Deb9386

I'm with you on this. I'm only 5 weeks post-op but have realised things I didn't know before my wls. I thought that I ate when I was "down" or depressed. Actually I've realised since surgery that I want to eat when I'm bored. But I've been more weepy than usual since surgery and I think that the sweet stuff must have been releasing serotonin which helped my mood [although it's hard to tell at the moment as the lockdown /situation we're in here is so depressing anyway]. I doubt that I will become addicted to exercise to fill the serotonin gap as I have never liked sport, so my only real option is not to have the trigger foods in the house at all.

I've kept my wls private, only telling my husband and (adult) children. I'm a private person anyway and don't really feel it's anybody else's business. Plus there's a LOT of judgment over wls here in the UK - the surgery is a lot less common here than in the US I think - and basically you're labelled as a "fat slob who can't be bothered to limit what you eat" and who takes the easy route of having most of your stomach removed! Nobody cares about the research showing that some people are genetically pre-disposed to weight gain and excessive hunger and that the wls actually works on a hormonal level. But my decision to keep it private has been helped by Covid as we basically haven't seen anyone socially or otherwise for months....

I just ate it straight. I still haven't found anything I can tolerate to have with it unfortunately (5 weeks out).

a lot of women seem to have mood swings for the first few weeks/months after WLS. Also, screwed up menstrual cycles are also common. It's supposedly due to estrogen being released - it's stored in fat cells, and with rapid weight loss, it's released. It'll stabilize after the weight loss slows down (which it starts to after the first couple of months. So that could be the causing your weepiness, too...

I'm with you on this. I'm only 5 weeks post-op but have realised things I didn't know before my wls. I thought that I ate when I was "down" or depressed. Actually I've realised since surgery that I want to eat when I'm bored. But I've been more weepy than usual since surgery and I think that the sweet stuff must have been releasing serotonin which helped my mood [although it's hard to tell at the moment as the lockdown /situation we're in here is so depressing anyway]. I doubt that I will become addicted to exercise to fill the serotonin gap as I have never liked sport, so my only real option is not to have the trigger foods in the house at all.

I've kept my wls private, only telling my husband and (adult) children. I'm a private person anyway and don't really feel it's anybody else's business. Plus there's a LOT of judgment over wls here in the UK - the surgery is a lot less common here than in the US I think - and basically you're labelled as a "fat slob who can't be bothered to limit what you eat" and who takes the easy route of having most of your stomach removed! Nobody cares about the research showing that some people are genetically pre-disposed to weight gain and excessive hunger and that the wls actually works on a hormonal level. But my decision to keep it private has been helped by Covid as we basically haven't seen anyone socially or otherwise for months....

I've lost 18 lbs since surgery 4.5 weeks ago, so average is 4lbs per week; I'm walking for about 40 minutes per day but can't exercise properly yet as 1 of my incisions still hasn't healed and also I had a hernia repair and stomach still quite tender from the surgery generally. My dietitian's plan is to have at least 800 calories per day, with at least 60g Protein and I'm just about managing this, though I'd say I'm more usually nearer to 700 calories per day than 800. I just can't manage more.

Wow! Congrats - that's amazing!

I've kept my wls private, only telling my husband and (adult) children. I'm a private person anyway and don't really feel it's anybody else's business. Plus there's a LOT of judgment over wls here in the UK - the surgery is a lot less common here than in the US I think - and basically you're labelled as a "fat slob who can't be bothered to limit what you eat" and who takes the easy route of having most of your stomach removed! Nobody cares about the research showing that some people are genetically pre-disposed to weight gain and excessive hunger and that the wls actually works on a hormonal level. But my decision to keep it private has been helped by Covid as we basically haven't seen anyone socially or otherwise for months....

I had the RNY bypass only last week but had been thinking about wls for some time. My husband was exactly the same as yours - very anxious about the risks of the operation and not understanding why I couldn't just lose through dieting as I had in the past. Anybody who has not been obese/morbidly obese almost certainly doesn't understand the issues around weight gain/loss for those who are. I had various co-morbidities and once I decided that I was going ahead with the surgery, just powered through his anxieties by saying I'd rather die of the surgery than spend 10 years having limb amputations due to diabetes.
The day before my surgery somebody recommended to me Dr Matthew Weiner's book - How Weight Loss Surgery Really Works - and I read this immediately before my surgery. It validated all of my decision making and I highly recommend reading it if you're undecided about the surgery. If you, like me, are a yo-yo dieter who can lose weight on a diet and then gradually regains it all - it will resonate with you and give insights.
Good luck with the decision making!

4lbs a week sounds great , I wish my rate was like that. But I understand everyone is different so...
I am sure when everything is healed you 'll be losing more with exercise !
800 cal sounds fair, I know getting in the Protein is difficult at times.
Keep up the progress!

I've lost 18 lbs since surgery 4.5 weeks ago, so average is 4lbs per week; I'm walking for about 40 minutes per day but can't exercise properly yet as 1 of my incisions still hasn't healed and also I had a hernia repair and stomach still quite tender from the surgery generally. My dietitian's plan is to have at least 800 calories per day, with at least 60g Protein and I'm just about managing this, though I'd say I'm more usually nearer to 700 calories per day than 800. I just can't manage more.

It's miserable at first after the bypass. I didn't have a bowel movement in the hospital, but I did pass gas. The walking really helps with the gas, so you need to walk as much as you possibly can. It sounds as if it's starting to get better as you can keep some pureed food down. I wasn't allowed purees until 10 days after the op; it was just liquids. Hope you start feeling better soon.

Hmm, I’m taking extra iron (81 mg/day) at my endocrinologist’s direction and I haven’t had any bloodwork since I increased my iron. But I’ve read that dark under eye circles can be caused by iron deficiency, so I don’t know what to think.
Between the dark circles and thinning hair, I truly look like death warmed over, but ironically, everyone keeps telling me how great I look just because I’m less fat than I used to be. Kind of a sad commentary on how society views body size.

Ooh, I like the sound of your scales! What make are they?!
I weigh myself twice daily - at night last thing before I go to bed and then first thing in the morning after using bathroom. This is partly because I'm interested in the fluctuations, and partly because in my (35 year) yo-yo struggles with my weight I've found that when I stop weighing daily is when I start putting weight on. Not losing, or putting on a lb or 2 doesn't worry me because I'm charting my food/drink intake and I know that if I eat 800 calories pd I will lose weight over time.

Ooh, I like the sound of your scales! What make are they?!
I weigh myself twice daily - at night last thing before I go to bed and then first thing in the morning after using bathroom. This is partly because I'm interested in the fluctuations, and partly because in my (35 year) yo-yo struggles with my weight I've found that when I stop weighing daily is when I start putting weight on. Not losing, or putting on a lb or 2 doesn't worry me because I'm charting my food/drink intake and I know that if I eat 800 calories pd I will lose weight over time.

Ooh, I like the sound of your scales! What make are they?!
I weigh myself twice daily - at night last thing before I go to bed and then first thing in the morning after using bathroom. This is partly because I'm interested in the fluctuations, and partly because in my (35 year) yo-yo struggles with my weight I've found that when I stop weighing daily is when I start putting weight on. Not losing, or putting on a lb or 2 doesn't worry me because I'm charting my food/drink intake and I know that if I eat 800 calories pd I will lose weight over time.

I have the Withings Body+ scale (in white, matches my bathroom, lol):
https://www.withings.com/ca/en/body-plus
Its a little on the pricey side, though. But there are lots other smart scales out there with wifi/Bluetooth connectivity for alot less...

I followed @ChubRub’s lead and bought a Renpho off Amazon for $23. So far I am very happy with it. I cannot speak to the accuracy of the body fat, muscle, etc. percentages, but it is great for keeping track of changes.

Ooh, I like the sound of your scales! What make are they?!
I weigh myself twice daily - at night last thing before I go to bed and then first thing in the morning after using bathroom. This is partly because I'm interested in the fluctuations, and partly because in my (35 year) yo-yo struggles with my weight I've found that when I stop weighing daily is when I start putting weight on. Not losing, or putting on a lb or 2 doesn't worry me because I'm charting my food/drink intake and I know that if I eat 800 calories pd I will lose weight over time.

I'm 4 weeks post RNY today.
As above if unsure ask your dietitian or doctor, but some ideas:
I'd say log your food and Fluid intake to make sure you're taking in enough fluid and so that you know what your calorie intake is. My dietitian told me about a patient who had complained he wasn't losing weight during the liquid part of the diet and when she delved into it, he was liquidising mars bars. I doubt you're doing this but always worth recording your intake I'd say?
I've always been told by doctors that building muscle can add weight (or mean that you don't lose weight), so maybe your exercise regime is building muscle at the expense of a weight loss? I haven't experienced a stall (yet!) but many people say they do have this at about 3 weeks? Only other things I can think of would be Constipation or fluid retention?
Good luck!

I agree - thanks to all who've taken the time & trouble to reply to my queries! This forum has been so helpful to me - I don't know anybody who's had wls and the hospital I went to is a 2 hour drive away, so no support group locally at all.
Good luck with your surgery - I dreaded mine, but it's been such a positive experience.

How many calories are you taking in? If it's less than your dietitian recommends could you increase it? I'm finding the puree stage challenging as well - some days I add in 10g of smooth Peanut Butter (Whole Earth) to up the calorie count. My dietitian also recommended adding in a Weetabix Protein with 1/4 pint warm milk for Breakfast which adds carbs and a bit of energy. I don't always feel like it though.

My surgery was 3 weeks tomorrow and one of my incisions hasn't healed yet either. It was bleeding and oozing on my 10 day check-up and Doctor re-dressed & said don't worry. But it was still bleeding after some days so I went to my GP surgery (family doctor) and the nurse there is now "packing" it & re-dressing it twice a week. The "packing" involves sticking something into the unhealed wound which will help it heal apparently. Maybe get your family doctor or nurse to take a look at it?

Congrats! That's a lot of weight to lose and you're more than halfway to your goal weight!