Shanto

So it’s been a year (or close to it) guys! And what a year it has been! Who would have thought so shortly after our surgeries COVID would explode and effect all of our lives!
I am so very grateful I was able to get this surgery before everything got shut down though in some ways it was hard to get support that I probably could have used. I also think I might have lost more weight if Covid didn’t happen, as I have been stuck home with a baby, toddler and young child with not much to do in the cold rainy months we experience here in Vancouver Canada. I am afraid if I hadn’t had the surgery though my weight may have gotten worst due to stress and boredom eating.
I have lost 80lbs but I’m still 25 away from my goal. (I was 270lbs before surgery and now I’m 190lbs I’m 5’8 and would like to weigh 165lbs) I’m really hoping I continue to lose but weight is very slow to come off now. I’m trying to up my exercise to hopefully help keep the pounds coming off. I struggle with water intake which is another area of improvement.
I love not having intense cravings anymore and to be able to stop after just a taste of chocolate or a sweet. I love that I can run and chase after my kids and take them sledding in the snow. I love that I can sit down on the floor and get back up no problem. I am sleeping better now and I feel a million times better about myself.
My only lingering side effect is hair loss. My hair is constantly falling out and it’s super annoying. It’s regrowing but still a constant shed.
anyway, where are my feb people at?! I’d love to read some updates to see how everyone is doing.
☺️

I have battled hair loss for the last year since my surgery. Mine was a double whammy of post pregnancy hair loss with post surgery hair loss... it was scary for a while. The worst was between 3-6 months after surgery. Since then it’s been a constant shed but I have tons of regrown... which is good except I look ridiculous with my hair back because all the new growth just hangs down all the way around my head lol.
I took biotin throughout so no idea if that helped me from losing more. I find now (one year post op) iron supplement every other day seem to help with the hair loss.
good luck to you!

Gosh, I forgot about this site! So nice to go back and follow everyone. As per the beginning of my journey, things continue to not go very well and I am fighting to stop losing weight. I have had my MiniMizer removed as it had slipped and also my gall bladder removed. My surgery anniversary will be on the 18th, so nearly a year out 158 pounds down. I really struggle with digestion issues including constant diarrhoea and really poor absorption. Good news is that food aversion (taste and small) has pretty much gone. But now I eat, it overstimulates my intestines causing the above, which means continued weight loss. I have been on a feeding tube for a while and am currently talking to surgeons about reversal. Congrats to all of you with your upcoming ‘surgiversaries’!
Much Love,
Laura

Hi Shanto. My surgerversary was yesterday. I was 266 at surgery and now 180. I am 5’7” with a goal of 155. So 25 pounds to go as well. I too am so glad I was able to have my surgery before COVID hit. I know I need to increase my exercise to keep my weight loss going.

So it’s been a year (or close to it) guys! And what a year it has been! Who would have thought so shortly after our surgeries COVID would explode and effect all of our lives!
I am so very grateful I was able to get this surgery before everything got shut down though in some ways it was hard to get support that I probably could have used. I also think I might have lost more weight if Covid didn’t happen, as I have been stuck home with a baby, toddler and young child with not much to do in the cold rainy months we experience here in Vancouver Canada. I am afraid if I hadn’t had the surgery though my weight may have gotten worst due to stress and boredom eating.
I have lost 80lbs but I’m still 25 away from my goal. (I was 270lbs before surgery and now I’m 190lbs I’m 5’8 and would like to weigh 165lbs) I’m really hoping I continue to lose but weight is very slow to come off now. I’m trying to up my exercise to hopefully help keep the pounds coming off. I struggle with water intake which is another area of improvement.
I love not having intense cravings anymore and to be able to stop after just a taste of chocolate or a sweet. I love that I can run and chase after my kids and take them sledding in the snow. I love that I can sit down on the floor and get back up no problem. I am sleeping better now and I feel a million times better about myself.
My only lingering side effect is hair loss. My hair is constantly falling out and it’s super annoying. It’s regrowing but still a constant shed.
anyway, where are my feb people at?! I’d love to read some updates to see how everyone is doing.
☺️

Glad I popped in to catch up on everyone’s progress! I’m officially 6 months out and 65lbs down. My starting weight was 270 (now I’m 205lbs) I feel so much better in every way. I have had a super fun summer Camping lots with my 3 kids and was able to enjoy the waterpark for once!
I know I have lots of room for improvement, I have only been walking and lifting light weights for the last few months. It’s been tough with having the kids home 24/7. I have had pizza and ice cream but rarely. I know I will be able to workout more once school starts in a few days and my other two are able to go to daycare. Working from home, while having the kids home was challenging indeed but I stayed active by taking my kids for walks and playing with them. Definitely ordered out more then once lol but luckily my kids love sushi so that is my go to take out place.
I hope my weight loss doesn’t slow too much as I still have a long way to go to reach my GW!

Hi everyone!!! Im almost at the 6.5 month mark & I feel absolutely FANTASTIC. I haven't felt this great since I was a freshman in college. I'm down 79 lbs- everyone is noticing a huge difference which is sometimes a bit awkward because they're like "you look so good" and in my head I'm like "I also looked so good before ...or did I?" Messes with the brain and self esteem in weird ways.. Anywho- I have my days where I look in the mirror and feel like I have a long way to go, but I'm actually 24 lbs away from my surgeons goal of 170lbs. Ive only dumped maybe 3 times "non-traditionally" I get the sweats and have to use the bathroom shortly after. I have had episodes of the foamies 2 times though (dry heaving with only clear slimy stuff coming out?). I haven't been able to pinpoint what triggers it, but I definitely hate it. Surprisingly I am able to tolerate just about anything.. don't judge me or just stop reading now lol.. I've had small portions of: Cake, Chips, Fried Foods, Fast Foods, Pizza, Ice cream the list of no-no's honestly goes on and on. You name it I've probably at least had a bite to test the waters, but I do eat clean 80% of the time- which is my long-term goal. I have been working out on and off. I completed a full body strength training 28 day challenge and worked my way up to running/walking (2.5 minutes running/ 30 seconds walking) 2.47 miles using the run keeper app. I then took a break to plan and have my micro-wedding which was 7/23/20! I'll attach some photos. The wedding threw me for a loop and I didn't workout for about a month after that, so I'm still getting back into the groove and trying to make it a habit. So far so good, I worked out everyday this week (Monday-Friday) I want to take weekends off. I have some loose skin that I think will need some plastic surgery later on in life, I'm not that worried about it right now. Hope everyone is doing well!

Glad I popped in to catch up on everyone’s progress! I’m officially 6 months out and 65lbs down. My starting weight was 270 (now I’m 205lbs) I feel so much better in every way. I have had a super fun summer Camping lots with my 3 kids and was able to enjoy the waterpark for once!
I know I have lots of room for improvement, I have only been walking and lifting light weights for the last few months. It’s been tough with having the kids home 24/7. I have had pizza and ice cream but rarely. I know I will be able to workout more once school starts in a few days and my other two are able to go to daycare. Working from home, while having the kids home was challenging indeed but I stayed active by taking my kids for walks and playing with them. Definitely ordered out more then once lol but luckily my kids love sushi so that is my go to take out place.
I hope my weight loss doesn’t slow too much as I still have a long way to go to reach my GW!

I had my 6 month surgery mark on Sunday, and my tele-doc visit with the PA and the Nutritionist yesterday. Everything is on track, which is good to hear; my blood work is all good as far as vitamins, macronutrients, protein, etc. Because I use Myfitnesspal to track food, the nutritionist was able to review my diet with quite a bit of detail, and thinks my carbs are a bit low; sometimes my carbs are as low as 20-25 (but sometimes they are 85!); she suggested I monitor to see if I am tired on the days my carbs are below 40, and adjust.
I can't believe it has only been 6 months...February seems a lifetime ago, given all the ways our world has changed since then.
Thought I'd share a before and after (during? Because I hope I'm not "done"): Before is from a wedding in 2019; After is from a hike/walk on Sunday.

I’m glad everyone is doing so well!! This last month my weight loss stalled. The 180s was the longest month and a half of my life but I’m finally in the 170s with a BMI of 29. Things in general are slower so I’ve been upping my exercise even more to 4x a week and walking 6x a week. I want to lose 20 more pounds for a healthy BMI. My bloodwork for my six month came back healthy so that’s nice to hear. This sprint has now definitely turned into a marathon but I must not get discouraged!!!

Hey all.
Its been about 5 and half months for me. Down 95 since surgery and 115 since January.
Noticed myself in a hotel mirror over the weekend. First time I realized how saggy I've become.
I'm trying to up my weight lifting but its been tough since my wife won't let me go back to the gym.

Glad to see we are still here. Since surgery I have lost 105lbs.Been currently fighting this stall I go up a pound then down then up and down without changing my calorie intake. I drank a beer today to have a lot of carbs. I’ll see if that works.
sw 349
cw 244

I haven’t seen any posts on this thread in a while. I’m down 77 pounds since February but still have about 65 to go. Still working the plan!

I haven’t seen any posts in a while. I think it was such a terrible shame that just as I recovered from surgery covid took over our lives and I am not on program as much as I would have hoped. I have lost 32 pounds which is 32 more pounds than I have lost in 7 or so years so I’m not at a total loss. I have 45 more pounds to go. I am hitting it hard the whole month of July. I hope that will get me back to focusing on my goals.

This comment is not a “nananabooboo” kind of comment. I am 3 1/2 months out of surgery. Vsg on feb 17. I’ve lost 70 pounds. I know, great. Yes, I want to lose weight. It was the whole point. I do not want to STOP losing either, BUT losing this much this fast has been ALARMING. It has also caused some weird chin sagging. There’s benefit to slow and steady. Rebuilding your mental awareness that accompanies good life long habits. It will give your skin a chance to spring back. I’m going to need some after care plastics. I’m not looking forward to more surgery. I hope this was a positive message.

Thank you ❤️ you’re going to do great! It’s hard work, but it is worth it!

Girl, you have lost almost. 100lbs in a year! Congratulations. I am the same starting weight as you and I am finding it much harder to lose then expected. I’m a newbie at this so I don’t have much advice. I hope I’ve lost 100lbs a year from now though!

I am going to have to try upping my water. Getting enough water has been my biggest challenge. I just don’t want it for some reason. I was 270 pre surgery 260 day of surgery (feb 26) and now I am 232lbs. I think I’m pretty close to where everyone else is at this point. I did think it would be faster though. ? Oh well starting to fit into some stuff that I haven’t worn in a while.

I am going to have to try upping my water. Getting enough water has been my biggest challenge. I just don’t want it for some reason. I was 270 pre surgery 260 day of surgery (feb 26) and now I am 232lbs. I think I’m pretty close to where everyone else is at this point. I did think it would be faster though. ? Oh well starting to fit into some stuff that I haven’t worn in a while.

I paid 20,000 Canadian dollars for my surgery. This did not include flights or accommodations. Luckily I work for an airline and my flights were next to nothing. I expect to get back aprox $8000 through our government medical plan but that’s probably it, private insurance doesn’t cover it. So it will be 14,000 out of pocket. I’m sad/ disappointed I had to spend that money on WLS BUT if it helps me get my life back then it’s worth it.

Hey Shanto
I struggle so much with water too. Weird that diluted juice or diet cordial seems to go down easier......I have only been managing 150 - 250 cals a day so dietitian is fine with it just for the calories. I wonder if less water slows weight loss? I am officially 12 weeks today and am down 71 pounds. I have had a bit of a rough run since surgery, but really feel like I am turning a corner.
I am thinking I will need to start looking at calories and macros soon when I start to be able to eat more. I am lucky to get any protein in a day, but really it is only early days and if my body has gotten through the last 12 weeks ok, then I'm sure I will get there in the end! Has anyone else started looking into this kind of thing yet or still in the healing phase?
All the best February Guys and Gals
Loz x

Well, I added nearly 1 litre of extra water intake a day since Tuesday, and that seems to have gotten things moving again. I’ve lost 3 lbs since then! So excited after about a month long stall!

Hey I am going through the same thing!! I also had my sleeve feb 26 and I’ve only lost 13lbs since the surgery. I know I’m not getting in enough water but I am getting in enough protein and eating between 700-800 calories a day also. Going for walks most days but it’s hard when hubby isn’t home because I have 3 kids (now home 24/7) and can’t fit them all in the stroller. So if I do go with them it’s more of a saunter. Now for some reason my back is also KILLING me. Not sure if I strained it picking up one of my kids or it’s something else... but it sucks. I hope we both start seeing an improvement soon! It’s very discouraging.

Yes, I am in it (surgery 2/20/20)!!!! The struggle is real. I can't believe that I'm not losing weight while consuming so few calories a day. Is it because I'm eating real food vs. liquid? Whatever the reason, it's very frustrating!