HappyHikerGal

Fantastic job! Inspiring!

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You ask a great question that most of us had to consider when deciding whether or not to have WLS. I did an Optifast program for 8 months that wrecked my metabolism (500 cals/day for 8 months, duh of course it messed me up.) But when I went to the medical literature, it was pretty clear that WLS gives people the best chance of maintaining a healthy weight, and most do. I didn't make this decision lightly, and I knew that I'd be committing to a healthy life from this point forward. Surgery has made that an easier process for me, and these forums have helped me troubleshoot my own personal challenges along the way. Ultimately, I was confident that I could lose weight doing any number of diets, but what I really wanted in the second half of my life was a tool to help me achieve and MAINTAIN a healthier weight. That is why I decided to have the gastric sleeve surgery. Best of luck to you!

You ask a great question that most of us had to consider when deciding whether or not to have WLS. I did an Optifast program for 8 months that wrecked my metabolism (500 cals/day for 8 months, duh of course it messed me up.) But when I went to the medical literature, it was pretty clear that WLS gives people the best chance of maintaining a healthy weight, and most do. I didn't make this decision lightly, and I knew that I'd be committing to a healthy life from this point forward. Surgery has made that an easier process for me, and these forums have helped me troubleshoot my own personal challenges along the way. Ultimately, I was confident that I could lose weight doing any number of diets, but what I really wanted in the second half of my life was a tool to help me achieve and MAINTAIN a healthier weight. That is why I decided to have the gastric sleeve surgery. Best of luck to you!

I had mine at OCC and had a wonderful experience!

You ask a great question that most of us had to consider when deciding whether or not to have WLS. I did an Optifast program for 8 months that wrecked my metabolism (500 cals/day for 8 months, duh of course it messed me up.) But when I went to the medical literature, it was pretty clear that WLS gives people the best chance of maintaining a healthy weight, and most do. I didn't make this decision lightly, and I knew that I'd be committing to a healthy life from this point forward. Surgery has made that an easier process for me, and these forums have helped me troubleshoot my own personal challenges along the way. Ultimately, I was confident that I could lose weight doing any number of diets, but what I really wanted in the second half of my life was a tool to help me achieve and MAINTAIN a healthier weight. That is why I decided to have the gastric sleeve surgery. Best of luck to you!

You ask a great question that most of us had to consider when deciding whether or not to have WLS. I did an Optifast program for 8 months that wrecked my metabolism (500 cals/day for 8 months, duh of course it messed me up.) But when I went to the medical literature, it was pretty clear that WLS gives people the best chance of maintaining a healthy weight, and most do. I didn't make this decision lightly, and I knew that I'd be committing to a healthy life from this point forward. Surgery has made that an easier process for me, and these forums have helped me troubleshoot my own personal challenges along the way. Ultimately, I was confident that I could lose weight doing any number of diets, but what I really wanted in the second half of my life was a tool to help me achieve and MAINTAIN a healthier weight. That is why I decided to have the gastric sleeve surgery. Best of luck to you!

Now 10 months post op and down 109lbs from my peak. Calories are edging higher now in the 1200-1600 range. With respect to meals my brain feels totally retrained on how much to eat. My challenges are sugar and slider food which is extremely calorie dense but not offering the same restriction. Below is my weekly chart to give everyone a sense of what the rate of loss looks like. Still not exercising as much as I should which is the last thing hindering my progress. I am quite good at making excuses not to do actual exercise and much prefer things activity based.

The restricted calorie intake is only for the first couple of months until your stomach has healed, and you are eventually able to eat a normal diet, just in smaller amounts of food “per sitting”. However just because your stomach is much smaller, you can still pack a hefty number of calories by the end of the day and eventually GAIN weight post-op. You must think of the surgery as a tool and not a “cure all” answer to lifelong weight management. Please review the information in the link below, I am sure the info will help answer many of the “what do I / can I eat” questions, it did for me.
https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/the-post-surgery-diet-for-bariatric-patients-what-to-expect/

I'd lost 87 lbs at the six-month mark, but then, I started out MUCH higher than you, so that's to be expected. That was/is a pretty slow weight loss considering where I started. But I kept losing weight until month 20. Yes - weight loss slows down at around six months out, but you WILL keep losing if you put your mind to it. I, too, thought I'd never lose all my excess weight at the rate I was going, but I did. Keep plugging away at it!!

I'm not active much anymore but always want to chime in on slow loss threads because I SO related during my loss phase. I averaged 6 pounds a month and had one double-digit month (month one, 11 pounds). It took me a year and a half to lose 107 pounds.
But - big BUT! I've kept it off for 9.5 years pretty effortlessly. That slower loss gives you extra time to work on the head side of weight loss. By the time I got to goal eating everything in moderation was just so natural to me that I never stopped and developed another food issue in maintenance. It's hard, but view this "extra" time as a blessing. Your body will have more time to adapt to weight loss, new habits, and new ideas before you enter the maintenance phase.
And don't be in a rush to enter maintenance! In hindsight, I can say maintenance is the more challenging part. It's accountability, it's strengthening those new habits, and it's for the rest of your life.
Cheri

I’m here to lend support, I lost slow but I did get there. It was super frustrating at times. I started working out and posting here around 6 months post-op and it really helped. I had many months where I lost 2-6 pounds.
Here is my 1 year chart. 8/13/18 to 8/13/19. It looks smoother than reality, I didn’t record the slight bumps up and down. I was only eating an average of 700 calories a day and I knew I had not gained. I had to keep my head in the game and kept record of everything I ate. I still do.

Here is my first before and after photo . I don’t even recognize the before photo and I don’t edit or use tricks to make me look thinner in the second. Hope it provides inspiration for others

I was actually surprised when my surgery/Nut group kept telling me "don't worry about calories, just worry about volume". It's a very proactive university based operations, which seems to be on the very cutting edge of the craft. So far it is working incredibly well. As such, here is the Post 6 week to 3 month plan:
Diet plan: Three structured meals a day (B,L,D)
A meal consists of:
2-3 oz protien (weigh after cooking)
1-2oz cooked or raw veg.
* Portion size will gradually increase over time, but remember to stop eating when you feel content or satisfied, do not overfill. Remember to eat slowly chew well to allow yourself to feel full, before you take the next bite.
Protein: there are no restrictions, but wait 3 months before having steak. Eat a variety of protiens. Protien will be the focus of your diet.
Vegetables: eat at every meal. Limit starchy veg, like corn, peas, potatoes, Pasta. Etc..
Drink 2 Protein Shakes per day to maintain minimum 60-80 grams Protein.
Combined Fluid total of at least 64 oz daily, no caffeine, carbs, sugar, alcohol .
Do not skip meals.
Eat just enough, and slow enough to feel full.
Do Not drink anything from 30 minute prior, to 30 minutes after each meal. Very important!
Do not chew gum (For the rest of your life)
Take your Vitamins and minerals.
So that's it in a nutshell. No calories defined, and I asked several times. They kept saying that if I follow the percentages (Basically 2/1 Protein over veg, with very limited starch) and eat till full, without drinking, it's a slam dunk.
So far, a lb per day like clockwork.
luck!

At one month out 1 was eating about 1 to 1.5 oz of Protein per meal, which is probably equivalent to 1/4 cup in volume (eaten over a course of an hour)...also, sometimes a meal would just consist of a Protein Shake which was about equivalent to 1.5 cups (drank over a course of 1/2 an hour).
Now, however, at 1 year and 3 months, I can eat up to 3-5 oz of protein (1/2 to 1 cup) plus salad (maybe 2 cups squished?) And can probably finish this amount in about 45 mins. There are days however that I feel meh about eating and I eat less.
But you are right about not letting your sleeve tell you when you to stop, as it will probably be too late by then. Pre-portioning your food is great way of control and be mindful of your intake!

I'm only 7 weeks out, but keep private, with the exception of close friends and family. Some of my family were concerned with my decision, but are excited and supportive now. The surgery was a drastic enough step that I am laser focused on lifestyle change at the moment and I am hopefully building a healthy resiliancy to get me to my goal and past the honeymoon phase and into maintenance. I guess I am too busy and self absorbed to pay attention to nay-sayers. [emoji2] I guess sometimes that's a good thing.

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I had mine done Nov 26 and I have lost 45 lbs already

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Hey everybody just wanted to check in and give an up date I am 2 months and 4 days out I have lost 52 pounds so far (I’m stoked ) plenty of inches I am currently keep up with closer now I go back to dr on 13 I really want to be told I can do strenuous exercise now I can eat pretty good now not alot but I eat a lot of cabbage chicken broccoli and eggs like 2-4 bites I’m done for I need to work on getting a lot more Protein  sinceI have slowly phasing out my shakes and don’t want to so I’m glad I’m noticing it but other than than I’m doing good how are u guys doing and what’s been going on it’s u all

Yes! Same here. My surgery was 11/22 and weight loss is crawling now and I'm a little worried too. I have the nexplanon implant and it put a lot of weight on me... I'm scared it's stalling me.

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Hey everyone Happy New Year !
I am 6 weeks out and weight loss is slowing down. Slightly stalling. Very hard on me mentally. Trying not to get too down on myself.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

I had my sx on 11/19. I was doing well in the beginning but as soon as I moved to regular foods.. things slowed. I am still eating healthy. I’m hoping it is just a phase. I don’t know much about the implant but it may play a part. I would mention it to your MD.

We need some tips! Very worried here.

Well everyone i'm here to tell you this surgery works wonders. I was 377 pounds in December 2018. It's now the end of Dec of 2019 and i'm 175 pounds and healthy. I ate nothing but low carb Protein food 5 times a day for the last year and 3 weeks. All i did was walk on a treadmill 4 times a week for a mile a day. I never cheated on my hardcore diet. I've only puked 7 times or so by eating too much since surgery in the last year. As we all do, i had to learn the hard way sometimes. I couldn't be happier and I have hit my goal weight. I am here to tell you if you follow the doctors orders it works.
Having said that i did go against doctors orders shortly after getting home. I was starving (or so i thought) and ate meat from the first week on. Probably not a good idea. I could only get down 3 bites. I had this grand plan to portion out food and bag it up and freeze it so i could heat it up.... it all went in the garbage.
First day after surgery i could only have 3 sips of Water. Stomach made weird sounds and such. I highly suggest everyone takes off work 2 weeks afterwords. I went back to work with in 10 days and i was a mess. I was dizzy every single time i stood up for about a month or two.
Your body will adjust and you have to do the hard work on the treadmill. My back was killing me before surgery. I could hardly stand up to order at least a pound of food per meal. It goes away.... you have to do the hard work and work though the pain. Walk a mile on the treadmill at 0230 in the morning when no one else is there like I did.
It's a struggle but it pays off in the end. Work hard and listen to your doc's. I wish you all the best.
Starting weight 377 pounds
Now: 175 pounds
Waist starting: 50 inches
Now: 30 inches
Shirt size starting: 5XL
Now: M to L
BMI starting: 50
BMI now: 23

This has been the hardest month so far. I had holidays, birthdays, parties and all the temptations of life. My friends know about my surgery and they are all very encouraging, but this one was hard. I knew about the 4-month stall and I knew the temptations of life were coming. I just had a hard month. I threw a 70th birthday party for my husband and I was careful what I ate, but still gained. I had a raspberry cheesecake here for what seemed forever! The drinking, Cookies, good food and parties. I'm am so happy to say goodbye to it all. I'm now walking a bit, my knee still hurts at time but it is getting better. Camping at the beach next week and walking the beach daily. A period to clear my mind, put distance between me and my scale and appreciate the new me. To those starting the journey, it is so well worth it. I told my friends that I had a condition that prevents me from eating what I see. I gain weight, so I had to choose between unlimited food and life, I chose life. I once heard it was only the first bite we really enjoy, so if it is something I really want, I allow the first bite, chew slowly and savor it. That has become enough for me. It is better than total denial. Thanks for allowing me to vent monthly. Good luck with your journey, each of ours is different, with the same goal. Good Health to all this next year! I had no idea a year ago that I'd be here today. My journey started last February with a Hail Mary and now I'm so blessed.

Hey everyone! Wednesday will be five weeks since my surgery. Things are going pretty well. Some days I have this huge appetite, other days, I don't feel like eating anything, so I guess it balances out.
I've lost twenty pounds so far, which is great! Since I started this whole process, I've lost fifty pounds in total. (30 lobs pre op, 20 lbs post op). So I'm feeling pretty good.
Moving in to regular foods now, but the most issue I'm having is getting my Water in and remembering to chew, chew, chew my food.
Glad to see everyone is doing so well!!

merry xmas mike and all my cyber friends out there in the bariatric world you are a wealth of support and know how to make a person feel welcome and loved we are all in this for the long haul keep up the great wok everyone cheers

BEST WAY TO BREAK A STALL STOP WEIGHING YOURSELF LOL THROW THE scale OUT THE WINDOW IT WILL PASS AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW YOUR PROGRAM