Summer 2018 Surgery Buddies: POST-OP Discussion

[sassysleever76 97]

Oh my goodness it’s been awhile! I just passed my 5 mo post op and have been over coming a stall, so going to attack this new year! As I continue to lose weight and work out, I notice some areas of saggy skin (to be expected) which I treat by staying hydrated & kicking butt in the gym but I’m wondering if anyone is treating themselves with supplements or Vitamins for tightening of skin or elasticity? Happy new year to you all my fellow warriors 💞

[J San 1,071]

Six months today. Weighed in at 249.7Lbs this morning. Doing well and feeling really great. I've been floating around this weight for the last 2 months at least. I wouldn't call my case a stall because up to date I havn't really done any work to get to this point. I walked for the 1st few months but since have not done any sort of exercise. I've thought about it a ton and planned but my lazy a$$ hasn't done a thing. I saw my NUT two days ago and although she's happy with my weight loss and progression she stresses that I need to start getting active. I know I do but really lack the motivation, more mentally than physically. Any tips on getting there?

Best to all of you and I hope it's going great for all of you!!!!!

[Kris77 1,534]

Hello all! I was sleeved July 23rd. Weight loss for me has slowed down here lately too. I still see it go down just not as fast as it was. Starting weight was 238. Pre op weight 221 and currently I am 165. My goal is 135. I'm only 5'4 1/2.
I'm not a Breakfast person so I drink a Premier Protein chocolate shake over ice in the morning. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.
My weakness is sugar in the evenings...particularly skittles🙄
Working on cutting back on that. I know the honeymoon phase is almost over so I need to get that in check and start working out regularly.
My bum has become flat (which I'm happy about seeing as I've always had a big bum) but bc I don't have muscle back there from not working out and losing weight it hurts to sit bc of my now boney tailbone. Anyone else have that??
Need to get to the gym and work on that.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Gosh it is so nice to see so many of my past Bari-Buds weighing in, glad to see you're strong even after 4 months or more out. Keep the updates coming please!

[J San 1,071]

Hey @frust8 How iss all with you? Hope your doing great, feeling great and looking great!!!

Edited January 12, 2019 by J San

[rs 1,473]

It feels like the honeymoon phase may be coming to an end for me, at 5 mos post surgery. And it's really starting to affect me mentally.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Oh J San regretfully,NO,to all 3 . I think I look like road kill, cheeks are caving in , look like 2 dead relatives I never noticed a resemblance to, my son says I look just fine and stop being so harsh toward myself. How I feel? Not great, I have what seems to be hunger but it is just probably my ulcers, my stomach pouch, the Ms Precious Pouch, does not entertain the ingress of anything hinting at solid, so am on a limited liquid diet, I have a stomal stricture, 2 ulcers in the pouch and multiple ones in the,jejunem, bad enough to be hospitalized on November 28th, on the 29th I had a PICC line installed in my upper left arm, I am fed TPN 12 hours on,12 hours off, to allow my gastrointestinal. system to heal up. I have the line still. No date of removal has been given, the feedings have a calorie count of 1430, which has caused me to go into a WL stall or close to it! Oh I feel much clearer of mind, than I did when I was dehydrated and had proteinemia, so that is GOOD. So apart from being exhausted, fat, and nearing an emotional breakdown from all that has happened ,and financial unstable, my post surgical trek has been just ducky. But you know, I refuse to let it cloud my life, I am still going to be a winner. I did not have major surgery to become a loser, I am in this to win this , and I still shall. Don't count this old red-headed broad out, I will not leave this life without a fight👈!😝👉

[Kris77 1,534]

On 06/23/2018 at 17:36, Oceanlove said:

Yay I’m glad someone is my surgery twin. How are you feeling

Ha! I had my sleeve on July 23rd too!

[photogirl70 142]

Checking in. It was a bit rough from Thanksgiving until just after the New Year and I didn't make the best food choices but for the most part I'm back on track now. I'm down from my highest weight of 250 to 188 as of this morning. I had not been consistent with exercise but this week I started a new program LIIFT4 by beachbody. I like that it has rest days and I'm finished with the first week and I love this type of interval training workout. They are 30-40 minutes each.

I know we go out to eat entirely too much but the fact is, I really can't eat much in one sitting. I try to focus on Protein. I get snacky at night (well, something in the day too). I'm bad about grabbing a few Ritz cracker and need to cut that out LOL

I'll go at the end of Jan for my 6 month follow up. They will have my blood results then. I had 18 different test run this week.

Oh, my hair - for sure thinned and still coming out a bit. I hope that it will start thickening back up soon.

[okayestmom 232]

I had a bad stretch, never ate anything not on the approved list, but ate to frequently, because I thought it would make me feel better. Health issues did not magically disappear. Eating over a hundred grams of Protein, but blood work still shows low protein. My whole body went out of whack, I couldn’t get up without using my hands if I sat on the step stool. I lost a lot of muscle, but I started at the gym and have regained a lot of strength. I go back in Feb. to recheck thyroid (My primary thinks I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis), but I did start losing again. No longer allowed to eat nuts or cheese. They want me to do 2 shakes and one 3oz lean meat with a vegetable. Also, it has to be low sodium and low carb. I just started logging everything again. I keep the carbs under 50, do 1 shake, stay away from the nuts and cheese. The Dr. and nutritionist do not want me to count calories, but I do. I have to keep it under 1200 and exercise to keep losing weight. My resting heart rate is between 40 and 50, but my BP is still high sometimes. If I followed their plan I would be getting about 600 calories a day. I am pretty sure I would die and be unable to exercise. My Apple Watch woke me up one night because my heat rate was 39. I am 165 5’5” definitely not an athlete! I think my body was built to survive and hold onto this weight, and it went into starvation survival mode. Starting exercise again was really hard, but it has helped me feel better and I know it was worth it. My resting heart rate dropped while I was on the pre op diet. Surgery was June 11, 2018. I did have a cardiac workup, and they said I was fine even though I have bradycardia (low resting heart rate). I also lost a lot of hair, but I am just shedding my normal amount now. Blow drying is quick though...

When I wasn’t losing weight I actually had a young co-worker ask me if I regretted having the surgery. Another co-worker kept telling me about her friend who had surgery after me weighed more and was at 140lbs. I didn’t lose my cool, but words are like toothpaste, once it is out of the tube you can’t put it back. I can forgive, but I will not forget. When I came back from Christmas break in smaller clothes, no comments from either one.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Sounds like for some reason your body isn't assimulating the Protein right, wonder why? Maybe you're right, your body thought you were starving and went into its survival mode, it said " I Shall Protect HER No Matter What!" , a little screwy but at least in its way, It Loves You.

[AEdoesRnY 531]

01/12/2019 10:40 AM, J San said:

Six months today. Weighed in at 249.7Lbs this morning. Doing well and feeling really great. I've been floating around this weight for the last 2 months at least. I wouldn't call my case a stall because up to date I havn't really done any work to get to this point. I walked for the 1st few months but since have not done any sort of exercise. I've thought about it a ton and planned but my lazy a$$ hasn't done a thing. I saw my NUT two days ago and although she's happy with my weight loss and progression she stresses that I need to start getting active. I know I do but really lack the motivation, more mentally than physically. Any tips on getting there?

Best to all of you and I hope it's going great for all of you!!!!!

Are you a member of a gym that has group fitness classes? I found that even though I felt nervous trying them out at first, the group fitness classes have been a fantastic way to get good workouts. I have trouble coming up with effective things for me to do on my own at the gym, and 25-30 min of elliptical does less for me now than it used to since I’m carrying around 70lbs less of me, so group fitness classes that ensure a solid 45-60 min workout have been great.

A lot of the time community education classes have workout/exercise options too if you want something affordable that’s not a gym membership, or you could do something like Cyclebar that has just the classes you sign up and pay for individually. Groupon often has a lot of great deals for classes through studios like that!

The other thing that I find motivating is working toward jogging/running, so I started the couch to five k program using an app and I signed up for a couple 5K races in the next few months as an extra kick in the pants!

[AEdoesRnY 531]

I’m coming up on six months (RNY was 7/30/18), and finally seem to have busted through this long plateau of hovering between 214-216 for about a month. While I technically only “count” my Monday weigh ins, I did zoom past 70lbs down (including two week pre-op) on Friday and somehow have lost another couple pounds between then and today, so I’m excited that things seem to be moving again!

My next thing I want to focus on is doing better with my Protein and starting to cook more. Right now I feel like dairy is 80% of what I eat, and I’m in these ruts of cheese and crackers, etc. I’m hitting protein goals but I think I could do a better job of eating lean Proteins with fewer carbs or at least better carbs! quinoa + Beans > wasa + provolone!

[chattycat 91]

Checking in, just hit my 6 months Jan 5th. Things are definitely slowing and I wonder if my honeymoon is over? Seem to be stalled at the moment. Eating has gotten way better which is good and bad, my calorie intake is higher now. My only issues have been low blood pressure and Constipation from Iron supplements. I still struggle when eating out on what to order, sometimes I can’t find a good choice in smaller appetizers and don t want to order a whole meal as sometimes it’s not convenient to take home. I find it best if I can share with others but that’s not always an option either? I started at 257 and have been sitting at 184-185 for awhile now so around 75 lbs. total. My goal is 150.

[insta_adventurer 1,046]

Just hit 6 months and had my 6 month follow up. I’m down 40% of my excess weight (now clue where that number comes from?) and got a certificate for losing over 100lbs (since starting the program, not just post op). They said I was the poster child for the surgery, but I’m not sure why? I see people on Instagram who are crushing it with their weight loss and fitness routines... and certainly wouldn’t place myself in that club.

Eating out is a chore! Usually I’ll try to convince my husband that we should agree on a dish and split it. Most places are cool with this, just make sure to tip like you ordered two meals.

I did start to lose hair around month 5. Luckily my hair is thick, so I’ve been able to get by without drastic measures so far.

Constipation is a real drag. It’s the only complication I deal with. I just got them to up my stool softener med to twice a day. Hopefully that helps. Also- they prescribed Miralax, which I didn’t think my insurance would cover OTC meds, but they did... and it’s saving me a bundle!