DisneyMom2El

I was told right after surgery, no, and that I wouldn't want them, but that I could after I'm healed. I should add though, strangely enough, my post-op diet says I can have Decaf soda as long as it is flat.
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My doctor didn't have a lot of rules regarding diet, just restrictions for healing after surgery (such as straws, cleared to use at 2 weeks, no diet restrictions after 6 weeks). In fact, I remember telling him how I couldn't imagine going the rest of my life without certain foods, and what comforted me most was him saying I can eat whatever I want, I'll just eat less.

I drink pop - full calorie- on occasion.

I don't chew my food a certain number of times (again, this was only suggested to me while still recovering from surgery and to make sure I didn't hurt myself).

I drink liquids up until I eat, but I do wait after or I'll feel miserable.

I eat sweets if I want them. One benefit of surgery is that I can limit how much I eat and many no longer appeal to me.

I eat carbs. My nutritionist actually said I should be eating more carbs than Protein by 6 months.

I'm 9 months out and went from a size 20/22 to an 8, my goal size, though I am going to keep going until at least a 6 and re-evaluate then.

My doctor didn't have a lot of rules regarding diet, just restrictions for healing after surgery (such as straws, cleared to use at 2 weeks, no diet restrictions after 6 weeks). In fact, I remember telling him how I couldn't imagine going the rest of my life without certain foods, and what comforted me most was him saying I can eat whatever I want, I'll just eat less.

I drink pop - full calorie- on occasion.

I don't chew my food a certain number of times (again, this was only suggested to me while still recovering from surgery and to make sure I didn't hurt myself).

I drink liquids up until I eat, but I do wait after or I'll feel miserable.

I eat sweets if I want them. One benefit of surgery is that I can limit how much I eat and many no longer appeal to me.

I eat carbs. My nutritionist actually said I should be eating more carbs than Protein by 6 months.

I'm 9 months out and went from a size 20/22 to an 8, my goal size, though I am going to keep going until at least a 6 and re-evaluate then.

It may cause gas and discomfort while still healing from surgery -especially if you are still suffering from the gas given to you during surgery. I was cleared for straws at two weeks and carbonation at 6, both as tolerated, which I had no issues.

totally normal. you need to take a lot of pictures. the mirror lies, even the scale sometimes lies. Pictures seem to be the most reliable. Body dysmorphia is common. it takes a long time for the brain to catch up. I'm wearing a size 2 now! and I still often think I need to lose more...when I'm in that mindset i take a picture and go...right, never mind it was just my fat brain talking.

Congrats to both of you!
I totally get what @Berry78 is saying. But I do think that the people closest to you also see you through a filter that isn't always accurate. I know BMI isn't the whole story. If you really truly think you are getting too low in body fat, then I would highly encourage a Dexa body comp. They will give you the true picture of where you are. They aren't that expensive. Most major universities do them in their sports medicine areas. $75-$150, but well worth it in my opinion.
Honestly, for me, the last thing I would want to do is squander my honeymoon period by not losing as much weight as is possible with my given dynamics. So I would/will let that test be my North star, rather than the biased filters coming from fam/friends and even docs/nuts. I have absolutely NO--ZERO interest in going through this march through hell only to stop short of the big finish. I have zero intention of being satisfied with "overweight" after all the angst and hard work. I want to be seriously on the low side of my normal BMI range as determined by the DEXA.
I know that there will be regain. Some put it as high as 20lbs. So I want to account for that in the early days. I also know that after about a year, the fat will redistribute in my body and my face will look fuller, etc. So, if it were me, I'd smile, say "Thank you," and continue with your appointed rounds until YOU are satisfied and feel great in your body. But remember, our brains can also lie--and those bastages DO lie! LOL.

I really don't understand how greatly doctors' plans vary after wls. At 6 weeks I was cleared for all foods. I did have sushi, but I will warn you that rice expands. That is something you'll only be able to eat a tiny bit of for a while. And on my "purée" stage, all but the rice would have totally been acceptable. I could eat fish, canned chicken, even spinach during the purée stage, I was just warned to chew thoroughly.

the top of my normal BMI range is 154. I got down as low as 138 but now hover around 142-144. I'm still a 10 or a 12 (depending on manufacturer), but I have a pretty large frame. I'm pretty boney, too - all my ribs show. I'm always surprised when I hear about other women my weight who wear smaller sizes, but again, I think it depends on frame size.

My doctor didn't have a lot of rules regarding diet, just restrictions for healing after surgery (such as straws, cleared to use at 2 weeks, no diet restrictions after 6 weeks). In fact, I remember telling him how I couldn't imagine going the rest of my life without certain foods, and what comforted me most was him saying I can eat whatever I want, I'll just eat less.

I drink pop - full calorie- on occasion.

I don't chew my food a certain number of times (again, this was only suggested to me while still recovering from surgery and to make sure I didn't hurt myself).

I drink liquids up until I eat, but I do wait after or I'll feel miserable.

I eat sweets if I want them. One benefit of surgery is that I can limit how much I eat and many no longer appeal to me.

I eat carbs. My nutritionist actually said I should be eating more carbs than Protein by 6 months.

I'm 9 months out and went from a size 20/22 to an 8, my goal size, though I am going to keep going until at least a 6 and re-evaluate then.

My doctor didn't have a lot of rules regarding diet, just restrictions for healing after surgery (such as straws, cleared to use at 2 weeks, no diet restrictions after 6 weeks). In fact, I remember telling him how I couldn't imagine going the rest of my life without certain foods, and what comforted me most was him saying I can eat whatever I want, I'll just eat less.

I drink pop - full calorie- on occasion.

I don't chew my food a certain number of times (again, this was only suggested to me while still recovering from surgery and to make sure I didn't hurt myself).

I drink liquids up until I eat, but I do wait after or I'll feel miserable.

I eat sweets if I want them. One benefit of surgery is that I can limit how much I eat and many no longer appeal to me.

I eat carbs. My nutritionist actually said I should be eating more carbs than Protein by 6 months.

I'm 9 months out and went from a size 20/22 to an 8, my goal size, though I am going to keep going until at least a 6 and re-evaluate then.

My doctor didn't have a lot of rules regarding diet, just restrictions for healing after surgery (such as straws, cleared to use at 2 weeks, no diet restrictions after 6 weeks). In fact, I remember telling him how I couldn't imagine going the rest of my life without certain foods, and what comforted me most was him saying I can eat whatever I want, I'll just eat less.

I drink pop - full calorie- on occasion.

I don't chew my food a certain number of times (again, this was only suggested to me while still recovering from surgery and to make sure I didn't hurt myself).

I drink liquids up until I eat, but I do wait after or I'll feel miserable.

I eat sweets if I want them. One benefit of surgery is that I can limit how much I eat and many no longer appeal to me.

I eat carbs. My nutritionist actually said I should be eating more carbs than Protein by 6 months.

I'm 9 months out and went from a size 20/22 to an 8, my goal size, though I am going to keep going until at least a 6 and re-evaluate then.

Good morning, everyone.
I am very proud to report that as of this morning, I have achieved my weight goal of 180 pounds. My one year surgery anniversary was last Thursday (September 28), and I met my goal on Monday, October 2. I have lost 217 pounds from my initial weight of 397 pounds at my first pre-op appointment on March 3, 2016. My skin has done incredibly well for a person who has lost this kind of weight. I may pursue some kind of plastics later on, but for right now, I am pretty happy. I am wearing a 30-32 waist pants/jeans/shorts, and small shirts. It is incredibly amazing to me, and I am still shocked every time I try on something new.
I still attribute so much of my success to losing 99 pounds during the six month pre-op diet program. Even this morning, my first thought was that if I hadn't done all of that work on the front end, I'd weigh 279 this morning, and not 180. For those of you that have to do the six months for your insurance company, I'd encourage you to really devote yourself during that time and get started!
For those of you that are considering WLS, this can be you, too if you commit yourself to your plan, change your relationship with food, and prioritize your health and well-being over the momentary pleasure that any food provides.
My new challenge is going to be getting the weight loss to stop. I am finding that at one year post-op, I am eating less that I was a few months ago. It is weird. The will to eat is there, but I just get incredibly full incredibly fast. I have my one-year follow-up appointment with the bariatric surgeon's staff in early November. I'll talk to them about it then.
There isn't much difference at 180 than when I weighed 185 or 186, but I am super proud to have met my goal and to "officially" be in maintenance!
Wishing everyone the very best,
Blair

I hit my goal weight this Saturday, 9/30. Sunday was my 14 month post-op mark.
HW 300 SW 278.4 CW 169.8
Here's my before & after as of this morning--sorry for the undies:

At 300lbs, I thought 170/5'11" was ambitious but now that I'm here I think I could stand to lose another 20-30lbs. I THINK a lot of it is loose skin (my thighs are now made of pugs), but honestly I can't really tell, maybe I'm just making excuses for still being tubby lol. When is too early to start looking into plastics?? (not that I could afford it but a girl can dream....)
Having a personal moment of silence for my booty disappearing. You will be missed. Thank you for being a sacrifice to the weight loss deities.
That's all I got, just wanted to share this victory with someone

Woot! Today I reached 100 pounds lost. It is difficult to wrap my mind around. The other day I hauled a 40lb bag of dog food upstairs - and the thought that I have lost 2.5x that amount is both impressive and unsettling. I'm including a screenshot of my before and after SmartBMI calculations. If I'm feeling brave enough, I may post a before and after body shot in the stickied thread.
Thank you to all of you nice folks at BP for being supportive, especially in my more distressed times.

11.95 miles ran this week

I saw Dr. Foote

11.95 miles ran this week

One year ago today I had my RNY bypass done! One year later and I'm down 125lbs and I have lost a total of 90.5 inches!!!!
I feel amazing, my knees don't ache every time I move and my feet aren't so sore from carrying that much weight around!
I don't get winded walking up a flight of stairs anymore and have found that I love jogging and I love yoga and riding a bike is fun again!!
I still struggle with who I see in the mirror so I take a lot of pictures. I take measurements every month or so and I Celebrate with activities instead of food now.
What a difference a year can make!

I just started on this journey and the first thing I did was was to buy some smaller clothing and hang them up so that I can see them at any time as a positive reinforcement for me!!! I can't wait until I can get into them (and look good). I'm looking forward to not laying down on the bed to zip my pants

As others have said...you may be surprised to find you're not a slow loser after all.

I have been a slow loser after an initial rapid loss. I lost 34 pounds in 3 weeks, that includes 10 pounds during my one week pre-op diet, and then nothing for a month.

My suggestion is to track your weightloss and remember that good things come with time. Don't focus on the now, keep your eyes on the finish line. Slow and steady wind the race, and any other cliche you can think of

Looking back at my progress, early on there were times when I was loosing 10 pounds a month, but then I would go through significant stalls. Now that I'm 8 months out and have a lot of data to analyze, I can see that I have been averaging 5 pounds per month since week 2. This has been regardless of caloric intake or how much I exercised. In the beginning I was getting 2-3000 steps per day, now I'm training for a 10K, running for an hour at a time, and easily get over 10000 steps a day. Still 5 pounds a month. It has for sure been frustrating, but I don't have any loose skin, nor did I ever have that exhausted, sickly looking face that some people experience after wls. It may have nothing to do with losing slowly, but in my mind I tell myself it does. I'm now 15 pounds away from goal.

Not to beat a dead horse, but--

The fundus is the stretchy part. It is removed during vertical sleeve surgery.

Early out the sleeve is swollen. It take several months for the swelling to be completely gone. That's is the "stretching" that occurs.

The rest is eating habits and sliders.

Stretching is a myth unless you had a bad surgeon, which from a lot of the posts I read here is seems very possible for a lot of people.
RNY pouches can definitely stretch though. and they can make extended stomachs at the top of the intestine. A properly formed sleeve does not stretch. Healing is not stretching.
My capacity at over 2 years is exactly the same as it was at 6 months. 4 ounces of dense Protein, is the max I can eat comfortably.
That is if I follow my post-op eating instructions which are to eat protein FIRST. If I eat protein alone/first. I can eat 4 ounces maybe 5 if it has more fat, but honestly 5 is uncomfortable. If I eat it alternating bites with veggies I can eat 6 maybe even 8 ounces of protein. Which is why post-op instructions are to eat protein first. If I eat meat with veggies and take sips of Water, I can eat as much as anyone else (because I am turning dense protein into a slider).
If I eat something that is not dense protein, like a burger, I can easily eat a 6 ounce burger with cheese.
If I eat something that breaks down easy like a crispy thin crust pizza, its a slider. I could eat a whole large thin crust pizza in an hour. That is grazing though, so that doesn't count. Eating sliders and grazing are breaking the rules but I could.
What people call stretching is really just bad food choices and poor eating habits. I have never seen anyone say they pounded down a 16 ounce ribeye, except that one dude that claimed he ate like a 20 ounce steak at 6 weeks or something.
Dr Wiener tries to educate people on proper eating habits for life. If you are not eating correctly all the sleeve tightening, and revisions will not save you. People can eat around any surgery. The best thing is to eat properly, in the correct order.
Prior to surgery I would go to Steak N shake and eat a double, a triple and 2 orders of fries. I used to be able to consume massive amounts of food. I really just can't eat like that all, IF I FOLLOW THE RULES. If I don't follow the rules I can totally eat a ton of food. I could easily eat 1/2 a double layer cake if I wanted to, in 30 minutes to an hour, nothing will stop me, it is just mush.
This is why following your post-op eating instructions for the first 6 months are really important. Not only are they a prescription diet to prevent complications but those instructions also re-train you on eating like you are a baby so you can learn new habits. With your surgery restriction, metabolic reset and rapid weight loss as tools and motivators to help you learn and stick to them. When people are a week or two out, sneaking food and talking about their body knows it needs and all that other drama, they are just cheating themselves out of their chance for an easy reset.
And yes it is easy, losing weight immediately after weight loss surgery is the fastest and easy weight loss you are ever going to have in your life and you only get one real chance at it, revisions don't lost as fast as first timers. So don't blow it.

It's a sanitation and safety procedure. For example, they look at the worst possible case scenario, which would mean your heart stops beating. They don't want to waste time by having to get your bra out of the way, or if they have to use the paddles on you, they don't want some of that power going to the metal in your underwire. Also, if you are wearing undergarments under your robe, there is a chance of cross-contamination since they came from outside of the hospital.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's a sanitation and safety procedure. For example, they look at the worst possible case scenario, which would mean your heart stops beating. They don't want to waste time by having to get your bra out of the way, or if they have to use the paddles on you, they don't want some of that power going to the metal in your underwire. Also, if you are wearing undergarments under your robe, there is a chance of cross-contamination since they came from outside of the hospital.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This just happened to me -- I am 19 weeks post-op and about 3 weeks ago, I hit a wall. I was losing 2-3 lbs a week and then BLAM! nothing. My weight was fluctuating up and down a pound or two every day for 3 weeks. It was driving me crazy.
Just 3 days ago something seemed to break and I'm down 3.5lbs in 3 days. I did literally all of the things they tell you to break a stall -- upped my Water, logged every single thing that went into my mouth, changed up what I was eating and changed how I was exercising. I have no proof, but I think what broke things for me is radically upping my Fiber (I prioritized getting 25g a day above everything, including protein) and completely cut out dairy. (I am a vegetarian, but I went totally vegan for the past week.)

I was super upset during the stall -- I would blame myself, yell at the scale, etc. Just keep fighting your way through this -- it sucks, but I promise you it will break.