Butterflyeffect

The 1st of September was my 6 month surgiversary and what a journey it has been!! I have lost 88 pounds in total, 75 pounds post surgery. Gone from a size 22 (18 US) to a 12/14 (8/10 US), which I have never been as an adult.

I feel amazing, so much more energy and excited about fashion and all the non scale victories.

The only real downside has been some serious Hair loss but it seems to be slightly slowing down now, fingers crossed!!

I have about 20 pounds to go to hit goal, and will then see what that looks like and if I want to lose more.

I hated taking pictures of me before but I included one a friend snuck in a bit before I started my pre-surgery diet.

The after was taken a few days ago.

For those out there wondering if they should have the surgery or not, I have no regrets and only wish I had done it sooner!!

Happy 6 month surgiversary @njlimmer and congratulations on your achievements so far!

I experienced that for the first few months up until I started getting in at least 700 calories per day. I noticed if I ate less than that, I would start to feel dizzy again. I’m sure that would be different for each person but that was the magic number for me.

As above, I recommend talking to your doctor as everyone seems to get different plans based on third individual circumstances.

I was only allowed Clear Liquids for the first two days then Meal Replacement shakes or thin and completely blended Soups for the first two weeks. I was told to sip 30ml per 20 minutes to get my soup/shake/water down. After a week I could manage about 50ml per 30 minutes. Also, I could only get through about 2 shakes a day in the first week.

It took me about 60 days to work up to getting 60 grams of Protein each day and my Water goals. Now just over 5 months out I average about 80 to 90 grams of protein per day.

I think the key is to not rush and just let your body heal.

Hope it all goes really well and good luck with it all

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations @Melody Andrews, that’s an amazing achievement

That’s awesome @ShoppGirl, I feel excited for you 😂

Thanks so much @ShoppGirl I will definitely check it out

@ShoppGirl let me know how you with the game console, my hubby has a PlayStation too, already in the lounge room.

I’ll have to give Zumba a go, sounds like a lot of fun Thanks

Thanks @catwoman7, I’ll have to check that one out.

On 8/5/2021 at 6:33 PM, Gesined said:

Hi Butterflyeffect

did you have problems with Hair loss?
thankuou four your updates 😀

Unfortunately yes!! I think I lost almost 50% of my hair but I’m hoping it will slow down soon. I have started taking Biotin and Viviscal. I also use Rogaine and nioxin shampoo/conditioner on my hair. It is apparently normal to lose hair for the first 6 months, I just didn’t expect this much. Regardless, I still would have gone through the surgery, it has been a life changer!!

Thanks @lizonaplane, Zumba is a great idea. I’m in my early 40’s and want to strengthen my core, tone and get some flexibility back, which is what I was hoping Pilates might help with.

Congratulations, that’s awesome and you sound so happy!!

Hi Imsrny5,

I am going through a lot of what you have described above. I already suffered from female pattern baldness before surgery and now I think I have lost about 50% of the hair I did have. I have started taking Biotin and a tablet called Viviscal, which contains Zinc. I also use Rogaine. I’m trying everything at the moment to slow it down but I might just have to wait and hope.

In relations to wrinkles, my face hasn’t gotten too bad but my neck is starting to look like a turkeys neck!! It apparently gets a bit better once the weight loss settles but I think I will need a neck lift at some point.

Good luck with everything and please keep us updated on how you go

Hi everyone,

I really want to start up Pilates that I can do from home and I also love dancing so was wondering if you have any favorite Pilates or dancing programs/dvds that you love and have seen good results from?

I’ve seen so many adds for Figure 8 workouts but just don’t know if they would be good for a beginner like me so please let me know what you think or if you have found better alternatives.

Thanks in advance

I had planned to start exercising as soon as my dr gave me the go ahead after surgery. However, I was consistently losing week after week and, while this might sound stupid, I felt worried to change anything that might then affect the consistent loss. I said to myself that if the weight loss slows down or stalls, then I would start to do more exercise to help get things moving again. So 5 months out now and I only walk/hike a couple times a week but that’s all. I have been really lucky to not stall so far (I weigh myself once a week only) and I still plan to increase my exercise if my loss slows down, stalls or once I hit goal to tone up, whichever comes first

That’s what has worked for me so far but everyone is so different and has different goals to achieve. It’s all about what works best for you and what you’re comfortable with.

On 7/29/2021 at 12:09 PM, kmalagon said:

Hi everyone, I have been reading the posts here for a while but today is the first time I am posting. I am having gastric bypass tomorrow and my nerves are setting in. My anxiety is through the roof. I am thinking and over thinking every complication and bad possible out come. I am doing this to be Healthy and be here for my kids for a long time. But I cannot stop thinking what if something goes wrong and I have a worse quality of life after or even worse I die and it is my fault that I willing put myself in this situation and leave my kids without a mother. I have been thinking about this surgery for 10 years and I always chickened out, But not this time. I want to do this. I am just scared. Any suggestions on calming my last minute nerves would be greatly appreciated.

Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

How did you go kmalagon? Did you end up having the surgery? If so, I hope all went well. Looking forward to hearing about your journey

The good news is that it gets better as you’re able to introduce more foods back into your diet. I have always enjoyed cooking and now I just try to find creative ways to recreate healthier versions of my favorite recipes, like a Keto Pad Thai, and I use a lot of herb and flavors so that what I’m eating is full of flavor.

It’s going to take time for your mind and body to adjust. At three weeks out your body is still healing and may feel a bit all over the place for a while.

I couldn’t reach my Protein or Water goals until a couple of months out so don’t be too hard on yourself, it will come. Even at 5 months out I still miss my water goals sometimes, in fact today is one of those times!!

Losing 42lbs is a huge achievement and you should be really proud of your self.

Hang in there

Thanks STLoser, I know there are no guarantees either way but really appreciate hearing about your experience. So far I have heard more good than bad

1 minute ago, ms.sss said:

Ok…so i have an odd experience on this topic:

Years ago (2005 if I remember correctly), i had a breast reduction, and i lost practically all sensation in my nipples. One side was more affected than the other. It was even a very rare event for my nipples to get erect/hard (sorry, that may have been a little graphic, but its all in the name of info sharing! Lol)

Anyhoo, fast forward to my breast lift in 2019 and a few weeks after surgery, I suddenly got sensation back. Totally weird. Now, just a slight breeze can blow and you can totally see my nips under my shirt.

I don’t know if this is a normal thing, but there you go.

Wow that’s really interesting, thanks so much for sharing ms.sss and it’s a relief to hear 😊.

Hi everyone,

For those that have had a breast lift, did you permanently lose any feeling after the surgery in that area? My boobs have definitely shrunk and are droopy but the one thing that scares me would be to lose feeling. Thanks 😊

It’s completely up to you at the end of the day but for me I have been way too worried about getting my cravings back if I start to eat foods high in sugar and carbs. I agree with NovaLuna’s suggestion to perhaps try a Protein cookie first and see if that does the trick.

I think many of us are so strict in the first 6 to 12 months to take full advantage of the surgery and ‘honeymoon’ period.

Good luck with it all 😊

Congratulations, such an achievement and you look amazing!!

I’m at 5 months now and eat about 700 to 750 calories per day. Anything less than that and I too start to feel dizzy.

I am still losing any where between 1.8 to 4 pounds a week, which I’m happy with. If I was working out as much as you I would probably be increasing calories to around 800 to 900 a day.

I have seen a lot of other posts recommending to increase your calories by 100 at a time and see how you go.

Take care 😊