My weight loss surgery story actually started back in early 2019, but I chickened out before my first appointment because I was worried that I would have postop complications and the cost would go beyond the base rate. I gave up on the idea of weight loss surgery at that time, and decided that I would do it on my own. I think everybody here knows how well that went.
At the end of the year I found out my husband‘s job would be ending, and we took that as an opportunity to try to find a job where he would have insurance that I could go on that would cover weight loss surgery. He got a job that covered it, and I joined his insurance plan, and within the month I was set up with my first appointment.

my first appointment ended up being converted to telemedicine because of Covid, but that actually worked out great for me because my doctors office is two hours away. We had a six month waiting period, and for the first two months I will be honest I was working from home in quarantine, and I made absolutely no effort to lose weight and I did not make any progress. My third appointment was going to an in person appointment and the Bariatric class, and I was terrified that I would be up in weight and be disqualified. So for 2 weeks prior to that I went on a low carb low calorie diet. And I don’t know if it was me telling myself it was temporary or the realization that the surgery was coming helped, but I just kept extending and extending the date on my low carb diet. I ended up losing 48 lbs before the liquid diet which was greatly needed because I started at 339, and my surgery weight was 282. I’m 5’10 and my goal weight is 165.

The liquid diet was no big deal, maybe because my diet was already very low calorie. I think I ended up losing about 8 pounds or so on it. It was a full liquid diet, and I did not vary from the diet at all. I want this to be the part of my life where I’m not constantly having a “little extra” or “just this bite” and I figured it would be a good test of willpower.

surgery was a bit rough. I was in a fair amount of pain when I woke up, and I felt very nauseous. I could definitely feel my stomach, and it did not feel good. I wasn’t able to keep any water down, and the pain meds made me very sick. I ended up throwing up the small amount of water I’d drank snd the pain meds up all over myself the first night. But the next day was a tiny bit better, and it got better every day until day 4 I felt great. I ended up being able to drink water totally fine, no problem with protein or anything.

I think my surgeon is a bit old school because I have a 4 week post op liquid diet too. No mush or purée stage here. I’m currently finishing up week 2 of the post op liquid diet, and like the preop diet I’m not going to cheat or go off plan. It was a long road to get here and I am going to do everything in my power to make this work.

So far I am down about 10 lbs post surgery, so I don’t think I’m going to get the dramatic 30 lbs weight loss in the first month or anything but that’s fine. I’m down close to 70 lbs from my high weight, and it feels great. I’ll try to follow up every month or so with progress.

HW:339

SW: 282

CW:271

GW: 165

we started out at a similar weight and I lost 16 lbs the first month. I would say (and this is based only on my observations from hanging out on a handful of bariatric sites for the last six or so years) that most of us tend to lose in the 15-25 lb range that first month. Of course there are outliers on either side of that, but it seems like most are within that range. Well, unless you're talking about people who start out at much higher BMI's than most of us do (like people on those reality shows like "My 600 lb Life"). So you're doing fine!

Congratulations! I agree that your weight loss prior is probably impacting your post weight loss! BUT excellent job!

I had a 4 week post-op liquid diet too but I lived through it. Glad to hear that you're doing well.

One month in, 16.4 lbs lost after surgery, 74.2 lbs total loss. Feeling great, just started on soft foods. Basically just eggs and cottage cheese at this point. Hit a huge milestone- I now have less than 100 lbs left to lose! I’ve got a long road but I’m heading in the right direction.

Two months in, 28.6 lbs lost after surgery, 86.4 total loss. I’ve tried a lot of stuff that people report issues with, like chicken breast, food with spice, etc. No issues with anything. I absolutely know when I’m close to restriction though!

I bought smaller pants online, and they turned out to still be too big. I’m definitely having some issues figuring out sizing! Trying not to invest too much in clothes though, because I want to still keep going. I’m halfway to my goal weight!

Three month surgaversary! 38.8 lbs lost after surgery, 96.6 total loss. Current weight 242.4. For reference I’m 5’10 and started out at 339.

I continue to have no issues, I’m enjoying being able to eat pretty much whatever I want although I’m trying to stick to a lower carb diet still. I’ve been exercising some off and on but I really need to kick it into higher gear if I want to speed up my admittedly slower loss rate.

I’m actually fitting into non-plus size clothing now, which is a huge accomplishment for me. I feel so much better and just physically comfortable now. I can cross my legs, fit into chairs and actually walk places without getting out of breath.

My goals for this month are to lose 15 lbs and fit into my wedding/engagement rings again! I’m super close to fitting into them and I’ve spent more of my 13 year marriage in “temporary” rings than I have the actual ones.

4 months in! Current weight 230.4. I lost 12 lbs last month, so pretty close to the 15 I wanted. And yes, I was able to get my rings on again. I’m waiting before wearing them full time, because I’m doing a lot of rowing right now and I worry about hands swelling.

I did a much better job with getting back into exercising last month- amazingly exercise is so much easier 108.6 lbs down. I’ve been rowing and trying to do walking interspersed with jogging- it’s slow but I’m working my way up.

I’m pretty firmly in a size xl regular sizes. It’s hard to avoid buying a lot of clothes in this size because I know I’ll be losing more weight- it’s just hard to picture being anything less than an xl.

Nonscale victories- buying new clothes and liking how I look in all of them, having enough space on the chair for my oldest son to sit next to me, it’s easy to buckle up in my car (no shifting around or straining to get the buckle, it’s so much easier to get up from chairs, change positions, etc.

Next months goals- lose 12 lbs again, be able to run for 10 minutes straight (hey, I’m still really fat so this is a goal!) and row for 20 minutes at least 5 days a week.

5 months! I doubt that many if any people are reading this, but I want to keep this as my first year record regardless. And if anyone is reading this, I’ll be checking in every month!
Current weight- 217.8. I lost 12.6 lbs last month, and I’m fully back into my wedding ring set. I have for sure bought too many clothes. I am at least trying to get them second had, but still it’s impossible to think about actually being below an xl. I’m starting to buy a L in some styles like sweaters. I’ve sold pretty much my entire old wardrobe, but having to get all new bras, underwear, etc is quite expensive.
I’ve been doing great with rowing, still being lazy with running. Exercise is clearly needed at this stage to keep the weight loss going. I still have 52 lbs to go to goal!

Non scale victories this month- I was able to volunteer for an all day vaccine clinic where I was walking nonstop and my feet didn’t hurt and I wasn’t exhausted after. I can cross my legs when I sit down! My jawline is back, and I only have one chin. My legs feel muscular and I have biceps! People are commenting nonstop on my weight (and to be honest I’m kind of over it) and I have a ton of new clothes that I’m excited to wear.

This next month, I’m looking forward to (hopefully!) losing another 12 lbs, which would get me within a handful of pounds of being OVERWEIGHT! I know I say it every month, but I gotta start running to get some cardio in as well. It’s crazy to think that 5 months ago I had checked into the hospital by now and was waiting for surgery. July 5 marks my one year of dieting- I won’t be at goal by then, but I’ll hopefully be close.

Let’s see if this works to upload a progress pic.

You're doing amazing!

Six months down! I’m weighing in today at 209.2, so I lost 8.6 lbs last month. Slowing down a bit, but that’s to be expected. Overall I’m 129.8 lbs down.

I’m halfway through a couch to 5k app. It feels great and kind of weird to be running. Like it seems almost impossible that someone of my size can run- then I remember I’m only 9 lbs from being overweight. It’s hard to remember my actual size a lot of the time.

I love how I’m starting to look, and I can’t get over how amazing it feels to run up a staircase that before I had to slowly walk up feeling my knees ache with every step. I’m happy every single day that I had this surgery. Some of my “new” clothes are starting to be too big. Yes, I knew I shouldn’t buy so much but oh well, that’s what Poshmark is for.

This month I want to finish the C25K app and run for 30 minutes straight...the thought is crazy but I’m excited by the possibility. I want to lose 9.4 lbs....which would put me in onederland! It would also move me into being overweight...luckily everyone here understands how exciting being overweight would be.

Crazy to think that six months ago today I was being dropped off at the hospital by my husband. I was so nervous and excited but also certain I was making the right choice. And I was!

MONTH SEVEN! I’m excited today can you tell?
1. Finished my couch to 5k app. I can run for 30 minutes straight now! I am working on slowly increasing my speed now because I might be tall but I am slow. Working on it though!

2. I AM IN ONDERLAND!!!! 198.4 this morning. I haven’t been here in probably 12 years, and even that was for a short period of time. I am so excited. I’m overweight now, and getting closer to a normal weight.

10.8 lbs down this month which is great. I’m 140 lbs down total. 28.5 BMI.

I went on a roadtrip with my husband and kids and it was so good. We went on so many hikes and I was able to do everything. We went out to a winery and a brewery and I had one glass at each place and felt perfectly satisfied. But I had great energy and had a wonderful time not feeling like I was holding everyone back, or making the trip all about where I could eat next. Food was an afterthought to us having a wonderful time as a family, like it should be.

Goals for this month? Well I’m coming up on the one year anniversary of starting to diet in preparation for surgery. I’d love to hit 150 lbs lost- might be a bit too ambitious at this stage, but a girl can dream.
1. Increase my speed by .5 mph running.
2. Lose 10 lbs at best, 7 lbs at least.
3. Have fun on my camping trip, and over 4th of July weekend without it all being food related.

Me at 7 months

Great updates and progress. Congrats on your hard work and success.

8 months- checking in today at 192.8 lbs, for total weight lost of 146.2 lbs. I have 27.8 lbs left to go to get to goal. My weight loss is slowing down but it’s still going. I know that as I get closer to a regular body weight the weight loss is going to get slower and more difficult but I do miss the days of regular 3-5 lb drops every week.

July 5 represented one year of concerted weight loss effort for me. On that day in 2020 I started a low carb low calorie diet that was supposed to last for two weeks- I needed to drop weight for my first in person weigh in at the Bariatric clinic and I was terrified I was going to be disqualified due to gaining weight during my 6 month program. I squeaked under the line, and when I got home I just decided to keep it up a little longer to help with weight loss prior to surgery. I ended up keeping it up a whole year! So I have two anniversaries in my head, July 5 and November 10, diet date and surgery date.

I’ve been doing good on exercise, and I’m trying to focus better on making sure I keep my diet in check. I’ve gotten lackadaisical about tracking food and I need to work on that because I can’t rely on portion control forever. I also need to focus more on getting sleep- I know that impacts weight loss and I’m terrible about staying up late after the kids are asleep to read books.

I remember some celebrity had a big awards show and said something like “I want to thank myself, for all the hard work I put in, for the sacrifices I made, etc” and everyone laughing. But you know what, I would like to thank myself. For starting a diet 12 months ago and sticking with it though the hard parts. For getting a surgery that terrified me but still jumping through all the hoops and getting it done. For drinking tomato soup for thanksgiving and giving up the candy and snack food that got me to 339 lbs. ?

If anyone is reading this and has 150+ lbs to lose, it’s possible. It’s possible with a sleeve, or a bypass, or whatever surgery you get. Surgery doesn’t do the work for you, but it helps so much.

Next month I will be in the 180s and getting closer to a normal BMI. I’m committing this month to tracking each day, exercising 3-5 times a week, and going to bed earlier. August here we come!