njlimmer

I'm scared of this too. It's one reason I've scoped out this forum and other tools to prepare. I'm one of those who do better if I know things upfront. I feel much better prepared since coming here. Also, for my insurance, I only needed one dietician appointment, but I'm doing more than that. I'm feeling better prepared as she talks to me about eating habits that I can work on now to prepare for later. I've also started talking to my therapist about my eating habits and paying attention to the mental game behind it. That sipping Water though... that's going to be my Achille's Heel!

I haven't seen many people since my weight loss due to Covid, but my my husband's comments always warm my heart. Sometimes when we hug he'll exclaim "I keep forgetting how tiny your are." One time we were out and he hit the mens room while I waited, and when he came back out to find me he said he didn't see me at first b/c he was looking for the "old" me and forgot to to look for the "tiny" me.
I'm actually excited to go back to work someday and see my coworkers who have no idea what I look like! That will be a fun day!

A few weeks ago my 26 year old, size 0, step-daughter stopped by to pick something up. Her words were something “Oh my gosh, you are sooooo tiny.” I weighed about 180 at the time. 🤣

This one was pretty funny, but I took it as a compliment. My husband’s band practices at our house. I have known all of the members for at least a couple of years. The lead singer hadn’t been here in 2-3 months. Two weeks ago, I walked into the house from the gym and greeted her. She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and asked me to remind her who I was...she was serious. 🤣🤣🤣

You all have done an amazing job......
my best ones were being called Thin Mint as a nick name by a close friend.
My youngest son was about 24-25 and a co worker of his saw us together and asked him if i was his girlfriend, he said.... ewwww dude that's my mom, the co worker then said, wow she hot... is she single... heheheh Same son's friend asked him...now that your mom is single can i ask he out....ewwww
When my grandkids were little and they would call me nana and people would look at me and say..... I thought you were their mom

I love when I get compliments from people that don't know the "presurgery" me. The other day a guy was hitting on me at the carwash. The conversation eventually got around to age. He guessed my age but was off by 24 yrs! I asked him how he came up with that age since I was wearing sunglasses and a mask. He said, "Well, you are so tiny and you look like you take care of yourself. You have great abs and no body fat." I said, "Maybe I just have a really good plastic surgeon!" He said, "No, you don't look like the plastic surgery type." I thought to myself, well I guess I won't tell you I just had a lower body lift and brachioplasty in August. And no, I didn't give him my number.

Ok, maybe not the best compliment, but definitely the funniest:
The first time the Kid's boyfriend (now ex) met me, I overheard him tell her "Whoa, your mom is hot". He was 15.
I was all "awwww" and "ewwww" at the same time. 😂😂😂😂

What a great story. We all know how a random comment has the power to crush us but we forget how the right comment can be so empowering to someone’s self esteem.
I have two. The day someone said: you really are tiny aren’t you. And the day someone said: there’s plenty of room for you to sit here. I never though I’de ever hear anyone say those things to me before I lost the weight.

I feel this one, @OAGBPal One of the reasons I'm finally going through with this is that when I grew up, we lived about 3 hrs from Cedar Point (ahem... best amusement park EVER) and my mom and I would be able to ride together. Even into her late 50s early 60s, we'd still be able to ride. I'm 47 and have NEVER ridden with my kids because I can't fit the belt, and I'm terrified of that walk of "shame." I also don't think I could climb in and out of the coaster cars to begin with. I'm only 47 and this is where I am. I feel like I've already put this off for too long, but it's not too late to make some of those memories with my kids. Plus, if I'm this way at 47, where will I be in 5, 10, 15 years? On a walker? In a wheelchair? My dad died of a heart attack at 52, and on the anniversary of his passing, is when I got the news that not only did I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, I'm now also diabetic. My girls have stopped asking to do things with me because they know I CAN'T do them. Yeah... I feel this one.

I haven't gained it all back, but two years post-op and during COVID I've regained 10-12 lbs of it back. I'm actively losing again and the smaller stomach (VSG/sleeve WLS) really still works and is a great tool. I've remembered the right portion sizes and macros so I feel confident that I will not gain more and will re-lose this temporary setback.

Regain is very easy if you don't monitor yourself. So far I haven't regained lots of weight, because I know from past experience that it's much easier to lose five or ten pounds than it is to lose 50. So....I'm not going there. I have an "acceptable" weight range and once the scale goes over the top end of it (which has happened a few times), it's all hands on deck until I'm back within my range.

Those are all good ones. My list included fitting in the airplane seat without the person next to me giving me "the look" and dancing without my belly shaking.

Some of my victories:
1. Being able to wear a normal sized hospital gown when I have to have tests done or go to the ER. I used to be soooo embarrassed when I had to ask for the plus sized gown and they had to tell me they had to track some down because they didn't have many.
2. Being able to have my blood pressure taken on my upper arm again.
3. Being able to sit in a booth again when I go to a restaurant.
4. Being able fit in the back seat of the car (the seat belts wouldn't fit me in the back seat, but they do now)
5. Being able to buy clothes off the rack in a normal non-plus sized specific store.
6. Being able to fit in women's regular sizes (not plus sized anymore!)
7. Getting under 300 pounds, which I hadn't been in 15 years, made me CRY! I'm so close to being under 200 (which it's been 20 years) that I know when I hit Onderland I'm going to cry like a baby.
8. Knowing I'm not being stared at and judged for being so big. I'm in a large now and the two most common sizes where I live are large and 2xl (I work in a department store and have for 13 years, that's why I know this). I used to get stared at and had little kids loudly commenting about my weight to their parents.
9. I like that I no longer have to worry that if I plop on the couch I'm going to break it (I broke two couches, it was a valid concern and super embarrassing)
10. I love that I can move around more and not be so out of breath and I don't sweat up a storm like I used to when I would walk for more than 5 minutes.

So yes, there are a lot of wonderful things that happen when you lose that weight and so much to look forward to! Congrats on your upcoming surgery! I wish you the best!

I’m hoping for a bypass in March, but looking at all of the success stories, I just can’t believe that it’s really going to be possible. I thought if I wrote a list of all the things I’m looking forward to doing that it’d become more “real.” Feel free to add to it or if you’ve already experienced your own victories, please share!

1. Going to a professional game and not having to squeeze into a seat. Leaving said game without having bruises on my hips from the arms digging in.

2. Wearing fun socks. Tomorrow is Christmas sock day at work, and I never get to participate because I can’t wear tall socks because of my calves.

3. Getting a pair of tall boots - same problem as the socks!

4. Being able to put my wedding rings back on after YEARS of not wearing them.

5. Shopping in boutiques or any store in the regular section and not having to search for the women’s little corner.

6. Riding a roller coaster again.

I am devastated. I went through everything and my surgery was scheduled for tomorrow (12/14) only to have my hospital call and say I’m canceled due to Covid. They said all non emergency surgeries are canceled... I did the liquid diet and invested so much money, effort and tears only to be cut off before the finish line. I really am feeling depressed...

Screw People who are negative. My wife is in the same situation now. I am thin and she is big. So i understand how it will take a emotional toll. All i here from Family and Friends is when is Kim going to get the surgery? My response Mind you own F@#ckin business. But she gets upset and it makes her sad.
Now you just focus on yourself and getting healthy and Happy. Everyone here will guide and help
As for staying Corona Free I find it hard to stay empty handed on the boat or beach

Hey lovely people! I hope you all are having a lovely December and staying as corona free as possible!
After years and years of struggling with my weight and being labelled as FAT since I was 5 years old, I decided to go for the Gastric Sleeve Surgery!
I am now 26 years old and married but the insults from other people and family never stopped.
I was always on diets even as a child and played sports so was pretty active,but then at 15 years old I found out I have PCOS and that completely shattered my soul.
The weight kept piling on despite dieting and relationships became difficult.
When I met my now husband for the first time,I decided to let him know about my PCOS and the chances of not being able to conceive. It was difficult to open up and it killed me inside but he was still happy to go ahead.
As the years went on, family and friends started seeing the weight gap between my husband and I. "Look at her and look at him",they would say. "Maybe she eats his meals!" It was difficult and depressing and people would insult as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do.
Why can't people just support and not harass others? What do they from hurting people?
Due to Covid this year, I had time on my hands and decided I wanted to be a different person, one who was much healthier and happier.
I had my surgery on the 2nd of December 2020 and my weight stats are as follows:
Highest weight: 113kgs
Surgery weight:107kgs
Current weight:101kgs
I am so happy I have made this decision and I can see that so many others on here have as well!
I wish nothing but love and support to all the lovely people on here.
Sent from my SM-G988B using BariatricPal mobile app

post-op pain is all across the board, but just from my observations from hanging out on this and other forums for the last six years, it seems most WLS patients have little to no pain from this surgery. Uncomfortableness for a few days, yes - but most experience little or no true pain. And if you're one of the unfortunate ones who do, you'll undoubtedly be sent home with pain meds, so just keep on top of them. It's pretty manageable if you keep on top of it.
It seems like almost everyone worries about sagging skin. I worked with my clinic for three years prior to COVID, co-leading one of the pre-op classes (1-2 per month). In every class, people asked about sagging skin. I worried about it as well when I was pre-op and early post-op. But I can tell you that almost all of us who are a ways out will tell you that we wonder why we wasted any brain matter worrying about it. In the grand scheme of things, it's really a minor issue, and for most of us, it's very easy to hide and you're the only one who'll know it's there. And there's always plastic surgery if it bothers you. I eventually had mine removed, but that was for me - it was easy to hide from the world. I just tucked it into my jeans or leggings and wore slightly oversized, longish tops to hide it. Ta da! No more loose skin. Here's a picture of me BEFORE I had plastic surgery. I lost over 200 lbs, so I had a LOT of it. As you can see in this photo, it's not noticeable at all when I had clothes on (oh - and I agree with the above poster - I would take my sagging skin any day over weighing 373 lbs again. ANY DAY!!!)

It does look pretty spiffy. It came up while I was checking out the scale.

I was scheduled the 25th of November for bypass and it was cancelled yesterday. With the way things are going I can’t imagine it will happen this year and I can’t afford to pay my max out of pocket again, so this may be the end of the road for me. I wish you serious luck!!!

Thank you so much everyone for replying to my post! You've all been so helpful. Just thought I'd provide an update. I took a good hard look at things, started writing down everything I was eating, and figured out I had gotten into a really bad habit of grazing all day long. I am a crisis responder who works nights 12PM-12AM and wasn't planning for meals. I would just grab a bunch of Snacks (fairly healthy but still not the best) and head out. I decided to make a change by giving myself actual meal times and planning for them, with 2 snacks a day. For my weird schedule I'm having Breakfast (an egg and bacon or sausage) at noon, lunch at 3PM (a salad with protein), and dinner at 7PM (Some sort of Protein and veggies). I've been having nuts around 5PM for snack #1 (thank you for the suggestion!), and then around 9PM eating for the final time with snack #2 of fruit or popcorn. It's working.. I'm down 10 pounds and feeling better! I really appreciate all of the suggestions, encouragement, and help here at Bariatric Pal and am prioritizing a daily visit to the site again like I used to. Take care everyone! XOXO

We are in a very special circumstance. We have been able through weight loss surgery(WLS) to get a gigantic boost to lose weight. We are able to lose that weight effortlessly without much work. (Beside the process and procedure of WLS) We have this superpower that we never had before, rapid weight loss. Some in my support group have told me, you can go to sleep for six months and the weight will still come off. It's a superpower that we want to believe will last forever. Then one day we lose our superpower. We are now mere mortals in the weight loss world. A pound regain turns to two, then four then....you know the rest.
It's not so easy to lose the weight as it was after WLS. In fact we find ourselves in the same circumstance we were in prior to WLS. Struggling to lose weight and feeling hopeless and discouraged that we can't lose it as fast as we did post WLS. I know that feeling well. Prior to WLS I lost a lot of weight (60lbs) and you guessed it I regained it all back and then some. For 17 years I struggled to lose the weight as my body deteriorated with heart disease, diabetes, GERD, high blood pressure, gout and other maladies. I was taking so much medication that put both my liver and kidneys were in danger of failing me. I decided on WLS. I was taking 11 plus pills a day. The day I walked out of the hospital I was prescribed two pills.
I did not want to repeat my mistake of years ago and I made my goal weight my "RED ALERT" weight. I weight myself every week on the same day and same time to monitor my weight. After slipping on a vacation ( ate pastries) I realized that I needed additional help. I sought a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and was diagnosed as a compulsive over eater.She recommended that I seek the help of Overeaters Anonymous. I attend OA meetings as well as the group meetings my surgeon sets up.
During Covid my meetings with support groups and the therapist were curtailed and I subsequently gained weight. I could not lose the weight no matter what I tried. I too despaired and lamented that my brief flirtation with my weight loss superpowers were over. Fortunately for me I have a few family and friends that had WLS after I had mine and we are our own support group. ( I encourage people to hook up with other WLS patients and call, not write or text them to get as much support as you can) I was directed to You Tube videos on intermittent fasting and cutting out late night snacking. It's been 18 days since I stopped eating after 7PM and starting again at 8AM. I have lost the weight plus an additional pound. I have regained my confidence (which is very important) and I can see a clearer path to maintaining my health with my weight loss.
Gaining weight and not being able to take it off as fast as we once did is very crushing to us on so many levels. It hinders our ability to effectively lose the weight and it returns us to regaining more and giving up. Please don't give up. Many here have given you excellent choices to help you. I fortunately have a great support group of family and friends who I can tap for ideas "outside of the box". One poster here had a 45lb regain and was able to lose it. That in itself is a great motivator. For those of us who have lost our weight loss superpowers, don't despair, learn new tactics, resist old ones that work but never ever give up. Your good health is too important.

So who else has been delayed because of the increase in Covid case?? Really wish people would just stay home or wear a mask. I know this sounds selfish but I am really bummed. My surgery was scheduled for Nov 23. But here I sit still waiting and it could be another 4 weeks because of people going visiting for Christmas. I know that the hospital is the last place a healthy person should be but I have worked so hard to meet the qualifications and 3 days before surgery I was cancelled. This sucks.
Sent from my LM-G820 using BariatricPal mobile app

What creams/lotions did you find that worked for you? There are so many!

What creams/lotions did you find that worked for you? There are so many!

I agree can not be handled here - But as a guy my view is he is being selfish and Jealouse - You marry the person for who they are not what they look like! My x wife is still large, and we do have a physical relationship still. I am not going to say i do not notice he weight but i let it pass and I realize I care and married her for who she is not what she looks like. She is the mother of my children and I have been with her for 25 years, Now she is going to get the surgery after the Covid Nightmare is over. Of Course another bill for Me! but what she looks like does not matter to me I just want her healthy and Happy
You both need a counselor ASAP -