mswillis5

While in the weight loss stage I never realized something that would eventually become something I look forward to. And that is comments and conversations with people that don't know my weight history! Yesterday I went to "Preadmission testing" for my second round of plastic surgery scheduled for Monday. As the nurse directed me to the scale she made the comment "let me make sure this is at zero, but you are so tiny you probably don't care what it says." My response was, "oh yes I do care, that's why I'm wearing my lightest weight dress and flip flops!" I then told her my story about when my doctors offices changed their scales from pounds to KG and the first time I weighed it read 110 KG! I was devastated and all I could think about was darn-that's how much I should weigh in pounds! That mean't I weighed 2.2 times as much as I should! Her comment was, "Well, if you hadn't told me that, I would never guess that you ever weighed a pound more than you do now! And just so you know, you look really sexy in that dress!" I have to admit...times like that make me feel so proud of the hard work I put into this journey!

Or the fear that the chair might get caught on my butt and I’ll stand up and take it with me. 😜. At my heaviest there was one conference room at work that the arms of the chair cut so deeply into my legs I had almost permanent sore bruises on the side of my legs. Every meeting there was a constant reminder of how fat I was and how I didn’t fit.

155 lobs down and I have multiple inches on either side of me in those chairs. I don’t even come close to the arms now. It’s amazing how things like this can just make your whole day.

Mr. went on pizza making mode and fed our little party with a whole lotta pizzas!
Each one was different and would be too much to list out the different toppings here (plus, i’m lazy!), but i will say that i had a bite of 6 of the 8 pizzas (i skipped the plain margarita one and the one with olives) and my fave was the one with the truffle bechamel base, crispy prosciutto, and grilled pineapple. They didn’t want to top any of the pizzas with some spicy anchovies before it went in the pizza oven, so i just added some afterwards. Still worked, yum!
My six bites was probably equivalent to 1 slice of pizza in total, and with all the different toppings, i just estimated 220 calories in MFP. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve read a couple folks who were close say they wore ankle weights to their weigh in appointment to make sure they were over the BMI requirement. 🤷‍♀️

Also, make sure you’re taking in enough fluids.

I also had a major headache during the liquid diet. I strained some progresso Soups because of their sodium content and just drank the broth. My headache almost entirely went away after that. This could definitely be electrolytes.

I also had a major headache during the liquid diet. I strained some progresso Soups because of their sodium content and just drank the broth. My headache almost entirely went away after that. This could definitely be electrolytes.

Today’s “breakfast” (at 1pm) and afternoon snack:
Breakfast sandwich mini sliders: french omelette, fried prosciutto, Gouda and avocado in a mini potato roll. I had one of the sliders (bread and all! One slider is about the size of a golf ball) 118 calories.
Prosciutto, gouda and cherries: 378 calories, ate it all

Found some Camembert on sale while picking up more kale and spinach today so had that for dinner with garlic olive oil crostini, 1/3 a croissant and snow peas. The one piece of cheese is from the kids trying it and they aren’t a fan so more for me 😋
Ended up eating a total of 5 crostini, about one whole wedge of Camembert, the 1/3 croissant, and 3 total snow peas. I’m still working on the raw veggies not blended thing. Getting there though!
Also, I may have impulse bought several hydroponic systems over the last month and finally started germinating seeds in 2 of them today! Growing cherry tomatoes, Genovese and Thai basil, thyme, curly parsley, big daddy peppers, pak Choi, curled cress, red fire lettuce, dwarf kale, Chinese cabbage (2 kinds), baby leaf mustard greens, arugula, spinach, Swiss chard, and I think Chinese lettuce. Waiting on another aerogarden 🤷‍♀️ to arrive Thursday to grow some salad greens and move the herbs from the one they’re in now. No one seems as excited about my recent adventure as I do! 😂

Aah, body dysmorphia. Yes, we all go through that in some form or another. That’s why this thread is so great - those pxts don’t lie & everyone is really supportive & gives honest feedback.
I still get surprised when I see the reflection of a slim woman in a shop window & realise it’s me. One day I was sitting & trying on shoes. I glanced up & thought wow that woman has great legs. I looked up & around to see who she was & realised they were my legs in a mirror. It just takes time to recognise what you really look like now & accept it’s pretty darn good.
Put on that dress & wear it proudly.

I'm finding it quite liberating to get rid of clothes that are too large. As I go down a size (especially in pants), I immediately find them a new home (thrift store, church, friends, family) as my promise to myself that this time is going to be different. For me personally, having the 'in case of emergency, break glass clothes' in my closet would make it too easy for me to backslide.

That being said, I HAVE kept two particular items for before and after comparison!

What an awesome thread. Mine is easy. I’m in a wheelchair and before my lap was occupied by my stomach. Now I have lots of free space and more every day. I can put a shopping basket on my lap without holding onto it and my little doggo can ride on my lap instead of carrying him.
It’s an amazing feeling to see these non scale victories. To an outside viewer they might not seem huge but to us who both have them and get to read each others is a sense of pride and accomplishment that we get to feel for ourselves and each other. We’re all in this together like a family

Black-bean quesadilla made with low carb tortilla (before and after)

dinner tonight was a tiny chili cheese omelet. It was pretty tasty. I ate it all, though I would have been smarter to leave a couple bites. 310 calories by my reckoning.

I am 11 months post op gastric sleeve. My highest weight ever was reached in June of 2019 and I was horrified to weigh in at 502 lbs! I didn't believe it and requested the doctor to re-weigh me. That was my first wake-up call. I was suffering from very high blood pressure, debilitating back pain/spasms, knee pain and damage, sciatica, and sleep apnea. I started doing Keto and got down to 415lbs. During COVID quarantine, I gained back up to about 459lbs.
In July of 2020, I finally decided to take back my life and financed a vertical sleeve gastrectomy surgery (out of pocket, since insurance would not cover it).
As of yesterday, I'm down to 275 lbs. I have gone from a 6xl shirt to a 2xl. From size 62 pants, to a size 44. I still struggle to see myself as anything but fat from time to time, but it's the Non-Scale Victories (NSVs) that keep me going! My only regret is not doing this sooner. Sometimes I wish I could go back and re-do certain life experiences without the extreme morbid obesity.

Here's my running list:
- I’m off of all medications (including 2 BP meds). - No more seat belt extension on airplanes - Seats with arm rests are no problem. - Restaurant booths are now no problem - I can fit in an MRI machine (if needed). - I can now walk ANYWHERE without debilitating back pain. - The car steering wheel no longer rubs my stomach. - I can shop in most “regular” stores for clothes. - I no longer worry about a seat being able to hold me (those plastic white ones at weddings are even ok now). - I can use my own step ladder to do things around the house like change a light bulb. - I can sit with my legs crossed. - I can now get down on the floor. - My “love life” has drastically changed/Improved. - too many to list! Notice there is a lot of use of the word “CAN” here? All in less than a year. The little black battery operated box on the floor cannot control me any longer! Yea, it’s still important. But weight is no longer the defining characteristic of my life. Sleeved 7/23/20. HW 502, SW 459, CW 275, GW healthy

I have thought about all the milestones (negative) that I hit before finally turning to surgery.
These were NOT tipping points for me:
-needing seat belt extender on flight
-struggling to tie my sneakers
-Winded walking to my office or up the stairs
-prediabetes diagnosis
And so many years of dieting struggles

The tipping point was
-getting an A1C test of 6.9 and a Diabetes diagnosis.
- getting prescribed diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure medications.
-And Not being able to go on bike rides with my daughter

I felt so hopeless until I finally followed my cardiologists suggestion to attend an informational session for bariatric surgery. After another 4 months of considering all the risks (real and perceived) with taking this step, I could not imagine any other way that I would be able to lose the amount of weight that I needed to get healthy again.

Just over 3 months later and 54 lbs down, I am only sorry I was so resistant to the idea of surgery to help lose weight. I feel more than hopeful again. I have a long way still to go, but it feels doable now. And I already feel so much success to be able to move more comfortably and no longer need the medication prescribed just 8 months ago! And I am getting my bike tuned so I can go biking with my daughter on the nearby bike path that I have avoided riding for over 5 years!!

I just wanted to say thank you to all y'all. I found this site a while ago and have been lurking and reading and learning.

The honest talk helped me with a lot of the anxiety I was having about surgery. The photos inspired me so much—so many of you changed your lives and kept them changed. The folks who are really into exercise reassured me that it isn't over (I love my CrossFit, and I can't wait until my weight isn't the limiting factor). And just the fact that so many people's lives improved finally got me over the "shame hump".

I called for a referral, had my initial consultation last week, and am tentatively scheduled for VSG in late August. (My insurance has been frankly amazing. So few roadblocks that I kept checking to make sure they were talking about bariatric surgery.) To say I can't wait for this is an understatement.

I just want y'all to know you're changing lives for me and for other lurkers who haven't clicked that "sign up" button yet. Thank you.

Ok I know I’m being petty but I’m feeling petty today so here goes. So far I’ve lost 150 lbs and I’ve decided this is how the comments from coworkers/acquaintances goes:
1-50 lbs: nothing
50-100 lbs: have you lost weight? Keep it up!
100-125 lbs: wow you are looking great what’s your secret?
125+ lbs: said in a disbelieving voice “how much more weight are you planning to lose? Aren’t you done yet?

I know that this is a problem that is great to have in the sense that a year ago I would have given anything to be this weight so please don’t take it that I’m not happy about losing or that I feel like people shouldn’t comment. But I’m still overweight, and regardless of if I was a normal weight or overweight or heck if I was obese I am getting tired of people making comments like I don’t have the autonomy to determine my own goal weight. And realistically it’s been so long since I was a normal size I honestly have no idea what my true goal would be because I will know it when I get there (hopefully!)

I tend to make a lot of jokes so I’ve just started saying really implausible amounts (I want to lose 200 lbs more and be lighter than air, I want to hit my birth weight of 9 lbs again and get back into my going home from the hospital outfit, etc) but in my head all I can think of is please stop commenting on my body for five minutes thanks.

anyway this is a first world problem I am well aware, and I know I’m just being salty but here I am.

But what about the sound nutrition advice given via lifestyle bloggers on YouTube who have this amazing cleanse to sell you?? Or a raw vegan paleo high Protein Keto diet consisting entirely of lemon Water? It sounds so legit. 😬

All kidding aside, great advice. And I think it also bears to mention that although you should follow the advice given by a credentialed professional, there are bad and good doctors out there and the same follows for dietitians as well. If you feel strongly that you’re getting bad advice, you might want to seek out another opinion.

Folks, PLEASE check the education credentials of the person giving you nutrition advice.
In some states, there is absolutley zero education required to call oneself "a nutritionist" and give people dietary consultations.
Many bariatric groups will use lay-trained staff to push a particular doctor's dietary approach. Don't use these people. They are unqualified and it's dangerous.
Nutrition is complex and individual and it's a SCIENCE.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dietitian-vs-nutritionist#nutritionist
Check the laws in your state: https://theana.org/advocate
Ask to see the credentials of the people treating you at appointments.

While it’s certainly normal to not be at 100% after surgery, feeling dizzy was on my list of symptoms to contact my doctor about. It never hurts just to be on the safe side.

Stats:
Male, 6’4” (193cm for the more enlightened)
46 years old.
All time known high weight 356lbs (161.5kg) (approx June 2013)
Surgery weight 334lbs (151.5kg).
Self pay, Dr Galileo Villarreal - Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, June 12, 2020 $4400 all in, VSG & hiatal hernia repair.
Current weight 194lbs (88kg).

This turned out to be way too long… sorry.

The idea of having surgery wasn’t anything I ever really gave any thought to. I did the lifetime attempts at diet and exercise without success. The lowest weight I ever achieved was 285 when I hiked almost daily in the mountains surround Las Vegas. But like all my other attempts, things changed, I got tired of the same thing, and put it all back on plus some (yet again). Fast forward to 2020 and my wife looks at me and asks “have you ever thought about gastric surgery?”
“Well, not really but I’ll look into it.”
I don’t recall exactly how long I researched, I know it wasn’t long. One day, maybe two? I knew my insurance wouldn’t cover it at all, so self pay was my only option unless I wanted to wait and change to a different plan (I’m impatient so that wasn’t happening). Anyway I live near Houston so I started looking at the border towns in Mexico and came across the website for Dr Galileo Villarreal in Nuevo Laredo. I made a phone call to his assistant who handles US patients and had an appointment set for two weeks later (for the procedure, not just a consultation). The next few days I mostly looked at before and after photos and was really excited about the possibilities. I don’t worry about much in general(why worry about what I can’t control?) so I didn’t bother reading too many horror stories. I understood that people who have problems are far more likely to post, seeking guidance/solutions than people who cruise through easily. I did look up complication statistics and that alone completely eliminated any worries that may have existed. I watched several videos of the procedure (I was interested to see what’s going to happen to me) and that too brought me comfort, seeing how quick and relatively simple the procedure was. Traveling to Mexico also didn’t bother me in the slightest. The way I figure is a doctor either cares or doesn’t, it doesn’t matter which side of the border they happen to be on. The one obvious downside to surgery in another country is “what if something does go wrong?” But again realistically I knew that was unlikely and it’s not like I couldn’t walk into a hospital once back home to get care for anything I might have needed.
I spent the next few days having tons of food funerals. I reveled in the experience and really went crazy with the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, smoked brisket, homemade carbonara Pasta (I even found some real guanciale), more Cinnamon Toast Crunch… you get the idea..
My pre-op diet arrived via email. It was sparse and consisted of things like cream Soup, Protein Drinks, electrolyte drinks etc. I had seven days of this before surgery. This was - by far - the worst part of the whole experience. Day one I was good. Day two I was pacing frantically. Day three I cheated and hated myself for it. Day four was a little better. Days 5 & 6 I had resigned to the lifestyle and at this point I was so giddy with excitement about the surgery I didn’t care anymore about the food as much.
I was fortunate with my timing in regard to COVID. The border was still open and there were no issues about that, I was a little surprised that the Mexican Border Guards didn’t even care to see my passport or ask any questions. I was just waived through, barely given a glance. I arrived at the hospital a few minutes later to begin the pre op blood work and physical.
This is where I had my first moment of “oh shit.” It was late in the day and apparently the normal nurse who handled the blood draw had already left. So this nice young man was assigned to get my blood. He takes me into a small room and I could tell he was really scared. We had an obvious language barrier but I kept pointing to a big thick vein in the crock of my elbow that you really can’t miss. I’ve had enough blood drawn in the past, no one has ever missed it first shot. He was literally shaking and sweating all over my arm. I kept pointing and saying “aqui” but he would get the needle close then pull it back and look around and sweat some more. It was a good ten minutes of this and I was starting (just starting?) to get a little worried. Again, I could tell he either never did this or rarely so I didn’t assume this was a sign of how it was all going to go (it didn’t, it all was fine after this). Eventually someone must have recognized there was an issue. Another nurse came in, looked at the obvious vein, and popped that needle in.
I wouldn’t know if my blood work was ok until the next morning, so they drove us to the hotel (which was included in the price) and we went to bed.
The next morning they picked us up and brought me back to the hospital. I checked in, got word that my blood work was fine and I forked over the cash for the procedure ($4000) plus a $400 deposit in case I had a hernia that needed to be repaired.
The hospital was very nice. Beautifully decorated, polished marble walls and floors. As clean (to the naked eye of course) as any hospital I’ve been in. It was small, but appropriately sized for the area it served. It was not a dedicated Bariatric facility, just a typical public hospital.
I actually enjoy the experience of being put under anesthesia and I wasn’t nervous at all so I declined the sedative and just went for it. The weirdest part was the staff asking me questions through google translate on their phones. Dr. Villarreal and his assistant spoke perfectly fluent English but the pre op staff had a lot of questions to ask. Even though they spoke some English and I spoke some Spanish, when it comes to translating medical related stuff it was definitely better using the app, it was just a little surreal.
I was wheeled into the OR, greeted again by Dr. Villarreal who asked if I wanted any music played (I did) and I went under listening to some classic rock.
I woke up in moderate pain, but nothing too bad. I was brought to my room where my wife was waiting for me. The first few hours I just relaxed in bed. Eventually I was given some ice chips to suck on and allowed to get up with assistance and go to the bathroom. Things were tender but I don’t recall being in a lot of pain. Walking was a slow shuffle and I was given permission to do laps around the hospital. I met a couple other people who had the same procedure the day prior and we nodded and smiled knowing we were on the same journey together. They were nice moments and I hope they’re doing well. Later in the day I did a barium swallow to ensure there were no leaks. It tasted like shit (sorry), and I got to watch it on the monitor. It was pretty interesting to see. Doctor visited me several times, and I asked if he had video or photos of my procedure, and he sent me some cool pics of my removed stomach and of my hernia and repair. I was given an antibiotic pill. I had read enough “no pills after surgery” posts here that this gave me concern. The pill was literally the biggest pill I have ever taken in my life. It was an inch long and thick. I pointed at my stomach and said “esta bien?” and she nodded and so I took it. It went down fine, didn’t hurt or anything. We stayed over that night which was more walking and ice and eventually electrolyte drinks and some Jello. I was given a bag of pills, more of those giant antibiotics, anti nausea meds, and some non-opioid pain pills. They wheeled me out where my car was waiting for me and we started the drive home.
The drive home the next day was about five hours total, we took our time. Getting into the US took an hour or so, but wasn’t an issue. One thing I took particular notice of on the ride home was just how many restaurants there are. I was obviously hyper focused on food and I was dumbstruck at the endless strip centers filled with high calorie options. Just endless.
I’ll speed things up here….
The first week was fine, some pain in my left arm that scared me. Spoke to the doctor and he explained that gas left over in the abdomen can rest on the diaphragm which can translate into left arm pain. He advised the typical “walk it off” prescription and sure enough that fixed it.
Food intake was slow but I didn’t care. This was much easier than the pre op diet even though it was essentially the same. Broths, Gatorade, Protein Shakes. By week two I was feeling great and ready for mushy foods. Cottage cheese was my friend. By week three I felt normal. I starting having a scrambled egg here and there and that’s when I began to feel the restrictions. The first meat I tried was around week three, I had some ground chicken with seasoned salt and it was pretty good and didn’t bother me.
I visited my regular doctor a month or so in and he was happy with my weight loss. My back doctor was also happy and we both were hopeful it would fix my back issues (spoiler it didn’t completely).
One year out I still have zero hunger. I had one spell in December where I thought it returned and it was disappointing and scary. It only lasted a few days and I don’t know what caused it. It really felt like the MORE I ate the hungrier I got and if not for physical restriction I would have eaten myself out of any other normal “diet.” Fortunately that’s gone and I’m back to no hunger, one year out. But im prepared and ready should it return.
There are no significant stories or details for the rest of my journey. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had zero problems. No foods have bothered me, I did not get sick, my tastes didn’t change (my eating habits did but not due to bad foods no longer tasting good, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is still awesome but I just don’t eat it any more except a couple pieces here and there). My main drinks are coffee, diet Mountain Dew and Monster Zero Ultra (the white can). I’m not going to pretend that I’m a model citizen of this forum. There are plenty of things I eat and drink that I probably shouldn’t. I’m in maintenance mode now and still losing (very slowly) even though I’m eating garbage like peanut m&ms to try and up my calories without increasing capacity. I know there are better options but I like them and it’s working fine for me. I don’t take Vitamins like I should but I just had my one year blood panel done and all my labs came back in the middle of the normal range so no worries on that front. Somehow my Vitamin D is normal for the first time as an adult. Again, don’t look at me as a guide, but it is what it is and I think it’s important share what is working.

I’ve included two screen shots of some graphs I used in a spreadsheet. The first is simply my weight loss over time. The second is a rolling weekly average using the past seven days. So each point on the graph looks back seven days, takes that weight, subtracts the current day’s weight. “I lost 2.4 lbs the past week” etc. This graph highlights stalls, and recovery from stalls etc. so you can see my weight loss was really fast at first. The big stall during the holidays where I didn’t gain or lose. For me this graph was more useful as sometimes I felt like I was stalled but the graph proved otherwise.

Here is a breakdown of my loss at 30 day intervals. Don’t compare me to you or to anyone else. There are over 7 billion of us and we’re all unique.

Day 30: 29.2lbs
Day 60: 46.0
Day 90: 63.5
Day 120: 74.6
Day 150: 92.1
Day 180: 102
Day 210: 103 (holidays/long stall)
Day 240: 113.6
Day 270: 120
Day 300: 129.5
Day 330: 135
Day 360: 138.8

Conclusion and final thoughts:

For some of us this journey IS the easy way out, and I honest to God don’t care. Im happy and healthy and I’d do it again without hesitation. I want people on the fence about having the procedure to know that. It’s easy to get lost in the problems people post about. Those problems ARE REAL and do happen. But I really think there are a lot of us out there for whom this journey has been easy, you just don’t hear from us as often. People who are having a difficult time need advice or want a solution so it’s natural and helpful to post questions about those problems. But it does skew the impressions towards the negative.
I wish I did this years ago. I don’t know why I never even thought of it. I guess it was one of those things I thought was reserved for medically necessary intervention. But you know what? I had a BMI over 40. It was medically necessary. I’m VERY lucky that at age 45 I was not on a downward spiral health wise, but it could have started any day. My wife’s dad was a “big guy” too, and was active and worked hard. Then one day, diabetes. Another day, bad knees. Another day a stroke. He had the sleeve AFTER these things and did lose weight but he can’t walk, can’t enjoy life, he’s miserable because he waited too long. Don’t wait. If you need to lose weight do it now. Figure out a way that works for you. Surgery is relatively safe, with far fewer complications than doing nothing and assuming you’ll just always be a healthy “big person.” But it’s not the only solution. Whatever it is that works for you, make it happen.
I know I won’t live forever and I know I can regain and I know lots of bad things could be lined up in my future.
But today I feel great.
Today I’m happy.
Today I look at myself and I see the me that I always knew existed. It’s the most wonderful feeling. I hope from the bottom of my heart everyone here will feel it too…..

….But I know not everyone will. My wife for example. Surgery has done nothing for her. 20lbs in a year. And she DOES follow the plan. For those of you in her situation who are probably cursing me and telling me to shut the f up, I get you. And I’m sorry. Don’t give up though. We’re all here for you; this forum is a great asset. We want you to succeed. Vent, cry, scream out, ask a million questions, we hear you. Just don’t give up.

As long as youre in a calorie deficit, youll still lose weight! Carbs or not. Now im not saying you should make that a habit, but everything in moderation!!

If you had bypass, you may need to take a non-extended release version. You would need to take it a few times a day rather than once a day. Talk to the doctor prescribing yet, or have them talk to your surgery team. Good luck!

I have donated quite a bit and donated about 1 month before surgery. I asked my surgeon on his recommendation on when I can donate again and he stated he wanted to have me wait about 1 year. Right after surgery I had an issue with getting light headed/having to stabilize against a wall quite a bit. It does seem to be subsiding but it has taken quite a few months for this to stabilize. I would get your surgeons recommendation and to play it by ear for when you feel healthy enough to start donating again. I am planning on donating this October but that could change if I don't feel quite healthy enough to not have any issues. This is just my personal experience so it could definitely be different based upon your surgeon and your own individual health.