Bypass2Freedom

My boyfriend and I broke up over the weekend, and I just wanted to reach out to my bari-family for support 😓 I remember reading loads about how after surgery lots of people found that their relationships broke down for one reason or another, and the statistics around this being quite shocking. Whilst I don't contribute my break-up to my surgery/weight loss, I am struggling at the moment with the emotional side of things following it all. Rather than emotional eating, I am finding that I have 0 appetite at all, I just don't want to eat, I don't want to do my exercise, ugh. But I am also scared of just doing nothing. I don't know guys, I am rambling, but either way , just wanted to reach out to see how others have dealt with this in their own lives. ❤️

@The Greater Fool Thank you for your response I agree that it can also apply to the relationship we have with ourselves - something I definitely need the time and space to figure out. I do have a therapist who I shall be seeing tomorrow, so I know that will help. It has definitely thrown me off balance but I do agree it is something to get through and to process with time.

Thank you @Mspretty86 ❤️ I do feel like me still but definitely different, like I have a lot to discover about myself and who I really am if that makes sense. When I was bigger I always felt like I had the "real me" trapped inside, this smaller (physically) version of myself buried deep down. I just don't know how to connect to me anymore Happily receiving that light ❤️

Hey lovely people, There is already tonnes of info out there on maintenance, but I just wanted to see if anyone had any tips? My two sisters previously have had a bypass, and they've both dropped into the very underweight category, and this is something I'd like to avoid if at all possible (I know my body will decide where it wants to be, ultimately!) I am trying to ignore that little voice in my head that is making me feel a bit scared about eating more, and just plough on. I don't track calories at the moment either! Any tips are greatly appreciated ❤️

Major picture spam incoming haha 1) Flexing because under the bingo wings I can see some muscles 🤣 2) The first pair of shorts I have bought since losing weight 3) An outfit I finally felt confident enough to wear!

Thank you everyone for your responses ❤️ I really appreciate the advice and the honesty! Been in and out of A&E this weekend as I had a suspected internal hernia following a few days of abdominal pain, CT scan shows no hernia thankfully, so it could just be an ulcer or trapped wind 🤣 Either way, I am in pain 😭

I am feeling okay! Trying to budge this last bit of weight and then I would have hit my 2nd goal, but everything has definitely slowed down so I am having to push more! I am struggling to eat as much as I should, but I find that I am loving crisps at the moment (albeit only a few every day or so 🤣) Trying to think now about what surgery I may want to tackle this loose skin!

Wasn't sure if now was the best time to make this, but I see others making this kind of thread the month before their surgery date so I thought why not! It feels surreal even saying I am having surgery next month! Mine is booked on for 14/05/24 - who else will be having theirs in May? A few questions just to get us started: 1) Are you nervous about anything? If so, what? - just in the hope that any veterans can give advice or if we can help each other. Anxiety is normal! 2) What have you prepared/plan to prepare for your hospital bag? 3) What are you most excited about? I look forward to hearing from you all ❤️

One of them flits between it, but the other has consistently been underweight for a while now, I last saw her bragging about almost being 7 stone and being referred to an eating disorder clinic 🤔 So I know that it is a very unhealthy thing! I do remember my surgeon telling me it is somewhat normal to dip into the lower weight category a bit before your body will bounce back and settle on a healthier weight, so that is to be expected I guess! I can imagine how hard it must be to budge those last bits of weight, but I am sure you look absolutely fabulous and you have achieved beyond amazing results!

All I can say to this is that I genuinely can't remember being in the recovery room, everything was so so hazy and it felt like a dream!

Living with Bariatric Surgery: Managing your mind and your weight: Amazon.co.uk: Ratcliffe, Denise: 9781138217126: Books This book is amazing!

I took Fybogel every day during my LRD as advised by my surgeon (note: don't take this post-surgery as I think it can have some negative effects), but that really sorted me out! I also had suppositories which were given to me by the team, just in case post-surgery. I'd say look into the Fybogel and then get prepared for post-surgery constipation now, just so you are ahead of the game! I had bad constipation in the first few months after surgery, and bleeding was involved as you say - not a good experience! 1 tbsp of milled flaxseeds & a kiwi a day also helps!

Hey! Stalls are really common, and I think around this point in the post-op journey it does seem to hit! My weight loss has stopped at the moment, but my surgeon did say to me that a stall is only really considered a stall when you have been stuck at the same weight for around 6-8 weeks! just keep doing what you are supposed to be doing, eating well, keeping hydrated and getting some form of exercise in and hopefully it'll break soon ❤️

I haven't done this for a while, but I thought I'd check in with everyone! Tell me what's going on - the good, the bad, anything! Use this as a space to just chat! I've been regularly attending classes at the gym now, and I also do weight training & some cardio at the gym at work. I have just got a bike too so will start going on bike rides with my dad soon I hope! With that being said, my weight loss has definitely slowed down and I am sitting at 11st 8lbs with little wiggle room, but that is okay! It'll pass I am sure! I am now at that stage where people have gone from saying: "oh wow you look amazing", to: "There is nothing left of you" or "you're skin and bones". I always find that really weird, like why are you commenting so much on my body 🤣 Little do they know I am hoarding ten tonnes of loose skin under my clothes 😭🤣 I cannot wait to get some of that sorted out in the future. TMI here but OH MY GOD my boobs are like scary-looking...I find myself wondering if they will reach new lows 🤣 Has anyone else experienced quite bad eye-bags and blackness under the eye following massive weight loss? I feel that I am sleeping more than enough, but my eyes just look sunken and dark and it is to the point people are commenting on it! Help 🤣 Hope everyone is well ❤️

Interested in anyone who has this information too!

@buildabetteranna How are you finding your journey so far? You made a massive commitment to yourself, and I am so happy for you that you've already had that massive win! The gym classes are really good actually! I started going to a Les Mills legs, bums & tums class and found it hard at first, but now it is easier! I actually went to my first Les Mills body pump class last night and oh my god...I was close to death 🤣 such a challenge, and I ache today, but so worth it. I love seeing what my body is capable of nowadays, and I am sure you will experience that too! Definitely start with something like that and build up, that is what I did! Definitely sounds like it'd be a fun time You too! ❤️ @Lilia_90 I am sorry to hear you have had a rough time recently. I think it is kinda expected in some ways for us to drop below our ideal/healthy weight at first, and then it should balance itself out (at least that is what my surgeon told me) - I hope things improve for you soon though. I know how tough it is to get food in and increase that calorie intake! Maybe add in some protein shakes if you are struggling to eat ❤️ @WendyJane Amazing, well done! All pre-surgery too which is such an achievement! Happy belated birthday also! ❤️ Lamb is one of my favourite things ever, good choice! Such a powerful thing to already be working on that mental side of things prior to surgery, as I find that is actually one of the biggest challenges. I completely get what you are saying there - I also looked forward to having baggy skin, as it meant that I had lost the weight! I don't necessarily hate the excess skin at the moment, but I think that is because I know it isn't forever, but I am just happy my body is healthier! Enjoy swimming! @Arabesque I think a better colour corrector/concealer needs to be made, they all seem really crap if I am honest!! Yeah I am definitely getting some comments at the moment which is sadly getting to me a bit as I have always been really worried about eye bags/dark circles. I hope it'll improve! I use a caffeine eye cream & retinol cream but it seems to just do nothing 🤣 I may look into some other brands when I get paid - we shall see! Thank you for your advice ❤️

Hey! It is all so daunting in the lead up and the early days, it is going to be an entirely new experience and sometimes no matter how much you prep and read about it, nothing can actually prepare you for the reality. I swear I was so scared/anxious of all the changes prior to my surgery, and worried how I would cope or if it actually would work, but I can safely say that this new change becomes your new normal pretty quickly! I don't even think about the vitamins I take, and if anything, I have found that where I am not thinking about food 24/7 or binge eating, I actually have a lot more free time to do things I enjoy! Don't get me wrong, there are struggles along the journey, and I think it is normal once you have the surgery to be like "wtf have I done", but I can safely say this has been the best decision I have ever made for myself, and I wouldn't change it. I am sorry you are feeling alone - but you have us! This forum has been the biggest support network for me, and I hope it will be for you too x

I think the crux of it is that with my fertility issues and the high unlikelihood that I will be in a position to even have a child until my mid-late 30's, do I really want to put off having surgery that'll give me that final boost of confidence and allow me to enjoy my body whilst I can? Ugh I don't know!

I know I am probably far off from having any form of skin removal, as I have been advised that my weight needs to be stable for at least 6 months before I can look into that kind of surgery, and where I am almost 10 months post-op, I don't think that'll be happening anytime soon! Regardless, I feel the need to start thinking about it now. I am 29 this year, I have PCOS and was previously told I needed to have a baby before I was 27 otherwise my chances of conceiving were very low. I am not in a position (financially or emotionally) where I want children right now, nor in a relationship where I want to have them either. I may want children in my future, but that could be years and years away and I don't know if my biological clock will be long gone by then. I have always liked the idea of adopting too. My question is: what were people's thoughts around pregnancy and plastics? How did you tackle it if this were an issue for you? My current focus is my health and my weight loss, and subsequently my full journey through plastics, not a child...but I know in a consultation I will be asked about this.

Just try not to compare yourself to what others are doing, and just take things at a pace you are comfortable with ❤️ It is a massive life change and it'll take time to get used to that - I am definitely still learning! x

Hey sweet, I think what you are experiencing is something we all go/continue to go through! Although I still don't feel hungry very often, I crave certain tastes if that makes sense! I have found with a balance of healthy and high protein foods, I can still enjoy a treat every so often, as I know one thing that used to completely derail me was not allowing myself to indulge every now and then - it is now just about changing what we indulge in! Honestly it does get easier and easier to manage as time goes on, and you are doing amazingly already! x

Congratulations on your journey so far, you are doing amazingly well and looking so good!

I can't comment for everyone, but my experience wasn't the best in the first few months, but I do put this down to a lack of fibre & water intake. Since I have been drinking 2.5L of water a day, and eating more things that have fibre 7 eating kiwis etc, it hasn't been a problem really! Everyone is different - some people find that they don't even need to poop quite as often as they aren't eating as much (I am still a regular once a day gal 🤣) but your body will be guided by what suits it! Just keep up with your fluids, and if you notice you haven't had a bowel movement in a few days (and if this is abnormal for you) maybe get something to help it move along!

Just to reiterate what everyone else has said really! Little to no nausea, gas pain was the worst but that soon wears off with some light walking, and constipation is a b***h! 🤣 Deal with that before it gets bad, take it from me!

My weight loss Instagram handle is the same as mine on here!