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Smart! GL!

Yes! And I can finally wear Petites again! I think clothing manufacturers believe that there are no plus-size women on the shorter end. Or that we should just swim in tops.

So true! The first time I really shopped, and went into a regular size store, I felt like people would be looking at me, saying in their head, “What is she doing here?” Then, as I started to try on clothes, all of them fit, and I was not even wearing the largest size in the store. It took a while before I realized that no plus-size clothes look good, and I was able to start looking at smaller clothes and imagining that they might fit me. I still sometimes look at a top in my size, and think to myself, that is way too small, you would never get into it, and it fits perfectly. Sooo strange!

I posted about alternative unflavored protein powders if you are interested!

Agree, finding a good therapist is very hard. I have seen several over the years for different life issues that have arisen, and only two were good (both retired). The one that my surgeon‘s office required me to see before surgery was terrible. She talked about herself a lot and tried to push me to tell people I work with about my surgery. No thanks. Also, the wait to get in can be over half a year. Sometimes, by the time I got an appointment, I no longer felt I needed help, or I had just suffered through everything on my own.

I never even considered this! I have worn an extra-wide shoe my whole adult life, and my shoes seem to feel better now, but I have not purchased new ones. I’ve gone down at least four clothing sizes, so it makes sense. Definitely something to consider when it’s time to buy new.

Yes, frustrating! I have been at more or less the same weight for two months, wondering if this is the end of the line and I am meant to be this weight. (Which is within what my surgeon calls successful, just thought I’d be about 10 pounds less) What is weird, is that sometimes after I have eaten badly, such as after New Year’s, I lose 2 pounds. GL!

Thanks for this post. Before surgery I was hot getting in my car each morning from putting on my shoes and loading my work bag. Now I am cold much of the time. Is it just from having less “insulation?” Or is there some nutritional deficiency? I am wearing sweaters and coats more than ever before. I hope this is good on the flip side…that I won’t be sweating as much come summer!

Yes, hang in there! I was throwing up for two months, and then over the course of a few days it got less and less, and then stopped. After that, I was able to start adding in new foods it has been pretty peachy ever since. Keep trying new things. For me, the first thing that worked was salty chicken noodle soup from a fast food place (minus the noodles). It gets way better!

Each day, I supplement with approximately 30 g of protein powder, between oatmeal and my water. Tracking makes me obsessive, so I figure that even if I don’t have a good food day, I will always have at least another 30 g from food to meet the 60 g minimum. On the few days when I do track the protein, it usually brings me up to 80 g.

Great thoughts. If you are living together, it may be hard to hide the WLS. When I came home from the hospital, I had all sorts of literature laid out about nutrition, when to call the exchange, etc. I had new types of supplements. Even months out, my vitamins have the word “bariatric” on them. As far as others, it is up to you. Whatever makes you comfortable. For me, only my husband knows. I figure that there will be ignorant people who won’t understand weight loss surgery as a medical need, and won’t take the time to learn. If I lost weight, they would think that I took the easy way out. If I didn’t lose weight, they would think that I am a hopeless glutton, that even WLS wouldn’t work. I don’t need that stress in my life. So it was easier for me not to say anything. When people comment, I talk about my diet change, which is part of the truth. GL!

I was also able to take pills (some quite large) while still in the hospital. But if you are uncomfortable with that till you hear back from surgeon, I agree about crushing pills and mixing in applesauce. I got a pill crusher at the grocery store pharmacy.

Protein One! These are the best I found in terms of no added sugar, low fat and calories, 10 grams protein, and taste great. About $4 for a box of 5 bars.

Sorry you are going through this! I hope your surgeon gets back to you soon. I started vomiting maybe day five? I had a swallow study to rule out a stricture. I had constant nausea for nearly 2 months (even taking anti-nausea meds), and vomiting several times a day. My surgeon said that some people are just more sensitive and it would go away. It eventually did. I haven’t vomited since, and weight loss is going well. Are you keeping a food journal? Protein shakes and anything with milk were triggers for me. Also, I had to be selective about which pills I took. I could not take them all (even spaced apart and with food) because I would vomit them right back up. Anything you can report to your surgeon about timing, foods, meds, supplements, amounts, etc. might be helpful. You will get through this, hang in there and hopefully it will go away or you will have answers soon!

Agree, chewable supplements taste and feel gross to me. I had a lot of nausea and vomiting post-op (uncommon), but even from the first week, I took a 1-a-day Bariatric Pal capsule. I ordered the ones with no iron at first, and took it with a separate slow release iron pill from a pharmacy. After a few months, I was able to tolerate the ones with iron.

Yes, especially in a professional setting. My body is off limits and commenting is inappropriate, yet still people open their mouths. It lets me know how superficial people are, and if I would gain back the weight, even though they wouldn’t likely comment, it’s evident that is what they would be thinking.

1/8 cup dry quick oats Water (maybe 1 cup?) 1 tablespoon chia seeds Sprinkle of cinnamon 1/2 packet Stevia Microwave 2 minutes, then stir in 1-2 tablespoons skim milk. It’s all soupy at this point. I let it thicken/cool for 20 minutes while I get ready for work; this also makes a nice gap between drinking water and eating the oatmeal. Then I add unflavored protein powder to thicken even more. The chia seeds add flavor, a bit of crunch, filling bulk, fiber, protein and the heart-healthy Omega 3 fatty acids (which is how I initially got them when I couldn’t take fish oil or stomach actual oily fish yet). It doesn’t look that pretty, but it is my staple, cheap/easy, and I start the day off right. It is over 5 hours till lunch break at work, and as long as I drink throughout the morning, I am not hungry.

Great post. It is eye-opening when people who never talked with me at work before, have approached me and say they hardly recognize me, how great I look. So all they saw before was a fat person not even worth talking with. Amazing how important how much space someone takes up in our world is to some people. Agree with the post above about charity…I keep things brief and say thanks, and in the same breath ask how they are doing. If they persist, I just keep asking how they are doing as a broken record…. Sometimes depending on my mood, I will fib and say I was sick because it makes the other person feel bad for commenting. 😆

Congrats!! Love your attitude. I relate with much of what you wrote. Agree that the constant hunger makes it pretty difficult to cut calories before surgery. Curious, how did you decide on your goal weight, and then wanting to lose more after that? I am getting close to my lightest weight as an adult (which happens to be the same weight my surgeon predicted I’d get down to). But I would still be considered overweight at that point, so perhaps going down to a BMI below 25 should be goal?

Congratulations! So exciting that you will soon be getting a tool that will help you lose weight. Yes, upcoming surgery is scary. What helped me is writing down all my questions (and the responses from doctors, billing, etc.), getting anything possible ready ahead of time for the hospital and recovery, tying all loose ends with work/home/family ahead of time, and trusting in the experts. I don’t mean to scare you, but hospitals are short-staffed due to COVID. My requests for pain relief regularly took 30-90 minutes, and I wasn’t allowed to have my husband stay overnight to be my advocate. If I had to do it again, I would have gone ahead and woken him up at 1am to call the nurse station himself. I also would have involved the charge nurse or patient advocate much sooner. And when I could walk the next day, I should have walked myself over to the nurse’s station to insist on meds. Yes, I also worried that I wouldn’t be successful. So, I only told my husband. And I am private so did not join support groups, but found this forum such a blessing!! The wonderful people here have provided all the support, ideas, encouragement needed. GL!

This must be so frustrating. Perhaps make an appointment with a nutritionist? I saw one pre-op, and I emailed her several times after my surgery asking her follow up questions. Everyone’s body is different, maybe you need different types of foods, maybe more calories, I don’t know…. But I’m sure that your surgeon and their team want you to be successful and to support you after the surgery! 😀

A friend was diagnosed with cancer during the pandemic. His cancer surgery was postponed for six months because the hospital was full of Covid patients, and his surgery could have needed an ICU bed afterwards (there wasn’t one available). Meanwhile, the tumor was growing (possibly spreading) in him. We are at an absolutely absurd place in our country with healthcare. Hang in there, although it seems that things are getting worse instead of better currently…

Yes, I would do it again. My husband was not in favor (although he supported what I decided). A family member who is a doctor cautioned me that some of his patients had gained back all the weight. However, three of my doctors at teaching hospitals recommended it, and showed me the research. It’s been such a blessing, as finally I am able to lose so much excess weight (I thought I would go to my grave obese). And I feel that as long as I follow the eating guidelines, it will stay off. This is my answer, even though from what I gather, I had a much harder recovery than most people on this forum. I vomited multiple times a day for two months before it stopped. I did have regrets at first, but my surgeon said it would stop. Once the nausea subsided, it has been sunny skies.

Perhaps ask your surgeon? I have been using chia seeds frequently since 3 months post-op. I think they were ok once I reached a normal food diet.

Although at first things are very restrictive, they become more loose after a few weeks. Like others said, I will have thin crust pizza once every couple weeks, equivalent of one slice. I also steal 3-4 of my children’s french fries on weekends, and am satisfied. However, I haven’t eaten anything with added sugar since the sleeve. Not even a bite. The occasional sugar-free chocolate, as well as protein bars, more than satisfies me. I think it really is dependent on the person, but this works for me.