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I had my RNY in September 2023. The day before my surgery, I took a tailor's tape and measured my neck, chest, belly, waist, hips, thigh and calf. I've reached a loss of 165 lbs and took those same measurements again on the weekend (in inches); Neck 17 -> 14.5 = -2.5 Chest 52 -> 44 = -8 Belly 57.5 -> 44 = -13.5 Waist 47 -> 39 = -8 Hips. 51.5. -> 41 = -10.5 Thigh 32 -> 24 = -8 Calf 18.5 -> 16.5 = -2 Total inches lost: 52.5 That's almost 4 1/2 FEET. I am currently about 20 lbs short of my goal.

I am getting frustrated with the slowness of loss. I had the sleeve on 16th of Jan, and initially lost 4-5 kg very quickly, then the last two weeks, I have lost only 1.7kg, (3.5 lbs) I know it can happen, that the body can retain water and it’s not reflecting the loss. I am just venting my frustration. I tried eating more 800-1000 cals last week, nothing, exactly the same weight for 6 days, then a minuscule 100gm loss. It's been frustrating!

I had my sleeve procedure on Jan. 21st, I feel as if I have conquered some areas - cruising along through gas pain, learning how to eat/drink, and my vitamins!!! BUT I notice I have high anxiety regarding my protein intake, my exercise, food variety and my weight loss and feeling hungry an hour or so after meals as well as some constipation/diarrhea. I stress about not getting enough protein when it seems like I am getting enough in protein shakes (at least 2 shakes w/ 25 or 30 grams) and food (20g w/ yogurt), right now I'm only walking but very slow paced with upper body, and now on phase 3 that's leaving me clueless on getting again enough protein and variety where I should be avoiding high fats, sugars, carbs, high cal....I know the stress will surely limit my weight loss... I'm down 24lbs, I feel like I'm sabotaging myself with worrying - any advice/suggestions!

Both are very important to your general health. Vitamins because you’re not able to consume enough of a variety of foods to get all the nutrients your body needs to function effectively. Protein should be your focus not only now but forever. It can be a challenge to reach your protein goal every day especially in the first couple of months after surgery when your portions are so small. But work at being at least close to your goal and that your general trend is you’re consuming more and getting closer to the goal. We usually say eat your protein first then any vegetables you are able to and lastly any allowed complex carbs but only if you are able to eat more. This often means a meal is solely protein and nothing else. Protein is very important to your wellbeing and if you’re not consuming enough your body will take it from any it can i.e. your muscles. Not taking your vitamins or meeting your protein (or any other goals you are given) will have a negative impact on your health. The regular blood tests your surgeon & team will request are to ensure you’re not deficient in any nutrient. (5.75yrs out I still have regular blood tests - was 3 monthly until year 4 & every 6 months now.) You are likely experiencing a stall. Stalls are very common with the first one (yes, first one) almost all of us experience occurring around the three week mark though it can be earlier or later than that. @catwoman7 would tell you, there are literally 10s of 1000s of posts here about the infamous three week stall. A stall usually lasts 1-3weeks though some experience longer stalls. Frustrating yrs but they happen for a reason. A stall occurs when your body shuts down to reassess your current needs in response to your weight loss, smaller calorie intake and this first one the stress of your surgery & recovery. You will start to lose weight again when your body is ready to move forward again. Stick to your plan & meet your nutritional goals as closely as you can so you’re not & stressing your body more than it already is experiencing.

Okay, so I had reached a BMI of 40 when I got the referral to the surgical team. But with 6 months of nutrition counseling and the 2 week liquid diet, the day of surgery I had a BMI of 36.3. I chose the bypass and I am very happy with it. My weight loss has not been the dramatic numbers you see with larger patients, but it's been stunning to me. I am almost a year out and am currently within 9 pounds of a normal BMI. I have not been this weight in 30 years and I firmly believe no amount of diet and exercise alone would have gotten me here. I would do it again in a heartbeat and wish I had done it earlier. With regards to the bypass itself, I am very pleased with it. I chose it over the sleeve because of GERD concerns and because my brother, who had the sleeve 15 years ago, has had a lot of regain that I think the bypass will help me avoid to some degree. I had some issues with vomiting for the first several months when I didn't eat very slowly or had something that was not the "right" texture for my picky insides. But other than that, I've been great. At this point, I can eat about a third to a half of a typical portion of most meals so I don't feel like I get funny looks or anything from people who don't know my situation. I do not experience dumping, which is sad because it means I can eat sweets if I want them without getting sick. And yes, I do want them, so managing cravings is my biggest challenge. I no longer care much for bread or pasta and I also don't eat rice. I do like a few roasted potatoes sometimes and I will steal a couple fries from someone else's plate but I won't order them for myself. I mostly prefer protein, veg, and fruit. And, yeah, sweets... My labs have all looked good so far (have to go get blood drawn next week ahead of my 1-year follow up). I feel fantastic. My one concern had been not being able to take ibuprofen because I was taking it a few times a week for pain. Well, within weeks of the surgery, even when my weight was still fairly high, my pain went away. I have had one time in the past year when I had a headache and wished I could take ibuprofen (and actually, I could have if I had really needed to because a single ibuprofen, or even one a week, is not a high enough risk to worry about).

So... I am pretty vain about my hair. When I was bigger, my manta was "well at least I have great hair" because its long and super thick. But over the last 2 months, I have been shedding like crazy. It's excessive! I know there is no way I will lose all of my hair; I just have too much. But I am still freaking out a little about the amount. Plus, it's just super annoying to always have shedding hair everywhere. Has anyone else experienced this and what did you do to help? I am already taking Hair, Skin, Nail Vitamins everyday and collogen frequently.

Do you mean 2025 for your op or a year ago? If only four weeks ago what you are feeling is totally normal and your body is recovering. Hopefully you will soon find a routine that works for you with regards to being able to take a bit more food and fluids but take your time with sipping and eating, baby steps for now and then it will get easier. Try to get your vitamins in, especially now as you are eating less. For me after the op I couldn't stand the smell of certain foods, even the smell of coffee turned my stomach but now all is back to 'normal' and I thankfully am able to drink coffee again. With regards to the weight loss, it is different for everyone, I put on a few kg in the hospital immediately after the op and then slowly started to lose but I didn't see it on the scale or physically for quite a while. It will happen when your body is ready. You have got this, it is early days.

I had a BMI of 35 but I had a sleeve. I also didn’t have any co morbidities - I knew they were likely ahead of me though. So I’m going to respond more generally using am I glad I had weight loss surgery not a specific surgery. Simply yes, I am. The bulk of must weight came on with menopause and nothing I did shifted it. Or if it did it would be back in a very short period of time. I reached a point where I couldn’t stand it any longer and made an appointment with my doctor for a referral. I was in surgery less than 6 weeks later (benefits of living in Australia with private health). Do I have any issues post surgery? Yes but they’re minor really and I had a quirky tummy before so no real change. I struggle a bit with the foamies but no dumping. I had reflux before but it was managed with dietary choices. Still have it though I take a PPI every day now vs a handful of times a year before & the symptoms are different now. (Best is I don’t get the hideous hiccups I used to get just the regular ones now.) One of the benefits of having surgery is you simply cannot eat the same volume of food. Of course if you are determined you can eat around some of your changed digestive system. But take the time in the initial months after surgery where its benefits are strongest, to learn about things like portion size, nutritional values, etc. and start adopting new behaviours. Reflect on your relationship with food and why you ate and start making changes there too. Seek the help & support of your dietician and a therapist as needed. Many seem to be concerned they won’t lose all the weight they’d like to starting at a lower BMI. I lost all of mine and more. It is important to remember that not everyone loses all the weight they’d like. The surgery (regardless of which you have), changes your body set point that is the weight your body is happy at which often is not the weight you think you’ll be happy at. With bypass it is always best to have a conversation with the doctor who prescribes your meds as bypass does interfere with the absorption of these. It may mean you need to swap some of your meds as @SleeveToBypass2023 mentioned. All the best.

Hi there! Looking to make friends with people in the UK who use Mounjaro for weight loss currently. I am hoping to lose as much weight as possible on the injection, to potentially avoid surgery. About me: 26 year old female Started Mounjaro on the 13th of November 2024 at my highest weight- 185kg. I am now 171.3kg (maybe even less tomorrow-Weigh day!). Happy to be friends/chat/support anyone who uses it! Just want to feel a bit less alone in my journey 😆

Hi everyone. I started my journey to surgery 4 months ago. I am down 30 pounds since I started. I went into it knowing I wanted the RNY. My doctor tends to do a lot of sleeves. He said when you look at the weight loss in a 5 year period, they end up having very similar results. She sleeve is slower, but evens out by 5 years. His reasoning for thinking I should do the sleeve is because I currently use NSAIDS. My hope is that after weight loss, I won't need them any more. He ultimately said the decision is mine and he's ok with either one. He is going to retire before my surgery and I will see his partner on March 3 when I have to make the final decision. His partner also tends to do more sleeves than RNY. I'm looking for people who've had surgery. Which did you pick, why and are you happy with your results? Thanks in advance!

Well, I don't fit your criteria (I was at about a 47 BMI at my highest), but I wanted to provide some overall perspective. There will always be some people that regret having bariatric surgery regardless of starting weight, but studies suggest that the vast majority are happy they had it done. The satisfaction rates seem to be about on par with other major "elective" surgeries such as joint replacement. In the studies available, there was a very strong correlation between satisfaction and weight loss success. That makes sense, because if you can't maintain the weight loss, this would tend to make you think it was a waste of time, money and that you went through a lot of hardship for nothing. Another strong correlation existed between those with eating disorders and dissatisfaction. Again, this makes sense because of the correlation between success and satisfaction. If you have an eating disorder, it's certainly possible to out eat any surgery. Those that report the highest satisfaction would tell you it was nothing short of life changing. At the end of the day, only you can decide if it's the right decision for you.

What you're experiencing is completely normal. Partly your body is simply trying to heal from the surgery, so food right now is not what a healing stomach wants. Regarding the tastes changing, it's entirely possible that some foods you used to like you may never want again. Other things you'll learn to enjoy again. This is just something we all go through. The water thing should get better over time. At this point, your stomach is likely still swollen, so it just can't hold very much. Most of us had to really be religious about drinking just maybe 1-2 ounces at a time and trying to drink every 10-15 minutes while awake. This is hard right after surgery, but as I said, it gets a lot easier as the swelling goes down and you're able to drink more normal amounts. The nausea is a little unusual this far out, so I'd honestly recommend talking to your surgical team. It could just be from overeating/drinking, but it's best to talk to the experts. Regarding weight loss, you have to keep in mind that your body is made up of a lot of other "stuff" besides just fat. You may well be retaining fluid or stool and that can mask weight loss early on. It's physiologically impossible to be eating as little as you are and not losing fat, so please just have faith in the process. The best thing you can do is follow your surgical team's post-op instructions and you WILL lose fat.

When I had my surgery, I had long straight (with a slight wave to it) hair. After the surgery, I treated myself to a haircut (and I got it cut layered, which I normally don't do) and when I did, my hair literally curled lol I always knew I had wavy hair, but I had no idea it had so much curl lol People keep asking if I got a perm and I say no. But I don't think they believe me lol

Speaking of hair... I am pretty vain about my hair. When I was bigger, my manta was "well at least I have great hair" because its long and super thick. But over the last 2 months, I have been shedding like crazy. It's excessive! I know there is no way I will lose all of my hair; I just have too much. But I am still freaking out a little about the amount. Plus, it's just super annoying to always have shedding hair everywhere. Has anyone else experienced this and what did you do to help? I am already taking Hair, Skin, Nail vitamins everyday and collogen frequently.

I appreciate all the advice and kind words of encouragement. I bounce between the scary feelings I have about eating and being excited to lose weight and be a healthier me to enjoy life with my family as much and as long as I can. I was and am just a little overwhelmed because I initially went to my surgeon about the hernia repair. He informed me of this sleeve-to-bypass revision that would be in my best interest which I was not expecting. Hence, this isn't so much of a weight loss journey for me as it is a quality of life journey, With that being said it brought me back to confronting my unhealthy relationship with food and took me back to a time after my sleeve in 2009 where the smell of food would take me into an anxiety-riddled panic attack. All the byproduct of not taking the appropriate steps in getting my mind right before the procedure since I went to another country for my initial procedure. The hernia repair to me has now taken a back seat to the lifestyle changes needed to move forward with the bypass and everything that entails. This time I hope to do it a little better and taking the appropriate steps to making my lifestyle change more healthily. It's still very early in my journey. I don't have a date yet. Tomorrow is my initial consultation with the registered dietician and nutritional counselor and hopefully I will feel comfortable discussing my fears of failure. Again thank you for the advice I am truly humbled.

Well there is never a 100% guarantee because we are all different but I would say that your response so far makes it very likely that you will be a success story based on my personal experience and the knowledge that I have of others experience who have lost and kept it off vs those who have regained a significant amount. I had my sleeve surgery 3/9/2021 so I have been on these boards since then and I have been going to in person support groups since a couple of months prior to my revision and my personal experience and learned experience is that one of two four things happen to cause regain. 1: the person never really does change what they eat. This is a problem when the anatomical changes control portion of less nutritious foods for a while so they lose some but then as the stomach stretches they can eat more and they regain or they are able to have just a taste of things in the beginning but when appetite comes back that changes (note that some people can have just one bite of a brownie forever but that didn’t work for me so we just have to be mindful of how our body reacts and stop doing it if we can’t stop ourselves at a small portion). 2: the surgery was never a good fit. I know that this was part of problem with the sleeve for me because I never did feel ANY metabolic changes. I still absolutely hated healthy foods that I didn’t like before and I did not have any additional energy or motivation after the surgery. Basically I think for me the surgery was probably like Wegovy would be. The hunger hormones went away for a while and I was able to eat less until that came back. But nothing else changed for me. I never felt a change in energy and I was never about to get start r with exercise and healthy food options did not appeal to me in the slightest. I ate alot of chicken breast and a few veggies that I don’t mind in the beginning but there was no variety so like most diets I couldn’t sustain it when the hunger came back and I wasn’t moving my body to help my physical and mental health to keep it going. 3: This would be a combo of the two which would be where i would actually say that I fell with my sleeve. Because I didn’t like enough of the healthy food even a little bit I started having less ideal foods far more often. I mean i wasn’t eating McDonald’s ever and I wasn’t having poor choices all the time but I would have like a quarter of a frozen pizza or a lean cheeseburger with a roll several nights a week thinking it was okay because calorie wise it wasn’t much worse if that was all ate. The problem was the other macros and the fact that for me they were slippery slope foods and they made me crave more. I wasn’t gaining on that but carbs make me crave carbs so that little devil voice took over and I tested the waters a bit more by having just a few fries or a bit of cake with that but it was way too often and far too early out for me to know my limits. Then, to make matters worse, my mental health issues kicked in where I had not only stopped losing but gained 20 pounds and when I couldn’t reverse it even when I tried my hardest to rein it in (because I was now craving the carbs again bad) i just considered that I was a complete failure and they didn’t say it but i could see it that my friends and family felt that way too and I just slowly just quit trying. This is when the support of people who get it would’ve been sooooooooooo very important. Never been obese people are never going to be able to get it or be able to help. Reach out to your bariatric support if you struggle. Even if your disgusted. They get it and never judge. 4: Some people even though the surgery is a success and they make all the lifestyle changes and everything is working lose sight of their lifelong goal for one reason or another and let bad habits slowly slip back in and they gain. I think this is probate going to be the hardest one for me. To not take my eye off the prize 5 years down the road. But we can do it. I think that staying active in these support groups and checking in with my team is going to be key for me. I am going to ask to have my follow ups a couple times a year even when I’m a ways out just to keep me in check. I know that I am able to gain a lot of weight in a year!! I never did the In person support groups at all after my sleeve and I stopped posting here for a while and didn’t go to my follow up appointments when things were out of control and I needed the help the most. Basically for me the sleeve was just one of my longer and more successful diets that started with the curved appetite and a lot of hope that it would work this time but slowly ended when the hunger came back, bad habits slipped back in, the cravings got unbearable and my all or nothing thinking finally got the best of me. I think I probably would have leveled out somewhere between my starting and my low weight if I had not given up but since I started at a relatively low BMI to begin with that did not seem like a success to me at the time. 89 pounds later I only wished I had been back to that weight though. I learned a lot from the sleeve experience though and I think that knowledge is helping me now. Hopefully, it helps others too. I try to let my experience be a cautionary tale without scaring anyone too much. Anyways, based on your nutrition changes, steady loss and your activity I do not think you are like me with the sleeve or others who I’ve seen who never even tried to eat differently or exercise so I don’t think your surgery was a bad fit at all or that your just expecting the surgery to do all the work. I think that your surgery is doing what it was designed to do for you and so as long as you keep doing your part you should get your where your body needs to be. Just don’t get caught up in a certain number and let your brain get the best of you like I did. That last 10 or 15 pounds may feel like a lot but your already so much healthier and happier that you were before. Keep striving for that goal but don’t let it be the only thing that matters. To me it will be icing on the cake to what is already a success story Your body will have its own idea of what is an ideal size for you and you may have to just accept that it may not be exactly what you have in mind (it could be lower but it could also be a bit higher. It may be a sorry to accept where your body is happy and healthy if you don’t want to be really working hard at this forever. Honestly, I imagine we will have to work at it for the rest of our lives to some degree. By that I mean that we will probably never have it as easy as someone who has never been obese. You are doing so incredibly well, though, making actual lifestyle changes and I have listened to anyone who is willing to share whether they were successful or not and that seems to be the biggest piece of advice. This is not a diet it is a lifestyle. Your surgery is working for you and you are working hard for you as well. Those two things are key to this journey long term. Just keep it up and I really believe you will reach all of your goals. ❤️

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response! I really appreciate it. 💕 I completely agree that what we fuel our bodies with makes a huge difference in how we feel. And I know I’ll always feel better when I’m making balanced choices. I also get that we’re still early out, and I definitely don’t want to get too relaxed either—I still have more to lose! But my main question isn’t really about regain—it’s more about will I 100% lose ALL the weight I need to? Like, I WILL do my part, I AM doing my part, but of course, there are ups and downs. My friend’s point was that bypass guarantees weight loss as long as you follow the process. I just want to know if that’s true—that no matter what, I will definitely lose the weight and reach my goal as long as I stay on track. Because while I understand regain is a separate issue, my panic is more about knowing that I will actually get to where I want to be. Do you think that’s the case? That as long as I keep working at it, it will 100% happen? That’s what I really need reassurance on. 😭

Welcome Kat. So sorry to hear of all the struggles you've had. It sounds really rough. I think almost everyone here has struggled with something over the course of their bariatric surgery journey and some have struggled a lot more than others. None of us are perfect. We simply can do what we can do. Please keep in mind: If the recommended changes regarding diet and lifestyle were easy to make, I'd wager that most of us would have simply made those changes without going through the surgery. My own perspective is that my weight loss surgery was a tool that helped me eat better and eventually allowed me to get to a weight that also allowed me to be more active. It's was not the other way around, where I had to do certain things for the surgery "to be successful". Please understand, I'm NOT saying you can do whatever you want after surgery. What I am saying is that the surgery itself is a tool that can help you do the things that will lead to success such as eating better and being more active. Those changes take time. You're not going to be able to make dramatic lifestyle changes overnight. Don't even try because that NEVER works. Focus on making just small sustainable changes before trying to make any further changes. It sounds trite, but slow and steady truly does win the race. I would also strongly advise you to consider finding a good mental health professional that specializes in bariatric patients. This one thing will probably help you more than anything with some of the struggles you're having. A dietitian can also help with the diet portion and is also strongly recommended. Please keep us apprised of how it's going and I think you'll find there are people here that can help with whatever struggles you may be having, whether it's being compliant with your surgeons instructions, cleaning up your diet, or finding motivation. We're here to help.

Congratulations on your loss. I was a savory girl Lee bariatric world and post sleeve I became a sweet girl too. Then post SAFI that went away but has started to come back. I think MAYBE it’s just our bodies wanting carbs and sweet food is usually the absolute highest in carbs so the quickest way to get them. I did not have the bypass but I don’t think your friend is correct about eating whatever you want. I know that was for sure not true for the me with the sleeve. I started at 235, lost down to 168 then gained it all back plus some to 258 and was still gaining when I started the preop diet for my revision. I have also heard plenty of regain stories on here about the bypass. Now, does it malabsorb some of your food, absolutely. So if you were like 900 pounds before it’s possible you would stay a bit smaller just because you pretty much already ate all you wanted volume and calories wise before and the malabsorption would in theory make you weight a bit less if you ate the same exact food, but it would only be a bit less anyways and who of us wants that. . As far as a more common starting weight I really don’t think so because even at our high weights we still weren’t eating absolutely all we would have liked to or we could have and if we ate any and everything we wanted, even with some calories not absorbing that’s still probably giving our bodies more than we were eating before. I do know from experience that what fuel I put into my body changed how I feel, though, so even if I could get away with eating anything I wanted cosmetically, I know that I wouldn’t feel as good as I do when I eat a balanced diet and keep up my activity. That processed junk that most of us used to eat all the time is not good for us and it doesn’t give your bodies what it needs to run efficiently. Another thing to keep in mind is that we are still pretty early out to be relaxing too much. Most people have a 10–15 pound bounce back even if they keep working at it. I don’t know about you but I’ve still got more that I want to lost. I definitely don’t want to be bouncing back!! for the sweet cravings try the sugar free popsicles again. They can trick my brain sometimes and others i Have fruit. I figure calorie wise they may be more calories but at least it’s not added sugar. I try to avoid that as much as possible because that makes me have more cravings the next day and for like a week.

Lately, I've been eating quite comfortably, and honestly, it's scaring me. I had a week where the scale didn’t move, and just when I started panicking, boom – down 1.7 kg the next week. But here’s the thing... every time I feel confident in my weight loss, I start getting too comfortable, and that makes me so uneasy. And the weirdest part? I’ve become a sweet girl! Like, I actually crave sugar now, which I never used to before. WHY?! 😭 There are no actual signs of regain, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be worried, right? My brain is panicking even though nothing bad is happening (yet). I have a friend who also had gastric bypass, and she keeps telling me: 👉 “Don’t worry, you will lose weight no matter what – that’s what bypass does.” But how true is this??! 😭😭 I feel like I can’t fully trust it, and I don’t want to get too relaxed and regret it later. Someone please tell me I’m not losing my mind. 😣

First of all, congrats on your amazing progress! 🎉🎉 You're doing incredible, and hitting 6 months with such a huge loss is definitely something to celebrate! About your BMI question, BMI is always calculated based on current height and weight, not your tallest height. While bones do have weight, the difference from losing an inch in height isn’t usually significant enough to impact BMI drastically. So, if you’ve shrunk, your BMI would be based on your new height. That being said, BMI is just a tool—it doesn’t account for muscle, bone density, or body composition, so don’t stress too much about the exact number! I can totally relate to the excitement (and overanalyzing) as I’m coming up on my 6-month “surgiversary” on February 14th! ❤️ I started at 109.5 kg (241.5 lbs) and now I’m 84.2 kg (185.7 lbs)—which means I’ve lost 25.3 kg (55.8 lbs) so far. Like you, I feel great, but seeing these milestones makes me reflect on the numbers too. It’s such a wild ride! You're so close to a “normal” BMI—27.3 is amazing! Keep going, and I have no doubt you’ll get there soon. Let’s celebrate our progress and keep pushing forward! 🎉💪✨

Balloon, much like lap band, is not very common these days so you may not get many responses to your query from people with a balloon. Unlike weight loss surgeries, the balloon won’t stop your hunger. It just makes you feel full more quickly as it takes up space in your tummy. But even with weight loss surgery, your hunger does come back so we all have to examine our motivations for eating, discover the difference between head and real hunger, change our relationship with food, etc. For example, could your hunger be head hunger? That is, is your hunger coming from you (consciously or subconsciously) looking to sooth/comfort yourself because of the emotional roller coaster and stress you’re likely feeling from having the balloon inserted and the changes you are having to make. This is very common occurrence. But yes, contact your doctor to ensure everything is working as it should. May be enquire about seeking some counselling to support you through the head work aspect of weight loss. Many find it very helpful. PS - Out of curiosity why did you go down the path of having a balloon inserted versus a sleeve or bypass or one of the other weight loss surgeries? Was it because the balloon can be removed whist the other surgeries are pretty much irreversible?

That definitely sounds like depression to me. If it’s not impacting your daily living significantly (I mean it’s not the end of the world if you have a bad hair day but if your not doing other basic hygiene for days then that could become a medical issue). If you are safe and not suicidal or anything you could try to just ride it out giving yourself permission to just give into it for a few days or a week if that’s what it takes to get through it. In Dialectical Behavioral Therapy they call it “riding the wave” and I spent a lot of time and money in an intense outpatient therapy program to learn that the technique is as simple as it sounds and it truly does work for me sometimes. If giving yourself permission to feel all of your feelings and do as little or as much as you gotta do (anything not harmful to yourself or anyone else of course) doesn’t work then you may need to seek professional help. Talk therapy can be quite helpful but a prescribing physician may also give you something temporary to help you feel up to taking better care of yourself if that’s what is necessary. Before my bipolar manifested and I was put on permanent meds, I had situational depression when I lost my grandfather and they put me on a low dose antidepressant for a short time because I didn’t cope very well. Just try to remember that depression is temporary and that you will feel more like yourself again even if you need to reach out for help getting there. ❤️

This coming Friday is my 6 month “surgiversary” and I’m 174 today (down 84 pounds from 258 pre-pre op diet so technically 6.5 months next week I guess). I totally thrilled with my loss so far. I feel good and I’m relatively happy with the way I look, but the anniversary is making me look at the numbers. Does anyone know when they calculate BMI if we should go by our young adult BMI or our current one. I mean our bones still weigh the same as our tallest height I would assume but I have shrunk at least an inch. I am just curious to know when I will reach a “normal” BMI. I went from 40.4 to 27.3. I’m getting close 🎉

I feel down right now too. I took stock and realized it is mid winter. I do this every winter. I have a nice hair appointment set up, a vacation planned, and a new angle for advancement at work. My back up plan is to work a second job that’s completely unrelated to my current one, and see where that goes. I work out first thing in the mornings. The trigger is to put headphones on and I feel weird if I DON’T exercise. I hope this helps, cause it’s all over the place. You are not your job, but I remembered reading a post from you about nursing being your bucket list dream. So, nursing can go so many different directions. Keep your mind open to possibilities you haven’t expected?