JessaK

I’m exactly 3 months out today & down 53 pounds! 40% of my excess weight gone. I’m not new to Bariatric surgery but I had a band before so the weight loss was never fast like this. In fact, with the band it took 7 years for me to master it and loose substantial weight.

I have had my blood work ran last week-holy cow-It was 12 vials! My lab was flustered. I will find out the results at my follow up appointment on the 31st.

1 hour ago, GirlShrinking said:

I have a size 20 that I haven’t fit into in like four years and they fit through the hips but don’t quite zip up all the way.

And thanks ☺️ I think it will too.. just a matter of time!


I have a question for everyone.

Has anyone done a dexafit scan to get a baseline of where they are in overall Body fat and accurate BMI? It gives you bone destiny and everything. I’m asking because I was wondering if it’ll be worth knowing or if it’s just better to get a BMI smart scale and going off that?

Do you carry your weight in your mid section? I did the first time around before the Tummy Tuck. My skin in my stomach never tightened up like the rest of my body. I had to size around it. That resulted in me not losing pant sizes very fast.

2 hours ago, JulieL123 said:

19 hours ago, JessaK said:

In my experience, it took the most to go from size 16 to 14....about 70 lbs. after size 12, the sizes drop faster.

That is what I was afraid to hear.. a 14w seems a lot bigger than a 14r.. can’t wait to never step foot in the Nordstrom woman’s department, Lane Bryant, or Torrid!

When I was a 16 I could shop on almost every mainstream store. I was an XL top.

3 hours ago, JulieL123 said:

Anyone out of plus size clothes yet?? I can’t wait for that day!! How far off is 16 w to a 14 regular? Ok wearing an 18 so still a bit to go!

In my experience, it took the most to go from size 16 to 14....about 70 lbs. after size 12, the sizes drop faster.

I’m down to a 16/18 from a 20 @ 281 lbs. I’m tall and because this is my second go around, I have had a Tummy Tuck. This causes me to carry my weight in my chest and thighs. To compare, I was in a 26 before my band and I was in a 20 at the same weight right before my sleeve.

25 minutes ago, pdamoci said:

I am starting to regret that I had this surgery. My surgery dates was 10/26 and to date I have lost 28lbs which includes the two week pre diet. I had a stall which lasted 2 and 1/2 weeks and then I started losing weight again only to hit another stall now. That being said I have only lost 6lbs this entire month. I could of just done any regular diet and probably would have lost more weight than having this surgery. Feeling so Disheartened and depressed. I started to increase my calorie intake to about 600-700 per my nutritionist and I am walking 2 miles a day. I feel like a freak and don’t know what I am doing wrong.

First, you’re doing amazing! You and Your body is working hard.

I understand it’s hard to see big picture right now but I see the band as a tool to get us through things we wouln’t Have gotten through before. I could commit to any restrictive diet before a loose weight fast but what I couldn’t do is stay the course and push through when I hit my 3rd stall in 2 mouths. I hear your frustration-do you think you would have been able to stick to a lifestyle change right now if you didn’t have the band? I’m not saying that you wouldn’t be able to, I just know I wouldn’t be able too.

I’m also here with the sleeve after a full band slip. I lost my weight and kept it off. I thought I had the tools to maintain this for the rest of my life without the band. I didn’t. I gained a lot of my weight back in the first year.

I know I can do this with the tool because I have done it before. I also know that I will eventually make the wrong choices without the tool.

@ChristieNandez any update?

I never had pain from my endo pain outside of my period until Jan of this year when a golf ball sized endo growth was taken off of my abdominal wall. From there the pain has been off the charts. I had an ablation that helped and went on Depot Lupron to keep it from returning quickly. The pounds packed on this year. I was sleeved on 10/22 and things have been going good but I definitely still have severe hip/back pain. Whenever a flair up happens, I stall or gain weight.

2 hours ago, Yvonne47 said:

Would that be in the cracker isle

At Kroger I find them in the deli department by the fine cheese. At Sams Club (a much better value) I find them in the Salad Dressing aisle.

Oops! Just looked at the label and it is 12 grams of Protein per serving. 25 pieces are 130 cal/8gr fat/0 carbs/12 grams of protein. I haven’t found a more satisfying, crunchy snack, that don’t lead to bad eating.

43 minutes ago, Freiabr said:

Just looking for the crunchy salty snacks...there are some chips there that I might give it a try. Any thoughts?

Have you tried Parm Chrisps yet? I get them from Sams Club. They are 100% parm cheese. Nice and crunchy and the serving size is HUGE. Half a serving size satisfies my craving. I did binge on them once and felt so mad at myself until I realized that my “binge” was 130 calories, 0 carbs, & 6 grams of Protein.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I had the band in 2008 but didn’t loose significant weight until 2013. I stopped thinking of it as a solution and started using it as a tool as intended. It was hard but I lost 100+ pounds, kept it off for 3 years and had my Tummy Tuck. Late 2017 I had a full slip and it had to be removed. I chose not to revise at that time because I thought I could maintain on my own. I couldn’t and I gained most of my weight back.

10/22 I had the sleeve done. I am down 36.6 lbs so far (20.22% of my excess weight)

I’m officially at the 6 week mark today. I have lost 33 lbs & 18.25% of my excess body weight.

I feel good about the progress. I’m happy about it but it’s hard to be overjoyed. I lost 100+ lbs with the band and I remember feeling so good and being so ecstatic about every goal. I maintained that weight loss for a long time but gained it back in the last year when my band had to be removed.

It’s an odd feeling because this larger body doesn’t even seem like mine. I think that’s the opposite feeling that a lot of wls paitents feel. Usually it takes a while to accept the new smaller body.

I’m not beating myself up or thinking negative thoughts. It’s just so different from my last wls journey, ya know?

@amy6152 @GirlShrinking @Hrsnjs Thank you all for your support. I know it came from the very best place.

I don’t think I communicated myself properly. My surgeon was in no way being mean, rude, or demeaning. He told me I was ahead of schedule and told me what we should expect out of my tool by the next appointment. I believe the point of having a weight loss goal for the next appointment is so we both have a benchmark to measure that periods success against. I Met and exceeded my weight loss the first 6 weeks. If I don’t come close then that might indicate that I’m developing some self destructive habits again. He doesn’t want that and I certainly don’t.

My Surgeon is part of a private hospital that only does Bariatric surgery. That means the nutritionist work closely with the surgeon. They are both contributors to an overall weigh loss program. In my experience, they are both on the same page.

While 5 lbs a week is daunting, if that’s what my tool is capable of, I want to meet that goal. If I don’t, I won’t beat myself up but I will be forced to be very honest with myself and reflect on the things that were within in my control.

I appreciate the target that he set even though it’s daunting. I’m confident that he will not shame me if I don’t meet it, he will only brainstorm how to course correct. I’m a revision from a band and although he was not my original surgeon, he was in charge of my fills and maintenance the last 4 years. Under his guidance, I lost 110 lbs before my band failed.

It’s really hard to talk about weight when you have spent your whole life overweight. I didn’t handle my banding like I should have in the beginning. I told myself I was doing everything right but I was lying to myself and others. I was seeking out slider foods more and more until my weight stalled completely. Then I was ashamed that I wasn’t loosing so I didn’t go back for follow up appointments. It took several years for me to go back and be real with myself and my doctor. I ended up gaining a lot of my weight back when I had my band removed because I thought I could battle my disease without a tool & the help of my weight loss team.

I had my 6 week checkup yesterday a few days ahead of my actual 6 week mark. Everything seemed good. 32 lbs lost at 17.8%. Doc did say that he wanted me to loose at least 30 more in the next 6 weeks when I see him again. 5 lbs a week seems so daunting right now because I keep stalling.

16 hours ago, reandrar1 said:

Went for my 1 month post surgery visit down a total of 20lbs that includes a stall of almost 2 weeks of not losing a pound, at first I was hungry, but for the last week I have been nauseous and getting very little of anything in. Maybe 32oz of fluids about 30-40grams of Protein. And only time I go (BM) is when have a dumping effect but not putting much in. I have absolutely no appetite so putting something in my mouth is a real struggle, My Doctor told me to go back to 2 Protein Shakes day to get at least 60g and increase my calories to 1000-1100 a day Now that’s the first I’ve been told to eat more. Is anyone else having a struggle with the thought of eating making the nauseated?

I’m just not real hungry some says. I also had the long stall and had an issue with BMs. I have to work on getting 80+ oz of Water a day and that made everything so much better. My stall broke & I felt so much better.

@kata0683 you’re welcome!

12 minutes ago, Hrsnjs said:

My starting weight of 279 was when I started my medically supervised diet a year before surgery. Day of surgery I was 243. Which start do we use?

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It’s totally up to you! I would calculate both for my own information but your surgeon is measuring effectiveness of surgery so he would calculate off of 243.

9 minutes ago, Hrsnjs said:

Thanks, this was a useful tool. Using this calculation it is 16/102x100=15.686. Did I do that right? My starting weight at surgery was 243. The IBW chart my doctor uses says 131 for me. Which means 102 pounds excess body weight. Seems like my 16 pounds is maybe ok...

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Close! You do your starting weight. Looking at your profile, it says surgery weight was 279 correct? Excess would be 148.

16/148x100=10.8%

My surgeons estimated weight losss for a sleeve at 6 weeks is 10-12%. Then 20% by 3 months out.

26 minutes ago, Hrsnjs said:

Ok so o had my six week checkup today and saw the other surgeon in the practice (mine was out of the country for a family emergency). I was feeling good! He asked me a bunch of questions and then after all of the answers, he basically told me that I had to be lying because I should have lost 30 pounds by now and it's only been 16. I feel like a failure. I'm getting (shooting for) 600 calories a day... realistically I'm averaging around 700. This doctor told me that I had to be taking in 2000 calories a day to not be losing more than I am. I feel deflated and like I've failed. I tried to explain what I was doing and he said he wasn't there to negotiate my diet and that only I know the truth. I mean I lost 80+ pounds on my own before surgery using a low carb diet, I know HOW to do this. I did have a small sliver of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. But come on, that hasn't cut my weight loss in half. I will be glad to see my own surgeon again in six more weeks. I saw him last week and he was pretty happy with my loss up to then. Then I talk to this guy. Feeling very defeated.

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Do you know how to find your weight loss percentage? My team expects 10-15% weight loss at 6 weeks.

The formula they give me is ((pounds lost)/(excess body weight))x100.

Excess body weigh is your IBW that insurance companies use. My doc provided me with mine but you can do a quick google search and calculate your own.

15 minutes ago, CyndieRI said:

8 hours ago, ummyasmin said:

Could you be not eating enough? Like when the body goes into starvation mode and the metabolism essentially slows to a crawl?

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I’m not sure. I saw my nutritionist 2 weeks after surgery and that’s what she told me to eat. And now I don’t see her again until December 13th. Do you know how many calories I should be eating (7 weeks post sleeve)?! I know everyone’s surgical team gives different advice - I’m just wondering what others are doing. Thanks!!

I would call your NUT for sure! She may have some good insight for you. I feel like she could give you personalized information.

My team has me on 3 meals & 2 Snacks a day. With Protein & Water goals and fat, sugar, and carb limits, as well as foods not to eat. No calorie limitations. When you eat within those limitations, the calories naturally follow. My team gives everyone individual protein goals based on their stats.

I lost fast in my first 4 weeks as well but I have been in a 2 week stall. I meet with my team on Friday. I’m expecting them to tell me to increase my protein & water but stay the course.

Absolutely! My situation is s little different than most. I had a Lap Band for 10 years. I lost 100+ lbs and kept it off for years. I had my band emergency removed. I thought I could maintain the weight myself but I ended up putting back on 100 lbs in a year. I was sleeved in October. Even though I’ve lost 36 lbs so far, I am unable to be happy about it. I couldn’t see how bad it was when I was gaining but now that I’m loseing it, it’s very sobering. I suspect I won’t be able to be proud of my accomplishment until I’ve hit 100+ lbs lost.

2 hours ago, pdamoci said:

I am on my 5th week now. Can somebody please tell me about how many calories I’m supposed to be taking in each day?

My NUT doesn’t give me calorie restrictions. I have a Protein goal, Water goal, and carb/fat restrictions. With that I’m given a list of foods not to eat. My center try’s to focus on healthy, balanced, sustainable eating instead of calorie counting. I do know that others have been advised differently from their medical teams.

I went to a private hospital that specializes in Bariatrics. My insurance covered it all because I had met my maximum OOP for the year. We reviewed the statement though a couple weeks back and they billed my insurance 45k. That was for one month in the hospital. I would do some research in your area for facilities that work with cash payers.

My husband & I used to go out A LOT. We travel, try new restaurants, and attend a lot of events. We used to prioritize food and drink while doing those things.

We still go out a lot but now we are going to a lot of shows. Theatre, classical concerts, ballet & the movies. We still go out to restaurants but we are making it a point to try new ones and not go to our favs. There’s emotion attached to the old ones and emotion attached to eating isn’t healthy for me. I get a Soup and have a couple bites of of my husbands entree. We are typically sticking to high end restaurants. They usually have a few broth based options for me, small portions, & high quality food.

I had my surgery done at a private hospital that only does Bariatric Surgery. There are several surgeons and nutritionists. The care is intrigrated from start to finish.

My plan from my nutritionist is a very simple framework. Eat 3 meals, 2 Snacks, 2 hours apart. Eat these foods, don’t eat these foods. Drink X Water, Get X Protein, don’t exceed X fat per day (not low fat). No calorie counting.

I’m not looking to compare but I am truly interested in how everyone is going about their eating plan. What has your nutritionist advised you to do? Is it helping you build lifelong, sustainable habits?

⭐️⭐️PLEASE leave all judgement of others eating plans out of your comments! Just because something works for you doesn’t mean someone else is doing it wrong.