It’s almost been a year since the surgery, which feels slightly unreal, so this seems like a good moment for a little check-in. As of today, it’s been nine months since I went in for my mini gastric bypass operation.
Overall, things have been pretty calm, especially when it comes to weight loss. Work has been intense lately, and if I’m being honest, both eating and moving have quietly slipped a bit into the background. The result is that the number on the scale has mostly just… stayed there. Over the past three months, I’ve lost around five kilos (~11 pounds).
Which, yes, is something. But also, mentally, it’s not exactly a party.
I still move every day and try to focus on protein, so it’s not like I’ve completely abandoned the plot. But I genuinely don’t understand why the weight has decided to settle in and get comfortable. Maybe it’s stress. Maybe it’s just my body doing its own thing. Hard to say.
The one thing keeping me sane is that I’ve been taking measurements from the start, and the centimeters are still going down here and there. So something is happening, even if the scale is being stubborn.
On tougher days, I’ll pull out a T-shirt from the beginning of this journey, put it on, and remind myself that there has been real progress. Even if my brain occasionally tries to argue otherwise. At the end of the day, it’s just me arguing with myself. And unfortunately, I’m on both sides of that argument…
I don’t know when you’re reading this, but as I’m writing, it’s winter and Christmas is around the corner. This year will definitely be different, mostly because my stomach now has very strong opinions about portion sizes.
Christmas used to be a full-on overeating event. Now I’m slightly stressed about how it’s all going to play out. Not because I can’t eat much, but because most of my close circle doesn’t actually know I had the surgery. No one is entitled to monitor my plate, obviously, but I’d still rather avoid the awkward questions.
So my current strategy is to artfully arrange food on my plate in a way that suggests I’m eating more than I actually am. A true creative exercise.
Yes, very much a first world problem. But considering that my weight has historically been a magnet for unnecessary comments, it makes sense that there’s still a bit of anxiety there.
Also, winter. I am cold. All the time. I had read that people who go through this surgery often complain about feeling cold, but I didn’t really take it seriously until now. During summer, it was actually kind of nice to not be constantly sweating. Now I live in socks and layers.
Even indoors.
My fingers and toes are regularly freezing, which is new for me. Apparently, this is just part of the experience now.
Otherwise, things are fairly stable.
My body seems to have adapted to this new lifestyle. Portions are smaller, I weigh my food most days, although I don’t always log everything into MyFitnessPal because sometimes I simply cannot be bothered.
There haven’t been any major food rebellions from my body, but I do try to keep things reasonable. If I’m craving something sweet, which still happens from time to time, I’ll eat something with protein first. If there’s still room, I’ll have a couple of bites of chocolate.
I know this might sound like a small thing, but it’s actually a huge win. Nine months ago, chocolate would not have survived in my drawer. It barely would have made it home from the store.
I also eat fruit regularly. Mandarins are currently carrying me through winter. At the same time, I’ve been craving strawberries and watermelon, which is both unrealistic and disappointing, because when I do buy them this time of year, they taste exactly like what you’d expect. Slightly sweet plastic.
I am curious to see what’s going on with my vitamin levels.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, my blood test at six months showed low iron levels, and I’ve been taking B12 and D3 supplements as well, based on my bariatric nurse’s recommendation, since those were borderline.
Sometimes I wonder if there’s any connection between that and the random cravings, but I’ll wait for my next blood test at the one year mark before I start overanalysing it too much.
To wrap things up, my goals for the next few months are fairly simple. Move more, and do it consistently. Ideally, that means working out a couple of times a week instead of just thinking about it. On the nutrition side, I want to keep focusing on protein and also remember to include healthy fats, because those tend to disappear from my plate quietly.
And mentally, I’m working on not comparing myself to others quite so much. It’s incredibly unhelpful, and yet, very easy to do.
How have you been doing lately? Would love to hear more about your journey!
