JohnnyCakes

try Pedialyte

you started at a relatively low weight and you’ve lost 30lbs in less than two months.
WHAT ARE YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT!?! that is a very good rate of weight loss!
when will you 250lb women learn to stop comparing your loss rate to 500lb men?!? this isn’t that hard of a concept. proportionally you’re losing just as fast!

there’s just not enough of it to be a problem in egg drop soup.

actually, it turns out they have.
this is the point of my post and is what the latest research is showing. that by rewiring our digestive tract, they are also rewiring our brains. lots of fascinating reading out there. i'd start by googling "alcohol gastric bypass".

a few issues to unpack here -
1 - to answer your question, i think the hysterectomy is the primary culprit for your recent weight gain. because it's known to do that, AND because you've been drinking this whole time up til now without gaining.
2 - gaining 13 (or more) pounds is the least of your concerns. probably the biggest thing in the field of bariatric science right now is the risk of alcohol (and drug) addiction. before i got my surgery, my surgeon stressed to me (rather disturbingly) that alcohol addiction is the ONLY thing that keeps him up at night. it is a huge concern for him. it's so big, that i think it might eventually threaten the viability of the surgery. if the statistics and research keep bearing out what it has been, it's possible that they "outlaw" the surgery.
why? well we all know that alcohol "hits" you harder, and longer. anything that has more dramatic effect is more easily to be abused. however, there's a mystery element going on. a recent study found it's NOT just about our new anatomy. i.e. it's not just that alcohol isn't cushioned by the stomach anymore and dumped right into the intestine. they did a study where they took two groups of rats - one with normal anatomy, and another that had a gastric bypass - and they administered alcohol into these rats intravenously. so they bypassed the entire digestive tract and made the rats equally "drunk" through IV-administered alcohol. they shockingly found that the rats with the gastric bypass ended up significantly more addicted. what does that mean? basically they don't know for sure yet, but there is something about the surgery that increases the susceptibility to addiction and substance abuse. something about the surgery changes the brain to make this the case. which is also the reason that those with gastric bypass get addicted to things like cocaine and heroin. those don't go thru the digestive tract either. this is different from "transfer addiction". that is not what's going on.
so what to do? i'm in the same boat because while i wasn't an alcoholic before surgery, i was getting there. and unfortunately now that i find myself nearing my goal weight, i have started drinking again after a good 5 months off. and yes, i notice it's much stronger and more effective. so i'm worried as well. aside from finding a very sweet person on this website who has partnered up with me to support each other in our addictions (mine being alcohol, hers being a particular food), there's another strategy i'm going to try...
it's called naltrexone. it's a prescription drug that has been found to have profound effects in curbing alcohol abuse. take it once a day and it basically neutralizes the "reward" signal in your brain when exposed to drugs and alcohol. so eventually you can look at a glass of wine and have zero interest in drinking it. more and more physicians are wising up to this powerful tool and prescribing it to their patients (as opposed to just telling them to join AA). i've decided i'm going to make an appt with my doctor and ask for it. i did not go thru this surgery to go from one hell to another. i want to nip it in the bud.
here's an article on how naltrexone can help: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/

actually, it turns out they have.
this is the point of my post and is what the latest research is showing. that by rewiring our digestive tract, they are also rewiring our brains. lots of fascinating reading out there. i'd start by googling "alcohol gastric bypass".

a few issues to unpack here -
1 - to answer your question, i think the hysterectomy is the primary culprit for your recent weight gain. because it's known to do that, AND because you've been drinking this whole time up til now without gaining.
2 - gaining 13 (or more) pounds is the least of your concerns. probably the biggest thing in the field of bariatric science right now is the risk of alcohol (and drug) addiction. before i got my surgery, my surgeon stressed to me (rather disturbingly) that alcohol addiction is the ONLY thing that keeps him up at night. it is a huge concern for him. it's so big, that i think it might eventually threaten the viability of the surgery. if the statistics and research keep bearing out what it has been, it's possible that they "outlaw" the surgery.
why? well we all know that alcohol "hits" you harder, and longer. anything that has more dramatic effect is more easily to be abused. however, there's a mystery element going on. a recent study found it's NOT just about our new anatomy. i.e. it's not just that alcohol isn't cushioned by the stomach anymore and dumped right into the intestine. they did a study where they took two groups of rats - one with normal anatomy, and another that had a gastric bypass - and they administered alcohol into these rats intravenously. so they bypassed the entire digestive tract and made the rats equally "drunk" through IV-administered alcohol. they shockingly found that the rats with the gastric bypass ended up significantly more addicted. what does that mean? basically they don't know for sure yet, but there is something about the surgery that increases the susceptibility to addiction and substance abuse. something about the surgery changes the brain to make this the case. which is also the reason that those with gastric bypass get addicted to things like cocaine and heroin. those don't go thru the digestive tract either. this is different from "transfer addiction". that is not what's going on.
so what to do? i'm in the same boat because while i wasn't an alcoholic before surgery, i was getting there. and unfortunately now that i find myself nearing my goal weight, i have started drinking again after a good 5 months off. and yes, i notice it's much stronger and more effective. so i'm worried as well. aside from finding a very sweet person on this website who has partnered up with me to support each other in our addictions (mine being alcohol, hers being a particular food), there's another strategy i'm going to try...
it's called naltrexone. it's a prescription drug that has been found to have profound effects in curbing alcohol abuse. take it once a day and it basically neutralizes the "reward" signal in your brain when exposed to drugs and alcohol. so eventually you can look at a glass of wine and have zero interest in drinking it. more and more physicians are wising up to this powerful tool and prescribing it to their patients (as opposed to just telling them to join AA). i've decided i'm going to make an appt with my doctor and ask for it. i did not go thru this surgery to go from one hell to another. i want to nip it in the bud.
here's an article on how naltrexone can help: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/

not a chance.

Just wanted to post this little "Before and During" photo for a little "Face to Face Friday"

July 11th, 2011. More than likely close to or at 370 lbs on the left and Me today, July 13th 2018 at 244.4 lbs.

my abdomen makes zero noise.
and isn’t all poop “stinky”?

omg tell your brother to F*CK. OFF.

omg tell your brother to F*CK. OFF.

i'd say listen to your body. it is, for the first time in a long time, giving you very accurate signals.
if it's hungry, provide it nourishing, healthy food.
if it's not hungry, don't eat.
if it's telling you to get off your ass and walk around the block, DO IT!
if it's telling you to slow down and get more sleep, do that too.

oh, and never stop drinking more Water than feels necessary, even after you've lost all your weight. kidney stones are not fun. not that i speak from experience or anything...

i'd say listen to your body. it is, for the first time in a long time, giving you very accurate signals.
if it's hungry, provide it nourishing, healthy food.
if it's not hungry, don't eat.
if it's telling you to get off your ass and walk around the block, DO IT!
if it's telling you to slow down and get more sleep, do that too.

oh, and never stop drinking more Water than feels necessary, even after you've lost all your weight. kidney stones are not fun. not that i speak from experience or anything...

i think your doctor did just that, no?

no offense, but.... YOU WOULD HAVE GAINED THE WEIGHT BACK.
not your fault, 95% of diets fail and people regain, with interest.
but with your surgery? you have very high chances of success of losing weight and keeping it off your whole life. and isn't that what you want?
weather the mood swings. it's still early. in a few months you will realize this is the best decision you ever made.

you’re misinformed.
you can easily eat and enjoy pizza, Bagels, ice cream, etc after bariatric surgery.
the thing is - you won’t want to.

i wouldn't go calling the authorities over 3lbs. i crap three pounds.
unless you somehow managed to overeat 10,500 calories over your BMR last week alone... (hint: you didn't)... it's just Water weight and your body still adjusting. remember, it's common after reaching your lowest weight (usually about 1.5 years after surgery) to gain about 5% back before settling on THAT new weight as your long term set point.
in other words - keep up the not drinking, follow the 80% principle, and try to relax and practice acceptance.

you’re misinformed.
you can easily eat and enjoy pizza, Bagels, ice cream, etc after bariatric surgery.
the thing is - you won’t want to.

you’re misinformed.
you can easily eat and enjoy pizza, Bagels, ice cream, etc after bariatric surgery.
the thing is - you won’t want to.

i wouldn't go calling the authorities over 3lbs. i crap three pounds.
unless you somehow managed to overeat 10,500 calories over your BMR last week alone... (hint: you didn't)... it's just Water weight and your body still adjusting. remember, it's common after reaching your lowest weight (usually about 1.5 years after surgery) to gain about 5% back before settling on THAT new weight as your long term set point.
in other words - keep up the not drinking, follow the 80% principle, and try to relax and practice acceptance.

i wouldn't go calling the authorities over 3lbs. i crap three pounds.
unless you somehow managed to overeat 10,500 calories over your BMR last week alone... (hint: you didn't)... it's just Water weight and your body still adjusting. remember, it's common after reaching your lowest weight (usually about 1.5 years after surgery) to gain about 5% back before settling on THAT new weight as your long term set point.
in other words - keep up the not drinking, follow the 80% principle, and try to relax and practice acceptance.

i wouldn't go calling the authorities over 3lbs. i crap three pounds.
unless you somehow managed to overeat 10,500 calories over your BMR last week alone... (hint: you didn't)... it's just Water weight and your body still adjusting. remember, it's common after reaching your lowest weight (usually about 1.5 years after surgery) to gain about 5% back before settling on THAT new weight as your long term set point.
in other words - keep up the not drinking, follow the 80% principle, and try to relax and practice acceptance.

i wouldn't go calling the authorities over 3lbs. i crap three pounds.
unless you somehow managed to overeat 10,500 calories over your BMR last week alone... (hint: you didn't)... it's just Water weight and your body still adjusting. remember, it's common after reaching your lowest weight (usually about 1.5 years after surgery) to gain about 5% back before settling on THAT new weight as your long term set point.
in other words - keep up the not drinking, follow the 80% principle, and try to relax and practice acceptance.

haha.... no worries. just don't skew the voting tally until you're done losing!
no i'm not really worried about getting any more "shredded" or anything. just honestly curious if i can start buying clothes again or if i should wait. it seems like my 6-week stall might be saying "you're done buddy", which is fine, but i think i would be an outlier if my weight loss stopped at 7.5 months, right?