WannabeH

Hi HealthierMe193 I’ll be 3 years post surgery on the the 14th of this month and still maintain well. Things that have helped me: - Delay breakfast. Most days I don’t eat to 10 or 11am. I feel this shrinks my stomach and when it comes time to eat I can’t eat too much. - I go easy on the carbs. I still love my carbs but I try not to eat too much. I’ll have toast in the morning and then reduce carbs during the day. - I mostly snack on protein and a little fruit. - I watch those sliders! I’m still a sucker for chocolate and most days I’ll have a couple of pieces to control my cravings. But I’m careful not to eat too many calorie dense nibbles, things that don’t feel me up. - I’m careful not to graze too much Although I still have my bad days, and when I have them I accept it and I become very disciplined so I don’t completely full off the wagon. Also in regards to determination, my surgery gave me amazing results, I’m so terrified to go back to my old body. I buy nice clothes and to be honest I’m really happy with my reflection and I feel healthy. Even 3 years later I still enjoy the simple act of putting on jeans and a t-shirt rather then a hole heap of layers. The thought of going back to my old me keeps me motivated. Good luck on your journey, I hope you get back on track soon.

Hi I’m a 3 year old veteran. I haven’t been on this site for a while. I’m trying to reply to a post in the veteran’s forum but I can’t find the function to reply.

I worked it out 😁

Hi it's been 18 months post surgery for me and I have had amazing results. I think you need to ask yourself can you really successfully diet on your own and keep it off. Yes the surgery is drastic but being obese is not much fun either. It's a very personal decision but it's been one of the best decisions I have ever made. There seems to be a big taboo with WLS, but after my experience I have come to believe obesity is a medical condition and in most cases requires medical intervention.

After my op I found normal water didn't quench my thirst. My Dr said it's the way some of our new stomachs metabolise water. She suggested to add a little diet cordial. So I do this and it's the only thing that quenches my thirst even 13 months after my op. So for me it was nothing to do with the protein powder; I haven't used the powder for several months.

Maybe lower the Protein and increase your carbs. I know carbs is a bad word when you are dieting but definitely not in your case. Try just bread with topping in the morning with no protein. I know protein can fill me up for hours which is not good for you. If I have bread only in the morning my cravings increase to eat more through the day which may be good for you (although it's something I need to be careful with). I'm the same way as you with the eggs. Although lately I've been making omelettes with added cheese, ham, tomato and fried in butter. I found omelettes to have a crispier texture which I can usually handle. Also milk is good with your added favourite topping mix. And as Airstream88 mentioned adding nuts throughout the day is a great idea. I'm in maintenance now and it's a balancing act. Good luck and I hope your body is where it should be soon; and keep working with your medical team.

See you Dr. It could be nothing but you should seek medical advice regardless.

And to add ....set small goals. I started off my exercise by setting a small amount of steps per day. I think I started around 2000 steps and I slowly built up. 8 months after my surgery I did a nine mile walk/run.

Hi I'm almost 1 year post-op. Give your body time to recover. It could could be a couple of months before you are at full speed. It is different for everyone.

You are absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations!

Congratulations....I know how you feel....it's an incredible journey...and the end result is amazing....I never knew I could feel so could or look so good [emoji4]

My Dr told me our B vitamin stores take approx 10 months to deplete....without vitamin supplements.

I always considered myself to have a large bone structure. I do have decent sized shoulders and reasonable sized hips. Now that the weight has come off, my shoulders and hips give me a nice shape (if I do say myself ). But the rest of me is slim, including my waist, arms, legs and even my bottom. It's 11 months since I had the surgery, and I'm about 2 pounds off goal. I still can't believe the transformation of my body!

I have reasonable sized hips and decent sized shoulders so after my weight loss I still have shape. My butt is smaller and I guess a little on the flat side which I love!!! It use to be hugggggeee and I hated it [emoji38]

The best I can suggest is see your dr/dietician. Or a quick way of checking is calculate your BMI which can be found on the net ...it's a good indicator if you are considered to be underweight.

MIssbeauty16 hang in there. It's your first night. Give yourself some time and let your body and mind heal. Just remember why you made this decision and keep you mind focused on the result. Soon you'll see those pounds dropping in large numbers on the scale and the pain will be forgotten. If you have more questions, ask this forum, there are hundreds of people that would be happy to help. Hugs to you and I hope you feel better soon

It's your decision....you need to do what's best for you. But....sounds to me you are a classic yo yo dieter...up and down ... and then all over again. When I had my WLS my BMI was 36 which is on the lower scale of obesity but I still was considered severely obese. I kidded myself that I didn't look too bad. I took before and after photos...and now at a 23 BMI ...I can see a massive difference. If I used your stats properly you BMI is 52. Before surgery I had the feeling I was a bit of a cheat by choosing WLS. But now I'm on the other side of it, I know I could not have done it on my own. To loose a lot of weight you must dramatically reduce your calories for a long time. It not like just losing 20 pounds. After surgery for the first one to six months most of us who had WLS are likely to get six hundred calories in per day. Without surgery I wouldn't be able to sustain that for a week! Be honest with yourself, look yourself straight in the eye and ask yourself if you can do it on your own......again..and then keep it off. My doctor said obesity is a disease and that's why in most cases we need medical intervention. It's a big decision to make, and as I said you need to do what's right for you. Good luck in what ever decision you may make .

You are right Vagrant Violet you have to make the decision yourself. It's your journey and no one else. Regarding your depression have you spoken to a psychologist/psychiatrist experienced in WLS? They are qualified to best help you with your decision and advise you how the surgery will affect your meds. I'm sure your mother and sister have good intentions, but our loved ones do not always know what is best for our own individual needs. Now my experience. I had WLS 10 months ago. I guess my BMI at 36 wasn't as severe as some people but I still felt psychologically trapped. No matter how hard I tried I just could not loose the pounds, and year after year my weight increased, and I went from being an overweight teenager to a severely obese adult. Last year I stepped on the scale and my weight increased to a new high. I remember saying to myself I need to go on another diet...and then I had an "aha" moment. I asked myself ...."what am I going to change about myself to be successful in loosing weight that I haven't done before". It then finally clicked. I realised I couldn't do it by myself as I had previously tried every weight loss fad, personal trainers, weight loss companies and diet pills and nothing had worked. I finally understood I needed medical intervention. So I made the decision to have WLS. I choose the bypass, because if I was going to choose surgery I wanted the procedure that would be most effective. I didn't tell many people because I wasn't willing to be vulnerable to their judgement, as I have a tendency to be over-sensitive. As the days grew closer to surgery I did become more scared, but I knew for me this would be the only way to experience significant weight-loss so I stuck with my decision. After surgery the first weeks were tricky, and there were a couple of days in the beginning I did think "why did I do this" but to be honest my journey was mostly an easy one. My BMI is now 23. I have never been this slim my entire teenage/adult life. I've gone from hating myself and feeling frustrated everyday to realllllyy liking myself. I have never been more healthy, more confident and never looked so good, and the compliments I receive from people are never ending. So from my own personal experience..so far...it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I hope you can feel as amazing as I do .... what ever your choice maybe.

Yep agree, you look fantastic!

Sorry CharlotteKat but Iron supplements are not a waste of money. My Dr has been in the business for 10 years and under his advice my iron levels have returned to normal by taking iron supplements. Please have an open mind. Don't write of people's experiences. My lab results prove iron supplements work. Just like our bodies can absorb other supplements. Where I live we have just gone through winter. For the first time in many years I've had not a cold or a flu. This is also the first year (due to the bypass) I've been methodical about taking supplements. The are some good informed comments on this thread and they should not be written off. This is the last thing I say on this thread as I don't want to enter one of those derogatory thread arguments.

My experience with Iron supplements has been positive. During my surgery I lost 2 units of blood and I had a blood transfusion immediately after surgery. However my Iron levels were still very low and so as instructed by my doctor I took a course of iron tablets. At my 6 month check up my levels returned to normal. I now take a Multivitamin as recommended by my doctor which still does include iron, but I no longer require the additional supplement. I did have the bypass, and I'm almost 9 months post surgery. I would say for many months now I have enjoyed excellent health and on most days my energy levels are very good.

Congrats to you and your new life. You are looking fit and fantastic.

Cervidae, sorry I'm obviously not as nice as you but your 'friend' is an ignorant imbecile. You are such an inspiration, and I have read many of your helpful and thoughtful post. I guess there will always be people out there who will test our confidence and this numbskull's comment was such an example.

Exciting times for you. I had my op in Jan 16, and in 8 months I've transformed into a new person. I wish you all the best.

Thanks for posting. We need more post from people like you who are long term weight loss patients. It's great to seek you are still healthy and still looking amazing!