NeonRaven8919

I’m pretty sure that it’s the ones that are more concerned with their patients statistics. Just as the surgeon looks good with low complication rates, it makes their program look good for their patients to lose a higher percentage of excess weight.

Congratulations on having the surgery and your loss.
I agree with the other comments above.
Don't see this is a restrictive diet as that will possibly become unsustainable thinking and lead to bringing back bad habits and what might be a cheat day becomes cheat days/weeks/months. I believe it is about finding balance and enjoyment in what you are doing, enjoy the food you are eating but obviously in smaller portions and try to make the healthier choice between fried and grilled foods etc. I also plan my grocery shopping based on what I want to cook and eat for a week and don't buy off list, that way when at home I don't have anything 'bold' to eat and I am not going to go to the shop just for a bag of popcorn (boy do I miss popcorn).
I am not one who enjoys exercise and tried gyms, yoga, running, zumba before over the years but I have found over the last few months that once I start a pilates class, aqua aerobics or go for a walk that I am more relaxed so I think finding an activity you like and trying to keep to some sort of routine will help as well, for me that is paying in advance for classes, so I can't opt out

Yes! I've been having the same discussion with my doctor. I "haven't met my weight loss goal" for the last two weeks because I'm still at 116kg. But, my body composition shows it's because going to the gym has been working and I'm gaining muscle. They just want smaller numbers on the scale and smaller numbers on the BMI.
@SleeveToBypass2023 I'm really sorry you've had all this stress. Just sending sympathies.

I am one of those regain stories and my best advice would be to stay involved here and at any in person groups available to you. Also keep your follow ups with your team. They keep you accountable. If you do start to regain, reach out here and reach out to your team, and don’t let shame keep you from asking for support. I thought I would be chastised by my team when I finally did go back but they were nothing but kind and compassionate. They said obesity is complex and we just needed to approach it from a different angle. All they wanted was to help. Also, most of the people that regain don’t regain all their weight by eating bigger portions of healthy food. It’s when the bad food choices start to creep in that the pounds really start to add up. Having a healthy level of concern about regain will work to your advantage but don’t worry about it so much that you aren’t enjoying your fantastic healthier body right now. Congratulations on your loss and keep doing what you’re doing.

I’m a few years out so I have a little bit of perspective. I think staying consistent in a sustainable way is the key. Inly commit to drastic changes you can see yourself continuing 5-10 yrs later. It’s the only thing you can really control, everything else happens on a biological level.

Also try to avoid diet/lifestyle creep. Special occasions diets (birthday cake, peeps, royal icing Cookies, apple pies, stuffing and pies, gingerbread houses, eggnog etc) should stay where they belong. Don’t do it all of the time. There’s always going to be special occasions but they don’t have to derail months worth of progress (l’m looking at you November/December!).
Congratulations in advance on your surgery anniversary ❤️

I’ve had a play on the internet and found some info regarding different issues with carbs. I don’t know if this would be any use for you to take to your Doctor to have checked out?

So now I'm just PI$$ed!!!! I've been working with the fairly useless nutritionist to try and gain weight...as you know. Well the nurse practitioner from the surgeon's office called today because they want me to schedule Iron infusions (I knew that was coming) and she said I should schedule an appointment to see her because the nutritionist mentioned I'm trying to gain weight and she's confused by that because I'm only barely out of the obese category and I still have more to go before I should be looking at maintaining, nevermind gaining anything. Ok...WHAT??!?!
I told her I don't want to lose more because I was already below where I want to be and I'm not feeling great and she said I just need to add muscle. She said I'm losing muscle as well as fat and I need to start eating and doing work outs that promote bulking up to try and gain the muscle back. She said that will actually help me tone up and I'll lose more weight. I asked her how, since muscle weighs more than fat, and she said because I'll still be losing fat while I'm gaining muscle, but I'll also be toning up. She wants me to drop another 20-25 pounds and then add 5-10 back on in muscle. I told her there's absolutely no way that will happen because I don't have the time, energy, stamina, or strength to do it.
And do you know what this heifer said???? She said "Well, you can let it slide if you want, but you didn't come this far just to come this far, did you? You're so close to the finish line. Let me help you finish strong." I literally LOST IT. I said "LADY, I FINISHED STRONG 15 POUNDS AGO!!! Since when do you get to decide what our goal weight is? I moved my goal weight twice. First it was 200, then it was 195, then it was 190. I was happy then, and now my body won't stop. I want it to stop. You're the OPPOSITE of helpful." I've never wanted to slap the taste out of someone so bad in my LIFE!!!!

The interesting thing is that people seemed to have eaten even worse than today (including children) - yet a lot less people were obese.

As a kid in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember that "cereal" meant Cap'n Crunch (peanut butter flavor if you were lucky, or that one with the fruity "berries" if mom wasn't paying attention while shopping), and a sandwich was a slice of Oscar Mayer Bologna between two pieces of Wonder bread (with French's yellow mustard and a side of Fritos, of course). And I couldn't have told you what a "serving" of any of them was, aside from whatever fit in my bowl or on the plate. It was easy to make all the wrong choices and think you were doing okay. I really wish we'd been taught the difference between healthy food choices and unhealthy ones. Although it is far from perfect, the newer My Plate guidelines are at least better, and easier for kids to visualize. And yeah, the idea that a piece of fresh fruit is the same as a candy bar "because sugar" is insanity.

I was more aiming at the fact that most patients having WLS don't reach a normal weight. I don't know, however, how many people get out of the obese BMI into an overweight BMI. With the drugs it's the same.
What you said is definitely something that's worth considering though. I don't know if we're cured or not after having WLS.
With drugs that answer is IMO easier to answer: you have to take it for life just like e. g. antihypertensive drugs. These drugs don't cure high bloods pressure. When patients stop taking them, blood pressure is high again.

Fascinating article. Despite having taken several of them myself over the past few years, (including Saxenda and Wegovy), I'm very hesitant to embrace a world where weight loss drugs are the first line of defense against obesity. I say this knowing that at least some of my issue comes down to poor nutrition choices, made far too easy by an environment swimming in garbage foods and a culture that values quick convenience over everything else. When I commit to good nutrition, my weight decreases. I don't get skinny, or even "not obese" but I do lose weight. When the Snacks and junk food make their way back in the house and I have stressful weeks with work where I'm at my desk for 12 or more hours and fast food feels like my only option because I'm too tired to cook, I gain weight.
In about the past 60 years, we've gone from 13% obesity to 40%, with a 10x rise in severe obesity. This isn't just a weird thing that happened in a vacuum. There are pretty obvious reasons for this, some that could possibly be solved with significant changes to our food policies and investment in real nutrition instead of lining the pockets of pharmaceutical companies and massive food corporations. Much of our so-called food today has been designed to be addictive, by the same folks who brought us cigarettes, no less. That should give people pause the next time they're in the grocery store looking at all those shiny boxes and bags.
On the other hand, in the days when only 1% of the US population was morbidly obese...that was my family. And some of my family lived really long lives, into their 90s. Except the ones who didn't and died young. And you don't know which you'll be until it's too late. Up until my 40s, I was one of those people who had healthy bloodwork despite being 90+ lbs over my "ideal weight." I didn't worry about my weight because I was healthy. But that changed rapidly with middle age as my weight went even higher. Now I take blood pressure meds and am prediabetic. My feet and joints ache and I worry what that means as I age. I wish I had done more to keep my weight lower when I was younger and developed better habits early on. I can't believe how ignorant I was of nutrition facts when I was in my teens and 20s.
One thing I know is I can't afford $12k or more a year for the rest of my life to take these "miracle drugs." I'm not sure who really can or should. I'm grateful for surgery being an option, but it's not for everyone, and neither are the drugs. As a society, I would like to see more acceptance of humans in all sizes, and more focus on real health and nutrition instead of fads and gimmicks that make a few people really rich.

I heard it! I was intrigued, and honestly I think that any treatment that helps people improve their body and/or mental health is worth investigating thoroughly -- so I'd like to see how it develops.

But that said, my question is, how do these studies take into account the people for which depression, eating disorders, etc all go hand in hand with being or becoming obese, low self worth, trauma, etc. Mental/emotional health and obesity / physical health & ability can easily boost each other up positively or send you into into a vicious downwards spiral when things are going bad. How many people on GLP-1s who attempted/considered suicide were already suffering from depression or suicidal ideation, etc? How many people who lost weight through GLP-1s had their mental health and self worth so intrinsically tied to their body image or the side effects of obesity that the resulting weight loss improved that aspect of their lives almost as a side-effect? Either way, the potential for improvement in both areas upon taking GLP-1s would be worth it, in my eyes, but I'm always a bit skeptical about how studies like this are framed.

Fantastic! Well done!

Seeing this side by side literally made me tear up. I was 297, unhappy with how I felt every morning, my relationship with food was terrible, drinking to excess, and just not feeling like the best mom and partner I could be. 1/24/24 I took back my life!! I decided that I am worthy of being healthy, and my family deserved to have me around and not just existing but living the best lives with them. I don't want to brag but damn it I am going to! I am so proud of this progress. I honestly cannot believe that those pictures are the same people!

Shoes are extremely individual. I'm into Hokas (I currently wear Clifton 9s), but Brooks are also really popular. There are a lot of options, though, and it all depends on your feet and personal preferences.
If you live near a Fleet Feet store, go there! They have a foot scanner that ensures you get the right size and also shows info like how high your arches are. Most of the salespeople are very knowledgeable and can help you find the right shoes for you. For almost everything, I prefer shopping online, but you really have to try on shoes before you buy them, and it's best to try on a lot of pairs at once so you can compare and contrast to find your favorites.

I definitely will post on here my thoughts on the HOKA brand. My husband just had the greatest idea to use bowling shoe covers so I can wear them around for more than a second without getting the bottoms too dirty. Especially since I am 3 weeks post op today and my husband wears his shoes in the house all the time 😩 I have swept the floors a few times but I know from looking at my socks that’s definitely not enough.

Ooh and a lady in my in person support group also suggested that brand. She is a year out from sleeve and walks 5 miles a day at least and she likes them. The ones that they recommend for walking on their site says “everyday running/ walking”. I know some people wear running shoes for walking and it’s fine but one article I read said that running specific shoes are designed to be lighter in weight so they have far less padding. It’s fine for short amounts of time they say but for long distances they are not the best choice.

totally!! let us know your review on them

I just ordered HOKA to try. Steer clear of Amazon for them some of the colors that are popular are way marked up. I found some that specifically said for walking on their site. One of my friends daughters is a nurse and said the nurses love them because they are so comfy and I figured if anyone would know it’s them working 12 hour shifts.

Skechers here too, never had any issues with them. I need something cushioned but supportive and not heavy due to RA in my feet. Always been great in the gym, better than my Nikes. If in doubt, go to a proper trainers store as @Arabesque suggested, just to see how your feet are to begin with 🙂

yea they are great! Not the most fashionable but hey when I am working out I am not concentrating on looking cute anyways lol

I have found my greatest walking shoes online from Orthofeet. All shoes come with a myriad of insoles, and, depending on where you are in your journey, cater to whatever width of shoe you need. I have very wide feet that need a lot of room in the entire shoe, and Orthofeet made it possible to wear shoes comfortably.

I have slip ons, lace up sneakers, hiking boots and their sandals all of which are great for walking and standing around, be it a 5 minute or 5 hour walk. Never had issues with breaking them in.

I wear the slip on skechers! I weight lift, run, walk, stair step all the things in them and they are great! I am thinking of trying Hoka or Brooks but those are an investment lol

I wear my converse for style, but I don't exercise in them. I will check out New Balance! Thanks for the suggestion

Following this topic as I'm in the same boat. I have a collection of Converse, but they aren't really great for serious walking. I have gym shoes that are falling apart and will need replacing. Are there any good orthopedic running shoes?