NickelChip

I attend some of their monthly support groups and you can almost always get your questions answered by Zoe or Dr. Weiner in the groups without needing a one-on-one unless you have something very specific where you would need to share a lot of personal details or test results that are beyond the scope. The calendar shows how many people are registered for a session, so you can choose one with a small attendance to better your chances. I find it worthwhile even if I only make it to a few groups per month.

Today marks 6 months since my gastric bypass surgery! It's also almost exactly one year since I attended the orientation class at the weight loss center that was the first step in beginning the surgical program. I came home after the class and took a "before" photo. I had just weighed in at my highest weight ever. I was on blood pressure meds and my A1c put me in the prediabetic danger zone. My joints ached every morning. My 50th birthday was looming and I felt so old. The day after that photo, I started making changes to my diet. I lost 13 lbs from August until early February. I lost an additional 13 lbs on my 2-week liquid diet. I had my surgery on February 21 and since then, I've lost another 45lbs, for a total of 71 lbs down! My blood pressure is normal, and so is my A1c. The aches and pains are gone, and I'm hitting my 10k step goal several days each week. I'm nowhere near perfect, but I'm improving steadily. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I was this weight. It had to have been when I was around 22 years old. Like pretty much everyone says, my only regret is not doing this sooner.

Weight loss success is roughly 80% or more about your nutrition and 20% or less about exercise. No gym required! So if you don't like the gym or can't fit it into your schedule, really hone in on the nutrition for now and add whatever body movement you CAN manage every day. Meet yourself where you are, not where you think you should be. If you only walk 1500 steps a day, set a goal for 5,000 a day and don't expect yourself to be running a marathon next month. If you're already good about walking, kick it up by putting on some ankle and wrist weights while you do a 15 minute dance video on YouTube to get your heart rate up and build some strength. Or buy a set of resistance bands and do those a few times per week. Culturally, I think we've become convinced you have to "go to the gym" to see results, and it's really not true. And if you only have the energy to focus on one thing in these early days, start with nutrition because that's where you will see the most lasting results. You're still healing right now and your body is not ready for grueling workouts at this stage.

Amazing! And for what it's worth, I don't think you looked 297 lbs in the before photo. But you don't even look like the same person now.

Anxiety is so normal, but don't let it get in the way of what will almost certainly be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. My suggestion over the next few days is to look at the thread of before and after photos to help remind yourself of why you're doing this. I had my surgery 6 months ago and a lot of my experience was similar to GreenTealael's, except I was given a sedative before being wheeled to the OR, and all I remember was being pushed toward the hallway. Next thing I knew, I was in my hospital room. The pain was very minimal and the nurses were so attentive. It turned out I had been in the OR for a lot longer than planned because of some scarring in my abdomen that caused a few minor complications, but I had no memory of that and it hasn't been a problem. I was in good hands the whole time. The first few weeks will be an adjustment, but after that, you'll start getting the hang of your new lifestyle. If you've canceled before only to be back 3 years later to do it, you know this is something you need. A year ago, I weighed over 250 lbs and could barely squeeze into a size 22. Today, I'm the lowest weight I've been in 30 years and I was actually able to put on a pair of my 12-year-old daughter's size medium pants (stretchy ones, but still...). It's an amazing feeling.

I'm not sure where you found the 50% body weight number, but I had my 6-month appointment with my surgeon today and was told that losing 20% of your starting weight and keeping it off is the definition of "success" from a medical perspective. So, if you started at 252, that would be a 50 lb loss. Prior to gaining weight, you were at 65lbs lost, making your initial results within the successful range and if you are currently at 205, you're just slightly out of that range for longterm success. I think you may have confused the percentages of "body weight" and "excess body weight." To determine your excess body weight for a woman, you start with 100 lbs and add 5 lbs for each inch over 5 feet tall. So for you, that would be 120 lbs. (That's not a goal weight, but rather an "ideal" for a person your height who has never been overweight.) You would then subtract that from your starting weight, giving you 132 lbs of "excess" body weight. 50% of that is 66 lbs, which is essentially what you lost after surgery. Current research is showing that gastric sleeve surgery is not as durable for weight loss for some people. The Pound of Cure podcast has a lot of episodes that address this (you can find it on Youtube). It's certainly worth talking to your doctor about your options, which may include revision or GLP-1 medications. You'll want to find out your insurance coverage options, too. Of course, the first thing you'll want to do is make sure you are following your nutrition plan and exercise guidelines and cutting out bad habits to see if that helps you reverse some of the gain. If you haven't had a physical lately, definitely go in for that as any number of things can crop up, especially during perimenopause, that can cause weight gain. Wishing you luck! I'm 50 and I'm definitely nervous about reaching my goals and keeping the weight off at this age.

In the meantime, a lot of phones have a step tracking app available, so if you carry your phone with you most of the time, that can be a good estimate. I've compared my Fitbit count to my friend's phone app (hers is one that comes with her iPhone) when we've gone for a walk together and the results were very similar.

To speak to the bones sticking out part, I am roughly the same size as you (5'6" and 180 lbs) and yes, when I run my hands along my abdomen, I feel my ribs. And I can see my collar bone prominently. The last time I was this weight I was about 23 years old. And I remembered the other day as I felt a rib and said what the hell is this--that I used to be able to feel my ribs, see my collar bones, feel my hip bones, etc. all the time. Up until my thyroid quit on me in my mid-20s and my weight got into the 190s and then 200s. Associating that with being frail is more a comparison to how your body used to feel because most average weight women have bones that can be felt and no one thinks of them as delicate. Although, have you done a DEXA scan at all? I've been curious to do one to see how close my smart scale is to reality when it comes to muscle mass, fat percentage, etc. Maybe that would either put your mind at ease or give you some data to sway your doctors into running different tests? They're a little pricey, but I was thinking I might do one at my 1-year surgiversary. As for the tiredness and the circles under your eyes, I have that too. But I've also noticed that every other woman I know has the same, no matter what her weight. I'm not sure about your age or how much you have going on in your life right now, but I'm 50 years old with two teenagers who participate in enough after school activities that it's a part time job just to drive them there. Plus, I'm a single parent the past four years and their father has been unemployed long-term, so the stress is way up there. After almost 6 months of no caffeine, I started drinking tea in the mornings again and my brain fog is doing much better. So, while I would definitely be diligent in advocating for tests to figure out what is going on (especially since the universe seems to have chosen you pretty frequently for "almost unheard of, weird medical side effects") I'd also take stock of the stuff going on in your life that would make anyone feel run down and not their best. All of which is to say, hopefully you can find the balance between worrying about the things that need worried about and letting go of the things that will sort themselves out in time.

I think the experience you're having emphasizes that a lot of this not as much in our control as we think it is. Which I'm sure is no more comforting for you than it is when someone is following every single rule and staying stalled at a higher weight than they had hoped. If it helps, remember that this stage is temporary. You won't keep losing forever, and when your body reaches its new set point, whatever it is, how you carry that weight is going to change. I know you probably look in the mirror and think what have I done, I'm going to look sickly forever, but it's temporary (and probably something you notice more than other people do). Whether your weight increases in the next year, or if it just turns out that your new, lower weight begins to look more natural to you as fat gets redistributed, this is only a brief point in the journey. The clothing not fitting part must be particularly frustrating, though, since it costs money to fix. I hope you're able to find an inexpensive solution, especially for your work clothing. You're sure to find your equilibrium soon.

I'm curious if you've ever gone in for a DEXA scan to determine your body composition. I ask because I know that if you've been obese for a long time, your body architecture has changed to support that weight, and that isn't something that just goes away as you lose fat. BMI, which is problematic at best, can be skewed by formerly obese people weighing more because of extra bone and organ mass that a never obese person of similar height and build would not have. If you have a DEXA scan, you can get a much more reliable idea of how much body fat, bone mass, etc., you have and may feel a lot better about your progress. I would also take a step back and ask yourself why that number you've set is important to you. If you "only" lost 25 more lbs, you would have lost half your body weight. That's kinda crazy! You would be half the person you were before (in a good way, of course). Or if you "only" lost 10 more pounds, would it really be so bad? Would 40 lbs really make a massive difference in how you look and feel compared to where you are now? Are you putting so much pressure on yourself to reach an arbitrary number that you don't fully appreciate just how amazing your progress is? You're down 110 pounds! That's like having an entire Olympic gymnast you are no longer dragging around on your back every day. Regarding your energy levels, are you getting enough fruit and veg? If you're still really low carb and really low calorie, as I seem to remember your dietician was having you do, that might account for the lack of energy. It could be your body is needing more fuel than you're giving it and is lacking the phytonutrients that don't come in a multivitamin.

Many years back, I had a job that required me to go to a big food science convention. The vendor exhibition was this massive place where all the global food companies, big and small, would introduce new and upcoming products. The first day there, a coworker cautioned me to be very careful and selective about what and how much I sampled throughout the day. She recalled that a few years before, Olean had been all the rage and every food company seemed to have samples of fat free products made with the stuff. And of course, who can resist eating all that free food, right? You could go back as many times as you wanted to get samples, and people sure did. Well, a shockingly high number of conference attendees during the Olean year had ended up back in their hotel rooms that first night having very unpleasant bathroom experiences. In fact, that event in part led to them figuring out that too much of the stuff could be really bad. Luckily there was nothing quite so terrible the year I went, although I did get a glimpse of just how unnatural all that processed food can be.

Nutrition is key at this point, and what you eat is even more important than how much you eat since you're at a point where it's normal to be able to eat closer to a "normal" portion size. The book that really made an impact on me is A Pound of Cure from Dr. Matthew Weiner. I have recommended it to everyone I know, whether they are considering WLS or just want to eat healthier and lose a few pounds. You can get it through Amazon, and there's a whole series of videos on YouTube that take you through all of the recommendations. Personally, I've watched all of his videos and the podcast, but in your situation, I would suggest you start here : And then watch this one: After that, just keep watching the videos and commit to making one major change per month for a slow and healthy approach.

It lasts at least a few days, but at this point, you should probably make a small batch, like a half recipe. I can easily eat a serving now but it's very filling.

I made a batch of overnight oats last night and it was pretty good. I did 1.5 cups rolled oats, 1.5 cups Fairlife skim milk, 3 scoops of Syntrax unflavored protein (30g), 3 Tbsp chia seeds, 1 Tbsp raw honey, 1 Tbsp apple pie spice, 2 navel oranges cut into small pieces, and a pinch of salt. This makes 6 servings.

Congratulations on a great appointment! I agree completely that you will want to hold off on the holiday clothes until right before. I recently tried on a dress I thought when I bought it would never possibly fit and it did, and I'm only 6 months post-op! Also, my surgeon's office is 4 lbs higher than my home scale, and 2 lbs higher than my primary care doctor's scale. I curse at it under my breath at every appointment. But 5kg seems particularly rude of it!

I think pre-tracking and meal prep are great strategies. It's like making a grocery list before going shopping. When you know what you need and have a plan for your day, you increase the likelihood that you will do what you intend to do (stay on track, buy the right foods, etc.). When you leave it up to making a quick decision in the moment, that's when things go awry.

This is definitely a question for your surgeon and dietician. I totally get what you're asking, and my hunch is that you only process what you absorb (the rest basically traveling out of the body as waste), but I think the only reliable answer is going to come from a medical professional. They should be able to tell you exactly how many grams you need daily to maintain healthy organ function, as well as what sources, because fats are not created equal and some will be easier for your body to handle (and more beneficial) than others. I'm sure there must be some research out there because it's a relatively common complication of all WLS to have gallbladder removal. So if your doctor doesn't know immediately, they should know how to find the info for you.

Do you have a sewing machine or a family member with one you could borrow? Scrubs are pretty simple in construction so I'm betting you could take them in a really easily, at least enough to not have your pants fall down. In a pinch, some safety pins at the side seams of the waistband will work, but stitching would be more comfortable. But as for everything being plus size, this seems to be the way it works. I struggled for years trying to find 2X and 3X on the clearance racks at clothing stores. They would only have XL in all the stuff I liked. Now I need XL and all they have are 2X and 3X!

I started watching the videos last summer when I first started the path toward surgery. I learned so much, and by now I've watched all the videos at least once. There's one on keeping the weight off for good that I go back to over and over to remind myself of the changes I need to make. I've watched all the podcasts, too. There's so much information and I feel like it's coming from a very trustworthy source. Last August, I read Pound of Cure. I did not start with the two-week metabolic reset diet, but I decided I would eat 16oz of non-starchy vegetables daily, cut back significantly on bread/crackers and cheese, switched my regular wheat pasta to chickpea pasta, and stopped drinking diet soda (my only regular source of artificial sweetener). I didn't count calories, cut back on portions, skip sweets, or do anything else that would have felt like a diet. I just made those relatively easy changes that I thought would address some of my biggest issues, and over about 6 months, I lost 13 lbs. There was never a time before when I lost so much weight by doing so little, so I'm definitely a believer that these changes work. If you're up for the challenge, the 2-week metabolic reset might be a great way to kick-start getting back on track. He explains it in his book, but there's a free PDF you can get from their website with all the pertinent info (scroll way down on the page to find the link): https://www.poundofcureweightloss.com/nutrition/.

Today's podcast episode was really good in addressing weight loss plateaus and making reasonable dietary changes:

I am going to recommend something I personally subscribe to, which is the online support groups through the Pound of Cure Weight Loss's nutrition program. It's $49 per month and you get unlimited online groups and classes, including groups run by Dr. Weiner, the bariatric surgeon, and Zoe, the registered dietician. They are both so nice and really helpful in answering questions and offering thoughtful advice. While he's not in your area (the practice is in Arizona), I know he's one of the few doctors out there who is happy to take patients who had surgeries elsewhere. If you're not already familiar with Dr. Weiner's book Pound of Cure, I can't suggest it enough. I bought it from Amazon last summer and it helped me start turning around my nutrition while I was waiting for surgery. Their podcast and video series on YouTube are also invaluable.

On the one hand, the farther out from surgery you get, the more you can physically eat. This is normal at a year post-op, and may have coincided with the timing of your poor food choices. But if you have been going "off track" by eating a bunch of slider foods, that will in part explain why you don't feel any restriction. The more you focus on eating lean protein and high-fiber veggies, the more full you will likely feel. Your tool never goes away, but your nutrition becomes even more important the more your body can eat. My suggestion is to skip the "pouch reset" where you go through the stages of food. There's nothing magical about eating puree and drinking shakes. You were supposed to do that because your stomach had just been slice open and stapled up. What you should do is go back to a bariatric diet. This means eating protein first, veggies second, carbs third. It means portion control, eating at planned intervals, avoiding sugar and fat. It means waiting 30 minutes after you eat before you drink (not because you can't physically drink, but because doing so can contribute to hunger), and making sure you get a minimum of 64oz of water every day (but 90 oz is probably better). Instead of revisiting the first few weeks after surgery, meet your body where it is now. Plan three high protein, healthy meals for yourself each day. For breakfast, you might try making two eggs, a serving of spinach, and some roasted sweet potato. For lunch, you could try a salad with 4 oz of chicken and some black beans, plus lots of veggies. For dinner, make yourself 4 oz of salmon, a serving of broccoli, and a serving of quinoa. Space your meals evenly throughout the day, around 5 hours apart. See if that amount of food fills you up. If it does, you're pretty much where you probably should be at this stage. If it doesn't, add more veg to your plate at meal times, and allow yourself up to two healthy snacks, such some fresh raw veggies and a ranch dip made from Greek yogurt, and maybe a bowl of fresh berries with Coolwhip and nuts for dessert. My guess is, if you focus on eating the right things and not eating simple carbs and high fat comfort foods, you will start feeling much better.

You say above that "granted, they are right." Respectfully, your friends and family are 100% wrong and don't have a clue what they're talking about. Obesity is not caused by a simple lack of willpower. If it were as simple as eating right and getting some exercise, none of us would be here right now. You didn't supply your height and weight details, but based on the list of ailments you've mentioned, I'm guessing you have a significant amount of weight to lose, like well over 100 pounds. It's very hard to lose more than a small percentage of your body weight and keep it off. About 95% of people who lose weight through calorie restriction and going to the gym regain the weight. Not because of a lack of willpower, but because there are complex systems in our bodies that work hard to keep us at a weight our bodies have decided is right for us. Unfortunately, in those of us with obesity, that desirable weight has been set much too high. Fighting against that is extremely difficult. That's not to say that surgery will fix your issues with food. It won't. You will still have to do all the work on your mental and physical health to lose the weight and keep it off. You will have to eat right. And exercise. And work on your food addiction by modifying your behavior, hopefully with the help of a professional therapist. You'll need to track your food intake for months if not for life, and there will probably be foods that you will never be able to eat again, either because they make you ill or because they trigger bad behaviors that you need to avoid. You'll have to learn a whole new way of cooking and eating. You'll have to be careful of transfer addictions. Sometimes you will feel left out when everyone else can eat things and you can't. You'll have to defend your choices to people who have no idea what they're talking about and no filter on their opinions. Surgery is frickin' difficult. But, it's effective. It changes your hormonal balance to make your body want to be at a healthier weight. If you follow the rules, you will lose weight and keep it off. Your physical health will improve. Your body will feel better. But you do have to follow the rules, and the rules are challenging. You have to be ready for it, and even when you think you're ready, it's common to make mistakes and to struggle sometimes. You'll need a support system and the confidence that you've made the right choice for the long term even when it sucks in the present moment. If you decide surgery is right for you, you will need to believe in yourself enough to look your family and friends in the eyes and invite them to either support your decision and help you, or else they can feel free to shove their negativity into the orifice of their choosing. This is your life, your body, and it's your right to decide what you need to live the best way you possibly can. No one else has to wake up with the pain you feel in your joints, hip, and back. No one else has to struggle through the day and have their options limited because of their size and health. No one else has a say in what you do to improve your situation. But I will tell you this. There are probably some people in your life who will not think this is true. They will not appreciate you stepping out of your role as the obedient one and standing up for yourself and not doing what they want you to do. They will feel threatened. They will not like it when you lose weight, and they will say mean and nasty things about how you cheated and took the easy way, because if you succeed at this, they will feel like it takes something away from them. They are the ones with the problem, not you. They may try to sabotage your efforts and make you feel bad about yourself. Again, they are the ones who are wrong. But that doesn't make it easier in the moment. So make sure you have people to talk to who support you. I wish you the best of luck. You're young and you deserve to have an awesome and long life full of good health and happiness. Don't let anyone else take away your chance at that. Finally, here is a video that I highly recommend to help with your decision:

OMG, I am so tired of chicken! It's the one thing I can usually eat without issues, which means I order a stupid garden salad with grilled chicken (dressing on the side), every single time I go to a restaurant now. But if I reheat leftover chicken, it almost always makes me ill, with the exception of ground chicken. You know, I'm getting used to the 3oz portion size, so if I could eat a full 3oz of something like brisket, I would be satisfied. Chewing it would take like 30 minutes anyway. But when you get only one or two bites in and you can't manage another, that's disappointing. Not only do you not get to enjoy the flavor of something tasty, but you don't even hit your protein goal for that meal, which is just adding insult to injury in my opinion.

It's not so much the particular foods I grieve, but I really miss not having to worry that something I eat will land wrong and make me sick. I used to have an iron stomach. Even through two pregnancies, I never had morning sickness. Now, I swallow a piece of broccoli that I only chewed 99 times instead of 100, even though broccoli was fine yesterday, and I'm in agony for an hour before it finally comes back up. But MsPretty, since you're from Texas you'll understand this one: I grieve brisket. I went to a local farm that does this amazing BBQ on the weekends and I was only able to eat 3 bites of brisket before I was full. So I took home the leftovers and I couldn't eat them because reheating the meat dried it out enough that it made me sick