stephwv

Hi all. I am now down roughly 60 pounds and seven weeks out from when I started my liquid pre-diet. Am also having some awesome NSV moments. Some are:

No longer wearing 3x shirts. They are packed and ready to be taken to Goodwill. My size 48 (expandable) pants? Gone too. Can button my pants at my belly button. No more "slant pants." I wore a much smaller belt...and it was a new one! Went three days this past week without needing a mid day nap. Three days now without any slimes or throwing up. Joined a local health club to work out. Snoring is all but gone. No more BP meds at all (125/65 is normal now). And BMs much more normal and less stressful. Bought myself an I-touch. That was my 50 pound loss gift to myself. Any suggestions for the 100 plateau? That's a short list, but ones that come to mind.

Please, share yours!

Let's look at the fact that this journey is not just about the weight loss, but about all the wonderful things that continue to happen along the ride!

If you haven't already done so, I would expect some mindfulness classes, or behavior modification classes to help teach methods to deal with stress eating, mindless eating, etc. Most of us didn't become obese just from over eating when hungry. At some point, your hunger will come back so you should practice eating slowly, and mindfully now.
Prepare yourself for the shock of surgery. It's not uncommon to feel like "OMG, what the heck did I do?" A lot of this will be from all the excess estrogen leaving your fat stores during that first month of rapid weight loss. You may have mood swi rom this. It's normal.
Keep telling yourself NOW that if you feel overwhelmed drinking from one ounce cups, trying to get your Protein and Water in daily, it is temporary. It passes. I can't stress the mental preparation enough. Some people need to go on a liquid diet to shrink their liver preoperative, I did not.
The best advice I can give is prepare to feel overwhelmed by the overnight changes and remember they are temporary. Keep doing the right things, and you will be okay. I am I am 20 months out, have lost 100 lbs, am 2 lbs under my surgeon's goal weight for me, 8 lbs higher than my goal weight. Best wishes and remember, it's a lifetime journey.

So, here are a few things I wish I had known before I had my surgery (I was sleeved 5/23/16):
The gas...oh my goodness, the gas. It hurts, it stinks, and sometimes you can't trust a fart. Lovely.
Surgery doesn't make it easier to lose weight. It actually makes it more complicated! Protein, carbs, sugar, fat...It's all scientific now. If I don't get my protein, I hold Fluid and don't lose weight. If I eat sugar, I don't lose weight. If I don't get all my Water for the day, I feel hungry, tired, and--you guessed it--I don't lose weight. I even landed in the ER getting 4 bags of fluid and a CT scan to check for complications. And my insurance got a bill for $7,000. After the one they got for $29,000 just a month previous...more on that later...
Mood swings from hell will descend upon you, and you will be powerless over it at first. Now, I am learning that I tend to cry right before a stall breaks. Fat stores hormones that have to go somewhere when the fat goes...extra PMS? Yes, please! NOT. Yes ladies, your period may go completely haywire for a while. FUN...
Speaking of stalls...the weight won't always come off in a predictable pattern. It may not come off as fast as you want it to. If you stick to your plan, you will lose weight, but along the way you will stall. You may not lose anything for a while, even though you're doing everything right. You will get concerned, you may think the surgery isn't working, but if you stick to your plan the weight will come off. On it's own schedule, though, not yours. The human body is incredibly complex and very good at learning how to NOT starve. Some people believe in starvation mode, some don't, but don't test it. You don't want to get sick and malnourished. You may need to exercise more and log your food to make sure you haven't slipped up, but the stall will break. Eventually...
You will become acutely aware that people who know you had the surgery are watching you. Watching what you eat, when you eat it, and how much of it you eat. Watching to see if you lose weight, and if you don't lose weight FAST, everybody has an opinion about whether or not you should have had the surgery and if it will work, and you may hear horror stories about somebody's friend/sister/brother/cousin/coworker who had the surgery and gained all the weight back. Or never lost it at all. Stick to your plan, and remember why you made the decision to have surgery. Be ready to avoid toxic people as necessary. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. So be careful who you tell. If you are married, consider your spouse's feelings. Talk about it. You will need them on your side if at all possible. If they aren't, it could be problematic. Be ready to have hard conversations and make decisions based on those conversations. You may learn things about your relationship that you never knew, which can be good or bad.
You will have regrets. Mostly in the beginning, but be ready to wonder what in the hell you were thinking when you had this surgery. It's hard! There is an overwhelming temptation to believe that this was supposed to be easier. It's not. It's effective, but it's a lot of work and it takes a lot of self-discipline.
People may judge you and say that you took "the easy way out". See the previous paragraph. And then see the second paragraph. You may have to educate a few people. Or tell them to get lost, your choice.
If you didn't already know it, you may find out that you have a serious problem with food. Get that fixed, and do it before you waste a lot of time and heartache. Go to therapy. The surgery will NOT fix your brain. I cannot stress this enough! You will find out that food is the glue that holds our lives together. We Celebrate with it, we mourn with it, we reward ourselves with it, and sometimes our social lives revolve around it. All of that has to change. Food is fuel. Period. You will not enjoy eating out for a while, if ever. The portions are RIDICULOUS, and most of it is nothing you should be eating anyway. "I'll just have a small salad..." No, you won't, not for a while. You won't be able to eat raw vegetables for a long time, and never before your doctor clears it. It's the last step. And it may be never for certain foods. BECAUSE...
Your taste will change. What your stomach can tolerate will (obviously) change for a long time, and maybe forever in some aspects. You may hate what you once loved and love what you once hated. Go with it. And get over your addiction to caffeine, because that has to go, too. Not forever, but your surgeon will have an opinion about when it's okay again.
If you smoke, a reputable surgeon will not do weight loss surgery on you. They will most likely test you for nicotine, so don't cheat, just quit. You won't heal as well and it's just plain bad for you.
You will have no vices for a long time. Because...you can't drink alcohol either! Not for a LONG time. Just look that one up, because I quit drinking a long time ago and I don't even care about this part. Except: you may trade old addictions for new ones. You may need therapy to fix this. If food was a coping mechanism for you, you had better have a plan for new coping skills. BECAUSE...
This is stressful as hell, if you hadn't figured that out. You hair may come out. Be ready. Biotin is rumored to help, but it isn't a sure thing.
You will need to take Vitamins for the rest of your life. Don't be cheap and skimp on this one. You need bariatric vitamins. Deficiencies can set you back in significant ways. It's not worth it. Take your vitamins.
Now. If you're still reading this, you may think I am one hell of a "Negative Nelly". Nope! I am a realist. You should be scared. You should think long and hard before you have weight loss surgery. If you even qualify for surgery, you've cleared a significant obstacle. If your insurance covers it, that's another significant obstacle out of the way. Soooo...If you have a surgeon willing to do it, and you can get insurance to pay for it (or if you can make it happen as self-pay) DO IT. If you still want to have weight loss surgery despite knowing how much it can suck, then you will probably do well. BECAUSE...
IT'S WORTH IT. All of it.

Holla,
Week five is upon me (19 weeks of classes to go) and our little book recommends this beginner's walking table. Goal is to set the alarm fifteen minutes earlier, simply roll out bed, and stumble out the door for 10 minutes with incremental increases over the next 12 weeks.
We'll see how it goes. I am a late-night exerciser with 11pm being my preferred workout time. However, with full-time work and school, it simply isn't realistic since it takes an hour or two to wind down post-workout.
The defining moment of "My G-d I need to change my body," hit after a 5k marathon—at my HW (386+ pounds), I had irreparably damaged my ankles from keeping middle-of-the-pack pacing in a severely morbidly obese frame; a fractured talus was the end of the line. The doc said no more running; with the very real possibility that I may never run again as subtalar arthritis has onset.
Was just 27 years old at the time.
So, I've decided to gingerly embark on this little walking program that my medical team cleared. Between this, yoga, and the Water sports, am hoping as I lose weight, the decrease in pressure on my ankles, the increase in bone density from proper nutrition, and muscle strengthening...perhaps when I drop below 200lbs., I'll be in a good place to run again without sustaining injury. Goal is September, 2017 for a slow 5k if my left ankle can hang.
In perspective, the running thing has really been the biggest blow in all of this. I am a natural marathoner under all this weight, and the fossilization of my joints and being told "no more" about broke my heart. Walking isn't anywhere near the rush of running--it would be like comparing walking up a flight of stairs to hiking the Highlands of Scotland. Since being ordered to stop running, I've tried it three times. Even without conditioning, I am (idiotically) able to handle 3.5-7 nonstop miles...but recovery takes upwards of ten days, and the inflammation/immobility is horrific.
After the last run in late-April, I decided to obey the Doctor's orders completely because I couldn't walk unassisted for three whole days.
Still roll down my window and shout at my people who are running down the road, though.
Once a runner, always a runner.
But...no harm in learning to walk before I run again, I suppose.
❤️
—K

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It sounds like a stricture, especially since you cannot tolerate fluids. https://www.realself.com/question/stricture These conditions may also be related to an ulcer. http://www.njbariatricspc.com/weight-loss-surgery-articles/stomach-pain-after-bariatric-surgery/
Either way the inability to drink or keep liquids down is a problem that should be brought to the immediate attention of your surgeon.

Hi everyone. New to the forum. I had gastric bypass in 2010. It has been six and half years. I weighed 232 pounds prior to sx. Within 9 months I weighed 145 pounds and that is pretty much where I have stayed for the past six years. I wear a size 8. I weigh every day and when I hit 150 I cut back until I am at 145 again. I still "dump" almost weekly but not as severely or as easily as in the beginning. By "dump" I mean if I eat too much sugar I feel nauseous and need to lie down for awhile. No sweating, no beating heart, just want to throw up but can't. miserable. One year after sx at my check up my labs were normal except for K was low. I did not do any more follow ups until this summer. I called my bariatric surgeons office and explained I wanted to touch base. I just left my appointment. Oh...I have a confession. Four years ago I quit taking my mult-Vitamin and Calcium. I have been religious with my B12 and VitD however. My labs were all completely normal. I did confess my lapse of the multi and calcium to the doc; to my relief he told me since my labs were normal that essentially I am absorbing what I need from my food. He told me to keep doing what I am doing and I told him he probably would not see me again unless I encountered a problem. In addition to still dumping (which I am glad I do; but he said is patients usually do not dump so far out) I have an occasional episode of reactive hypo-glycemia. If I eat clean I can avoid both situations but I still have the head that got me fat in the first place, so there you have it. Just thought some might be interested in this info from someone a ways out from sx.

Zofran is my BFF! And I keep a tissue with a drop of peppermint essential oil on it handy...I find that "waving" it around helps the nausea pass more quickly and happen less frequently...hope you're doing better soon!
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Zofran is my BFF! And I keep a tissue with a drop of peppermint essential oil on it handy...I find that "waving" it around helps the nausea pass more quickly and happen less frequently...hope you're doing better soon!
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Zofran is my BFF! And I keep a tissue with a drop of peppermint essential oil on it handy...I find that "waving" it around helps the nausea pass more quickly and happen less frequently...hope you're doing better soon!
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Totally normal. You'll see some loss at about 2 weeks out, then have a stall at 3 weeks. Real weight loss happens after 6 weeks when your body is more healed. It's totally normal.
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I really have been able to tell a lot of changes in my body even though when I look in the mirror I don't exactly see them!
I have had a relatively easy time with everything. I realize when I do feel crappy and dump it is my fault, but even then it isn't terrible. I know I am lucky, but I do think a lot of your post op experience has to do with your mentality in general.
I am so glad I had this procedure done, before having RNY on 4/4/16, I would work out for 1-1.5 hours a day 4x/week. I lost a little but it was incredibly slow and if I worked out any less or took a vacation for eating healthy I would gain back in a weekend what took me a month to lose.
I just found out today that a good childhood friend of mine died of a heart attack last night. Just weeks before her 31st birthday. She was obese her whole life, and since her passing it makes me even more thankful I made the decision I did.
HW:274
SW:245
CW:219

Zofran is my BFF! And I keep a tissue with a drop of peppermint essential oil on it handy...I find that "waving" it around helps the nausea pass more quickly and happen less frequently...hope you're doing better soon!
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Listen to me - HEALING IS HARD WORK. Even if you're not feeling like doing much, just the process your body is going thru to heal is enough to tire you out.
Your only job should be drinking enough Water and getting your Protein as much as possible.
Give yourself a little credit. You had major surgery a week ago. Your body is about to do some amazing things for you - give it some time to get ready. Rest. Hydrate.
It's tough but it just gets better. You'll turn the corner soon - like probably this weekend - and then it'll be smooth sailing.

Got discharged late last night. Hurting but managing the walking and sipping ok. How are my other 07/05 surgery buddies doing???

Got discharged late last night. Hurting but managing the walking and sipping ok. How are my other 07/05 surgery buddies doing???

Good luck today!
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I'm praying for each of you. I'm sure sleeping tonight is out of the question and each of you are wrestling with a few mixed emotions. However, tomorrow is going to be the best day of the rest of your lives. Hang tight and walk fast! #blessings
DSLdiversity

Prayers for all of us! Check back in when you can.

Seems like a long road, but it has gone quickly. Tomorrow I'll have RNY and hernia repair. Any surgery buddies out there??? Nervous and excited to get it behind me! Gonna go pack my bag now.

I am having VSG tomorrow! (7/5) packed my bag this morning and headed to Walmart in a bit to get a few things I want to have at home when I get out of the hospital. Laundry, cleaning all that so the house is good to go when we get back. My kids are at grandmas until next weekend so hopefully I will be up and around by the time they get home. They've been gone since 6/14 so I miss them terribly. Good luck to you! I'll keep you in my prayers tomorrow!

Seems like a long road, but it has gone quickly. Tomorrow I'll have RNY and hernia repair. Any surgery buddies out there??? Nervous and excited to get it behind me! Gonna go pack my bag now.

One year ago today I stepped out on faith and made the decision to put my health and well-being first. I deserved and my family deserved the best me I could be. I am healthier and happier than I have ever been and; at 62... this is just the beginning! ????????
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Thanks @gingerbelle! I'm so glad I could motivate someone! It was so incredibly stressful going through the whole process and it's so crazy just know that the actual surgery is finally over! Now, it's all up to me! Exciting! But scary! I'm ready for this journey. I've almost survived week 1. My first post-op appointment is Tuesday. Don't give up!
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Good luck on your surgery and check back with us when you are on the other side.

I got bumped to June 28th...so is there a June group?
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