byebyebmi

25 days ago on July 7th on morning of surgery i weighed in at 428.8 pounds. As of this morning i am 399.8 (After I Ate Breakfast). Everyone consider 50 or 100 pounds a big milestone for them..... but although i only lost 29 pounds this is huge for me, mentally that is. Mentally because me being over 400 pounds was the deciding factor of me getting the surgery. For the past 3 years i was up and down between 400-430 and got as high as 454 and got as low as 409 before but always gained it back. At the time i entered the 400s i was only 18 (Way Too Young) so a decision had to be made to save my life and better my life and so far its the best decision i made. Although we all have more restraint with the way our stomachs are changed, we still have to have that same discipline. Still have to have to have the same discipline to get up and move everyday and go work out and have the discipline to not eat this and eat that instead. We still have to do the same stuff that people who didn't have the surgery have to do. So if a so called friend-family member every tell you that you took the easy way out or you are too lazy to lose it on your own just ignore them, or do what i did and cut them off, on this journey you don't need that negative energy around you, you need positive vibes and people that will motivate you.
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I'm on day 4 and I think its only tolerable because I have Protein Powder I love and I pre-plan everything. I also keep sugar free Jello at work and sugar free popsicles at home so I dont do anything stupid if I feel like i'm freaking out because i'm hungry and want something I shouldn't be having. I have also been experiencing some weakness/dizzyness and have been making sure to take my Vitamins, especially B's and D. But I hope that part gets better soon. I think I might need more Water. Hang in there!

I'm on day 4 and I think its only tolerable because I have Protein Powder I love and I pre-plan everything. I also keep sugar free Jello at work and sugar free popsicles at home so I dont do anything stupid if I feel like i'm freaking out because i'm hungry and want something I shouldn't be having. I have also been experiencing some weakness/dizzyness and have been making sure to take my Vitamins, especially B's and D. But I hope that part gets better soon. I think I might need more Water. Hang in there!

@@TamaraRae @@jane13 is right. You shouldn't compare to others. But feel free to compare to me.....at that 6 week mark I was down 17 pounds. Next time I weighed at 10 weeks I was still down the same 17 pounds. Now check out my ticker....over 100% excess weight loss and holding strong for over a year and a half. That's why I say your rate of loss has nothing to do with long term success. The NSVs are way more fun to log than numbers anyways!

I would wait until I am cleared by my doctors Sent from my SM-N910P using the BariatricPal App

I'm 17 days out and cant believe the difference from just a few weeks ago. Follow your team's orders and take it day by day and you'll be fine and it will be a memory soon. My best advice is to get as many fluids as possible. I set a timer to go off every 15 mins to remind me to sip. The times I was a little dehydrated it made everything worse with headaches and dizzyness and I wanted to cry. When I was hydrated the world was a better place, lol.

I'm 17 days out and cant believe the difference from just a few weeks ago. Follow your team's orders and take it day by day and you'll be fine and it will be a memory soon. My best advice is to get as many fluids as possible. I set a timer to go off every 15 mins to remind me to sip. The times I was a little dehydrated it made everything worse with headaches and dizzyness and I wanted to cry. When I was hydrated the world was a better place, lol.

I'm 17 days out and cant believe the difference from just a few weeks ago. Follow your team's orders and take it day by day and you'll be fine and it will be a memory soon. My best advice is to get as many fluids as possible. I set a timer to go off every 15 mins to remind me to sip. The times I was a little dehydrated it made everything worse with headaches and dizzyness and I wanted to cry. When I was hydrated the world was a better place, lol.

I'm 17 days out and cant believe the difference from just a few weeks ago. Follow your team's orders and take it day by day and you'll be fine and it will be a memory soon. My best advice is to get as many fluids as possible. I set a timer to go off every 15 mins to remind me to sip. The times I was a little dehydrated it made everything worse with headaches and dizzyness and I wanted to cry. When I was hydrated the world was a better place, lol.

I'm 17 days out and cant believe the difference from just a few weeks ago. Follow your team's orders and take it day by day and you'll be fine and it will be a memory soon. My best advice is to get as many fluids as possible. I set a timer to go off every 15 mins to remind me to sip. The times I was a little dehydrated it made everything worse with headaches and dizzyness and I wanted to cry. When I was hydrated the world was a better place, lol.

No regrets.
Although like others have said, I wish I would have done it sooner, realistically I did it when I was ready and it happened when it was supposed to happen.

I had a couple of days right after the surgery where i had buyers remorse. I kind of expected to really. I hurt, i was grouchy as hell and doped to the gills and didnt want to be, i couldnt get any sleep because of the constant nurse and caretaker attention, it was super easy to make myself puke with a little Water....
Then i started leaving the pain button alone, and they gave me a band so it was easier to walk around and get up. The catheter and drain got removed.
Then i got to go home and freaking slept a night through. I limped and mewled up the road a little at a time. I felt a little better every day.
Now just over a month out the only thing I miss are raw veggies and being able to load a plate up. Im back to work, and time to walk is scarce.
The payoff though is sweet sweet wonderful progress in getting healthy. Knowing that i didn't just take a step on that path. I jumped in a car and am hauling ass toward it as hard as I can. I'll hit some speed bumps, but I'm not clawing and scraping up a muddy hill now.

Why did you have the surgery if you have no will power ? Surely you knew people would eat good stuff in front of you. My fiance decided to cook my kids and him ribs , and some awesome sides last night , it smelled so good through the house , I'm only 3 days out and they even ate where I was but I wasn't tempted because I knew it would happen. They don't have to change their eating habits because of me.was I a little upset he chose such a good tempting meal knowing I'm only three days out , yes. I was a little. But this is why they had you go to a therapist to make sure you can handle it. I'm not going to sugar coat my answer , you won't benefit from your sugery doing what your doing !
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I personally think it's hard to blame the psychiatric evaluations on instances where the wrong person gets WLS. Most programs only require candidates to meet with the evaluator for one session, and even though I believe MAJOR problems would probably be detected, and I don't doubt that the evaluators are mostly competent, I wonder if anyone can truly assess a person's mental health in an hour. If someone wants the surgery and doesn't understand their own mental instability or the fact that they are overall a bad candidate, they can answer however they please and be cleared by the therapist. I have suffered over the years with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc in varying degrees at different times. I am also educated, articulate, a business owner and a good conversationalist. There is no way the man who did my psych evaluation could truly understand the mental health risk I was taking by having the surgery. I was well aware that the health anxiety from this could spark some major panic, or that the hormone fluctuations afterwards could have me on more of an emotional roller coaster than others. Fortunately since I am aware of those things I made sure I had proper medication, a therapist and a supportive group of friends & family. However, if someone is doing WLS for the wrong reasons and just wants to be skinny or find a husband and isn't concerned with a lifestyle change, being healthy and doing it for themselves then I doubt that would be the type of person who would assemble the necessary support team. Then when the surgery is done and they are left without any emotional first aid kit, they end up like this woman with transfer addictions, no healthy coping skills and no personal responsibility for why those things are happening. And of course, they blame it on the surgery. Anyone of any age considering the surgery needs to take a look at their emotional and spiritual situation and be completely honest with themselves. No one knows us better than us, and if something doesn't feel right it usually isn't. Plus, if for some reason someone finds its not the right time and they could benefit from counseling then its just a temporary pause and they are doing themselves a great service. I think everyone of every age contemplating/getting WLS should have a regular or semi-regular therapist before and after. As I think a few others mentioned, sometimes people wont realize mental or emotional issues until after the surgery, and since its permanent those people only have two options: get help or fall apart. And if they already have that person in place they will be well equipped to tackle the problem and have a real chance at being a great success story.

I personally think it's hard to blame the psychiatric evaluations on instances where the wrong person gets WLS. Most programs only require candidates to meet with the evaluator for one session, and even though I believe MAJOR problems would probably be detected, and I don't doubt that the evaluators are mostly competent, I wonder if anyone can truly assess a person's mental health in an hour. If someone wants the surgery and doesn't understand their own mental instability or the fact that they are overall a bad candidate, they can answer however they please and be cleared by the therapist. I have suffered over the years with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc in varying degrees at different times. I am also educated, articulate, a business owner and a good conversationalist. There is no way the man who did my psych evaluation could truly understand the mental health risk I was taking by having the surgery. I was well aware that the health anxiety from this could spark some major panic, or that the hormone fluctuations afterwards could have me on more of an emotional roller coaster than others. Fortunately since I am aware of those things I made sure I had proper medication, a therapist and a supportive group of friends & family. However, if someone is doing WLS for the wrong reasons and just wants to be skinny or find a husband and isn't concerned with a lifestyle change, being healthy and doing it for themselves then I doubt that would be the type of person who would assemble the necessary support team. Then when the surgery is done and they are left without any emotional first aid kit, they end up like this woman with transfer addictions, no healthy coping skills and no personal responsibility for why those things are happening. And of course, they blame it on the surgery. Anyone of any age considering the surgery needs to take a look at their emotional and spiritual situation and be completely honest with themselves. No one knows us better than us, and if something doesn't feel right it usually isn't. Plus, if for some reason someone finds its not the right time and they could benefit from counseling then its just a temporary pause and they are doing themselves a great service. I think everyone of every age contemplating/getting WLS should have a regular or semi-regular therapist before and after. As I think a few others mentioned, sometimes people wont realize mental or emotional issues until after the surgery, and since its permanent those people only have two options: get help or fall apart. And if they already have that person in place they will be well equipped to tackle the problem and have a real chance at being a great success story.

I personally think it's hard to blame the psychiatric evaluations on instances where the wrong person gets WLS. Most programs only require candidates to meet with the evaluator for one session, and even though I believe MAJOR problems would probably be detected, and I don't doubt that the evaluators are mostly competent, I wonder if anyone can truly assess a person's mental health in an hour. If someone wants the surgery and doesn't understand their own mental instability or the fact that they are overall a bad candidate, they can answer however they please and be cleared by the therapist. I have suffered over the years with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc in varying degrees at different times. I am also educated, articulate, a business owner and a good conversationalist. There is no way the man who did my psych evaluation could truly understand the mental health risk I was taking by having the surgery. I was well aware that the health anxiety from this could spark some major panic, or that the hormone fluctuations afterwards could have me on more of an emotional roller coaster than others. Fortunately since I am aware of those things I made sure I had proper medication, a therapist and a supportive group of friends & family. However, if someone is doing WLS for the wrong reasons and just wants to be skinny or find a husband and isn't concerned with a lifestyle change, being healthy and doing it for themselves then I doubt that would be the type of person who would assemble the necessary support team. Then when the surgery is done and they are left without any emotional first aid kit, they end up like this woman with transfer addictions, no healthy coping skills and no personal responsibility for why those things are happening. And of course, they blame it on the surgery. Anyone of any age considering the surgery needs to take a look at their emotional and spiritual situation and be completely honest with themselves. No one knows us better than us, and if something doesn't feel right it usually isn't. Plus, if for some reason someone finds its not the right time and they could benefit from counseling then its just a temporary pause and they are doing themselves a great service. I think everyone of every age contemplating/getting WLS should have a regular or semi-regular therapist before and after. As I think a few others mentioned, sometimes people wont realize mental or emotional issues until after the surgery, and since its permanent those people only have two options: get help or fall apart. And if they already have that person in place they will be well equipped to tackle the problem and have a real chance at being a great success story.

I think the worst candidate for surgery would be a person who is unwilling or unable to make the necessary changes. I don't see anything wrong with a young person getting this surgery. However, I DO think that she would not have lost that weight the second time without it. So now she has overcome addiction AND lost the weight. Sounds like she is winning to me so how can she regret something that helped enable her to win? I don't think she is really thinking it through. She just wants something to blame.

I personally think it's hard to blame the psychiatric evaluations on instances where the wrong person gets WLS. Most programs only require candidates to meet with the evaluator for one session, and even though I believe MAJOR problems would probably be detected, and I don't doubt that the evaluators are mostly competent, I wonder if anyone can truly assess a person's mental health in an hour. If someone wants the surgery and doesn't understand their own mental instability or the fact that they are overall a bad candidate, they can answer however they please and be cleared by the therapist. I have suffered over the years with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc in varying degrees at different times. I am also educated, articulate, a business owner and a good conversationalist. There is no way the man who did my psych evaluation could truly understand the mental health risk I was taking by having the surgery. I was well aware that the health anxiety from this could spark some major panic, or that the hormone fluctuations afterwards could have me on more of an emotional roller coaster than others. Fortunately since I am aware of those things I made sure I had proper medication, a therapist and a supportive group of friends & family. However, if someone is doing WLS for the wrong reasons and just wants to be skinny or find a husband and isn't concerned with a lifestyle change, being healthy and doing it for themselves then I doubt that would be the type of person who would assemble the necessary support team. Then when the surgery is done and they are left without any emotional first aid kit, they end up like this woman with transfer addictions, no healthy coping skills and no personal responsibility for why those things are happening. And of course, they blame it on the surgery. Anyone of any age considering the surgery needs to take a look at their emotional and spiritual situation and be completely honest with themselves. No one knows us better than us, and if something doesn't feel right it usually isn't. Plus, if for some reason someone finds its not the right time and they could benefit from counseling then its just a temporary pause and they are doing themselves a great service. I think everyone of every age contemplating/getting WLS should have a regular or semi-regular therapist before and after. As I think a few others mentioned, sometimes people wont realize mental or emotional issues until after the surgery, and since its permanent those people only have two options: get help or fall apart. And if they already have that person in place they will be well equipped to tackle the problem and have a real chance at being a great success story.

I personally think it's hard to blame the psychiatric evaluations on instances where the wrong person gets WLS. Most programs only require candidates to meet with the evaluator for one session, and even though I believe MAJOR problems would probably be detected, and I don't doubt that the evaluators are mostly competent, I wonder if anyone can truly assess a person's mental health in an hour. If someone wants the surgery and doesn't understand their own mental instability or the fact that they are overall a bad candidate, they can answer however they please and be cleared by the therapist. I have suffered over the years with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc in varying degrees at different times. I am also educated, articulate, a business owner and a good conversationalist. There is no way the man who did my psych evaluation could truly understand the mental health risk I was taking by having the surgery. I was well aware that the health anxiety from this could spark some major panic, or that the hormone fluctuations afterwards could have me on more of an emotional roller coaster than others. Fortunately since I am aware of those things I made sure I had proper medication, a therapist and a supportive group of friends & family. However, if someone is doing WLS for the wrong reasons and just wants to be skinny or find a husband and isn't concerned with a lifestyle change, being healthy and doing it for themselves then I doubt that would be the type of person who would assemble the necessary support team. Then when the surgery is done and they are left without any emotional first aid kit, they end up like this woman with transfer addictions, no healthy coping skills and no personal responsibility for why those things are happening. And of course, they blame it on the surgery. Anyone of any age considering the surgery needs to take a look at their emotional and spiritual situation and be completely honest with themselves. No one knows us better than us, and if something doesn't feel right it usually isn't. Plus, if for some reason someone finds its not the right time and they could benefit from counseling then its just a temporary pause and they are doing themselves a great service. I think everyone of every age contemplating/getting WLS should have a regular or semi-regular therapist before and after. As I think a few others mentioned, sometimes people wont realize mental or emotional issues until after the surgery, and since its permanent those people only have two options: get help or fall apart. And if they already have that person in place they will be well equipped to tackle the problem and have a real chance at being a great success story.

I personally think it's hard to blame the psychiatric evaluations on instances where the wrong person gets WLS. Most programs only require candidates to meet with the evaluator for one session, and even though I believe MAJOR problems would probably be detected, and I don't doubt that the evaluators are mostly competent, I wonder if anyone can truly assess a person's mental health in an hour. If someone wants the surgery and doesn't understand their own mental instability or the fact that they are overall a bad candidate, they can answer however they please and be cleared by the therapist. I have suffered over the years with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc in varying degrees at different times. I am also educated, articulate, a business owner and a good conversationalist. There is no way the man who did my psych evaluation could truly understand the mental health risk I was taking by having the surgery. I was well aware that the health anxiety from this could spark some major panic, or that the hormone fluctuations afterwards could have me on more of an emotional roller coaster than others. Fortunately since I am aware of those things I made sure I had proper medication, a therapist and a supportive group of friends & family. However, if someone is doing WLS for the wrong reasons and just wants to be skinny or find a husband and isn't concerned with a lifestyle change, being healthy and doing it for themselves then I doubt that would be the type of person who would assemble the necessary support team. Then when the surgery is done and they are left without any emotional first aid kit, they end up like this woman with transfer addictions, no healthy coping skills and no personal responsibility for why those things are happening. And of course, they blame it on the surgery. Anyone of any age considering the surgery needs to take a look at their emotional and spiritual situation and be completely honest with themselves. No one knows us better than us, and if something doesn't feel right it usually isn't. Plus, if for some reason someone finds its not the right time and they could benefit from counseling then its just a temporary pause and they are doing themselves a great service. I think everyone of every age contemplating/getting WLS should have a regular or semi-regular therapist before and after. As I think a few others mentioned, sometimes people wont realize mental or emotional issues until after the surgery, and since its permanent those people only have two options: get help or fall apart. And if they already have that person in place they will be well equipped to tackle the problem and have a real chance at being a great success story.

I personally think it's hard to blame the psychiatric evaluations on instances where the wrong person gets WLS. Most programs only require candidates to meet with the evaluator for one session, and even though I believe MAJOR problems would probably be detected, and I don't doubt that the evaluators are mostly competent, I wonder if anyone can truly assess a person's mental health in an hour. If someone wants the surgery and doesn't understand their own mental instability or the fact that they are overall a bad candidate, they can answer however they please and be cleared by the therapist. I have suffered over the years with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc in varying degrees at different times. I am also educated, articulate, a business owner and a good conversationalist. There is no way the man who did my psych evaluation could truly understand the mental health risk I was taking by having the surgery. I was well aware that the health anxiety from this could spark some major panic, or that the hormone fluctuations afterwards could have me on more of an emotional roller coaster than others. Fortunately since I am aware of those things I made sure I had proper medication, a therapist and a supportive group of friends & family. However, if someone is doing WLS for the wrong reasons and just wants to be skinny or find a husband and isn't concerned with a lifestyle change, being healthy and doing it for themselves then I doubt that would be the type of person who would assemble the necessary support team. Then when the surgery is done and they are left without any emotional first aid kit, they end up like this woman with transfer addictions, no healthy coping skills and no personal responsibility for why those things are happening. And of course, they blame it on the surgery. Anyone of any age considering the surgery needs to take a look at their emotional and spiritual situation and be completely honest with themselves. No one knows us better than us, and if something doesn't feel right it usually isn't. Plus, if for some reason someone finds its not the right time and they could benefit from counseling then its just a temporary pause and they are doing themselves a great service. I think everyone of every age contemplating/getting WLS should have a regular or semi-regular therapist before and after. As I think a few others mentioned, sometimes people wont realize mental or emotional issues until after the surgery, and since its permanent those people only have two options: get help or fall apart. And if they already have that person in place they will be well equipped to tackle the problem and have a real chance at being a great success story.

I personally think it's hard to blame the psychiatric evaluations on instances where the wrong person gets WLS. Most programs only require candidates to meet with the evaluator for one session, and even though I believe MAJOR problems would probably be detected, and I don't doubt that the evaluators are mostly competent, I wonder if anyone can truly assess a person's mental health in an hour. If someone wants the surgery and doesn't understand their own mental instability or the fact that they are overall a bad candidate, they can answer however they please and be cleared by the therapist. I have suffered over the years with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc in varying degrees at different times. I am also educated, articulate, a business owner and a good conversationalist. There is no way the man who did my psych evaluation could truly understand the mental health risk I was taking by having the surgery. I was well aware that the health anxiety from this could spark some major panic, or that the hormone fluctuations afterwards could have me on more of an emotional roller coaster than others. Fortunately since I am aware of those things I made sure I had proper medication, a therapist and a supportive group of friends & family. However, if someone is doing WLS for the wrong reasons and just wants to be skinny or find a husband and isn't concerned with a lifestyle change, being healthy and doing it for themselves then I doubt that would be the type of person who would assemble the necessary support team. Then when the surgery is done and they are left without any emotional first aid kit, they end up like this woman with transfer addictions, no healthy coping skills and no personal responsibility for why those things are happening. And of course, they blame it on the surgery. Anyone of any age considering the surgery needs to take a look at their emotional and spiritual situation and be completely honest with themselves. No one knows us better than us, and if something doesn't feel right it usually isn't. Plus, if for some reason someone finds its not the right time and they could benefit from counseling then its just a temporary pause and they are doing themselves a great service. I think everyone of every age contemplating/getting WLS should have a regular or semi-regular therapist before and after. As I think a few others mentioned, sometimes people wont realize mental or emotional issues until after the surgery, and since its permanent those people only have two options: get help or fall apart. And if they already have that person in place they will be well equipped to tackle the problem and have a real chance at being a great success story.

I personally think it's hard to blame the psychiatric evaluations on instances where the wrong person gets WLS. Most programs only require candidates to meet with the evaluator for one session, and even though I believe MAJOR problems would probably be detected, and I don't doubt that the evaluators are mostly competent, I wonder if anyone can truly assess a person's mental health in an hour. If someone wants the surgery and doesn't understand their own mental instability or the fact that they are overall a bad candidate, they can answer however they please and be cleared by the therapist. I have suffered over the years with OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc in varying degrees at different times. I am also educated, articulate, a business owner and a good conversationalist. There is no way the man who did my psych evaluation could truly understand the mental health risk I was taking by having the surgery. I was well aware that the health anxiety from this could spark some major panic, or that the hormone fluctuations afterwards could have me on more of an emotional roller coaster than others. Fortunately since I am aware of those things I made sure I had proper medication, a therapist and a supportive group of friends & family. However, if someone is doing WLS for the wrong reasons and just wants to be skinny or find a husband and isn't concerned with a lifestyle change, being healthy and doing it for themselves then I doubt that would be the type of person who would assemble the necessary support team. Then when the surgery is done and they are left without any emotional first aid kit, they end up like this woman with transfer addictions, no healthy coping skills and no personal responsibility for why those things are happening. And of course, they blame it on the surgery. Anyone of any age considering the surgery needs to take a look at their emotional and spiritual situation and be completely honest with themselves. No one knows us better than us, and if something doesn't feel right it usually isn't. Plus, if for some reason someone finds its not the right time and they could benefit from counseling then its just a temporary pause and they are doing themselves a great service. I think everyone of every age contemplating/getting WLS should have a regular or semi-regular therapist before and after. As I think a few others mentioned, sometimes people wont realize mental or emotional issues until after the surgery, and since its permanent those people only have two options: get help or fall apart. And if they already have that person in place they will be well equipped to tackle the problem and have a real chance at being a great success story.

I have to be honest here. Years ago I was much bigger and lost a dramatic amount of weight on my own. I have always had a little weight on me. In a 2 year span I ended up dropping down to a size 8 jean and medium tops. I have rather large breast so I couldn't go any smaller on tops.
When I was fat, EVERYONE was my friend, everyone trusted me and no one felt threatened by me. It wasn't until I lost my weight that I lost some of my female friends. All of a sudden, apparently due to my significant weight loss and more attention being paid to myself, I was no longer the person I was before in their eyes. It wasn't until they saw me gaining attention that they lost interest in being my friend.
I know I changed. I changed for the better. When I was larger I didn't want to do anything. I was too embarrassed and it hurt my body to stand for long periods of time. When I lost the weight, My personality really shined and I was confident and happy for the first time in a really long time.
People will get jealous. Not just of your looks...But your happiness and confidence. The only advice I can offer you is to not let it bother you. Just keep being happy and confident. The people you may lose over your weight loss you do not need in your life anyway!

Forgot to add a photo from my 30th birthday. I definitely had some help from Spanx in this photo...looking forward to not having to use them

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