KimA-GA

Looking at October 2022 for my surgery (vsg) anyone else around that time ??? I am already making a lot of dietary changes and want to do a “trial run” of some of the presurgical dietary requirements so that my brain and food issues don’t sabotage my success when it comes down to go time. Soo…. Roll call for October ??

little victory for me. made it to the gym to do 15 mins of strength training with dumbbells. going to try to go at least 2-3 times a week, hopefully increasing time and intensity. anyone have tips, tricks or routines for basic strength training?

I am pre op and will be starting my pre op diet officially in September. (3 weeks with 50 carb limit a day) Just curious about how much, if any, people lost during their pre op diet - and what their plan entailed…. (As of today 8/10/222, i have already lost 61 lbs from my highest weight last year just through changing my lifestyle and dealing with my binging and emotional eating - am excited for every ounce lost that gains my ability to actually live life)

sharing my experience especially for those (like me) who have never had procedures like this. Had a lot of worry going in over anesthesia, what he would find (hiatal hernia or defects) etc. My pre-op upper endoscopy was yesterday. I got a COVID test Sunday to prepare. I got to the hospital for my 7:30 am checkin. No food or drink after midnight. My Mom brought me since I could not drive after. Check in was pretty simple, mostly confirming insurance. I was sent over to the lab for a pregnancy test (lol very negative lol) and was brought upstairs to my room. In the room was a flurry of activity. I got undressed to my underpants and put a gown on. They tested my blood sugar, put in an IV and confirmed medical details. Then the anesthesiologist came in and went over more and did a quick airway exam. I was bumped from second to first because the medical staff got me ready quickly. a lovely nurse wheeled me up to the procedure room at 8:30 am. The room was chilly but that felt lovely to me. warmed blankets were available if desired. They rolled me on my side up high on some pillows. i was given a few doses of meds in the IV and breathed a full face mask of oxygen and… was out. Next thing I know I hear voices telling me I am done and everything looked great. They wheeled me back to my room and I got back at 9:05 am. I got a glass of grape juice and zoned out for 30 -45 mins before I was actually in less of a twilight state. dr came in and went over what he saw. slight anatomical abnormality that would not impact things and as he put it “everyone has things that are slightly off from textbook anatomy” … my hiatal area was loose but no herniation. looked good and safe for surgery. A few mins after 10 they said I could get dressed and get my discharge paperwork. before 10:30 I was in the car heading home. the top of my throat had a slight irritation post procedure. Kinda like when you have a minor post nasal drip from allergies that irritates your throat. That got better throughout the day and was nearly gone by bedtime. i ate and drank normally the rest of the day, but didn’t have a lot of hunger. i was a bit sluggish and tired feeling the rest of the day. Actually napped (unusual for me) for a little bit late afternoon. so overall not bad experience at all. quick, pretty painless.

ok we all know that bariatric surgery and the process leading to it is expensive. I couldn’t have afforded mine without some good insurance and financial assistance from my family to offset the costs.. But those of you post op, how has the surgery SAVED you money?? for me, I spend next to nothing on lunches (down from about $8 average a day) because I bring it from my home now and my total grocery bill is going down, saving even more. I was able to buy some new very cheap bras because my boobs have deflated but now getting to be more standard sizes… also am not stopping off for “treats” which probably is another $10-20 a week…. and bought work friendly shirts from Amazon for $20 rather than a specialty plus sized store for $30+++

who here has used a personal trainer ?? many tips or advice?? especially want to know experiences from people over 325 lbs with starting exercise programs too…but love to hear from all shapes and sizes I want to exercise to tone up and strengthen my body but have always sucked at it so want to get a personal trainer to help teach me what to do. Want to accelerate my weight loss and have a better chance to meet or exceed my goal of reaching under 200!!!

Today is a day for everyone to celebrate themselves! Post one accomplishment, achievement, baby step, thing that made you happy! Toot your own horn and celebrate something no matter how big or small today! It can be weight loss, personal achievement, work achievement, walking in a store, going outside your comfort zone or whatever you want …. Here’s mine: I am finally down 10 lbs from surgery after my adventures and dropping fas (Saturday I was half a pound above surgery weight due to ivs etc), and one pound from loosing 100 this calendar year! I celebrate my body is healing, infection clearing snd all the fluid is leaving so I can smile at the fat loss finally showing up on the scale. your turn!

because it’s covered in my second plan the first plan denied it and second plan pays for what the first does not made a lot of my costs all the preliminary appointments go way down. (cardiac testing went from 800 out of pocket down to 75, sleep study worked out to be free, nutritionist and psych free) because of the two plans my surgery and hospital stay was just $850 out of pocket

Just want to recommend a lovely tea brand .. Tazo teas are lovey! It has great quality, simple ingredient tea bags that brew up well. i sometimes put monkfruit sweetener in it to enhance the flavor. My favorite is wild sweet orange. It smells and tastes heavenly. the glazed lemon loaf is pretty good and tastes naughty but i believe is no calories brewed - just a tasty way to hydrate.

chest pressure after can be a sign you ate too much .. might want to reduce a bit and see how you feel

remember there is nothing you can do to reset the pouch you have to reset your brain and make yourself relearn new healthy habit… that’s what gets you to loose weight have you been in therapy for food issues?

up to 18 months is normal for weight loss on a slowing scale of loss…

i get what you are saying… I want to keep the loosing train going and gain a lot more strength and flexibility … i think i already am strengthening muscles because my weight is being stubborn but my clothes are hanging on me and my facial recognition at my work stopped recognizing me lol lol work the enthusiasm to tone up while i can before lazy kicks in

11/3 sleeve and on second post op infection (sigh) .. day 8 of 17 days of antibiotics to hopefully kick it in the butt ! weight loss has been slow with a couple stalls … only currently at 27 lbs lost since surgery.. know that i am swollen some from last weeks infection and healing so trying to be patient, but it’s hard! (i want instant results lol) HOWEVER…. my body is changing even tho the scale isn’t. haven’t been good with measurements but shirts that fit well before surgery are hanging and my pants are needing to be replaced… my face is (finally) thinning and stamina is returning …. my boobs have deflated (looong pancakes lol) and i have gone from 54 DD down to 48 D… It took me over 40 years to get to my high weight, it’s going to be a journey to get down the weight I want. Still want to see it reflected in the scale but glad i can see it elsewhere at least!!! we are all on the roller coaster of weight loss!

bariatric surgery often comes with period changes.. irregular can happen easily during rapid weight loss due to the estrogen which is stored in fat being released.. 11/3 surgery and my period arrived a couple days early 11/4 (31 days) .. my usual has been around 40 days most of this year so it’s due now but so far no sign (but i have been having mood swings which may indicate it) last week i had some bad hormonal breakouts of acne and my chin hair has been disappearing lol

great you are recognizing the issue so soon! journaling has been an important tool for me to unearth a lot of the reasoning behind my eating disorder issues.. lots of hurt, pain and uncomfortable things… writing out the emotions has helped me acknowledge and deal you may want to try that or explore other methods to work through to the heart of your issues and create a new healthier life

it’s crazy how our bodies change even when the scale doesn’t

you look amazing!!!!!!

it’s healing … a little tmi but the infection is one thing but the fact it swelled and burst yuck twice now is what disturbs me! once in the grocery store with the first infection before I could even pick up my antibiotics and this second time sitting in my doctors waiting room (thank goodness i brought a tea towel to catch it.. yuck) after i was on antibiotics for 24 hours … dr says it may happen again because it’s probably an infected stitch which needs to finish dissolving (up to 12 weeks to dissolve) … totally terrified of it swelling and bursting again.. he thinks and any procedure he does could potentially do more damage than the infection.. on 17 day course of antibiotics to try to keep it from flaring again ….

greetings, currently transitioning from full liquids to purées (woo hoo) and I am starting to track again (instead of just ounces of liquid). My diet guidelines tell me what and general amounts for purée and beyond but no specifics for macros like calories, carbs and the like (there is a protein macro of 60-70 g) those of you tracking, what did you do for purée, soft and beyond ?

are you doing any weight management appointments with a dr or nutritionalist? if that’s their denial reason, then it won’t hurt for you to do it while it gets sorted out.. may be able to manage GERD better in the meantime if a nutritionist who understands consults with you.. drs offices deal with denials all the time and are good at sorting it out, especially if you do everything you can to speed it up on your end

give him a list of makeup you like or want (very specific he will appreciate knowing exactly what), hair ties, hair brush, hair conditioning deep treatment, face masks, you could give him a list of good sugar free candy, little framed picture, jewelry (can be cute an inexpensive), gum if you can have it, hydrocolloid acne patches of weight loss is making you break out, or your on little tool set to keep in your car!

i totally get your per diem excitement.. next time i need to travel for work I will make bank on the per diem too! same thing, grab a little at breakfast which is included at my hotels and be good all day long not having to spend a dime… like the surgery is paying you back financially;)

how are you feeling ? how are your fluids?

it takes a while to decipher the cues because it takes a while for them to fully develop while you are healing… i didn’t really start to feel things until i was on soft food and much stronger on regular food… i am 5 weeks po so still early on but ca. tell a big difference watch for hiccups, burps, feeling of pressure in throat, pressure in chest, heart rate or breathing changes, those are all cues people have reported (mine are stomach heavy feeling and hiccups)