NeonRaven8919

8 months post opp today ALL I can say is WOW. My win is staying consistent on this bariatric journey; obesity is a lifelong disease. Every day I have to be intentional. I can say I have fell in love with eating with intention. I have fell in love with the fact that the foods that I eat now nourish my body when I was larger I was eating all kinds of crap.

You go girl! Looking great!

Not sure if this is a win, or if it's just in my mind, but here it is.
I was in the US for Thanksgiving so I haven't been riding my bike to work for the last two weeks. Today, I got on the bike for the the first time in two weeks and I just felt lighter and faster than I usually do. I think my bike is breathing a sigh of relief that she has less weight to carry. I can feel like I'm really flying now, even on the eco power mode (ebike) and not the full power mode.

It may not be hunger you are feeling, but rather acid reflux. I assume you have something for that? If so you may need something stronger.

I went home to America for Thanksgiving for the first time in 20 years! I was really nervous about going back, but I actually had a really good time!
Thanksgiving went really well! My stepmother had the sleeve two years ago and I told her I had the sleeve recently so she just dished me up a plate that was about the portion size she eats now so I didn't have to do any guess work with new foods! She even made a sugar free desert for the two of us! I had about a bite of everything and that was enough!
I even managed to lose 2.5kg (5.5lbs) during the 8 days I was there. I think what helped the most is I was staying with my sister who has two girls who are 6 and 3 so she just dished me up the same amount that she did for her kids so I was never tempted to over eat. Child size plates have been really helpful!
I went to my favourite stores for the nostalgia. I bought a hoodie which is a size MEDIUM and it fits! Eventually it will be as baggy as my current ones, but it feels really good to wear a medium!
I was really worried about what this food centred holiday was going to do to me, but it went really well.
I'm seriously considering moving back to Montana permanently, but that's a topic for another day.

Congrats on your success thus far!!!
My stats are in my signature, but I had WLS in December 2019, which seems like a lifetime ago, although it's only been 5 years! I maintained at 112-118 for the first 4 years, and then last year I regained about 20lbs. I decided to try Mounjaro and quickly lost the 20lbs, and am back to maintaining, and this morning weighed in at 116 (daily weighing is a must for me! LOL!).
I didn't really have an hurdles or obstacles, and I confess that I sometimes feel a little guilty that's in been so easy!
I'm turned 50 this year, but I feel better than I felt when I was 30 (and look way better too! LOL!!)
I also have had a few plastic surgeries along the way, which I also highly recommend if you can afford it. I'm a brand new me!! 🙂
Best of luck to you in your journey to a new YOU!!!

Congratulations on your new you! My RNY surgery was August 12, 2021.

My biggest fear before WLS was maintenance. I kept loosing until 2yrs, 3mo. There were a number of stalls, a couple of gains, but maintenance isn’t that bad. The stats are in the file on here, but I lost 75lbs before surgery, and 75lbs after. My tops are the same size as when I was 5’7” and 140lbs at age 20 so I think I’m there (I’ve aged and shrunk, and acquired a load of skin since then. It all hangs around my belly apron and above my knees.) I’m 56yrs old and love being active and staying active is my passion. The trick is to find activities you love, then let yourself obsess over them!

The secret to my maintenance is smell. I have wicked allergies and noticed I loose weight easily when I can’t smell anything. So, I “forget” to take my nasal spray, or wear a mask with peppermint scent in it. Viola, 5-10 lbs falls off in a week. Thankfully, I also dump on sugar so I don’t need to do the smell trick often :)

I had a colleague come up to me during my coffee break and hovering over my head saying "can I ask you a question?" and I instantly knew what he was going to say, and he goes "are you okay? You look really thin and frail these days" he is a sweetheart and he is someone I have worked with a long time ago and have great rapport with, so I just smiled and told him yes I am okay and thanked him for his concern.
Not a day goes by that I don't receive comments from multiple people on my physical appearance. How thin I look, how awesome I look ...etc. and it's just a multitude of opinions varying from you look awesome to are you sure you're not terminally ill? I asked my husband the other day if he thinks I look like death and he goes you look like a sports illustrated model, which at the end of the day, is the only opinion I value besides my own opinion of myself. People see it as drastic weight loss, I see it as one of the greatest successes of my life, using a tool that helped me lose weight and running with it resulting in great satisfaction and a much healthier body image.
I don't take these comments to heart, I look and feel great, and often think that most of these comments aren't personal, they are probably the byproduct of shock. Yes a fraction of them are ill-intended but then again, why should they matter to me? The good and bad, they're just opinions and they belong to others, not me.

"Unfortunately, so many people think they have a right to comment on our bodies"
I think that's the take home message here.
Some people are well-meaning, some people aren't. Either way it doesn't give them the right to say whatever is in their heads about us without considering what the effect of hearing that might be. I have been beaten into a corner by those both when I was obese and now that I'm not.
The furthest I go with commenting on the appearance of people in my life is to tell them they're looking good. And that doesn't relate at all to their weight. They're almost always looking good to me 🤩

Not sure if this is a win, or if it's just in my mind, but here it is.
I was in the US for Thanksgiving so I haven't been riding my bike to work for the last two weeks. Today, I got on the bike for the the first time in two weeks and I just felt lighter and faster than I usually do. I think my bike is breathing a sigh of relief that she has less weight to carry. I can feel like I'm really flying now, even on the eco power mode (ebike) and not the full power mode.

Not sure if this is a win, or if it's just in my mind, but here it is.
I was in the US for Thanksgiving so I haven't been riding my bike to work for the last two weeks. Today, I got on the bike for the the first time in two weeks and I just felt lighter and faster than I usually do. I think my bike is breathing a sigh of relief that she has less weight to carry. I can feel like I'm really flying now, even on the eco power mode (ebike) and not the full power mode.

I'm one day post op! Looking on the bright side! I get weird twinges in my belly and taking the liquid ibuprofen they gave me was not a pleasant experience. But I'm about to be discharged so I'll bee home soon!

Hi!
If you're having surgery in October of 2024, join here!
It's nice to have support and we can all follow and support each other together!
My Surgery Date (Sleeve) is 7th of October. Starting weight is 122.5kg (270lbs) As far as I know, that's the highest I've ever been.
Weight loss since starting pre-op diet: 10.4 kg (22.9 lbs)
Weight loss on Surgery Date: TBD

Let's do this!

Not sure if this is a win, or if it's just in my mind, but here it is.
I was in the US for Thanksgiving so I haven't been riding my bike to work for the last two weeks. Today, I got on the bike for the the first time in two weeks and I just felt lighter and faster than I usually do. I think my bike is breathing a sigh of relief that she has less weight to carry. I can feel like I'm really flying now, even on the eco power mode (ebike) and not the full power mode.

Not sure if this is a win, or if it's just in my mind, but here it is.
I was in the US for Thanksgiving so I haven't been riding my bike to work for the last two weeks. Today, I got on the bike for the the first time in two weeks and I just felt lighter and faster than I usually do. I think my bike is breathing a sigh of relief that she has less weight to carry. I can feel like I'm really flying now, even on the eco power mode (ebike) and not the full power mode.

Reporting a Win! Ya girl have not let's say in years been able to get away from the 16, 18, 22, 24 Wide Jeans in years!!! Whoop Whoop bring out the HORNS shopping today and I am NOW in I guess you would say regular sizes 😂😂...No plus attached. I've never had these many jeans to save my life. You know when you are larger you rotate your favorite pair of big jeans over and over!

Congratulations on your surgery and success.
To answer your questions first:
How much weight did you lose after gastric bypass, and over what period of time? I lost 500+ pounds over a period of 2 years.
Have you managed to maintain your weight loss, and for how long? I have managed my weight at just about a Normal BMI for just shy of 20 years.
What were the biggest lessons or hurdles you faced during your journey? The biggest hurdle I had was the actual surgery. It was an open surgery where they cut from stem to sturn so they can reach in and manage the surgery then staple things back up. The staples at drain were extraordinarily painful with the slightest movement for the month until they took them out. Another couple weeks after that I was as good as gold.
Next was learning how to eat, chewing, swallowing, learning when I was full, learning that I dumped on fats, then learning I dumped on sugars. Listening to my stomach on what I would be able to tolerate, then how much. Learning not to take that one more bite.
My highest point was running 5 marathons, the third of which was across the Golden Gate Bridge (twice). Never even a hint of a possibility before my surgery.
Good luck,
Tek

Congrats on the hoodie.

Sounds like it went as well as it possibly could have. And losing weight over Thanksgiving - only WLS can achieve that surely! Nice work - I know you were wary before you went.

Tomorrow is my 2 month surgiversary and I'm already halfway to my (numerical) weight loss goal!

Tomorrow is my 2 month surgiversary and I'm already halfway to my (numerical) weight loss goal!

Yes I got a lot more support than I expected. I knew they would be helpful, but this was really great.

I went home to America for Thanksgiving for the first time in 20 years! I was really nervous about going back, but I actually had a really good time!
Thanksgiving went really well! My stepmother had the sleeve two years ago and I told her I had the sleeve recently so she just dished me up a plate that was about the portion size she eats now so I didn't have to do any guess work with new foods! She even made a sugar free desert for the two of us! I had about a bite of everything and that was enough!
I even managed to lose 2.5kg (5.5lbs) during the 8 days I was there. I think what helped the most is I was staying with my sister who has two girls who are 6 and 3 so she just dished me up the same amount that she did for her kids so I was never tempted to over eat. Child size plates have been really helpful!
I went to my favourite stores for the nostalgia. I bought a hoodie which is a size MEDIUM and it fits! Eventually it will be as baggy as my current ones, but it feels really good to wear a medium!
I was really worried about what this food centred holiday was going to do to me, but it went really well.
I'm seriously considering moving back to Montana permanently, but that's a topic for another day.