bellabloom

Well I figured it out. To many avocados [emoji23]. I didn’t know they had so much fiber. I’ve been eating like 2-3 a day. Whoops hahaha

I personally love sugar free red bull. I don’t like soda and don’t want the sugar although I do drink it now and then. Sugar free red bull is what I use to get through my work days which are long and tiresome.

Hahahahaha. Been there. Lost 15lbs post tummy tuck. Those things are evil. I called my garmet the Colombian torture device.

I kept mine a secret at first. Eventually everyone found out because I had complications. You may find over time, once you’ve lost the weight, it won’t matter as much who knows how you did it. I was embarrassed at first and feared a lack of support but I ended up getting a lot of support. I tell people now and they don’t even blink. Wls is so common these days.

My life bottomed out for a year post surgery. I really went through a rough depression and literally pulled the covers over my head for awhile. Life can be hard but I have to say, everything is temporary. The surgery is a lot to deal with already and I’m so sorry you are dealing with so much on top of it. Just know, you are strong and you will survive this. Try to look for positive things amidst the chaos. Things have a way of working out.

Milk of magnesia.

You look happy and healthy. You were really pretty before too.

I would definitely consider Mexico. Tijuanna has a top notch facility dedicated to bariatric and plastic surgery only. Just remember if you have a complication like with your gallbladder for example, you might have to return. Although your insurance here will likely cover gallbladder stones. Mexico is a great choice.

I found these on my computer today. I don’t have a lot of before pictures. These really made me go- wow. Proud of myself. I’m 3 years out.

Yes I suppose. It’s just to me, the gym should be a safe place. Women are wearing spandex and bending over etc- we need to feel safe and comfortable. I want to be able to work out without being hit on in a yucky way. I think the gym should be off limits for immature behavior. But to each their own. [emoji4] What strikes me about your original post was that at first, you assumed you were being insulted. When In fact, you were being “checked out” in a positive way. For many of us, I thinks it’s hard to let go of the negative assumptions and see ourselves how others see us after weight loss. Letting go of the old body image can be hard, letting go of the defensive mindset. Just something to think about for all of us vets.

I think they were remarking you were hot. Report them anyway. The gym isn’t the place for locker room bullshit. Assholes. I’d smile sweetly, walk away, and report them.

You will again, don’t worry. Keep going

Dumping ABSOLUTELY HAPPENS AFTER SLEEVE SURGERY. I have a sleeve and I dump often. I have dumped on all kinds of things. High carb food with fats seems to be the most likely to do it for me. In addition, eating too much for my stomach or eating and drinking together- that can trigger it. I dump frequently. It hasn’t helped me avoid trigger foods but it definitely makes me wary. My dumping is hard to predict and catches me by surprise a lot. I can tell I’m going to dump within ten minutes or so of eating. My heart starts to race, I get shaky and super nauseated. I sometimes get so sick I literally cannot move, and sometimes I have to urinate about 5-6 times in a row. The nausea is so intense it floors me. I don’t get diarrhea, just the heavy nausea and fluttering heart and dizziness. It’s a horrible feeling. I’ve seen my doctor and he confirmed this is dumping. You can get dumping with any part of your stomach removed. It’s frequently seen in people that have had stomach cancer. I don’t know why sleevers think they won’t get dumping. I most definitely do, even three years out and it has not gotten any better at all. I can dump on pure proteins although it is much more likely for me to dump from high sugar items.

Hey everyone. [emoji4] I haven’t posted for awhile but i just want to share my story as there are lots of new people flowing through surgery and I’d love to help anyone with my experience. I had wls dec 2014. It was quite an ordeal for me, very painful and I had complications. I weight 243 lbs at my surgery and I’m 5’6. I ended up having five or six surgeries on my stomach over the next 6 months. Gallbladder went, exploratory, revision surgery, a endoscopy for a super bad stricture, a granuloma removed from my belly button ... After my wls I was unable to eat solid food for 10 months due to a severe stricture. I could only eat broth and sometimes cheese. So in a way this helped me reach my weight loss goal and surpass it. At my lowest I weighed 114 lbs. Going through the surgery I realized I had a major eating disorder. I had to come to terms with a lot of emotional turmoil and self hatred, guilt and shame and fear of food and regain. I’m still going through some of it. I was very reluctant to return to normal eating post op even once I could. Losing weight became an unhealthy addiction. I ended up having to seek eating disorder therapy. What I discovered as I clawed my way to better health was that dieting had no place in my life and would never work for me. It made me miserable and there was no future for me if I didn’t stop. I had to fully accept the possibility of regaining weight in order to embrace a non diet approach to weight maintenance. 4 years later I no longer diet or weigh myself on a regular basis. I eat through a method called “intuitive eating” and it has changed my life. I have worked very hard to try and embrace my body even as my weight fluctuates. Some days are easy, some are harder. Many people regain weight after wls. Many people struggle to lose enough. I personally believe this is due to dieting being the reason many of us gain weight in the first place. Most people who are obese are suffering from an eating disorder. I wish I had know that before surgery. I don’t regret surgery in fact I am a huge proponent to weight loss surgery. But I feel a combination approach is necessary long term to keep weight off and also have quality of life. Wls combined with I Intuitive eating has really worked for me. Today I think I weigh around 130 lbs. I’m very thin, I struggle to keep weight on especially as food becomes more and more neutral to me. I forget to eat a lot and I have trouble getting regular meals in because I get busy. But I’m not underweight any more so that’s a big improvement. My health is good but I suffer from dumping syndrome which can be stressful and exhausting. If I eat tom much sugar and fat together I will get it, or if I eat too much food, or put fluid with my food it can happen. I also throw up occasionally especially if I drink while I eat. But if I follow the “rules” I’m mostly okay. But eating slowly and eating the right things becomes very hard and impractical at times so there are still plenty of times I break the rules and suffer for it. For one thing with dumping- I can eat very little protein before I get full. If I wanted to not dump I would have to be low carb- but even eating tons of carbs, sweets and fats I can scarcely maintain my weight, I lose very easily. So a low carb diet is not an option for me even if I wanted to do it. Wls is not something that is an easy fix. It’s a very hard surgery with a lot of longer term consequences. I still feel it was worth it however. Here’s some pics and I’m happy to chat which whoever needs advice.

This sounds like dumping!!

Its very common to get stones. Had mine out about 1 month po.

I am three years out. My hunger returned about 1.5 years ago with a vengeance. I really freaked out when this happened, it gave me a lot of anxiety. I responded to it the same way I always had- by fearing it and restricting my food intake. That wasn’t going to work for me long term, I became very depressed. I ultimately embraced another way of eating called “Intuitive Eating” which has really helped me manage my hunger and maintain my weight. Let me see if I can answer your questions. Am I just as hungry as I was before surgery? Yes, I am just as hungry. I get full faster however but I am often hungry again much sooner, especially if my meal is dense protein as the portion size I can consume of protein is very small. I’m usually hungry within an hour or two of eating. I can stay full longer if I consume larger amounts of carbs and fats and some protein in combination. Sometime I stay full for a very long time- and I need to eat again and can’t. For instance I may have a snack before dinner and find I am too full to eat dinner. It varies a lot. My body isn’t as predictable as it was before surgery. Because I practice Intuitive Eating I am very tuned in to my hunger. I simply cannot eat it I’m not hungry, it doesn’t appeal to me at all. And if I am hungry, I must eat or I’m gonna get HANGRY. Do I find that following some type of plan as recommended by a nutritionist helps with hunger? I think everyone is different and you need to find what works for you. I don’t worry about experiencing hunger because I always respond to mine by eating. When I’m hungry, I eat. So it’s not something that scares me or that I have to fight with. How tough is it to maintain? I maintain my weight easily without having to try hard. Do you find that you don’t lose after the honeymoon phase? I lost weight for 1.5 years until I finally started to eat more and was able to stop losing. I don’t think the honeymoon phase means anything- you can lose weight as long as you restrict your intake. Wether this is a good thing or not, I don’t know. Our bodies seem to want to be a set point and everyone is different. If you try and go below yours it will get harder and harder. I do think taking full advantage of the lack of hunger and restriction in the first year is a very good idea. That’s your chance to use the surgery as a tool for weightloss. Hope this helps.

Hey there. I have dumping syndrome (rare for sleeve patients) and I have trouble with things getting stuck/ throwing up after I eat. I also just feel nauseated or generally unwell after I eat most of the time. These might seem like small issues but over time they can be very exhausting. On the up side, I’m healthy vitamin wise, my energy is good and I’m thin and living a much happier life.

I honestly don’t work out. I have good skin.. it went back well. I’ve also had a tummy tuck and some other procedures. That helped a lot.

I’m in the same position as you. A single mom with young children. The year I had surgery was very hard on me and the kids. It is still hard on them when i get sick with dumping etc. BUT-it was hard on them before when I was over weight and very depressed, could barely walk, could not run, no energy for them, total lack of health!!! It was hard for me to walk across a room. I think that was way worse. Now they have a beautiful and energetic happy mom, who yes has digestive issues but there are many many other benefits to losing weight that make up for that. Like I said, I would do it again. I’m sorry if my post made you worry. It’s very likely you won’t have any problems... or less than I do anyway. Take heart. You have made a good decision. Whatever happens your taking a step to heal your health. It’s a journey.

I had Roux-en-y first. I then had a revision to sleeve due to complications from the rny. So my case is a bit more complicated than most. For instance, most sleevers don’t dump. I also had a lot of scar tissue and a stricture. I’m sure some of this contributes to my issues... although my best friend had a perfectly done RNY and has a lot of long term issues too. So it’s hard to say.

Yup. And I have a nice little scar on my eyebrow to prove it when I face planted into a dresser year one. After a couple glasses of white wine. If you want to drink, drink. You’re an adult. You’re making a conscious choice. Just know that it’s very likely you could end up UNCONSCIOUS. [emoji38]

I agree with big viff that you didint likely stretch your sleeve. I’m not sure that’s even possible. For example, I eat carbs and fast food and large amounts of food all the time, but I still have restriction when I eat foods that’s are non-sliders. What you have done is figured out a way to “eat around” you sleeve. Carbs are mostly sliders and you can eat a lot more of them than of protein. If you want to go back to the dieting, than my advice is to begin by eating your protein first. Focus on low carb and higher protein meals with veggies. Your body will crave carbs because your body needs carbs. But by putting those last instead of first you can take advantage of your stomach restriction again.

I personally feel the best way is to avoid “weight talk” with people in general. It’s a very sensitive and hurtful subject to many people. For those trying to be happy and love themselves heavier, it can be hard to hear another person, even a lighter one, talking about drastic surgery to reduce their weight. It’s hard for you too because you want to share your journey with those close to you. Sadly this topic isn’t an easy one for people. I would share it with those you know can be supportive and otherwise keep it to yourself. Just do you! You don’t need others approval, no way. You are the only one whose opinion of yourself matters. It is important to recognize other people’s pain in the world and be kind. Talking about weight/dieting/body image issues is never really a good idea unless you know that person can handle it, or they have brought up the subject themselves. If you feel judged- just ask yourself- how do I feel about my choice? You know the answer.

Well. I did not wait long. I resumed drinking about 6 months out I think. And that was a big mistake, at least for me. Alcohol effects me differently now. If I haven’t eaten enough I get DRUNK FAST and I’ll blackout. It’s bad. I had to learn that the hard way. It’s also takes the place of food calories because I struggle to drink and eat together so it becomes a choice between drinking or eating. And I need the food more. And you do too!! Especially early on. I do love wine but even three years out I try and limit my alcohol intake. I’m careful about it. I can see why you want to drink and I wouldn’t think in moderation it’s a problem. But it could possibly slow your weightloss. For me, it did not slow my weightloss but I oddly tend to lose weight when I drink. Most people gain from it. But if you are feeling healthy I don’t see a problem with having a little in moderation here and there, maybe a Glass now and then. I’d say in the first year you can just be very cautious. [emoji4] and don’t let people on here bully you. There is a nice way to give advice and trollish ways. Just remember the people on here, they are all hungry and sober AF.