brianna_the_banana

I’m day 6 post op & I was concerned about the loose skin as well. I got an abdominal binder to try to keep my stomach tight during the weight loss. But my fiancé told me that working on building muscles is just as important as the rest of the exercising, as it gives something to fill the “empty space”.

We can chat later in the future and I can let you know if anything has worked for me.

August 10th!! I am POD #6!

Hey all!

So I’m POD #7 & I’m starting to get hungry. Not the pains or anything, but I just feel the need to “crunch & munch” on something! I’ve tried ice cubes, but eh.

Any suggestions?

Hey all!

So I’m POD #7 & I’m starting to get hungry. Not the pains or anything, but I just feel the need to “crunch & munch” on something! I’ve tried ice cubes, but eh.

Any suggestions?

Hello😊
I'm still in the liquid diet faze and i am extremely excited to start this journey, my surgery is in a couple days; but honestly all i can think about is the fact that when i lose all this weight my body will be completely different... yes i will be thinner... but what about all the saggy skin after, as well as my boobs what will happen to them... i am single right now and i dont have any kids... but im scared of the future, how will everything look feel, be after all this. I am a confident person for the most part and never had issues with guys... but dating post weight loss scares me... ANY ADVICE ?

Just got off the phone with an old friend whom I haven't seen in years (since I was normal weight), and he was telling me about his current life plans/ projects (quitting drinking and smoking). I should have listened to myself and not mentioned my surgical plans, but I did. Silly me. He had a lot of opinions about it and how I should just do the diet and exercise thing again (knowing I have debilitating back issues that preclude me from doing a lot of exercises, though I do try.) I didn't tell him just how much I have to lose because I'm rather sensitive about it in my in person life. (I live away from my "home" area now and don't have too many in person friends anymore, so I just haven't posted any pics of myself publicly in a while.) He was well-meaning, but he claimed that regular slow diet and exercise means you won't have loose skin.... he has NO IDEA wtf he's talking about. He has a super fast metabolism and has NEVER been a BMI over 24.9 in his entire life. He recently lost 30lbs going from 24.9 to like a 22 and thinks that the reason he doesn't have loose skin is because he did it by being active... I tried explaining that 30lbs doesn't really cause loose skin, but he was insistent. I even explained that I was already saving $ for my PS surgery after but he was insistent that if I did it HIS way I wouldn't need it- even after I reminded him about when I lost 95lbs THAT way (working out about 2 hours per day) and still had loose skin anyway! Thankfully, he picked up on my frustration and changed the subject, but UGH!!! THIS is why I don't tell people- SO. DAMN. FRUSTRATING. Also, mansplaining, wtf?

I am officially 7 months post surgery and am incredibly happy with my progress so far. I'm down 122.4 lbs total, and 80.8 since surgery. A few of my NSVs:
- The arthritis in my knees causes significantly less pain
- I am walking 2 miles most days, and hiking when I get the chance (up to 6 or more miles)
- My strength and endurance is increasing. I still get winded and need to take breaks (especially on inclines) but there's no way I could have done some of the hikes I'm doing pre-surgery.
- I'm down from a tight 2X to a L or XL.
- I have collarbones again
Below pics is from shortly after I started my journey (pre-surgery) to this morning.

O.M.G. L.E.G.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.

Congratulations and welcome to the rest of your life!!! Everything you are experiencing is perfectly normal! I felt like I slept for months!! Constant power naps! LOL!!
You got this!!

♥️ CONGRATULATIONS ♥️

Oh wow. I am amazed that you were able to walk for an entire hour just 6 days out. My first 3-4 weeks - I was so tired ALL the time. There is no way I could have walked an hour until week 4.
I walked 4 miles yesterday for the first time.... usually I only walk 1-2 miles a day. You are going to be a marathon walker by the end of this.
A lot of the rest is all very common unfortunately. I would stay away from sleeping on the tummy until your incisions are completely healed... like 4 weeks, if you can.

good luck i had mine 6/24 and I'm catching it. NO NAUSEA OR VOMITING BUT WAISTING A LOTTA $ ON food

I wouldn't feel guilty over smoking a few drags. Quitting smoking was the hardest part for me in this journey. Yesterday was the Christmas party at work and I couldn't enjoy all the food everyone was having (didn't really want to either), but when I saw all of my friends from work going out to smoke I had a melancholy lonely moment and I went out and joined them..
And ya know what? For me it was the best thing I probably ever could have done. It was gross! I hated how it made my hair smell, my hands smell, I hated the taste it left in my mouth!
I don't really know the mechanics of how smoking can effect our new tummies. However, I do know how much it can slow down our healing process. It's an individual decision to make... But a few drags off of a cigarette- I wouldn't beat yourself up over it.

From what I understand, smoking can really impede the healing process. Big time. You are talking about your stomach here and you are OK with it not healing properly or taking twice as long? I'm sure your surgeon talked to you about this, assuming they knew you were a smoker.
Oh, boy ... I'm sure I'm going to come across as judgmental, but, I just have to say ... if you are not going to be compliant in this, how do you think the meal plan compliance is going to go?
Sorry, but you may be in for a rough road, then.
BTW, I am an ex-smoker and I know the demons. If you got this surgery to make a change, then make a change. If not, then I don't know what to tell you.

Woot woot! So proud of myself for getting through the surgery! This was actually my first. Here are some things that I have noticed, so tell me if you’ve experienced the. As tell!

1) My stomach growls! Like a lot. It kind of sounds like hunger growling, but I’m not hungry. Maybe it’s just my body saying “thank you for finally doing something about this weight”. But either way, those digestive sounds are active and that’s a very good sign!!

2a) The pain is... different. I’ve always been a “stomach sleeper”, but currently doing so is almost unbearable. So I’ve been forced to sleep on my back. That, combined with the ferocious gas that I still have is like a personal F*#K YOU to my spine! Haha.

2b) The pain in the front.. is it even pain? If I’m laying down, it’s like I can almost forget that I’ve even had any surgery. But God forbid that I need to get up! Feels like there’s a cork screw in my right side, going as deep as it can! I think I’ll just stay in bed for a while.

3) SLEEP! Oh my goodness am I sleeping a lot! I tried to get some good exercise on Friday during the day & was able to walk for an entire hour without any nausea or pain! But that night, I slept for almost 20 hours! I have to remind myself that my body is in a state of shock, I’m not consuming nearly half the calories I did a month ago, and that it’s OKAY to rest. That’s what I need the most.

Woot woot! So proud of myself for getting through the surgery! This was actually my first. Here are some things that I have noticed, so tell me if you’ve experienced the. As tell!

1) My stomach growls! Like a lot. It kind of sounds like hunger growling, but I’m not hungry. Maybe it’s just my body saying “thank you for finally doing something about this weight”. But either way, those digestive sounds are active and that’s a very good sign!!

2a) The pain is... different. I’ve always been a “stomach sleeper”, but currently doing so is almost unbearable. So I’ve been forced to sleep on my back. That, combined with the ferocious gas that I still have is like a personal F*#K YOU to my spine! Haha.

2b) The pain in the front.. is it even pain? If I’m laying down, it’s like I can almost forget that I’ve even had any surgery. But God forbid that I need to get up! Feels like there’s a cork screw in my right side, going as deep as it can! I think I’ll just stay in bed for a while.

3) SLEEP! Oh my goodness am I sleeping a lot! I tried to get some good exercise on Friday during the day & was able to walk for an entire hour without any nausea or pain! But that night, I slept for almost 20 hours! I have to remind myself that my body is in a state of shock, I’m not consuming nearly half the calories I did a month ago, and that it’s OKAY to rest. That’s what I need the most.

Both. Lift heavy. Failure between 8-12 reps. If you can hit 12, go up in weight. Finish up with 10-15 minutes cardio. Increased muscle mass revs up that metabolism. Make sure to get that Protein in to help with muscle mass growth.

it's actually a lot easier AFTER surgery, because if you're like most of us, you won't be hungry. That two weeks pre-surgery is tough, though - you just have to white knuckle it. It seems to get easier by the third or fourth day, though.

It’s most likely gas this early on. I did an insane amount of burping the first few weeks (no coughing, though).
I may be wrong, or could just me my own personal experience, but I think burping is par for the course, especially for sleevers (were u sleeved?). The nature of the surgery results in higher than normal pressure build up in there, which can result in lotsa burping (or lots of release out the other end, lol).
I am almost 2 years out and I still burp like a teenage boy. Not as much as the early weeks, but enough to consider it alot.
P.S. I still take PPI’s every other day.

I won’t miss worrying if I will be the fattest person at the party, fitting in to booths, getting leg cramps, sweating, huffing and puffing, shopping only online, edema, swollen ankles and feet, avoiding family gatherings, being 100lbs over my husband’s weight, hiding behind clothing .

Lol, that still happens to me now!

being able to fit on a roller coaster seat with my kids
More energy
Fitting into cute clothes and shopping at regular online stores, not having to worry if they carry plus size clothes

i can sit in a booth!
I can shop in normal stores.
AND I DONT MISS SWEATING WITH EVERYTHING I DO!!!!

A fun thread! No matter where you are in your weight loss journey, what are some of the things you WON'T miss about being fat?
I won't miss:
Wearing black stretch pants every day b/c they were the only thing that fit.
Avoiding social situations (high school reunions, etc!) where I might run into people that didn't know I was fat.
Chub Rub! (even though it's my BP name!)
Hiding from cameras, and worrying about others posting pics of me on FB.
Worrying if I would fit in the airplane seat.
Crying in the shower.
Going to back to school night and watching all the skinny moms sitting at their kids desks and looking perfectly comfortable, while I tried to squeeze one butt cheek on the chair.

I'm sure I will think of some more, but here is my starter list for now!!!

They are having me do the Covid Test next week before my surgery on the 18th. Has anyone else had it done? Is it horrible? Just trying to prepare myself
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