bitingcat

It took me well over a month to get back to my DOS weight. And everyone in the universe seems to stall at 3 weeks.

It took me almost a month to get back down to my day of surgery weight.
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I don't mean people freaking out about the week 3 stall or frustrated because they "only" lost 20 lbs the first six weeks. While I am curious what most people consider "slow", I mostly mean people at least 6 months post op, with significant weight to lose, and who averaged around maybe 8-12 lbs a month. Including stalls and everything, averaged over multiple months. And who preferably kept losing.
I just keep reading these success stories of people losing unbelievable amounts of weight during their honeymoon. Granted, I have some serious health problems that have cropped up and have still managed to loose a around 50 lbs in a little under 6 months. And that was after taking over a month to drop back down to DOS weight.
But every other topic on Slow Losers Unite seems to be, "OMG - I only lost x weight and have stalled at week 3!" Or it's evil twin, "OMG, I'm at under two months have have only lost x!" Make that the identical evil twin - even as a total noob I knew at two months your body was still a train wreck and you could really just stay on plan and hope for the best.
I've seen a few comments about long term slow losing from old timers - but also heard rumors they've gone the way of the buffalo.
Sorry I'm cranky and out of touch - I've been busy getting Iron transfusions, a blood transfusion, an extremely invasive ultrasound, and trying to schedule and get ready for next week's hysterectomy. Take ALL THE IRON!!!!
Give me some hope here, people - I'm almost at 6 months, coming up on my 46th birthday, and still have serious amounts of weight to lose. 50 more pounds would still put me at my overweight college self and would be kind of nice to not be in the obese range at some point in my life.

I don't mean people freaking out about the week 3 stall or frustrated because they "only" lost 20 lbs the first six weeks. While I am curious what most people consider "slow", I mostly mean people at least 6 months post op, with significant weight to lose, and who averaged around maybe 8-12 lbs a month. Including stalls and everything, averaged over multiple months. And who preferably kept losing.
I just keep reading these success stories of people losing unbelievable amounts of weight during their honeymoon. Granted, I have some serious health problems that have cropped up and have still managed to loose a around 50 lbs in a little under 6 months. And that was after taking over a month to drop back down to DOS weight.
But every other topic on Slow Losers Unite seems to be, "OMG - I only lost x weight and have stalled at week 3!" Or it's evil twin, "OMG, I'm at under two months have have only lost x!" Make that the identical evil twin - even as a total noob I knew at two months your body was still a train wreck and you could really just stay on plan and hope for the best.
I've seen a few comments about long term slow losing from old timers - but also heard rumors they've gone the way of the buffalo.
Sorry I'm cranky and out of touch - I've been busy getting Iron transfusions, a blood transfusion, an extremely invasive ultrasound, and trying to schedule and get ready for next week's hysterectomy. Take ALL THE IRON!!!!
Give me some hope here, people - I'm almost at 6 months, coming up on my 46th birthday, and still have serious amounts of weight to lose. 50 more pounds would still put me at my overweight college self and would be kind of nice to not be in the obese range at some point in my life.

Bright horizons - I feel you. Just turned 46 and have never been able to lose more than 20lbs without doubling that with regain.

OP - I empathize. My hormones are wac - to the point where I had a surprise hysterectomy 3 months post op. And I told very few people - husband, bestie, and best sister. My nieces figured it out, but are super supportive and swore not to tell their mom or grandma. My own kids only told about that hiatal hernia part and said I'd prefer they didn't mention it. With all the hysterectomy nonsense coming right after wls, I've barely shown my face in church for months. So even though I'm not a fast loser (and nowhere near goal) it's obvious something changed.

I legitimately claimed illness, but my best backup is my husband who finally tried low carb out of solidarity and fear of following me under the knife. Being a man, he's lost almost as much as I have post surgery.

I also, like you, can claim PT - shortly before surgery I was diagnosed with an overstretched and partially torn tendon in my ankle. The threat of *four* separate surgeries has been motivating and every pound I've lost has seriously helped it. She's been great and coming up with non-straining exercises. Back on the dark side, it's been the coldest, rainiest winter on record in Seattle and I'm still trying to recover from the latest bronchial infection. And trying to fix my hormones and the lingering anemia.

It's just so much to deal with, isn't it? I just want to yell, "Major problems need to max out at three!" But like you, I need to exercise to lose weight - this infection has me going backwards again [emoji31]. But I'm going to try PT again tomorrow - first time in a week and a half - and managed to do a little arm work and leg work today, even though it left me prostrate on the couch for the rest of the day. I got my blood draw for hormones today (yay!) and need to schedule that appointment next.

I'm 9 months out of the sleeve and about 3 months out from hyst- seriously, does that pain *ever* go away?! So most of my "honeymoon" was blown being wildly anemic/recovering from surgery. I've only lost maybe 8 lbs since the hyst - but the surgeon said I'm regaining some muscle.

Don't feel guilty. 70 lbs lighter since surgery allowed me to take a birthday trip to Vegas, learn to kayak, be able to walk with a small brace instead of an orthopedic boot, and fit into cute (mostly still plus) size athletic leggings from Lucy and Athleta. I even dropped from double wide to just wide shoes.

Like me, you have serious health problems most people can't imagine living with. You're doing what you need to do to get the shot at becoming a more healthy you. And don't let anyone ever make you feel bad for that. You know how to lose weight - enjoy your honeymoon and your real shot at keeping it off for good [emoji4][emoji106][emoji322]

Bright horizons - I feel you. Just turned 46 and have never been able to lose more than 20lbs without doubling that with regain.

OP - I empathize. My hormones are wac - to the point where I had a surprise hysterectomy 3 months post op. And I told very few people - husband, bestie, and best sister. My nieces figured it out, but are super supportive and swore not to tell their mom or grandma. My own kids only told about that hiatal hernia part and said I'd prefer they didn't mention it. With all the hysterectomy nonsense coming right after wls, I've barely shown my face in church for months. So even though I'm not a fast loser (and nowhere near goal) it's obvious something changed.

I legitimately claimed illness, but my best backup is my husband who finally tried low carb out of solidarity and fear of following me under the knife. Being a man, he's lost almost as much as I have post surgery.

I also, like you, can claim PT - shortly before surgery I was diagnosed with an overstretched and partially torn tendon in my ankle. The threat of *four* separate surgeries has been motivating and every pound I've lost has seriously helped it. She's been great and coming up with non-straining exercises. Back on the dark side, it's been the coldest, rainiest winter on record in Seattle and I'm still trying to recover from the latest bronchial infection. And trying to fix my hormones and the lingering anemia.

It's just so much to deal with, isn't it? I just want to yell, "Major problems need to max out at three!" But like you, I need to exercise to lose weight - this infection has me going backwards again [emoji31]. But I'm going to try PT again tomorrow - first time in a week and a half - and managed to do a little arm work and leg work today, even though it left me prostrate on the couch for the rest of the day. I got my blood draw for hormones today (yay!) and need to schedule that appointment next.

I'm 9 months out of the sleeve and about 3 months out from hyst- seriously, does that pain *ever* go away?! So most of my "honeymoon" was blown being wildly anemic/recovering from surgery. I've only lost maybe 8 lbs since the hyst - but the surgeon said I'm regaining some muscle.

Don't feel guilty. 70 lbs lighter since surgery allowed me to take a birthday trip to Vegas, learn to kayak, be able to walk with a small brace instead of an orthopedic boot, and fit into cute (mostly still plus) size athletic leggings from Lucy and Athleta. I even dropped from double wide to just wide shoes.

Like me, you have serious health problems most people can't imagine living with. You're doing what you need to do to get the shot at becoming a more healthy you. And don't let anyone ever make you feel bad for that. You know how to lose weight - enjoy your honeymoon and your real shot at keeping it off for good [emoji4][emoji106][emoji322]

Bright horizons - I feel you. Just turned 46 and have never been able to lose more than 20lbs without doubling that with regain.

OP - I empathize. My hormones are wac - to the point where I had a surprise hysterectomy 3 months post op. And I told very few people - husband, bestie, and best sister. My nieces figured it out, but are super supportive and swore not to tell their mom or grandma. My own kids only told about that hiatal hernia part and said I'd prefer they didn't mention it. With all the hysterectomy nonsense coming right after wls, I've barely shown my face in church for months. So even though I'm not a fast loser (and nowhere near goal) it's obvious something changed.

I legitimately claimed illness, but my best backup is my husband who finally tried low carb out of solidarity and fear of following me under the knife. Being a man, he's lost almost as much as I have post surgery.

I also, like you, can claim PT - shortly before surgery I was diagnosed with an overstretched and partially torn tendon in my ankle. The threat of *four* separate surgeries has been motivating and every pound I've lost has seriously helped it. She's been great and coming up with non-straining exercises. Back on the dark side, it's been the coldest, rainiest winter on record in Seattle and I'm still trying to recover from the latest bronchial infection. And trying to fix my hormones and the lingering anemia.

It's just so much to deal with, isn't it? I just want to yell, "Major problems need to max out at three!" But like you, I need to exercise to lose weight - this infection has me going backwards again [emoji31]. But I'm going to try PT again tomorrow - first time in a week and a half - and managed to do a little arm work and leg work today, even though it left me prostrate on the couch for the rest of the day. I got my blood draw for hormones today (yay!) and need to schedule that appointment next.

I'm 9 months out of the sleeve and about 3 months out from hyst- seriously, does that pain *ever* go away?! So most of my "honeymoon" was blown being wildly anemic/recovering from surgery. I've only lost maybe 8 lbs since the hyst - but the surgeon said I'm regaining some muscle.

Don't feel guilty. 70 lbs lighter since surgery allowed me to take a birthday trip to Vegas, learn to kayak, be able to walk with a small brace instead of an orthopedic boot, and fit into cute (mostly still plus) size athletic leggings from Lucy and Athleta. I even dropped from double wide to just wide shoes.

Like me, you have serious health problems most people can't imagine living with. You're doing what you need to do to get the shot at becoming a more healthy you. And don't let anyone ever make you feel bad for that. You know how to lose weight - enjoy your honeymoon and your real shot at keeping it off for good [emoji4][emoji106][emoji322]

Bright horizons - I feel you. Just turned 46 and have never been able to lose more than 20lbs without doubling that with regain.

OP - I empathize. My hormones are wac - to the point where I had a surprise hysterectomy 3 months post op. And I told very few people - husband, bestie, and best sister. My nieces figured it out, but are super supportive and swore not to tell their mom or grandma. My own kids only told about that hiatal hernia part and said I'd prefer they didn't mention it. With all the hysterectomy nonsense coming right after wls, I've barely shown my face in church for months. So even though I'm not a fast loser (and nowhere near goal) it's obvious something changed.

I legitimately claimed illness, but my best backup is my husband who finally tried low carb out of solidarity and fear of following me under the knife. Being a man, he's lost almost as much as I have post surgery.

I also, like you, can claim PT - shortly before surgery I was diagnosed with an overstretched and partially torn tendon in my ankle. The threat of *four* separate surgeries has been motivating and every pound I've lost has seriously helped it. She's been great and coming up with non-straining exercises. Back on the dark side, it's been the coldest, rainiest winter on record in Seattle and I'm still trying to recover from the latest bronchial infection. And trying to fix my hormones and the lingering anemia.

It's just so much to deal with, isn't it? I just want to yell, "Major problems need to max out at three!" But like you, I need to exercise to lose weight - this infection has me going backwards again [emoji31]. But I'm going to try PT again tomorrow - first time in a week and a half - and managed to do a little arm work and leg work today, even though it left me prostrate on the couch for the rest of the day. I got my blood draw for hormones today (yay!) and need to schedule that appointment next.

I'm 9 months out of the sleeve and about 3 months out from hyst- seriously, does that pain *ever* go away?! So most of my "honeymoon" was blown being wildly anemic/recovering from surgery. I've only lost maybe 8 lbs since the hyst - but the surgeon said I'm regaining some muscle.

Don't feel guilty. 70 lbs lighter since surgery allowed me to take a birthday trip to Vegas, learn to kayak, be able to walk with a small brace instead of an orthopedic boot, and fit into cute (mostly still plus) size athletic leggings from Lucy and Athleta. I even dropped from double wide to just wide shoes.

Like me, you have serious health problems most people can't imagine living with. You're doing what you need to do to get the shot at becoming a more healthy you. And don't let anyone ever make you feel bad for that. You know how to lose weight - enjoy your honeymoon and your real shot at keeping it off for good [emoji4][emoji106][emoji322]

I thinned my refried Beans out with Bone Broth. As I progressed, I topped them with melted Trader Joe's lite cheese and a dollop of reduced fat Greek yogurt. Delicious [emoji39]. My (almost adult) niece agreed when I fed them to her after she had her tonsils out.

Ah - and don't forget that hummus is also puréed beans, though I usually cut that with yogurt.

Okay - thanks for the replies. I was trying to be really generous with the 8-12 lbs a month. Outsidematchinside thanks so much for posting specific weights! It's good to see you did in fact keep losing - I can't even imagine losing 20 lbs in a month [emoji47]. (Or 10 lbs in a week.) But continuing to lose 7 lbs a month is still definite progress, and your overall progress is awesome [emoji106].

I don't mean people freaking out about the week 3 stall or frustrated because they "only" lost 20 lbs the first six weeks. While I am curious what most people consider "slow", I mostly mean people at least 6 months post op, with significant weight to lose, and who averaged around maybe 8-12 lbs a month. Including stalls and everything, averaged over multiple months. And who preferably kept losing.
I just keep reading these success stories of people losing unbelievable amounts of weight during their honeymoon. Granted, I have some serious health problems that have cropped up and have still managed to loose a around 50 lbs in a little under 6 months. And that was after taking over a month to drop back down to DOS weight.
But every other topic on Slow Losers Unite seems to be, "OMG - I only lost x weight and have stalled at week 3!" Or it's evil twin, "OMG, I'm at under two months have have only lost x!" Make that the identical evil twin - even as a total noob I knew at two months your body was still a train wreck and you could really just stay on plan and hope for the best.
I've seen a few comments about long term slow losing from old timers - but also heard rumors they've gone the way of the buffalo.
Sorry I'm cranky and out of touch - I've been busy getting Iron transfusions, a blood transfusion, an extremely invasive ultrasound, and trying to schedule and get ready for next week's hysterectomy. Take ALL THE IRON!!!!
Give me some hope here, people - I'm almost at 6 months, coming up on my 46th birthday, and still have serious amounts of weight to lose. 50 more pounds would still put me at my overweight college self and would be kind of nice to not be in the obese range at some point in my life.

I have SWEET resting b**** face - especially if I haven't had my eyebrows plucked in a while . I try not to pull it out at church, though, which has been my problem of late.
I haven't lost weight particularly quickly in the last six months - my husband went low carb out of solidarity and has lost almost as much - but have had legitimate health problems that have kept me out of the loop. So, a few hard months of anemia and a hysterectomy later, I'm back at church with people who haven't seen me for 40 lbs...
I was looking pretty awful when I was there, so people I know better are just like, "You're looking much better!" As in, not deathly white or looking like you might pass out during the service. People who don't know me as well are ... what's the church version of wtf? While I did have a hiatal hernia repair along with my sleeve, I can legitimately say I've had a lot of health problems the last few months. When I explain my abdomen was so swollen I was basically living on Protein Shakes (which was true the two months before my hysto) they get way less jealous. Having my honey in on our low carb lifestyle also helps.
I know I shouldn't be so weird about it - and I don't mind discussing the sleeve with my medical practitioners *at all* - but I only told my husband, one sister friend, and one actual sister. I swore my nieces to secrecy after they figured it out on their own, and if I'm not telling my mom or my two other siblings, I'm sure as heck not telling the general public. I need to focus on healing from my second surgery, getting back my health, and losing the weight I need to lose instead of a bunch of random people's uneducated opinions on weight loss surgery. Bless their hearts.
Maybe my feelings will change when (God willing) I'm at a healthy weight and place. I'm intensely private but having survived two special needs kids to their teens, have also become very outspoken on autism and special needs education. (Quiet...quiet... "HAVE YOU SEEN THE LATEST RESEARCH ON AUTISM?!") I'm already prone to this with nutrition, so we'll see how it goes.
Good work everybody!

I'm right in the thick of it - about 2 months post surgery - and went into it at 45 with jacked hormones, hypothyroid, tons of allergies, auto-immune problems, and a partially torn tendon in my ankle that requires low or no weight bearing exercise and PT. Not your ideal patient .
My surgeon was never negative about my losing potential, just upfront with "most patients lose x% of excess weight" but made it clear that everyone responds to surgery differently - fast losers, slow losers, big losers, small losers.
I am apparently a very slow loser. It took me weeks to drop below my day of surgery weight and even now I'm still a bit short of a 20 lb loss from that day.
However.
That number is still a good 15 lbs lower than my lowest weight in the last decade, and about 35 lbs lower than my "normal" weight. My surgery went well, but I am having new and different health problems tied to my compromised immune system and hormones. I'm working closely with my hormone doc to monitor things; she's doubled my armor thyroid and increased progesterone to try and deal with sudden onset menorrhagia. I've also had a severe bacterial infection in my ear that spread to my neck and jaw - 2 courses of antibiotics later and it's not entirely resolved. The giant eczema flare on my scalp travelled into my ears, making it worse, and I'm trying to figure out if I can truly give up dairy and still come close to my Protein goals.
Do I worry I won't lose enough weight? Absolutely - I have well over 100 lbs to lose. Do I hate the ongoing health complications? Extremely - they make it very hard to exercise and go to PT. Do I think they're surgery related? Tangentially. I was jacked up going in and it potentially flared up all kinds of things.
However.
I am actually losing weight, which I've never managed to do in my entire life. The scale isn't moving tons but my body is changing, hopefully for the better. So I don't regret the surgery at this point, health problems and all. Not feeling hungry all the time is *amazing*. So I just keep plugging on, keeping in touch with all the doctors, and praying that I actually manage to finally make that big change that will make the weight come off and stay off.
I'm not trying to be negative, just prepare you for unexpected complications and encourage you to keep a sharp eye on your thyroid and hormones. People keep saying "the sleeve is a tool" and I think they're right - even if I'm still struggling to use it properly
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

My stomach was deeply confused during the clear liquid phase (this improved with time). My favorite things were strained miso Soup with collagen powder, sugar free finger Jello, and Bone Broth my husband cooked with a Parmesan rind for flavor and then strained. Surprising amounts of Protein in those. When I was cleared for thin Protein Shakes, I really liked the nectar fruits and unflavored. And my oh-look-I-need-hysterectomy surgeon cleared those as clear liquids for that surgery.

I don't mean people freaking out about the week 3 stall or frustrated because they "only" lost 20 lbs the first six weeks. While I am curious what most people consider "slow", I mostly mean people at least 6 months post op, with significant weight to lose, and who averaged around maybe 8-12 lbs a month. Including stalls and everything, averaged over multiple months. And who preferably kept losing.
I just keep reading these success stories of people losing unbelievable amounts of weight during their honeymoon. Granted, I have some serious health problems that have cropped up and have still managed to loose a around 50 lbs in a little under 6 months. And that was after taking over a month to drop back down to DOS weight.
But every other topic on Slow Losers Unite seems to be, "OMG - I only lost x weight and have stalled at week 3!" Or it's evil twin, "OMG, I'm at under two months have have only lost x!" Make that the identical evil twin - even as a total noob I knew at two months your body was still a train wreck and you could really just stay on plan and hope for the best.
I've seen a few comments about long term slow losing from old timers - but also heard rumors they've gone the way of the buffalo.
Sorry I'm cranky and out of touch - I've been busy getting Iron transfusions, a blood transfusion, an extremely invasive ultrasound, and trying to schedule and get ready for next week's hysterectomy. Take ALL THE IRON!!!!
Give me some hope here, people - I'm almost at 6 months, coming up on my 46th birthday, and still have serious amounts of weight to lose. 50 more pounds would still put me at my overweight college self and would be kind of nice to not be in the obese range at some point in my life.

Okay - thanks for the replies. I was trying to be really generous with the 8-12 lbs a month. Outsidematchinside thanks so much for posting specific weights! It's good to see you did in fact keep losing - I can't even imagine losing 20 lbs in a month [emoji47]. (Or 10 lbs in a week.) But continuing to lose 7 lbs a month is still definite progress, and your overall progress is awesome [emoji106].

I don't mean people freaking out about the week 3 stall or frustrated because they "only" lost 20 lbs the first six weeks. While I am curious what most people consider "slow", I mostly mean people at least 6 months post op, with significant weight to lose, and who averaged around maybe 8-12 lbs a month. Including stalls and everything, averaged over multiple months. And who preferably kept losing.
I just keep reading these success stories of people losing unbelievable amounts of weight during their honeymoon. Granted, I have some serious health problems that have cropped up and have still managed to loose a around 50 lbs in a little under 6 months. And that was after taking over a month to drop back down to DOS weight.
But every other topic on Slow Losers Unite seems to be, "OMG - I only lost x weight and have stalled at week 3!" Or it's evil twin, "OMG, I'm at under two months have have only lost x!" Make that the identical evil twin - even as a total noob I knew at two months your body was still a train wreck and you could really just stay on plan and hope for the best.
I've seen a few comments about long term slow losing from old timers - but also heard rumors they've gone the way of the buffalo.
Sorry I'm cranky and out of touch - I've been busy getting Iron transfusions, a blood transfusion, an extremely invasive ultrasound, and trying to schedule and get ready for next week's hysterectomy. Take ALL THE IRON!!!!
Give me some hope here, people - I'm almost at 6 months, coming up on my 46th birthday, and still have serious amounts of weight to lose. 50 more pounds would still put me at my overweight college self and would be kind of nice to not be in the obese range at some point in my life.

A friend of mine was talking to her delivery man about church and he said he just couldn't get past all the hypocrites and liars. She told him that was the thing about God - He lets everybody in.
Becoming a Christian doesn't make you perfect. It doesn't magically make you less judgy or gossipy or mean spirited. We all know it doesn't make you suddenly not-fat . So while church should be a loving, caring and accepting place, it's unfortunately full of, you know, actual people. And while Christians are (hopefully) trying to hold themselves to a higher standard, they're still made of clay, just like everyone else.
So no, I don't feel it's dishonest to keep my private business private. My husband and I *are* eating low carb - and I don't feel the need to mention that mine came with a side of surgery. I really like my church family, but I don't need their approval or judgement for this decision. I certainly don't need to tempt people to gossip or spite or stupid comments there or out in the real world. (I get enough of those without any help.) If I feel moved by the Spirit to share my story with someone, then I will, as someone has done with me. But like abuse, addiction, and traumatic relationships, not everybody needs to know everything. (And I say this as a person who shares "My kids have autism," and "Hi - let me tell about food allergies!" stories at the drop of a hat for general public edification.)
Now, if you feel like you need the targeted prayers and support of the whole congregation, that's a whole different matter. Just be prepared to do a lot of education, debunking, and dealing with stupid comments. You know - just like the rest of the world
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

A friend of mine was talking to her delivery man about church and he said he just couldn't get past all the hypocrites and liars. She told him that was the thing about God - He lets everybody in.
Becoming a Christian doesn't make you perfect. It doesn't magically make you less judgy or gossipy or mean spirited. We all know it doesn't make you suddenly not-fat . So while church should be a loving, caring and accepting place, it's unfortunately full of, you know, actual people. And while Christians are (hopefully) trying to hold themselves to a higher standard, they're still made of clay, just like everyone else.
So no, I don't feel it's dishonest to keep my private business private. My husband and I *are* eating low carb - and I don't feel the need to mention that mine came with a side of surgery. I really like my church family, but I don't need their approval or judgement for this decision. I certainly don't need to tempt people to gossip or spite or stupid comments there or out in the real world. (I get enough of those without any help.) If I feel moved by the Spirit to share my story with someone, then I will, as someone has done with me. But like abuse, addiction, and traumatic relationships, not everybody needs to know everything. (And I say this as a person who shares "My kids have autism," and "Hi - let me tell about food allergies!" stories at the drop of a hat for general public edification.)
Now, if you feel like you need the targeted prayers and support of the whole congregation, that's a whole different matter. Just be prepared to do a lot of education, debunking, and dealing with stupid comments. You know - just like the rest of the world
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

A friend of mine was talking to her delivery man about church and he said he just couldn't get past all the hypocrites and liars. She told him that was the thing about God - He lets everybody in.
Becoming a Christian doesn't make you perfect. It doesn't magically make you less judgy or gossipy or mean spirited. We all know it doesn't make you suddenly not-fat . So while church should be a loving, caring and accepting place, it's unfortunately full of, you know, actual people. And while Christians are (hopefully) trying to hold themselves to a higher standard, they're still made of clay, just like everyone else.
So no, I don't feel it's dishonest to keep my private business private. My husband and I *are* eating low carb - and I don't feel the need to mention that mine came with a side of surgery. I really like my church family, but I don't need their approval or judgement for this decision. I certainly don't need to tempt people to gossip or spite or stupid comments there or out in the real world. (I get enough of those without any help.) If I feel moved by the Spirit to share my story with someone, then I will, as someone has done with me. But like abuse, addiction, and traumatic relationships, not everybody needs to know everything. (And I say this as a person who shares "My kids have autism," and "Hi - let me tell about food allergies!" stories at the drop of a hat for general public edification.)
Now, if you feel like you need the targeted prayers and support of the whole congregation, that's a whole different matter. Just be prepared to do a lot of education, debunking, and dealing with stupid comments. You know - just like the rest of the world
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

This is a tongue in cheek post. My surgery went well. I'm healing well and am pushing 2 months out. But I'm trying to keep a good attitude about all the pre-surgery and post-surgery complications that make me want to beat my head against the wall. Encouragement, humor, and a bit of commiseration is the name of this game. Bonus points for anyone who can tie their litany of woes to a cursed idol or irate volcano god...
Pre-surgery procedure:
- massive allergies, including almost all vegetables (probably chlorophyll), the entire melon family, some tropic fruits, and walnuts. Yes, I've been to a "real" allergist; yes, I've also tried all the natural medicine options. Yes, I've freaked out numerous dieticians - it's mostly "don't eat things that will send you into anaphylactic shock and kill you; do eat sweet potatoes, winter squash, mushrooms, and cauliflower." Was hard to maintain a good diet before, trying to get it all straightened out after. Fortunately, salad isn't a go-to item for post-ops! Yay!
During the pre-op weight loss phase:
- diagnosed with PTTD - I put off going in for ankle pain for too long and now my tendon's tearing. I'm still in a dorky walking boot 5 months later because it didn't magically heal with 6 weeks of PT and his only other option is THREE or more major surgeries on my ankle. So I'm trying to heal up enough to double down on PT and lose enough weight to make some or all of them unnecessary. Pool work is amazing, but I was only approved for it a short time before surgery and the fates seem to be against me ever returning.
Surgery:
"Hey - do you know we found a random giant artery hanging out in the middle of your abdomen? You should probably get a CT scan to make sure it's not a celiac or splenic aneurysm." This is while I'm still waking up after surgery and am all, "WTF?" Yeah, not stressful at all... Fortunately my honey got the details. Resolved last week when they decided unless my family had a history of weird disorders, I just have giant arteries, LOL.
Post-op phase:
- *just* as I was getting energy back post-op, I ended up with a massive bacterial infection in my ear and the tissue surrounding it in my jaw and neck. I went from no CT scans ever to two in a week. "Don't we already have you scheduled for an abdominal scan Thursday?" "Yeah, you do, but I need another one." Good news - no mastoiditis. Yay! Bad news, two separate courses of antibiotics, plus a shot in the butt, and three weeks later, I'm still struggling with ear congestion and a swollen ear canal. Which is seriously messing up my pool PT because I can't fit an ear plug in that side. Definitely improving as I no longer list to one side and am no longer a danger to myself and others on stairs. Bad ankle + weak or vertigo = no good. "Hey, PT! Guess why I can't go to the pool this week!"
- Did I mention that infection hit *right* after I managed a week of really intense/complicated/expensive "fix your gut bacteria protocol"? D'oh! All that work to take all those pills, and I end up ruining it all with a firestorm of antibiotics. Le sigh...
- For bonus points, I've developed menorrhagia! Hurray! They probably go with the fibroids the CT tech found. I like to pretend all the fat fleeing my body is giving me the estrogen finger as a final hurrah. My hormone doc and I are working to get it under control again. It did thoughtfully wait for my ear infection to mostly subside before starting back up. But still, do I really need to bleed to death while trapped on the couch with a heat pad and no ibuprofen? Or another reason *not* to be able to go to the pool?
Where's that face palm emoji when I need it...
Unsurprisingly, I haven't seen tons of weight loss on the scale, though my body composition is (I think) improving. Thank heavens the anti-nausea protocol they used for surgery was amazing, so that wasn't a problem. And, amazingly, the hiatal hernia repair seems to have worked! I haven't been all refluxy, even now that I'm starting to taper off my omeprazole.
None of the problems are that bad - believe me, I have too many friends with debilitating medical conditions. And I'm still working hard to try and get my Protein high enough (120?! Seriously?! How am I supposed to hit that?) It's just frustrating to have to struggle to drive, work and exercise when everything just feels so complicated. Good news: I found a Water bottle the size of a small fire extinguisher and am drinking like a boss!
Yeah, long rant, but I would seriously love to hear other post-ops who survived ebola or being shot with a cupcake gun and still made it out the other side 100+ pounds lighter and healthier. ;-P Helpful tips on how you overcame or who you had to assassinate to cure your woes are appreciated. And it's totally okay to end with, "So yeah, I only have one leg now, but my butt looks *amazing* in this bikini!"
Any takers?

Can't recommend liquid only - I was really sick last month and was living on Protein Shakes and handfuls of well chewed peanuts. (There were no solids at all for almost a week.) Can definitely feel the restriction, pretty much stalled, and am having a hard time getting back to my previous Protein consumption.

No, I'm not a fast loser and am at about 5 1/2 months. Being on liquids and purees didn't help. And now I have to beat a peanut addiction [emoji12]

Okay - thanks for the replies. I was trying to be really generous with the 8-12 lbs a month. Outsidematchinside thanks so much for posting specific weights! It's good to see you did in fact keep losing - I can't even imagine losing 20 lbs in a month [emoji47]. (Or 10 lbs in a week.) But continuing to lose 7 lbs a month is still definite progress, and your overall progress is awesome [emoji106].

I don't mean people freaking out about the week 3 stall or frustrated because they "only" lost 20 lbs the first six weeks. While I am curious what most people consider "slow", I mostly mean people at least 6 months post op, with significant weight to lose, and who averaged around maybe 8-12 lbs a month. Including stalls and everything, averaged over multiple months. And who preferably kept losing.
I just keep reading these success stories of people losing unbelievable amounts of weight during their honeymoon. Granted, I have some serious health problems that have cropped up and have still managed to loose a around 50 lbs in a little under 6 months. And that was after taking over a month to drop back down to DOS weight.
But every other topic on Slow Losers Unite seems to be, "OMG - I only lost x weight and have stalled at week 3!" Or it's evil twin, "OMG, I'm at under two months have have only lost x!" Make that the identical evil twin - even as a total noob I knew at two months your body was still a train wreck and you could really just stay on plan and hope for the best.
I've seen a few comments about long term slow losing from old timers - but also heard rumors they've gone the way of the buffalo.
Sorry I'm cranky and out of touch - I've been busy getting Iron transfusions, a blood transfusion, an extremely invasive ultrasound, and trying to schedule and get ready for next week's hysterectomy. Take ALL THE IRON!!!!
Give me some hope here, people - I'm almost at 6 months, coming up on my 46th birthday, and still have serious amounts of weight to lose. 50 more pounds would still put me at my overweight college self and would be kind of nice to not be in the obese range at some point in my life.

We're actually fairly close on numbers - I was sleeved about 2 weeks after you. Well, and am 45 [emoji16]. But girl, you have lost a TON of weight! Just this week I finally hit 50 down on the scale.

After surgery, it took me almost a month just to get back down to my day of surgery weight, so I'm not a super fast loser. I AM get hungrier and able to eat more. Not starving, but definitely transitioning to real food. So yeah, I will eat part of a hamburger - but no bun. cheese and turkey summer sausage - and no crackers. chicken, verde sauce, and cheese topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Eating for Protein really does make a difference for me.

And the restriction is still there - I've had pretty severe anemia and couldn't eat very much for a couple of days. And man, my first piece of meat after was like, two bites and done. But I also see my grandma (diabetic) snacking on crackers all day and wondering why her health is failing and say, "Yeah, let's not do that."

I had a blood transfusion yesterday, in addition to Iron treatments, and the doctor is trying to fast track me for a hysterectomy. (Peri-menopausal + jacked hormones + weight loss is proving to be too much for my body.) I also have a bad ankle I'm hoping to get back to PT for soon.

In June, I'll be 46. So there's no way on earth a healthy young thing like you can't stay on track if I can [emoji16]. September to summer birthdays! Even with surgeries, I'll keep trying [emoji106]. It won't be an instant miracle, but as long as it keeps going, I'll consider myself blessed.


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