Recidivist

I stopped exercising after a couple of months (I was walking on my treadmill) because of my low energy & low blood pressure. The day I almost fell off due to being so tired & light headed I decided enough.
It’s true. Exercise contributes very little to actual weight loss. But it does contribute to your general health. It also increases your appetite to compensate for the calories you’ve burnt. I still don’t exercise but try to be active in other ways. Dash up & down the stairs in my house. Park further away from where I’m going. Walk at a pace around shopping centres etc. Take stairs when possible. Walk to the local shops. It all helps.

Like you, I did almost no exercise in the first six months. As I've said here before, exercise isn't a major factor in weight loss. You are clearly losing enough weight without exercise, so you don't necessarily need to change your routine during the weight loss phase.
I'm two years out and am just starting an exercise routine to build strength and stamina, not to lose weight. That's something you might want to think about down the line, but as long as your weight loss is on track, you don't need to worry.

Thanks for posting this. there are very few people on this board so long after their surgeries, and many of us wonder what it will be like in the long term. Your post is a valuable reminder that this is a lifetime change in our lifestyle and relationship with food.

I felt the same way. I just had this nagging feeling that something would go wrong and I wouldn't be able to get it. Even on my surgery day, I was sure something would fall through. I didn't believe it would happen until I was post-op! I'm one week out now. Im so used to failing at weight loss, isn't it crazy?
I also only told 2 people, my fiance and another friend who is thinking about the process herself. I've known other people in my family or circle of friends who have done it and suddenly they become the person who had weight loss surgery. It somehow always comes up. Years later. Its not in a negative way but still. I don't want that to be an identifier when people talk about me. I also think people tend to trivialize your journey. They think, ohhh THATS why they lost the weight. As if you went to surgery and ta-da you are now skinny.

It'a amazing how often I agree with Catwoman.
My story is similar. I also told only immediate family and close friends. (One family member and one close friend were extremely critical when I told them of my surgery plans.) I took annual leave for the surgery. When the weight loss started becoming obvious, I said that I was doing a medically-supervised weight loss program through a local hospital, which was technically true. However, when seriously obese people asked me about it, I confided in them about the surgery in hopes they might be inspired to look into it themselves. In one case, a woman did subsequently get the surgery and has done very well, so I'm glad I told her about it.
At this point (two years out), I've been at a normal weight for quite a while, so nobody asks about it any longer (or in many cases didn't know me when I was obese).

I only told my immediate family and close friends. I had my surgery in June 2015 (I told people I was on a "staycation" to work on some house projects). People didn't start noticing my weight loss until October, and I told them I was working with a dietitian (doing low carb) and exercising like a fiend. Skinny people believe that schlock. Plus it'd been four months since my "staycation", so I doubt anyone linked it back. Later on I was more upfront with other obese people (although luckily, I didn't have to deal with this at work - there were no other obese people there) - but I did have some obese acquaintances from other places who were curious. I did tell most of them because I knew they'd never believe the diet & exercise story - but most skinny people do.

Officially....forever. This is the one rule I just hated. I need to drink when I eat. The idea is to not wash stuff through your stomach so fast that you overeat. Also, pushing stuff into your small intestine before it's had any chance to digest in your stomach can give you some digestive upset.
In an ideal world...you should follow the rule, and follow it forever.
That said....I couldn't follow it for more than a few weeks before I gave up and had small amounts of fluids with meals. It's not gonna kill you, but it can make it a lot easier to overeat. If you're watching your calories and limit the amount you drink, you'll probably be ok.
But yeah...if you're looking for a full sensation to help you establish meal times....drinking with meals will inhibit that and feeling empty can lead to overeating and eating too many times a day.
I kinda prefer multiple little tiny meals with fluids....but I do have to count calories, or I can easily end up overeating.

Sheri, so glad to see you back and to hear you are doing so well! You are looking great, and I agree that the new weight is probably the right place for you to be. (I had my skeletal phase as well.)

I was doing about 1/4 cup during the puree stage as well. I never felt hungry, nor did I feel full. It was just a matter of getting in the Protein I needed at that point.
I was never able to make such tiny portions of food last 30 minutes or more. I made a point of chewing everything thoroughly when I got to solid food, but I still couldn't make my meals last long enough. I'm not advocating faster eating, just sharing my experience.
I also wanted to note that my surgeon and nutritionist said that I did not need to stop drinking 30 minutes before eating, only after. That's what I have done since surgery and it doesn't seem to have been a problem. Again, just my experience.

Unfortunately I don't. I had the surgery in the United States and immigrated to Australia six months later.

Wow! Thanks for the encouraging words. I am looking for a surgeon in Sydney.. any recommendations? Do you know someone who had the surgery here?

Hi, Rob--and welcome!
All of that makes perfect sense! Just about everyone here has a very similar story of yo-yo dieting over the years and then gaining all the weight back--and then some. It's also quite common for our friends and family members to be very skeptical (or downright hostile) toward surgery and think that we could lose the weight for good if we just put our minds to it. We know better, of course.
I'd say the best thing would be for your wife to learn as much about bariatric surgery as possible. Do you already have a surgeon in mind? Many of them have classes and information sessions that families can attend. My surgeon did, and that was very useful for my spouse to better understand the process and why it was right for me. If you don't yet have a surgeon, perhaps your wife could accompany you to the doctor who recommended the surgery. My primary care physician also recommended the gastric bypass for me, and I was quite skeptical at first because it seemed so extreme. He explained that I was very unlikely to lose a meaningful amount of weight and keep it off due to my history of yo-yo dieting.
It sounds like your wife is not necessarily opposed to surgery, just uninformed. If you haven't already, you might want to explain to her what your journey has been like and why you think surgery might be the best option. It's really difficult for those who have not struggled with their weight to understand what we go through.
Ultimately, you need to do what is best for you, regardless of what others think. It's wonderful if we can get the support and buy-in of all of our friends and family, but that doesn't always happen. You need to decide for yourself what will give you the best chance at a living a long and healthy life.
Please keep us posted!

I have started a support group on Facebook for all of us February 2021 gastric bypass peeps. Message me and I will add you. My surgery is 2/8/21.... tomorrow😀

Hi Everyone,
I am eligible for a gastric bypass surgery (Diabetic with BMI> 35%). I struggled my whole life with yo yo dieting and my doctor has asked me to consider the surgery.. I am really excited but my lovely wife is not very supportive.
I read about the weight regain and I shared my findings with her. Here's how the conversation went:
Me: "After the first 12 months (honeymoon period), the weight loss will stop and eventually I need to purely rely on the lifestyle changes to maintain the weight. I need to eat healthy (no junk food), exercise, drink my 2L Water, sleep early ... otherwise, I might regain all the weight back!"
Her answer was: " so if eventually you will have to adopt a healthy lifestyle, then why don't you do that now? .. Sure you will need more time to lose the weight but you will have to change anyway and this must be easier than going thru the pain and risk of this surgery"
I am not good at making lifestyle changes (that's why i am obese !) .. if it were simple, then i would have lost the weight already .. i am afraid I do the surgery, lose the weight and then simply regain everything again ..
Do I make any sense? .. Any advice?
☹️
Rob

No danger whatsoever--don't give it another thought. If you are generally compliant with the liquid diet, you'll shrink your liver. One little slip-up is not going to make a difference. (Full disclosure: I had two pieces of pizza at an office party during my 2-week liquid diet and everything was fine.). In fact, I've read here that some surgeons don't even require a liquid diet before surgery. Honestly, I would not even bring this up with your doctor.

No danger whatsoever--don't give it another thought. If you are generally compliant with the liquid diet, you'll shrink your liver. One little slip-up is not going to make a difference. (Full disclosure: I had two pieces of pizza at an office party during my 2-week liquid diet and everything was fine.). In fact, I've read here that some surgeons don't even require a liquid diet before surgery. Honestly, I would not even bring this up with your doctor.

I'm 61, so my skin probably can't bounce back as quickly as yours. Give it time and you may be surprised. And there's always plastic surgery if nothing else works. (I'm still considering it, but I would like to talk to other men who have had it before I make a decision.)

Are you a man? I am as well, and I lost about 105 pounds after bypass surgery. I had lots of loose skin around my belly that hung over the waistband of my pants. It looked like belly fat, but it was really just loose skin. If it's any help, I'm just about two years out and it has gotten much better, although it's not gone altogether. I think it takes our skin a bit of time to catch up to the weight loss. I've been told that weight/strength training would help, but I haven't yet tried that.

I'm 61, so my skin probably can't bounce back as quickly as yours. Give it time and you may be surprised. And there's always plastic surgery if nothing else works. (I'm still considering it, but I would like to talk to other men who have had it before I make a decision.)

That is really surprising and disappointing. It was my PCP who suggested bariatric surgery to me. He said that, given my history of yo-yo dieting, I would likely never be able to lose and keep off a meaningful amount of weight without surgery. (I was the one who was hesitant initially.). I believe that the general consensus among doctors is that bariatric surgery prevents a range of more serious (and costly) medical issues later on and that more people should be doing it for health reasons.
I agree that you should find a new doctor!

Are you a man? I am as well, and I lost about 105 pounds after bypass surgery. I had lots of loose skin around my belly that hung over the waistband of my pants. It looked like belly fat, but it was really just loose skin. If it's any help, I'm just about two years out and it has gotten much better, although it's not gone altogether. I think it takes our skin a bit of time to catch up to the weight loss. I've been told that weight/strength training would help, but I haven't yet tried that.

Definitely a blender and small dishes (so it looks like your portions are bigger than they really are). I had both of those before surgery so didn't need to buy anything new. (I have no idea what an immersion blender is.) And I'll be honest, I've never weighed my food. I could get an idea of how many ounces foods were based on my measuring cups--and after a while I had a sense of how big my portions should be.
As those who have read my posts along the way, I'm not much of a cook and had no creativity in terms of my diet during the weight loss phase. I just threw stuff i the blender or mashed it with a fork during the soft food phase. Everyone does this differently, but for me it needed to be simple. I didn't (and still don't) have the patience to weigh my food.

While I can't comment on menstruation, this is definitely true. Counting and measuring everything becomes an obsession during the weight loss phase, and you can let go of it to a large extent in maintenance. By then, you more or less know what you should be eating and what works for you.

I buy soft chew multivitamins (grape) and Calcium (caramel) from the Bariatric Pal and they both taste really good. I agree that the bariatric multivitamin tablets are god-awful. I take generic Vitamin D gels from CVS.
My favorite Liquid Protein is Isopure Protein Water (also grape flavor). it's clear and not thick at all, which I really like.

I'm celiac as well and have had no trouble (after bypass) with gluten-free Pasta. As you said, however, we need to watch the quantity due to the carb content. Your homemade pasta sounds yummy!