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Thank you guys. Today has been a much better day for me. I'm improving in my mood.

Exactly!!! Our whole lives have been dictated by the scale. Either hating what we see on it or avoiding it altogether. SO of course the first thing we all think about is watching the numbers go down. And there's nothing wrong with that. But it's so important to remember that there's a lot more to this journey than just losing weight. Yes, that's a big part of it, but there's so many other benefits and blessings that come with this surgery. Things I know I certainly never thought of. And I wanted to put something out here that reminded all of us to look for everything this surgery, and our hard work, will bless us with.

You have lost a massive amount of weight. Congrats. Given that you are 6ft you may need to be eating more to sustain such a weight loss and have good energy levels. Are you currently under the care of a bariatric dietician? If not please check in with one so that your tiredness can be investigated. Have you been having regular blood tests done to see where everything is? Having a bypass may result in malabsorsion of nutrients and lead to deficiencies that can show up in blood tests. Being back in the gym will also require more fuel for energy. You may want to throw yourself back into the thick of it but dont. Slowly increase the rate and weights that you exercise with. Dont pop another hernia by rushing things. Does the gym have an exercise physiologist that can give you guidance? Please seek one out. Walking is a great place to start. Your wife IS right. You just had major surgery and that by itself will take time. Dont try to run before you can walk.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a moment to share my experience and vent a bit about the difficulties I've been facing after my gastric bypass surgery. It's been tough, and I could really use some support and understanding right now. Firstly, one of the biggest challenges I've encountered is the loss of taste. It's incredibly disheartening to try different food and drink options, only to find that nothing tastes good anymore. I've experimented with various yogurts, protein powders, shakes, and even crystal light flavors, but unfortunately, the enjoyment I used to get from eating has vanished. Even something as simple as finishing a bottle of water has become a struggle for me. To add to this frustrating situation, I've been dealing with a persistent metallic taste in my mouth. This unpleasant sensation affects how everything tastes, making it even more difficult to find pleasure in eating or drinking. Despite my efforts to maintain good oral hygiene by brushing my teeth four times a day, the taste persists, and it's incredibly discouraging. On top of these physical challenges, my energy levels have plummeted, leaving me feeling depleted and drained. It's hard to stay positive and motivated when you're constantly battling fatigue. Unfortunately, this has taken a toll on my mental health as well, and I find myself struggling with depression. It's a heavy emotional burden to carry, and I often find myself crying myself to sleep at night. I apologize if this post sounds like a downer, but I really needed to vent and share my experience with people who might understand. If any of you have gone through a similar situation, I would greatly appreciate any advice or encouragement you can offer. And to those who are willing, please keep me in your prayers. The support means the world to me during this challenging time. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and for being there for me when I needed to let it all out. Together, we can get through the tough times and find strength in each other.

With my sleeve, I took 2 weeks off and needed every bit of it. With my revision to bypass, I was up and doing things after 4 days. Only took a week off, but honestly didn't need it. Still took it, though lol

Ok, not to sound too harsh here, but your surgeon is being stupid. In this one (and only this one) thing, ignore him. There's nothing wrong with shakes. And you should be eating 4-5 times per day, 3 hours apart. I do 3 meals and 2 snacks. For my snacks, I do things like colby jack cheese cubes and pepperoni slices. Or pepper jack cheese sticks and salami (or roast beef) slices (sandwich meat). I tend to make my own protein shakes in the morning, mostly because I've never been big on breakfast foods, so making a protein shake works well for me. I get my protein shakes from Arbonne (so so many vitamins in it, 20g of protein, mixes well, not grainy, and really yummy flavors). I'll put in 16oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 scoops of whatever protein shake I'm doing that day, 2 tbsp of avocado (no flavor, makes the shake creamy, added healthy fat), 1 tbsp mct oil, 1 tsp black seed oil, 2 tbsp "triple seeds" (flax, chia, and hemp seeds), 1 scoop Arbonne protein boost (10mg protein), 2 scoops Arbonne probiotic fiber booster, 2-3 tbsp Jordan's skinny syrup (whatever flavor I want to add, it has no calories, no carbs, no sugar), sometimes I add frozen fruit (depending on the flavor shake I'm doing), a few icecubes, blend, and YUMMY!!!!! When eating meals, you want to make sure they are protein first, then veggies, then carbs. Too much protein isn't good for you. That's why, in general, you need between 60-80g protein. I tend to be in the 80-90 range on heavy work out days, and 60-70 on rest days. If I know I can't get my veggies in, I drink my greens. I get the Arbonne super greens powder (blend of 36 fruits and veggies), and I make sure to add the Arbonne GutHealth (digestive enzymes with pre and pro biotics). Drinking greens is a good way to supplement getting in your fruits and veggies without adding all the extra calories, carbs, and sugar. But it's not meant to completely replace eating veggies. It just helps if you're struggling to get them in, or if you really don't like to eat them all that much. You stomach is much smaller than it used to be, so you need to eat more often. I tend to get protein in 2 of my meals and both snacks. The 3rd meal usually has more veggies (I love salad, so I've been known to have a salad for a meal and have very little protein in it) but with my shake, my snacks, and 1 other meal, I get the protein I need. I like to add veggies to my salad (green peppers, olives, cucumbers, shredded carrots, etc) so I try to balance my needs with protein and veggies that way (and drinking a greens drink at least 3-4x per week). I drink A LOT of water (84oz typically per day) and that actually helps with hunger. So does drinking tea (I love green tea, black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and yerba mate tea). It's true that protein helps you feel full longer, but you can't fill up on just protein. Your body needs a variety of foods, vitamins, nutrients, and minerals to be balanced and healthy.

that's too bad he's anti-shake. Most of us have to use those for a couple of months - or until we can meet the protein requirements through food. I wonder If he'd allow Fairlife milk? That's much higher in protein than regular milk.

I like to say that's exactly what I signed up for. But knowing at some point it will return helps to get through it. I used to love my Crystal Light drinks but after WLS it was too sweet and plain water tasted better until about 2 months out. So, tastes do change but usually are only temporary. Metallic taste is usually from your body detoxing. So that's a good thing. At 5 months post-op a lot of things are hit and miss for me still but that's OK. I stick with what I know my new tummy can tolerate and slowly introduce new foods as I go. My restriction has really increased as time goes on and my appetite as well. With nerves healing and increase in exercise to blame. LOL I do experience days of extreme fatigue too. On some days it literally felt like my bones were aching. But I don't push myself and allow myself to rest when needed. Also, It's really important to make sure you keep up on your daily vitamins. Especially now, when eating less. Don't worry. Enjoyment will return soon enough. And hopefully by then you will be that much closer to all your goals. Good luck!!

I slowed down significantly in the 7th month after surgery. It turns out that I was very iron anemic. My journey has been to find the sweet spot of eating/exercising just enough but not too much. When I keep my iron levels up I still loose about 1-1/2 lbs per month 2 years out. I’m almost done loosing I think because it doesn’t take much effort to stay where I’m at currently, but I’d have to WORK to get and stay at a lower weight. It’s all about your sweet spot. Keep working your plan, there’s more losses coming, just slower, in fits and starts.

stalls became more frequent the further out I got. And they tended to last longer, too. Every time I'd hit one, I'd think "well, this must be it...", but then my weight loss would eventually start up again. I kept losing until about the two year mark. It was slow going after the first year, though.