NovaLuna

Giving up soda and other fizzy drinks. I used to live off of them, but, to be fair, there was a two year period 2016-2018 where I gave them up because I was diagnosed with EOE and I was told not to drink soda because it would make acid and thus the stricture in my esophagus worse. So I had only been drinking soda again for a year when I had to give it up again. I knew that this would be the easiest change, so it really wasn't a surprise.

My maintenance calories is around 1700-1800. Everyone's maintenance calories differs though...

I lost 23 pounds my first month after surgery and I was also well over 300 pounds. 20 pounds is good and above the norm for most people. Don't stress about it, you're doing good.

I developed a wheat allergy. What they don't tell you is that if you have a surgery with a malabsorption element then you have a 3% change of developing a wheat allergy or Celiac's Disease. I found out the hard way, but honestly? It's been a blessing in disguise. It keeps me on track. I can't eat fast food which I loved before surgery and eating out is next to impossible because it has to be a place that caters to people with food allergies and where I live we have like 1 gluten free place.

It's normal to fall off the plan on occasion because we're only human. Take note of it and try and be more strict with yourself, but don't beat yourself up over it for falling off plan once. If it continues to happen then maybe schedule an appointment with a therapist to see if you can work through why you keep falling into bad habits and they'll try to work with you to get you back on track (it helps, trust me).

Just be slightly more strict with yourself and wean yourself off a bit on the snack foods. Like yourself, I had some gain back due to a med that I needed for a TN flare (gabapentin) and got all the way up to 197 pounds. I've since weaned myself off the med after being put on something different that doesn't cause weight gain and I've dropped 10 of the pounds I gained as I'm 187 today, but I don't know if it's even possible to lose the 5-10 more pounds I want as I've been struggling to lose any more despite adjusting and fixing my eating habits. My doctor told me today to not stress about it because some of it may be due to my MCAS and some of the issues it's been causing lately. So maybe a part a part of the weight gain you're experiencing is diet, some from the med, and the other part possibly stress? (stress can cause weight gain as well) If you're struggling with getting your diet back on track just slowly adjust it. Don't stress yourself out even more by denying yourself everything just cut it back slowly bit by bit and eventually you'll be eating better and hopefully the weight will come back off.

PCOS can cause issues and make you gain weight even when you're doing everything right. VSG is helpful for many women in helping basically re-set their system, but it doesn't do that for everyone, unfortunately. If I were you, I would talk to your surgeon's office and ask if there is anything that may help or maybe talk to your PCP or nutritionist to get some ideas on if there is anything you can do to re-start your weight loss. I hope things work out for you and I'm sorry you're having such a difficult time!

If you really need to take the meds then I'd just do it. I have dysphagia (means I choke. On meds. On food. On fluids even sometimes) so I can't swallow meds at all. I have to either chop them up into teeny tiny little pieces (which is too much effort, imo) or chew them. I tend to just chew them, even if they taste absolutely disgusting. I have one particular pill that I HATE taking because it has a chemically aftertaste, but it's for my MCAS so if I have to take it I have to take it, even if it tastes nasty. My TN meds that I take 4x a day (every 6 hours) tastes spicy. Like super spicy. As in my tongue burns, but I learned a trick... if I eat a caramel rice cake right after I take it, it takes the spice away. Sometimes you learn tricks like that that help with the taste. If the meds you have are important then don't skip them just because you don't like how they taste. I mean, what would you do if you someday developed dysphagia like me (a lot of old people develop it, so it's possible. I've had it since I was 27 or 28. I'm only 35. It happens. I'm proof).

I'm almost 3 years out and I still can't vomit. I've never had the foamies people talk about either. I've WANTED to vomit, but haven't been able to. Overate a few times and felt so nauseous that I tried to make myself vomit... and couldn't. I gag and that's it. It's reason number 1 as to why I watch how much and how quickly I eat very, very, very closely because if I overeat I feel nauseous for HOURS and nothing helps. So I think it's really person to person on what'll happen over time. One day you may actually be able to vomit. I'm wondering if that day will ever come for me... (is it weird that I'd be happy to actually be able to vomit?)

I chose my goal weight because I thought back to when I was last happy about my size. That was when I was 12 or 13 and was a size 16. I was in the 180 pounds range at the time so that became my goal weight. The funny thing is... I reached that weight and wear a size 12 in jeans and medium in tops (still do, even with some weight gained back) so despite being the same height and weight as I was back then... I'm smaller. It was a happy surprise. And also, I guess I was right on the money to choose the goal that I did because as soon as I hit 175, my body was like 'okay, maintenance now' and I didn't lose a single pound more. I have gained some weight back though due to meds and I suppose partially due to my being almost 3 years post op, but I'm working on trying to lose at LEAST another 5 pounds of what I gained back (I'm 188 pounds according to when I weighed myself about two hours ago).

They're really high in sodium, but if your nutritionist doesn't have an issue with it and you're on solid food then it should be fine.

Literally the only thing that I wish they would have told me is that there is a 3% chance that you can develop a wheat allergy or celiac disease with any surgery that has malabsorption. I developed a wheat allergy and it completely blindsided me. I have crappy luck so had I known I would have expected it. Still would have done the surgery, but I would have expected it (not joking about the crappy luck. I had an MVD in 2017 and there is only a 1% chance of getting meningitis and guess what? I got meningitis. Yeah, my luck is crap). Also the hilarity of me having to call the bariatric surgeon because I was having chronic constipation and their confusion because they'd never had a patient with my surgery have that issue as it's generally the opposite (diarrhea) made my day. I laughed so much when the doctor had trouble processing that (I absorb iron really, really, really well so the fact that I was taking 3 iron multi's is what caused that issue. I now take 1 iron multi and 2 non-iron multi's and my iron level is the high side of normal... yeah). Also, keep in mind that everyone loses at their own pace and try not to compare yourself to others. You'll get there. It may be slower than someone else that started at the same time, but you could actually lose more than them in the end. You could also be a chronic staller (that was me. I've never met anyone who stalled as much as me) and that is incredibly frustrating (oh, the stress and frustration!), but it happens. And yes, even if you're not a chronic staller, stalls DO happen and are 100% normal (generally can last up to 3 weeks. Though some can last longer as I had a few that lasted in the 40 day range. No joke.).

As mentioned above you probably are gaining muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. As long as something is moving (inches) then you ARE losing. If nothing moves at all then it would be maintenance, but I don't think you're there quite yet. I'd say not to stress about it, but I'm sure it's next to impossible not to.

I've not vomited even once since my surgery. I don't think I can, actually. When I overeat (which is rare, thank goodness because I take note when I start to get full unless I eat too fast and then I'm screwed) I feel uncomfortably full, nauseous, and want to vomit soooooo bad, but I can't and I end up feeling that way for HOURS after the fact. That's why I try and continue to eat slow because every single time I've overeaten has been because I ate too fast. Head hunger for me usually happens when I'm bored. I try to just drink when that happens because if your stomach is full of fluid you don't feel hungry (unless you're ACTUALLY hungry. It's a good way to tell, tbh).

It gets easier the longer you go without them, but once you re-introduce them you have to learn moderation even when you crave them. That has been a learning experience. I'm a stress baker and so when I bake I will call my sister up and give her more than half of what I bake so that I don't eat them all because I don't trust myself not to. I've even had my mom take some of my baked goods to work to share with her co-worker to get them out of the house. I have worked on the stress baking lately and I've cut it down to once a week when before I was baking 3-4x a week and sometimes sending all but one serving to my sisters house or my moms work lol. I made peanut butter cookies last week (because my niece and nephew were coming over and they love my cookies) and am planning banana muffins this week (because my mom loves when I make banana bread or banana muffins and since they eat the majority I tend to make what they like).

People generally get their appetite back around 4-6 months out. Mine came back at 5.5 months out. I do still have days where I have no appetite though and some where I feel hungry almost constantly (I snack on fruit or veggies those days because if I'm hungry I'm going to try to eat healthy in between meals. Especially considering how many things I've had to cut out because of my MCAS 😥).

Biggest Change: I developed a wheat allergy after surgery (3% chance. They don't warn you) so learning to check every label for ingredients so as to not make myself sick has been a new experience in paranoia, and I have to cook every meal in my house because going out to eat is almost impossible when you have a wheat allergy. Biggest Surprise: My clothing size. When I was in the 180's when I was in middle school I was a size 16. That's what I expected to be. I'm a 12 in jeans and a medium in tops. That was a shock. A pleasant one. But a shock. Biggest Challenge: I have had a Trigeminal Neuralgia flare since April 2022 and was put on an anti-convulsant (Gabapentin) that caused me to gain 18 pounds. Now that I'm weaning myself off of it after being put on a different one (Oxcarbazepine) I've lost about half of the weight I gained, but am struggling to lose the other half. I stress out over that extra weight so much... Biggest Personal Victory: For me, it was getting out of the 'obese' category and being 'overweight' instead. I cried.

My iron was too high as well and I was taking 3 multi's with iron and now I only take 1 with iron and two without. It'll take a while to figure out the regimen that works for you, so just work with your doctor and get their advice on what they want you to try.

So a 'normal' BMI (24.9) would be 159 pounds for me. I was 392 pounds which means I had 233 pounds of excess weight. My lowest weight was 175, but my maintenance weight was 178-182 pounds (though due to anti-convulsant medication for my Trigeminal Neuralgia I gained 18 pounds and got up to 196, but am now weaning myself off of the med that made me gain weight and hopefully the other one I'm on won't do the same thing as I've gotten myself down to 186-191 and am struggling to lose back to my maintenance weight, but I'm also two and half years out so maybe that's the couple pounds they say you gain back... IDK). So today I'm 187 which means I've lost 205 pounds of the 233 excess weight as of right now which I think is roughly 88% of excess weight loss (if I can lose that extra 10 pounds again then it'd be about 92%). My BMI right now is 29 so I'm 'overweight' rather than a normal weight, but I'm just glad that I'm not in the obese category. I cried when my weight went up to 196 because it was 1. too close to 200 hundred and 2. I was briefly obese again and I couldn't get off the med without the approval of my neurologist because I needed a different med regimen due to the flare and he was the only one who could change the meds. So yeah. 88-92% depending on how you count it. I was in the 92% weight loss for 10 months before I was put on the med that made me gain weight and I'm in thee 88% right now.

So, here's the backstory... in 2016 I was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia (it's a condition that causes chronic facial pain that is so horrific that it's recognized as one the most painful conditions known to mankind and has garnered the nickname 'Suicide's Disease') and I have both 'Typical' and 'Atypical' TN and I had a flare that lasted 10 months and I was in so much pain that I had many moments where I would think of ending my life to escape the horrific pain. My family was the only reason that I held out. I tried to take it day by day, but it was horrific. It's like being dropped into hell while still being alive. Having to live every moment where every tooth in my mouth hurt from the inside out and it feels like needles were digging into my jaw. And THEN I would get stabbed in the face by a scalding hot poker that twists and twists and twists and twists and then pulls out and repeats endlessly. I was in excruciating pain every second of every single day for 10 MONTHS! I felt like I was slowly going insane. I would get 'power naps' of like 5-15 minutes when I would get a miraculous break in the stabbing pain, even though the tooth and jaw pain stayed, because I was so exhausted. On average the power naps would maybe equal 1-2 hours of sleep a day. Though there were days I didn't sleep at all. AND I had to sleep sitting up because laying down was a trigger. But finally after 10 months I had something called an MVD (Microvascular Decompression) in May 2017 which is a type of brain surgery and that was the end of that particular flare and the pain. However, Trigeminal Neuralgia doesn't have a cure. The brain surgery was basically putting a patch on it and hoping that it held out for years. The brain surgery was for the left side of my face, but I have Trigeminal Neuralgia on BOTH sides (just the right rarely flare and if it did it was usually only 3-5 days TOPS and then it wouldn't bother me for MONTHS. One time it didn't flare for 22 months which is almost two YEARS. For reference, I was officially diagnosed in 2016, but I've had TN since 2010). In September 2021 I started getting eye twitches (on both sides) and then other facial twitches and I KNEW it was coming back because the twitches are symptoms of an oncoming flare. I remarked to my family members in absolute fear and panic that I felt that it was going to come back. It's been my biggest fear of it coming back. Then in April of this year it hit. The right side started to flare (with random ass flares on the left as well) and at first I could withstand the pain, but it got worse and then I was put on Gabapentin and I gained 18 friggin' pounds! I couldn't stop taking it because I was in so much pain that the meds were keeping me sane. However, I kept having to increase the dose because the pain was getting worse and worse. I ended up taking the max dose and then one night the pain was so bad that I was sobbing on my bed and the thoughts of just taking a handful of the pills hit me and it scared me. I went to the ER the next day and they were so busy that I had to wait three hours in the waiting room while I was sobbing in pain in a chair while strangers kept staring at me because I was curled up in a fetal position in a chair sobbing my eyes out because I was in so much pain and it's breezy in there and that was making it WORSE! I knew from experience that I had to do the research myself because the doctors don't know crap about Trigeminal Neuralgia because it's rare and they don't know how to treat it (it's usually treated by a neurologist. But there are none in my county that take my insurance). So I gave the doctor my list of medications and told her that Oxcarbazepine worked well with Gabapentin and so she gave me enough to last me until I could get into see my PCP. And miraculously it WORKED! I was able to slowly lower my dosage of Gabapentin by HALF (I was taking 3600mg which is max dose. Now I take 1800mg) and take 900mg of Oxcarbazepine. And because I was able to drop my dosage of Gabapentin I've been able to drop 12 of the 18 pounds I gained, but the last 6 pounds just will not come off! I'm still having a flare. I still feel the pain in my face, but it's muted (mostly. Don't stick me in a breezy room or the pain worsens. And sometimes eating sets it off and makes it worse. And sometimes lying down sets it off too. Also, cold or hot things will sometimes set it off. Yeah, eating is not fun. At all. Also, I don't sleep at night because it flares worse at night). I'm supposed to be going to have acupuncture for my Trigeminal Neuralgia next week and my hope is that it'll fully take the flare away. I also FINALLY get to see a neurologist in three weeks though I have to drive two hours away to see one because no one near me takes my insurance. I have a sneaking suspicion that the flare is actually caused by my Mast Cell Activation Syndrome because I've been having more and more issues with rashes lately (though when my face originally started to flare in April my MCAS was fine. May and June too were fine, but this month my rashes have gotten bad and so has my joint pain which is caused by osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, which the fibromyalgia is suspected to be caused by the MCAS). To top it off I can't figure out why my face is so damn greasy. I mean I was using topical lidocaine on my face to help with pain management for my TN (in addition to the anticonvulsants, i.e the gabapentin and oxcarbazepine, I take over the counter stuff like Tylenol, Tumeric Curcumin, and Alpha Lipoic Acid to help with pain management) but I had an allergic reaction from overuse (I'm assuming) called Petechiae (which caused red spots on my eyelid) so I stopped using it, but my face has been super greasy every since. And I've been losing more hair lately almost like when I was in the weight loss phase of my surgery. I know it's one or both of the anticonvulsants, but I can't stop taking either one so I'm not sure what to do. So yeah. Just felt like venting my frustration. It's been a rough three months (almost four) and I just needed to unload. If you've read this far, thank you. If you have advice on the greasy face, hair loss, or how to lose the extra 6 pounds while taking two anticonvulsants that make it damn near impossible then please help! If you have any experience with Trigeminal Neuralgia or MCAS and have advice then please share that as well...

I waited 8 months in total from my first initial consultation until my surgery and I wouldn't have changed it. Those 8 months helped put me into healthier eating habits so that it was a LOT easier to adjust to the post-op diet then if I'd just gone and self-paid. I also lost 68 pounds in that time. But, honestly, everyone's case is different. You are the one who knows you best and you are the only one who can make that kind of decision for yourself. Do research, make a pro's and con's list, and then once you've got it all in front of you then just go with your gut.

Great job! I cried when I got under 300 pounds since I'd been over 300 pounds for about 15 years. I was so happy that I shared it with my entire family and all my friends lol. It's a great feeling and you'll know what I'm talking about soon!

I hit my first stall at the three month mark and stalled for 3 weeks. After that I was a chronic staller and had to fight for every pound. Stalls are fairly normal. They happen. Having as many stalls as I had is not normal so you'll likely be fine and not stall as much as I did. But yeah, it's just your body readjusting itself. It'll likely happen a few more times in your journey. I'd say to try not to stress about it, but from experience all I did was stress so...

I did a pre-pre-op diet where I basically weaned myself off of all my go-to foods so it made the diet more bearable. It wasn't fun, but I got through it (and lost 18 pounds in that 2 week time span). I hope everything goes well for you and as it was stated earlier... the first three or four days is definitely the most difficult.

I was diagnosed with EOE in 2015. I had the Loop DS surgery (which has a sleeved stomach). I haven't had GERD issues at all. I actually took less antiacid then before, but due to being diagnosed with MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) I had to go back to taking the amount I used to. And, as a side note, I want to yell at my (former, they retired) gastroenterologist for never warning me that EOE increases your risks of getting MCAS. I had to be told that by my dermatologist who diagnosed me (he said he's been getting more and more people who were diagnosed with EOE to now find that they also now have MCAS a few years after their initial diagnosis). So yeah. If you start getting hives, breaking out in really itchy rashes, have joint pain, chronic fatigue, get a pins and needles sensation in your hands and feet (and have them turn red), have the hives or a rash crawl up your neck and face and make you feel like your throat is closing up... yeah, that's MCAS. It sucks. My EOE also gave me dysphagia, which is swallowing issues (I can't swallow pills at all. Even tiny ones, because I choke on them.) which the bright side to that is that I was already used to eating slow and chewing my food really, really, really well because I'd choke if I didn't so the chewing and taking our time eating transition wasn't even a transition (I'd already been eating that way for years).