lizonaplane

When I'm on the road, I eat the Starbucks cheese and fruit box (minus the crackers) for lunch a lot. I get a lot of chili, salads, fish, and chile rellenos.

I am on the road about 6 days a week on average. If I'm home, I cook stews with chicken thighs or meals with ground turkey.

We've had really extreme heat in many of the cities I've been working and vacationing in in the last month, and I've been a lot less bothered by it than before I lost 120 lbs. I can feel that it's too hot, but I don't feel cranky and miserable, and I am even able to walk outside early in the morning for a few miles.

On the other hand, this week I'm in San Francisco where it's 61 and indoors I'm wear long underwear, tops and bottoms, under pants and a long sleeve shirt and a fleece... and my legs are under a blanket at my desk!

So, some good some bad...

I also felt a lot of hunger post surgery. Everyone told me I was wrong and wasn't actually hungry, but I know my body: I was hungry. I talked to my surgery team and they said it does happen to a small number of people - they don't lose their hunger hormone. My bariatric therapist said it's especially common in people with bipolar disorder, which I have.

Eventually I was put on metformin and topamax, which have both helped. BTW, I was losing weight the whole time, and I had good restriction, but being hungry all the time was MISERABLE.

Talk to your surgery center. There are options.

On 7/14/2022 at 9:27 AM, Tony B - NJ said:

I am around the same time out as you are. I am having a heck of a time taking off the last bit of weight I want to get to my ultimate goal. I am experiencing the exact opposite issue where my waist seems to be shrinking and my pants are getting loose. It doesn't make sense either way because I am doing the same eating, exercise etc.

I've definitely heard of people staying the same weight but having their measurements shrink. That seems to be the norm, as far as I can tell. But I can't figure out why my waist is growing. Stupid measuring tape being mean to me!

17 minutes ago, DaisyAndSunshine said:

Amazingggggg - Truly.

I posted something similar today having lost 100+ lbs and it's truly liberating a feeling. Like you said, these surgeries truly open a whole new realm for us. Things that seemed impossible to achieve seem right around the corner to grab.

I still have a long way to go. And I would want to lose a little more before I go the route of upping calories and building definition. I know once you start working hard core your weight loss stalls for the obvious reasons. So I just mentally want to be at a certain numbers before I let lose and incorporate heavy duty strength workout.

Once again congrats and keep at it bruh.

You weight loss won't stall from working out intensely. In fact, you will burn more calories if you build muscle because it's the muscle in our bodies that burn the fat. While muscle is denser than fat it is incredibly hard to GAIN muscle weight, especially for women, and especially once you get past 40. While you might increase your muscle mass by a few pounds, this should be more than offset but the calorie burning effects of muscle. And building strength is important because we lose muscle mass when we lose weight quickly, and that is not good. Definitely incorporate strength training as soon as you are cleared by your surgeon - about 4-6 weeks out for most people.

44 minutes ago, Lornapc said:

Thanks so much. There isn’t much help here at all for psychologists specialising in bariatrics so I have to go further afield. Thanks for all the info

Honestly, it's very hard here in the states to find bariatric-competent therapists too. I am just using the one from my surgery center, and it takes months to schedule an appointment with her.

I really like listening to podcasts made by/for the bariatric community - Our Sleeved Life Podcast and Breaking down Nutrition with Dr. Susan Mitchell, and check out "the sleeved dietitian" on Instagram. She has a program called TRIBE.

Good luck!

You will not be able to use an out of state therapist, because they are not licensed in your state. It's very stupid, but in this country the practice of medicine and psychology is based on state licensure.

You may be able to go to psychologytoday.com and use their search feature to find a bariatric therapist in your state. It can be anywhere in your state if you can do remote, but it can't be out of state, unless they happen to be licensed in multiple states.

EDIT: Just realized you are in Ireland. US therapists will not be able to treat you due to licensure issues. HOWEVER.... you may be able to find one who will work with you as a "coach" which doesn't require any license.

There is also an Australian bariatric therapist (Georgie Beems?) who sees clients virtually, maybe the licensing issues are different?

Talk to your bariatric center and see if they can refer you to someone.

3 hours ago, summerseeker said:

Are you constipated ? I cant get a handle on mine at the moment and I look very pregnant.

I feel bloated a lot whether I'm constipated or not. But that hasn't changed.

4 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

That’s weird. Does the waist of your pants feel tighter?

Most of my pants are elastic waist, and none of my pants sit at my actual waist. They all feel the same.

You might not get there by your birthday, but that's okay - this is a lifelong journey, not a sprint. Remember that you need to do this in a way that feels sustainable to you.

I am at 160 and I've been stuck here going up or down a few lbs for a few months. I would also like to lose another 20 lbs to get to a "normal" BMI, but that is not looking likely. However, I am trying to be okay with that. Many people never get to below the obese range.

It's good to have goals, but don't let them become obsessions. We can only control our bodies so much.

On 6/20/2022 at 8:42 PM, DaisyAndSunshine said:

32.5 sounds so much better than 37 😭😭

I am about 29 BMI too. But my waist is still big, about 37 inches. I stored majority of my fat abdominally, so I reckon it'll take forever for fat to dissolve down there for me, which majorly sucks 😤

Abdominal exercises and all sound great for toning but they won't get rid of the fat. I guess I'll have to wait and see how it looks once and if I reach under the BMI of 25.

Weirdly, my waist has now gone up to 34 inches. I can't figure out if I was measuring wrong before or if I'm measuring wrong now... or if there's something else going on that is a problem. I am not pregnant, and I haven't lost/gained any weight since.

Back to reply on my now ancient post. I bought a lot of clothes at thrift stores, but a lot of them had strong detergent/perfume that I was not able to get out, so some went right back. I couldn't tell how strong the smell was with my mask on. Still, I found some excellent quality good brands - Talbots, Loft, etc. I had much more luck with getting shirts to fit than with pants. Never got any pants that fit right. I buy hiking pants at LL Bean, Traveler's pants at Chico's and then I have a few pairs from Macy's that were pretty cheap. I also bought two pairs of jeans, but one is too tight in the calf.

What I did buy that makes me super excited is some handmade clothing by craft designers. These cost a lot more, but I can't see myself getting much smaller at this point. I have 5 shirts that I wear for work when I need to be "professional". They are really interesting and unique and it makes me happy to wear something that supports an artist. I just wear them with any of my black pants, some jewelry, my one pair of real shoes, and I'm good to go.

I also made use of my local Buy Nothing group on Facebook, and got some exercise shirts, but no one had shorts to give up, so I bought some on Amazon - the sizes there run small!

Talk to your surgeon/dietician. If you have high blood pressure, they may recommend you reduce sodium below the generally recommended 2000mg a day, but it's not strictly a concern for people who are not sensitive to salt. None of the dieticians I've talked to about bariatric surgery has recommended any draconian limitations on salt. They haven't even mentioned sodium - just macros.

I don't worry about sodium OR fat, just sugar, simple carbs, and Protein.

For Constipation, it's unlikely you will be able to eat enough Fiber to solve the problem with food. I was told that drinking enough Fluid, exercising enough, and taking something like Miralax was what I should do. I have found that I only need Miralax occasionally as long as I drink coffee.

That depends a lot on your insurance company and the surgery center. It could be a few days or a few weeks, or they may come back with more things you have to do/information you need to provide them with. You can check in with the insurance coordinator at your surgery center. They should be able to tell you what to expect.

Good Luck!

I had surgery exactly 10 months ago. The last few months, I've really stayed about the same, maybe lost a few pounds total in 3-4 months. But... when I take my measurements, my waist measurement is INCREASING!! I can't understand why this would be. I've started working out with a trainer, but that shouldn't cause my waist to GROW, right? My other measurements (I only take chest, waist, and hips) are about the same, maybe a little smaller. Am I changing the way that I measure somehow? (I'm not pregnant LOL!)

Did this happen to anyone else?

I am on a Facebook group "Bariatric Nutrition with Dr. Susan Mitchell" and recently she posted an article from a peer-reviewed journal that said there wasn't much evidence for not drinking after you eat long term. However, I find it hard to drink when I'm really full. I never wait after drinking to eat - my surgery center never said that was an issue.

Congratulations on maintaining so long! That's amazing!

For the anemia, see what the specialist says. What did your GP say? Iron needs to be taken at least 2 hours apart from Calcium. And it might upset your stomach. There are preparations that are better (slow iron). You might try to get back in touch with your surgeon, too, if possible, but you seem to be doing great on your own. It's inspirational!

I'm so sorry you're struggling. You probably already know this, but being dehydrated will cause you to feel worse in the long run, so you should try your best to drink as much as possible. I agree with others to try warm liquids (especially since it's cold). Try tea. For some people mint tea causes reflux, but for others it settles the stomach. There are so many wonderful varieties of tea in the US, and probably in your part of the world too.

I hope you feel better soon!

Congrats on your tremendous success!

I'm exactly 10 months out from surgery today, and my weight has been pretty stalled for the last few months. I know I COULD eat less, but I often don't feel like I have the mental bandwidth to think about every calorie. I eat between 1200-1800 calories a day.

I'm the same height and have gotten as low as 159.8, but I've been about 160-163 recently. I'd be happy to stay here. I'm also in a size medium. I feel like if I could eat the way I eat now and stay this weight for the rest of my life, I'd be thrilled... except that my waist is too big! It seems to be getting bigger, which is so odd.

Yes, for me it felt like it was happening fast, but then it felt like I had to wait forever! It took me 7.5 months to have surgery - I had to jump through all the insurance hoops and then my surgery center was backed up from surgeries they had to cancel due to COVID.

What I did was work to practice eating like after surgery - counting calories, higher Protein, lower carbs, etc. I lost 50 lbs before surgery, which is weight I didn't have to lose after surgery.

I agree with finding a support group and therapist. It can be very hard to find a bariatric therapist, but check with your surgery center, they should have someone, but they might be booked out quite a ways.

There is T.R.I.B.E, but I don't know too much about it. If you're on instagram it's "the sleeved dietician" and her group. There are also some good podcasts like "Our Sleeved Life Podcast" and Bariatric Nutrition with Dr. Susan Mitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell has a Facebook group that is nice).

Good luck!

I found it hard to eat for several months after surgery. I learned that it really depends on what I eat. For example, ground meat and fish/shellfish are very easy for me to eat, but chicken breast is impossible. I can only eat 1-2 oz and it sits like a lump in my stomach and hurts.

Try different things: Beans, deli meat, cheese, etc, to see if that helps. Try taking smaller bites, slowing down, chewing more.

Try keeping a food log to see when you have these problems more - see if it's after certain foods or certain times.

Talk to your nutritionist and surgeon, and maybe even a bariatric therapist.

Good luck!

On 6/23/2022 at 12:12 AM, SleeveDiva2022 said:

I've never had the skinny vanilla latte. Is it really good? I always worry because there's no actual sweetener in them. Is the sugar free vanilla Syrup sweet tasting at all? I don't really have a sweet tooth at all, but certain things taste better with a little sweet taste to them. Also, are the egg white bites good? I'm not a big fan of egg whites normally, but I'm trying to branch out more these days.

sugar free syrups are very sweet. They are made with artificial sweeteners. I agree that coffee and tea need sweetness!

On 7/3/2022 at 6:35 PM, Supafly82 said:

Why is everyone ordering Decaf? I thought you can have caffeine after 3 months post op no?


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That depends on your surgeon. I could have caffeine after four weeks. Some people get served coffee right after surgery.

But some people believe that caffeine is dehydrating, even though more recent research shows that that's a myth.

And some people have bad reactions to caffeine, for lots of reasons not at all related to surgery.

On 7/8/2022 at 1:59 PM, ms.sss said:

Im with you. I HATE roller coasters. I basically just join who im with to line up with them, then i cross over to the platform to the other side of the cars to wait near the exit till they’re done 😂

Saaameeee. I'm scared of heights and things that go fast. Strangely, I love flying, which is actually what I'm doing right now.

It really depends on where you're going to be traveling. In the US? You can probably stop at a Walgreens/CVS/Grocery store and buy some Fairlife Core Power drinks. Hummus and cheese from a grocery store if your hotel has a fridge or you're staying at someone's house. Refried Beans from a Mexican restaurant. Flaky fish. Chili (no raw onions on top!). Low sugar Greek yogurt. I traveled for work most weeks starting at 5 weeks out from surgery. It can get boring and repetitive, but by six weeks out you're probably eating real food, just very little of it. Stay away from chicken breast and steak. Ground meet and flaky fish are your friends. Tofu would be good too. Don't try to be perfect in terms of avoiding sugar/fat in sauces; just make the best practical choices. I did a lot of butter and cheese sauces.