glannin

The only thing that is different now (besides the amount of food I eat) is that I poop only once every 3-4 days instead of daily. You used to be able to set your watch by my bowels, but no more.💩

Here are some things that happened and no one told me about:
I lost my boobs - like LOST them. They are down there somewhere. 42DD to 34A. I have to special order bras.
My bottom is so bony that it hurts to sit on hard chairs.
I had so much energy during the active weight loss and ketosis that I couldn't sleep. I was the energizer bunny on steroids.
I lost my food shelf - you know, that convenient bulge where you can put your plate when you sit in the recliner.
I had to buy a whole new wardrobe. Size 24 pants to 10.
I was actually comfortable this past summer in the heat.... but I am freezing all the time now.
I have saggy skin, but I lost my triple chin, my thighs don't rub, and no more fungal infections from folds and heat. My little grandson squeezes my upper arms and says, "Squishy."
I can't swim very well anymore. I just sink. I lost all my buoyancy.
I had to get a new wedding band.
I found new bones I didn't ever remember having - collar bones, ribs, hips.
But on the flip side, I don't have GERD, sleep apnea, or high blood pressure anymore. My HDL, triglyceride, and A1c numbers are awesome. I can sit in any chair in the room, my seat belt doesn't rub on my neck, I can walk, hike, and ride my bike for hours without stopping, my resting pulse rate is in the 40's, I can get down on the floor and get up by myself, my bath towel goes all the way around me plus extra left over, I am one of the smallest people in a room instead of the largest, my necklaces hang down onto my chest, I can buy clothes in any store and in regular departments, and people call me "skinny." Unbelievable!

diarrhea isn't common. The vast majority of us deal with the opposite problem - constipation! Although that's true of sleeve patients, too. It's not the surgery - it's the high Protein diet plus some of the supplements - i.e., Iron and Calcium, both of which tend to back even non-surgery people up.
I've had no issues with my bypass - well, other than chronic Constipation (which again, most of us deal with). I just take a capful of Miralax every day to stay on top of it.
I'm very happy I had the surgery and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Hello,
I am so glad to hear April is you month. May date is the 7th of April 4 days after my 56th birthday. Happy Birthday to me...This is my gift to myself. I can not wait. I am in Michigan started the journey in May of 2019. Due to my insurance I had to go 6 months in a row with missing any appointments. on my last appointment I gained some weight so they gave me another month, to make sure I was living the bariatric life style...so I did good in November lost 11 lbs. my next goal was to stop smoking which I did (happy dance) and now I have to be 3 months smoke free, hence my date in April. I am very excited to do this I am dragging along so uncomfortably right now... let's do this!!!!!

"My 600 lb Life" is both good and bad - good in that it's exposed the general public to weight loss surgery, bad in that it gives actual bariatric patients unrealistic expectations about how much weight they're going to lose in the early months. One of the biggest factors in your rate of weight loss is your starting BMI. At 320, you're still an average weight loss patient. The people on that show start off at over 600 lbs. With that high of a BMI, they're going to drop 30-35-40 lbs that first month. Although that occasionally happens with some of us "normal" bariatric patients, that is the exception, not the rule. If you only lose 20 lbs the first month, or even 15 lbs, you are NOT a failure. You're experiencing a pretty average first-month loss. I've been hanging out on this and other forums for about five years, and I've been working with pre-op groups in my clinic for the last three years. So many people seem to get down on themselves because they don't lose 40 lbs the first month - and I'm sure that's due to the fact most of their info comes from "My 600 lb Life". Although I've never seen actual research stats on this, I've been involved with the community enough to wager that most of us "normal" bariatric patients lose in the 15-25 lb range that first month. Just something to keep in mind...

Thank you! I’m ready, ready, and ready

Welcome, and congratulations on the first 30 pounds lost on your journey!!!
Do you have a surgery date?
I just joined yesterday and I am also pre-op,
My journey began on July 29th, 2019. I weighted 395 pounds. Through changes in diet, exercising daily, and taking Ozempic—all three of which I call the current contents of my weight loss tool box—I have lost 105 pounds so far.
I am having bypass surgery on February 24th, 2020.
I look forward to following you and your progress as we go on our respective health journeys!

Yes. Absolutely! I've lost the last 30-40lbs with IF + surgery + tight diet control.

I was very hungry in the first 2 weeks after surgery but at about week 4 when I was allowed to go back to the gym my hunger decreased about 90% and since then I have good days and some days that are so so!!!!!!! Overall, this has been a great process for me and I wake up each day with a fight in my eyes that tells me that I never want to go back to the days of overeating and having health issues due to eating whatever I want and whenever I want to.... It is a process and you will find what works for you in this process... So just stay the course and follow the instructions from your healthcare team.... Also, major key for me was you have to want this process to work and fight everyday to make it work for you... Good luck to you and keep us posted...

You are an inspiration thank you

WEEKLY UPDATE
another rough week, but I made it!!!
Pretty proud of myself for not giving up despite stress and sickness. I stayed under 1200 cal 5/7 days of the week and made it to the gym 3 times!!! I was hoping to see better results on the scale, but I WONT GIVE UP. I will try harder this week.

STATS
5'2" / 29 months PO sleeve / CW 173.2

So I lost 2 lbs. Not that bad another 38 lbs to go.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

After much controversy out there on CICO and macronutrients, I spoke to my dr.
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS ALL OPINION AND NOT FACTS
A little background: I have always struggled with my weight since I was a kid. I started dieting as young as 11 years old. After graduating High School I weighed in the 260's and was really unhappy with myself. I had a terrible relationship with food and would go from starving to overeating. I decided to have the sleeve done. I did the sleeve at age 19 in Aug 16, 2017. At first I did great the weight slipped off quickly, but what i didn't realize is that i was losing weight without eating properly. I didn't really track my foods after 6 months and ate whatever I wanted. A little less than 2 years out I realized that I had some regain and again started with yoyo dieting. Instead of dieting I needed to find a new way of living. One of the main things they will tell you out there is to do something you can stick to long term. Otherwise the weight will come back up.
What I have decided together with doc:
I will aim for 1200-1400 cals a day, minimum 60g of protien and maximum 100g of healthy wholegrain carbs, we discussed carbs for a long time, basically as long as you eat wholegrain healthy carbs and some fruits without going crazy it should not cause me to gain weight. And since I want this to be a lifelong way of living, I have to do something that I can stick too. Although Keto in the past has helped me lose weight quickly, I cant stick to it. I will also be adding 1 cheat day every 2 weeks in which I can have up to 1600 cals and must hit my protien goal first.( this is so that there is no food that I can "never have again")
Bottom line - I will try to stick to these guidelines and see what happens. I will post weekly updates on how I'm doing.
STATS: 5'2" / 28 months PO sleeve / HW 275 / LW since sleeve 165 / CW 176
Sent from my SM-G950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Well, someone found it and posted to it again, so there will be new replies. I don't know about you, but when I read a post, I don't take the time to look at all the dates on all the posts/replies. Especially when I am reading on my phone.

Guys, I gotta get this off my chest.
BariatricPal is a wonderful site that has helped countless people on their weight loss journey. Many topics have been discussed here with some of them being a bit off-color or controversial, but it's OK because we are hear to learn and get help and give help.
But many posters ask honest questions, and some of the responses come off as being judgemental of the poster. If people are afraid their questions are going to bring down a rain of judgements on their head, they are likely NOT to post, and isn't asking questions what this forum is for?
So I hope we can give a bit of consideration when we respond to a question. Opinions are definitely OK, but if the post comes off as judgemental people may be hesitant to ask them, and it defeats the purpose of this forum.
Thanks, whew-I feel better now. I love you all!

I'm new here and just saying hello. In December I finished all of my preliminary tests to see if I'm a candidate for gastric surgery and met my surgeon on 12/23/19 for my "decision visit." He said I was a good candidate for either bypass or sleeve and that I could decide which surgery I wanted. I elected the sleeve because it is slightly less scary to me.
Now I try to make lifestyle changes while waiting 4-8 weeks for insurance approval. I've already cut out caffeinated/carbonated drinks with the exception of the marginal amount of caffeine in unsweet iced tea. (I had already cut out sugary drinks for Diet Coke a long time ago... and actually being off the aspartame made me realize it is an appetite stimulant for me).
In short, my journey is just getting started...

my insurance company required me to go through six months of a supervised diet (supervised by either my PCP or a registered dietitian). Even though at first I thought it was going to be a giant PITA, I actually got a lot out of it - and I lost about 40 lbs to boot! She had me aim for about 2300 calories per day and add in regular exercise. I had to gradually increase my Protein, gradually decrease my carbs, eat more fruits and vegetables. I also had to gradually wean myself off of caffeine and stop drinking carbonated beverages. I felt it really prepped me for the post-op life. Once I had surgery, the required change in eating wasn't nearly as drastic as it could have been.

9 days post op, down 10 lbs since surgery, 17 total. Knees already feel boney and like I need a pillow between them to sleep on my side.


Lap band 10/2007 revised to RNY 12/22/2017
HW 270
SW 263
CW 256

One week post-surgery and 17 pounds lost, which translates to:
- My belt needs to be pulled one more notch
- Two of my t-shirts are too stretched out and need to be given away

Sitting in a seat on the plane without my hips touching either arm rest!

I can walk up a couple of flights of stairs without feeling like I'm near death and my asthma doesn't get triggered as much either.

4 months post op - I've noticed that my feet have shrunk, I've had to buy new shoes.... also I don't have to squeeze into the chair in my bosses office.

Recent (12/12), but down 30 though not focusing on it. Pants are falling off. I've got a lot of clothes that didn't fit in my closet and now they do so I've suddenly got a wide selection of clothes. I've noticed a bit less back pain too

I had my surgery 12/12/17 and so far
My favourite coat now fits with room for a jumper under, I’m down 1 size in my jeans and my knee high boots are no longer a mission to zip up.

I'm about two weeks post op, total weight lost so far about 35 pounds (28 lost pre surgery).
I can fit in the chairs in the waiting room at my doc's office a little better.
I fit in the seats of my car better.
I'm wearing clothing I haven't worn in years (yes, it was still in my closet).
Parts of my body are getting a little squishier, not so painfully tight with fat.
My face looks thinner.

This week, my kid took off running across the park area near his after school care... and I ran after him and caught him. He was as delighted as I was. I don't think he had ever seen me run.