Bypass2Freedom

It is definitely that feeling! It really has slowed down, and don't get me wrong, fully expected & accepted! I am still going to the gym and still eating well etc (though definitely need to drink more water) - It just feels like I am so close to my 1st goal yet so far away 😂 Thank you for your advice though, and sharing your experience - it is really insightful ❤️ I will definitely have a look at that!

This! I am also feeling a little bit of hunger here at there - my stomach is still not rumbling at all, but I feel a slight pang of "hmm I need to eat" and then it seems to disappear 😂 I have lost a total of 1lbs since Friday last week, so I will take that as a win haha! So desperate to get into that 12 stone bracket!

A well nourished female 😂 I have never heard that one before!

So I received this "compliment" (??) today, twice within the space of about 15 minutes by two separate people. In my head I am trying to understand exactly what they mean by it because in my brain it is a negative - but also very strange for me to comprehend given that I am not even at my 1st goal. Anyone else had experience with this?

It's so annoying! I am definitely still losing (I hope) I'm about 7 months post bypass so I hopefully should keep losing slowly now. Im still not at my goal and I think I'm in a small stall! 😤 I think I'll probably sell it on vinted eventually and then get a smaller size! Thank you!

Some new clothes from Killstar - ordered the dress a little too big and the skirt a bit too small! Working out sizing is hard 😂

Congratulations on your success so far! I completely empathise with the surreal feeling - it is almost like a weird out-of-body experience! I can answer a couple of your questions, obviously not the one about maintenance as I am only like 7-odd months post bypass now I think! I believe I have lost almost 100lbs now (45kg, 7 stone), and in the initial first 5 months I was really struggling to go to the gym so I wasn't very active. I have started going to the gym now and I am really enjoying it, not seeing as fast-paced weight loss currently, but that could be because of muscle gaining at the gym and normal stalling! I think my biggest challenge/lesson has been listening to my new stomach now. Understanding when it is full, and also looking at food differently - I just see it as fuel now, rather than thinking about it 24/7 which has been hard. It has also been a challenge to actually accept that I am smaller now - I still instinctively reach for my old clothing size in shops (UK 22-24), and am genuinely shocked when it is too big, or when something I see as "tiny" fits me. The changing the mind is a long haul lesson I believe! All the best for you on this journey x

It is so interesting to see that in one way or another, this seems to happen to all of us! I would be so intrigued to get a male perspective of someone who has also had bariatric surgery, just to see if this resonates with them! Unfortunately, so many people think they have a right to comment on our bodies, even if they think they are doing so in a kind way. But I do think people are right when they say it is others perception of us that makes them say things such as "you're wasting away" - they aren't used to seeing us at a smaller weight!

@BigSue I think you are definitely right there - it always astounds me how something that sounds so negative is actually intended as a good thing. The idea of 'wasting away' has such strong connotations of being unhealthily thin, yet because it denotes thinness it is seen as a positive 🤔 Thank you for the context & explanation though, I think being Autistic makes me wonder these things and ponder the meaning!

I really empathise with this - I am quite open about my journey anyway, and find that people are just genuinely curious and I haven't - yet - had anyone be negative about the fact I've had surgery, they just have lots of questions and I am more than happy to talk about it!

So both my boyfriend and my mum have commented on my posture recently - completely valid - but I just didn't realise how bad my posture is! I don't know about anyone else, but when I was at my heaviest I just always walked around with a slump - sometimes without realising it. Maybe just to make myself smaller. But now I have lost a significant amount, I feel more confident, but I am still slouching when I walk and it is definitely noticeable! Any tips on how to hold myself better? 😂

So I have been reminding myself daily to engage my core, loosen my shoulders back etc and it is working slowly but surely - I am noticing less pain in my back now when actually standing correctly. I just need to keep reminding myself not to slouch! Thank you for the advice everyone!

So prior to surgery I tasked myself with writing a letter to the "future me". I wrote this letter and then sealed it up so that I could open it 6 months post-op and reflect. I thought I'd share it with you all to give some inspo, and just because I value being open about my journey with you all ❤️ I wrote this letter on the 20th December 2023, with my surgery scheduled for the 14th May 2024. Some of this letter may be triggering for others (mentions of sexual assault/abuse), so please don't read on if you aren't able to. I also highly recommend for people to do the same pre-surgery. Reading this letter has been really cathartic for me, especially at a time where my weight loss is slowing down a little. So, here it is, my letter to myself: To me, I hope that you have found your own form of genuine happiness. To try and picture how life is for you now is impossible. I'm currently at work, my back is in pain, I am overly conscious of my body - my stomach and chin in particular. I hope that you aren't worrying about any of those things anymore. Remember feeling so painfully aware of your body, about how nothing quite fits you anymore? I pray life is better for you now. I want you to have a whole new quality of life. No more holding yourself back. Say yes to things that scare you. Go on a paddle boat. Go to go-ape. Do something terrifying. I hope that your mental wounds are beginning to heal. All those times you were cheated on and mentally & physically abused by your ex because of your weight. You didn't deserve that. Not one bit. Your worth is not, and never was, defined by how much you weigh. Please don't get stuck on the numbers. I know this has probably been one of the hardest experiences for you, and I know you have probably had to re-learn everything, but you deserve this. You are so, so deserving. Reflect back on the past: Nan calling you 'podgy' in a top you was excited to wear when you was 13, but you never wore it again after that. Growing fast and being bigger than most people in school. Always yo-yoing from diet to diet. None of it worked. Punishing yourself didn't work. But now look at what you have achieved. YOU did this. No one else. Be proud. I hope, more than anything else, that you have finally found out who you are. That girl inside, behind all the weight, waiting for freedom. I can't wait to meet her x

Absolutely stunning before & after!

I've recently started going to the gym again! I was trying to go in my early post-surgery days but I just didn't have the motivation! I have noticed though, since losing 6 stone, I am now happier to go to the gym. My body actually feels capable and ready to go, and I don't ache from doing the minimum. I have been doing some light weights during a full body workout, and I do 20 mins of cardio on the treadmill on those days too, and today I have just implemented a 45 min cardio day!

It is so difficult to stop! I didn't even realise how bad my posture was until recently - definitely to do with the tummy slowly disappearing! Funnily enough I have asked my boyfriend & mum to remind me if I am slouching, but yeah I am just getting frustrated with myself!

As you say, I definitely need to give myself some grace! We started at a very similar weight, and I am 5ft 5" so I completely get it! I'll start trying those stretches in the morning - thank you

Oooh I shall have a look at this! Thank you

I've currently started back at the gym so I have a basic full body workout to get me used to it, and then I will see if I can add some more exercises to strengthen those areas! Any suggestions? I am trying really hard to concentrate on straitening out my back as I sit at a desk most days! Your advice really helps and allows me to visualise it so thank you!

Thank you for reading 🖤 I like to think I'm an open book, especially when it comes to my more difficult experiences, purely because I believe having an open and non-judgemental platform to talk about things that may otherwise be hidden away, is really important! That's actually a really good idea - I think I'm going to do that!

It's so moving to hear that people have had such an emotional reaction to my little rambling, thank you for reading it and for your kind words x

My boyfriend plays Tarkov and omg it seems so complicated! Definitely a tough one to get into, but rewarding as you say!

The belt that I wear to work (size L) now fits around my hips on the biggest setting - it previously only JUST made it around my waist on the same setting!

Woo!