Bypass2Freedom

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!

You are definitely not alone in all of this lovely. I have gone through that (still am) feeling of missing foods, and missing eating like I did! I think it was the familiarity and comfort that came with eating whatever I wanted, often to excess. It was my coping mechanism! It can feel very lonely and disorientating after surgery when that crutch is gone. My experience now where I can eat more, is that I still allow myself a 'treat', with is often some form of food that I am craving in terms of flavour if that makes sense! Like I will have a hot dog for dinner one evening, because I know that is isn't something I do with any kind of frequency! You can and will find new things you enjoy, and honestly, not having that control that food had over me previously has been a blessing. You're still early doors, but you will get there ❤️

So I am about 0.2lbs away from my goal weight, which I have always had in mind as my "1st goal weight". Kind of like, if I get there then that is amazing...I didn't 100% believe I could ever get here if that makes sense 🤣 My question to others is: did you have a "secret/second goal weight" in mind? And if so, did it vary much from your 1st one? I want (for some inexplicable reason) my BMI to be in a 'healthy' range, which requires another loss of about 2 stone, which I think part of me wants to go for. Overall though, I am feeling happy - not just because of a number on the scale!

Anyone else treat themselves recently?!

Hello & welcome! Wishing you all the best on your journey, and we are all here to support you!

Definitely contact your surgeon and make note of what colour the blood is. I had blood in my stool on and off for many months post-surgery, but it was down to severe constipation. Blood was red, and there was splatters of blood in the water etc caused by fissures, which can be normal when constipated and you tear essentially. Make sure you are drinking enough water as this will help with constipation, milled linseed (2 tsp a day), and kiwis are also good for this. That is if it is constipation you are struggling with! Either way, please do contact a professional.

You look bloody amazing!! I definitely feel that way at the moment but I am running out of workout gear that fits me! Need some recommendation for some squat-proof leggings!

Prior to weight loss surgery, I could barely walk 5 minutes without stopping from the pain. I think the last time I actually tried jogging was with my mum when I was about 17, so like 11 years ago! And back then it was this Couch to 5k app so you would walk for a few mins, and then jog for 30 seconds and boy did that almost kill me off! Anyway, I was in the gym today on my lunch break, and I always do 20 mins of cardio on the treadmill after my weights workout. I do 5 minutes at a 12 incline, and then lower it by 4 every 5 mins, and increase the speed (hopefully that makes sense). So during the last 5 mins of cardio, the gym was empty, not a soul apart from me, so I decided to do something I was too scared to do with others there. I put the speed up so that I was jogging...full-blown jogging. At first I just expected my lungs to give out like they would previously, but they didn't...I was breathing fine, I was not in pain, and I realised I can do this! I did the last 5 minutes at that pace, and I left with only a little bit of a sweat on, and no pain in my legs or lungs. I just called my dad to tell him because I think this is perhaps the first time in this journey I have felt like I love my body, and I love what it is capable of. My NSV, that I didn't even know was on my NSV list ❤️

Thanks again everyone for all the advice ❤️ After some thinking & a chat with my bariatric team, I have set a new goal!

@Spinoza I think that is one thing I was definitely thinking about - at 9 months post-op, is my body done losing? Probably not! (I hope not anyway!) BMI is definitely a crappy way of measuring people, but I think in my head to have gone from literally my BMI being off the chart 🤣to then showing 'healthy', that is a massive win! I am happy where I am at currently, I don't dislike myself which is also a win haha. Also would be nice to go to my GP for a headache or a tummy ache, or something unrelated, and for them not to be like "oh have you tried losing weight" 🤣

Hey all ❤️ Thank you for all of the responses - I am definitely seeing a trend that it is best to go with how you feel, rather than by the BMI (which is something I keep telling myself anyway). I am quite a goal-focused person, so I feel that having a goalpost will help me to achieve what I think I need to achieve. Either way, I am moderately happy with where I am at now - I think I'd like to lose a little more though!