Jaelzion

My Mom died 10 years ago and my sister and I divided her personal belongings between us. My mom had a fabulous wardrobe but because I was at my top weight, I couldn't wear anything of hers. Last month, I asked my sister to pick me out one or two items that were Mommy's since I can fit them now. My sister generously picked out several of her most gorgeous outfits and I can fit them all now! It feels surreal, like a dream. It's another way to connect with her now that she's in heaven. ☺️

So sorry about all the complications! But you've lost an amazing amount of weight so hopefully long after the complications are all resolved, you'll still be enjoying the benefits of the surgery.

It's too bad, but I do think this is human nature. Remember when you were at your top weight and someone much smaller would complain in your presence that they were fat? Maybe talking about our success hits people like that - they may be struggling and seeing us succeed makes them feel worse about themselves. Hopefully you have at least one person who is close to you and can truly celebrate with you. I have a couple and they are the only ones I shared progress updates with. Even my sister doesn't really want to hear it, even though we are tight.

Do you know whether they checked you for a pulmonary embolism when they did the CT? I've many of them because I have a clotting disorder and the pain on taking a deep breath is common with PEs. You're past the point where it would be expected since you're 5 weeks out, but it's worth asking about. Hope you feel better soon. Hugs! 🤗

I went through this too. I agree with everyone else, it should pass pretty quickly. Feel better. Hugs! 🤗

Congratulations, you're on your way! 😀 As far as getting water in, in the beginning I had to sip, sip, sip all day. You can't chug anymore, so letting yourself get really thirsty is super uncomfortable. Small sips, very often.

I second this.

I don't have bi-polar but I do have chronic major depression. My doctor and I talked about my meds and no changes were recommended for my anti-depressants. I was also referred to a hematologist to find out how the anticoagulant I take for a clotting disorder would be affected by my sugery. You should definitely talk to your primary doctor and any specialists who prescribe meds for you. In my case, my hematologist recommended that I switch to a different anti-coagulant but my insurance would not cover it. And wouldn't you know it, I did get a clot (because my blood-thinner needed to be taken with a big meal). So it can be really important to thoroughly discuss your meds with any doc who prescribes meds for you. My situation with the clot was life-threatening, so don't skip this step. Now I take injectable Lovenox which is MUCH more expensive than the med my hematologist recommended. Plus they had to pay for my hospital stay when I got the clot.

I had the sleeve not the bypass and I haven't experienced that. However, my cousin had the bypass within a few days of mine and he also tells me that things taste different (and not in a good way). I don't have any insight into what causes that but you're not alone.

140 pounds at 5'4" gives you a BMI of 24.0 which is in the normal range, so I wouldn't say you did badly with the surgery. It's good that you're trying to turn your regain around before it's gotten too large. Why not go back to eating the way you did soon after surgery? For me that was protein first, then veggies, no carby foods like rice, potatoes or bread and of course no sweets. My doctor's eating plan is moderately low carb, so I limited starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, carrots and corn. Although I can eat more than I could in year 1, I still don't eat nearly as much as I did before surgery (either in amount or variety), so I do still take a bariatric multivitamin. As far as types of protein, I eat lots of different things: yogurt, chicken, beef, a pork chop, Italian sausage, firm cheese like cheddar or jack, soft cheese like Ricotta, cottage cheese (I like large curd), lunch meat if I'm on the go and can't get anything else, turkey (whatever parts you like), beans of various kinds and on and on. I used to eat protein bars but they slowed my weightloss so I stopped, but you might not have that issue. When eating out I usually order a Cobb salad or Chef salad and focus on the protein (I generally can't eat much of the greens). Because you've lost 50 pounds, you might need to track your calories closely. I've lost 120 and I definitely eat fewer calories to maintain that than I did at my top weight. It's kind of trial and error to find the sweet spot where you don't gain or lose. As far as motivation, everyone has different ways of coping with the COVID-19 blues. I'm high risk for COVID-19 so I'm pretty much stuck in the house. It helps me to go for a walk every day. I get fresh air, exercise and sunlight that way and it's helped me keep my mood stable. I've also bought a few new clothing items that I really like. I'd hate to get too big for them so that motivates me to weigh myself regularly and adjust as necessary. I inherited a BEAUTIFUL dress from my Mom and if I gain any significant weight I won't be able to fit in it. Sometimes I just take it out and try it on again to remind myself of how awesome it is that I can wear it now. Maintaining the habit of weighing helps because you'll see any gain early on. I've set myself a "break the glass" weight of 135 and if I get to that weight, I will cut back immediately. At one point I did get to 133 so I cut back and lost 5 pounds to get to 128. I just find it so much easier to deal with a few pounds rather than a lot. You're in good shape since you've only gained 15. Go back to basics, get your protein, stay hydrated, try to find a physical activity you can do regularly and those pounds will be gone in no time. Hugs. 🤗

I was afraid my surgery would not be effective for me. But it turned out that it worked for me just like it did for others! Almost 2 years and 120 pounds lost later, I am now moving into maintenance and planning for how I will avoid significant regain. It'll work if you work it - by that I mean, surgery makes it easier to lose weight but you do have to build good habits as well.

The only thing I purchased was a food scale and it was worth every penny. A lot of food is packaged and labeled in a way that makes it hard to determine exactly how much you are consuming. The scale made it easy for me.

Definitely file an appeal and also let your surgeon's office know what's going on. They obtained pre-authorization I'm sure, so they probably have documentation that can help. It makes no sense to approve a surgery and then deny the hospital stay associated with it (two days is not an unreasonable stay for bariatric surgery). Also check with the hospital business office and let them know. There may be something wrong with how they submitted the claim. They want to get paid, so it's in their interest to help you sort this out. Sorry this is happening, it's stress you don't need. But there's a good chance that decision can be reversed. Good luck!

You'll totally be okay. PACU staff are experts at handling post-surgical patients and they'll take good care of you.

Has anyone ever told you that you resemble boxer Canelo Alvarez? LOL 😁

Uber driver who hasn’t seen me in a year pulls up to my house Driver: Do you live here with the other lady? Is she your sister? Me: Um, no? You don’t know my sister Driver: I used to pick another lady up here all the time Me: Yeah that was me Driver: 😳

I'm trying to take this approach too. I have a "break the glass" weight at which I need to cut back immediately. I only got to goal a couple of weeks ago, so I haven't had to test it out yet.

Could you just be "too busy" or otherwise occupied so that you don't actually eat with him? That way the "eating better and exercising" explanation might hold up (and it's true)?

Hi there, Full disclosure: I had the sleeve, not the bypass. The Post-op really wasn't that bad for me. I had some post-op pain but my surgeon worked with me to find the right medication dose to deal with that and I felt better quickly. At no time did I go for any extended period with out of control pain. Those first few days can be uncomfortable and I remember I didn't want to move much, LOL. But I did get up and walk with the nurses the same day as my surgery. I didn't suffer with gas pains as some people do, but walking is supposed to help a lot with that. I had ZERO hunger right after surgery, which was good because I was unable to do anything more than drink water for a while. But my surgeon said that's not uncommon and he wasn't worried. I spent one night in the hospital and was discharged. My sister stayed with me for 3 days just to make sure I was okay and then she went home. I was fine, able to get up, go to the kitchen and/or bathroom, etc. As surgeries go, the post-op was fine. As far as sagging skin, for a lot of us, it's a fact of life when we lose a massive amount of weight. However, most of the extra skin I have is on my tummy and when I'm dressed it's not obvious to anyone else. And I wouldn't take back the 120 pounds I've lost to have the tight, but huge tummy I had before 😀. I feel so much better in every way at this weight that it's more than worth it to have the extra skin. At some point, I plan to have a tummy tuck but until then, I'm not walking around showing my tummy anyway so it's okay, LOL. I've never met a single person who lost a lot of weight with weight loss surgery and said they would prefer to have the extra weight back rather than the sagging skin. There may be someone out there who feels that way but I think it's pretty rare. I hope that helps! This is a pretty awesome journey you're embarking on. 😉

Ugh, that's brutal. I'm so sorry. There's nothing I can say to take the sting out of the unexpected delay. You have every right to be upset. This pandemic is wreaking havoc in so many ways. But it will pass (or slow down to the point that they are doing surgeries again). You might have your surgery a few months down the road but it's a delay, not a denial. Once you pick yourself up from getting blind-sided, think about how you want to spend whatever amount of time you have to wait. You could go negative and abandon your eating plan and put on weight (please don't!) Or you could stay positive, use the extra time to get in better shape and practice good eating habits. I hope you keep your eyes on the prize and make the extra time work in your favor. Hugs. 🤗

Almost two years out from my gastric sleeve, I can eat 6-7 ounces at one time. I can take a small sip of liquid while eating, so you might be able to sip a toast and still eat. I can taste whatever I want and occasionally I do. This Thanksgiving, I tasted everything. People with the sleeve are less likely to have dumping syndrome, so there is nothing I have to totally abstain from. What I can't do, and what you won't be able to do, is eat large amounts of food with reckless abandon. You will have to eat smaller portions for the rest of your life (unless you stretch out your sleeve, which would not be optimal). With weight loss surgery, you are permanently giving up the ability to pile a plate high with food and demolish it, LOL. Those days will be gone forever (hopefully). It's portion control enforced by your own anatomy. So are you up for that?

A few things that jump out at me: 1. You mention you are not getting enough protein. This can make the body resist losing weight because otherwise you'd be cannibalizing your own muscle tissue. Giving your body sufficient protein is an important signal that you're not suffering life-threatening food scarcity and it's okay to burn stored fat. 2. You mention that you have a "small range of things" you can eat. I don't have any scientific proof for this but I have observed that switching up your diet can help when you hit stalls. It's like the variation in what you eat shakes up your metabolism and gets things moving again. I know it's easier said than done since you have ARFID. Maybe if you can't vary WHAT you eat, you can change things like how much you eat, what times of day, how much exercise you get. 3. It goes without saying that you've got to eliminate the junk food. Again, easier said than done but it's really important. One tip that someone gave me that has really helped me over the years: before you eat something bad, eat something good. What they meant was, rather than giving in to temptation and eating something completely off plan (like crisps or cookies), give yourself a small on-plan snack. It's better to eat a little more of your on-plan food than you intended rather than go off on a junk food binge. I have found that this works - often whatever craving I had will go away if I eat something allowed. 4. You've lost 77 pounds, which is a lot of weight. As we get smaller, our body needs fewer calories. So you may need to reduce your intake or increase your exercise in order to keep losing. The amount of calories you ate at 299 may be too much for you to lose weight at 221. For me, as my weight came down, I had to up the exercise to keep losing. Stalls are not unusual and weight loss is rarely a perfect linear process. But those are a few things that can help keep things moving. I wish you well in getting back on track so you can see those numbers start going down again! 🤗

Every body is different and there is no "one size fits all" plan that will work for everyone. You live in your body, so you are in the best position to know how it reacts to things like bread, potatoes and rice. Personally, those things kick off cravings for me and I wouldn't eat them regularly even if they were allowed on my plan (which they aren't). I'm entering the maintenance phase now and I still probably won't eat bread regularly. Not because I think it will make me gain weight right away but because I know from experience that it will make me crave carbs and THAT will cause me to gain weight. I've come so far, I don't want something like bread to send me into a downward spiral. My plan isn't super low carb but the carbs are supposed to come from veggies, dairy and fruit rather than grains. Aside from rare treats (such as on Thanksgiving), I don't eat bread. But there are other people who can with no problem. In the end, your plan has to be tailored for your own needs.

As everyone said, the pre-op diet is the hardest part of the process. I slipped up during mine and ate a sugar-free pudding, which wasn't on-plan. Later in the 10 days, I added a little heavy cream to my shakes (which was allowed) and the extra fat helped me a lot. If you're not lactose-intolerant you can try that.

I've lost 120 pounds too and I'm right there with you. I got this on Amazon and it helps with the tummy and bottom. It's pretty comfortable as well (once you figure out the right size). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VG7QT8T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&fpw=alm With bras, I was able to stay with my same brand, just a smaller size. I went from a 44DDD to a 36D. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MX5UIC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1&fpw=alm