Search the Community

Okay so when I first started drinking coffee (around 4-6wks PO) was when I started pushing breakfast back to around 10-11am. Even now i can’t drink anything within 45 mins of eating and the coffee was just that important to me. Hey, if I’m pretty much giving up wine,cocktails, beer and pizza, I gotta have SOMETHING to look forward to. Anyway,it was delaying breakfast that’s brought me to my current (almost every) day schedule of 16:8 IF. *exciting news* Got on the scale this morning and I’m down 1.8 pounds since last Wednesday. Woo hoo!!!

5"4" 👵 17m PO (WLM) 135.4lbs (pre-poopy)=lol knew it would go back up again. LOL. GHDWL (Groundhog Day Weight Loss = gaining and losing the same 2 lbs over and over and over again every day...) Tuesday August 6 Menu: B1-6am-black decaff coffee x eleventy billion B2-11am-starving!-protein latte (decaf + 1oz PP) L-2pm--1.125oz Krolczyk's Turkey Jerky + Frigo Light String Cheese + 39g Good Culture 2% Cott Cheese + 38g Banyan KimChi (Tongbaechu) AS1-3:30pm--Veggies with Grk Yogurt Dip: (35g baby carrots + 33g rbp + 54g cucumber with peel) + (33g Grk yogurt plain + 1tbsp WF Bacon Ranch + 1Tbsp WF Sesame Ginger + 1tbsp Braggs UACV + g/s/p) AS2-4:45pm--2 Herbox Beef Sodium Free Bouillon + 1tbsp UACV D1- 7pm--1/2 of this meal {90/10 Airfried burger patty with cheese, bacon, and avocado (4oz raw or 3.1oz airfried 90/10 ground sirloin + 15g BH lacy swiss + 1 slice applewood smoked bacon + 1oz avo + 40g heirloom tomato + 14g purple onion + 1/2tbsp Duke's mayo + 1tsp Lowensenf Mustard + 5 asparagus spears + 4oz Idaho potato raw (roasted with 1tsp olive oil) } D2 - 8:45pm 1/2 of the rest of the D1 meal It was a snacking grazing day. I'd intended to do an 18:6 IF with 500 cal VLCD, but just couldn't do it. Interestingly someone posted an article about the use of antibiotics and weight gain/increased hunger. And with this surgery last month for my twisted gut, I had massive amounts of IV antibiotics. I'm back to my pre-surg weight and the scale isn't budging. And I'm incredibly hungry every day. And I'm letting that hunger dictate horrible choices that just fuel more hunger (hello roasted potatoes I'm talking about YOU there! Gah. LOL. Crazy much?) This would be considered an "UP" day for me, but not a feast day. Feast days are on weekends (usually a Saturday) and are more likely 1200-1400 cals.

There are 2 big myths of WLS: 1. Dumping--people have these surgeries hoping for that negative feedback for their addictions. But if you don't change your head, nothing will change. You will still cheat with sugar. Whether or not your get sick. You will find a way to have your addiction. You can NOT depend on a TOOL to do the work if you use it the wrong way. And the real truth is that only 30% of RNY patients experiencing dumping and substantially fewer VSG peeps (maybe 3-5%?). And that dumping goes away sometimes the longer you are post surgery. 2. Restriction & Malabsorption--people believe their restriction and/or malabsorption will last for life and that they can eat anything they want cuz their "tool" will protect them and magically make them observe a moderate behavior. But moderate behavior begins with a choice in the brain and if you don't change your head, nothing in your behavior will change. People eat around their tool every day. I could eat an entire huge order of etouffee from Pappadeaux's if I ate a few bites every 10-15 minutes. I'd probably finish it within an hour! And I would have had 2 -3 days of calories in one meal. I could have a bite of Crispy Creme donut every 15-30 minutes and at the end of the day have eating 4-5 of them. I would not have dumped and I'd be craptastically full of sugar, carbs, and fat. I would have absorbed a ton of the cals. See where I'm going? In addition, both your restriction and malabsorption lessens the further out you are from the surgery. WLS only ever was intended to give people a brief honeymoon period where they could lose substantial amounts of weight and potentially reset their metabolic health so that they could then go on to learn new healthy habits for living and behaving with food/learn proper nutrition practices and live a healthy thin life the rest of their lives. Do your head work and let your tool do the job it's supposed to do. You are responsible for using your tool correctly. Don't bring a hammer to a screwdriver fight. Use your tool the way it's intended and it will serve you well--for life.

Not sure what the 'progam' is like now although I briefly peeked. WAY back in the day when I did Optifast (after Oprah Winfrey made it popular), they had us mix our shake packets with WATER, averaging between 80 - 100 calories a day. We did not have a 'meal replacement option'. Did it for 90 days...3 LONG MOS! Lost 80 lbs and kept it off for a decade. I do see that if a person mixes it with milk or maybe there is now a ready to drink shake..that this would be 200 cals (which you referenced)..so hopefully for the purposes of losing for pre-op, a dr might put someone on Optifast with a requirement to use water, that would be roughly 500 calories a day and would allow a small food meal. Again, this is just conjecture on my part but was interested to see Optifast is still around..and back in my 'dinosaur days'..we had to walk uphill in the winter for 10 miles and ONLY mix our shakes with water!! LOL

Very odd. I can’t really say much without knowing more background, but it sounds as if the wife has some serious control issues. Secondly, she could sure use some dang education on nutrition and fitness before spouting wrong advice to others. Jeez, not only was she rude, she was wrong. As time goes by, I’m thinking all of us are going to experience this kind of thing (although maybe not quite as dramatically as your friends wife voiced it) Just yesterday morning I went in for a haircut. It had been since the end of May since my last one any my stylist is one of my besties. I’ve known her since 1999, but here’s the deal..... I’ve been obese/morbidly obese the whole time she’s known me. One would think that since she had done my color in May, that my appearance now wouldn’t be as shocking, but apparently it was. When I showed up yesterday she took one look at me and congratulated me for being “finished” Um........ nope! I’m still 8-10 pounds heavier than I was before I got pregnant with my daughter (the main catalyst for my metabolic syndrome) and 30-35 pounds heavier than when I graduated college. Okay, so I’m not saying that hitting 135 pounds and staying there is feasible, but sitting here at 174, I know I have a LOT of weight that can still be lost. When I told her thanks for the compliments, but I’m still a few months from being done, she started lecturing me on how I didn’t need to try to lose all my curves. Lol, I explained that I’m sure I’ll still have curves even when I’m a normal weight and that I was actually still “overweight” according to BMI charts. For the record, my friend is 5’1” and has probably never weighed over 110 pounds ever in her life—she barely even gained weight when she was pregnant. She means well, but I think it’s a bit scary to see someone who you’ve only ever known as extremely overweight suddenly NOT overweight. So many times, we equate that with poor health

I got my first real bout of the foamies. Gastric Bypass July 1, 2019 lost 41 lbs. Really struggling tonight after eating toom much coconut soup with chicken. Think I was eating too fast AND not chewing it up well enough. UGH

5'2", 114.5 lbs, ♀️ 9m post-op, maintaining Today's Menu - Tuesday August 6th: Note: times listed are when I FINISHED eating Ended up having a don't-really-feel-like eating day, so am writing this up now since I'm done with eating today. I started having my first meal of day around 2pm and It took me FOREVER to eat it. Normally I would have just stopped and saved the rest for later, but I was feeling hungry so I kept going. This was all very frustrating and basically turned me off eating like a petulant sucky suck. 9:45 am: 2 cups black coffee -- 10 cals 4:30 pm: salad + 1oz carrots + 1.5 oz avocado + 2oz peaches + 3oz flaked tuna + .5 tbsp sour cream -- 278 cals 7:45 pm: water + 175ml cashew milk + 1 scoop Isopure dutch chocolate protein powder + 2 tsp instant decaf coffee + 2 tsp Benefibre -- 155 cals Totals: 719 cals, 70g Protein, 46g NET carbs, 58g fat Today's Exercise: 6 km of alternating 1km walk then 1km run outdoors (45 mins) Strength training - Arms (15 mins)

My larger incision that is sore is also on my lower right side. It doesn't burn but it aches. It is the only one that is really sore. I have to wear really loose pants because it's so sore. I thought for sure the incision with the drain tube would be my worst incision. It's super red because the nurse had trouble gluing it closed. It doesn't hurt at all.my follow up is also Thursday. Hope it's nothing serious. 5'4" Starting weight 297 VSG on 7/31/19 265 CW 253 GW 135 Sent from my [samsung Galaxy] using BariatricPal mobile app

Welcome!! This is a great place! I'm 7 days post OP. 5'4" Starting weight 297 VSG on 7/31/19 265 CW 253 GW 135 Sent from my [samsung Galaxy] using BariatricPal mobile app

So happy to hear you are on to full liquids!! Sorry you are having trouble sleeping. I take 2 Olly sleep gummies and sleep like a baby. I'm so surprised I did not need to take any pain narcotics since being home. When I was in the hospital, I only used the pump a couple of times. I was more than fine with liquid Tylenol. I have a terrible pain in my chest still when I drink/eat certain foods. Hope you get much needed rest. 5'4" Starting weight 297 VSG on 7/31/19 265 CW 253 GW 135 Sent from my [samsung Galaxy] using BariatricPal mobile app

Welcome! I just signed up recently too. I’m 10 days post op. Love all the advice from everybody on here. Hopefully we keep learning more. I’m also not too far from you. I’m in NY.

It could be useful for current patients to get back down to their goal weight if they have some slide back, or just to get rid of those last 10 lbs. But then again, if we already have those hormonal changes, would this injection do any good for us.

2 weeks out today! Feeling good, I go back to work tomorrow. Yes to moving to soft foods. I hope your journeys are going smoothly. Starting weight 234 VSG 7/23/19. 210 CW 196 GW 140 New_Me 2019

Welcome Greg!! 5'4" Starting weight 297 VSG on 7/31/19 265 CW 253 GW 135 Sent from my [samsung Galaxy] using BariatricPal mobile app

Whenever I go out to eat and see the "average" portions of meals offered or just watch people eat I am like ........................................... gross, man. LOL. But then remember I would eat like 3 times that somehow. I kinda' do hope that in 5 or 10 years I forget what Taco Bell tastes like. Because that still haunts me sometimes. lmao. I asked my coworker who has been vegan for over 20 years if she remembers what meat tastes like and she says she does. Maybe it's not as vivid and pronounced.

I'm 6 days out from surgery. Drinking is still painful un my upper chest area. I'm still sore at largest incision site but its tolerable. I haven't been hungry or sick. Even though hubby has been cooking some delicious smelling foods. I actually could go back to work if I wanted to but I'm sitting on so much PTO, I might as well use it, or I'll lose it at the end of the year. I'm down 13 lbs already, woo hoo!![emoji322][emoji119][emoji813]️ Starting weight 297 VSG 7/31/19 -265 CW 257 GW 135 Sent from my [samsung Galaxy] using BariatricPal mobile app

I agree, weight loss is 70% diet 20% moderate workout and 10% genetics It’s not healthy or realistic to run a marathon on bariatric weight loss calories. Start slow and build up your exercise/activity. Absolutely choose what you enjoy and can keep up with long term. Your fitness goals may change and evolve over time. A small percentage of people choose to become, nationally ranked fencer, cross fitters, spartan runners, triathletes, power lifter, body builders, hockey players etc. If they never had bariatrics no one would view their goals as excessive.

Yes - the sooner, the better. The industry standard is for approval with a BMI of 40 or above (35 with comorbidities such as hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes, etc.), so you have lots of margin to play with before worrying about that. My suggestion is to look far ahead in driving your diet - how should you be eating in 5-10 years to maintain your weight and health, rather than worrying too much about an extra pound or two this month; you will likely lose a fair bit of weight just by making these long term changes, as most of the "diet" plans for weight loss yield short term loss that comes back when you stop. You want to learn how to eat to keep it off in the long term. If possible, work with an RD (dietician, nutritionist) to help you transition - a good RD will work within your tastes and preferences to improve your diet, and help drive your tastes in a healthier direction. The WLS clinic will probably have RDs on staff, or you can find one at your local hospital, Clinics may have very structured pre-op programs, or flexible ones; do what you can to think long term. Good luck...

I'm with @catwoman7 on this one, perhaps the "fat" you are looking to shed is really just extra skin. The scan should tell you this. I have a body composition scale at home, though I'm not sure how accurate they are...maybe you can try one out at a store, just to get a vague idea...? Because really, your pictures don't look like someone who needs to lose another 10-20 lbs... According to this, my target weight range based on 60-80% EBW loss is 133-155lbs. I'm 5'2", and wouldn't have been happy stopping at 155. I *may* have been happy at 133 (if that was as far as I could go) because yeah, my stomach was still a little puffy, but still had good boobage going on. Now I'm quite happy with my stomach/waistline, but the price was my boobs . And butt. I think I can plump up the butt (slightly) with some targeted exercise, but my boobs are gone forever (barring any boob plastics, which I'm not particularly interested in, as there are a tonne of other things I would do first before that - if I could) Yep, I think trying to get to a weight based on clothing size in our pasts doesn't always align. I was 5'2" and 105 lbs in high school and wore a size 5. I'm 114-ish now and I can wear sizes 0-2 (or a child size 12 for fricks sakes). Mind you, a good part of this can be explained by vanity sizing, but I I'm pretty sure I'm way smaller now than I was at 105 lbs. The exercise and working out probably explains the rest.

I'm at 134lbs this morning and I am barely in an 8. And I swear I have just average bone structure. Isn't it SO strange how different we all are?? No way would a 6 work for me. I feel better in a 10 or 12 even, and M/Ls.

Dang, and that 2 inches makes all the difference! You and I are maybe the same size! I do have broad shoulders but my hips are surprisingly slimmer now with the losses. But I'm still good with the BMI per my frame/doc. I think 150 sounds like a perfect size for you at 5'6" with a large frame and heavy muscle mass!!! Two inches makes a HUGE difference! I'm surprised you aren't in a 10 though, but a M/L is an awesome clothes range. That's what most of my clothes are now and I feel comfortable in them although everyone is saying they are big on me. I'm not quite ready to believe that yet though. You sound very solid and compact. So happy it's effortless maintenance though! That's my wish for us all!!!

at first I wasn't happy being back at 150 (I wanted to see those 130s again!!), but my PCP said to try to stay within the 140-160 range because 130s were way too low for me. My normal BMI range goes up to 154 (I'm 5'6"), so I'm within the normal range. I've come to accept it and admit it's probably a good weight for me. I have a large frame and am pretty muscular (according to the DEXA scan, my muscles alone weigh 117 lbs), so the upper end of a normal BMI range does make sense given my body composition. Plus it's not too difficult to maintain at this weight. I think it would have been a constant battle to remain in the 130s. My body was just not comfortable with that - and given my fat percentage was 22% at 146 lbs, that percentage would have been lower in the 130s - so I can see why my body wasn't happy!! (plus I am almost 60 years old - lots of PCP's - including mine - prefer their older adults to be in the 23-27 BMI range to give them a little "cushion" in case they get sick. I'm at a 24 BMI now). as far as clothes, I wear a M/L (depending on manufacturer) or a 12, usually. At 138 I could get into some 10's and most M's, but no smaller. These big a** bones and broad shoulders just aren't going to get into anything much smaller. The bones are in the way. I envy these people who can fit into a size 6 or 8 at 150 lbs, but there's no way I could do that, not even after plastic surgery (which I've had). BUT......M/L and size 12 are pretty normal sizes, after all...

I just got sleeved 8/2/19 I walked in on Friday morning and was sleeved by noon... The pain was crazy the first night.. it was a combination of gas pain and my stomach feeling twisted... Saturday was a breeze just gas pain and now it's the 5th and we have gone shopping at Costco for our regular routine stuff.. the pain is gone but gas come from time to time... It's crazy that I haven't felt hungry since then.. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727AZ using BariatricPal mobile app

Absolutely many have/had a problem with it. I changed dr's @ the last minute so I ended up doing almost a full 30 days of an almost completely liquid diet. I thought the first 13 days with one dr was hard...but man, starting it back up again - full disclosure, the 'new pre-op' date I got with final dr still allowed me 3 weeks to do 'his full liquid plan' but I had a DAY break on 4th of July! I was honestly impressed that I did not gorge..and yeah, I'll use that word as I have done that before. Had just lunch and dinner from 4th of July. No desserts. I had been doing keto for 15 months taking maybe a day off every other month as my body would start to stall and just hang onto the weight so I'd shake it up a bit. However, all I can remember is the LONG 30 days. If I had known up front all of the insurance hassle and scheduling issues that would result from me changing dr's....I would have been freaked at the idea of that long of a pre-op diet. Now I'm post-op and am on Day 12 of yet ANOTHER 3 week post-op liquid diet so I'm roughly on Day 42 (and yeah, I still had that '1 day break') but today my body just seized up on the liquids. I think it is primarily due to working 75 hrs last week when I was only 2 days recovered from my RNY. One thing you have to remember - you are NOT going to be on liquids for life! You are NOT going to be doing pre-op or post-op (first X of weeks depending on your dr) FOREVER. Is it hard to get through? I THINK SO! Is it DOABLE? OH YES! You have hundreds upon hundreds of bariatric friends that are either walking in your same shoes now, have walked in those shoes or who will be walking in those shoes in the near future. Greentealael shared GREAT points about the benefits of the PRE-OP diet most have to follow in some form or another. To be honest by the time I got to..um..Day 19 or 20 of liquid pre-op...I was SO DONE. The ONLY thing that kept be going and refusing to cheat is my BMI is so high, I COULD literally not afford physically, mentally or emotionally to have my dr call off surgery because it would be too dangerous to operate. I also knew I didn't want to ever do any more days of pre-op then I already had to. POST-OP I'm living through...and it has not been easy except for first 2 days...but I remember that this is helping my body to heal..helping our new pouches adjust. I've read what happens when someone pushes the envelope or even more bizarrely..they seem to have not been given a 'post-op' diet..and I know I will make it one way or another to PUREED FOODS. NEVER thought I'd say I was fantasizing about pureed foods, but fantasize I do indeed! You are at the right place, you did the absolute right thing and as a person also known for her discipline when she puts her mind to something, that means YOU HAVE THIS - IT IS YOURS FOR THE TAKING!!

I have 10 😒