I am scheduled for February 18th. I will be first in. Wow, this process takes forever.

14 minutes ago, Sheribear68 said:

Glad to see everyone is doing so well

I lost down to under 130 last April at the start of the pandemic.
I’ve gained about 5-7 pounds and stay generally between 133-138.
I hit 142 right after the holidays, and went strictly bari-keto with IF and now I’m sitting at 137.

The first shot was when I dipped down below 130 and I feel like I look quite skeletal.
The second shot is from late summer, and the 3rd shot is from a few weeks ago (I was probably 3-4 pounds “heavier” than I am currently.)

Sorry I’ve been gone for so long, but it’s been a rough last year and unfortunately the frenetic pace isn’t slowing down for me.
I’ve had 2 days off since January 1st with no end in sight

Sheri, so glad to see you back and to hear you are doing so well! You are looking great, and I agree that the new weight is probably the right place for you to be. (I had my skeletal phase as well.)

Hi, all. I already posted this in the general forum, but I wanted to let all of my February 2019 friends know as well. (You may recall that I was an "honorary" member of the February group after my original February surgery date was postponed until March.)

I celebrated my two-year surgery anniversary a few days ago (March 3, 2019), and I'm happy to report that things are going well. I gained about ten pounds during maintenance, and in retrospect I think that my low weight of 132 was too thin. (I never dreamed two years ago that I would be saying those words!)

I feel like I am eating "normally," though in smaller quantities and without most of the junk I ate when I was obese. I still avoid sugar, carbs and fat, but I've gotten a bit more relaxed about indulging from time to time. I celebrated my two-year anniversary with a huge piece of cake washed down with an ice-cold Coke. (Just kidding--I ate my usual diet!)

I'm attaching a photo taken two days ago to show what I look like these days. I hope all of the February 2019 members are doing well!

Congratulations! It looks like you are doing well. I had the bypass surgery and was alarmed after about 18 months that the little stomach of mine that was left behind two years ago is able to accommodate much more than it was used to (not a good thing). I am now able to eat an entire bagel with cream cheese. Not a good choice, but it seems to be something I am always craving. I have been very strict with what I drink (only water, Premier Protein, and Vitamin Zero), but lately I'm been craving seltzer water. Are any of you drinking carbonated beverages? If so, does it seem to be going OK for you? I had breast reduction surgery and a pannilectomy in October and am happy to have both done as it's improved my neck pain considerably. I'm hovering around 150 (was hoping to get down to 130) at 5 foot six inches. I think 150 is my maintenance weight. Not bad considering where I was two years ago. I just need to stop eating bagels...

Another thing. Kidney stones! I had a few pass recently and I've read that kidney stones are often associated with gastric bypass. Any one else had the unfortunate experience of having a kidney stone?

Edited March 7, 20215 yr by Gottajustdoit

59 minutes ago, Gottajustdoit said:

Are any of you drinking carbonated beverages?

I will confess to having drunk a half of glass of champagne on three occasions over the past year, and the world did not come to an end. I don't make a habit of drinking carbonated beverages, however.

1 hour ago, Gottajustdoit said:

Not bad considering where I was two years ago

Exactly! Instead of beating ourselves up for not reaching our goal weight, we should focus on how much we have accomplished! And for most of us, the original goal weight was a fairly arbitrary number. The important thing is that you are way healthier than you were two years ago. Congrats!

Edited March 7, 20215 yr by Recidivist

On 03/07/2021 at 07:38, Recidivist said:

I will confess to having drunk a half of glass of champagne on three occasions over the past year, and the world did not come to an end. I don't make a habit of drinking carbonated beverages, however.

03/07/2021 06:38 AM, Gottajustdoit said:

Not bad considering where I was two years ago

Exactly! Instead of beating ourselves up for not reaching our goal weight, we should focus on how much we have accomplished! And for most of us, the original goal weight was a fairly arbitrary number. The important thing is that you are way healthier than you were two years ago. Congrats!

Well if we’re doing confessions, I’ll admit that I can have mimosas (yes, plural) and not suffer.
Weird story, but I actually ran into my bariatric surgeon at a padel ball tournament last fall.
Weirder still, my husband and I got paired up against him and his wife.
Mimosas and breakfast burritos were flowing and my bari-surgeon himself poured me a mimosa after our match!
I told him I either had room for the mimosa or the burrito and his response was “damn surgeons, can’t trust ‘em”
Lol, I chose the mimosa ?
Hope everyone is doing well
So far I’m hanging into the high 130’s and I too think that I look much better now with 5 extra pounds on.
I seem to be in constant flux-regaining then losing the same 5-7 pounds.
I’d like it if I had a bit more consistency, but as long as I can keep within my window I’ll take it.

Hi fellow Feb ‘19ers - well, I was doing extremely well and as for all of us, Covid hit... child with autism at home, zero therapy for her, husband lost his job, yada yada I gained 25 lbs back. I really fell off the wagon, especially with alcohol. I hardly drank before but used it to get through those hard months. Even though I have gained, I have actually done pretty well by my standards haha.

Skip to now - kid back at school 2 days a week, husband working again (from home) and I’m getting a grip on life again. I went to see my surgeon and we are working towards getting a distal bypass done. I’m currently taking Saxenda to get me started on the journey and so far so good.

Anyway, I hope you are all doing well. The photos you have posted are amazing!

15 minutes ago, froufrou said:

I went to see my surgeon and we are working towards getting a distal bypass done.

Hi, FrouFrou. 25 pounds isn't that much in the grand scheme of things, and it sounds like you are ready to get things back on track. What is a "distal bypass?"

On 05/07/2021 at 19:16, Recidivist said:

Hi, FrouFrou. 25 pounds isn't that much in the grand scheme of things, and it sounds like you are ready to get things back on track. What is a "distal bypass?"

It isn’t THAT much but it will be if I keep going like this. Have to put the brakes on now before it’s too late. A distal is where they take one part of a tube and stick it somewhere else... lengthening the limb so that there is more malabsorption. That’s kind of the idea haha.

I’m planning on staying on the Saxenda till my surgery - it’s really holding me accountable especially with alcohol. I had a drink on it my first night and felt terribly ill - my guess is my blood sugar went very low. So, I’ve given up alcohol and I have to say it’s really hard! It’s been my go to, to destress. Doing a lot of deep breathing and positive self talk lol.

Hang in there froufrou. You are doing great. I had to wear a heart monitor and do a stress test. Things came back all good. When I did my 2 year appointment, the surgeon was surprised to see I lost and did not gain with covid and everything going on. She said a majority of her patients have gained some. So don’t feel bad. You just have to jump back on the wagon.

On 05/08/2021 at 07:20, TheMarine79 said:

Hang in there froufrou. You are doing great. I had to wear a heart monitor and do a stress test. Things came back all good. When I did my 2 year appointment, the surgeon was surprised to see I lost and did not gain with covid and everything going on. She said a majority of her patients have gained some. So don’t feel bad. You just have to jump back on the wagon.

Thank you for the encouragement! I am getting all of my hospital requirements done - just need the psych eval and Bariatric class and I will be good to go for the revision.

Hey guys and gals! Hope everyone is doing wonderful. I haven’t posted in forever. Overall I lost 110 pounds from 268 to 155. I could stand to lose 20 more but not concerned about it. I got a breast lift and implants this week. The girls were so sad after that much weight loss. Just deflated and had no volume. Boy are they voluminous now! I have an apron of lose skin but doubt I will get a tummy tuck. Dating again. Very much like the guy I’m seeing. Been a very long time since a man was so nice to me. He is a sweetie.

I truly hope life is treating everyone well!

Life is going well. I never thought I would be able to maintain as well as I have. Even to be running 5+ 3 times a week. I do Keto

On 08/06/2021 at 08:37, TheMarine79 said:

Life is going well. I never thought I would be able to maintain as well as I have. Even to be running 5+ 3 times a week. I do Keto

That is great! I really need to do more exercise. I stay pretty vigilant on my eating. I’ve maintained this weight for many months. I recently bought some exercise bands to start toning more. Got to let the surgery heal then I can get started on that.

2/13/19. Ive lost 155# now.

Hello everyone! We are now at three years since surgery, and I wanted to see how you all are doing?

I'm doing okay, but not great. I've gained about 20 pounds in the past year, and I'm not very happy about it. I could make excuses (lockdown, stress, etc.), but the reality is that I have nobody to blame but myself. It's so much easier to eat at this point, and I acknowledged that I have overindulged.

I'm still at a reasonable weight, but I know that I have to be very careful so I don't creep up slowly from here. I would ideally like to lose 10-15 pounds, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't. I'm still much healthier and more active than I was before surgery.

I hope everyone else is doing well!