lornasaurusleeve

It's been 6 months since my Band to Bypass surgery and I feel amazing!! Down 72lbs and a new hair cut!
This is me in the summer 2 months before surgery and yesterday while trying on a bridesmaid dress for a friend's wedding in sept. I ordered it 2 sizes smaller Hope that's not too aggressive, but the same dress was VERY tight just a month ago.

Started out at 138 lost 10 lbs during preop phase.
Weighed 227 day of surgery and now weigh 173 lbs.
Lost 54 lBS since surgery on November 17th. My last progress pic was about 2 months ago so I'm a little smaller now.
My kids are very proud of me and my daughter (15 yrs old) has been a little inspired and is also trying to eat healthier as she is like me with slower metabolism and gains weight easily, while my husband and son(18yrs old) can eat anything and remain skinny.
My husband still buys me chocolates and my son throws them away and reminds him of how far I've come. They try to be as supportive as possible, I'm lucky in that aspect.
My happiest moment was being in old navy with my son trying on a size 14 and after being an 18/20 and the 14 was too big so my son suggested a size 12. I was nervous and after trying them on and showing my son he asked me if I was crying. It was an emotional moment for me.
My weight loss has been slow as I hit a stall for several weeks now but im trying not to lose moral and take it one day at a time and look at the positive rather than the negative. Any advice on this stall is so welcome

Thanks everyone... Surgery went well. Just in a little pain

You are going to be in pain. Quite a lot of pain. If you're being medicated with morphine, you will drift in and out of consciousness a lot and have weirdo dreams nearly every time you close your eyes. Your belly will be HUGE with the gas they used to operate on you laparoscopically, and that will hurt. They will want you up and walking as soon as possible to get that gas moving around and out of your body. Your goal in life is suddenly to fart a lot. Putting warm blankets or a heating pad on your belly will help with the pain and the gas, but the walking is key. It will be hard to sit up because it uses your abs. Try rolling onto your side, then pushing yourself up sideways, using your back and shoulders to lift your body instead. When you walk you may feel a "pulling" sensation on your incisions, or like your belly is going to fall off/open. It's not, but it feels that way. Walk with a pillow held to your abdomen, or just straight up carry your belly around with your hand to help alleviate that feeling. You can also try a post-surgical binder or control top underwear/shorts. Your mouth will be very very dry and you may or may not be allowed anything to relieve it. Try asking for mouth wetting sponges from the nurse, just in case. You will not get to eat or drink until after you pass your swallow test, which is where they make sure your stomach has no leaks. You will have to stand and drink for that procedure. My technician gave me a straw, but I did not use it because in our clinic we are not allowed straws.
Your sense of taste will completely change when you get your first meal. Things will taste too sweet. Eat and drink veryyyyyy slooooooowly, but make sure you're getting your fluids in so they can get you off the IV fluids and you can go home. Experiment with Water temperatures if you're having a hard time drinking it.
Nurses will come in and take your vitals frequently, and also give you MULTIPLE injections of blood thinners. Those shots leave a hella bruise, but after the first one they don't hurt nearly as much for some mysterious reason.
Stay on a pain med schedule. Ask the nurses to write down when your last dose was and how often you can have them. It's a good idea for the first night to ask for meds (or use your pain pump) as soon as you're due a dose instead of waiting for the pain to make you ask. If you stay ahead of it, you hurt less. If you're sent home with codeine, use it as necessary but try to taper off as soon as you can because codeine makes you constipated and the last thing you want is to be constipated, TRUST ME.
Within 5 days, if you don't have complications, the pain will massively subside. I am 13 days out and only rarely hurt.

I'm going to be blunt because I don't feel like anyone is really adressing what's going on here.

Grow up or walk away. You're selfish and immature.
I think you hit the real issue with the sentence "I'm scared he will change and I won't like the new him. " and then proceeded to cover it up in concerns for him being in pain and struggling. I'm sure you don't want to see him in pain or struggling, but let's call this what it is. What you're really afraid of is that he will change and won't like the same old you. If you can't get over that or work on that ASAP, then you need to get out of this relationship and let him do what he needs to do because this is not about YOU. How dare you hold someone back from the possibility of a healither life because you "can't handle it" and are insecure.
In my opinion, marriage is the last thing you need if you can't cut to the chase and admit that you're not supportive because you want this to be about you.

This has seriously been the best thing I have ever done! I am officially 6 months post-op and have only 10 more lbs to go! I started at 296 lbs at my heaviest and now am down to 185lbs! So excited! I don't hide from pictures anymore!! [emoji7]

Its almost been a year since my surgery and ive been at a stall for 4 month. Today i went on the scale and im 1lb away from 100lb loss. There are so many more goals to reach, but.... i can finally say that i can but Jr. size pants and A&F shirts haha. From 24 to 14 from 3XL to L [emoji38] my goal is another 40 lb or so, but this is a great start!
Pre surgery 318 4/18/16
Post surgery 219 4/3/17 [emoji779]️[emoji779]️[emoji779]️[emoji779]️[emoji779]️
Dasha

Thanks! This post isn't that old lol . I'm scheduled for August 8th. I did do well on a prescription stimulant for weight loss (also found out then that I prob have adult ADD because I was like literally a new human able to function and study!) but they wouldn't let me stay on it permanently, so all the weight bounced right back.

"Surgery makes it bearable to quit food as we know it" that's what I'm hoping. I know I have a problem and I do as much as I can against it but nothing has been entirely effective permanently. It's frustrating. Food addiction is the only addiction where you have to continue to use your drug of choice to survive and trust yourself to do it without overdosing, and that's a b***h.

I just wanted to reach out to you and say welcome. I am new here also and just got a date for my surgery.
I don't have any eating disorders to the extent that you do so I can't help you there. I just want to wish you good luck with your journey. I am sure others will respond with good advice for you.

There is a difference between education and experience, nothing like experience to sometimes get a painful education. Use kind words whenever you can, blame and shame might have contributed to the reason we need weight loss surgery in the first place.

I agree. I strictly followed the guidelines in the first month when my stomach was still healing because I viewed that more as a prescription than a diet, but beyond that my focus was on cultivating sustainable habits, which for me meant not prohibiting any foods. When something becomes a proverbial forbidden fruit, the temptation for it tends to intensify. In the past I rapidly lost weight and then gained even more back even more speedily when I binged all that I'd deprived myself of while dieting. In the time following properly healing from the VSG I've had cheesecake, Diet Coke, pizza, Chinese food - all the things that make the naughty list, but the substantial difference is that I've had them rarely, and in far smaller portions. I lost weight at a slower pace than many (a perk of that has been no loose skin), but exceeded all my goals and have maintained a size XS / 2. I do urge people who post on this forum to follow the guidelines in their first month out, because the risks of harm are too high then. Beyond that, everyone needs to figure out what works the best for their own success.

Here, at least you have the choice to not open the thread.

aww thank you! They're lovely, it's a privilege.

Well I'm a NICU nurse which is 12.5+ hour shifts, (which tend to quickly turn into 14 hour shifts) and I go to all our deliveries and need to be at peak performance physically and mentally, especially if we have to resuscitate a baby. I often help in postpartum too, which is way more physically demanding. I barely have the energy to get through my shifts now. I'm taking three weeks off but having FMLA as a backup in case of complications eases my mind. I'm single and on my own, so have to be prepared to care for myself if something goes wrong. Plus I think I won't have to use as much vacation time.

If you want to leave a group because of those questions, that is your decision, but I don't think it's entirely fair to label the people asking those questions as what you described. How do you know they are addicts by asking those questions?

The key to losing weight has always been calories in verses calories out. If someone budgets their day to where they can have a couple spoonfuls of ice cream, who cares?

I eat pizza, ice cream, and fast food and still have lost 70+ lbs, but the key is fitting that in with my calories for the day and not making it a habit. Does this mean I'm lazy and self-indulgent? I don't think so. I've worked my ass off to get to this point so I'll be darned if I'm not going to enjoy a bite of pizza or a scoop of my husband's ice cream.

What really makes me mad are the people out there that are always on their high horses, looking down at the rest of us for eating something they would "have never thought of at that stage". Every person's journey is different, and while I definitely understand that being successful takes dedication and not giving in to every desire, implying that anyone who has ever indulged is lazy and the like is just wrong.

Yassss micellar water

Yassss micellar water

Hahaha exactly how I feel! My big pre-op class is the same day as my pre-op testing. I appreciate them putting it all together like that, it's like they remember we're actually people with jobs and lives and things to do lol. When is your surgery?

Yassss micellar water

Starting weight: 305
Current weight: 218
Started out in a 26 pant and currently in a 16. Top size 3X and now in a Large/XL.
Half way there!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Today was surgery, and it feels so good to say I'm finally post-op(:

Hahaha exactly how I feel! My big pre-op class is the same day as my pre-op testing. I appreciate them putting it all together like that, it's like they remember we're actually people with jobs and lives and things to do lol. When is your surgery?

Just got my letter, pre admission testing and Upper GI are scheduled for July 20th, I meet with my surgeon the 25th and then surgery is August 8th.
Anyone else scheduled for August?
I kinda... feel like I wanna barf lol

Find your surgeon/clinic's post-op food list and buy stuff that's on it. For me that meant high Protein milk, plain greek yogurt, pre-made smooth Soups (the campbells gourmet cartons were great!), plain instant oatmeal, and popsicles. Also consider getting rid of stuff that's gonna tempt you unnecessarily. Don't have your favourite Cookies in the house waiting for when you're going crazy with your fiftieth bowl of pureed soup! Remove the temptation! LOL.
I also would suggest investing in a plug in heating pad. That thing was SOOOOO nice on my belly when I was all full of gas and in terrible pain. I didn't go anywhere without it! You could get one of those microwavable ones, too, but the plug in one lasts alllll niiiiiight.
Other suggestions: comfy stretchy pants (I had the same belly I did when I was 6 months pregnant after my surgery!), a bralette without underwire (I had an incision right below my boobs that my bras absolutely tortured!), a compression shirt or tank (you may or may not like the extra support but it's good to have in case... the first week I felt like my guts were gonna fall out every time I walked and the compression helped!). Biotene dry mouth spray for before you're allowed any fluids to help with the dry mouth (just check with your medical team that you're allowed it.)
Don't stock up on anything. Buy one of things, because I found after surgery my tastes changed. All those brown sugar high protein oatmeal packets were WAY too sweet to tolerate and I had to go out and buy plain ones instead. shakes I used to love were suddenly intolerable. Etc.