NovaLuna

My current goal is to lose 4 pounds a month. I only lost 3 pounds in December though (I did lose 7 in November so I guess it evens out), and so far I've only lost 2 pounds this month (though I did just get over a 19 day stall so... I'll take the 2 pounds lol), but I'm also only 21 pounds to my personal goal weight and I heard that the last 25 pounds is a pain in the ass to get off. I agree about that lol. I'm sooooo close to being in Onederland and it's driving me nuts! Anyway, the weight comes off the easiest the first three months, then the following three month it's still pretty good and then it slows. How much weight you lose each month depends on your body type, age, metabolism, and any number of things. Don't compare yourself to others because everyone loses at a different rate so don't think your surgery is defective if you're a slow loser. I, myself, am a slow loser, but I've still lost 120 pounds since my surgery (on the nose lol. I was 321 on the day of my surgery and I'm 201 right now). You can probably find something somewhere which will give you the average loss for VSG and you can always try and set around that, but personally it's better to come up with a realistic goal on your own that you'd be happy with. I set my goals on what would make me happy. My surgeon's office wants me to try to get to 165, but my PCP thinks that for my body type it wouldn't be a good idea and she's much happier with my own personal goal of 180. She said that she likes my goal far better.

Well... I have hypothyroidism so I've had so many stalls that I quite literally lost count. My scale actually pisses me off on a regular basis lol. I'm still losing, don't get me wrong. But when you frequently stall for two weeks at a time you want to throw the damn scale at the wall! 🙄 Everyone's body reacts to the surgery differently and some have more stalls then others. I just happen to be one of the cursed ones... 😢 Anyway, I hope your stall passes soon! They're so irritating aren't they?

Yes. I had a phone appointment for my 3 month and 9 month post op appointment. And... since my bariatric doctor is an hour and a half away I've had nothing but issues trying to get them to order my labs for my 1 year follow up post op appointment which is supposed to be next week. I finally gave up and called my PCP and am going to have her order the labs (she's on vacation so I have to wait until next week) so I have to reschedule my 1 year follow up because Covid has apparently sapped the bariatric clinic of their ability to do their job (I called them 7 TIMES and was told they would send my labs three of those times... guess what, I called the outpatient lab and they got NOTHING from them! The other four times I got their damned answering service and they never returned any of my calls... -_-")

I was in the hospital for three days two nights. Umm, it doesn't happen to everyone, but it happened to me... don't be scared, because I'd do my surgery all over again, but I vomited blood for the first two days. It hurt worse than the gas pain, but in total it probably only happened four or five times. I had the full surgery so my stomach portion was removed too and my biggest issue post op was the stitch where my stomach came out of. I probably only took pain meds the first day and a half after being released from the hospital lol (I have a high pain tolerance and pain meds make me vomit so I don't like taking them). As to the weight loss... I didn't actually weigh myself at all until I saw the doctor on my first post op follow up visit. They give you fluids in the hospital so you'll be up a few pounds for a 5-10 days so I didn't even bother with weighing myself lol. As for before and after pics... I didn't like my picture taken so I had to go to my sisters facebook page to find an old picture of me lol. Before is Christmas 2018 and After is early December 2020 In the before I was a 6xl (34-36) top and 32 pants and the After I'm a large (12-14) top and 14 pants.

Yep. I had the Loop Duodenal Switch (a.k.a SIPS a.k.a SADI-S) on January 23 2020. My stats: HT: 5'7 HW: 389 SW: 321 CW: 203. I went into the hospital wearing a 6xl (34-36) in tops and a size 32 in womens pants and right now I'm a large (12-14) in shirts and a 14 in womens pants. I'm currently irritated by a two week stall but... it happens. I technically AM still losing (I lost 0.2 pounds in the last week and 0.2 pounds the week before, so I don't really know whether to call this a stall or not, but I still count it personally. Two weeks ago I was 203.6 and I'm currently 203.2). My biggest advice is to stay on top of your vitamins and your protein and you'll be fine. Well, and hydrate yourself (I'm generally bad at that, but I try). Constipation can happen with SIPS, just be aware of that. Also the opposite happens. SIPS does interesting things to your bowel system... your body may take a while to adjust to a 'routine' but it'll likely level itself out (mine did). Vitamin deficiencies DO happen. Maybe not to everyone, but it's fairly common with this surgery. I had a potassium deficiency appear in my 3 month labs then disappear in my six month labs only to reappear in my 9 month labs and next week I take my 12 month labs so we'll see how that goes. I also had a Vitamin A deficiency in my 6 month labs and have been taking extra Vitamin A ever since. I take less iron then I started with as my iron levels are elevated (I only take 1 iron bariatric multi a day and two bariatric NON-iron multi's) and since my calcium levels are also elevated I take only 2 calcium citrate as opposed to the 3-4 that most take. I'm not sure what other advice to give you, but if you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask and I'll try my best to answer any questions that you have. Congrats on your upcoming surgery, and I wish you the best in your journey!

So for the past two weeks I've been having issues with my hands and feet getting ice cold. I'm literally wearing three layers on my feet and have myself buried in a thick blanket and they still feel like ice! I have two pairs of thick fleece socks and fleece lined slipper socks and my feet are still ice cold. I've pulled my socks down to check a few times when it starts to get painful and they feel like ice not just how they feel to me, but actually physically feel like ice. My hands are also having issues and I've tried wearing layered gloves or burying them in blankets, sitting on them in an attempt to warm them and nothing works. I'm frustrated and am calling my doctor to find out what she thinks is causing it, but has anyone else experienced this? Is it normal? Is there a way to regulate the temperature of your hands and feet, because I find it weird that those are the only parts of my body that are having this issue.

Yep, I used to take 3 bariatric multi's with iron because that was the norm for my surgery. My iron was wayyy too high so it got lowered to 2 and then 1 without. It was STILL too high so now I take 1 bariatric multi WITH iron and 2 bariatric multi's WITHOUT. Mine was borderline dangerous but since yours is at a dangerous level you should probably just take multi's without iron for a while and have your bloodwork monitored. When the iron levels lower if it's needed then take a lower dosage separate iron supplement. But maybe your body just processes iron really well. My surgeon said that's probably my case.

I generally have the triple chocolate bar from Atkins. It's 13 grams of protein, 160 calories, 1 gram of sugar, 8 grams of fat, and 15 carbs. Snacks vary. I sometimes will have a fruit cup, carrots and ranch dip, mini bell peppers with some cheese sprinkled on it dipped in salsa, protein chips, carb smart ice cream, a cheese stick, unsweetened apple sauce cup, etc.

I do know someone who had that issue and it was a vitamin B-12 deficiency. I don't know if that's your exact issue, but it may be some kind of vitamin deficiency. A bariatric doctor may not be able to see you but your PCP can order the blood tests to check your vitamin levels.

I've had surgery three times and the only time I was nervous and scared was the first time. I went through a panic mode much like yourself, but my first surgery wasn't one I could wiggle out of since it was to remove my gallbladder that was bad and making me sick (I couldn't keep anything but water down). Our mind often makes things out to be scary then they actually are, because our imagination can run wild and we fear what we don't know. The anesthesia from the WLS didn't make me nauseous so not everyone goes through that. The only time anesthesia make me sick was after my second surgery when I had MVD (brain surgery: Microvascular Decompression) because I was under the knife for six hours (it was only supposed to be a three hour surgery), but I don't actually know if the nausea that time WAS the anesthesia or from having brain surgery... I also had the WORST headache of my LIFE! Anyway, everyone is different. Some are in pain when they wake up, and some aren't. I, personally, felt like I got hit by a bus. But, it was bearable. I barely used any of my pain pills at all (they gave me a prescription bottle with 30 Norco and I think I used 6). It's really not as bad as your mind makes it out to be and even if you do feel pain, most of it is from the gas and that wears off after a couple days as long as you walk, walk, walk! Congrats on your upcoming surgery and you got this!

Daily weight fluctuations are a pain in the behind and the reason I've been avoiding my scale. My weight fluctuates up when I increase my sodium and also near my monthly so I tend to drive myself crazy. It's the later part that's bothering me right now and when I saw an extra three pounds on my scale I wanted to throw it! You'd think I'd get over it since it happens EVERY month, but no. It still drives me up a wall! 😒

You look great! I do understand where you're coming from though. We see ourselves in the mirror day in and day out so we don't see the weight loss the same as the people around us do. Often times when I look in the mirror, I see myself a few sizes larger than I am. I'm in a large in shirts and 14 in pants, but what I see in the mirror is someone who is at least a 2x in shirts and a 20 in pants. So my mind and reality mess with me. It's funny though that when I pass shop windows as I'm walking into the store or my reflection in something while I'm shopping I sometimes see this much smaller person that everyone else see's but in mirrors at home I still see that bigger version of myself. Body dysmorphia is hard and it really messes with your mind and your self confidence.

21 pounds is great for two months! I think everyone experiences that self doubt that you're feeling and whether they'll be the one the surgery fails. I know this month in particular has been hard on me as I've only lost 3 pounds (which is the smallest amount I've lost in a month since surgery, but hey, I got six more days to lose a pound to tie what I lost in October which was only 4 pounds but I lost 7 in November and I think that's why this is a slow month) but I try to look at the good things that have happened... being able to buy clothes off the rack, fitting into a large in shirts and 14 in pants (I was a 6xl at the start of this year and 32 in pants, to put things into perspective), fitting into the regular sized hospital gown when I go to the ER or have to have test done instead of having to have them hunt down a plus sized gown, having the blood pressure cuff on my upper arm again since they used to have to take it on the lower part of my arm, being able to fit into the back seat of a car (the seat belts never used to fit), etc. Sometimes you just need to remind yourself of the small victories to make yourself feel better when you feel like you're in a slump. Anyway, I just wanted to say that you should try not to be discouraged or compare yourself to others. We all lose a different rate, and you are doing great!

What is you surgeon's nutrition guideline? For my surgeon it was 1 week liquid, 1 week puree, 2 weeks soft food, and then modified general diet (some things we were told not to eat until further out)

I just stuck to chicken broth, sugar free popsicles, and propel water during liquid stage. I couldn't eat sugar free jello because it felt like it made my stomach flip. It hurt.

Oh yeah. My periods were always painful, but since my surgery they're about 3x more painful. I've asked a few people who had WLS and I seemed to be the only one who experienced that so I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one... I think it's the changes our body went through that caused the change. I can only hope that once I hit maintainence that it'll get better.

Yes, I've had pain like that off and on. They checked me for a leak and it wasn't that. They checked my lungs to see if it was a clot, it wasn't that. They told me it was likely just inflammation of my chest wall. I take turmeric and valium and I'm fine after that.

When I hit month 4. First three months I lost in the double digits (23,19,21 pounds) but after that it was single digits with the one exception being in July when I lost 10 pounds.

Um, I was neither anxious NOR nervous. But then again, I've gone through brain surgery so this was nothing compared to that and was like a walk in the park by comparison! Anyway, being nervous or anxious about having surgery is normal. Not everyone feels that way depending upon what they've already gone through in their lives, but most do feel anxious and or nervous about surgery.

Stalls happen along the way. Your body sometimes has to catch up with itself. I have hypothyroidism so my stalls are more frequent then the norm, but I literally have had so many I lost count. I'm actually in the middle of one right now that's lasted for 13 days so far. My last one was 15 days (my longest was 27 days) so I'm not worried, just irritated. Just keep with the plan and it'll pass.

I haven't quite hit Onederland yet, still seven pounds away for me and 26 pounds to my goal weight, but I remember a few weeks back when I bought a size large shirt and size 14 pants on a whim just to see if I fit in them and... I DID! I cried! I was in a size 6xl and size 32 pants when the year started and now I'm in a large shirt and 14 pants! This year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, but I'm so glad I did this surgery. I NEVER thought I'd get into a size 14! I haven't been in a size 14 since I was 12! (I'm 33 so 21 years ago!) Congrats on hitting Onederland and keep up the good work!

Sometimes experimenting with new foods that are on plan is the only thing you can do. My hunger came back around month 5, but for some reason it's mostly only in the morning with the rare appearance at night. Very strange lol. And, I live in house where I'm the only one on a special diet and everyone else is eating cakes, pizza, cookies, donuts, pie, fast food, etc. and it's hard, but you just think about the weight you've lost and the amount you still have left to lose and then it's easy to say "no" or at least it is in my case. It just isn't worth it to go off plan when I'm so close to my goal weight! If you need to then sit your mom down and tell her that she isn't helping you by guiding you to the wrong foods and that you'd really like her support by NOT offering the wrong foods to you, that you love her, but you're trying really hard to keep on plan and you need her to help you out in that.

Well I had my surgery pre-Covid, but I live in a house where the three other people I lived with all caught Covid and I had to hole myself up in my room so I didn't catch it. I didn't catch it, but one of the people I lived with died from it (she was 86 and had COPD though). My sister had a C-Section in October though and was in the hospital for two days and then spend two weeks in and out of the hospital NICU and neither she, her son, nor husband caught it so my advice is to try and remain positive. I'm sure you'll be fine as the doctors and nurses are doing their absolute best to stop the spread and they are being tested frequently (my mom is a nurse and so is my aunt). My advice is to take probiotics if you're not, it helps boost your immune system.

Well, I'm almost 11 months out and eat probably more than the average person since I had a different surgery and my body requires more 'fuel'. I saw my nutritionist on Monday and she said I'm doing great on the food front so... I guess, I'm doing good despite the fact I do feel like I eat too much. What I ate today: Lower sugar Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal Banana Light Greek Yogurt (strawberry) Unsweetened Applesauce No Sugar Added Mandarin Orange fruit cup 2/3 Cup of Pork Roast (with two baby potatoes, onions, zucchini, and carrots) 1 Protein Bar 2/3 Cup Chicken Stir Fry using sugar free G.Hughes teriyaki sauce over cauliflower rice with veggies 2 Cheese Sticks 1 30g Protein Shake 2 Powerade Zero's It looks like a lot, but my nutritionist said I was doing good and my weight loss has been steady (I mean I only lost 2 pounds this month, but I lost 7 last month I've only been losing 5 pounds on average the last few months) so...

Even if you DO stretch your stomach a bit as long as you're making healthier choices for foods I don't see you regaining much. I mean 5-10 pounds is pretty much normal for regain so if it happens just try to work to get it off and I'm sure you'll be able to do it eventually. Rice swells though after you eat it so it can potentially lead to your stomach stretching. That's the reason my surgeon advised us to not eat rice anymore (I use cauliflower rice as a substitute). But if rice is something you don't want to give up you don't have to. Just know that it CAN stretch your stomach out. It was ADVISED anyway. The choice on whether to add rice back into our diet is very much our own. For me I eat mostly in the morning as I get sooooo hungry after taking my thyroid meds, but the rest of the day I basically have little to no appetite. I talked to my nutritionist on Monday and we went over my diet and I unloaded about how I ate mostly in the morning and I ate a LOT in a 3-4 hour period and she said that I was doing fine and stressing over nothing as my weight loss has been steady and I'm not going over my carb, fat, sugar, etc. limit and I'm getting my protein in like I'm supposed to. Apparently my metabolism is most active after I take the stupid thyroid meds and decides to sleep the rest of the day lol