redmister

Hello, I had Gastric Bypass
April 26, 2017. My highest Weight was 273. I'm now fluctuating between 127 and 133.

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Sleeved on 1/10/2018. Down 112 so far.

Two worlds apart

I don't miss my hunk of stomach. It was conspiring with my bad eating habits...to kill me. Good riddance.
I don't miss my diseased gallbladder. it hit the garbage bin in 2003.
I don't miss the bad tooth I had crowned a few years ago, either.
I don't miss my high blood pressure or borderline high blood sugar.
I don't miss my edema.
and shockingly...even though it was a HUGE part of my body....
i don't miss the 94 pounds of fat that disappeared with my hunk of stomach:)
And the stomach I have left? It's an awesome little noodle. It tolerates pretty much everything, never hurts or makes me feel nauseated....and simply says "Whoa there! Slow the hell down, you don't need to eat so much." It's a good little friend...and I love it:)

I'm already incomplete. My appendix revolted in 2012 and had to be removed. Can't say I've missed it.

Thanks I’m a little Nervous

For me it was just a formality I needed for my insurance. I had already gone to the weight loss clinic's information session, but needed my PCP to formally refer me before I could have my first appointment with the surgeon. We discussed pros and cons, but she knew me and my health issues well and was glad I was taking that step. The center I go to has a good relationship with my PCP's office. I know other people have said their PCP was not supportive, but I think that's rare. Best of luck to you.....

My name is Crystal and I am 38 yrs old. I have struggled with my weight my whole life. I thought I had a handle on it a few years ago when I was able to drop 100 lbs. But as usual I wasn't doing it in the most healthy way and it slowly started to creep back up. I had VSG surgery 6/5/18 and am officially one week post opI'm new to the community and looking forward to meeting new people and getting/giving support...Here's to getting healthier and STAYING that way this time
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So today I made goal! Here I am, one week shy of six months post surgery, and my official BMI is ‘normal’. Not overweight and not obese, any more.
So I know that having blooming gallstones has helped with this last few pounds - eating low fat (gallstones), low Protein (liver damage) and low carb (dumping syndrome) is pretty restrictive, but I will have my gallbladder out in a week or two (that will drop me another 1/4 pound 🤣) and then I am into my maintenance diet.
And here, the difference:

My highest weight ever was 386 But for now, I'll focus on recent history.

Preop diet: Nov 27 -344lbs
Surgery Day: Dec 11- 321lbs
6 months post-op: June 11- 268.6
Total loss so far: 76 pounds
( I don't have a picture of me exactly at 344 pounds but the first two pics are me at 331 lbs- to give you an idea)
Then the last pic is me today,6 months post op @ 268.6lbs

I continue to be inspired by all of you ladies!
Happy to report that I bought several tops in a size 18-20 tonight! All of the tops I have been wearing are a 26-28 and they were suddenly looking sloppy and falling off my shoulders. I thought I would be a 22-24 and was excited to realize I am an 18-20!

Well I am really enjoying reading this thread and reading everyone’s stories and updates! I hope the good news keeps coming.
I am a bit over six months out from surgery now. Made my own personal goal of 100 pounds lost post op by six months. It seems a bit surreal how quickly the time has gone by. Six month check up is next week so I will see what my surgeon says.
Changes are coming all the time. I can work a shift at work now and not feel like crying in pain when I get home. My mobility is better with every pound that comes off. Clothes that didn’t fit last month are getting loose already, it seems like the last 15 pounds have really made a difference.
Looking forward to seeing where I am six months from now!
Have a great day all!

6 months post op. 75 down, 20 to go.

I had my intake appt Dec. 5th and had surgery April 12. I am 52, a new empty nester with my husband, am a nurse and a mother of 3, and decided it was time to take this step for my health. I had lost weight many times previously with Weight Watchers and Overeaters Anonymous. One time I added up all my weight loss. It was 492 pounds! I could have hugged my surgeon when he pointed out what a sign of determination that was. I feel I have been addressing my obesity in layers. That is kind of fitting because I became obese in layers also. Not all at once. Through Weight Watchers and OA, I learned a lot about cooking, nutrition, and addiction and recovery. In 2010, I began therapy to address emotional eating. In 2016 I had a sleep study and had wonderful relief from fatigue with a CPAP. My newfound energy level from having adequate sleep allowed me to establish a regular exercise pattern. I feel my surgery prep was fine tuning and education that has helped me hit the ground running post op. Tuesday will be my 2 month mark post op. I am down 52.5 pounds, 3 sizes, and feel head and shoulders better than I have in years. I could do physically active things at my higher weight but it really took a toll. Now I can do physically active things throughout the day without feeling wiped out. No more pain in my hips, low back, and knees. My systollic blood pressure dropped from the mid 120's to the mid teens. Can't wait to see my A1c at the 6 month mark. That had been at the upper end of normal. If cholesterol comes down or HDL goes up, that will be the frosting on the cake... Ideally I would like to get to a BMI just under 25, so that would be 150 pounds for me. However,I I have photos from when I was 165-170 pounds, and that would be a win in my book as well. For activity, I enjoy walking, biking, and swimming. I can't say yet that I "enjoy" weight training, but I do it once or twice a week. I went to a yoga class for the first time in a few years today. My husband and I hope to hit the golf course soon one of these days. And I look forward to trying paddle boarding this summer. If anyone has experience with paddle boarding, I would love any and all advice! I am glad to have discovered this forum and look forward to getting to know you all!

We were on the road shopping for a new (used) car for my kiddo.
The rest of the family wanted good old BK Steakhouse....so we went to see that creepy king.
I had the veggie burger with all the veggies on it, just like they make it... and an iced tea. And I'll admit it...I ate a couple of my hubby's fries.
Could not eat even half of the veggie burger....but it was freakin' delicious.
Half a veggie burger= 200 calories and 10 grams of protien. Throw in 50 calories for the fries I swiped. A totally do-able lunch budget:)
I feel kinda victorious when I can find ways to enjoy out to eat crap with friends and family....in a sensible way that doesn't break the calorie budget or derail my diet.
Win-win. I like options. And the half a veggie burger option...is awesome.
Also found an AWESOME car for the kiddo:) Almost a clone of her old one, only blue this time instead of brown. She's super excited:)

My sleeve is tomorrow as well. My wife and I traveled 8hrs to my surgeon (live in Alaska) will stay in a hotel for a week then travel back home. We got this!!!

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I actually quit eating popcorn altogether a couple years ago due to my diverticulosis. At first when I would take my kids and they were eating popcorn it would bother me and I would try to snack on other things. Now I just sip some Water and I'm fine. So it is possible to break that connection! Also, we stopped buying the large popcorn for the free refill. With me not eating any they never finished a large anyway- so we saved $ and calories!

I suggest WheyProtein.....
after your workout with unsweetened almond milk.....

You look amazing! I'll bet that dinosaur in the first pic wouldn't even want to eat you now - too skinny! He'll hang back and see if you have a plump friend

I want to thank everyone for the wonderful advice regarding depression and anxiety. Just reading your answers helped lift my mood. I am glad we are going through this together and we can talk to each other. I have good moments and bad moments. When I feel a bad moment coming on I just try to keep my mind occupied or start working on a project. It helps to know that these are typical feelings and not out of the ordinary. I keep concentrating on the fact that one day I will look back on all of this and realize it was the smartest thing I ever did for myself. I already notice that I can sleep through the night without my sleep apnea (snoring) waking me up every hour. My clothes are getting too big but I do not want buy new yet because I will lose more weight (what a great problem to have). I can't wait til the hair completely grows back on my stomach to cover the scars and I can go out in public without a shirt. It is a amazing how you look forward to such small things. I have a three-day summer camp with my students this week. I am going to take it easy and eat small amounts. I worry I might strain myself but it is three weeks since surgery so I am sure I will be fine. Thanks again for being my new friends and support system. - Danny

I've been packing the 2oz containers of hummus, applesauce in a squeeze pack, foil packets of tuna, string cheese, laughing cow cheese, and also tiny mason jars of sous vide coddled eggs. I also always have a shake in my bag. And if all else fails me, I go into Hale & Hearty and pretend I want to taste the lentil Soup (around 2 oz sample cup), then just buy a water.My meals on the go are not fancy at all (except for the coddled egg) but I'm kind of enjoying the food-strictly-as-fuel thing.
For the other stressors of work events: I went to a work buffet the other night and when everyone was getting their first plate I just took myself off to the bathroom, then when I returned grabbed a napkin and a vegetable dumpling in a pair of chopsticks. I nibbled at the veg a bit while talking to people, then binned the 2/3rds remaining of the dumpling. They all assumed I'd already finished a plate, no one noticed a damn thing.
I've also been using the Starbucks mobile app to preorder a short steamed milk with one pump of sugar-free vanilla Syrup whenever we go out for coffee. If we go somewhere else, I just order a peppermint tea. And if we go out for drinks, I already have a reputation for drinking gin and tonics, so I just get Water with lime and no one knows.

Exactly!
I bought the largest bottle of Water they had and drank it. Husband ate at large bucket of popcorn with butter and salt AND and order of onion rings! His stuff smelled way better than mine! But I kept telling myself, “We have different paths. That crap doesn’t get me where I’m trying to go.” And, with so much water, it’s not like I was hungry anyway. It just freaking smelled good on his side of the armrest!!! 😄

Think about trying to break the movie = food association. It’s mindless snacking we don’t need. You aren’t even enjoying the food experience.

We can make it through 2-3 hours without eating.

Thanks Ash! Wish I could shoehorn more hours into my day to dedicate to this site and helping folks out! Not every answer is going to be a winner, and too many people don't want the honesty, but that's what I got, so that's what I give.

I know this is not exactly a thing I could not live without after surgery. But at this stage in my journey, there was something I did that I am very glad I did. I made several before pictures in a certain outfit/location/poses so I could do more down the line for comparison. It is VERY cool to have these to pull out when I needed a little reminder of how far I've come. I also started a journal. I wrote about where I was mentally at that moment and how I felt. What my expectations were and what my fears were. I go back and read that sometimes and am very glad I did that as well. The very best to you in your journey.