July 2022 peeps!

[HealthierMe2022 24]

Hi all! Looks like you're all doing fairly well! I had my 8 week post op yesterday and I am down 46 lbs (from 259 to 213) and 8 BMI (44 to 36)! I've slept the last few nights without my CPAP, too! I feel absolutely great and regret nothing. Now that I am on a general diet I've had to remind myself to eat slower. A couple of times I ate too fast so the food was stuck, causing me to vomit it back up. I'd like to say that I've learned my lesson, but some habits are hard to break.

Non-scale victories:
Weaning off CPAP
I can cross my legs (lol)
I fit in the non-plus size section (woo-hoo!)
Much more energy



Sent from my SM-S908U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

[Bridge1967 42]

NSV-Got engagement ring back on

Ordered 2 sizes smaller swimsuit

Dropped one size in pants, almost a second size

[MissMerryberry 43]

On 9/13/2022 at 8:15 PM, HealthierMe2022 said:

Hi all! Looks like you're all doing fairly well! I had my 8 week post op yesterday and I am down 46 lbs (from 259 to 213) and 8 BMI (44 to 36)! I've slept the last few nights without my CPAP, too! I feel absolutely great and regret nothing. Now that I am on a general diet I've had to remind myself to eat slower. A couple of times I ate too fast so the food was stuck, causing me to vomit it back up. I'd like to say that I've learned my lesson, but some habits are hard to break.

Non-scale victories:
Weaning off CPAP
I can cross my legs (lol)
I fit in the non-plus size section (woo-hoo!)
Much more energy



Sent from my SM-S908U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey, those NSVs and your losses are awesome!

How do you know you don't need your CPAP, do you have a sleep tracker that tracks your breathing, heart rate and blood oxygen level? I had to sleep without my CPAP for a week and I thought I was fine, too. Then, I looked at my Sleep Tracker (my bed is fancy and records breathing/heart rate, but not oxygen level) and my sleep score was way down all week and I snored more, breathed in a sporadic way and my heart rate went up (that's what makes us gasp in our sleep to get in more air, usually doesn't wake you up). I highly recommend another sleep study before you just stop using your CPAP, you could be hurting your heart.

[MissMerryberry 43]

On 9/14/2022 at 11:01 AM, Bridge1967 said:

NSV-Got engagement ring back on

Ordered 2 sizes smaller swimsuit

Dropped one size in pants, almost a second size

WooHoo Bridge!!!

[HealthierMe2022 24]

39 minutes ago, MissMerryberry said:

Hey, those NSVs and your losses are awesome!

How do you know you don't need your CPAP, do you have a sleep tracker that tracks your breathing, heart rate and blood oxygen level? I had to sleep without my CPAP for a week and I thought I was fine, too. Then, I looked at my Sleep Tracker (my bed is fancy and records breathing/heart rate, but not oxygen level) and my sleep score was way down all week and I snored more, breathed in a sporadic way and my heart rate went up (that's what makes us gasp in our sleep to get in more air, usually doesn't wake you up). I highly recommend another sleep study before you just stop using your CPAP, you could be hurting your heart.

Good question! For the CPAP, I only started using it about 8 years ago due to weight gain. Even after sleep study in 2014 they indicated I was borderline apnea and was given CPAP to help sleep better. Doc said I could try to go off so I tried. I actually sleep with my smart watch which tracks blood oxygen, heart rate, sleep cycles and snoring. I still snore but my heart rate and blood oxygen is good. I did use my CPAP again last night to see if it affected my sleep any and I did sleep a bit better. My doc said probably another 20ish pounds and (fingers crossed) I can go off fully.

[MissMerryberry 43]

34 minutes ago, HealthierMe2022 said:

Good question! For the CPAP, I only started using it about 8 years ago due to weight gain. Even after sleep study in 2014 they indicated I was borderline apnea and was given CPAP to help sleep better. Doc said I could try to go off so I tried. I actually sleep with my smart watch which tracks blood oxygen, heart rate, sleep cycles and snoring. I still snore but my heart rate and blood oxygen is good. I did use my CPAP again last night to see if it affected my sleep any and I did sleep a bit better. My doc said probably another 20ish pounds and (fingers crossed) I can go off fully.

Oh good! I'm glad your doctor and you have a plan!!

[Caybot 26]

Great to read everyone’s updates! I’m doing wonderfully. I am the happiest I have been for years and I feel great in my skin.

I don’t know my weight but a few weeks ago I was at 199 (215 pre op) which I am delighted with. I know from my clothes it is still coming off but I am working through a bunch of issues with the scale so I’m not weighing myself. I’m also super lazy and I am sure it would be coming off quicker if I actually worked out once in a while.

Note that I eat three times as many carbs as my dietician recommends and I eat significantly more calories than I need to survive. I am content to gauge and eat when I am hungry and as an ED survivor that is a huge win in itself. I’m not in a hurry.

I’m cooking almost everything from scratch and it’s delicious. I can eat about 3/4 cup to a cup depending on consistency. No heartburn or any other adverse issues, and I stopped omeprazole two weeks after surgery. I consider myself very fortunate.

My main reason for the revision was so I could eat dense foods that would just come right back up with the band. I am so grateful to take a big bite of anything and I feel a wonderful freedom with that.

cay

[KevinS62 73]

Hey July peeps. How is everyone doing? I hope all is well. I haven't been on in a while, but I was taking a break from work and decided to check in.

I continue to make decent progress. It's been a little more than 3 months since surgery. I think I lost 25 in the first month, 15 in the second month and 10 in the third. That's 50 lbs post op on top of the 28 pre-op. I seem to be losing 2 lbs per week at this point, and I'm real happy with that.

I don't remember when I looked at the menu I got from the dietician. But I think I am doing most everything on it, avoiding carbs, doughy bread, sugars, etc. I take my Vitamins. I'm tracking my food in the MFP app and trying to get my Protein.

Some food/drinks I've found working well for me:

• Old Wisconsin Turkey Sausage sticks (Walmart and Amazon)
• Low-fat/Light String cheese
• Quest Protein chips (Loaded Taco is my fave but others are good)
• Body Tech whey isolate Protein Powder (Rich Chocolate)
• Fairlife Protein Shakes (Chocolate and Vanilla) - Delicious!
• Ole Xtreme Spinach and Herbs tortilla/wraps

Occasionally, when I'm out of the house, I have no choice but to eat what is available. If I can't get something low calorie/low carb, I try to modify the item, like removing the bun, not eating the Pizza Crust, etc.

I haven't had heartburn in over a month, but I am still on a prescription (Esomeprazole?) for now.

Probably my biggest issue is knowing when to stop eating. At times, I just forget how small my stomach is and keep spooning food in until I fill it to the top. Oh, that's so uncomfortable. LOL.

Edited October 24, 2022 by KevinS62

[joanie pony 29]

Hello everyone! I am 3 months and 1 week post-op from my gastric bypass. My scales are reading 198-201 lbs - very exciting!! I have lost 90 lbs from my highest weight (about 50 lbs since surgery).

I have a chocolate fairlife Protein Shake every morning for breakfast; for lunch i eat 2oz of cottage cheese and 2oz of chicken salad; then supper is a little bit of whatever we are having as a family. Occasionally i just have a Peanut Butter Protein shake for supper.

I am not hungry much and I get full pretty quickly. I'm off my acid reflux medicine. I'm making many trips to the thrift shops for clothes. I can get down on the floor (and back up) to play with my grandson! I walk my dog and go up/down the stairs at work & at home. My energy level is terrific! I can go out and do errands, then come home and still do other things (no constant napping). Life is good!!

I had a stall just a week after my surgery. I followed all the rules exactly, but didn't lose a pound for 3 weeks. Since then i've been losing a pound every couple of days or so.

Exercise: I wear a fitbit and have a goal of 6000 steps a day. I am usually meeting that! I've had to work up to it gradually. I may start going to the gym once a week for a little weight training - but nothing strenuous. Also, might do zumba once a week at my church (very low key).

I am so thankful for the surgery. Also thankful for this forum where everyone is encouraging and helpful.

Hope everyone is doing well!!

[FierceFire 4]

My surgery was July 20th. In the first few weeks I posted here about how I hadn't lost any weight and was completely regretting the surgery. I didn't lose anything for 3 weeks! But since then I've lost 47 lbs. And the 22 before surgery brings my total to 69 lbs. Things have been going pretty well. It's frustrating at times to find that something that recently agreed with me just won't on a different day! I feel like I'm a slow loser tho, considering my starting weight was 367 I figured a lot would come off quickly. I've just had to adjust my expectations but it bums me out a bit still. It's nice to see that Joanie and Kevin are right around the same amount lost tho. That's reassuring.

[joanie pony 29]

5 minutes ago, FierceFire said:

My surgery was July 20th. In the first few weeks I posted here about how I hadn't lost any weight and was completely regretting the surgery. I didn't lose anything for 3 weeks! But since then I've lost 47 lbs. And the 22 before surgery brings my total to 69 lbs. Things have been going pretty well. It's frustrating at times to find that something that recently agreed with me just won't on a different day! I feel like I'm a slow loser tho, considering my starting weight was 367 I figured a lot would come off quickly. I've just had to adjust my expectations but it bums me out a bit still. It's nice to see that Joanie and Kevin are right around the same amount lost tho. That's reassuring.

It was so frustrating at first!!! My husband is a great encourager though, and he pulled me through it all.

I can tell I'm losing inches just from how my clothes fit/don't fit. I wish I would have measured a few areas & kept up with that. I think I would have seen my progress in a tape measure when I didn't see it on the scale.

Keep up the great work!

[KevinS62 73]

I'm glad you both busted through your stalls. I don't know if I ever had a stall, but weeks 2-3 were definitely slow for me. Finally, after week 4, I had to stop weighing daily or I would have gone nuts. LOL.

I have definitely lost some inches. I had some 3XL shirts that are piled up and ready to be given to charity. Even some of my 2XLs are getting baggy on me and will be added to the stack. I'll be unpacking some XL shirts soon that I haven't seen in years.

I haven't run a tape around my waist since early September, but at the time I had lost 9 inches since I had measured in mid-May.

Edited October 24, 2022 by KevinS62

[MsGina 12]

Hey July peeps. I’m past my 3 months since surgery. I too had a 3 week stall and I’m losing slow but steady now. I feel really good. I lost 20 lbs prior to surgery and another 43 since. I’m feeling good. I’ve gone from size 20W to 14W. My energy level is low; I think cuz I’m on 600-800 calories a day. I’m walking most days and still doing light weights but I’m not building stamina. I have an appointment with a nutritionist tomorrow and I’ll get my labs done on Thursday. I’ve found that I bruise way too easily right now too. I’m talking severe bruised on my forearm just cuz I put on long gloves as part of a costume. They’re going to be checking into that too. Other than that I’m very happy with the slow but steady progress. I hated the stall. I’m the one in the ivory dress with the pink ribbon. Those are the gloves that killed me.

Edited October 24, 2022 by MsGina
Misspelled word

[KevinS62 73]

Looking good @MsGina Hope you get some help with the bruising.

[MissMerryberry 43]

Hi there! My surgery was July 11th and I was 3 months post op about 2 weeks ago. It is so weird to not be on an assigned restricted diet. I know we have to watch out for soft breads, dry or tough meats, fibrous vegetables, stringy fruits, rice and noodles - but that doesn't feel like "follow this plan" type of stuff anymore. I kinda feel a bit lost and while I'm trying new things, I'm sticking to a lot of the things I'm used to. Oh! I tried 2 pieces of candy - they weren't even fun size, they were the ones that are just like a little square - I really wasn't impressed with them and I don't think I care about candy anymore at all. For reference I tried 3 Musketeers and Snickers, most people eat them in two bites each, I broke it down to 3-4 bites each. The rest of the night last night, while handing out candy, if I felt hungry (this is after dinner) I snacked on Toasted Sesame flavored seaweed, its good! Crunchy and light, with a bit of a nutty flavor, I learned about it from the instagram account theguacwarddietitian - she has awesome videos for recipes, foods to get from the store, (especially Trader Joe's), and other really upbeat and positive motivation stuff!

Oh, so I've been eating a lot of foods that I started eating on the "easy to chew" step of my plan, which was the last step before normal foods. I just started adding beef though, I dunno I had this thing in my head that it wasn't "easy to chew?" or it was harder to digest? I'm weird! I tried eating a hamburger patty, I can only eat like 1/3 of it, and I serve it on top of lettuce/tomato/pickle and put ketchup/mayo on it. Its a mess but tasty I also added eating like 2 mini squares max (a serving is 4 squares) of Ghiradelli dark chocolate mini squares - SO MUCH BETTER THAN CRAPPY HALLOWEEN CANDY!

I started losing weight in March, I lost 30 lbs before surgery and since July 11th I've lost 57 - I'd say 57 in a 3 1/2 months is pretty good! But a total of 87 since I started practicing healthy eating habits in March! I don't measure myself but I have gone from a women's size 24/26 or 3X (mens 1X) to a women's 18/20 or 1X (men's XL). So I'm pretty happy about that, too!

1st Pic - me in Jan 2022 (325)

2nd Pic - me in May 2022 (approx 305)

3rd Pic - me last week, Oct 2022 (240)

Edited November 1, 2022 by MissMerryberry