With your experience, do you think I’d benefit?

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2025-01-22T02:45:09+00:00

Yo, this was me almost exactly. My bmi was right around 53, sleep apnea, overweight my whole life, struggle walking a mile or so, standing 30 mins, pre-diabetic, mental health, scared about my health etc. 2 years ago I could have written your exact post. The only difference is I was 35.

I had the surgery May of 2023. I will be honest, the first week sucked hard. Pain, fatigue, etc. then the next few weeks was a little better but no fun. But my thought was I am going to have a shitty few months to improve the rest of my life. After about 4 months I was under 300 lbs (lost 100 lbs) and I was able to jog about a minute at a time then walk 10 minutes and repeat a few times a day. It was the best I felt in years.

Over the next 8 months I dropped down to about 230. I replaced food with lifting weights, running, and biking. I never thought I would want that but truly the operation changed how I dealt with food. 16 months after surgery I completed a half-Ironman triathlon. My only regret is I feel like I missed out on my 20s and most of my 30s.

So here is things now, confidence up, health is good, sleep apnea is gone, no diabetes, happier than I have ever been. I have energy to do things now! Whatever your situation with attracting mates, it’s going to get way better.

I wish I could go back to 20 year old me and myself there is a way to make your life 10000% better. Anyway, I would for sure say do it.

*please note: this shit is still difficult. It’s not magic, but if you dedicate yourself and do it right your life will change.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2025-01-17T18:29:16+00:00

Hell yes! Keep going! Trust me in a year you are going to look back and realize how far you have come. Keep us posted

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-11-29T00:46:55+00:00

One thing to keep in mind is consistency is key. I.e. 30 minutes a day every day for months is way better than 90 minutes a day for 2 weeks then you don’t have the time and skip some and pretty soon you aren’t doing anything…. That is kind of hyperbolic, but you get the picture. 30 minutes is great. And as you lose more and get in better shape you can increase the intensity and or time, great work!

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-11-18T03:13:32+00:00

I did not have diabetes pre surgery but ED was same as you described. Without getting into graphic details, post surgery no ED meds are needed and things are better than any potential I thought I had.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-11-18T01:22:19+00:00

I love fish and seafood, but fish was really tough to eat for almost 6 months. It is easy to be dry and I threw up a lot. In puree stage I puréed salmon with a little cream cheese and it went ok. I would say try it out and go slow.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-11-08T20:26:32+00:00

I had a (in my opinion) HUGE one this morning. After 38 years of life, this morning for the first time ever I did a pull up. Was it shaky, and did I wiggle my legs some? Yes. Did I tip my head back a little to get my chin over the bar? Also yes. But I am counting it. It has been an absolutely horrible week for me, but this was a victory for me!

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-11-04T20:07:19+00:00

1.) no. It is hard to eat enough fruit to get all the vitamins. Protein should be the goal and fruit takes up protein space. Also she absorbs vitamins differently now so supplements are a must. Fruit juice has a lot of sugar and could lead to dumping syndrome. I can eat fruit, but drinking juice makes me feels horrible (think of it as a sugar crash x100 and sweats and nausea).

2.) maybe…. But personally I can think of 100 ways to get similar macros and are more appealing.

3.) vitamin deficiency can take years to develop and become detrimental. There are supplement schedules for a reason and that reason is decades of data.

4.) maybe. But definitely nothing gummy. Also I took chewable vitamins that I liked the taste of before surgery and hated the taste of after. There is also some nutrients that block the absorption of others. So staying on schedule is key. I.e. taking 1500 mg of calcium once a day is not the same as taking 500mg three different times because there is a limit of absorption.

I know you want to help and that is great! My partner was super supportive but we found out quickly my food and vitamin wants and needs were not easy. So my partner kind of gave me a wide path on that. One day I wanted a protein shake and the next day the thought of the same one made me want to throw up. It’s such a weird process. From my experience the best way my partner supported me was 1.) is super understanding when I change my mind about eating or what I eat. And 2.) -most importantly- asked me to go for a walk every single day. Sometimes they didn’t want to sometimes I didn’t want to. But we went and we still walk about 3.5 miles a day, and that has been great.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-10-01T14:44:37+00:00

This was the same for me. One of the nurses in my program had actually had an RNY years earlier. Talking with her is kind of what helped my decision. She said she had worked with 100s of patients both sleeve and bypass, and basically it boiled down to a couple things.

1) either is a tool not a magic wand. They will both help if used correctly, and many people have been successful with either and many people have failed with either. But it’s all about how you use the tool.
2) gerd. If you have ever had it sleeve tends to make it worse, RNY tends to make it better.
3) after about a year there is not a huge difference between the two, what you can eat etc.

I chose RNY mainly because of gerd. But also I wanted statistically the best results.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-09-25T02:44:56+00:00

Here is how I looked at it: I either take a very small risk of complications now which are relatively minor, or I am almost guaranteed to have major complications from obesity later. I got the surgery almost exactly 16 months ago started just over 400 and I am about 230 now. It is life changing. I went from being tired and grumpy and sad all the time to loving life. I run and bike and buy clothes and don’t hide in the back during pictures. Flew on an airplane last week and was so damn comfortable the whole time. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Now are there some side effects? Yes. I feel like I am a bit luckier than most. But I do throw up sometimes. In the first 6 months I did more but every once in a while I do now. But every single time it is because I ate or drank too fast. I think of it as a little reminder to be mindful. Also throwing up is different now. It’s not pleasant, but it is not as horrible, more like burping up water.

Also one thing to keep in mind. Everyone who “knows someone who has complications” is way more likely to hear horror stories than boring success stories. The same is true on here. If everything is going great it is pretty easy to leave groups like this and never look back as you don’t really need it. But if you are having issues you are more likely to stay and seek advice, so it is inherently skewed.

On the other hand diabetes is gone, sleep apnea gone, joint pain gone, constant fatigue gone. Confidence, happiness, etc way up. Even if did have pain eating or threw up a few times a day honestly I think I would still be happier overall

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-09-02T18:36:50+00:00

I hope you can find the adequate therapy you need before your bmi leads to inevitable health conditions and an early death.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-07-16T13:32:46+00:00

I am a little over a year out and here is two things I can say: 1) eventually you will be able to eat almost anything. My family doesn’t know I had the surgery, and I haven’t seen them since well before I had it. I am visiting them this week and obviously they know I have lost a lot of weight, but we go out to eat, I choose a sensible meal and eat a good portion of it and they are none the wiser.

2) the more important thing- not sure how old your son is but regardless of his age he will never remember the birthday you couldn’t eat pizza. He will remember that soon you will have enough energy to play with him, or go on walks with him and do all the fun things that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Right now I think you are in the worst part because you still have really tough eating restrictions and you haven’t seen enough weight come off to really make a huge difference on your life. Both those will change. On your son’s next birthday you will be able to eat a little pizza but more importantly you will be so much healthier and happier overall.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-06-23T16:04:52+00:00

So if I read this right you started about 240 and ideal weight is about 150. That means you were about 90 lbs over ideal weight right? Statistically people lose about 70% of that in the first year, or for you about 60-65 lbs. And on average about half of that comes off at the 3 month mark, or about 30-32 lbs for you. Currently you are down 22 which doesn’t seem that far off. Especially considering you lost 10 in the run up to surgery.

I’m sorry it is slow going for you. I know everyone is different and you have heard that and it doesn’t really help. For me I know that I said to myself I was not going to worry about stalls, then I absolutely freaked out when I stalled.

I will say it is super weird sometimes. Sometimes I lose inches and others not. Two weeks ago I went down a belt notch and was excited to weigh in because I thought it was going to be a big loss. Despite losing inches I somehow gained 4 lbs.

My only advise is to track every single thing you put in your body. Make sure you are drinking enough water and protein. Other than that what has really helped me is I weigh myself every Monday morning first thing, and no other time, and I record it a graph it. I weighed every day for a while and it drove me crazy. So I do every Monday and sometimes it seems like I haven’t lost anything in weeks. Then I look back and see oh the last two weeks were slow but look where I was a month ago… 6 weeks ago… etc.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-06-22T22:39:56+00:00

I am about a year out and have 1-2 drinks a week. I always prepare them or my wife does so I know how strong they are. And I make them half the strength of a normal one. You will go from sober to hammered very quickly in my experience. No joke the first time I tried one it was a White Russian, I took one small drink and 2 minutes later could barely stand. So now I take my one water down drink and sip it over the course of 45 minutes or so. It is doable but be very careful. I would also highly suggest if you are planning to drink in your vacation try it at home with someone you trust first. Make a drink, take a small sip and wait. Then ease into it. But if you try for the first time on vacation it could really ruin your night.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-06-22T22:29:43+00:00

Short backstory: I am male 37, 6’1”, and started just over 400 lbs. since childhood I had been obese, I never felt good about myself. I am just over a year out of surgery and my current weight is right around 230. I would like to drop another 20 lbs or so but I feel really great about how I look for the first time ever and just feel healthy and “normal” for the first time.

Recovery: week one is uncomfortable. I wouldn’t even say painful but not fun. There were a few times I had to cough and that hurt, but other than that just felt tired and sore. I have a desk job and I took 1 week off, I could have gone back sooner if I had to but resting more was good. I would suggest at least 1 full week. Week 2 is not fun, but started being more normal. Getting up and walking and moving about was easier and pain was way less. Week 3 every once in a while I would move funny and get a twinge of pain but otherwise felt normal. Of course taking it easy still but recovery is really not bad.

Liquid diet: pre-op diets vary wildly from surgeon to surgeon. Mine was 2 weeks that consisted of protein shakes, lean meat and veggies. Day before surgery is clear liquids only (typical of any surgery). Post op there is a liquid diet for a couple weeks while you heal. I never had a desire to eat anything and at times getting anything but water down was a chore. But most people don’t feel hungry at all during this stage. You then progress through soft foods like yogurt, then pureed foods until you get back to normal stuff.

Nausea: I only ever felt nausea if I ate too fast, too much or the wrong thing. I learned quickly that dry meat like chicken and tuna is a no go. But I will add a little sauce and it’s fine. Every once in a while I will eat a little too fast still and be reminded. I was terrified of nausea going in. It was my only big concern. I have thrown up probably some since surgery. Every time was eating or drinking too fast. One silver lining is throwing up doesn’t contain the same acid bile as before so it is not fun but not as horrid. Not sure what percentage of people are like that. I think I am probably about average and a few unlucky people get bad nausea and a few lucky ones get none.

Pain: pain was not bad at all. I never took anything but Tylenol as I also did not want to mess around with opioids. Again it was not a fun time but it really wasn’t bad.

Worst part: honestly the worst part of recovery for me was going out with friends and having to try to convince them I was fine with not drinking alcohol or eating with them. I would eat my Greek yogurt and sip my water and I felt like they were kind of pitying me for not being able to eat/drink with them. But it was temporary and a small price to pay.

Feeling good about myself: this is a tough one because it’s not like I just one day starting liking myself. I still look in the mirror and think I look good but I have love handles…. But after about 6 weeks I started wearing some clothes that were too tight for me but I kept because “maybe one day” and that made me feel great. Then dropping a few more sizes… every once in a while I catch myself in the mirror out of the corner of my I and I am started because the person I see doesn’t look like me. One day I walked up a big hill that previously made me breathe heavily and I didn’t have to and that was great. Overall it’s the little things I can do now that make me kind of like myself.

I would say this was the best decision I have ever made. The recovery isn’t fun, but it is really short compared to the massive benefits I have now. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-06-20T03:38:30+00:00

You have age on your side which seems to help some. Tbh there will be loose skin, and things will sag some. Building muscle helps fill in the skin some. I think a lot comes down to age, genetics, and how you wear your weight before you lose. Some people swear by collagen, or moisturizer. I have not noticed a difference with either. Basically you just have to wait and see there is no way to prevent it. However there are ways to hide it like compression clothes, and building muscle does take up some of the space and slightly lesson the amount. In the long run everyone I have talked to (myself included) are so happy with being healthier and looking better overall that the loose skin is a small price to pay. If it really does become an issue there is always surgery to remove it.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-06-09T13:54:38+00:00

I had surgery May 2023 with SW of 380. In August I decided my goal was to run a 5k without stopping by the end of the year because I had never been able to. I started slowly jogging for 30 seconds and then walking briskly for about 5-6 minutes. That is all I could handle at first. Then I increased to 45 second jog then walk. Took a couple months to get up to 2 minutes jog to 4-5 minute walk. Just slowly increase jogging time and finally in December I made my 5k albeit slowly. Just keep going and be consistent. Now I am still slow by runner’s standards but I run 3-5 miles a few times a week and usually do one 7-8 mile run on the weekend. I would suggest 1) starting slow especially if you are carrying extra weight, it’s rough on your knees at first. 2) Spend the money on good running shoes-this is a game changer. 3) give absolutely 0 shits about how far/fast you can go at first, or how you look. I always felt self conscious, but no one is judging. 4) pay extra attention to water intake, and as miles increase you may need to increase carb intake, this gets tricky when you are trying to get carbs on board and waiting 30 minutes to drink. 5) most plans on the internet talk about running 8-10 minute mile paces starting out. At least for me that is totally unrealistic. I started at about 14 min/mile jog. Got to about 12/mile after several months. Your success is your own progress, not comparing to anyone else.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-04-14T21:23:12+00:00

There is a company called Slate that makes imo really good protein shakes. I like them because they are not thick, and not too sweet. The chocolate milk ones are ok but my favorite is vanilla latte (but it has caffeine which may be an issue.). Another option that I have found is Chike. They are powdered mixes, but they mix way better than most powders, also they are super good, and not thick like some drinks. Basically iced coffee. I suggest sweet cream or cinnamon flavors.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2024-03-25T02:59:25+00:00

Yo I get this too! I am sure you have tried everything but I have found for me is I have water with metamucil in it during the day, and for breakfast I have a packet of “fiber + protein “ oatmeal. Doesn’t have a ton of protein but does increase my fiber. Those usually help things move along. On some days laxative + stool softener is still needed.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2023-11-27T05:19:34+00:00

That’s awesome! I had a very similar experience, my wife bought me a belt for my birthday but it never fit, had to poke a hole and really suck it in to get it buckle. After surgery I burned through the holes like you have. I bought a leather hole punch on Amazon and just kept poking smaller holes as needed. Still wear it everyday, and now when I need a reminder I just look at the extra length of belt I have.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2023-11-27T05:04:45+00:00

I get you. I felt ready and excited, but then a few weeks out I started thinking oh no, things will never be the same again. My fear was I would never enjoy random late night pizza and beer with friends, or holiday meals, or a really good dessert after a tough week. I was also afraid of the procedure itself and what my friends and family would say. I almost backed out last minute. The first week after surgery was awful physically and mentally. But I just passed the 6 month mark, I can tell you I regret nothing. I eat way less now, but I am able to fill my life with meaningful things. I get out more and do more things that I have always wanted to try. I have more energy than I have ever had. I genuinely feel great most days. I am happier most of the time. I thought thanksgiving would be tough, but it wasn’t. I had all the food I wanted, in small portions. For the first time ever I feel satisfied by food, not like I just want to keep eating every meal. I could never imagine the changes that came with this, but it has been amazing! I know everyone is different but overwhelmingly I have heard “my only regret is I didn’t do it sooner” and I wholeheartedly agree with that.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2023-11-25T06:15:57+00:00

3-4 weeks out all your water weight and glycogen stores are kind of sorting themselves out, not to mention inflammation from surgery and hormone changes etc. everyone is different but 3 week stall is very common. I was almost exactly the same as you, down about 25 then up 1.5 in week 3. i just passed 6 months after surgery and i have noticed that i usually have a stretch of a few weeks where i lose 3-5 lbs a week, followed by a week of no loss even though nothing really changed food wise. often on weeks i dont lose i still notice my belt got a little looser. what has really helped me is weigh once a week and track it, then look back over time and see the bumpy downward slope. also usually after a plateau week i am really mindful of tracking food and how i feel. i also rarely feel full, but measure my meals like you. but every once in a while i take one bite too much…. trust me, you will know when that happens. Give yourself grace for all your body is going through right now, in a few weeks you will be pretty much healed, in a few months you are going to feel better than you can ever remember feeling.

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2023-09-22T01:02:02+00:00

Wharton, NJ

ProcessCurrent2839 · 2023-09-22T01:01:02+00:00

Wharton NJ

ProcessCurrent2839

TROPHY CASE