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Hey! I've put on 2lbs this week, but I'm putting it down to the stress of moving house (I'm currently in the packing/clearing out stages) and not making room for exercise. I'm also officially back onto solid, normal foods so I'm assuming there will probably be some weight gain there too.

I am 4 months post op (tomorrow) and I am noticing that I need to start figuring out what works for me as a sustainable plan for the rest of my life. For now, I am working on intuitive eating combined with still logging my food. I am choosing to still log my food (in MFP) so that I have an understanding of how often I am feeling true hunger and also to understand the correlation between what my body is needing and why. I think logging/journaling is a good way to gain insight and help refine areas that need adjusting. Up until now, the weight loss has been easy, but I am starting to notice trends (mainly related to my menstrual cycle) and I want to nip the bad habits and reinforce the good habits. It is an interesting time post op. You get quite an education on your mind/body connection. My biggest advice is when you start to notice a trend you don't like, start finding the tools to deal with it. Use the time post op to really get an idea of how your body works and get in tune with what your body needs. The immediate post op is a great time to really reset and adjust so that you are successful for the rest of your life!

I love the idea! I have clothes in my closet up to 3 sizes down in jeans and 4 sizes down in tops. Its only been 3.5 months and I'm almost at the smallest size in tops ( I think I should be able to wear them comfortably in a month or so) but in the jeans I was an 18 and barely fit on the 14 and the 16 is loose. Your clothes will fit differently even if they are the same size you were before. I will wait at least a month after surgery to buy something to incentivize you especially if you have clothes that will fit in the meantime. I do shop here and there (cheap clothes) because I believe I do better when I wear clothes that fit me better and project some confidence. I have bought stuff in a smaller size with the idea of fitting by month 6, but somehow they fit even if the weight on the scale hasn't shift much.

So I am 10 days post op from self pay Mexico sleeve— I stopped my HRT one week ahead of surgery, but am curious of what your teams have advised on restarting HRT (patches). I have a call into my doctor, but would like to hear your thoughts on it… Did you lower your dose when you lost weight? Start at the same dose prior to surgery? Etc? Any info appreciated related to the Hormone replacement patch. I had a hysterectomy in November 2022, and have been on HRT a year prior— still have ovaries but at 52 I doubt they are helping!

Also goodwill/op-shop fan! All my favourite clothing items are thrifted. I absolutely bought an incentive item - a vintage 1990s leather jacket in a size AU12 (US 8). It felt super risky because of ALL the years of buying something "to fit into when I lose weight" only to never lose said weight, so even with surgery I still had that doubt programmed into my brain. However, I was able to fit into it when I was around the 80kg mark, and now it's big enough that I can wear a jumper underneath with ease. I adore it! However, while losing, I bought second-hand/thrifted jeans off ebay. No point spending money when you're losing, it's like spending top dollar on toddlers clothing! Waste of money because the window of time you can wear inbetween sizes is like... a month or two? Plus you can pass them all back to goodwill afterwards. I bought a small pair of trousers from one thrift store that were much too small just before I hit goal. They now fit with room to spare! This is the one that shocked me, I thought I'd never get into them and was prepared to send them on!

Oh this is very common & will be something you will face during your weight loss & sometimes, though less often once you’ve stabilised. Add some soluble, non swelling fibre to your shakes & then other fluids as you progress. I used Benefibre. Try to keep on top of your constipation. I took a stool softener if I hadn’t gone after three days. But remember you aren’t eating much so there’s not much to poop so only going every two days is okay for a few months. While a stool softener worked for me some do need much more aggressive treatments. Have a chat with your medical team for alternatives. There are prescription meds you can take & many swear by milk of magnesia. All the best.

You have very good reasons for having the surgery & questions & doubts about progressing are common. It’s surgery. It changes your digestive system. There is a period of healing & recovery. To be successful for the long term, you will have to make changes to how, what & why you eat & your relationship with food. The months post surgery give you time to work through all of this & certainly therapy, as @SleeverSk suggested, can be very helpful. The surgery also gives you time to develop better eating habits & routines like being more mindful. Will you forget & take a too big sip or bite or eat too quickly? Yes it will happen but your body soon tells you & you’re usually extra careful after the experience. Often all you’ll experience is just discomfort but occasionally foamies or vomiting. Complications after surgery aren’t common and many are related to pre existing conditions or predispositions. The risks are lower for bariatric surgeries than many other common surgeries. I used to control almost all my reflux with dietary choices before surgery (no spicy, fatty or rich food, little carbonation & reduced caffeine) which is why I had sleeve. I still have reflux but it is different & I need meds every day which I didn’t before. I hate taking tablets & often forget. Multi vitamins always make me nauseous but my bloods are good & I don’t need to take them anymore though some sleevers still do. Just depends on your diet & absorption for us. But it is a necessity after bypass as malabsorption of calories (& therefore nutrients) is how it contributes to your weight loss. Dumping can occur with bypass (about 40% chance I think) but if you discover you have it it is simply a matter of avoiding fats or sugars as they are the usual culprits. Some even find they can eat small amounts as time passes. You can also have it with a sleeve but it is less common (30%??). The average weight loss with sleeve & bypass is about the same 65% +/- of the weight you have to lose to put you in a healthier weight range. Some lose more some lose less. Make a list of your questions to discuss with your surgeon. They’re best placed to answer them in relation to your specific needs, health status/issues & weight loss/gain history. All the best whichever surgery you have.

Wow what a bummer! Especially from Target, I definitely wouldn't spend the $70 on that as there's a chance you will only fit in those for WEEKS. It's a cool idea but definitely go cheap! I used to wear 3/4x clothes, bought 1x to enjoy my weight loss & left it behind in 2 months. I'm now down to Mediums & regret spending that $$ on the XL's!

I had the sleeve done 8 years ago. Highest weight of 272 and currently 164. Sent from my SM-A135U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Yeah, I had clothes in my closet that I already owned but were too small when I was at my heaviest (I think sizes 18-22) and I completely missed my window to fit into them when I was losing weight.

I’m down 36 pounds from my post-op

I'm rounding the corner to my March 16 surgery date and have been on the diet for two weeks (I started a few days early to give myself some rope). *My* scale says I'm down 17 lbs from my highest weight but of course I don't believe it because my doctor's scale is always a +4lb difference - old thinking patterns creeping in. 🥴 I feel a lot better and it is noticeable to others and my clothes fit better.

I wouldn't recommend spending a lot of money on incentive clothing because you'll probably lose weight so quickly that no size will fit for very long (until your weight stabilizes as you stop losing). Also, you deserve clothes that fit your body no matter what your size. I feel like I have noticed a lot more body positivity in clothing in the last few years -- I love stores that show the same item of clothing on models of different sizes so you can see how it looks on someone close to your own size.

March 1st marked 1 year since my revision due to damage caused by acid reflux. I lost an additional 30 pounds which was a big bonus and put me into the healthier weight range. The damage caused by the reflux to my esophagus has healed. Sent from my SM-A135U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Ok, first surgery does not equal permanent weight loss it is a tool that assists you to lose weight. Heartburn every now and then because of what you eat can be controlled by your diet and to have surgery to prevent that probably isn't necessary. My fear of getting the sleeve was reflux as I already was on meds for it but it has improved even with a sleeve. It gets niggley if I eat to much or the wrong foods and drinks. I chose the sleeve because I didn't want to be taking vitamins everyday as I never remember to take supplements and I just didn't want to have to. The only time I made myself sick was after scoffing down a cinnamon scroll it was painful for hours and I vomited but that is the only time. But you don't forget you have had surgery, you might try to push the boundaries but you don't forget and most times your body will remind you . Possible dumping is something you need to be aware of too with a bypass. If you are binge eating you would certainly benefit from some counselling and I certainly wouldn't go into surgery without it. Surgery gives some of us a huge wake up call on how much we relied on food for comfort etc which can lead to other issues with your mental health. It doesn't happen often but there have been a few posts where people have had surgery and just haven't coped mentally so you need to keep that in mind to. Talk to your surgeon and his or her team I am sure they will give you the information and assistance you need prior to surgery

So I saw this TikTok where instead of recording your pre & post-surgery weight, you buy a pair of jeans that you hope to fit into (like a couple sizes down) every so often. This helps you see tangible results and hopefully mitigate some of the body dysmorphia, at least better than numbers on a scale can. My surgery is on Thursday so I went to Target to buy my "incentive jeans" for my first milestone. This is the#1 store where I've wanted to buy from - off the rack - because it's usually my style AND I've seen them be more inclusive with sizes in the past couple of years. I've seen sizes 18 & 20 on the rack in the normal trendy section so I was really excited to go get my "incentive jeans" (I'm between a size 22/24 and was going for size 18)... So as luck would have it, I go to Target today and they apparently went back to small sizes, large majority of the clothing was size 10 and under... I found ONE pair of size 18 that I didn't like that much that was hidden away in a corner and they were $70 and I just.... Sighhh. My mind couldn't let me 'go there' for $70. All I could think was that I'm wasting $70 because I literally cannot conceive of myself that 'small' anymore. I guess that's a good argument to buy the jeans but all it did was plant fear and doubt in my head. So no real reason for posting this other than to kvetch about Target being jerks and to acknowledge where my mind is at pre-surgery. I don't think it'll ever stop shocking me how much this world hates fat people. Even corporations will risk profits just so they don't have to put plus size clothing on the rack! Bonkers.

Hi, I am 52, 6 feet tall and weigh around 315 (at my heaviest I was around 365). I am thinking about getting surgery because I am starting to feel the effects to my health. 2 Years ago I lost about 100 pounds by dieting and exercise and got down to about 264 (I will also admit that I had just gotten a divorce and was suffering through that at the same time, so that was probably a contributing factor to me losing weight at that time). Since then I have put on half of it and struggle with binge eating daily. I would like to get surgery as I would like to permanently lose weight and improve my overall health. I am thinking of bypass because I do have heartburn every now and again, but mainly when I eat badly. Things that I am concerned about : 1. Complications of bypass surgery. What if I forget that I had surgery and have a huge bite of a steak ? Does that happen ? Or a huge glass of water that I chug down ? 2. Taking vitamins every day, forever. I guess I am just really nervous about this but know that I need to do it. I have my first consultation on the 23rd of March. Is there any advise you can give me that will help me decide ? Thank you!

We've been on 9 Carnival cruises and 1 Royal Caribbean. We took a "carnival break" last year just to check out another line just to see what we were missing - seems not much. We like Carnival better, at least better than RC. We're booked on the Dream from Galveston for a 6 day (now that we've done an 8 day, a 6 day is a tease but it was free, well, with taxes, port charges, and gratuities, not really free, but the room with a window and drinks in the casino are free, so we couldn't say no!). And yes, every cruise I've ever been on has a huge variety of WLS friendly food to choose from. I'm not a HUGE fan of the buffet but we've eaten there occasionally (like when u first board, they corral you there with ur luggage when u first board until ur room is ready). U can always pick at the salad bar and some fish or chicken. We always eat bfast and dinner in the dining room, as I enjoy getting served - that's the whole cruise experience for us. We usually do the steak house once also. And the menu is varied (Carnivals menu is usually the same all the time, however - and that part DOES suck, I wish they changed it up a bit for the people who enjoy their cruises so much! It'd be nice to have a varied menu over the years! lol). But over the course of the cruise from day to day, it's always different. And whats cool about Carnival that I enjoy is they always have something "weird" to try (Ox Testicles, Frog, Snails, Alligator, etc). I always try it. Why not? You only live once. Oh, and btw - you may not enjoy the ox nards! But the alligator is worth it! And the portions aren't huge cuz u can always ask for 2nds (my husband asks for 3rds sometimes on lobster nite! Sometimes he asks me to ask for more, cuz he's too embarrassed to ask for even more!). Lunch is usually either while we're in port or in one of many specialty places (Guy Fieri burger joint, Blue Iguana burrito place, pizza, sushi, etc. Or even room service. Or we may have just eaten a later bfast and are not hungry and skip lunch altogether. We play it by ear. We're not that couple that eats our way thru a cruise that comes out gaining 20 lbs. For sure. The only thing that gets weighed on the scale in the gym on the nite before debarking is our luggage to make sure its not overweight if we have to fly the next day and we don't hafta pay more for it! lol So, have fun! But not too too much fun! There's plenty of healthy safe food to eat on a cruise, both on and off the ship. Just like in the "real world". Just pace yourself. Just watch those beverages also - those can be the death of u! Not only can they be laden with a ton of calories but they can make you feel invincible, like you can eat anything and get away with it! Have so much fun! And if you choose Carnival - AVOID THAT MILE LONG CHOCOLATE BAR THEY PUT ON! It's a trap! lol Marci

Definitively check with your team about what activity they recommend you start & when. There usually are differences in these requirements surgeon to surgeon but generally walking is the go to from when you’re in hospital. Then your recovery, current fitness & health status are usually considered. But listen to your body as lethargy & periods of low energy are common for a couple of months. Personally I was a no exercise person while losing. Didn’t affect my weight loss. Now I only do about 25 mins of stretches, use some resistance bands & some sit ups & do them over two or three sessions usually every day. More for my back & for general toning. Wouldn’t burn 30 calories. But it is a personal choice what & how much you do for your needs.

Echoing what Liveabord and Catwoman said! I got a smart scale from Amazon. Very helpful for those weeks when the number on the scale doesn't change, but maybe your bone or muscle mass increased and fat went down. Or your water weight increases, mine is still low post op. Also, from previously tracking my many diet attempts, it was never in a smooth linear line. One particularly regimented diet that I followed religiously, I lost 3 lbs every 3 weeks. Not a pound a week, but literally nothing for 2 weeks, then 3 lbs. It followed that pattern for 5 months until I stopped. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1UX8RW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

check with your clinic. They probably have guidelines - and it may depend on your individual situation as well. I was allowed (and in fact, encourage) to walk the first month. At four weeks out, I was cleared for everything except for weights. at eight weeks out, I was cleared for weights.

I feel worried that I'll start gaining weight again now that I can eat pureed/soft food.

Hello Everyone, today I learned that my surgery is scheduled for March 22 2023![emoji258][emoji3059][emoji4]🤎[emoji173][emoji253] I am so excited ready mentally and physically. Is anyone else going to surgery on the 22nd?My weight is 242 lbs. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

You lost a lot of weight hopefully, I lose that much with a sleeve, I'm 230 as well.

Yup the Clean Plate Club gets me now too. The weird thing is that before surgery I could have cared less, I would eat until I'm full. Now I make a small portion about a half cup size and I want to finish it all even if I honestly can't. I get a little depressed when I can't finish the last 2 or 3 bites. It's definitely a mental game. I'm just getting to the point that people are noticing my weight loss. I deflect it as much as I can or change the subject mid sentence again only if I can.