Chelenka

Fear and anxiety are normal pre-surgery emotions. You are taking a risk.

I take supplements in capsules and pills all sizes, sometimes four or five at once. I'm a good swallower. That's my whole problem!

Good for you! I hope you'll share some photos soon. You are already beautiful so now you are stunning!

Emotional eating is very hard to control and I struggle with it all the time. I knew that I was an emotional eater pre-surgery but didn't realize the full extent of it. I was knee deep in de-nile! LOL! Becoming conscious of your eating triggers and behavior is half the battle. Also, make sure you are eating enough protein and eat some healthy fat like avocado or organic unaltered butter, organic nut butter and the like to help combat hunger. Stay away from sugar and simple carbs, drink your water, etc. We got this!

I was 325 at my first surgical consult. My highest weight though was 360 approx. One year post-op I was 100lbs down to 225, just 5 lbs short of my goal. I'm 6'1" so 220 seemed like a reasonable goal since I've always been obese since childhood. I maintained between 225-230 until last September when my Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer and I started the emotional-eating roller coaster up. The holidays added a few more lbs and i went up to 240. I've been trying to reverse the trend. It is just as though I hadn't had WLS except I'm fighting to lose 15lbs rather than 100lbs. Add a new and stressful job where food is a constant temptation and a knee injury which is keeping me from doing much strenuous exercise and you have the perfect storm of weight-loss challenges. There is a point after WLS for most of us when we realize that we can eat a little more and that a cookie or candy doesn't cause nausea anymore. Old behavior around food starts creeping back in and the self-sabotage takes over. If you have a history of issues with food and over eating WLS doesn't magically cure that. It is a life-long battle. If you keep doing what you've always done you'll keep getting what you always got. I don't say all this to shame or scare anyone. I just know that it is still a struggle for me and always will be. My body is genetically prone to obesity and my metabolism is extremely slow because of thyroid disease. I can't get the same level of exercise I was engaged in last year but I'm making some changes which seem to be helping so far. I'm cutting out wheat and have been drinking a Protein shake Breakfast. I plan to give the intermittent fasting a try as well.

Welcome and congrats on a great job!

I have tried on a lot of bras. I had ginormous boobs which are now still a DDD or G cup depending on the bra brand and style. I either wear a 36 or 38 band. If I wear a 36 I need the G cup. Part of the problem is the loose skin around my arm pits which lops over in certain bra styles. I also think my breasts shrank a bit more over time, which is a good thing. I thin Nordstrom did the best job of fitting me and they have a big selection but are expensive. Thus I hunt for bras in Nordstrom Rack Marshals, and other discount stores.

And my left knee knows it!

Needed to read it!

I'm 6'1", 2 years out and my basal metabolic rate seems to be between 2000 to 2200 if my Fitbit is an accurate measurement. However, if I eat more than 1800 cals a day, regardless of the food source, I gain weight. I'm also hypothyroid w/ Hashimotos and take synthroid everyday. I'm still fighting with a 15 lb regain that started last Fall when my Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer, and a lot of holiday out-of-control eating. A normal woman with my height and a normal metabolism would be able to eat more calories and have a higher metabolic rate. Oh well, that's my life story, slow to non-existent metabolism. I think you are doing great if you're staying at 115-118 lbs! That's maintaining! Constant vigilance is what it takes and it gets old. The problem is that when you stop being vigilant and gain weight it takes a HUGE effort to get it off again. My only suggestion would be to add some weights or yoga to your exercise routine as building muscle should help boost your metabolic rate, so they say. I have been doing Yoga for about nine months now and it has definitely made me stronger and my posture is much better, plus it's such a great stress reducer. It hasn't helped me lose my regain but perhaps my muscle mass has increased which is part of it ( wouldn't that be nice LOL!). I think for me getting outside will help me move the scale. I love walking and riding my bike but this winter has been too cold for me to get outside much. Looking forward to the warmer weather!

Thanks for the update and glad to hear you are doing better and able to have some fun!

Awesome! So glad to be a part of the success! This site has been a great source of help and support! Thank you!

You look great!

Welcome gourmetone! You are definitely a VSG Vet. I struggle with sugar too. It's an addiction for me.

Acupuncture is legal. Even if it doesn't help you, it's not a risk. Just sayin ...

Hey all: yesterday was my 2 year surgiversairy. Photos are 1 week pre-op, one year post-op and yesterday. I was going to write a lengthy post about weight issues and life, blah, blah but my best friend's Mom died yesterday so who gives a flying fig. Up 11 lbs from my lowest weight but working on it. Some regain seems inevitable.

I have read that acupuncture can be very affective against nausea. Maybe it could help you feel better. Just a thought. It does sound like you are somewhat better despite the nausea. Keep on hangin in there.

Thinking about you and hope that things are going better.

Thinking of you and keeping you in prayer that you can progress through this time and everything stays down, no more nausea.

Would I do it again? Yes! What surprises me the most is now that I am almost 2 years post-op how easy it is to regain weight and how difficult it is to lose it again. Even so, I am very grateful to have had the surgery and very happy with the results!

You look WONDERFUL! Be happy!

Keeping you in prayer.

I've been reading this thread and lurking in the background. I am trying to do this fasting but find that I feel ravenously hungry and end up snacking myself into oblivion. Sigh. Also trying to stay very low carb. I find the low carb thing difficult at times but not as hard for me as the fasting. For some reason it makes me feel very fatigued. Does anyone else experience this? Maybe it's just not for me. I am very frustrated with myself and my inability to lose the holiday weight gain. Just seems like I never had the surgery sometimes except I'm fighting from a much lower weight than before. Other than that it's just as frustrating.

Hang in there Cowboy!

FYI, a friend just told me that hot lemon water, first thing in the morning, really helped her reflux. She is not a WLS person but has other health issues that have caused her to have terrible reflux. I'm gonna try it.