Julie norton

Well golly. Silly me thought menopause: great. White pants whenever you want. No more needing supplies while camping. Etc Ha. Joke was on me. Not ready for mood swings and hot flashes. My ob/gym calmly said the average menopause symptoms last about 7 years! Are you serious?? Waking up drenched was so not on my radar. Hoping I'm nearing the end. Glad WLS solved the 10-15 lb gain that is common however ....

Sorry, but I'm feeling a bit jaded from lots of advice and pictures of " honeymooners" just 3 months out and posting pics and advice. Could just be me getting weary of newbies dispensing wisdom... Want to read more of "years out " issues. Lots of people leave and I am really hoping it is not regain... Just complacency... Look forward to those who hang in here through all of life's up and downs.... You know ...REAL LIFE! Looking for those veteran posts here that help me through tough (and good) times.

Good topic.. No, I don't identify as a WLS patient. (I don't forget about 270+ pounds though)!! I am conscious of Protein first. I don't drink my calories. I don't drink while I eat, so I suppose I do eat like a patient, but it seems that is kind of " normal" eating. I've lived in the same town so long that I see my friends and acquaintances Fairly often and there is nothing "new" about my size 9 1/2 years out. I still know and fear fatness lurks somewhere though.... And I am determined to keep it at bay. I keep my band under inflated to baby it along. I do NOT want to change anything at this point. I'll be asking you guys first if I have to revisit surgery.

I truly appreciate this forum for the absolute honesty from seasoned vets!! It is one place I can hear the real deal from those that are going through trials and tribulations of long term post WLS and plastics. Thank you djmohr for the reality post. I almost yelled at the dr at a follow up visit from my TT.... (I recall saying " I've had two kids over 9 lbs and you never warned me how much pain I would be in in the first week ". ) He seemed surprised... Bet he never had a TT !! ( I later found out the staff are asked to speak in quiet tones at his practice..... ) I'm sure some eyebrows were raised... Oh well... Truth comes out of me loudly I suppose when I'm in severe pain. Yes, I would do it again, but with a knowing mindset... Anyway, I'm thankful for the banter here. I'm thinking years out of WLS, it is really up to us personally to continue this road to stay at a healthy weight. I notice now I say I had a good month. Or I can have a better month... No more day by day playbook that was in my head for years. Enough of my ramble

Yes , I concur that the old way of thinking of weight loss: I could lose X by this date is no longer useful to many of us. I think in bigger terms these days. It was a good week... It was a good month... It was a shi**y day And bad choices were made. On to tomorrow .. Starting with a protein drink and give it my best. All I can truly do is try. And dust myself off and try again [emoji93]

Well for my 2 cents, I felt a sense of relief when I traded in my car that my hubby and I had picked out. It reminded me of him... And curiosily, I picked a red car also! Nice feeling that I was able to negotiate the car myself, and am glad I made the change. Hope you are too sharpie. Another step forward.

Really would love to see updates on one- two year out from having the balloon taken out. Hoping it is not a quick fix that fails in the long tun. There are enough of those around. We need more options for all different sizes. Please update if you are in this group. Thanks

Great upbeat story! So happy for you. You deserve it! I especially love the baseball / widow reference⚾️my late husband and I crossed off many parks on our quest to support baseball And our SF Giants. What a fun and healthy pastime ... I'll go see the Giants vs Mets Saturday .... Not the same without my guy, but I'll take one of my boys and smile. Glad to know there are those special guys out there⚾️⚾️[emoji93]

One trick for me to get more water is to put a flavored tea bag in my bottle of water. Decaf or Lipton or orange. Anything to change just water. I don't heat the water up .. I just toss it in. Truly. Water is one of the hardest goals for me. I include my coffee in the amount of liquids daily also. Most additives have a funky taste to me ( and I'm not sure what is in them)so I don't use the drops or packets. Hope you can search around and find a way to get your fluids in.

It sounds like we have the same port location. I have read about many sites for ports. Sides, lower and in between. I am over 9 years out and will say that I do not put pressure directly on my port. It is not favorable to outside pressure on it. It is not surprising to me that vigorous exercise to a newer port has caused discomfort. Heck. Even my underwire bra irritates my port at the end of a long day! My experience is to let the area rest for a few days and hopefully it will not be so tender. Good luck port pal. (There are other posts from people who reanchor their port or have a lower profile port put in after weight loss.)

Ok ... But truly do we get a fat head when we gain weight?? That would explain some things. Haha

250 lbs. vs. 125 lbs.

I'm echoing that the TT/plication was so worth it... Now... Those first few weeks were difficult.... It was the getting up and lying down that took some clever maneuvering. Glad I had help the first few days. Numbness and some itching is par for the plastic surgery. You get used to it very fast. And much feeling comes back. ( not all for me, but a lot) Good luck and happy contouring. It feels like a treat to me after much hard work.

Glad to be with the hilarious, (and strange) people who have come this far on their weighty adventure. Good start.

Thanks for the reminder!! At times I feel like my normal eating falls into place.... Then, a weekend of treats or a tempting favorite meal or two makes me realize that vigilance is a must! It happens to me so slowly and adds up a tiny bit at a time. So today is Monday and I find I need to look forward to an on-track week to balance out this last couple of hedonistic days. The positive part is I have a great tool to help me. I can do my part... Just gotta get in the right frame of mind, and I will substitute a protein drink here and there . Just like quoted above...normal choices most people just don't have to think about...I know I do have to give thought to my individual food choices. Have a wonderful week

Your body is going thru some big changes. I say it needs rest... Just my opinion .., ask your doc at your next mtg..... but if you can and are able why not just Relax and heal 7 weeks after surgery? Good luck on changing your life with WLS .

Happy you are having your body shaped how you want it ... And dare I say.. How it used to be? Ahhh youth. Glad you found someone you trust and yikes. It is soon. Less time to worry I think.. Best of luck!!

Sharpie, I am also so sorry for your losses. Life is not fair or nice sometimes. You have much to deal with in a relatively short amount of time. ( I remember you lost your dear husband last fall and now these also) I'm so thankful you let our small and caring group offer a tiny bit of love and compassion to you. I'll just suggest gently that eating unhealthy and gaining back weight will not make you feel better in the long run.... I'm guessing you already know that, and others have mentioned it. Please stay connected... If you react like me, it is easier to just cocoon when sadness strikes. We are, in our own way, here to listen and help you anyway we can .... If you want that. We can just listen too... Sending strength.

Just like the others... Congratulations on a job well done. You look so much healthier and happier! Hope you keep posting.

Yippee. Your aging backwards. Weight wise. That is a thrill...to think it has been so many years and see that number! Congrats!

Glad to see many of us are open to evolving "what works" with food. Even after years and years, some foods don't work or taste off and I no longer include them. And still. No big portions. Thank you WLS

Yep. It's me... The thread- killer....

My doc was fairly strict about my diet for the first couple of months.... Ask yours about bread.... That can be difficult for digestion in the beginning. If it didn't stay down, you might want to wait before you challenge your stomach again. You can irritate your stoma easily... Especially in the healing stage. Good luck and read all your info front to back to stay on track

Very nice and flat stomach. Glad you like the results. I also had a tuck done last year, and am happy with it. I must say it was a bit painful in the first 10 days though!! In the end. Totally worth it. Hope you also feel the same .

I choose to drink smooth move tea in the evenings.. This slow moving digestive problem seems to come up for many. Others have different ideas on probiotics and such. Best of luck!