Search the Community

So I follow this fitness guru who’s very very well read on everything health and fitness. His client success stories are insane and what they all have in common is that they keep the weight off. His first and foremost advice is to walk 10k steps and eat at a slight caloric deficit. His clients literally follow that and drop tons of weight. He keeps telling people that if they don’t want to lose too much weight or slow weight loss they need to not exceed 10k steps a day. I see a lot of messages directed to him from people working in the health industry who complain that their steps are beyond 30k which is insane and he always tells them to never drop their calories below 2000 for females (sometimes 2500 depending on weight and height). You probably walk a lot and you are definitely at a calorie deficit which is causing this inadvertent weight loss. I would say get even a cheap sports watch (huwaei is a good one) to get an idea of what your daily step count is. Also you might think you’re working out twice a week but it seems you’re working out daily doing your job.

I am. I literally just came from my one week post op. I had an unexpected gall bladder removal so a lot of my appt was my fears about that. Seems like the scary stuff is far less likely and the most likely will just be the issues with fatty food. She also cleaned my incision from the drain that came uncovered in the shower just because I’m over anxious about infection and when she seen how much pain I’m in when I laid down And sat up she said that I need to be on pain meds and I’m trying to be too tough. I just placed my Walmart order and added Tylenol. I’m gonna try they first. She also said with the SADI that it’s not uncommon to have issues with B12 but now that we add in the gall bladder thing she wants to start me on monthly injections. This should be interesting since i can’t even look when someone else gives me a shot. Guess like anything else I will get used to it.

From sleeve to the mini gastric bypass and two weeks later emergency gallbladder removal. I can't stop pooping, this is crazy

I am 35 HW: 325 SW: 297 CW 189 Gastric Sleeve Surgery Date: 1/24 1. What was the best part of surgery for you? Having a ton of energy! Not feeling groggy, my knees don't hurt when I wake up, working out and staying motivated, playing with my kids after a long day and still having the energy to cook dinner and pick up the house and sex life has improved, 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The first week kinda sucked with how much gas pains and not being able to eat barely anything and I am dealing some hair loss right now. Other than that I had a really smooth surgery. 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? I was lucky, mine has been smooth sailing 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? Its different, I get more attention which is tough for me to get used to, I love exercising, I love shopping, I love getting ready everyday for work. I am the best version of myself, my boyfriend and kids deserve it and overall I deserve it! 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? I would say there are still things I don't want to eat but probably around 90day mark I felt good to eat just about anything within reason. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? Honestly I don't have the same desire to eat what I did. I will enjoy a couple of fries if I have an open faced burger or something but its not something that was a must like it was before. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? Recovery was great besides the gas pains. No vomiting or dumping syndrome. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I would say 2 weeks. I was walking 1-2miles after the first week. The first week I walked around the block to get the gas out. I also have a high pain tolerance so that might have helped. Like I had two c-sections and once the epidural wore off I was up walking my babies up and down the hall, the nurses had to tell me to rest but I am Type A so I am a little nutty. 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? HELL YES!!! I wake up start life, workout for an hour plus walk on my lunch break 5 days a week, I work full time and am a college student. I have 3 children and my partner. I have energy for everything and I am not dog tired at the end of the day. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? Yes, I struggle sometimes with the new body, how ppl treat me, and still see the 325lb woman in the mirror but I moreso I am in a better spot. I am not as anxious, stressed and I am able to take on tasks with a clearer mind (such as school) 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? My only regret is not getting it done sooner!

Ohhh I hear you. Even at my lowest and highest weight, heat has always drained me. All I want is ice water and to munch cold grapes and for everything else to recede. My boss is the sweetest older Korean man. I speak a little Korean, he speaks a bit more English -- so we have language barriers but over the years we've found ways to understand each other pretty well. But the week I came back to work, I ended up having to take a sick day near the end of the week. I had eaten something that caused my first bout of dumping syndrome and it caused my healing body a fair amount of muscle / tissue / inner pain for the next couple days. When I came back I made the mistake of telling him that I'd eaten something that didn't agree with m, whether because it was to dry or I ate too much too fast. Well he heard "ate too much" and now everytime I'm not feeling my best / looking high-energied -- or he catches me having a shake for lunch because I'm feeling nauseated at the idea of food -- he starts questioning me if I've been eating too much. In his case I know he means it from a place of caring and concern, but it roughs up the ragged edges of my old eating-disorders in my psyche. I immediately feel judged for being overweight to begin with, and like I'm being watched/judged now, etc. And I know they're my issues, but I could certainly do with not being reminded of them so often.

Yes the pouch reset is a lie. You can’t reset your tummy. It’s working as it should. It doesn’t control you deciding to eat. What you need is to reset your head (thinking). Start reintroducing the behaviours you followed when you were nearing your stabilised weight. You can start by introducing just one or two changes every week or two (small changes are easier to accept, adopt & adapt to). For example: start by tracking your food to see what you’re actually eating (nutrients, calories), how much you’re eating ( portion size) and how often. Then ensure your meeting your protein & fluid goals. Then introduce reviewing portion sizes. Then maybe drop a snack or two. If you’ve let your activity slide start reintroducing something even walking at first. You’re on your way because you want to get back on track. May be see a therapist to discuss how you can avoid reverting back to your pre surgery eating behaviours again - can’t hurt. All the best.

I'm also in the "what to do for the birthday Struggle Club! My surgery is 7th of October and my birthday is tomorrow 25th July. My dr put me on a 12 week milk diet (1.5litres of milk with semi-skimmed milk and 1 salty drink a day) to quickly lose weight before my surgery. So I don't want to jeopardise that and have my usual slices of cake from my favourite bakery. It's also my friend's wedding on Saturday. I can't avoid the wedding are ask people to do something that isn't food related. But I can control my birthday and avoid temptation. I made the decision to go out and get my nails done and go to a comedy club instead! I'm not much of a drinker so the club won't be a temptation and I can't eat while getting my nails done! Next year, I'll be thinner and probably more in the mood to celebrate anyway.

Ok, so a couple of things. First, let's look at things a little differently when it comes to that pound you lost. You LOST A POUND!!! Which means you DIDN'T GAIN A POUND!!!! WooHoo!!!! Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that ANY loss is still a success. Some weeks will be better than others. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Next, you know where you went wrong with the foods you ate, you know you retain water when you have too much salt, so now you know what to avoid. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by trial and error. There's nothing wrong with experimenting with new foods. Just read the labels carefully and make adjustments accordingly to how much of that food you eat and what you eat the rest of the day to compensate for it. Finally, if I were to make a suggestion, I might say to lower your carbs a bit. That seems like a pretty high amount, and unless you're carb loading for intense workouts, I don't think you need to be over 100 carbs per day. PERSONALLY for me, I never go over 50, and that's on weight training days. But again, that's me. It just works out the best for my body. But I, too, had to experiment until I found the sweet spot for my body in regards to calories, carbs, healthy fats, protein. All in all, give yourself some grace, take note of what your body did and didn't do this week, and make changes as needed. You're still doing great, and you'll get to where you want to be. Don't worry about that.

I’m 11 weeks out from RNY and had a weekend trip away with the grand babies. Hotel had a swimming pool and I discovered I no longer float. I kept sinking and it took so much more work to not drown.

I just got my blood work back online and am kind of upset about one number. Everything looks fine except for my A1C, which is 6.1. That falls in the pre-diabetes range of 5.7 - 6.4. Mine had mostly been between 5.6 and 6.1 before surgery, and nothing we were overly concerned about because of my weight. I'm quite discouraged to see it still up there after losing weight. I don't see the doctor until next week, so I will have to deal with it for now, but I wanted to put it out here and see if any of you have had this issue, too. My glucose is 75, but not sure how much that matters. Thanks!

I think in general terms shorter cuts hide hair loss better - IF you do experience significant loss. I lost a lot of hair, in three distinct waves. Plus my hair grows (and regrows) abnormally slowly. I'm 28 months post surgery and my last phase of regrowth is just about below my ears now. I've had to cut my hair shorter than I normally would for about 18 months but I think I'll finally be back to my usual below shoulder length soon. Have to say it's been an opportunity to experiment that I would never have had otherwise! Maybe try new stuff if you need to?

I do tend to weigh myself twice a week. I'm sure that doesn't help. But, it would if the scale would move. I just expected a faster response from the surgery. From October up to the two weeks before my surgery, I had lost nearly 70 lbs. Just from changing my diet and exercise. I'm still doing the same thing, but I'm eating less. May 8th I see the Doctor at the bariatric hospital I go to. That will be my 3 month post op appointment. I'll have another blood work-up then to see if there's any issues with nutrition and vitamin deficiency. I've lost over 100 lbs. since October, so that's definitely a big plus.

Okay so look at the macros and see if this fits your plan. It may be a little high in carbs for some if you’re not very active but this recipe is probably my favorite out of my two weeks if soft foods so I thought I would share. It’s called south of the border chicken chili from the McCormick website. I added onions and garlic because I like them in everything but this is super simple and high protein. You may want to leave out the corn and do more beans or tomatoes if your tummy is still fussy but I haven’t had any issues with anything and I’m allowed to start incorporating more foods so I’m having it with the corn and so far so good 🤞 My pot made a little over 7 one cup servings which Baritastic calculated at 25g of protein (12.5 if you can only do a half cup) and 26g carbs (but part of that was the onions). I needed more protein for the day so I opted for the shredded cheese on top. Anyways, it’s chicken, bell pepper, white and black beans, canned tomato and corn with a seasoning pack from McCormick. I can’t finish the whole cup so I’m gonna have it again for a snack but I really love it. I hope it freezes well. https://www.mccormick.com/recipes/main-dishes/south-of-the-border-chicken-chili

Hello Irene, Welcome in here and congratulations on your surgery date. You will find a March 2024 group on here that you can join. Don't read anything on the net. Scare stories are not needed. This surgery is very safe. This forum is a safe place. Stick to your teams advice, There is not a single person on here who has the same regime as you, pre or post op. Don't buy loads of things you think you may need. Our tastes buds change after surgery because of Ketosis. Just buy a few of a selection of protein shakes. You may want to buy pain meds if you are not in the UK. You will not need much at the hospital. Go in clothes that you can go home in. Take a Chapstick and some Biotin. Some people take a phone charger with a long lead. You might want to use a recliner chair for sleeping, if you have one. I didn't and had to sleep upright in bed for a while and a recliner would have been easier. I had a bed wedge and lots of pillows. If you have a pre op diet they are tough for the first 4 or 5 days but its worth it in the end. You will have a weight loss stall at 2-3 weeks. You have not done anything wrong. You may get over emotional and / or get the regrets at this time. Our hormones are in the fat cells and releasing them in such a hurry makes our hormones go on a wild ride.

Checking in for August surgery buddies! I started this journey back in May after talking to a friend about her surgery. She had hers done in Mexico and I thought that was the direction I was going to be going. I met with a local surgeon and found out my insurance did cover the procedure! Since then it's been dietitian appointments, cardio clearance, psych visits, and FINALLY I was approved last week for surgery. Today I paid off my balance with the office so I can make my pre-op appointment! Some of the things I've been doing to prepare: Cutting out diet sodas. I've been switching to flavored waters like Crystal Light. Making a gym habit. I was actually going to the gym a lot but stopped until I got approved for surgery. Eating slower and smaller bites. My biggest hurdle is going to be not drinking water with my meals.

No thanks would be ideal hut if your family and friends are like mine and just won’t let up sometimes a little white lie Iis in order. What i did with my sleeve at Thanksgiving and Christmas was just to take the food, eat my tiny portion say it was delicious and tell them I will be hungry in another hour and I plan to finish it at home. (I tossed whatever my hubby wouldn’t eat but it spared them feeling as if I didn’t enjoy it). There was WAY too much food so it would’ve ended up getting tossed anyways. Even after leftover week. If you haven’t told anyone about your surgery you can just say that it’s delicious but your stomach just feels a bit off and again take a plate with you to eat later and give it to someone who can have it. If it will tempt you though, just say no thanks and be persistent. I was actually thinking about a holiday dilemna too. I am always invited to an annual cookie day. Everyone brings their supplies for a recipe and makes like 2 dozen cookies and the host makes tons of sugar cookies the night before for the kids to decorate while the cookies are baking. It’s a while day of eating junk, drinking and smelling cookies. I don’t think I can do it this year, I’m too early out. I think I’m just gonna be honest since they do know about my surgery. Tell her I will pop by and say hello but I am not gonna stay.

Weight loss success is roughly 80% or more about your nutrition and 20% or less about exercise. No gym required! So if you don't like the gym or can't fit it into your schedule, really hone in on the nutrition for now and add whatever body movement you CAN manage every day. Meet yourself where you are, not where you think you should be. If you only walk 1500 steps a day, set a goal for 5,000 a day and don't expect yourself to be running a marathon next month. If you're already good about walking, kick it up by putting on some ankle and wrist weights while you do a 15 minute dance video on YouTube to get your heart rate up and build some strength. Or buy a set of resistance bands and do those a few times per week. Culturally, I think we've become convinced you have to "go to the gym" to see results, and it's really not true. And if you only have the energy to focus on one thing in these early days, start with nutrition because that's where you will see the most lasting results. You're still healing right now and your body is not ready for grueling workouts at this stage.

LOL The food rage is real!! I did 2 weeks of a modified diet pre-op (shakes and a small meal at dinner of protein and veggies), then one week of full shakes only before surgery. And then 2 weeks of liquids only post-op. Needless to say when I was finally allowed food I wanted to cry. LOL I was also a little afraid to eat it! But I did and everything was fine. In retrospect I'm glad I stuck so strictly to my surgeon's guidelines. I healed VERY well and that time on fluids only really taught me a lot about how I react to being hungry and how to manage being hungry. It also helped me understand true hunger from head hunger---they are not the same thing, but man can they feel like the same thing! But for real, I was really cranky at times during those fluid weeks and there were some short tantrums... 🤣

.......... I "think" I broke the stall ! * knock on wood* 😁 Yes! I've been at 192 for months and nothing I did would break it. Finally ....I am gradually going down and as of today I am 185 ! It's the weirdest thing - all summer I was exercising and walking and the scale wouldn't move. Now that it's winter in Wisconsin , I haven't been walking at all except for grocery shopping and the weight loss started again. The only reason I can think of why I was stalled is,I must have been gaining muscle . Well - I'm not going to question it .... I'm just going to enjoy it I'm so happy to be a "loser" again..... LOL

I have Fibromyalgia and it has not changed because of weight loss. The surgeon told me this. I had zero pain when I woke up from the surgery but was a little tender in my stomach area. I take 8 Co-codamol a day when the pain is fierce and a 10mg Amitriptyline every night to help me relax. My new tiny stomach was very swollen and I couldn't take the pills for about 4 weeks. I had some morphine patches from my doctor but it wasn't severe enough to be an issue after week 1. I take 2 tablets for GERD a day, These have to be taken separately from my pain meds because of absorption issues.

I was cleared for everything except weights at four weeks out. I was cleared for weights at eight weeks out. So you're fine as far as timing goes. your weight loss likely stopped for one or both of these reasons: 1) you're in a stall. If so, make sure you're sticking to your program and stay off the scale for a while. You're going to lose weight if you're in a calorie deficit, so as long as you're compliant, the stall WILL break and you'll be on your way again. 2). you're building muscle. Muscle is much denser and heavier than fat. When you gain muscle, your weight can stay the same (or even increase), while at the same time, your body looks leaner. I wouldn't stop with the Body Pump classes, though. Your weight will eventually start heading down again if you stick to your eating plan.

Welcome! I'm still a baby here myself (almost 12 weeks post-OP). I remember my first sip of creamy chicken broth on day 4, it felt like life and optimism was returning to me! If you need to, slow down even further. I remember my care team said 1 teaspoon every 5 minutes (when I was first reintroducing non-protein shake liquids), and sometimes that worked for me and sometimes it didn't. Most broths I could get down in shorter time, but creamier soups it would take quite a bit longer. You get used to either reheating your soup or sipping it cold, lol. XD

I took off 6 weeks but I'm a nurse who has a pretty physical job at moments. I also had my second granddaughter due during my 5th week off so I chose to take 6 weeks so I could enjoy a week of baby cuddles ❤️ Honestly, I had zero complications and very minimal pain with my bypass. Was driving and doing most things without trouble, albeit a bit slower, within the first 3 days. I would suggest take as much time as you can and elect to go back sooner based with how you feel. If you can afford and allow yourself the extra time, just enjoy it and get super familiar with your new you and your new routines. Good luck!!

No you are not wrong, we can enjoy food and drink eventually but realise we have to make sensible choices or we could go back to where we were pre-op. I think the way to think about it going forward is that you will still enjoy food just smaller portions, and depending on what your diet was like pre-op, maybe healthier choices. Some of your tastes may change from like to dislike or the opposite but you can enjoy and savour the smaller bites. Also during the liquid phase you are most certainly going to miss the thought of other food, I mean seriously who would prefer a bowl of flavoured dishwater soup vs something like a pizza or steak dinner? I am now a year out following my sleeve and cook the food I like but just eat in smaller portions and I go out about once a week for a lunch or dinner and enjoy the food - plus I enjoy it usually again the next day with the leftovers I bring home.