What surprised you the most about weight loss surgery?

Happy Friday Everyone

The event is a great way to refocus and motivated again. If you are just new to surgery it gives you hope that "yes you can". What surprised you the most? I think some of the experiences for me was the reaction from people I thought I knew. How quickly my healthy issues turned around. But most of all my physical improvement. I could barely walk and when I did my entire left side went numb. Fast forward and I did a 5k run, worked out like a body builder, rode my bike for miles. In other words I got my life back

So what are some of the biggest surprises for you? No matter how new or far out you are.

I think what surprised me the most is that even with surgery, weight loss isn't just a steady and magical decline in weight. Maybe for some it is, but I still stall, my weight still fluctuates the whole time. I still have to make good choices to keep the trend going downward.

That is a very good observation.

At first for me it came off without any effort but hit a 9 week stall when I was 20 pounds from goal. And everyday we need to stick with the basics/rules otherwise there we go

So what are some of the biggest surprises for you?

Stalls! I hate stalls, why do they always come when you are super close to a new goal? I've been fighting my current stall for over a month now, I've tried everything and now I'm just staying on program and it will drop when it wants to drop!

Liz

Liz, if I had an answer I would be retired by now Stay the course and I know for me sometimes if I change up my eating and or exercise it helps.

This is such a difficult challenge in life... it's like the stars are lined up against us but that being said IT CAN BE DONE, WE WILL GET IT DONE, WE HAVE DONE IT

I'm only about 1 1/2 months post-op, but I have had 3 big surprises about WLS, two are positive and the other one is more negative.

The positive surprise was one that I heard about prior to my WLS. Even though I kept hearing post-op people talk about this, I really was skeptical that it would happen to me.

Other people would repory that they would be in a weight-loss stall. The scale wouldn't move for days, weeks, or even months. But, they still found their clothing getting looser and looser. Sizes would drop even though the weight on the scale did not.

Well, it's really true! I have been in a weight-loss stall since my 4th week post-op. But, I have dropped 2 sizes in pants and in tops. And I'm just at the beginning of my WLS Journey!

My second big surprise was how easily the actual surgery went. I had RNY and I'm no spring chicken at age 63. If it wasn't for all the nausea I had from the anesthesia and the few incisions on my abdomen, I wouldn't believe I had such complex surgery! (It always helps to have an excellent surgeon, too!) I had none of the post-op pocketed gas pains or problems moving around, getting out of a chair, or laying in bed that others reported.

The last big surprise has been somewhat of a disappointment. I have had never ending nausea (and sometimes vomiting) since my surgery. The first few days, it was attributed to the anesthesia. After several weeks of nausea and vomiting, I had an EGD and a stricture was dilated. Others kept telling me that I would feel amazingly great once the stricture was dilated. Unfortunately, no. Now, I have severe nausea anytime I eat any solid food, which at this phase is only dense protein. It's discouraging to not understand why I am so nauseated all the time and not know what to do about it...

Congratulations on your surgery!

Please keep in touch with your surgeon, if there are no medical reasons for you getting nausea all the time there has to be an answer. I know for me I was sick the first 3 months... If it gets to where you are not getting in what you need to stay healthy call your surgeon. Keeps posted on how you are doing!

Yes, keep your surgeon updated. Sometimes a structure needs to be opened more than once.

My biggest surprise was just how radically different my life would become due to losing weight. I had no idea. None at all. I didn't know I wanted to do the things I'm doing now. It's bizarre.

I love that line-

I didn't know I wanted to do the things I am doing now.

So true!