fourmonthspreop

Hi everyone again! Long venting sesh. Looking for support and advice. I'm back perusing the forums because I've been on a most frustrating journey to curb my regain. Unfortunately, life, life-ed and I went through a lot of stressors/changes and let the old maladaptive comfort eating cope slither back into my life. I am working on feelings of shame around my weight gain. I've gained about 25 lbs now and it's been a slow burn. I feel so embarrassed, so ashamed that I can't even talk about it with my family or my husband. It's pretty bad. I keep thinking "how did you get a gastric bypass and still have issues controlling what you eat?! What is wrong with you?" I know this is not a productive mindset to be in however it's eating at me (no pun intended) and it's making it really hard not to fall into a depression. I want nothing more than to stop the constant thoughts about food, what I should/shouldn't eat and the itch to eat all the time no matter what the food is. I did therapy for years before my bypass and I got to a really good place mentally where I was able to lose 30 lbs on my own before surgery. But I understand life ebbs and flows. It's not always going to be easy, you need tune ups and check ins. I kind of let myself go (not in a physical sense) but a mental sense thinking it would just be perfect from here on out because the high of weight loss after bypass, there's nothing like it! I was on top of the world. I cannot go back to the life I was living. I know food can be such a dangerous game for me and my psychology. It always has been, hence why I had wls in the first place. I can't go back to the knee pain, the weakness, the tiredness, the isolation of binge eating etc. I CANNOT! I REFUSE!! But I also can't sit here and stare at my wounds and call myself stupid for getting wounded in the first place. I just want to focus on getting better. Anyway, I've been advised actually for a while now to take a GLP1. And I keep hearing that it's the best thing since sliced bread to add to your bariatric after-care in terms of long term success. But it's so stigmatized it kept me from even asking. But I truly believe obesity is a disease. It's a chronic illness that must be managed and you have good years and bad years. There is a lot of modern studies in obesity medicine that suggest-so, the system-wide inflammation associated with it its proof in of itself for me. This isn't about looking my best or fitting into some size. It's about saving my life because I know where it all leads to. I'm in my 30's now. I want kids soon. I want to be the best version of myself. And I have to ask the universe for help again. And I can't let that make me feel small and ashamed. I think to myself being scared about the stigma is ironic because I'm sitting here with a bypassed stomach and 30 years of weight-related trauma lol. Yes, I've been obese most my life. The second layer was cost. I spent so much money on stupid things I didn't need. The money I paid for the bypass, well every cent was worth it. I didn't get on a GLP1 because it was so expensive. This week, I pooled together some funds, only enough to try the meds for 3 months and I am currently awaiting my first month of the compounded pill. If it offers me the same relief as the bypass did, even a fraction, I'll take it. It's worth the money to fix my health. I am hoping and praying that this works for me. It's okay if it doesn't, and I am exploring psychiatric options with my providers as well as I have bipolar type 2 and receive medication management for that. I am open to other psychiatric interventions for obsessive eating. I am in group therapy currently. I am exercising and walking everyday and I eat at least 100 grams of protein a day. The problem is the extra meals (grazing) outside of the healthy ones. But here, I guess I am starting on a new foot. I have to put these negative feelings away because they are not serving me. They're driving me to eat. It's the same pain I felt before I had surgery and I can't let it get as bad as it did. The only thing that helped me get help and get a therapist and lose the weight was relinquishing shame. I have to go back there. I've been on a mood stabilizer for 5-6 years now. I don't feel badly about telling people I need that. So why is it so hard to admit to myself and others that I need a GLP1 after bypass? So odd. How do I even begin to look at this normally and in a positive light? So I got a 1.5 mg compounded pill (says it's Wegovy but I'm not sure that comes in pill form). I start that for a month then it increases from there. The goal is to get me to 4mg? But I want to see where one month leads me. If I can stop this constant feeling of emptiness inside of me, being head hungry and craving to have something in my mouth, well then I'll take it as a win. Can anyone share their stories and/or tips with bariatric regain? How did you go about it? What did you feel? How did people around you react?

Following - just got on oral compound wegovy from Hers. Haven't received the medication yet. I would rather take pills because I am scared of injecting myself lol. I already take daily pills too so I don't mind adding it in. Wondering what the side effects and efficacy are for someone with the bypass. I got very strict instructions to take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with no more than 4 oz of water.

I am following this! Congrats on your weight loss, that's a huge accomplishment. I understand needing more help too. I got down to 197 from 340 then stalled out then put back 20 lbs. I have been struggling like crazy. I don't feel my hunger cues strongly anymore and I graze because of it. I also definitely use eating as a coping mechanism and did before I had my surgery. I did two years of intensive therapy and meds before my bypass to get help with my mental/emotional eating issues. But I have had a resurgence of these symptoms in the last year due to stress in my life. I am just about going crazy with the food noise and urges. I will do anything to stop it and get back on track. I just got a prescription for compounded wegovy pills through Hers. I was always told to get on a GLP1, post bariatric surgery but never felt like I had the money. I have a bit of extra money right now so out of desperation and necessity, I got on Hers and got a prescription. It's 150 a month plus 150 membership to the service. I figure I could try it for 2 months and if it's worth it then I will figure it out. Anyway, I am turning back to the forums because I want to invest in myself again. I'm not happy with where I am at and don't feel in control of my weight loss anymore. I am nervous of starting the pills and I'm embarrassed to tell my family but whatever I need to put me first. I am scared about side effects too. Is starting on a 1.5 mg pill going to help? Is it going to cause a lot of side effects? Is that the right dose? How can the doctor know? I also wonder for those who have had the bypass - did you get acid reflux? Ever since my bypass my reflux went away. I used to have GERD symptoms before my surgery. Wondering if this gets worse or comes back? Super scared about that. I am good on eating enough protein and drinking enough water, it's the grazing on carbs that ruin my progress. I get about 100-120 grams of protein a day and also drink 80-100 oz of water minimum not counting coffee, unsweetened drinks.

Hi! I think I deal with the same thing occasionally. I haven't had an official diagnosis but pretty much about 1.5 years post op I started developing crashes after eating meals with simple carbs/no fiber or protein. I found that padding the carb with fiberous vegetables helped prevent the crash and shaky feeling. When I eat sensible portions of whole foods, including rice and beans, I do not receive a crash and shaky feeling. I also pair this with protein and loads of raw vegetables. I specifically get the spike/crash and shakes from eating high sugary foods...things we're not really supposed to have but given a moment of holiday pressure, we do lol I haven't had this checked but I'm wondering if it can lead to developing type 2 diabetes in the future? Idk about you but it also has me struggling with cravings. I think when it does happen, after a spike and drop I am craving carbs/starch even if I'm not actually hungry. It's a major issue in the middle of the night. Have you experienced this too? Just trying to get more information. I'm also trying to find a new doctor because I moved but I am having a hard time finding someone that works with lots of wls patients.

Update: healing well. Started scar laser therapy last week. Still in compression but I got a cute short sleeve dress I can't wait to wear on my summer vacation. I will probably be in compression for the rest of the summer just because the swelling gets so crazy in the extreme heat where I live. I am excited and loving the results so far. It feels so great to not feel my arms shake and move around while doing things daily. Going down stairs, running, stirring while cooking, all feels different. Also I am a violinist and I no longer feel my arms shake and move while I play. I am so happy about that.

Welll.... got my brachio. On post op day 4. Feeling pretty good. It's still very swollen. Here's post op day 3 photo. I can't wait to be healed and wearing t shirt. I have to wear this compression top for 2 weeks straight then for 12 hours a day for 4 more weeks or so.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am hoping it'll be a smooth recovery but I understand it's a huge procedure and costly, it's still something I believe will help me along my journey. I just feel so uncomfortable with my arms, way more than the loose skin on my belly and legs. I understand it might not be as drastic as some other cases on here and in no way did I mean to compare myself to anyone else's struggles. It's just something personally I have had trouble with and wanted to know how the recovery process is and how you view yourself after. My surgeon said there's two people that usually come into his office. The first one is someone who doesn't have enough loose skin and doesn't really qualify for a brachio (they are more looking at lipo and skin tightening procedures). The other patient is someone who has huge amounts of excess skin (people who've lost between 150/200 lbs with poorer skin elasticity) and have no other options except a brachio (less invasive procedures would not make a difference). He said I sit right on the cusp of absolutely needed a brachio to see the results I want. He said my skin elasticity is good but it won't ever bounce back to a normal size without skin removal. He said I could do skin tightening I believe they call is morpheous body but it won't get rid of the flap of skin under my arm. He suggests it to his patients who qualify who are more concerned about scarring. I personally don't care about scars. He also noticed I have a lot of loose skin folded over on my bra line so he is recommends the brachio with the bra line skin removal procedure for me. Of course I want brachio, but I am going with what my surgeon thinks is best and that is the removal of the skin. I included some other pics, sorry I don't take the best pictures but hopefully, you can see my arms a bit more if you were curious what my situation is. Again, I am in no way comparing my physical shape to anyone else. We all have different circumstances, bodies, elasticity, goals, etc. I don't have the photos from my surgeon yet (the before, clearest photos) but you can see more of my arm hangage here in these photos. No, it doesn't look super obvious when I wear long sleeves pic for reference (I am always wearing long sleeves) however I personally would like to have a brachio to feel confident in t-shirts without that arm flap wacking against my side.

Hey! You look great and happy after your surgery! I am getting brachio done in a month...nervous as heck. How are you recovering?

Long post alert, just venting and catching up after so much time away... TLDR, I'm getting an arm lift. I want to hear from other people who got it and how it changed their body/body image, recovery, success stories, and whatever else you want to share! Wow, I haven't posted in a while. This forum got me through some dark times when I had my gastric bypass both before and after. I am posting today because I am FINALLY getting some plastics done. I have been waiting a while because I wanted to maintain my weight. I just turned 30, I'm not getting any younger and I've been doing excellent maintaining my weight loss so I finally scheduled a brachioplasty to start. I am getting an arm lift in other words. I included a pic of my arm and the skin hang-age. This is my before. Disclaimer, this pic is from a couple months ago it's the one I had handy on my desktop but I've been doing a lot of weight training and have built up my bicep a bit more. I would like to do a tummy tuck too (I have A LOT of loose skin in an apron belly shape and my boobs sag down to my ribs ? ) but I am okay with not getting it for now. I can't afford both and don't really have the time to recover from all that surgery. I am starting with just the brachio for now. I have spent my whole life hiding my body and after losing all this weight, I found I am concealing it even MORE because of how droopy and flappy everything has gotten. I am fed up of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin after all the hard work I put in. I'm sure a lot of people who get plastic surgery post-major weight loss can relate to this. At this point it feels like a necessity. My bat wing arms also smack against my body like crazy, I can't wear short sleeves without this happening and tops do not fit me right because of my wonky proportions. My bicep has very little fat on it and all the bulk on my arm is hanging under it so it's very uncomfortable. I've been holding off because of how expensive it is as well. I am paying out of pocket 15k and it's a chunk of my savings but I'd rather have this than a payment plan and I can start ASAP to recoup my savings. I have a lot of body image issues as one does from being morbidly obese their whole life... so honestly I am almost 100% sure this surgery is NOT going to fix the way I see myself. I am more looking at it as a way to feel more comfortable on a day-to-day basis whether I am exercising or just trying to wear a short sleeve outfit in this very hot state I live in. So that's basically my update. I have been doing well, maintaining my weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. Gastric bypass has completely changed my life and made it so much easier to make better choices for my body and my longevity. I am ready for the arm lift and I am so scared but also excited to see how this all goes. I want to hear from other people who got an arm lift or any loose skin removal and how the recovery went for you and how it helped you and your confidence. Thanks and you're all wonderful people!

Amazing! The joy on your face says it all. Get well soon xx

I bought a skirt and dress from Goodwill today. I used to not enjoy thrifting because nothing ever fit me that was fashionable/nice as I was a size 4X/24+. Now as a M/L, I can actually find some stylish and vintage pieces, try endless things on, and walk out with something. I hated buying plus size clothes because they were few and far between and so expensive. It's nice to be able to thrift. I found a really cute 90's romantic black skirt, def vintage and I love it.

Hey everyone! I'm 2.7 years post op. I've maintained about a 140 lb weight loss. I have a lot of loose skin and I honestly feel like I can't fully enjoy my body until I get some of this skin off. The problem is I can't afford it. I spent everything on the surgery (insurance didn't cover) and I'm not making much money right now because I decided to go back to school. I am currently living in Texas. I would love to know how some of you paid for your plastics. Was it hard to make payments? What options are there usually? I'd like to get my belly skin, breasts and arms lifted. I am just looking at arms right now and just that alone is $14000. I just need any ideas or out-of-the-box suggestions. The weight loss surgery and weight loss/maintenance was one thing, but making this next step happen feels impossible sometimes.

I don't post too much on here anymore because I'm 2 years and 3 months post of from bypass. Life has pretty much normalized and I've reached my goal weight. I would like to get down to maybe 195 lbs but I'm not sweating it too much because I feel the best I've ever been since starting this whole process. I am six feet tall and sit around 198/199 at the moment. I started this journey at around 340 lbs. I lost 30 lbs before my surgery. I have lots of loose skin on my belly, my thighs, and my arms. Unfortunately, I can't afford skin removal but I'm saving to do my arms next summer. After a while, sometimes you have days where you no longer connect to your old obese self. I have days where I feel huge and ugly still. It's easy to forget where you came from or how far you've come. What helps me is now and then I check my old photos and make comparisons so I can see my progress. The body dysmorphia is so real and something I know most of you if not all can and will relate to. Losing the weight did not fix my body image but it's different for everyone. Some things IT DID improve however: -Improve my joint health (daily knee pain gone). -Took up running. Avid runner now. Have done races and run regularly outside. -Lowered my blood pressure. -Lowered my heart rate. -No longer profusely sweat or turn red from basic activities. -No longer use alcohol and food to cope with anxiety. -So much energy to move and do chores/tasks. -Healed my obsession with food. I love seeing everyone's progress and reading your stories. Getting the surgery is not a fix-all. We have to do the work to eat the right foods in the right portions and get exercise regularly. It's easier the first year but I can tell you it gets harder and harder. Every day is a battle when you're trying to escape obesity. That's not a bad thing. It's rewarding and you learn so much and become a more resilient and deep person. So keep remembering why you did this, where you came from, and how much better life is getting for you!

I suppose this isn't really weird, but since my surgery and losing the weight I started running again. Around 220 lbs I was cleared to run regularly without damage to my joints as long as I did my physical rehab exercises for my knees and quads. I started amping up my running and started my mile at 15 min pace, today I have it down to 9 min pace for a 5k. I am doing my first 5k this weekend and I'm not nervous, scared, or worried I'll be out of place or injured. I've always wanted to participate in a race but couldn't because of my size which also affected my mental health...so I'm very excited about this and feel proud of myself.

Everyone looks amazing and is doing amazing. Congrats to all! xxxx

Hey there. I had surgery in 2022. Here's what I experienced: Brain fog: definitely lasts at first from the anesthesia but tbh you're so exhausted from the surgery and diet that you just sleep it off the first couple nights. Brain fog comes when you're in like the 3d or 4th week post op when you've just been on liquids. I believe it's just from not eating solid foods for so long. It tires you out. I had tachycardia and fatigue all throughout my liquid, puree, and most of my soft food stages but as I started introducing soft foods, the brain fog subsided a little bit. It was more the physical exhaustion of the extreme diet and rapid weight loss that I remember. I also had brain fog from low iron. Walking: I walked a lot, even in the early stages and it was hard because of my tachycardia. It probably took me four months to be able to walk 2 miles. Before surgery I was walking 5-6 miles a day with no issue and would walk 12 miles on the weekend for pre op weight loss. So yeah, it gets the better of you but it doesn't last. I'm now over a year post op and can walk a long time. I do find that I dehydrate much easier so I need to both make sure I'm very hydrated AND bring water with me if I'm going on walks longer than 4 miles. Don't let any of this scare you. It's so worth it. Once you're healed you'll be amazed at what you're capable of. Best of luck and enjoy the journey.

Used to love burgers, milkshakes, fried tofu, and coconut milk curries. Now they're much too rich and can't stand them. They started tasting bad but I think it's cause I associate them with feeling nauseous. I also can't eat butter, biscuits (American ones), and honey. Bananas too I have a post op aversion to. Also can't eat raw bell peppers. Idk why something about them being sweet and watery now is a no go. Weirdly got a taste for beans after surgery too.

Here's a weird one. I often heard after getting WLS, that alcohol can be this really slippery slope and transfer addiction is real. It's funny because I was simultaneously worried and not worried at the same time because alcoholism runs in my family and I've seen it ugly, up close and personal which has made me incredibly reflective on my alcohol use, always checking it and monitoring to make sure it wasn't something I was doing out of habit and only in moderation. Basically, I've never been really into alcohol but don't get me wrong, I had my party days in college and I remember being able to drink soooooo much for a long time when I was partying with friends. Fast forward to today, I'm a year and like 5 months post op from bypass and I've found a couple things with alcohol and want to know if anyone is having the same experience: Getting drunk now is horrible, a surefire way straight to my head in the toilet, and not because I'm too drunk but because alcohol makes me incredibly nauseous if I have more than 2 drinks. I also don't drink sugary drinks either - I do usually a hard liquor like vodka and soda water. I find now though that I don't even feel drunk like I used to. I'm incredibly cognizant of everything, don't feel "silly" or "loose" like I used to, then I just get sleepy, and then I just hit a wall and get really nauseous and want to puke. If I have a drink then I eat later, like I've been in a situation where I am going to a dinner, have a cocktail like a couple hours before my meal, then I eat and the food makes me so nauseous and almost dumping. It could be that I'm just older now and drinking is different but I barely drink now since getting my bypass because it just makes me feel like crap. I don't miss it, I think drinking is really bad but I will admit it has taken a toll on my social life (but ultimately it's good to know who wants to actually be friends and who just wants a drinking buddy) But I've always heard that drinking can be a problem after, but now that I have had WLS, drinking is not fun like it used to be and I just don't want to do it at all. Anyone else experiences this? I think it's an interesting topic.

I'm well over a year post op and still feel nauseous some days. I suggest the following to really take control of the situation: Stay hydrated Chew your food until it's a paste, take tiny bites of food too Wait more than 30 min to drink after eating if you ate anything that was particularly rough be it texture or quantity Get a prescription for zofran or some sort of anti-nausea med to have on hand Make sure your bathroom times are regular as I deal with constipation still and when it's bad, it can make me feel incredibly nauseous

Another NSV, I recently got the opportunity to travel through Europe. I could find clothes everywhere. Old me would've been worried about finding clothes. I got to go dress shopping in Europe and could buy and try on normal sizes. I am now sitting between a L/M dress size, coming from an XXXXL. I bought myself a summer dress as a little reward for the weight loss.

Weird NSV. I know I've slimmed down a lot but I still feel like my heaviest self some days, especially in social situations. I have my days. I was at a work conference meeting a bunch of new people and I was having some appetizers with a new coworker. We were talking about food and I was telling her how I was super hungry because I hadn't eaten much that day. She laughed and said "Are you one of those people that eats like crazy amounts of food but still stays skinny???" I was so taken back by the comment I didn't even know how to respond in the moment. I still see myself as a big person but then stuff like that happens and I need to take a second and enjoy how far I've come. Coming from being super morbidly obese I was shocked to hear that. I kind of laughed when I got myself together and said no, and that I watched what I ate because I had recently lost a lot of weight.

Hi all! A couple nonscale victories more than a year out I wanted to share: My boyfriend picked me up (no guy has ever done that or attempted to) I proceeded to freak out and say don't do that again because I was so scared it was too much and he laughed and said it wasn't bad and I'm being crazy Airplane seatbelts in coach have so much room on them. I remember not being able to buckle my seatbelt on southwest airlines...so embarrassing. I still find it fascinating. Being the one that gets shoved in the back in a packed car because I'm no longer the biggest in the group (weird one I know but it's a thing) Being able to sit on fallen treen branches without snapping them (I spend a lot of time outside/hiking/by the water and it's nice to sit on them now) Strangers coming up to my friends in bars to ask if I'm single, a weird one, being the big yet invisible friend my whole life. Just fitting in any seat and not having to worry about it anymore Being able to thrift clothes Having small boobs relative to the rest of my body (I hated having big boobs) Anyone else experience these ones?

Hey! I haven't logged on in so long and was also curious how everyone is doing too. Here's an update on my life over a year post op. Here is a photo of me way before my bypass, I think I wasn't at my heaviest yet but definitely pushing 320 lbs vs me last month while on vacation. I've lost about 130 lbs so far and am working on losing the last 9-10 lbs. I am finding this is when things are getting real. The honeymoon phase everyone talked about it over and I didn't even realize it until it was gone haha! It's not a bad thing, it just means that you can never give up, even after weight loss. Half of the battle is over, now it's a new battle and I think it will last for the rest of my life because I have to work hard every day to fight my obesity. I can eat pretty normally now. I aim for 1600-1700 cals a day but some days I might even get 1900 depending on how calorie dense my food is, then I tend to eat less calories the next day if that does happen. I walk 3-4 miles most days, gym 1-2 times a week and try to do some kind of outdoor activity on the weekend, usually hiking. I have been going slowly but I'm not unhappy with my progress. I'm just trying to watch my weight and enjoy how far I've come because I feel like a completely different person I can't even explain it... I am also able to eat more than 60 grams of protein a day now which is great because I lost a lot of muscle mass while losing all the weight after surgery. I eat 80-100 grams of protein a day. I am working on building my muscles back up, especially the muscles around my knees to help with my mobility (my being 340 lbs wrecked my knees). I am in physical therapy for my knees and do strength training with my boyfriend twice a week now. The thing I struggle with the most is tracking water but now that the summer is coming, I think it'll be easier to get in enough fluids since it's so hot where I live. I don't get food stuck anymore, very rarely if I've eaten too fast or food that is too hot will get stuck. I can still eat naughty foods in moderation too, too much sugar and fat makes me dump. Dumping for me means rapid heartbeat, dizzy, frequent urination, yawning, and nausea. I have been out of therapy for a while and would like to go back, especially as my ability to eat larger portions returns. I still actively have to think and fight using food as a coping mechanism but I am pretty hopeful and just keep reminding myself not to give up. How is everyone's vitamin levels and blood work? Anyone deficient in anything/have advice on what to get checked? I have gotten colds way more frequently but it's only been in the last 3 months, could just be the seasons but historically I rarely got sick.

I know it's easier said than done but if you're doing the right things, eating below your BMR, then you're going to be okay and you're going to keep losing weight. I stalled a lot on my journey, especially around the 5th-month mark. Your body is going through a lot but keep doing what your treatment team advises and the weight will go down, I swear!

Thank you all. Very wise words. We are officially together but I am still scared to tell him. I think I know he wouldn't care but I believe he might have his stigmas on WLS. He's kind of an al natural guy and that's what I fear the most. I know eventually it's going to have to come out. My scars are super faint. He's seen my lower belly and hasn't said anything about them but he could also just be polite lol. I think though if there's anything I've learned from getting a gastric bypass, it's that people do not understand how it works and won't take your word for it either when you try to educate them. I guess I'm also scared about that. I don't know. He's lived a pretty crazy life I'm sure he's seen it all. I will come around one day. Might just be too soon for me. Beyond being a private person, I am still crazy insecure talking about my body journey. That conversation would be hard for more than one reason. But I always love the words of wisdom here. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app