mswillis5

Hi y’all! I’m Brittany. I’m a stay at home wife and mom of two littles. I suffer from hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, PCOS and a benign pituitary tumor, all of which affect my weight and overall quality of life.

I have wanted to have gastric surgery for upwards of 11 years, but the timing was never right. After several failed attempts at losing weight, I finally decided it was time to get serious about surgery. I joined a couple of bariatric pages on Facebook, and just sat back and watched for several months. I initially reached out to a surgeon here in San Antonio, but after learning that my insurance wouldn’t cover the surgery and realizing the cost of the procedure out of pocket, I became very discouraged. However, I had read many testimonials of people who went to Mexico to have their surgery performed. I kept hearing of one place in particular, Oasis of Hope in Tijuana. After doing loads of research, I decided to reach out to them. Within a couple of weeks, I had my surgery date for June 1st! I began my pre-op diet 30 days before surgery. The LSD was a total of 25 days, and the Clear Liquids phase was a total of 5. The liquid phase is NO JOKE. That ish is ROUGH. 😆

I’m now 17 days post-op and have lost a total of 31 pounds! It’s a struggle to get my Protein and liquids in, as I still haven’t learned the tricks to making sure what I’m eating doesn’t cause discomfort. I am quite fatigued, and am considering going to have IV therapy to get me over this hump. However, I’m still so happy with my decision, and I am so excited to see what the future holds!

I found this recipe for spinach and feta rugelach online and I just happened to have everything to make them in my fridge sooo I made spinach and feta rugelach and I have to say, they’re super tasty but very rich. I think I’ll use some of that balsamic onion jam and some dill havarti I have to make another batch. …. I wonder if they freeze well. 🤔

Just another onederland post. 198.4 this morning on the seven month anniversary of my surgery date. 140 down total. Feeling great, no longer obese, and 33.4 lbs from goal!

Rao’s is absolutely the best. I figure since I’m not eating that much spending the extra for good marinara is worth it.

One of my kids had a friend over so I was gonna order pizza buuuut, the pizza place wasn’t delivering because they were short on staff SO I did what I do and made pizza, crust and all. I also made brownies loaded with butterscotch, milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate confetti chips mixed in. Boy were they sugary. I think next time I’ll just mix in a few chocolate chips and some pretzel pieces. 🤷‍♀️ Who knows, I haven’t made a plain brownie in years.
Anyway, this was the first bite into 2 of the same size slices of pizza and boom, full.

100lbs Gone since the beginning of this, and 62lbs down since the surgery. So far, so good. Wondering though if anyone else has issues with what I call vapor lock when drinking. It's where you take too big a sip on something and you end up with it sticking around in your chest for a bit.

I know that exact feeling. It is called Body Dysmorphia and rapid changes can have that effect on our brains. I am slowly coming to terms with it myself as I have lost 120 lbs since my highest weight. Even buying clothes was not easy for me at first because the fitting rooms were not open and I didn't buy clothes until the clothes I was wearing were basically falling off.

I know that exact feeling. It is called Body Dysmorphia and rapid changes can have that effect on our brains. I am slowly coming to terms with it myself as I have lost 120 lbs since my highest weight. Even buying clothes was not easy for me at first because the fitting rooms were not open and I didn't buy clothes until the clothes I was wearing were basically falling off.

This is probably spot on

Made Soup again - I love soup as you know. This one is beef, vegetables & barley. Perfect for our winters weather. Cheated a bit though & threw in some frozen vegetables to cut back on the dicing (onions, celery, mushrooms & cauliflower was enough chopping for me today). When it cools I’ll bag it up (love zip lock bags) & fill the freezer.

lots of people have gone through that (luckily, I only have 10 lbs that I'd like to re-lose, but even that's been a bear!!). Are you still tracking your food intake? If not, I'd start there. And go back to following the rules - as in eating the way we were supposed to be eating once we were a few months out - focusing on Protein and non-starchy vegetables, with an occasional small serving of fruit or whole-grain carb.
if you're a calorie counter, then track what you're eating now (without making major changes yet) for a couple of weeks to figure out what your average daily calorie intake is. Then cut back by 100 calories or so for a couple of weeks. If that's not working, then cut by another 100 calories. Rinse and repeat until the scale starts heading downward. But know that with only 35 lbs to lose, that scale is going to move pretty slowly. You could also try drastically increasing your activity instead - or in addition - to cutting calories, although that method is usually a lot slower.
a lot of people have had luck with formal programs like Weight Watchers, Keto, or intermittent fasting - so those are options as well...
good luck with it - it's not easy, although it's good you're catching it now while it's still not really out of control!

My surgeon asked what my goal weight was & I suggested 60kg & a BMI of about 23 which was the lowest weight I’d reach whenever I tried to lose in the past. I was always told I was a medium to large frame so the higher end of the BMI range seemed reasonable. He thought it was achievable too.
Hit my goal at 6 months & then lost another about 12kg trying to find the balance in the first year of maintenance. I generally sit at 49kg now (+/-500g) though I sat at 48.5 (+/-500g) for a couple of months once I stabilised. The lowest weight I’ve reached was 47.9kg last month but that was an anomaly.
Yes, I did look thin at first & family would comment I looked drawn but everything seems to have resettled & I look fine now. Funny thing is I actually have a smallish frame so I can carry my lower weight & BMI.
I maintain at about 1200 calories but I’m not very active. Some days I feel hungry others I don’t. My hunger started coming back at about 18 months or so. My restriction is still active. Generally I eat to routine to allow for times I’m not hungry & also allow for days I am so I ensure I still eat about 1200 calories.
I’m a big believer in finding the right balance for you. You have to be able to maintain your weight & be happy living your life. You may be able to maintain at a lower weight but are the costs (more restricted diet, increased activity) worth how it may restrict your life. For you, the answer may be yes but for someone else it may be no. Both answers are correct. A healthy, happy life should be more important than a number on the scale or the size label in your clothes. Of course those numbers can be incredibly empowering but the reality is they’re not as important as health & happiness. But that’s my opinion.

Very interesting topic! I was 231 lbs pre surgery and set my goal at 160 as that was a weight I'd maintained for much of my adult life before piling on the pounds. I got to that about a month ago, and despite now trying to up my calories and maintain at that weight I'm still losing. So maybe your final weight does choose you?

I went for a round 150 as the 'main' goal, as I was that weight when I was around 17 and looked and felt great (not that I thought it at the time!!). Now I'm getting closer at 179, and when I look in the mirror there appears to be more than 29 pounds to go! So I may revise goal but will see when I get there or close. It's hard to imagine ourselves so light I think, after many years of being heavier. It's such a personal thing, and like others have said I do sometimes worry that I'll never be happy!
I love the 'weirdest none-scale-victory' thread for ideas of what to notice and Celebrate, and mentally I find it helpful to shift focus away from the numbers sometimes, particularly when experiencing a stall.

There is another post here about disney dining as well. If you also look through Google there are many sites with great ideas on options on how to eat at disney post surgery.

Call your surgeon and ask would be the best bet. I was taking pills while in the hospital after both my VSG and RNY but I know others aren’t allowed. I think it’s very surgeon dependent.

There are reminder apps you can use but that would require you carry a water bottle with you all the time.
I have a Water bottle with me all the time, at work, in the car, at home etc.
Make it a habit to have a water bottle at all times, just like you don't forget your bag, phone, car keys, house keys, wallet or purse, make it habit for the water bottle bottle to be an essential item

I would ask your nutritionist. At 4 months out my nutritionist had me on a 600-800 calorie and 60-80 carb diet plan. But every person is different and so is their plan. Also, my weight loss slowed after 3 months. The first three months I lost fast. Then the following three months I averaged 8 pounds a month. The next 5 months following that I averaged 5 pounds a month. My average lately is about 3 pounds a month.
I'm 16 months out now so my diet plan is 900-1200 calories and 80-150 carbs per day (I try to keep my carb intake around 90 and my calories no higher than 1000 (though some days it HAS gone close to 1200). Also, my daily sodium allowance is 1200mg, but I try and get under 900mg because I retain Water like CRAZY!

Goaaaaaal!
I set out last July to lose 100 lbs. and I picked a random date at the end of May to get there. Today, May 25th, I'm down 100 lbs. and am lighter than I have been since college (30+ years ago).

Follow your plan. This is important because your plan has been designed to aid healing. Remember there’s a lot of stitches & staples holding your tummy together & you don’t want to risk putting strain or pressure on your tummy before it’s fully healed.
Listen to your body. It will tell you what you can or can’t do or eat yet. Things are going to be different but you’ll get used to the changes & how your body may react.
It’s not a competition. You’ll lose at the rate that’s right for you.
You will lose some hair. Can’t stop it because it’s how your body reacts to the surgery & the reduced food intake. It’s just an acceleration of your natural Hair loss cycle. The hair loss will stop. Your new hair is still growing in but just at its usual rate which is why your hair may look thin for a while until it catches up.
You will have stalls along the way. It’s just your body taking a breath to catch up with the changes. They may last a week or up to three but they do stop & you’ll start losing again.
You will experience Constipation. Often a lot of constipation. Include some soluble (non swelling) fibre in your diet & have some stool softeners on hand.
You may experience a temporary change in your taste buds. Some also find their sense of smell becomes more sensitive for a while. Some foods may suddenly become disgusting because of their taste or smell.
Some people find binders useful post surgery as a support while healing. It’s an individual thing. I didn’t use one.
Now the bad news - there is little you can do to stop or reduce the chances of having loose skin. It’s why so many have plastic surgery to remove it. The loose skin is a result of your fat stretching out your skin. Think of a hair band that’s been stretched out from lots of use & is loose. Ain’t nothing goes to make that band as tight as it was when it was new. How much loose skin you have depends upon factors like age, gender, how long you’ve been at your highest weight, etc. if you’re young & still have a lot of natural skin elasticity you likely won’t have as much as someone older like me.
Don’t mean to scare you just wanted you not to be surprised if these things do happen. While they are common experiences, it seems they are things that many medical teams don’t tell their patients to expect. They can be quite scary when they occur if you don’t know they can.
Good luck.

I started at 5'3 and 320 pounds over BMI of 58 - I didn't go in to get weighed until I lost 10 lbs on my own! After 10 years, I am now 65 years old and am about 5'2" lost over 140 pounds and weigh 172 to 175. My BMI is (adjusted for age) 31. I am still considered overweight/obese. But this is as low in weight as I seem to be able to maintain and be healthy - My doctors are pleased. I am active and healthy !
I know, for some, this may not seem like a "VICTORY" - and I have been criticized even HERE for not losing more weight.
I am more than thrilled with my results. I am as excited about buying size 14/16 petite clothing as someone buying size 2 clothing. (Well, I think I am as thrilled !!) I have zero desire to have plastic surgery to remove the extra skin - I have had enough surgeries to not want any more.
I am over the moon thrilled with keeping it off and with my results.
DO YOU.

I wanted to chime in here to give another perspective.. first, of course you don't have to tell anyone you had surgery...its up to you to disclose you medical history. That being said, I tell everyone who asks. The reason being- I was soooo super scared of having surgery that I put it off for years and everyone I ever talked to about losing weight said that they did it "the natural way"..IT WAS A TOTAL LIE. I had people come up to me afterwards and tell me they had it done too but never tell people. I would have loved to to speak to more people who had it done and I wish I had done it sooner. Now I tell people who ask "how I did it" the truth. I don't care how they react but maybe I'll help someone who was like me.
Also I just had a revision surgery from sleeve to bypass and I plan on sharing that as well. Disclose what you would to who you like ...but remember how you felt before you had surgery & don't say it was "the natural way" if someone is looking for advice on losing their weight.

I wish I'd know that not everyone pukes after surgery. LOL. I DREADED the idea of vomiting so much. I hate it, and everything I read seemed to indicate that it was pretty much a normal learning curve thing to puke a few times after surgery while adjusting to your new gastric limits. Because of my horror and dread about puking...I put off my surgery for nearly a decade.
Reality....the anti-puke meds they have now are absolutely amazing. Since having surgery 3.5 years ago, I have never been severely nauseated. I have never puked. Not once. I was not nauseated after surgery. Felt great, walked, drank every bit of Water I was allowed with no issues (other than it taking a long time at first with the little bity sips)
If I'd known what a good job they do preventing vomiting these days......it might have been a gamechanger.
Yes, it's possible you'll puke. But it's also possible to have a super easy time of it and never feel sick at all. I didn't. I'm so grateful for that.

Surgery is a weight loss assist/boost, but it’s not going to do the work for you. I hate seeing posts of people who are back at fast food, candy, pastries, chips etc within a few months of surgery. Just because they “can” eat some of this stuff doesn’t mean they should be at this stage in the weight loss phase. Focus on your goal of weight loss, not testing your surgery limits.

Your surgery might allow you to eat almost anything without trouble, but at the end of the day you’re still responsible for what you eat. Don’t live off a diet of Protein Shakes and Water only, but also take this opportunity to reinvent your eating habits so you don’t end up back where you started in a few years. I was in my preop class with a guy I know who kept saying he was going to eat exactly how he did preop but just let the surgery limit his portion sizes. He stopped losing weight only a few months post surgery and never even got close to his goal.

The impact being morbidly obese had on my life was everywhere. I was ashamed of how I looked and didn’t want to see people anymore. I hated eating in public thinking of what people thought of me. Constantly wondering if I’d fit in chairs/certain places. Knowing I was unable to fly in a plane due to my size. Not being able to buy clothes or take any pride in my appearance. Feeling sluggish and lazy all the time. Feeling out of control and ruled by food and the ever increasing scale. And finally knowing that my children deserved a mother that had energy and enthusiasm for life again.

I’m still in my journey, I have 41 lbs to go to reach goal. But 135 lbs down and I’m “overweight” now, I can run and have energy again, I can buy clothes at regular stores and I love how I look, and I’m finally taking care of an issue that’s plagued me since grade school. I would do it all over again a dozen times if I had to.