SH76

First I want to say thank you to so many of the veteran posters on here. I hope you gals and guys know how much your experiences and feedback have helped me and I suspect many others. There's just such a fantastic mix of people and experiences - It's great knowing you aren't alone in this journey.

The first few months after surgery were easy. The weight was simply falling off, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat or drink - And better yet, I couldn't overeat because of the restriction. I felt fantastic most of the time, had all sorts of NSV's and loved my new life. From August until January I lost almost 50lbs - I was so close to Wonderland I could taste it. THEN reality struck - Suddenly I was one of those "slow losers" - It took almost 2 months to lose 13lbs. UGH, I WAS going to be one of those slow losers. OK, fine, I'm 52 and it is what it is, right? From January until May, I "only" lost 33lbs. Again, every week/month I told myself that I would lose the weight, I was just in some sort of a stall and things would magically pick up. Well, they didn't, I would lose 2-3 lbs and then I would gain 2-3 lbs. Again, "it's normal" I told myself.

Fast forward to a week ago - I jumped on here for some motivation (reading stories, etc.) and I took a hard look at what I was doing. Basically, I was being lazy - I was eating whatever I wanted and justifying it by saying "I only eat small portions" - Well, yeah, that was true...BUT I was grazing, I was drinking too much alcohol, and I wasn't tracking. I honetly have no idea how many calories I was consuming (especially on weekends with family and friends). I played mind games with myself and said "As long as I'm not gaining, I'm doing things right." - Well, that was a giant load of (@*$.

This past Tuesday (after a weekend of Mimosa's, Crown Royal, and some really great BBQ), I woke up to a 5lb gain (BTW, yes I realize some of that was Water retention). WAKE UP CALL. 5lbs? Seriously - Time to go back to basics before that's a 10lb gain. For the first time in MONTHS, I tracked every thing I tracked everything that went into my mouth (water, food, etc) - I did 3 days of liquid - In two days, those 5lbs were off. Rather than what I've done in the past, I didn't stop there - I continued tracking, I continued being cognizant of what and when I was eating. I said "no" to many things that I thought I wanted. I lost 6.8lbs from Tuesday to Sunday. What? I'm NOT a slow loser - I'm a LAZY loser.

Folks, for many of us, it's EASY in the first few months, it's EASY to convince ourselves that we're doing OK, it's EASY to compare ourselves to others, it's EASY to ignore signs that you're falling into bad habits, and it's EASY to get lazy. In reality, it's HARD to stick to your plan when you're feeling fantastic and patting yourself on the back for losing so much weight. I'm choosing to be thankful that this happened now rather than 2-3 years into it. I'm glad that reality smacked me in the face and forced me to face the fact that i wasn't doing what I needed to do. Right now it was EASY to get back on track before I let it get out of control. For those of you experiencing the same - Buckle up buttercup, start tracking, weigh yourself often if you need to, and take a good look and when and why you're losing weight and when and why you aren't.

Again, a very special thank you to you old timers for always keeping things real and giving out such fantastic advice.

90s jeans are back in fashion! You should be good to go once you’re back in them.

I finally got rid of my former favorite jeans that I used as a goal- they were from 2006, ultra low rise boot cut jeans. I might be nearing the weight to where I could have fit in them but the style wasn’t going to be something I felt like wearing out and about. 😬

My next major milestone is all about vanity...I have a pair of size 4 Abercrombie and Fitch jeans I have had since the 90's...my favorite pair of jeans ever...never could get rid of them! Hoping I will be able to wear in the next few months. 🙂

I’m 152 lbs down today so I’ve met all my goals but the final one- hitting a “normal” BMI. I’ll hit that one in 16.4 lbs.
A few more milestones I hadn’t considered:
1. Went for a hike yesterday in 3 inch inseam shorts because my legs don’t rub together anymore! Last summer I didn’t even wear shorts- just size 4x leggings that I overheated in.
2. I am almost to the weight that my drivers license has said for like 20 years. I love that last time I renewed it and was clearly more than 150 lbs above that weight the lady didn’t even blink an eye. I renew in about 6 months so hopefully I’ll update the weight down this time.

Finally reached my next major milestone...hit 150lbs, then dropped 1lb, and now 149lbs. I cannot remember the last time I was in the 140lbs. Maybe early 20's? I feel so energized and hopeful that my body will be stronger than ever to sustain me later in life because of this surgery! It's hard, no doubt, and at times, has been a bit overwhelming. But at the end of the day, all worth it! 😊

Hello fellow Bariatricals,

I am 3 months out and wanted to compare everyone else 3 month weight loss. I have only list 13kg which is 28 pounds. I am not worried, as I am losing and Ive always had a slow metabolism. How were you guys at 3 months post op ( please only give me weight loss from surgery day).

Have not lost that much maybe 30 stopped weighing bc I get disappointed

I had my surgery Monday. Tuesday while in hospital I found out my son died in a car accident. I’m grieving so bad and reaching out to you all for prayers

This is my before/after sleeve pic. 🎉Down 100 pounds 🎉

So I had plastic surgery 3 weeks ago tomorrow. My surgery included belt lipectomy/360 Tummy Tuck, and breast lift with augmentation. Recovery has been tougher than I expected due to fatigue. I went back to work (RN in a large clinic) last Monday. The fatigue was unreal. On Tuesday, one of the doctors I work with decided I should be checked for anemia. I popped over to our lab and had a quick blood draw. I had finished lunch about 45 prior to getting the blood drawn. The next day when I received my lab results, I was surprised to see my blood glucose was 59. 😲 I do not dump, so I have been eating more simple carbs and sugars to try to keep from losing more weight. I had been eating some candy on Tuesday prior to lunch. Apparently, I have reactive hypoglycemia. No more simple carbs and sugars for me, except small amounts with meals. The bummer part of this, (aside from feeling extra crappy with low blood sugars), is that I am really anxious about not losing any more weight and don’t know how I am going to keep the weight on without the extra calories. I guess I need to increase healthy fats to make sure I keep my calories up. With that said, I have lost about 3 pounds since my plastic surgery. I never thought I would be stressed about losing weight. 🙄🤷‍♀️ I have an appointment with my surgeon’s office in a week and I am looking forward to discussing this with them.

My labs also show some Iron deficient anemia. I was not iron deficient nor anemic prior to plastics, so this is directly related to blood loss in surgery, and fairly simple to correct with diet and iron supplements (I don’t normally take any iron supplements).

Over all, I am doing very well post-plastics. My pain has really been minimal since about day 3 post-plastics. I have had a bit of trouble with my incisions separating (dehiscence) in a few small spots. My husband is a wound nurse, so we have been managing the wound care with pretty good results. I am thrilled to have breasts again after going from a 40 DD to a 34 A. 😬😬😬
Anyhow, here are bikini pics to show off my post-plastics body…swelling included. 😂

Hello April Sleevers,
How's everyone doing?
During the past week, I had my first experience with dizziness. The first time I just figured I moved too quickly and didn't really associate it with WLS. But, when it happened again a week later and was in two settings, I figured it out. Spent the weekend increasing Water intake. I meet with my team tomorrow. I'm ok. Just a couple brief moments mainly when transitioning quickly in bed.
Anyone have any exciting non-scale victories lately? Yesterday I put on clothes for work and looked like a clown because it was falling all off me, lol. That was exciting 🙂
I hit my first stall last week. But, probably my fault due to not getting in all my water the past couple weeks while at work. Still working on increasing water intake during busy days at work. Water at home is easy. At work, I'm just in go, go, go mode. Ugh. I will keep working on it.

I have not lost any weight in a month ! So frustrated my surgery was April 9! Any one else dealing with a long stall like this ?

I truly feel your pain; it's been 2 1/2 weeks for me (post op since April 28) and it's happening a few pounds shy of "onederland" which is torturing me further. I have been exercising my butt off, too. It did coincide with my soft food phase which I am still doing. My common sense tells me that my digestive system must be trying to readjust. I also notice that my bms are much less frequent which tells me I probably need to do better with H2O intake and fiber. Are any of my observations something you can relate to? I wonder if I will ever get back to the rapid pace of my 1st month weight loss.

I am doing well, thank you! Per the docs and nurses in Mexico I was the best plastics patient they ever had. 😂 I walked independently, multiple times a day starting the day after surgery and getting up to 3 miles total, per day, by day 4 post-op.
Recovery has been both easier and harder than I expected. My pain has been pretty low and my boobs have hurt worse than the 360 Tummy Tuck 🤷‍♀️ The fatigue is making me crazy, as is the insane amount of swelling. I have been struggling to get some more fajas. The one from the hospital is too tight with my swelling, and is too small at the top around my rib cage...yay for inverted triangle shapes🤦🏼‍♀️😂 I have ordered other ones and they fit worse than the one I have. I currently have 6 more on order with hopes I will find something that works.
I had two drains, one on the front of my abdomen and one at lower back. Yesterday Husband and I removed the one at the back. It was leaking out around the drain and causing skin issues at the drain site. I cannot wait to get the other one out!
Since my one ill fitting faja is in the wash I took some pics to share. Excuse my drain and understand, for those of you who have not had plastic surgery before, I am incredibly swollen. My natural waist is a full two inches bigger than my pre-surgery measurements and my lower abdomen is about 3-4 inches bigger than pre-surgery. Overall, I am loving my results and can’t wait to see what everything looks like in a few weeks and then a few months. 💕

Im hungry its 9:36pm
And im hungry. what can i snack on ? Last time i ate dinner was at 5:30

I just had my surgery on June 3, 2021. I am 4 days post op.
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the vast majority of us experience stalls. It's just a normal part of weight loss. You'll likely have several on your journey, and they'll last 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days if you need to. They'll break, and then you'll be on your way again.

I was actually prepared to make spontaneous plans to see my high school buddies on the 40 year anniversary of our graduation! I was ready to book the plane ticket and go, when they ended up re-scheduling due to other's conflicts. 80 pounds ago, I wouldn't have even considered going...even with 3 months to "lose some weight"! Now, I'm like "Tell me when and where, and I'll be there!" It felt great!!

Honestly, I'm glad I am not alone. I am 5 weeks post op. I returned to work last week. Since going back, I have struggled with the shakes, Water and the inability to eat any of the things I am supposed to be "Trying". Yesterday, at work, I tried to eat a few bites of grated turkey. I guess i ate it too fast. After 3 bites, I feel like it got stuck. It was horrible for about 3 hours. I think we just need to go back to the basics. 1) drink the water first, the 2) get in the Protein via shakes and 3) if there is any time left...some of the other things we are supposed to ne eating.
I am struggling so hard after going back to work. We just need to stay positive and remember why we did this.

For the record, I feel exhausted and crappy all of the time too. 500-600 calories a day will do that. Cheer up , you are not alone

Its happening to me too its been two weeks and only 2 pounds i feel horrible i feel like it wasn't worth it im following the diet dont know what else to do or think

I'm 4 weeks post op. I feel like I'm failing. I'm having a hard time getting my Water and Protein in. When I eat it's a few times throughout the day and I haven't logged anything or measured it out like I should. I've been really struggling with the psychological aspect of it and I feel like I'm trying to work through that each day. I'm getting better and starting to do what I'm supposed to, but have I ruined anything yet? Im just scared I screwed up so early on and I'm doomed. I have no energy and feel like crap all the time. I'm over dramatic lol but I'm freaking out y'all. Help!
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As of last Tuesday, I was in a 2 week stall. Even knowing it was normal and inevitable, it felt terrible. I let myself feel down for a day and then I increased my Protein intake and started resistance band training (I was exactly 8 weeks out). I also incorporated more potassium rich food to combat sodium bloat.

Today I went in for my 2 month follow up and I’m down 12 pounds from last Tuesday, 32 since surgery, and 45 from my starting weight.

I’m sure the stall would’ve broken on it’s own but I feel good about the adjustments and I’m enjoying short resistance workouts.

Hoping anyone else in a stall right now feels hopeful after reading this!

UPDATE:
First day of Puree, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!! Already tried the ricotta bake (4 oz as per my program) and just now sitting down with some refried Beans (4 oz) mixed with a lil taco sauce, lil shredded cheddar, lil sour cream and a lil spicy guacamole and OMGGGGGGGG, I'm in heaven!!!!!! Soooooooo goooood!! LOL So far everything is going down good and easy. Haven't felt overly full or restriction with the amounts I'm able to have thus far at each meal. But that's ok. I feel content after eating and not still hungry.
Otherwise everything is going well for me, as it's been, and nothing new is going on. Stomach/incision pain slightly better. Three of the six incisions have finally shed their glue coating. The big incision is NOT one of them.

UPDATE:
So today is day 4 of my puree stage. I gotta be honest, I have seen others speak about how on puree stage they ate mac & cheese and mashed potatoes (something I can have starting this coming week in soft foods stage) but yesterday I DID try some mac & cheese and I chewed it up really well before swallowing. The problem is, I ate more than my 4oz portion recommendation, probably closer to 8 or 10 oz, and didn't really feel that full feeling at all. I actually stopped myself from having more thinking, hey, that should have been my threshold, don't overdo it.
Not sure what to think about that. Why was it so easy to, not only have pasta.....something many claim they couldn't eat until many months out.....but also a relatively large portion of it (at least 10 oz)? I also tried several bites of pizza (another food many claim they couldn't do until months out) with no fullness or issues either. It wasn't a full piece but probably half of one, and of course I chewed the **** out of that too but still, HOW? How was I able to eat so much and no even be phased? This worries me going forward. And no, I didn't eat the two together but still.