Leaderboard

I've always been overweight. I honestly can't remember a time when I wasn't. But it's crazy how when you're a kid, you're not fat, obese, or whatever, you're cute and chubby, and the extra weight that you're carrying is no need for concern. But as you get older that quickly changes and you're no longer perceived as chubby and cute, and the extra weight has become a major problem, not just for yourself, but for others as well. I wonder if any of you can relate to this. I've struggled with my weight my entire life. I know many people say this and it's as if they're just talking, but I've actually been the biggest person in my class, school, church, etc. It was rare that I would see someone that was just as big as I was, if not bigger. I've tried different diets, exercise plans, supplements, nothing has worked for me. If I did lose any weight, it was a short-lived accomplishment. I've struggled with deeply rooted insecurities that only further fueled my horrible relationship with food. I have struggled with anxiety and depression for years because in my mind I could never get to that perfect weight or body. Just a constant battle with myself for most of my life. It has taken a great deal of trial and error for me to get to where I am today in how I see myself, physically and otherwise. I have come to love myself and my body and I feel that there's nothing wrong with loving who or how you are physically, mentally, spiritually, and yet you feel the need to change a part of you. I believe most people would associate this with insecurity, but I beg to differ. I believe that it is the reasoning behind the decision to change that makes the difference. While I have learned to love and appreciate my body for all that it has done and continues to do for me, I am also very aware that carrying over 200 pounds of extra weight is not healthy for me. I want to have children one day and I don't want to put them or myself at increased risks because of my weight. I don't want to be at an increased risk of high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes, or congestive heart failure. These things run in my family and I don't want to be next in line. I want more for myself. I haven't went swimming in years, but I remember how good it felt to feel weightless in the water, how peaceful and serene it was for me. I view this surgery as an opportunity to experience life in a different way. Even though I can walk or run at the weight I currently am, I know that my body will feel a lot better walking and running with less weight being carried around. Even though I can go swimming now, or travel the world just as I am right now. Simple things such as "will I fit in this seat? Will they have clothes my size? Is there going to be a lot of walking, etc...". I don't think many people understand the daily struggles of an obese individual. Yes, we're all aware of the "health concerns" associated with being over-weight. But not many people are aware of those small things that affect us daily such as standing for extended periods of time, back and body aches, getting winded or out of breath easily, etc. I've made the decision to have gastric-bypass surgery as I'm confident that this is the tool that I've been missing to help me finally be successful in my weight-loss journey. I'm nervous and excited, but in the end I know this is the best decision for me. I'm interested to meet anyone who would like to go through this journey together, no matter where you are in your own journey. I'd love to hear from you all and know how you're doing and if I can be of some help to you, even if it's just a kind word. Good Luck! And Blessings to you all!

The absolute best thing is to walk as much as you can. It really helps move that gas out! Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I apologize. I just looked through my paperwork, and I don't appear to have a pureed stage. I guess that might go in the "soft foods" stage for mine, because after that, I have "soft/solids". LOL Like I said, every team has a different plan.

Hi @Jen637! I had a terrible time post-op with my sense of smell. I was so sensitive to any smell and it played a huge part in my nausea and vomiting. It felt like I was being assaulted with information overload to my brain. The good news is that at 3 months after surgery it is completely back to normal. The first week was the worst, but it slowly eased up each week. I might have been back to normal by week 5 or so? But no vomiting by the end of week 1, definitely bearable by week 2-3. It was so horrible and distracting in the beginning! My sense of taste seems to be fine now, too. Good luck, and I hope this passes for you quickly!

First, congrats on your surgery & welcome. It’s not uncommon for your sense of smell to become sensitive to certain odours just like your taste changes & you become more sensitive to how certain things taste or even textures. Foods you always enjoyed may become repulsive. These first months are a big learning curve of what your tummy can tolerate & what it won’t. But it does improve. Just give it time. As Tek said listen to your body. I still have days when I’m just not hungry so I get how you feel. Like Tek, I eat to routine too - what I eat & when I eat. It’s the only way I can keep up my calories to maintain & meet my protein goals. On not hungry days I don’t quite eat as much but I make sure I get in three meals. Have you spoken to your medical team about your nausea & struggles? My nausea & occasional vomiting came from my multivitamins. I’d had this issue with them before so it wasn’t unexpected. Having too much of certain vitamins can cause the nausea so it may be worth asking your medical team about that too. There are patches you can use instead of tablets. After I reached goal, I spoke with my surgeon & gave them up & no more nausea. My bloods have come back well in the acceptable ranges in the 10 months since. Good luck.

I have to say I really felt like crap the first 2 days in the hospital. I vomited several times and had a lot of nausea, but I up and walked as much as possible, and had very minimal pain. I'm actually a nurse (sahm now), and I can tell you the patients who do the best are the ones who get up as soon as possible after surgery and walk, walk, walk! Good luck to you on your surgery! Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

Look up “eggface’s baked ricotta’ recipe it’s yum

Welcome to the forums. You need to eat to plan, whether you want to or not. You are developing new, healthy habits. So, eat to plan. Second obligatory thing: Talk to your Doc. Doc may be able to help with nausea. Now is the part of the post where I share my possibly useless personal experience... When I don't eat I get nauseous. When I get nauseous, I don't want to eat. It's a downward spiral that does not end well. Solution: Eat. Smell is still a big thing for me, particularly when I am nauseous. Smells that I don't give a second thought to can get me from zero to wretching very quickly. Solution: Kill whoever is the cause of the odor. It may seem severe, but really, which is worse? Wretching or murder? Really, it's a no brainer. Your early experiences seem close to what I recall of mine. Maybe you'll get the rest of what I have. Now, when I am pondering "what will I eat?" I do a mental image of the food I want to eat. If my stomach says no (a slight lurch and nausea), then it's a no. No lurch means the meal will likely work fine. I've tried to ignore my stomach and it never ends well, so I listen. I credit this with much of my long term success, so if you are like me in this regard, listen. Now is the encouraging part of the post... Follow your plan consistently and you will succeed. It seems you are mindful of what you are doing which will serve you for years to come. Now is the signoff... Good luck, Tek

I miss Nevada. I lived in Vegas for six years and while I hated the city I loved all the outdoors stuff outside of it. Hiked almost daily in red rock canyon (and lost a lot of weight). On of my favorite things to do was get old Topo maps to look for and explore the old abandoned mines in the desert. We were cautious (as cautious as one could be when doing that sort of thing), like having enough water and light for days and telling someone exactly where we were going and to call for help if we didn’t check in by a certain time... but it was crazy how deep some of them went into the mountains and the spider webs of tunnels, likely dug by hand. I really miss the desert and the mountains. Houston is just flat and sticky...

I am a geologist, and I’ve been opal mining someplace just south of Death Valley. It was probably 20+ years ago, so I no longer remember the name. I’ve also been to the diamond mine in Arkansas. Beautiful and interesting geology in that area, and there’s also several places close by where you can dig for some beautiful quartz crystals. Lots of other interesting minerals in the area as well. There’s a series of great books called “The Roadside Geology of [Utah]”. They exist for nearly every state. I’m almost positive there’s one for Nevada. They are great for road trips to explain what you’re seeing, and will mention places that are good for rock collecting/mining/fossil hunting. They are not too technical. Glad you enjoy digging in the dirt! It’s one of the things that attracted me to the profession. Although now I work in an office and make maps. I haven’t gotten to play around with a rock hammer in years. Maybe once I lose a bit more weight I can get out there again...