HerdingCats

there's your problem - you're believing what you read online. Just don't. NO ONE loses 5-15 lbs a week from weight loss surgery. People who are on shows like "My 600 lb Life" might lose somewhere at the lower end of that range, but even THEY aren't going to lose 15 lbs a week.

the average WLS patient (and I am NOT talking people who start out at 600+ lbs, like on those shows) loses somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month - and then it drops to about 10 lbs a month (give or take) after that. And for lower BMI patients, it'll be even lower than that. Yes - you will find people here and there who do not start out at over 600 lbs who might drop 30 lbs the first month, but they are outliers. And NO ONE loses 15 lbs a week (OK - maybe the very first week when most of that is Water weight - but after that, no. It just doesn't happen).

I started out at almost 400 lbs and lost 16 lbs the first month. 12 lbs the second. And then around 10 lbs, give or take, for the next six months or so. And I lost every molecule of my excess weight - over 200 lbs.

You are doing fine. Readjust your expectations a bit. If you are following your program, and you're seeing a general downward trend, you're good.

your rate of weight loss is fine and perfectly normal.

So I have experienced some good NSV's like many of you during these past few months. Stuff like fitting in restaurant booths better, fitting clothes better, not having to worry so much about weight limits on certain things, the car seatbelt not making that dreaded sound cause it was pulled out too far.........lol.......etc. But this weekend I had something else happen that took me by surprise.
So since surgery on May 19th I lost 62 lbs and since March the total is 81 lbsl! Even though those numbers sound good and I can see some changes in me, whenever my husband says stuff like, "Wow, I can't believe how thin you've gotten!" etc. I always reply with how I don't see it and how I still have lots to go. He always says I don't give myself enough credit, etc.
Anyway, this weekend we were out and about and we decided to stop and have lunch and as I approached the restaurant door, I was taken aback by the figure/person I saw in the reflection. It was almost as if I didn't recognize myself for a split second. It was strange. I usually wear my old baggy clothes still but this day I decided to wear leggins that actually fit and were NOT baggy, I had my heel boots on, a nice sweater, etc. I was feeling really good about myself.
Well, the next day we were out again visiting a lake/park. This particular lake has different boat rentals like kayaks, canoes, etc. Things I could never do cause of my weight. So we went inside to inquire and, low and behold, I was actually UNDER the weight limit!!! I was so happy I could barely contain my excitement!! So we walked outside, me in front of my husband, and he again commented on my weight loss and how I've been looking and so I told him to take a few full body pics of me so that I could see what he sees. He took one of the front and back. Now, taking a photo of my whole body has always been a HUGE NO NO and everyone knows it so I was scared to see the results. Well when I looked at the pictures I actually burst into tears!!! It was such an unexpected reaction from me that it caught us both off guard. My husband was asking and hoping they were tears of happiness and I told him YES! That it was the first time in decades that I could actually stomach seeing a photo of myself that I was Ok with.
I cried some more and hubby comforted me and told me how proud he was of how well I was doing and how happy he was that the surgery was finally helping me lose weight when so many things I tried never did. He said he was happy I was getting healthy, that I was off some medication, and my labs were coming back great. He also reaffirmed that my weight was NEVER an issue for him and that he loved me always, no matter how big or small I am and I told him that I always knew that but that it was always an issue for me. Which is why I had the surgery.
I guess it was the combo of the catching a glimpse of myself in the reflection, the better fitting clothes, learning I can now kayak and then seeing myself in the photos that it just really hit me. I have a ways to go still, like I always tell him, but I am FINALLY starting to feel happy with what I am seeing. It feels really good!!

So, I refuse to say that I will never have treats again. I’m just very, very, choosy about when and how much of a treat I’ll have. I’m pretty good about avoiding candy but I’m a big baker. Now when I bake Cookies I’ll give them all away save 1-2 and have no more than 1 cookie a day if I keep 2. I made a tiramisu when I was home at my parents this summer and I cut myself a piece that was maybe 2 inches long by 1 inch wide (about 1/4 of a slice of everyone else’s). My philosophy is that complete restrictions are bad and can actually make things worse, at least for me. I live alone so I don’t have to worry about others bringing treats in the house. But I’ve found some willpower - I have half a bag of Hershey kisses left from when I baked some Peanut Butter kiss cookies for a friend (of which I kept one for myself) - that was probably 2 months ago and I haven’t had a single Hershey kiss since - if I’m going to have a piece of chocolate on its own, it needs to be some good gourmet chocolate. Now I won’t be in the country for Thanksgiving but for Christmas I will definitely have a small dessert - this is not a diet, this is how I plan to live the rest of my life! And I make sure to get my Protein in to help balance anything I have (and I log everything so I know where I am on macros at all times).

I had mine on the 28th and just got home last night. It's been difficult drinking enough and I've got a huge bruise on my side (and no gallbladder any more!) But I'm trying to stay positive.

I think "A lot" is an excellent answer; it's true without being specific. But if you're hoping to squelch them, you could try "Oh, you want to talk numbers? Let's start with your salary." That should give them a hint that their question was rude, and the number is none of their business.

Mine is in about 10 hours and I'm trying really hard not to freak out!

Mine is in about 10 hours and I'm trying really hard not to freak out!

I'm going in tomorrow the 28th.

Walmart has one that is fairly cheap called ReliOn. I think they have a couple of different versions, mine is called Prime. I used it lot during my "prediabetic" stage but only occasionally now. I'll always check my glucose at home before I get labs done just to see how it compares and it is pretty close. The refill strips are pretty cheap. Used to be $5 for 25 but I haven't bought any in a while so they may be more now. Sometimes they lock up the strips and you have to ask for them because they are a high theft item.

I trusted a fart (nine days post-VSG) this morning and it did not go well. TRUST NO FARTS.

Thanks for the help, folks! Luckily the nuclear option worked eventually lol. I had to wait for several hours to get blood work done the day before and didn't want to use the Water fountain, so I guess I ended up too dehydrated even though I tried to catch up later. Not leaving the house without a water bottle again, I learned my lesson the hard way. Literally!!!

I considered wls for many, many years, but never seriously. When I was a new RN in 1997, it was fairly new and I saw people die from it, so I was always scared of it. I also never had insurance that concerned it, so I knew I'd have to pay out of pocket, and I was overall healthy, so I figured I could do it on my own. I had my son in 2010, and that's when I really started to gain a lot of weight. I had done WW before I got pregnant and had lost 45. I was down to 263. After he was born, the weight started piling on. I was sick all the time and got diagnosed with asthma. I was in pain all the time. My liver enzymes increased slowly year by year, until 2020 when my doctor decided I needed to see a liver specialist. That same January, I had my gallbladder removed and that surgeon offered to biopsy my liver and it showed Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis, with hepatic fibrosis. As a nurse I had seen people die of liver failure and it is awful. This scared me to death. That surgeon recommended wls, and he was one of the only doctors who had ever acted compassionate and non-judgmental about my weight. He told me I had very little chance of losing it and keeping it off on my own. I took his advice and made an appt. That day with a bariatric surgeon. I saw him in March and he recommend gastric bypass. I started getting the required testing and had just had my EGD when the hospital decided to let a bunch of staff go due to COVID. That surgeon was one of them. I decided to go to a different hospital and surgeon and this one recommended Loop DS. I had not heard of it, but he said I was a perfect candidate with a BMI of 69.9 and since I was paying for it myself, as it was a newer procedure that insurance didn't usually cover. I researched it and decided to go with it.
My high weight was 393 pounds. I am 5'3". I was 368.8 on the day of my surgery, July 23, 2020. As of today I am 226.4. I never thought I'd be even close to this weight again. I am hoping to lose at least 200 pounds total. I am getting close.
I was close to borderline diabetic, had just been diagnosed with hypertension, and had liver disease. I could barely get around or keep up with my active 10 year old son. My hypertension is gone, my blood glucose is normal, and my liver enzymes are now normal, so I have reversed my fatty liver disease. I turn 50 on August 2nd and this will be the best birthday ever! I am so happy I had this surgery!
I can't get my befores to post right now but I'll put them here once I do. Here is me today.  
Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

For those on the fence about surgery…it’s been a wild and crazy year, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Thank you to everyone here for the motivation and tips. I still have 20-30 lbs to go but man am I proud of my progress. From a 22 to a 10!

So it’s been one year!

my weight before surgery (August 2020) was 330 lbs!
my weight today is 170 lbs.
I really want to inspire people as much as I can.. I want my journey to show you that you can do it no matter what. I’m much healthier now and I feel like I own the world, my life has completely changed, I don’t have sleep apnea anymore, I’m back to being the energetic kid I used to be, no more sleeping 24/7, and I can finally drive! ( I never had the chance to due to severe sleep apnea)
I couldn’t ride roller coasters before duo to my weight, and I’ve waited in line just to discover that I don’t fit into seats many times. But now, I can fit in every single ride and I just feel so happy, I feel.. alive!



Before pics and after pics included ❤️ Hope this inspires someone!!

Thanks for the help, folks! Luckily the nuclear option worked eventually lol. I had to wait for several hours to get blood work done the day before and didn't want to use the Water fountain, so I guess I ended up too dehydrated even though I tried to catch up later. Not leaving the house without a water bottle again, I learned my lesson the hard way. Literally!!!

I called mine on Christmas Eve to tell him I couldn’t poop. 😂 He told me to go with the nuclear option…. It was the best Christmas poop ever!
Also, it’s never too late to call if you’re worried- the surgeon office should have an on call service to call you back with urgent issues.

The bird maybe nesting. This happened to me a couple of months ago, birds singing at night. I was super annoyed. Then I found a little nest with eggs in my hanging fern 😂

In my program (MGH in Boston), the pre-op period was less about weight loss and more about building healthy habits. They told me to focus on Protein and Fiber with every meal and snack, make sure I didn't go more than 5 hours without eating, and sip on Water all day long. I'll say it was very helpful to me. And once I filled up on the protein and fiber, a lot of the foods I thought I was going to miss just weren't an issue. Until the 2 week pre-op liver shrinking diet started. Then everyone looked like a walking breadstick or slice of pizza to me.

I had my surgery in Frederick, Maryland by Dr. Steven McKenna. I would highly recommend him.

I love love love Dr. McKenna! Unfortunately he is not in Harford County anymore. Not a fan if his replacement at ALL. I was banded by McKenna in 2008.

I lost 75lbs starting in January 2021, then started my pre op liquid diet last week and lost another 9 for a total of 84. I've got one more week to go! My goal is 180, which would still be a bit overweight but was a thin as I've ever been so it's a long ways to go