Butterflyeffect

I definitely have my sugar cravings back too Good luck with the 10k run, that’s awesome!!

Congratulations, that’s an amazing effort!!

That’s amazing, well done! Would you mind sharing your tips/plan? Thanks

Hi everyone, now that it’s been over 2 years since our surgeries, just wondering how everyone is traveling? Did you reach your goals? Are you maintaining? Would love to hear your stories. For me, it’s been the best decision. I can eat a lot more now and have to be way more careful with my choices but I find I can bring it back under control if I go back to the basics and monitor my carb intake.

I usually don’t share on this page because I rarely have left overs as I’m usually quite careful to serve or order small portions. However, we are on holidays in Hawaii at the moment and even the ‘small’ serves are massive. This was a short stack of guava chiffon pancakes, after my husband and son had some too!!

Hi everyone, This may seem like a stupid question but for those of you in maintenance, what foods and how many calories do you consume each day to maintain? I’m asking because my doctor told me to stop losing and go into maintenance a few kilos ago but I’m finding that I can’t eat enough at the moment to get to maintenance. If I try eating foods that are too high in calories and fat, it seems to flush out even more and more quickly. I don’t digest breads and pasta well so just cranking up on those carbs won’t work. I would love to hear about your tips and tricks or meal plans to stay healthy and maintain your weight. Any help would be appreciated as my doctor isn’t very helpful in that area and I don’t have a nutritionist. Thanks in advance

Hi Cheryl, I started losing my hair quite quickly after surgery and I made sure that I reached my protein goals. My doctor advised that the surgery itself can trigger hair loss in some people and then it can continue due to the rapid weight loss. I’m 8 months out now and thankfully my hair has stopped falling out and slowly seems to be coming back. I highly recommend using Nioxin shampoo and conditioner and Rogaine if you can. I have no regrets, even with the heavy hair loss. Good luck and hang in there!!

Hi @AjaSlimtone, I think each person is different and there are so many factors that can affect how much you can eat, for example, how much of your stomach was removed, the elasticity of your stomach, the types of foods you’re eating (soups and soft foods will likely go down a lot more easily than chunky/dense foods) and also what foods are a slider for you. I’m 8 months out and find I can eat about 5oz high protein cottage cheese and am full but can seem to eat double that when it comes to salad as it seems to be a slider food for me. Mince is another slider food whereas I’d be lucky to get through 2 to 3oz of steak. If you are concerned then I highly recommend speaking to your doctor or nutrition team but as long as you are sticking to your plan and only eating until you’re satisfied, I wouldn’t be too worried. Best of luck with it all and congratulations on your progress so far

I was just saying to my husband the other day that I get a runny nose when I’m full. Glad to hear it’s normal

Hi @doobie31, I also think it may depend on the type of surgery you end up having. I had the SADI and during the loss phase I was very satisfied and consistently lost each week when I consumed 700 to 800 calories per day. Now that I’m trying to maintain, I’m up around the 1600 to 1800 calories a day and if I’m very active then I need around 2000 to not lose more weight. With my restriction, I am finding it difficult to each that much at the moment but it will get easier over time. Each person is different and will have different needs but as all of the other posts have said, it becomes a new way of living and it’s definitely worth it. Good luck and I look forward to hearing about your journey!!

Thank you @mswillis5, I’ll get some trail mix ASAP

Hi @Arabesque, hope the results were all great. I had my gallbladder removed about 15 years ago so also have trouble breaking down and digesting certain foods. I also just got blood test results a few days ago and unfortunately I’ve become anemic. My doctor is going to give me two iron infusions two weeks apart and then put me on tablets to maintain my iron levels do hopefully that should sort that part out. So I’ll definitely mention creon to her as it sounds like it might really help, thank you!!

Thanks so much!! I am hoping to get the excess skin removed as well, just waiting to hit my one year surgiversary!! We can swap post surgery photos lol

Hi everyone, I love seeing everyone’s outfits, very inspirational so thank you. Last night I had a gala to go to and was the first event I could dress up since COVID. I’m no going to lie, I felt quit self conscious about my arms due to the flappy excess skin but I got over myself after the first 5 minutes and enjoyed the night!!

No I have never heard of that before. Thanks, I’ll have to look it up.

Thanks @Arabesque, I appreciate your advice. I definitely don’t have a small frame, I’m 4cms wider than the wide range for females lol! I’m up around the 1500 to 1600 calories now and still losing but am struggling to eat more than that in a day at the moment. It’s so strange to have this problem when it’s been the opposite my whole life!! I’ll take your advice and go shopping tomorrow to find some higher calorie protein bars and healthy snacks to introduce throughout the day. Mr Newman dressings are the best!! Thanks again

Congratulations on your weight loss to date!! Losing 36 pounds post surgery, in 3 months is still something to celebrate, even if it feels slow to you. Everyone loses weight at different speeds. If you are worried that you may not be on track, I highly recommend talking to your doctor or nutritionist. If you aren’t already, I found tracking everything I ate really helped as it doesn’t take much for the calories to mount up. I’m certainly not suggesting that you can’t eat popcorn or anything like that but they are high in carbs and it also depends on how they are cooked, e.g. air popped vs cooked in butter, so tracking your intake can just help you keep on top of things. At just over three months out, your body is still healing and so it’s really important to stick to your doctor’s plan and the weight will continue to come off. Best of luck and I look forward to hearing about your journey as it progresses

Thank you @MandM1188

The 1st of September was my 6 month surgiversary and what a journey it has been!! I have lost 88 pounds in total, 75 pounds post surgery. Gone from a size 22 (18 US) to a 12/14 (8/10 US), which I have never been as an adult. I feel amazing, so much more energy and excited about fashion and all the non scale victories. The only real downside has been some serious hair loss but it seems to be slightly slowing down now, fingers crossed!! I have about 20 pounds to go to hit goal, and will then see what that looks like and if I want to lose more. I hated taking pictures of me before but I included one a friend snuck in a bit before I started my pre-surgery diet. The after was taken a few days ago. For those out there wondering if they should have the surgery or not, I have no regrets and only wish I had done it sooner!!

Thank you @Judi777, greatly appreciated!!

Hi everyone, just thought to share my journey so far for those thinking of the Sadi procedure. I’ll be 6 weeks post op on Monday and have lost 38 pounds so far, 25 of those were lost post op. The first 9 day post op were pretty painful for me but after that I couldn’t believe how much difference 24 hours made and everything started to shift and get better each day. I was on liquids for the first two weeks post op, then purées for two weeks and now on softish foods for two weeks. After the first two weeks my weight loss slowed down and I can have half a week of no movement on the scales so I stopped weighing myself every day and only weigh weekly now. For the last three weeks I seem to lose between 1.5 to 2.5 pounds a week. I’ve always been a slow loser but at least I am still losing each week and am grateful for that. The things I have to work on the most is getting my water intake and vitamins in each day. I use the Baritastic app to track everything and I find it really helpful. I currently struggle to get in more than 630/650 calories a day, sometimes less, even though I have 5 meals a day and I always make sure to hit my protein goals. I felt super tired and light headed the first three weeks but that has improved and I only feel a bit tired every now and then. I had issues with my wounds healing, due to a reaction to the tape they put on my wounds but that finally cleared up after four weeks. My doctor said no core exercises or lifting until three months post op, so I mainly stick to walking for now. I don’t regret the surgery at all. While I have a lot still to go and a long journey ahead, I’ve lost weight more quickly than I would have prior to having the surgery and my BMI is under 40 for the first time in a decade and a half!! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Sorry to hear you are feeling this way. It may be real regret but keep in mind that your body just went through a significant surgery and everything, including your hormones, may be out of whack for a while, making your feelings even worse. I’m just over 6 months post op and can honestly say that the first two weeks post op were the hardest. Once the pain stopped and I could move on to soft foods, everything changed for me snd seemed so much better. It may be worth speaking to your surgeon, op team or a therapist to help talk through what your feeling and going through right now. You made a really brave decision to go ahead with the surgery and you are on your way to a healthier you!! You may just need some time to heal and start to see the difference to remember why you wanted this surgery for so long and see how great this journey can be. Take care and I recommend surrounding yourself with really supportive friends and family to help you get through this phase, that will hopefully pass soon

Thank you @Bulabula

Congratulations on an amazing achievement!! It’s such a great feeling. I used to hate shopping too but now I have become a bit of a shopaholic and look forward to wearing new clothes that fit right and aren’t loose and drab (my choice to wear clothes that were too big and drab of course but that’s what I was comfortable in). Good luck with the shopping and I hope it ends up being really enjoyable

I am assuming you are only a few weeks out from surgery (sorry couldn’t see your surgery date anywhere), in which case I felt weak and dizzy until I was able to eat between 600 to 700 calories a day, but I was told by my doctor not to exercise, except for walking, until the 3 month mark. Your body is still healing and just needs time. As you can eat more, it should get better. The only advice I can give is to track everything you are eating, if you aren’t already, to make sure you are getting enough protein, hitting your water target and taking your vitamins. Good luck and look forward to hearing about your revision journey.