magpie26

Be happy! I couldn't get all my liquids in for months! My face looked different (take a selfie every day or every few days) but I felt like my body wasn't doing anything. All the sudden my 24s turned into 18s overnight. I have the fullness restriction but no foods bother me. 104 pounds down!

Ok people have talked about this before, but I wanted to share or put my 2 cents and my experience in. I'm past 8 months, 253 days post op to be exact. I wasn't a huge drinker but when I drank it was usually more than 2 drinks, so the long and short of it was I always got a hefty buzz or drunk, but I never drank unless I went out so I didn't see it as a "problem". But it was classic binge drinking when I did drink. Post surgery- after my ok to drink , I had some wine, first glass I didn't get drunk any faster, halfway through second I could be good but since we can't eat AND drink then why ruin my buzz, right? I eat well, I drink my water, I quit smoking, so I'd have some wine on the weekends (not normal for me) weekends turned into many days of the week, then every night. I've lost 104 now, I was still losing when I drank because I ate very little and I only drank wine. (I'm NOT glorifying any of this) With bariatric surgery I don't think there's a ok 2 glasses and I'm ok (as in not too drunk/tipsy, etc) . Pour that third glass and I was zero to 💯 and for me I would be drunk a lot longer. Alcoholism is huge in my family, why I thought having a few glasses of wine all the time was a good idea, maybe it filled the void. I tried to rationalize it with myself that because I couldn't eat and couldn't smoke anymore that having a few glasses was ok. I've been in therapy for food addiction, he said this isn't really transfer addiction because I didn't really have true food addiction. I guess I'm posting this for anyone who asks about drinking and if you have a history of any addiction or alcoholism in the family I would be cautious of alcohol. I should've known, thought about it more, but now I carry a chip from AA in my pocket everyday. I had a problem binge drinking before surgery, and yes you can be an alcoholic even if you don't drink that much, with me I drank to be buzzed or to get drunk. Im not posting this to be policed about the calories in wine or how it halts weight loss or to be bullied for making a poor choice. I'm posting this in the hopes that someone may read it who may be like me and start drinking a lot, or if someone is in recovery and wants to talk. If you do decide drink, be careful, it stayed in my bloodstream for a long time.

I've felt hunger since the day after my surgery almost 8 months ago. (I swear if someone tells me it's head hunger one more time...) I plan all my food out that I will probably eat for the day in my Baritastic app so I know the calories, carbs, etc and pack most of it in my lunch bag. I obviously delete what I don't eat and add anything extra (I leave room for something extra if need be) and I spread out my meals. I have my huge water bottle and drink most of the day and wander around if I think it might be head hunger. Thing is, I hate salad, I always have and always will. Not even just the veggies, I hate every kind of dressing. I won't eat something I hate. I do like cucumbers with hummus, or plain. Still scared to eat raw carrots. I had a Greek yogurt with protein powder about an hour+ ago and this hunger feeling is probably head hunger, but it's like an empty, gnawing feeling. It will get worse and worse and by 2 hours from now I will feel awful. I'll just drink my water, do a bunch of busy stuff and then have some leftover chicken. It sucks, sucks even more when you have the surgery and everyone tells you that you will never be hungry and you are from day one. Oh well, I'm closing in on 100 pounds lost.

I am seven and a half months out and the wine is a slippery slope, although the OP said she didn't have any. I started having a glass, it didn't make me buzzed or anything off one or anything they told us but that was me. So I'd have another while cooking or whatever and I'd maybe get a buzz. Since I can't eat while I drank I'd enjoy the buzz, have a little more. Blah blah blah. Transfer addiction is real, although I never thought of myself having a food addiction. My mom became a full blown alcoholic for 7 years after her bypass. Luckily I saw the signs with me and was like, nope! So...water, with lemon for me. I realized i don't drink to have one glass, it's almost 2 and maybe that would've been ok pre-surgery but it's not now.

I don't find it the case. I'm hungry, I eat and am satisfied for awhile and then feel hunger again sometimes not too long after but a lot of times that depends on a few things. 1. What I ate previously, like I had Raisin Bran, I wanted the fiber but it was a poor choice. It made me feel full but I know it will make my blood sugar spike soon, I should have had more of a protein dense meal. So I know I will feel hungry in a little bit but I will have some tea and then have something protein rich. 2. Moods- boredom and depression are culprits. 3. Dehydration- I have been slacking on my fluid intake. This time of year I have terrible depression, when I'm home I can wander around and do the open the fridge and cupboards, I want carbs and sugar, normal for Seasonal depression. Your body may tell you more calories but most likely it's our brains. I'm talking to my therapist today about this actually. I feel like very few understand and even in this community some can be outright mean. I know we'll be ok.

I've been hungry since surgery 7 months ago, less intense, manageable, but there all throughout the day. I deal with it. But yes, it is very annoying when they tell everyone in the orientation that you won't feel hungry again and you'll have to remind yourself to eat. I set timers to eat, but it's kind of scheduled mealtimes so I won't overeat and I plan my meals out for the day to a T with some wiggle room. Just like learning how to eat with my new sleeve I've adapted to my new life and definitely pay attention to the head vs. real hunger. (As a weird lol side note hunger was autocorrected to bacon)

I've done nicotine patches before, these are much smaller are way more comfortable. I honestly don't even know I'm wearing mine. I do a multi and a iron one because my iron was low at my 3 month checkup. My 6 month it was much higher and normal range. I hadn't started the patches at that point. My surgeon doesn't do a 9 month blood work up as we don't see him until our one year anniversary, but my regular doctor said she certainly would so I will feel comfortable knowing my levels. I also live in New England and take extra vitamin D, as well as extra B12. I actually take a few extra things because they help with depression, but I take them with all my nighttime meds. I did research, I knew that they were kind of controversial with some but I'm trying them out. We shall see.

This may a stupid answer and probably doesn't apply to you but in my 600 pound life (TLC show if you're not familiar) lots of the patients have the sleeve. Good luck to you! I have a sleeve, I'm very happy with mine. I've lost 96 pounds so far and started at 292.9 at my surgery.

As I remember the do remove part of your intestines when they reroute them, that's what cause the malabsorption I think. So technically they're removing something. And I do agree, both are major surgery, I think there's more risk of leaks with the sleeve but more complications (kinda?) with the bypass. Either way, it's a personal choice. I chose the sleeve. My mother had a bypass 12 years ago and has had so many complications and issues so I said "no thanks" AND her GERD is NO better with her bypass than before, so it doesn't always cure it like almost everyone says.

I have back pain as well and it got worse as I've lost the weight, even with exercise. I don't have issues with my discs. My core muscles and my muscles in general are just weak. I had my doctor put my into physical therapy to help me strengthen my body without doing stuff that may or may not hurt me. I really thought I was a tough strong chick, apparently not as much as I thought. Jumping into things like crossfit and crazy workouts when some of were 300+ pounds and nearly sedentary seems like a recipe for disaster (in my opinion). Im writing this in case anyone who has back problems that could maybe be helped by physical therapy. It may work for you too to some extent. Maybe 😬

I'm thinking of quitting drinking altogether. I'm 7 months out, I never drank much before and with the no eating and drinking I chose to keep drinking. So I'd drink ALMOST the whole bottle of wine but I don't get drunk fast like they say we do. I don't want to have one glass because hey, what's the point? I never considered myself a food addict, I ate when I was bored, but when I had a food I really liked and bought it once in awhile I would gorge on it. I'm not even a fan of the taste of most wines until the second glass. Transfer addiction. Sadly my mom had this happen with her bypass. She lost the weight, started drinking and became a raging alcoholic for years. Now she's 5 years sober. (12 years post op) But she also put on 40 pounds in that process and with guilt of the embarrassment and also recently losing both her parents she is struggling to get it off. So...anyway I know I won't be one of those people who can have that one glass of wine, I drink to get buzzed which always ends up in la la land and eventually weight gain. Nope. Done. The only place I will miss having a drink is weddings because they are awful sober. Did one 2.5 months post op, that dragged on and people were crazy drunk. So I said I'm thinking of quitting drinking in the beginning of this post, yeah as I've wrote about it and processed it more I'm definitely quitting.

Newest pic. 7 months out. 96 down since surgery.

When was your surgery? Did you start off with a low BMI?

I started watching long before I decided on my sleeve, partly because my mom had the bypass 12 years ago. The trauma a lot of them go through is just horrible. My husband and kids always ask why I watch it and I can say partly because of the train wreck factor but also I'm in the mental health field and I see trauma all the time. Like someone said above, the addiction is to food, it's available everywhere and obviously you will become extremely fat if you eat tens of thousands of calories per day.

@proud grammy thank you so much! It's incredibly amazing to have this tool and in general lots of positive support!