Bypass2Freedom

I am definitely guilty of doing this too! It is like an instant reflex, and so hard to get out of the habit of doing! I like the idea of smiling more...I may try to do that, as my RBF is intense 😂

You are looking amazing!

Heya! I think it is so normal to have nerves. I know I was an absolute bundle of anxiety pre-op - it was the first surgery I had as an adult, and I didn't know what to expect. Just keep reminding yourself that you are in safe hands, you will have a professional team around you, and the surgery you are having is safe, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it! My advice is to just focus on how you will feel after - maybe write down what you are looking forward to post-op, and what things you are excited to experience as you start losing weight on this journey. That really helped me focus on the reasons why I did the surgery, rather than the fear of the surgery itself. Because in the grand scheme of things, the surgery is over so quickly and is such a small part of the journey, and it is all worth it! Best of luck

It definitely does have a little bit of a stall around that point - I was in the same place around then, and I have finally started losing a bit more now. That is amazing you are getting the exercise in - that is something I desperately need to get more of. I am going to the gym maybe once a week, but my energy levels are so low due to me struggling to get food in 😅 I shall maybe just go and try to do some light cardio rather than weights!

Heya! I think this entirely depends on the plan you have been given by your surgeon/nutritionist/provider - maybe just check with them! A lot of people's LRD plans are really different, depending on start weight, country, etc. For example, I am from the UK and I was doing my LRD for 2 weeks, 800 calories a day, but with meal replacements only e.g. New You Plan, Slimfast etc. Most people say don't worry about taking vitamins etc until after surgery - also depending on how you take them. I was not allowed to take tablets until 3 months post-op, so my vitamins were dissolvable/chewable until recently. I started taking my vitamins from the day after my surgery Best of luck!

I was planning on making the exact same measurements post yesterday but I fell asleep 😂 This has reminded me to do so when I get home! This is really amazing though! I bet you are chuffed!

Definitely part of the mental fight! It is hard to break down the walls we put up - where to begin! We shall do so! Also, congratulations on your progress so far - you are doing amazingly! How are you feeling?

I always find myself thinking after I have received a compliment: "why did you not just say thank you and leave it at that?" . I have noticed this thing that I do, and I don't know if anyone else can empathise with this - but say someone compliments my hair, I will say something like: "ah I need to dye it again though", or if they compliment my weight loss, I say: "still a long way to go!". I struggle to just say thank you, to just accept it. Like I am always putting a negative on it. I wonder, if like you, I just am doing my old style thing of wanting to avoid comments on my appearance. But, I shall take a leaf from your book, and I shall try to smile and reflect fondly on compliments in the future!

Congratulations! I am so excited for you!!! ❤️

So, this is probably way more common than I think, it is just the first time I have experienced it 🤣 Yesterday I was able to eat more than I normally do - probably around 700-800 calories, which is really good for me as I wasn't getting much more than 300-400 in the past few weeks. Today my restriction feels very high. I ate a few mouthfuls of peanuts and some light babybel as a snack, didn't sit well at all despite these things never giving me problems. I gave it a little bit of a break, around 1 hr, then had some of my sandwich I'd made (wholemeal bread, ham, cheese, salad etc), and could only manage a few bites. Then my heart was absolutely racing. I'm talking about 115 bpm just sitting down, and then I just had to sleep. At work. I feel better now since waking up, but I am scared to eat again right now 🤣 Wtf was this 🤣

Hmm...I am probably not the best person to ask as I am about 3 months in and the 1 episode I seem to have had with dumping is recently where my heart was racing and I fell asleep after eating some peanuts 😂 I would say though that I think teriyaki sauce is quite high in sugar, and maybe it just needed to be diluted down a little bit? The advice my bariatric nurse gave me to "avoid" dumping as much as possible was to make sure that when eating anything, look at the "carbohydrates, of which sugars" per 100 ml/g and ensure that it is 7g and under. It seems to have worked so far!

I really do think it is one of the hardest things - at my heaviest especially, being complimented I just shrugged it off. I think the one 'compliment' that always stuck out for me was: "you're not fat, you're beautiful", b***h please 😂 can't I be both?! It is hard not to hold onto those feelings for sure, but as you say, we need to be proud and that involves changing our internal narrative of not thinking we are deserving of compliments!

This is maybe why I was on the fence about it a little bit, but I think knowing the person that said it allowed me to believe it was just a genuine compliment. BUT, I can see how it can come across as a hackhanded compliment. It is hard to distinguish sometimes! You are right though - I do deserve that. I think we all do x

I think Charlie Brown is the one...I can picture it! The hanging back from experiences is what gets me the most - so so many experiences I have turned down in the past because of my weight, and I am so excited to be able to subvert that! It is a powerful thing, and I know you'll get to where you want to be. You deserve to feel happy, beautiful & confident regardless of your weight ❤️

You have worded this perfectly!! It is like you are in my brain 😂 It is such a difficult thing to feel, and people who haven't gone through this process won't fully understand it! So to explain it is even harder 😂 I wanted to tell my boyfriend about the compliment I got, but I knew I'd cry, and I didn't know how too explain that so I just left it haha. It definitely won't change, and that is a horrible but true realisation. I am slowly realising it!

😂 My sister feels exactly the same now that she has a little man! And yeah I fully get that side of things - my boyfriend loved me at my heaviest weight, and he told me from the start that me losing weight won't change how he feels about me, because he always thought I was beautiful. They are nice sometimes It's so strange isn't it - like I am used to just walking with my head down, but I try to keep my head up now to show I am confident, and some men try to catch my eye just to smile, and it is very weird. Thank you!!

Just makes me feel sad for old me, who is still me, but not 😂 It is just a complicated feeling!

@SleeveToBypass2023 It is so hard isn't it Like, you know that people are just trying to be nice and genuine, but part of you can't help but question why and ask why you didn't deserve the same compliments when you were bigger. Such a battle mentally!!

okay now I definitely am crying 😭

Just wanted to pop by and give my experience! I am about 3 months post-op, and I was asking exactly the same thing in my very early days. I remember reading so much on here about people having high restriction, and feeling full after a few mouthfuls, and I just wasn't feeling that whilst I was on the liquid/puree stages! I had to ask my bariatric nurse if this is normal 🤣She told me that because the 'food' I was having was still essentially a liquid, it passes through the new stomach easily, hence why you don't really get a feeling of fullness. It made sense to me! So don't worry if you aren't feeling any full signals just yet. It is only once I started eating more solid foods that I was like...wow...okay, so this is what restriction feels like! As others have said, it can vary from person to person, but I definitely feel a tightness in my tummy/chest, sometimes I get little hiccups and generally just feel a bit bloated. I still use my FitBit to time 1 minute between every bite, just so I know I am taking it slow, and I have found this works for me! Best of luck on your journey

So today I am finally at 3 months post op. Here is what that means for me: I can stop taking lansoprazole...YESSSSSSS! I absolutely hate the taste of that thing and if I never have to take it again, it'll be too soon. I can start taking tablets again, meaning I can try my Forceval prescription vitamins. I have heard that these can make people feel quite nauseous, so I will wait an hour after eating in the evening to take it, rather than in the morning as I usually do. I am due for bloods to be taken via my GP, though I imagine I'll struggle to get an appointment! I just wanted to reflect on my journey so far, and where I am at now. It is weird how quickly this becomes your new normal. In the beginning with the gas pain, the extreme fatigue etc, I did wonder how I'd adjust, but here I am! I was shocked at how fast the weight dropped initially, and I know I will keep losing (hopefully) for a little while longer. I think we all go through this weird mindset of being overweight for such a while, and our bodies not responding as we had hoped to fad diets, or us punishing ourselves for 'not trying hard enough', that I truly wondered if the surgery would even work. And it has worked, and it will continue to do so! I am in the dreaded - but very expected - 3 month stall. My weight isn't really moving much, but I know that I just need to keep on with my normal eating and routine and it'll break eventually (thanks to reading all of the posts regarding this phenomenon 🤣) I can still get dizzy when I am exercising, and my strength at the gym has really decreased which I am a bit miffed about, but I'll get there! TMI incoming: but pooping is still an annoyance...the severe constipation I had in the early post-op weeks still results in some little tears when I pass a bowel movement, so I am dealing with my new normal 😂 Positives: I passed my driving test and I am picking up my car on Saturday! I really do attribute passing to losing weight, and how it has made me feel more confident and capable. I can walk around for hours and not have pain in my hips and lower back. Pre-surgery this was absolutely excruciating, even the 5-6 minute walk home from work I had to stop 2-3 times due to the pain and being out of breath. No such worries now! I can see the weight loss in my face, which makes me happy. I can fit into a pair of denim shorts that previously couldn't even make their way up my lower thigh! My current weight is amazing to me, even though I am not at my goal YET, I haven't been this weight since 2017. In general, I just feel happier in myself, and I can't wait for the future! If you have read all of this, thank you! ❤️

So we are at the middle of the week - how are we all doing? What is something that has gone well so far/or something that you are looking forward to? Anything you'd like to learn from/improve on? My week has been okay so far! I have a driving lesson and then I am getting my hair cut, which I am in desperate need of as my fringe is in my eyes 🤦‍♂️ I am trying to increase the amount I am eating, which is proving difficult, but I'll get there! I also start with a personal trainer tomorrow which I am excited about!

I tried the same nuts the next day and was completely fine! Must have been a weird episode of dumping!

Oh wow okay! I did think it could maybe be a weird type of dumping and I am glad to see I wasn't the only one who has experienced this! So strange how it presents in people!

I did think this! Definitely something to keep an eye on. Thank you x