summerseeker

Many find having elevated liver function tests whilst in the losing phase. Weight loss, especially the larger amounts we’re losing, is hard your liver. It does settle again once your weight stabilises. If your liver was fine before surgery and now a couple of months in & your labs are elevated I would think it may be because of your weight loss and it will improve. But see what your surgeon says.

Kid turned 18! Ramen to Celebrate ❤️ (I don’t eat Pasta but everyone else does)
Beef ramen bowl, tofu Buns, vegetable croquettes, chicken gyoza and marinated fried chicken.

Phwoar, you will have heads spinning in that. Red would be hot

Me too. Had to pay for myself and never had the money till I was 62. Wish I had the money sooner but I feel so healthy now, it hopefully has added years to my life

Hello everyone,
I am 59 and will be 60 at the end of March. I am 1 week and 4 days post-op. I feel great. The most pain I had was a Migraine for about four days after surgery. There were a few contributing factors. Kicking caffeine was one of them. I also get a headache anytime I have a fever. My normal temp is 97 degrees, and a low-grade fever of 99-100 affects me in getting a headache. My nurse's daughter explained that having a low-grade fever like that meant I was healing. But otherwise, I am doing just fine.🙂 I was worried I was too old for the surgery. I kicked myself for not doing this sooner. It was a lot easier than I expected. But I will return to work on Monday, and we will see how that goes.

I had a funny one this week. I was walking along a hallway at work with someone I don’t see often. This person said, “I think you are shrinking” to which I responded, “Oh, I’ve never been very tall.” 30 minutes later I realized what he meant - LOL!

Reporting a Win! Ya girl have not let's say in years been able to get away from the 16, 18, 22, 24 Wide Jeans in years!!! Whoop Whoop bring out the HORNS shopping today and I am NOW in I guess you would say regular sizes 😂😂...No plus attached. I've never had these many jeans to save my life. You know when you are larger you rotate your favorite pair of big jeans over and over!

I see were I'm getting off track and my mindset has changed since early recovery.
Thanks for reminding me of the basics of the "whole" reality of having this done.
A reset is in order and a mental one is most important.
Thank you!

So, you don't feel "full", but do you feel "hungry"? Or do you just keep eating because you can?
This early on, your body is still adjusting and relearning signals. Hopefully, you don't feel physical hunger pangs (most people don't but some do). Either way, you need to portion out your foods. A bariatric meal is generally 3-4oz of meat and around 1/2 cup vegetables. Even if you CAN eat more than that, you aren't supposed to and don't need to. It's pretty early to be adding in a grain, but that can also be part of your meal at some point.
The feeling of restriction is different between the sleeve and the bypass, so I can't speak to it from experience, but I've seen so many people here say the sleeve restriction doesn't truly kick in for a few months. Until then, it's your job to only eat what you're supposed to eat. It helped me to get very small plates. I ate off a saucer for the first 6 months. Half of it would be my meat and half was a non-starchy veg. I would weigh the meat (after cooking) and just fill the empty space with the veg.
If you are already truly feeling hunger, fill yourself with vegetables, fruit, and healthy whole grains as opposed to Protein or simple carbs. After a certain point, let's say maybe 100g in a day, you really don't need the protein, so if you're truly hungry, a salad or steamed broccoli will do a lot more to fill you up with very few calories ounce per ounce. It can also really help to set specific meal times and not allow yourself to eat in between.

so here's my take on it: its all about relativity
others have been so used to your bigger size for so long that when you change that long-held view is such a short amount of time, its jarring and surprising to them. compared to your previous morbid obese self, your regular overweight size seems tiny...despite the fact that on paper you are actually indeed overweight.
i started at 235 lbs, and when i got to 150 lbs 5 months later, everyone around me were calling anorexic or starved human or cancer patient or every kind of slightly uncomfortable comment you can think of. but i mean, i was still overweight and like 25 lbs from goal. geez, man.
now 6+ years later, i am 105 lbs (and well below my initial goal weight) and no one even bats an eyelash...and this is 45 lbs less than when they were all worried for my existence! its ridiculous because *i* actually think i'm the thin side these days and everyone else just keeps telling me i look awesome (which i do, but still...lololololzzzzz 😂😂😂)
long story short...the only opinion that matters is YOURS. nod and pat the head of others who have something to say and just keep on truckin'.
good luck! ❤️

ummm....HR!!!!

Congratulations on your success so far! I completely empathise with the surreal feeling - it is almost like a weird out-of-body experience!
I can answer a couple of your questions, obviously not the one about maintenance as I am only like 7-odd months post bypass now I think!
I believe I have lost almost 100lbs now (45kg, 7 stone), and in the initial first 5 months I was really struggling to go to the gym so I wasn't very active. I have started going to the gym now and I am really enjoying it, not seeing as fast-paced weight loss currently, but that could be because of muscle gaining at the gym and normal stalling!
I think my biggest challenge/lesson has been listening to my new stomach now. Understanding when it is full, and also looking at food differently - I just see it as fuel now, rather than thinking about it 24/7 which has been hard. It has also been a challenge to actually accept that I am smaller now - I still instinctively reach for my old clothing size in shops (UK 22-24), and am genuinely shocked when it is too big, or when something I see as "tiny" fits me. The changing the mind is a long haul lesson I believe!
All the best for you on this journey x

Congrats on how well you have been doing!! I had the gastric sleeve and would love to share my story
The good: I had my surgery on January 24, 2024, and I am now almost one year post-op. I reached my goal weight about seven months after the surgery and have been maintaining it within a +/- 3-pound range. Once I started weightlifting, I noticed a significant transformation in my body, which has kept me motivated because I am starting to love what I see in the mirror. I have gone from a size 2/3X top to an XS/S top, and from size 18 pants to size 4. I never imagined my body could look and feel this good. My health has vastly improved, and I have so much energy. I am happier, and that positivity radiates from me.
The bad/challenges: I still experience episodes of binge eating, although it is not as severe as it was before. However, when I'm not being mindful, I tend to grab chips and eat too many, or take mini candies and other Snacks that I shouldn't have. I am aware of my actions, but for some reason, I don't seem to care in the moment. It has happened maybe two to three times, and each time, I feel really angry with myself. I recognize that this is something I need to work on, and I'm conscious of it. I understand that this will be a lifelong challenge for me, but I am actively working on it and taking it one day at a time. I tend to be hard on myself because I am so afraid of going back to my old habits. This is a second chance at life and I want to make the most of this!
Everyone has their own journey. We will all face challenges and struggles, but for the most part, this is an amazing tool! Make the most of it in the first 12 to 18 months. Take advantage of the rapid weight loss, work out, and engage in activities that intimidated you when you weighed more. Take risks, because I promise you will be so happy that you did!

lunch!
½ a bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, avocado, onion and sumac.
599 calories, ate it all!!

I made a turkey butt cake for family thanksgiving this past weekend.
Also used the rest of the cake batter to make cupcakes, then made cheesecake brownies, a pumpkin pie, a cheesecake pumpkin pie, apple pie sandwiches (pastry top par cooked and then the bottoms topped with pie filling and then par baked then topped and baked the rest of the way), Peanut Butter chocolate rice crisp treats, and my 12yr old made cake pop balls.

Tomorrow is my 2 month surgiversary and I'm already halfway to my (numerical) weight loss goal!

How many calories for just the curious kitty? 😉

This is kind of a random anecdote, but I recently went to a new doctor who noted on my chart that I was "ill-appearing," citing "temporal wasting." I had never seen that term before, so I googled it, and it means a hollow look on the temples of the face, which can be a sign of malnutrition (but also just aging and weight loss). Maybe an interesting point that there are some legit signs that doctors look for to indicate illness, and perhaps laypeople pick up on it subconsciously to get the sense that you look unwell.

Phwoar, you will have heads spinning in that. Red would be hot

Being overweight all my life, I bristle at any comment about my size. Then or now. Its my business, end of. If you saw me before so disabled and ill and see me now able to do anything I want. That is something I will talk about. Want to talk about how happy I am or being able to stop the anti depressants, yep I am your woman. I am not comfortable with anything else.

Christmas should be easier because I will be two months post op and I've been getting better at adjusting to my new eating requirements. Also, I'm not really a drinker so I will be able to say no to all the drinks which will happen

I am so happy for you. Going home is always emotional, I really understand why you were so very worried. Congratulations on the huge weight drop. NOW lets get through Christmas !

My minister at church very concernedly asked if I was ok obviously worried I was sick. A neighbour, after congratulating me on how good I Iooked, ‘suggested’ I not lose anymore. My uncle commented I looked like death. I had people I’d known for decades not recognise me & then make a fuss even though I was only obese in the last 5 or 6 years & was often a healthy weight in the years they knew me. And so on.
We talk about our body dysmorphia but I believe others experience it in how they see us. They have an image of us being obese and they find it very difficult to accept us not being obese. So you get told you’re too thin, wasting away, you’ve lost too much, you must be sick, or just plain rude and unkind comments. Some of those are from people who are jealous or bitter b**ches. Some are from people who feel more comfortable seeing you as obese and want you to stay in the fat friend box. And yes, some come from people who want to be supportive but can’t express it in a way that doesn’t come out wrong (critical or hurtful).
In time you won ‘t get those type of comments. Eventually, people start to see you for how you are now as their perception changes. I haven’t had anything said to me for about 3 years now (well except for my sister-in-law’s cow of a mother last Christmas but I hadn’t seen her since before my surgery).

Yep, I have been getting it for MONTHS. It drives me nuts. I'm aware I look too thin. I'm trying to fix that. Their comments don't help at all.

Being overweight all my life, I bristle at any comment about my size. Then or now. Its my business, end of. If you saw me before so disabled and ill and see me now able to do anything I want. That is something I will talk about. Want to talk about how happy I am or being able to stop the anti depressants, yep I am your woman. I am not comfortable with anything else.