Spinoza

OK we have GOT to see some photos of this...

Totally lush. Thank you for sharing. And happy birthday! 🎂

OMG I am not even looking at that recipe again. Looks amazing and I had such a sweet tooth once upon a time! 😂

Was your surgery 2 and a half years ago (your profile says that)? If so you might actually already be at your final new set weight. I think it's possible to get lower than that for some people but it seems to require a huge effort and then sustaining that - in a way you are fighting against what your body has decided is good for it. I do understand that it is frustrating not to reach your goal weight (I would have been really sad, I know, but my body decided it was happy with losing that amount and I know I was one of the lucky ones). Would it be possible to accept that you've made an amazing change for the good and relax into your new weight? I totally understand that might not be who you are, and I know people with much greater wisdom to share will be along soon. Best of luck.

Also can I just echo Arabesque's recommendation of the electrolyte drinks? Thankfully I had read loads of her posts here before my surgery - they totally saved my life several times in my post op period when I felt weak and wobbly. 😘

I went to a friend's for xmas dinner at exactly the same point post op. I got to sit the whole time obviously so I hope the standing isn't too long for you, but if you make an average/good recovery I think you'll have no problems at all. Bet you're looking forward to some major last minute alteration of that bridesmaid's dress too (and please can we have a photo in the OOTD thread in the lounge?? I'm a bit obsessed with weddings). I'm sure you'll enjoy it. My dietician cleared me to have a glass or two of bubbles at my dinner but might be worth just checking with your team if you intend to drink any alcohol. And - definitely the chicken, just a tiny portion. And then hide most of that under the salad/veg, LOLOL!!

Huge congratulations. What a difference in those photos too! Getting halfway to my goal was such a huge milestone for me. I wish you continued success - you're completely smashing this. 💪

Hi, I had my sleeve aged over 50. Lost more, and quicker, than younger people here. But also less and slower than older people here! Which means - everyone loses at their own rate. Best of luck to all of us xxx

STB so pleased to see you're out the other end of this! Did they get rid of all your polyps? Do you think this will be your last procedure? 💪 Wishing you a smooth smooth road for the rest of your weight loss journey xx

You're doing amazingly. You've got over the big hurdle - the rest will follow if you can stick to your plan. Best of luck xxx

Hi OP, not sure what you mean by 'a series of surgeries' for revision. Most people seem to get just one procedure. Can you explain further? Also what does your name indicate - unusual choice considering the surname is sexual. And... no revision (and no surgery) will work if you 'go on a tear'. It's possible to eat around both virgin and revision procedures. Wishing you all the luck. Feel free to provide more information if you need genuine assistance with your current situation 👍 S

I have a sleeve so this might not be directly relevant but do you know, of all the food types I can eat most pizza. Volume wise, calorie wise, protein wise, whatever. I can PACK that stuff in, whereas I have to budget for sushi, burgers, fries, whatever. Please do not worry unless you plan to do what you did today every day. In that case all might be lost. As a one-off it's totally doable. Welcome to your new life OP. 😍

I had a sleeve and had no restriction placed on caffeine intake either pre or post op. I drank coffee from day 1. But everyone is different and you sound like you're listening to your body OP - maybe just try it again in a few weeks when you've healed a bit more.

Also a super pale person and at 20 months my scars from laparoscopic surgery are just pale lines. To be honest they blend really well into my wrinkly tummy 😁

I think there's some difference between sleeve and bypass on that front isn't there? OP - I have also had a sleeve procedure and 19 months on am totally loving it. I wish you all the luck in the world!

Wow lucky you D&S!! We've been together on our weight loss journey for the last 19 months. I can't afford any tidying up procedures but I'm so happy that you can! I hope everything goes smoothly for you. Please may we have some before and after photos?? Lots of folks here will be able to give you proper advice.

I don't eat bars of any kind any more. If I'm really stuck for food I prefer to find wholefoods, even if not what I was planning, and you can always find something appropriate to your stage after surgery. Cheese - babybels/individual cheese portions - nuts (anything) - seeds at a pinch. Honestly OP, the chilli you ate is probably just as nutritious or more as the bar you didn't!

I had nasty reflux for years before my sleeve. I knew that it had always improved at times when I had lost significant amounts of weight so I gambled on that happening again if I had sleeve as opposed to bypass. So far that gamble has paid off. 🤞

I started eating out about 2 months after surgery. I ordered a starter for my main then but I couldn't finish it. Now - 18 months on - I can have a starter for my starter and a starter for my main and pretty much finish them, depending on their size and the time available!

OP we all second guess and over-analyse immediately after our surgery. If you stick to your plan you WILL lose weight. Significant amounts of weight. You cannot not do that. However - you will NOT lose weight in a linear fashion. There will be many weeks (or even the occasional month) where you will lose virtually nothing despite knocking your socks off. What matters is that in the long term (18 months or so) if you do what you are asked to to use your sleeve to the max then you will lose LOADS! Welcome to your journey - it's quite the ride for lots of us!

You have done so amazingly well. Hair loss is (sadly) an inevitable part of losing massive amounts of weight. Your body just stops growing it for that time because it's not absolutely necessary. I promise it will grow back afterwards. I'm sorry there is no evidence at all that any particular supplements make a blind bit of difference. People take them and their hair grows back (and then they evangelise). But - other people don't take them and their hair also grows back. Me included. I wish you all the best - you're doing fabulously!

Yes I am running 18 months after my sleeve. Many years ago I did much longer distances - lots of half marathon type runs. Then I got properly fat and couldn't run any more but missed it hugely. Since I have got down to a normal BMI I am running again, but much shorter distances, and only with the aim of maintaining weight loss and general fitness - I have nothing to prove to anyone these days distance wise. I can run 3 or 4 miles easily and I do that (or less) a couple of times a week. I could push it and extend that but I have no inclination to. If I can keep this up as part of my maintenance regime I will be a VERY happy bunny.

@Starwarsandcupcakes I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. What an awful thing. I hope she makes a full recovery and that you're OK too. I love this part of the forum, love seeing everyone else's food and you're such a big contributor. Be kind to yourself.

No I only had a final goal weight and to be honest that was purely aspirational - I had no idea whether or when I would reach it! It was a weight I had reached previously by diet and exercise and felt good at. Hunger returned when I had lost approx 100lbs - probably a quarter of that on my long pre-op diet and three quarters in the 9 or 10 months post op. I went on to lose about another 40lbs. But honestly it is so different for different people. That's just how it went for me. Very best of luck to both of you.

You're absolutely right - it seems to be very different for different people. I had a gradual return of hunger at around 9 or 10 months. Probably over the course of a couple of weeks. If I ate my protein first I still felt full with around the same size of meal, I just wanted to eat again sooner afterwards. Then on top of that as the months progressed I could eat greater volumes - that continued AND I was hungry too. I learned here that head hunger is often craving a specific food or taste or texture, but real hunger can be addressed by eating most anything. So I started to have fruit and veg for snacks and that seems to have worked for me. My 3 main meals are protein first always. I could have just added another meal, but I had been concerned all along that I wasn't getting anything like the recommended fruit and veg intake. My weight loss had slowed when my hunger returned and I stopped losing more or less completely around 15 months post op. I'm 18 months out now and so far maintaining. Everything crossed.