SleeveToBypass2023

Everything @NickelChip just said. This, this, this!!! Also, just be careful with the fruit cups and bananas. Other than that, looks good. I personally would incorporate a little more meat in there. I eat red meat once or twice a week. There's also keto bread, keto slim bagels, and keto blueberry muffin mix at WalMart (I use all of them and love them). Blueberries and strawberries are also fantastic, as are apples in moderation. Avocado is another go-to (personally, I love avocado toast in the morning). Smoothies made with almond milk, collagen powder, greens, and fruits of my choosing go a lot farther for me than a protein shake. Mostly because you want to get your protein from foods you're eating instead of drinks and snacks. I love Propel water, and I also love Gatorade Zero. I eat almonds (plain, smokehouse, hickory smoked, mesquite, all the things). Put a handful of almonds, some meat sticks or cubes, and cheese cubes in a container or baggie and you have a delicious, compliant, protein packed snack. I usually do that and also take mixed fruit (I'll slice a small apple and add a few strawberries and a handful or so of blueberries and that's my 2nd snack of the day) with me to work and it gets me through (I'm a clinical medical assistant so I'm on my feet a lot).

My surgeons office cared about protein, fluids, carbs, and healthy fats for the first 6 months. Then they said to watch calories, but not really before then. They said to keep calories between 700 - 900 on non work out days and 1000 - 1100 on work out days. I did that for a while, but now I have that increased a bit since I'm farther out and do heavier work outs and have a job where I'm on the go all the time (clinical medical assistant at an infectious disease office).

This is absolutely FANTASTIC!!! Congrats, you look wonderful

Also, grapes are sugar bombs and bananas are higher in sugar and carbs. I would limit those. I love strawberries, blueberries, and apples. You only need 60-70g of protein on non work out days and up to 90g on workouts. No need to go as high as you are. I like meat and cheese cubes for a snack, almonds, sugar free jello, and if I really want to splurge then keto brownies. The packaged snacks should be a RARE treat since they have a lot of other unhealthy things in them. Better to have fruit and other compliant snacks. Meal prepping is your friend.

Right off the bat, I say drop your carbs to no more than 50 or 60g per day, get rid of the packaged snacks, and make sure your fluids are where they need to be every day. On days you work out, you need more calories and carbs and fluids. On days you don't, you need less. Make sure you change up your work outs, too. And keep in mind a couple of things. Muscle weighs more than fat, and you've had a kid. It may not be possible for your body to get where it was pre pregnancy.

Ok I'm the QUEEN of stalls lol So here's what I can say. Take from it what you will. Cold hands and feet: I have that, and for me, it's due to weight loss AND low iron. I'm anemic, so I take a bariatric vitamin w/ iron and an additional iron supplement w/ vit c and it keeps my iron levels at the lowest part of normal. When it dips down, my hands and feet are like literal ice cubes. Breaking a long stall: So I tend to gain 3-5 pounds when a stall hits and then lose the same 1-3 pounds over and over until it breaks (and I lose like 6 or 7 pounds all at once). My stalls can last anywhere from several weeks to 3 months. It SUX. When I have a stall, I change up my work out routine to confuse my body. If you do the same things in the same order every day, your body gets used to it and gets complacent and the work out becomes less affective. So I add new things, take things out, add or take away reps, etc. I pay extra close attention to what I eat and when. On work out days, my fluids, protein, calories, and carbs MUST be higher because if not, my body thinks it's starving and holds on to everything. I prioritize fluids, protein, and low carb above all else, but I still make sure that I'm at a calorie deficit while getting in enough to prevent my body from thinking its starving. I also only weigh myself once per week and pay special attention to NSVs, because even when the scale isn't doing what you want, your body still is. Fat gets redistributed, you slim down, that's when you see you drop sizes in clothes, rings, etc... When I work out, I keep my calories at around 1300 - 1400 depending on what work outs I do. I drink an electrolyte drink (Propel or gatorade zero) and an additional 64oz of fluids at LEAST. I keep my protein at 80-90g, my carbs at 40-50g, and healthy fats at 40-50g. When I'm not working out, I keep my calories at around 1000 - 1150, my fluids at around 64oz, my protein between 60-70g, my carbs between 20-30g, and my healthy fats between 20-30g. We need less when we aren't working out. We need more when we are. Just keep at a deficit while still providing more when working out. And make sure you change up the work outs. Right now, your body is really confused. You have to be patient with it, but at the same time, show it who's boss and shake things up to get it going again. You still have time to get where you want to be. Make sure you're not grazing through the day, be mindful what you're eating, when, and how often. Go back to your bariatric diet basics if you need to. You got this.

I could technically start looking now, but I want to give it a year AFTER I hit my final goal weight to see how my weight holds and how bad the fluctuations are (if there are any). I also want to give my body a rest. I have basically ZERO boobs and my butt just went and eff'd off. In a perfect world, I'd like to get a lower body lift, upper body lift, boob job, and whatever I need to correct the turkey neck I now have. HOWEVER, I don't know that I can realistically do all that. So a boob job, tummy tuck, and my neck are really my must haves. Everything else, I can work around with my clothes. I just don't want to undo the plastics by getting them too soon and then losing more weight and needing them done again. I'd rather make sure my body and weight are COMPLETELY stable before I invest that kind of money.

I'm ugly crying!!! I made it to ONEderland!! Omg!!!! 4 more pounds to go to hit goal!!!

I agree with @swimbikerun. Don't go off of us exceptions. It's actually not common to lose a lot with a revision. Go into it expecting about 50% less weight loss than what you had with your initial surgery. Then if you lose more, it's a pleasant surprise. But if you don't, you're already prepared for that.

This is something that never stops. You have to watch what you eat, how much you eat, how often you eat. You have to move your body more. Prioritize protein first, then veggies, then carbs, then healthy fats. Fluid intake never stops. You have to get 64oz at least. Avoid the slider foods, avoid grazing. Cut the salt. And switch to sugar free and no sugar added sweets if you really can't stay away from them (I have never been a big sweets person. I'm not even a huge fan of chocolate). This is something I would thing your surgeon and nutritionist would have gone over with you before you had the surgery. This isn't a magic cure all. It's a tool to use to get your weight and health where it needs to be.

Detox is a fad. Our bodies have kidneys and a liver. They do all the detoxing we need. Now that we've had these surgeries, we have to be more mindful about what we do and don't eat. I would stay away from these fads, increase your fluids, stick to your bariatric diet, move your body and exercise (sweat is a good way to flush out your system, too) and leave the detox stuff alone. They don't provide a real benefit and they can actually do harm.

You have to get back to basics. Remember why you did the surgery and go from there. Are you moving your body and exercising? How much are you eating and how often? If you're having coffees, have them plain black with the ready made protein shakes added in. You always want to prioritize protein, then veggies, then carbs, then healthy fats. Fluid intake is an absolute MUST. Since caffeine dehydrates you, you need to increase your other fluids to compensate for it. Watch your grazing and slider foods, salt and sugar intake, and watch the bad carb intake (you don't have to completely eliminate them but definitely limit them).

As you know, I had the sleeve to bypass revision. They do make your pouch a little smaller, but it will stretch out a little as time goes on. I noticed I have more of a hard stop with the bypass versus the sleeve, and I definitely have to make sure I chew thoroughly and eat slowly way more with the bypass. You can lose weight with a revision, but not nearly as much and not nearly as fast as with the original surgery. You also have to take accountability for what you eat and how much. If you're eating slider foods and stuff not compliant with your diet, if you're grazing all through the day, if you're not watching your salt, sugar, protein, carb, and fluid intake.....no surgery is going to fix the problem.

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! Well done and congrats!!!

So how are things going now?

A bariatric therapist is absolutely worth any time and money invested. Also reach out to the nutritionist at your surgeon's office. Make sure you move your body everyday. Prioritize protein and fluids (try limiting slider foods and junk as much as possible). If you must snack (beyond the allotted ones in the diet your nutritionist gave you) make sure they are healthy but tasty. Look at the calories you're burning vs consuming. Watch your carbs and fats. Watch how much sugar and salt you consume. It's really all about getting back to basics. And there's no easy way to change your mindset, you kind of just have to really want the results more than you want to undo the progress you made. Then you have to retrain your brain.

Have you checked to see if you have any uterine fibroids? I'm asking because I ended up having an abdominal total hysterectomy because I had 3 extremely large ones and they couldn't do anything laparoscopically. My stomach was the size of someone who was 5 1/2 months pregnant. We never noticed it when I was over 400 pounds because EVERYTHING was fat on me. But once I lost a ton of weight, I finally agreed to a pap and they found the enlarged uterus. 1 ultrasound and abdominal ct later, and it was confirmed. I had the hysterectomy and my stomach is a lot flatter. Looks like it's supposed to.

Yeah, my "optimal healthy weight" is between 145 - 155. Absolutely not. No way. I weighed that back in high school and people thought I had an eating disorder. I looked sickly. I liked how I looked when I weighed 165. But I'm older now and I've had kids. I'm not trying to look like I did in high school. So I'm thinking 190 may be the final, optimal weight for me, as well.

Thank you, everybody!! I really appreciate all the kind words It's been a long, winding, tough road to get here, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Pretty much everyday I just KNEW I wouldn't make it here lol I had to block out all the noise and just focus on my mind, my body, my health, and my goals. I had to make sure the number on the scale wasn't my main priority. When I did that, I eventually got here. But all the NSVs along the way were the real rewards.

Thank you I just knew that, no matter how many surgeries I had to have, this is a once in a lifetime shot to fix what was broken and undo the damage I did for decades. Ironically, having 10 surgeries in 2 years actually forced me to slow down, think about everything I eat and drink, don't overdo it but still make sure I move my body. I worked with both my nutritionist and a bariatric therapist for a long time (still working on my body dysmorphia, but that takes a lot longer to work through) to finally get here.

I had a sleeve and then a year later had to have a revision to bypass due to a LOT of complications. But I had the sleeve for 13 months before I had the revision, so here's what I can tell you. No matter what surgery you have, eventually your stomach will stretch out to a certain point. Will it go back to the size it was pre-surgery? No. But it will become a little bigger than when you first have the surgery. For example: pre-surgery, I would 6 scrambled eggs w/ cheese, 2 sausage patties, 6-8 pieces of bacon, and 2 pieces of buttered toast for breakfast. After surgery, I could eat 1-2 tablespoons of scrambled eggs. Now, I have a 2 egg omelet w/ cheese. I'm 2 years out from my initial surgery and 11 months out from my revision. For dinner, I would have an appetizer, a 12oz steak, loaded mashed potatoes (w/ butter, cheese, bacon, and sour cream), some kind of veggie, a dessert (pie or cake, depending on what was there). Right after surgery, I would have 1-2 tablespoons of hummus and avocado spread. Now I have 3oz of steak and 1/4 cup of cauliflower mash and 1/2 cup of veggies. If I want dessert, it's something with little to no sugar, or at the very least, no added sugar. So while your stomach WILL stretch a little bit (completely normal) it will not go back to its original size. Having said that, if you eat slider foods and a lot of crap, you won't see the results you're wanting. Just eating smaller portions and not making any dietary changes won't get you there. The surgery is a tool and needs to be used as such. Also, make sure you move your body. I was your size, so I know it's hard. Walking, water exercises, chair exercises, walking with ankle weights....all things that can be done at your size while you're losing. Once I lost the first 100 pounds, I was able to REALLY go ham in the gym lol I've lost 190 pounds from my initial surgery date. But I've lost 223 pounds from my highest weight (421). It hasn't been easy, but it's been absolutely worth it.

For me, I initially set my goal weight to 200 because it had been so many years since I was even close to that weight, so I thought it would be good. As I got closer to it, I moved the goal weight to 195. Now that I'm just about there, I'm thinking about moving it one more time to 190. I feel like that's attainable for me, I look healthy and a lot thinner but still have my curves, and it allows me to have a little bit of regain room and still stay under 200. Everyone has their own reasons that make sense to them why they choose the goal weight they choose. And it's not set in stone. It can always be changed. So think about what you're wanting. A certain size clothing, a certain weight, a certain goal...then try to see what initial weight you need to be to get there. And then adjust accordingly.

It's been 27 years since I weighed less than 200 pounds. I weighed myself 5 times, just to be sure, before I took the picture lol

Thank you so much!! But as of this morning.... I'm ugly crying!!! I made it to ONEderland!! Omg!!!! 4 more pounds to go to hit goal!!!