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September surgery buddies!!
kukuiokalani replied to Slwhurst's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
happy one year anniversary fellow september 2022 surgery friends! my surgery was september 7, 2022 so my one year anniversary this coming week. i went back and found this picture - i panicked minutes before my surgery because i hadn't taken any before pictures and took this just before i went to get prepped, surgery weight 355 lbs. and i took this one today, 206 lbs ☺️ highest weight: 410 | surgery weight: 355 | current weight: 206 | goal weight: 185 gastric bypass surgery was the best decision i ever made i wish you all healthy reflections as we reach our one year milestones! -kukui 😊❤️ -
New to this and facing anger
BigSue replied to Theia103121's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I first looked into weight loss surgery about 15 years before I actually went through with it. Like you, I was scared away by horror stories and all the changes I would have to make and the things I would have to give up. I was also particularly concerned about vomiting because I got the impression that WLS results in vomiting at the drop of a hat. BTW, I am 3 years post-op and I have had exactly one bout of vomiting since my surgery. I think it's really important to go into the surgery with realistic expectations. If this forum is any indication, way too many people get WLS thinking that it will work like magic, and they're completely unprepared to make the lifestyle changes that are necessary to use the WLS as an effective tool. So I think it's a good thing that you are prepared for the rough parts of the surgery, and it probably won't be as bad as you think. Not gonna lie: the beginning is really hard, but once you get 2+ years out from surgery, you will probably be able to eat fairly normally, and if you play your cards right, you might just find that you no longer want to eat the way you used to. You'll establish a new normal for yourself where you won't constantly feel like you're "giving up" what you really want. I highly recommend a podcast called We Only Look Thin. It's run by a couple who each lost over 100 pounds. They didn't have surgery, but a lot of their journey resonates so deeply with me. Weight loss (especially when you have a daunting amount to lose) is largely a mental battle, and this podcast absolutely nails it. They are amazing at verbalizing the mental processes that I've gone through, and they are very honest about their struggles. They have some great reality checks about things like fairness, excuses, and mental loopholes, and they have some fantastic advice for navigating the everyday struggles of weight management. Now, I didn't start listening to this until after I had lost 200 pounds, so it might be easier for me to hear and realize, "Yep, past me made a lot of excuses. Past me didn't take responsibility for my eating habits," than it would have been when I was still making excuses and resisting the changes that I was going to have to make. But maybe it would have been easier for me to make those changes if I had heard this podcast before I started than having to figure it out as I went. -
Wow, everybody has lost so much. I've lost about 20 kgs. or 44 pounds after surgery, and 23 kilos (50.7 pounds) overall. My goal for the next year is to lose another 10 kilos (22 pounds) and get to 81 kilos. My weight loss has slowed down to a crawl, but that's also because I fell down the stairs outside earlier in the summer, and hurt my leg, so I haven't been able to exercise that much.
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Anyone starting out around 225lbs?
BrandNewMe23 replied to Tammy Monette's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Hello! I’m new here. ☺️ I’m 36 years old and had my sleeve done on 08/15/23 at 250 lbs. … It’s only 09/01/23 (2 weeks out) and I’ve lost 16 lbs at 234 lbs. My ultimate goal weight is 150 for a height of 5’5” so I’m hoping to lose 100 lbs. I am a new mom and have a 6 month old at home. I not only want to be able to keep up with him better, but just feel generally better about myself. I already feel an improvement. 🙂 -
4 yrs post VSG to RNY
Chel1 replied to GreenTealael's topic in Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums (NEW!)
@RTL1234 Hey there! Surgery went well per surgeon. Swelling is a lot! I look like I'm in my 2nd trimester! 😕 Thankfully they gave me an abdomen band that helps stabalize me while up and walking which helps tremendously. My weight day of surgery went from 195 to 202 due to fluid/swelling etc. I pray it starts to subside soon. -
Surgery went well - it took me the rest of the day of surgery to have some conciousness. I do not understand why they begin to attempt to get you out of bed when you are still under the influence of the anesthesia and can barely keep your eyes open. The next day was much better and I was able to walk slow laps around the floor. My surgeon had the staff provide me with a stomach band that wraps around and closes with velcro which helps tremendously hold my abdomen stable when up and walking around. I still have lots of swelling and I am about 7 lbs heavier (per scale) than on surgery day due to the swelling, fluid etc. I hope that within this next week most of that will subside. Weight DOS - 195 Today - 202 I am staying on target with protein/fluid requirements 60g/64 oz - I was given Boost Glucose Control Max in the hospital and decided to get a pack of that as well as a pack of the Premier Protein Shakes both 160 cal/11oz/30g protein. I had an issue of jaundice while in hospital and upon coming home my face and body had a distinct yellow tone. My blood work had elevated as well a low levels due to surgery. I looked up my pain meds which all had an effect on the liver and could cause levels to increase. I made the decision to stop these pain meds. I was also given liquid Oxy which I was able to take a couple half dose to help with the pain. This morning I was able to get away with Tylenol (powdered). My skin looks like it is getting back to narmal as well. I am not saying it was the medicine, it could have been just the trauma of the surgery and or a combo of both, I followed what I thought was best for me. I don't have an appetite which I am not complaining about at all & I am consuming my nutrition one sip at a time. I'm anxious to hear how you guys felt 2-3 weeks after surgery with the swelling , fluid weight etc. ❤️
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September 2023 Surgery buddies
ElleRodri replied to Breaking notsobad's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
On my 4th day of the liquid diet, it's getting easier not to want to devour everything within reach. Tired of sweets though had to go get some bone broth to break up the monotony. I just got my proteins I ordered from here today so yay for some variety. Must say that the Bariatric Pal Chocolate Coconut is so amazingly good (my lunch today). A little lighter on the protein side at 15 grams but it tastes like an almond joy sans the almonds. That sweet chocolate and coconut flavor. I just realized why it's so sweet. I didn't think to look at carb counts when I bought them I just said oooo that sounds good, got to have it, and clicked the buttons. I've lucked out as the girl who works in my office trying to put on weight will buy any of the proteins I don't like off of me so they're at least not going in the trash. My husband is going to want to shoot me when he sees this box of everything I bought last week from the website. It's a good thing we have separate bank accounts or else he'd have a fit at the amount of stuff I've bought prepping for this surgery. Meet my surgeon for a final pre-op appointment tomorrow as well as doing some labs and another appointment with the pre-op department at Mayo so will be in the car the majority of the day tomorrow. Not looking forward to that as often as I've got to go to the bathroom with all these fluids. May be a miserable trip, bad enough I'm having to make it alone. This is where I feel sorry for myself for being a loner and not having a friend I can drag along with me. So I'm open to making new friends! And hope all of our September's go amazingly! 11 Days!? The last few months have flown by and it's been a pretty amazing ride once I got placed with the right physicians. -
New to this and facing anger
catwoman7 replied to Theia103121's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
P.S. regarding vomiting - I did experience some in the early weeks after surgery - I had to figure out what my stomach was going to tolerate (I can now eat pretty much anything - and have been able to for years - I just have to watch my portion sizes to avoid gaining weight). I don't vomit any more now than I did before I had surgery. But I just wanted to say that vomiting after surgery is different from vomiting before surgery. Your stomach is much smaller, so there's not much to vomit up. Plus your stomach is not producing as much acid, so you don't get that horrible taste in your mouth, either. It tastes the same coming up as it did going down. So suffice it to say, I don't dread vomiting like I did before I had surgery. -
New to this and facing anger
Jennifer Williams replied to Theia103121's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I am you! I had all of these same feelings and it almost blocked me from going through with the surgery. I have lost massive weight/inches before and got in the best shape of my life, which made me angry that I couldn't do it again. However, I had to learn to accept that I am getting older (40) and that my body has changed and no matter how angry I am at myself, that won't change the facts. I refused to continue feeling horrible every day when I woke up and being miserable with myself and the way I looked. I was also terrified by all of the horror stories I read and was scared I was going to die. I believe it's more normal than not for people to gravitate to the negatives than to see all of the positives being posted out there. It's human nature. I finally sucked it up and went to the hospital the day of surgery even though I still had all of those fears, even thinking I can still back out and leave....but my desire to feel better and live a better life outweighed all of that fear and I went through with it. BEST DECISION I'VE MADE IN MY LIFE! To add to this, I struggle with depression and anxiety and food has always been my vice/comfort. I was terrified in that respect too, that I wouldn't be able to mentally handle this journey. Surprisingly, I have been solid on that front too! After surgery, I had no cravings or desire to eat food. My family ate normal foods/fast food in front of me and it's didn't even phase me. A little over 3 months out and it still doesn't bother me. Yes, every once in a while, I think for a split second, oh man, I can't have cake on my bday! But it's really not going to kill me....I've eaten cake every year for 39 years! I'm really not missing anything. The reality of it is, we can eat the cake down the road if we want to. At this point in time, I don't really even want to. I'll close in saying that I don't know you, but I believe in you. If I could do this knowing the way my mind is and all the fear I had, you can most certainly do this. When you do, that anger will go away as soon as you realize how rewarding this journey can be. Best of luck! -
New to this and facing anger
Theia103121 replied to Theia103121's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I think that's some of my anger- anger at myself for needing the help, for having so many issues with food. It seems like such a weakness. It's funny, too, because i would never tell someone else it's a weakness or believe it was. Only for myself. I've been in therapy for a long time now and we've talked about my weight, of course, but never as honestly as I've been forced to since I made the decision to do this. I also am big on feeling in control, and I feel like the surgery is going to take control away from me. I know that's not how it works; I know it's the opposite- I'm not in control now and the surgery will help me regain control. But something about having rules around food just is a huge trigger for some reason. -
New to this and facing anger
Possum220 replied to Theia103121's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Have a big dummy spit. It is hard and it is awful. You have been set up by society two ways. Society sets us up by having a system that dangles so many tempting foods in our face while at the same time limits our normal everyday movement by having cars and computers machines that do the heavy lifting for us. No manual labor for us. Many people are chronically overweight but are a victim of our modern society. Our metabolism has changed. Our bodies are hard wired to retain fat in order so that we can survive in times of famine. You are allowed to be angry. You got lots of help from society to be where you are. So while is is important to acknowledge our own behaviours we had so much help from our environment, Obesity is a chronic modern day disease. BUT..... (You knew this was coming).... You can make a choice to put self care strategies into place. Stop treating your body like a trash can. Your body has a way to heal itself with your help. You can give your body a better chance. It will be okay. If you google search Dr V Masterclass on youtube you can find some stellar info on this journey. I want to encourage you to care about yourself and your future. In your post you mentioned giving up certain foods or having sugar free products. This is a new road for us and no two journeys are the same. I thought I would not be able to have chocolate any more after having my RNY bypass. Turns out that I can still enjoy chocolate but in much smaller amounts. Not a big sacrifice. I can still eat pretty much everything I used to eat, but again in smaller amount. Many people lose hair after this OP but not all do. I didnt. Reading about this journey in a pamphlet or on social media is one thing. Things might or might not happen. Only by doing this will you find out what is is really like for you and what issues you may or may not have. Having a medical procedure is one thing. It is another ball game to address reasons of why we eat and getting some psychological help. A medical procedure like this Is just an effective tool to lose the weight but being successful requires a combination of physical and psychological work. Life is so much easier now that I have shed some weight. I can walk further. I can take care of my physical needs. I feel so much better and am off my diabetes medication and bp medication and off my reflux meds. I dont have to be scared anymore about breaking chairs. I feel better in myself. Be mad and move past it. Get ready to love yourself. -
Exactly as @catwoman7 said. Stalls are an important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body takes stock (the changes you’ve made are pretty stressful to your poor body), reassesses your needs & then adjusts your digestive hormones, metabolic rate, etc. The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again - usually 1-3 weeks. Let it take the time it needs, stick to your plan & it will be fine. Oh, and you’ll likely have more stalls along the way. All the best. PS - congrats on your weight loss so far!
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New to this and facing anger
Arabesque replied to Theia103121's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Snap! I woke up one morning & said enough too. I made an appointment with my doctor to start the process the same day. Best decision I’ve ever made. Your anger is a stage of the grief you’re experiencing which is quite a common before &/or after surgery. Doesn’t matter how much you read about life post surgery, it’s not until you experience it yourself do you fully understand. So you are also in a place of fear of the unknown. Talking with your therapist is a great idea to work your way through your anger, grief & fear. And keep referring to that list of positives. They’ll become blessings before you know it. It seems a long time at the beginning but in time you’ll look back & realise it wasn’t that long - the progress & benefits of your weight loss sort of blurs the time & makes it worthwhile. Most importantly get off the social media sites about bariatric surgery. They are the worst. They’ll feed your fear & anger. The ones I’ve seen give you tips on how eat around your surgery, how not to follow your plan (saw one sharing how to purée a fast food burger & fries 😱) & offer little support or encouragement. Yes, there are risks but there are with any surgery & bariatric surgery is far lower than many others including appendectomies & knee replacement. Your risks are much higher simply by remaining obese. As to whether you’ll be able to eat your favourite foods again the answer is yes. Though you’ll eat them less often & in smaller portions. You’ll work out how much & how often is best for you over time. You may even find alternatives &/or ingredient substitutes that are better for you & more nutritious. I looked at some of my old favourite foods & decided while I loved them they really didn’t love me & contributed to my obesity. You may find you discover new favourite foods & even that your old ones just don’t appeal as much. I’m a low sugar eater & avoid artificial sweeteners wherever I can (rather have a little real sugar than a sweetener). The shakes can be disgusting & have sweeteners but you don’t have to keep having them. I haven’t had one since I started purées & even in the post surgery liquid stage I only had one a day. Had soup for my other meals. Then I discovered a high protein yoghurt & yoghurt drinks to boost my protein intake. (Make your own drink by blending the yoghurt with milk which gives you bonus protein.) Your dietician should be able to help you find other suitable alternatives as well. All the best. -
Frustrating Stall - and have I lost too little weight so far?
Arabesque replied to DustyRecording's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Weight loss is never a straight down ward line. It zigs & zags, goes up & down & plateaus. As long as your general trend is downwards you’re golden. The thing about averages is all they give you is an idea of what might happen not what definitely will happen. In saying that, if you’re currently averaging about a 15lb a month weight loss then in three months you can expect to lose about 45lbs which puts you in the middle of your average 40-50lb loss at three months. But it really doesn’t matter whether you do or don’t. Yes, we do tend to lose more in the first months & then our rate of loss slows. It doesn’t mean your weight loss is over though. When you get closer to the weight you stabilise at it can feel like it’s going to take forever to lose the last pounds - like losing ounces each week. I kept losing at that slow rate for months after I reached my goal at 6 months. I lost another 11kgs over the next 11 months. (I wasn’t actively trying to lose but my body wanted to lose more.) So I was losing for about 17 months in total. The averages were completely off the mark for me. Breath. Work your plan. And celebrate every pound you lose. -
Hi! I'm new here. I went through about six months of the process for WLS about four or five years ago, but I didn't lose weight during the six-month pre-op phase, so things stopped. I had also been running across many horror stories (mostly on social media), which made me think that maybe it was for the best, anyway. Well, five years later, I weigh no less than I did back then. I have a huge list of co-morbidities, some of which are related to weight, some I had prior to my weight gain, and a couple that cause weight gain. I'm on over ten meds a day, and I'm only 42 (well, 43 in a few days). I feel like I'm falling apart. I think the last straw was that my oldest son got married in June. I saw myself in the wedding photos. I ruminated on that for a few weeks, and then woke up one morning and decided I was sick of obesity and everything that goes along with it. So, I asked my PCP for the referral, and I have my first appointment in September. Because I did six months of their program and because I read their patient handbook, I have a better idea of what is expected of me than I might otherwise. But I'm angry. I'm angry that I'm going to have to give up my favorite foods or accept sugar-free versions (and I can't stand artificial sweeteners; I'm actually really worried about it because most protein drinks/powders seem to rely on them). I'm angry that I won't be able to eat like everyone else. I'm angry that I'll have to go through so much physically. I'm angry that I have to lose weight to have surgery to help me lose weight that I need because I can't lose weight on my own. And I'm angry that it's such a long process. If I have to do it, tell me what to do, let me sulk over it for a few days, and then let's just do it. I know that's not how it works, and I don't know why I'm so angry. I have no one to blame but myself for being in this mess. I made a list of positives that could come from the surgery, and I got a full two pages. So I shouldn't be angry. And I realize my reaction shows that I have inappropriate attitudes toward food. I've discussed it with my therapist, and we're going to work on it, but I guess I was wondering if anyone else dealt with this and what helped them get past it. TIA!
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I don't know if I am making the right decision
NCL04321 replied to Knightsaber88's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
My mom said the same thing, she told me i could do it on my own. I kept telling her I could not and would not lose 110lbs on my own. I finally had to be blunt with her and tell her to get over it because i was doing the surgery. She has been supportive now. Don't let anyone else tell you what to do. You know what you have to do and if that is surgery as a tool to help you lose the weight then go for it. We are all very supportive so if you feel like you do not have a good support system then just come here to this forum. We will support you!!!! -
New NSVs, new chapter in life, old dreams becoming new!!!
NCL04321 replied to SleeveToBypass2023's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
i think you are doing spectacular and are so inspirational. Congratulations to you on your weight loss journey and going ahead to pursue your dreams! You are a weight loss hero in my eyes!!!! By the way, i noticed awhile ago you changed your profile picture, and you look fantastic!!!! -
Frustrating Stall - and have I lost too little weight so far?
NCL04321 replied to DustyRecording's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Way to go on losing 32lbs! Sounds good to me. I know your frustration though. I am 4.5 months out and have lost almost 60lbs but I have been "stuck" at 172 for about 2 weeks. UGH! I have had a couple stalls here and there but none that lasted this long. It is aggravating but as everyone always says, stick with the plan and your stall will come to an end and you will lose more weight. Congratulations on your weight loss journey so far! -
Surgery Date: 7/31/2023 How are you? I feel amazing. My energy is good although I do feel tired quicker. How's your process going? I am steadily losing weight down 26lbs since the day of my surgery and 61lbs since I started this journey. What are you excited about for the future? I have a closet full of vintage clothing in a variety of sizes. Once I get to my goal weight and have maintained it for a while I am going to have everything fitted to my body which I have never done so things either fit right or they didn't. What are you enjoying now? I am enjoying seeing the number on the scale go down and how my clothes are fitting. How are you talking about the upcoming surgery with family and friends? I did not share my surgery with anyone outside of my immediate family. This journey is very personal to me. What supports have been helpful to you? I still see my bariatric therapist as I feel I still need to talk through some things. I am hoping that this group will be helpful as well.
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September 2023 Surgery buddies
Tdalcourt replied to Breaking notsobad's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Hey all - my cousin had surgery Nov 1 last year - starting weight 240 now at 105 - where she lives you can’t get skin surgery for 2 years - she found these amazing products at https://www.maelyscosmetics.com and has been using 5 of them - she doesn’t need skin surgery now and she swears by these products. I ordered some last night &thought I’d share. -
Anyone have plastics in Dallas-Fort Worth area
CrissySavestheWorld replied to KarenLR75's topic in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
I used Dr.Robert Swartz in Richardson for breast reconstruction after rapid weight loss with fantastic results. I have had several friends use him for various post weight loss plastics done as well. -
JUNE SURGERY BUDDIES
MissyMissfire replied to Mira88's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
So, the whole being unable to drink water thing, it's not in my head like my partner wants to think lol. He thought I was just being difficult that I had to have some sort of flavor and sweetener because water is too "thin" and just "wrong".. I was feeling dehydrated the other day after being out longer than expected and I ran out of my drinks that I brought with me.. so I ducked into the dollar tree and the only thing I was allowed to have in the fridge case was a water. I had some lemonade packets buried somewhere in the car- but I took a swig of the water - not a gulp or anything and the second it reached my esophagus, it turned right back around. Instantly rejected. He got to witness it live and in person finally that my body is literally rejecting just plain water. It's like the wires have been crossed and I react physically like the water is poison. So then this man literally spent over a half an hour in a sweltering parking lot digging around for my lemonade packets! He's a believer now for sure. In other news.. I am now officially at my pre-severely traumatic event weight! 60lbs down! Lets go!!!! The pool has been GREAT exercise! -
Frustrating Stall - and have I lost too little weight so far?
DustyRecording replied to DustyRecording's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I appreciate your kind words. I just worry because I always hear that you get most of your weight loss in the first three months and I've only gone back to my 'normal' from about a year ago (280s-290s). When I weigh, sometimes I see the weight even go up by a pound (like this morning). Meanwhile, I used online calculators to estimate weight loss and they kept saying I should be losing like 40-50 pounds during the first three months and so I worry about 'wasting' this apparently golden period of weight loss. -
Update: 13 days preop Pain: None Energy: Getting better daily. Exercise: Just walking Protein: 60+ grams a day. Fluids: 64+ oz a day. Supplements: Baratric advantage 2 calcium chews & 1 multi vitamin w/iron. Weight lose: 22 pounds
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New NSVs, new chapter in life, old dreams becoming new!!!
SleeveToBypass2023 replied to SleeveToBypass2023's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
lol no. If you look at my signature, you can see my weight loss progression. And my username lets you know I had a sleeve and revised it to a bypass
