Unclechaz

I'm four years into my surgery this month and here are the things that I've learned.
At the beginning most will feel mixed emotions. Euphoric due to rapid weight loss, concern due to stalls and minor setbacks and trepidation due to looking at how others are doing and you feeling you're not doing enough. The one feeling we all have will be a renewed confidence in ourselves due to the fastest weight reduction you might have ever experienced.
We attain our goal weight. We then transition into making wise food and lifestyle choices. No longer are we to eat the things that made us obese and unhealthy such as the three C's, Cookies, Cake and candy. We will get more exercise. Maybe we park further from the building, maybe we join a gym, maybe we walk, run or work out. We are feeling great and we love our new selves.
Next we work on maintaining the weight loss and our healthy lifestyle. One thing happens, we decide since we lost so much weight it couldn't hurt to visit our friends the three C's. If only for a short while and only in small amounts. Hey, why park so far? It's really cold/hot, I'll park closer. You're still feeling confident even if you gained only 10lbs of the 100 you lost. Hey, you're still down 90lbs. No problem, I can lose the 10lbs. I've lost far more than that after surgery.
Then we realize, we are no longer weight loss super beings. We are just mere mortals who now have to work hard to lose the weight. Our bodies after time (usually after the one year mark) will not give us that rapid weight loss we once depended on. Here is when your determination and or lack of it will affect you for the rest of your life. We will all get back on a diet or healthier eating plan to lose the weight we gained. The majority will not succeed because it is not as easy it was when we first had surgery. Some will become complacent and throw up their hands and surrender. The weight will come back and the thoughts of a revision will come to our heads. Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not allow for a do over. For a few they will overcome and work on shedding those pounds. They will succeed due to a variety of reasons such as a good support group, using the honeymoon period wisely and really making better lifestyle choices or simply losing one pound at a time instead of trying to lose all of it at one time.
Since my surgery four years ago I had five friends and family members undergo the surgery. We ALL gained back some of the weight. Some were able to lose it and regain their healthy lifestyle. Some never were able to lose the weight and went back into the habit of eating for gratification.
This is what I did. I originally got down on myself. How did I after three years let myself gain 10 lbs. I vowed to get it off. My 1st week I lost 1/2 a pound. I was devastated, how could this be? The next week I gained a pound. Why? I needed help!! My regular group meetings were cancelled due to covid so I lost valuable support there. I decided to call my family and friends who had the surgery. I spent hours talking to everyone, I told them about my struggles and they told me about theirs. We all came away with a few good ideas of what to do. First don't look to lose the WHOLE amount in one shot. It won't happen and it will derail you from succeeding. Set a goal of 1-2lbs per week. Don't worry that some friends or family might be losing more. We aren't in competition with them. Look at the little things. One friend said she stopped putting Crystal light or Mio in her Water. She only drank plain ice water. It seemed to help her jump start her weight loss. Another friend said he started taking the stairs instead of the elevator. He climbs seven flights at least once a day. Another told me her husband who did not have the surgery brought Snacks home and that she would eat them. She purged her home of the unhealthy snacks as she did right after her surgery. I started to implement these and other ideas and I have lost 5lbs in five weeks. I'm at the half way point to getting back to my goal weight.
We are not super humans we need help and we need encouragement in order to succeed. There are a few on here who have done a tremendous job on their own and they are to be commended and emulated. For me, I need and I will take all the help I can get. Everyday is a struggle to be healthy. I told my surgeon that all this is happening after only four years, how do people succeed at maintaining the weight loss? He said sadly, the majority won't.

Coming up on 2 years post op and life has never been better. The gastric sleeve opened up a world to me that i thought would never exist. Ive learned so much about health, nutrition and exercise, that i wouldnt have if i didnt take the first step with the sleeve. I have a healthy relationship with foods now. I try to keep myself to the 80/20 rule. But i probably am closer to 90/10. Make good choices 80% of the time, and enjoy some of my favorite things the other times. Its funny tho, a lot of my favorites have no become healthy choices. So that makes life easier. I started this journey first just focusing on losing the weight. So for the first year i ran a lot and set a goal to run a half marathon. i completed that last may and then began to switch my focus to putting on muscle. This was hard because it meant i had to up my calories which for anyone in our situation, is a scary thing. So i bought a WHOOP strap and really dialed in how many calories i was burning and spoke with my nutritionist about a plan to get where i wanted to go. (whoop strap is apparently the most accurate fitness tracker out right now and ive found that my apple watch says i burn 800 more calories then the whoop says. just a heads up. IT wasnt easy but ive been doing it and got on a great routine. My lowest weight was 208. i now hover between 225-230. i weigh every few weeks but dont get too obsessed with the scale anymore. i know that if i stay within my calories that im fine. Its been a process and i had to learn a lot. it wasnt all easy but 110% worth it. This surgery opened a whole new life for me. I am extremely greatful.

So, the entire month of April had been terrible for me. I've been dealing with a really bad osteoarthritis flare since April 5th so I only lost 1 pound the entire month due to inflammation issues and have been in constant pain since then. So, in the wee hours of this morning when I stepped on the scale I, honestly, wasn't expecting it to tell me I'd lost a pound because my weight keeps fluctuating between 190-193 and had done that the entire month of April. So I was shocked to see 189.2 on the scale! I stepped off the scale and then stepped back on it and it popped back up. I moved the scale and stepped back on it and, again, it said 189.2 for the third time. I didn't believe it at first lol (I think moved the scale like 5 times and checked it 6 or 7). But it's official! I can finally say that I've lost 200 pounds! That's a HUGE milestone for me! I have less than 10 pounds to go to get to my goal weight! And that just honestly blows my mind! I've been so miserable the last month due to the stupid flare, but seeing 189 on my scale put a huge smile on my face! It made my day! I just wanted to share my milestone...

Didn’t think I’d ever get this far. My realistic goal was 240 (I’m 6’4” and always justified my fatness as “I’m just a big guy”) but when I hit that I thought 220 would be the bottom. Just hit 199 last week and I think I’m at goal now. Not sure how I can really get into maintenance, calculators are showing my calorie intake needed to maintain are waaaayyy above what I can take in. Short of switching to the m&ms and pop tart diet I think I’ll still keep losing which is now a little concerning. Went from barely squeezing into 44 pants to a loose 36, BMI is considered healthy. I feel great and I’m SOOOO close to being able to do literally the first pull-up of my life. Need to log in via laptop and change my username now :) sorry to gloat I just feel good and can’t get too excited at home because my wife has not been successful with gsv despite strictly adhering to the program and she’s bummed about it pretty hard (quite understandably so)

101 to be exact. Just unbelievable that I've lost that much in less than six months. Went from 44 jeans to 34. BMI started at 44 and I'm down to 30. I'm so thankful that this was available to me.

I hope everyone is going great. You all look amazing!!!

I broke the three-week stall. I tried to stay positive, but I'll admit, I was concerned. I weighed in a few weeks ago at 230, then 228 (yes, I weigh every day), and it went back up. I was back to 232ish and it stuck there for about a week. That was frustrating. I'll admit that this coincided with me pushing my limits as I tried to introduce more normal foods into my diet. I am happy to report the past three days, the scale has started moving again and I hit 224.8 (HW 284) this morning. I'm happy with where I am so far and feel like I'm heading in the right direction. I am also thankful for the advice on this forum, so when I hit the stall, I was more patient than I otherwise would be, since I knew what to expect.

july 10th 2019. A little over 15 months ago.

SW 320.0
GW 170.0
CW 140.5 
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I’m thrilled to have reached goal today! Coincidentally, it happened on the anniversary of my initial consult with my surgeon. I’m down 100lbs and feel lighter than air!

Pics are below! For those that wonder about loose skin, yeah I gots it! I’m having PS to remove it, but I’ll take the loose skin over fat any day! Tried to show what I look like with clothes on, with shirt pulled up and with loose skin untucked out of my pants! LOL!

I DID IT !
I hit MY weight goal. NOT my surgeon's goal 10 years ago when I started this advent....that was to weigh145 pounds. Then he agreed that having started at 320, (and then 5'3" ) that a more logical goal would be in the area of 160 to 170. The lowest I ever got was 175. And I did not maintain that for even a moment. The the next 8 years of losing my only sibling to the Flu at the age of 49 (please get your flu shot) and then my surviving parent a few years later... personal illness and drama.... and creeping weight gain....
14 months ago at 220 pounds and 63 years old I got my act back together.
I went back to eating Protein - first and foremost - protein, healthy vegetables and fruit, and a smattering of healthy whole grain carbs and healthy fats.
I ate mindfully - and intentionally to fuel my mind and body.
I ate a treat daily
I slowly changed HOW I eat, what I eat, and when I eat it.
I did not announce it, I did not talk about it. I just did it.
I lost 45 pounds in the past 14 months. Not fast weight loss, but steady
And I may decide to lose a bit more. Or not.
Thank you for being my sounding board. Thank you for being here for support.
Today I am thankful for my sleeve, for saggy baggy hanging skin and not caring. And for being healthy !

I used my kid's sippy cup for the first 10 days. Worked great.

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The Forum Rules and Guidelines state:
Disrespectful and Hurtful Posts are Forbidden
In addition, “bashing” of individuals is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, statements that a person is:
Lazy for choosing one type of weight loss surgery over another Unprepared for or undeserving of weight loss surgery because of Deserving of complications or disappointing weight loss because of their choice of weight loss surgery This tread is now frozen.

Yes, it has been, although Zantac and ranitidine have all been recalled over the past few months. It has also been linked to stillbirth and birth defects. I'm actually an attorney filing these cases, mostly for Zantac causing cancer.

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Weighed in today at 199 pounds !! Can't remember when I was under 200. I am so thrilled.

Congratulations!

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Well guys this is my monthly check in or check up.
i hope I'm able to offer some inspiration to those who are yet to have surgery or still deciding.
But I have got to say this roux en Y gastric bypass operation has saved my life!!!
It's officially 9 months since I had my surgery here in Australia and it has been amazing, a breeze, no issues at all and lost weight consistently every month.
I've been in maintenance now 3 months pretty much with my weight sitting on average 165lbs but I've also seen 163,164 and 165.
i still weigh myself most days; it's a habit.
i don't worry about logging my food but I do keep a mental note of my intake calories; I still use shakes most days as some days I'm not hungry but others day I am really hungry...
I can eat mostly anything without any major issues and my weight has not changed at all which is great.
So 9 months since surgery and 11 months since preop diet.
Feeling amazing; looking great; starting to feel confident finally and my birthday coming very soon.
Had to buy some more clothes once again even though my weight isn't changing I think my body composition is changing like overtime your skin may retract and I think mine is doing it naturally or via gravity either way it's Great.
159lbs lost at my lowest weight but as I said my weight can vary a few lbs from day to day.
I'll be 36 very soon but I look and feel 26 and can't wait to start living life and finding a lovely lady.
My journey is over but I still have to keep focused and make sure I monitor my weight for the long term.
i just want to say it is possible to be successful. It is possible to lose ALL your excess weight and keep it off...
Thank you.
Photos attached
Positive feedback appreciated.

I am posting this in the hopes that it may help someone....
Onederland. I have read other people post about onederland for years now, and never thought it would one day be me. It just seemed so far out of reach. During my years of trying all different diet fads, I got close, but never hit the magic number (only to gain back everything, plus). Yesterday, was my first memory of ever seeing a 1 as the first digit on the scale.
Less than 8 months ago, I weighed 316 pounds, scared out of my mind about surgery, and wondering if I would even lose 100 pounds in the end. The road hasn’t always been easy, but the results are so worth it. For those on the fence (as I was for 5 years) I can tell you without hesitation that this was the right move for me. As so many people have said before, my only regret is not doing it sooner.

I am posting this in the hopes that it may help someone....
Onederland. I have read other people post about onederland for years now, and never thought it would one day be me. It just seemed so far out of reach. During my years of trying all different diet fads, I got close, but never hit the magic number (only to gain back everything, plus). Yesterday, was my first memory of ever seeing a 1 as the first digit on the scale.
Less than 8 months ago, I weighed 316 pounds, scared out of my mind about surgery, and wondering if I would even lose 100 pounds in the end. The road hasn’t always been easy, but the results are so worth it. For those on the fence (as I was for 5 years) I can tell you without hesitation that this was the right move for me. As so many people have said before, my only regret is not doing it sooner.

I went with Dr. Wizman in November. I don't believe you will find a surgeon more knowledgeable or experienced down here. He was great and his staff is great. The support they provide for life is great. I highly recommend.

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Hey All!

I don’t comment much on here but you all have definitely been a big help to be on my journey!! I truly have loved hearing all of your stories, it has been a big motivational help to me. It’s nice to have a community that doesn’t have judgement and everyone can ask questions and share their stories with each other. I’m about 15lbs from goal and about 8 months out from my surgery.
My before picture was from 2018 and probably wasn’t even my heaviest and then right was from yesterday!
I think weight loss surgery is a great tool, but it 100% is all mental the rest of the journey. We have to daily make the right food choices and want to live a better life.

Thanks for all of your support!!

-Karlee

I'm so in love with myself im learning the new me
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I started with a gastric sleeve surgery done in July 2019 weighing just shy of 350lbs. I had a lot of issues and tough recovery and it required a revision to a gastric bypass at the end of February 2020. I do not own a scale in my home as I would obsess over the number and with the whole Covid situation I was not going to in person dr appointments but today finally I was able to go and I weighed in at 187lbs!!!! That number seems crazy to me. I was over 200 at the age of 12 and I’m now 46. I want to laugh and cry at the same time. This last year was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever been through and I am not back to being 100% healthy yet but I am so excited to finally be under the 200lb mark.

I am almost 6 months post op and took my first vacation this week (Drove up to Tahoe). I went with some friends who did not know about the surgery but knew I was actively losing weight and trying to eat healthier and it wasn't awkward at all. I didn't snack, but I did eat some meals I shouldn't have. But between watching how much and exercise, I was down just over 2 lbs for the week. In the past, anytime I vacationed I would be up so I'm super excited.
I had some great NSVs while I was out.
- Hiked almost every day - around 5 miles, intermediate hikes, at elevation. Still hard, but I did it.
- Kayaked, and was able to get in and out easily.
- They had standard size bath towels in the bathroom, and it wrapped all the way around me without a gap!
- It was my birthday and I didn't have any cake, and really didn't miss it.
I tried alcohol for the first time since surgery. I had a glass a wine a couple of times and did fine. However, I had about 1/3 of a margarita and felt awful. I don't think I full on dumped, but I think if I had drunk any more I would have. It's the first time I've had any amount of sugar so lesson learned. I'm going back to not drinking for a while (it will continue to be an occasional event going forward).

CONGRATULATIONS