LaLaDee

I miss those 66 pounds (so far) like I'd miss an itchy pinworm infection:)

I'm still technically obese but I can't say I miss being heavier. Just the logistics of navigating a world meant for smaller people was exhausting. Plane/cinema/bus seats, restaurant booths, seatbelts (UGH!), forget squeezing past someone, stairs - oh hell STAIRS!, narrow aisles, bending over to pick up after the dog and wondering if I would be able to stand up again, sweating all the time, arranging journeys with as little walking as possible, trying to keep up with people when you're walking in a group, being seen in public swimming at the beach (ok that one still freaks me out), the constant fear of breaking something or hearing loud sounds when you walk anywhere, or escalators squeeking. It was so exhausting.
That said, I do miss the ease of plus size shopping. There were like 3 places that sell clothes that I like (and only online so I never had to try anything on). So that made shopping pretty damn simple. Now, the choices freak me out. I feel lost and don't know how to deal with it. I don't really think anything suits me. Or maybe I don't know what my "style" is.

Check out this article:
https://www.bariatricpal.com/magazine/622-types-of-bariatric-surgery-by-the-numbers-and-what-it-means/
Lap bands work for some people and I don't see the point of attacking individuals who have had great success. That said, there is a big chance of complications with the band. I live in Australia, where there were an insanely high rate of lap bands performed and now they are out of favour. Interestingly, if people are looking for a non-permanent, less invasive strategy they are getting the balloons. I think we'll see a growth in that.
I wanted a lap band and my surgeon was like no. He has performed thousands of WLSs and basically won't do them anymore. Apparently, he constantly does revisions from the lap band to VGS or bypass. His view is that the lap band doesn't work long term for most people.
There's no correct answer but make sure you get medical advice and are comfortable with your decision.

It definitely stirs up issues. You can’t self soothe with food and repress everything. I think there is also an inevitable period of soul searching. How did I end up here? What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I stop eating? I had to process this sense of failure that my life had led to the point where I was getting part of my stomach removed. That’s heavy stuff.
There’s no easy answer and I think we all go through this to some extent.

It definitely stirs up issues. You can’t self soothe with food and repress everything. I think there is also an inevitable period of soul searching. How did I end up here? What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I stop eating? I had to process this sense of failure that my life had led to the point where I was getting part of my stomach removed. That’s heavy stuff.
There’s no easy answer and I think we all go through this to some extent.

Might I suggest some boudoir photography?

Most depressing and true thread ever!!! When you attend a job interview as an obese person, you can almost see their disappointment at your appearance. It’s terrible.

Yeah... I'm definitely not skinny. Just a more socially acceptable level of obese but I'll throw my 2 cents in. I have lost over 100 pounds and can shop in regular sized stores now. I think people are nicer. You get better service in stores. You're less invisible (apparently the more space you take up, the less likely people are to notice you - it defies logic). They look you in the eyes, call you "sweetie". It's weird.
If I get closer to skinny, I suspect I'll notice more changes in how people treat me.
I hate fat shaming and this kind of discrimination. They say it's the last socially acceptable form of discrimination. The statistics prove that overweight/obese women earn far less than their thinner counterparts. It's really disheartening. I can't speak for men (I believe it is harder for women because we are more judged by our appearance) but as a woman, there are stereotypes you constantly have to overcome, that you're lazy or sloppy. That you don't care about your appearance. That you're asexual. Or worse, that you're the bubbly, fat funny chick!

You are not drinking and eating enough, your body is rebelling against weight loss. If you are allowed soda you should be allowed Water too, right? Get some syntax nectar and dump in a glass of water, or ready-made Isopure and dump in the cafe glasses. Get a physician's note that says you are deficient in nutrition or dehydrated (vitamins, Calcium, whatever) and MUST be allowed to drink YOUR concoction every 3 hours. I feel that if you can sip your clear Protein Drink you will feel better and start to lose again. Also up your Protein grams just a little - to 70-80gr. Push water or crystal light when you drive and are at home.
And go to a temp agency and get a better job.....at a hospital, school, office, etc. Good luck.

I was told by my doctor that as long as I am getting my Protein intake I can drop to 700-800 because I am constantly full and burping up food overeating.

While I have generally had good weight loss, I have been on a frustrating stall the last 3 weeks so I can relate.
Everyone loses weight at a different rate! That's fine. It sounds like you might have an opportunity to shake things up. Trying a new exercise or diet plan could help you. Have you got a nutritionist or any support through your surgeon? If not, time to nerd up and read some bariatric or even general nutrition books, blogs, online videos. There are so many awesome stories out there of people who kept going when things were tough.
Weight loss is so so hard. We're all feeling it! You are definitely not alone!

I’m too cheap to pay for the gym and it’s too hot to walk outside (summer in Australia). So I just do the odd YouTube yoga video. Sometimes I just dance around the house. Sure, the dog gets scared but it seems to work.

That's what my surgeon says. That around 1 year out you develop your set point weight and it's much harder to lose weight. No one has been able to explain to me why this is though. It scares the hell out of me! What if I haven't reached a low enough weight. I feel like Cinderella, when the clock strikes midnight, I'm going to be doomed!

At 6 months post surgery, I can confirm that my scale paranoia is still strong. I don’t lose any weight one week and I convince myself that I will never lose weight again!
These stages can repeat themselves!

I'm loosing my patience with people correcting others in a forum...Ugggh!

I'm still technically obese but I can't say I miss being heavier. Just the logistics of navigating a world meant for smaller people was exhausting. Plane/cinema/bus seats, restaurant booths, seatbelts (UGH!), forget squeezing past someone, stairs - oh hell STAIRS!, narrow aisles, bending over to pick up after the dog and wondering if I would be able to stand up again, sweating all the time, arranging journeys with as little walking as possible, trying to keep up with people when you're walking in a group, being seen in public swimming at the beach (ok that one still freaks me out), the constant fear of breaking something or hearing loud sounds when you walk anywhere, or escalators squeeking. It was so exhausting.
That said, I do miss the ease of plus size shopping. There were like 3 places that sell clothes that I like (and only online so I never had to try anything on). So that made shopping pretty damn simple. Now, the choices freak me out. I feel lost and don't know how to deal with it. I don't really think anything suits me. Or maybe I don't know what my "style" is.

I was crying before my surgery and absolutely terrified. I didn’t have an easy time afterwards either (don’t mean to frighten anyone) BUT I still don’t regret it. Just get through it and it will be worth it in the end!

I like chicken breast with a chili sauce, some avocado, sweet potato and kale.
Otherwise grilled fish and garden salad.
Or lamb marinated in lemon with hummus and Greek salad.
Yummy

I have adaptations or versions of everything I loved before. It's not quite the same, but in a sense, I still eat all of my favourite food from before.
Cheeseburgers and fries (now, I'll eat it a beef patty with lettuce instead of bread Buns. No fries.)
Nachos (now I eat chilli con carne with guacamole)
Spaghetti and meatballs (now I have meatballs with zucchini noodles)
chocolate (now I have expensive dark chocolate)

I do miss diet coke though. So damn much.

This has been my biggest problem. I’ve easily lost 30%. More like 40%. It started at around three months. I’m at six months this week and the loss seems to have slowed.
And yes guys a I hit my Protein targets, took my Vitamins (including biotin), used $80 Shampoo (nioxcin) and it still fell out. I personally ignore any smug people who say they they didn’t lose hair because they took Biotin or used some witch brew. Some of us are just gonna lose a ton of hair. I honestly couldn’t have done any more to try and stop it.
Its growing back now a bit. I can see little bits sprouting everywhere. When I first found them I did a little dance to celebrate!
It sucks big time guys. But I have lost 50kg/110 pounds so I have to hang on to that. Plus now it only takes 10 minutes to blow dry my hair. So that’s something.

So proud of you Fluffy. I love how you approached this surgery - and life in general!!

I’m too cheap to pay for the gym and it’s too hot to walk outside (summer in Australia). So I just do the odd YouTube yoga video. Sometimes I just dance around the house. Sure, the dog gets scared but it seems to work.

No, I was allowed all of those things after two months. However, even at nearly 6 months out, I personally choose not to eat bread, Pasta, noodles and rice. I do eat raw vegies and fruit though.
I don't really understand the concern with grapes?
WLS is so new, there's no established protocol. I'm so interested in what different surgeons recommend.

1. It depends. Some people seem OK to return after a few days (my surgeon mentioned they had someone who returned after 2 days!!!), others may need two weeks. This will vary according to whether you have any complications, what kind of job you have, how your body copes with the surgery (anesthesia makes me sick for days). Expect to take at least a week (I speak for sleeve, I don't know if bypass is longer).
2. I told my boss that I was having surgery and did not provide further details Legally you may not have to give any details (that is the law in Australia, speak to a medical practitioner about what information you are legally required to provide). I had my general practitioner doctor (I didn't want my boss googling my surgeon's name and seeing what they specialise in so I didn't get a note from them) prepare me a medical certificate that just said I would be unable to attend work because I was having surgery to treat a medical condition. This was the truth.
3. I just told colleagues that I had surgery. People shouldn't pry. If you don't want them knowing you had WLS, you can lie or imply it was something else. You could be vague and say it was a female problem and they will not ask anymore, there's also hernia and gallbladder removals which give you a similar recovery time.
What you tell people will depend on your personality (and in terms of your boss, maybe applicable workplace laws), but I'm a private person and it's nobody's damn business! Lol.
Where I am, WLS is pretty rare, I don't need people's judgement. I know this surgery is definitely not for everyone. It's not the easy way out. I'm not interested in people's uninformed opinions. I don't want anyone scrutinizing me to see what/how much I'm eating. I haven't been at my workplace long, and I don't want to be known as the person who had weight loss surgery. I don't want it defining me.
That said, people are different. You may want support, you may feel comfortable talking about it. You may just want to share your amazing adventure with everyone! That's totally cool! You may not want to lie about how you lost the weight. If someone who was obese asked me how I lost the weight, I would probably be honest about my WLS. But my colleagues are all (without exception) slim, fit attractive individuals. So I don't feel bad about lying. That's part of why I did lie. I don't expect slim people to understand how I got here. The pervasive view is that obesity is an issue of laziness or lacking personal responsibility. It's so much more complicated than that, our biochemistry, hormones, gut microbiome, neurology, psychology, family history, environment etc all contribute to how we became obese. How we deal with it is complex. I'm not going to defend myself to people. Lol. Rant over.
I think that it's totally up to you about what you tell people!

our healthcare system is so f'd.
if i went thru insurance, it would have taken 6-12 months. so i decided to pay cash. from my first intro appt with the doctor to surgery day was 3.5 weeks.
keep your head up Little Green. this too shall pass...