7 month update...down 103 lbs

[FollowingMyPath 78]

I meant to post this last month....but during the holidays, time disappears. I’m posting this because before and just after surgery I was ravenous for information. I don’t come to this forum much anymore, as life has adjusted. But I’m hoping this will help anyone like me who wanted to know as much as possible, and from as many people as possible. Please remember....everyone’s journey is different. This is just some notes about mine.

6 month lessons

Yup, it’s a long post. Settle in. Lol. So, I just had my 6 month appt. I know all of our experiences are so unique, but I wanted to share mine as a reference of what you may expect. A bit about me. I had gastric sleeve in Las Vegas with Dr Atkinson. In august of last year I had just begun this process and wouldn’t have surgery until April. My HW: was August 2016 at 345, SW: April 2017 was 343, CW: is 240.5, that’s a 103lb loss. Yay me! (Side note, my insurance didn’t require any pre surgery weight loss....and I had almost zero loss. The only rule was I couldn’t gain). My dr was amazing. If you’re near vegas, I completely recommend him. Surgery went perfectly, recovery was difficult (this crap is hard), but I had very minimal incision pain. There was no 2 week pre-op fast, the leak test was performed during surgery so I had liquid/ice chips right away (liquid was no good, but ice chips are perfect after surgery).....I had super glue stuff on my incisions so no pain and no dressing issues.....he’s one of the highest ranked and most experienced gastric surgeons in the country. I could go on....but I think you get it. His skill and his post surgery protocols are awesome. I had zero problems.

I’ve looked many times on here for how many calories at 7 weeks....how many carbs at 3 months. I couldn’t find anything and now I know why. My surgeon and nutritionist really only care about Protein until 6 months. Unless, of course, there is a specific problem or deficiency. It’s nice to now have some specific nutrient goals, but the focus is still on protein. And even at 6 months, I still struggle to get 90g daily. It’s super important to keep trying!! Get all the protein you can.

Let’s talk hair. Yup, it’s falling out in chunks. Chunks. It’s more than a little heartbreaking. But, I knew it was coming. Doesn’t help, but it is expected. It started at 4 months. As of now, still going strong. I also know it will stop. But while you’re in the falling out phase....it’s stressful. Which just makes more fall out. So try to keep positive. And take your Vitamins. I swore I’d never fall off of that, but I have periodically. It happens. Just get back on track. Biotin supplements and the hair treatment Nioxin has helped too. (Update...at 7 months this has slowed dramatically. Still losing a bit, but nothing like before. I see the light at the end of the tunnel )

Skin. Saggy saggy skin. Another thing I knew was coming, but it’s been difficult. I didn’t start working out as early as I wish I had. Now I feel a bit like I’m fighting a losing battle. But....this is a problem with a fix. When I reach goal I will worry about the cosmetic stuff. But trust me when I say....get working out as soon as possible. Weights. Lift some weights.

Sweets. Stay away for as long as you can. I went 4.5 months without. Then I had some chocolate and it was easy. Not like trying to eat meat. Meat you have to chew to death and if it’s dry, it’s still hard to get down. I can only eat (at most) 2 oz of meat at a time. But chocolate, that went down easy. I had an entire bar in one day. Now, before surgery I’d have 4 bars in a day. But 1 bar is still a lot. So I locked that down and now only allow myself 1 square a day. Now, you might find that that’s too much for you. Again, we’re all different. But if I deny myself entirely....I’ll go nuts and eat until I get sick. Keeping myself honest, and savoring only a small piece is something I can maintain. And maintaining is my ultimate goal.

Emotions. Hear me.....get a therapist!! You are going to go through so many changes you’re head will spin without you even understanding that is what’s happening. Addiction transference is very very real. I really struggled with this and for a time, behaved completely out of character. You absolutely must deal with your issues. It’s the same as getting protein or taking small bites. In my opinion, it’s a must.

Emotions part 2. I had a hard time with the expected things. Hair loss, fatigue, heartburn...check check and check. These are struggles I knew about. But there are others that blindsided me. Like how hard it is at 6 months to still be able to only eat 2-2.5 ounces at a time. Frustrating!!!!!!! You have a craving, you make a meal that fits the bill, you take that first wonderful bite....and 2 bites later you’re full. I struggled hard with this. I know....that’s the entire point of surgery. But the actual experience was so much more frustrating and unsatisfying than I imagined. For a brief time, I tried to force the issue. Eating more than I could hold. That hurt. And it scared me, as the very last thing I want to do is stretch my new tiny tummy (not all fears are rational). My advice...be patient with yourself. Let yourself be frustrated or even angry, but keep working on getting adjusted. I still have moments of “can’t I just eat a fricken chicken breast already?!?!?” Lol. But listen to your belly and take it slow. Weird side note, for me....I know I can’t eat another bite when I get hiccups. Happens each meal. I eat slow, plan out the portion. But if I get the hiccups....I stop even if there’s some left. This has helped cut WAY down on feeling sick after eating. Everyone has their own signal....mine is hiccups.

Finally, once again this procedure is different for everyone. Don’t set too many rules on yourself. Example: I’m hungry roughly every 3 hours. My dr is big on only 3 meals a day. That doesn’t work for me. I still can’t eat enough at any one time to fill me for 4-5 hours. So, I adjusted. I eat a small (1.5-2oz) meal every 3 hours. Mostly really small portions of meat, cheese, sunflower seeds, etc. This works for me. Keep adjusting until you find what works for you.

I’d like to end with what I think are the most helpful things I’ve learned (in no particular order). Good luck on your journey!! It’s hard, really hard, but the good WAY outweighs the bad See you at 1 year!! I’m hoping I’ll have good news to share.

1. Drink your fluids

2. Take your vitamins

3. Be patient

4. Expect to be emotionally unsatisfied (if food is emotional for you)

5. Workout

6. Log your food

7. Avoid sweets as long as possible, then adjust until you find the “sweet” spot of what you can handle. And if that’s zero...so be it. You be you.

8. Talk to someone about what’s happening to you.

9. Take something for heartburn. Not only is it uncomfortable, it mimics hunger and will make you miserable.

10. Stick to the no liquid 30 minutes after a meal. It’s a golden rule.

[Apple203 1,314]

Nice post, and great job losing 100+ at 6 months!!

[enigma_007 95]

I meant to post this last month....but during the holidays, time disappears. I’m posting this because before and just after surgery I was ravenous for information. I don’t come to this forum much anymore, as life has adjusted. But I’m hoping this will help anyone like me who wanted to know as much as possible, and from as many people as possible. Please remember....everyone’s journey is different. This is just some notes about mine.
6 month lessons
Yup, it’s a long post. Settle in. Lol. So, I just had my 6 month appt. I know all of our experiences are so unique, but I wanted to share mine as a reference of what you may expect. A bit about me. I had gastric sleeve in Las Vegas with Dr Atkinson. In august of last year I had just begun this process and wouldn’t have surgery until April. My HW: was August 2016 at 345, SW: April 2017 was 343, CW: is 240.5, that’s a 103lb loss. Yay me! (Side note, my insurance didn’t require any pre surgery weight loss....and I had almost zero loss. The only rule was I couldn’t gain). My dr was amazing. If you’re near vegas, I completely recommend him. Surgery went perfectly, recovery was difficult (this crap is hard), but I had very minimal incision pain. There was no 2 week pre-op fast, the leak test was performed during surgery so I had liquid/ice chips right away (liquid was no good, but ice chips are perfect after surgery).....I had super glue stuff on my incisions so no pain and no dressing issues.....he’s one of the highest ranked and most experienced gastric surgeons in the country. I could go on....but I think you get it. His skill and his post surgery protocols are awesome. I had zero problems.
I’ve looked many times on here for how many calories at 7 weeks....how many carbs at 3 months. I couldn’t find anything and now I know why. My surgeon and nutritionist really only care about Protein until 6 months. Unless, of course, there is a specific problem or deficiency. It’s nice to now have some specific nutrient goals, but the focus is still on protein. And even at 6 months, I still struggle to get 90g daily. It’s super important to keep trying!! Get all the protein you can.
Let’s talk hair. Yup, it’s falling out in chunks. Chunks. It’s more than a little heartbreaking. But, I knew it was coming. Doesn’t help, but it is expected. It started at 4 months. As of now, still going strong. I also know it will stop. But while you’re in the falling out phase....it’s stressful. Which just makes more fall out. So try to keep positive. And take your Vitamins. I swore I’d never fall off of that, but I have periodically. It happens. Just get back on track. Biotin supplements and the hair treatment Nioxin has helped too. (Update...at 7 months this has slowed dramatically. Still losing a bit, but nothing like before. I see the light at the end of the tunnel [emoji4])
Skin. Saggy saggy skin. Another thing I knew was coming, but it’s been difficult. I didn’t start working out as early as I wish I had. Now I feel a bit like I’m fighting a losing battle. But....this is a problem with a fix. When I reach goal I will worry about the cosmetic stuff. But trust me when I say....get working out as soon as possible. Weights. Lift some weights.
Sweets. Stay away for as long as you can. I went 4.5 months without. Then I had some chocolate and it was easy. Not like trying to eat meat. Meat you have to chew to death and if it’s dry, it’s still hard to get down. I can only eat (at most) 2 oz of meat at a time. But chocolate, that went down easy. I had an entire bar in one day. Now, before surgery I’d have 4 bars in a day. But 1 bar is still a lot. So I locked that down and now only allow myself 1 square a day. Now, you might find that that’s too much for you. Again, we’re all different. But if I deny myself entirely....I’ll go nuts and eat until I get sick. Keeping myself honest, and savoring only a small piece is something I can maintain. And maintaining is my ultimate goal.
Emotions. Hear me.....get a therapist!! You are going to go through so many changes you’re head will spin without you even understanding that is what’s happening. Addiction transference is very very real. I really struggled with this and for a time, behaved completely out of character. You absolutely must deal with your issues. It’s the same as getting protein or taking small bites. In my opinion, it’s a must.
Emotions part 2. I had a hard time with the expected things. Hair loss, fatigue, heartburn...check check and check. These are struggles I knew about. But there are others that blindsided me. Like how hard it is at 6 months to still be able to only eat 2-2.5 ounces at a time. Frustrating!!!!!!! You have a craving, you make a meal that fits the bill, you take that first wonderful bite....and 2 bites later you’re full. I struggled hard with this. I know....that’s the entire point of surgery. But the actual experience was so much more frustrating and unsatisfying than I imagined. For a brief time, I tried to force the issue. Eating more than I could hold. That hurt. And it scared me, as the very last thing I want to do is stretch my new tiny tummy (not all fears are rational). My advice...be patient with yourself. Let yourself be frustrated or even angry, but keep working on getting adjusted. I still have moments of “can’t I just eat a fricken chicken breast already?!?!?” Lol. But listen to your belly and take it slow. Weird side note, for me....I know I can’t eat another bite when I get hiccups. Happens each meal. I eat slow, plan out the portion. But if I get the hiccups....I stop even if there’s some left. This has helped cut WAY down on feeling sick after eating. Everyone has their own signal....mine is hiccups.
Finally, once again this procedure is different for everyone. Don’t set too many rules on yourself. Example: I’m hungry roughly every 3 hours. My dr is big on only 3 meals a day. That doesn’t work for me. I still can’t eat enough at any one time to fill me for 4-5 hours. So, I adjusted. I eat a small (1.5-2oz) meal every 3 hours. Mostly really small portions of meat, cheese, sunflower seeds, etc. This works for me. Keep adjusting until you find what works for you.
I’d like to end with what I think are the most helpful things I’ve learned (in no particular order). Good luck on your journey!! It’s hard, really hard, but the good WAY outweighs the bad [emoji4] See you at 1 year!! I’m hoping I’ll have good news to share.
1. Drink your fluids
2. Take your vitamins
3. Be patient
4. Expect to be emotionally unsatisfied (if food is emotional for you)
5. Workout
6. Log your food
7. Avoid sweets as long as possible, then adjust until you find the “sweet” spot of what you can handle. And if that’s zero...so be it. You be you.
8. Talk to someone about what’s happening to you.
9. Take something for heartburn. Not only is it uncomfortable, it mimics hunger and will make you miserable.
10. Stick to the no liquid 30 minutes after a meal. It’s a golden rule.

First and foremost, congrats!!!! How amazing. You should be so proud of urself. Than you so much for this post. Im in pre-op stage and im constantly looking for posts like this. Thank you so much for sharing ur experience in such detail!
I have my very last NUT appointment on dec 21 and then my file gets submitted for insurance approval.
So excited and a bit nervous. But i feel as ready as i can be. Ive adjust alot of eating habits along the way. I try to do the 30/30 rule as much as i can now. Bc i always always drink while eating so trying to.kick that habit. Ive been going to the gym regularly since september. I really enjoy working out..bieng heavy makes that difficult tho. Knee pain etc. Cant do a crunch to save my life lol. Ive lost a lil bit of wieght but its been slow. Nutrionist put me on the pre op diet early so ive been trying to stick to it. So far its been ok. Feeling really good abt the surgery.


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[Ldyvenus 317]

Fantastic post! Congrats on you success so far. 😁

[FollowingMyPath 78]

First and foremost, congrats!!!! How amazing. You should be so proud of urself. Than you so much for this post. Im in pre-op stage and im constantly looking for posts like this. Thank you so much for sharing ur experience in such detail!
I have my very last NUT appointment on dec 21 and then my file gets submitted for insurance approval.
So excited and a bit nervous. But i feel as ready as i can be. Ive adjust alot of eating habits along the way. I try to do the 30/30 rule as much as i can now. Bc i always always drink while eating so trying to.kick that habit. Ive been going to the gym regularly since september. I really enjoy working out..bieng heavy makes that difficult tho. Knee pain etc. Cant do a crunch to save my life lol. Ive lost a lil bit of wieght but its been slow. Nutrionist put me on the pre op diet early so ive been trying to stick to it. So far its been ok. Feeling really good abt the surgery.


Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m super excited for you! Good luck [emoji4]

[kweekley724 2]

Congratulations, that's awesome!

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[Sosewsue61 3,185]

Congrats on the success and thanks for the advice too!! You seem very grounded and making the plan wirk for you.

[1234567890 328]

Keep it up and congrats

[angyplus5 470]

thank you so much for this post! You are inspiring!!!

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[Newme69 18]

Congrats on your success so far. Good job. Such great information. I am 3 weeks post op and feeling frustrated already. I hope I can share such great news down the line.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

Great post! Thanks for the inspiration and practical advice! Congrats on your success. ((hugs))

[angyplus5 470]

congratulations on your success and thanks for the info, I need all I can get!!!

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[B.B 17]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Very informative post, I type a lot too, lol, and relate to all of your issues (check my entries if interested).

I'm actually at 6 months exactly today and 113 lb down, it's crazy!!!!! I had a pair of jeans I couldn't put on last month and this month it slides off of me with the button fastened. I ran out of holes in the belt that I purchased 3 month ago. It's amazing feeling to be losing on a daily basis.

Had my 6 mo check up to, my doctor projected for me similar weight loss (of about 10-12 lb a month) for next 3 months, then he said it might slow down a bit. I had some stalls before, when they happened I closely reviewed what I ate and how much, and found the baddies. It's easier to find the small things now than the big things later, so when a stall happens, which can be typical, try to review all that you take in, and that you forget (like Water, Vitamins, enough protein) and adjust as soon as possible.

I'm over the moon happy with the numbers on scale but the buck doesn't stop there. There are skin issues to deal with (I find water aerobics really helps here cause it puts even pressure all over your body, and if you have knee and back problems like I do, its really the safest way to do weights), Hair loss was bad, until I started Biotin and now its much better, I don't see the handfulls anymore, and I even think it started growing back (and its the only physical growth I'm experiencing and happy to see).

I'm starting school next week, super excited about that, it will change my schedule a lot, less time to work out, but it will enrich my life differently. I'm a little worried that I may need more carbs to deal with intense learning and brain power needed for that. I guess I should wait with worry once it becomes a problem.

Love your rules, its the basics for a good post surgical life. I'd only add, for those who don't bother logging their food, like I don't, to really know what you can eat and not to buy anything else to reduce the temptations. Watching what we can eat ad how much, and how fast (or rather slow) is really becoming my second nature. My shopping trips took over an hour before, as I made my way through all the isles, now I'm in and out within 15 min, unless checkout is slow, lol. I go to 4- 5 places in the store and out. Gives me more time to enjoy other things in life too.

Good luck to all and ty for reading. May the weight be the only thing we lose this year Happy new year all

[AB2B 104]

Wonderful, wonderful post. Thank you for taking the time to share and you are doing amazing! Can’t wait for an update.


SW 284
CW 205
GW 141 (Normal BMI)
SD March 2017