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Hello everyone, I know that you've all seen a post like mine before. I'm exactly 9 days away from getting gastric bypass surgery. I've tried so many other things and have failed over the long term to keep off my weight. I'm at 436 (was 445), but the diet they put me on helped me lose a few pounds. I'm very, very anxious about the surgery. My mom had the surgery years and years ago when it wasn't as perfected and it didn't go well for her. She lost weight but had a ton of complications. My fear isn't really surrounding post op activities, but rather going through the surgery itself. I hope none of you think less of me, but I'm terrified. I'm even having nightmares about it. My wife got the sleeve a year ago and she didn't have outrageous pain or anything. She was quite doped up lol. I'm scared of going to sleep and waking up in immense pain. I guess that's the jist of it.

@BlueParis The music festival looks like a wonderful time! And I'm so glad to hear you're in a good place with how you feel about yourself. It makes such a difference, doesn't it? For me, it was a year ago today that I went to my appointment with my weight management doctor and was advised to consider having surgery. I had just finished a 2-week roadtrip, driving around 7,000km from Boston to Denver and back for a writing conference, with some great stops along the way. And by "just finished" I mean I had pulled into my driveway at about 10am that morning, having been delayed at the Canadian border (because the maps app on the iPhone didn't know the little border crossing it was sending me to closed at 4pm and I had to drive a couple more hours to find an open crossing!) and having to stay an extra night in Vermont because it was getting too late to make it home safely. After two weeks of restaurant meals and junk food snacks, I weighed in at my highest ever. A year later, I've lost 65 lb and am just 1.4 lbs away from no longer being classified as obese. I still have a ways to go, but it feels good to have gotten this far. Recently, I've had more trouble with vomiting, so I'm sticking with liquids for 24 hours to see if I can let my stomach rest. It seems I never know what will set me off. I have an appointment with my nutritionist coming up soon and will talk to her about it. I'm also struggling post-vacation with some sugar and carb cravings, along with having zero desire to do any cooking now that summer weather has arrived.

Must meet one of the following three criteria: 1. Must have a minimum body mass index (BMI) of > 30 with a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus. 2. Must have a BMI of > 35-39 and must have at least one of the following conditions: a. Degenerative joint disease of major weight bearing joint(s). The member must be a candidate for joint replacement surgery if weight loss is achieved. b. Other rare chronic conditions (for example, pseudo tumor cerebri) in which there is medical evidence that bariatric surgery is medically necessary and that the benefits of bariatric surgery outweigh the risk of surgical mortality. 3. Must have a minimum BMI of > 40 Here is their wording. I’m obviously number 3 I’m just worried it’s a case by case basis and they won’t approve me.

It can be a big adjustment mentally when your clothing size changes. I've gone through something similar after losing weight; it's almost like your mind hasn't caught up with your body yet. It's great that your husband is supportive and helps guide you to the right section. It does get easier over time as you get more comfortable with your new size. By the way, I came across a neat blog at Mato & Hash about custom New Era hats that you might find interesting. It's cool to see how you can personalize accessories to match your style evolution.

Mine came after an open conversation with my sleep doctor of all people. I was seeing him because I was getting set up with a CPAP machine due to my sleep apnea. In addition to my sleep apnea I had developed several other obesity-related health conditions including pre-diabetes, chronic pain in my knees and back, some minor heart issues and the worst of all, scrotal lymphedema (I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy). My doctor pointed out that losing weight would help all of those issues and he added that his mother was quite heavy and was dealing with a lot of health issues and that the sooner I could lose weight, the better my long-term health would be, and he recommended I look into bariatric surgery. That was the first time the idea had even crossed my mind. I did some research on it, but found out my insurance wouldn't cover it and it would be around $20,000 to pay for it out of pocket. But 3 years later I started a new job and got on their insurance, and it covered the surgery, so I began the process at that point.

Your weight loss is not over until it’s over. Losing for 18 months to 2 years isn’t that uncommon. Your weight loss will naturally slow as you’re able to eat more (this is supposed to happen) & you get closer to your final weight (your new set point) & closer to consuming the number of calories your body needs to function effectively. When it happens to you depends upon those things & some other factors. I reached my goal at 6 months. Like @ms.sss, I too took a while to work out what my maintenance calories were & to be able to eat that much so also did not intentionally mean to lose more. I continued to lose for another 11 or so months. Definitely noticed slowing down at about 5 months (maybe a little before & it got slower & slower. I lost another 11kgs over those last 11 months & in the last of those months I was losing grams in a week and maybe half a kilo a month. So I lost for about 18 months in total but it was obviously where my body wanted me to be (my new set point). I ate a bare 900 calories at 6 months. Got to around 1300 at 18 months. I eat about 1600 calories a day now yet I still weigh the same as I did when my weight stabilised at 18 months.

One of my favorite resources is Dr. Weiner's videos (as well as his book The Pound of Cure and his weekly podcast). He talks about the type of food we eat being more important than the number of calories we eat. Here is one video that I watch probably once a month just to get it into my head. But he has hundreds of videos, so I encourage you to check out all of the playlists on his channel. Having said that, there's a good chance you're in a stall as opposed to being done. Your BMI is low enough now that you're approaching "normal weight" and weight loss at that point gets really slow and difficult. But it doesn't mean you can't do it!

That is very helpful! I appreciate how much time and thought you put into your responses. I am around one kilo away from my new goal which I think is too low anyway, so I want to shift to maintenance at the moment but I am scared, worried, don't know how and I think I'm developing a low key ED. I was out with my mom and sister for lunch yesterday and we went to this fancy Chinese place and ordered dim sum, Kung Pao Chicken and Tenderloin. Obviously due to restriction I had very little food but then they brought in a dessert platter with mini samples of desserts they were testing and I was really scared to even trying a mini bite of anything. My mom and sister went like you aren't going to gain weight if you have one bite of something you fancy! this is not healthy. I don't know how to shift gears for maintenance and I am so worried of weight gain but also don't want to be sick looking. I have blabbered too much but I really want to learn from people who have successfully kept the weight off for years but are not afraid to eat. I need to achieve that balance and don't know how to do it.

For me, I live on 1100 - 1200 calories on non work out days and 1300-1400 on workout days. On my weight training day, I tend to go up to 1500 calories. I work out 5 days per week. I also have 2 rest days. My protein, fluid intake, carbs, healthy fats, and calories are all higher on workout days, but I still can't get anywhere NEAR 2100 per day. 1500 is really pushing it, but I only do heavy weight training once per week, so it's ok. For quite a while, my calories on non workout days were 800-900 or so and workout days were 1100-1300, depending on what workouts I was doing that day. As time has gone on, my calorie and food intake has increased, but I still stick to the rule that I eat until I'm not hungry anymore, not until I'm stuffed. It's normal for our stomachs to hold a little more and our calories to increase as time goes by. What's important is to be selective with where those calories and carbs come from, not to overeat, and to be mindful of moving your body and getting in enough fluids.

I never really had the emotional ups and downs, mostly because at the time I had PCOS, and the influx of estrogen from both my surgeries actually normalized my hormones for a few months each time lol What I DID have, however, is the emotional issues that came with changing my relationship with food. I had NO IDEA that would be a thing lol Changing what you eat, how you eat, when and why you eat, how often you eat is like breaking up with a toxic partner. You've been together for a REALLY long time, and even though you KNOW it's a terrible, unhealthy relationship, it's really all you know and you're so dependent on it you don't think you can function without it. And now you have to figure out how to. You have to completely retrain your brain, learn the difference between true hunger and head hunger (there is an actual, real difference), and you have to learn to read the nutrition labels, track your calories and Protein and carbs, work out, don't cheat (and don't make excuse after excuse and justification after justification for why you went back to the toxic relationship even after you knew it was bad for you, yet still gave in), measure food, track fluids, take HONEST accountability for your actions (which isn't something most of us had been particularly good at) and make adjustments as needed to stay as compliant as possible for the long haul. Contrary to what so many think, there's actually a LOT of work that has to happen after the surgery. The surgery itself is just a tool. It's not a miracle cure. It won't fix all the issues if you don't put in the actual work. Just eating smaller amounts without making any of the necessary changes isn't enough, and that's a hard lesson many learn later on. All of this is such a mind eff, and takes a toll on a person. It's a lot of changes, and a lot of work, thrown at a person all at once. And no matter how ready you think you are, it can still cause so much emotional turmoil, and understandably so. What I, and so many, don't realize is that we all have ED (eating disorders) in order to get to being obese and morbidly obese (or in some cases, super morbidly obese). It's not just anorexia or bulimia. I genuinely didn't know that. We have to retrain our brains to get out of that, and sometimes that requires help, and we have to be ok with getting that help. And because we have to do that, we then get incredibly frustrated and defeated feeling when the weight comes off slower than we thought it would, or we hit stalls (or in my case, stall after stall after stall - which is COMPLETELY normal, by the way, and should be expected). I said all of this to say there's SO many different reasons we can have emotions all over the place. Influx of hormones all at once, changes in relationship with food, changes in routines and increase in the things we don't particularly like doing (or not doing anymore), learning we have to do a lot of work to get and maintain the results we want after the surgery, learning PATIENCE with the rate of weight loss and trusting the process (easier said than done, believe me, I know), realizing that body dysmorphia is REAL and we can and do struggle with seeing ourselves as anything other than our formerly obese selves (I'm 182 pounds and I still see 421 pounds sometimes when I look in the mirror), and of course, hair loss (also COMPLETELY normal, and will eventually stop). You won't go bald, there's nothing to prevent it or stop it, you need to increase your Protein, Biotin doesn't slow it down, and it's a COMPLETELY normal part of the process that many of us don't know about until it happens and then we freak out. So give yourself some grace and just know this is normal. You're doing great, and we're all here for you, just like everyone was here for me

same. and "anything i want" includes chocolate and chips and fried foods and sauces/gravvies and high-fat things and desserts and pizzas and bread, etc. etc. BUT not in copious amounts (for the most part). BUT i also eat salads and veggies and lean meats and cottage cheese and tofu and fruits, also not in copious amounts (for the most part). mind you my weight loss phase days are long behind me, but even during weight loss phase, i would occasionally have foods that were "off plan". like mentioned above, i was closer to maybe eating "what i was supposed to be eating" maybe 75-80% of the time. though my total average calories were always low regardless of what i was eating.

Things have been going well! After some very slow weight loss in late April thru May, June is really looking up. With my 4-month mark just a few days away, I'm down about 61 lbs from my highest weight, which includes 35lbs since my actual surgery. I'm looking forward to hitting the "overweight not obese" milestone soon, just 5lbs to go! And 35lbs to go until I reach my weight goal! My hair thinning is just starting. My hairdresser styled it a bit shorter when I went yesterday and she'll suggest a new style if it becomes needed. But it's not too bad yet. Thankfully, I don't have any issues hitting protein and water targets. I usually have a protein shake in the morning to start the day and I put around a cup of Fairlife skim milk in my 32oz morning decaf tea, so that's 36g protein before I even have food, which I do a few hours after I get up. I can eat around 15-20g protein when it's solid food. I like Greek yogurt with berries and nuts for breakfast and often do a salad with chicken strips for lunch. Dinner is all sorts of things. The protein shake I use is Syntrax Nectar Natural in orange flavor, which vaguely reminds me of orange TANG. It feels sort of like having a glass of orange juice, enough to not be too weird in the morning before I'm fully awake. The rest of the flavors are just disgusting, although I am okay mixing a scoop of vanilla with some frozen pineapple and a splash of water or milk in a blender to make a frozen treat on a hot day. I do have about 1x a week issues with vomiting, triggered by different foods each time but usually either due to eating too fast or something being too dry. It's hard because a single bite can trigger it so it's very unforgiving. I've started carrying a small hospital-style vomit bags (found on Amazon) in my car and purse so that I won't be caught in an uncomfortable situation in public.. So far, I haven't needed them, but it makes me feel better to have it with me. I'm going on vacation next week and planning to bring along some protein bars and easy snacks like roasted edamame and beef jerky (which I found in 50-calorie packs at Dollar Tree). Once I'm home, I'm hoping to do some meal prep and try some new recipes because food is getting boring and kind of a chore. I don't really experience any hunger, so remembering to eat and making myself eat regularly is a nuisance.

When I had my initial sleeve surgery, my kids were 24 and 15 and my granddaughter was 1. None of them had ever seen me thin. I was 240 pounds when I had my son and his first real memories are from when he was 2 and I weighed 270. When I had my daughter, I was 315 pounds and her memories are from around 3 years old and I weighed 340. My highest weight, when I had my initial consultation, was 421 pounds. I lost 33 pounds pre-surgery and I was 388 on surgery day. I knew I had to be open with them, so I just came out and told them the truth. I went over my goals for health, getting off medications, increased mobility, weight loss, etc... They were both surprised but really happy for me and supportive. Now my kids are just so proud and impressed with not only my weight loss, but the improvements I've made with my health, my overall fitness (one of my son's favorite things to do with me is go on hikes now). My granddaughter only knew me as 421 pounds. She's 3 now, so it's taken her a little bit to get use to me being thinner (she lives in Arizona and I'm in Colorado, so she doesn't se me a lot, so the changes are more dramatic for her). I'm glad I was open with my kids, because it taught them about the real struggles with morbid obesity, the tools available, and they saw first hand the changes that have to be made, the relationship with food that has to improve, and the work that has to be put in. My son said he always looked at the surgery as a way for someone fat to be lazy and take the easy way out. Now that he's seen what it REALLY takes, his whole opinion changed.

And I kind of want to cry. Anyone care to proofread and critique before i send it in tomorrow? Would really appreciate it. Describe the limitations morbid obesity imposes on you in your daily activity: So, today I was dancing with my daughter. Turned on the music, singing, dancing, laughing. I lasted about 4 min before my hip and knee gave out, and I was horribly out of breath. My adorable two year old is going "mama, dance!" and I can't anymore. I'm in too much pain. I go to get dressed and none of my clothes fit anymore. I'm stuffing myself into things two sizes too small because I don't want to admit my real size. My sister completed suicide last December. I promised her I'd take up running, like she'd always done. I told her I'd run the NAMI Walks 5k in her honor. But how can I? I can't even dance for 4 min. I can't run for 30! Even trying Couch to 5k hurts too badly. I have a flap of skin where I've had two c-sections, and I have a nasty rash there regularly from sweat and skin and yuck. It itches and burns and frankly smells horrible. I hate looking at myself in the mirror now. I know, buried deep in there, is the girl I once was. The one that loved to dance. The cheerleader. The former military girl who was in excellent shape. She's in there, I know she is. She's buried under a fat girl that can't seem to lose the weight. She's tried every diet she could. She's counted calories, she's counted carbs. She's exercised, she's paid for HCG shots. And still the fat girl looks back at me in the mirror instead of the girl I want to be. So far, I'm pretty lucky. For a fat person, I'm fairly healthy. But I know it's a matter of time. I know I'm a time bomb, waiting to go off, where I'll get worse as time goes on. And I tell myself I'm relatively health as my knees give out. As my hip gives out. As I struggle to sleep at night and struggle to wake up in the morning. As I deal with severe depression. As I spend every day so tired I don't want to move. As I deal with fibromyalgia. But I know others have it worse, so I deem myself "better" and "more healthy" so I can ignore what my weight is doing to me and how unhealthy it truly makes me. I hate that I'm discriminated against in life for being fat. I hate that I'm discriminated in healthcare. This essay requirement alone is proof of that... would you make someone write an essay on why they need a knee replacement or a pacemaker? Or is it just fat people that need to convince an insurance agency to pay for what's covered under the policy they pay for? The discrimination we face as fat people is so pervasive and endless that we just put up with it. We do what we're told. We deserve it, we're fat. I want to be in charge of my life. I want control over food back. I want to run that 5k in honor of my sister. I want to dance with my baby. I don't want to hurt. I want my life back. This surgery can help me in that goal. Thank you.

I made this post in another thread as a response to someone else, and then I realized it's something that might help others after they've had their surgery and find themselves struggling. Maybe you're seeing an increase in hormones all of a sudden...maybe you're discovering there's a lot more work involved in getting and keeping the results you need after having the surgery. Maybe you're struggling to change your relationship with food. Whatever the case is, maybe this will help "I never really had the emotional ups and downs, mostly because at the time I had PCOS, and the influx of estrogen from both my surgeries actually normalized my hormones for a few months each time lol What I DID have, however, is the emotional issues that came with changing my relationship with food. I had NO IDEA that would be a thing lol Changing what you eat, how you eat, when and why you eat, how often you eat is like breaking up with a toxic partner. You've been together for a REALLY long time, and even though you KNOW it's a terrible, unhealthy relationship, it's really all you know and you're so dependent on it you don't think you can function without it. And now you have to figure out how to. You have to completely retrain your brain, learn the difference between true hunger and head hunger (there is an actual, real difference), and you have to learn to read the nutrition labels, track your calories and Protein and carbs, work out, don't cheat (and don't make excuse after excuse and justification after justification for why you went back to the toxic relationship even after you knew it was bad for you, yet still gave in), measure food, track fluids, take HONEST accountability for your actions (which isn't something most of us had been particularly good at) and make adjustments as needed to stay as compliant as possible for the long haul. Contrary to what so many think, there's actually a LOT of work that has to happen after the surgery. The surgery itself is just a tool. It's not a miracle cure. It won't fix all the issues if you don't put in the actual work. Just eating smaller amounts without making any of the necessary changes isn't enough, and that's a hard lesson many learn later on. All of this is such a mind eff, and takes a toll on a person. It's a lot of changes, and a lot of work, thrown at a person all at once. And no matter how ready you think you are, it can still cause so much emotional turmoil, and understandably so. What I, and so many, don't realize is that we all have ED (eating disorders) in order to get to being obese and morbidly obese (or in some cases, super morbidly obese). It's not just anorexia or bulimia. I genuinely didn't know that. We have to retrain our brains to get out of that, and sometimes that requires help, and we have to be ok with getting that help. And because we have to do that, we then get incredibly frustrated and defeated feeling when the weight comes off slower than we thought it would, or we hit stalls (or in my case, stall after stall after stall - which is COMPLETELY normal, by the way, and should be expected). I said all of this to say there's SO many different reasons we can have emotions all over the place. Influx of hormones all at once, changes in relationship with food, changes in routines and increase in the things we don't particularly like doing (or not doing anymore), learning we have to do a lot of work to get and maintain the results we want after the surgery, learning PATIENCE with the rate of weight loss and trusting the process (easier said than done, believe me, I know), realizing that body dysmorphia is REAL and we can and do struggle with seeing ourselves as anything other than our formerly obese selves (I'm 182 pounds and I still see 421 pounds sometimes when I look in the mirror), and of course, hair loss (also COMPLETELY normal, and will eventually stop). You won't go bald, there's nothing to prevent it or stop it, you need to increase your protein, biotin doesn't slow it down, and it's a COMPLETELY normal part of the process that many of us don't know about until it happens and then we freak out. So give yourself some grace and just know this is normal. You're doing great, and we're all here for you, just like everyone was here for me "

Hi, everyone, I've just caught up on posts after being away from the site for a bit. I would love to comment on everyone's posts because we're all going through such similar things. I'm really proud of us for the changes we're making. @ShoppGirl, I think you are correct about the treadmill being narrow and having to balance on it. I was shocked to find that walking on a treadmill is very different from walking on the street, but it definitely is. I have a treadmill that I walk on during meetings at work (I work from home) and that's a lot easier for me than walking on the street. But I had to set it under a stand-up desk because trying to balance on the narrow thing would be a full-time job and I couldn't pay attention in my meetings. (Also I'd probably fall off of it a lot.) My first week back to work was exhausting. I was just fried at the end of each day, even though I work from home. My hubby had his prostate out on Friday. He was able to come home the same day, which we were not expecting but it was a very nice surprise. I'm plenty recovered enough from my surgery to do stuff for him, so we're doing well. But it's obvious to me that I'm still recovering, because I get tired much more easily than pre-op. I'm proud of myself because I planned and brought protein drinks to make sure I got nutrition throughout the day. All day, I had been aware of the hospital cafeteria, which is close to the surgical waiting room, but I knew that I was not going to go in because I had no reason to. Back in the day, I would have had the perfect excuse to go nuts in there while I waited for hubby's surgery to be done! Then, since I got to take my husband home, I ended up being at the hospital later than I expected, so I had to find something to eat and ended up having to go there. So I had my first experience of eating somewhere other than home. I was able to find appropriate protein in the right amount, and that's all I had. I had my first post op visit with the PA, who told me not to worry about the fact that I don't have fullness cues. She said by 3 months it may get harder to get things down, because scar tissue hasn't formed yet, and also by 3 months, I'll have developed a much better sense of what's going on in my body. Surprisingly, she said that if I'm doing pureed easily, I could move to soft. So that was a great surprise and I'm enjoying the soft stage. I can eat more of a variety of things. It's going fine, which still bothers me because I wish I had more sense of restriction. I worry that I'm going to return to old bad habits! So I'm being careful to measure, and I tell my Baritastic app everything I'm eating! The thing I'm currently struggling with is that eating only 1/2 cup at a time, I've been eating only one thing and focusing on protein. I'm finding myself craving things like fruit and vegetables. So I had a couple florets of broccoli tonight which was great. I read a sample diet for the soft stage that had entries like, "2 bites of _______". I am going to focus on eating more fresh things, now that I understand I can just have a bit less of whatever my protein is and "2 bites" of something fresh. I'm also struggling with getting all the vitamins in, since I have to separate the calcium from the iron from the multivitamins. There are only so many hours in the day! I know others have mentioned this, so at least we're all in the same boat, and we'll figure it out. I am losing maybe half a pound a day. I know that's a lot, and I had a couple of non-scale victories the other day. I had to go in to the office for a meeting, and I put on a dress that had been too tight to wear. It fit perfectly! And the sandals I wore zip up the back. They'd been hard to zip because of my fat ankles, but now they are even a little bit loose! On paper, I've lost 30 pounds from my heaviest, but it doesn't feel or look that way to me. I'm only 5 feet, so that much weight should be quite obvious, but it isn't. That bugs me some, but I know I'm just beginning and I WILL be able to see the difference when I lose more. I'm happy that I can move around and get some exercise. I thought I'd be just weak from taking in so few calories, but I'm not. Occasionally, I'll get a little lightheaded, but it's not bad at all. I was able to do my pre-op treadmill routine (3 30-minute walks daily at 2.0 MPH, which means 3 treadmill miles a day) although I did have one day when I got a little lightheaded and had to turn down the speed just a bit. Today was the first time that I actually felt "hungry" since surgery. But it was mixed in with a desire to eat out of boredom as well as some head hunger, so I'm not quite sure what the deal was, exactly. I am trying to just pay attention to that stuff and ask myself questions about how I'm feeling, without any intention of acting on it. I think I will do better if I start eating more of a "meal" type diet with mostly protein but a little of things like vegetables and fruits, so that I have some variety and am getting in some varied nutrients from food, not just my vitamins. And yes, I STILL have a little of the sticky stuff from the hospital on my skin! What is that about?

Thank you!! I thought about changing my highest weight, but that's not what I was when I had my surgery and I wanted to track my progress from my surgery weight. I did keto to lose the weight my doctor wanted me to lose, and it was amazing for that short amount of time. Taught me a lot about watching calories and especially carbs. Also taught me about making some better choices with the alternative foods that are out there. So I'm glad I did it. And it allowed me to lose the weight I needed to rather quickly. I needed to lose 30 pounds and I lost 33.

Thank you! I'll try to reply to everything. It took me some time, but for me personally the main reason I went with the sleeve is because I want to build muscle on top of the weight loss over time, and nutritionally it is easier to get the amount of nutrients needed to bulk up with a sleeve. However, that was not an easy decision and I did speak with two doctors first to educate myself. Both recommended that I went with a Deudonal Switch because of my diabetes as it would help that faster, however that is an option I have in the future if need be. Of course I'm not a doctor, so I would say this depends a lot on your personal factors and what would help you best. My sister had a DS done and she dropped over 200 pounds of fat, she's a different person now. My sister is also very short and I'm 6 feet tall so we carry the weight very differently. Either way, as long as you get it done I think you will be alright. No disrespect to the forums, but I understand the hesitancy from looking around here. However, I would say to look at this as more of a support group and a place for help from others that have gone through it. Everyone is completely different as far as what happens. I have been fortunate to have little to no side effects at all, others are not as lucky. I can say that before and after surgery it's up to you to control how well you achieve your goals. It's hard but absolutely worth it. You got down this far on your own, you should be proud of yourself. I'm proud of you. Don't look at surgery as a miracle cure for weight loss. Look at it as a tool that will aid you to achieve your goals much faster. After all, once you have the surgery it's on you to follow the meal plans, supplements/medication, and exercise in order to truly achieve your goals. And knowing your journey so far, I think that whatever you have done will help you immensely. Thank you again for sharing your story. Feel free to reach out if you ever need to.

@Noelle74 congrats on your weightloss! @BlueParis you look great btw and thank God I’m not French! 😂 I can’t imagine living somewhere where I felt ashamed of myself constantly because of my weight….. not that I haven’t in the past here in the states but never consistently as you’ve described. It’s interesting bc I’m fairly educated and a registered nurse to boot and still managed to become obese even having a very extensive knowledge of nutrition. I feel like a lot of “skinny” people just think that fat people are lazy and have no self control when often that isn’t the reason (or at least the only reason we are fat). For me at least, my obesity is multi-faceted…. a) I love food, particularly yummy fattening food and sweets and I DO lack self control when it comes to overeating. See d) below lol b) I also have diagnosed PCOS which makes me insulin resistant so I don’t metabolize carbohydrates like a normal person and they make me gain weight fast as opposed to someone who isn’t insulin resistant. This just makes it difficult to maintain a healthy diet for me and others like me in the long term bc you almost have to steer completely clear of carbs ALL the time. And I mean most carbs….bread, fruit, etc. c) Like @NickelChip has pointed out, at least here in the states, its like you’re set up for failure from the get go if your busy……it’s soooo difficult to eat healthy on the go if you don’t prep ahead. Good luck “grabbing” something while you’re running around that’s easy, cheap and isn’t processsed to death and horrible for you lol. And I swear the food in European countries is better than here and less processed. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Who knows? d) I’m flat out a food addict……I have no doubt. I mentioned one time before, I was a heavy smoker until January. I only quit because my surgeon made me. lol. I have tons of alcoholics and drug addicts in my family. I’m someone that truly believes that addiction is partially genetic. My addiction just happens to be food and tobacco. Not to say that you can’t overcome this. It’s just something that is and another hurdle to jump. I mean who knows, maybe if I lived in France I’d be shamed into being skinny? But that just sounds like a miserable position to be in. I’m glad you’re getting tiny again @BlueParis so you don’t feel that way and for your health and cerebral palsy. For now I’m with @LisaCaryl and @NickelChip, I would like to be healthier and it would be nice to be able to buy clothes in the regular store/department and not the fat lady store. At 288# I had gotten to where I never wanted to leave the house bc I was ashamed of what I looked like. But I’m in an 18ish now and at least no longer feel like I have to hide my giant fat self inside anymore. So that’s definitely a win for me right!? @LisaCaryl keep us updated on your knee…..Hope it’s ok, you probably need an anti inflammatory but they’re harsh on the stomach so be careful! @RonHall908 I wish I was like you with your exercising! I envy that strength and drive you have bc I’m lacking that. I did however get my Pilates bar today and did the workout that @NickelChip posted. Now I just have to keep up with it. We’ll see 😉

Exactly, would they ask someone who's putting weight on?

Throwing my anecdotal experience in the ring here, as well! I had a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) at the end of November 2023. I was a "slower loser" the whole time, and then I hit a major stall about 6 months post-op, just bouncing around the same ~5ish pounds for months. I set up an appointment with my team for July 8th, discussed the issues I was having (mainly just being hungry and therefore eating larger portions), compared the different options, and we settled on trying out Phentermine. I did have to have a mobile heart monitor for 30 days prior to my surgery, as I had these weird heart "flutters" for YEARS and nobody could really figure out what they were (they ended up being PACs, or Premature Atrial Contractions, which apparently almost everyone has at some point and most people can't feel. I'm just unlucky! They are benign if they are not occurring in excess). My team had me do an EKG in-office that day, as well. They asked about any family history of heart issues, sudden death at early ages, etc. With a normal EKG, I was started on half of a 37.5mg tablet for 4 days, to increase to a full tablet after that if there was still residual hunger and I didn't have any major side effects. They said I'd know within those first few days if it was going to cause any issues. I did increase to the full 37.5mg after 4 days, and I've broken the stall (dropped 5lbs since July 8th, and part of that was spent at a music festival with few healthy food options), and I feel generally great! I do also have ADHD and Narcolepsy, so the stimulant properties are helpful for me. I'm feeling satisfied with much smaller portions and not experiencing cravings at all. I did have some mild insomnia the first few days, BUT I am already a night owl with a bit of insomnia due to the Narcolepsy, so it wasn't a big issue. Other comorbid conditions include depression and anxiety, which I am taking medication for, as well. The anxiety has not been exacerbated, which WAS an issue I had with previous stimulant use for Narcolepsy. Cost-wise, it ended up being roughly $7 USD with insurance. For me, trying Phentermine is definitely worth it, and I will follow up with my team later next month to see where I'm at. I had feared I was done losing after only 6 months post-op, and Phentermine has restored my hope that I can keep going to get to a healthier weight. It's important to remember that, while Phentermine will decrease your appetite, it does NOT cause you to burn any more calories than normal unless you also increase your activity. You have to decrease your portions - the Phentermine just makes it easier to do that, if it works as intended. So, your personal experience may vary, but it's worth discussing with your team if you feel stuck! EDITED TO ADD: My team said that I need to take a break from using it daily about once a month (like, not take it for a couple of days), otherwise I'll develop a tolerance and it won't work as well. This is pretty typical for stimulant medications in general.

Hi there! I didn't see the doc on Monday because my knee felt slightly better. However, it's not good now, so my husband is taking the day off to help me around the house and take me to the doctor! Thank you for asking!! We have a bunch of animals, and trying to care for them on my own is pretty impossible right now. It's crazy how different our sizing is! I wish we had a universal system for weights and measures. Maybe someday, but I'm too old to convert at this point. Lol. I hope you broke your stall!!!

I don't know how to feel about this. Not because she's taking weight loss medications, but because she's taking these 2 together. I've done about 4 hours of research and 95% of what I read says NOT to take these 2 meds together. The other 5% is from people who take them together and have had excellent results. She gets the phentermine from her doctor and the Tirzepatide from a compounding pharmacy (they mix it with sterile saline and not B12 or niacinamide). I don't think she's told either provider that she's taking them together, and I can't help feeling like there's a reason she's hiding it. I'm on here partly to vent because I've shown her the research and expressed my concerns and she isn't listening, but also because I'm wondering if anyone here has combined phentermine with either tirzepatide, Zepbound, or Monjauro, and if so, how did it go?

@LisaCaryl Well done on reaching one-derland!!! Ugh, I'm on a short dose of steroids right now, too. A little risky with bypass but I had no choice because I got poison ivy over 90% of my face over the weekend and it turned into a weepy, burning mess. Prednisone was my only hope as I literally couldn't leave the house looking the way I did and I was afraid it would lead to scarring. From what I've read, taking the steroids for a short period of time has minimal lasting impact on weight. Just avoid salt and drink plenty of water. Keep an eye on your tummy for any upset as it can cause irritation.

(I love your username!) I feel like the majority of us turned to WLS as a last resort after many other WL-options didn't work out for us. I've done WW, Dr Bernstein, raw diets, different drugs, intermittent fasting, all sorts of fad diets / cleanses, etc. I feel you. This is different. This is a diet not as a noun, but as a verb -- a healthy way of eating for life. This resets our hormonal responses to food. It gives us a blank slate to re-learn those healthy habits of portion control, of prioritizing nutrients, etc. It gives us the opportunity to look at our old habits and realize we don't need them anymore. It gives us a jumpstart into weight loss so we start off with great momentum / kicking ass. Good luck to you -- but you don't need it. Good mindset is all you need.