The Bariatric Blog

Okay…I’m being serious this time.

I’m going to continue this blog. My original intention was to write about my experiences through this journey of weight loss surgery. I still intend to do this. So let’s begin with a little recap.

I had weight loss surgery (roux-en-y gastric bypass) on March 22, 2023. I can’t believe it’s been two years! Anyway, I originally lost about 130lbs. Welp, 30 of those pounds came back. I’m honestly so mad lol. But anyway, what can you do?

Here’s what I plan to do…go back to the basics. Eat a bunch of protein. Avoid excess sugar. Get fiber in. You know, those things. What I’m also adding is a GLP1 medication (Wegovy). It’s funny. I actually tried Wegovy once and it’s such a weird feeling. It takes your hormones back to right after weight loss surgery. The nausea was out of this world and I decided to stop taking it. Well, because I gained some weight back, it’s time I try it again. I’m hoping to make small changes to take the nausea and eat how I’m supposed to.

Has anyone had any experience with weight regain after weight loss surgery? What did you do to combat that? I’m curious to know.

I hope to write again soon. See y’all next time!

Hey everyone! I have finally decided to resurrect this blog and write more about my journey through weight loss surgery. I’ve been through it this past year and some. I’ll write more about that later.

Anyway, what happens when you lose all of those pounds from weight loss surgery?

I can tell you one thing that doesn’t go away…body dysmorphia. I swear I know I feel better since losing weight but I still see my 300+lb self. It wears on your mental health for sure.

What do I do to combat those bad body image days? I take a full body picture (daunting…I know) and compare it to my older full body photos. For some reason, I can see the progress more clearly when comparing photos. Ain’t that weird? It helps me a lot on those bad days.

I may have spoken about this before (and forgive me if I have). When people say, "Weight loss surgery is the easy way out! All you have to do is blah blah blah!", I want to smack them in the face. Lord, forgive me but it's just what I want to do! I want to make it very clear to everyone, even those that are considering weight loss surgery as an option...it's not easy. This is going to be a series because there are a ton of points that support mine (and many other #wls patients) that this thing is the farthest from easy!

WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY IS A TOOL…NOT THE FINAL SOLUTION

I think people have the wrong idea about weight loss surgery. I believe that skeptics think that weight loss surgery is easy because one's stomach is cut down to a small coin purse which should make it easier to eat less and lose weight super quick. Those skeptics think that no other work is done behind the scenes to keep that weight off. Basically, they believe that weight loss surgery is a cop-out. Boy, those skeptics are wrong! This same thinking was what I originally had. I thought I just basically ate less because I have no option but to do so. When I started researching this thing, I was definitely surprised that I had to put in work to make weight loss surgery (the tool) actually successful. When I met with my surgical team, they told me just that. Yes, weight loss surgery does change the physical appearance of your stomach to help you eat less. However, you still have to exercise, drink plenty of fluids so you don't get backed up, and eat the diet that your team prescribes for you or you will be stuck on a toilet or near a toilet for most of your recovery. Gross, I know, but it's the truth.

I've been surrounded by plenty of weight loss surgery skeptics and they are always surprised when I tell them all the things I have to do to keep losing weight in a healthy manner. I always say (and the bariatric community always reiterates) that weight loss surgery is the tool we use to lose weight. Everyone's body is different. Everyone can't lose weight the same way. I could have tried losing weight by putting myself in a calorie deficit and exercising more. I actually did try that. It didn't work. I was still gaining. Turns out, some medications were helping me gain weight (yay, antidepressants ). Even after I stopped those, I still couldn't get the weight to come off. As an aside, when I get stressed out or super anxious about something, I don't eat. I will restrict and that is definitely not a healthy way to lose weight. I was just training my body to hold on to every single calorie it could to keep me alive at that point.

What are some myths you’ve heard about weight loss surgery that you’d like for me to debunk? I am willing to bet that I can debunk them all! See you next week for Part 2!

Welcome back to my bariatric blog where I cover bariatric/weight loss surgery topics.

Weight stalls are THE WORST! What exactly are they and what are some ways to beat or get through them without losing hope?

Weight stalls are periods where a person’s weight does not change for weeks or months. The body just stays around a certain weight and doesn’t decrease. Weight stalls can happen at any stage after surgery. Sometimes (a lot of the time), weight stalls can wear on the individual mentally. There’s really no apparent cause of a weight stall from what I have experienced. Then one day, the weight starts dropping again like the stall didn’t happen. I’m sure there’s a ✨science✨ behind it but I don’t want to bore you with those details.

I’ve experienced at least 3 weight stalls in the past year since surgery. My care team told me the first one usually hits around the 1 month post surgery mark and it sure did. My team said that it’s not certain why that happens but I have an idea or theory. I believe that one’s body is basically in shock after weight loss surgery and the body just doesn’t know how to respond to all the immediate changes. Yes, you may participate in a pre-op diet to prepare your body for what’s to come but rapid weight loss still shocks it. So maybe it has periods of where it has to rest from losing so much weight and then it kicks back into gear once it’s done freaking out. Seems fair but I have no idea if that’s what is happening. Just my theory.

Anyway, when stalls hit, how can you combat them? Well the answer to that question is not about going back to the liquid diet stage to trick your body into losing weight. There’s no need to reset your new stomach (or pouch if you are a gastric bypass baddie like me). No. The thing to do is to just keep doing what your care team has planned. Keep eating appropriately to your body’s needs, get those fluids in, and move your body. That’s it! No theatrics or some dramatic thing. Just stay the course and your body will start to lose again.

All that information above is about weight stalls during your active losing phase. There is another type of stall that lasts way longer and it’s a little weird…

So, eventually, your body will get to a place where it is happy at its weight. You may shift +/- 5 pounds around this “happy weight”, but it generally stays in that area. Because your body may be happy where it is, you may stay at that weight for a LONG time. And that’s okay! I’ve been shuffling between 173 and 178 lbs for the past month or so and I’m cool with it. Yeah, I want to get to my goal weight of 160 lbs. However, if my body is fine where it is, I ain’t mad at all! Yes, I’m still following my care team’s advice and all but I just ain’t losing much weight anymore. But, I’m happier and healthier now than what I was a year ago and that’s all that matters!

During the beginning stages of this bariatric journey, my surgeon and his team stated that hair thinning or hair loss is normal after the procedure. Because our body absorbs nutrients differently, our hair growth can be affected. Biotin and a good hair routine can help fight against hair thinning and loss but it could still happen.

I have REALLY LONG locs and I’ve had them for almost 10 years. They’ve been with me through a lot and I just love them. This morning, however, I’ve come to the realization that they are becoming too heavy for my scalp to hold them. It’s time to cut them off. Honestly, in the photo below, you can see that I have some thinning making my forehead look like a 12head 🤣

I’m low key sad about this because hair is my safety blanket in a way. I’ve had my hair short before (pictured below-circa 2012 or something?)so I’m not worried about that. I’m just going to miss them. I won’t be able to take these down in the normal fashion because I have way too many combo locs and I’m afraid I might lose more hair than what I want to.

So, now comes the process of letting them grow out without re-twisting for a couple weeks and finding a salon that can cut them and give me a haircut that will let my hair grow back.

It’s all part of the process. Yeah it’s sad but hey, my overall health matters more than a few strands of hair on my head.

Now this topic right here…is the KICKER.

You are on your way to bariatric/weight loss surgery but some of your family and friends don’t understand why you chose that route. “Can’t you just eat less and exercise more?” “You’re not even THAT fat so you don’t need it!” Or you get the folks that have heard these conspiracies about folks eating so much after surgery that their new stomach/pouch explodes and they die…yeah I’ve heard all of this, too.

You can’t control everyone’s opinions about WLS but you can control how you respond to them.

First of all, your body - your choice. Ultimately, you are the one that knows what is best for you and your health. No one else can tell you that. They obviously don’t live in your body so how would they know what you need to get healthy? In my journey, I had got to a point where my appetite was outrageous and I could no longer put on my clothes comfortably. I was huffing and puffing trying to put on shoes 🙄 I couldn’t take walks without my ankles swelling so much to where I had to sit and let the pain ride on. I knew I had to do something. I tried the gym, eating less, restricting (which is a BAD idea) and it didn’t work. That’s why I decided to go the WLS route and it was (and still is) the best option for me.

Second of all, keep yourself educated on all things WLS. This helps with dispelling those WLS rumors. Ask your doctors questions. Find workshops or classes related to WLS. Find “peer reviewed” articles and sources to learn. This helps you have a well rounded knowledge of WLS and to help educate your loved ones on what actually happens. Will they still bring up dumb stuff? Oh yeah! As long as you keep educating them, they’ll eventually understand your choice…or they won’t and that is still OKAY!

Lastly, this is the hardest thing to grasp and accept but there are going to be individuals that will not open their minds to the WLS world. They are going to say things like, “WLS is the easy way out” which grinds my everlasting gears. They won’t ever understand. And some of these people will be your own folks! The best thing to do is pray for them (I’m Christian so that’s what I do personally) and leave them be. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. WLS and this journey is hard enough on us and we have to stay focused on the task at hand!

I’m going to try and post every Saturday from now on. It’s the only day I get to focus on this project. Thanks for reading and let me know what other topics you’d like to discuss!

So, you’ve decided to get weight loss surgery (WLS). Where do you even start? Here are a few items that I suggest you do before diving into the WLS process.

1. Research the type of WLS you’d like to have

There are tons of WLS types out there for you to choose from. Many of them achieve different results and have their own pros and cons. Take the time to find out what works for you. I ultimately decided upon gastric bypass. I’ll get to how I made my decision a bit later.

2. Find a surgeon/health system that specializes in WLS

This is the BIG one right? Find a hospital or surgeon that is accredited and specializes in multiple types of WLS. I suggest finding a hospital or surgeon that has a great education program for WLS and (obviously) in-network for your health insurance. Some health insurance providers have requirements and prerequisites for these types of surgeries so just be mindful of that. You definitely want to find a provider within your health insurance network so you don’t have to pay much (or anything) for your surgery. It is EXPENSIVE but worth it! You will want to find something that makes you feel comfortable and that really focuses on the needs of the patient. I went with Summa Health close to home and my surgery was completed by Dr. Bedford. They have a really great program and I can discuss my concerns with them at any time. They are very friendly, non-judgmental, and supportive! Here’s another important point to make. EVERY WLS PROGRAM IS DIFFERENT AND EVERY SURGEON IS DIFFERENT. You will hear differences from program to program in all areas including the need for a pre-op diet to if you are allowed to use a straw after surgery. Just be mindful of that and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

3. Find a WLS-centered community

I think it’s really important to find a community centered around WLS. You can see stories and experiences from people that have gone through the process and learn so much more. I will say, I have followed many WLS accounts over the past year or so and some of them I can’t stand! I especially can’t stand ones that are more or less influencer accounts 🤢 Like come on, I want to know the good/bad/meh/ugly parts of your journey! Not a post trying to sell me something that is overly priced and over-hyped. I follow a few forums on BariatricPal and I follow Your Onderland on instagram and they have been very helpful in my journey! Your Onderland especially posts tips and tricks for the bariatric lifestyle and they come in handy!

Once you’ve done the research, apply for the WLS program! Also, ALWAYS ask questions. Remember, your surgeon and your care team are there to help you on your journey. No question is a dumb question. It’s better to ask than to not and mess something up!

What are some other things you would like to know? Leave a comment below!

My name is Adrion but some call me AJ. I’m a 28 year old Black woman from Ohio, working as a scientist at a contract research organization and a musician of sorts. That’s enough about me for now.

You may be wondering why I created a blog about bariatric surgery. Well, I decided to pursue gastric bypass surgery in June 2022 and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I’ve lost about 120lbs and I feel so much better than before. However, I wish I received more information from others that have gone through the same process. That’s why this blog is here. This blog will be for anyone curious about bariatric surgery, the process, challenges, and obstacles that are involved. I’m almost a year post op (yay!) and I’m still learning. I want to share that with you all.

As I curate this blog for is bariatric patients, feel free to ask me questions as I may answer them in a post. Hopefully, we could get a Q&A going, live chats, bariatric services, and more added! Thanks for the follow! I will talk to you all soon ☺️