ella37

Thank you so much for all the kind words. I just weighed myself (which I've been afraid to do) and somehow haven't gained any weight, so that was a nice surprise.

Cancer is so scary and it's nice to hear from those who have dealt with this type of situation. It's just hard to think about weight loss when you're sidelined with this kind of news. She seemed perfectly healthy....

I found out 2 weeks ago that my mom has stage IV neck cancer. Ever since then I have just been eating, eating whatever. Obviously my intake is much smaller but I just don't care right now and I'm doing whatever makes me feel better. I'm not staying on plan at all and I feel so bad about it but I guess I'm just using food to comfort myself again.

I know I need to stop. Has anyone else had life hit them in the gut right after surgery and found themselves going back to old habits?

My GP was not in favor of the surgery at my BMI, but he still gave me medical clearance. I'm not sure what exactly your insurance needs but I'm sure he would've written the letter if I'd needed it.

If he says no, find a new GP.

I'm considering self pay. Does anyone have any worries if they do self pay, the chance of something going wrong and ending up with a huge liability pay out. Trying not to overthink here...

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I was self pay b/c I knew my ins wouldn't approve me. The doc I used requires that you buy a BLIS insurance package to cover you for bleeding, clots, infection, leaks, etc for the first 90 days. I bought additional protection against strictures for 6 months. I'd find a surgeon who works with them. Good luck!

I really needed to read this. I'm only 3 days post op (had surgery on Monday 1/16) and I've regretted the surgery every day. Even seeing the weight loss is not even exciting. I hate not being able to drink as much Water as I want. I'm not even in much pain anymore but the esophageal spasms and gas are just regular annoyances that are so ongoing that they've made this almost intolerable.

Getting my Gatorade and Protein shakes in have been a serious struggle too. I think I'm doing just enough to stave off dehydration but I'm one of those people that when they don't feel 100% it seems like it's the end of the world. I guess I'm just too impatient to get to the point where I feel normal again.

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Like I said in my post it took me about 2 weeks to stop totally regretting the surgery and wishing I hadn't done it, but it took about a month before I was actually glad I'd done it. You will get there, the beginning is rough.

@@xoxococojay No, I meant most of the 2+ years vets are gone

Ive noticed that lately. What happened?

I had 2 serious meltdowns the first week and it was about 2 weeks before I stopped wishing I hadn't had surgery.

The beginning is HARD. You're still recovering, you're on liquids and many of us didn't get enough food/water. Your body is going through serious changes while still healing. You don't know if you're hungry or full and a lot of people are nauseous.

I personally have not vomited once since surgery. Just take it slow when you're trying new foods. Take a bite or two and see how it sits before you have a full "serving". You will be okay! It will only get easier starting soon!

I dont think there is a "normal". I saw that post as well and I haven't even lost that much in 3 and 1/2 months. Keep in mind that men lose faster than women and a lot of factors go into weight loss. Some people just lose slower. You are down 18 lbs in less than a month and that's fantastic!

I refused to be in pictures for the last few years but had a similar moment when I saw myself in a full sized mirror at the dog groomers. I think a lot of us are in some denial and at some point something just snaps you out of it. even when i saw the occasional photo of myself id think, "oh it's just a bad angle".

realizing there's a problem is always an important step in getting better. good luck at your WLS appt. you're on your way now!

I just have coffee and then a Protein Bar or shake 2 to 3 hours later. i have never been a breakfast person, the thought of food always makes me nauseous when i wake up.

Thanks so much everyone!

Just needed to share my excitement somewhere! I was sleeved on 10/11 and as of today I have lost 45 of the 90 lbs I was hoping to lose. It hasn't been easy but I can't believe how far I've come. So proud of myself and everyone else who has taken this journey. Best of luck!!

I so feel your pain. I stalled out from day 7 post op to day 21. It was SO hard because I was still recovering and miserable on the liquid diet and it felt like it was all for nothing. I was self pay and thinking this was a huge waste of 15K. I just stuck to my plan and it started moving again.

My dr explained to me that we lose weight in steps, our body holds on to it and then loses a bunch at once. Ive had several more stalls, it seems like every time I'm on the cusp of a new weight decade (190s, 180s, etc) I stall out. I've been bouncing between 194 and 191 for nearly 2 weeks now. It is SO frustrating and even though I know that it will pass I still feel like maybe I'll just never lose another pound and at the time it feels like forever.

Just keep at it, your food intake looks good! It will happen, I promise!

Just a thought, could be acid reflux. I agree that you'll be feeling much fuller on solids but I had bad acid reflux for the first month and thought I was hungry all the time because the 2 feelings were so similar.

I'm jealous of anyone who is allowed food. My pre op was one week of only liquids. It was mainly Protein shakes and Water then the night before was Clear Liquids. I did cheat twice and had a half can of tuna. I told my surgeon and he didn't really seem too shook up about it, he was just kinda like, "eh, it happens. do your best".

The pre op diet liquid diet was MUCH harder for me than the post op liquid diet. After surgery you won't be nearly as hungry and if anything you'll be working to get all your liquids in.

Like others said, you can always try Vitamin E. Just buy the capsules and puncture them and rub it right on to your scars. Mine faded fairly quickly to a light pink but my stomach is already such a mess of stretch marks I feel like the scars are the least of my concerns, lol.

I burst into tears several times during the first few weeks.. once at a table full of friends and family (humiliating). It's just tough. You're still hungry/full/confused as to which and your body is going through all kinds of changes. At 3 weeks out you're still healing, you're probably not eating real food, and you might still just feel crappy from going through a surgery.

You might be withdrawing from sugar or caffeine as well.

It was nearly 2 months before I felt like myself again. Once you start noticing your body changing it will perk you back up and you will adjust to this new way of eating. Just hold on! Call a therapist in the mean time if you need help!

I think this is SUPER common. As surgery approaches it starts to feel much more real than it did however many months ago when you decided to pursue it. I had decided not to go through with my surgery the night before it was scheduled, I even told my husband I couldn't do it. Then I woke up that morning at around 5 am and just thought, "you know what? f**k it". I was miserable and had been miserable for years. I could've talked myself out of it by convincing my brain that I could do this if I really tried and then ended up on another stupid diet. Maybe I'd lose some weight, but I can guarantee you I'm much better at regaining it all and then some.

So I went. I decided that I didn't need to fully commit until they were about to put me under. One step a time I'd think, okay, so they're running some blood tests.. that's not so bad, I can handle that. I just put one foot in front of the other and didn't think ahead, just focused on what I was doing right now. The only stumbling block was when they asked for my wedding ring and I cried, lolol. My husband took it and promised to wear it on his pinky until I came out so it wouldn't get lost. Then suddenly I was in the room and they're telling me to count backwards and I thought, okay, I can do that!

Yeah waking up sucks, the first couple weeks are hard, but most people do not have any serious issues. For me the anticipation of how bad it would be was one hundred times worse than actually going through it.

I know how you feel. I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I DO sometimes miss it. Sometimes there is delicious food around and even though I can have a few bites I miss being able to just chow down once in a while.

However, I also miss my skinny clothes. I miss not being uncomfortable and self conscious all the time, I miss not dreading running into someone I used to know in public. I miss my knees not popping when I walk up stairs, I miss not always pulling and adjusting clothes because nothing fits right. I miss not being embarrassed when I see my family once a year because I've gained weight again, I miss not having to buy things that are cut flowy or are stretchy so you can't see my rolls.

I do miss pigging out, but I miss a lot of other things as well and when I compare the 2 lists pigging out just isn't worth it. I've had small amounts of many, many different kinds of food including sweets over the holidays and a slice of pizza. I can still enjoy food, I can still eat things I like, I just have to make it an occasional treat instead of an all day every day feast. I can't stuff myself to the brim with 1/2 a pizza and there was a certain satisfaction in doing that. I think it's okay to acknowledge that you're giving something up, just keep in mind that you're getting more than you give away.

My hair has never been thick and I've been growing it out for 2 years but I keep seeing threads about losing tons and it's terrifying me! I am just about 3 months out which is close to when it seems to start. Does this happen to everyone? Just looking for a ray of hope I suppose, lol.

I had a very similar experience. Although I never could've lost 32 pounds in one month of dieting, I usually lost 10 to 15. I lost 7 lbs my first week post op and then NOTHING til week 3. I had the same conversation with my NUT about how I could lose more than this just with my usual diet. She explained to me that this isn't a diet. Our bodies are still adjusting to this new way of eating and you can stall because you're still recovering, your body/metabolism isn't used to what's going on, or because as another poster said, weight loss is not linear. Everything is going a little haywire right now and your body is confused. She told me that we tend to lose weight in steps and not a straight line. On week 3 I lost 9 lbs so at one month out I was also at 16 lbs and you and I have nearly exactly the same surgery weight and are the same height.

I know it sucks when you're still on liquids and not losing as much as you're used to with a normal diet, but stick it out. The weight will start coming off as long as you stick to your plan. I was also worried that this wasn't going to work for me (and pissed b/c I was self pay) or that something went wrong. You'll do great, try not to focus too much on the scale at first!

Thanks so much! Doing the math really excited me and made me even more motivated.

Sleeved 10/11

Starting - 235

Day of Surgery - 229

Today - 193

Haven't had too much to complain about since moving to solid foods other than acid reflux. Love seeing everyone's progress!

We need more information. What are you eating? How often? Are you meeting your Protein and Fluid goals? Are you drinking calories? Are you tracking calories?

Give some diet details and people can give more accurate responses.

I hugely regret not taking "before" pictures. I was so ashamed of my weight that I probably didn't get a photo taken for years before surgery. They snapped one at my doctors office during my pre op visit (to my horror) but I haven't seen it, they save it for your 1 year follow up to compare. I advise anyone who is getting ready to take a bunch of pictures, I'd love to see them now even though I'm still far from goal.