ms.sss

6 hours ago, Ekaterina said:

Thank you for your reply!

But do you think this is even possible to gain such an amount of weight taking into account my stomach capacity was greatly reduced + dumping syndrome? For now I am struggling to gain even 2-4 lbs while more than 20 months since the surgery passed already.

anything is possible. i mean a one of those double chocolate frappacino cremes from starbucks are like 520 calories each. one 100g bag of Pork rinds is like 650 calories. neither of which take up a lot of room in your stomach. and thats just 2 things...there a whole day to pack in more.

just ask the multitude of folks on here who report most (if not all) of their weight loss regain.

trust me, its not hard to regain weight. especially if you actually really want to (the majority of those who regain dont actually want to, but do anyway...so imagine what can be accomplished if you put effort into it)

i would ask you to reconsider your position, but does't sound like that is what you want here? or maybe it is? im not sure.

in any case, speak with a professional to help you achieve your goals as safely and "healthily" as you can.

9 hours ago, Ekaterina said:

260 is my ideal goal of gaining back.

I was 300 before, 130 now and want to gain up to 260 lbs. I know it might sound weird, but I was really comfortable at that weight and want to get it back as now I have a child (could not get pregnant before the surgery because of the excess weight).

ok.

well if that is what u want, then so be it. we all have our reasons for what we want, which may or mat not be understood by others. that's life, as they say!

with that said, to gain 130lbs (from ur current weight of 130 to your goal of 260) will likely take a considerable amount of effort to gain HEALTHILY. i would suggest working with a professional to form a plan to gain this amount of weight while maintaining a relatively good level of "health".

there is also the "easy" way to gain weight, by just eating low-volume, high-calorie foods. think: all thinks considered "junk": fast food, candy, dessert, fatty foods, liquid calories (pop, juice, alcohol) etc.

you may be compromising your health and longevity, but i mean if a higher weight is what YOU want, then go for it. you know yourself best.

good luck!

clarification: do you mean to say ur goal is 260lbs? or did you mean 160lbs?

On 6/30/2025 at 7:59 AM, VGRaluca said:

I try to eat small portions, but sometimes I snack too much or drink calories without realizing it. I’m worried my sleeve has stretched or that I’ve slipped back into bad habits.

i am a big proponent of food tracking...but im anal and love spreadsheets and data so its actually kinda fun for me.

so i get that its not for everyone and may actually be harmful for some in terms of anxiety, et. al.

BUT...if you can commit to tracking everything you put in your mouth for a week (preferably two!) you can determine exactly what your habits are instead of guessing that you are "mostly on track". you will be surprised how much we underestimate what we eat (and for this very reason i used to always OVER-estimate everything i track/tracked).

hopefully this data/info you collect can help you come up with a plan for YOU.

but yeah, it takes a bit of commitment and effort.

if this is not for you, the simplified version of my advice would be to do something else if the thing you are doing is not working.

good luck! ❤️

helloooo fellow Torontonian! ❤️

re: specific program inquiry, if you are going through the OBN (Ontario Bariatric Network) your whole plan/program/schedule will be outlined for you. in my opinion, the program and guidelines are very generic and are applied to EVERYONE, so its not the greatest at taking individual needs into account. im a natural DIY-er, so i took what they prescribed and determined for myself what worked for ME and just left the rest. personally i think this is the best M.O., but i get its not in everyone's wheelhouse.

my best advice would be: keep doing what works until it doesn't, then find something else that does.

re: smoking: i was smoke free for about 10 yrs when i had wls (prior to that i was a pack a day smoker for about 20+ years. one year post wls i started again (i was on vacay and thought "one couldn't hurt", ha!) that ended up with smoking a pack a day again from 2019-2023. been smoke free since (again).

as we all know, you will only succeed in quitting if you ACTUALLY, REALLY, WANT to. both times i quit it was cold turkey. both times because i had a minor health scare and i ended up pondering my mortality. hopefully you will find the impetus to quitting...its hard (i know!). do the best you can....you may fall off the wagon a couple (or maybe tonnes!) of times, but so long as you make an honest effort to TRY, you are already better off.

good luck! ❤️

yikes! i'm curious...how exactly would they take out the clip without surgery??

hopefully you can find a solution that you are good with in any case and that you can get your arm lift as planned (its a game changer...i totally LOVE mine

p.s. i love your jeans in your 50-yr-old pic!!

what @SpartanMaker said.

plus:

• limit screen time a couple hours before bed.
• exercise during the day, do some stretches at night
• meditate and/or do some breathing exercises before bed (you can maybe even download and listen to some guided meditation)

good luck! ❤️

in the early years, i spent/wasted alot of time returning online purchases because i kept buying stuff i thought would fit me, but was really just too big. i'm 7 yrs post op this year, and i've since learned to check the measurements associated with the sizes before i buy. i'm used to ordering xs/xxs now. but before it used to blow my mind that i would fit into these tiny sizes. as with all things, give it some time and you'll get used to it as it becomes your new normal.

happy shopping!! ❤️

1 hour ago, NeonRaven8919 said:

Interesting. I always thought cardio burned more fat anyway, so when the doctor said this, I was a bit surprised.

the reasoning behind the advocacy of muscle building is that just the fact of having muscle mass allows you to burn calories by just EXISTING.

meaning: someone with 85% muscle mass will burn way more calories just BREATHING ON THE COUCH vs. someone who has only 50% muscle mass.

the flip side of this is that someone with higher muscle mass tends to be "hungrier" than someone who does not (and im talking REAL hunger, not head hunger), so it takes a bit more effort to not pork out.

in the end, as always, it all boils down to how far and how hard you are willing to go. further, some may have to work even harder than others just to overcome genetics and medical issues they are saddled with.

in short: cardio burns more calories IN THE MOMENT; but weight lifting/muscle building is more LONG TERM. both are hard and require consistent effort. choose your hard.

good luck! ❤️

it may also be your screen time (i mean you are posting this at 1am!)...you can try to stay off the phone/computer/tv for a couple hours before your intended bedtime. it may help....

good luck!

p.s. alcohol always puts ME to sleep. ymmv. lol

pro tip: take lots of pictures (and body measurements) now and during. and save your biggest pair of pants...you'll understand later

good luck!

21 hours ago, NeonRaven8919 said:

Lifting and counting reps is repetitive and boring to me.

...

There isn't really any way to make weight lifting fun or even just bearable for me. It's going to take all my mental energy to force myself to do it.

same, lady, same.

traditional strength training was never for me...i forced myself to do it (the bare minimum) for a few years because i "knew" it was good for me, but i really, really disliked it.

surprise surprise, it didn't last. i stopped a about 3 years ago.

as mentioned above, there are other ways to build strength (and sexy muscles!): i personally do yoga (every day, often 2 or even 3 times a day), pilates (twice a week) and rock climbing (once or twice a week)

you don't have to be a traditional gym gal to get fit/strong/healthy (but it does produce results!)...find something u like and do that. you'll more likely stick with it, which is better than doing nothing:)

p.s. funny story - sorta related, sorta not - yesterday i saw an older couple "power walking" in my neighbourhood. i use quotes here because the were really just walking at a really slow pace, but were swinging their hips and pumping their arms with vigour! anyway i was all awwwww, they are exercising together so they will live longer together. then i noticed the man was holding a cigarette, lol. now, he could be on the couch smoking that cigarette, but at least he's walking! so yeah, better than nothing, ha.

p.p.s. i was a smoker for decades, then not, then again for a few years, then not once more since 2023. i used to have a cigarette after my daily 5K runs...best thing ever, honestly. i half-joked that all my running was cancelling out the smoking. so yeah, again, better than nothing!

On 6/19/2025 at 2:52 AM, Mama_Bee said:

just wanted to get some ideas of how most of you managed to get a lot of Protein in with such small portions.

short answer: i didn't.

i was not able to reach my prescribed Protein goal, even with Protein Shake supplements (70g if my memory serves me correctly) regularly until about 3 months post op.

and even after then, i probably only reached it daily about 85% of the time.

during weight loss phase, i relied heavily on Protein Shakes. during maintenance and beyond, i get my protein from the regular stuff: meat fish/seafood dairy, etc. i also have a chicharron addiction, but i wouldn't advise it during weight loss phase (lotsa calories!)

today (7-ish yrs post op) i"m "supposed" to be getting in 80g based on my current weight (103 lbs) and activity level (alot! ha)...but honestly i probably reach 80g in a day less than 50% of the time. and i seem perfectly fine. so i dunno.

just do the best you can (your honest best, not your pretend best), i always say. nobody is perfect. and we are all so different that what work for me may not work for you. find what works for you and keep doing it until no longer does...then find something else that will.

you may not be getting all your protein in, but if u are losing weight and all your labs come back satisfactorily, then why fix what aint broke??

sorry, just my self-supporting proverbial 2 cents. if my POV flavour is not for you, feel free to ignore...

good luck❤️

On 6/19/2025 at 8:02 PM, ItsMe83! said:

Where does it hurt you when you are full? I feel it in my esophagous.

if i ate too much or too fast, i feel it in my solar plexus area, like it is expanding uncomfortably.

if i ate WAaaaYYYYY too much too fast, i feel it up higher, like near the base of my throat. 9 times out of ten, if i feel it this high it is closely followed by some vomiting.

the goal is always to never have to "feel" it, but even at almost 7 yrs post op, it still happens. i do notice this happens more when im "starving" because i forgot to eat or something and i end up wolfing something down cuz i suddenly realized i am hungry (sounds ridiculous, i know, but it happens to me all the time).

so i "try" to eat more regularly, but this is in direct contradiction of my mantra of "dont eat unless u actually want to". so yeah. still trying to work it all out after all these years...

do the best you can while minimizing the amount of angst you experience, is all i can say, i guess.

good luck ❤️

(sorry, not sure this was vey helpful...may delete later, lol)

i'll be 7 yrs post op later this year and i still burp like a regular teenaged boy (note: im a 53 yr old woman, lol).

its actually much better now, in my early days i burped like a teenaged boy desperately looking for attention, ha!

me, and all those around me (who matter) are used to it.

...and lets not forget good ole fashioned therapy. its easy to know what to do, harder to actually do it, and close to impossible (without help and introspection) to know WHY you can't seem to do it when you already know exactly what to do.

it may (or may not!) help to completely get all the weight off, but it will at least help to calm your mind and be at relative peace if you don't.

good luck!

i had an 8am surgery and was told no liquids after midnight...mind u i didn't actually get on the table until about closer to 10am...

ok...

first: DISCLAIMER...we are all different and will experience life and all its awesomeness in different ways. what *I* go through is in no way indicative of what YOU will go through.

with that said, I am closing in on 7 years post-op (sleeve) here is/was MY experience:

- i accidentally found out that i was able to GULP a whole bunch of liquid at around 3 weeks post op (i was super thirsty at the time), and have no problem doing it since.

- i was cleared for ALL food/drinks at 1 month post op (except alcohol..which was 6 months**).

- i started drinking carbonated drinks (i.e, Perrier or Soda Water) at about 1 month post op) and had no issues, and i could even GULP it! i did not drink sugary carbonated drinks much at this time...except for tonic Water, which i had with my GIN or VODKA. ** i drank maybe 4-5 partial gin/vodka tonics in the time before i reached GOAL at 7 months post op.

- since reaching goal (like 7 years ago!), i have regulary drank carbonated drinks (real sugar and artificially sweetened) almost every day. i also have some sort of alcohol every day, but that's a different story, ha!

- i have maintained BELOW my stated goal weight (127 lbs) since achieving it more than 6 years ago.

- i am currently 103 lbs, and eat admittedly not the healthiest, but i exercise like a m-f*cker so i think it all evens out.

Edited to add: for those that my think i'm like way underweight, i'm barely 5'2" so my current weight is actually "healthy" for my height (at least that's what BMI and my doctor says, ha!)

my clothes used to be ALL black or denim. now its all NON-black (mostly white and cream and beige) but still lots of denim (im a child of the 70s , 80s after all, so, yeah lol)

i am sleeveless all the time (even in winter)

i find that i dont stress about what to wear like i used to when i was fatter, because, really, i look good in anything (yep im full of myself too)

but despite a closet(s) full of clothes (i have a clothes buying problem) im in workout gear probably 75% of the time:

ok. i'm going to go at this a different way:

THEM: surgery is the easy way out.

ME: yep, its definitely makes it "easier" for me than without it. but...why do you want it to be hard for me? do you want me to suffer or something?

with that said, i only told Hubs, The Kid, Mom, Favourite Sister and super-BFF. of them all, only super-BFF leaned SLIGHTLY that weird way in her response: "it's like using CLIFF notes to write an essay. you can get away with not doing the work to read the book." i was a little taken aback with her reply, but not enough to stew over it.

i'm 130 lbs less than i was before almost 7 years ago. i'm healthy, happy and HAWT. are you?

*mic drop*

so...i, at no point, regretted the surgery. yes, it was challenging sometimes, but i had (and still do) have the eye on the prize.

stay the course, keep on keeping on, and enjoy the ride!

i'm 7 yrs post op this year and i am forever grateful that i did all this. yes, sometimes things sucked, but on balance, the totally awesome stuff far, far outweighed the sucky stuff.

life is good. i love it all. ❤️

1 hour ago, Angieee said:

Not from the U.S. I'm from Canada. I might meet the criteria given my co-morbid factors but here they generally do it on a BMI greater than 35. I am currently trying to get a referral to a bariatric center.

hiya! fellow Canadian here!

yes, either BMI 35 + 2 co-mobiditory factors, or BMI of 40 will qualify you for provincially covered WLS. Also depending on your province residency, the wait times vary greatly i hear. I'm from Ontario, and there was a "waiting list" of about 8 months from referral to surgery, back when i had it done (2018).

good luck! ❤️

my 2 (or 5) cents about plastics:

- first, as mentioned above, there is no absolute timeline in regards to losing (or gaining) weight post wls. i am 7 yrs post op this year. i lost what i wanted to (110 lbs) in 7 months. then had a net loss of another 10 lbs over the next 5 years. THEN i lost ANOTHER 15 lbs in the past year alone. for those keeping track that 25 lbs since calling goal back in 2019. lesson here is that it's not the surgery that dictates your weight, is your lifestyle and genetics.

- second, i had plastics 1 year after wls surgery. i would have had it earlier, but my surgeon of choice was booked. from the time i booked plastics to when i eventually had it done i was 15-ish lbs lighter. so there was no "stable weight for six months" requirement for me.

- third, my plastics removed a total of 400g off my body weight (it was basically just skin and little to no fat), so depending on what your body composition is like before plastics, it may not make a difference on the scale afterwards.

- fourth, i weighed about 115 lbs at plastics time, and today i weigh about 100 lbs (dont be alarmed, i'm like 5'2" tall, probably shorter as i'm shrinking in my old age, lol, i also eat lots and admittedly, badly, but i exercise like a crazy person, so it all evens out, ha) my plastics results did not suffer in any way, in my opinion. if anything, the places where i DIDNT get plastics look so much worse at my lighter weight (i'm looking at you inner thighs and butt). my arms (lift), boobs (lift) and stomach (tummy tuck), where i did get plastics, still look fabulous.

- fifth. for me, i didn't get plastics for anyone else, or to impress them, or to snag a husband/wife. i still never really understand why others think i do all my shopping and dressing and med-spa-ing for THEM. i do it cuz *i* want to. i want to look in the mirror and think, daammmmmnnnn. my confidence was re-instated after the weight loss (i can do anything! AND i look hawt!) , with the plastics and the exercise, my confidence level is thru the roof (i can do anything! AND i look SUPER hawt!). aint nothing wrong with wanting to look and feel great. i mean, who WANTS to NOT like how they look or not like how they feel about themselves?? and if liking how you look/feel means you get rid of some extra skin, or pump up your boobs, or lift your ass, so be it. you wont find any judgment here.

be awesome. good luck! ❤️

a bittersweet win: i find i don't need nor rely on this forum as much as i used to.

🥹

i am more and more no longer identifying as a WLS patient nor "former obese person". i'm just me. i find im not so scared about "getting fat" again, and sort of just know in my bones that i've got this, no matter what comes my way.

confidence is honestly THE best thing to come out of all of this.

❤️

im in the midst of a full home renovation and the only thing we have at our disposal at the moment is an upstairs bathroom sink and a microwave.

so thus is our dinner options for the night:

- microwave KD

- canned tuna and crackers

- strawberry rhubarb pie

- (dark) chocolate covered pistachios

- instant ramen

- jalapeño corn bread

- ...and a screwdriver i made cuz i couldn't decide what to eat omg

....ended up drinking the cocktail (natch) with ½ serving if pie, one forkful of cornbread, and 1/4 a tin of tuna. yay me. ha. estimated 446 calories for what i ate.

hopefully i can start eating a little better when my kitchen is fully operational again!