fourmonthspreop

I haven't posted in a minute - life is feeling very normal now that I'm almost a full year post op so I haven't been perusing the forums too much. I've finally reached my first goal weight which is great. I've lost 120 lbs. I still have restrictions on my eating. I don't get food stuck as much but if I take that "one bite too many" I can get nauseous for solid 1 to 2 hours but dating is feeling pretty easy in terms of eating. I know what works and what doesn't when planning meals with my partner. I have recently started seeing this guy and it's getting pretty serious with that. He's super into fitness and is a martial arts athlete. I am recently starting to train for a marathon so we've been able to bond a bit over training and stretching properly but as someone who was recently super morbidly obese, I feel super awkward still talking about exercise and nutrition with him which is a big part of his life. I told him I recently dropped a lot of weight and he's super encouraging and is always telling me I should be proud of myself because I can be quiet about it around him and others. I am terrified to tell him that I got weight loss surgery because I don't know what he thinks about it and I feel like some fitness people stigmatize it a lot. It's even as crazy as me keeping my shirt on during seggsy time or turning the lights off completely because of my incision scars and I'm also super self conscious about my loose skin which I've already told him about and he says he loves my soft tummy which is nice but it makes me kind of want to die (metaphorically lol) because I hate my body so much. But he's super kind and just wants me to be comfortable really but I am so scared to tell him about surgery and I get so awkward talking about fitness because I still feel like I'm 340 lbs. Anyone have to deal with a situation like this? I mean at some point or I guess at what point will it become obvious? How long can I really keep the lie up? I told him I lost the weight with calorie restriction. I told him I have an ibuprofen allergy and that I hate sweets (really though because of dumping lol). I feel like a horrible person though because I am really starting to care about him. I would appreciate any advice. My family says that I owe no one an explanation and there's no obligation or moral reason to tell people that I had the surgery. I kind of agree with that but there are moment where it's like - is she just being really shy around me? Why is she eating like half of a serving of food? Or getting nauseous or taking all my horse pill supplements and dealing with some vitamin deficiencies every now and then? Idk. Not sure how this usually goes for people. Thanks!

Sorry I'm going to rant LOL I need to vent. I'm so glad I found this topic - the post weight loss treatment is REAL and it honestly is rough. I personally grapple with the idea that to society often makes me feel that I deserve less kindness when I inhabit a bigger body. I've lost a good amount of weight but in no means am I "small" and I'll never be "small", like "petit" because at the end of the day I am broad and a 6 foot tall female who often looks taller given my shoe choices. I find though that the more I slim out, the more "acceptable" society makes me feel for being a tall woman. I started this journey at 340 lbs, 6 feet, female, you best believe I come from feeling like an absolute monster but that's internalized self hatred from bullying. The only thing that should be is unhealthy, not undeserving. I'm at a place now where I look pretty average. I still have a deflated apron belly and loose cellulite on my thighs - I could stand to lose a couple more pounds and I plan to, however I now look pretty "normal". My clavicle, sternum and ribs are visible. I have a jaw line again. My upper arms are flabby but I usually cover them. My forearms and wrists are pretty slimmed out. You can feel my hip bones and see them ever so slightly from my deflated belly. The unique thing about me now is just that I am a tall girl. I was called a lot of names up until recent. I'm sure some people would still have some choice words for me lol but overall people are treating me much differently. I am in a place where I am seeing a lot of the same people I spent a lot of time with in a professional setting while I was 340 lbs. The same guys that used to talk to me about weight loss are asking me to hang out and trying to always catch a chat, but not about weight, just about me as a person and I absolutely hate it. Where was that decency a year ago? I find that as a 20 something year old female, the treatment from males has made a complete 180 turn. I'm not asking for their respect, but they're more likely and willing to give it to me with this new body. I have nightmares about men in my life (from family to flings) that I care about telling me they only like the parts of me that look thin but can't accept me because of my loose skin apron belly. This body bullshit is so engrained in my psyche, it gets deafening at times. I cannot have a healthy long term relationship because I'm constantly afraid of being rejected for being too big. I am working on it with a therapist but it still sucks. But yeah, people are just nicer and if they're not chatting me up or offering me free things or trying to invite me somewhere they're not gawking at me (which is a good baseline). I like that I feel I have more freedom with dating. I ditched the BBW apps and that was honestly an NSV for me because of all the fetishists on there, but I am still hurt by the folks who see me as a person now, and never did before all of this. Look, I know I made myself morbidly obese and I chose to get the surgery to fix my mistakes and learn a better way... but I struggle immensely with feeling like I deserve kindness given that most my life I was morbidly obese and bullied by everyone for it, friends, family, relationships etc. I know in reality it's a good thing to be treated better, but it does get to me that the shitty treatment exists in the first place. You can call me a snowflake or a p***y or whatever (scuse my French) but this is a real thing. Sorry rant oveerrr mic drop

It must be the fiber thing. I know I've had fake sweeteners before my surgery and got really sick but didn't feel nauseous, mainly just lower GI stuff. But this time around nausea followed by diarrhea. I still have a lot of residual gas. Just assume it's the fiber. Wow I bought three of them to eat for thr weekend but unfortunately they're going in the bin. So much for a good tasting protein bar.

I was at work and walked to the corner store on my lunch break to pick up some food. I got a vegan protein bar by the name of "misfits" because it fit my nutritionists macros for protein bars (15 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar). I ate my protein bar on the walk back and was amazed at how good it tasted. About 15 minutes after that, I started feeling incredibly hot and dizzy, then the nausea set in. I was sitting at work trying to hold it together but went to the bathroom and realized I felt like I needed to puke so I went back to my coworkers, said I am feeling really sick and ill finish the day from home. Now im home and I tried puking, lots of violent dry heaves but nothing is coming out. Now I am having incredibly bad diarrhea and cramping. I dont see how this is dumping if the bar had decent macros. I've eaten worse foods higher in fat and sugar and felt fine. This is all I've eaten today besides a profee (protein coffee) and a bunch of water. I've never had this much stomach pain. I was reading the reviews foe the bar and a select few said they made them very sick and hurt their stomachs. Sometimes this happens with these products that are high fiber low sugar. Anyone else dump on a food like this before? I feel like I'm going to pass out oh my godddd.

I want to try doing more with lentils for sure! Thats a good idea. Do you have a fave lentils recipe? I can't remember if it was you or someone else but I got a pretty good lentil recipe over this forum in the past. I feel like they can be really versatile though. It's more the mushy texture of oatmeal I can't do. What kind of seeds do you add to it? How is it 15 grams of protein? Is there a specific oat or ingredient you use/portion size?

I am the same way. I hoard food and don't eat it now that im post op because I felt like I couldn't have it around in the past/grew up with caretakers locking food away from me and hiding it on a daily basis. Definitely a result of that for me. It feels good to open my pantry and see everything and get to pick and not feel like I have to hide or its the only chance I'll get to eat something. I would like to stop food hoarding because things go to waste.

Hey! I'm getting sick of my usual and looking for some new meal idea and snacks. I'm dealing a lot with craving carbohydrates and salt. I'd like to only eat whole foods and complex carbohydrates if I decide to eat them but stick mostly to protein and veggies. I'm a vegetarian but feel free to share with my your meaty meals because I can always modify them and make them veg with tofu and other plant based proteins. I usually eat eggs or a protein shake for breakfast, salads, cheese, crackers and soy products like tofu or Tempeh for dinners and lunch. I ate a lot of chips and barely drank any water this week because of my environment (which I'm about to leave thank god) but in general dont feel that great after eating things like that. I tried having oatmeal for breakfast the other day and found it really gross. I don't like sweet things or fruit but I feel like eating a half serving of fruit will help manage my carbohydrate cravings. And when I say carbs I mean like breads and chips. So i'm curious if you want to just drop your typical meal plan in the replies. I'd love to steal some ideas! I'm eating about 1200-1300 calories a day at the moment and aim for 60 grams of protein. A pretty good day for me looks like a protein shake, a snack, and a meal. Hbu?

I have some, first I wanted to post a before and after. From a 4x/3x to a L/M I cant believe I don't need plus sizes anymore. Honestly it's so weird to me still that I can find something in most stores now that work with my body. I've been plus sized for the past 12 years and when I was a kid (girls plus). I know it's not a weird NSV but it's weird to me because I've been plus sized my whole life. Another NSV, I was able to hike in bad shoes without getting out of breath or falling. Pic from the hike. Another NSV. I am a musician. I had a show last night and I was scared to step up on stage because there was no step. Old me would have had a lot of trouble and felt embarrassed. I got up with my instrument in hand and had no issues at all. I am still scared though to do things like that because I'm not used to my new body. I hope I'll become more comfortable soon. Pic of stage!

Great job! You're looking fantastic and it's awesome you're feeling even better without the meds!

Hello! Fellow latuda taker here. I was actually told to switch my medication to something else until I could eat larger amounts again. My surgeon told me the 400 cal requirement just wouldn't be possible in the post operative diet phases. And he wasn't wrong. I could only eat about 200 cals at a time. My psychiatrist put me on abilify but then we changed it last minute back to Latuda. I discovered that eating fattier foods helped me absorb it better so instead I would eat a purred high fat food like full fat yogurt and a piece of soft cheese then take my pill. It did the trick and I stayed very stable throughout the diet phases.

I'm not sure there's an official definition all surgeons use. I think it's up to the individual assessment and the say of your mental health providers. If they don't give the green light, the doc definitely won't either. I was diagnosed with an eating disorder and bipolar a couple months before my surgery. The surgeon told me that excludes me from being a candidate but I begged and swore I was doing the work and would continue to for the rest of my life. We came up with a plan where I'd be on a supervised eating plan for a minimum of 3 months (actually we went to about 6 months and I believe I was officially approved after 5 months). Along with the plan came nutritional visits twice a month and while he didn't give me a weight loss goal, I had to be losing weight steadily, their recommendation was .5-1 lb a week. And then with that he said I needed to be in therapy (which I already was) so i gave him my psychologists info and continued working on my eating patterns with her and provide evidence of that. Then finally I had to pass their psychological evaluation. I also had to provide proof I was adhering to my antipsychotic meds. I ended up losing 30 lbs in 6 months which was a good sign, found the cause of my binging, and developed my coping mechanisms by using them daily. I'm 6 months post op now and have lost 100+ lbs. I did not binge after my surgery, in fact the physiological changes coupled with the intensive therapy, it's not something my body or brain craves anymore. Sometimes my brain wants to eat things because it remembers how good they tasted but it's never in excess and I feel like I can really taste things now. I did binge once during the pre op diet but it was a mini binge brought on by fear and hunger and I got right back on that horse. It's possible to have the surgery with BED. It's a big mountain to climb but work on finding your ideal treatment team specifically for surgery support and show the doc and your program that you're ready by sticking to a routine, being open about your victories and failures with your team, and giving it your all! I am personally a strong believer that weight loss surgery also might really help treat BED but I understand it has to be controlled especially in the early stages of post op life as it can put you in harms way. Best of luck!

Ugly plate but pretty good. I made a bunch of vegetarian southern food. Vegetarian collard greens and tomatoes, low sugar Cornbread, barbecue beans, a vegan chicken nugget and a boiled egg. Hits the spot and is filling.

If you hate protein shakes like me, I suggest the fairlife protein shakes. They just taste like milk and nothing else. You'd need to get core power elite protein (42 grams), fairlife nutritional plan (30 grams) or the fairlife core regular (26 grams) they are all low sugar. The best bariatric macro friendly fairlife in my opinion is the fairlife nutritional plan shakes. They are lowest calorie for the most protein. I also love the Gatorade zero water enhancers. It's the glacier flavor. I add it to about 20 oz of water and add a lot of ice. Tastes like refreshing blue lemonade.

Agree. Vodka or Tequila soda. Go slow. It hits you fast. Avoid drinking liquor by itself. I've made cocktails with less mixers and more soda water so I can still have a cocktail but less Alcohol and sugar.

Here's another progress picture. Thought I'd drop it in our Feb surgery buddy thread. As I lose more weight, my body looks more ridiculous. I think it's funny but anyone else dealing with stubborn fat and loose skin left on the mid section? I look normal with my shirt down but then i lift it up and it's a deflated beach ball hanging off my mid section.

It's nice to feel the loose material around my ankles too. I used to take off my shoes after a long day and there'd be an imprint in my skin from the shoe around my ankle because it was so tight and my ankles would swell. I feel how loose my shoes are now and it's so much more comfortable.

Depends your body type, genetics and where you carry your weight. I feel like for really big people (including myself and especially pre op and right after my surgery) the weight didn't come off in any specific area the most.just everything got a little smaller but still retained the same shape. I only noticed an extreme difference in face size towards the 4 month post op mark personally. Now that I'm over 100 lbs down, I'd say most of what's left is my lower abdominal region (hanging apron belly) and my thighs. I think that's the most stubborn.

Weird nsv as of late. I used to be a size 11 in women's shoes at target. I recently bought a new pair of sneakers from target and had to get a 10. Now that I'm wearing them they're actually too loose and I could've went down to a 9 or 9.5. I didn't realize your feet get smaller when losing lbs.

Hey there! I am about 6 months post op now and have been struggling lately with a sensation of not being able to take a full breath and feeling like I need to dry heave - mostly after I eat no matter what it is and sometimes at random with no food. For example, I just had about four bites of salad and feel shortness of breath and like my throat/esophagus feels "tingly" and makes me feel like I want to gag but not throw up. There's no nausea either - it's simply the sensation that makes me want to gag, almost like needing to sneeze. The need to gag is particularly strong in the morning before I've had any liquids or food too. At first I thought it was allergies because I have chronic allergy and sinus problems but I got on decongestants and steroid nasal spray and still have the issue. Vapor rub helps me feel like I'm breathing better but still seems odd. I've never had issues with breathing so I am concerned. I've done some research and see that it could be anything from allergies to a post op hiatal hernia. Has anyone experienced this and if so, what was it for you and how do you fix it? It's not dumping or caused by eating the wrong foods I think. It simply happens at random but tends to be worse after I eat some food or in the morning before I have anything. Thanks!

Thank you! I am definitely working on it. I agree - it's important to honor my body with all I've put it through. I still have days where I feel the same but I also have days where I feel wonderful. I have to acknowledge it will never be perfect and that is okay. Thank you for your kind words and hope you're doing well on your own journey.

It's such a shame because nsaids were the only thing that worked for me! My doc said if I am in terrible pain I can take them very sparingly but I get the sense it's something I shouldn't really be doing. But man this is no good. I will try some icy hot maybe although I don't think it's a muscle thing. I seemed to have fell right on the bone and it's sore. Heat helps me a lot but I am looking for something I can swallow or put on so I can continue with my day. It's definitely tough but I appreciate the insight. I'll check those other options out.

Ooo is cbd topical or you take it orally? Does it make you high or show up in a drug test?

Hey! I was a tried and true user of ibuprofen before I got my surgery but now that I'm bypassed, it's a no go. I take tylenol as recommended by my doctor for my period cramps and injuries now. I went camping this weekend and hurt my tailbone hiking (took a slip and fell on my booty). Now I have a pretty sore tailbone, it hurts to transition from sitting to standing and hurts to bend down and back up. I have broken my tail bone before so I know it's not broken, just a bad sprain or bruise but man it HURTS! Tylenol is not doing anything for me and I really don't want to take oxy leftover from my surgery because it's a terrible drug, it makes me constipated and makes me fall asleep. Are there any drugs you take with your bypass that actually relieve pain and don't make you tired/high? Thanks!

Hey! I was wondering for those who have started taking vitamin capsules instead of chewable vitamins, how do you take your calcium? I know you can't take iron and calcium together so if I get some capsules when should I take the calcium chewable? I will ask my doctor but I want to know what you guys are doing/what's worked with you and your blood tests. Thanks!

I got sent home with a velcro binder that really helped with the soreness after my surgery. I wore it for about 2 weeks. I bought a post partum binder recently since I've lost 100 lbs and my stomach is full of lumpy saggy skin. It might be a little too small because it squishes my loose skin upwards giving me back rolls so I'm not sure it's the best one. It's also super short and I have a very long torso so I need to keep looking. This is what it looks like. If anyone has found any good shape wear for stomach loose skin, I'd love to know too!