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Hi all, I just can not believe that gas is soo much money and people just continure to go go go gog og og og og googgggggggggggggggggggooooooooooooooooooooooo never once slowing down.....I for one am riding my bike to pick up little things at the stores like Kmart, Walmart and Shopko...My husband works close to home, so he rides his motorcycle to work. I am going to ride my bike to the university this next semester when school starts back up. I am sick of having to cut back on other things so we can fill up the vehicles...we have a Pontiac Bonneville which gets between 19 and 30 MPG and an older 84 CHevy pickup that gets BAD mileage...use that to go camping with...I have to drive and hour away to go get fills and this is JUST going to affect me this next week...I am pissed that gas is almost $4.00 a gallon.. Just wanted to know what everyone else is doing to keep the gas budget under control...Deanna

I had a total abdominal hysterectomy on May 7th. I was in the hospital for 3 days and 2 nights. The initial surgery took 3 hours because not only did they remove my uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, but they also had to call in general surgery to detach my intestines from my uterus (was attached with lesions in 3 places). My heart actually did really well and there were no complications.....with that. But it wouldn't be me if there wasn't something wrong somewhere. Ok, so I get back to recovery and seem to be doing well. Blood pressure is a little low, but all in all, not too bad. About an hour into my recovery, the nurse notices a lot of blood. She checks me and apparently I was hemorrhaging blood and clots. I went through 3 big pads in 25 minutes. Just as I came to, I was told I would have to go back into surgery on an emergency basis. My surgeon was with me and actually held my hand the whole way back to the OR and while I was being prepped. The 2nd surgery took almost 2 hours but they got the 2 places that popped internal stitches on the vaginal cuff re-stitched. I was in recovery again for another 2 hours and then was FINALLY allowed to go to my room. My husband was extremely panicked and white as a ghost. He made all the necessary calls and told me he was scared. I felt awful for him. I had to get 2 units of blood because I lost so much. I'm normally on the low side of normal because I'm chronically anemic. My blood pressure was also extremely low for over a day. They gave me a 1/2 liter saline bolus while I was getting the blood transfusion because my blood pressure was staying around 82/39 and thereabouts. It was around 4pm on day 3 that my blood pressure stabilized enough to go home (it stayed around about 93/55 for 4-5 hours). Since I've been home, I sleep a lot, I walk 3-5 times per day, I just finally got off my pain meds and can get by with tylenol. I'm not cleared to drive or exercise, but I walk the apartment complex a couple times a day and that seems to do well. Still have some pain at the incision (it's about 6-7 inches long at the bikini line) and the muscles and nerves under the incision ache sometimes. I can only sit at the computer for about 15 minutes at a time, so this is the first chance I've had to type this out. I had to go to my doctor yesterday because 2 stitches on the right side of my incision popped and I had to be re-stitched. That really sucked, but it is what it is. I'm on leave from work for 6 weeks (well, 5 now). I normally heal well, but this one is really slow going. I'm already on estrogen patches (Climera) but I was told it takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to 2 months for the estrogen to fully kick in and get my hormones regulated. Lemme tell ya, I've been riding the crazy train, complete with night sweats, hot flashes and flushes, and insane mood swings. Can't wait to feel normal. Initially, I gained 13 pounds of water weight in the hospital, but it's slowly working it's way off. Once all the water is gone, I can't wait to see how much weight has actually dropped since my lady parts were removed (everything together, including the huge fibroids, weighed 3 pounds) so I'll start weighing myself again in about a week. That's about it!! So glad to finally be done with everything. Once I'm fully healed and on the other side of this, WATCH OUT!!! lol

That's an amazing amount of weight loss in such a short time (even if it may feel like longer, lol). You look incredible. I'm so happy for you! (re: lbs vs inches, I've always cared more about the size measurements rather than the weight. I only care what the scale says because it's easier to track how I'm doing on a given week -- but I'm much happier when my clothes start to feel too loose compared to anything I see when I look at the numbers between my toes)

Just over 2 weeks since my sleeve surgery. On pureed diet now. Things seem to be going really well. My energy levels are building back up and I have no pain at all, except for my normal joint pain. Incisions almost totally healed. I am tolerating 1/2 cup food at each meal. Loving cream of wheat and refried beans. Also love my popsicles. Is everyone who has had their surgery doing well with diet advancing? Good luck to those of you still awaiting surgery. It will be over before you know it and you will be on your way to a new and healthy life.

18 days post surgery and I'm feeling great. I'm excited to start mushies this week but not as excited as I thought I'd be. This week I added zero fat yogurt, pudding, and creamy soups to the menu, thinking I'd just be snarfing them down. Nope. Anything more than a quarter cup and I start to feel my throat seize. I'm becoming more food apathetic but I'll still add eggs and tuna. Down 40!

I had it removed 3 years post TDS. I ate the same but found my stool was not the same and things felt a bit off. That took about 6 weeks to get back to normal.

Just here to let you know that I took some advice. I was craving pasta so badly. A few of you told me to try Chickpea Pasta. I was very unsure about it. I bought some, and it was in my cabinet for a couple of weeks. I kept saying that I would try it the next day for dinner, but then I would talk myself out of it. LOL Well, I finally bit the bullet last night. I made chicken sausage, with peppers, and onions, then put it into low sugar spaghetti sauce. Boiled up some of the "pasta", and it was absolutely delicious! It was a little bit harder than regular pasta, but it took the craving away. Now I can experiment with it some more. I love this site because a few of you have given me some great ideas to try. Thank You, and keep them coming. ☺️

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The jumpstart to weight loss was obviously amazing, but I was surprised how quickly my usual body pain & aches stopped bothering me. My knee problems have basically vanished, and the lower back pain I had gotten so used to living with has gotten so much better. I can breath easier when doing things that used to have me out of breath -- going up 2 flights of stairs, for example. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The pre-OP shakes -- I'm lactose intolerant and have trouble with stevia, and there were no shakes my care team could find for me that didn't have one-or-both things, so I spent a good 8-9 days barely keeping anything down. The surgery itself went off without a problem, and the pain wasn't as bad as I thought -- other than the car ride home! If you get WLS, bring a pillow to clutch to you afterwards!! 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Nothing during, nor after -- but I'm only 10wks post-OP tomorrow. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? I too am on SSRIs for long-time depression & anxiety. Most days have been awesome and cheery. Even during the initial aches and pains of recovery, just knowing that things were going to start changing for the better improved my mental state. I still have bad moments / days but once I started seeing all the improvements to my life it makes it easier to push through. It certainly helps to have a good support system -- people in my life, but also honestly this forum. TBH I was in a #$%& mood all day and feeling lethargic, but logging in here I know that everyone here understands and it just makes me feel more settled. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? I am currently having a ton of problems with chicken breast. I hate 'dark meat' poultry, but tried chicken thighs recently and it's not too bad but still leaves me with a heavy feeling in my stomach -- still better than the stuck feeling in my chest that the white meat gave. I feel like no matter what I put on it or how I cook it, it's just clearly a No for now. That said, for the most part everything else has gone down well as long as I eat slowly, and make choices consistent with my care team's plan / schedule. Going from puree to soft foods was probably the hardest for me physically, because it felt so different in my stomach. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? It's early on for me, but the changes in my body's hormones seems to have stopped most of my cravings. When I'm having a rough time emotionally, I still have momentary yearnings for old 'comfort foods' but honestly just the thought of some of them will turn me off within a few minutes. (For some reason if I think about fatty oils too long, I just get nauseated). And many of my old comfort foods have just updated into healthier things I can eat. Instead of my mum's Dutch mashed potatoes, I have a smaller bowl of healthier mashed potatoes (or cauliflower, or heart of palm) with a scoop of bone broth powder to up the protein. Instead of spaghetti and meatballs, I have homemade meatballs and extra sauce -- or a ricotta bake instead of lasagna. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? I've had one instance of dumping syndrome so far, and it was 100% my own fault. I knew what the culprit was immediately (white-flour leftover tortilla and more difficult chicken breast). I won't lie, I seriously wanted to die for probably an hour, and then slept the rest of the day away. It's horrid. I'm hoping that I've learned enough to take better care / caution and avoid any more instances. Other than that, recovery has been pretty smooth. All my incisions healed up without issue, the gas pain only lasted a few weeks and then there was just a strange tightness / mild soreness on one side of my body for the first 5-6 weeks. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I want to say 2-3 weeks. Around the time I started eating puree (week 3), my energy levels started bouncing back much more rapidly -- which let me walk more easily. 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? 100% yes. NGL, sometimes I feel like skipping even though it's not suitable for someone my age, LOL. I feel like I've been more efficient at work post-OP just because of the energy improvement, and physically I notice the increased stamina every time I go on an errand or for a walk with my dog. (I tire her out now!) 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? For the better. Some of it is because the energy and the physical improvements make me feel better about myself in general, but part of it is kind of a trickle-down effect. I spend more time making good, healthy choices for myself, spend more time being mindful whether it's while I'm eating, or making a grocery list, cooking, etc. It's so much time spent on self-improvement and self-care. So I have less time to worry about what other people's secret thoughts or judgments might be and take people more at face value. I have less time to waste on people that bring toxicity to my life or can't respect my boundaries. It's like this microcosm of self-care made by investing my energy in my current journey has expanded it's hooks into the rest of my life. I feel like for the first time in my life, I am actually one of my top priorities. 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I had moments of regret during dumping syndrome, for sure. But as soon as I recovered from that one bout, I was still happy I'd done the surgery. I think it definitely forces us to take ownership of our own health and making the best decisions we can towards that. I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled with weight loss and can honestly look at their life and see themselves living in this framework for the rest of their lives. By all accounts it seems to be incredibly important to keep it all up -- the vitamins and supplements, the healthy choices and portion sizes, etc. I would NOT recommend it for anyone looking for a magic pill. This takes work, will continue to take work.

@TwinkleToes87 you know yourself and your weaknesses best, but for most people, never having sugar again after surgery is probably taking it too far. I'll grant that there may be some triggering foods that some people would do best to avoid, just as a person in recovery who is addicted to alcohol will avoid drinking, not even a little bit. But giving up all sugar forever, foe most people, is the type of idea that sounds really great when you're planning how perfect you are going to be after this life changing surgery, and quickly becomes way harder and more punishing than you thought it would be when you are on the other side and realize the surgery was on your stomach but not on your brain/personality. I definitely have a sweet tooth, and unfortunately, gastric bypass did not make me hate sugar the way some people do. It still tastes good. But it also takes a lot less to satisfy me now. I can't physically eat two scoops of ice cream. I can eat about 5 bites. So instead of buying a big container of ice cream for home, which could quickly get me in trouble (because I can eat 5 bites at a time, but I could probably eat it 5 times a day, too), I save that treat for when I go out to my favorite farm stand with amazing homemade ice cream. And I split it with someone else so I'm not tempted to take it home for later. I don't buy a big bag of Hershey's Kisses for the house, but I will buy a single truffle from a chocolate shop and savor it. I won't buy packaged cookies, but I'll buy a single cookie from a good local bakery and eat it over two days. For me, the indulgence is now in the quality of what I am enjoying, not how much of it I can consume. It's not "no sugar ever" but "if I am eating sugar, it better be the best and only a little." And just so you know, the day before I had to start my 2-week liquid diet, I went to a restaurant and ordered a massive meal made up entirely of fried appetizers. I felt so sick and gross after, and it was that similar thinking of what if I never have this again. We all have those moments.

@gracesmommy2 I'm so sorry about the insurance issues. What a nightmare! Praying it is resolved soon. As for the goal weight, I used the weight loss calculator on the Pound of Cure website and took the lowest weight in the range, which also happened to get me to a "normal" BMI. So, it's pretty arbitrary but it sounded good. I based it on the weight I had reached before starting my pre-op diet, which was after dropping about 12 lbs from my highest point. My own doctor didn't discuss goals or percentages with me, although I don't know if that's standard practice for him or not. My experience has been odd. First, I was with a different weight management center for years, first managing through diet and meds and then switching to the surgical route, but it closed very suddenly. I had my December surgery canceled 3 weeks prior to my date and had to rebook for February with a surgeon at a sister hospital. So I came in very last minute and only met the surgeon and nutritionist at the new place twice so they could sign off on me as quickly as possible. And right after I had my surgery, my surgeon had a nasty ski injury and was out for several weeks, so I did one follow up with his colleague and one with him via video. I'm glad I was able to get the surgery in a timely fashion and they did a good job, but I sometimes wonder how my experience differs from if I had started off in their program. A nice NSV today. I had a dress I wore on my birthday back in March that fit me but with no room to spare. This was a victory in March because I had purchased it for a trip out of town the year before for my birthday but the dress didn't come close to fitting me back then. Well, today I needed something nice to wear to my daughter's dance competition only it was cold and rainy so my summery stuff wasn't going to work. I remembered the birthday dress, which is long sleeved and has a sweater. I put it on and it was so roomy! I'm actually glad I got a second wearing out of it because I'm hopeful it will be much too big when the fall rolls around and I need cool weather clothing again. In fact, my summery dresses that were skin tight two summers ago are already very loose, too. It's the little things that keep you going when the scale decides to stall, right?

Hello everyone, I’m 9 months out from my sleeve surgery. Had an easy post op without complications. However for the last 4 weeks or so I have moments where I get such bad gas (not flatulence, but painful, loud, trapped gas). I haven’t figured out exactly what causes it although the other night I ate some hummus and I immediately knew it didn’t go down well and felt full and like I had a rock in my tummy. After that happens it’s like 12 hours of pain and huge loud thumps and thuds. Then my insides feel like they’ve went through a war and they feel pain for a couple of days. I’ve now lost a little too much weight because I’m so scared to eat anything that will cause this. My hair is still falling out, I’m not eating enough and I’m usually in pain. I have an appointment with my surgeon but in the meantime I’m desperate. Anyone else have any experience with this?

Day 3 post-op from band removal to gastric sleeve. Yikes, this was way worse than what I thought. They took longer to get that band out-appears previous surgeon was making sure that bugger wasn't moving. 2 days of sleeping and sipping water. Can't even think about food. I hope this gets easier as the week goes by.

I’m a believer in slowly incorporating better eating habits & food choices back into your day. Aim to work towards how & what you were eating in those first few years after your surgery. To begin may be start tracking your food to see what may need to be adjusted. Then work on hitting those protein & fluid goals & portion sizes. After a couple of weeks change something else like reducing your snacks or change up a cooking style. Work through what ‘rules’ you have become complacent about making a change or two every couple of weeks. Making changes this way is much easier to adopt and adapt to.Also don’t think of them as ‘rules’. That sounds restrictive, inflexible and limiting. How you eat should complement your lifestyle, be sustainable & flexible. Maybe get in touch with a therapist to talk through what may be happening that may be influencing some of your food choices & habits. Maybe get in touch with a dietician too just to check your on the right track again. All the best.

Really interesting to read about the “starting weight”. I booked my surgery on January 30th and was 96kg (my highest ever weight - stepping on the scales and seeing I was closer to 100 that to 90 was a real shock - I dug out some insurance papers from February 2020 - I was 58kg then and allready heavier than I like to be). My surgery was 3 weeks later because I had to stop smoking first. The day of surgery I was 91.1kg so I lost 5.9kg in the three weeks prior ( I basically did a broth fast and didn’t eat anything solid, only clear broth and tea and coffee). Im now 70kg so since January 30th I’ve lost 26kg (57lbs) in 16 weeks (average of 1.6kg or 3.6lbs a week) so I’m very very happy with the weight loss even if I’m over the weather! I do have a goal weight which is my pre pandemic weight of 52-55kg (114-122 lbs) because I know that that is the weight at which I function best and that feels the best for my legs ( I mentioned earlier in the thread that I have very minor cerebral palsy - I have the impression that the extra pain I have for every gram I weigh over 55kg just isn’t worth it and really impacts my standard of living and my mobility. Because of the CP I have very minimal flexibility so being even slightly over weight just makes moving so so much harder for me as I can barely bend my knees as it is and have no upwards ankle flexibility what so ever. I’m easily out of balance and I fall over often ( the best way to picture it is to imagine the mobility of someone who has had about 3 beers too many), I’m used to it and my physiotherapist always says I’m a very good « faller », a part from bruises and a bruised ego I’ve only ever seriously broken things ( shoulder, wrist and double arm fracture all in one go!) once since being an adult. But being heavier has meant having more issues getting back up after falling over and more and bigger bruises. So my goal isn’t an esthetic one ( even though it will be nice to not be the fattest person in the room anymore - and because I live in Paris where the average female BMI is 21.3 the bar is low!) but a functional one. So I have 15kg (33lbs) left to loose, I know the rate of loss will slow, but I’m hoping to be at least nearly there in September when I take a new position, I really want to do my transition speech feeling ( and looking) like my old self ( just with some extra wrinkles and grey hair). My handover is September 16th - that leaves 17 weeks so I’m not sure I’ll be at 55kg by then because it would mean continuing to loose an average of 0.9kg ( 1.95lbs) a week which is a lot given my current weight. However if I manage to loose an average of 0.5kg (1.1lbs) per week ( which seems a more attainable bar) I should be 61/62kg by then, and I can live with that! ( I’m an unapologetic numbers girl - I don’t track what I eat because that’s not sustainable for me long term - I try to eat protein but other than that - YOLO - but I do track my weight every day if I have a scale and my steps and my activity) A very long post once again. Thanks all for being here. And here is a picture of a Greek island morning! That’s the 9.30AM light!

I'm actually amazed. Lost 90 lbs, down to fighting weight based on weigh-in at gym using one of those machines that measures body fat + weigh- in at doctor's with clothes on a day later. Went from 40 waist to 33 (American size), can now fit into clothes I could not wear for quite a while, work out 4 times a week at a serious gym, most sessions with a highly experienced trainer. I haven't done one sit up yet- it's about balance, step up, step down, with kettle bell, 12 reps, 5 sets, squats with a dumbbell, 12 reps, 5 sets, then next exercise, etc. I do my warm up 1/2 hour in advance of the trainer session so I don't waste time--it's all exercise when I work with the trainer. I drink a 30 gram protein drink before and another after, so I'm finally building some muscle on what is now a diminutive appearing frame. I can't quite press my body weight yet, but I will. I have long hair for a guy, and yeah, it was coming out when washing it (not every day, more like every 4 days unless I get sweaty) but that seems to have finally stopped. I have no cravings for foods that I cannot have because I get sick if I eat a slice of pizza with toppings or eat more indigestible foods. So I just stay away from them. I have developed a fondness for medium rare lamb chops and roasted potatoes with rosemary salt. My wife is a good cook but we still eat at restaurants and I'm careful. I found out that alcohol just doesn't work- a beer is too filling and carbonated, for some reason wine doesn't taste good; I'm a high proof whiskey man and it doesn't metabolize. I'm on my ass with far less than what I could normally consume, so I just stopped altogether. (Good because I have Barrett's and alcohol is inflammatory). Punchline- this surgery really turned me around. Trade-offs to be sure, but I feel so much better and look far younger. I can walk fast and not get winded as easily. I'm in my 70th year and don't look like a geezer-- more like a ruffian in rude health. I had targeted 185 as a goal weight and reached that but I still have a small roll of fat around my middle. I figure that I can continue to lose a little more given the surgery stats, and tighten up my core as my work-out regime continues. I'm gonna start swimming this summer-- where I am in Texas it is 3 months of summer and 9 months of hell. Hell is just starting here. The really hardcore stuff is pilates. I used to do that with a women's class and they kicked my butt. I'm planning to advance to that as well. I think the "whole picture" outlook is optimal for me- I don't check the scale at home, I do my thing and get routine blood work done. Though I have a few health issues which come with age, I'm in pretty decent shape now, physically and mentally. Thanks to all you kind folks for your advice and support.

My doctor got back my 3 month post op blood test yesterday and said I had high B-12. So I only need to take one B-50 complex per day. Zinc is low, so I have to take over the counter 3 times a week. Two other tests showed some kind of malnutrition, which is common they said. Seems weird since I have no issues eating enough. Im.sure that's something that will be taken care of down the road. I think the bariatric center i use has a youtube channel that shows how to use the resistance bands. Look up Baileys bariatrics on YouTube. But I'm certain there's plenty of videos showing how to use and what exercises are best.

Hi all. My name is Carrielee. I am 33 years old and have been on the fence about WLS for the last few years. I have struggled with obesity since I was quite young and the weight keeps piling on. I am 5 foot 1 and just hit 325 pounds. I now have a BMI of 61.4. I have uncontrolled Hypertension on multiple meds, uncontrolled Type II Diabetes, and high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe arthritis, IIH, angina, fatty liver disease, past history of PE. I can barely walk and have been told if I don’t lose the weight I likely won’t live to see 40. I’ve backed out of this so many times but now that I’ve surpassed the 300 pound mark I know I have to do this. I’ve ended up in the ER twice in this last week with abnormal EKGs and the idea of having a cardiac event before 40 terrifies me.

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The best part for me has been being able to do things I enjoy again. There were several things that I either couldn’t do or didn’t want to do because of my weight and now after losing so much weight I have been able to start doing most of those things again. For example, I love going to sporting events, but I had stopped going because I didn’t fit comfortably in many chairs at stadiums. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? I was one of the lucky ones that didn’t have any complications with the surgery (I had the bypass). Really my only complaint about the entire process was the gas pain following surgery. I was told by my doctor I may have some pain in my chest after the surgery, but it was way worse than I was expecting. But it only lasted for a few hours and after that everything went smoothly. 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) after your surgery? Not really. My surgeon did notice an umbilical hernia while doing my surgery but decided it would be better to get that fixed after I lost some weight, so I had another surgery for that 9 months later. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? Easier than I expected actually. I think it helps that I live alone right now so I have quite a bit of control over my environment. Like if I had a roommate who ordered pizza a lot, I think I would have a lot harder time eating healthier, but since I live alone I am able to control what food I am around for the most part. Probably the hardest part for me has been making sure I get enough fluids. I have always drank a lot with my meals and now I can’t do that anymore, so I’ve had to learn to drink throughout the day. I am finally doing better with that but I felt like I was constantly dehydrated for several months after the surgery. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? Not very long. The toughest part was remembering not to eat too fast or take too big of bites. During the first couple of weeks especially it does not take long until you will feel full and even just one too many bites can make you very uncomfortable for a while. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? The short answer is no. I have not found any food that I can’t tolerate, but there are foods I choose not to eat anymore. The only issue I had was with rice, and I think that was just because I ate a little too much. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? My recovery was not bad at all. Like I mentioned earlier, the gas pain was the worst part, but after that really the only pain I had was in my abdomen when I got out of bed or the recliner. I vomited a few times when I was learning to eat again but all of those were from just eating a little too much I think. Recently I’ve discovered I get low blood sugar really easily (and I’m not diabetic). I actually just talked with my nutritionist about this earlier today. I don’t have sugary foods too often, but I’ve found that if I have too much sugar all at once, I will get low blood sugar a few hours later. This never happened to me before my surgery. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? Just a few days. My surgery was on a Monday and I remember thinking I probably could have gone back to work that Thursday if I had needed to (my job is not physical at all though- I work at a desk most of the day). The toughest part was energy level. I returned to work one week after surgery but I was only able to work half days for a couple of days. 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? Yes, I have way more energy than I used to. I used to have to force myself to work out a few days a week, now I don’t like going even one day without some form of exercise. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? Yes, I think it has. It has helped my mental health in some ways, like being able to do more of the things I enjoy has helped with my depression, but I have also found I am struggling with stress and anxiety more than I used to. I think at least part of the reason for that is that I used to cope with stress and anxiety by eating and I can’t do that anymore, at least not the way I used to. Also I should add that there was a part of me that thought that all of my problems (including my mental health issues) would magically go away once I lost weight. My mental health has definitely improved since I lost weight, but it is still something I am struggling with. I started seeing a therapist a few months ago and I believe that is helping me out a lot. 11. Do you regret it? Do you recommend it? I have not regretted it for a second. I was relatively young when I had the surgery (I was 32) and a part of me felt like I didn’t need the surgery, like I thought I was still young enough I could lose weight without surgery, but looking back on it I am glad I didn’t wait. I had a number of minor health problems that were all slowly getting worse, and I realize now that it was good that I didn’t wait for them to get worse. I will add that I feel I am one of the lucky ones that has had basically no complications from the surgery and no food intolerances or dumping. I know not everyone has had as easy of an experience following the surgery as I have.

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The best part is also the hardest to explain. The best way I can put it is that pre-surgery, I had a demon in my stomach. This demon demanded rich foods and thought that if one of something tasted good, then four of something would taste amazing (this made the demon a liar, but I had to obey these lies). The surgery removed the demon. I no longer feel controlled by cravings. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The 48 hours prior to the surgery were miserable. I could only have water, Gatorades and black coffee. Then I had to take strong laxatives prior to the surgery, so I was defecating so much that my body was expelling food I hadn't even eaten yet. And I couldn't go to sleep because any flatulence had the potential to be ... explosive. So it's 1 am, I am starving, dehydrated, sitting on the john and I need to be at the hospital at 5:30. 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Nothing major. I greatly underestimated how sore my stomach would be and how long it would take for the soreness to go away. I am a stomach sleeper and it was three months before I felt comfortable sleeping on my stomach. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? I love the new life. I am able to exercise (bike, jog, lift weights) like I never have, I have great energy. I can shop at pretty much any clothing store. It has allowed me to become a better version of myself. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? It was probably 8 months to a year before I felt like I could try any food and not have to worry about my stomach having trouble. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? Can't eat, as in, I physically cannot handle it? Nothing. But there are plenty of things that I used to love that I am uninterested in. Like I have no desire to eat a donut. Just seems like pure sugar to me. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? I did not have dumping syndrome (although some sugar alcohols hit my stomach hard). I did have some vomiting, but it was either due to eating too fast or eating a food that my stomach wasn't ready to handle yet (I had some stewed beef at like the 90 day mark and I wasn't as ready for it as I thought I was. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I would say 90-120 days before I felt physically normal (could sleep on my stomach, could handle most foods) 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? In the immediate aftermath of the surgery, no. This was my first (and so far, only) major surgery and I really underestimated how much it would sap my energy. I was walking gingerly for a while. But once I fully recovered, I have had way more energy. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? Yes, in mostly good ways. The pre-surgery success-failure cycle of yo-yo dieting impacted my psyche way more than I realized. So this state of long-term success helped greatly (and success, both great and small, is an excellent anti-depressant). Will it cure your depression? Absolutely not. To the extent that you think your problems in life are caused by your size ("I'm single because I'm overweight" or "My weight is why they won't give the promotion" or "my weight is why my mother is passive-aggressive toward me"), the surgery will not make those problems go away. I'm very lucky and very blessed to live an amazing life and the weight-loss has only further revealed what an amazing and blessed life I have. 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I do not regret it. I make it a personal policy not to outright recommend it to anyone because everyone has their own journey. For many years, I saw bariatric surgery as a last resort, a kind of "pull in case of emergency" lever. I realized that I was 40+ yrs old with a wife and children and no diet had ever worked for me and I was only fooling myself if I thought the next one would do the trick. I had to either pull the lever or make peace with being morbidly obese for the rest of my life. I pulled the lever and I would pull it again without hesitation.

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I had surgery 3/22/2024 and have only been able to drink a few ounces an hour. This morning I woke up hungry and drank a 12 oz Protein Drink with 35 minutes, I have NOT been able to do that since before surgery. Have I inadvertently stretched my stomach? My eating yesterday was still only 3-4 oz per meal and Water in between. I really don’t want to mess up this surgery. I am 8 weeks post op and I thought my stomach could only hold 4 oz - but the drink is 12 oz.

It’s how we measure total cholesterol & is measured in millimoles per litre. Healthy is considered 3.9 - 5.5. 5.5 - 6.5 is considered borderline. So I’m in the lower end of the borderline range now @GreenTealael. When it first went back to 5 I thought the same thing @catwoman7, my body just settling back into its norm. But now… Thinking it maybe the dairy I eat now which is way more than I had before surgery (before 3 or 4 serves a week now 2 or 3 a day a day). Meat is a little less. Butter is less. Cook more in air fryer or bake in the oven. May be I’m missing something, Or it could be the creons I take to aid my absorption of protein. They maybe changing my fat absorption??? Or it could be not having a gall bladder??? I seem to have more questions now.

I just want to toot my own horn here and be a bit pround...sorry...not sorry. I'm 5+ years post surgery, 51 yo and playing beach volleyball (indoors)! I cant say Im all that good at it, but I try to play 2x a week and can run a 5k in 35 mins. Im the one in the black shirt and tan tights. From 315 lbs to about 175/180 lbs now and loving life in a whole new and sustainable way! PS. The saggy butt is still even after getting a lift and skin removed.

Everything @NickelChip just said. This, this, this!!! Also, just be careful with the fruit cups and bananas. Other than that, looks good. I personally would incorporate a little more meat in there. I eat red meat once or twice a week. There's also keto bread, keto slim bagels, and keto blueberry muffin mix at WalMart (I use all of them and love them). Blueberries and strawberries are also fantastic, as are apples in moderation. Avocado is another go-to (personally, I love avocado toast in the morning). Smoothies made with almond milk, collagen powder, greens, and fruits of my choosing go a lot farther for me than a protein shake. Mostly because you want to get your protein from foods you're eating instead of drinks and snacks. I love Propel water, and I also love Gatorade Zero. I eat almonds (plain, smokehouse, hickory smoked, mesquite, all the things). Put a handful of almonds, some meat sticks or cubes, and cheese cubes in a container or baggie and you have a delicious, compliant, protein packed snack. I usually do that and also take mixed fruit (I'll slice a small apple and add a few strawberries and a handful or so of blueberries and that's my 2nd snack of the day) with me to work and it gets me through (I'm a clinical medical assistant so I'm on my feet a lot).

All I can say is that I am honestly baffled by your response. I know that sometimes tone is not there in written communication and perhaps that’s where the problem lies but I did not intend in anyway to give you ridicule or be impolite. I was genuinely trying to be helpful by sharing my experience with you in case you didn’t realize that the medication really does work. I presented it as another option that would hopefully result in your not having to deal with the pain or bloat at all. This community has been very helpful and supportive for me over the past three years and I try my very best to do the same for others. I wish you the best of luck in your journey and hope that you give others the benefit of the doubt that they are indeed trying to be helpful In the future because I have found nothing but kindness and support here and believe you will as well.