BabySpoons

My surgery was supposed to be July 10/24. I spent hours waiting at the hospital only to be told that there was an emergency in the OR and my surgery had to be cancelled. Super bummed about it. I was told I may have to wait until beginning of September now. I get it, these things happen but i just spent 3 weeks on a liquid diet and rearrached my whole life to do this. 😞

Thank you!

I almost never post here because I hate the format on this website and prefer fb but wanted to try to inspire more people.
The first photo is how big I was the night before the surgery. The other 3 were taken within the last week.
I had the duodenal switch December 30, 2021 at the age of 24. My weight immediately going into the procedure was about 301. (My highest weight of all time, I believe was 320) I now hover between 157-160 and basically eat whatever I want. I'm fairly active and also malabsorb a ton (common channel length is 85 cm) Depending on the day, I eat somewhere between 3500-4000 calories a day. My weight doesn't budge.
Still, life sucks in other ways. I struggle with serious depression that has crippled me. Mental health is always a work in progress.
Any questions feel free to ask.

At my heaviest, (320#) I had to have a ring that I never took off, cut from my finger by a jeweler. How embarrassing. Now that I'm nearing my goal weight, I'm still waiting to have it resized because whatever my body settles at in the end ( figuring in the 10-20 rebound pounds) could be a whole lot different than any number on the scale "I had planned."
I just don't want to do it twice. I have plenty of other rings to wear in the meantime in all different sizes on all different fingers

I second the BODYARMOR Lyte. I left home without my bottle of Water recently, so I stopped in a gas station. Told the clerk when he asked if I needed help, that I can't have sugar or carbonation and he pointed me to the peach mango and said it was amazzing. It was and it's my go to for hydration when I need a drink on a road trip. I ordered some from Walmart as well when I put in my grocery order. Just check the label for Lyte or sugar free because there is a full sugar version.

Body Armour Lyte is also another one they have in gas stations, if you can find it. And sometimes in Walmart. I like those, too.

At my heaviest, (320#) I had to have a ring that I never took off, cut from my finger by a jeweler. How embarrassing. Now that I'm nearing my goal weight, I'm still waiting to have it resized because whatever my body settles at in the end ( figuring in the 10-20 rebound pounds) could be a whole lot different than any number on the scale "I had planned."
I just don't want to do it twice. I have plenty of other rings to wear in the meantime in all different sizes on all different fingers

I’m never going back🔥

Enjoy the dress while you can. It will soon be in the too big pile. Keep buying a size smaller when you see something you like

You know what's funny @ripburn? I was never a morning person. Always woke up tired no matter how many hours of sleep I got. After WLS; I wake up 6/7 in the morning, ready for the day. No problem.
So I'm smiling right along with you

I like the good culture cottage cheese. You might want to try the plain good culture cottage cheese and put some berries on it.

I wouldn't make a huge effort to stop. I started freaking out when I got down into the 130s (and looked pretty awful, to be honest), but like so many people, after being there for awhile (my body kind of stopped on its own), my weight started heading up again. It's very common to have a rebound of 10-20 lbs after hitting bottom. That's one reason it's probably a good thing I got into the 130s, because after that rebound, I ended up where I originally wanted to be.

I LOVE these cottage cheese cups (they come in other flavors). A bit high on sugar, but I haven't had any issues with it making me sick since my RNY.
Also, Dannon Light and Fit makes a yogurt brownie sundae that is epic. It's basically vanilla yogurt with these crunchy chocolate bits you can dump in for about 110 calories and 10g Protein. I'm not sure the sugar content right off. They definitely help the dessert cravings.
I just wanted to share the yummy things I have found the last few months.
I'm down 132 lbs since May 2023, which puts me a 130 lbs and about a size 2, sometimes a zero. I'm still struggling to stop losing despite the extra calories; though, I have only lost 10lbs since the end of February. I'm holding right now between 130-135. My original goal was 140. And no, I haven't had any plastic surgery and yes, I could use a tuck here and there, and definitely some new boobs (those are completely gone... pancakes with nipples)
Anyone have any yummy food ideas?

Having a lot of energy and not being tired today made me smile.

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

Had my surgery April 1st and I feel like I have not lost as much weight as I had anticipated.
I started out with 297 and I am now 280. However, my nutritionist told me not to worry so much about the pounds, that I may feel like I'm not losing weight but that I may be losing inches.
I do not feel the difference, are any of you experiencing this. If so any tips?

Don't compare your weight loss to anyone else's. That way is only misery. Trust your team and the process. Stick to their regime. It works. The weight you have lost is fantastic and above average. I lost 15lbs. Mahoosive round of applause coming your way. This time next year you will be amazed how much you have lost.

So my surgery went successfully on 14/05/24. The first night was beyond rough, I don't think anything can prepare you for the gas pain!
It was the first time I'd been in hospital & had surgery as an adult so it was very daunting, but everything went well.
I am home now after 2 nights in the hospital, and I am feeling quite tender but I am not sure if this is just the residual gas pain, or just the feeling of overwhelming fullness when I am trying to drink water!
I am really glad it is done now, but it is a bit overwhelming to begin with!
Thank you everyone who sent me well wishes x

GOOD ADVICE^^^

WLS patients can easily increase daily calories by drinking them. That may be an option for you instead of trying to consume additional solid food. liquids just go down easier and pass thru the stomach quicker without making you too full.
For example.... a Protein Shake of milk, Protein Powder, fruit and no sugar added yogurt could get you there.
GL

Ugh. I’m defeated. I’m 3 years post op and have been sick for the last 7 or 8 months. Vomiting constantly, nauseous all the time, dropped down to 92 pounds. I got up to 96 or 98 before I finally broke down and called my surgeon. My husband had been on me to call and I just didn’t want to be a bother to anyone and felt awful about myself. I looked terrible. Nothing but bones. Long story short , they got me in the next day and had bloodwork scheduled for the next day and an endoscopy scheduled for the day after that. I had a major stricture at the opening of the small intestine. They were surprised that fluids were even making it through, it was so bad. I’ve had it stretched 3 times and have been put on TPN. It was 18 hours a day and they’ve backed it down to 14 and upped my calories to 1294. I’m up to 111 pounds as of yesterday but am still getting sick on anything that isn’t mush.

I feel like a complete failure and so stupid for not calling and getting help sooner. Like, this whole bout of tpn could have been avoided had I not been so stubborn. The surgeon wants me to gain at least 20 pounds.

has anyone else been through anything similar and If so were you on tpn and for how long?

it's really, really rare to have a stricture that late - they almost always appear - if they're going to appear - within the first three months after surgery. I had two - at four weeks out and again at eight weeks out. The first time I knew something was wrong and I called my clinic. They suspected it was a stricture and sent me over to the hospital for an upper endoscopy to confirm (and "fix") it. The second time I knew exactly what it was since I'd seen this movie before and I went right in to have it stretched. So no, I never got to the point you were at. For those newbies who are reading this, strictures only happen to about 5% of bypass patients (they can happen to sleeve patients as well, but they're very rare with sleeve), and they almost always happen within the first three months after surgery. Just be aware of the symptoms she listed and contact your clinic if you first start noticing stuff like this. They're not going to heal on their own, and they're an easy fix. Just make sure to let your clinic know if you start having these kinds of symptoms (can't keep anything down, nausea all the time) since these are not normal and are usually indicative of a stricture.

There is nothing wrong with you... First, when we have surgery, a lot of nerves are cut that need time to heal. These are the nerves that tell us we are full, or getting full. So you are not getting accurate feedback from your stomach right now. These cut nerves take several months to heal fully. I noticed a distinct change in my fullness cues around 3 months out.
Second--just because you CAN eat that amount doesn't mean you SHOULD (I'm so thankful the regulars here remind us all of this early post-op). You aren't getting accurate messages about your restriction right now, and different foods will cause different feelings of restriction or lack thereof. Try to stick to the small portions your dietician should have gone over with you. You have a lot of sutures holding your healing tummy together, you don't want to stress them. Take your time here, there is no rush.
Third--different foods will cause different feelings of fullness. Purees often don't cause fullness, even meat purees. When you get into soft foods you might start to feel restriction when you eat denser Proteins. But again, your stomach is still healing, so it may take time to feel your restriction, and some people never feel strong restriction, or don't feel it until they are overly full. This is where it is important to measure out your portions and eat tiny bites, slowly, watching for any signs of fullness. For us post op that may feel very different than it did pre-op. For me, for the first few months, all I would get is violent sneezing, intense hiccups, runny nose, etc... It took a while before I started feeling internal pressure with fullness.
Fourth--Hunger is a b***h! Some people lose it, not everyone does. I woke up in recovery STARVING!! I was so mad. 😂I felt like I'd been given a faulty surgery. LOL But it really made me learn to work with my hunger cues and to sit with the discomfort of being hungry for a while. I was very, very hungry the first few weeks because nothing feels like it has enough substance to calm that ravenous hunger. This will ease in time as you progress your diet. For now all you can do is learn to distinguish head hunger from body hunger and learn to deal with the fact that sometimes we feel hungry and that's okay.
Lastly, many people can drink Water freely post op. You don't list your surgery, but this is very common with gastric bypass patients, though I have seen it with sleeve patients too. Once the internal swelling goes down, many can drink water easily. This is a blessing, since dehydration is the #1 reason bariatric patients end up in the ER post op!

“I'm curious if you have gotten a bodyfat test that shows increased muscle mass 9 months after surgery coupled with weightlifting?” Great question! I do an InBody assessment once a month. One month I gained 7/10 lb in muscle but then this last month I lost both muscle and fat Very interesting video by Dr V This is helpful. Thank you!

I am 22 pounds from goal weight and the only exercise I have done for the past year is walking 2-3 miles a day. Casually. To be honest, I joined Planet Fitness since everyone kept telling me I needed to lift weights to avoid too much muscle loss from the rapid weight loss. I went a few times then stopped during flu season and never went back.
I had a few different stalls and of course the weight loss slows the closer we get to our goal weight. But on the average, I lost 1-2 pounds per week since RNY WLS in April 2023. I plan to amp up my workouts after I get below my goal weight with resistance training. I used to body build in my 20's so I'm counting on muscle memory to kick in for me. LOL
I also knew that weightlifting would increase my appetite and eating more when our bodies can't build muscle during our honeymoon phase didn't seem logical. According to bariatric surgeon, Dr V, we are in a catabolic state for 1 -2 years after surgery. Meaning we cannot build muscle while our body is breaking it down. (losing weight) Makes perfect sense to me.
I'm curious if you have gotten a bodyfat test that shows increased muscle mass 9 months after surgery coupled with weightlifting?