Rosang3

The incision was sore but the gas was worse. I was not prepared for that. It was awful. Not everyone gets it. Brace yourself if you do.

Weighing yourself after weight loss surgery is a given, but your surgeon may not always tell you what you need to know about it. Do you know why you should weigh in, how often, and how to do it? What ups and downs should you expect to see, and how seriously should you take them? Whether you are prepping for surgery or are well into your weight loss journey, becoming an expert on weighing in can help you lose more weight.


Why Weigh Yourself?
Yes, you weigh yourself to know how much you weigh. But what is the point if you are on your weight program and your doctor will weigh you at your next appointment? Weighing yourself can have some benefits.
It can help you lose more weight by keeping you accountable. Just like logging your food can make you think twice before taking that extra bite, knowing that you will face the scale can keep you from serving yourself another portion.
It can be motivating. When you see the number of the scale go down, you might be more eager to wake up early for your workout, or order a salad instead of a sandwich.
It can be empowering. Knowing your weight gives you another piece of information about your body, and embracing rather than avoiding yourself can empower you to do your best for yourself.
How Often?
You can weigh yourself as often as you like, but it does not make sense to take too many weigh-ins too seriously. For many people, a good rule of thumb is to do a weekly weigh-in. You can take this weight as your “official current weight.” Some people like to stay off of the scale between their weekly “official” weigh-ins, while others like to weigh themselves daily, or even more than once a day, just to see what is going on. That is fine, as long as you do not take each weigh-in too seriously and do not let it bother you.
How to Weigh Yourself
You may be a 10, 20, or 40-year veteran of weighing yourself, but there are better and, well, worse ways to do so. It may be worth reviewing or revising your weigh-in practices to get better results. Here are some guidelines for accurate weigh-ins.
Weigh yourself at the same time of the day for your weigh-in, usually first thing in the morning.
Choose the same day each week to weigh yourself.
Wear minimal or no clothing.
Use the same scale, and a trustworthy one, each time.
Mistakes to Avoid
In theory, weighing yourself is as simple as stepping on the scale. Not! Your weight can be deceptively high or low if you find yourself making any of these mistakes.
Weighing yourself after a heavy meal. While 1 lb. of lettuce has only 50 calories, it weighs…1 lb. If it is in your stomach, you will weigh an extra pound. Weighing yourself in the morning before you eat anything can help avoid the problem of extra weight inside your stomach.
Weighing yourself wearing shoes or clothes. Heavy shoes and a full set of clothes can weigh 5 or more lb. That is a big chunk of weight that is not yours!
Weighing yourself with too much salt in your system. With salty foods comes sodium, with sodium comes thirst, and with thirst comes extra Water. Water is heavy. It can still be in your system the next morning, and show up on the scale.
Weighing yourself right after exercising. Exercise does help you lose body fat, but it also helps you lose body water through sweat. You can lose a few lb. of water in one workout, and your body weight might be artificially low right after.
Weighing in Monday morning. If your weekdays are picture-perfect in terms of eating, and your weekends progress from Friday night at the bar to Sunday afternoon in front of the TV, your Monday morning weight can be variable, and possibly high. Friday morning may be a better time for you to weigh in.
Getting inaccurate numbers can be bad in many ways.
You might get discouraged for no reason if your weight shows up as higher than it really is.
You could become confused about how what you eat affects your weight if there seems to be no correlation.
You might have trouble detecting regain, and not modify your diet until you have gained more than you wanted.
Choosing a Scale
On top of making sure you are ready for a good weigh-in, you need to make sure that your scale is also ready. Using a cheap scale can drive you crazy because it may not be accurate. It could be difficult to read, or it could vary within a few pounds even if you are the same weight.
There are many affordable Body Scales that are highly accurate. You can find features that help you read the scale easily, track your weight, and see other information. These are some features to consider.
Digital read-outs.
Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone.
Memory of your recent weights.
Measurements such as body fat and lean muscle mass.
Use the scale to help you on your weight loss journey, and you can consider it another weapon in your weight loss arsenal. The more tools you have, the better your weight loss success can be!

The incision was sore but the gas was worse. I was not prepared for that. It was awful. Not everyone gets it. Brace yourself if you do.

The incision was sore but the gas was worse. I was not prepared for that. It was awful. Not everyone gets it. Brace yourself if you do.

Wow, y'alls confessions are so tame (I'm in TX at the moment, so I can say y'all )
Yesterday I had shake Shack, Taco Bell and an 18 course dinner. No confessions here because I hit my Protein goal and was under 600 calories!

Shoot, where do I start! Let’s see, we’ll I’m 2 weeks away from being 5 months post op and I can almost eat about anything now (well, very small portions of anything) but when it comes to carbs, i have no problem putting the hurt on them. I had a small cup of ice cream last night. Within a matter of 4 days, I managed to kill a box of Trader Joe’s Double Ginger Snaps. I don’t drink any carbonated drinks but I do drink sweet tea. I can eat bread...well, a slice but my biggest problem is candy. I love it and struggle sometimes with just saying NO! And yet in spite of all of my sinfulness I’m still losing weight. As of today, I’m weighing in at 249lbs. That’s 67 lbs lost since my surgery. When I started this journey back in July of last year, I was 365lbs. So total, that’s 116 lbs in a year. Not to toot my horn, if it wasn’t for working out 3 days a week (max allowed. family trumps exercise😄) is still be pretty big I imagine. Anyway, it’s gym night so, gotta go!

I figured it would be nice to have a section where we could just confess to some of the potentially dumb things we've done, pre or post op. Just so others can see we are all human. I want this to be kept as civil as possible, where people can own up to things without anyone else chiming in with anything negative, we all know what we did wasn't "right" but I'm sure we ALL have done something we shouldn't have.

I'll start.

I cheated on my pre-op diet a few times. I also like to find loop holes and exploit the crap out of them. I drank beer for a week+ on my pre-op, because it didn't say I couldn't. I only stopped after I was forced to, because my wife asked my surgeon and of course they said "no"... boo. I also ate a whole slice of French meat Pie at my Dad's 60th birthday luncheon.

I cheated on my post-op diet/puree stage a bit too. I ate rice cakes and Protein chips or other veggie chips. Not a lot, but it happened. I "pureed" a steak and cheese sandwich once. I ate a few fried ravioli on my puree stage as well.

This past weekend, I had a beer. My wife and I took my parents out to dinner at a local casino, it's Restaurant week, so we found a good looking location and went out to eat, part of the deal was that you got a draft beer with your meal. So, I had a shipyard summer ale with my grilled chicken parm sandwich (only ended up eating 3 bites of the chicken and none of the bread).

I did all that thus far and nothing bad happened.
I understand the changes are to ensure we stick to our diets, but understanding that we are all human and WILL either slip up or just stray from our diets on purpose like I did. It's good to see that, it's possible to still live and be able to enjoy a few things we "shouldn't" without any negatives happening.

So, what's your WLS confession?

Speak to your team. I didn't have one before I left the hospital but did have one the first week I was home.

Welcome to DS. I'm about 4 months out and still experience explosive, speckle-the-bowl, diarrhea four to ten times a day (and night). It's my new normal and I've just had to get used to it.

While most people are familiar with lapband surgery and gastric bypass surgery, there are two other surgeries that are "gaining" popularity. One is the vertical sleeve. The other is DS surgery which is the most complex and is usually reserved for the most obese population. Some people have DS surgery in 2 parts (the first being the vertical sleeve) while others have it in one surgery. Some have an open surgery and some have a lap. approach.
So, to those who have had DS surgery and to those who are considering it, let's get this forum up and running!
Liz

I'd like to say hello to everyone here as I am a newb. My surgery date was Thursday Sept. 6 and I came home today from the hospital. Bowel habits are a bit embarrassing to discuss but I had my first BM today and it was loose. This was of course after I left the hospital and after normal call hours. It is not serious at this point but wanted to see if others had this trouble shortly after surgery? Did you use imodium, citrucel?

I had my surgery the 5th of September. I am on the same boat as you. Runny stools. The docs put me on Miralax but I stopped taking it after post op day 2. It was too much for me lol

I am taking liquid Tylenol for pain and every time I take it I go straight to the bathroom.
From what I’ve read and friends that have had the procedure, getting the runs and or being constipated is normal. It just forces me to continue to hydrate. I’ve even added coconut Water to increase my potassium. My potassium was low the day of surgery and had to be supplemented.

I wouldn’t use anti diarrhea stuff unless your doctor agrees. Honestly, you will end up being constipated and playing a yo yo game with your bowels. With all the bloating I’ve used gas x. Besides that I’m focusing on hydration.
Good luck with everything!!!