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You should take all your measurements and find some online size charts. Then look up what body parts you want to emphasize (small waist) and what you want to hide. See what styles work with that criteria. Sounds like a lot of work but for so many years I spent hiding away because of my weight. You might find that shopping is a bit more fun now. More than once as I was trying on clothes long since hidden in my closet, I heard my husband (who I thought was asleep, ask, “Are you done playing dress-up yet?” Lol

I found it helpful to have a small table next to my bed with Water, my doctor’s notes, medicines, cell phone with long charging cord, pen. It was helpful to keep track of when I took which medicine, how much I ate or drank, etc.
I used the alarm on my cell phone quite a bit: at first to wake me up to take pain medicines to stay ahead of my pain. Later, to time 30 minutes between drinking and eating.

I didn't have a recliner, but I did have a wedge pillow and slept on my back, which I don't normally do. It was hard to get up out of bed and the wedge pillow helped.
I would have liked a belly binder because when I was walking around my belly moved and my incisions hurt. Some surgery centers provide these.
Also, I would say to have your house clean and laundry and dishes done because it will be hard to do these right after surgery.
I found it easier to get my fluids in when I kept a water bottle right in my hand or right next to me on the couch.
Good luck!

I had very little pain to speak of (many of us don't), but getting in and out of bed could be a challenge - for the first few days I felt like I'd done a thousand crunches when getting out of bed. I didn't have a recliner, but I just had a ton of pillows propped up behind me so I wasn't lying flat. It did help. After I had my first plastic surgery (which was much more painful than my RNY), I bought a wedge pillow. In fact, I'm still using it, three years later. That may have been helpful after my RNY, too.

I suggest getting a couple belts and then when you're choosing new things, get things that either have a belt or an elastic waist that can be cinched in. Otherwise a dress with smocking on the top can stretch a lot.

If you still love your current wardrobe perhaps a solution is investing in tailoring or learn to alter them yourself.

I remember your first post saying the same thing and you never really explained why you feel this way. Is it because you cant eat like you use to? I mean i had surgery last month. I partly regret it. Because food was so enjoyable and was a big part of my daily life. I would wake up and first thing i thought of is where am i going to get a delicious Breakfast, lunch time comes around i would be like OOoo lets get tacos or mcdonalds or whatever and same with dinner and now i cant do that anymore and it is depressing at times especially when everyone in my house orders pizza or made some awesome bbq that i cant have. But eventually once we are healed up good. We can have many of those things again but just much smaller portions. BUt why do you feel this way?

The gurgling may continue & it may not necessarily be directly related to the diarrhoea. I gurgle & groan & rumble & squelch all the time - am gurgling now 😆. I often say I have a poltergeist in my tummy rattling chains. My young nieces & nephews think it’s hilarious. It’s just your body doing what it’s supposed to: digest your food. Diarrhoea is quite common after surgery. Can be the excess acid in your tummy, your body excreting the blood, etc. from the surgery, the liquid diet, … etc. If it persists, contact your medical team.

The first few weeks are so hard. Not only is your whole food outlook changed, but you are at the most limiting point after surgery that you will ever be. It gets so much better!
I did weigh and measure in the first few months, but now I can eyeball things. With the exception of no added sugar, nothing is off-limits. So when my family gets fast food, I eat a few of my children’s fries. Yet somehow because of the surgery, that is enough to satisfy me. No deprivation.
Not having sweets and desserts became hard after a few months (The first few months, I had so much artificial sweetener that it made me sick). So, I found sugar free Russell Stover chocolates, as well as sugar-free Lilly’s brand. When I want something sweet, I reach for these, and a small amount satisfies me. I don’t miss cake, pie, brownies, etc. anymore.
I don’t drink alcohol or coffee, but I use decaffeinated tea.

Yes! Shipping typically takes about a week, and I place an order every 4 to 6 weeks to buy enough to get free shipping. I also buy items on sale, and have points earned to take $5 to $10 off each order.
I have used both the ProCare and Bariatric Pal Vitamins with Iron. Capsules one a day. Both great. chewables nasty. Patches weren’t recommended by my nutritionist.
Also Bariatric Pal calcium chews. They taste like chocolate caramel Starburst. They feel like a dessert.
Also Syntrax Protein powders.
I have not had problems with items being out of stock. And one time, a Protein Powder arrived that had broken open during shipping. They sent a new one.

Yes! Shipping typically takes about a week, and I place an order every 4 to 6 weeks to buy enough to get free shipping. I also buy items on sale, and have points earned to take $5 to $10 off each order.
I have used both the ProCare and Bariatric Pal Vitamins with Iron. Capsules one a day. Both great. chewables nasty. Patches weren’t recommended by my nutritionist.
Also Bariatric Pal calcium chews. They taste like chocolate caramel Starburst. They feel like a dessert.
Also Syntrax Protein powders.
I have not had problems with items being out of stock. And one time, a Protein Powder arrived that had broken open during shipping. They sent a new one.

I had mine the 26th. My surgeon told me I could go home same day. But something changed and he kept me over night. I didn't question it. I'm assuming it's because I had a hernia that was fixed too. I was ok with staying. I was in so much pain. Im glad I didn't have to sit in the car 2 hours going home the same day. A lot f people told me I need to stay for pain management. But they didn't really control my pain in the hospital. They said my pain was from gas and pain medicine didn't help with gas.

Yeah, the withdrawals can be hard. Takeaway the caffeine, the sugar, etc. & you get headaches, feel weak & sometimes tremors. Similar to withdrawal from alcohol or drugs. You’ll feel generally crappy for a few days then it improves. It can be surprising to realise how much you & your body relied on these stimulants & then in time realise how much you didn’t really need them.

My sleeve surgery was two days ago, April 25. My surgeon now does it as outpatient, unless there are particular health concerns prior to surgery or complications following. I don’t recall being given the option to stay overnight. Surgeon said since I have good mobility and care at home it would be the best option. I’m not totally sure how I feel about it now. I didn’t quite feel ready to leave as they were discharging me only like 5 hours after surgery. And I ended up having severe vomiting for 24 hours, every 30-60 minutes. It was really scary and I would have probably liked having nurses/doctors nearby. It’s passed now.

Just a warning, I thought the chewables were disgusting. I had to throw all of them out. I have tried two different one-a-day capsules from this website. Both great.
I also recommend the Bariatric Pal calcium chews. They are like chocolate starburst, I take two of them per day as a dessert.

Thisss^^^

I hate that my family is so focused on my weight. I understand the point of it being for health and genuine concern but they say awful things to me so I hate when people comment on my weight loss. My brother asked me the other day "it's easier now that your legs aren't so fat right?" Like I couldn't believe the phrasing. I just said I'm not sure what you're asking and walked away. Feels like people want to comment on your weight just to let you know how much they hate fatness rather than genuine praise or anything . I just avoid it all together. And if someone doesn't know I had surgery, I just say I've been eating healthier and developing better habits.

Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I agree completely. I just sent this article to my mom - who is notorious for telling everyone they look great based on their weight. https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/20/health/weight-loss-compliment-harm-wellness/index.html

I told very few people. My immediate family, some close friends, my boss all knew. Afterward, when it was obvious I'd lost a ton of weight, I told most people that I'd been working with a dietitian and was exercising like a fiend (which was actually true...I just conveniently left out the part about the surgery). When another obese person asked me, I was honest with them, since they know that diet & exercise thing is a bunch of schlock.
so I don't know if I was technically lying - just leaving out the surgery part for most people who asked. But then again, if you don't want people to know about the surgery, there aren't a lot of options.

I have found that most people are satisfied to hear you are working with a nutritionist and exercising more. It is the truth. I mean It’s those two things that are mainly why your losing weight. It’s just easier to do those things without the hunger hormones screaming at you.

This is a tough one! I’ve also been trying to figure out what to say. Because I’ve struggled my entire life with eating disorders, ups and downs in the weight department and a lot of the times that I lost drastically it was because I wasn’t treating my body the right way (not eat, binging and purging, over doing it at the gym and constantly obsessing). So having someone comment on my wait good or bad is triggering for me. My first thought is, in this day in age the way things are with body positivity etc people really shouldn’t comment on someone’s weight loss or gain because there can be a multitude of reasons why someone has lost or gained.

Another example: my sister recently lost a TON of weight (she was already somewhat thin to begin with) and we were discussing how she feels when people ask her about her weight loss and exclaim how great she looks etc, and she has a hard time with it because first of all, “did I not look good before?”, as she says to me and second, she was actually very ill and it’s the reason why she lost the weight.

It’s like people put so much value on who you are based on your weight. So I cringe when I think of what to say. Part of me wants to say something snarky but I’m not a snarky person lol and can’t really think of anything. So instead I’m going to be honest! I’m eating healthy and working out! I already have been eating healthy and working out since I started my program and have lost some weight so it won’t be too far fetched. My situation might be different then yours though because I live hours away from most anyone I don’t care to tell the 100% truth to. So when I see them the 1 or 2 times a year, or every other year that I do, it won’t be so jarring.

I think part of the issue is the fact that people think that WLS is the “easy way out” and from reading posts on this forum and hearing first hand from friends that have had WLS that’s is totally not the case. You still have to put in the work to be successful with WLS. And honestly… I don’t think there’s anything easy about going through surgery and getting your stomach cut into and/or altered in any way.

Here is how I handled it.
1. If they don't ask what you did, don't tell them. If someone says I look great, I just say, "Thank you. That is very kind."
2. While I did not announce my WLS, if someone directly asks what I did and I am reasonably sure they would be supportive, I tell them. I might be the only person they know who has had WLS and I want them to see someone succeeding so maybe they will be supportive of the next person they meet who has had WLS or is considering it.
3. If someone directly asks and I doubt whether they will be supportive, I would just say, "Oh, I'm eating right and exercising." Which is true.
4. If someone found out I had WLS and accused me of taking the easy way out, I would very blandly reply, "Isn't the most important thing that I find a way out?"

Honestly, this 1 week pre-op diet is seriously stressing me out. I'm not the least bit nervous about the surgery, but HOW is a fat person with a big stomach supposed to live with no food? ?? I get it, when I have the surgery. Most of my hunger hormone will be gone, my stomach will be super small, it'll be easier. But I have ALL my hunger hormone now and my stomach is anything but small. I'm eating tonight, but starting when I wake up, no food. None. Nada. Zip, zilch, zero. Oh boy... *sigh*

You know, I guess I'm the only dissenter in the group. Bake it, eat a bite or two, then wrap it up and send it away. Send it home with the kids. Take it to the neighbors, or to a shut in. Enjoy a little bit. I lost 50 pounds years ago by Slim fast during the week, and then hubby and I would go out, and I would enjoy a meal and a bite (just a bite!) of dessert. Took a long time, but I could be good during the week as long as the weekend was coming. Moderation in all things.

Do they offer virtual appointments for those that are not actual tests? I found that all my appointments were virtual unless I was having a test done. A benefit of covid because my doctor was about an hour from met. You should ask if some of the testing can be done locally and the results sent to them.