I'm hiding my surgery from family anyone else ?

[Mytimenow17 99]

2 hours ago, Finnix said:

Thank you so much. It has been a crazy journey, for sure. I have followed the surgeons orders to a T and have worked my butt off in the gym 6 days a week. I alternate days between cardio and weight lifting. Weight lifting has been very good for keeping the loose skin at bay. It really has changed my shape a lot which wouldn’t have happened with weight loss alone.

So, if you hear people talking about “well Dr. V says no exercise for 6 months”, please do your own research. There is no science to back up those claims. I think people go along with it because they want to believe it. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be told not to exercise, ya know? I have been in the gym since day 14 post op and I feel amazing. And honestly I think I look amazing too. Lol

Good luck!


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

That is fantastic! My Dr. said no exercise other than walking for 6 weeks. And then exercising is a must! My thing is my knees hurt so bad right now and I'm hoping that will get better with the weight loss so that I can exercise more. I've always been very athletic until a car accident a few years ago, and then bad knees from osteoarthritis. Praying I can get back to it soon! I am 5 weeks post op now and have lost 31 pounds total, counting the 14 pounds pre surgery.

[Finnix 104]

That is fantastic! My Dr. said no exercise other than walking for 6 weeks. And then exercising is a must! My thing is my knees hurt so bad right now and I'm hoping that will get better with the weight loss so that I can exercise more. I've always been very athletic until a car accident a few years ago, and then bad knees from osteoarthritis. Praying I can get back to it soon! I am 5 weeks post op now and have lost 31 pounds total, counting the 14 pounds pre surgery.

Wonderful progress! I am sorry about your car accident. That’s terrible. I have some pretty horrible nerve damage in my hands and feet that makes it very difficult to walk. I found swimming laps to be incredibly helpful and so easy on the joints. My gym also has a wall of Water weights that can be used in the pool too. When I began exercising, I couldn’t take the pain of being on my feet so I swam and swam. If you’re doing real laps at a good pace, it’s a serious workout! I also really like the elliptical. For some reason, the elliptical is much easier on the joints than even the treadmill. At first I thought it was just easier for me, but my trainer said that most people find the elliptical to be easier on the body than any other machine. So, I bought one for home and use it all the time.

That was a really long way of saying, once you’re cleared for exercise, you might consider swimming and/or the elliptical and see how those make your knees feel.

Also, I was able to get a “medical membership” to my gym. All I needed was a note from my doctor saying I needed to work out. This caused my gym membership to go from $50/month with a $50 sign up fee, to only $15/month and $0 sign up fee! It also included a free fitness assessment and a free introduction with a trainer. He took me around to every machine, showed me how to properly use them and helped me build a workout routine suited to my physical limitations. It is an amazing program that I wish everyone had access to.

You might check your area to see if they offer something like this. If there’s a gym that’s associated with a hospital near you they are much more likely to have this type of program.


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

[Rainbow_Warrior 996]

10 minutes ago, Finnix said:

I found swimming laps to be incredibly helpful and so easy on the joints.

Indeed.

23 months ago, I took to the pool after four years gym use.

The pool is relative heaven.

I can 'wade' chest-deep at my highest possible speed and do breaststroke laps for quite a long time WITHOUT JOINT PAIN.

The pool is in a brick 'barn' with a high roof and the Water is between 20.5C and 23.5C (69F-74F) all year around.

Wish I'd been pushed that way years ago.

[Finnix 104]

Indeed.
23 months ago, I took to the pool after four years gym use.
The pool is relative heaven.
I can 'wade' chest-deep at my highest possible speed and do breaststroke laps for quite a long time WITHOUT JOINT PAIN.
The pool is in a brick 'barn' with a high roof and the Water is between 20.5C and 23.5C (69F-74F) all year around.
Wish I'd been pushed that way years ago.

Awesome! I absolutely love the water and always have but never really considered it an option for serious exercise. It feels so great on my joints. I’m able to stretch out fully and move in ways I couldn’t normally move. I’m so grateful to have one nearby.


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

[Rainbow_Warrior 996]

5 minutes ago, Finnix said:

I’m able to stretch out fully and move in ways I couldn’t normally move. I’m so grateful to have one nearby.

Hear, hear to both those statements.

The freedom of movement is a revelation after struggling with treadmills and pavements.

[yvetted53 12]

Reading what you posted, I should have joined this site sooner, I told a couple of family member and was put down heavily for my decision, came to the conclusion they won't be helping me post surgery

[BunnyJean 123]

10 hours ago, yvetted53 said:

Reading what you posted, I should have joined this site sooner, I told a couple of family member and was put down heavily for my decision, came to the conclusion they won't be helping me post surgery

It's just too bad, isn't it? I would love to tell my husband's family and my family, but I don't dare. But...here's the thing on that one. Throwing a baby shower at my house for my son and wife Dec 23. I would imagine that I could be down a good solid 25 lbs by then. There are sure to be questions and I will be on puree foods then. Sooo....we'll see. It's a big family party with men and women. So maybe with so many people I won't be noticed. My daughter and son and daughter in law and hubby know. That's it. My daughter is going to help me think of some party foods that would be ok for me to eat too so it's not as noticeable. That I'm not really eating. I really don't want to have to announce at this party. If anyone has ideas on puree party foods that I could serve AND eat, I'm all ears! LOL!! Good luck to you Yvetted53, I hope you have at least one support person. If not....lots of great people on this site to bounce stuff off of.

[Barbzilla 25]

BunnyJean, try serving hummus and just licking it off a carrot or celery stick. In a gathering that size, no one will notice you're not eating the veggies.

As for not telling people, the only snag I've hit is in the short-term. I'm only 10 days post-op, and my husband and I get invited to stuff all the time. I'm trying to lay low until I can ingest something other than liquids because I don't want to answer questions; the hubby, on the other hand, thinks he's being tortured if he spends a weekend at home! It's going to be a long couple of months for him if he doesn't learn to enjoy a little down time.

[BuffaloBill 168]

Thank you so much. It has been a crazy journey, for sure. I have followed the surgeons orders to a T and have worked my butt off in the gym 6 days a week. I alternate days between cardio and weight lifting. Weight lifting has been very good for keeping the loose skin at bay. It really has changed my shape a lot which wouldn’t have happened with weight loss alone.

So, if you hear people talking about “well Dr. V says no exercise for 6 months”, please do your own research. There is no science to back up those claims. I think people go along with it because they want to believe it. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be told not to exercise, ya know? I have been in the gym since day 14 post op and I feel amazing. And honestly I think I look amazing too. Lol

Good luck!


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

I started back in the gym Day 8 and have been in every day since. Dr said no weights but I'm just keeping reps high with low weight and 30 mins of cardio... I feel great I'm continuing what I'm doing. I can't wait till I can actually eat food again. This liquid post op diet for 2 full weeks is the worst. Makes me miserable

Sent from my SM-G935T using BariatricPal mobile app

[Finnix 104]

I started back in the gym Day 8 and have been in every day since. Dr said no weights but I'm just keeping reps high with low weight and 30 mins of cardio... I feel great I'm continuing what I'm doing. I can't wait till I can actually eat food again. This liquid post op diet for 2 full weeks is the worst. Makes me miserable

Sent from my SM-G935T using BariatricPal mobile app

Just be careful with the weights. I didn’t get cleared for weights until 2 weeks and everyone keeps acting shocked that I went back that soon. I didn’t really mind the liquid post op diet so much. I was tired, in pain and just not really interested in much food anyway. But once I started working out and getting an appetite, I was constantly starving. Still am, to be honest. People say they’re never hungry and have to force themselves to eat. I haven’t had that experience AT ALL. I am always hungry. Always. I hate it. It’s a constant struggle. I would kill to be one of those people who is never hungry.


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

[BuffaloBill 168]

Just be careful with the weights. I didn’t get cleared for weights until 2 weeks and everyone keeps acting shocked that I went back that soon. I didn’t really mind the liquid post op diet so much. I was tired, in pain and just not really interested in much food anyway. But once I started working out and getting an appetite, I was constantly starving. Still am, to be honest. People say they’re never hungry and have to force themselves to eat. I haven’t had that experience AT ALL. I am always hungry. Always. I hate it. It’s a constant struggle. I would kill to be one of those people who is never hungry.


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

Yea ya know what it's funny u say that cause my 1st day back on day 8 i immediately went to chest and thought I'd be able to bench press. I did 1 rep and it did not feel right so I stopped immediately and thought ok no more of anything that has to do with the core until at least a month. So now it's just arms, back and shoulders and chest isolation. My recovery hasn't been bad at all. Almost no pain other than the day I woke up from surgery.

Sent from my SM-G935T using BariatricPal mobile app

[Rainbow_Warrior 996]

3 hours ago, Finnix said:

I would kill to be one of those people who is never hungry.

Amen to that.

I might have to train my brain and its acceptance level. (Now, with a quarter stomach, it might all fall into place.)

[MJP820 33]

I only told my sister, who also had the sleeve. I have 3 close friends and I’m on the fence about saying anything. I’ve lost weight before so I may just go with the flow and not say a thing. Maybe share after not sure. It’s no ones business. People don’t tell me there intimate stuff so I’m not either. Plus the surgery is only a tool so I don’t want to hear the judgments and pitying if I fail.
Best of luck. It’s going to be a huge change but worth the effort. [emoji255]

[Finnix 104]

I only told my sister, who also had the sleeve. I have 3 close friends and I’m on the fence about saying anything. I’ve lost weight before so I may just go with the flow and not say a thing. Maybe share after not sure. It’s no ones business. People don’t tell me there intimate stuff so I’m not either. Plus the surgery is only a tool so I don’t want to hear the judgments and pitying if I fail.
Best of luck. It’s going to be a huge change but worth the effort. [emoji255]

I agree with you. This is a very emotional journey and people can be very insensitive even when they’re not trying to be. You don’t want to be derailed by insensitive comments. You also don’t want to damage or lose your 3 close friendships due to them possibly not understanding or not being supportive. I see it happen a lot and those relationships are forever changed. Good luck!


As of October 12, 2017, I am 4 months post op and have lost 100 pounds. I have reached my goal weight and could not be more ecstatic!

[Starsmore 60]

On 10/14/2017 at 5:55 AM, Rainbow_Warrior said:

Nice to have a range of people like these in your sphere!

It is nice indeed! I told my current boss out of necessity, but she was super sweet in her response letting me know that she thought it was a great step for me and that she's excited for me. I've only been at my new job for about 4.5 months now, so I was more than a little nervous about asking for the time off....