Search the Community

same! first day of puree stage i pureed some beef and barfed a little in my mouth at the result. tossed it and just extended my "full fluids" stage another week then went to afterwards "soft foods"

Hey everyone! My name is Kim and I'm headed to Costa Rica to have an RYGB done in two weeks. I'm mentally prepared. I think I've been getting ready for this in my soul for a LONG time. I'm just here to soak up all your wisdom!! A little bit about me: I'm a doula (semi-retired after 28 years), ESL teacher, seriously addicted crafter, travel agent, and singer in a yacht rock band. I'll be 58 this year and weight has been a struggle since I had my first son (1995) and got two depo shots 3 months apart. I went from 125 to 200 in six months and have struggled ever since. I got back down under 200 for a few months about 13 years ago, but I've been holding steady at about 275 for the last couple of years. My highest was over 300. I've tried dang near everything with adipex being the last effort. I love going to the gym and being active but I just can't DO what I want or need to do there. So this is where we are and this is the time.

I'm officially on a stall 😅 been stuck at the same weight for a week or so now! It's frustrating, but I know it'll pass!

Thank you amber, this is great suggestions for my coning days. My program now only count protein. I am still in liquid stage, in 2 more days i move to puree food then 2 more week whole food which is when i will need to make the real adjustment to food choices for my life forward. Reading this fourm, with many great experiences give me hope but it is for sure not an easy journey, but easy journey got me where i am now

Same on the tweezing to get fine brows! My left side is coming in decently but my right is very bare in spots. However, after about 8 weeks, I am starting to see tiny dots, like stubble, coming in. I find I have to dye mine once a month to be able to see them since so much is turning grey/white. I'm tempted by microblading but I keep reading horror stories that make me hesitate.

You hit a stall. There's a lot of posts on here about it. They happen a lot, and it's completely normal. Some of us would gain 3-5 pounds when a stall would hit and then drop like 6-7 pounds as soon as it broke. Others would just stay at the same weight until it broke. Just ride it out, it's normal. It'll happen several more times.

So I have one more thing to pass before my surgery and that's being cleared by the nutritionist. My surgery was going to be scheduled for November but it's being postponed for a few weeks because the nutritionist failed me this morning because I haven't been practicing mindful eating and that apparently can completely reverse the effects of my surgery. I've been trying to practice mindful eating now for months but I honestly just don't get it and I've never gotten mindfulness in general. Being schizophrenic myself they've tried to teach me about mindfulness several times and I've never gotten it and it's never worked for me. So is this it and the end of my journey and I'll have to try to lose 150 pounds on my own (I weigh 440) or is it not as hopeless as I think? I've got two weeks to learn mindful eating before my next appointment with her so is there any tips from people who've struggled to learn mindful eating in the past?

I am sure your appointment will go well and you will be all set for 15th. I was the same, with no pre-op diet to follow so I just made sure to enjoy my last few pre-op meals, meeting friends and having drinks in the few weeks lead up and weaning myself off coffee. Of course you will lose weight and you just have to take the time to work on the new you (inside and out) so that you will have the strength and mindset not to get back to where you are now and what lead you to need the surgery. We all hope not to have regain but even a few kg/lbs back on is ok too but try not to focus on a negative like that as positive mindset going forward is the best way to be. Your body will be readjusting and has to find its own level. Over the course of your journey there will be weight losses, gains and stalls and we are all here for you to vent, ask questions etc. 🍀

Massive congrats on your progress so far! I remember your initial profile pic, and you can so tell you have lost in your face! It's funny as I am the same in that respect - seem to have visibly lost in my face first, and folks I haven't seen for a while (and don't know I've had WLS) ask me if I've done something to my face as its different (good different) haha. I totally agree with the new normal takes some time to get used to. I am at the 2 month mark now and still have to remind myself that I will lose more weight, albeit I have slowed now to about 2-3lbs per week, even with exercise everyday. RE the out of breath part, I was the same - would struggle to walk up an incline for 2 mins without being out of breath and sweaty, now I can do it no problem. Keep up the great work, I am sure the stall will move soon.

My win is that I have had zero Halloween candy so far, even though its been in my house and at my office all week! This is a big deal for me because sweets were always my go to before surgery.

Hi guys, I've been very up and down with my emotions on this journey I have taken only 6 weeks ago. I am struggling mentally with intrusive food thoughts and I am coming to terms with just how serious a problem I had around food and still do, its early days. I know many of you have been through the same struggles emotionally. I was just looking for your experiences to reassure me that I'm not alone in this and that things will get better. I don't regret having the sleeve because I am feeling so much better health wise, I'm just struggling! I don't eat or crave junk food anymore, I just miss eating and my mind is telling me I'm hungry when I know I'm not! Thank you for hearing me out again! x

Oh wow! Thank you for sharing! I love seeing before and after pics because I'm 6 weeks post-surgery and I want more results and feel impatient but I know it takes time. I'm down almost 30 lbs since beginning pre-op liquids. So you give me hope that I can get there too. I know you feel so much better! That's what I want. More energy and less pain. My rt hip gives me trouble so less weight will help. Hopefully! Well congrats again! You are inspiring me today!! 😍

I hope your day gets better soon! I completely understand where you're at, I've been in the same slump for a few weeks 😖 I'm hoping its the colder darker days doing it. You've been doing great, so just know its one day..you got it down!

With my upcoming revision I was asking about the long term effects of PPi’s and my Dr told me that if I was really concerned we could try famotadine. So the past three days I took it twice a day as prescribed and it wasn’t bad all day but at night when I laid down the heartburn was enough to keep me awake. Does this mean it just doesn’t work for me or do I need to give it more time? The lady at the pharmacy said it took lile a week for her but I don’t know if she was on something before that. I literally took my Omeprazole the day before. Does it mayne just depend on what causing it?

You ready for a long story? 😎 My exercise history is definitely one of extremes. I was very athletic in High School (Secondary School). I played football (American), was on the swim team, and ran track and cross country (not all of those every year). Afterward I spent time in the US Army where running was the norm, so I ran quite a bit. My recollection is that I was running roughly 30 miles a week at that time, so actually a lot more than the minimum required. Unfortunately I was badly injured while I was in the service and was barely able to even walk for a long, long time. Once I mostly recovered from that, I got heavily into powerlifting for almost a decade. I had convinced myself that due to bad knees I shouldn't run anymore, so instead i just focused on the strength training as well as a tiny bit of cardio on the elliptical. Unfortunately, I tore up my back in a workplace accident, so from that point on, no more heavy lifting for me. This was really the beginning of my descent into inactivity and severe weight gain. The heavier I got, the less I was able to even move, until using a cane or walker had become the norm. In addition, during this time I ended up having multiple surgeries, including 5 different shoulder surgeries, multiple knee surgeries culminating in a total knee replacement, and even open heart surgery for a bad heart valve. Fast forward a lot and about 9 months after my bypass surgery, I was walking and backpacking pretty consistently. A bit like you, I decided mostly on a on a whim to just try jogging a bit. It was more to see if I could even do it than anything else. You have to understand with my health history, lots of my doctors would say I shouldn't run. I say I'm going to do whatever I need to do to keep myself healthy because I suspect at some point, I'll need both a revision to the knee replacement and a new heart valve. My ability to survive those surgeries at an advanced age is going to be highly dependent on my overall health. Anyway, back to running. I was so shocked at how well and relatively pain-free the running went, that I decided to start training for a 5k. From there it's just snowballed and I've now done around 20 or so different races between 5ks, 10ks and Half Marathons. I'm not super fast (I am 60 afterall), but I am still pretty competitive in my local races, at least for my age. I'm also lucky that I'm now retired. This means I have the time to train appropriately. I typically run 4 to 5 days a week and average between 25 and 35 miles a week. I'll probably ramp that up in 2025 because I'm targeting a fall marathon and I'd like to be around 50-60 miles a week at peak fitness before the race. At this point running is my passion, but I do still strength train twice a week to keep what strength I do still have. As an aside, I'm strongly considering becoming a Certified Personal Trainer. Not really because I needed the knowledge, or because I expect to work in the industry (I am happily retired after all). My real goal is to help others where I can on their journey to fitness. I feel I can better relate to those that are struggling than a lot of CPTs that have always been fit. I also at least want those I work with to know I do have some knowledge of the subject (even though I've frankly probably forgotten more about training than a lot of CPTs even know). I'm really glad you're going to keep after it. You might surprise yourself in terms of what your capable of!

Officially 5 months post-op today. Here are some progress photos of today compared to two months ago (I missed my 4-month photos because I was on vacation) and to my highest weight, which is almost a year ago. I've been basically stalled for the past 4 weeks with only 2 lbs lost and a lot of bouncing up and down. With vacation, my good habits have slipped a bit. It's too easy to take "just a bite" of this, and also that, and maybe a "taste" of something else... to the point that it adds up way more than I think in a day. And I'm not back in the routine I was in before with walking every day. I have an appointment with my dietician on Tuesday and am hoping to get back on track this week. I still want to lose 25-30lbs so I can't lose focus!

I live alone too so I had no support in my home. I told a few people, one of which had had the surgery, but apart from phone calls to see how I was I really did it alone. I did get a lot of support and information from this forum and my GP was also supportive and interested in my progress. In saying that, I’m pretty independent and organised & I was very confident and comfortable with my decision to have the surgery. I didn’t have any psychological or emotional issues, was very mobile & didn’t have any co morbidities before my surgery. My recovery was pretty smooth though slow as I had issues with low blood pressure & hypoglycemia. Both of these I had experiences with before but occasionally not regularly and o knew how to manage them. I had no issue getting in or out of bed and my pain was easily managed with the prescribed meds (for about 4 days) and then didn’t need anything. I prepared well with all the over the counter meds my surgeon recommended (not that I needed them all) and had shakes, broths, soups for the first two weeks on hand. So I didn’t have to go anywhere or get anyone to shop for me. I think looking back I probably would have got my groceries for purée and soft food stages delivered simply for the convenience and not having to deal with weight restrictions for carrying things and the lethargy. Grocery shopping can be exhausting, (I did it after my hysterectomy last year & wish I’d done after offer my sleeve and gall removal.) I had a cleaner and a gardener so I agree with @BigSue’s suggestion about that even if it is for just a couple of weeks or so. Not everyone’s recovery is the same. We come in to it at different weights, with different medical histories and different existing medical conditions. There will be similarities but also variations. Do your research. Lots of people have shared their recovery and journey here to give you an idea of what you might experience and give you an idea of what you might experience. All the best.

I found two WLS centers, then asked them what insurance they knew would cover them. I went with the center I could get the insurance for. I tried the other way around and there was so much stuff, procedures that I didn’t understand and hoops to jump through. The center I picked did 99% of the nasty insurance stuff for me! Three years later I still have follow up care and weight loss support groups through the center.

@julie. I think it’s weird that everyone’s pre op diet is so different. My nutritionist told me that it use to be all shakes before surgery but she asked the surgeon to include something chewy to help us not quit. I have to say it’s not simple. My surgeon is one of two drs at University of Miami hospital who does Bariatric surgery. He told me my husband could stay with me because the floor is his and he can specify a lot of things. I’ll be staying 2 nights because of distance and my age. Just liquid the day before surgery for me and two weeks after also. Then every 2 weeks the next step. I would love a slice pizza or a grilled cheese sandwich right now. It hasn’t even been a week yet:)

Yeah it is definitely normal for it to slow - and a good thing to remind us of the priorities when it comes to eating etc! Definitely good prep for the future I can see how that is a thing - I definitely weigh myself far far less than I used to in the earlier day of surgery, but I still find myself on that scale maybe 3-4 times per week! I need to perhaps take a step back and get the tape measure out instead and just weigh in once a month as you say!

Went to the clinic today n I'm back on the bill but like 3 times a week. Sigh .. maybe it was too soon going off it

This is a new video Dr. Weiner (bariatric surgeon in Tucson) put out through his podcast this week. He is one of the best resources out there for reliable information on bariatric surgery and the science of weight loss. This 55-minute video is all the most up to date information to get you started with all the basic questions you might have (and if you want more in-depth information, he has hundreds of other videos that dive deeper). He talks about nutrition, exercise, surgery, and GLP-1 meds.

So many awesome WIns this week ladies! My win for the week is keeping moisturized and hydrated. I will share this for neck, face, under eye! It is heaven! I love a good face routine. While loosing weight it's important to focus on our neck as it may start to droop! Well we have to focus on our entire bodies! So many changes!

chiming in to say i had a similar start to running like AmberFL. (note though that i am a track or round-my-600m-neighbourhood-block runner, and not a follow-my-nose-runnner lol). started off walking around the track/block, then jogging one side of it, to jogging 1/2 of it, to jogging every other lap to full on jogging non-stop, then doing the same progression, this time interspersing with running. then longer and/or faster runs. by the end of my running heyday, i was running at least 5K every day (sometimes twice a day) with a longer 10K maybe once a week. then...i hurt my foot. didn't run for 3 months, and never went back to it with the same intensity. these days, i probably get a 5K in 1-2 times a week (less when its too cold). but i do get my exercise in other ways, so its all good. as for fuel, its been a while, but i do remember feeling quite hungry after runs and would actually eat food before noon (not my usual M.O.), could also be because i always ran on an empty stomach (by choice, i hate - and still do - the feeling of something in my stomach when i exercise). to the OP, its effing awesome that you are discovering a fondness for exercise...it really does make a world of difference, for your health, your sleep, your body's ability for recovery, your mental clarity....your overall well-being! plus, it makes you feel grrrrrrrreaaat and look hawt. ❤️

I hear you, SSS! Mr. Smith thought I looked liked Mrs. Emma Peel/Diana Rigg from the Avengers after my first plastics in compression suit. Haha. I wore it for months - loving the cozy, comfy cocoon it provided. Seven weeks out now, and my first week wearing real clothes! Still some discomfort and swelling BUT making good progress. Yesterday surgeon said I can lift over ten pounds now. If the deep tissue pain and irritation continues after our return from Christmas holiday trip - He'll set up physical therapy for me. Elbows and abdominal still remain tender. Regardless, I am so happy with my new slimmer arms - especially in the winter sweaters. Do post here your favorite sweaters and/or winter outfits. I say, show off those beautiful arms ladies!!! I'll start a mini fashion show here with my chartreuse vest and pom-pom gloves. Getting ready for Pennsylvania winter trip... where I hear, Baby it's cold outside...