learn2cook

I have no experience but just wanted to say that I hope that they figure things out for you soon. It sounds like a horrible situation to be in. Hugs!

If you ever get the opportunity to do yoga with baby goats, do not pass it up. You will get very little actual yoga out of it, but you will get to spend time with baby goats romping around in diapers! I really can't imagine a better way to spend an hour.

Yoga is amazing when you have a great teacher and you take care of your body in the process. I'm not into performance yoga but I did private classes with an instructor for Yin Yoga (also called "restorative yoga") for several years, it is fantastic for chronic pain and really helped my arthritis and fibro. In Yin/restorative yoga you rest in poses for 10-15 minutes at a time, it is very gentle. One pose held like that has the same effect as holding that pose for a shorter time, 7 days in a row. This is because the muscle fatigues itself and resets, so you get more mobility and pain relief. It is very gentle and uses a lot of props like folded blankets and blocks. The classes are usually small and the instructors usually help with modifications if you have limited range of motion.
Chair yoga is very beneficial too, I've done a fair bit of it. The good aspects of yoga are that it brings increased range of motion, pain relief, better balance, stress relief, a calmer mind, less anxiety, stronger muscles without having to get your heart rate way up, and you get those nice endorphins. It also changes your body composition, you'll look thinner, leaner, longer, more smoothed out. I got a lot of compliments when I was doing it regularly and I was 250 lbs so it wasn't like I was a tiny thing either. I still incorporate some of the poses in my daily activities, like Tree pose when I'm standing at the sink or stove. LOL
It can give a boost to your metabolism and help you lose weight, but the best thing it does for the body is increases blood flow to areas that might not get as much oxygenated blood due to stagnation from set body patterns.
Bed yoga is also a thing! You can do it in the morning and in the evening right in your soft, cushy bed! It helps you get ready for the day more limber, I have arthritis that is systemic and ankylosing spondylitis so I need all the help stretching in the morning as I can get. It also helps with sleep in the evening. I think your doctor's advice is good. Yoga doesn't have to be the crazy "stand on your head" performance art you see in mainstream classes with skinny 20somethings. It can benefit every body.
If you don't jive with it you can try Tai Chi! YouTube has a lot of great videos for Tai Chi for all beginner levels. It is great for longevity and is a better workout than you'd think by just watching it!

Birth control pills and eventually menopause took care of the PCOS for me. I went into Vitamin and weightlifting mode in my 30’s to also manage symptoms and preserve child bearing abilities, and that was somewhat successful for me (I did have one child, yeah!) Others definitely have more serious issues and other solutions so there is only encouragement for you to live your best life.

I was very undecided about sleeve or bypass but further testing in me confirmed severe GERD. Bypass was the only solution my insurance would cover. In a perfect world I would have chosen DS or mini bypass as a more reliable alternative for more permanent weight loss. I still keep an eye on how my clothes feel, and how my skin looks. I do not lift weights with the vigilance I used to, just a couple days a week to beat age related decomp. I still track Vitamins because it’s easy to forget Iron or the B’s, or Proteins, then my hair falls out (not again!). I think of the changes and tracking I would have to do as a full blown diabetic verses now, and I chose the surgery and health every day. I am so grateful for bypass every, single, day! 2+ years now

Birth control pills and eventually menopause took care of the PCOS for me. I went into Vitamin and weightlifting mode in my 30’s to also manage symptoms and preserve child bearing abilities, and that was somewhat successful for me (I did have one child, yeah!) Others definitely have more serious issues and other solutions so there is only encouragement for you to live your best life.

I was very undecided about sleeve or bypass but further testing in me confirmed severe GERD. Bypass was the only solution my insurance would cover. In a perfect world I would have chosen DS or mini bypass as a more reliable alternative for more permanent weight loss. I still keep an eye on how my clothes feel, and how my skin looks. I do not lift weights with the vigilance I used to, just a couple days a week to beat age related decomp. I still track Vitamins because it’s easy to forget Iron or the B’s, or Proteins, then my hair falls out (not again!). I think of the changes and tracking I would have to do as a full blown diabetic verses now, and I chose the surgery and health every day. I am so grateful for bypass every, single, day! 2+ years now

Birth control pills and eventually menopause took care of the PCOS for me. I went into Vitamin and weightlifting mode in my 30’s to also manage symptoms and preserve child bearing abilities, and that was somewhat successful for me (I did have one child, yeah!) Others definitely have more serious issues and other solutions so there is only encouragement for you to live your best life.

I was very undecided about sleeve or bypass but further testing in me confirmed severe GERD. Bypass was the only solution my insurance would cover. In a perfect world I would have chosen DS or mini bypass as a more reliable alternative for more permanent weight loss. I still keep an eye on how my clothes feel, and how my skin looks. I do not lift weights with the vigilance I used to, just a couple days a week to beat age related decomp. I still track Vitamins because it’s easy to forget Iron or the B’s, or Proteins, then my hair falls out (not again!). I think of the changes and tracking I would have to do as a full blown diabetic verses now, and I chose the surgery and health every day. I am so grateful for bypass every, single, day! 2+ years now

I had the sleeve and the revision to bypass. I had to have the revision due to so many complications that came about because of the sleeve. I started off at 421 pounds, and I am also having a hysterectomy (mine is March 6th). And I have PCOS. If it were me, I would choose a bypass over the sleeve. My one real regret is that I didn't just do the bypass to begin with. Recovery was way better and easier, so much less pain, all around better experience.

I had PCOS for decades which involved several surgeries; I eventually had a hysterectomy. I chose the sleeve and due to the amount of adhesions I have from previous abdominal surgeries the bypass is not feasible.
That being said, I would probably have chosen the sleeve over the bypass anyway.

I have had both sleeve and then a bypass revision. I had to get revised because of GERD due to the sleeve. If you've had any type of gerd in the past, go bypass instead and save yourself years of pain and suffering.

Both are life changing as in you lose weight, and it stops you from binging, but other than that, once you are are completely healed, I don't really see it being any different than living as a thin person. You still have to watch your weight, watch the things that you eat for health purposes. Be aware that one can eat around the sleeve. You can't eat around the bypass though. I think the only thing that is different than life pre-surgeries is that I have to use a daily multivitamin patch (so I don't have to deal with a lot of pills). I added one chewable adek after I had the bypass.

If I had to do it over again I would skip the sleeve. At the time, I was afraid of the bypass. I got severe gerd from the sleeve but please know that not everybody gets gerd from the sleeve. Now I realize that having a bypass was absolutely nothing for me to be afraid of. It's been a problem/side affect-free experience. It resolved all my problems I had with my sleeve.

I will be having gastric bypass done at the end of this month, but when I was trying to decide between sleeve or bypass, one of the resources I used was this risk calculator. In addition to risks, it lets you select your own co-morbidities such as sleep apnea, hypertension, or diabetes to see how likely it is that they will resolve based on which procedure you choose, and shows you a BMI predictor chart at the 12-month mark. I found it pretty helpful. Additionally, I found this video super informative:
The factors that I considered most were GERD risk and the desire to control my blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as feeling like I could benefit from the threat of dumping if I ate too much fat or sugar, my weaknesses! It definitely took me several weeks to decide as I weighed it all.

I'm a little different because I had the bypass (8.5 years ago), but I started out at almost 400 lbs, so weight-wise, we were in similar starting positions. The first year seems like a huge life change, but sitting here years out, the only thing that's different is that I average about 1600 calories a day rather than 3000+. When I go out to eat, I eat maybe half the entree and take the rest home in a to-go box (or sometimes I'll get something like an appetizer or Soup rather than an entree if I'm not that hungry). Other than that...??? Oh - I take Vitamins regularly now. But other than that, not that much different. But again, the first year or so - yes. But you'll be doing quite a bit of prep work before that. For example, my insurance required me to do a six-month diet with a registered dietitian, and she kind of eased me into the type of diet I'd be following after surgery. She had me eating 2300 kcal/cay (which now would seem like a ton - like Thanksgiving day - but at the time seemed like a diet - although enough calories to be at least tolerable). She also had me gradually decrease my carb intake and increase my Protein intake. I focused on healthy foods (although I ate a pretty healthy diet even BEFORE surgery, I just ate way too much). She had me start taking a Multivitamin every day and getting some exercise about 3x a week. My surgeon also didn't want us drinking caffeinated beverages for the first six months after surgery (although some surgeons are fine with caffeine), so she also had me gradually decrease my caffeine intake. So basically, I was as prepared as I could be before they rolled me into surgery.
I don't have PCOS and have never had a hysterectomy, so I can't address that, but I know WLS patients who've had both. Hopefully someone will respond to you on that.

By my second week post WLS I had an amazing hankering for ricotta cheese baked into a Pasta shell. As a lactose intolerant person, this wasn’t something I normally kept around the house. This thought stuck in my head for days. I finally bought the frozen stuffed shells after reading that ricotta is mostly lactose free, baked it with marinara, and ate the soft inside when it was done. My kid thought he won the lottery and I felt so so satisfied. I never craved it again. It was exactly one ounce of ricotta cheese inside one shell.

I did taste the shell, which tasted like wet cardboard, and spit it out, because why bother. The idea is to think about your craving first, then plan it into your week when your body is ready. I find guilt to be a waste of time, we are all messy humans. Slow down and enjoy your craving in small healthy sizes with careful thought.

@BabySpoons
Love, love, love this....saved it!

IMHO, you've made a good decision.
Let me share a bit of my story to convince you to put the scale away... period.
When I had surgery I was too large by far for a home scale. The only time I was weighed for about a year and a half after surgery was at my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups. Because of this, I never saw a stall in my weight loss. At my follow-ups my weight loss was never the topic of discussion unless I brought it up. The discussion centered on how I was feeling, how my plan was going, life changes, how was I emotionally, any issues or concerns. I learned valuable lessons in these appointments.
Eventually I was able to weigh on a home scale. I practically lived on the scale for a couple weeks until the novelty wore off, then I never used it again. I knew how I was doing by how I felt, my plan compliance, how my clothes felt, my health, happiness and a number of other considerations. These are still my measurements.
We don't need a scale to follow our plans. The number on a scale does not tell you how well you are following your plan. In some cases, the number on the scale may tempt you to change your successful plan.
It's great not being ruled by a number on a scale and simply paying attention to the important stuff.
Good luck,
Tek

nope - it's far from over. Sounds like you're experiencing the infamous "three-week stall" a little early. The "three-week stall" happens to the vast majority of us - if you do a search on this site for it, you'll find over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). That first major stall can really happen any time during the first month or six weeks after surgery, but it's usually the third week, thus, the name. It'll last 1-3 weeks. The best way to deal with it is to make sure you're 100% on plan and stay off the scale for a few days. It WILL break and you'll be on your way again. And know that this is likely the first of many stalls. It's just a natural part of weight loss.

Hi all. Thank you for the kind responses! I wrote my doctor a lengthy email expressing my desire to change surgery types, and he was fine with it.

Kmac1 awesome job! I hope you took pictures and journaled your triumph! You worked so hard for your health!

Lily2024 to quote Dory the fish from “Finding Nemo,” “keep swimming!” Your first goal is to get as healthy as possible to ease through the health helping surgery. The surgery will honestly help you lock in your healthy lifestyle. We all need to heal physically from the surgery itself, then slowly build back the strength and endurance.

It’s the journey not the finish line. I bet even kmac1 has some other goals to accomplish. Good health and living isn’t a one and done deal. But it sure is nice to Celebrate the significant goals achieved. (Because we all know life is hard and it’s the little moments that make it sparkle) well done kmac1!

Yeah, I've received quite a few comments like "you look so thin you look like a cancer patient" and "you should gain some weight because you will look much younger". I usually reply with "well, I'm the healthiest I've ever been. So given the choice between transitory looks vs great blood tests and regular blood pressure... Etc. I chose life." It goes in one ear and out the other ear and accompanied with a scowl lol, but I say it for myself.

Kmac1 awesome job! I hope you took pictures and journaled your triumph! You worked so hard for your health!

Lily2024 to quote Dory the fish from “Finding Nemo,” “keep swimming!” Your first goal is to get as healthy as possible to ease through the health helping surgery. The surgery will honestly help you lock in your healthy lifestyle. We all need to heal physically from the surgery itself, then slowly build back the strength and endurance.

It’s the journey not the finish line. I bet even kmac1 has some other goals to accomplish. Good health and living isn’t a one and done deal. But it sure is nice to Celebrate the significant goals achieved. (Because we all know life is hard and it’s the little moments that make it sparkle) well done kmac1!

They sent me home with a pair on, but never said anything either way to keep wearing them. Their advice was to walk often.

I wear compression stuff often anyway, cause I tend to have quite a bit of Water retention in general.

Not weird but awesome NSV here.
I've always delayed getting a driving license until I lose weight. For some reason I convinced myself that I was too big (149 Kg before WLS) to be driving a car and that I won't be able to fit in the tiny cars used at the driving schools here in Malaysia. I saw a lot of people who were bigger than me driving around but I just couldn't get my head around it. My wife was the designated driver for quite sometime.
After losing a considerable amount of weight, I finally got the confidence to do it. I started my driving lessons in July and finally got my driving license last month. I even bought a new car that I've always liked for my 41st birthday. Life keeps getting better and better after WLS.

It is contradictory to label this a victory. Yesterday I was standing beside the porch (approx. height 24"), a gust of wind blew me over onto the porch. Fortunately I was not injured but was "blown away" with shock at the realization I had lost enough weight that non-gale force winds could knock me over. But a true NSV, I now have my thigh-gap back!

Thanks! The past two years have been amazing. I guess it is true that life starts at 40 😂

Hmmm... Mine are:
- No more diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and hopefully no more CPAP!
- Being able to fit into ANY booth.
- Fitting on a plane seat with room to spare and no extender.
- Climbing 2 flights of stairs to my apartment without being out of breath and in pain.
- Painting my toenails with my knee pulled up beside me.
- Walking more than a mile without having to rest.
- Walking the mall without having to rest.
- Crossing my legs under the table!
- No longer being afraid I'm going to break a chair and embarass myself. 💚

Whether or not this OP was a troll, I find it interesting to read here or watch (My 600-pound Life) that food addiction is so prevalent in some peoples' lives that they would rather die than live without their huge amounts of favorite unhealthy food.
Some live in denial when obese. Thinking we will somehow be OK and continue on in that lifestyle. Co-morbidities will eventually catch up. Others simply don't care, with the mindset, " We're all going to die of something someday". Both mindsets are true of most addictive behaviors.
I think most of us here really tried pre-op. Through endless amounts of diets and/or hours of exercise to finally admit we needed help and did something about it. Hence our lack of regret.
To misquote an old saying, nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.... I say nothing tastes as good as healthy feels. Hugs everyone!!