ShoppGirl

I did eat puree fruits and veggies but meat was just gross. I made sure to get my protein in from shakes and had a bit of fruit and veggies to get in some fiber.

Maybe I will have to put that one on my list as well.

So sorry to hear about your loss. You look fantastic though. If you do get a reduction you may want to wait a bit just to make certain your weight had stabilized. Insurance does cover it sometimes if it’s medically necessary because of rashes and such as mentioned by @NickelChip which requires alot of documentation but your bariatric dr should know what to do for that and also for back pain but I was told that they have to remove a pretty significant amount of breast tissue that may not leave you with the cosmetic result you desire to do it for back pain through insurance. It’s certainly worth doing a consult with a cosmetic surgeon though to get their advice though.

I did get pain meds with my sleeve and my SADI revision. I told them right away with the sleeve to take me off right after surgery, but for the SADI I did need them (I also had my gallbladder removed but I’m not sure if that was the difference). When I was released from hospital I only took 1/2 of one because my husband forgot to buy Tylenol though. That was because I finally passed gas and when I did that a few times I felt such relief. I honestly don’t know that the pain meds were doing anything for my pain given that it clearly was just really really bad gas with the revision. Some people do need them though. I would ask to make sure if you really need it that they will give you something. Maybe even a stronger Tylenol. That may just be the typical plan but they have to have alternatives if your situation is different. If not, that would be a little concerning to me as well.

Well not to scare you but I felt something in my breast about 2.5 months post op and when I got the call I was 3 months post and it was breast cancer. I think I honestly may not have found it if it hadn’t been for the weight loss though so at least now I have a fighting chance. 🤷‍♀️. I truly do hope yours is absolutely nothing but i just wanted to mention that it’s always best to get anything like that checked (as you are). I had my mammograms annually and even had my breasts checked at my Pap smear only ten days prior to feeling it myself and the Dr had missed it so I really had to go with my gut to get it checked out anyways. It was hard to believe that she wouldn’t have felt it and I figured that they were going to just laugh at me because it was supposed to be there but it wasn’t. I would probably be stage 4 instead of 3 if I had waited until my next mammogram instead of trusting my gut. Definitely don’t worry about it until you have a real reason to, but also for anyone else reading this don’t ignore it because it does happen. Just get it checked out and enjoy your life. All we can do. Maybe when you go ask the radiologist to do a self exam with you and tell you what things you feel are so you know what’s normal and what’s not. I would only trust the radiologist that has the imaging in front of them though because my gyno when I went to tell her I felt something said that she was 99% certain it was just fibrous tissue but would send me for mammogram anyways. I actually almost cancelled the appointment because she made me feel like it was a waste of time and money. Thankfully I didn’t. I finally got into the Christmas spirit when we took my five younger cousins out for a night of Christmas Lights and Hot Cocoa. That’s usually the end to our big annual Christmas crafts day with the kids but with chemo I can’t do a whole day and night of five kids right now energy wise so we just did the lights part. I usually don’t get into the spirit until I’m around the kids. My Christmas treat is the Ghirardelli peppermint chocolates. They are individually wrapped so you can easily have just one and they have it in dark chocolate. It’s definitely off plan and a splurge but you can freeze them to make it less tempting to not waste.

Well I'm still pending results but they think that the immunotherapy is causing colitis and if so and we can’t control it that I may have to stop the med. This med of course is the most effective treatment along with the chemo for my type of cancer so it’s not good. Well I talked to the oncology dietician and she gave me a low fiber diet to start with. If that doesn’t work there is an even more strict one for me to try but it’s basically everything complete opposite of what we have been doing with the bariatric diet and I am so worried it’s going to make me gain all my weight back. I mean I have no choice but to do it but this just sucks. I have worked so hard. I am supposed to eat like saltines, white rice, white bread, white pasta, etc. Basically carbs and fat with some protein options. Hardly any fruits or veggies. I can have lean meats but without anything with them they are hard to get down right now. I gotta do this though. The doctor mentioned an even stronger steroid to reverse it or having to stop it alltogether and I just can’t let that happen. Part of me is tempted to just not eat a lot but I know I gotta keep my strength up to keep doing these treatments. I’m having a bit of a pity party this morning since I stepped on the scale and of course I have gained. 😢 I know that I know how to lose it now though so I’m just hoping that once I get through this I can. Maybe I can get the GLP-1 if not to help with the appetite suppression to get me started. It’s another year at least so hopefully they will be cheaper and more accessible by then.

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I don’t have a date yet but I think I have pretty well settled on the SADI surgery for my revision. I meet with him the end of next month to ask my final questions and then I guess it’s a waiting game. I am hesitant to post on the regular pre op boards and say I’m pending revision because I gained it all back. I feel like I may discourage someone from trying.

I think it depends on what you put into it like anything else. If you really use the opportunity to change WHAT you eat and not just how much you eat and take the energy burst and add some more activity to your routine. Real lifestyle changes, you should lose and have a far better chance to keep it off long term. But if you just make small changes like eat half a kids meal at McDonald’s instead of a super sized meal then yes you will probably lose but not as much and you most likely won’t keep it off long because as you probably know when the hunger comes back your portions tend to increase so that happy meal won’t do it for you anymore and you wont have any healthy foods you learned to enjoy. The exercise is a big component for me that I didn't do the first time And I question daily why i didn't start it sooner because i truly do feel fantastic after I exercise. Nutrition wise I searched for healthy recipes and tried so so many. There were several that weren’t for me but just as many that were. I made a new one everyday in the beginning and I froze individual portions of the things I liked. Now I only cook a couple times a week and I double The recipes to keep my freezer stocked. This makes healthy options far more convenient so it’s so much easier to make the right choice. I saved links to recipes I wanted to try on my notes app and under another note I saved favorites. If you are craving something specific just type the word healthy in front of it and so many recipes will pop up to give you ideas of how to make a healthier version. Now don’t get me wrong I’d love to have a pizza BUT, I have found several recipes that are totally healthy and I legit enjoy as well. And don’t rule out stuff you don’t love now tastes can change a bit and things you didn’t like before may tasted different. Also, once you detox from the processed crap things taste different. Fruit is sweeter for one thing. I have been trying a new fruit and veggie each week. And I try cooking it different ways to find as much variety as I can.

I know you asked someone else but I had a revision to SADI and I’m doing great in terms of fitness, nutrition and weight loss. I am a 4.5 months out and I’ve lost 75 pounds. The metabolic changes gave me more energy than I ever had and by taking advantage of that and exercising I have increased that energy even further. The sleeve didn’t have those changes for me at all. Its true that it’s just not the right fit for everyone. Good luck with your surgery.

Ooh I'm jealous. I really hope it snows when we go. I have never seen snow for Christmas. I lived in North Carolina for college but the south part and it snowed once like an inch. I really want to see a white Christmas.

Omg. I have a short little clawfoot tub in my bathroom. It’s a tiny bathroom and was just a builder grade tub/shower and I wanted to update it and it was cute at the time. Well I am tall so I already am too tall for it really, but I could use it whenever we put it in. At my high weight I couldn’t even get the water all around my body, though. There were parts of my body that never even got wet if I got in and then ran the water after. Now I can fit again. I still forget I have that option most times but it is nice to have a choice.

I’m not from the UK but in the US we have Wegovy as well. Maybe you will have better luck with that one. I think it’s pretty much the same drug but here mounjoro is primarily prescribed for diabetes and wegovy for weight loss. Not sure if your do as well, but there are also some compounding pharmacies that can make a similar drug here. I’ve been told to just be careful with those because they aren’t regulated. Some are safe though, my doctors office actually has one they give to their patients now that is compounded it’s almost $200 US but since not all insurance companies cover it that’s quite reasonable compared to the full Price of the brand. I hope this helps

I had a hard time working out what meant I was actually hungry too. I thought every little noise meant I was hungry until I quickly learned that was going to be more than half the day my stomach would be making noises. To include right after i ate. I’m glad you worked it out and you have a plan to differentiate between the two.

I am so sorry to hear you had to go through that. But your right, it was a perfect example of something life changing that you got through and you got through it sober. That’s amazing!! I am just hoping to get through this and figure out a way to help make some changes to the process. Dealing with all these insurance hurdles and the administrative red tape with all of these doctors offices is just way harder than it needs to be. I struggle with anxiety and I told a lady today that I am more anxious about getting the appointments scheduled and getting the staff to do my insurance authorizations or fax my records to other places than I am that I have cancer. I said I don’t know but that seems pretty backwards to me, doesn’t it you? I think I got her attention with that statement. But, I have been able to manage my anxiety pretty well without much medication which is a huge win for me. My exercise helps a great deal with my anxiety day to day. It doesn’t take it away entirely but it brings it to a more manageable level. Yoga is really good for it too so I got started with that new habit just in time. Have you tried the tropical variety of the sugar free popsicles? I absolutely love the pineapple ones. They are so much better to me than the old school flavors. I actually forgot that I have them in the freezer. I need to get back to eating them when the sweet tooth hits. I have a non scale victory. Well I guess it is a scale victory but it’s about more than just the scale. The support group that I belong to for cancer had a therapy program where you get to work with horses and they have a weight limit. It’s technically 180 but I told them I was a tad over and they said I should still be okay to do it. They make us do a whole medical packet and get it signed by our doctor so I won’t know for sure for a while but at least it wasn’t an automatic no like it would have been four months ago i hope you have a fabulous holiday and enjoy your trip. I bet that seat will be extra spacious for you. I haven’t flown since my loss but my best friend travels a lot for work and she has recently lost a bunch of weight and she mentioned how it keeps getting easier and easier for her. Not just to fit in the seat but the trip itself takes less out of her than it used to.

Yea I’m finally able to fit into the smallest of the clothes a friend of a friend has been giving me who had the sleeve a bit ahead of my revision. She is still losing so I’m hoping she does another purge soon. We have different styles so I don’t like a lot of the tops (she is younger) but it’s awesome to not have to buy jeans or exercise stuff or coats. She was even giving me her old bras which unfortunately are too small in the cup because that’s a big expense to keep buying. I am just thankful to not have to buy half as much and hoping for another haul soon. 🤣

Maybe look into the GLP-1. I bet you still have your restriction. You just need something to curb your appetite. My friend is on them and she has lost a lot. Actually too much too fast I think. I told her she should go back to the lower dose because it was working at a steady reasonable rate. Now she struggles everyday to get in much of anything. Anyways, at the appropriate dose they are a good option for many people. Dr Matthew Weiner talks about them quite a bit on his podcasts. He has some you tube videos too. Insurance coverage for them varies drastically from one company to the next but if they are covered and affordable you may want to ask your doctor if they are a good option for you.

It’s a huge win in my book. A total shame that they treated you differently (and ignored you before). People suck sometimes. Although I still wonder if it is really them or if we are just more approachable because of a new found confidence that comes with losing weight. Then again it seems like they would have approached you before BECAUSE you looked uncomfortable if that was the case. I always try to strike up some sort of conversation with the person who looks awkward in the corner at a party in hopes to make them relax so they can have a good time too. Maybe that’s because I know how it feels to be that person 🤷‍♀️ Regardless, it’s awesome that you’ve lost so much they wondered who you are. I bet my neighbors think something similar about me. Maybe not because I drive the same car but I had my sleeve in 2021 and lost a significant amount then gained it all back and now I’ve lost 75 pounds again. I’m sure they have some theories. 🤣

I had a very specific diet. Like a list of foods that I was allowed and I was not allowed anything not on the list. It was basically high protein low carb but it was still very specific.

Thank you,i hope your husband is well. I can only imagine that being the caregiver that this hasn’t been easy on your bariatric journey either. Just being post op is pretty time consuming in itself (or at least it has been for me) and any big life curveball you throw in I assume makes for a pretty crazy schedule which make healthy choices that much harder. I know for me that I don’t need much of an excuse to be tempted to eat off plan so having no time to plan ahead makes the little obese voice in my head say it’s not your fault your too busy right now it’s okay to stop and have fast food just this once. But then this once turns out to be more and more often. That’s how I got to be obese was listening to that little voice too often. Luckily I did have a solid three months to get into some pretty good habits and I have really been trying to stick to them the majority of the time. I have a whole bag of healthy protein snacks that I just keep with me all the time in the car (I rotate them out so don’t stay there too long) since you rarely know when you start out what your day will end up bringing with these doctors. Or at least that’s how it has been for me. You start thinking it’s just one appointment at 8:30 am and don’t get home until late at night because you don’t even get seen until 10:30 and then they want two other things which you have to wait around to be squeezed in for those as well. I hate paying For and stoping for water so I bring a cooler with bottled water and protein shakes everyday since my surgery in case I get stuck out and don’t have time to eat on plan but now I also have my big bag of non refrigerated protein snacks with me as well. I can’t say it’s made me be 100% perfect but I’ve done far better than if I had to keep stopping on the road for sure. My favorite on the go snack is chomps pepperoni flavored turkey jerky right now. I do half a stick of that with a mozzarella string cheese or a baby bell light. Just 85 calories for 11 grams of protein and they are actually tasty. Them and the quest protein chips are my favorite go to options. Sometimes that’s lunch and then I end up eating what would’ve been lunch as a snack a few hours after dinner to get all my protein for the day since I need 90g.

Eating while out of the house is the absolute hardest for me. I literally have to go through all the things in my head to tell myself it’s okay to waste. It’s not my fault that some people are struggling to get food and I am not going to change it by eating more myself. And it’s not wasting money by doing what’s better for my health which is to only eat my one portion. It’s so sad that these things have been drilled into my head from a small child that some other kids don’t have food to fill their bellies at night so I have to clear my plate or it’s just wasteful to order something and not finish it, etc. I have to convince myself just about every time that it’s okay to be wasteful because it’s not really wasteful if we are enjoying ourselves without overindulging. That’s just us living our best lives. Now if I can find someone to split with or take it home and freeze it or something I will but if not, I’m not going to choose to go without or to eat it all out of guilt anymore. I really hope you enjoyed your friend’s birthday celebration. Your making me want to do a weekend away for mine this year. Mines not a big one or anything but I guess every year should be a special one. I did convince my husband the other day to go away for Christmas next year so hopefully I will get to see snow!! He never wants to go anywhere so that will be a lot of fun I think. Something to look forward to. I’m not sure whether I will still be in radiation treatments at that point or not so it may have to be a less active trip but if I physically can I really want to go snow tubing at least and snow boarding if I’m really feeling good. Last year for my birthday my friend got me a gift card for a store that is a ways away from us and we still haven’t had a chance to go. I think I’m gonna suggest that we actually make time to go and make a weekend out of it.

I wouldn’t even listen to that surgeon if you feel good and you’re still losing and you’re doing your activity honestly he’s just putting you in as if you’re a statistic. I really hate it when doctors do that. It’s like either. They think you’re lying about what you’re eating or they just assume that one thing works for everyone at the exact same rate. i’m doing OK I posted in another thread that I do have some medical stuff going on. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer so I have been juggling my weight loss and fitness along with a whole lot of doctors appointments and scans and chemo. Surprisingly I think that it is my yoga and my walking that have kept me sane. I did stop doing my cardio class because they told me that the chemotherapy is extremely dehydrating and it was important to not get myself to warm like to avoid being out in the sun for a long time or anything like that and as I already mentioned on here before I sweat quite a bit When I work out. I am fighting the urge to have carbs since Thanksgiving, but part of that I believe is the steroids I get with my chemo. They told me it wouldn’t be an issue because I would be nauseous anyways and I wouldn’t be able to eat much but I haven’t been nauseous one day so far knock on wood. The chemotherapy actually seems to have increased my metabolism to wear, even though I am eating little things off plan and exercising a bit less I am still losing weight. They assigned me an oncology dietitian who told me that she does not want me to lose more than I was losing before the chemo, which is about 2 to 3 pounds a week. At first I dropped like 6 pounds and we were pretty worried but I honestly think it was just water weight or something. anyways, it’s been a challenge as I’m sure it has been for everyone to juggle whatever life events. Everyone else is dealing with, but I’m getting through it. My habits of packing food like turkey, jerky and cheese sticks and protein shakes or yogurt smoothies, and taking with me and freezing things have been my lifesavers. I don’t always exactly want to eat that and I’m giving myself a little bit of grace right now because of my circumstance but trying not to be too forgiving at the same time. I am actually doing my walk right now because I was out of town for a doctors appointment today and then I went and did a wig fitting because I’ve lost my hair for most of it anyways and I literally just walked in the door and ate my salad that I picked up on the way home for my dinner. I’ve got to get this done and get to bed early because I have yoga first thing in the morning. I am honestly just so thankful that I started this weight loss journey when I did and that my nutrition and fitness are in such a better place because I really truly feel like that is helping me already and it will continue to help me get through all of this anyways, I really hope everyone else is doing OK as well. It’s a crazy roller coaster for sure but we’ve got this!!

I am so thrilled for you. Maybe next year you can go back and look for a similar hoodie in a small.

You remind me of years ago I had to get some medical records to take to another office and I skimmed over it and the doctor had referred to me as a well nourished female. I just thought that was a pretty nice way to say overweight.

I second his videos and podcasts as a very good information Resource. His Pound of Cure weigh loss is good book too.