LouiseC

Wow, this is amazing. Well done! I have just started looking at plastics and will be looking at pretty much the same procedures as you, minus the implants and the arm lift. Very great to see your journey. Thank you for sharing, you are looking amazing.

I am now in a 36D which seems a long way from a 44FF! I don't know why I didn't expect them to shrink! I think it was because when I was skinny in my teens, I still had big ones! Though truth be told, without a bra I would now describe them as 'long'. TMI apologies :-D

While I agree with the other posters in that first thing in the morning is usually the best chance for success, I also understand it isn't always possible. I find the hardest part about going to the gym is actually going. I am fine when I am there, sometimes even enjoy it, and I always, always feel great when I leave! It is the getting there that is the biggest challenge! So sometimes I simply have to make myself. Even when I am tired, even when I can find a thousand excuses, I am learning to suck it up and just go. Remember this is the hardest part and it starts getting a little bit easier. Funny thing is, even when I am dog tired, the gym energises me and I find I am more productive as a consequence. I get home from the gym with more oomph than when I get home from the office. How much energy are you using when you teach dance? It could be that is exercise in and of itself.....

I use the polar and with all my own details programmed inI trust the calorie count it provides me lost work out. The equipment at the gym seems to vary wildly. One thing to note, the signal seems to emit a fair way as I have discovered that all cardio equipment around me will also be displaying my heart rate! It has certainly confused some people.....

People are trying to help you by trying to work out what you are eating in order to give you some insight into why you may not be losing. You said initially you followed a plan, then you said there was no plan. It is confusing. No one is making you feeling like a criminal, they are just trying to get an idea on why it is going wrong for you. I am in NZ and also did not have strict rules, high protein recommendations to. However I read a lot and worked out what worked for me. It may well be that you would benefit from counting protein, following a stricter plan etc. it certainly works for thousands and thousands of people who have WLS. After all, it is not like what you are doing now is working is it?

I was not given Protein goals. To me, that is very much and American thing. It isn't common elsewhere. Calorie goals, yes. Protein specific goals, no. It varies NUT to NUt and surgeon to surgeon. That said, I am surprised there is not a set plan.

I am stunned you can eat two eggs for Breakfast. I am twenty months post OP and can still only eat one egg in any sitting. At five weeks, even half an egg would have been a struggle. Your situation is unusual. Are you having snack at all or just the three meals? It doesn't seem like much at all. What plan did the surgery out you on?

In re reading the following posts I think I need to add to my earlier post. If addiction, to food, alcohol, drugs or whatever was an issue prior to being sleeved then this would certainly increase likelihood of cross addiction. My post was very much written from the perspective of a non addict and it was remiss of me not to make that clear.

I have never taken a selfie in the car BUT I have caught sight of myself in the rear vision mirror sometimes and thought "damn! I look hot!" It part of my whole new relationships with mirrors. And shop windows. And still waters. And pretty much anything I can get a reflection on. I have been known to take a selfie just to check out how I look when there is no mirror close to hand. I am so embarrassed admitting this, but it is funny as I used to hide from mirrors and cameras and now it's just "what am I like?" Laughing at myself here. So maybe the car selfies are just others catching their reflection and thinking 'yeah, I need a keeper of this look.' I think post WLS they should warn us that catching glimpses of ourselves while driving may be hazardous to other road users......

First off, I am sorry for your troubles. What a crappy turn of events for you to have to deal with. Secondly, a week of heavy drinking doesn't make you an alcoholic. I would not see this as addiction, more of a blip. Not surprising given what you are going through. What jumps out to me, what I think is really fantastic, is that you recognise that this isn't okay behaviour and you are reaching out for help. That says to me that you are definitely not going to let this rule your life or your recovery. I would urge you to see someone, a professional, to talk through what you are going through and to help give you some tools you can use to manage the pain without having to turn to alcohol as a mask for it. You are doing wonderfully, this past week is just showing you that you are human and you are vulnerable. We all are. What you are going through sucks and it is not surprising that your ability to make good choices is not so much at the forefront of your mind right now. Don't beat yourself up about this past week, go see someone who can help you manage the pain without needing the wine. I wish you all the best.

From a 10.5 to a 9. It's crazy, I was NOT expecting it and actually found myself having to grieve for shoes! Lol Ridiculous, I know, but when I was big shoes became sort of my fashion indulgence. I may have had limited plus size clothing options, but I could always get beautiful shoes. It was very hard saying goodbye to some of them! Not that I would have it any other way of course! Sometimes when I am at yoga and in a forward fold I find myself staring at my feet and thinking " OMG I actually have skinny feet" they fascinate me. I never, ever realised I had fat feet!

I wasn't required to have psych evaluation but congratulations to you on passing yours. You didn't strike a nerve, perhaps you are reading emotion into my text that simply isn't there? Seriously, I am not at all bothered. I don't really eat fast food, didn't much before surgery, and only very, very rarely post surgery so there was nothing in your comments that bothered me. I just thought your comments odd given that only one person in this whole thread had even mentioned MacDonalds and even then that was in reference to a grilled chicken salad. Yet your reading comprehension translated that into something so very different, and elicited a very self righteous yet uninformed response. I was trying to help you understand some of the realities of the sleeve post surgery, I believe knowledge and understanding is the key to making this work. Your experiences may very well differ and best of luck to you with that. That was, after all, the whole point of my second post. Difference. What works for one will not work for another. And you simply do not know, prior to being sleeved, what it will be like for you despite whatever you imagine. None of us did. I haven't lost 'some weight', I have lost a significant amount of weight. I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved and know it is through my hard work, commitment, mindfulness, and conscious decision making that I have had such success. I hope if I am ever self righteous about it that someone slaps me down. I know the hard work involved, and do my level headed best not to judge the decisions others make. People will find what works for them, even when it is different to what works for me. As for 'issues', you are the one who openly states you are an addict. Being an addict isn't 'cured' with the sleeve. Addiction is a serious psychological condition. It requires serious response.

This is a great place for discussion, so long as that discussion doesn't involve insulting other people and calling them "nuts" for their decisions. Do that, and yes, some people will call you on it. As it simply isn't polite and does not lead to positive discourse. Difference is good, as we are all different and that is very much obvious once you start to hear about the different journeys post sleeves have. The key is not to make assumptions. You consider yourself a food addict, many don't. I know I am not a food addict nor have I ever been. So don't assume that because you have emotional issues with food that others became obese because they share this. They don't. If you can get the sleeve and never, ever again darken the door of a fast food restaurant, or mindlessly scoff a bag of potato chips six months post surgery, or enjoy a piece of cake on your birthday then more power to you. You will be in the minority. The biggest mistake you can make pre sleeve is in believing it is some thing magical. It isn't. It is simply a tool, all it does is significantly reduce the volume of food you can consume, and, if you are like me and one of the lucky ones, it can alter the production of the hormone ghrelin and significantly reduce your hunger. It may, like many, impact on your ability to consume overly fatty or sweet foods. Awesome. But that doesn't happen for everyone. Ultimately, once you are past the first year, this journey really does require you to be mindful and make good choices. You can make just as poor choices at home as you can in a restaurant. You need to resolve whatever psychological issues you have with addiction and food because the sleeve is not a magically bullet that will blow them away for good. It still comes down to you at the end of the day and your ability to choose well. It still comes back to you being able to say "no" in the face of endless and often relentless poor food options. And believe me, you can still eat a phenomenal amount of 'slider' foods like chips and ice cream. Foods that are pure dirty and slide down that sleeve easier than Water did pre sleeve. Which, oddly enough, doesn't slide down that easily post sleeve for me.

In three pages of comments I only see ONE person mention they can eat at MacDonalds, and that was referring to a grilled chicken salad. Every poster refers to eating differently and making different choices when AT&T here restaurants. Now I don't go to MacDonalds, that would be a real rarity for me, but I still have treats on occasion and I am not going to beat my self up about it. The sleeve is a tool not a life sentence. I am really pleased for you that pre surgery you are already 100% certain that you will never, ever again eat anything that isn't 100% healthy. Most of us, like me at twenty months post OP and 130 pounds lost, are human and do occasionally enjoy eating something that is a treat. I look forward to hearing from you when you are over a year out about just how easy you are finding maintaining such self righteousness.

Tell them the truth - kids are smarter than we often give them credit for. Tell them the what and why of it all. For older kids, Talk about the risk comparatively, for example, the risk compared to driving. Talk about the risks being higher of you don't have the surgery because of your health. It's actually a great opportunity to discuss risk assessment and mitigation with your kids, tools they are going to need in their own life. Allow them to ask questions, and answer honestly and without any strong emotional reaction. If you can't answer a question, tell them it's a really good question and you need to find out the answer. Then come on here or get online or talk to your surgeons office and get that answer. Create opportunities for them to participate in your recovery, start talking about that prior to surgery, about how they can help you 'get better'

It is summer here. I bought a miracle swimsuit, one piece, and it is AMAZING! I swear I would walk down the Main Street of town in this swimsuit, it is that flattering. Expensive, but the best swimsuit I have ever encountered! http://www.miraclesuit.com

In fairness, the first few times I had a drink post OP, it did take effect quicker than before and I really felt it. The first glass of wine didn't even get finished. But within a couple of months it really is just like pre OP.

Love this.

18 months???? That's a new one for me. My surgeon recommended I avoid alcohol for six weeks post surgery. I regularly enjoy a wine with dinner and will very occasionally have cocktails that don't involve overly carbonated mixers. I can't drink beer at all, though I can drink champagne/ methode traditionelle. I am twenty months post OP. I do not find I have any issues with effect from alcohol. It effects me the same as it did pre OP.

I understand why people make the decision not to tell others, I really do. I don't judge it either, to each their own. That said, I have to point out that what you are telling people isn't "100% true". Not at all. It is a half truth, a partial truth. Again I say I have no judgement here but ask that you don't kid yourself into thinking you are being 100% truthful because you are not. If you are going to tell a half truth then own that that is what you are doing. Don't try and dress it up as 100% true. It just isn't.

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It is an interesting assumption. I have watched five colleagues/staff go through weight loss surgery over the past two years. A couple told people and three didn't. There was more gossip and speculation and rumour about those who did not share than those who were open books on the topic. The ones who said "I have had surgery" were overwhelmingly given support, encouragement, and there was no gossip or rumour. Instead people would say "OMG have you seen M? She looks AMAZING!" Where as those who said nothing were subject to a whole lot of "she must have had surgery, do you think?" "No one could do that without help" "who does she think she is kidding pretending she is losing all that weight with high protein and exercise, do we look stupid." And variations on that general theme. It is food for thought. I do think that those who think they won't be talked about by staying private are perhaps prone to wishful thinking. I may well be wrong, but my experiences differ in the extreme.

I did this a few weeks ago http://www.caveworld.co.nz which is not something I would have imaging doing before WLS. We also had a recent family holiday to the Gold Coast in Australia and I did all the theme park roller coasters and rides. Last year, I had my young niece for the day and we took her to an indoor wall climbing place and I joined I too and climed several metres! Photo attached. All of these activities were ones I would not have even contemplated two years ago. It is summer here now, and while we have had the boat out it has not been warm enough yet for me to water ski or knee board or biscuit, but I will be doing it before summer is over!

I read something recently that resonated 'post WLS, I am still the same me, but with better marketing'. It made me laugh but also really hit the nail on the head. I do get more attention. That said, I dress for myself, not for attention from the opposite sex. I want to look good because when I think I look good, I feel good. More confident, more upright, more able to meet others eye to eye. The attention is just a bonus It's all part of the biological imperative! But as I am well over and done with having babies, I don't have the biological drive to attract a mate! I also think a lot of women dress more for the critical eye other woman give them than to attract the opposite sex.

As suggested above, I think you need some more protein or fat. That is what fills you up and curbs hunger more than anything else.