STLoser

I've told everyone because I'm just an open book, and I've thought about this surgery for over 20 years. I'm secure in my decision. Everyone has been supportive. My best friend did say she wished I'd try on my own, but I told her I've tried since I was 10, I know this is right for me and I'm doing it.. She's been supportive since. I can't imagine my mom not knowing, but I'm the only child of a single mom, and we're close. She actually wanted this surgery for me even when I wasn't sure. My husband is very supportive.
I think it really depends on your personality. Some people are more private. What's funny, is while I was in the hospital, I had 2 moms from my son's school take care of me, and a respiratory therapist I used to work with. I couldn't hide my surgery if I wanted to!
I don't care if anyone judges me. They don't have to live in my body!

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OK, here's a funny one. I need to start off by saying that my husband is supportive, thinks I'm beautiful at 240 pounds when we first met 18 years ago, all the way up to when I weighed almost 400. I've lost 165 so far and naturally have a ton of loose skin. You can also feel a lot of my bones now underneath it all. Anyway, my husband and I were lying in bed and talking about my progress and I was talking about the loose skin, and he said yeah, I have a sack-o-Tricia now! Now I know this may sound like an insult, but he was just saying it was crazy how much I've lost, and I died laughing at "Sack-o-Tricia".
And what I love about it is that he knows that Tricia is the person I am, not the shell I am inside. And I love him for that. He's always loved me for me. So it's sort of a NSV, but also I'm super lucky to have such a supportive husband.
I'm pretty darned proud to be a Sack-o-Tricia now! [emoji1787]

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I have a wonderful husband who has always been supportive. He loves me for who I am. I love him for who he is.
I had wls first (over 2 years ago) , and he was my biggest cheerleader. He just had his 6 months ago and now I am his cheerleader.
We did struggle in the bedroom because we were both so big before. Things just don't work the same, not to mention how we had no physical stamina.
So in that respect, our relationship has changed 100 percent for the better!
Otherwise, our relationship is no different than it ever was because it has always been a good one!


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I agree with the others. I only use regular sauces, but I portion them. I don't use them much anyway.
I am very careful and health conscious about ingredients in my food, so I don't like to use anything artificial, or things like high fructose corn Syrup or hydrogenated oils.
I have allowed for SOME sweeteners since my surgery, like Stevia or Monkfruit, but I limit them. As often as I can, I go for real ingredients.

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Oh YEAH! These are great ones. And this makes me think of how some things happen that I don't even realize. Like, you just made me realize I don't have to roll over in bed in stages anymore!
So many things are happening, and there was so much I had grown accustomed to and now that it's gone sometimes I don't even realize it!
That in and of itself is a big NSV!

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Thank you so much. This is probably the best NSV ever for me, because it did take a long time to get to that point of self love and acceptance. I actually reached that before I started my wls journey and it's really so important because I don't think I couldn't have gotten here if I hadn't gotten there first. When I think about my younger self who hated herself for "only" being able to get to 150 and not being thin enough it makes me sad about all the time I missed out on loving myself and living life. It's a freeing feeling. It's never too late though!
I'm proud of how far I've come emotionally.. That's really the hardest part!

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Oh, speaking of jewelry! My neck size has also changed.. About 10 years ago is when I really got up in the high 300s in my weight and my neck got big. It was a 16 or 17 I think. I have a TON of jewelry and none of my necklaces fit anymore. I had to use extenders, but even some of those weren't long enough. Now my necklaces all fit again and I measured my neck the other day and it's 14 now!

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My ring size was a 10 or 10.5 at my highest weight. I have a sizer at home and I checked it the other day because my fake substitute wedding ring that I got when my real ones got too big is feeling big. It's an 8. I measure 7.5 now.. That's unbelievable to me. I haven't worn a ring that small since I was in my 20s! I'm 49.

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I usually have a +/-3 lb range unless I eat pickles lol. I love pickles but whenever I eat them, I always gain 5lbs temporarily. Not sure why because I do eat other salty foods but pickles really do the Water gain job on me. I looked it up a week or so ago, and it said that the average typical and normal weight fluctuation in a adult is 4 to 6 lbs a day. Unfortunately for me, I have to be hyper vigilant because of my history, so if I hit 3 or 4 lbs over my normal stable weight, and if it doesn't drop in a day or two, I cut calories for a few days just in case.

I had surgery eight years ago at age 55. No diabetes, though - just obesity. SUPER obesity. Also, borderline sleep apnea that I didn't know about until I did a sleep test for surgery. I lost 235 lbs and gained back about 20 lbs in year 3 post op (a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain after you hit your lowest weight is very common). Maintained ever since, but it's work. On the other hand, before I had surgery, the most I could lose was about 50-60 lbs, and every ounce of it would come back. Happened dozens of times. So yes - weight loss is sustainable after bariatric surgery as long as you monitor yourself.
I had strictures at two months out and four months out. Very easy fix. The PA at our bariatric clinic told me it was the most common complication, and that they happen to 5% of gastric bypass patients (and if they're going to happen, it'll be during the first three months post-surgery - they're very rare after that). I personally wouldn't call something that happens to 5% of people "common", but that does give you an idea of how common complications are. Basically - they're not very common.
about 30% of bypass patients have dumping syndrome. I've never had it and most of the people I know haven't had it, but some of us do. It's caused by eating too much sugar at one sitting (or for some, too much fat at one sitting seems to set it off). It's because food passes through to your small intestine much more quickly once you've had bypass, and your intestines go into overdrive trying to deal with the sugar (or...fat). It can be prevented by limiting the amount of sugar you eat at one sitting (which we should be doing regardless, even us non-dumpers).
good luck in your decision. Honestly, I should have done it years ago. My only regret is that I waited that long to have it done. My life has changed dramatically for the good. I'd go back and have the surgery done every year if I had to - it's been terrific!

Now, I must say, I'm still 250 pounds, so I have at least 60 or 70 pounds to go to get to goal and actually more than that to not be considered overweight for my height, but I was almost 400 pounds, so this a huge difference and I'm feeling amazing.
My wedding dress is a size 24. I got married in 2006, and I have not been able to fit into it since 2010. It is now too big! I had to get something notarized the other day and when I got out my driver's license I noticed my weight said 350 and realized I am 100 pounds less than that weight now, which was a lie anyway. Lol That is an amazing feeling. I have never, ever weighed less than what my drivers license said. Even back when I weighed around 150 I never thought I was thin enough and always lied. When I renew it, I will tell the truth, because I accept myself now at any weight. It's been a long journey to get to that point.
I got a new dress the other day and thought it needed a belt and the only one I had was from my highest weight and I can wrap it around me twice. It's crazy!
This might be dumb, and maybe tmi for some, but my belly was so big before I couldn't use a squatty potty, and now I can. I just bought one and it really helps with my Constipation. Lol



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I usually don't post here but today I wanted to show my husband my new pants that look like skinny jeans but are really soft and stretchy pants (which makes them more comfortable to wear, especially with boots).
Forgot to set a proper time delay - but I somehow like this picture. 🤣

So? How many calories was that?
Why? Eating low carb is not necessary. Low carb is a trend, just like low fat was in the 90s. It's calories that count. Eat less than your body burns and you're going to lose weight, low carb or not.
Restricting yourself more than the situation calls for means setting yourself up for burnout without it being necessary
No, your body is fighting back. Put a normal weight person who've never had eating issues on a diet like yours and watch them freaking out and getting obsessed with food.
Your body needs nutrients - also your mind needs nutrients (yes, that includes macronutrients like carbohydrates as well), even while losing weight.

Just an update on the expanding science in the treatment of obesity!
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02092-9
https://www.gq.com/story/the-next-ozempic-will-probably-be-a-pill/amp

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/06/23/health/eli-lilly-pill-orforglipron/index.html
https://nypost.com/2023/06/27/new-triple-g-weight-loss-drug-may-be-better-than-ozempic/amp/

We bought this house 5 years ago. Our last house I had heavily landscaped, because I was much smaller and in better shape when I bought it it in 1999. I have barely done anything to this house and probably never would have. I could barely plant a few annuals without feeling like I was gonna have a heart attack Today i landscaped the whole front yard and I wasn't winded at all. I am so happy!!!

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Right now I'm in Florida on vacation and this is the smallest I've ever been on a beach. It's SO much easier to walk on the sand and I even RAN on the sand today. I have not gotten short of breath at all. Last year a month before my surgery we went to Orange Beach, AL, and I had to keep stopping for breath every few feet and it was miserable. I was in so much pain too. swear I feel like a teenager again at almost 50!

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Now, I must say, I'm still 250 pounds, so I have at least 60 or 70 pounds to go to get to goal and actually more than that to not be considered overweight for my height, but I was almost 400 pounds, so this a huge difference and I'm feeling amazing.
My wedding dress is a size 24. I got married in 2006, and I have not been able to fit into it since 2010. It is now too big! I had to get something notarized the other day and when I got out my driver's license I noticed my weight said 350 and realized I am 100 pounds less than that weight now, which was a lie anyway. Lol That is an amazing feeling. I have never, ever weighed less than what my drivers license said. Even back when I weighed around 150 I never thought I was thin enough and always lied. When I renew it, I will tell the truth, because I accept myself now at any weight. It's been a long journey to get to that point.
I got a new dress the other day and thought it needed a belt and the only one I had was from my highest weight and I can wrap it around me twice. It's crazy!
This might be dumb, and maybe tmi for some, but my belly was so big before I couldn't use a squatty potty, and now I can. I just bought one and it really helps with my Constipation. Lol



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Being able to actually INSERT a tampon.. I couldn't even use them at all at my high weight. It was physically impossible to reach!

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I had considered wls for about 20 years, but when in was a new RN in the late 90s, it had a pretty high mortality rate. I didn't have any comorbidities then, at 207 pounds, so it just wasn't for me. Fast forward 20 something years later and I was 393 pounds with a bmi of 69.9 (I'm 5'3") and had also recently developed high BP. I had also been diagnosed with severe asthma that was hard to get under control, not to mention how uncomfortable I was and unable to do so many things because of my weight, although I did a surprising amount for someone as big as I was. Anyway, in January 2020 my liver enzymes were the highest they had been after being high for several years and I got an appt. With a liver specialist. Before that I had my gallbladder removed and mentioned that to the surgeon who said he'd biopsy my liver. At my follow up appt., he said my liver looked really bad and that he didn't think I'd make it to 60 years old if I didn't lose weight. I was 48 at the time. He recommended wls. And for the first time, I had a doctor speak to me with compassion, without blaming ME for my weight and he told me how much safee wls is these days and that it would reset my metabolism. It was because of him that I decided that day that I would do it and I ended up having my SADI-S in July of 2020.
200 pounds later I am feeling amazing and like I can do anything. My asthma is so much better that I don't need to see my pulmonologist anymore, I don't have high BP, no longer pre-diabetic, and my liver enzymes are normal. I could go on for days about all the benefits. It was by far the best thing I ever did!

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Since obesity is considered a disease, how can it be the easy way out to take the most effective treatment for it? If someone has some other disease like diabetes, no one would say they took the easy way out for taking insulin for it.
There's so much fat stigma in this society. We can't win. We don't do anything about our weight, people criticize and judge us. We use an effective tool (wls) to lose weight, they also criticize and judge us and say we took the easy way out. I think part of it is that people want to feel superior and feel like obesity could never happen to them. This world would be so much better off if people would learn some empathy, and not judge each other until they've walked in each other's shoes!

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Now, I must say, I'm still 250 pounds, so I have at least 60 or 70 pounds to go to get to goal and actually more than that to not be considered overweight for my height, but I was almost 400 pounds, so this a huge difference and I'm feeling amazing.
My wedding dress is a size 24. I got married in 2006, and I have not been able to fit into it since 2010. It is now too big! I had to get something notarized the other day and when I got out my driver's license I noticed my weight said 350 and realized I am 100 pounds less than that weight now, which was a lie anyway. Lol That is an amazing feeling. I have never, ever weighed less than what my drivers license said. Even back when I weighed around 150 I never thought I was thin enough and always lied. When I renew it, I will tell the truth, because I accept myself now at any weight. It's been a long journey to get to that point.
I got a new dress the other day and thought it needed a belt and the only one I had was from my highest weight and I can wrap it around me twice. It's crazy!
This might be dumb, and maybe tmi for some, but my belly was so big before I couldn't use a squatty potty, and now I can. I just bought one and it really helps with my Constipation. Lol



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Now, I must say, I'm still 250 pounds, so I have at least 60 or 70 pounds to go to get to goal and actually more than that to not be considered overweight for my height, but I was almost 400 pounds, so this a huge difference and I'm feeling amazing.
My wedding dress is a size 24. I got married in 2006, and I have not been able to fit into it since 2010. It is now too big! I had to get something notarized the other day and when I got out my driver's license I noticed my weight said 350 and realized I am 100 pounds less than that weight now, which was a lie anyway. Lol That is an amazing feeling. I have never, ever weighed less than what my drivers license said. Even back when I weighed around 150 I never thought I was thin enough and always lied. When I renew it, I will tell the truth, because I accept myself now at any weight. It's been a long journey to get to that point.
I got a new dress the other day and thought it needed a belt and the only one I had was from my highest weight and I can wrap it around me twice. It's crazy!
This might be dumb, and maybe tmi for some, but my belly was so big before I couldn't use a squatty potty, and now I can. I just bought one and it really helps with my Constipation. Lol



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Also, even if it WERE the easy way out, which it is not, what is so wrong with doing something the easy way!? So we should do everything the hard way or it doesn't count!? We have so many things to make our lives easier (washing machines, dishwashers, etc) and no one accuses us of taking the easy way out with those. Maybe we should just go back to hand washing all our clothes with a washboard. Wouldn't want to take the easy way out!
I'm sorry. I'm ranty today. [emoji51]

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I tell the truth. I'm a pretty open and honest person, and I don't care what they think of me. I am not a good liar and I just think for me it would be much harder to try to come up with some other story.

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Also, even if it WERE the easy way out, which it is not, what is so wrong with doing something the easy way!? So we should do everything the hard way or it doesn't count!? We have so many things to make our lives easier (washing machines, dishwashers, etc) and no one accuses us of taking the easy way out with those. Maybe we should just go back to hand washing all our clothes with a washboard. Wouldn't want to take the easy way out!
I'm sorry. I'm ranty today. [emoji51]

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