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AFTER Pics
Almost 2 yrs post op
Almost 2 years ago, while researching weight loss surgery, I would get so frustrated by reviews that kind of dropped off the radar. It seemed when people got through the tough post-op stages, they just stopped updating. It drove me crazy because I wanted to see end results! And now I'm ashamed to admit I've become one of them! I get it, life gets in the way, and when recovery gets easier we stop coming to this website 20 times a day for answers. But here's my update.
I had gastric bypass on 9/15/15. My review is under "gastric sleeve" because I was scheduled for a sleeve until a last minute change and I'm just to lazy to start a new one. Highest weight was 213, surgery weight was 208, and current weight is 145-152. I'm super happy with the results. My doctor, Dr. Matin, said the surgery alone would get me down to 150, and anything lower I'd have to work for. Boy was he right on target! I'd love to be 135-140, but really haven't put in the extra work. I think my body likes the 145-150 range. This is what I weighed at 16 yrs old when I was fairly active and fit. I've never been skinny, always thick with boobs, butt, and thick thighs, so I'm happy at 145.
My recovery and weight loss was fairly easy. It was painful for about 7-10 days, particularly one incision. The post op diet was not terrible. I did miss chewing stuff and pushed my limits at times before I was ready. I really had to learn to chew well and eat slowly. The hardest part was, and still is, serving myself much more than I know I can eat. I had a few episodes of food getting stuck, maybe 4-5, and the pain was awful and lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Sometimes ended with me throwing up. It helped me remember to eat slowly and not overdo it. The weight came off pretty slowly compared to others, but I hear that's common for those starting at a lower pre-op weight (as opposed to those over 250-300lbs). I had stalls like everyone else and did get frustrated with the speed of weight loss, but overall it was fine. When I hit 152 about 16 months after surgery, my body would NOT budge. I could go a few weeks eating great or not so great, and it just kind of hovered. Eager to break 150, I cheated and used an injectable wt loss medication called Saxenda for 4-6 weeks. It quickly got me down to 142 but once I stopped I got back up to 145-150. (I wouldn't recommend this med because unless your insurance covers it, which is unlikely, it is about $1400 per month! I had samples from the office I work at but would never pay that much for such a modest wt loss). So here I am, trying to stick closer to 145 than 150.
So what do I eat now? Just about anything! I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that I don't have dumping syndrome and can eat just about anything. I can eat steak, pasta, bread, and even sweets. I never had much of a sweet tooth and still don't, but every once in a while I'll have a small amount of chocolate ice cream. Although I don't get dumping syndrome, I do feel a little queasy if I have a few spoonfuls too much. I wish I didn't tolerate bread and pasta as well, carbs are my addiction!
As far as restriction, it varies a lot day to day. Some days I'm done after a few bites, and some days I'm a bottomless pit. I can't explain it. Certainly I can eat a lot more, almost an endless amount, of softer foods like salads and creamy foods, chips or popcorn. So when I feel myself slipping, I just make an effort to eat meals with a solid protein like chicken breast, fish fillet, or steak versus shredded chicken or ground beef. Eating solid protein still fills me up fairly quickly. I do eat a pretty well rounded diet with protein and lots of vegetables. I probably can eat more on average than I thought I would, for example, I feel like I eat like a skinny person now, but not necessarily like a bypass patient, if that makes sense. Then mental hunger is another thing I struggle with. I'm a night owl and insomniac, and I find myself craving things to eat at night, but I know I'm not truly hungry. That's probably my biggest struggle at this point.
I don't drink enough water because I just don't feel thirsty. I haven't had any issues with dehydration thank goodness. I know I'm stubborn and probably in denial about how much water I need, but really, if I didn't drink this much water before surgery I can't understand why I need to now?
I don't exercise, mostly because I'm lazy but also because I still have neck and shoulder pain almost daily. I was hoping it would get better with wt loss, and it did for a while, but it's back. Scheduled for my first pain injections next week. I also don't take vitamins. Like I stated earlier, I can eat a decent amount and eat a very well-rounded diet, and my labs have been great. Just had them drawn again yesterday so results will dictate if I start my vitamins back up.
What else....TRAVEL! I mentioned in my earlier posts how I love to travel and how my weight has negatively affected travel and what kinds of trips I would take. Well since wt loss I've been diving at least twice and have dropped the lead wt used for dives from 16 lbs to 6 lbs! We also went to Italy for 2.5 weeks and it included a ton of walking, about 12k-15k steps per day. The old me would have had terribly aching hips and knees, but i had none of that on this trip. And most exciting, we went on safari to Tanzania. This was a trip I would have avoided in the past because places like REI and Columbia just don't make the clothes I would need for safari/hiking/camping in sizes over 12-14, much less petite big sizes (I'm only 5'2"). Shopping for this trip was a breeze and I had an absolutely amazing time.
So what's next? While I don't have a ton of loose skin, I have stubborn belly fat that remained and my boobs have flattened out. I'm considering a tummy tuck with lipo, +/- a breast lift. My arms are flabby but I don't think they bother me enough for an arm lift scar, and my upper inner thighs are a little saggy too but I'm worried lipo there will make the skin sag more and I'm not ready for a thigh lift scar either. I am so stressed about finding the right surgeon. Been on two consults and thought I loved one but now my mind is freaking out. If any of you have recs in the Dallas area let me know!
I'll post updated pictures soon! Thanks for all your support while I was going through the process, it really was cool going back and reading my posts and realizing how far I've come.
I had gastric bypass on 9/15/15. My review is under "gastric sleeve" because I was scheduled for a sleeve until a last minute change and I'm just to lazy to start a new one. Highest weight was 213, surgery weight was 208, and current weight is 145-152. I'm super happy with the results. My doctor, Dr. Matin, said the surgery alone would get me down to 150, and anything lower I'd have to work for. Boy was he right on target! I'd love to be 135-140, but really haven't put in the extra work. I think my body likes the 145-150 range. This is what I weighed at 16 yrs old when I was fairly active and fit. I've never been skinny, always thick with boobs, butt, and thick thighs, so I'm happy at 145.
My recovery and weight loss was fairly easy. It was painful for about 7-10 days, particularly one incision. The post op diet was not terrible. I did miss chewing stuff and pushed my limits at times before I was ready. I really had to learn to chew well and eat slowly. The hardest part was, and still is, serving myself much more than I know I can eat. I had a few episodes of food getting stuck, maybe 4-5, and the pain was awful and lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Sometimes ended with me throwing up. It helped me remember to eat slowly and not overdo it. The weight came off pretty slowly compared to others, but I hear that's common for those starting at a lower pre-op weight (as opposed to those over 250-300lbs). I had stalls like everyone else and did get frustrated with the speed of weight loss, but overall it was fine. When I hit 152 about 16 months after surgery, my body would NOT budge. I could go a few weeks eating great or not so great, and it just kind of hovered. Eager to break 150, I cheated and used an injectable wt loss medication called Saxenda for 4-6 weeks. It quickly got me down to 142 but once I stopped I got back up to 145-150. (I wouldn't recommend this med because unless your insurance covers it, which is unlikely, it is about $1400 per month! I had samples from the office I work at but would never pay that much for such a modest wt loss). So here I am, trying to stick closer to 145 than 150.
So what do I eat now? Just about anything! I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse that I don't have dumping syndrome and can eat just about anything. I can eat steak, pasta, bread, and even sweets. I never had much of a sweet tooth and still don't, but every once in a while I'll have a small amount of chocolate ice cream. Although I don't get dumping syndrome, I do feel a little queasy if I have a few spoonfuls too much. I wish I didn't tolerate bread and pasta as well, carbs are my addiction!
As far as restriction, it varies a lot day to day. Some days I'm done after a few bites, and some days I'm a bottomless pit. I can't explain it. Certainly I can eat a lot more, almost an endless amount, of softer foods like salads and creamy foods, chips or popcorn. So when I feel myself slipping, I just make an effort to eat meals with a solid protein like chicken breast, fish fillet, or steak versus shredded chicken or ground beef. Eating solid protein still fills me up fairly quickly. I do eat a pretty well rounded diet with protein and lots of vegetables. I probably can eat more on average than I thought I would, for example, I feel like I eat like a skinny person now, but not necessarily like a bypass patient, if that makes sense. Then mental hunger is another thing I struggle with. I'm a night owl and insomniac, and I find myself craving things to eat at night, but I know I'm not truly hungry. That's probably my biggest struggle at this point.
I don't drink enough water because I just don't feel thirsty. I haven't had any issues with dehydration thank goodness. I know I'm stubborn and probably in denial about how much water I need, but really, if I didn't drink this much water before surgery I can't understand why I need to now?
I don't exercise, mostly because I'm lazy but also because I still have neck and shoulder pain almost daily. I was hoping it would get better with wt loss, and it did for a while, but it's back. Scheduled for my first pain injections next week. I also don't take vitamins. Like I stated earlier, I can eat a decent amount and eat a very well-rounded diet, and my labs have been great. Just had them drawn again yesterday so results will dictate if I start my vitamins back up.
What else....TRAVEL! I mentioned in my earlier posts how I love to travel and how my weight has negatively affected travel and what kinds of trips I would take. Well since wt loss I've been diving at least twice and have dropped the lead wt used for dives from 16 lbs to 6 lbs! We also went to Italy for 2.5 weeks and it included a ton of walking, about 12k-15k steps per day. The old me would have had terribly aching hips and knees, but i had none of that on this trip. And most exciting, we went on safari to Tanzania. This was a trip I would have avoided in the past because places like REI and Columbia just don't make the clothes I would need for safari/hiking/camping in sizes over 12-14, much less petite big sizes (I'm only 5'2"). Shopping for this trip was a breeze and I had an absolutely amazing time.
So what's next? While I don't have a ton of loose skin, I have stubborn belly fat that remained and my boobs have flattened out. I'm considering a tummy tuck with lipo, +/- a breast lift. My arms are flabby but I don't think they bother me enough for an arm lift scar, and my upper inner thighs are a little saggy too but I'm worried lipo there will make the skin sag more and I'm not ready for a thigh lift scar either. I am so stressed about finding the right surgeon. Been on two consults and thought I loved one but now my mind is freaking out. If any of you have recs in the Dallas area let me know!
I'll post updated pictures soon! Thanks for all your support while I was going through the process, it really was cool going back and reading my posts and realizing how far I've come.
Who's on MyFitnessPal? Friend me!
I guys, I've only been on MFP since my surgery, and I'd love to follow you guys for motivation and meal ideas. Follow me at momofcatsanddogs or send me your profile name and I'll find you.
Provider Review
Dr. Sina Matin
I met Dr. Matin at my first and only consult. He was so nice, explained everything in detail, and let me ask as many questions as I wanted. He never made me feel like he was in a rush or had been asked those questions a million times! I really felt a connection to him and his staff. His staff has been very quick to reply to my emails.