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Scrapbooking of your weight loss journey, research and document your family history (or history if your town), learn a new language and plan vacation to the country where it is spoken, learn a new skill (playing virtual piano for example), write a novel/poetry/music.

First, congrats on reaching your goal. Woo hoo! Your sugar craving will be head hunger. Unfortunately, cravings, eating from habit, emotional eating, etc. will always be with us. We just have to learn to manage those yearnings & reduce some of their power & that isn’t easy. It’s why many seek the help of therapy. You reached your goal quite quickly after your surgery & may be this has contributed to falling back into old habits. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I mean it’s likely your past habit was lose weight & then revert to your previous eating habits & gain again - mine was - & that habit is trying to return. The changes you made to what you ate, how you ate & why you ate during the weight loss period have to become what, how & why you eat forever if you want to be successful. It’s challenging but so worth the effort. Get the temptations out of your house. Instead have healthier treats that are low sugar, low fat, low carb, high protein in your cupboards. I found doing this very helpful. I have things like freeze dried fruit (naturally occurring sugar & a little crunchy) & nuts (dry roasted & salted) for the odd days I want something a little sweet or little salty. Portion size is very important when I do indulge & I can go for weeks without needing to have any. I hope you can find ways to manage your cravings & don’t be afraid to seek help from a therapist.

I’m home, only stayed at hospital overnight. The surgery was long (4+ hours) due to scarring and adhesions from previous surgeries. Since the surgery started 2 hours late and went over 4 hours, I didn’t get on the floor until 8pm. The surgery went well, hiatal hernia was repaired, pouches size resized to 2 ounces and revision from sleeve to RNY completed. I’ll be on full liquids for the next 2 weeks, which is good bc my throat is very sore and it’s hard to swallow right now (had multiple EGD’s during surgery). I am so happy that I’ve had the revision surgery bc I haven’t had any episodes of GERD! Hopefully I will lose some weight as well. I hope everyone is doing well and have great results!!

Thanks so much Rick. You’re totally correct in worrying about what my surgeon worries about and not to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. After I have done so much reading it all blurs and it’s hard to know what is really needed. I appreciate the reassurance :) I have to go on an optifast diet for 4 weeks prior to surgery to lose some weight and reduce the size of my liver so that will help. Wow a wedding straight after, that’s impressive. Do you mind me asking how long since you had your surgery and what percentage of weight you have lost? Did the surgery curb your hunger cravings? I hear fatigue is common, i will ensure I am hitting the correct protein and nutrient intake. Any other tips? Did this fatigue improve over time? Thanks so much for your help

I have a gastric sleeve. The surgery was last May 3. Since the surgery I lost 41 lbs. My current weight is 254. My highest weight was 316. I'm following my plan. I usually eat for breakfast one egg and a little bit of cheese, for lunch chicken (2 or 3 onces) and the same for dinner. Last week I started to have a snack ( Pure Protein Bar). I used to drink water and sugar free vitamin water. I walk at least 4 times a week maybe 30-45 minutes. I do like Zumba, cardio hitt workouts. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi everyone! Surgery Status: 5 days post-op VSG (7/19 surgery date) Phase: full liquids- mostly just protein waters though Highest known weight: 274 Surgery weight: 264 Current Weight: 254.6 Inch loss: I’m only five days out so I haven’t measured myself yet. I have SO much abdominal swelling from the surgery, that even though I’m losing pounds my belly is bigger than it was before surgery 😞  NSV: not really anything yet- I think I feel happier though 

We may be able to tailor a response to you if you could provide more info. What surgery did you have? How far post op are you? How long since surgery? How much weight have you lost since surgery? What is your current weight? Following your post op guidelines? What do you typically eat in a day? Drinking plenty of fluids? What exercise are you doing? Generally stalls are pretty common and as long as you are following your post op guidelines the scales should catch up eventually.

I had my sleeve on 5/18. In early April, I was 285 pounds and felt every bit of it throughout my body. I woke up every day feeling like I ran a marathon the day before. Amazingly, today is 7/24 and I'm down to 208 pounds. I haven't been this weight for about 22 years. Last week, I had a bad stretch of 3 or 4 days where I wasn't able to eat much and was vomiting. The doctor had me take an extra Omeprazole and I added Famotadine and that really helped the reflux issue. I didn't have much reflux before and wasn't taking the Omeprazole. That was a mistake. I'm doing so much better now.

I've been stall in the same weight for one month. What is wrong? Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m still wearing the same jeans I was pre-surgery…and I’ve lost 31lbs 🤪 Now, they are stretchy jeans, and I have to wear a belt now, but I haven’t stopped wearing them yet. (Judy Blue 16W/14W) I carried more of my weight in the stomach area, and I have certainly lost there. I’m holding out until the Size 13 I bought fit before I give them up.

My VSG on 7/20 reportedly went well, but I had to stay in the hospital an extra day as due to pain and not feeling well, was pumped full of fluids (today, I am still eight pounds higher than my surgery weight, and look pregnant), was discharged on Thursday, went back to the ER on Friday and was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot near where my IV was), and ever since I started trying to add back diluted Protein Shakes yesterday, it's been awful. Every time I tried to take a teeny tiny sip of the diluted Protein Shake, I would burp, my stomach would make horrible noises, and I eventually had to stop (I drank about 2/3 of the bottle between afternoon and evening) because I was fighting so hard not to throw up. I haven't tried a Protein shake today, but the burping and nausea (despite the Zofran I was prescribed) are happening constantly after I take tiny sips of clear fluid. I'm trying to drink protein Water, which is a little better, but I'm still struggling with it. I'm really worried that I can't drink even tiny sips without either burping and/or fighting the urge to vomit. Did this happen to anyone else? Did it go away? I hope this isn't a serious complication.

My surgery on the 20th reportedly went well, but I had to stay in the hospital an extra day as due to pain and not feeling well, was pumped full of fluids (today, I am still eight pounds higher than my surgery weight, and look pregnant), was discharged on Thursday, went back to the ER on Friday and was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot near where my IV was), and ever since I started trying to add back diluted protein shakes yesterday, it's been awful. Every time I tried to take a teeny tiny sip of the diluted protein shake, I would burp, my stomach would make horrible noises, and I eventually had to stop (I drank about 2/3 of the bottle between afternoon and evening) because I was fighting so hard not to throw up. I haven't tried a protein shake today, but the burping and nausea are happening constantly after I take tiny sips. I'm trying to drink protein water, which is a little better, but I'm still struggling with it. Did this happen to anyone else? Did it go away? I hope this isn't a serious complication.

I considered wls for many, many years, but never seriously. When I was a new RN in 1997, it was fairly new and I saw people die from it, so I was always scared of it. I also never had insurance that concerned it, so I knew I'd have to pay out of pocket, and I was overall healthy, so I figured I could do it on my own. I had my son in 2010, and that's when I really started to gain a lot of weight. I had done WW before I got pregnant and had lost 45. I was down to 263. After he was born, the weight started piling on. I was sick all the time and got diagnosed with asthma. I was in pain all the time. My liver enzymes increased slowly year by year, until 2020 when my doctor decided I needed to see a liver specialist. That same January, I had my gallbladder removed and that surgeon offered to biopsy my liver and it showed Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis, with hepatic fibrosis. As a nurse I had seen people die of liver failure and it is awful. This scared me to death. That surgeon recommended wls, and he was one of the only doctors who had ever acted compassionate and non-judgmental about my weight. He told me I had very little chance of losing it and keeping it off on my own. I took his advice and made an appt. That day with a bariatric surgeon. I saw him in March and he recommend gastric bypass. I started getting the required testing and had just had my EGD when the hospital decided to let a bunch of staff go due to COVID. That surgeon was one of them. I decided to go to a different hospital and surgeon and this one recommended Loop DS. I had not heard of it, but he said I was a perfect candidate with a BMI of 69.9 and since I was paying for it myself, as it was a newer procedure that insurance didn't usually cover. I researched it and decided to go with it. My high weight was 393 pounds. I am 5'3". I was 368.8 on the day of my surgery, July 23, 2020. As of today I am 226.4. I never thought I'd be even close to this weight again. I am hoping to lose at least 200 pounds total. I am getting close. I was close to borderline diabetic, had just been diagnosed with hypertension, and had liver disease. I could barely get around or keep up with my active 10 year old son. My hypertension is gone, my blood glucose is normal, and my liver enzymes are now normal, so I have reversed my fatty liver disease. I turn 50 on August 2nd and this will be the best birthday ever! I am so happy I had this surgery! I can't get my befores to post right now but I'll put them here once I do. Here is me today. Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you so much. I wondered if I needed an scan for them to see how big my liver is and to be able to see the surgery is doable? But hey, I’m new to this so was just wondering if anyone else did? When you say beverages go right through you, are you on the toilet straight after? Eating after the first few weeks is understandable and I’m not planning on eating in front of people for a while after surgery. How long was it until you could go out and socialise without worrying about being sick or anything? I’m guessing you felt tired due to lack of food? Nutrients? I know you have to take vitamins for life. Did the tired feeling wear off? How do you feel now? Post surgery? Was it all worth it? Have you managed to keep the weight off? Do you still crave food even though you feel full quicker?? Thanks again :)

I developed severe GERD and esophagitis due to the sleeve. Weight loss was good, no stretching of the sleeve either in 6-7 years.

I'm still pre-op, but I can't wait to get rid of these gigantic clothes. I understand the superstitious resistance, since I hung onto maternity clothes long after they had gone out of style because I was afraid I'd end up pregnant again. But regain this weight again, after so much effort and risk? Nope, not gonna happen. This wardrobe will be history.

I didn’t try anything for a few weeks but found my orgasms were actually more intense! Something to do with circulation being improved with losing weight, maybe?

That makes me so happy to hear, I too was afraid to tell my surgeon, but he called once he found out just to assure me everything would be fine. He said even though it isn’t ideal because they wanted the weight to be off first, all the other patients that have gone through this had healthy babies. Congratulations on the birth and weight loss, thanks for responding

Insurance just recently informed me I had to show a current A1c & I had to have proof of 5 more Dr visits before they will approve. Dr office said same but it has to also be a total of 6 months not 3 months. So I did my blood work & talked with my Primary Care about 5 past visits where we discussed my weight & what I needed to do; they are submitting that info & my blood work. Fingers crossed & with God on my side, I pray I have an update next week... [emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120] Sent from my LM-Q730 using BariatricPal mobile app

I got home from VSG surgery yesterday. Here's my story: July 22nd I arrived for my surgery. They told me that Dr. Selim was running about two hours behind -not his fault, it had something to do with the way the people scheduled things. They put the IV which pinched a bit and gave me a shot in my stomach to prevent blood clots. I'm pretty sure they also took some blood. Around 2:30 I had my surgery. The pain was at most at a 3. The pain was in my upper chest right in the center. They said it was the gas. Around 7:00 I was able to suck on ice with no problems. Later they brought me the best lemonade I ever had! LOL I was able to sip the lemonade with no problems. After reading all these posts here, I knew I'd have to take tiny sips. I never got nauseous. I never threw up. I walked around at about 8:00. I was able to urinate on my own. I didn't sleep well - I was uncomfortable but not in pain. Every time I had to urinate they had to unhook me from the oxygen thing and the IV. At some point in the night they gave me a GasX to chew and a few hours later something for Acid Reflux. Around 4:00 a.m. she asked if I wanted something for pain and although I wasn't in any pain, I had hoped it would put me to sleep. I slept in 30 minute increments. Each time I woke up --I was able to walk with no problems. Around 6 in the morning, they brought me half a cup of broth. I walked to the door 5 times, took a sip, walked to the door 5 times, took a sip...and so on till it was all gone. I was able to have the broth and still work on that yummy lemonade with no problems. Hubby came to bring me home around noon. We live about 45 minutes from the hospital. It was a hot Louisiana day. I could feel the warmth on my face and it was nice. It had been so cold in the hospital room. We got home and he made some soup. It was so good --I strained it so I didn't even get the little specks of spices he put in it. It was hot n spicy like I like it. I weighed myself, I had gained 3 pounds!!!! But then.....I realized my face was hot. I was running a fever. 99.9 I got scared. The papers say to call the Dr's office if you have a fever over 101.5, so I took some Tylenol and fell asleep. Today (2 days after surgery) I'm fine. No pain at all but still uncomfortable in certain positions. I normally sleep on my left side and I am unable to that right now. Still feeling a bit feverish off and on but never as high as 101.5. I cannot begin to write all the crazy things that have gone through my head. Maybe I can write about that later. I haven't worn the abdominal binder yet -- when do people normally start wearing it? Also --would love to hear about those other two on here who had theirs the same day as me.

Hi Maribelle76, I have read a few stories like yours on this forum and so it seems not uncommon for people to put on weight or hold fluid after surgery. I personally lost weight quite slowly in between weeks 2 and 6 post op and then it seemed to really kick in more after that. Everyone is different and will react differently but if you are following everything to plan then it will happen, just give yourself time to heal and for your body to catch up. I like to measure myself each month and that way I can see the centimeters drop off and know that something is happening even if the scales may not reflect it as much. Take care and good luck with it all

Congratulations Abby, hope you’re recovery is going really well. It’s a great feeling to see the weight go down so quickly in the beginning and makes any pain or discomfort feel worth it. Looking forward to hearing about your journey as it progresses and if you ever have any questions, this is a great forum.

You can do it Tierra, look how far you have come already!! I had a pair of pants that I was working towards and now they are too big lol!! So I got myself a dress that I really love but is way too tight and am now working towards fitting into that. I think it’s great to have goals other than weight goals to work towards. The other thing I find motivating is to measure myself each month and celebrate the inches lost.

Sleeved 07/07/21 2 weeks / 3 days out Weighed today Lost 15# since surgery date [emoji3060]

I don't post here much, though I do check in quite a bit to see what others are and have experienced during their journey. Lately I have seen a number of people "on the fence" about whether or not to go through with WLS, so I thought I would share my story in hopes it will help make the decision easier and / or more informed. This is a personal decision and the journey is different for everyone. I am a 5'4" 43 year old female and underwent the Gastric Sleeve surgery back in January 2021. I have struggled with my weight all if my life. I was always the "curvy" girl throughout my adolescent years. After having 2 kids, I weighed around 200 pounds. I went on every yo-yo diet you could think up. I had some successes, and lost and gained hundreds of pounds over the past 20 years. Each time I gained it back, I weighed more than when I started. Eventually I kind of gave up and "accepted" that I was never going to be at a healthy weight. I was tired, and sick and tired of the constant battle. I started having numerous health condition and was put on multiple medications. About a year and a half ago, I weighed around 240 pounds and was climbing. My doctors told me I needed to do something. In addition to the health issues, I was so depressed, that I was missing out on everything in life. I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything, partially because I physically felt awful, partially because I didn't want anyone to see me.. Finally someone recommended WLS. I was shocked. I didn't even know it was an option for me. After doing a lot of homework, and meeting with several doctors I decided to do it. It was time to take my life back. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered my insurance would not cover it. Long story short, I was able to work it out so that I could still do the surgery as a "self pay". I knew it would be a small price to pay for a better quality of life. Because I wasn't going through insurance I didn't have all of the hoops to jump through. So I was scheduled fairly quickly. And due to Covid I was cancelled. And then cancelled again. Finally in January I had the procedure done. Other than having to have a hernia repaired, I had zero complications. Six months later I am down to a much healthier 140 pounds. I have never been happier and healthier. Yes, it has been a rough road. This is not an easy or "magic" fix. The recovery was painful. I dont eat sugar, or bread or pasta or a number of other foods I love. I can't "chug" water like I used to. My portion sizes are quite small. I am very uncomfortable if I "over eat" or drink. I had multiple stalls and got discouraged. I don't go out to restaurant's much. My hair fell out for about 3 months. I have to take vitamins every day. I had several "what have I done" moments along the way. But I know now that it was the best decision I have ever made. I don't have to take ANY medications anymore. I have so much energy, and I live a full and happy life. Oh and I got to buy an amazing new size 6 wardrobe! My husband tells me I am a completely different person, physically, and emotionally. My only regret is not doing this years ago. Someone asked me the other day "how long do you have to do this for?" and my answer was "forever". This is not something I am "doing", this is a life long commitment. I am never going back to where I was. If you go into it with a mindset that this is temporary then not only are you going to be disappointed, but you will likely be one of those people that gains it all back in a few years. I am posting a couple of pictures as inspiration of what is possible. I know I scoured the internet for before and after shots every time I felt discouraged or needed some extra motivation. If anyone has questions they want to ask feel free to message me! I don't know it all or have all the answers I can only tell you about my personal experiences. Sent from my SM-N976U using BariatricPal mobile app