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@NeonRaven8919Exactly! @AmberFLHe‘s currently on the platform, unsure if the weight loss train is the train he wants at the moment @JennyBeezRomanncy-love-stuff? What’s that then? LOL! @SleeveToBypass2023All my stats are up to date right now. Don’t know which surgery as I haven’t had my appointment with the surgeon yet (NHS - it’s never a rush 🙄) I had thought sleeve initially but, after my first group education session, I’m now thinking bypass, purely because of reducing the hunger hormones which isn’t a factor with the sleeve. However, I will listen to what the medical professionals recommend and make my decision from that. So, I had the conversation with hubby last night and got a lot of things cleared up. It’s not just the WLS that’s concerning him but some other things too like me having knee surgery and not needing him anymore, especially as he has his own disability which cannot be addressed with surgery. He thinks he will be holding me back and I deserve better etc etc. I truly understand where he’s coming from but we’ve been together 22 years, married for 17. His accident happened when we’d been together a couple of years and back surgery made it much worse. We’ve dealt with horrible shitty ex-wives, massively entitled kids, redundancy, depression, illness, disabilities etc. If we can come through all of that and not want to stab one another then I will take that as a win 🤣😂 Life throws things at us when we least expect it, both good and bad. I think we’re OK for now, thankfully, so I can stop eyeing up the pillows in bed, thinking of ways to smother him 😈 Physio was cancelled today due to staff illness. They had a bit of a panic trying to find an appointment for me as I’m supposed to have physio 10-14 days after the steroid injection. As it stands, they found me an appointment for next Monday which will be 19 days afterwards so I will have to see if that’s acceptable. I’m not stressing though as I’m doing the circulation booster and knee programme every day so hopefully that will have a positive impact.

I've been struggling to keep up with the diet so I thought I would try to focus on all the things that I hope to accomplish from the surgery so that I can remind myself what better times I have to come. Not just big things like better health but also the smaller things that I think are just as important. 1st: Sleep! I want to lose enough weight to sleep well. I don't have sleep apnoea yet, but my doctor says I'm at risk because of my weight and even without the sleep apnoea, it's still really hard to get comfortable and lying on my back definitely affects my breathing and my spine. 2nd: Activity! I ride my bike everywhere and I enjoy it, but I would love to do other things without pain in my knees. I go to concerts a lot and usually need to stand because no one sits at rock concerts (unless it was like when I went to see the Scorpions last month when the average age of music fan was 56 so it was all seats). Standing for a long time hurts and then I can't enjoy the concert as much as I was hoping. Maybe be able to lose the ebike and get an "acoustic" bike. 3rd: Fashion! Being able to shop at cheaper stores. Plus size clothes comes with a plus size price tag. Years ago, (teenage years) I bought a t-shirt that was a size 16. They had the same t-shirt in the "plus size section" (also a size 16 and the exact same size) and it was £2 extra for the same amount of fabric. And as someone with a more alternative sense of fashion, not a lot of plus size clothes have skulls and flames and vampires and things like that. They tend to make plus size clothes with puppies and kitties and cutesy things. There's nothing cutesy about me.

Currently in the hospital bed! Just met my surgeon and gave me some info and told me see you tomorrow! Starting weight: 109.5 kg Let's do this!

still out here and hanging in there. gained back about 50 lbs of the 120 I lost after surgery but as of Feb 2024, been refocusing on my habits and so far I've lost about 18 lbs of that 50. overall I'm still happy I had the surgery as I'm healthier and more active then before. my annual follow ups were getting a bit hard to face but am hoping this year's goes better since I'm working back down towards goal weight instead of further from it. I've attached a pic of me pre surgery and a few months post surgery (pink shirt). the separate pic in the bright blue shirt was taken last week during my husband and i's anniversary trip to the mountains.

Yes! Still here thriving. Hard to believe it’s about to be 6 years, time fly! How has it been going for you? For me, I’ve been maintaining and not gaining so I’m happy! 😊

Hey! I'm SO glad your pain is better managed now than it was a few days ago! I totally hear you about the passing gas (and btw I need to go back to tagging multiple people in a reply, feel like I spammed this board >. ) I'm nervous about taking too much stool softener because I know with the SADI loose stools can be a thing but at the same time with all these danged protein shakes I'm just not sure the colace 2x day is doing enough. I hope bowel movements level out for me soon; I've gone from one extreme to the other once already and don't want to do it again lol -- We made it to the other side, though! I'm so happy for you and hope your recovery continues to go smoothly. I'm interested in the binder thing people keep talking about - I wonder if they didn't do that with me because I had the SADI/SIPS instead. (For those not familiar with the SADI/SIPS, it's basically just starting with the sleeve and the surgery they most commonly do to revise it by shortening the intestinal tract beneath in place of the Gastric Bypass right off the start - I chose it because I wanted to eventually be able to take NSAIDS and there's a thread here that discusses the SADI/SIPS more. My surgery was still laparoscopic and recovery has been about the same from what I see, just fewer points of connection internally to heal) I'm also excited for all the rest of you folks with upcoming surgeries! I don't want to spam anymore but did want to say to @Singingbarista and @AndreaJD that the insights you've offered were super helpful, especially in terms of 'telling others' about the surgery. That's GREAT advice - to say you've been working with a dietician and weight loss clinic. You're so right; it shouldn't matter what others think but women especially have long been taught to seek approval. It's just another thing to relearn and the amount of support on this forum has been absolutely fantastic. I finally got a delivery of Premier shakes this evening in flavors OTHER than chocolate, French vanilla, and Mocha and oh my goodness it's SO nice to taste something strawberry-ish! I didn't want to keep responding to each post independently but to those who had very little notice about the surgery date - that's for sure a mixed blessing! Less time to prepare, but less time to be nervous about it, I guess? Sometimes it's easier to just plunge in (as long as you feel educated and ready!) To all of you going through the liquid diets, especially if you feel hungry during it - I'd suggest you might really want to consider trying some of the 30g protein shakes. I was very worried that I would be hungry but those are surprisingly filling, especially if you drink a lot of sugar free flavored water / Gatorade / Powerade of some kind. And don't forget you can enjoy sugar free popsicles, flavored warm broths, fat free cottage cheese, sugar free pudding, sugar free jell-o, and sugar free yogurt (usually - I mean, obviously follow the guidelines you were given by your surgical team!) The pudding can be made with protein shakes to help with your protein intake instead of milk, and if you match the flavors it's actually quite tasty and filling.

Hello there! I'm chiming in late but wanted to congratulate you on your victories so far and wish you well on your upcoming surgery! I just had a SADI surgery on August 5th - It is basically a sleeve + sleeve revision done initially, all in one go. I mainly wanted to give my opinion on your question regarding hobbies post-surgery -- I can only speak for myself, but being exactly one week out from surgery I can tell you that managing my fluids and getting to know my 'newly revised' body has been pretty consuming in and of itself! I'm so very, very tired of protein shakes but I will say the Premier have seemed to work best for me and offer the most variety so far, affordably. I don't know if your liquid diet has started yet, but if you have a great love for tomato, corn, peas, pineapple, celery, shrimp, artichoke, broccoli, cauliflower, rhubarb, Grapefruit, pasta, peanut butter, coconut, or steak this would be the time to enjoy them! According to my Bariatric guide, at least, those are considered cautionary foods for quite a while post-surgery. I also wanted to mention what has actually been the biggest help for me personally, as someone who also tends to over-prepare, triple-think, and struggles with both Anxiety and ADHD - there is an app called Finch that has proven to be an absolute life saver. I was feeling a lot of overwhelm leading up to the journey - and I took the long road, as you have, actually going ten months from start to surgery. I wasn't sure how I would actually follow through properly on the dietary restrictions, get myself more active, keep track of the vitamins, focus on the hydration -- and I also had to quit smoking and drinking alcohol. I have no advertising gain by mentioning this app by the way - lol - it has just helped me SO ridiculously much that I try to tell as many folks as I can about it. I was surprised when I mentioned it to my therapist that she already knew about it and said a lot of her patients use it. Finch is a silly game / task oriented app that has a free version which has worked out just fine for me so far. It kind of 'gamifies' making healthy choices, letting you customize your goals like drinking water, taking vitamins, getting out of the house, trying new activities, etc. There are different 'journeys' and 'goals' you can set for yourself - some of the ones I'm doing now are called 'New Year, New You' another one is 'Gratitude' and there is also 'So fresh, so clean'. The 'Nourish my Body' journey has really helped me evaluate the relationship I have had in the past with food and cultivate a better relationship with it moving forward. I know not everyone needs the same kind of encouragements that I do, but for me working through these pre-created goals, being given suggestions on how to interact more with my community, to think about what foods I do and do not enjoy, and prompt me to get more active have made a huge difference. Once you are recovered and looking for physically engaging activities I'd suggest exploring new hobbies like biking, geocashing, and nature photography. Even volunteering as a dog walker at your local humane society might be enjoyable. Best wishes!

So basically, he said last month i was 181 and now im 171. He told me how amazing im doing and now im cleared for fruits and salads!! He assured me that i’d be at my goal weight by next month! Im very happy and smiling more. Today was also my first day at the gym!! Everything is getting better and im happy. (Some acid reflux irritating my throat but i got new meds for it so yup! All smiles)😬

I don't think they do either, my partner is supportive and told me his attraction for me has not left. I asked if he preferred me heavier and he didn't say a peep. I followed up with, well I am not changing, because this is the new me and our kids deserve a mom who is healthy, not a mom who is 300lbs with a climbing weight and cannot keep up with them. He agreed, he just said its different. He met me heavier so me NOW is super new. We had to have a very very long talk, and its continuous but we have been working through it. I think the first 3-4months were the hardest, I lost weight really quick and it was a really big shock to everyone but especially him who touches me and all the things. Intimacy lacked for a bit, So I would agree that keeping that transparency is so important, also being selfish is important too right now.

Speaking of. I didn’t remember my weight on surgery day but I got a little worried about how I was doing with the spirometer and the front desk explained the situation to the NP as a little more dire so they asked me to come in. They checked my lungs while I was there and I’m fine. Just need to keep working at it. Good news is they also checked my weight and between the 16 day liver shrink and pre op diet and the five days I am post op I have lost 16 pounds!!

Weight loss calmed down this week - 1.5lbs. No complaints though after the losses of the week before 🙂 Feeling tired today. Visited family yesterday, 6 hours all together sat in a van and my knees are so unhappy with me. It was our first time to our son’s new home which is a longer drive than his previous place. Will try and be better prepared next time. At least we spent time with the grandkids, which is always wonderful. A NSV yesterday…I bought some (non-stretchy) 3/4 cropped jeans a couple of years ago for £5, telling my daughter-in-law that I would fit in to them eventually. I broke them out yesterday, took the tags off and they fit perfectly!! 🥳🥳 The only downside was that it was far too hot for denim but the point was made 🙃 However DIL recognised them yesterday and was really pleased for me. Hubby has been a bit weird lately. Don’t get me wrong, still as massively supportive as ever but the ‘you will probably leave me when you lose weight’ comments have popped out more than a couple of times. Why do blokes always use this?? I did remind him that I didn’t leave him when I lost weight previously so why would I now? Do they think we’re only with them because we’re too fat to bother looking elsewhere? Jeez, I haven’t got the energy for anyone new, never mind all the stuff you generally do at the beginning of a relationship like shaving my legs or wearing matching underwear 🙄 Anyway, physio for knees tomorrow and Bariatric support group at the hospital on Wednesday. Have remembered to dig out my food diary to complete this week, ready for the dietitians appointment next week. Have a slimmer week everyone, we deserve it 🥰 Onwards and downwards!

@AndreaJD your advice about the weight loss discussion with others is great! I’m definitely using that one and thank you!! Good luck on your surgery tomorrow, like you said, eyes on the prize! @Justarwaxx mine is on the 14th too!! Are you doing the Gastric Bypass as well? I’ve been told I’ll only be in the hospital 1 night… we shall see. Omg, my husband ate pizza for dinner… he was at least nice enough to eat it in another room, but still… i could almost kill for a piece. But again, eyes on the prize. I keep having to remind myself. 2 more days of this and then my life is changing. All our lives are changing for the better, which makes it worth it. You guys stay strong and good luck this week, I know a lot of us are on the roster this week. Be strong and positive vibes everyone!! I look forward to hearing from everyone after their surgery, keep us updated!!

Hi, @Justarwaxx! I'll be only 2 days ahead of you, so we'll be going through this together. I'm nervous and excited, too. Looking forward to being all recovered and starting my new, active lifestyle. Looking forward to not constantly thinking about what I can wear to try to disguise my weight and what people are thinking. I will miss food as a coping and comfort mechanism, but my husband and I are slowly learning how to cook healthy, unprocessed meals. I'm looking at it as an adventure of discovery - what new foods, spices, and ways to prepare them can I discover? I know the next couple weeks will be rough, and the next 3 months will be a marathon slog. I'm ready to tough it out - eyes on the prize!

Yes I think it's good to keep this chat active as it's takes community to remain steadfast! I am there with you about the same amount of weight loss overall had surgery 4/11/24. I think my daily 4am 5 miles crazy lady runs in the mornings has kept me toned loosing. Congrats on your weight loss!

I don't drink diet drinks per se but I love Bubly Grapefruit sparkling water. It’s a refreshing and tangy drink that combines the crisp taste of natural grapefruit with the effervescence of sparkling water. It contains no artificial sweeteners, no calories, and nothing unnatural. It helps keeps me hydrated. I'm kind of the paranoid type when it comes to artificial sweeteners because of the multiple studies showing despite being calorie-free, have shown that they can still interfere with weight management. So I prefer to stick with natural options.

Congrats and I think you'll do just fine. I think you'll lose your weight and be successful. I was like you, I couldn't wait. I was so ready because it was so tough to live the way that I had been living for years beforehand. I had my fears just like everyone else, but I knew deep down this was my only chance to live a normal and healthy life. I had long given up on diets, pills... Etc.

Hi April Surgery buddies how are we doing? How is the weight loss coming?

Yesterday I bought my first “regular” sized clothes in many, many years! (Maybe since high school which would have been 35+ years ago…) I’ve been wearing smaller plus-sized clothes (yes, a range of sizes) that I’ve had in storage from previous weight loss but they are all beginning to get loose too. I’m hoping to make it through summer in them but it was thrilling to find some well-fitting fall items for work. I was shopping with some plus-sized friends who have been very supportive but I didn’t want to make a big deal of it in front of them. Fun to celebrate it here though!

Awesome...I think I will go ahead and give it try! The leg and wrist weights sounds good.

I just started doing this because I can't work out as much as I use to because of how much I work now. We walk 2 miles to the lake, walk around the lake twice, then sit and have a small picnic lunch (that's all the stuff I carry in the backpack - food, drinks, blanket, weights, speaker for music, etc..) then we walk the 2 miles back home. I also wear 2 pound leg weights and 1 pound wrist weights.

I am sure your appointment will go well and you will be all set for 15th. I was the same, with no pre-op diet to follow so I just made sure to enjoy my last few pre-op meals, meeting friends and having drinks in the few weeks lead up and weaning myself off coffee. Of course you will lose weight and you just have to take the time to work on the new you (inside and out) so that you will have the strength and mindset not to get back to where you are now and what lead you to need the surgery. We all hope not to have regain but even a few kg/lbs back on is ok too but try not to focus on a negative like that as positive mindset going forward is the best way to be. Your body will be readjusting and has to find its own level. Over the course of your journey there will be weight losses, gains and stalls and we are all here for you to vent, ask questions etc. 🍀

Hi 👋 currently at the pre op anesthesia appointment with a mild cold and scared my surgery would be postponed (even tho it's for my safety) but I think I am already mentally ready for it so I just want to get it over with. From where j am, there is no pre op diet. I just get into it so I've been having mini food funerals .. I am ready to do it and I'll need ur support because my negative mind gets the best of me. (What if I don't lose weight? What if I regain it all? What if .....) My operation is confirmed for 15th Aug (if I pass the anesthesia today) Wish me luck

Hi, @Hiddenroses, @Mandalynne, and @Singingbarista, I had the same question about whether to tell people or not. I decided to tell my boss (that was a no-brainer, because I want her to know what I'm up to so when I need to take it easy, and when I start to lose weight, she'll know why), and I told my work team. I figured when I start losing weight the rumor mill will start (Does Andrea have cancer??!!) and I wanted them to be able to tell people I'm fine. But that's all the people I told at work, because everybody's got an opinion, and coworkers don't need to be weighing in on my personal medical decisions. I also told my sisters and my Mom. My sisters are totally supportive, even the one who thinks I'm making a mistake. She told me her opinion and hasn't hassled me about it since, she's just been supportive. My mom has said not one word. That's what she does when she doesn't approve, LOL. But that's fine, as long as she doesn't give me grief about it. Oh, and I told my hairdresser, who said her cousin had bariatric surgery and is rocking it. Here's a suggestion. This is what I'm going to do. If people ask me about my weight loss, I'll say that I am going to the MultiCare Center for Weight Loss and Wellness. Or I'm doing medically supervised weight loss. Both are true, end of discussion. I'm not planning to deny having surgery or anything, I'm just planning to not get into it, especially with people who want to share negative opinions. Of course we care what others think, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just this is a personal decision about a condition that everyone can see, but is mega-uncomfortable to talk about. We'll support you whatever decision you make. If you have surgery, as you can see this group is quite supportive and willing to share our experiences.

I don’t believe it really impacted my weight loss at all. I lost at a pretty good, stable & expected rate throughout. Lost all my weight by 6 months and then more. Plus a sachet (or 2 tablets) of hydralyte to make 200ml (I’d dilute it to 500ml/2 cups) is only 12 calories so wasn’t going to have much of an impact on my weight loss especially at the few calorie I was eating then (maybe 300 in months 2&3). Also it’s more important to get fluids in & if a glass of this helps it’s a win. If you track your food just remember to add it to your log to ensure you’re not increasing your caloric intake too much. A couple of extra calories here & a couple more there can add up in a day if you’re not careful. Check with your dietician or team for recommendations if you’re unsure which brand is best for you.

Have you guys did Rucking what do you put in your back packs!! lol ...or do you use a weighted vest?