NovaLuna

Giving up soda and other fizzy drinks. I used to live off of them, but, to be fair, there was a two year period 2016-2018 where I gave them up because I was diagnosed with EOE and I was told not to drink soda because it would make acid and thus the stricture in my esophagus worse. So I had only been drinking soda again for a year when I had to give it up again. I knew that this would be the easiest change, so it really wasn't a surprise.

My maintenance calories is around 1700-1800. Everyone's maintenance calories differs though...

I lost 23 pounds my first month after surgery and I was also well over 300 pounds. 20 pounds is good and above the norm for most people. Don't stress about it, you're doing good.

I developed a wheat allergy. What they don't tell you is that if you have a surgery with a malabsorption element then you have a 3% change of developing a wheat allergy or Celiac's Disease. I found out the hard way, but honestly? It's been a blessing in disguise. It keeps me on track. I can't eat fast food which I loved before surgery and eating out is next to impossible because it has to be a place that caters to people with food allergies and where I live we have like 1 gluten free place.

It's normal to fall off the plan on occasion because we're only human. Take note of it and try and be more strict with yourself, but don't beat yourself up over it for falling off plan once. If it continues to happen then maybe schedule an appointment with a therapist to see if you can work through why you keep falling into bad habits and they'll try to work with you to get you back on track (it helps, trust me).

Just be slightly more strict with yourself and wean yourself off a bit on the snack foods. Like yourself, I had some gain back due to a med that I needed for a TN flare (gabapentin) and got all the way up to 197 pounds. I've since weaned myself off the med after being put on something different that doesn't cause weight gain and I've dropped 10 of the pounds I gained as I'm 187 today, but I don't know if it's even possible to lose the 5-10 more pounds I want as I've been struggling to lose any more despite adjusting and fixing my eating habits. My doctor told me today to not stress about it because some of it may be due to my MCAS and some of the issues it's been causing lately. So maybe a part a part of the weight gain you're experiencing is diet, some from the med, and the other part possibly stress? (stress can cause weight gain as well) If you're struggling with getting your diet back on track just slowly adjust it. Don't stress yourself out even more by denying yourself everything just cut it back slowly bit by bit and eventually you'll be eating better and hopefully the weight will come back off.

PCOS can cause issues and make you gain weight even when you're doing everything right. VSG is helpful for many women in helping basically re-set their system, but it doesn't do that for everyone, unfortunately. If I were you, I would talk to your surgeon's office and ask if there is anything that may help or maybe talk to your PCP or nutritionist to get some ideas on if there is anything you can do to re-start your weight loss. I hope things work out for you and I'm sorry you're having such a difficult time!

If you really need to take the meds then I'd just do it. I have dysphagia (means I choke. On meds. On food. On fluids even sometimes) so I can't swallow meds at all. I have to either chop them up into teeny tiny little pieces (which is too much effort, imo) or chew them. I tend to just chew them, even if they taste absolutely disgusting. I have one particular pill that I HATE taking because it has a chemically aftertaste, but it's for my MCAS so if I have to take it I have to take it, even if it tastes nasty. My TN meds that I take 4x a day (every 6 hours) tastes spicy. Like super spicy. As in my tongue burns, but I learned a trick... if I eat a caramel rice cake right after I take it, it takes the spice away. Sometimes you learn tricks like that that help with the taste. If the meds you have are important then don't skip them just because you don't like how they taste. I mean, what would you do if you someday developed dysphagia like me (a lot of old people develop it, so it's possible. I've had it since I was 27 or 28. I'm only 35. It happens. I'm proof).

I'm almost 3 years out and I still can't vomit. I've never had the foamies people talk about either. I've WANTED to vomit, but haven't been able to. Overate a few times and felt so nauseous that I tried to make myself vomit... and couldn't. I gag and that's it. It's reason number 1 as to why I watch how much and how quickly I eat very, very, very closely because if I overeat I feel nauseous for HOURS and nothing helps. So I think it's really person to person on what'll happen over time. One day you may actually be able to vomit. I'm wondering if that day will ever come for me... (is it weird that I'd be happy to actually be able to vomit?)

I chose my goal weight because I thought back to when I was last happy about my size. That was when I was 12 or 13 and was a size 16. I was in the 180 pounds range at the time so that became my goal weight. The funny thing is... I reached that weight and wear a size 12 in jeans and medium in tops (still do, even with some weight gained back) so despite being the same height and weight as I was back then... I'm smaller. It was a happy surprise. And also, I guess I was right on the money to choose the goal that I did because as soon as I hit 175, my body was like 'okay, maintenance now' and I didn't lose a single pound more. I have gained some weight back though due to meds and I suppose partially due to my being almost 3 years post op, but I'm working on trying to lose at LEAST another 5 pounds of what I gained back (I'm 188 pounds according to when I weighed myself about two hours ago).

They're really high in sodium, but if your nutritionist doesn't have an issue with it and you're on solid food then it should be fine.

Literally the only thing that I wish they would have told me is that there is a 3% chance that you can develop a wheat allergy or celiac disease with any surgery that has malabsorption. I developed a wheat allergy and it completely blindsided me. I have crappy luck so had I known I would have expected it. Still would have done the surgery, but I would have expected it (not joking about the crappy luck. I had an MVD in 2017 and there is only a 1% chance of getting meningitis and guess what? I got meningitis. Yeah, my luck is crap). Also the hilarity of me having to call the bariatric surgeon because I was having chronic Constipation and their confusion because they'd never had a patient with my surgery have that issue as it's generally the opposite (diarrhea) made my day. I laughed so much when the doctor had trouble processing that (I absorb Iron really, really, really well so the fact that I was taking 3 iron multi's is what caused that issue. I now take 1 iron multi and 2 non-iron multi's and my iron level is the high side of normal... yeah). Also, keep in mind that everyone loses at their own pace and try not to compare yourself to others. You'll get there. It may be slower than someone else that started at the same time, but you could actually lose more than them in the end. You could also be a chronic staller (that was me. I've never met anyone who stalled as much as me) and that is incredibly frustrating (oh, the stress and frustration!), but it happens. And yes, even if you're not a chronic staller, stalls DO happen and are 100% normal (generally can last up to 3 weeks. Though some can last longer as I had a few that lasted in the 40 day range. No joke.).

As mentioned above you probably are gaining muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. As long as something is moving (inches) then you ARE losing. If nothing moves at all then it would be maintenance, but I don't think you're there quite yet. I'd say not to stress about it, but I'm sure it's next to impossible not to.

I've not vomited even once since my surgery. I don't think I can, actually. When I overeat (which is rare, thank goodness because I take note when I start to get full unless I eat too fast and then I'm screwed) I feel uncomfortably full, nauseous, and want to vomit soooooo bad, but I can't and I end up feeling that way for HOURS after the fact. That's why I try and continue to eat slow because every single time I've overeaten has been because I ate too fast. Head hunger for me usually happens when I'm bored. I try to just drink when that happens because if your stomach is full of Fluid you don't feel hungry (unless you're ACTUALLY hungry. It's a good way to tell, tbh).

It gets easier the longer you go without them, but once you re-introduce them you have to learn moderation even when you crave them. That has been a learning experience. I'm a stress baker and so when I bake I will call my sister up and give her more than half of what I bake so that I don't eat them all because I don't trust myself not to. I've even had my mom take some of my baked goods to work to share with her co-worker to get them out of the house. I have worked on the stress baking lately and I've cut it down to once a week when before I was baking 3-4x a week and sometimes sending all but one serving to my sisters house or my moms work lol. I made Peanut Butter Cookies last week (because my niece and nephew were coming over and they love my cookies) and am planning banana muffins this week (because my mom loves when I make banana bread or banana muffins and since they eat the majority I tend to make what they like).

People generally get their appetite back around 4-6 months out. Mine came back at 5.5 months out. I do still have days where I have no appetite though and some where I feel hungry almost constantly (I snack on fruit or veggies those days because if I'm hungry I'm going to try to eat healthy in between meals. Especially considering how many things I've had to cut out because of my MCAS 😥).

Biggest Change: I developed a wheat allergy after surgery (3% chance. They don't warn you) so learning to check every label for ingredients so as to not make myself sick has been a new experience in paranoia, and I have to cook every meal in my house because going out to eat is almost impossible when you have a wheat allergy.

Biggest Surprise: My clothing size. When I was in the 180's when I was in middle school I was a size 16. That's what I expected to be. I'm a 12 in jeans and a medium in tops. That was a shock. A pleasant one. But a shock.

Biggest Challenge: I have had a Trigeminal Neuralgia flare since April 2022 and was put on an anti-convulsant (Gabapentin) that caused me to gain 18 pounds. Now that I'm weaning myself off of it after being put on a different one (Oxcarbazepine) I've lost about half of the weight I gained, but am struggling to lose the other half. I stress out over that extra weight so much...

Biggest Personal Victory: For me, it was getting out of the 'obese' category and being 'overweight' instead. I cried.

My Iron was too high as well and I was taking 3 multi's with iron and now I only take 1 with iron and two without. It'll take a while to figure out the regimen that works for you, so just work with your doctor and get their advice on what they want you to try.

So a 'normal' BMI (24.9) would be 159 pounds for me. I was 392 pounds which means I had 233 pounds of excess weight. My lowest weight was 175, but my maintenance weight was 178-182 pounds (though due to anti-convulsant medication for my Trigeminal Neuralgia I gained 18 pounds and got up to 196, but am now weaning myself off of the med that made me gain weight and hopefully the other one I'm on won't do the same thing as I've gotten myself down to 186-191 and am struggling to lose back to my maintenance weight, but I'm also two and half years out so maybe that's the couple pounds they say you gain back... IDK). So today I'm 187 which means I've lost 205 pounds of the 233 excess weight as of right now which I think is roughly 88% of excess weight loss (if I can lose that extra 10 pounds again then it'd be about 92%). My BMI right now is 29 so I'm 'overweight' rather than a normal weight, but I'm just glad that I'm not in the obese category. I cried when my weight went up to 196 because it was 1. too close to 200 hundred and 2. I was briefly obese again and I couldn't get off the med without the approval of my neurologist because I needed a different med regimen due to the flare and he was the only one who could change the meds. So yeah. 88-92% depending on how you count it. I was in the 92% weight loss for 10 months before I was put on the med that made me gain weight and I'm in thee 88% right now.

I waited 8 months in total from my first initial consultation until my surgery and I wouldn't have changed it. Those 8 months helped put me into healthier eating habits so that it was a LOT easier to adjust to the post-op diet then if I'd just gone and self-paid. I also lost 68 pounds in that time. But, honestly, everyone's case is different. You are the one who knows you best and you are the only one who can make that kind of decision for yourself. Do research, make a pro's and con's list, and then once you've got it all in front of you then just go with your gut.

Great job! I cried when I got under 300 pounds since I'd been over 300 pounds for about 15 years. I was so happy that I shared it with my entire family and all my friends lol. It's a great feeling and you'll know what I'm talking about soon!

I hit my first stall at the three month mark and stalled for 3 weeks. After that I was a chronic staller and had to fight for every pound. Stalls are fairly normal. They happen. Having as many stalls as I had is not normal so you'll likely be fine and not stall as much as I did. But yeah, it's just your body readjusting itself. It'll likely happen a few more times in your journey. I'd say to try not to stress about it, but from experience all I did was stress so...

I did a pre-pre-op diet where I basically weaned myself off of all my go-to foods so it made the diet more bearable. It wasn't fun, but I got through it (and lost 18 pounds in that 2 week time span). I hope everything goes well for you and as it was stated earlier... the first three or four days is definitely the most difficult.

I was diagnosed with EOE in 2015. I had the Loop DS surgery (which has a sleeved stomach). I haven't had GERD issues at all. I actually took less antiacid then before, but due to being diagnosed with MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) I had to go back to taking the amount I used to.

And, as a side note, I want to yell at my (former, they retired) gastroenterologist for never warning me that EOE increases your risks of getting MCAS. I had to be told that by my dermatologist who diagnosed me (he said he's been getting more and more people who were diagnosed with EOE to now find that they also now have MCAS a few years after their initial diagnosis). So yeah. If you start getting hives, breaking out in really itchy rashes, have joint pain, chronic fatigue, get a pins and needles sensation in your hands and feet (and have them turn red), have the hives or a rash crawl up your neck and face and make you feel like your throat is closing up... yeah, that's MCAS. It sucks. My EOE also gave me dysphagia, which is swallowing issues (I can't swallow pills at all. Even tiny ones, because I choke on them.) which the bright side to that is that I was already used to eating slow and chewing my food really, really, really well because I'd choke if I didn't so the chewing and taking our time eating transition wasn't even a transition (I'd already been eating that way for years).

I chose the Loop DS (virgin surgery not revision) for myself because of what the surgeons themselves were saying about common issues with the original DS (diarrhea). That was the only reason I choose the Loop DS lol. I met my goal weight (even if I'm currently up 6 pounds due to meds I'm taking, but I WAS up 18 pounds and dropped 12 so... I guess I can deal with 6 pounds. I'll lose it eventually. Or try to.). If I had to do it all over again... I would probably do the traditional DS. Simply because you lose a tad bit more weight with the traditional (according to my surgeon. It's supposedly only a tiny bit, but still) and I wonder if I'd picked it if I would have been able to get closer to a 'normal' BMI. I'm still technically 'overweight' but I figure if I ever do skin removal I'll probably lose a good 10-20 pounds of loose skin and even if I'd STILL be 'overweight' at least I'd be in spitting distance of a 'normal' BMI (I have no idea why I'm putting it in quotations...😓 I can't stop myself 😅). Anyway, you go with your gut instincts. The surgery is for you and you're the one who has to live with it so trust in whatever you decide to do.