AZhiker

That was me, too. I always saw myself as overweight, but not really obese. Now when I look at old photos I am mortified at how fat I really was. Now it is hard to envision myself as anything but large. I went from a 24 jeans to a 10, and am very comfortable with that. I did save some old jeans and it is really pretty horrifying to think that I could now fit TWO of me into that pair! What has helped reframe my new size is looking at other people at work who wear the same sized scrubs as I do. I used to wear 2XX and now wear small. It has helped to see other people who wear smalls, also, to realize that my size is the same as theirs. It still seems surreal at times, but the small scrubs don't lie. I really am that size. This daily reinforcement has been a positive reality check for me.

15 months post bypass here/ Doing great! A whole new life and loving it!

When I was in the active weight loss stage, I had so much energy I couldn't sleep. I got about 4 hours each night, and still felt like an energizer bunny all day. My thyroid tests were all normal, I attribute it to being in mild ketosis during such rapid weight loss. It was a very euphoric feeling. I was exercising like crazy and still had so much energy. That is all settled down, now that my weight is stabilized.

Yup. At 9-12 months, I could not keep weight on, no matter how much I ate. I was literally stuffing myself. And now at 15 months out, I have started to gain. Others Feb 2019 ers have also started to experience this. I would say, "enjoy the ride while you can," When the honeymoon is over, it is over. Now I am going back to the basics to get those 7 pounds back off, and it is not easier the 2nd time around.

IF IF IF you can handle the fats. Many post op patients cannot. And to state again, fat is simply a lot of empty calories (the most densely caloric food there is) that does not provide nutritional value. If you are getting so many calories from fat, you are sacrificing the benefit of other foods that are much more nutritionally dense.

There are a lot of reasons to avoid the keto fad. You are already going to be in a keto like state after surgery. As you break down the fat so quickly, you will produce lots of ketones. Fat malabsorption is not unusual after WLS. Eating even more fat is not going to be helpful and a lot of it will just pass through. Fat is not going to give you the nutrition you need in the way of vitamins, minerals, and phytonurtients. It's basically just a lot of calories that you don't need and most likely can't even utilize. Consuming a lot of meat is not even healthy and contributes to a host of other health problems down the road. After WLS, you have 3 immediate goals: Water, protein, and vitamins. As the diet advances, it is still water, protein, and vitamins, but in the form of more whole foods. Getting in a lot of fruits, greens, veggies is the best way to get phytonutrients and vitamins for lifetime health. Every bite you take after WLS should be as nutrient dense as possible and have a purpose for promoting your lifelong health. HIgh meat and high fat does not do that.

One thing you will learn is that you have to listen to your own body. If you are more comfortable right now on shakes and broth, then stick with them a while longer. You will not hurt anything by doing this. First goal is to get your water in, then the protein, then the vitamins. My doc would not even let me have pureed veggies until week 8. There are so many different "plans" out there, that you have to realize that each doc is a bit different in what they are asking, but that none of them have an absolute corner on the truth about what is best for YOU at this moment in time. Listen to your own body and advance the diet as you are able. Going slower will not hurt you.

Superman, everyone likes naturally pretty or cute girls. That's the problem. Our society places high value on physical beauty, and not everyone is naturally pretty or cute. By your own admission, you like pretty and cute - not plain or less than average. Women know this and they want to be more attractive......... which is why they have the surgeries. Most women who have plastic surgery do not do it because they "feel they need to be fake." They do it because they feel their bodies need some intervention to meet societal standards of beauty.

Froufrou, Hang in there! I have gained some, too, and I know the fear - like what if it all comes back on???? But we have worked too hard to let that happen. Both of us recognize how easily and how quickly a few extra pounds jumped aboard, and both of us are taking control NOW! Not 50 or 100 pounds from now. For me, I know I started snacking too much and fell into some emotional eating. I also have not tracked my intake very well during the past couple of months. So my plan is to plan and track daily, cut out the snacking, fill up on more veggies, reduce some of the grain based carbs, stop eating after 7 pm, and get back to some IF days. I also got sick and fell off on my exercise, but am now getting back to more. Tell me what your plan is. Let's get this done. We can come out of this pandemic craziness back nat our goal weights and stronger than ever. All is not lost if we learn from the experience and can come back with resilience and a successful new plan. This will not be the only time we regain a few pounds because of stress or situations or illness, so the lessons we learn now will help us down the road. I'm pulling for you. We got this! New day tomorrow, right?

Whats really neat is when people who dont know you or that you have surgery make comments on your small size. I was trying out a bicycle and the guy in the store was holding it for me. "You won't fall, I've held much bigger people than you. You're little." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Superman, I lost my weight quickly, as well, and looked very thin, with my new found ribs, collar bones, hollow thighs, bony shoulders and hips. My spine and tail bone made sitting in hard chairs very uncomfortable. I was eating as much as I could, with a lot of whole grain carbs and couldn't stop losing. Then at about 15 months out, I started to notice a change. My face and thighs started to fill in a bit. I wasn't changing in weight, but it was looking a bit differently on me. 144-145 is my sweet spot. I then went up to 152 almost over night. So now I am watching volume and carbs more carefully. Am now back to 149, so 5 more to go to get back to the sweet spot. I thought I was invincible there for a while - like I had been given a new body with the metabolism of a hummingbird, but I now see that it is actually more like a normal person - (at least not like a sloth as in the past). I just have to eat more carefully now - and more mindfully. Things do change, I just hope it doesn't get much harder by year three. As long as your BMI is OK, enjoy the new body and transformation.

I had to do the 6 month thing, too, but it was a good time to really examine my own heart and decision, as well as research the surgery thoroughly. I watched every You-tube by Dr. Matthew Weiner, read books, and felt that my decision was based on good information and not from impulsion. I went into it scared, but knowing what I was getting into, and even with a couple of post op complications (blood clots and ulcer) I have no regrets what so ever. It has changed my life for ever and I AM NEVER GOING BACK!

I was like that too, Superman, at 6 months, even past a year. Like you, I lost my weight very quickly, hitting goal at 6-7 months. For quite a while I was fighting to KEEP the weight on - I kept losing and was stuffing myself to keep from losing more. Then at about 13 months post op, a few pounds started to slip back on. I've gained 7 and can feel it. So now I am really watching things - getting more exercise, exchanging some grain based carbs for more veggies, cutting out the snacking, concentrating more on eating a prescribed volume instead of chasing restriction. At this point it is all about lifestyle and following through on the healthy habits I learned in the first year. But, there is definitely a honeymoon stage in the first year, and after that, things do start to change. I also think I may be absorbing more nutrients/calories now, and the restriction is definitely less. There is no magic now - just embracing my new body and life wholeheartedly with healthy choices.

I hear ya! I think I am going to cook up a small pan of veggie soup, and it ends up being a huge pot! Same with stir fry, cooked cereal, spaghetti sauce. I guess the good thing is I have to eat the same thing every day for a while so it doesn't go to waste, and that helps with portion control. Nothing like a little boredom to reduce volume and stop eating sooner.

Had my hiatal hernia repaired at the same time as bypass.

I've gained 7 pounds. Yikes! I got sick a couple of months ago and it ripped a big hole in my exercise program, and I will admit to some stress and emotional eating during all the uncertainty of this covid mess. I am upping my exercise now and cutting back on some carbs. Not cutting back carbs as much as eating more of the veggies. Carbs are so easy to consume. Veggies take more work, but they sure do a good job of filling me up with low caloric dense, but nutrient rich food. With lots of veggies on board, there is not much room for extra carbs, so I've got to start prepping more intentionally. I, too, have lost some restriction. I will still get overfull if I don't eat slowly, but I definitely can eat more volume now.

Having a followup EGD and have to get tested 4 days prior,

Target has them for $9.99 as well. That's where I got mine.

Pretty common. Mine started at 4 months. From what I've read, the actual hair loss is from the hair follicles starting to regrow NEW hair that is pushing out the old dead hair. So try to think of it as a positive - you're getting new hair! I had mine cut short prior to surgery because I knew the loss would be less dramatic and traumatic when it started to show up in the shower drain. I think it has all grown back, but it is thinner/finer than it used to be. I took megadoses of Biotin as soon as I could after surgery. I don't think it helped at all. PS: It would be helpful for us to track your progress if you could update your profile.

After losing 110+ pounds, I found myself to be pretty cold all the time. This past winter was just awful. Before WLS, I was always hot. I turned on the AC for the car as soon as I got in, and kept the house at 68 or lower. Now that summer is fast approaching, I am loving it! We are in southern Arizona and we've already had 100+ degree days - and have not needed the AC yet! I am comfortable at 80-85 degrees with the ceiling fan. I can even sleep at that temp, which was unthinkable in the past! Our electric bill is going to be so low this year.

Thank you. This whole situation has created an undercurrent of low level anxiety for me. I am not in any dire straights financially or otherwise. I have my family together and I have enough food and TP! But I feel vulnerable and more emotionally labile. I find myself more tempted by emotional eating. There is a sense of uncertainty and loss of control. It is actually good to see these things surface, so they can be dealt with. I know this experience will make me more resilient and will help develop coping mechanisms to a higher level. Thanks for the article. We all need to use this as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Thanks so much. I needed to hear that. There will always be some who will testify to tremendous weight loss with any healthy eating plan, but when so much is already out of whack, as was with me and for so any decades, surgery was the answer to getting my life back. I think WFPB has take me to the next level of optimizing my health. Cholesterol, all the blood lipids, and inflammatory markers greatly improved with WFPB, even after losing the weight.

You will be amazed. There is a reason whales and seals have blubber - it is insulation! Once yours is gone, your body will be able to actually regulate its temperature so much better. However, this coming winter may be uncomfortable for you. I found myself actually looking forward to summer so I wouldn't be so cold.

Several of the things that happened for me after bypass - GERD is gone. I had developed Barretts esophagitis with a precancerous Barretts polyp. All that is resolved now. (Polyp was removed of course), but all evidence of Barretts has now vanished. With the GERD gone, my asthma is also gone. I had no idea of the relationship between obesity and asthma. And my sleep apnea is gone - no more Cpap needed. Prior to surgery I was taking Aleve twice a day for arthritic pain. I already had gotten one knee replacement and the other was in pretty bad shape, as well. I did not know a day without pain. Since bypass, I have not used any NSAIDS and I have NO PAIN. My knees, back, and hips do not hurt. Unbelievable. Adipose tissue releases all kinds of inflammatory cytokines and I was surprised at how quickly the inflammation and pain resolved. I was able to greatly increase my exercise and finished a triathlon just 8 months after surgery and a 50 mile bike race a month later. No NSAIDS needed! I am presently training for a 100 mile bike race, another tri, and a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon. More energy that I know what to do with. As far as malabsorption goes, I do have fat malabsorption. It just goes right on through. My vitamin levels are fine except for vitamin D, so I am on extra doses to keep that up. From what I have read, the lower parts of the small intestine will eventually start taking on a more absorptive role, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out for me in the future. Complications for me included some blood clots in my legs a week after surgery, even though I was walking within hours of surgery and was doing 10,000 steps by the end of the first week. It's just something that can happen with any surgery, especially in an obese patient. I also developed an ulcer about 6 months out. Both conditions easily treatable and resolved with medication. I hope this offers some light on your specific concerns. I think the biggest thing is to have a positive mind set and realize that this surgery offers you a whole new life if you are willing to seize it. There will be ups and downs, and you have to focus on the ups and learn from the downs.

Bypass was the best thing I ever did for myself - at age 63.