james2021

@pk88 hope your surgery went well and that you recover quickly! We got this

@pk88 so sorry to hear you are going through that, and amazing news that it was caught early. You're right, the surgery and being so on top of your health probably helped a lot!

After losing 110 lbs in the first 7 months, my weight has been stagnant for the last 11 months. I'm glad I haven't regained, but I really need to get back to basics, tracking, and start exercising in earnest. It's definitely getting a lot harder. I still want to lose another 50 lbs, at least!

Hope you are all doing well. ❤️

Had a great experience through OSU! Excited for you.

Pain meds made everything totally fine!

I have CareFirst! Needed 6 months of medically supervised weight loss (I didn't lose weight, though) and I had to produce medical records from the last 5 years showing that I'd been very overweight for a while. Here's what I remember it looking like:

October - initial consultation, determined I would not need a sleep study which I think is unusual

November - dietician visit 1

December - dietician visit 2, endoscopy

January - dietician visit 3, psychological evaluation

February - dietician visit 4

March - dietician visit 5, mandatory life after surgery virtual classes

Mid-April - dietician visit 6 -- submitted to insurance -- was approved in about 72 hours

Late April - final check up before surgery to get sign off, got May 20 date

Early May - pre-op appointment

May 20 - surgery

On 5/22/2022 at 5:34 PM, Spinoza said:

You have done so well. Thank you for the encouragement. Please may I ask whether you are still losing weight a year out or whether you're done now? Did you decide what your final goal was or did your sleeve decide for you??

Thank you! The weight loss has definitely slowed significantly in the last 3 months, but I don't think that I'm done! I think I can and will get down to 200ish which is my goal. The surgeon said this is why exercise becomes so critical once you are like 6 months out and I need to start doing that. lol

Omg the 42g drinks are a lifesaver. They are all I drink at this point because yeah they just taste like chocolate milk. They are a little less sweet than the 26g ones but barely -- I prefer the taste of the 42g because of being more sensitive to sugar post surgery.

absolutely no regrets, i feel like i'm living again.

I felt that way until I went back to work 😂

the liquid diet is awful. all i could do was hold onto the thought of how terrible it would be to get put under, have them see my liver wasn't in good shape, and wake up with no sleeve -- after everything.

Just wanted to drop a note of encouragement to the folks who are considering surgery, pre-surgery, in the early recovery stages. I had VSG on May 20, 2021 and started out 355 lbs. In a year, I'm down to 237.2. Life is so much easier, I have so much more stamina, and I'm so glad I had surgery and didn't get cold feet. Once I was out of the recovery phase it has been amazing how normal life feels, even if it's a new normal. I am wishing you the best and keep at it! ❤️

i'd check in with your doctor to make sure everything is ok! i could be forgetting but don't remember having that kind of pain. hope you feel better soon ❤️

27 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

I am 14 months out. They never had me on anything and I didn’t have any issues early on. It has been going on for a while though. It was just once in a blue moon at first. Now it’s a couple times a week and i realized it is after I eat. I only had heartburn like twice in my life prior to surgery and it was from spicy foods.

I am 1 year out and have it now too 💔 Tums are my new best friend. And have to be vigilant about not laying down after I eat.

after surgery was really, really difficult and you don't have food to rely on anymore in the same way for comfort. but it does get better! i was miserable in the 1-2 months after surgery. if you have access to therapy of some kind i feel like therapy was really critical for me, and the supportive community on forums/instagram. as your body readjusts and you are able to take in more calories it gets easier. ❤️ hang in there.

13 minutes ago, Sixtyish said:

I'm loving these 1 year check-ins. Having VSG first thing in the morning, and I just sat outside watching the birds & squirrels play and questioning, "Do I really need to do this?" You all are helping me see the light. YES I DO. Wish me luck!

Good luck! I'm so excited for you! 1 year out, 115 pounds down and no regrets.

Congratulations!!

Thank you for this! Sounds so good!

Congratulations, very happy for you

Checking in--happy 10 months to us! I'm down 113 pounds. My goal is to get down to 200, which is another 40 or so pounds. I've started feeling nervous lately because I can definitely eat more as of these last couple of months, but I know it's normal. Trying to move more (I HATE exercising) in small ways, and not slip into old habits with takeout, etc. How are you all doing?

I'm 7 months out and would do it again in a heartbeat. I started getting cold feet toward the lead up, too, and am glad I went through with it.

I've continued seeing my normal therapist throughout the process and she does not specialize in anything food/body related, and still found a lot of value in it. I'm trying to put my finger on what the takeaways were, but I think the things I'm processing the most that are helpful are a) body shame and b) dealing with people's reactions to my weight loss. If you can, I would probably recommend a therapist even if you can't find one that directly specializes in this area. It helps just to have someone to talk to!

Something I did on my own that was really helpful: in the couple of weeks leading up to the liver reduction diet, and I had my moment where I was just eating "whatever I wanted" "for the last time," I wrote down what favorite comfort food I ate, and then briefly journaled about how I felt physically after eating it. That helped me process losing access these foods, because I realized that they would often make my stomach hurt/make me feel physically terrible right after eating all of that. It took away from the emotional power those foods had for me.

I thought Isopure was disgusting but I am also a baby

I don't think you're supposed to, but all of the changes to what we are eating and drinking wreaks havoc on the digestive system because your body just isn't used to it. I would let your doctor know just to be on the safe side! Hope you feel better soon

I would probably get it checked out! I had pain like that for the first 3 weeks ago and then never again. Hope all is well.

If you're able I would try to consult another doctor. I'm not in a position to tell you your surgeon is wrong about this just "needing time" but it doesn't feel normal to me, and I would want a second opinion elsewhere.