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some people experience hormone-related depression for a few weeks after weight loss surgery, but weight loss surgery would not have caused bipolar disorder.

Did anyone tell you about the ricotta bake. That’s another thing that is good on purée/soft food. It’s basically lasagna without the noodles. You can bake it in the oven but I just microwaved it. Ricotta, marinara (without chunks) and low fat cheese. Some recipes that you bake call for an egg which may be better but I never tried that one. The refried brand reminded me because I basically lived on them two things for a while.

I think the curly is cute and if it’s less maintenance it’s a win win Isn’t it so weird, though how hormones and other brain chemicals that “act as hormones” can change our hair. I am on a mood stabilizer and antidepressant and over the years my hair has changed texture entirely. It’s the strangest thing. It used to be super silky fine and board straight to the point when I cut it short I had to add color to try and damage it because it wouldn’t do anything even with all kinds of product. Now it’s a little thicker, more coarse (or more normal) and sorta curly when I wake up (but nothing like yours, mine brushes out) Ooh and it changed color (which dr Google says that part may just be aging but also due to hormonal changes). 🤷🏼‍♀️

Bipolar disorder is not something that would be caused by surgery but it usually does not present itself until someone is in their early 20’s. (Of course that’s not always exact- there is also childhood bipolar and people who go undiagnosed so they learn about it later). It’s likely just coincidence time wise but I suppose the hormonal changes may have exacerbated it some If you have bipolar and had one episode of depression you are not cured now, I’m afraid. The episodes just come and go and they can be depression or mania and last different amounts of time from one person to the next. The medication helps lessen the extremes but it can take some trial and error to find the right one and you have to continue to take it, even when you are feeling better. It can be a bit challenging but if you work with your doctor to find the right meds- and again I stress that you must take your meds every day- it should be manageable. Talking to a therapist can help as well.

I’m literally coming out of it. I was so lost. It hit me heavy. I was informed that losing weight so fast releases certain hormones and/or fluctuates them to the point where we FEEL it even psychologically. Ive never really been a depressed person but since my surgery in june, some days i feel it. Like i said last week was hard for me. But im feeling better this week so im celebrating a small win! You’ll have a good week too! Be encouraged. Youre not alone

Looking good!!!!!! ❤️

Have you ever mentioned to your doctor, in the past, the things you did to try and lose weight? I have BCBS and they had the same requirement. But I had mentioned to my pcp that I did keto, weight watchers, calorie restriction, and the mediterranean diet. When I mentioned this, she put it in the notes that went to the insurance company and they accepted it and that took 6 months off the process. My pcp was very supportive and was happy for me to do the surgery. I gave her all the requirements from my insurance company (I needed to pass a ekg, her form stating what I've tried to lose weight, my comorbidities, etc...) he jumped right on that and got it done asap. By the time I went to my 1st appt w/ my surgeon, she had already sent all of this to their office. So I was 3/4 of the way finished on day 1 of seeing my surgeon. All I had left to do was the psych eval, blood work the surgeon needed, and then waiting for it all to be submitted and approved by insurance. My first appt with the surgeon was Feb 28th, 2022. My psych eval was March 7th. Everything was submitted to my insurance on March 10th and I got my approval on March 14th 2022. The longest part of this was honestly actually getting to the surgery date because I couldn't have it until May 3rd due to the surgeon's schedule. So honestly, the better prepared you are, the more you do behind the scenes, the faster the whole process will go.

Dumping is fairly uncommon, like 30% of patients I believe, so odds are in your favor it won't happen to you. I've had my heart race for several minutes from what could probably count as dumping, but that was admittedly after having something very high in refined sugar that I had no business eating in the first place. Fruit has never been an issue in that way, but it can be an issue for me with the skin or texture as my stomach can be very picky about that. I have been sick from a peach with the skin on, as well as from a piece of thawed frozen mango that was a bit tough. But honestly, you just have to give it a try and remember that dumping is something that, while it could be a little unpleasant, isn't really bad enough to be nervous about for the vast majority of people.

Amber you have done so so well (and am totally expecting that pesky 0.4lbs to goal to melt off soon, along with more besides LOL!!) Since my surgery I have tried to avoid processed foods and ultra processed foods, other than on special occasions. These are what made most of obese in the first place. Meeting our post op macros and choosing foods that will sustain and nourish our bodies in the long term are, I believe, two completely different things. I have no evidence that people who eat mostly whole foods cooked from scratch do better long term than those of us who return to ultra processed foods but just in lower volumes (because we have a much smaller place to put them at the start - but it does enlarge for some). I do know that my approach is working for me. Also no idea whether people who revert to UPFs are on a slippery slope, do worse, just stop posting here. My observation would be that most of the long termers here don't. There are a few exceptions I think but they seem to be people who have had surgery that allows them to malabsorb hugely (and pay the price GI-wise). The sleeve isn't designed to do that. In summary - hats off for your massive and rapid loss. I think that long timers seem to do better with whole foods and home cooked meals. If you're eating something that has ingredients that you don't have in your home cupboard, be wary, think twice, but enjoy if you want to! I wish you all the best.

Im curious because I havent had the surgery yet but do you ever get hungry just eating 800-900 calories