower, and now I eat it several times per week. I recently tried chia seed pudding and learned that I love it! I've started drinking tea since I quit carbonated beverages and now I'm discovering all kinds of delicious teas. I've found some great spice blends and sauces that make vegetables really tasty, and delicious light salad dressings. Can you believe I never tried sriracha before surgery, and now I love it (Huy Fong chili garlic sauce is even better). I'm about 10 months out from surgery, so still in the honeymoon period, but my experience at this point has been that the adjustment to my diet has been easier than I expected. The hard part for me has been making time in my life to take care of myself and my health because I didn't really exercise before surgery, and now I'm devoting over an hour per day to it. I went years without ever going to a doctor (other than the dentist) and now I have to go a few times per year, get periodic bloodwork, keep my prescriptions filled, etc. I have to take my vitamins every day. It can all be a burden, but the tradeoff is that I am in the best health of my adult life, and not obese for the first time in my adult life. I'm not saying that WLS is right for everyone, but you know all the reasons you have decided to do this and whether it's worth all of the changes you'll have to make. Good luck!

It was the same for me early on. I think a lot of it is pain from the cut stomach as it heals. The stomach will still churn and contract and it’s likely normal to feel that pain and I’m guessing the sensation really isn’t much different from hunger pangs. After a few weeks it went away for me, and 11 months out it still hasn’t returned, at all.

Yes, what you're describing is very common and for most people, it does go away as the tummy heals and swelling goes down. It's usually just a matter of waiting it out, but occasionally, people develop a complication called a "stricture". This is a narrowing in the digestive tract that doesn't allow food to pass through and it sometimes requires treatment to widen it and relieve the problem. But most commonly, when the swelling goes down, that feeling of everything getting stuck goes away on its own. Hang in there, and if it doesn't improve, check in again with your surgeon's office.

Welcome to the WLS mental battles. It’s ok to be angry. Many of us start with some buyer’s remorse. First food stages made me a bit hungry and angry. things got better with real food stage. Focus on the scale moving with your healthy choices. Keep your eyes on your short- and long-term goals. Recognize when food addiction is talking to you. Noting taste as good as weight loss:-) (make sure food suggestions are on your plan) (make sure they fit your calories and macros for the day) I like how it was said above. It’s what you can eat. bariatrics should not be torture. Food should be long term sustainable. Real food stage nutrition should be flavorful. There are healthy options for the foods I enjoy. I eat hamburgers without the bun (lettuce wrapped) I even enjoy the taste of a turkey burger patty over beef. Healthy pizza, Chicken fajitas without the tortilla, Check out bariatric friendly recipes. You will be able to go to restaurants. Make it about the conversations and quality food not crap foods. Your safe orders are protein and veggies. (replace carbs with more veggies) Kids or lite menus are also great.. You are now a cheap dinner date. Take home leftovers in a box for no cook meals later. Log them. Most restaurant menus are in MyFitnessPal food log.