maggiemayuk

Good to hear how well everyone has done over the past year. I have lost 129lb since my heaviest and am feeling great. My quality of life is so much better now. I still have a little way to get to goaL, but I had my 12 month check-up with my bariatric practitioner and he advised me not to lose too much more. In fact he said if I lost more than another 10lb over the next six months to go back and talk to them about it. He also said that the excess skin kind of causes the BMI to be overstated in terms of an indicator of health and that losing a lot of weight too fast can put a strain on your heart (I am coming up to 65 and have other health issues). I would like to lose that much though as I have some very nice coats and jackets that I can nearly get back into!

Yes, I knew a lot about nutrition and my 'core' diet has always been healthy - plenty of Protein, vegetables fruit etc. However, I always felt hungry, so although I tried to snack healthily I would be tempted by sweet things in particular. Now I'm free of that permanent feeling of hunger it's so much easier to avoid the dangerous Snacks.

I tried them as well and thought they were dreadful. No flavour at all and slimy - couldn't see the point of eating them.

I agree that it takes quite a while for people who see you regularly to notice. It's usually after a break that the penny drops. This suits me fine as I don't want the attention. Most people just say that I'm looking well, which is fine. No-one has been rude enough to ask outright how much I've lost - the nearest has been 'You must have lost loads' and I just say yes thanks I have and change the subject. Some people have worried that I'm ill, as I had cancer three years ago so they ask if I've lost it on purpose. One of my friends knows about the surgery but didn't notice anything until I'd lost over 50lb. Now when she sees me she asks if my clothes are getting looser. I'm down 6 sizes so if I tried to wear my original clothes they'd be in a pool around my feet!

I'm one of the people who don't like comments about their weight so it didn't bother me that people were slow to notice. If anyone says 'have you lost a lot of weight' I just smile and say 'yes I have' and change the subject, then I don't get drawn into boring diet talk.

Welcome to the forum KensingtonWalk and good luck with your journey. I think for many of us WLS is a last resort after many years of problems controlling weight. It's not a magic wand but it helps enormously if you have the determination to succeed. It's great that you've got funding now and can start the process.

Sounds like most people replying were luckier than me. I had a lot of post op pain - not at the incision sites at the surface but deep inside. It worried me a lot as I thought something might be wrong but at my post-op check-ups it was dismissed as 'referred pain' and I was told that some people got it and others didn't. If I twisted or leaned forward I sometimes got a deep stabbing pain that was enough to take my breath away. However it stopped after 6 weeks post-op and I didn't have any problems after that. I'm not posting to scare people but rather to reassure anyone who is experiencing pain that they're not the only one and as long as they have check-ups they need not worry as it will soon be gone.

Consumption of coffee/caffeine seems to be an issue only with doctors in the US. I've never heard of any doctor in the UK even mentioning it. I have always had at least two cups a day and it has never caused me any problems. I rarely drink alcohol anyway, so that's not been an issue either, but I don't recall the dietician mentioning it other than in the context of empty calories. As always I just think it's a case of 'moderation in all things'.

You GO Maggie! Let me know how it goes! Dr. Adeyeri. Holmdel, NJ, USA Thanks for the encouragement. I have lost the pound and a half but other than that seem to have stalled for a while. However, I'm carrying on with my exercise and am not getting too upset.

I just used the My Tickers option to record current Weight/BMI. I have noticed that some people have a fuller record on their status but I don't know how they did it. MaggieMay Thank you so much for this feedback. I am not asking for a magic wand in the Sleeve Surgery, but I just wanted to know when I came out the otherside that life around food will still be enjoyable. This has made my day. I have also just noticed our Stats are similar. I am also 5'10 and have around 120lbs to lose. I shall be very interested in following your progress. As I am new to the site, is there somewhere you have tracked your journey?

ChrisredJeep normal to be nervous but I'm sure it will be fine. I'm 9 months down the line and can't remember much about the first few weeks. Like excitedbutnervous I had old stocks of LighterLife and Exante and used those. You can also add Protein powder to ordinary smooth veggie Soups if you want to up your protein intake. I had yoghurts and puréed fruit after 3 weeks I think, then moved on to things like hummus, scrambled egg, etc although that's a bit harder to digest. Excitedbutnervous I eat out frequently - I don't asK for child's meals, I just have normal food and stop eating when I've had enough which means I often leave quite a bit on the plate. Despite the recommendations not to drink and eat at the same time I do sometimes (only still non-alcoholic drinks or tea or coffee) and it doesn't seem to give me any problems. Thank heavens in the UK we're allowed to eat whole eggs and have coffee - I don't know how I would have managed otherwise as brunch is my favourite meal! Anyway, good luck to you both.

Good luck with your surgery chrisredJeep. Looks like your starting BMI is similar to mine. I'm feeling so much better since surgery. Weight loss has slowed down a lot now (nearly 9 months post-op) but I'm happy with that as I don't want to be on an unsustainable diet. No regrets at all.

Thanks for that - a timely post for me as I've just put on weight for the first time since surgery. Will get back in control now. Losing a pound and a half will be easy.... Having to re-lose ten would be more daunting.

I can sympathise with that keepgoing2014. I've been doing well, but this week has been the first weigh-in since surgery when my weight has gone up rather than down. Only 1.5lb in two weeks but it has been a wake-up call. I am getting exercise ie going to the gym and plenty of walking, and I have a feeling that I have been giving myself 'permission' to include a treat too many as a reward. My core diet is healthy and quantities are still small, but I've got into the habit of adding in a few mint candies after meals. I need to get a grip and make sure it's only one or two. I'm not cutting them out altogether because if I deny myself things then I tend to obsess about them and that's not healthy either. However I have bought myself a few new summer clothes and would hate to find they were getting tight, so that will be an incentive to cut back again. As to support - I have never discussed my weight loss with anyone anyway. Only a couple of close friends knew I had surgery and they don't ask me about it. Other people have started to notice that I've lost weight and ask me if it's on purpose. I just say yes, I'm keen to get healthy again and change the subject. Just not interested in boring diet talk, and neither are they! Let's hope we both stay motivated. We've done so well so far, so let's not start sliding back Into old habits! Good luck.

I was told no drinking 30mins before or after, but actually I don't seem to need to worry about it. I don't drink much and it doesn't affect my appetite - so if I'm thirsty I drink.

Here In the UK there seems to be less emphasis on specific protein intake goals. I was just told to eat slower, with smaller portIons, but to eat my protein first before anything else to make sure I have room for it. Generally I have protein In at least one meal a day with protein snacks in between. I'm rarely hungry so I don't eat three meals a day. Most of my protein comes from eggs, seafood and chicken. When I have my check-up they're happy with my blood results and when I say I don't have as good a balanced diet as I did before surgery because I don't have much room for vegetables, they just say that within a year things will be easier.

That's why I only weigh twice a month. There will inevitably be daily fluctuations due to all sorts of factors, but remember that if you are exercising and keeping to an eating plan they won't be anything to do with gaining fat. You have to eat around 3,500 extra calories to put on a pound of fat, so you didn't eat an extra 10,500 calories in one day to put on those 3lb did you? Very unlikely! Also remember that muscle weighs heavier than fat, but takes up less space pound for pound, so the advice to check your measurements is good, but I wouldn't do that every day. I work on a Saturday and wear the same pair of formal pants each week and even when I don't feel any lighter or smaller they have been getting looser even during a stall. I have had a couple of stalls, but as I only weigh twice a month never once have I got on the scales and found I've gained. Keep up the exercise, sounds like you are doing brilliantly.

Just goes to show that we're all different. I'm a very private person and in any case think it's boring to go on about your own health problems, especially to vague acquaintances. I'm not remotely bothered what other people think - I just think it's none of their business. When I had breast cancer I told very few people. Unlike those who like to reveal their bald heads in public in order to get sympathy from total strangers and play the 'cancer card', I bought a very realistic wig and all through treatment carried on as normally as I could, so only people I'd told noticed that anything was wrong. Still, that's just me. I've never participated In general 'diet talk' - my personal view is that people should just get on and do it rather than talk about it! That's not to say that I haven't appreciated this forum as other people's experiences here in a specialist forum can be relevant and helpful - but the opinions of 'the general public' are mostly irrelevant and misInformed.

Well said LipstickLady. I feel much the same.

Sleeved September 18th and down 70lb since surgery and 98lb over all. Have also had slower weight loss recently - only lost about 6lb over the past month. However, I'm getting a lot more exercise now and feel so much better so I'm happy. Will have my 6 month check up on Friday and hope the hospital is happy too.

I was 64 when I had surgery last year. I think it can improve your life at any age.

Here in the UK no-one seems to talk about bougie sizes, just how much your stomach will be reduced by in percentage terms. So I was told I would have 90% of my stomach removed, which sounded an awful lot. However I've had no problems post-op and manage fine with it.

When I had my first weigh-in I was fully clothed including shoes - only took my coat off. Tbh a pound here or there means nothing in the grand scheme of things so I don't they bother about it too much.

It has cheered me up hearing that not everyone is losing weight really fast. I was sleeved on 09/19/14 and have lost 58lb since surgery. I seem to have hit a stall over the past month and have lost hardly anything despite getting more exercise and still eating small portions. I still think 58lb is pretty good but when you hear of people losing 100lb over the same period you begin to wonder what you are doing wrong.

I weigh twice a month - on the 1st and then again on the 18th. (My surgery was on the 18th of the month). That's more than enough for me as I don' t want to obsess about it and I don't need to know my weight on a daily basis to keep on track. I can tell I'm losing inches by the way my clothes fit. But as others have said we all deal with things differently and you need to find what works for you.