Jaelzion

I'm in maintenance and there are times when I'm going to eat snack food. So it's important to me to find less destructive alternatives. But that's a personal call we all have to make.

Kind of like flavored popcorn. And they come in a decent sized bag for 100 calories and 17 grams of carbs.

It's really common for people to experience an immediate drop in apetite right after surgery. This can last from a few weeks to forever, it just depends on how your body reacts. I lost my apetite for most of the first year and then it slowly returned until now it is about 65% of what it was pre-surgery. When I had very little apetite, it was easy to live on 600 calories and I did for months. Then it went up to 800 calories and stayed there pretty much until I hit goal. I was blessed not to be hungry during the weight loss phase, but some people never do lose their apetite. So you won't know exactly how your body is going to react until you are post-op. But if you have the average experience, there will be at least some period of time when your apetite is greatly diminished.

I'm sorry you're going through a bad time. Three major surgeries in less than a year is a LOT of stress on your body and mind. I lost my mom to cancer, so I understand how the anniversary of a loss like that can affect you. Be kind to yourself and give yourself time to heal, inside and out. I will pray you recover soon.

@Gen71, you have more than a month until your surgery date, so you have time to explore this a bit. If I were you, I'd go to your bariatric program and explain your concerns and how you are feeling. Maybe they can set you up with a psych session just to make sure it's a good idea to go forward with the surgery. I know you said you are in therapy, but not every therapist understands bariatric surgery and how it affects people. It sounds like you are asking whether you will still be able to use food as a coping mechanism and to me that indicates you might not be ready for such a radical change. We've seen an uptick in the number of people who say they regret the surgery and some of them have complained about not realizing what a huge change it was going to be. Best wishes, whatever you decide.

It does get better. 2.5 years after surgery, I can eat a small meal no differently from a person who has not had surgery. I don't have to take really small bites, I don't have to wait between mouthfuls. Over time, the restriction will ease (although it never goes away, thank goodness!)

Hi there - when I got to that point (under 20 pounds from goal), my surgeon did recommend resistance training. Not in order to burn off calories, but to add muscle which raises your BMR. I adopted a beginner's dumbell routine (it was at the height of the pandemic so I couldn't go to the gym) and started doing it 3 times a week. Within 2 weeks the scale was moving again.

I wish there were an easy answer to your question but there's not. In the near-term, you can substitute less destructive snacks to limit the damage. You can eat Quest chips instead of potato chips, sugar-free pudding or jello instead of ice cream, etc. But for lasting change, you're going to need to understand how you can relate to food in a healthier way. Are you eating as an emotional coping mechanism? Are you eating out of habit? Are hormonal fluctuations causing cravings? Some people find a therapist helpful to explore food issues (especially a bariatric therapist). Journaling might help - what's going on around you when you feel the urge to eat? Are you watching TV? Arguing with someone? Worrying about the future? Do track all your food every day - even when you eat the bad stuff. It's hard to deal with a problem you won't confront so bring it out into the open. Most of us who are/were obese have had issues with eating for reasons other than nutrional need. Getting to the root of why that is can be difficult, but lifechanging. Hugs and best wishes!

I had that feeling too for a while, but 3 months seems like a long time. I'd follow up with your surgeon, just to be safe.

Grazing has become my normal way of eating. I rarely sit down for a full meal. Instead I eat around six mini-meals throughout the day. It's the same number of calories because I am not grazing AND eating meals. I'm spreading the day's calories across a longer time period. And of course, I'm eating on plan, nutrient dense, protein-rich food and not junk. I start with protein coffee in the morning and generally finish up with a Dannon Light & Fit yogurt before bed, eating something about every two hours. So far it works for me.

I had quite a bit of post-op pain and I went back to my surgeon and told him I needed stronger pain meds. He prescribed something stronger and I was good after that. I only needed the stronger meds for about a week and then I stepped back down to what he had originally prescribed.

Yeah, that's super common. I have a clotting disorder that wasn't controlled by either Coumadin or Xarelto, so I am a lifer on injectable Lovenox. Raised purple bruises or blotches are normal. Definitely avoid those areas when you inject again, you don't want to inject into an already bruised area. It helps me to inject at a slant, rather than perpendicular to my skin, I seem to bruise less that way. I try to avoid any visible veins. Make sure you pinch enough of the injection site (don't inject into flat skin). Other than that, it's hard to prevent the bruising. But they'll fade (sometimes VERY slowly).

Yes. Yes, they are. LOL 😂

Barbecue. I used to love it and it just doesn't taste good to me anymore. I still love sweets, LOL.

Hello! I'm 5 feet tall and started out at 250. I'm 2 and 1/2 years out from surgery and I currently weigh about 122 pounds. No real advice about sagging skin, there's really no avoiding it. If you're younger, your skin may be more elastic and less saggy. Adding muscle will make you look more toned, but sagging skin can only really be removed via surgery. I just had a tummy tuck to deal with all the skin on my stomach. But I'm fine with the loose skin I have, I wouldn't take back the 130 pounds I have lost!

Being able to shop anywhere (although it wasn't much of a secret, LOL).

I was exactly in your shoes two and a half years ago. I researched both surgeries and I had decided on the bypass because I read that bypass patients tend to lose more of their excess weight. But the bypass turned out to be medically contraindicated for me and I had to have the sleeve. Like you, I was never one to eat large volumes of food, so I wasn't sure the sleeve would be effective. But it was. I was one of the lucky ones who completely lost my appetite for the first year so it was possible for me to eat 600-800 calories a day for months. As my appetite slowly returned in year 2, my calories increased to 800-900. My weight loss slowed down but it continued and almost two years from my surgery date, I hit my goal of 130 pounds for a normal BMI. I continued losing and at this point my weight stays between 120 and 125. When I see it creep up to 127, I find myself immediately cutting back until I get it back down to under 122. It wasn't just the restriction of the sleeve that helped me lose. The surgery changed my relationship with food (I'm guessing due to the hormonal changes from having most of your stomach removed). Even today, my appetite is about 65% of what it was presurgery and I don't have unmanageable cravings. I still like sweets but I eat mostly sugar-free things like popsicles and pudding, yogurt, etc. Once in a while I'll have a treat of some kind, like cake or pie or Bailey's Irish Cream, but it's rare and it's always one treat and then back on plan. I feel like I still have the capacity to be a sugar/carb addict, so I'm careful with those foods. I also keep my carbs relatively low (although not keto-low) because that helps me maintain. So, statistically, bypassers do lose more on average. But your individual results can vary a lot.

Congratulations! You’re a year ahead of me and it’s nice to see you’ve successfully navigated maintenance and you’re doing well. I hope I will have as good a report a year from now. Hugs and God bless.

It took me almost two years to get to goal. My weight loss slowed down quite a bit about halfway through, but the good thing is, it kept going and going until all my excess weight was gone. Even slow weight loss adds up over time. Hang in there!

Yep, lots of ready to drink alternatives. I like Evolve and Owyn.

I'm guessing Namiland has given it many shots over the years. Losing weight is not the problem. Most of us have lost hundreds of pounds, even before surgery. The problem is, we've gained them back, with more besides. At some point, it became clear that the long term answer was not "one more diet". A lot of insurance programs require a BMI of at least 35, or 30 with comorbidities, and Namiland has already been approved. So Namiland, surgery is a big step, you should carefully evaluate whether you're ready to make the commitment it requires. And if you are, I say go for it. And find another surgeon.

We're all over the place in terms of how much weight sleevers lose. I really wanted to have the bypass because my research had told me bypass patients tend to lose more. Unfortunately, it was medically contraindicated for me (I got 3 opinions). So I was forced to have the sleeve and really disappointed about it. But as it worked out, I lost all my excess weight. I started at 5'1", 250 pounds, and over two years I got down to 121. I'm right now at 124. I was blessed that my body responded well to the surgery (even 2.5 years later, my appetite is only about 65% of what it was pre-surgery). I was highly motivated and compliant with my eating plan. My surgeon was aggressive and gave me a small sleeve. It all came together and I'm now normal weight for the first time since I was about 8 years old. So it's good to know the statistics, but realize that they are just averages. You can lose more or less than predicted, based on many factors.

I really struggled with the 10 day liquid pre-op diet. I pretty much ate what you have described. The only thing I can think of, that you haven't mentioned, is sugar-free popsicles.

I did keto for a good bit of my weight loss period (with the full support of my Surgeon). His plan was low-carb anyway, so he didn't mind when I took it to keto levels.