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Thanks Amber. I took the IUD out mid October. I went from spotting to bleeding. The plan was to go without bc for 3 months but I was over the prolonged bleeding and ended up trying a bc pill. It worked for 2 weeks then the bleeding returned. Now I’m attempting again to go 3 months again without anything and praying my body responds.

Thanks Amber. I took the IUD out mid October. I went from spotting to bleeding. The plan was to go without bc for 3 months but I was over the prolonged bleeding and ended up trying a bc pill. It worked for 2 weeks then the bleeding returned. Now I’m attempting again to go 3 months again without anything and praying my body responds.

OH YES! I am still pre-op and I HAVE to be at the goal weight the surgeon gave me of 275 on my surgery date, so I gotta make sure I stay in check! I went back to tracking, eating proteins first and doing my 30min of activity 3x a week. It came back off but I still have 19 more days till surgery day!

I'm in the same boat! I've been yo-yoing between the same 3 pounds for a week now. Juuuuuuust enough to not feel its necessary to call the dietician. Ugh. I've lost 33.4 since surgery, 41 total if you include the 8 pounds I lost before surgery. QUESTION: When people ask, do you tell them how much you've lost since surgery or how much you've lost overall? I don't want to give anyone a false impression that I've lost 41 pounds since surgery, but do they really care that I lost 8 pounds before surgery? I need to add more movement to my daily routine. I'm averaging about 2000 steps per day thanks to my need-replacing knees and I tried a chair aerobic workout this week. Clearly it was NOT a beginner video. I was sucking wind at 2 minutes into it - and it was only 10 minutes long! I had to stop at 4 minutes in. It was disheartening, but I won't be deterred. @ChunkCat & @NickelChip - Y'all are my people! Sarcasm is my love language.

I have my evaluation in Jan 9th and hoping to schedule the following week or so!

Most meals are between 300-500 calories each except the sushi was like 250. I’ve been eating a lot of eggs the past week but am definitely not doing the egg fast diet again! And most of these “meals” are things I pick at for a couple hours. Today’s lunch (the last picture) I made at 3pm and finished around 630pm. It’s roasted butternut squash with sautéed kale, garlic, onion, and shiitake rice.

Oh no way are you too far gone at this early stage OP! If you can re-read your surgeon's rules and stick to them then you will be absolutely fine. I think there's an in-between stage for all of us when we *can* eat things that aren't on our programme but we know we shouldn't. It's because our healing stomachs don't perceive the solids or carbs or whatever and don't warn us to stop because they can't. When they heal up properly about 8 weeks after surgery you won't be able to eat more than your programme allows. Until then I would advise you to stick to the letter of the law. Carbs have little or no place in your food at the minute, you have plenty of time to reintroduce them over the next year or two. Soup - yes! Allowed protein - yes! (I say eggs all ways). There are loads of tasty things you'll be permitted and so much time to eat the others. Welcome to your new life x

I'd suggest kindly saying to them "I appreciate your worries about how I will change, change is scary! But what I need from you right now is your support, it will really help me succeed going forward and I know we will find many more ways to have fun together!" I went to see my family for the holidays. The road trip down and back was hard but I packed all my protein goodies (shakes, meat sticks, protein bars, protein chips) and the trip was a breeze from a post-surgery perspective. We went out to a pizza and beer place when we got there and yes, everyone else got pizza, except my sister and I, who got wings! Everyone else had cider, I had unsweetened tea. Everyone worried if I'd have something to eat or drink but it wasn't an issue in the end, and the best part of the meal was not the food, it was the conversation and laughter! I haven't lost that capacity post surgery! There is a thread around here where I wrote about my first post surgery experience eating out, I'll go find the link for you, it might be worth the read. https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/444708-sick-after-eating/?do=findComment&comment=5014658 Last week I ate out with friends post Christmas so we could exchange gifts. I'm 2 months out. I had a red thai curry, no rice, and fried tofu. It was delicious and again, the best part of the meal was visiting with them and exchanging gifts! I didn't miss anything in the meal and they didn't try to push me to have anything that wasn't good for me. I really value how much support I've gotten since I've let people know about the surgery. Not everyone is supportive, of course, but they don't matter. The majority support me and celebrate all my wins and that is what I needed from them!

Two Month Update!!! How is everyone going?? I have been losing and gaining the same 2-4 lbs for a month now. Stalls are stupid. They swear the weight comes off the fastest in the first 3 months but that has not been my experience past the first two weeks. It is frustrating. But I feel a lot more energy and my underwear keep trying to fall down even though the rest of my clothes still fit, so I figure something must be happening. I got out my tape measure to do my month two measurements (I skipped the first month because I figured it wouldn't have changed much) and great balls of fire people, I have lost 26 inches!!! In two months!!!! I've lost 28 lbs since surgery, I had no clue it would add up to that many inches lost... I've lost 8 inches from my chest 😭 and 6 inches from my waist alone!! That means I'm losing a lot of visceral fat, which has me sooo excited. And is probably the cause of my underwear falling down. LOL Everywhere else (hips, thighs, arms) have lost 2-3 inches each! Moral of the story?? BE SURE TO TRACK MEASUREMENTS!! I have them in my Baritastic app and also on paper in case the app does something stupid with them. In other news, I've decided I can be more active now, so I'm adding in steps at about 1,000 per week. Last year with all the injuries and illnesses I averaged about 1,000 steps a day, can you imagine?? That is so low it is scary to me. So this week I'm doing 2,000-2,500 steps a day, and will increase it by about 1.000 a week until I hit 10,000 steps consistently. Steps are excellent cardio because below 5,000 you are considered sedentary/low activity. Over 5,000 is considered medium activity, and once you hit 10,000 daily you are considered highly active! So that's my goal. I can't do lifting or an elliptical or anything because I have a shoulder injury we are still assessing for surgery. But once that is taken care of and healed I'll add weights into my workout. I have a gym phobia but my partner is lovingly encouraging me to face that, as it will be the only way to get those steps in, we don't live in a walking friendly area. So to celebrate my progress so far I ordered a few funny sarcastic gym tanks and sweatshirts to cheer me up for when I have to go face the gym. Sarcasm always helps. 😂

Mine is scheduled for February 21! (It was supposed to be December 27, but that was a whole big mess detailed in another post). I met my new surgeon on Tuesday and had my blood work, EKG, and barium swallow yesterday. 7 weeks to go!

I am now 1 month post op. Down 37 lbs. (20 since day of surgery) I feel amazing!! Once I stopped taking my blood thinners, I noticed a lot more energy. My joints don't bother me anymore... my hands, wrists, ankles and feet are no longer swollen. My clothes are becoming loose, and I can't stress enough how happy I am that I finally went for it and had the VSG surgery. I've noticed everyone's doctor has a different approach on the steps following surgery. I was instructed to stay on a liquid diet 3 weeks post op. Now I'm finally allowed to eat, but ONLY 4 things - eggs, string cheese, cottage cheese & avocados for the next 3 weeks. After that he said I can start to introduce meat and other foods into my diet but to ALWAYS prioritize protein over anything. I can barely finish 1 egg without feeling uncomfortable... so it'll be interesting in the coming months. The holidays were hard since my family is full of foodies, so the spreads they created for family gatherings were mouthwatering. I just kept reminding myself that I'm finally headed in the direction, and I don't want to fall back into old habits, so I ask myself, "Do I want this, or do I need this? Will it nourish me or just satisfy a craving?" Changing a relationship with food isn't easy, especially when it's something we HAVE to consume to stay alive and well. To anyone struggling, know you got this!! It might be hard today, but it won't always be that way. You might have a day where you feel you failed yourself. Don't dwell on it just work to be better moving forward. It's a learning curve, you're only human.

Welcome to your first stall. They usually occur around week three but can start before or after that. They usually last 1-3 weeks. (There are lots of usually, often, averages, common, etc. after surgery.) While this time when the scale doesn’t move, is frustrating & can be depressing, it is an important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body takes stock of the changes that are occurring (weight loss, dietary changes, etc.) & reassess its needs in regards to metabolic rate, digestive hormones, and so on. The stress of your surgery can also impact this first stall. (Yes I said first as you’ll likely experience more of them.) The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. You can’t force a stall to stop. Best advice used stick to your plan & don’t stress your body more by making changes to your diet & activity other than those your plan wants. Take some body measurements. While the scale doesn’t move, you may notice changes in a tape measure or in your clothing.

Thanks so much for responding. I spoke with the nutritionists as well which she made me feel so much better too. She told me not to worry about what I did bc everyone in the beginning is learning as it is a brand new way of life we're adjusting to so I did feel better about that. It's been a week now and I been on track. So I am looking at your weight loss tracker. You started around the same weight as me and as of now you're 228 lbs, is that right? That's amazing! That gives me hope. ❤️

Hello All- i posted for the first time just about three years ago with some anxieties as a spouse with my wife prepping to undergo the gastric sleeve. I originally noted being concerned about our lifestyle changes, relationship impacts (I had heard all the horror stories) and most of all health concerns into the future. The community was incredibly supportive and I had learned tips and useful knowledge that helped me coach and support my wife through it. I am happy to say we are better than we ever have been and her self confidence is through the roof. However the MAIN reason the surgery ever was even considered was to get her diabetes that started while she was pregnant with our first child and got very concerning bad with our fourth has still stuck around and caused issues….. First- this is Life changing not just for the partner getting the surgery, but the spouse too. We used to be foodies and that all had to go out the door. Same with alcohol. Two bites and you are full, a pint and you are drunk. So activities, dates, etc. and new hobbies should all be prepared for well in advance. Luckily we are both athletes and coaches and this allowed to have an outlet that wasn’t our prior foodies and beer/ brewery culture pastime. Two- Relationship, anyone who tells you that this leads to automatic divorce/ break up is paranoid or lying. Out of her support group offered by our health network, I think only 1 or 2 of about fifteen women ended up separating and that was from the other spouse cheating. I have to say that in many ways, after four kids and all our activities, youth sports and coaching- it created a second honeymoon period for us and really strengthened our romance and relationship because we both focused on our health again jointly and the magnetism increased dramatically. Third- It might not fix the problem…. We did not jointly go into the surgery for cosmetic or weight loss reasons. It was the diabetes and the doctors said it was a solid shot to cure or mitigate the disease. It was for a while, but it keeps back up. despite healthy eating, despite exercise and coaching, despite the surgery- medications came back into the picture and so did the celebrity weight loss drug (which is really supposed to be for diabetes…) This has been keeping everything under control but is a case of the cure being as bad as the sickness. The side effects are brutal and definitely have a quality of life impact, but we both want to live to see grandkids someday….. Fourth- dysmorphia is VERY really. We are both naturally larger people. I was a lineman in high school and college and she was a softball catcher in high school and college and ended up also playing women’s rugby there as well. Even with the surgery she went from an XL to L but she got her college/ high school figure back and as such her confidence went through the roof and started dressing like she hadn’t in years. With the medication though??? Her figure, face shape, everything changed. Down to a Small or Medium. For almost a year and a half she hasn’t recognized herself in the mirror. It’s a double wham with the surgery and the medication. Between her best friends and myself (we have all been in the same friend/ team group since college) the support was to have fun with it and go with the flow. Instead of worrying about it (the dysmorphia) it was embrace the change. All new clothes she could never wear before, she’s been a redhead now and then blonde and still is. Cut her hair shorter, started wearing makeup (never really did)- all just to try and put a positive spin on it. I’ve been the spoiled recipient of having a brand new girl (don’t think I haven’t romanced and spoiled the you-know-what out of her), but at the end of the day it’s been mitigation of all the life changes. The last part has been the most detailed because it’s the most recent and to me has been the most impactful- NOT having the surgery do its intended purpose and the dysmorphia we’re both very difficult given the efforts and life changes made. We’ve done everything we can to make lemonade out of those lemons though. We had an anniversary vacation better than our honeymoon this past summer (she has always been way out of my league and these days it’s very much over the top- I feel incredibly spoiled) and we have made time to ride our bikes together with our oldest babysitting the kids and we come to each others games when we coach. I would tell any spouse; husband or wife of someone who is going to have the surgery and then or also do all the meds: 1. Support. It’s a huge deal and you need to show up. 2. Don’t get insecure about your relationship because of the surgery. If you are worried it means you might not have a great relationship to start with…. 3. You will need to change your life too. Because of my size and my weight lifting, I need a lot of protein and calories. I will never look like a Hollywood star (like she now does) and always an NFL lineman- BUT- if I bring a cannoli, pie or a full growler into the house in addition to steak/ salmon, etc it’s teasing and not fair. You will need to learn self control to support your spouse… 4. Inspire and come up with ideas for positive re-enforcement. If the dysmorphia or depression sets in, you need to find fun things to do, supportive steps to take and positive angles to keep things going. 5. If you are doing all this as a spouse, what about YOU??? Are you going to die a martyr? Take care of YOURSELF too. I go lifting 3 times a week, go fishing in season. And for my 40th birthday when she asked what I wanted?? I got us a long weekend on the Cape, bought her some dresses I wanted to see her in and sent her to get her hair, nails, toes, eyelashes, etc.. done. Said I wanted a long weekend with my movie star wife. It was a great time, kid free and continued to strengthen our marriage. Anyways- why am I writing this? Posterity? Self reflection? Not really…. I just want to give Spouses a roadmap. It’s a huge change and you need to navigate the waters well. If you do you will benefit as much as your loved one. Good luck.

I had surgery on December 4. I rapidly lost about 13 pounds. Since my appointment on the 19th I’ve only lost an additional 4 pounds. I’ve been drinking more water add I’m still on soft foods. Is this normal or not? I’ve also been utilizing my treadmill and weights three times a week.

Hey there, That’s awesome! Doing this journey going from not eating carbs and then reintroducing them as needed is key. I’ve lost weight, but it comes in stages. I’ll lose inches first, then the scale will be stuck. Then all of sudden the following month, boom, ten pounds gone. I was weighing daily then weekly and now I weigh every other week. Protein is vital.

One thing about mental hunger or cravings is that they're almost never strong enough for me to actually get into a car and drive to a store to buy something. The first few weeks, I would end up digging until I found something else to eat, but the fewer options you make available, the more you have to admit to yourself that you're just bored or (as is often my case since I work from home) procrastinating. There have been times I would find myself staring into my pantry and I'd have to ask myself what exactly I thought I would find there. It's all canned beans and pasta sauce now. Generally I just ask myself if I want a snack badly enough to drive to the store for it, and the answer is always no. Oh, and I do all my grocery shopping online for pickup now to minimize the chances of throwing impulse buys into my cart.

**Trigger warning: domestic abuse** My name is Georgia, I am 27, and I have been 'bigger' for my entire adult life, and a lot of my childhood too. I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) insulin resistant type, and an Underactive Thyroid, both of which cause me to put on weight quickly, retain weight, and makes losing weight extremely difficult. I can't even remember the countless amounts of fad diets I have been on, or the amount of times I have tried to lose weight, but failed again and again. When I was 18 I was going to the gym 5-6 times a week for over an hour, I was doing HIIT training and Tai Chi, and I was jogging, eating well etc, but I still only managed to lose 2 stone in a year - make it make sense! I didn't know back then that I had underlying conditions that made it hard for me to lose weight, so I internalised a lot of the guilt in not being able to get healthy, and it resulted in me putting on around 6 stone from then until now. I was also a victim of domestic abuse/violence, and a lot of the verbal abuse that I suffered was centred around my weight - constantly being told by my ex-partner that I was fat, he would pinch my thighs, tummy, arms etc, telling me he was seeing how many inches I could lose. It completely broke me, and I started binge eating in secret. He ended up leaving me, telling me that he could no longer be with me due to my weight and how it made me sexually unattractive. I think I am probably just over 20 stone now. My back hurts when I walk, I cannot look in any mirrors without feeling low, I don't feel comfortable going out in public, and I am exhausted all the time. Every time I went to my GP about something, I was always told I needed to lose weight, as if it were a miracle cure and so simple to do just by trying hard enough. It was always blamed on me not putting in enough effort - and those in the UK will know that the NHS isn't a simple thing to navigate and the waiting lists for obesity support are long and often disheartening. Around 2 years ago I was put on a waiting list for weight loss management with the NHS. I was finally accepted in September of 2023. This is a year long commitment to the weight loss management pathway (Tier 3), in which you have to lose 5% of your weight in order to then be put on to another waiting list for a referral for the actual WLS (Tier 4). I have been told that this can take a further 4-6 years. I had a harrowing thought that by the time my WLS actually came around, I'd be well into my 30s, still desperately unhappy with myself, and I would have put on even more weight and probably be immobile. I can no longer do this to myself. I deserve better. I made the decision to look into private weight loss surgery, and I had a free consultation with a recommended surgeon just before Christmas 2023. This was genuinely the first time that a medical professional sat me down and talked to me with some humanity about my weight. He told me that with my conditions (particularly the insulin resistance, and hormonal imbalance), that my metabolic rate needed an entire reset, and this was not possible to do without surgical intervention. He explained that the difficulties I have had in trying to lose weight and being unable to, are not my fault (though of course I accept responsibility that getting here in the first place is my fault), and that surgery is recommended as perhaps the only thing that will enable me to lose the weight. I have never felt so seen, and so heard. I booked in my surgery for May 2024 there and then. So, now I start my journey, and I was looking for support, and here I am. I look forward to posting on here and using this thread to update everyone once I have had my surgery! I am quite an open and honest person, so if anyone wants to reach out to talk, my inbox is open

Hey lovely! So I have the following piercings, I will rate them by my personal pain & healing process!: Philtrum - this one was quite a painful facial piercing. Around 8/10. The healing was a little rough, lots of swelling. But by far one of my favourite piercings. Septum - honestly minimal pain on this one! 2/10 when getting it pierced. Healing was a breeze too. I forgot it was there haha! Labret - this one was probably 3/10, healing was quick and quite painless too Conch - pain was more so a 4/10, healing was longer as it is through cartilage but as long as I didn't sleep on my ear it was fine! Tragus - pain again was around a 4/10, but the healing process was a bit fussy. Sometimes flares up with pain if I sleep on it. Venom (double tongue piercing) - this was about a 7/10 getting pierced, but my god, the healing process was awful. I really do not recommend getting this one if you have not had any other piercings before! The healing was a long process, and I couldn't eat anything more than fluids & puree's for weeks until the swelling and pain had gone. It was a lot of pain. But, with all that being said, it is my most favourite piercing out of them all! All I would say is that you should research the piercer you are planning to see, look at reviews and make sure you have a consultation with them if they offer it to see which piercings may work for your anatomy Piercers should use implant grade titanium, preferably internally threaded jewellery But genuinely go for it! I love my piercings and they are such a fun way to express yourself!

Thanks for sharing. In a little over a week I'll undergo a 360 with a breast lift and implants and these are very encouraging. I admit to being afraid of the pain too, but everyone has said that it's worth it. I figure if they could do it, so can I.

You look amazing! Who is your surgeon? I'm having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico on 1/12. My surgeon will be Dr. Rodolfo Castillo. I'm getting a 360 Belt Lipectomy with lipo and a breast lift with gummy implants and it's costing $12,699. It doesn't include transportation because I have family in Southern California, but it does include everything surgery related: meds, compression garments, pre and post op appointments with the surgeon, lab tests, night at the hospital and 6 nights at a recovery house. I'll spend another week recovering with the family in S. CA. If all goes well, I intend to go back and get my inner thighs and arms done and probably a face lift.

Had a couple NSVs last week. I stayed at a hotel for a couple of days and for the first time in at least 15 years I went swimming in a public swimming pool! I've always liked swimming but I haven't gone for a long time because I was uncomfortable taking my shirt off in public. The second is that my hotel room had bathrobes and last time I stayed there, their "one size fits all" bathrobe was way too small for me, this time it actually seemed too big!

Hello and welcome. The time will fly by, I promise you, Don't over prepare. Do not buy in loads of foods and drinks. After this surgery your tastes could change, mine did. Don't go and read scare stories of others having this surgery. Even on this site most people come and ask questions when they are having problems. They rarely come back when they are doing better. Its scary when its just so one sided. Expect a 3 week stall and many more of them as you go along. The first one is scary as you always imagine you are doing something wrong or messing up. Be careful who you tell about this surgery. Lots of people do not take the news as you would imagine. I, like others on here only told my husband and son. Clean your home. Just in case you are sore on your return from hospital

I just got home from my appointment and am happy to say that I'm now scheduled for surgery on February 21. I was able to meet with the dietician right after my appointment with the surgeon and she went over the differences between my old program and their protocols, which are similar with the exception that I will need to do the 2-week liquid diet (my old place only did 2 days). I head to the hospital tomorrow for pretests and then just have to wait the 7 weeks until surgery. Time to get back to my good eating habits after the holidays! I thought everyone was very nice and I got a lot of sympathy for what I'd gone through with the center closing. I was told one patient who is now at the new practice actually arrived at the hospital the day of her surgery and only then found out it had been cancelled. No one even called her. I don't even know what I would have done had that happened.

I have not had gallbladder removal, however I did have a similar knife stabbing pain after my RNY surgery. It was at about 2.5 weeks post-op. I had to apply pressure as standing/showering etc was so uncomfortable. Definitely that hot sharp knife in my side feeling. It was due to the internal stitch to the muscle and the surgeon/med team told me it was a common pain and that wearing a binder is ok when needed, but not to have it on all day. Thankfully it did pass after about a week.