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I have been wanting WLS for years but my husband always would say “just stop eating so much and you’ll lose weight!” DUH!! And like a fool, I put it off for years. This time I had all my pre-op testing and had a surgery date before I told him! He again tried to persuade me to NOT have the surgery - but I did it on 10/10/18 and I feel great! He eventually got on board (he didn’t have a choice) and he has been supportive now!

Well. It happened. Someone (online) said to me "seems like dieting and exercising would have just been easier" in response to a convo I was having with other bypass/vsg patients. I wrote this long snarky reply along the lines of "WOW! I never considered that once in the 10 years I've been super morbidly obese and struggling with eating disorders since I was a child! You could have saved me SO much time and money!" etc etc. And then started explaining energy expenditure rates between bypass patients and dieters. But then I deleted it. UGH. WTF do people truly think? That we just wake up one day and decide, without ever attempting to lose weight via other means, that you just jump into the OR and have 95% of your stomach chopped off? I mean WTF. Sorry, but it is so hard to bite my tongue, but I did. And I am proud of myself for not engaging. lol. Not something I do regularly. My mother was like this, too, pre-op. She just hammered that I never *really* tried and that if I stuck to a diet for years I would *eventually* lose the weight, albeit being completely and utterly miserable and at-risk for rebound weight gain exponentially higher than WLS patients, etc. You all know the stats. BUT, I did argue back and forth with her. She never supported it, but is really my only family and pretends to be supportive now. When I have problems she blows them way out of proportion, but generally has cooled her jets about the whole thing. She tries. Do you guys ever engage with the "why didn't you just diet and exercise" people? Or just roll your eyes so far in the back of your head they get stuck there for a while? Sometimes I feel like I want to educate, but I also know it's a lost cause.

And haven't I told you, very few of MY relatives would I choose as friends. And when you were this size before you were younger. When I was my current size before I didn't think I looked too shabby, now I just look weary and 😟 worried, but got to believe 2019 may bring answers to All my questions. Watching for a Beautiful Sunrise Soon!

My surgeon says that the ‘soda Can stretch your pouch’ is a myth - why would it stretch your pouch when there is an easy exit (burping)!! And heavy overeating is the stretch culprit! Anyway, I was a huge soda (and then, when I got fat, diet soda) drinker. Not I drink carbonated water from a sodastream, and add lemon slices or watermelon bits or occasionally 10% low sugar cranberry juice as a flavour. No stomach stretching at all, one year out!

Congratulations! I was also given a date in February 2019. But I was told by surgeons staff that insurance has not approved yet. Is this the norm? Sent from my moto e5 supra using BariatricPal mobile app

Is it a physical feeling to want to drink? Or a deliberate attempt to fill your tummy? Perhaps measure out the water you need to drink each day...into about 8 to 10 containers, only drink one per hour but pace yourself in that hour, make sure you don't consume it all in the first 10 or so minutes.

I do about 13k steps a day and stand 8-10 hours at work. Constantly moving. So I naturally thought eat less calories and burn more. I do about 13k steps a day and stand 8-10 hours at work. Constantly moving. So I naturally thought eat less calories and burn more. I was also under the impression that I wasn’t to go over 400 calories

Managed to get a shake down today. Went with the orange cream HPMR done in the magic bullet with some added ice. So happy it went down okay. Able to do about 4oz of soup (blended to death) so I could actually have dinner with my family. Things are looking up! We got this you guys! 2019 is going to be our year!

I had scrambled eggs 10 Days out only a half a teaspoon lol

Everyone is different. My mom had hers the day of Thanksgiving and 4 days post op other then not being able to bend over without discomfort she felt fine, in fact she felt so good that she over did it and pulled something in her stomach and had to be put out of work for even longer. Myself though, I didn't even leave the house until day 5 (because it was Christmas) and by 5pm I felt exhausted and I could barely stay away. I also had to sleep on my couch because sleeping in my bed was absolutely painful. I slept in my bed the first time last night with minimum discomfort. I went to wal-mart to do some shopping today and I was there about 40 minutes and only the last 5-10 minutes of the trip. I find getting in and out of the car has gotten easier too. I'll be honest I haven't taken any pain meds since I got home from the hospital because they were making me throw up. They also didn't give me liquid they gave me pills and it's awful to swallow I choke on them. Today has been my best day by far. I even cleaned up some mess from the Christmas chaos yesterday. My doctor said the best way to heal is to get up and move. Take it slow but don't be a couch potato all day. It can only go up from here!

Mine is 2/7/19😁

I was constantly told to lose weight by doctors but WLS was never suggested. I should have had the surgery 10-15 years ago, and the stigma absolutely pushed me away from it. I was ashamed that I couldn't do it on my own I guess...and yet I didn't think a bit less of anyone else who had it. I am only 7 weeks out but I can already tell that I made the right decision and I wish I would have done it sooner instead of spending my youth obese, unhealthy and unhappy. I missed out on so many things because of my obesity. I don't see this changing in the near future, at least not in the United States. People are extremely judgemental and have a punitive attitude when it comes to medical intervention. You see that attitude not only toward obesity but also addiction, pain management and mental illness. I get enraged every time I see someone post something on social media about "You don't need antidepressants, you need running shoes." People think if they just eat enough kale and do enough crossfit that there is no need for a flu shot. People are even judgemental when it comes to cancer! I am all for natural remedies when possible but I am incredibly grateful to live in an age of modern medical interventions and I will absolutely use any tools I can to make myself healthier and happier.

I'm almost 5 years post op, I will tell you that you're right around the point where most of the inflammation is gone, it likely isn't stretch it's just that the inflammation is gone down. This is when most people realize they are eating more. Eating until you puke doesn't necessarily mean something is WRONG, you're just pushing yourself beyond what is now your capacity. Now it's a matter of self-control more than anything. I met this point right around 10 months post op as well. It gets hard now, but you can do it. Definitely start seeing the NUT regularly and attend support groups, etc. You got this!

Any sleevers going to Blossom Bariatrics in the next couple of months (2019)?

Challenge Starting weight: 256.9 Current weight lost: Unknown. Will weight tomorrow! Losing or maintaining weight: losing Fitness/exercise goal: I bought this awesome desk elliptical thingy called Cubii jr. I love it! I use it at my desk all day. I'm gonna have legs like Tina Turner! I also do upper body weight training with resistance bands. Total weight loss at the end of challenge: (Post January 1st 2019) Check in: Tell us how you are doing - (How is your diet and exercise plan going? Any struggles? Stress level? What have you overcome? Any strategies that have helped) Alright dog, what had happend was....CHRISTMAS! You want to know what I did for two days straight? No i didn't eat sweets. Didn't take a sip of egg nog. Didn't even lick pie off my wife's fingers. (A decision I regret deeply) No, none of that stuff! What I did do however, was eat more rice then I have possibly eaten in my life. Not not Black rice, not even brown. In fact the only color evolved with said rice was the guy on the box. No ladies in gents, the culprit was plain, Old. White. Rice. With copious amounts of garlic and onions. I mean whyyy Sin? Whhyyy! Now I'm stuck feeling as bloated as the national debt, and have gotten to know my toilet bowl very well. I'm even on first name bases with the one here a work, Man f**k rice!

Hi everyone ! Lets keep the momentum going! January challenges help start the year off right! Info needed: Surgery status, losing/maintaining, weight, goal (challenge specific) Start Jan 2nd -Starting weight End Feb 1st - Ending weight To kick it up notch there will be incentives!!! From a city I have a complicated relationship with lol... shhhhh, it's a surprise for the winners Adding a few fun rules I found on Instagram (follow her!) you can throw in to maximize participation!!! Let's keep it fun!!! Stay engaged and accountable. Participate as much as you like! Even pre ops can participate with the 30 Day Challenge rules as well! Allons y !!!

Shockingly neither my regular doctor nor my cardiologist ever suggested WLS. I’m 5’7” and have been over 300lbs for over 10 years. (Highest weight was 365). When I mentioned it to both of them (needed clearance from both for the surgery) they were both onboard right away. I wonder why they never mentioned it to me themselves. Maybe male doctors feel weird bringing WLS up to their female patients?!??

9 pounds until goal!!! Edited to add - I know my ticker says 19 pounds to goal, but I think 140 will be too small for me. so I am choosing 150 as my goal But man, what a difference! Loving my new life. I think 50 looks pretty good on me!

Hi checking in Challenge Starting weight: My current weight is IDK. I'm in vacation, from the scale alsi Current weight lost: I was actually up a lb Losing or maintaining weight: no clue Fitness/exercise goal: I wanted to start some type of squat challenge but I will wait until I can find a good one. I woukd like to start going to the gym more since I pay for it anyway so I should start there Total weight loss at the end of challenge: (Post January 1st 2019) Check in: Tell us how you are doing - (How is your diet and exercise plan going? Any struggles? Stress level? What have you overcome? Any strategies that have help) nothing different for me, eating mostly the same choices plus celebratory cake, I'm traveling and that is stressful but so is Bird Box.

Congrats on weight loss! I am lower BMI, self pay and did the sleeve Dec 20, hoping for good results, am down 12lbs since last week. I do love to work our though and am keen to get back to spin and yoga sonhoping I am healed enough to do light spin in a week to 10 days . I know working out and particularly weight work really help - thanks for sharing

Hi “Twins”! I am 10 AM tomorrow 12/26 💕Good Luck looking forward to this journey !

Christmas 2017 vs. Christmas 2018. Lost 70 lbs. sleeved 10/17/18

September 5th, 2018 at 7 Am EDT. I believe I started having stricture symptoms at 2 weeks, I was either ignored or poo-pooed, Oh you're just swollen, give yourself a chance to heal, you have had major surgery, You can trust us, we have your best interests at ❤, we know more about recoveries than YOU do et cetera et cetera. Finally at a full month out, largely to shut me up, they scheduled a upper endoscopy with Dr Noria, my surgeon's partner who LOVES doing endoscopies, yep she Really Does! And who was right? ME ME ME! Those nurses might have had the fancee shamancee degrees but I have lived in this body a Long Time, I Knew something was not adding up right. She started me on ulcer medicine, told me to stay on this full liquid diet until SHE told me I could move on , normally she and her partner Dr Needleman progress bypass patients to Stage 3, puree and some finely chopped if they can handle it at 2 weeks out. a Well since my pouch , I call her Precious Pouch for many reasons , had stenosed, that with the ulcers made me an atypical patient. Stenosis means the normal opening that had been made between my pouch and small intestine had swelled and narrowed until only liquids could pass through. And that at a slow rate of speed, I had and still have 2 ulcerations within the pouch and multiple ulcerstions on the back wall of the jejunem, the portion of the small intestine the pouch drains into. Was scoped October 12th,26th, November 9th, 28th. At that point I was hospitalized. because nothing in there was showing any signs of healing. The end of October she asked if I smoked, nope never, neither does my son, so I cannot be in the presence of an active smoker or one with smoke on their clothes. I have on a jelly wristband that states Secondhand Smoke Kills" because in my case it could! On the morning of the 29th, after a discussion. that I was protein deficient from my limited diet, could not ingest the 90-120 grams. of protein needed for tissue repair, could still measure my food intake in Tablespoons instead of Ounces, I would need to go on Total Parenteral Nutrition or commonly TPN and a PICC LINE would be installed in my upper left arm that afternoon so I could receive sufficent protein and also for Life Sustainment. I was pretty malnourished at that point although I had been trying my level best. And much as I hate to admit it I did start to feel more like the Former Frustr8 within a day or 2. Still stayed for a week before my dismissal, had to regulate me , I was been fed 12,on , 12 off in the hospital, those were electric pumps, at home my pump is battery- powered so 14 on, 10 off, didn't like it much at first, I can be a prideful red-headed person, like to think I can do everything for myself, hard to accept help. I now know before the 1960s, I would possibly had a nasogastric tube or slowly starved to death, unless my ulcers perforated or my 73 year old tomorrow ❤ stopped beating. Your own mortality is a fearsome thing to contemplate. So whatever must be, must be. And not much use to cry, it turns your 👀 red, your nose runs and not many people give a Good Gol--durn in the first place. Maybe when I get to Heaven God will let me sit on His Lap, I ache to cuddle someone and be told Everything Will Be Okay💦😪💦

These recipes sounds great ! Does anyone know if it is ok to do a soup like this on 5 days post op ? I am liquids for 10 more days before puree

Well I wanted quick healing and to get on with life. Oh I was going to exercise, eat a proper bariatric diet, NoBody told me I would have a PICC LINE in my upper left arm, be fed 14 out of 24 hours 7 days a week TPN and no scheduled termination. Maybe the end of January, maybe into February? March will be my Six month Surgiversity, surely not THAT LONG? Mind you I will retain it as long as Drs Needleman and Noria say so, but this was not the "paint by number masterpiece" I was planning all along. I wanted to go to Kings Island and Cedar Point in 2019, maybe the Ohio Statehouse, do I show up with my backpack , battery pump and bag of feeding fluid. I'll be right there with the people on oxygen and tubes in their moses, and when they finally remove it, will I have a permanent scar on my upper left arm? Not really That Vain but people might think I had skin cancer or they removed a small tattoo on there. But it is what it is, and although the Good Times aren't Rolling maybe they are Still Ahead?