Same shirt- 70lbs difference
seen from Canada
seen from Russia
seen from Germany
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from Germany
seen from Philippines
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Germany
seen from South Korea
seen from Netherlands
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seen from United States
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seen from Türkiye
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Same shirt- 70lbs difference
64lbs down
I Have Returned…and Gained Weight
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!
AJ
Body Dysmorphia and Bariatric Surgery
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.
What are some things that you do to combat body dysmorphia?
Weight Loss Surgery is NOT the Easy Way Out: Part 1
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!
-AJ
Y’all I am so sorry for not posting for almost a month! Yikes I’m terrible at this. Life has been doing its thing and slowly wearing me down. I’m going to write another blog post this weekend and it’s going to be a big one for sure. I need to get on a consistent posting schedule so I can keep this blog alive. Thanks for sticking around and I’ll see you tomorrow!
Just a little bit of a vent session because I have to encourage myself sometimes.
So…I Think I Have To Cut My Locs
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.