livvsmum

Yes. The smaller the numbers got, the more slowly the pounds came off. Can you try mixing up your exercise routine? Sometimes that jumpstarts things for me.

I have highmark bc/bs and had to pay my $1,000 co-insurance before the surgery. I actually ended up getting back about $100 of that because it's $1,000 or 10% and the 10% ended up being less :-)

When the weight loss was rapid, I did a fair amount of consignment shopping for work clothes. You can find some nice, upscale consignment shops if you look. I couldn't justify paying full retail when I knew I would only wear it a couple of months at most. I also did more skirts than pants because you can get away with skirts being a little big. When pants get big, your butt gets saggy. :-) In any case, I LOVE shopping now. I had a blast refilling my closet once I hit my goal weight. I basically got to rebuild my whole wardrobe. I ADORE shopping for bikinis (which I never had before). I have more than I would like to admit now. Lingerie is another thing I love shopping for that I never really did before. But normal things like boots that I can easily fit into now, skinny jeans, curve-hugging clothes. It's so much fun!

My go-to breakfast is a hard-boiled egg. It's quick and easy and I can grab it on the go. My kids love them too so I always have a supply in the fridge.

It definitely gets better. I remember in the few days after surgery being totally annoyed at how many food commercials there were. Everything made me think of food, and thinking of food made me totally convinced I was starving. For me it was more head or emotional hunger than anything. Hang in there! Get in your Protein as you are able and that feeling will go away.

I agree with what the others have said. Your body will eventually settle into a place where it is most stable and comfortable. Unless you go crazy and eat a ton of carbs, you likely won't regain as long as you keep up the high Protein, low carb bariatric diet. At a certain point, even if you're doing the same things, you will stop losing and things will balance out. Congrats on your weight loss so far!

Hi all - Quick question.... Has anyone dealt with severe iron-deficiency anemia since surgery? I was fine for the longest time, but around 2.5 years post op during some routine lab work I found out I have severely low Iron and very low hemaglobin. My surgeon put me on oral iron supplements for 60 days then retested. My iron levels after 60 days were just as low, and the hemaglobin went lower still. So, now I am goingt to a hematologist tomorrow because my surgeon said he didn't feel "comfortable" treating it because he didn't want to "miss something." Of course now I'm kind of freaking out. What is he afraid of missing? Anyway, if anyone has dealt with problems absorbing iron since surgery, what was your treatment plan? Did you need IV iron transfusions? A blood transfusion? How quickly after the iron infusions did you start to feel better, etc? Any info would be appreciated. I feel like death and just want to get back to having any level of energy!

So I'm super excited. I teach at a University, and I had a Psychology professor with whom I am friends on facebook, etc. come up to me yesterday and tell me that my story and weight loss journey has been such an inspiration to her to watch. She teaches the Psychology of Change and asked me if I would come to her class as a guest speaker and talk to the students about what motivated me to change and what has maintained the motivation for the long-term changes for almost 3-years now. It's not so much about surgery, because, let's face it, surgery is the tool that got things started, but whether or not we choose to make long term changes to be successful is up to us. Anyway, I digress. I was super excited and flatter that she invited me to speak on my changes, and I'm hopeful that i can motivate someone else to get healthy! keep up the hard work! You never know who is watching you and being inspired!

You kind of have to get out of the mentality that it's another diet like hcg. It has to be a lifestyle change or it will be almost impossible to maintain.....I"m speaking from almost 3 years post op, so I have a little long-term perspective. Maybe try some new bariatric recipes (there are tons on pinterest). Or you may be like me and if you let a little of the sugar, super carby foods back in, it can set of a days-long carb-fest. I have to avoid sugary things, bread, etc. altogether because it is an addiction for me and can lead to a real struggle to get back on track. I hope you are able to get things under control and continue making the most of your active losing "window". Good luck!

Congrats! It is so exciting and motivating isn't it? I miss those milestones since I've been maintaining! Enjoy the exciting moment! You've earned it!

That's awesome! Congratulations! Isn't it wonderful and life-changing?

I've lost 130+ and have been maintaining for almost 2 years now. I reached my goal of 130 lost in under the first year post op. To be honest, losing was the easy part. Maintaining it in the 2 years since then has been the tough part.

Sounds like you know what you are doing wrong and just need to find a way back on track. Maybe a couple days back on the pre-op liquid diet would help to restart things. I did that a couple of times and it made me feel a lot more restriction when I returned to full foods. Also, if you know what you are doing wrong, but you keep doing it, it sounds like there might be some self-sabotage going on there. I know I struggle with that from time to time. There are lots of books out there that can help. I can recommend a couple if you like. Or, what I found is that therapy helped me a ton. I know I would have regained a lot if I wouldn't have gotten a hold of the underlying issues as to why I started eating badly.

I agree that if you are doing more working out you could be adding muscle, but I doubt 28 pounds of muscle. That is puzzling if you are are sticking to the numbers, high Protein, low carb & lots of Water. I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling. I too can gain a few pounds back if I'm not careful, but I've found that if I stick very strictly to the bariatric diet, it comes right back off. I hope you get it figured out!

Congrats on your surgery date! I was off of work for 2 weeks with my surgery. i was fine physically to go back, but was pretty exhausted still at that point. I don't think I had any restrictions on driving. Pretty much once I was off pain meds I was ok to drive. As far as exercising, I didn't start til probably 2 months or so post op. I started with running and from there have become an avid runner and love all kinds of work outs. My favorite is probably barre. Good luck to you on your journey!

Wonderful! Congratulations! Running my first 5K I think was even more fulfilling and exciting than running my first 1/2 marathon. I guess mainly because it was the first realization I had that I could do something athletic and push my body further than I ever thought I could. Good luck on your 1/2 marathon.Just stick with a good training plan and you'll do great!

I just had to do liquids the day before surgery. I've lost 131 pounds so far. I don't think having or not having a pre-op diet really makes an impact on your long-term success. It's more of a surgeon's preference, whether they think you need to work on shrinking your liver or not, etc.

Congrats! That is a huge milestone!

Glad to hear you are moving forward. It was the best decision that I ever made for myself. Good luck!

I went back to work 2 weeks after surgery. I have a job that is not at all physically demanding. As for exercise, I think around 4-6 weeks I was able to start actually exercising, but of course before then I was encouraged to walk, walk, walk to stay active and avoid blood clots, etc.

Good to know! Hubby & I are headed to Mexico soon and I haven't really thought too much about the eating part of it. I'll just try to make the best decisions I can, but like you, I'm sure there will be a splurge here and there :-)

That is awesome! Congratulations!

Keep doing what you are doing! I definitely remember that stage! I think what you are doing sounds about like what I experienced. I couldn't believe how little I was able to eat/drink. Also, that's great that you can do Protein shakes. That will help get you some nutrients. I couldn't even stomach those.

I didn't know a calculator like that existed! lol. I just did it and it said I could expect to be 177 pounds, losing 101. I lost 130 so far, and am 148 pounds, so I guess I exceeded it. :-) My surgeon originally said I could expect to lose about 60% of my excess weight. If I go by that I've definitely exceeded it because I've lost over 100% of excess weight.

Definitely seek out the medical help that you need! If you feel like you are having a panic attack, definitely get some help! To answer your question, yes, my anxiety was heightened after surgery because my method of dealing with stress and anxiety was to binge eat so I would not think about what was bothering me. Now, I found myself post op and not being able physically to do that. It was a tough time adjusting to new coping mechanisms. I started therapy with an eating disorder therapist and have been able to deal with things that way.