LookingForward22

10 months ago I had my sleeve (with a hernia repair) done… to be honest I had expected to loose more weigh fast than I have but I’m very pleased with my progress so far. I’ve had LOTS of long stalls (weeks at a time) along the way … and I did manage to loose 57 pounds before my surgery. My highest weight was 382… surgery day I weighed 325… this morning I weighed 247. It’s been nearly 25 years since I have seen this weight! It’s taking me a while, but I’m getting there… I still have a way to go, but I can’t be mad about loosing 135 pounds (78 since my surgery). About the hunger… for me, I notice when I’m not drinking enough I feel “hungry”. It’s more about hydration (for me) than hunger. If I stay hydrated - I don’t seem to get those hunger feelings. Stick to your plan and track your intake (food and water) … it really does help. Best of luck.

My progress has been slow but steady. Sometimes I get a little frustrated because my loss isn’t as fast as others, but then I remind myself this isn’t a race and I’m working to a life long change not just a quick fix. I was over weight for most of my adult life, that change is going to take some time. I met a new “mini” goal today (I broke my weight-loss goals down into 10 mini phases/goals) so that felt pretty good. From my highest weight… I’m down 135 pounds! (57 of that was pre surgery loss, 78 since surgery). I’m hoping when I go for my 1 yr check up… I will be down 100 ponds post surgery (which will make 157 pounds lost if I hit that goal). Best of luck - hope you’re recovery is going well! You’ve got this. 🥰

Hang in there, times for approval vary… start working on the small changes you want to make with your eating and exercise while you wait. Those changes will become habit in time and those little changes really do add up.

I’m almost 9 months post op vsg. I’m not loosing as much as fast as I had hoped, but I’m consistently loosing still. I had a high starting weight and lost a good bit before surgery. My highest weight was 382 … by my surgery (Aug 2022) I was down to 325. This week I’m down to 260. So post surgery I’m down 65 pounds - with an overall loss of 122. I still have a ways to go - and I’m a little disappointed in myself for not being further along by now … but I’m hoping that I can continue to steadily loose and keep my progress going until I hit “goal”. On the plus side I’m feeling good and happy with being able to loose after years of struggling with no results. Congrats on everyone’s progress!

I agree with those telling you to stay off the scales. I went through this, and still have those weeks. I was getting very frustrated with the lack of scale movement but noticed my clothes were fitting differently. I’m not good with consistently doing measurements so I just started measuring my progress by my clothes (fitting better or not fitting … getting to big). Once I started to see that change was happening the scale movement mattered less to me. I go through periods of scales stalls and then spurts of progress, but my body seems to be changing consistently - even in small ways. Stick to your plan, the results will come. I’m currently 9 months post op… I’ve lost 65 lbs since surgery (122 total). I still have a long way to go, but despite loosing slowly, I’m loosing consistently and my body is seeming to adjust well to the slower loss. I do have some loose skin but not nearly as much as I feared after loosing 122 pounds.

Welcome and good luck on your journey. When I started my journey my highest weight was 382. I knew I had to do something, I struggled all my life and it was time to fix it. I started having health complications and worked with my endocrinologist on a plan. I started to work to loose weight on my own, while I explored WLS. I managed to loose 57 pound before I got my sleeve and I’m down 65 lbs since my surgery in Aug 2022 (making my total loss 122 lbs). I get a little frustrated that I’m not loosing faster, but I’m very proud that my weight loss (despite being slower than I’d like) has been steady. Keep up the great work. Remember that everyone’s journey is different, you’ll get there in your own time!!

Just checking in … so far I’m a total of 122 lbs down - 65 of that was after surgery. I was hoping to be further along by now but I’m happy that I seem to still be loosing. I’m not overly strict with my eating but I am still only able to eat limited amounts at one time. My hope is that I will loose 100 pounds post surgery by my anniversary - but I’m not going to stress about it. I’ll just keep working in that direction. I broke my overall final “goal” out in to 10 steps - and I’m almost at 49.55% of my goal. It’s nice to see that progress.

Two new NSV’s: most of my necklaces I have always needed an extender for, but this week I was able to wear one of my favorites without an extender. When I went for a drs appt, my doctor proudly stated… I’m soon going to need the regular blood-pressure cuff for you! Progress has been slow… slower than I’d like, but things seem to be moving in the right direction still.

I have a coat that was my moms (she passed in 2017) that I could wear but never button closed… I can button it!! Not only can I button it, it’s loose! That was a moment that literally made me dance. Lol

I feel your pain! I seems to hit long plateaus and they are frustrating. I saw that although the scale wasn’t moving in those weeks - my body was changing, clothes were still getting smaller, skin was firming or readjusting - so that was nice to see! I noticed my calories and protein were on the low side because I’m struggling with amounts I can eat but when I can bump those calories and protein up some, I would notice a loss. Keep up the good work! We can do this!! :)

Congrats!!!

My team recommends Miralax and Colace (if needed). I have IBS and sometimes… copacetic is needed. But I always start with Miralx first. So far between the two it’s been manageable.

My program doesn’t set goal weights (however they do ask if you have one to asses if your goals are realistic). My goals were focused on my health (all met and surpassed) so far, but I have personally set mini goals for myself. First one was get below 300 pounds. (Check) Second mini goal was loose 100 pounds total (as of today check… 57 pounds before surgery, 43 pounds since surgery). I haven’t set my next mini goal yet - I need to think about it a little. I am hoping to loose a good bit more… working towards a healthy BMI, but along the way if I feel like “this is where I feel and look my best” I’ll stay there. I’d love to hit ONEderland, just because it’s been forever since I’ve been there… but we will see where this journey takes me.

Congratulations! I had recently crossed over myself and I still sometimes forget to start with 2 when log my weight.

Congratulations!!! How exciting.

Update & NSV: Friday was my 4 month follow up. I weighed in at 47 pounds down from surgery and 97 pounds lost total. My clothes are getting pretty big on me but I’m trying to modify my clothes rather than buy new for as long as possible. I was helping at a school event and one of the other volunteers came up to me (who hasn’t seen me since last April) - gushing over how good I looked … saying “I almost didn’t recognize you”. I have had several people tell me that lately (many saying it’s was due to my shorter hair, I think they were embarrassed or unsure how to mention my weight-loss). Funny thing is because my loss has been gradual my family and I don’t really “see” it as much - so when people react to it, usually it’s sweet. I’m struggling getting enough calories and protein because I have some sinus drainage that make eating difficult but otherwise my dr and nutritionist think I’m on a really good track and are encouraging me to keep up the good work. I would have like to have lost more by now, but one advantage to slower loss is my skin is looking pretty good in general. I still have a lot to loose. I don’t have an ideal number set in my mind. I’ve already met all of my health related goals. In my perfect world getting down to the 100’s would be great, but as long as I’m healthy and avoid regaining… I’m happy. Having lots of plateaus which can be frustrating but with my calories being low that’s kinda expected.

@ShoppGirl - I understand your frustration, but hang in there. No one wants diabetes, but some answers would be nice. My Thyroid showed fine for several tests and across multiple years, but it wasn’t working properly. Also my body wasn’t processing insulin efficiently - but it wasn’t consistent. Sometimes it worked ok (my numbers/labs were fine) sometimes it didn’t. I don’t have a diabetes diagnosis, but I do have an insulin resistance / Metabolic Syndrome dx. I’m glad you are going to follow up with an Endo just for clarification. Hopefully they can help you look at what might be going on and either find some answers or help treat some of symptoms you have, lessening the overall impact. I’ve been where you are and it isn’t fun. I hope that you are able to get some answers and make some progress soon. It’s very frustrating when our body’s are fighting against us, despite our best efforts. Hang in there, you’ve got this. If you need to chat or anything DM me. Keep up the good work, you can do this!

I’ve had two c-sections, and I had a very easy time with both… probably abnormally easy. My first one 24 yrs ago) - no staples, they glued me. No issues at all. My 2nd (21 yrs ago) I had staples, but still very easy recovery. My VSG, had I wore my binder the whole time - I would say would have been easier. The most discomfort I had was my incision where they removed my stomach. The muscles were pretty sore there, but manageable. I never took anything stronger than Tylenol. Ice and heat were my friend - but my binder helped the most. Over all I’d say that the binder helped keep the muscles from pulling as much. As soon as that pulling stoped, I had no discomfort.

I understand your concern - took me years to get my endocrine issues diagnosed because I wasn’t cookie cutter either. My endocrinologist is amazing working with my weight, thyroid and other issues. Find a good one and I would bet they can be supportive and helpful - even if it’s not 100% fixed. Take one breath at a time and I can’t imagine you’ve blown your chance - at worst let’s hope this is just a side step and you will soon be back on track. Let us know how things are going. My progress has been slow and tedious, but between the looooong stalls - I am still making baby steps forward I’m getting there. You will too!!!

I don’t have a diabetes diagnosis at this point (hoping to avoid that) but I was diagnosed with metabolic resistance and was on my way towards a diabetes diagnosis prior to weight loss surgery. Metabolic resistance can cause your body to react in different ways and really make loosing weight difficult - even when you are doing everything right. It’s a combination of several medical conditions that affect how your body breaks down and processes insulin. I struggled having to eat less than a 900 calories (prior to WLS) to see any results along with exercise (it was not maintainable long term). Eventually I agreed to try some medication - which made all the difference, I was finally able to eat reasonably and loose weight (slowly) but I was loosing. My body still fights me - but it’s better. I’m hoping the damage that metabolic syndrome can cause is reversible for me - depends on several factors (like how much damage was done while it was active, if my weight was the cause or genetics). The tests I’ve had are the fasting glucose & A1C, I’ve had non fasting test (but not asked to eat anything specific) and I’ve had to drink the sugary drink (which is awful). A family Dr is a good place to start, but I’d suggest talking with an endocrinologist if you don’t have one you see. Mine has been a blessing helping me dial in things and he doesn’t solely rely on labs to do it. He looks at my labs and my symptoms to make adjustments… in addition to metabolic syndrome - I have Hashimoto’s also. While ranges are great to guide you if you are looking for something wrong. My Endo is the first to say “that may not be what’s normal for you, so let’s see if we can do better”. Since my WLS I’ve had improved numbers across the board, except my cholesterol, but that might stay high till my weight stabilizes. I still have to take a medication to help my body process the insulin and when I take it, the weight comes off slowly but more easily than when I don’t. (Even if I am eating all the same things and doing the same activity). As far as what to eat, I would think the dr wants to see how your body is processing carbs in your normal diet, if they didn’t give you specific guidelines on what to eat. My guess on the “big meal” is they don’t want you to eat minimally and the test results wouldn’t be as accurate. Depending on the results - it might dictate the next test(s). So I would eat whatever the normal diet is I was eating (and struggling with) to give an accurate reflection of how my body is handling the breakdown, not cutting out carbs or anything else (dessert or snacks) that I would normally have. Good luck!

I agree with therapy as an option if talking to him doesn’t get you anywhere. If it’s not his nature to be insecure or jealous, it’s possible he’s hearing things from male coworkers that you aren’t, not necessarily about you but how others talk about women in general and when you share things (rightfully so… to get honest with him) he gets upset - knowing how the coworkers can be. It could be as simple as wanting to protect you or it could be he’s becoming insecure as you become healthier. Either way - the best way to get to the bottom of it is to talk to him. And if the two of you can’t work through it one on one, a counselor might be the next step. Best of luck!

Congratulations on the improvement of your A1C and weight loss, but I am sorry about the struggles you are having. I hope that the medication helps keep you moving in the right direction and your health continues to improve.

In my 30’s -early 40’s (I’m 48 now) … I had attention (both positive and unwanted) from men even at 300-330 pounds. I won’t lie - any positive attention threw me off, but that was more likely because I had just gone through a divorce and was not very trusting. I’m remarried now and in a healthy relationship. I’ve had drs dismiss my concerns telling me I needed to loose weight and I recall one time a kid commenting out loud about my weight, but otherwise either I wasn’t aware or didn’t pay attention. I once had a conversation with a coworker / friend, she commented I didn’t carry myself like someone who was overweight … and I honestly had no idea what that meant, so I asked her. She was a little embarrassed to even have the conversation with me, but she said I carried myself with such a confidence that she never really saw my weight. I actually had a similar conversations with a few other people over the years and it struck me a little odd, but eventually I understood what they were saying. After I was in a car accident and had some mobility issues, I carried myself differently. I didn’t want those issues to be noticed or focused on so I would often be more timid in how I carried myself or move to draw less attention. It was then that I noticed I had more eyes on me… judgements about my size. With my current weight loss (down 91 lbs so far), I honestly don’t see a big change in my body yet… my clothes are getting to big, but I can still wear most of them. I carry a lot of weight in my thighs and abdomen, so I think I’ll feel more of a change once that changes. I have had a few people mention my weight loss, kindly… but most don’t say anything. I notice I’m walking different - bigger strides and less guarded (because of having less pain). I do think how we carry ourself makes a difference how people look at us. I think in general I am oblivious to it … and that’s probably not a bad thing (to be unaware of other peoples negative judgements).

I had a higher starting weight (My highest was 382 - down to 330 by the time I saw my surgeon) … I initially wanted sleeve because of many of the reasons you stated, but was prepared for my dr to recommend bypass because of my starting weight and reflux. After meeting with my surgeon I asked her opinion- based on my medical history and her experience of outcomes. I have IBS and for about 8 months prior to surgery was dealing with reflux. I also took a daily (2x a day) NSAID pre surgery that she advised that I stop until my post-op follow up, but that I could resume if needed after she saw me. I was really surprised when she told me she didn’t recommend bypass for me and why. She was a surgeon who had extensive experience with all of the surgery options, so I was confident she wasn’t steering me towards what she was comfortable with routinely doing. She actually recommended sleeve (with a hernia repair) and told me if I wanted a revision later - she’d recommend going with a duodenal switch. She mentioned to me that because of the extended length of the DS surgery time, she prefers to do that surgery in two stages. I was honest and told her the second phase of that surgery scared me a little. She was very understanding about that and told me that the sleeve and bypass had very similar outcomes in the 2 yr mark, reviewed the benefits and drawbacks of each and discussed with me that she has had quite a few patients have the sleeve (at my starting weight and higher) as the 1st phase who lost enough they decided not to go on to the DS, but knew it was an option if they wanted it. She was impressed with my weightloss up to that point and was confident with my history and medical conditions, I would be happy with the progress I would make with my surgery. I was 324 on the day of my surgery and at 10.5 weeks post op I’m down to 291. It’s definitely a slow progress, but I’ve had a few unrelated challenges in that time (being sick and dealing with issues from a car accident that occurred several years ago), but I’m headed in the right direction. At my followup she was very pleased with my progress and told me that she felt very good about the track I was on. I’m still very early in the process, but I’m glad I asked her what she recommended and why, based on her experience and my medical history. My husband and I were both comfortable with her explanations and very confident in our decisions because I felt like we had sound information to make a decision on. I’m hoping that I don’t decide to go in for a revision, that I can get down to a weight I’m comfortable with (I’m not sure what that number is yet, I’m hoping I know it when I feel it, lol), but if not - I know what my options are. Right now I’m still having some issues with being able to eat enough. I’m only able to eat very small amounts at a time, but other than that everything is going well. With the weight loss I’ve had - I have been able to stop my NSAID at this point. I had also stopped my PPI meds (but recently restarted it temporarily because a sinus infection stirred things up again… hoping to stop it as soon as that clears up). My IBS is still something I’m working with but so far it has been manageable. Best of luck in whatever you decide!

I understand your frustration and I’m a big believer in listening to your gut. If something feels “off”, I’d explore more. I would hope they would have told you if they were unable to do what they had planned. Did the surgery fall within the estimated time frame they suggested it would? Being a revision - with a smaller removal, after a significant weightloss (than your first surgery) it’s plausible the time was much less to complete. The suggestion of the surgical notes is a good idea as well. I do think the others are right about healing and extra acid being the culprit… but asking your team about your concerns (still feeling hungry and not having restrictions) can’t hurt. Maybe your PPI needs adjusted (even if it temporarily) or they can recommend something like smaller portions more frequently to help. I have Hashimoto’s also and it can really fight you every step of the way on this. My Endo has been working with with me in the WLS journey and has been a big help. I was taking something to help with my metabolic syndrome prior to my surgery. I stopped it about the time of the surgery (because it could make me constipated and didn’t want to have that compound the dietary changes which could cause the same) but ended up starting it back up again after I got through that. Also we check my labs and looks at my symptoms to adjust my Synthroid. Sometimes my labs look good but I feel off and we do minor adjustments to keep my fickle body happy. I hope you find some answers!