Blueslily

I did that this weekend! I pulled out a pair of favorite pants that I have not been able to wear in over 5 yrs! Fit perfectly!! Even my husband commented that he hadn't seen those in a while! 😊

4-12 here and just pulled my 4xl shirts out of the closet and put my 6xl in the back corner, I still have a few sizes to loose before I have to buy any new shirts, but went down 2 pant sizes too. You're right it is validating.

@blueslily Such beautiful self care!
I have these pink denim pants that fit again and I've been wearing them. A few of my smaller jeans fit but are less comfortable because they're still snug. But my two largest pairs of jeans got holes in them last week - why oh why do they rip when I've LOST weight?? So its a good motivator to make those smaller jeans fit better so I can be comfortable again!

Hi April Sleevers,
I had a fun victory moment during the weekend. I've lost weight, but had not really made any adjustments to the clothes that I was wearing. In many postings on this site, they encourage you not to spend much money on clothes during this process because, depending on how much weight you are loosing, you might have to keep replacing clothes. Im going through this process with a focus on improving my health versus racing for a reduction in my weight numbers. I had not really thought about clothes size changes much until I was looking for something in my closet and looked at "the other side" which is where I have tucked away smaller size clothes that I could no longer fit but was hopeful that one day I could wear again. Everyone has that section in your closet or drawers, right? Hahahaha. 😉Well, this weekend I perused that section in my closet and drawers and found some clothes that are one size smaller than my current size that fit nicely. I made a big pile and washed a couple loads of laundry. I reorganized my drawers and closet to include these one size smaller clothes that I can now include in my regular wardrobe. It felt very validating. They are all summer clothes so its perfect timing. And, it was nice to reminisce about earlier times with those clothes. And even better, I did not have to spend any money! 🤗 I have a few clothing items that are two sizes smaller. I just left them tucked away for later during this process. 🙂
Anyone else go shopping in your closets or drawers so far during this process? I'm at the 7 week mark.

Hi April Sleevers,
I had a fun victory moment during the weekend. I've lost weight, but had not really made any adjustments to the clothes that I was wearing. In many postings on this site, they encourage you not to spend much money on clothes during this process because, depending on how much weight you are loosing, you might have to keep replacing clothes. Im going through this process with a focus on improving my health versus racing for a reduction in my weight numbers. I had not really thought about clothes size changes much until I was looking for something in my closet and looked at "the other side" which is where I have tucked away smaller size clothes that I could no longer fit but was hopeful that one day I could wear again. Everyone has that section in your closet or drawers, right? Hahahaha. 😉Well, this weekend I perused that section in my closet and drawers and found some clothes that are one size smaller than my current size that fit nicely. I made a big pile and washed a couple loads of laundry. I reorganized my drawers and closet to include these one size smaller clothes that I can now include in my regular wardrobe. It felt very validating. They are all summer clothes so its perfect timing. And, it was nice to reminisce about earlier times with those clothes. And even better, I did not have to spend any money! 🤗 I have a few clothing items that are two sizes smaller. I just left them tucked away for later during this process. 🙂
Anyone else go shopping in your closets or drawers so far during this process? I'm at the 7 week mark.

Welcome! This site is a great resource. Congratulations on your surgery!

Hello all,
Great reading your posts and thanks for responding to my questions.
So far, I only really have space for a snack maybe once in a while, like maybe 2 days a week. Those times are usually like once in the afternoon while I'm at work. I eat a cheese stick. I dont usually desire any Snacks in the evening at home. Most evenings, I'm too busy trying to finish up my Water goals for the day. Hahaha.
I get so distracted at work some days that I don't meet my water goal while at work. Its annoying because then at night I'm trying to make up which is hard and I stay up late sipping on water. It's a day by day process of trying to make sure I take care of me while at work and meet my intake goals while there. Need help with that.
I'm excited to share that I walk at work every single day! Usually around 30 minutes. I even walked twice Wednesday. Once during work and then at the end of the day for a few minutes. After work, I drove to an empty parking lot at work and did some speed walking laps around the lot for just 15 minutes. I don't speed walk during the work day because I don't want to get sweaty or anything like that and have to go back to work. I'm really digging walking now. Feel more energy to do it and the weather has been great. I think it's about me liking being outside and liking that I can walk without feeling tired most days now. That's progress for sure.
Tuesday I will be 6 weeks post-op and can move to normal food that's of course low cal, low sugar, low fat, low sodium, low carb, etc. So far, I have not cheated at all. No cravings so far. I do feel some hunger at times, but that's usually my fault because I'm past the due time for a Protein Shake or a 2.5 - 3 ounce meal which is still my capacity limit. I think Thursday I had some thoughts about wanting to eat out, but I squashed that. First, I can hardly eat any volume so eating out is wasteful, even if I take leftovers home. Second, I don't want to open a slippery slope of eating out once and then wanting to do it again and again and getting off track with my plan. I'm not willing to risk that so early in this process. I also don't want to introduce something that will trigger a craving. So, I got past that.
I still food prep. Man, since surgery, I have saved so much money on food. I used to spend a lot more on dining out and groceries. Now with only eating like a max of 3 ounces per meal and just drinking water the rest of the day, I save a ton of money. Protein Shakes and Vitamins are bigger expenses than food I guess.
I see my WLS Team in two more weeks for my 2 month follow up. I am meeting a friend for a weekend mountains getaway to Celebrate my two month surgerversary. He is the only person who knows that I had this surgery other than my medical team. We talk all the time about how it's going which helps. Since no one else knows, I don't get to talk with anyone else about my experience during this process.
I have one possible challenge coming up. My family is getting together for Memorial Day wknd. That's the weekend before my 2 month mark. That will be the first time that they will see me since my surgery. I live states away from my family so they don't see me all the time. Plus, with COVID the past year, we have gotten together less than usual for family gatherings which usually include siblings, parents, aunt, uncles, nieces and nephews, and cousins. So, a nice size group of people. My parents saw me Easter weekend which was the week before surgery. I had lost some weight pre-surgery, but I don't think they noticed. Now its noticable. So, I've created a couple options for responses to questions about my weight loss since I don't plan to disclose that I had WLS. And I have a plan for what to eat since the family is cooking out. I should be in the clear for a few months after that in regards to any other family gatherings.
I'm content with how I feel now and my progress. I do weigh on the scale, but I'm not overly focused on numbers. I noticed that a few of my summer dresses fit better. You can see weight loss in my face. So, I value the non-scale victories.
Sorry for the long post. I'm really glad to be a part of this community. It has been very helpful during this process.
Have a great Saturday everyone 🙂

Hello all,
Great reading your posts and thanks for responding to my questions.
So far, I only really have space for a snack maybe once in a while, like maybe 2 days a week. Those times are usually like once in the afternoon while I'm at work. I eat a cheese stick. I dont usually desire any Snacks in the evening at home. Most evenings, I'm too busy trying to finish up my Water goals for the day. Hahaha.
I get so distracted at work some days that I don't meet my water goal while at work. Its annoying because then at night I'm trying to make up which is hard and I stay up late sipping on water. It's a day by day process of trying to make sure I take care of me while at work and meet my intake goals while there. Need help with that.
I'm excited to share that I walk at work every single day! Usually around 30 minutes. I even walked twice Wednesday. Once during work and then at the end of the day for a few minutes. After work, I drove to an empty parking lot at work and did some speed walking laps around the lot for just 15 minutes. I don't speed walk during the work day because I don't want to get sweaty or anything like that and have to go back to work. I'm really digging walking now. Feel more energy to do it and the weather has been great. I think it's about me liking being outside and liking that I can walk without feeling tired most days now. That's progress for sure.
Tuesday I will be 6 weeks post-op and can move to normal food that's of course low cal, low sugar, low fat, low sodium, low carb, etc. So far, I have not cheated at all. No cravings so far. I do feel some hunger at times, but that's usually my fault because I'm past the due time for a Protein Shake or a 2.5 - 3 ounce meal which is still my capacity limit. I think Thursday I had some thoughts about wanting to eat out, but I squashed that. First, I can hardly eat any volume so eating out is wasteful, even if I take leftovers home. Second, I don't want to open a slippery slope of eating out once and then wanting to do it again and again and getting off track with my plan. I'm not willing to risk that so early in this process. I also don't want to introduce something that will trigger a craving. So, I got past that.
I still food prep. Man, since surgery, I have saved so much money on food. I used to spend a lot more on dining out and groceries. Now with only eating like a max of 3 ounces per meal and just drinking water the rest of the day, I save a ton of money. Protein Shakes and Vitamins are bigger expenses than food I guess.
I see my WLS Team in two more weeks for my 2 month follow up. I am meeting a friend for a weekend mountains getaway to Celebrate my two month surgerversary. He is the only person who knows that I had this surgery other than my medical team. We talk all the time about how it's going which helps. Since no one else knows, I don't get to talk with anyone else about my experience during this process.
I have one possible challenge coming up. My family is getting together for Memorial Day wknd. That's the weekend before my 2 month mark. That will be the first time that they will see me since my surgery. I live states away from my family so they don't see me all the time. Plus, with COVID the past year, we have gotten together less than usual for family gatherings which usually include siblings, parents, aunt, uncles, nieces and nephews, and cousins. So, a nice size group of people. My parents saw me Easter weekend which was the week before surgery. I had lost some weight pre-surgery, but I don't think they noticed. Now its noticable. So, I've created a couple options for responses to questions about my weight loss since I don't plan to disclose that I had WLS. And I have a plan for what to eat since the family is cooking out. I should be in the clear for a few months after that in regards to any other family gatherings.
I'm content with how I feel now and my progress. I do weigh on the scale, but I'm not overly focused on numbers. I noticed that a few of my summer dresses fit better. You can see weight loss in my face. So, I value the non-scale victories.
Sorry for the long post. I'm really glad to be a part of this community. It has been very helpful during this process.
Have a great Saturday everyone 🙂

Great. Will you both please let us know what your surgeons say about this sign of fullness. Thanks!

Interesting responses here. There are indeed some insurance plans that have requirements of things they want you to do prior to approval for the surgery. Yes, the medical WLS program requirements are separate. Indeed some people have insurance that do not require anything. But if you do a search on this site, it's not just about hoops from the medical staff. Folks indeed report that their insurance required 3 months, 6 months, weight management, etc. And, for some of the "hoops" reported, some can be regarded as helpful in some ways just for your own medical care perspective and preparation for surgery. You can tell which programs prepared folks and which did not when you read posts on here. But, people also have all kinds of programs and insurances. Plus, some folks are self-pay and move through the process faster. From the medical program perspective, blood work and an EKG seems simple to me. Plus, some do EGDs before to see if you have a hernia that needs repairing or if there is anything internal that might cause a problem with the surgery. That's cool with me. I haven't had a lot of other surgeries, but getting information beforehand and tests that provide information about my health seem like a good deal to me. I guess that's also because from my perspective I wasn't trying to race through this process. Man, after surgery you certainly can't race through the process either. I think that if I had to wait more than 6months, I would be annoyed, but 3-6 months seems tolerable to get info, prepare mentally, prepare physically, fully understand what the program does and does not do, etc. I think one of the better "hoops" that people report is meeting with a therapist who understands bariatric surgeries, food addiction, eating disorders, etc. For folks on here who report not meeting with a therapist prior, many times it is recommended after. This is not a fast process. I'm glad that I had time to really fully understand and know what I was getting into. I recommend a good therapist for everyone going through this process. Good luck

All the best to every one scheduled for surgery next week. I'm 2.5 weeks post-op. Feeling stronger each day.

Hello all,
This week is the 3 week mark for several of us who had surgeries the first week of April. How are the 3 week folks doing?
Today is my 3 week mark. I'm returning to work today, but just working a half day to see how I feel and how my energy level is at work. So, a test run. I started soft foods a day early just so I would not be having day 1 of it at work with possible vomiting or diarrhea, that would not be fun. I tried a half scrambled egg with a little milk and little reduced fat cheese to make it softer. No issue. I also tried 1.5 ounces of chicken salad. No issue with either. I only put a tiny bit on the tip of my spoon. Maybe the amount you give a baby or less and chewed and chewed.
So, how are the 3 week folks doing?

Interesting responses here. There are indeed some insurance plans that have requirements of things they want you to do prior to approval for the surgery. Yes, the medical WLS program requirements are separate. Indeed some people have insurance that do not require anything. But if you do a search on this site, it's not just about hoops from the medical staff. Folks indeed report that their insurance required 3 months, 6 months, weight management, etc. And, for some of the "hoops" reported, some can be regarded as helpful in some ways just for your own medical care perspective and preparation for surgery. You can tell which programs prepared folks and which did not when you read posts on here. But, people also have all kinds of programs and insurances. Plus, some folks are self-pay and move through the process faster. From the medical program perspective, blood work and an EKG seems simple to me. Plus, some do EGDs before to see if you have a hernia that needs repairing or if there is anything internal that might cause a problem with the surgery. That's cool with me. I haven't had a lot of other surgeries, but getting information beforehand and tests that provide information about my health seem like a good deal to me. I guess that's also because from my perspective I wasn't trying to race through this process. Man, after surgery you certainly can't race through the process either. I think that if I had to wait more than 6months, I would be annoyed, but 3-6 months seems tolerable to get info, prepare mentally, prepare physically, fully understand what the program does and does not do, etc. I think one of the better "hoops" that people report is meeting with a therapist who understands bariatric surgeries, food addiction, eating disorders, etc. For folks on here who report not meeting with a therapist prior, many times it is recommended after. This is not a fast process. I'm glad that I had time to really fully understand and know what I was getting into. I recommend a good therapist for everyone going through this process. Good luck

I have glue also. I am at 2 weeks and the glue on the incision on the left side under my bra came off yesterday as well due to the bar sliding against it. It seems to happen on my left one, but not the right one. The incision is totally closed. I put a bandaid over it yesterday so the bra does not irritate it going forward. If concerned, you can message your WLS team. I'm messaging my team today. When I saw them last week for the one week follow up, they said my incisions looked great. I actually asked for more glue to be added since my bra was rubbing against the left one. Honestly, I wear a bra as little as possible at home due to the rubbing, but must wear it when leaving home.

Your response made me laugh. Not liking onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cauliflower does not sabotage weight loss, lol. But, not continuing to stick to your plan will probably dampen your mood a bit more because that won't help you get out the stall. This process is a journey as others have said.
I'm glad that many people responded to your post with support, but also taking about the reality of this process.
Talking with your dietitian seems to be the best next step. And, since you have questions about your food plan, I would just stick to whatever information is provided on the list of foods for your current stage until you speak with the dietitian so you dont choose something that might impact your tummy, healing process, or weightloss without realizing it.
Good luck, and it's way to early to say it's a waste. So, hopefully you will move past that mindset soon. Good night.

Hi April Sleevers,
How's everyone doing? I'm feeling better. Looking forward to starting purree stage which is Stage 3 for me next week. I'm curious about how my body will respond. I picked up some broths of Thai Soups today for the weekend to give me a little variety this weekend for the last few days of my Full liquids phase. Did not walk the past two days and it will rain all day tomorrow so I'm feeling a bit bummed about lack of walking. Hoping for at least a small break in the rain tomorrow so I can get outside and do some walking in the park. If not, Sunday seems to have better weather forecasted.
Attempting to work a few half days next week to see how my energy level holds up. Starting Tuesday and only committed to a three day, half day trial next week.
I can see in my face that I've lost some weight. Interesting. Will take first after- surgery pics at One Month. Only weighing once a week at this point. I don't want to create stress or anxiety by checking daily. There are a lot of posts on this site about the negative impact of scale watching. I got this surgery for health reasons, not numbers on a scale. So, I'm not fixated on numbers on a scale. Scale watching can easily become a transfer addiction so I hope that everyone is being careful with that and not putting unrealistic pressure on yourself to lose weight super fast. Let's do this healthy!
Throat pain situation seems to be about wisdom tooth extraction one week before surgery and the impact of surgery on that process.
Still no BM without assistance. So, will probably use assistance every other day until I start solids which should help.
Vitamins make my tummy feel a bit unpleasant or unhappy. So, combined with the nasty taste, I think I will need to switch. Talking with dietitian next week about the situation. I really want to use Patches, but my surgeon isn't a fan of that.
I have to stay on myself to get in all my Water and Protein each day on the full liquids stage. If I get distracted by doing a task at home or have a doctors appointment, I get off track and it's hard to catch up since we shouldn't guzzle anymore. I can get liquids down pretty quick. But, really trying to be kind to my tummy and not drink too fast.
I watched a couple good videos on YouTube last night by Dr. V. The most helpful one was about the texture scale he created and deciding what to eat based on the texture and dryness, mainly after our initial stages.
Hope everyone is resting and adhering to stages suggested by our WLS programs so that you are protecting your new tummy. Let's be kind to our bodies. 🙂👍 Protect your healing. Make healthy choices! (I only share this because I've read some interesting stories on this site about food off plan that folks ate early on and the negative impact or sometimes no impact which gave false impression that it was ok to do that to their recovering bodies when its definitely not.) No judgement. Just hoping we will all be safe during healing.

Oh, so sorry to hear that you're having such a hard time. Did your program give you a prescription for something for the acid reflux? I was sent home with a prescription..well, I picked up a med the week before surgery.
Does walking help anyone? Heating pad? Standing in warm shower with your back to the water to at least help you relax some. I love the feeling of warm water running on me. Helps me relax and feel rejuvenated.
I dont use broth straight from the cartons in the store. I like the broth from Campbell's Chunky chicken Noodle Soup. Not the regular chicken noodle that seems to have a thicker, oily broth. I add a little Protein Powder to that broth. I just pour all the broth out the can of soup and put the noodle part in a bowl for whatever will be done with it, lol.
I ate sugar free kello for flavor in my mouth the first few days at home. Helped me.
I really like the two broths that I picked up from the Thai restaurant today. Strictly broth for their chicken and rice soup and their tum yum soup without any spice added and no Tomato. A lot of thai restaurants make tum yum with tomatoes, but I sought out one that does not use tomatoes due to trying to stay away from acid right now.
Some people say they add water to the Protein Shakes to thin them out some. Maybe that will help.
Hope you feel better soon. First week can be a challenge for sure. I had my share of unpleasant moments the first week also. I'm just one week ahead of you.

All the best to every one scheduled for surgery next week. I'm 2.5 weeks post-op. Feeling stronger each day.

Ok. Then maybe look for the other disciplines that are trained to offer therapy like clinical social workers and folks with LPCs or whatever masters level counselors are called in your state. Psychologists are great, but if they are too limited, then I would certainly look for other trained and licensed therapy professionals that might be helpful.

All the best to everyone having surgery this week!

Ok. At just 2 days post surgery, I was up walking during the middle of the night also. Walking to help with the gas pains. Not really about my incisions. It was gas pain or body discomfort. But, it did get better as time went on. I expected some sleep issues given what I read during researching the surgery so I wasnt too upset about it. I actually thought I would be sleeping even less. I just walked around d the house in circles during the middle of the night. Hahaha

Any pattern in what causes the cramps?

Hello all, sorry for being MIA. Had the sleeve April 6. Did not really feel up to being on the site the first week. Stayed one extra day in the hospital due to nausea and pain that I realized later in the first day was due to cold stuff. I mentioned that to the nurses initially that I wasnt sure a out sucking on the ice chips. It's ok.
At home, I had some gas pains. Walked and felt better. I feel better when walking versus sitting.
Had one night that I wasnt sleepy at home. But, other than that, sleep is ok. First week, woke up a few times during middle if night due to tummy feeling uncomfortable. Did some walking in the house and repositioned.
Had one week of Clear Liquids. No problem. Got in the Water and shakes starting 2nd day at home. But, when I started full liquids two days ago, seems harder to get everything in. Mainly just due to me having other stuff to do like follow up doc appts and so forth. I find that I need to stay on schedule because I cant catch up if I do t get it in earlier during the day.
I think I feel some hunger, but again that's when i haven't gotten in enough earlier. But, i think my stomach also has so.e gas if empty so i feel that and hear some gurgling.
Yes, had gas pains for a few days. Walked to help. They were like traveling pains on my side and in my back.
Only had one BM so far. On day 8 post surgery, I started to feel some pressure like I needed to have a BM. Ate some chewable Selokot that night. BM the next morning. That was yesterday. No BM today. Surgeon had said it might be a few days post surgery so i wasnt freaked out about it. But, when i went i for my first post-OP appt on the morning of Day 8, the NP was like yes, take something. 4 days is understandable. But, not 8 days.
I will say that the afternoon if day 7, exactly one week postOP, it's like I turned a curb. I felt an increase in energy and could move easier. The next morning, morning of post op appt, I used that energy to do a little stuff at home. Well, within an hour, I was dragging. When my brother arrived ti drive me to the doc appt, I was having a hard time walking..lesson learned- just because I feel a little boost of energy does not mean that recovery is done. "Sit your butt down" is the advice that I was given. Hahahaha.
Overall, doing ok. Just need to stay on track so I can get everything in.
Oh, I was supposed to start my Multivitamins Wed, but they arrive Monday. Bummer. I ordered everything in advance, but this one thing was later.
On full liquids for two weeks. Seems not as easy as week 1 full liquids. Not sure why.

Hello all, sorry for being MIA. Had the sleeve April 6. Did not really feel up to being on the site the first week. Stayed one extra day in the hospital due to nausea and pain that I realized later in the first day was due to cold stuff. I mentioned that to the nurses initially that I wasnt sure a out sucking on the ice chips. It's ok.
At home, I had some gas pains. Walked and felt better. I feel better when walking versus sitting.
Had one night that I wasnt sleepy at home. But, other than that, sleep is ok. First week, woke up a few times during middle if night due to tummy feeling uncomfortable. Did some walking in the house and repositioned.
Had one week of Clear Liquids. No problem. Got in the Water and shakes starting 2nd day at home. But, when I started full liquids two days ago, seems harder to get everything in. Mainly just due to me having other stuff to do like follow up doc appts and so forth. I find that I need to stay on schedule because I cant catch up if I do t get it in earlier during the day.
I think I feel some hunger, but again that's when i haven't gotten in enough earlier. But, i think my stomach also has so.e gas if empty so i feel that and hear some gurgling.
Yes, had gas pains for a few days. Walked to help. They were like traveling pains on my side and in my back.
Only had one BM so far. On day 8 post surgery, I started to feel some pressure like I needed to have a BM. Ate some chewable Selokot that night. BM the next morning. That was yesterday. No BM today. Surgeon had said it might be a few days post surgery so i wasnt freaked out about it. But, when i went i for my first post-OP appt on the morning of Day 8, the NP was like yes, take something. 4 days is understandable. But, not 8 days.
I will say that the afternoon if day 7, exactly one week postOP, it's like I turned a curb. I felt an increase in energy and could move easier. The next morning, morning of post op appt, I used that energy to do a little stuff at home. Well, within an hour, I was dragging. When my brother arrived ti drive me to the doc appt, I was having a hard time walking..lesson learned- just because I feel a little boost of energy does not mean that recovery is done. "Sit your butt down" is the advice that I was given. Hahahaha.
Overall, doing ok. Just need to stay on track so I can get everything in.
Oh, I was supposed to start my Multivitamins Wed, but they arrive Monday. Bummer. I ordered everything in advance, but this one thing was later.
On full liquids for two weeks. Seems not as easy as week 1 full liquids. Not sure why.

It's ok. Totally understandable. Might as well go and see what happens. Try not to stress too much tonight as that wont help you during surgery. All the best! 👍🌞