ashleydashley

Hey everyone! This is Ashley. I had surgery on October 6th and had to start my pre-op diet in the beginning of June of this year... My heaviest weight is 356 lb... The day of surgery I was at 313 lb... And as of today I am at 264 lb!!! I was so thinking excited when I hit the 90 lb mark of weight loss ! Can imagine what if you like once I lose 100 !!! My goal weight is about 180 lb. Some about 85 lb away from that goal I believe ... More than halfway there just from the pre-op diet and 2 of post-op!?!
It took me a while to be more comfortable with trying new foods as I was terrified of throwing up or having dumping syndrome... I had the gastric sleeve and things have been going much better than expected! I'm able to eat very healthy but lots of different types of foods which is really exciting! I even ate a sliced apple the other day which some people can't tolerate the skin and I did create!
The reason I'm reaching out to y'all is because I'm dealing with chronic Constipation. The only time that I can really go to the bathroom without any pain is if I take milk of magnesia... I tried to avoid it but The 2 weeks ago after realizing I hadn't gone to the bathroom in 2 and 1/2 weeks but I had no stomach pain or anything so I totally lost track of it! I had a bowel movement " naturally" If you can even call it that took two days to get out last Sunday and Monday... It was an extremely painful experience and extremely hard to the point where put it this way. I had to plunge the toilet a couple times just to be able to get it down.... Details are gross I know but this is what this page is all about getting help for our gross details! I just now took more milk of magnesia because I haven't gone since that severely constipated situation...
I have been very good about eating very healthy and drinking a lot of Water and getting my Protein intake. I have however unfortunately not been great at taking Vitamins and keeping up with them. I ordered some more vitamins today and decided to get back on track. Even before surgery I was deficient of Vitamin D very severely as well as low on Iron to the point of anemia. So I'm wondering if my nausea that I've been having isn't just constipation but also Vitamin deficiency and if maybe that's why I'm constipated as well... I also ordered benafiber tablets to see if that helps...
Do you guys have any advice on how to go better? What do you do when it's been a few days and you haven't gone? In the past? If I don't go for three or four days pre-surgery I had to get stomach cramps and pains and things like that and that's not happening this time around. Advice is welcome. There is hope if we just stick together. I love you all so much. You are like a family to me! I look forward to your responses!!
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I use Just Better Fiber. I mix it into EVERYTHING I drink, usually, several tablespoons throughout the day. It helps immensely. When it gets really bad, I use Miralax, but that's pretty infrequent as long as I keep up with the fiber.

Hey everyone! This is Ashley. I had surgery on October 6th and had to start my pre-op diet in the beginning of June of this year... My heaviest weight is 356 lb... The day of surgery I was at 313 lb... And as of today I am at 264 lb!!! I was so thinking excited when I hit the 90 lb mark of weight loss ! Can imagine what if you like once I lose 100 !!! My goal weight is about 180 lb. Some about 85 lb away from that goal I believe ... More than halfway there just from the pre-op diet and 2 of post-op!?!
It took me a while to be more comfortable with trying new foods as I was terrified of throwing up or having dumping syndrome... I had the gastric sleeve and things have been going much better than expected! I'm able to eat very healthy but lots of different types of foods which is really exciting! I even ate a sliced apple the other day which some people can't tolerate the skin and I did create!
The reason I'm reaching out to y'all is because I'm dealing with chronic Constipation. The only time that I can really go to the bathroom without any pain is if I take milk of magnesia... I tried to avoid it but The 2 weeks ago after realizing I hadn't gone to the bathroom in 2 and 1/2 weeks but I had no stomach pain or anything so I totally lost track of it! I had a bowel movement " naturally" If you can even call it that took two days to get out last Sunday and Monday... It was an extremely painful experience and extremely hard to the point where put it this way. I had to plunge the toilet a couple times just to be able to get it down.... Details are gross I know but this is what this page is all about getting help for our gross details! I just now took more milk of magnesia because I haven't gone since that severely constipated situation...
I have been very good about eating very healthy and drinking a lot of Water and getting my Protein intake. I have however unfortunately not been great at taking Vitamins and keeping up with them. I ordered some more vitamins today and decided to get back on track. Even before surgery I was deficient of Vitamin D very severely as well as low on Iron to the point of anemia. So I'm wondering if my nausea that I've been having isn't just constipation but also Vitamin deficiency and if maybe that's why I'm constipated as well... I also ordered benafiber tablets to see if that helps...
Do you guys have any advice on how to go better? What do you do when it's been a few days and you haven't gone? In the past? If I don't go for three or four days pre-surgery I had to get stomach cramps and pains and things like that and that's not happening this time around. Advice is welcome. There is hope if we just stick together. I love you all so much. You are like a family to me! I look forward to your responses!!
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I was told to expect to lose 125 lb roughly from the surgery... Pre-op I lost 40 so that's about 165 lb of loss... I think I can lose more than that being that since the pre-op diet in June to now after having surgery October 6th I have lost a turtle of 92 lb.. My goal weight is 180 to 199... Why 199 you say? I want to be part of wOnederland as my mom had calls it who have bariatric surgery 13 years ago... I haven't waited under 200 lb since I was 19... I'm 36 and I'm ready to roll!!!! I also decided that I didn't want to be super duper skinny because that doesn't look good with my frame. So I am completely happy with 180 to 199

I was told to expect to lose 125 lb roughly from the surgery... Pre-op I lost 40 so that's about 165 lb of loss... I think I can lose more than that being that since the pre-op diet in June to now after having surgery October 6th I have lost a turtle of 92 lb.. My goal weight is 180 to 199... Why 199 you say? I want to be part of wOnederland as my mom had calls it who have bariatric surgery 13 years ago... I haven't waited under 200 lb since I was 19... I'm 36 and I'm ready to roll!!!! I also decided that I didn't want to be super duper skinny because that doesn't look good with my frame. So I am completely happy with 180 to 199

I totally understand what's going all day and not peeing... I was told to get at least 32 oz of Water as long as I was getting 32 oz of liquids through Protein Shakes etc... But when I go to the bathroom, it's a really dark almost orange color... So clearly I'm not drinking enough water... I have a highly demanding job and don't have time to go to the bathroom during the day, but the concern isn't just that. It's that I don't have time to drink water and I honestly don't have to go to the bathroom all day. Any suggestions? I am right where you are girl week seven after surgery too...

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My stall hit at around 2.5 weeks and lasted around 12 days. Then boom 10 pounds gone over a week. I've slowed again now and understand it's just going to be a process. I'm not getting frustrated since I know I'm losing lots of inches, my clothes are all baggy and people have started noticing in my face especially. It's just going to take time and sticking to the new way of eating.
My doctor has me on about 600-700 calories for now. 80g Protein, 50g carbs (usually don't come close on carbs), and 50g fat along with my 64 oz Fluid each day. I'm still working on getting in everything I need to in a day.

Heaviest weight 356. Weight before surgery 313... Weight since getting surgery October 6th...drumroll please........279! Woot woot! 23 lbs toil I hit 100 lost! About 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. I didn't lose weight for about 3 to 4 weeks... I was freaking out. I felt defeated like I was doing something wrong but then I looked back and realized I was doing every single thing exactly how it was told to be done... I know we're not supposed to doctor Google but I looked it up and The three week post-operative stall is actually a thing! It happens to most people that get bariatric surgery and it can last anywhere from two weeks to 5 weeks roughly. It is simply your body and metabolism getting used to your new stomach... But I'm back on track and happier than ever with the decision that I've made. Just thought you guys deserved an update for the ones that are rooting for me! The ones that think this was the easy way out. It's okay. You're entitled to your opinion, but you're definitely wrong... It's been a lot of work and dedication. It's been pain and hunger at times, but for the most part it's been the best experience I've ever put myself through for my own self-love and care. I started routine to take care of myself such as putting makeup on every day for work and doing my hair for work. These things sound small to some people, but for somebody like me that suffers with depression that's huge. So if you're not proud of me, I sure am! To the left is April at my largest weight. I have no full body pictures because I was so ashamed of myself... To the right is me last week... Progress not perfection.. how is everybody else doing for my October? 
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Heaviest weight 356. Weight before surgery 313... Weight since getting surgery October 6th...drumroll please........279! Woot woot! 23 lbs toil I hit 100 lost! About 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. I didn't lose weight for about 3 to 4 weeks... I was freaking out. I felt defeated like I was doing something wrong but then I looked back and realized I was doing every single thing exactly how it was told to be done... I know we're not supposed to doctor Google but I looked it up and The three week post-operative stall is actually a thing! It happens to most people that get bariatric surgery and it can last anywhere from two weeks to 5 weeks roughly. It is simply your body and metabolism getting used to your new stomach... But I'm back on track and happier than ever with the decision that I've made. Just thought you guys deserved an update for the ones that are rooting for me! The ones that think this was the easy way out. It's okay. You're entitled to your opinion, but you're definitely wrong... It's been a lot of work and dedication. It's been pain and hunger at times, but for the most part it's been the best experience I've ever put myself through for my own self-love and care. I started routine to take care of myself such as putting makeup on every day for work and doing my hair for work. These things sound small to some people, but for somebody like me that suffers with depression that's huge. So if you're not proud of me, I sure am! To the left is April at my largest weight. I have no full body pictures because I was so ashamed of myself... To the right is me last week... Progress not perfection.. how is everybody else doing for my October? 
Sent from my Pixel 6 using BariatricPal mobile app

Heaviest weight 356. Weight before surgery 313... Weight since getting surgery October 6th...drumroll please........279! Woot woot! 23 lbs toil I hit 100 lost! About 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. I didn't lose weight for about 3 to 4 weeks... I was freaking out. I felt defeated like I was doing something wrong but then I looked back and realized I was doing every single thing exactly how it was told to be done... I know we're not supposed to doctor Google but I looked it up and The three week post-operative stall is actually a thing! It happens to most people that get bariatric surgery and it can last anywhere from two weeks to 5 weeks roughly. It is simply your body and metabolism getting used to your new stomach... But I'm back on track and happier than ever with the decision that I've made. Just thought you guys deserved an update for the ones that are rooting for me! The ones that think this was the easy way out. It's okay. You're entitled to your opinion, but you're definitely wrong... It's been a lot of work and dedication. It's been pain and hunger at times, but for the most part it's been the best experience I've ever put myself through for my own self-love and care. I started routine to take care of myself such as putting makeup on every day for work and doing my hair for work. These things sound small to some people, but for somebody like me that suffers with depression that's huge. So if you're not proud of me, I sure am! To the left is April at my largest weight. I have no full body pictures because I was so ashamed of myself... To the right is me last week... Progress not perfection.. how is everybody else doing for my October? 
Sent from my Pixel 6 using BariatricPal mobile app

Heaviest weight 356. Weight before surgery 313... Weight since getting surgery October 6th...drumroll please........279! Woot woot! 23 lbs toil I hit 100 lost! About 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. I didn't lose weight for about 3 to 4 weeks... I was freaking out. I felt defeated like I was doing something wrong but then I looked back and realized I was doing every single thing exactly how it was told to be done... I know we're not supposed to doctor Google but I looked it up and The three week post-operative stall is actually a thing! It happens to most people that get bariatric surgery and it can last anywhere from two weeks to 5 weeks roughly. It is simply your body and metabolism getting used to your new stomach... But I'm back on track and happier than ever with the decision that I've made. Just thought you guys deserved an update for the ones that are rooting for me! The ones that think this was the easy way out. It's okay. You're entitled to your opinion, but you're definitely wrong... It's been a lot of work and dedication. It's been pain and hunger at times, but for the most part it's been the best experience I've ever put myself through for my own self-love and care. I started routine to take care of myself such as putting makeup on every day for work and doing my hair for work. These things sound small to some people, but for somebody like me that suffers with depression that's huge. So if you're not proud of me, I sure am! To the left is April at my largest weight. I have no full body pictures because I was so ashamed of myself... To the right is me last week... Progress not perfection.. how is everybody else doing for my October? 
Sent from my Pixel 6 using BariatricPal mobile app

Heaviest weight 356. Weight before surgery 313... Weight since getting surgery October 6th...drumroll please........279! Woot woot! 23 lbs toil I hit 100 lost! About 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. I didn't lose weight for about 3 to 4 weeks... I was freaking out. I felt defeated like I was doing something wrong but then I looked back and realized I was doing every single thing exactly how it was told to be done... I know we're not supposed to doctor Google but I looked it up and The three week post-operative stall is actually a thing! It happens to most people that get bariatric surgery and it can last anywhere from two weeks to 5 weeks roughly. It is simply your body and metabolism getting used to your new stomach... But I'm back on track and happier than ever with the decision that I've made. Just thought you guys deserved an update for the ones that are rooting for me! The ones that think this was the easy way out. It's okay. You're entitled to your opinion, but you're definitely wrong... It's been a lot of work and dedication. It's been pain and hunger at times, but for the most part it's been the best experience I've ever put myself through for my own self-love and care. I started routine to take care of myself such as putting makeup on every day for work and doing my hair for work. These things sound small to some people, but for somebody like me that suffers with depression that's huge. So if you're not proud of me, I sure am! To the left is April at my largest weight. I have no full body pictures because I was so ashamed of myself... To the right is me last week... Progress not perfection.. how is everybody else doing for my October? 
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I'm on week seven post-op. Sometimes I think I am actually hungry and I may be, but I give myself about 30 or 40 minutes after drinking a little bit of Water to see if I'm still hungry.... Also, another giveaway for me is that I start getting really nauseous if I'm actually hungry, but if it's been less than 2 or 3 hours since my last meal, I drink enough water to try to fill my stomach and remind myself that it's probably just the habit of constantly eating in the past and not true hunger because I ate within the last two to three hours, so I should still be pretty satisfied technically...

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Heaviest weight 356. Weight before surgery 313... Weight since getting surgery October 6th...drumroll please........279! Woot woot! 23 lbs toil I hit 100 lost! About 3 to 4 weeks after surgery. I didn't lose weight for about 3 to 4 weeks... I was freaking out. I felt defeated like I was doing something wrong but then I looked back and realized I was doing every single thing exactly how it was told to be done... I know we're not supposed to doctor Google but I looked it up and The three week post-operative stall is actually a thing! It happens to most people that get bariatric surgery and it can last anywhere from two weeks to 5 weeks roughly. It is simply your body and metabolism getting used to your new stomach... But I'm back on track and happier than ever with the decision that I've made. Just thought you guys deserved an update for the ones that are rooting for me! The ones that think this was the easy way out. It's okay. You're entitled to your opinion, but you're definitely wrong... It's been a lot of work and dedication. It's been pain and hunger at times, but for the most part it's been the best experience I've ever put myself through for my own self-love and care. I started routine to take care of myself such as putting makeup on every day for work and doing my hair for work. These things sound small to some people, but for somebody like me that suffers with depression that's huge. So if you're not proud of me, I sure am! To the left is April at my largest weight. I have no full body pictures because I was so ashamed of myself... To the right is me last week... Progress not perfection.. how is everybody else doing for my October? 
Sent from my Pixel 6 using BariatricPal mobile app

I thought I would share a video about hunger, Dr V has many many of these videos covering all sorts of topics in regard to bariatric surgery. Hope you find it helpful.

In the hospital, I thought I was having hunger pangs, but I truly believe it was just pain. That continued for a day or two and then it went away.
I can't remember when the hunger started coming back... It's been at least a week, but maybe two. I'm 4 weeks post op.
My stomach sometimes growls, but it doesn't necessarily feel like hunger, so that's not a good way for me to tell. I don't know. I just feel like I'm starving, like my blood sugar is starting to get low (I'm diabetic so I'm familiar with the way that feels).
It's not like cravings. I get cravings - like for chocolate, for instance. But that's not hunger for me. That's more of a "want" and something that sounds good; whereas the hunger is more of a physical "need".

The way I found my "limit" was to start with 1 sip from a 1 ounce cup every 15 minutes. See how your body tolerates it. If it tolerates it well, then move to 1 sip every 14 minutes, then 13, and so on and so forth. It is a process but you will find your limit within a day or two. One of the one ounce cups should probably take you 2-3 sips to get through, although everyone is different so test that out. If you feel a new pain after your sip, stop and let it fully go away before taking another sip. I think these steps should help anyone with their Water intake.
Using those steps I was able to find my limit, then I would gradually increase it to my comfort level. I'm just about 3 weeks post op and I'm able to drink about 10-12 ounces an hour or so. It's really important you listen to your body though. The good thing is, as of week 4 your stomach should be healed up and your chance of it bursting/popping is significantly reduced at this point.

Hey everybody! I'm 6 weeks and one day post-op... The first month I lost 30 lb but since then I've only lost seven and I'm giving myself a really hard time. I know that they say there's a plateau. I just didn't think it was going to be so close to after surgery. Did anybody get any recommendations on how to get past the plateau? I can't help but try to blame myself for doing something wrong even though I'm following every single rule except exercise because my back still won't allow me to. I need to lose a little more weight before that's possible. I'm so proud of each and every one of us for taking this journey. My original weight at my heaviest was 356 lb, after I got on the diet for pre-op it went down to 319 lb and I'm now 286 lb... I have such a hard time realizing that's quite a bit of weight loss when I feel so far away from my goal of 180... Any encouragement would help....

I had the gastric sleeve on October 6th and I would say I'm doing fantastic! The hardest part was the first week. It was weird to have zero appetite at all, but the hardest part was the gas pains. In the last month I've lost 34 lb since surgery and I couldn't be happier. Don't be surprised if you hit a plateau for a couple weeks that happened to me and evidently it's extremely common and the more weight you lose the more likely you are to hit a plateau for a while. Just hold on and keep doing the diets. The only thing I'm struggling with is getting exercise into my day as I'm exhausted by the end of the day since I have no carbs, no sugar, no caffeine to help by. Just hold on and know that the pain of the first couple days is only temporary. In the more you walk, the better you'll be.
When I was on the liquid diet I loved low sodium broth as well as lots and lots of sugar-free popsicles. They really hit the spot and soothing your throat if it's a little sore from the innovation and also they just feel good when they hit your stomach. Good luck on your surgery! I just had mine on the 6th and I feel fully recovered to the point where sometimes I forget I even had surgery. It's pretty awesome!

I think the hardest part about recovery for me was the first night. I had a lot of very intense gas pains in my chest and shoulder but after that night I only took pain medicine for a couple more days and then it was completely bearable. After that. I've had a C-section and that was definitely a worse and harder experience than this was. Just get your fluids in and your Protein in and you'll be fine

Hey! I got my surgery on October 6th and I'm doing fantastic. I'm here if you need any support or suggestions on things to eat or anything like that. I'm now on phase two where I can have cream low fat Soups and a couple other things that I wasn't able to have last week. Let's help support each other on this journey

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Hey! I got my surgery on October 6th and I'm doing fantastic. I'm here if you need any support or suggestions on things to eat or anything like that. I'm now on phase two where I can have cream low fat Soups and a couple other things that I wasn't able to have last week. Let's help support each other on this journey

Sent from my Pixel 6 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey! I got my surgery on October 6th and I'm doing fantastic. I'm here if you need any support or suggestions on things to eat or anything like that. I'm now on phase two where I can have cream low fat Soups and a couple other things that I wasn't able to have last week. Let's help support each other on this journey

Sent from my Pixel 6 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey! I got my surgery on October 6th and I'm doing fantastic. I'm here if you need any support or suggestions on things to eat or anything like that. I'm now on phase two where I can have cream low fat Soups and a couple other things that I wasn't able to have last week. Let's help support each other on this journey

Sent from my Pixel 6 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey! I got my surgery on October 6th and I'm doing fantastic. I'm here if you need any support or suggestions on things to eat or anything like that. I'm now on phase two where I can have cream low fat Soups and a couple other things that I wasn't able to have last week. Let's help support each other on this journey

Sent from my Pixel 6 using BariatricPal mobile app