BlondePatriotInCDA

Did you go in to the clinic and did your doctor do a full physical? If not I would consider a second opinion especially being 9 weeks out. At 9 weeks you should be on solid foods unless you were advised to do liquid/puree for longer and you didn't? A second opinion can never hurt.
You said mentally food makes you want to "gag"and you find food " disgusting ", perhaps not only having a complete physical but talking to the dietician or a mental health professional would also help... Also, you never stated what your average meal menus consist of...and quantity..other than low fat meats and protein drinks. Are you getting enough fiber to assist with those " accidents"?
I'd at the bare minimum set up an appointment with the dietician. Good luck hope you start doing better soon!

Congrats on both achievements! I don't have a done with chemo treatment bell..but if I did Ding Ding Ding!

Coming up on 2 years post-op next month and looking back the only thing I wish is that I had trusted the process and worried less about losing. Give yourself grace.
Reading all these forum posts shows that everyone worries about the same things with mostly the exact same concerns; losing the weight. Its understandable considering its why we're all here and why we all had the surgery, after all we've exhausted other methods without success, but we need and should just give ourselves a break, step back and trust the surgery/process it will work as long as the rules/guidelines are followed.
Lastly, there will be loose skin and no matter what you do it will happen. No amount of anything; vitamins, collagen, exercise or sitting in vats of moisturizer will correct it. Just either learn to live with it or plastics if you can afford it. Just come to grips with it before surgery because it WILL happen. Like MIZ60 said get used to no shorts and no short sleeves and definitely no bikinis!

Thank you for your questions. My dieticians said anymore protein and bodies can't process it so it ends up being a waste unless I'm a hard core body builder / marathon runner athlete. They balked about going up even 100 calories...plus protein doesn't register as feeling full for me, it never has long term. I can drink a 26gram protein drink and nothing. Whereas carbs fill me up, so its a constant battle..or it was...
It was agreed that I should start Glp-1's. I've been using this tool for the last few months and all I can say for me they're amazing. The constant mind food harassment has stopped! I no longer feel hungry all the time unless its nearing meal time. Plus my scale is finally showing downward progress - 20lbs+! Again, thank you for asking and your kind words.

You've lost a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time. Perhaps its your expectations that are off. In fact, you've lost on the higher side of most other people with the same surgery in the same amount of time. Just trust the process, but if you still have concerns contact your bariatric surgeons office and speak to them. Otherwise, keep up the good job!

You've lost a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time. Perhaps its your expectations that are off. In fact, you've lost on the higher side of most other people with the same surgery in the same amount of time. Just trust the process, but if you still have concerns contact your bariatric surgeons office and speak to them. Otherwise, keep up the good job!

I ultimately have decided to not get the tattoo, I have worked too hard to risk anything from preventing the surgery now.

I hear you, feels like we just swap one struggle for another. You're not alone in this.

I'm still finding it difficult because those "important bits" have changed now (besides the normal decency ones) because now instead of trying to cover the fat, I've exchanged that for loose skin covering up! I refuse to show my arms, stomach and legs now..so I've just traded one embarrassment for another. ?

Came back to update! The compounded semaglutide helped me tremendously. I've lost another 50 pounds and reached my "big time goal" of loosing 150 total. I have decided to make a new goal.

I'm wondering if the way you handle your anxiety now opposed to how you might have handled it before is what is actually different and why you're noticing it as more extreme, did you use food to self sooth? Perhaps this is why you're noticing it more is because you can't/don't have that option anymore and the lack of soothing with food ramps up the anxiety?
I don't know if that's what you used to do in anxious situations which is why I'm asking.. But if so its my guess opposed to it being something else. Plus, you've gone through a lot with surgery and your grandmother passing (sorry for your loss). Life can be riddled with anxiety inducing situations unfortunately.
From reading your posts, you're a strong woman and I have no doubts that you will tackle this head on and come out on top! Perhaps talking to a mental heath professional may help, I've never personally been a huge fan and haven't found them worthwhile, but for a lot of ppl it does help!
You've got this, just continue on being your strong self!

The shoe size really surprised me, all my old shoes flop around on my feet now ? cute shoes too!
Trust me don't wear them, I not realizing this was a thing wore my most comfy shoes (Sketchers sherpa lined clogs) on a trip and I ended up with major blisters just walking in the airport! 3 pairs of socks and bandaids and hobbling along the entire trip. Take it from me - just donate them and buy some new cute shoes!

I believe it's body dysmorphia?

Welcome back! It seems like most people drift away after a while, once they get used to their "new normal" post-surgery life and no longer want or need everything to revolve around their surgery. I'm almost 3 years post-op and sometimes get tired of seeing the same posts over and over again from the next crop of newbies. There are a few WLS veterans like catwoman7, Arabesque, and The Greater Fool who have stuck around and answer these questions with the patience of saints, but they are few and far between.

I concur ..you shouldn't feel nauseated all the time. I'd contact your prescribing doctor and let them know! I've been on Wegovy for 6 months and never feel nauseated, it just removed the constant food drumbeat in my head. You don't want to risk potential stomach issues!

Be careful with the use of Wegovy if you are feeling nauseated. That is a trigger that the medication is not right for you if you are always nauseated or feeling sick. It is important to talk to your provider and maybe another medication will work better and not give you sick feelings. Mounjaro is available again and it seems to work well, and didn't give me any kind of stomach issues or nausea. Just be careful because constant nausea can be a real issue and irritate your pouch/stomach. Please let your care provider know of the issue, you don't want ulcers to form!

I'm not entirely sure if this is a win, but let me give you a little bit of my backstory first.
Thanks to a work accident many years ago, I have multiple herniated discs in my lumbar spine that sometimes cause a lot of sciatica. When this was at its worst, I had to use a walker just to get around the house because I had no motor control over my right leg. To be honest, this is one of the things that actually led to me becoming obese. I wasn't able to workout (I could hardly move), and was in a lot of pain, so I self-medicated with food and alcohol.
The pain isn't completely gone now, but after losing all this weight, it's so much better than it used to be.
Fast forward to this week. I spent basically 4 days (Saturday-Tuesday), trapped in a zoom class and this inactivity took its toll on my back. I'd been in a lot of pain and hadn't worked out at all since taking a short run Monday. Wednesday and Thursday I didn't get the walker out, but i did seriously think about it.
Today the pain was still about a four or five on a ten point scale, but at least it wasn't radiating down my leg much. I really struggled with trying to determine if I just needed to man up, or if it was stupid to try to workout, knowing that I might make it worse. I finally decided I just needed to try to run, since I knew that once the endorphins and endocannabinoids kicked in, I'd probably be fine. Plus, the movement should actually help loosen things up in my spine and help me heal.
It took a bit for me to work up to going for it, but I did finally go run this morning. (The bad thing was that the delay meant I was running in the heat.) To be honest, the run really sucked for the first mile or two. Thankfully, once I made it to about 4 miles, the pain was mostly gone and I was able to complete the 9 miles I had planned. I'm still thinking I'm going to have to skip my strength training tomorrow (I'll probably log a few running miles instead), but at least I got out there.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that completing the run wasn't actually a win. The win was that I didn't let this pain become the start of a spiral down to a place I never want to go to again. I personally think the most important thing is not actually the highs, though those are great. It's not succumbing to the lows and letting yourself fall back into those old destructive habits.
I wanted to throw this out there because i know I post a lot here and I suspect some of you might think I've got it all together since I'm normally the one giving advice to others. That's just not true. Like everyone, I have my own demons that I have to deal with and this back pain is just one of those.

How disappointing! I was hoping this would work because I was thinking about trying it!

Yet....?

"Good news is that I am now 1/4 way through my 30 day supply of these bovine collagen tablets…on day 2.
This afternoon I snorted at the neighbors dog and stamped my hoof….didn’t charge, though. Prolly will after a few more days at this intake."

Trust me you're at the easy stage...just wait until your horns break through...painful!!!!

I don't know if this is a win, but there is a podcast called "isnt the stall the point" ... to me at some point weight stalls should be the point. I've noticed in the bariatric community that some are never satisfied and steady strive for more. I certainly won't be living my life like that. So my win is I stalled for six months, which I was fine with but at my breast augmentation appointment my weight had finally broke the STALL. I am finally 7 pounds from my goal weight in which the STALL and living my Life in Maintenance will be the point. ??

Yet....?

I appreciate your post, its an opportunity to understand human nature and the constant struggles we have fighting the basic life requirement to eat. That being said, I would like to ask fellow forum members the following questions if they too have had/have their other half going down the same paths... seeing your wife having weight/health issues and what others do/say/handle that situation.
My husband eats like a 12 year old boy. He knows it, he told his doctor the same thing (his doctor laughed and said he eats the same way). His BMI (I know its not a great metric but its the easiest and most ppl understand it) is 29.98. I've explained obese is 30.00. He says he gets "plenty of exercise" because he walks 12 miles a day, which he does (mail carrier). I say that's moving NOT exercise since its nothing more than a long stroll, not getting his heart rate up.
So, my question like what Spartan says how do you help someone see the light? Yes, I realize its like everything else each person has to come to the realization on their own, but how can we help the process along, after all time doesn't stand still and no one is getting younger. I try to get him to eat the meals I prepare, but its not what he "likes": cereals, processed foods i.e. hot dogs, fast food, candy and soda.
He has tried dieting, it lasts less than a day or he only "eats a half bowl of sugary cereal until I point out that a serving is 1/4 cup and his half a bowl is 4 servings...etc. What have you tried, done said etc., on your journey to bring your other half kicking and screaming into a healthier lifestyle that worked? I don't want anger or alienate my husband, but do you just stand back and continue to let someone you love keep pulling the trigger?

Oh man, this is tough!
I'd love to hear what others think, since if I was great at this, I wouldn't be in the same boat! That said, I will throw some ideas your way. ?
Fundamentally, what we're talking about here is NOT forcing someone else to change, since that's impossible. Instead, what we have to do is help them realize that THEY need to make a change.
I think there are a couple of models that would be useful to understand. This first is called the "Health Belief Model". This states that it's underlying beliefs and emotions about health behaviours and health risks that influence a decision to make a change.
Beliefs about health risks are further influenced by the individual's perceived susceptibility and their understanding of the potential seriousness of the risk. For example, if you believe you are at high risk of a heart attack or stroke and you believe these are potentially life-threatening events, then you are much more likely to think that you need to make a change.
The other key factor is your beliefs about health behaviors. Let's say you want to do something about your heart attack risk. You'll evaluate various health behaviors and will consciously or subconsciously grade them based on your own beliefs about the potential benefits of a specific behavior, as well as your beliefs about any barriers you foresee. An example might be acknowledging that a better diet would help, all the while highlighting all the reasons you can't change your diet or why it's too late for you to change.
The takeaway for any of us trying to influence loved ones to change is that we can't actually force the change. What we can do is help them see the risks and benefits of changing, all the while also helping eliminate any barriers they see.
The second model that I think is worth thinking about is called the "Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change" (often abbreviated TTM). Some of you may have also heard of this one called the "Stages of Change Model". The basic idea is that there are several major stages we go through in changing behaviors. In order:
Precontemplation. At this stage, the person is either unaware, or under-aware of the problem (or believe it can't be solved). If the person is at this stage, about the best you can do is help them see the need to make changes. IMO, this works best if it's subtle. Maybe it's talking about the coworker that just had a heart attack. Maybe it's pointing out a news article you found interesting about a health topic. Maybe it's just modeling healthy behaviors so they have a reference point. Again, keep in mind that you can't force the change and telling them they need to change won't work either. It has to be their idea. You can only help them see the need to change and help them clear barriers. Contemplation. If they are at this stage, the battle is almost won. Here they are aware of the problem and are thinking through the pros and cons of various changes. At this point, they really don't know what to do to address the issue yet, so they may be ready to seek out expert advice or support. One of the best things I personally think you can do at this stage is help them find this additional support. Keep in mind that even if you are an expert in diet, exercise, or whatever, help and opinions from an outsider are often valued much higher. Preparation. This stage is when they actively start trying to make plans to change, but have not actually made any changes yet. My best advice here is to make sure they start small because a lot of people try to overhaul everything at once and it's just too much. Slow, sustainable changes are always going to work best. Action. Here they've actually started to make changes. It's really easy for them to get derailed here, so they're going to need your support to stick with it. Maintenance. At this point, the changes have become habit and are much more likely to become permanent. What they need from you at this point is encouragement. Relapse. This isn't inevitable, but preparing for it is worthwhile. (And see, this even comes back to the original topic! ) Obviously if this does happen, being there to help them work through restarting is imperative. Even if they don't relapse, it can be useful to do some thinking ahead of time about what sort of things might derail their new health behavior and then making plans ahead of time to keep it from happening. For example, holidays, travel, or being sick or injured are common examples of things that can cause relapse even in someone that's been successful for a while. Happy to explore more specific ideas, but this post feels overly long already!
Best of luck!

I appreciate your post, its an opportunity to understand human nature and the constant struggles we have fighting the basic life requirement to eat. That being said, I would like to ask fellow forum members the following questions if they too have had/have their other half going down the same paths... seeing your wife having weight/health issues and what others do/say/handle that situation.
My husband eats like a 12 year old boy. He knows it, he told his doctor the same thing (his doctor laughed and said he eats the same way). His BMI (I know its not a great metric but its the easiest and most ppl understand it) is 29.98. I've explained obese is 30.00. He says he gets "plenty of exercise" because he walks 12 miles a day, which he does (mail carrier). I say that's moving NOT exercise since its nothing more than a long stroll, not getting his heart rate up.
So, my question like what Spartan says how do you help someone see the light? Yes, I realize its like everything else each person has to come to the realization on their own, but how can we help the process along, after all time doesn't stand still and no one is getting younger. I try to get him to eat the meals I prepare, but its not what he "likes": cereals, processed foods i.e. hot dogs, fast food, candy and soda.
He has tried dieting, it lasts less than a day or he only "eats a half bowl of sugary cereal until I point out that a serving is 1/4 cup and his half a bowl is 4 servings...etc. What have you tried, done said etc., on your journey to bring your other half kicking and screaming into a healthier lifestyle that worked? I don't want anger or alienate my husband, but do you just stand back and continue to let someone you love keep pulling the trigger?