vikingbeast

I had my first contact with the surgeon's office on July 2. Today's July 29 and I'm done with the insurance requirements. I fired off an e-mail to my insurance coordinator, who is super awesome, and she gave me the direct e-mail of the person at the surgeon's office most likely to answer my questions.

But it all feels very assembly-line. This is a major, life-changing thing and I don't want to [bleep] it up, but I'm afraid I don't know what I don't know.

Way back in the Bad Old Days, I was on whopping doses of not one, but two blood pressure medications, one of which had a Water pill (diuretic) baked into it... and still my blood pressure was usually about 140/85, so barely controlled at all. When I had my VSG, my primary care doctor told me to take one dose of the one with the water pill the day after surgery to help me pee out the surgery Fluid and then leave off taking it. I continued on the amlodipine at 10 mg.
A week and a half later I had my blood pressure taken in the office and it was a bit low, so my doctor started me on 5 mg a day, but told me to monitor my blood pressure each morning before taking it. If it was normal, don't take the drug; and if it was normal for four days straight, to leave off taking the drug altogether and send him a message. Today was the fourth day. I took my blood pressure this morning as always, and it was 118/65.
I am no longer on blood pressure medication, which was arguably my biggest reason for getting the surgery done!
I've only lost 33 lbs. since surgery and have 84 to go, but apparently my circulatory system appreciated it and I went from barely-controlled-with-two-big-doses to no medication needed at all in a day short of three weeks.

Nicely done! I catch myself looking in the mirror sometimes because I'm used to seeing "the blob" and I'm not a blob anymore.

I track, but every now and then I'll have a "holiday" from tracking. I usually end up gaining 2-3 lbs. over a week or two, and as soon as I start tracking again, it goes back down. (I'm just finishing one of these "holidays".)

Been a while since I checked in. A friend of mine said, "You know, if you do a French tuck*, you can show off those belt buckles of yours. You're slim enough now."
I am not convinced this is the style for me (feels like I wasn't paying attention after pulling my pants up and accidentally buttoned them around my shirt), but damn if it didn't feel nice to actually be able to do it. So here I am, another almost 40 lbs. down, 39 to go. Three quarters of the way to goal.

* French tuck - you tuck in the front but not the back. I know no French people who do this, but maybe it's named after Tan France instead of France France.

The picture on the right was yesterday; the one on the left was me close to my fattest. I'm eight months post-op and still losing weight, albeit much more slowly now. I was wearing size 46 pants that barely buttoned around my waist on the left; size 32 on the right. Size 4XL shirt on the left, L on the right. (The left is blurry because I had to crop and it didn't do it nicely. You can still see puh-lenty!)

The picture on the right was yesterday; the one on the left was me close to my fattest. I'm eight months post-op and still losing weight, albeit much more slowly now. I was wearing size 46 pants that barely buttoned around my waist on the left; size 32 on the right. Size 4XL shirt on the left, L on the right. (The left is blurry because I had to crop and it didn't do it nicely. You can still see puh-lenty!)

The picture on the right was yesterday; the one on the left was me close to my fattest. I'm eight months post-op and still losing weight, albeit much more slowly now. I was wearing size 46 pants that barely buttoned around my waist on the left; size 32 on the right. Size 4XL shirt on the left, L on the right. (The left is blurry because I had to crop and it didn't do it nicely. You can still see puh-lenty!)

I went to the dentist yesterday and the hygienist just... put the arms up on the chair. I fit in the chair!

The picture on the right was yesterday; the one on the left was me close to my fattest. I'm eight months post-op and still losing weight, albeit much more slowly now. I was wearing size 46 pants that barely buttoned around my waist on the left; size 32 on the right. Size 4XL shirt on the left, L on the right. (The left is blurry because I had to crop and it didn't do it nicely. You can still see puh-lenty!)

The picture on the right was yesterday; the one on the left was me close to my fattest. I'm eight months post-op and still losing weight, albeit much more slowly now. I was wearing size 46 pants that barely buttoned around my waist on the left; size 32 on the right. Size 4XL shirt on the left, L on the right. (The left is blurry because I had to crop and it didn't do it nicely. You can still see puh-lenty!)

I also was able to eat more than your average sleever. But also, I suspect my surgeon made my sleeve a bit bigger knowing how active I was even before surgery (it's hard to be so active when you can't eat enough!).
When I was three months out I was restricting myself to 800 calories and my center's nutritionist had an absolute conniption at me. Said I was ruining the tool and if I wanted to just gain all the weight back, that was my business. I was devastated for a hot second before I absolutely lost my temper at the top of my lungs and fired her so loud they heard it in the surgeon's office across the hall.
A friend of mine recommended a nutrition program she used, and I am so glad I found it. Immediately my nutrition coach (who had coached other bariatric patients before) upped my calories to about 1200, still prioritizing Protein. Over the last six months she's increased it to 1600-1800, and we're just now backing off a little bit because I feel like all I do is eat. I have just a few pounds left to lose, so they will be harder to shift. I expect maintenance will be around 1600 calories depending on activity level.

Well, this certainly went in an unexpected direction.

I think the OP basically wanted us to tell her that there was some way for her to both lose her weight and make no further changes (because "sacrifices suck").

I did want to add one thing, though, for the future people who read this. Your body can carry an INSANE amount of poop. So the OP, starting her post-colon-cleanse weight, already was down as much as ten pounds (I 💩 you not!) just from having it all out of her.

And it doesn't matter which scale you use as long as you use the same scale every time.

The picture on the right was yesterday; the one on the left was me close to my fattest. I'm eight months post-op and still losing weight, albeit much more slowly now. I was wearing size 46 pants that barely buttoned around my waist on the left; size 32 on the right. Size 4XL shirt on the left, L on the right. (The left is blurry because I had to crop and it didn't do it nicely. You can still see puh-lenty!)

I went to the dentist yesterday and the hygienist just... put the arms up on the chair. I fit in the chair!

I was allowed back at extremely limited capacity (no more than 10 lbs. and NO ab or core work) after two weeks. I was allowed to lift after 6 weeks. Your strength will take a dive temporarily because you simply won't be able to eat enough to power serious lifts. It was probably 12-16 weeks before I really started to feel like "myself" in the gym.

BUT... wait until you see just how much easier the rest of it becomes. My mile time went from 14 minutes to 9 minutes. I went from having to do single "grief burpees" (step out and step in) to being able to chain 20 actual burpees. I'm closer to a pull-up than I've ever been.

My strength isn't what it was before, but I'm also not training the way I was before. My deadlift went down about 25%; squat too; bench is down about 30%. I miss the days of a 675 deadlift, but I'd rather have the health markers I have now, and the endurance, and the ability to do bodyweight things. I took my L1 and am now coaching, and helping others to love their bodies for what they can do.

I went to the dentist yesterday and the hygienist just... put the arms up on the chair. I fit in the chair!

I went to the dentist yesterday and the hygienist just... put the arms up on the chair. I fit in the chair!

I went to the dentist yesterday and the hygienist just... put the arms up on the chair. I fit in the chair!

I went to the dentist yesterday and the hygienist just... put the arms up on the chair. I fit in the chair!

The picture on the right was yesterday; the one on the left was me close to my fattest. I'm eight months post-op and still losing weight, albeit much more slowly now. I was wearing size 46 pants that barely buttoned around my waist on the left; size 32 on the right. Size 4XL shirt on the left, L on the right. (The left is blurry because I had to crop and it didn't do it nicely. You can still see puh-lenty!)

I was... but I went too fast and managed to pull one of my incisions which kept me out a bit longer. So even though you're champing at the bit, go slow. And once you're cleared, don't go crazy. It will take time to build back up.

I was... but I went too fast and managed to pull one of my incisions which kept me out a bit longer. So even though you're champing at the bit, go slow. And once you're cleared, don't go crazy. It will take time to build back up.

Guy here. I have a "pooch" and for a while I was all "why won't this damn fat just go?" until someone saw me with my shirt off and said, dude, it's skin. It's all skin. So once I stabilize, I'll have it removed. I have worked too hard and want to know what it feels like to just... take my shirt off and go swimming.

Mine's almost all metal. Northlane, the Architects, Lamb of God, Thy Art is Murder, Sonata Arctica, The HU, it doesn't matter. I need it resonating in my head to lift heavy.