NeonRaven8919

I've kind of had a breakthrough this morning. I took the meds on an empty stomach because I'm supposed to take them at least a half hour before food. About 10 minutes later, I felt like I was starving, but because I was on my bike and cycling to work, I knew I would have to wait to until I got to work in 20 minutes to eat anything. But the "starving feeling" just stopped after about 5 minutes. I think I've spent so much of life thinking "any sensation in my stomach means I need to eat". And then I had a yogurt about half an hour later and I feel completely full. So I think if I get any sensations in my stomach, I need to wait and actually see what it means and wait about 20 minutes.

Yes, it could be your hunger returning. PPIs reduce your stomach acid and consequently the crampy ‘hunger pangs/pain’ excess acid can cause which makes you think you’re hungry. Never known them to make you hungry. (i’ve been on daily Nexium since my surgery and prior took it randomly yet never experienced hunger.) Might be worth asking your doctor or surgeon. You never know.
PS. I’m so over these pharmaceutical shortages. Back to not being able to get my HRT patch - was 5 months without them last time. I mean what the F! I ask my pharmacist to double dispense all my scripts and I still run out.

I got my hunger back just after the third month so maybe it’s that? I like to think like a scientist so I would do experiments with using the medication vs not. I would also ask my doctor if they could substitute a prescription. I would also look into the possibility of special holiday foods being a little too persuasive. Winter holidays and parties trip me up every year. I now go onward with a plan that this year seems to work. I survey the food, pick one or two bites so I won’t feel deprived. I also eat my normal healthy choices before going. Good luck finding what works for you. (I put peppermint lip gloss under my nose for a pie sale. It worked!)

I was the opposite in a way, I blindly went into the operation having being told the standard bit about possible complications but was confident in the team and was excited to start a new life so didn't over think it it all. Then suffered severe post op complications, spending months in hospital and having numerous procedures and only finished treatments 10 months after original op date BUT all of that said if your medical team are happy you are a suitable candidate I think it is worth it.

You have done good work already to get to where you are and you sound like you could reach the 65lb loss yourself over time but the surgery would be a boost to that and if you work with the tool correctly over the years you should be able to maintain. That is how I looked at it, I had no problem being strict and loosing weight but it would just go back on and I would be on a yo-yo cycle. Plus who is to say what will be in a year, maybe your surgical team will change and you have to start the process again, maybe insurance coverage changes.....

Travel wise I haven't had any issues, been to the US and other EU countries in the last few months and usually been able to find something suitable to eat though I always carry a few Protein Bars and powdered Protein coffee with me just to be sure I meet my goals. A bonus on the travel is that I now fit comfortably in my plane seats and can do a little sprint through the airports if running late

With regards to waiting for your wife to conceive, not sure about that one but recovery time is only a few weeks for 'strenuous' activities and wouldn't it be great to be over the surgery and well on the road to a fitter healthier you when she becomes pregnant so you can help her out more?

This is a good analogy about cheap gas. We had my work Christmas Celebration which included a sit down, three course meal. I had to leave one course untouched because it was not worth the space in my stomach. While I'm sure it would have been delicious, it's just not good for me. The waiter looked a bit upset that I just didn't touch it, but I'm learning to choose the things that are better for me, not just what my taste buds feel are better. Side Note: At another time though, I will remember to look for a black cherry sorbet recipe and hopefully find a sugar free version.
I still over did it a little bit as I should have stuck to just the turkey and veg and not has as much of the stuffing, but even making one good choice is better than making all bad choices.

Back in June when I was approved for Surgery, I was a size 22-24UK. Today, Two months post surgery, I'm wearing a size 18UK top!

Stalls are normal, and I believe 1 month is very reasonable.
While I didn't stall during weight loss, I stabilized at 9.5 months only to lose weight again 3 months later! Now I believe that I was probably in a weight stall for 3 months (I was more than happy to stabilize and stop losing weight, but the point is that it was probably a stall).
The best thing to do is to stick to your plan, eat well, walk your steps (8-10k a day), get your Protein in and introduce some sort of exercise you enjoy. It will come off

UPDATE. I reached my goal earlier this year. I had a few setbacks along the way but I'm now 5'5 and 145 lbs. No regrets. Everything happened in due time. I'm just updating for those that may find themselves in a similar situation.

Sent from my SM-S926U using BariatricPal mobile app

I set a my goal for what the BMI chart considers "normal", but really, I just want to get down to a UK 12 dress size. That was a size I just skipped over. I went straight from teenage sizes to size 16. I've been overweight all my life.

When I feel like I'm stalling, I tend to panic and think I've failed and I'm trying to stop that so I take my measurements and remind myself how far I've come even if the numbers don't match what I wish they did.

I am so thrilled for you. Maybe next year you can go back and look for a similar hoodie in a small.

Personally? Yes, I would have the surgery. Why? Because losing weight is only half the battle. Obesity is a disease. The vast majority of people will gain back all the weight they lose through diet and exercise alone within 5 years. Weight loss surgery changes your metabolism so that it works with you instead of against you. I knew from too many attempts to lose in the past that I would not be one of the lucky ones to lose and maintain on my own. Every time I lost weight, I gained it back, plus a few pounds.
To address a few of your fears, I can say from my experience that my pain lasted about 5 days. I never took anything stronger than Tylenol once I was discharged from the hospital. My tastes have changed in that I now find certain foods are less pleasant to eat. More than a small piece of bread gives me an unpleasant heavy feeling in my belly. Very fatty foods will make my heart race a bit so I avoid them. Certain sweets like cake frosting and cheaper milk chocolates seem much too sweet and I don't want more than a bite or two.
The adjustment period in terms of learning what you can eat lasts about 3 months, at least it did for me. Even after the first month, I was able to eat in restaurants. I just chose to split a meal with a companion and stuck with simply prepared items like a grilled chicken salad. I've gone on road trips, spent a few weeks away from home in hotels, and did just fine. I eat mostly healthy foods, I don't count calories, I get reasonable exercise but don't go out of my way for it. And at 50 years old and not quite 10 months out from surgery, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight, I am back to the size I was my first year of college and still slowly losing. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Thank you for reminding me of how far I have come so far I definitely will keep on track - one good thing about being Autistic is that I find it almost impossible to deviate from the "rules", so I still haven't had sugar or fizzy or anything I was told I initially couldn't have 😂 I am too scared I think 🤔
You've come so far though, and you haven't given up which is honestly inspiring!

It is definitely that feeling! It really has slowed down, and don't get me wrong, fully expected & accepted! I am still going to the gym and still eating well etc (though definitely need to drink more water) - It just feels like I am so close to my 1st goal yet so far away 😂 Thank you for your advice though, and sharing your experience - it is really insightful ❤️
I will definitely have a look at that!

This! I am also feeling a little bit of hunger here at there - my stomach is still not rumbling at all, but I feel a slight pang of "hmm I need to eat" and then it seems to disappear 😂

I have lost a total of 1lbs since Friday last week, so I will take that as a win haha! So desperate to get into that 12 stone bracket!

this is pretty much it.
i lost weight at a consistent rate until i made efforts to stop (i lost roughly 10 lbs a month from months 2-7...and while months 1&2 had larger drops, they were not indicative of my average rate of loss).
i lost another 10-15 lbs after that over about 4-5 months trying to figure out how much exactly i needed to eat to keep me at a constant weight without gaining nor losing (which honestly is harder than losing weight man)
i finally sorta stabilized at 115-120 for the next 4 years.
basically i stopped losing weight when i started eating enough calories to sustain me and my lifestyle choices.
now here's kicker: i am now 6 years post op and recently lost about 10 lbs in 2-ish months, again because i was/am eating less than i am expending. so i guess i'm saying it doesn't matter how far out you are, you can still lose weight if you are at a caloric deficit for YOU and YOUR lifestyle.
...and the only (easy) way you can really determine if you are in fact in a caloric deficit is if you track your intake and compare to your weight/body composition (which you'll have to track too) over time.
but i get it, this is not for everyone...just offering a strategy that has worked for ME all these years.

Things absolutely do slow down, for the reasons the others have said. I lost almost 10 stones with my sleeve, half my starting weight. 9 stones of that was in the first year post op (with many stalls towards the end that made me think I was done) and 1 stone was in the subsequent 9 or 10 months. In the last few months I was honestly losing half a pound a month or less. It's fascinating looking back.
The concept I am most happy to have learned on this board is that of a new set point. Once I knew that our bodies can decide early after surgery what weight it now wants to maintain, I felt less like the driver and more like a passenger who could sit back and just enjoy the ride. No actually - not quite sit back - follow the rules strictly to enable the smooth journey to my new set point.
Mine ended up a bit lower than my 'goal' (plucked out of thin air) weight. Lots of people's seem to end up much higher. All of this is fine if we can make our peace with it.
I get the feeling you have much more to squeeze out of your procedure @Bypass2Freedom. I do understand the frustration when you're following the rules to the letter but not losing. It's steps and stairs always - never a linear loss (well not for me). You're doing this.

Ooh and just be sure not to do what I did after my sleeve. I got all the way down to 18 pounds from my goal and I felt like such a failure that I let it derail me. Hopefully you will keep losing and don’t stop trying BUT, also have in the back of your mind that you have already done incredible and are far more healthy than you were even if you don’t reach this arbitrary number. I have a girl in my in person bariatric support group who did the same thing over TWO POUNDS. Our brains are very powerful and it’s great to strive for a goal but also be flexible and not crazy like I was and think it was a total waste and throw it all away. After I gained it all back plus some I would have done anything to be 168 or 178 again. Granted the sleeve was not appropriate for me and I probably wouldn’t have maintained at the 178 I bounced back to for long anyways, but I’m just saying that I gave up far too easily. Just a word of caution from someone who made that mistake.

So I went to Publix yesterday and they had some baked goods on sale BOGO because of the holidays which is hard to pass up. They had some muffins that I really like but of course I do not need any, never mind 8. I asked the lady do they freeze well and she told me that they come in frozen so she isn’t sure if I should freshen then again. So I asked if I could have some that were still frozen from the back and she got them. By the time I got home they felt more like refrigerated but I guess that’s okay. I put them into a freezer bag and saved one to eat right away. Something like that may be an option for temptation. I know for me it’s easier to resist if i know I can’t have it right now because i need to defrost it anyways. I will have some fruit or something instead.

One thing I forgot to mention is that I also decided to just tell the women at my yoga class a vague version of what I am going through. Not because I am seeking attention or pity as some people may believe but because the doctors told me that with the first phase of chemo I need that I would no doubt be losing my hair and not to even torture myself trying cold caps because they wouldn’t work for me. I didn’t want to have to miss any days trying to hide that when it was inevitable that they would find out anyways. I can’t wear a wig to yoga without dying of heat stroke even if I can find one that doesn’t irritate my head and won’t fall off doing downward dog. Also, I have to wear a mask until class starts and I’m at my mat and far enough away from people. Also, with the chemo i do get a little dizzy at times and physically I have to take a tiny break once in a while which doesn’t go unnoticed I’m sure.
I just decided that I have no clue what is going to happen with my body in days to come but I’m going when I can and doing as much as I can. I’m not missing something that is good for my health, weight loss journey and that I really enjoy just to try and keep something a secret. I have spent enough of my life hiding because of my weight and I have finally broken free of that. I’m not going back in that dark place ever again. I am usually a pretty private person so it was a big choice for me with sharing about the bariatric surgery and now with the cancer, but so far I am happy with my decisions for both. I just told them that I don’t want them to make a big deal about it that we are there to relax and do yoga, but I just didn’t want to feel awkward wondering what they must be thinking so I was just getting it out there.
It was partly because I did the same with my revision surgery and it has worked out positively for me. With the sleeve I didn’t tell anyone outside of my best friends and that wasn’t successful so with the SADI i decided to try something different. I told the women in my crochet group and the one craft group because I have known them almost two years now (but not the one I joined more recently). They do ask how I’m doing or congratulate me on my weight-loss and ask what I’m eating and about my exercise, I briefly answer but then I will say enough about me we are here to craft and ask what they are working on today and that seems to work pretty well. So with yoga, now, I hope I can just walk in with my hat or wig and take it off before class begins and do my thing and when I take more an more breaks they will just ignore me. I’m sure it will feel really weird for me the first time when I’m bald because it was when i had to go really short and I was thinning with a head band covering most of the bald spots but everyone already knows about the elephant in the room now and hopefully we can just focus on YOGA. food for thought for those with the decision about cancer and for those on the fence about whether to tell about their bariatric journey as well because people who see you once or twice a week notice things and they are probably wondering. It has worked for me to just rip off the bandaid and move on.

Oh, I forgot to mention for breast cancer if someone is considering reconstruction afterwards, which I am, the cosmetic surgeon said there is no rush for his part. They are going to put in expanders during my mastectomy and they can stay in a pretty long time safely. This means that I can wait until I reach my goal weight to do the cosmetic part. The way it works. Is they put in the expanders in and they are like deflated balloons that are sewn to the chest wall and slowly inflate them a little bit at a time each week until you find a size that suits your body. But if I’m still actively losing, that may be too big so they can also deflate it if I want to until I find a size that is comfortable for me and my body is settled and then schedule the surgery. Since that’s just the cosmetic part, the cancer will already be gone. Well, I know that when I lost weight with the sleeve, I had bounced back weight. So I think I’m going to stick with the expanders for a while and just make sure that my body doesn’t change before I commit to something in a surgery. They did say that if you gain a significant or lose a significant amount of weight and the implant shifts or whatever that they will do surgery again, but of course that’s costly and painful and I’m already just about sick of doctors so I’m sure by then I won’t want to do that. Anyways, that is an option someone else may want to consider as well. Some doctors tried to push doing both parts of the surgery in one, skipping the expanders and just putting the implants in right away, but my doctor did not recommend that for my situation.

Thanks for this! I'm only 2 months post op and I'm struggling with holiday Snacks and sweets. It's helpful to know I'm not alone in this struggle and it's sometimes not easier even a few more months out. I think i've been a slow loser after the first two weeks, but knowing it will keep going even if it's slowly is easier to deal with. I'm currently at 209 lbs (94.8kg) and I just wanted to get under 200lbs by the new year, but I don't think that's going to happen yet. But by the end of January, I hope so.

I'm so sorry to hear you're going through all of this. But you got this! We're all here to support you.

I wasn’t going to discuss this on these boards since I don’t want to turn the discussion away from weight loss. I figured I would talk cancer at the cancer support group and weight related stuff here, but I am quickly realizing that it’s very much intertwined.
I had my revision surgery to SADI on 8/7/2024 and I felt something on my breast in the shower in September. I went to gyno, got sent to get a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound and then biopsies and it came back as cancer 11/6/2024 (about 4 months post op). A few days later I was with the breast surgeon and was told it was triple negative and it’s very aggressive so the process is a little different for me in that it’s all very fast moving but it’s pretty much the same collection of treatments for most cancer I believe.
I am currently two rounds into chemotherapy and just started immunotherapy and also doing appointments for all kinds of scans and imaging as well as meeting the rest of my doctors and setting up my future treatments which will be double mastectomy, then radiation and then maybe oral chemo. Basically I have not sat down since I learned the diagnosis and I have had to learn a tremendous amount very fast to make some pretty heavy decisions very quickly to keep the ball rolling. It’s been a whirlwind
From a bariatric standpoint things have been incredibly challenging. For one my appointments are all over Florida. I have a medical oncologist, a breast surgeon, a cosmetic breast surgeon, a radiation oncologist, and a second opinion oncologist and now a gynocologist in the mix but that’s pretty specific to me. So far and I have had to have imaging done at 3 different places as well since it’s all been so rushed it’s just about who can get me in the soonest and then since these places aren’t connected I have to wait around for records and discs and carry them all to each of my appointment to make sure everyone has everything
I have been traveling non stop with little time to prepare things so prioritizing my nutrition and exercise has been a huge challenge just in terms of time. There are just not enough hours in the day!! Then there is the chemo, the shot that builds up your white blood cells, and the immunotherapy infusion which also take time (2-3 different appointments depending on how it works out that week) but also all of this effects my cravings and energy.
First there is the fact that I have to be on steroids which we all know are the enemy of weight loss but also the fact that eating is different. I consider myself very fortunate that food doesn’t taste bad to me and nausea is not an issue like it is for so many but it’s still not the same. I crave something very specific. I taste it and it’s good but I eat three bites and don’t want it anymore. My refrigerator is a leftover graveyard lol.
In terms of energy I am on the strongest treatment regimen the oncologist says so fatigue sorta goes with the territory. I have been walking everyday still except for the biopsy day and my chemo port surgery day and I have done my yoga when my schedule permits but I have not done my cardio class because I think I sweat too much considering how dehydrating the chemo already is. Also I can’t touch community stuff for 24 hours after chemo without possibly exposing others to the chemo drug and we use balls, bars, discs, etc. Also more recently there is the fact that I have lost about 85% of my hair and I get too hot to wear a hat. I think once I’m bald it will actually look better and I am going to try really hard to just get over that but right now I don’t look like I have cancer. It just looks like a botched hair cut to me so I’m living in hats. The good news is it’s going very fast. It started falling out last week and it’s almost gone already so by next week I think I will just be bald.


Well, yesterday I did totally forget to exercise with all that I had going on and I’m feeling guilty today now that I remembered but I know that’s silly. I am just hoping that as treatment goes on I am able to keep up my exercise. All the doctors say it’s good to keep pushing myself just not too hard. Exercise and good nutrition are going to make this alot easier on me.

Back to food again. Not sure if it’s just the stress of the whole situation or the fact that chemo puts you into early menopause but Thursday was a particularly bad day. My moods were erratic to say the least and I had a bunch of blood drawn after having nothing but a Protein Shake all day so at 7pm I was pretty much famished by the time we stopped to eat. Olive Garden was the most convenient option and I planned Soup and salad but when I got in there that went out the window. I went totally off plan. Again I feel guilty but these darn steroids and all the crazy emotions are making it so much harder to make the better choices when it’s staring at me tempting me I did still get my Protein for the day though if there is any good in that
What’s really hard about this is that even with the Pasta and bread I am actually still losing weight so for my previously obese brain it’s tempting to not just enjoy that while it lasts. But I know that the processed crap is not good for my body, especially right now. I don’t feel as good since I have not been exercising as much and I’ve been eating off plan. I don’t sleep as well at night and I seem to crave more and more junk as well as have less energy throughout the day.
thankfully my program has provided to me free of charge an oncology dietician, but I am her first patient who is actively still in weight loss phase undergoing chemo. She had agreed to check in with me once a week since this is new for both of us and she seems amazing so far. She suggested that I do not lose more than two to three pounds a week which was my average before the chemo. Because the chemo has apparently sped up my metabolism she says that I need to increase calories but to add healthy ones which is extremely difficult because adding calories goes against all we just learned and over 2000 calories of healthy food is a very large volume of food that my body is just not wanting right now (I was eating around 900-1000 before this and already felt like I was eating all day. And remember that most of these meals are on the road these days so I have to eat what I can fit in a cooler or stop somewhere on the side of the highway most times. Not easy to find clean healthy food on the road.
Enough stating the obvious that it’s tough, here’s what I actually have to offer so far in terms of advice. First thing when I wake up in the morning I have a protein shake which is a really good head start to the day and if I am lucky enough to still be around a couple of hours later I have a second breakfast instead of waiting until there’s time to eat on whatever adventure the day brings. That helps with the protein if I don’t have time to stop at all. Although recently the shakes haven’t gone down so well so I just wake up and have scrambled eggs with 2% cheese and whatever leftover veggies are on hand..

If I know I won’t have time for that I also have some boiled eggs In the fridge that I can eat real fast or slice up with some cheese and take on the go. I carry in my cooler a high protein yogurt drink, Chomps pepperoni flavored turkey Jerky and baby bell light or mozzarella sticks. It helps to put the ice pack in a ziplock with these items if you live where it gets hot. I also carry a bag with high protein Snacks Quest protein chips, kind minis, cliff minis, pistachio nuts, nut butter packets, quest cheddar cheese crackers, granola to add to yogurt, etc
Freezer meals!! Omg. I was doing these before my diagnosis and they were super convenient then and have been a lifesaver now. I have tex med chili, chicken chili, turkey meatballs, turkey taco meat, grilled chicken, meatloaf, etc in the freezer and it’s all measured and weighed out so that I can pop in the fridge the night before or even jet defrost in microwave if need be. When I have time to cook I do double batches so I can keep my freezer stock replenished. I have a note in my phone notes that it titled In freezer and I just keep adding to it what I freeze and how many portions are in there so if I’m not home I can check my freezer stock.
I also do a version of meal prep with chick fila as well I like their market and southwest salads (I get the market one without the blue cheese) I buy one of each with two extra chicken fillets and take them home and I make four salads out of that. I take off all the toppings with a bit of lettuce and put into a smaller container to make a market salad and do the same with the southwest. Then I put the leftover lettuce with the chicken into another container and I have fresh shredded Parmesan in snack ziplocks and ceaser dressing also in ziplocks (sorta less pleasant looking but I figure less risk if bacteria than them tiny containers which are hard to get really clean since I am immunocompromised and infection is so dangerous right now) i cut off a corner and squeeze it out like an icing bag. I just use half of the packets of dressing with the market and southwest salads and then toss the rest. I have the ziplock containers that have the twist top lids and these are easy to toss into the cooler when they do not open at all
I still log my macros in Baritastic this has really been helpful for me to be honest about what I’m eating with my oncology dietician so she can keep me on track . It also lets you log your activity, weight, inches lost and set notifications for Vitamins and stuff. I added a reminder to put on my fitness watch and to take my regular meds too
I also carry my Water with me and I set alarms again to drink. You have to wear a mask and for me that seems to make me drink like a quarter as much as I do without one so I have to have reminders again. Vitamins need alarms too. Chemo brain is a real thing and when your days is never the same it’s hard to have a routine anyways so I actually have alarms for just about everything in life right now. I made different tones for water, vitamins and appointments and I have a checklist to go over before I leave the house to make sure I did and packed everything. My friend and family also have reminders for me in their phones for the real important stuff and they call or text to make sure I haven’t forgotten.
I just found out that two of the programs I belong too offer virtual yoga sessions. I haven’t tried it yet because they are at set times as well but I added them to my calendar as recurring appts just like the live one so I can attend whichever one I have time for. Someone else suggested you tube for videos but I haven’t tried that either. Yoga by the way is my only sense of calm throughout all of this so I HIGHLY recommend it. That and meditation I know that both of these sound a little fruity before you give them a good fair try and meditation takes a lot of practice before it really Did anything for me but I swear my mind runs non stop with anxiety and worry and for that one hour I’m in yoga or the few minutes I’m meditating it is at peace. It’s amazing!!
So I am a little over a month into this and I’ve got a good year and a half to go if all goes well so I’m sure I will have more to add to this but I just wanted to pop In and share what my experience has been juggling a new cancer diagnosis while pretty early out from bariatric surgery. I hope this helps someone. Even if it’s less advice and more to let you know that you are not alone in the struggle.

Yes, it could be the beginning of a stall but remember all the weight loss rates you read about and weekly/monthly weight loss goal you may be given are all based on averages @eJean. For everyone who meets those averages there’s someone who exceeds it and someone who doesn’t meet it and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with having lost 16.5lbs in your first month. Don’t ‘only’ it. You’ve lost more than a stone in a month. Amazing!
I remember my weight loss slowed so much around months 5 & 6 I was losing grams/ounces a week @Bypass2Freedom. I never thought I would hit my goal - it was hellish frustrating to be so close yet so far in my mind. Yet I did and then continued to lose 11kgs more for another 11 months at various rates. So don’t give up. Do remember though that if you reduce your calorie intake to reduce your weight more you will have to continue to eat less than you are now to maintain the lower weight. You never know the weight you will stabilise at and you can maintain. You can stay your oath or make some adjustments and see what happens. Oh, and don’t forget you can still experience stalks along the way nit just at the beginning.
PS Check out a basal metabolic rate calculator. They’re not perfect much like a BMI calculator but might give you an idea of whether you are eating less than you need to maintain your current weight & the activity you are doing. If you are consuming less than they say you need you should keep losing.