fourmonthspreop

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. I am also still learning that our journeys aren't linear and won't look the same. Congrats to you on getting through the surgery. Can't wait to be where you are haha Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey! I'm scheduled for surgery (gastric bypass) in February. I've been relying on protein shakes and some ketogenic friendly sweeteners as meal replacements to get use to drinking my calories instead of eating them. I wanna know if you've tried any of these ingredients post op and how they made you feel: - Vanilla premier protein - unsweetened cocoa powder - Swerve sugar replacement - blended strawberry, blackberries and blueberries (no added sugar) -Isopure unflavored powder -unsweetened almond milk -black beans (not in smoothies, just in general, mashed) Thanks! Happy New Year to you all Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you so much! The support is appreciated. Best of luck to you on your journey too. Congrats! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey y'all. I'm a little less than a month away from my endoscopy. My doc said basically if I'm clear anywhere from 2 weeks after that I can get my gastric bypass. In the meantime while I wait, I struggle with depression. I know that everything is coming so soon but I can't help but feel scared and stuck. I don't know who else to talk to about this. I feel like I should be happy and excited but I'm overwhelmed and scared of failure before it even begins. I don't know if I need support or tough love but I'm really struggling to stay grounded. I'm just venting but if you have any advice or positive/success stories you want to share, I'd love to hear it. Thanks and hope you all are doing well. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I really appreciate the support! I'm trying to focus on healthy outlets. It helps to know that others get far with the same feelings. Thanks for sharing your experience. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Everyone is so beautiful and clothes are so cute! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey, Just reaching out to the community for some support. I've recently been approved for gastric bypass after going through 4 months of supervised diet and mental health counseling. I can basically get my surgery as soon as possible after completing my EKG and endoscopy (Dr's words). When they went over the gastric bypass procedure with me and all the complications, deficiencies and how strict the diet is (no fresh vegetables for a while which is what I've heavily been relying on to lose weight and enjoy it too) I was almost knocked down to my old feelings of hopelessness. The truth is, hearing all of that terrified me. It scares me and makes me think that there are so many opportunities to mess up. I just want some advice on how to quell this fear and really fear of failure. It honestly didn't feel real to me until the Dr said I was good to go. I felt so ready and confident until this moment and I can't understand why. I feel like I should be celebrating and happy but I'm not. I'm frustrated and scared. Any help or advice on this? I'm also working on it with my psychologist but want to hear about your experiences too. Much love! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey! For those of you who are or were avid chefs/home cooks how did weight loss surgery change that for you? How did it change exploring new recipes? Grocery lists? Not being able to make or eat certain things? I'm also quite scared of this. I love cooking, cook all my meals, am working on a cookbook, make food for people all the time. I've lost 25 lbs and just got approved for surgery. Having trouble understanding how my relationship with my love of cooking is going to change over time. I know I won't be able to cook and eat much the first year, what about after that? Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for sharing your experiences. This helps me a lot! I think for me it's the jumping over the hurdle of the first couple of months that are the most restrictive. I am alone and cook for myself most of the time so I worry about the opportunities to cook for others but hopefully with my new found confidence I will be able to introduce myself and mingle with more people so I can still celebrate cooking and have others eat my food/not go to waste. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow, vegan! I'm a vegetarian so I'm also a bit nervous about that. Just curious, what types of Proteins have you been eating post op? Do you do like mock meats or more tofu? Would love to know Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow, vegan! I'm a vegetarian so I'm also a bit nervous about that. Just curious, what types of proteins have you been eating post op? Do you do like mock meats or more tofu? Would love to know! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's really putting my mind at ease. I want so badly to be at a normal weight. I'm scared but it really helps to have this community. I feel less alone. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey there! Hope you all are having a lovely day/night. I have my first dietician visit tomorrow where they'll do some blood work, take my weight, check my metabolism etc. I'm not even scheduled for wls until after October 2021. I'm wondering what the diet will be like until then. Is it the liver shrinking diet for a couple of months or is that just a couple weeks before surgery? Anyone know what kind of diet they put you on and will I have to buy a bunch of specialty protein powders? Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

That's amazing! Congrats!!! I'm hoping to work something out like that with my dietician too. Thanks for sharing. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I've been working lately on staying grounded and motivated. I'm now 3 months before I can get approved for surgery so I still have a little bit of time. I've been changing my eating habits on my own and have lost 10 lbs in a month. While I'm working on it with a psychologist, my biggest saboteur is not food - it's myself. I have had a history of telling myself I won't make it, so in turn I fail. I'm now learning the art of self compassion and how shame is not a motivator of change. Sometimes I fear the self hatred thinking patterns will creep back in but I keep reminding myself that treating myself poorly is what got me here in the first place. So, from mental exercises to physical ones - what's something you're doing to maintain your journey and motivation (at any step, pre, post and onwards)? What keeps you grounded and how do you make it through the day when things feel tough? Thanks! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

I definitely am learning there's no one journey. I'm not using insurance because mine doesn't cover it. Most of this was just Doctor's orders (I.e. being on their diet for 3 months). I'll keep working on it and continue my reformation. Thanks for your response! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Chiming in here. I knew it was time to consider it after I put on almost 100 lbs in the last 2 years. I lost about 70 lbs before and felt the best I had in my entire life. Sadly, I had my stints of gaining a little bit back and then losing it and then gaining more back. However I realized in the grand scheme of things, I was overall gaining more weight than I'd lose during crash diets. Fast forward and I did a diet bet with some friends of mine realizing I ballooned past 310 lbs and feeling completely out of control, especially in contrast with friends who's weights felt normal to me. I then injured my knee pretty bad the beginning of 2021 and now have immense pain when doing any weight baring activities, even going up the stairs. I gained 20 lbs after injuring my knee as I couldn't do my walks for a bit. I felt so tired and sick. My legs were burning when I'd walk less than a mile. I got super depressed feeling like not too long ago I was running 2 miles a day during my big weight loss journey. Feeling like I have a useless body and 0 control has really been the lowest of the low. I've had wls in my mind for most of my adult life but was too afraid. It's bittersweet that I needed to hit a rock bottom to go up but in a screwed up way, I'm glad I took a lot of time to think about it. I realized the pain and unhappiness I feel being uncomfortable in my own skin is much worse than a surgery and I view it as regardless of surgery or non surgical weight loss methods, changing how and when I eat will always be a part of the equation. The surgery is just the tool I've needed.. I just see all the pros greatly outweigh the cons. There was a response in this thread that says nothing was harder than being 400 lbs. I'm feeling the exact same. I had my first consultation last month. I have my dietician and testing tomorrow morning and If I'm successful with my treatment plan, I'll be able to get the surgery after October 2021. I'm scared SHITLESS (excuse my language) but I know this is the right thing for me. I'm ready to win the war now. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Ah, okay! Sounds like it was nice and clear for you but you definitely put the work in. I hope to get more info tomorrow and just roll with it. Really hoping I have it in me to do this. I'm so ready for a change but always so scared of failure although it doesn't further me to think that way. From what I gathered most of it will be virtual except the initial consultations and the checks ins with the surgeon. I'm still working hard on my own to make peace with my eating habits. Hope this diet supports it. Thanks again for sharing. It's nice to be able to talk about this. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey! Thanks for your reply. I had a consultation with the surgeon who just gave me info on both surgeries and the dangers of being obese but no nutritional information. He said I have an eating disorder and need to get that treated before we can proceed with surgery but he didn't recommend me any services, just said to meet with a dietician twice a month until October and get a Psych evaluation. I'm already in therapy and psychiatry for depression and eating behaviors. They only mentioned it'd be a lot of protein shakes since I'm a vegetarian anyway. I've been on a 1500-2000 cal diet for the past 3 weeks and have lost 10 lbs but it's just calorie deficit and exercise, cutting out most sugary things but still eating carbohydrates. Wondering how different the diet will be even though I'm not getting surgery anytime soon. I'm super nervous for some reason and I hate all the unknown factors. It makes me so anxious not knowing what's expected of me. But i know I'll learn more tomorrow. Just checking what the diet is like and how restrictive it is in terms of macro nutrients. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey there! Just putting my feelers out there. Has anyone had to switch their psychiatric meds to qualify for weight loss surgery? If I get approved for surgery, I'll need to switch from Latuda to Abilify because of Latuda's caloric requirement. To give some insight I have bi polar disorder and require a mood stabilizer. I'm afraid of abilify because it's not metabolically friendly. Has anyone had experience with this? Thanks everyone! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow thanks for this insight! Yeah it's a tough one. I think he'd like to see how I do. He did mention regardless of surgery he wants me on their pre surgery diet - it might be good enough. One of the toughest road blocks is that my meds are incompatible with the surgery and I might need to switch. I told him they were working well but in willing to switch for surgery. He seemed like let's fight one battle at a time. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey there. I wanted to just see what other people's experiences were with their consultation, especially those with either eating disorders or other mental health diagnoses. I was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and have been on meds for about 2.5 months. My mental state has improved a lot and I have more cognitive ability to make good choices for myself. When I went in for my consultation for gastric bypass, I was incredibly candid with my doctor. I told him about how I've lost 70 lbs in the past by fasting and extreme workouts but sadly I gained it all back plus some because of the binge restricr cycle. I went on to talk about my rocky relationship with food and he stopped me short and asked me "has anyone ever told you that you have an eating disorder?" He then said that people with eating disorders can't have weight loss surgery and that I'd need to work out my problems before getting surgery. He's giving me 14 weeks to get my sh*t together so to speak but ultimately said it's up to me to get to a place where I've mended this relationship with food. I'll be on their diet plan during this period (have already started making conscious efforts and studying BED recovery on my own). So my question is this: when I told him about my struggles with my mental health and eating patterns he seemed to make it a point that if you have those issues, you don't qualify. While I understand that having untreated symptoms means you can't get surgery, I can't understand what being in control means if you have to still meet the BMI requirements? Besides wanting him to truly understand my history with food, don't most people going for weight loss surgery have moderate to severe disordered eating or mental health problems? Is he just testing me to see if I can show him I've worked on my problems? Or is it really that weird and rare that someone with mental health problems and a history with binge and restrict is going for a weight loss consultation? I thought thats what it's about? I know you stay on their diet plan and get used to that as kind of your new life but I can't understand what's "in control" enough to show the doctor I'm ready but still obese? If anyone wants to give me some advice and share their experiences telling their doc about their eating behavior and mental health struggles , I'm all ears. I can't stop thinking about it. I'm really working on self compassion and not trying to beat myself up. He made me feel that I'm not mentally healthy enough to even get help when I have been feeling stronger than ever with my new medication. Any insight and experience appreciated! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm noticing it rocks the boat so to speak when you come in with a psychiatric diagnosis too. I'm just focusing on controlling my symptoms. This surgery means so much to me, I want to prove it too. It's scary at times but having these forums helps me stay motivated as I see how successful everyone is. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yeah, that makes sense. I suppose I was just taken back as I feel like I've made good progress with my mental health and have internalized getting better. I am already working with a psychiatrist and counselor too. I totally agree that the eating disorder needs to be controlled before surgery too. I'm going to keep working at it, even before my dietician visits in August. I have already lost 5 lbs (not much, albeit a change from gaining) since really trying to get a grip on my mental health. Thanks for sharing your experience and wishing you the best! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app