SleeveToBypass2023

Thank you!!! It's been QUITE the journey lol But I wouldn't change a thing. I honestly never thought I would get this close to my goal weight. And while the last 30 pounds have really been fighting me, I'm DETERMINED to get where I want to be. Even if I go up 5 pounds or so (which I know is normal) once I hit my goal, I just want to get there, see myself in ONEderland, and know that I really did it. I find myself changing things up periodically to "confuse" my body, an when I do, I drop another 2 or 3 pounds. So i know it's working. It's just annoying that it goes so slow at the end LOL

I never lost my hunger. Not with the sleeve or with my revision to bypass (complications caused the revision). It was tough...really tough...in the beginning with both surgeries, but once I learned to time my meals and snacks, and learned the difference between head hunger and real hunger, and got my body used to the dietary changes I was making, it got a lot easier. You have to not only retrain your stomach, you also have to retrain your brain and change your relationship with food. It's worth it in the end.

How are you doing now? I was able to move through the stages right on time, BUT...once I got to the solids at 6 weeks, I had to slooooow my roll because the level of fullness I got after 2 or 3 bites was something I never expected. It's really different for everyone, and while some of us can move through the stages normally, others need 2 or even 3 weeks at each stage before their stomachs can handle the next one. As long as you're getting in your protein and fluids, you'll be fine.

I love the sugar free vanilla sweetener at Starbucks. I like to get a grande cold brew coffee with almond milk, sugar free vanilla sweetener, vanilla bean powder, and sometimes I also add chai. So I can say there's definitely some options you can get that are compliant.

I never did any measurements at all. But I went from a 5x to a XL. So I know I lost a lot lol I mostly took note of things like being able to sit in a booth comfortably, sit in any size seat comfortably, fit in smaller clothes and jewelry, etc...

My hair started thinning around 3 months post surgery. It thinned out until about 9 months out and then slowly stopped. I cut my hair to juuuuuuuust shoulder length and used volumizing and thickening shampoo and conditioner, and it's really helped. The longer your hair, the heavier it is and can make the thinning more noticeable.

20 pounds in a month (when the average is 2 pounds per week without surgery) is actually really good. And yes, you're at the point where you'll hit your first stall. I tend to gain a few pounds when I hit one, too. Totally normal.

Have you tried the sugar free water flavorings? I absolutely cannot stand plain water, but if it's flavored than I can definitely drink more than what I'm required. As for exercising, start small. Try water exercises, chair, or floor exercises. Can you maybe go back to basics and do protein shakes and broth, then mushy foods, then soft foods? Supplement with the shakes until you can tolerate more food. Also, definitely talk to your nutritionist and surgeon about this, as you should be able to eat food and get fluids in at 6 months out with little to no problems. For me, I ate 3 meals and 2 snacks for MONTHS. Now I am down to 1 snack on non work out days and 2 snacks on work out days.

So how is it going now? It's been a bit since your original post, so I'm curious how you're doing now.

I had a revision from sleeve to bypass, but it was due to complications, not for weight loss. When you have a revision, the amount of weight you lose is a lot less than the original surgery, and tends to come off slower, as well. For example... with my initial sleeve, I lost 103 pounds the first 8 months. Since I've had my revision (and it's been 8 months) I've lost 57 pounds. I'm not complaining, by any means, but it comes off a lot slower and you definitely lose less. Also, with the initial surgery you tend to lose the most weight in the first 6-7 months. With the revision, I noticed it was the first 3-4 months. In no way do I regret it (as I said, I had some pretty gnarly complications, so a revision was a must) but it's just something to keep in mind when looking at a revision for weight loss versus because of complications.

Yep! Once my mobility improved and my joints stopped hurting from the excess weight, I didn't need the cane anymore.

Your body is in starvation mode, so it's holding on to absolutely everything you put in it. Especially with you exercising on top of it. You should be at MINIMUM double that by now. When I work out, I take in 1200-1300 calories per day. On rest days, I take in 900 - 1000 calories per day. You're actually going to have to increase your calories to lose weight again. I know that sounds crazy, but right now your body thinks it's starving, so it's hoarding as much as it can to try and keep you alive. If you absolutely will not increase your calories, you need to completely stop exercising. If you won't stop exercising, you need to increase your calories.

Oh hey, hi, how YOU doin? Just as a FYI... At this time in 2022 I was 421 pounds, size 28/30 and 4x/5x, wearing a size 11 shoe, size 10 ring, and wearing 22-24 inch necklaces. I couldn't wear bracelets at all. Fast forward 2 years, and today, I am 218 pounds, size 14/16 and wear an xl top (2x if I want it looser), size 10 shoe, size 6 ring, and 18 inch necklaces. And now I can wear bracelets.

I went 2 weeks after the surgery, then 3 months, then 6 months, then 1 year, then once every year after that. My surgeon said I'll do a 1 year follow up until I hit 5 years out, then it's more of on an as needed basis, like if something is wrong or whatever.

Let me preface tis by saying I'm not a Christian. I have nothing against Christians, I just happen not to be one. Kinda like I'm not Jewish, Buddhist, or Hindu. I'm just not. ANYWAY.... so I'm talking with a few people that I went to school with back in the day, and I told them I had the sleeve done and you would think I just burned down an orphanage or something. I just defiled God's temple, I should have had more faith in the Lord to guide me through this tough time and not desecrated His temple, I should have talked to my pastor about it and went to God in prayer before making a decision like that, and if God brought me to it He could have brought me through it. Ok, WHAT???? How did I become sinner #1 just by having a surgery that is literally saving my life and helping me to be healthier? There was no way I was getting into a holy war with them over this (oh, there's a lot I COULD have said, but it really wasn't worth it) so I dipped out of the convo and came here to rant about it. Things went so sideways so fast that I'm still confused how we even got there.

Write down your current health issues, struggles, anything that your weight is causing you trouble with. Then write down as each thing gets a little better during the diet. Also, definitely weigh yourself once a week and look at your entire body to remind yourself where you started, see where you're at, and envision where you want to be. Try to move your body more. I know at your current weight, it can be hard. Try to do some floor and chair exercises. Maybe ride an exercise bike. Do water exercises. Anything at all, more than you normally do, will help you so, so much. But don't try to do anything taxing since you're so low calorie. You should be able to have broth, right? I loved vegetable, chicken, and beef. Jello is also allowed on an all liquid diet. Try some of that and see if it helps. Also maybe cut some of the sweetness out of the shakes by adding a little unflavored shake mix to it. Can you add any fruit to the shakes? I noticed that if I made a shake and added frozen strawberries and blueberries (or raspberries and blackberries, depending on what I wanted) it actually cut the artificial sweet taste way down. I hope some of this helps!!

In case you're wondering if it's worth the struggle..... My before and after pics, so far....

Honestly? That it was the day before surgery. If it was 3 or 4 days out, I might have given in. Just being honest. When you have a large stomach and have a really high bmi, going to all liquids and shakes and having calories super low isn't a realistic long term situation. The hunger was on another level. I kept reminding myself that I needed to do this for my kids, my granddaughter, and ultimately myself. I was tired of all the pills I had to take, tired of all the health issues and mobility problems and joint pain. For the most part, that worked. When I stopped caring about that stuff, I started forcing myself to look at my body in the mirror and really see what I looked like. I reminded myself that the surgery would help me not be fat like I was, not look like a butterball turkey, not look like my face and neck were gonna pop. By the time THAT quit working, it was the day before surgery and I knew that I was about to be on the other side of this. Seeing that I was losing weight before the surgery because of the diet really helped, too....

I mean, you titled the post that way lol What else does LSD mean? I was over here thinking "this isn't the forum for that...how do we even help her? I better click on it and see if there's anything I can say, but I doubt it..." I'm having this internal debate with myself and you're over there talking about a 4 week pre-op diet LOL

WOW. No offense, but I'm glad I'm not in the UK. There's absolutely no way I could do 4 weeks. 2 weeks pushed me to my very limits. By the time I couldn't do it anymore and was ready to just give up, it was the day before surgery! I give you all the credit in the world. Just hearing 4 weeks would have absolutely put me off from the surgery. The fact that you're doing it is extremely admirable and impressive. We'll all definitely be here to support you and cheer you on. If you can do 4 weeks of this, you can definitely stick to the bariatric diet after.

Literally, same!!! I clicked so fast..... lol

4 weeks?? I honestly haven't heard of that. When I started, my bmi was higher than yours and I had to do 2 weeks. I feel like 4 weeks is a bit excessive. Did you ask why you have to have no food for a month? I know every surgeon's office is different, but that really seems excessive to me. What does the dietician say?

I'm not sure, since I had an incredible amount of polyps that had to be removed, as well. Those were caused as a result of being on 80mg of a PPI everyday for an extended amount of time. I had 4 endoscopies just to remove polyps. 8-10 were removed each time. The first time, my esophagus was stretched, as well. I ended up needing to get a revision to bypass because the GERD caused, not only the polyps, but also gastritis and esophagitis, as well. And even with the 80mg of Nexium daily, I was still getting break through GERD that required Pepcid, which didn't always help. I also never had any kind of GERD or reflux before the sleeve.

So how is it now for you? You're about 2 months post op and I'm wondering how you're doing...

Stick to your diet plan, make sure you change up any workouts you're doing to "confuse" your body and work parts you normally might not, only weigh yourself once a week at most, and really take stock of how you feel and your Non Scale Victories. Get lots of fluids in. I'm very close to my goal, as well, and I'm in the same boat as you. It's annoying, but if we stay consistent, we'll push past it and get there. What surgery did you have? What was your starting weight?