Barihopeful

Sounds like youre killing it!! Throw a pillow between those boney knees at night. It helps align the spine and should help with the knee pain too

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It's been just over 3 years since I had my RNY (12/31/19). I am so glad I made the decision to do this. It's not easy and there are challenges, but I feel so much better in my own skin. Stats:
5'10; 44 years old
Starting Weight: 336
Surgery weight: 292
Lowest weight: 155
Current weight: 172
Wins in 2022: Last year I really wanted to focus on strength and stamina. I set a bucket list goal of climbing Kilimanjaro (I did it in June!) and spent the first half of the year getting in shape for that. That included regular hikes, but also yoga and strength training classes to build muscle and flexibility. I also did a lot of time on the treadmill at incline (I hate the treadmill - but it served it's purpose). In the second half of the year I wanted to keep growing strength, stamina and flexibility but in a way I enjoy so I started HIIT classes. They are a great workout, give me cardio and strength in one which is a huge win. I also still do yoga once a week and try to hike when I can. At the end of the year I am the strongest and healthiest I can ever recall being.
I also did a TON of traveling in 2022 which was great for my mental health. I got to see Equador, the Galapagos, Costa Rice, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Alaska, Victoria CA, Little Cayman, and other places in the US West. It's been amazing.
Goals for 2023: In addition to continuing to grow on my physical fitness gains from 2022, this year I need to work on my relationship with food. In general I eat much healthier than I did pre-surgery (I was a total carb addict and rarely ate Protein or vegetables), however I still struggle with emotional eating and moderation for trigger foods. I am very consciously NOT dieting. There will be times I eat Pasta or sweets but I don't want to eat because I'm bored or <insert any emotion here>. I also want to be aware of the scale, I really want to stay between my low weight and where I am now, but not ruled by it. I'm not sure exactly what this will look like, but will figure it it.
I also start a new job in a couple of weeks. I'm super excited about the role and the challenge it will present. It will mean a lot less time to travel, but I'm ready to take on something new. My goal (aside from doing well at the job) is to find a way to balance work and life in a more sustainable way that I have in the past.
I hope all of you have an amazing 2023 and good luck in your journey's!
Lori

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I posted or updated. Mainly because there isn't much to update. (Just over 9 months post-op)
First: I am going to go a head and admit that through the Holidays I sucked! I ate too much (not to be sick, but over my calories) and the wrong things at times. Reset- Holidays are over so I admit it and I am moving on from it and back on the horse and focused!
The worst part of this (or at least what I am calling the worst) is that I still lost some weight through it. I am saying this is bad, because other than knowing I shouldn't have done it, there was no "punishment" in my mind. Honestly, I wish I would have just gained a few pounds. But, it didn't seem to stop me from getting re focused and back on track so I will take it.

9 month update: No changes except weight and NSV's! I can eat anything (including what I shouldn't) I don't and have never dumped. I still track everything I eat and drink, still stay within my calorie range (less the previous comment). I had my 9 month follow up with my surgical team. They called me a rock star. I was very proud of myself and how well I am doing. I still don't exercise, they still don't care. LOL Well, kinda, of course it has other health benefits but they are not concerned for the weight loss aspect of it. I am well ahead of schedule, and my Nutritionist has already started talking about my maintenance calories and how to start upping my calories slowly and safely. I told him to slow down, I still want to loose another 43 lbs to hit my goal! He agrees that is achievable, but was merely explaining where my calories would likely fall when the time comes. Which, is about double what I currently eat so he wanted to bring it to my attention so I could mentally prepare for how much more I would to eat to stop loosing weight. He explained that some people struggle physically and mentally to increase so greatly so he wanted me to have time to process and prepare for it. He said I would fall between 2000-2300 calories a day WITHOUT exercising, more depending on the intensity and frequency of exercise. Yeah.. that's a lot.
I still drink a shake a day to maintain my calories and Proteins, 70g Protein or more a day and 80 oz fluids a day or more. Pretty much all Water, and usually 1 sugar free drink a day to switch it up.

NSV's are ENDLESS! Really, as we lose weight so many things change. Even some bad, like my bony ass knees when I sleep I have to stagger them so the knees are directly on top of each other because they hurt like crazy in the morning! I could go on for days about this subject! Body dysmorphia is real, like really real! When I was my heaviest, I knew I was fat but when I looked in the mirror I didn't see a 422 lbs person but when I saw pictures of my I did.. man I did.. I was sick to my stomach and so disgusted! Now, At almost half that size when I look in the mirror I still see a fat girl but when I see pictures I am like WHOA I am so small. I found out my cousin is 1 size smaller than me, but when I look at her I see someone very small and when I look at myself I cannot believe we are only 1 size different. I look so much bigger! I love to see pictures of myself now! I encourage them rather than hiding in the back of them. I buy shirts from everywhere, and really only because I can. HAH I have never been able to buy a souvenir shirt, they never fit. Not even close to fitting. Now I literally buy them everywhere I can, to an rate of just wasting money because I shrink out of them faster than I can actually get use out of them.

To finish up: I hope to hit my goal weight by my 1 year follow up but I know 43 lbs in 3 months will be tough!
My original goal was 225, which is much more reasonable to loose in these next 3 months. But 210 is my ultimate goal as that will be half of my starting weight which is pretty freaking cool!

422 down to 250
26/28 down to a 14
4/5XL TALL shirt down to a 1/2x regular shirt

Good luck to all!!!! ❤️

I'm sorry your going thru this. Sadly, I can relate. One of the reasons I got WLS was because of back issues and sciatica. It took me 18+ months of complaining to get an MRI ordered thru my doctor. If you want one I would suggest taking your chances with the emergency room as they are usually more willing to do expensive tests. I can't help but wonder if some of my back problems could've been prevented had my doctor found the herniated discs, bulging discs and stenosis sooner. Pain management hasn't been terribly helpful for me either. Noone will prescribe me anything since my condition is chronic. Surgery isn't likely to help, so my only options are PT and epidurals. The first one didn't help much. I hope you get answers and help sooner. Do not assume it will heal on it's own. You may need to switch to a different doctors office altogether.

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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.  
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I had a revision and the thing I find most interesting is the food I had probably 4 nights a week post sleeve, can’t tolerate it and don’t like it anymore—tilapia! I had a go to way of cooking and spicing it and looking at it now makes me want to be sick 🤢 I’m actually getting more Protein from vegan sources and I’ve never had the desire to be vegan…just what my body can tolerate now.

I felt this in my SOUL, I tell you. And it is GREAT. Post surgery now - not met all my dreams but this one has happened already. I was able to walk around Target with my fiance and bonus son without my back locking up. It was the BEST feeling. I haven't been able to walk around a store in years without pain. I can also now walk around the block of our neighborhood. There were periods I would be dying just walking from the parking lot!

Hello all. I’ve been away a very long time. I had my surgery in 2009. The journey has been very interesting. I kept it off for 9 years. Then it started to creep up again. So heartbreaking BUT on April 27, 2022 I got on the scale and noticed I was up to 291 lbs. I had gained 91 lbs! I started a 1200 calorie diet and exercise plan that day and have been on it ever since. To date I’ve lost 51 lbs. it’s so hard but with determination and wanting to get back to where I was I’m getting there. What I want to throw out there, don’t take your tool as a magic wand. Really work to chance your habits and lifestyle and it’ll be all worth it. I’m glad to be back if y’all will have this old chicken

My biggest hope is to have a reduction my chronic back pain! I'd also like to get my mobility, flexibility, strength and confidence back. I'm tired of sitting around the house all the time afraid to go hardly anywhere cause I'm not sure I can manage the walk without needing to stop and sit due to pain and fatigue. Also I'd like to go back to work asap as I am currently unable to perform my job duties due to the pain when standing/walking for more than a few minutes.


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I set myself an arbitrary goal of 120 lbs, which was right in the middle of the “healthy bmi body weight range” for my height (5’2”). I was 235 lbs at the start of my 2-wk pre-op diet.
But by the time i got to 127, i decided to call it cuz i felt i was getting a little too thin for my liking, and started the process of upping calories to find my maintenance level.
I ended up losing more weight anyway over the following 5-6 months and eventually settled around 115lbs +\- a couple pounds (but did get as low as 109 at one point).
Surgery was almost 4 years ago and this morning i weighed in at 119.5
Whats interesting to note however, is that while I weigh less now than I did when I stopped with weight loss efforts, i don’t look as skeletal as I did back then….which is a roundabout way of saying the number on the scale is just a guide, and can change based on your body composition; perhaps go with how you feel/feel u look? If you feel great and are satisfied with what you see, then GOAL ACHIEVED!
Good Luck! ❤️

My boyfriend brought my engagement ring a month or two back (mom can't keep a secret and told me). I wonder if it will fit when he finally pops the question?! I'm 3 month post surgery...

I somehow missed this thread when it was first started. I just found it and enjoyed reading everyone's NSVs! I have a lot of similar ones, but here are a few of mine:
I used to have to keep the steering wheel in my car raised to make room for my belly, and it blocked my view of the clock and temperature. Now I can put it low enough to see the whole dashboard. The other day, I climbed 12 flights of stairs like it was nothing. Didn't even have to stop for a break. Amazing how easy it is without carrying a whole extra person! I used to leave a lot of extra time when going to work, meetings, etc. because walking to another building or up stairs would leave me sweaty. I used to carry around a fan and small towel so I could cool off/dry off after getting sweaty. I also liked to be super early to meetings to make sure I wouldn't have to squeeze behind someone to get to a chair. Now I can just get there on time like a normal person and not worry about any of that. I was taking a walk recently (which is crazy in itself -- I never used to just go outside and take a walk!) and I had to move off the road while a car passed, and I tripped and fell in the grass. When I was 300+ pounds, a fall like that would have hurt and it would have been hard to get up. This time, I just jumped right back up like it was nothing. I no longer dread meeting people in person for the first time as I used to when I knew they would think less of me once they found out how fat I was.

Not tripping or falling down because I can see the floor better. My belly was blocking the view of my feet. 😂

We bought this house 5 years ago. Our last house I had heavily landscaped, because I was much smaller and in better shape when I bought it it in 1999. I have barely done anything to this house and probably never would have. I could barely plant a few annuals without feeling like I was gonna have a heart attack Today i landscaped the whole front yard and I wasn't winded at all. I am so happy!!!

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This is so real! For a long time I have lived with these versions of "it fits" in my wardrobe
It fits, like I can go out in public fits! It fits, like I can go out in public fits but only if I wear a layer over it or it goes under a long tunic It fits, but only for wearing around the house where no one can see my bulging rolls/gut/boobs/butt It fits, if I can manage to lose 5 pounds. It ...f**k its not even close to fitting.

Now, I must say, I'm still 250 pounds, so I have at least 60 or 70 pounds to go to get to goal and actually more than that to not be considered overweight for my height, but I was almost 400 pounds, so this a huge difference and I'm feeling amazing.
My wedding dress is a size 24. I got married in 2006, and I have not been able to fit into it since 2010. It is now too big! I had to get something notarized the other day and when I got out my driver's license I noticed my weight said 350 and realized I am 100 pounds less than that weight now, which was a lie anyway. Lol That is an amazing feeling. I have never, ever weighed less than what my drivers license said. Even back when I weighed around 150 I never thought I was thin enough and always lied. When I renew it, I will tell the truth, because I accept myself now at any weight. It's been a long journey to get to that point.
I got a new dress the other day and thought it needed a belt and the only one I had was from my highest weight and I can wrap it around me twice. It's crazy!
This might be dumb, and maybe tmi for some, but my belly was so big before I couldn't use a squatty potty, and now I can. I just bought one and it really helps with my Constipation. Lol



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I love these lists! I’m still 52 lbs from goal, but so far I have a whole list:
1. Not feeling like I have to rush home to get into pajamas because it’s the only thing that doesn’t feel like it’s strangling me. Bras just fit better when you arent as fat, who knew.
2. Chairs! Chairs with arms! Flimsy looking chairs! Patio chairs!
3. So much variety in clothes, and I can wear styles I like instead of huge frumpy cardigans over everything. I can thrift now, and shop in pretty much any store.
4. I feel like I have energy and interest in doing things again. I don’t just want to hide out at home and eat all weekend long.
5. Not being terrified of running into someone I knew 10+ years ago in public because of how fat I’d gotten.
6. I can go up the stairs and not die. I can exercise and not feel like I might die. Amazing.
7. I wore a pair of shorts yesterday and they weren’t Bermuda length! And my thighs didn’t start a small fire.
8. I like my facial features so much better now. My eyes look bigger, my jawline actually exists, and I look more like myself.
9. At my heaviest my arms stuck out weird because of the fat, and my legs were always at a weird angle because of fat as well. I can rest my arms by my sides and stand with my feet together.

1. Went to a baseball game and easily fit into the stadium seat without bruising my hips. Never used to stand up and cheer because, by the end of the game, it hurt too much.
2. Now instead of wondering if something makes me look fat, I have to wonder if it will stay up or if it's time to go in the donate pile. Went through 3 pairs of jeans the other day...oh the struggle
3. Bought a large t-shirt as my gauge for my next size... you know thinking I'd be into maybe in a couple of months. It fit! Like I can go out in public in it FIT!
4. Having so much more energy!!

It's been a while since I did an inventory of my NSV's.
I'm 2.5 years post op, but I can still appreciate all the little things:
Not only fitting into regular-width tall boots, but wearing jeans with knee-high woollen socks over them while wearing said boots AND still have room to spare. I used to hate it whenever Mr. tried to pick me up - as in lift up off the ground, not hit on at the bar! - (dude, I'm 235 lbs, you will embarrass both you AND me in your attempts)...now I find any excuse for him to do it...including jumping onto him at random moments. Sharing (and fitting into) the often fought-over arm chair in the house with the Kid at the same time quite comfortably. Feeling 110% confident in walking around buck naked (in front of Mr. lol). No more quick dashes to my closet after showers (i do a slow catwalk now...lol), no more towels or sheets or strategically placed hands to cover myself. The lights are ON alot during sexy-times hahahahahhaha. Seemingly endless amounts of energy, a perpetually good mood, and an overall attitude of "Sure, let's do it" (whatever it may be)....vs. being tired all the time, cranky and annoyed alot, and saying NO to most things. oh, and ...CLOTHES.

Hell yeah to saying good bye to leg chafing. It still surprises me when I realise my thighs don’t rub together anymore. It happened today as I was rushing about in jeans & thought somethings not right - oh yeah, my thighs don’t touch anymore. No drag, no swooshy sound effects of rubbing fabric. No pills on the inner upper legs of pants. No redness, no rashes, no discomfort, ...
It’s the little things that mean so much. 😁😁😁

Yes!!! And not worrying about pubic sweat (as much) and sweat underneath my gut.

How about starting to be able to see certain areas instead of trying to blindly shave there. Much easier!!

our clinic didn't give goals. There are so many things that affect rate of weight loss that you have little to no control over - like age, gender, starting BMI, metabolic rate - that it's really kind of pointless and can be discouraging to those of us "slow losers". If we stuck to the plan, stayed active, and our general weight trend was down, we were good.
even though we didn't have goals, I lost 16 lbs the first month, and ended up losing 100% of my excess weight, over 200 lbs.

Okay, this might ruffle some feathers, but I think that’s a load of BS and I’m REALLY sorry that happened to you. We all self-medicate with food. Literally every single one of us uses food inappropriately in one way or another or we wouldn’t be seeking WLS. You’ve already been in therapy and isn’t that what would happen anyway? More therapy. She could tweak your meds without “failing” you. I’m sorry but I feel like you should be assertive and get another opinion. Seems like the psychologist might’ve been on a power trip and/or looking to increase income by ensuring future visits.