2Bsmaller18

I know this guy...he's the typical skinny nerd type, bad skin, computer guy, has lots of money. The first time I met his wife was at a fundraiser for a Catholic school, and she had HUGE fake boobs and was wearing a super low cut dress. It was super inappropriate given the type of event, there were priests and nuns there, etc. LOL!! The guy has a very long last name that's kind of fun to say, if that makes sense. My husband whispered in my ear "Mrs. Lastname" in the funniest voice, and ever since that day when we see someone with huge fake boobs, we always say "Mrs. Lastname" in that same funny voice and tone.
So needless to stay, I'm allowed to go big, but not Mrs Lastname big!! ha ha ha ha!!! Even if I did 650s I would still be much smaller than she is! LOL!!

650 would be insane! LOL!!
Oh yeah, for added giggles, the bra I'm wearing in the pics was provided by the surgeon to try on the implants. I later found out that I put it on backwards! Hooks go in the front, so that's what it looks like backwards! ha ha ha!

So true...
Body Dysmorphia is a terrible thing. I certainly have a very dysmorphic view of myself despite all the changes (and there have been many especially ones I paid for) and it feels like nothing changes it I have no idea what to do.
Imposter syndrome is one I don't hear a lot of people admitting. Feeling that you've accomplished something, but you really didn't do much at all or it wasn't such a big accomplishment because it came a little too easily or the accomplishment isn't worthy of praise.
Stay strong everyone.

I am almost 3 years out. I am feeling the best I have felt in many years. My only problem in life is my dear hubby of 49 years passed a year ago. My doc said to be careful, after a loss people tend to stress eat. Not me.
Hang in there , life is what you make it.
I will admit to buying cute clothes , I justify it with he would have wanted me to look nice. His motto was if you look good, you feel good! So true!

I am now 2+ years out from surgery and still maintaining my goal weight. VSG has changed my life in so many ways. But there are negative things or challenges I rarely see people talking about. I'm listing mine in hopes others won't feel alone, please add yours if you'd like. I'm thinking this might be a bit therapeutic as I don't talk about this in real life as no one really understands unless you've been through it.
Things that have become very real for me:
*Body Dysmorphia is real. I currently wear a dress/jean size 6 and tops in XS/S. I know those sizes are amazing and I never would have imagined that's where I would end up. BUT...when I look in the mirror I don't see that size. I still see my butt as huge, My sagging stomach doesn't help but I just can't shake the "fat" thoughts when I see myself.
I recently read that part of this is due to the fact that we tend to over exaggerated what we looked like when we were overweight, so losing that weight still doesn't give us an accurate depiction of who we really are. I try and keep this in mind but I don't know if this will ever go away.
*Addiction Transfer. It took me awhile to realize this but I most definitely transferred my addictive eating to compulsive shopping. I've spent way too much money since going through this process. It's a constant struggle.
*Confidence and Self Worth. This is a good thing for sure. But, I have been struggling in my marriage for a long time. And for years I felt trapped because of my fear for being alone forever - which was driven by the fact that I was overweight and told myself no one else would ever want me. I have a different view now. I've changed physically and emotionally. My spouse has always had different philosophies on life than I have. He has never eaten well, never exercised, and has never wanted to become healthier. I had hoped my success would give him some motivation to do better but it hasn't. That combined with other major issues we have had led to my decision to end my marriage. It's ultimately a positive thing for me as I'm in a toxic relationship but finally have the emotional strength and confidence to do this. It's sad, but it's reality.

Might have them check for kidney stones. They can cause back pain and nausea. I had kidney stones prior to WLS and woke up in middle of the night to throw up a few times because of it. Disclaimer: I am not doctor nor have i ever played one on TV.

Get well soon! hopefully it's just a new intolerance or bad product etc. and nothing serious ♥️

Wouldn't a blockage have happened long before now if it was going to happen? Let's hope it's just a flukey temporary thing and you'll be back to normal by Monday.

Backstory- bypass was almost 2 years ago. No complications and took reflux meds for 1-2 months post op as procedure.
I had plastic surgery in Feb and had some reflux a few days later (I thought this wasn't possible with bypass but assumed maybe from local swelling and irritation form being intubated). The surgeon had me back on the meds for 1-2 months. It seemed to have gone away until October. It's not bad just that I feel/hear a sensation like bubbles pop almost like drinking carbonated soda (which I haven't touched in over 2 years). So the surgeon has me start them back 2 weeks ago.
Here's the scary part. Yesterday morning I drank my Protein Drink as always and after about 30 min. I had a ache dull pain in-between my should blades. I have already had my gallbladder removed years ago before bypass surgery. The ache goes away and I eat normal foods, no issues except once in awhile during the day I get a very dull ache between my should blades.
Then last night I was eating some crackers and got the pain worse but not unbearable but really uncomfortable. I woke up hours later at 3am with the back pain. I had a normal BM and later spit up the foamies/salvia and a threw up little bit of the crackers. Side note-- TMI I have been a little more constipated occasionally so I did have a BM before bed and in the middle of the night. Not diarrhea so I am assuming there's no blockage. I was able to fall back asleep and feel ok this morning just tired from being up for 2 hours. I have had the throwing up foamies maybe 5 times since surgery. I am hoping this is just a random thing.
I have been drinking my Protein Shake slowly without issue this morning. I called the surgeon and they said to stay on liquids for 24-48hours to give my system a rest. Of course I google the symptoms and am now trying not to freak out. If I had a blockage I would assume I would be throwing up my shake now and not have had a BM last night. I am def. not bloated.
The office said to go to the ER if it gets worse. Why does this have to happen right before a holiday when no offices are open?? I am trying not to worry that this is just one of those random things that happens to us. I don't have any fever, elevated heart rate etc.

Backstory- bypass was almost 2 years ago. No complications and took reflux meds for 1-2 months post op as procedure.
I had plastic surgery in Feb and had some reflux a few days later (I thought this wasn't possible with bypass but assumed maybe from local swelling and irritation form being intubated). The surgeon had me back on the meds for 1-2 months. It seemed to have gone away until October. It's not bad just that I feel/hear a sensation like bubbles pop almost like drinking carbonated soda (which I haven't touched in over 2 years). So the surgeon has me start them back 2 weeks ago.
Here's the scary part. Yesterday morning I drank my Protein Drink as always and after about 30 min. I had a ache dull pain in-between my should blades. I have already had my gallbladder removed years ago before bypass surgery. The ache goes away and I eat normal foods, no issues except once in awhile during the day I get a very dull ache between my should blades.
Then last night I was eating some crackers and got the pain worse but not unbearable but really uncomfortable. I woke up hours later at 3am with the back pain. I had a normal BM and later spit up the foamies/salvia and a threw up little bit of the crackers. Side note-- TMI I have been a little more constipated occasionally so I did have a BM before bed and in the middle of the night. Not diarrhea so I am assuming there's no blockage. I was able to fall back asleep and feel ok this morning just tired from being up for 2 hours. I have had the throwing up foamies maybe 5 times since surgery. I am hoping this is just a random thing.
I have been drinking my Protein Shake slowly without issue this morning. I called the surgeon and they said to stay on liquids for 24-48hours to give my system a rest. Of course I google the symptoms and am now trying not to freak out. If I had a blockage I would assume I would be throwing up my shake now and not have had a BM last night. I am def. not bloated.
The office said to go to the ER if it gets worse. Why does this have to happen right before a holiday when no offices are open?? I am trying not to worry that this is just one of those random things that happens to us. I don't have any fever, elevated heart rate etc.

Backstory- bypass was almost 2 years ago. No complications and took reflux meds for 1-2 months post op as procedure.
I had plastic surgery in Feb and had some reflux a few days later (I thought this wasn't possible with bypass but assumed maybe from local swelling and irritation form being intubated). The surgeon had me back on the meds for 1-2 months. It seemed to have gone away until October. It's not bad just that I feel/hear a sensation like bubbles pop almost like drinking carbonated soda (which I haven't touched in over 2 years). So the surgeon has me start them back 2 weeks ago.
Here's the scary part. Yesterday morning I drank my Protein Drink as always and after about 30 min. I had a ache dull pain in-between my should blades. I have already had my gallbladder removed years ago before bypass surgery. The ache goes away and I eat normal foods, no issues except once in awhile during the day I get a very dull ache between my should blades.
Then last night I was eating some crackers and got the pain worse but not unbearable but really uncomfortable. I woke up hours later at 3am with the back pain. I had a normal BM and later spit up the foamies/salvia and a threw up little bit of the crackers. Side note-- TMI I have been a little more constipated occasionally so I did have a BM before bed and in the middle of the night. Not diarrhea so I am assuming there's no blockage. I was able to fall back asleep and feel ok this morning just tired from being up for 2 hours. I have had the throwing up foamies maybe 5 times since surgery. I am hoping this is just a random thing.
I have been drinking my Protein Shake slowly without issue this morning. I called the surgeon and they said to stay on liquids for 24-48hours to give my system a rest. Of course I google the symptoms and am now trying not to freak out. If I had a blockage I would assume I would be throwing up my shake now and not have had a BM last night. I am def. not bloated.
The office said to go to the ER if it gets worse. Why does this have to happen right before a holiday when no offices are open?? I am trying not to worry that this is just one of those random things that happens to us. I don't have any fever, elevated heart rate etc.

I use a ProCare brand of Multivitamin. It is only 1 pill a day and includes Iron. It is around $12 a month and if you order 6 months worth at once you can save or get free shipping. If you are able to swallow Calcium pills (you can cut them in half since they are kind of big) Citracal is not too expensive either. I think you can get that at a local Walmart etc. I drink a Premier Protein shake everyday and it has added Vitamins and calcium too.

I use a ProCare brand of Multivitamin. It is only 1 pill a day and includes Iron. It is around $12 a month and if you order 6 months worth at once you can save or get free shipping. If you are able to swallow Calcium pills (you can cut them in half since they are kind of big) Citracal is not too expensive either. I think you can get that at a local Walmart etc. I drink a Premier Protein shake everyday and it has added Vitamins and calcium too.

I agree on healthier swaps but another tool is to divide up the candy into separate little baggies. If you have the willpower to let yourself have 10 M &Ms or 3 pieces of sour candy a day then you can look forward to that tiny treat but stop and really enjoy that tiny portion. Honestly if you had a big portion you stop really tasting it after a few bites anyway. This could be a dangerous path for some but it works for me. NEVER eat straight from a box or bag, always put what you are going to eat into a separate dish so you can visually see how much you are eating.

Don’t worry about still eating smaller portions. To people who don’t know I had surgery, I just say I’m continuing to eat small portions to maintain my weight & if I ate larger portions, I’d put the weight on again. It seems to satisfy everyone.
I have to snack to get in the calories to maintain my weight. I eat three meals & 4 - 5 Snacks. I feel like I eat all day.

Good news: you may have been blessed with long lasting restriction! That's pretty awesome!
I'd like to think that I eat more (volume) than most people on the site (but maybe not) and people still think I don't eat very much. I know I'm hyper perceptive because I was hiding it for so long. I'm still hiding it most of the time 😂
I don't think I could eat more than 3-4 oz of dense Protein. But sliders are different. My teens say I eat like a toddler 😂 but they do not know about my surgeries.
I take normal sized portions most of the time and when I'm done, meals either becomes leftovers or hand offs so that prevents a lot of questions.
But (personally) under no circumstance will I try to eat more to assuage speculations because that would mean literally hurting myself for someone else's comfort. At that point I'd rather just tell everyone.

I hit my goal at 20 months out, and I played around with calorie ranges until I figured out that I could maintain my weight if I stayed within a 1500-1700 calorie range. I still eat within that range (not that I never go over that - but I'm USUALLY somewhere in this range). Not sure if that helps or not. Although people are all across the board with calorie requirements. I know some post-WLS women who can eat 2000 (although they're pretty active) - and others who can only eat 1200.
anyway, to answer your question, I don't know exactly when I figured out the 1500-1700 thing, but maybe around two years out? I've been eating at the level ever since.

Maybe I am more limited than the average person. Were you able to eat more volume after 2 or 3 years? I was very restricted initially for the first 6 months and by 1 year I am pretty much at the same restriction that I am at now. Not a big increase. It sounds crazy to want to be able to eat a little more. Not for the desire of eating but I now have to eat 6-8 meals or Snacks to get my calories in. I don't want to force more and sabotage myself though.

Looking at everyone's photos I feel I am eating about the same amount, maybe less.
I am getting close to the 2 year mark post bypass. Only family knows about surgery. Due to covid and pre Covid work environment I rarely have meals outside of immediate family. I'm stressed about a year form now still drawing attention with the extremely limited amount I can eat.
Initially when losing I said I was dieting etc. This far out does anyone have a go to phrase when you are around others regarding eating being so limited. If I had to eat in front of someone now I would probably try to order a slider like Soup or salad as my meal so I could eat a small but kind of "normal" portion without drawing attention. If I ordered chicken I would eat maybe 2 ounces and a few pieces of veggies and be stuffed.
Is this normal to still be so limited to eating real food? There's no way I could eat 3 ounces of chicken with a half cup of veggies. I can eat 1/3 to maybe 1/2 of a regular size Panera salad.

That's an interesting idea, but the surgeon I'm thinking about, told me that if I were to split things up he'd wait four months between surgeries. I do know if you do any facial work he'll do that as a separate surgery a few day after your body surgery. Another surgeon I'm looking at requires six months between procedures. I haven't done a consult yet, but with her I'd expect three surgeries. If I had the subsequent surgeries at exactly six month intervals, it'd probably be 15 months before I'm completely done and healed after the first surgery. I haven't made any decisions yet, but it's really hard to justify stretching things out that long unless I'm convinced the results or safety is a dramatic enough difference to justify it. My current impression is that it would be SLIGHTLY safer and the results would be SLIGHTLY better to spread it out, but I **think** both are small differences. Everyone I'm looking at has a great reputation and legions of adoring patients, so I'm fairly optimistic that things will work out pretty well no matter what I do.

Actually...
Our 'pouch' is made from our stomach and is all that is in use of the stomach now. Since we have no pyloric valve, everything goes straight through the pouch into the intestines starting immediately.
VSG folks have a 'sleeve' that is like our 'pouch', but VSG still has a pyloric valve which is the gatekeeper out of the sleeve/stomach. It can be quick or slow. It would probably be quicker than a normal stomach, so I'd say a few minutes.
Tek

Just throwing this out there but if you decide to break the surgeries up have you asked if you can do one surgery with 2 procedures and 2-3 weeks later when you are able to physically over the big hurdle then do the next set of procedures? That way instead of surgeries months apart and going through the recovery twice you just have one extended recovery?
Most procedures after the first week you can physically do most things like get yourself dressed, basic meals etc but still restricted regarding lifting heavy things.

Bypass here but from what I understand liquids and sliders foods (yogurt, Soups, Protein shakes) go through fast as in 15-20 minutes. Water I think goes thru immediately since I can drink 8 oz. of water in less that 5 minutes. Solid foods for me I am guessing around 45-60 minutes just based on when I feel full and when I can eat again.
I am curious if anyone has the factual info. since I am just guessing based on how I feel and what I have read.

My legs and butt went well. Still have 2 drains in. First 2 days were painful. I get half the staples out next Monday. Here are my pre and post OP implant pics! Just done this morning. 450cc silicone. Owies. Also will see if I can post my pre and post OP arm and tummy.....

I am officially DONE.

I am still swollen and recovering as I am only 12 days post op (I think 😊) but a few pic to show progress so far
Before and After

Scar line 5 days p o (looks scary but healing well) lots of bruising this time
 
scar easily hidden by underwear

And if my Surgeon ever suggests I need more work...

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂