SarahS

Awesome job!!! You are looking amazing! What a big different 60 pounds has made! You look so happy!

Mine started thinning around 2 months post op. I next week I will be 5 months and it is still falling out. It has slowed a little bit, but I just figured that was because I have less hair to lose now! I asked my primary care doctor when I was there getting blood work the other day, and he said you lose it with weight loss because our bodies don't know how to handle being fat. So, when we lose that excess weight, your body doesn't know you were overweight and thinks you are starving, so it holds on to the needed functions and gets rid of unneccacary things. ie, you don't need hair to live. It made a lot of sense when he explained it that way. He told me once my weightloss slowed down, it would stop falling out. But I have slowed down a lot, so I am hoping it will start coming back in. But like Tiff, I will take the thin hair over the rolls and fat and health problems!

I LOVE having that problem!!! And I LOVE the feeling when clothes are baggy on me. I started at a size 30/32, and you are right, its SO hard to find anything over a 26!! Thank god for the avenue when I wasa 30/32 because they were the only place I could find stuff to fit. It was so sad and depressing when I went to Lane Bryant and tried a 28 and couldn't fit and that was the biggest size! I just told myself they ran small, to make myself feel better. I am now in a 20 in some brands of jeans. Some of the cheaper ones are still tight. And I have NO 22's, so I have put my 2 pairs of 24 size jeans in the dryer multiple times, and they are still falling off. I think I might have to retire them really soon because they are almost to the point where I have to hold them up, LOL! Some tops still have to wear a 3X because my arms aren't getting much smaller, but I found a 1X Columbia winter jacket in my closet the other day that I forgot I had, and WOW, it fit! Kinda snug, but I can zip it! I was super excited. We have around the same amount of weight to lose, and we seem really close on how fast we are losing. I am a few weeks a head of you. Pretty cool!

Haha! How cute!!! That must feel great!

I am 4.5 months post op and haven't come across a food I couldn't eat. I have eaten some "junk" food with no problem. I kind of wish it wasn't so easy to eat!!! I drank A LOT of pop before surgery. Thirst was a HUGE concern for me too pre-op. I was so scared that I would have the really bad thirst I always had and wouldn't be able to drink much but a few sips. I would drink an average of 5 liters of fluids a day before surgery. It was probably mostly due to my salt intake, and maybe just my size. I was ALWAYS thirsty, and was always up all night urinating. I am not diabetic either. I could drink an entire 2L of pop in a day on top of other drinks, or 12 cans of pop. I think pop just makes you more thirsty (and hungry). People always told me that, but of course I didn't want to believe them.. I tired some pop (Fresca) a few weeks ago, and it went down just fine. It just didn't taste the same and I really don't think I will drink pop too often or at all. It's not something I want anymore, and I drank so much before surgery.

I lost 41 pounds by 5 weeks out, but I had over 200 total to lose. It WILL slow down a lot. Just enjoy it now!! Congrats!

I did not have a liquid pre-op diet. They just wanted me to do a reduced calorie diet to "shrink" my liver. They didn't even suggest high protein, low carbs, they never have even for post-op. He said my liver looked fine during surgery and I was 356 pounds at surgery date. i had no complications during surgery, very little bleeding and didn't need a drain! But, I think I was pretty healthy going in to surgery even with such a high weight. I didn't really stick with any diet pre-op but I did try to cut a few things out and not eat as much. I am sure I was consuming 5-6000 calories before my surgery on a typical day. I did eat Taco Bell and McDonalds a few days before surgery. I just felt like I needed to enjoy those things one more time since I was never going to eat them again. Probably a bad idea and irrational thinking, but luckily my surgery went fine and I healed fine and I have had to complications.

I almost didn't post this because I am so embarassed and ashamed to admit how much I am eating. I am about 4.5 months post op and this past week I have eaten so much!!! I haven't really been feeling a lot of restriction and it scares me. I read what others eat and they eat SOOO much less than me, probably like 1/4 of what I eat. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others, but its so hard not to. Monday I had a Protein shake in the morning, and then ate Skyline (chili), and ate an entire 5 way (Pasta, chili, onions, Beans and cheese and crackers)!!! I ate it in 3 different times, but not too far apart. It's like I can be kinda full, but then 30 mins to an hour later I am so hungry again. I hate being hungry. After I ate the Skyline, I even ate an entire lean cuisine meal. This is such a HORRIBLE habit to get in to because I know I will gain all the weight back. UGH! Then Tuesday I did a little better, and ate around 1000-1100 calories, in 3 meals and a few Snacks. Wednesday was another bad day. Breakfast I had 1 egg and 2 turkey sausage patties, 1 piece of thin bread, 2oz turkey, and a reduced fat cheese stick. Snack I had a Fiber one bar. dinner was 1/4 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of ground turkey and whole grain pasta, and a dark chocolate raspberry weight watchers ice creams bar. Well, I was doing fine, then all hell broke loose. Throughout the rest of the night, I snacked on 4-5 more of the ice cream bars and 2 Peanut Butter sandwiches on the thin round bread. I took in almost 1,600 calories that day How can I even eat all this!!!!! I just felt like I was starving! I was very uncomfy last night, but it was more like a constipated feeling. Today has been kinda the same, though I haven't eaten as many ice cream bars, but I want to so bad. I hate to throw them out. But once they are gone, they will never be in my house again!!! And no more peanut butter because I can't control myself. Gosh, I am so ashamed I ate all of that. I feel like I wasted my money having this surgery since I can't even control myself, I am still so hungry all the time, and I still go back to bad habits. I can't even use this tool right! Sorry for such a negative post, but I am just really down on myself right now. I have had good weight loss thus far, and I just want to keep that up. I just don't know how to not be hungry. Maybe I need to make sure i am getting fluids in and that will fill my tummy. And I do need to exercise which I haven't gotten back to yet, but that usually makes me even more hungry. I currently have a part time job and I think it would help if I was working full time. It's just the night time that is so bad! I think I really need to work on why I go to food. I know it makes me feel better, but I don't know how to fix that. But I really am hungry a lot of the time too. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Awesome job!!! You are totally rocking that sleeve!!! You will be at goal in no time!!

Thank you thinoneday for the book rec. I will look that one up! Thank you everyone for the responses and advice. The ice cream bars are GONE! The Peanut Butter might be in the trash soon too! I have been adding the peanut butter to my one dogs food because he hasn't been wanting to eat. I do track calories. I think if I didn't, I would eat way too much. I think I need to add some veggies in. I don't get a lot unless they are mixed into something. For those of you who asked about the peanut butter.... it is organic. Here are the ingredients: organic dry roasted peanuts, organic palm oil, organic unrefined cane sugar, sea salt. Carbs per 2 Tbsp:6g, Sugars: 3g So, I really don't think the peanut butter is making me hungry. I think it is because its one of the only things in the house and I would eat anything. If I had Protein bars, I would eat a few of those. If I had chicken cooked, I would eat a lot of that. I might do a few days of just liquids, like Protein shakes, Soups, SF Jello, SF FF pudding, yougurts, etc. I just need to get a hold of this!!! I hate this hunger! I started today with a Protein shake, and wanted to do only liquids, but just got so hungry I ate a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and a cheese stick and 17 pop chips. Tomorrow, I just have to force myself to only do liquids. I am so, so glad I have this board to come to. I think if I didn't have the support and place to come to "spill my guts", I would just slowly slip back into bad habits. At least I know it is BAD and I WILL fix it. THANK YOU ALL!!! And yes, I will be doing the "happy dance" again some day

I have followed my surgeons and NUTS guidelines to lose the 105 pounds I have lost. Not really a diet, just ate small healthy meals. Just followed what I was suppose to do.

Thanks so much!!! I didn't even think about that! I think that is a huge part of this. Maybe since my weight loss has slowed my level will go down or at least calm down, LOL!

Just try upping your calories for a while and see what happens! I am sure it sucks you aren't in the mood to eat when you get home, but I wish I had that problem!!! I am so, so hungry at night and eat way too much. I need to figure out how to beat that hunger monster!

Ok, I eat way more than you guys, LOL! B: 1 egg, 2 small turkey sausage patties L: 2 oz reduced sodium turkey lunchmeat, 1 piece thin bread round, 1 sharp cheese stick S:Fiber One bar D: 1/2 cup turkey spagetti, 1/4 cup fresh strawberries, 1 dark chocolate raspberry Weight Watchers ice cream bar YUM! I will probably have another snack before bed, maybe 1-2 tsp of organic crunchy Peanut Butter on thin bread round Not so great with the fluids today Took B12 today, but thats it.

I think you are eating too little!!! Try uping your healthy carbs and Proteins and you might see the scale move, in the right direction, Good luck!!!

Sounds like acid reflux. Are you on a PPI? I always coughed when I ate before I knew I had reflux, but that was before surgery. Not sure what else it could be.