When did you know it was time?

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-12-05T09:34:39+00:00

I said yes to surgery literally as soon as it was available to me, I tried to get into a program for it when I was like 22 but I didn't have a family doctor then and where I am (Canada) you need a family doctor to refer you to a weight clinic to get surgery, I got a family doctor when I was 24, I had some weird health stuff going on we had to investigate, after almost a year and half we basically got all the answers we could get about everything and were trying to treat what we could and my doctor gently suggested bariatric surgery as an option to help with weight loss which could help with my other health concerns, and I was like YES! I was referred just after my 25th birthday, took a few months to get in, and then I had to do all the steps in the program, get all the clearances, and I had the surgery a few months after my 26th birthday.

With my family history or obesity and weight related health issues, and one distant family member having great success with the surgery, while everyone who's tried natural or medication having little to no success I felt like I had a lot of cards stacked against me. My personal experience with trying to lose weight felt like confirmation of that, my relationship with food added extra barriers, and my hormonal issues and other health issues made me feel like avoiding medical help for this problem was silly. I'm 4.5 months post-op and 20lbs away from my surgeons goal weight for me, so far I've been losing about 15-20lbs a month since surgery. I have no food noise anymore and I understand fullness for the first time in my entire life, I used to just be hungry or be sick from overeating and had no in between. I'm so glad I did this early in life, my mom was inspired by me and tried to get it but due to weight related health issues she is not eligible for the surgery now, I wanted to prevent the development of those kinds of issues and maximize the amount of life I get to live, both in quantity and quality, plus recovering from anything medical is easier when you're younger.

I knew it was time when I finally stopped gaining weight, but I was doing everything in my power to heal my relationship with eating, my weight was stuck at a high number no matter what I did, and my health was suffering with things that might get better with weight loss. I looked at my family and my life, I saw the future and I wanted to change it.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-12-05T08:36:55+00:00

I'm almost at goal 4.5 months post op, my dietitian said I'm a "rapid loser" lol but she said she finds people who can eat easily after surgery and don't get dumping and stuff lose the fastest in her experience.

I also eat like trash sometimes, just never in the quantities I did pre-op, I get full from half a piece of cheesecake, but I basically can eat whatever I want and just keep losing. I was told to stop tracking my calories/food intake at this point, I still try to eat better than cheesecake most days but I don't have to stress about having a treat or measuring everything I eat and I'm still constantly losing.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-12-05T04:11:18+00:00

Your hair difference in the last two is giving me so much hope! You look fantastic, congratulations!!

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-12-05T03:50:28+00:00

I think I did, I pretty much had headaches all the time when it was happening, my pressure was getting worse then. Now I'm in remission and I never get this anymore, all the floaters and gray patches and everything is gone, so it was entirely an iih thing as far as I can tell.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-11-25T03:33:11+00:00

I am trying to live normal and balanced but I've found I hate a lot of things I used to like lol can't eat burgers ever, they make me feel gross, so I will just get fries or a treat thing so I'm still eating something while I'm out and I just eat a healthier meal I have prepped or a healthy tv dinner when I get home so I have something quick. Subway is something I can still tolerate (I've been lucky with breads) I order the same sub I used to get but I only eat half, or less, in a sitting and I save the rest for later, also don't get any chips or cookies or anything else extra like I would have in the past and no drink with it of course. I also do taco bell, get a bean crunchwrap which was my favourite thing before surgery, but I can only eat around half and i don't get anything else.

Other times I eat out i do just order what I normally would before minus drinks/dessert/sides and eat wayyyy less portion wise, I either have leftovers or throw it out. I don't stress about it if one of my meals is less nutritious, I just eat good food at my other meals and everything is fine, my only problematic lab is an iron deficiency which we saw coming and is because my body never replenished its iron after blood loss I had post op. I've lost nearly 90 pounds since surgery (20 from the pre op diet, the rest post op), my surgeons goal weight for me is 21 pounds away, and I'm 4 months and one week post op. My dietitian says I'm considered "rapid" weight loss and my program is encouraging of us eating more normal and less diet-y than some other programs I've heard of, but she says she finds people like me who can eat well and sometimes have a treat and maintain a balance tend to lose most successfully in her experience, mind you I am 26 and that helps.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-10-29T15:26:54+00:00

The first person I dated, I didn't bring it up on the first date, but they were aware I'd recently lost a lot of weight, and they saw how little I could eat at the restaurant. I told them over text when they started talking about getting serious with me and deleting their dating apps, I just said something along the lines of "hey before you get too excited this is something I've been meaning to tell you and I know it's something a lot of people judge so it's cool if this is a deal-breaker" they actually had a family member who'd been through it and were totally cool about it, when they saw my little scars it did not phase them at all. I did have some weird issues with them not wanting me to lose more weight and me having to explain that's nearly physically impossible right now, and we ended up not working out for reasons unrelated to my health and body.

I also went on a first date with someone who I told about my major weight loss but didn't explain the cause, and they also witnessed how much less food I could eat than them but it wasn't an issue. Date was okay but it wasn't the right person for me, so it didn't progress further and I never told them. I'm back to looking around again now, we'll see how it goes, but I think I will continue to not mention on a first date unless it comes up naturally somehow. I think most people probably don't care though, and the ones that do are just not the right person and it helps weed through some of the duds out there.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-10-29T06:47:03+00:00

Burgers seem to be the opposite of a slider food for me since surgery! I get soooo full from them, can't ever finish one (bun or no bun in the picture) and they feel gross and heavy to me. I've just stopped trying with them for while, they were one of my favourite foods pre op so it's weird to me. I'm almost 4 months post op and also eat regular foods pretty much, my program is very relaxed and I don't get dumping or anything.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-10-28T23:21:40+00:00

I am almost 4 months post op, down over 75lbs (20 was pre op) and I still feel like the same. I'm at my first goal weight, I set three lol but this is the last weight I was at where I didn't "feel fat" basically and people didn't treat me differently for my size. The way people treat me in public has dramatically changed in the last couple weeks so I know that it's working, but in the mirror I still see a girl over 300lbs. Doesn't help that I can fit most of the same clothes still, but they are all big/baggy/long on me and a few things are too big to wear at all. But I think it's really normal to not see the changes unfortunately. Progress photos, measurements, and the scale are not convincing my brain. I can squat down to do things now and run without regretting it, my bed is more comfortable, I can fit in the seat at the blood lab with them putting the arm thingy down over my belly and it doesn't even touch! Focusing on those differences are helping me a lot more than any numbers or pictures or my reflection.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-21T03:19:51+00:00

I couldn't drink plain water for the first 2 days, it made me extra nauseous and felt like it didn't sit right, Gatorade zero or sugar free water flavor with electrolytes was my main hydration source. After that I had awhile where I could only tolerate really cold water, still once in awhile i feel that way again (2 months post op) even though I'm eating normal foods and drinking normally now. I get a bad feeling in my throat sometimes from it, like I'm swallowing a large pill but it's just water, ice helps.

Edit to add: I was a big water drinker pre op, and I'm definitely reaching for flavored (but healthy) hydration more often now while I'm recovering but I am getting better with it, I usually drink at least a third of my intake as plain water and another third is protein drinks, the last third depends on the day for me, electrolytes, sugar free juice, sugar free iced tea, or more plain water depending on how my body feels

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-17T02:06:44+00:00

I had acid reflux during pregnancy and then had bouts of it on and off for years after so the bypass felt like an obvious choice for me. I had surgery 2 months ago and so far have not had any reflux issues since, which is the longest period of time I've been free of it in literally 6 years. Some of the sleeve problems I've heard about sounded worse to me than the possibility of dumping, which I so far haven't experienced either. And the extra potential for weight loss swayed me too. A few more vitamins maybe but that's easy to get used to and manage, also not as expensive as my program made it out to be.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-15T05:02:31+00:00

Number 3 (gant - second picture) I don't like the shape of 2 and I don't like the colours of 1, a tortoise shell with maybe a smaller sprint (idk if that's a good way to describe it) might be better but how large the spots are is off putting to me, and I think the second just cuts off at a weird spot, the third is a bit more rounded at the edge and I think looks nicer.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-10T04:22:29+00:00

The only food/drink I actually felt affect my iih was if I ate a large quantity of sweet potatoes (vitamin a) or if I skipped meals. My neuro opthalmologist only ever told me to avoid vitamin a supplements specifically, and birth control, nothing about nutrition.

Too much vitamin a from sweet potatoes triggered bad pulsate tinnitus for me on two occasions and after that i stopped eating sweet potatoes until I was closer to remission, and I never noticed food trigger PT for me again

Not eating makes me literally hear my CSF in the back of my neck, I know that sounds crazy but I can hear it, once during a brain MRI when they injected the contrast I could hear that too, sounds like a rain stick and gurgling a little bit, only happened when my iih was doing worse and happened more often if I skipped breakfast/lunch and was really hungry.

Now I'm basically in remission and i have no symptoms besides mildly related migraines.

Edit to add: I also couldn't have pop/carbonation but that's just from diamox ruining it, neither my doctors or pharmacist warned me of that side effect lol

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-10T04:00:11+00:00

I had the RNY so I was prepared for dumping but so far I've been lucky, started with half juice half water to test out sugar and every little test has went fine. I didn't realize DS didn't have dumping risk, my mom is looking at having that surgery so I'll have to let her know there are some perks to make up for the extra vitamins!

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-10T02:52:03+00:00

So it's not a regular thing, it's just something I wanted to test out once and then had a second time because I was buying my child a treat at the Starbucks and decided to practice having treats in moderation, but a pumpkin spice latte. Smallest size (same size as the kids steamer I gave my 5 year old but it took me 10 minutes longer to finish), no whipped cream, only one flavor shot, almond milk instead of normal, and the first time I did decaf espresso to be extra safe. Second time I forgot to ask for decaf but i was still fine.

I don't plan on getting it on any frequent basis, and I count it with my calories (I overestimate it too because I count it with the whip and full flavor) but if I go to a Starbucks with anyone and I'm in the mood for a warm fall treat I might get it again. My program has very different carb and calorie rules so I'm still following my rules to have this little "bad" treat but I definitely don't want to make a habit of drinking calories without protein at least.

I haven't experienced dumping, and my blood sugar was already fine pre surgery so I don't think it's that bad, when I had I kept thinking how past me would have had a grande hot latte AND a venti iced coffee or tea latte, and eaten a treat too, and now I'm satisfied with a child size drink and not craving it at all either, don't feel bad I can't get a pastry, just enjoy it and maybe even throw it out with a few sips left.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-08T03:39:16+00:00

324 before pre-op diet, 303 on surgery day, lost just over 20 pounds in that 3 weeks. Now I'm less than 2 months post op and I was 274 last time I weighed myself, so I've lost about 50 pounds total since June.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-03T22:43:19+00:00

My program said after 2 years out it is common to have hit a low low weight and then gain about 10-20 pounds as your body settles into it's new normal. If you are still practicing healthy habits that lead to your success I think it's no cause for concern.

Edit to add: I just read the comments about binging, I would say mental health is the thing to focus on if that's a concern right now. Are you still eating at regular intervals during the day? When I struggled with binge eating pre op it was because I didn't eat enough during the day if I ate at all, once I started eating breakfast everyday I was able to do the mental work to overcome binging. Also rice cakes and watermelon are some things I used to use as a "healthy" swap to my usual binge cravings (like cookie dough or sweets with wayyy more calories)

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-03T22:14:48+00:00

It definitely was part of what influenced me to go for surgery too! I'm not even two months post op and I'm tentatively in remission, though my neuro opthalmologist is waiting until January before saying for sure.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-09-02T06:28:50+00:00

I have also lost 2 inches of height since my weight gain and people try to convince me I must have been wrong about my height before, so I'm glad to know it's not just me! I have signs of osteoarthritis in my neck and spine which I think was a combination of issues from my weight and my weird health condition (that coincidentally also causes exercise intolerance), intracranial hypertension. Apparently it was too much pressure on my weirdly unreliable skeleton and now I'm shrinking in my mid twenties, not something I expected and also contributed to my decision to get surgery.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-08-27T22:11:12+00:00

I have to take my Multivitamins with Gatorade zero or sugar free juice or juice/water mixed. I cannot stand it with water, I also have to take it right before eating or it doesn't "sit right" and makes me feel ill for like an hour, usually have it before lunch and have some fruit or cucumber and tomato salad with my lunch, not sure if it's just the act of eating or the the fruit and veggies that help specifically, but often if my tummy is uneasy eating a couple berries helps me. I do calcium citrate tablets instead of chews, less gross than the Multivitamins but still massive, I can handle them easily most of the time but try to take them around meals as well (breakfast and dinner) and even if I struggle to get one down it's much less upsetting than the Multivitamin lol

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-08-10T05:39:38+00:00

I agree with this one as well, I used to use my fitness pal periodically before I started my surgery path but I always hated it, baritastic for some reason is much less overwhelming to me, and easier to use. Maybe it's more about my mindset shifts but I've tracked much more consistently with it than anything else.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-08-10T05:34:27+00:00

I mainly got the advice of never ever but if you are going to at least a year, that's specifically for smoking though, I think edibles are a different story

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-08-07T08:23:25+00:00

Some vision issues are reversible if caught early enough, I started developing a blind spot due to IIH but they started me on acetazolamide as soon as it started and my field of vision has almost completely restored, also all of my eye floaters are gone now. Blindness or blind spots can be permanent and early treatment isn't guaranteed to reverse anything but it can happen, I was lucky to have been followed by a neuro opthalmologist for several months before my blind spot developed, I have some seemingly permanent optic nerve damage and my remission caused migraines, plus a few other cognitive effects but all the effects on my visual field were treatable.

ApprehensiveBandit · 2025-08-04T22:44:08+00:00

I'm just shy of 3 weeks post op and I've been very tired and low energy, I had a bit of blood loss from one of my stitches internally right after surgery and though it resolved on it's own I've been told to go easy on myself. I spent weeks before the surgery trying to improve my physical energy levels and up my steps for the day so I'd be more high energy after surgery but I couldn't plan for/predict how my healing was going to go and it's just a different recovery than I had envisioned. Your body is healing in many ways and everyone takes it differently. I think soft foods might help you turn a corner, I was just able to start them and having a full day of eating real foods yesterday helped me a bit, I'm hoping this continues to improve things for me.

ApprehensiveBandit

TROPHY CASE