November 2023 buddies

[muyfancy 6]

Hiii friends. Had bypass done on Nov 21

just had my first sneeze and boy did that hurt!😅

also definitely Struggling with Protein intake AND insomnia

hope everyone is good.

[Meisha 14]

Hi friends! We are on our way!!! Surgery Tuesday. This junk is starting to get REAL!!! LOL! Congrats to all of y’all who are on the mend! Can’t wait to join the ranks!

[brandycsiz 38]

Hey guys… did anyone take pickles or do stats before you went in for surgery.. my day is coming soon Wednesday. I am trying to decide if I want to do them Wednesday morning before I go in.

[ChunkCat 687]

30 minutes ago, brandycsiz said:

Hey guys… did anyone take pickles or do stats before you went in for surgery.. my day is coming soon Wednesday. I am trying to decide if I want to do them Wednesday morning before I go in.

I did a few days before. Pics and measurements! Measurements are super important for when the scale stalls!!

[NickelChip 720]

2 hours ago, brandycsiz said:

Hey guys… did anyone take pickles or do stats before you went in for surgery.. my day is coming soon Wednesday. I am trying to decide if I want to do them Wednesday morning before I go in.

I plan to do both. As difficult as it was for me to look at them, I took photos of myself in a tank top and exercise leggings just a couple days after the doctor appointment when I had my highest ever recorded weight. I kind of needed to look the picture to really see it and process it, you know?

I plan to put on the same clothing again probably the day before surgery, and then keep those clothes to take pictures every month or so after. I think wearing the same clothing will really help to see the differences. I may take additional photos wearing just undergarments, but those will never see the light of day (whereas I already posted my before picture to an album here because I appreciate all the folks who have posted theirs). And definitely measurements. You'll want those for your own records, and keeping up with them as you lose will help when shopping for new clothing.

[Char V 52]

On 11/26/2023 at 4:19 PM, muyfancy said:

Hiii friends. Had bypass done on Nov 21

just had my first sneeze and boy did that hurt!😅

also definitely Struggling with Protein intake AND insomnia

hope everyone is good.

Yep those sneezes and hiccups hurt so much. I’m 25 days post op and it still hurts. Even the burps do.

8 hours ago, brandycsiz said:

Hey guys… did anyone take pickles or do stats before you went in for surgery.. my day is coming soon Wednesday. I am trying to decide if I want to do them Wednesday morning before I go in.

First time round- I took photos in different standing poses and even in bra and underwear. I did all the body measurements too. (As Cat says. It’s good for the stalls)

This time I remembered on the morning as my daughter reminded me.
the dr said I wouldn’t loose much as I lost it all the first time a year ago. But I’m 5 kgs down

[BoilerBob 51]

Hope everyone is continuing to do well. I over indulged for Thanksgiving and didn’t feel great after (some very wet mashed potato and a few spoonfuls of pumpkin pie filling). Otherwise have not really had much pain or nausea. Tomorrow is my two week appointment and I expect to be given the green light to move to purées and soft foods. I’m down about 15 pounds from my surgery and 45 from the start of my preop diet.

[Char V 52]

9 hours ago, BoilerBob said:

Hope everyone is continuing to do well. I over indulged for Thanksgiving and didn’t feel great after (some very wet mashed potato and a few spoonfuls of pumpkin pie filling). Otherwise have not really had much pain or nausea. Tomorrow is my two week appointment and I expect to be given the green light to move to purées and soft foods. I’m down about 15 pounds from my surgery and 45 from the start of my preop diet.

Well done on the loss.
dont over do it. It is a big adjustment. After 14 months I got the hang of limited foods, about a cup full. And that one extra sip or mouthful made me throw up everything. And now I can have no more then 3/4 a cup. And I’ve only thrown up three times since surgery on the 2nd.

i had a mini meltdown last night. I had thrown up and also had my first dumping(think it was the date smoothie.) and I was contemplating the decisions on the fluid/puree diet for the last 15 months. And how it’s affecting my mental health. I am so over it and often feel myself wondering to how people do this for their life. I am walking 30mins - 1hr a day. And it’s the only enjoyment I feel besides my sewing. I can only sit for an hour at a time.
I see my GP tomorrow.

[brandycsiz 38]

Tomorrow is my day, I am so nervous and wondering if I am making the right choice ( I know I am). Tonight I need to pack for the hospital and make sure my boys are good.. I am little frustrated that I have not lost anything on the Preop diet ( I stepped on the scale this morning)...

Good Luck to the few people who today is there big day!!

[SomeBigGuy 105]

1 hour ago, brandycsiz said:

Tomorrow is my day, I am so nervous and wondering if I am making the right choice ( I know I am). Tonight I need to pack for the hospital and make sure my boys are good.. I am little frustrated that I have not lost anything on the Preop diet ( I stepped on the scale this morning)...

Good Luck to the few people who today is there big day!!

Congrats and good luck! I had mine last Monday, and had similar doubts going into it. The first 8 hours afterwards was the worst, but it wasn't so much that it hurt, it was more just an uncomfortable feeling. That combined with coming out of anesthesia and the way I overthink things didn't help, haha, but around 8 hours afterwards it started easing dramatically. I felt way better the next morning and walking was easy after that. Definitely recommend walking and Gas-X to reduce the pressure feeling.

As for the scale not moving, just remember that weight loss is not linear, it comes in waves. Whenever there's a sharp change to our body, our mind overreacts because it thinks we're under threat and its trying to save our life, even if its something as simple as a diet. The fat we accumulated was as a defense measure to protect against starvation for our ancestors, but we as humans haven't adapted to the plentiful amount of food and high carbohydrate availability that we have present day.

Think of our fat cells as little balloons that can store pieces of fat as a potential fuel source for starvation protection. As we go into a deficit with our calorie restriction, the body is forced to burn those pieces of fat, but those balloons remain, waiting to be filled back up again "just in case". If our body thinks it is threatened after a significant amount of that fat fuel is burned, it will temporarily fill it with water/fluid to keep the balloons in tact. This is where the "water weight" you may have heard of comes into play. So even though the fat itself is gone, those balloons are hanging on for dear life, thinking they're trying to save you.

Only after some time passes, the body decides that its safe to shed those empty fat balloons, and you'll have a "whoosh" of weight loss after a stall period. These stalls can be 1 week to a couple months, which makes it very easy to get discouraged. When (not if) you get to a stall, just remember to stay the course. You had an entire lifetime to condition your body that your higher food intake was the normal amount required for survival, so it won't be convinced that everything is ok with a reduced caloric intake for a little while. Your weight loss will appear like stair steps instead of a straight line. Also anticipate slight gains during these stalls. That is just the Water retention, and not fat reappearing, so think of it as "fake weight".

As you get close to your final goal, and you're exercising more, remember that muscle weighs more than fat, I think about 1.5x as much. So as you build muscle, it will offset the number on the scale. That is why the scale number isn't as important in the final phase of your weight loss journey. It can be discouraging if you're only chasing the number, so keep in mind all the other victories towards the end. Think of the energy you have, an easier time breathing, the ability to do things you couldn't before, being able to wear clothes you never thought you'd fit in, and the additional years added to your life!

[ChunkCat 687]

Good luck Brandy and Meisha and everyone else having surgery this week!!

Tomorrow I will be one month post op!! I didn't lose anything last week, in fact when I checked my weight Monday I've gained 2,6 lbs. I might have cussed out the scale. 😂 I know it is just the infamous "3 week stall" and there is nothing I can do but stay the course. But maaaaan, when the scale starts moving in the other direction, it really does your head in. I worry this won't work for me, that this is all the weight loss I'll get, that my weight issues are too complicated for this surgery, etc... I know it isn't true, it is just a feeling and feelings are transient, but I'm pretty discouraged anyway. I'm sure it'll only last a few weeks, then get back on track. I plan on watching how everything is fitting while the scale is being difficult. I know it is just Water weight gained from a stressed out body. But boy does your headgame need to be strong for this process...

In other news I am on soft foods and about 70% of what I eat is relatively fine. I'm still taking nausea meds on and off. I still keep finding foods that piss everything off, my tiny tummy is PICKY. Fish still works best of all which still strikes me as all sorts of weird since I never liked it before. My tastebuds are still behaving strangely. And I really want a muffin but I can't have it because DS patients have to low carb it. *sighs wistfully* I picked up some of the Devotion brand Protein that you can bake with. Maybe I'll be able to make a muffin when they arrive?!

[Char V 52]

Spot on SBG.
this happened to me first time round. I also didn’t do any pre op for both surgeries as they were both ended up emergency surgeries.
but you also get a stall around 3 months. I lost 55lbs(25kgs) in 3 months. But cause I was so sick and not handling foods my body stored all the nourishment I would be able to hold down. Plus I was plagued with injury so couldn’t walk.

Cat, up your Protein. My nutritionist said this to me and I started to shed a little more.

good luck Brandy. You are doing this cause you want a better quality of life.

[SomeBigGuy 105]

Agreed with these comments. Definitely up your Protein where you can and cut out excess carbs. Anything past your minimum range, and they slow down the process of burning excess fat. Also processed foods along with excess carbs can cause more Fluid retention, which causes your weight on the scale to increase. Granted, that is fluid weight, and not fat weight, but it can also cause inflammation and make you feel tired and bloated.

[Meisha 14]

On 11/28/2023 at 7:27 AM, brandycsiz said:

Tomorrow is my day, I am so nervous and wondering if I am making the right choice ( I know I am). Tonight I need to pack for the hospital and make sure my boys are good.. I am little frustrated that I have not lost anything on the Preop diet ( I stepped on the scale this morning)...

Good Luck to the few people who today is there big day!!

How are you doing, Brandy? I had my surgery yesterday as well and I’m feeling weirdly OK. I expected to feel like hot garbage, but my only real complaint is how tired I am.

I got released from the hospital this morning and my husband and I went exploring around the town we’re in after I had a nap. Our AirBnB is near the botanical gardens which has a Christmas light display so we are going to walk through that for a few minutes then call it a night. We have my follow up appt tmrw AM then we’re starting the drive home. I’m ready for my own bed and my own pillow!

Hope everyone is doing well!

[MJbypass 5]

Hi everyone, I hope I can jump in!

I had a sleeve in 2018 and just had a mini bypass (omega loop) performed on mon 27.11. Just got home from hospital today and still feeling quite swollen and poorly, but hoping every day feels a bit better.