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My therapist (who I got to help combat my food issues) said cravings usually last 30 mins or less. Try to keep that in mind when you are craving something. I think you are like me. I am going to have to be very careful around certain foods (carb heavy hitters like bread and pasta for me). If I start, I won't stop. Kind of like an alcoholic in recovery. Some people can have a little bit and not suffer from "withdrawals", but if I were to have a little bit then my cravings spike and can spin out of control fast. My recommendations: 1. Track what you are eating in an app if possible cause sometimes that will help reign it in 2. Wait 30 mins when craving something and drink water. Go for a walk or pick an activity to distract you. After 30 mins, see how you are feeling and what your body may really be after (protein/more water/?) 3. Try to find healthy substitutes for what you are wanting. Pizza? Find a low carb recipe that tastes good and fills that urge. Sweets? Are some sugar free options or low carb options a possibility? 4. Journal and track when these cravings are happening. What's going on when they do? Are you stressed/bored/angry? Are you around others who are eating things you want? Are you out of the house and having to do fast food as quick options? Etc. See where your weak points are and then start identifying ways to help deal with them. 5. Get a supportive therapist to help you deal with your mindset around food. You can outeat wls. For many of us, this is going to be a lifelong addiction that we can defeat but will always have to be mindful of.

I am grateful that I am bald already.😁 Maybe my hair will grow back!

I, for one, don’t believe i feel bad nor harbour any shame about my wls (or any other medical/surgical procedures i have had). I think its just not my bag to share my business to all indiscriminately (i mean, i have even been known not to tell new acquaintances my real name for months lol 😉 ) I have a friend who does keto/low carb. Whenever we go out to a meal together, she has a several minute conversation with the server about her food choices and why, and sometimes shares how much weight she has lost to date (or gained recently by “cheating”). Meanwhile, i just quickly ask to swap out my potatoes or whatever for salad and internally hope (while simultaneously outwardly looking like i’m waiting patiently, ha) for my pal to finish her discussion so we can get our food already!! 😂 But i get it, she is passionate and proud of her lifestyle and progress, and she’s a sharer, so of course she wants to share. And if/when she finds an eager listener, then score! Win-win. At the same time, there are others (like myself) who prefers to discuss aspects of my life to a curated audience. Ain’t nothing wrong (nor weird) with either.

Mine has been starting later. I asked my Gyn about it and he said because I'd lost a lot of weight so quickly, it's thrown everything out of whack, but not to worry.

I noticed quite a few people don't want to admit to having WLS, and I totally get it. But when hubby and I go to a restaurant, I always tell the server that I had gastric sleeve surgery and I will definitely need to make a couple of substitutions on my meal and I will need a to-go box (any time we go out to eat, my meal is good for that night and at least 1, sometimes 2, more). I've had a few ask questions about it, and they all have always congratulated me and were more than happy to accommodate my needs for the substitution (typically I swap out potatoes and/or rice for a side salad or extra veggies). I'm always proud to tell them I had the surgery, and I usually include how far out I am from surgery and how much weight I've lost so far. Is that weird? I don't feel the slightest bit awkward or uncomfortable about it. Not at all. My family and friends all know and cheer me on. I was never shy or worried about telling people, and I don't particularly care if anyone has a problem with the fact that I had the surgery. Again, is that weird?

Well, this is something squarely in my wheelhouse! Maybe I can help. You should first check your short-term disability policy (ask HR for a copy), because some of them have a 5- or 7-day elimination period, which is the number of days you have to be out before the benefit starts. So if the first week is not payable, it makes no sense to file a claim for just one week. The amount of time off you need depends on the type of work you do. If you have a physical job (lots of standing, walking, lifting/carrying greater than 10 pounds), then your doctor will probably recommend you take more time off and the claim will be approved. If your job is mostly sitting at a desk, your doctor will have to give specific reasons for your inability to work. Depending on your procedure, most doctors already have a set number of weeks they will sign off on for recovery. Either way, you aren't tied to the initial number of weeks you requested: you can always return to work sooner if you feel well enough, or you can apply for more time off if there were complications.

Yeah interesting thread - I see my weight, my weight loss, and how I did it as totally my information to share or not as I see fit. Some of us are just more reticent than others - that's life!. I've had a lifetime of being judged for being overweight and obese so I'll decide how I live my life at a normal weight with no obligation to explain it to ANYONE. Nothing wrong with one or other approach - I just don't think I especially owe a waiter any explanation/justification of why I want my meal a certain way. I just assume they'll bring it as I ask for it cos that's what waiters do (and this is said in the knowledge that I and all of my family have done that job at some time). 😁

This made me think about my own decision not to share my surgery with anyone that didn't have a "need to know". Virtually everyone I work with has never actually seen me in person, only via zoom, since we almost all work remotely. I didn't tell anyone, even my boss that I was having weight loss surgery. Quarterly, my larger team (50-60 folks) gets together in person now, but I've put off traveling for these meetings for most of the year. I used my significant hearing loss as the main rationale. I do have a significant challenge hearing in crowded rooms due to my hearing loss, so it's absolutely an issue. If I'm honest with myself though, I put off going mostly because I was ashamed of my weight. I also knew that after surgery, I'd be closer to a "normal" weight and while some might notice a difference between "video" me and "in person" me, I figured it won't be nearly as noticeable for most folks. Anyway, mid-December, I'm finally planning to go to the quarterly get together. Fair or not, I know 2 things are true, and I made the choices I did based on this: Being obese carries a significant stigma that we are lazy, have no self-control, are morally bankrupt, are unattractive, etc. I've seen and felt this personally and its impact on promotions and work assignments. No one will ever admit to feeling this way or letting it impact business decisions, but it happens consciously or not. (I digress here a bit, but if you doubt this is real, look at the C-suite in any major corporation and one consistent theme is that it's exceptionally rare to see someone that's even overweight, much less obese.) Many people think that WLS is the easy way out, so don't associate weight lost this way as "redeeming ourselves" for the laziness and lack of self-control. In effect, only if you lose weight "naturally", are you proven "worthy" again. Frankly it sucks that these attitudes are so prevalent, but they are. I made the choices I did because I don't need anyone at work judging me or my motivations. As someone else said, I did this to save my life. We should be celebrating it. Instead, it's just more stigmatizing.

Sorry you are going through this and I know it sucks. I guess I'm lucky and unlucky at the same time. My shedding has seriously decreased so I only had a short time of losing a ton of hair. But due to massive shedding in the years before surgery I see more scalp now (and I mean a lot). Its getting harder to disguise it. I wanted a cute pixie cut but scared my scalp will show so I'll be off to the hairdresser for a consult soon. The good thing is there will be new growth so all we can do is wait this out and per my Derm make sure Protein, water and Vitamin D levels are good.

Lots of people on this forum have had bad results from telling others about this surgery. Before this surgery I didn't want any negative input from people, so I only told my husband, son and BFF. Even now I have only told larger people who have seen the change in me and were genuinely interested in how I managed such a big loss. I am not an open person; the British reserve is a real thing. We don't share our feelings. I would never tell a waitress/ waiter why I wanted different choices, just that I did. If more people were like you then maybe some of the stigma would disappear.