Maisey

Overall, yes, it gets better as time goes on. But there will be setbacks along the way: days you don't feel as good, days things hurt, days a food doesn't agree with you, etc. On top of that, right now you are still healing and your body is wondering what the heck is going on.

well, it’s been one week,
I went to my Back doctor, because I had spinal stenosis in the lower back for about three years,
Tried having surgery, but I couldn’t because when I went into the operating room, when they flipped me over, I stopped breathing, so the operation was canceled,

All I could do was walk about 100 feet then my back would hurt so bad, I would halve to sit down, I also couldn’t stand longer than 10 minutes at a time. Because of the pain,
I also had arthritis pain in my knees, hips lower and upper back, I was a mess.
Had my surgery, and yes it hurt, and yes, I had to change,
I went to my back doctor, and he said I lost 24 pounds. I said wow.
The first thing I noticed was my ankles, they weren’t swollen anymore. They looked kind of skinny,
My back pain stated to go away, my arthritis pain went away,
I showered yesterday and dropped my sock and I just reached down and picked it up, haven’t done that in a while. Rechecked today and yes, I have no problem picking up items off the floor.
Went to the store, and walked around the whole time, feet are tired, but my back doesn’t hurt at all.
After all this after one week, what’s to come in the future.

Hello Bariatric Buddies (corny right? lol)
I thought I'd come on here and share my experience so far for those who may be thinking about weight loss surgery OR are scheduled to undergo surgery soon.
I started my bariatric surgery journey May 4th 2021 after YEARS of wanting to do it but not having the courage to start. At that point i was 298LBS. At my heaviest i was 305LBS. What prompted me to just go for it and conquer my fears was just wanting to be healthy again. I was tired of making excuses and as sad as it sounds i was tired of looking in the mirror every day staring at myself morphing into this person i no longer wanted to be. Fortunately for me, i didn't have any MAJOR health issues, however i did/do suffer from PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome). For anyone who knows the struggles of PCOS you know trying fad diets and exercising isn't really helpful when trying to lose weight when your hormones are so imbalanced. Any who, going forward - i contacted my local bariatric surgery center and set up my initial consult. Since we're still being affected by covid, majority of my appointments were via video. My first consult they went over my eligibility requirements, health history and goals. After speaking with the nurse navigator they then scheduled my next visit with the Surgeon who would then change my life forever. So, two weeks later, i meet my surgeon VIA zoom (and let me say, i love that she was blunt, super honest and made sure my goals and perception of the surgery was realistic), she told me about herself, she asked me a few questions about my life, health history in depth, and she then went over my surgery options and what she felt would be my best choice (Gastric Bypass RNY). We ended the appointment on a good note. At that point i was feeling good, motivated and just proud of myself, like - GOSH, I'M FINALLY DOING THIS! At this point in the process, i have scheduled an appointment to get an EKG, chest X-RAY, cardiology, pulmonary, and a behavioral specialist. Over the course of 4 months i would complete each appointment and the specialists would send over their impressions over to the surgeon. September 3rd. I had my pre op class (with a dietitian). I signed a bunch of papers stating that i would not consume alcohol or use tobacco. I watched a video and then the dietitian stated that starting September 9th - until September 19th i will need to be on a full liquid pre op diet - at that point in the liquid diet you are not allowed to take any Vitamin supplements, and or specific medications (they would go over that with you). September 9th came around and i started my three Protein Shakes a day, with drinking 64OZ of Water until September 19th as advised. Let me tell you, that was the single most hardest thing that i have EVER done, but in the end i was so proud of myself. September 20th at 10:00AM i had to drink 10OZ of Magnesium Citrate to bowel cleanse in preparation for surgery the next morning. I spent all day in the bathroom. Around 1:30PM i received a call from the hospital letting me know what time i needed to be at the hospital for surgery the next day (9/21/21) which ended up being 7AM. I had so much trouble falling asleep that night as i was so excited yet SO nervous! Surgery day rolls around and i am up getting ready. We (my boyfriend and i) then make our way to the hospital, check in, and head to my pre op room to be prepped. They took my temperature, and my weight. When i started, i was 298 - the day of surgery i was 282LBS! At 9:40AM i went in for surgery and was in the OR for about 4HOURS. I spent about an hour and a half in recovery where they gave me 1OZ water every half hour, that would continue as i was transported to my room that i would stay for the next 24HOURS. My hospital stay wasn't bad, and my nurses/doctors were super attentive, supportive and courteous! They came in almost every hour to check my temperature, blood pressure, and incisions. I went home 9/22/21 at 9:40AM. 1st day home was challenging. I was in so much pain and discomfort. That quickly subsided as the days passed. But in those days, i attempted to drink water and Protein and move around as much as possible because walking truly helps with the pain. Here i am 9 days post op and i am not at 100% yet but i am improving i still feel slight pain only where i have internal sutures, and i am gassy (like burping and stomach feeling bloated) - for that i use GAS-X - it's amazing! I currently weigh 273LBS which makes a total of 25LBS lost and 9LBS lost since surgery. 6 Day's post op i was back at work (I KNOW I KNOW I AM CRAZY - BUT I WORK IN AN OFFICE AT MY DESK MAJORITY OF THE DAY SO I AM OKAY).. Hopefully this helps! & if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask :)

I was pretty vigilant about keeping my bites small and chewing thoroughly, BUT...........I struggled greatly with pausing between bites. That led to me eating too much, too fast more times than I care to admit. You are correct, it's a learning curve!

The restriction kicks in as a signal you’ve eaten too much, too quickly or something that is too dry or too hard for your tummy to digest. As soon as you start to feel it stop.
Sometimes it will seem to kick in early or for no reason you can understand. On those occasions, I think my body is just being a bit more sensitive & I need to give it a break.
But it’s not something you should feel every day & after every meal. Eat until you’ve had enough. That is to the point you’ve had what you need not just because you want to eat - there’s a big difference. Do you need that next bite or just want it. I still pick up my fork to have my next bite & think nope don’t need it & put the fork down again. Sometimes I’ll have that bite a few minutes later & sometimes I don’t have anymore at all.
Good luck.

49yr Male, 5/18/20 VSG
HW 382, SW 309, CW 217
First visit to the surgeon was 6/27/19 and first nutritionist visit was 7/3/19. Had a long pre-op program then was delayed by COVID-19, so wasn't sleeved until 5/18/20. Lost 73 pre-op, 92 since - for a total of 165 lbs down!
I hit 218 in mid Dec 2020 and have been maintaining in the 213-222 range over the past 9 months.
The next step for me is getting rid of the excess skin on my stomach. I carried most of my weight in my abdomen and it shows. I feel like this is the last thing I need to complete my transformation. While I could live with it, I am tired of "tucking" my excess skin into my pants. I can mostly hide it, but it is evident to me. Still 100% better than weighing almost 400 lbs.
I am scheduled for an extended abdominoplasty in my local area on Thu 9/30/21. I am ready, but nervous (thus the 3am post on BP).
I plan to post regularly over the coming weeks to document this for me and others on this forum. Thanks to all who have shared their PS stories before, especially the men, whose stories are rare.
Wish me luck!



I think it is trial and error. With that being said, I make a point to try new foods for the first time at home. That way, I don't ruin an evening out or being with others.
I haven't had real Pasta other than a single noodle or 2 since surgery in December. I still struggle with chicken breast but have no problem with other pieces of chicken or other types of meat.
I've lost about 190 lbs from my HW. I have very saggy skin. It's too soon for me to even think about surgery. I'm not sure what I'll want to do. For now, I dress to disguise it.

I was pretty vigilant about keeping my bites small and chewing thoroughly, BUT...........I struggled greatly with pausing between bites. That led to me eating too much, too fast more times than I care to admit. You are correct, it's a learning curve!

Surgery alters your stomach, but it doesn't change your brain.
Programs and doctors' directives vary wildly.

Not doing a “sideways shuffle” to get down the aisle to my airport seat! I can walk straight back now without hitting people with my hips/sides!

Had a similar experience at my beauty therapist. Did up the snap clips on the wrap around robe & it literally fell down. Had to get one with velcro so I could wrap it far enough around it would stay up. Aaah, skinny b*tch problems. Who’d have thunk it. 😁

When I went for my mammogram a couple of weeks ago, the robe they gave me (one size fits most) was just swimming on me. I looked like a kid trying on my mom’s robe. It was such a nice change to not worry about something like that fitting!

Tell them you’ll compare your weight loss to theirs and when they say “zero” yell “divide by zero error!!!” and run off.

"a lot" was pretty much my standard answer the first year or two after surgery. I didn't want them silently calculating in their heads what I must have weighed before. Now I often say "over 100 lbs" (although at over six years out, it almost never comes up anymore). To most people, 100 lbs seems like an outrageous amount of weight, so they're satisfied with that answer. The real answer is over 200 lbs. I don't think people without a serious weight problem could wrap their head around that. Plus I don't really want people to know that I once weighed that much.

I can drink up to beginning a meal. Then I stop until at least 1/2 hour afterwards. I have some unpleasant experiences if I don't.

I decided when I started this journey that I was going to take before photos and progress photos. Here is one month into my new life!

I started my pre-op diet 30 days ago, surgery was September 13th. I’m 5’4” and started at 242, I’m now 218. My biggest piece of advice (especially if you struggle to see your own progress in the mirror) is TAKE THE PICTURES.

Thank you all very much! I saw my doc yesterday and he said I am doing great (and as expected) so that was good to hear. So looking forward to this new chapter! 🥳

Hw:222lbs
Cw:199.5 
Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am nine days post-op for a VSG.

I read all the comments about how people take all day to finish a Protein Shake and I just don't. I have no troubles swallowing. I don't feel full (wasn't expecting to on liquids) but do know when I am full. But it only takes me about 30 minutes to finish a Protein shake.

I feel like I'm eating too much—about 600-700 calories a day, about 100g-120g of protein (which is what my doctor suggested), and getting 96 oz. or so of Fluid in me. I obviously cannot chug anything, but I can take full mouthfuls of liquid.

Am I just weird? I know I won't feel my restriction until I go on foods (which is still not until the end of October, three weeks of liquid and three weeks of purées), but... am I failing?

Its hard to believe it’s been 6 months since I “went under the knife”. What a 6 months it has been. From nervousness to excitement, from regret to happiness. The emotions have been all over the board. It definitely hasn’t been easy and it’s really only just began.
I wanted to share a little of my journey thus far for folks that are considering the surgery, just had the surgery or anybody else that can relate or possibly get/stay motivated.

Like most, the beginning was very difficult. I did a ton of research before the surgery. I thought I was prepared. But as the old adage goes, “you don’t know until you do it”. I struggled with drinking enough water/fluids, not getting enough Protein, feelings of despair as I could only eat a tiny amount of food, total regret of having the surgery and wanting to call up Doc Brown to see if I could borrow the Delorean to go back in time. But around the 6 week mark, it seemed that everyday my attitude got a little better. I started to walk a little bit to clear my mind. I started just walking around the block. It’s about all I could do and I was a little paranoid of doing too much (silly in hindsight). I tried to really stay focused on sticking to the plan and just taking each day as it was and not look into the future. I started incorporating fish into my diet and nuts and I started walking around the block twice. I just kept telling myself that things will get easier. And before too long, they did.

Fast forward to today and I’ve lost 164 lbs. I’ve lost 33% of my highest body weight. My BMI has gone from 58.3 to 38.9. I’m now walking 5 miles at a time, about 5 days a week. I eat mostly fish, salads, veggies and nuts. I actually eat carbs and some stuff that they probably don’t want me to but it’s limited and I’m burning so many calories exercising that I can handle some extra calories and not worry about it. I think I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve consistently lost weight every single week except in week 3 (seems like this is the week everybody tends to stall). I’ve learned to give myself a little credit instead of giving it all to the surgery. The procedure definitely deserves most all of the credit but I wouldn’t be where I’m at now had I not stuck to the plan, pushed myself to stay mentally strong and built a routine of exercise. Giving myself that little bit of credit has helped me in so many ways.

I’m still about 80 lbs from my goal. I have a long way to go to get to that goal and of course even longer for a lifetime commitment to being healthy. I know whoever reads this has heard the line “if I can do it, anybody can”. I hate to use that but it’s so true. I used to lack motivation to get out of my Laz-E-Boy to even walk around the block. To put down the soda, stop eating a large pizza by myself, fries, Chinese food, burgers,wings, you name it. I found something inside me that clicked to get curious about the surgery. Then to actually go thru with it. Then to implement and execute the plan to improve my life. I wish I could say that I’m 110% confident that I’ll never gain weight again. That I’ll never binge eat again or go off the rails. I’m confident right now that I’m fully committed to a new lifestyle. I’m only 6 months in. I’m still not even that hungry. I can still only eat a little bit. At some point, those things will change. But I know that I never want to go back to what I was. I haven’t changed as a person in the last 6 months. But my attitude, goals and purpose has. For that I’m grateful.
I wish all who reads this much success in your journey. Know that it will be different from mine and all others that you come across. There will be many similarities but your journey is your own just as mine is for me. If I can do it, anybody can. 👊🏼✌🏼

Glad you're making progress!

I am scheduled for bypass on November 17 I am both excited and nervous. I wish I was having it tomorrow

I just had my surgery a week ago, but my parents were here this week and we went through all my clothes from the last time I lost a lot of weight (through diet and exercise) six years ago. I thought I had gotten rid of them all, but I still had a lot left. They're mostly size L-XL. I got rid of some I don't like any more, and honestly, most of the others don't work for the way my life is now (they need to be ironed and I travel all the time now). I'll decide whether to get rid of the rest later. We also got rid of some of the clothes that are too big now since I'd lost 50 lbs during my time preparing for surgery. That wasn't much. For now since I'm still sore from surgery I want the big t-shirts. I am not willing to expend any time or energy trying to sell or "find good homes" for these. I just had my dad take them over to the clothing donation bin across the street. If I was more "myself" (i.e., not on lifting restrictions) I would probably try to deal with it in a better way, but I just couldn't focus, and my parents were being so helpful!

9 months post RNY. Down 135 since surgery. Down 184 from HW.
***I've begun actively selling and getting rid of my old clothes. It's hard. It's a thing. I was attached to that wardrobe and there was a lot of time and money invested in finding clothing that fit, clothing that was for different weight fluctuations (or ever increasing), fit my needs and was as flattering as possible given being morbidly obese. There was clothing for work, special occasions, and travel. I should have gotten rid of items starting long ago. But I notoriously hang onto things "just in case," and then when I finally get rid of them, I want them a week later. And there is the ever present fear of failure of needing big clothes again someday. But, it was time........I'm also being selective where my items go, and I'm lazy. I would like to get some money where possible but will donate to the right cause. Despite hearing over and over that places gladly accept plus-sized clothing, I'm not finding that to be the case. I don't live in a metropolitan area where there are lots of options. The one women's shelter in town was not interested as they have no place to store clothing. Our one consignment store is a bit sketchy. You get the idea. I posted some items on social media (even that is more work than I am really interested in, so Poshmark, Mercari or the like is off the table). Long story short....a lady purchased some of my favorite items. I didn't ask for much money for them. I'm sure I could have gotten more but by this point, once I've made the decision to clean out, I just want them gone. I also let her take a great many items that had been altered but not professionally. Items that I didn't feel that I should charge for. She was so grateful and so excited. I was thrilled to see someone as excited by the nicer items as I once was. Having some of the clothing gone is liberating and I'm glad to be moving forward. I think the clothing was a security blanket of sorts that I just needed to be ready to let go of.
***I had my first appointment with a therapist. So glad I did that. I had some very specific qualifications I was looking for as well as having experience with bariatric patients. She is a perfect fit and was able to help me process some of my feelings and progress.
***As always, am grateful for the level-headed and accurate advice received here.

9 months post RNY. Down 135 since surgery. Down 184 from HW.
***I've begun actively selling and getting rid of my old clothes. It's hard. It's a thing. I was attached to that wardrobe and there was a lot of time and money invested in finding clothing that fit, clothing that was for different weight fluctuations (or ever increasing), fit my needs and was as flattering as possible given being morbidly obese. There was clothing for work, special occasions, and travel. I should have gotten rid of items starting long ago. But I notoriously hang onto things "just in case," and then when I finally get rid of them, I want them a week later. And there is the ever present fear of failure of needing big clothes again someday. But, it was time........I'm also being selective where my items go, and I'm lazy. I would like to get some money where possible but will donate to the right cause. Despite hearing over and over that places gladly accept plus-sized clothing, I'm not finding that to be the case. I don't live in a metropolitan area where there are lots of options. The one women's shelter in town was not interested as they have no place to store clothing. Our one consignment store is a bit sketchy. You get the idea. I posted some items on social media (even that is more work than I am really interested in, so Poshmark, Mercari or the like is off the table). Long story short....a lady purchased some of my favorite items. I didn't ask for much money for them. I'm sure I could have gotten more but by this point, once I've made the decision to clean out, I just want them gone. I also let her take a great many items that had been altered but not professionally. Items that I didn't feel that I should charge for. She was so grateful and so excited. I was thrilled to see someone as excited by the nicer items as I once was. Having some of the clothing gone is liberating and I'm glad to be moving forward. I think the clothing was a security blanket of sorts that I just needed to be ready to let go of.
***I had my first appointment with a therapist. So glad I did that. I had some very specific qualifications I was looking for as well as having experience with bariatric patients. She is a perfect fit and was able to help me process some of my feelings and progress.
***As always, am grateful for the level-headed and accurate advice received here.