libbyleeb

My story is very similar to some of the others. Down 72 pounds since being sleeved on 7/3. I ate more than I should have over the holiday and gained a pound or two. Mostly I added sugar to my diet and it feels very hard to stop eating it now. I’m thinking about doing a few days like my pre-op diet - with mostly sugarless protein shakes - to get back on track. Happy new year!

I’m 54 and 5 months post-op. I’m down 69 pounds. I do wish I had done this when my skin was a little younger and springier though. 😜

I used to be someone who was always hot but now I need layers and I’m dreading the coming winter. I don’t remember being this chilly BEFORE I got fat. What gives!?

Sorry you’re feeling so wiped out. My first couple of months I was very tired too. It took my body a while to recover from the surgery, which is pretty major! Don’t let those tiny incisions fool you! Another factor is what you’re eating. I didn’t perk up until I could eat about 700 calories a day. Below that I was dragging. As for the depression, we are three weeks from the shortest day of the year. Everyone is a little low, even without major surgery. I don’t have any magic advice but I’m betting you start feeling better soon.

@sassysleever76 I am 5 months post op and I still track my protein and the rest of it everyday. Weight Watchers didn’t work for me long term but it did teach me that if I track, I lose and if I don’t track, I do not. I expect tracking is just my new normal. In general, I’m doing well. No significant complications. I’ve lost 68 pounds overall - exactly halfway to my goal - but my rate is down to 1.5-2.0 pounds a week. I expect it will take me another year to lose the second 68 pounds.

Mint tea helped me more than zofran.

I lost feeling in a palm sized area of my hip/thigh after gall bladder surgery. I believe it was caused by an injection that I received in that area. My feeling returned after about 6 months. Good luck.

Some of us like ink. 😍

My first couple of weeks post-op were tough. I felt weak and fatigued in a way that felt like depression, mixed with some transient regret. However, as I lost more and more weight (I’m almost 5 months out and down 67 pounds) I felt physically energized and that supported a more upbeat mood. I still have bad days when I want to manage my mood with food and find I’m not physically capable of it anymore. So I have consciously look for alternative ways of cheering myself up. Still, overall, I feel like WLS has improved my depression. I wish the same for you. I think you’ll be happy with it.

It happens to me if I eat too close to bedtime. I can’t go to sleep with a full stomach anymore.

It’s hard to wrap our heads around our true sizes, especially “before”. I never really let myself think about it or kept any pictures. I just saw some Thanksgiving pictures and I look about the way I always think of myself. BUT, I’m down 67 pounds so I know I started out a lot bigger! I’ll be sure to take some after photos when I’m down another 67.

I’m wondering what everyone has planned for eating Thanksgiving dinner. I’m debating both what to eat and what to say when my reduced intake is questioned. I don’t want to discuss my surgery with everyone who is there but I know peoples will comment. Right now I’m planning to allow myself tiny portions of all my favorites plus 1-2 drinks (Toasts are a big part of our celebration. ) I also want to check in on my stomach frequently so I don’t get distracted and overeat.

How did it go? We’re rooting for the!

Sweets are my weakness too. But I recently made a completely horrible and totally wonderful discovery. The primary reason I decided on WLS was too manage my serious knee pain. It started to improve during my pre-op diet and stayed good until a month or so ago, when it started to return. I was still losing so that made no sense to me. When I thought about what had changed it was that I had reintroduced sugar to my diet. I ran an experiment eliminating sugar and say all too clearly that sugar was causing most of my pain! This makes me sad but I’m also very grateful to know that I can control my pain levels so simply. Simply but not easily. The struggles is real but we can do this!

Here’s a recipe that I use from the Moosewood Cookbook I leave out the potato and sometimes add some cut up ham. It’s very adjustable to your taste.

The family friends we celebrate with are all tall and super skinny, so I really don’t want to talk about my surgery or my eating with them. They’re not judgmental but I don’t think they could even comprehend my journey. I think I’ll brainstorm some “distraction topics” that I can use to deflect attention from myself and my eating. Luckily, current politics provide any number of topics for people to get excited about. [emoji38]. Maybe I’ll make some stuff up too. ‘Can you believe that Sherri from our school bus is getting married for a 4th time?!?!’

Sounds like a great eating plan. I’m sorry to hear about your loss. My mother died shortly before last Thanksgiving and it was a sober get together. I feel for you.

I hear you. My honeymoon is over, too.

How many strands of hair in a pound?[emoji38]

Be careful. It may be too big by January!

You sound like me. I’m stalled at 64 pounds down. Trying to stay motivated.

I took a week off and ended up taking some unplanned half days in the second week. I probably should have taken 10 days - 2 weeks off. What I didn’t realize is that in addition to recovering from the surgery, I’d be functioning on very few calories in the beginning. For me, it was less than 300 for a couple of weeks. That alone made me feel weak and woozy. My job involves traveling between sites and I barely had the strength.

I didn’t experience any gurgling but I had some fierce shoulder pain after VSG 3 months ago. It gradually faded and was gone after 2-2.5 weeks. Hang in there.

Oh,@frustr8, how awful for you! You will feel so free once you are done. (Says the woman with a pile of boxes from her dead mother’s house![emoji12]). Let us know how it goes. I’m sure this community would love to support you.

Beautiful girl and amazing pumpkin!