Pazza

Bear in mind that most people will only post when something is wrong and not when everything is going great. This site gets a lot of traffic so it may seem skewed that there are more people with complications than there really is. Not saying complications can't happen (it did to me), but that's part of the risk of any surgery.

All in all my well being has greatly improved. My sciatica before surgery left me only able to walk for a few minutes without my leg beginning to go numb and lots of pain. For about a month after surgery it went away completely. The pain has come back somewhat but nothing near as bad as it was. I also suffer from arthritis, and like Navigating said after carrying this weight around for most of my life some damage is done that can't be repaired completely. Naturally I ask myself if I would have gotten the surgery done a few years ago would I have avoided all the pain from the sciatica because it got worse as my weight went up.

The one thing you listed that would be of concern is the acid reflux. Do some searches for that and GERD on here and you'll get a lot of threads on that topic. Some people choose to go with a bypass over the sleeve if they have reflux issues. It's something you would want to discuss with your surgeon to help decide which procedure would be best.

Despite having some complications after surgery I have no regrets and wish I would have done this years ago when I first started considering WLS.

Hi @Jordan Flake, minus the depression I had all the same issues. Every single one has improved in the 3 months since my surgery. I don't think anyone can tell you which, if any, side effects you may have after surgery because we are all so different. You just need to weigh the pros and cons and go with what you are most comfortable with. Good luck with everything!

There is a lot that influences saggy skin after surgery. Age for example. So it is hard to gauge how it will be.
There are a lot of threads on this and it can be a difficult topic. The good news is that it doesn't bother many as much as we thought it would.

The best advice I've heard is to build muscle as best you can. Trying that myself. And it seems to give more structure.
I try to take good care of my skin and am of course getting in a lot of Water.< br>
However in the meantime, looking to Truvy's advice and searching for Lyrca for these thighs. [emoji12]
Hope that helps a little.

All the best.

WLS Do’s and Don’ts

DO remove the word ONLY from your vocabulary. Ex: I’ve ONLY lost 10 Lbs in 2 weeks… Now let’s look at this again without the word ONLY: I’ve lost 10 Lbs in 2 weeks!! See what I mean? Perception is reality folks!!

DON’T assume you’ll never eat all of your favorite foods again. This is just an excuse your brain has designed to allow you to indulge. You WILL eat all your favorites again someday, just much less but find it to me more enjoyable. Which leads directly into the next:

DON’T do the “last meal” syndrome. You will only sabotage your weight loss you might have pre-surgery or set you back further from your ultimate goal post-op. This surgery is very serious and is for the serious minded. Use this time wisely to get the feeling of how life might be like post op.

DO learn all of the rules pre-op that you will endure post-op. Such as, no drinking with meals, using smaller utensils and plates, engaging in some type of workout routine, limiting your sugar and sodium intake, joining as many WLS support groups as you can.

DO Celebrate every single pound lost! Imagine one pound of butter. Yeah… that’s gone from your body forever. It is noteworthy and worth every bit of a pat on the back as any others that may go along with it.

DON’T compare your successes and losses to others. Chances are very high that you will only come out on the short end and only find yourself disappointed. Everyone’s journeys are their own…

DO keep track of your losses in many different ways than just the scale! Examples:

DO keep one set of your largest clothes you’ve ever worn. Make it a point to try them on, especially when you’re having a down moment. You will find this will really pick up your spirits! This is a real rollercoaster of a ride, and anything that will keep you positive is what you should do!

DON'T keep any other fat clothes around. Get rid of them ASAP. You're never going to fit them again, right? So... off to donations they go.

DO take photos of yourself just before your surgery. Keep them close. Again, having a bad day? Look at them and compare them. As a matter of fact, take photos of yourself often. You will also find that the more you lose, the more you will want to take pictures. Nothing wrong with that!!! That goes with celebrating your losses.

DO take measurements of yourself often. Keeping track of all your inches lost will really keep you on the right track when your scale is being stubborn!!

DO reward yourself every time you hit a mini goal. Make some more worthy than others. I like to go shopping when I hit a goal, it is my favorite thing to do now.

DON’T let the scale define you. Great majority of us will endure many fluctuations and stalls in this journey. It is what it is… patience is the key here. Meditate and envision yourself months down the road at your goal. Smile, then move on!!

DO find out about measuring body fat! It’s more than just weight loss, FAT LOSS is the real goal here. Keep in mind that the BMI scale is greatly inaccurate and most Health Studies do prove this. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE) our body fat % ranges should be average: 25-31% for Women and 18-24% for men. Any higher is considered obese. However it does go more in depth, according to ages and more. Everyone has different genetic make ups, frame sizes and fitness levels... even a different ethnicity can post differences.

DO have many goals in sight. Having only one, especially a simple weight goal you will find can be difficult. Have many MINI goals along your journey, and more than just ones that involve the scale. Such as, clothing size goals, body fat% goals, fitness or workout goals, dietary goals, etc…

DO challenge yourself always!! Whether it’s a global challenge with others, or personal challenges... It will keep you motivated and always willing to go further than you ever thought you could!

DO have a mentor! Find someone that you can trust and confide in, and that you know has “been there”. Preferably someone you know in person. You will find many folks in your life who have been there, for obesity is worldwide now and there are so many who have been able to defeat this demon. It’s not easy! It quite literally is the toughest feat I’ve ever had to endure. I can say this too, my job will never be done. This is for life!
DON'T believe the myth that your tool has an expiration date. Yes, it's true you will lose the most weight in the first year and it's also true that the further out you are and the closer you are to goal, the harder it is to lose. However, as long as you keep up with your healthy eating and fitness routines you will continue to lose weight and / or keep it off in the many years post op. It all boils down to calories in vs. calories out.
DON'T believe the myth that having WLS will keep the weight off forever. That is our individual responsibility.

And finally…

DON’T ever beat yourself up! We all make mistakes, and dare I say not one person on this Earth is perfect. I try hard to be, no doubt! I always admit that I’m a perfectionist – but I’m far from perfect. I just try to be… The only thing you can do is pick yourself up, give yourself a pep talk, perhaps contact your mentor for reassurance and move on!!! Again, this is for life. Every day you wake up is a second chance.

DO look for solutions to your problems. Otherwise they will just become excuses.


DON’T EVER GIVE UP! I don’t think any explanation is necessary here.

DON'T expect the scale to post a loss every single day. As a matter of fact, don't expect it to move that much even weekly! Just keep doing all the right things and the scale will move in the right direction when it needs to.

DO expect to see fluctuations on the scale, both down AND up. DON'T lose your head over it either. This isn't a miracle cure and the weight isn't going to magically disappear in a few weeks. You have to keep pushing with healthy eating, some type of workout and getting plenty of Fluid.

DON'T let the scale define your journey when there are so many pieces to that puzzle!!!



Good luck to all of you. This journey is a tough one, but if you are here, then you believed in yourself enough to give yourself the life you’ve always dreamed of. YOU WILL BE successful. Always keep that in mind.

Add-ons by other experienced sleevers:

DO keep a list of NSV (Non scale victories) to reflect on when times are getting hard. Can you walk up 2 extra flights of stairs before getting winded? Cross your legs?" and

"DO NOT be afraid to change things if they aren't working. Stalls happen even gains happen. If you are on a long stall look at your eating and decided if changes need to be made. Utilize your tool!" -- Southern Sleever

DO: Keep a food diary of what you eat and drink. This is a great learning tool as to which foods have what amounts of fat, Protein and carbs that add up to your daily intake goals. There are many ways to diary your food - from old fashioned pen and notebook to many options via smartphone apps. Keeping one is the important thing - however is right for you. I use mine now to look back for meal ideas when I hit a blank as to what to prepare for a day or a week.

DO: Realize this is not a diet to be followed for a while then set aside. This is a permanent lifestyle change. Yes, the amount of food you eat will increase as time passes, but your relationship with food will be forever altered. How you Celebrate your joys, successes and holidays will be different. How you mourn your sorrows will be different. Some people need outside help to get through the sometimes overwhelming mental changes this process brings. If you need help with this part of the deal- reach out and get it. -- SKCUNNINGHAM

DO roll with the punches!! -- fern

Hello all!
This week I was lucky enough to go to a clothing exchange and get a bunch of new to me clothes.
Among other things, I picked up a bunch of pants and skirts that looked close enough to fit, brought them home and tried them on.
Goodness gracious! I'm glad I didn't pay too much attention to the sizes when picking them and grabbed a wide variety of sizes. I fit well into sizes 6 to 12. Talk about confusion. Cut, style and brand make a huge difference.
The funny thing is this realization is a little liberating! So in case anyone else is struggling I wanted to share.
P.s. any advice on wearing white pants and skirts???
What do I pair with them?
How does one keep them clean??
All the best to everyone

I am 8 weeks Post Op and it is Abundantly clear that from now on I need to Live my Life 4oz's at a time. I don't have a Calibrated eye so my guessing on the weight of a meal doesn't work for me. It's for that reason that I have multiple digital scales at Home, Work and on the Go. I follow a Keto Macros style diet and with that I find my sweet spot to be 4oz, I know I could push it to 6 or even 8 and still get a good loss but 8 would turn to 16 and then 24. Right now I am obeying all the Posted signs of my Nutrition Highway, any other way has always ended in a crash and burn on my behalf. I stay plugged in to this and other forum as a constant reminder of the Success and constant problems myself and others face. I constantly have to remind myself of the rules of nutrition and that as long as I make them important and continue them i will have ongoing success.

Well hell, that is almost a novel approach compared to many of the newer members. So kudos to you!
I only seem to come here anymore as a constant reminder of failures because of people not doing what you are committing to above. I am pretty confident you are going to be a success story in the long run.

I'm so proud of you and happy for you. You have put in so much work and I'm so glad you are getting to enjoy the rewards. It is wonderful being able to do more.

All the best to you!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello all!
This week I was lucky enough to go to a clothing exchange and get a bunch of new to me clothes.
Among other things, I picked up a bunch of pants and skirts that looked close enough to fit, brought them home and tried them on.
Goodness gracious! I'm glad I didn't pay too much attention to the sizes when picking them and grabbed a wide variety of sizes. I fit well into sizes 6 to 12. Talk about confusion. Cut, style and brand make a huge difference.
The funny thing is this realization is a little liberating! So in case anyone else is struggling I wanted to share.
P.s. any advice on wearing white pants and skirts???
What do I pair with them?
How does one keep them clean??
All the best to everyone

Little late to reply but I wanted to chime in, partially because when I heard mention of Saugus and Boston, I got a little nostalgic.

The mental/emotional aspect is a tough one!!

Nutritionist - I am 13 months out and just had an appointment with my nut for a course correction. They can be really helpful. We all need help.

Counseling - If you can afford it, find a good counselor. If I break my leg I go to the doctor right? Why are emotional/mental/spiritual injuries any different?
We all need help. A good therapist can help diagnose and offer different coping strategies.
If you can't afford one right now try reading.
A few books I recommend are:
The feeling good handbook by Dr. Burns
Bite by bite - really short audio book available through Boston public library
Eating the moment

Don't compare yourself to others too much. I am working on this too. Offer a hug and comiseration.

Time - remember to give yourself time, habits take time to change. It sounds like you know this and really recognize what you want to change. You will make it!!

All the best!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using BariatricPal mobile app

Make sure that for your supervised weight loss that you have them incorporate the mental health aspect of it as well, because if you go into surgery with a fixation that strong you can over do it!

While I don't experience the same difficulties as you are facing getting a mental health plan established before and soon after support groups will really help.

I am also 36 and had my share of bad things happen in my life that led me down the weight gain rabbit hole feel free to pm me anytime if need be you're welcome to my cell number!

Isopure unflavored works for me. Most others I have to take a lactaid or two.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using BariatricPal mobile app

I know you may not want to hear this but it will get easier. Keep trying different things. Keep going slowly. Keep moving forward. It seems like nothing works until you find something that works for you.

Sometimes, adding pepcid chewable helps some people. Taking lactaid made a huge difference for me. Never had problems before but I do need to take it now. Nausea medicine can help too. Drinking things at different temperatures can affect things as well. (Still can't handle liquids too cold.) The sugar free popsicles were wonderful for me.

The first 3 or 4 months were horrible for me. I hope your difficulty passes quickly.
All the best

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using BariatricPal mobile app

This is understandable.
The thing is that most people don't look sickly for long or just don't loose enough to be skeletal. Once people hit their nadir weight, things tend to even and shift. Just like @@JamieLogical said. Will you have loose skin, probably. It really isn't as bad as it may seem. I'm much happier with my saggy skin and being able to do more. Also a lot healthier.
Also sometimes people might tell you to stop loosing weight because
they are jealous,
not used to you being smaller,
not sure what a healthy weight looks like,
etc, etc, etc. The reasons go on and on.
The truth is that we are used to ourselves heavy. It just takes time for us and others to get used to us being skinny/skinnier. In time we can develop new identities about ourselves. That is really all it is. Learning to accept looking different.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the BariatricPal App

Sorry that you are having issues. Are you still meeting with your surgeon and your NUT? I met with mine at 14 days, 30 days, 90 days and 6 months. My surgeon offers a support group that meets monthly and I haven't missed one since my surgery (first group was 5 days post op). You might want to see if someone from your support group would be willing to help mentor you.
You may also want to talk to a therapist to help you.

You have GOT THIS!!! You know what and how to do it!! If you have to go back to the basics you will start losing again. You know you have what it takes because look at how far you have come!! The weight you have lost is incredible, you just need to realize that you have the TOOL for success!! TRUST it again you will be amazed that the tool will be there for you!! BTW don't be so hard on yourself. You are human and will hit giltches along the way. Puyll yourself up and KEEP ON KEEPING ON!!

It's a struggle. Sounds like old demons are still hanging around. Try counseling with weight specialist, your on right track u know what the problem is just need help working thru it!

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 4 years ago. Eating lettuce became acceptable after week 9 according to my surgeons directions. But go easy on the Salad Dressing - go with dressings that have minimal fat and sugar. Chewing is a natural craving and your desire for salad may be related to that craving.
Some people experience problems in meeting their daily Protein, Vitamin and Fluid requirements. But it sounds like in your case these problems are extreme and there may be an underlying medical condition that needs to be treated as well.
According to the internet:
Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery, and they are typically associated with inappropriate diet and noncompliance with a gastroplasty diet (ie, eat undisturbed, chew meticulously, never drink with meals, and wait 2 hours before drinking after solid food is consumed). If these symptoms are associated with epigastric pain, significant dehydration, or not explained by dietary indiscretions, an alternative diagnosis must be explored. One of the most common complications causing nausea and vomiting in gastric bypass patients is anastomotic ulcers, with and without stomal stenosis. Ulceration or stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy of the gastric bypass has a reported incidence of 3% to 20%. Although no unifying explanation for the etiology of anastomotic ulcers exists, most experts agree that the pathogenesis is likely multifactorial. These ulcers are thought to be due to a combination of preserved acid secretion in the pouch, tension from the Roux limb, ischemia from the operation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and perhaps Helicobacter pylori infection. Evidence suggests that little acid is secreted in the gastric bypass pouch; however, staple line dehiscence may lead to excessive acid bathing of the anastomosis. Treatment for both marginal ulcers and stomal ulcers should include avoidance of NSAIDs, antisecretory therapy with proton-pump inhibitors, and/or sucralfate. In addition, H pylori infection should be identified and treated, if present.
So condensing this down general advice (coordinating with your surgical staff) might be to avoid NSAIDs (such as aspirin), use proton pump inhibitors (such as Prilosec) and have yourself tested for Helicobacter pylori infection.

Lol HYLARIOUS!!!!!

"What will I do instead of eating?"
Read a book. Go to the gym. Take a long walk. Lift weights. Ride a bike. Watch a movie. Go running. Play tennis. Play golf. Take up a new hobby. Cut the lawn. Volunteer with a community organization. Play with your kids/grandkids? Weed out all those clothes that won't fit anymore. Talk to a therapist to find out why you built your whole life around food.
The holidays and vacations - don't change. I was sleeved on August 23. I buried my mother on October 4 - week long big Italian funeral built around food. I planned and ate what I could. I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my family and I ate it - just much smaller portions. Vacations - we eat out - I watch what I eat and often take most of what I eat home with me. Christmas - we went to an amazing steakhouse (I had sung three church services in 24 hours - I wasn't cooking) and I had an amazing dinner.
But today - there's so much more I can do that I don't think just about food. I was singing at church today from 8-1. Came home, had a bit of lunch and cleared the front flower beds - haven't done that by myself in more than 10 years.
There's plenty to think about and do. This surgery works best when you get your head in the right place. Remember, no one is watching what you eat. If necessary, just push the food around on your plate.
Good luck.

This post is just to share and help me process/be aware. RS
RNY almost 11 months ago and overall things are tough but this has been a great thing.
This week I've had a lot of stress, some from good things, some from negative/bad things. Thursday I blew my calories and found myself doing some emotional eating. Finding way too much happiness in peanut butter.... Friday I worked to correct it and still am today. It is difficult some days!
I just need to remind myself, yes I do still turn to food sometimes. I need to be careful of that. I need to stay aware and make myself use other coping skills. Have to keep trying to change my mind/thoughts/behaviors. Probably always going to be working on this and I need to remind myself that is ok.
One bad day doesn't undo all the good. Just need to learn from it and not run from it. Needed to get this out and think it through, admitting and owning up to it.
If you have any strategies that help you, I'd love to hear them!

This post is just to share and help me process/be aware. RS
RNY almost 11 months ago and overall things are tough but this has been a great thing.
This week I've had a lot of stress, some from good things, some from negative/bad things. Thursday I blew my calories and found myself doing some emotional eating. Finding way too much happiness in peanut butter.... Friday I worked to correct it and still am today. It is difficult some days!
I just need to remind myself, yes I do still turn to food sometimes. I need to be careful of that. I need to stay aware and make myself use other coping skills. Have to keep trying to change my mind/thoughts/behaviors. Probably always going to be working on this and I need to remind myself that is ok.
One bad day doesn't undo all the good. Just need to learn from it and not run from it. Needed to get this out and think it through, admitting and owning up to it.
If you have any strategies that help you, I'd love to hear them!

I was blessed with a surgeon that shared this with me.

He said that your family and friends love you and want you to be healthy. When they are used to you being so large, you being a healthy weight is not normal.

When you stand in a room of strangers you could ask any one of them what they thought and every stranger would say you look healthy.

This is an unintentional sabotage that awareness can help you avoid. He said, if a friend or family member told you that your haircut did not flatter your face. How long would it be before you pick a new haircut? Their opinion matters. In this you must be strong and lovingly remind them that you are working hard to be healthy. Appreciate their concern.

Lastly he said, the only one I am to listen to is him. My surgeon said he would tell me if I was too skinny. And he finished it up with, he only had one patient lose too much. She was a grandmother that started to love the attention her family was giving her worrying about her weight loss.

Stay strong and keep your healthy goal in mind always.

Have a bad back and have had chronic pain and nerve problems for a few years. The surgery has helped me immensely! I can do so much more, so much more freedom. So much less pain.

Tens units can be helpful, also Salonpas are amazing if you can handle the adhesive Patches.
Exercises and PT are essential too. Best of luck and I hope this helps you.

All the best

Go on to pinterest and look for The world according to eggface. There are som any recipes to make different flavors. Recipes adding sugar free pudding powder to premier shales to make so many different flavors. My favorite is banana foster