lizonaplane

I've lost almost 40 lbs and I am not looking forward to sizing out of clothes. I don't have any clothes from my previous weight losses and so far my clothes are a bit loose but since I had recently gained 25 lbs during COVID, they aren't too bad, except for some I bought at my heaviest, and those are just long sleeve t-shirts, so it doesn't matter. I have noticed that my pants start to fall down when I exercise, so I might be getting close on that score... For environmental/human rights reasons I don't want to buy a lot of cheap clothes and the thrift shops near me are pretty gross. Also, for some reason they are arranged by color rather than size so it's impossible to find anything. I'm wondering how long I can put off buying clothes that fit, since I usually work from home except when I travel, about once a month. Has anyone done Thread Up? I did Gwynnie Bee (plus size clothing rental) when I lost weight the last time, but it doesn't really work with my current lifestyle of working from home and traveling once a month for a few days.

I know it's really common to be cold after bariatric surgery. I've been cold all the time MY WHOLE LIFE. Now that I'm down over 100lbs it's becoming impossible. Today, I'm wearing a silk long sleeve undershirt, a long sleeve knit shirt, and a fleece, plus dress pants, thick socks, and short boots. I AM SO COLD! It's especially terrible when I have to sit still during work. Has anyone found a good solution?

I'm 9 months out and I haven't felt like I've had more energy than before surgery until this week. I feel restless if I don't get enough exercise, and I want to work out twice a day. I'm trying to be careful and vary the exercise from day to day so I don't get injured, and I still have a tendency to inertia, but it's definitely a huge change. I notice since I'm losing weight my Apple Watch tells me I'm burning fewer calories for the same amount of exercise 😪 I know that's to be expected, but it's getting harder and harder to get to 500 calories burned in a day. Do you get hungry from exercise? I only find I am hungrier after swimming.

When I'm on the road, I eat the Starbucks cheese and fruit box (minus the crackers) for lunch a lot. I get a lot of chili, salads, fish, and chile rellenos. I am on the road about 6 days a week on average. If I'm home, I cook stews with chicken thighs or meals with ground turkey.

We've had really extreme heat in many of the cities I've been working and vacationing in in the last month, and I've been a lot less bothered by it than before I lost 120 lbs. I can feel that it's too hot, but I don't feel cranky and miserable, and I am even able to walk outside early in the morning for a few miles. On the other hand, this week I'm in San Francisco where it's 61 and indoors I'm wear long underwear, tops and bottoms, under pants and a long sleeve shirt and a fleece... and my legs are under a blanket at my desk! So, some good some bad...

I had surgery exactly 10 months ago. The last few months, I've really stayed about the same, maybe lost a few pounds total in 3-4 months. But... when I take my measurements, my waist measurement is INCREASING!! I can't understand why this would be. I've started working out with a trainer, but that shouldn't cause my waist to GROW, right? My other measurements (I only take chest, waist, and hips) are about the same, maybe a little smaller. Am I changing the way that I measure somehow? (I'm not pregnant LOL!) Did this happen to anyone else?

I also felt a lot of hunger post surgery. Everyone told me I was wrong and wasn't actually hungry, but I know my body: I was hungry. I talked to my surgery team and they said it does happen to a small number of people - they don't lose their hunger hormone. My bariatric therapist said it's especially common in people with bipolar disorder, which I have. Eventually I was put on metformin and topamax, which have both helped. BTW, I was losing weight the whole time, and I had good restriction, but being hungry all the time was MISERABLE. Talk to your surgery center. There are options.

I've definitely heard of people staying the same weight but having their measurements shrink. That seems to be the norm, as far as I can tell. But I can't figure out why my waist is growing. Stupid measuring tape being mean to me!

You weight loss won't stall from working out intensely. In fact, you will burn more calories if you build muscle because it's the muscle in our bodies that burn the fat. While muscle is denser than fat it is incredibly hard to GAIN muscle weight, especially for women, and especially once you get past 40. While you might increase your muscle mass by a few pounds, this should be more than offset but the calorie burning effects of muscle. And building strength is important because we lose muscle mass when we lose weight quickly, and that is not good. Definitely incorporate strength training as soon as you are cleared by your surgeon - about 4-6 weeks out for most people.

How do you tell whether the pudginess you have left is loose skin or if it's still mostly/all belly fat? I am wearing a size 10/medium depending on the brand. I have a 32.5 in waist, and I'm at a BMI of 29. My weight loss has slowed down tremendously this month (today is exactly 9 months out). I thought it was all belly fat, but it's starting to feel a lot "squishier" and "looser" in the skin in my abdomen. I really don't plan to have plastics (although the FUPA is redonkulous!) but I am trying to gage how much more of my belly fat I can expect to lose.

Honestly, it's very hard here in the states to find bariatric-competent therapists too. I am just using the one from my surgery center, and it takes months to schedule an appointment with her. I really like listening to podcasts made by/for the bariatric community - Our Sleeved Life Podcast and Breaking down Nutrition with Dr. Susan Mitchell, and check out "the sleeved dietitian" on Instagram. She has a program called TRIBE. Good luck!

You will not be able to use an out of state therapist, because they are not licensed in your state. It's very stupid, but in this country the practice of medicine and psychology is based on state licensure. You may be able to go to psychologytoday.com and use their search feature to find a bariatric therapist in your state. It can be anywhere in your state if you can do remote, but it can't be out of state, unless they happen to be licensed in multiple states. EDIT: Just realized you are in Ireland. US therapists will not be able to treat you due to licensure issues. HOWEVER.... you may be able to find one who will work with you as a "coach" which doesn't require any license. There is also an Australian bariatric therapist (Georgie Beems?) who sees clients virtually, maybe the licensing issues are different? Talk to your bariatric center and see if they can refer you to someone.

I feel bloated a lot whether I'm constipated or not. But that hasn't changed.

Most of my pants are elastic waist, and none of my pants sit at my actual waist. They all feel the same.

You might not get there by your birthday, but that's okay - this is a lifelong journey, not a sprint. Remember that you need to do this in a way that feels sustainable to you. I am at 160 and I've been stuck here going up or down a few lbs for a few months. I would also like to lose another 20 lbs to get to a "normal" BMI, but that is not looking likely. However, I am trying to be okay with that. Many people never get to below the obese range. It's good to have goals, but don't let them become obsessions. We can only control our bodies so much.

Weirdly, my waist has now gone up to 34 inches. I can't figure out if I was measuring wrong before or if I'm measuring wrong now... or if there's something else going on that is a problem. I am not pregnant, and I haven't lost/gained any weight since.

Back to reply on my now ancient post. I bought a lot of clothes at thrift stores, but a lot of them had strong detergent/perfume that I was not able to get out, so some went right back. I couldn't tell how strong the smell was with my mask on. Still, I found some excellent quality good brands - Talbots, Loft, etc. I had much more luck with getting shirts to fit than with pants. Never got any pants that fit right. I buy hiking pants at LL Bean, Traveler's pants at Chico's and then I have a few pairs from Macy's that were pretty cheap. I also bought two pairs of jeans, but one is too tight in the calf. What I did buy that makes me super excited is some handmade clothing by craft designers. These cost a lot more, but I can't see myself getting much smaller at this point. I have 5 shirts that I wear for work when I need to be "professional". They are really interesting and unique and it makes me happy to wear something that supports an artist. I just wear them with any of my black pants, some jewelry, my one pair of real shoes, and I'm good to go. I also made use of my local Buy Nothing group on Facebook, and got some exercise shirts, but no one had shorts to give up, so I bought some on Amazon - the sizes there run small!

Talk to your surgeon/dietician. If you have high blood pressure, they may recommend you reduce sodium below the generally recommended 2000mg a day, but it's not strictly a concern for people who are not sensitive to salt. None of the dieticians I've talked to about bariatric surgery has recommended any draconian limitations on salt. They haven't even mentioned sodium - just macros. I don't worry about sodium OR fat, just sugar, simple carbs, and protein. For constipation, it's unlikely you will be able to eat enough fiber to solve the problem with food. I was told that drinking enough fluid, exercising enough, and taking something like Miralax was what I should do. I have found that I only need Miralax occasionally as long as I drink coffee.

That depends a lot on your insurance company and the surgery center. It could be a few days or a few weeks, or they may come back with more things you have to do/information you need to provide them with. You can check in with the insurance coordinator at your surgery center. They should be able to tell you what to expect. Good Luck!

I am on a facebook group "Bariatric Nutrition with Dr. Susan Mitchell" and recently she posted an article from a peer-reviewed journal that said there wasn't much evidence for not drinking after you eat long term. However, I find it hard to drink when I'm really full. I never wait after drinking to eat - my surgery center never said that was an issue. Congratulations on maintaining so long! That's amazing! For the anemia, see what the specialist says. What did your GP say? Iron needs to be taken at least 2 hours apart from calcium. And it might upset your stomach. There are preparations that are better (slow iron). You might try to get back in touch with your surgeon, too, if possible, but you seem to be doing great on your own. It's inspirational!

I'm so sorry you're struggling. You probably already know this, but being dehydrated will cause you to feel worse in the long run, so you should try your best to drink as much as possible. I agree with others to try warm liquids (especially since it's cold). Try tea. For some people mint tea causes reflux, but for others it settles the stomach. There are so many wonderful varieties of tea in the US, and probably in your part of the world too. I hope you feel better soon!

Congrats on your tremendous success! I'm exactly 10 months out from surgery today, and my weight has been pretty stalled for the last few months. I know I COULD eat less, but I often don't feel like I have the mental bandwidth to think about every calorie. I eat between 1200-1800 calories a day. I'm the same height and have gotten as low as 159.8, but I've been about 160-163 recently. I'd be happy to stay here. I'm also in a size medium. I feel like if I could eat the way I eat now and stay this weight for the rest of my life, I'd be thrilled... except that my waist is too big! It seems to be getting bigger, which is so odd.

Yes, for me it felt like it was happening fast, but then it felt like I had to wait forever! It took me 7.5 months to have surgery - I had to jump through all the insurance hoops and then my surgery center was backed up from surgeries they had to cancel due to COVID. What I did was work to practice eating like after surgery - counting calories, higher protein, lower carbs, etc. I lost 50 lbs before surgery, which is weight I didn't have to lose after surgery.

I agree with finding a support group and therapist. It can be very hard to find a bariatric therapist, but check with your surgery center, they should have someone, but they might be booked out quite a ways. There is T.R.I.B.E, but I don't know too much about it. If you're on instagram it's "the sleeved dietician" and her group. There are also some good podcasts like "Our Sleeved Life Podcast" and Bariatric Nutrition with Dr. Susan Mitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell has a facebook group that is nice). Good luck!

I found it hard to eat for several months after surgery. I learned that it really depends on what I eat. For example, ground meat and fish/shellfish are very easy for me to eat, but chicken breast is impossible. I can only eat 1-2 oz and it sits like a lump in my stomach and hurts. Try different things: beans, deli meat, cheese, etc, to see if that helps. Try taking smaller bites, slowing down, chewing more. Try keeping a food log to see when you have these problems more - see if it's after certain foods or certain times. Talk to your nutritionist and surgeon, and maybe even a bariatric therapist. Good luck!