FindingSassy

I'm 13 months post op and I've lost 63 pounds. Due to major back and knee issues, exercise has been almost non-existent. Don't get me wrong, I love that I've lost 63 pounds but I want to lose more, a lot more. It's frustrating to see people that had surgery only a few days before or after me and they've lost 150 pounds already. During the last six months I haven't gained or lost, again, frustrating. I'm going to physical therapy which is excruciatingly painful and I'm getting ready for my second back epidural, next week. I'm currently unemployed and I answered an ad for a job, it turned out to be for Herbalife. I have nothing to lose by trying it and everything to gain, ha ha. Since exercise might be a little ways away I'm going to try it and see how it goes. I've only ever heard good things about Herbalife but I'd like to hear from others on this matter. Has anybody tried Herbalife since having gastric bypass surgery? If so, please let me know what you've experienced. Thanks all!

I'm 13 months post op and for the last month or so I've been getting terrible stomach aches and nausea. It took a little bit to figure out that when I have starches in a meal, is when I get sick. I've cut out at least 95% of any starches in my meals and I feel much better. Anybody else have this issue?

I'm 13 months post op and have lost 63 pounds. I'm a little disappointed I haven't lost as much as my fellow gastric bypass friends but it's ok. Due to 3 herniated discs in my back and 2 knees that need to be replaced, exercise has been a real issue. Walking, sleeping and sitting are all super difficult. I haven't really gained or lost in the last 6 months so, I think that my food plan is on target. I'm averaging 1200 calories a day. Is this too much or too little? I had an epidural in my back yesterday and I'm praying for relief so that I can exercise without being in excruciating pain. If anyone has some advice, it will be greatly appreciated.

I'm one year post op and only down 63 pounds. I'm definitely depressed since I should have lost almost double that by now. I feel like I'm full of excuses when I say my knees or my back are killing me. I have herniated and bulging discs in my back and two knees that are bone on bone. I'm full of pain, I take pain medication at least three times a day, just to take the edge off. My relationship with food is definitely much better. I love to cook and finding new recipes that are low cal and healthy is fun for me. Exercise,on the other hand, is not something I do often enough because of the pain. Is anyone else having these issues? What are you doing to get thru it?

I had my surgery January 8th 2015, I'm a week shy of being 6 months out from my surgery. I'm down 60 pounds and loving it. I really wish I'd lost more by now but with two bad knees exercise isn't much of an option. Both my knees have zero cartilage left and are bone on bone. Every step I take you can hear and feel my bones grinding on each other, it's sounds like glass smoothing and feels like it too. As if that isn't depressing enough, I'm not losing weight anymore. Thank god I'm not gaining but I'm still not losing. Next Friday I start getting Synvisc injections in my knees and I pray that helps so I can start going to the gym again without being in crazy pain. Anyone have any great ideas, I'm open to suggestions?

For three years now I've had a lot of trouble with both my knees. I'd been told numerous times that because of my weight my knees were both, bone on bone and I had osteoarthritis. Long story short, double knee replacement surgery was in my future. Since my surgery in January I've done very little exercise, due to the lack of flexibility and intense pain. I finally got into a pain management center and was ready to get my first Synvisc injection when the dr looked at my ex rays and told me I had the knees of a 20 year old. I don't have osteoarthritis at all, I have water on the knee and a lot of it. A knee in good condition should only hold 5 cc's of fluid. The dr removed 15 cc's of fluid and then injected the Synvisc. I felt instant relief, the pressure was almost non existent without all the fluid and the pain is minimal now. I can't believe it took this long to find this out. All those years of massive amounts of steroids for my asthma caused my major weight gain and this accumulation of fluid on my knees. At least now I can start exercising without fear of damaging my knees further.

I'm riding the recumbent bike again at home so things should start moving soon. My right knee is feeling great so it's easier to ride now. Good luck everybody.

Same question, what are the slimies?

I had a stall for a few weeks and then lost 2 3/4 pounds, stall over! I have a gym membership to Planet Fitness and before I moved I was there 3or 4 times a week. Now I don't live close to the gym and have barely gone, my fault sort of. Since I moved my knees have been bothering me so much more than before. Tomorrow I start my Synvisc injections and I pray to god they work so I can put off double knee replacement surgery. In the hopes that all goes well, I bought a really nice recumbent bike to use at home. I rode it tonight for 30 minutes and my knees were clicking the majority of the time and now I'm hurting pretty good. Hopefully this pain is worth the effort. Surgery date: 1/8/15 Weight lost: 60 pounds

I wish you the best of luck. It's going to be one hell of a ride!

I Messed Up. I felt crappy this morning and decided NOT to go to work. I did take my girlfriend to work and while driving I became hungry. I had a craving for hashbrowns, Del Taco hashbrowns. I went thru the drive thru and picked them up. Huge mistake, giant mistake. I ate three on the drive home and then it hit, that nauseous feeling. I barely made it off the freeway before I tossed my Cookies. What in god's name possessed me to buy them, was it force of habit or sheer stupidity, maybe even both? I should never have bought them in the first place. I keep getting these cravings for something in particular and then kick myself in the but when I get sick shortly afterwards. I knew better, yet I did it anyway.

You are exactly correct. We are used to eating one way, now we have to teach our tummies and brain to eat the right way. There are things our tummy will like and other things it won't. So far, anything fried makes me ill very quickly and bread does not want to go down, it blocks the entrance to my tummy. There's only one way that gets fixed and that means throwing up, if it won't go down, it needs to come up. Good luck to you!

We all make these mistakes, were only human. Peanut butter cups call out to me when I see them. Everything in moderation... Eating the whole bag, not so good but if you can buy them and only eat one or two, that's a huge form of self control. Don't look at it and think I can NEVER have these again. Doing that only makes you want them more and you end up devouring the whole bag. Think of it as a test, only eat one or two and then put them away. If you're worried about going back for more, have your kid or husband hide them. You can do this, stay strong!

Wow, that was fast! I had RNY 8 weeks ago, it took me six months total from asking for the surgery and having the surgery performed and I thought that was fast. You can do this, don't be nervous. you've already toughed out the battle with the band surgery. At least now you won't have to worry about getting fills or dealing with the port. Be ready for the surgery and the lifestyle change. Do your homework so you know what to expect. I still get the nausea and vomiting and it's no fun but on the other hand, I am losing weight and the nausea will eventually pass. Ask lots of questions on this forum and you'll do great. Good luck to you!

You say that you are post op, how far out are you? I agree with what was said already, don't try anything new outside of your own home, you never know what can make you sick. WLS shouldn't keep you from lunches with your friends. Eat responsibly, follow the rules and hopefully you will do just fine. I'm on week 8 post op and I still have trouble with food and getting sick. I've noticed that any type of bread will make me ill. I need to stay away from it. End of month two... Down a total of 36 pounds and 19 1/2 inches. I'm losing a little slower than expected but I'll take it! so far so good with fruits and veggies. Meats are o.k. But I have to go slow, extra slow. Good luck to you!

I'm 8 weeks post op and lost 36 pounds, so far. It hasn't been an easy 8 weeks either. I've suffered with nausea and vomiting on a daily basis. I was able to exercise only a few days before my knees were screaming in pain. My scale stopped moving in the right direction and told me I gained 5 pounds, that was super depressing. For the next 3 weeks the scale didn't budge and I got very depressed. During that 3 weeks I found out that my knees are arthritic and they are both bone on bone, I can feel the bones grinding each other. I'm most likely going to end up with two knee replacements, less that exciting. Thank goodness when I got on the scale yesterday, I lost the 5 pounds I gained and an extra 1 pound. The scale is moving in the right direction! Even after all this, I'd do the surgery again. I could never do this on my own, I needed help.

I'm new to the tofu world. I'm less than excited to try it but it's high in protein and I need to suck it up and try it. Does anyone know where I can find some good tofu recipes?

I'm 7 1/2 weeks post op and down 35 pounds and 13 1/2 inches. Unfortunately, I'm stuck at the 35 pounds. I'm proud I've lost that much and can't wait to lose more but I'm having a major problem. I can hardly walk and just about any form of exercise is out of the question. My knees have been bothering me for a few years now. I was told a few years ago it was mild arthritis and was given the cushioning gel injections. The injections helped a little but that's when my knees were only semi painful. When I moved, my new Dr. Told me I didn't have arthritis and if I just lost the weight, my knees would be fine. Two years later, my knees are screaming in pain, instead of going to my regular Dr. I went to urgent care where I got my x-rays done. I was able to look at my x-rays and see that both knees are bone on bone. My left knee is by far worse than the left, I even have bone spurs growing on the left knee. My new Dr. is referring me to a pain management clinic where they will try the gel cushioning shots again, along with physical therapy. If the shots and therapy don't help the situation, it looks like I'll be having knee replacement surgery. I'm not excited at the though of surgery so my fingers are crossed that the shots and therapy do the trick. I'm so disappointed. I was so excited to have gastric bypass surgery so I could exercise and lose this weight. Now, I can hardly walk and forget exercise. On a scale of 1 to 10 for pain, I'm pinned at 10. This pain is excruciating and all I want to do is cry. My Dr. Ordered me a cane to help me walk and I can't wait to get it. I'm 42 years old and need a cane, it's depressing. Any. Ideas or suggestions are gladly welcome.

I did to have the NG tube so I can't say anything there. As for the nausea and vomiting, I have it almost everyday. I'm close to 7 weeks post op and I'm exhausted. You never know from day to day what's going to make you sick. I can have corn chowder soup today and feel great so I'll have it again tomorrow thinking it's a safe choice but it's not and I get sick. What's good today may not be so good tomorrow is what I'm trying to say. I know our bodies are still trying to heal and all but the nausea and vomiting are a killer. My Dr. says it will pass, eventually. I'm still waiting foe that day to come. The best I can say is stick with the plan, we will get through this. This is all for the greater good and if it gets me to my idea of the promised land then so be it. Good luck to you, I hope were both feeling better soon!

I'm only 6 1/2 weeks post op and the scale isn't budging since I lost 35 pounds. I'm mildly concerned but highly frustrated. Any ideas on how to jump start weight loss again? I want to exercise so badly but I can't right now. Both of my knees are badly arthritic, my left knee is the worst. I can barely walk without insane pain and constantly feeling like both kneecaps are just floating around. I started using my T.E.N.S. Unit last night in the hopes that it will help. Only time will tell. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Love it. You can add me if you like. My name is, findingsassy

Had ex rays done today on both my knees and unfortunately I have severe arthritis in both my knees. This means no exercising since I can hardly walk. My Dr put a referral in for me today to go to pain management to get injections in my knees to add more lubrication and cushion. If the injections don't work, I will need knee replacements for both knees. I'm in enough pain that I'm on the verge of crying at any god given moment. I can't take N-Saids due to the bypass surgery so all I can take are narcotics, which is good and bad, all at the same time. As for water aerobics, I don't have the money to join a gym. I may qualify for a reduced rate at the YMCA, I'll check into it tomorrow.

No need to be sorry for writing to much, this is an open forum for people like us to vent. Do I feel different? no not really. I'm excited to see the numbers on the scale moving in the right direction and shirts sliding over my tummy and rear end with ease, knowing that I didn't have to pull it over my tummy and rear end. I'm seeing a waist again, it's been a long time since I've seen it. I've only been overweight half my life. I was healthy and fit till I moved to Montana at age 22. Three weeks after I arrived int MT I was in the hospital with asthma, severe asthma. The amount of steroids I was given to control the asthma was insane. I was taking 100mg per day, for three years, I put on 115 pounds in a year and a half. I almost doubled my weight in a three year span, before I started taking the steroids I weighed 129 pounds. I added a few few more pounds over the next 15 or so years. Right before surgery I hit my highest weight ever, I was 290 pounds and I was horrified with myself. My best friend of 25 years, never once made me feel like I was less than. She treated me the same as she always did. It was other people I didn't feel great around, like my dad and sister. My sister is still very small, size medium, I feel like I have this crazy disease when I'm around her. I'm just not comfortable with her. My dad on the other hand, has ridiculed fat people for as long as I can remember. He would catch himself making a fat comment and tell me that he wasn't talking about me, as if it mattered. My dad was my business partner for 20 years and always felt the need to make excuses for my fluffiness, to potential customers and make it sound like it was for a good reason, I was fat. Live each day for yourself and no one else, think positive and be accountable for all your life decisions. Ignore the people who make derogatory comments. Be a positive person and keep your eye on the prize...YOU ARE THE PRIZE!

You are so right. The average thin person doesn't have a clue what's it's like to live in an obese body. They will never get what it's like, until they've walked just one day in our shoes. I'm 7 weeks post op and still feeling a little self conscious but not near as bad as before surgery. Now that I've started losing weight (35lbs) and inches, 13 1/2", I'm proud of myself and honestly don't give a rats behind what others think of me. Be patient, you'll get there.

I didn't have pain on the right but I did have it on the left. Don't work yourself into a frenzy, just call the dr. tomorrow morning and explain your issue. Anxiety can definitely add to your problem. The pain should ease up in a week or so. Unfortunately pain is part of the deal but it to shall pass. Let us know what the dr. says.