butterfyeffect

Well, I have to second the shopping in thrift stores comment. I found a Goodwill near me that gets all of the designer donations. I recently got a Calvin Klein dress to wear to a friend's wedding for $10. Total haul that day was $82 for two pairs of jeans, a pair of shorts, four tops, and the dress. Nothing that I bought was not a name brand. I also have to add on though, that just because it fits, does not mean that you should wear it! I tried on some shorts on one of my shopping expeditions, and even though they fit, I liked the brand, and were comfortable, I put them back because I am 36 years old, and those orange shorts were just too young for me!

@@Nylaj I take one daily. It's OTC (docusate). I am a nurse, and know that many of my patients take one daily, some twice a day, so I felt comfortable with a daily pill. I was trying for a long time after surgery to not need one, but that led to some, shall we say... uncomfortable situations? I still don't go daily even with it, but it's way better with it than without it.

Okay, I am more than a year out, so I'll tell you what worked for me at the beginning, and what is still working... Protein shakes: I like unjury initially, then it became too sweet for me, I then drank one of the Premier Protein shakes every day, even though it killed me because of my lactose intolerance. I now am on to Quest bars, but I really only eat one on the days that I work out. Meals: At first, softer foods were my go to, like stews and chili. I could eat about 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a sitting. Now my go-to meal is a salad with chicken on it. I probably eat some version of this every single day, lately my craving has been for Panera's Mediterranean quinoa salad. I can only eat about a half portion of it, but I order the full-size, and make sure I eat all of the chicken. Snacks: This is something that really hasn't changed for me since surgery. I have been snacking on cheese, either string cheese, or some other portion controlled packaged cheese, like baby bellas since right after my surgery, I usually eat about two ounces of cheese per day. I did find that when I hit a stall a few months ago, and was looking over my diet, that I had started to snack on crackers and other carb-heavy things. When I cut those out was right about when my weight finally got under 150! Vitamins and other Supplements: Here's what I take every day: My protonix (prescribed), a Vitamin B complex, and a stool softener every morning. Here is what I try to remember to take later in the day: a chewable multi vitamin, and Biotin supplements. I remember to take these probably every third day... Fluids: Water, water, water. I go through crystal light, and iced tea phases, but water is literally always available, and I drink it all day, every day. My surgeon did tell me that diet soda is okay in moderation, so I usually drink one diet coke per day. Workout: I had a weight lifting routine that worked for me prior to surgery, so once I was cleared to lift, I got back into that, and have been doing it fairly consistently since. Cardio was another story. I thought I hated running. Turns out I only hated running when I weighed 230 pounds. I started couch to 5k last summer, and now run 3-4 miles a couple of times a week. I am half-heartedly training for a half marathon... we'll see. Sorry for the long-winded response, I hope it helps!

Here's my before and after. Started at 231.8, weighed in yesterday (a bit dehydrated after a long road trip) at 139.8. Have gone from wearing jeans in a tight size 16, to anywhere from a size 4 to 10 depending on brand.

I started out in a 42DD, am now a 34D. They are a little saggy, but look nice in a bra, LOL!

@Babbs I guess I think if I say I have lost 50 pounds, vs 90 pounds, people will be less likely to guess that I may have had surgery... Like I said, I'm not proud of it, and feel like a phony every time it comes out of my mouth, but at this point I've been lying about it for over a year, so I think it would be even worse to start telling the truth at this point...

I also feel like a bit of a phony when people ask me how I've lost all the weight. I tell the truth: I lost the weight by eating smaller portions, and exercising more. I just leave out a big piece of the puzzle. I also tell people I've lost about half of what I've actually lost; I usually say 50 pounds, when the reality is closer to 90...

Sell your old clothes on Poshmark, and then you'll have money to buy new ones! That's what I've been doing, it works great! Oh, for my latest NSV: Went shopping at American Eagle two days ago, a store that I always liked pre-surgery, but couldn't fit into any of their clothes... anyway I had tried on a size 8 jeans, and they were too big! I had to go to a size 6!

I had so many slob-eating moments, it would be hard to pick just one... Sweets were never my downfall, but some typical dinners for me (always when my hubby wasn't home to watch me eat all of this of course): -A whole frozen pizza, plus a half dozen or so of the boneless bbq wings from Wal-Mart's deli -Two huge tuna melts, plus about a half a bag of frozen french fries, which I of course topped with cheese and bacon. -A whole box of Kraft macaroni and cheese -A huge burrito, plus chips and guacamole After eating any of these, I would have felt disgustingly full for a few hours, but then probably have been looking for a midnight snack later! By comparison, my dinner tonight that I just finished was a half portion of a soba noodle bowl with grilled chicken on it. I feel full and satisfied, and the thought of eating any of the above makes me want to vomit. What a difference a year makes!

Yeah, work in general can be strenuous exercise, especially when you work in the ER like I do. CPR, pushing stretchers, getting patients in and out of bed... I took the full 4 weeks off of work until my activity restriction was lifted because of this. As far as a high Protein snack that you can keep in your pocket, I have found these Think Thin bars that aren't bad sugar and carb-wise, and have 20 grams of protein per serving. They are really dense, though. It takes me about 45 minutes to eat one of them, and I am a year out from surgery. Not sure how I would have done with them right after surgery. Almonds are another good one, although not quite as high in protein.

Hi Amsaf I am now over a year out from my surgery with Dr. Shillingford, and still have nothing but good news to report. I could not be happier with my decision to use him. My only regret is that since his office is three hours away for me, I haven't followed up as regularly as I should. But since I haven't had any complications, this really hasn't been an issue. Please feel free to check out my blog for more details regarding my surgery day, and hospital stay. I really went into quite a lot of detail!

I will be one year out as of May 6th!! What a crazy year it's been! I am down from 231 to 147 (need to change my ticker). This is the first time I have been below 150 since I was 14 years old. I currently wear anywhere from a size 6-10. I still somehow believe that I look the same, and am surprised when people tell me I look like a different person. Sometimes I put on clothes that used to be tight on me, as though to prove to myself that I am actually that much smaller... Crazy how the mind tricks you!

I am an ER nurse. In the beginning, I didn't eat at work, I just drank two Protein shakes during a 12 hour shift, and sipped Water constantly. Now at almost a year out, I still bring a Protein shake to work, but only drink it if I didn't have time to eat a full meal. I also bring little protein filled Snacks, like string cheese, that I can eat quickly while charting. I usually eat three times during a 12 hour shift, but I let my tummy dictate when they happen. Usually that's around 2130 (snack), 0100 (meal), and 0500 (snack if I ate my full meal, protein shake if I didn't). I always eat a full meal before heading into work, usually around 1730. I literally never take a lunch break, I find that when I do try and eat whatever "meal" I've brought in just 30 minutes, it's a recipe for disaster. So I just eat at my work station, keep my food covered, and take bites between charting, answering call bells, getting EMS report, etc. (I work nights, so there are no "suits" around to tell me this isn't okay). I still sip water constantly. Someone actually joked last night that he never sees me without my Tervis cup in my hand, sipping. I won't lie and say that it wasn't difficult in the beginning, I have literally thrown up in most of the sinks in our (large) ER. But now it's fairly stress-free to eat at work, and I don't think my co-workers ever suspected anything funny was going on when I was still a fresh sleever. The beauty of nursing is that we're all so busy, we usually don't have too much time to pay attention to what everyone else is doing!

Consignment shopping has sort of become an obsession of mine lately. I would rather go to the Goodwill Boutique and spend an hour or two searching, but end up with three or four new outfits for what I would spend on one at a department store. Some of the things I've gotten at the Goodwill recently: -A Micheal Kors dress with the tags still on it. Retail was $120, I bought it for $15 -A pair of DL1961 jeans, again, tags still on. Retail was $160, I paid $30 -An Ann Taylor skirt, no tags, but would retail for at least $50, I paid $8 -A pair of Calvin Klein capris, no tags, but in flawless condition. I paid $9 The best part is when these things stop fitting me, I can resell them on Poshmark. I've sold multiple things that I've outgrown on there, not only is it fun, but it feels good knowing someone else is getting enjoyment out of the clothing that I've owned and loved, but just can't wear anymore! It's a win-win! Just thought I'd share, since many of us are probably going through the same trials of outgrowing things quickly!

We have a Plato's closet near me as well. I have good luck with jeans there sometimes, but not so much tops, definitely not shorts or skirts, all way too short! I'll have to look for a Clothes Mentor store.

I have lots. Mostly casual; shorts, summery dresses, tank tops and tees, a couple pairs of jeans. Tell me what you need. I have a whole pile waiting to go to Goodwill, but I can send it your way instead if you're interested.

Something to look into if you want an easier recovery would be weight training. Walking is great, but building muscle now prior to surgery will make it much easier to maintain that muscle after, when you are struggling to get in enough calories/protein. I was strength training regularly right up until surgery, and started back after as soon as my surgeon allowed it (4 weeks for him, but it varies doctor to doctor). Even so, I noticed some loss in strength, so I couldn't imagine starting out with no muscle conditioning prior to surgery. I also credit my weight training prior to surgery with the negligible amount of loose skin I have now, nearly a year later. Just something to think about.

The first photo was before I started my two week pre-op diet, last April. I weighed 231.8 at my heaviest, and was wearing a (tight) size 16. The second one was taken a couple of weeks ago, at about 153. I now wear a size 6-10, depending on the brand. Someone else on here posted before and after wearing the same clothes, and I thought that was a good idea, so that's what I've been doing so far, but then thought maybe I should add some wearing clothes that fit too, hence the third photo!

When your co-worker tells you that you need to go buy smaller scrubs... and the ones you're wearing are the smaller scrubs you bought a month ago!

I wore the gowns in the hospital, but brought a very loose pair of shorts and a t-shirt to wear home. I also didn't wear an underwire bra for about a week after surgery. But the one thing I didn't go anywhere without for probably 2 weeks was my abdominal binder. I didn't know if the hospital was going to offer me one, so I bought my own beforehand. It was wonderful, really gave my tummy the extra support that it needed.

You are absolutely right! The BMI chart was never intended to be the "one size fits all" tool that it is used for today. It was meant to be a very quick way for medical professionals to estimate what a healthy weight range would be for an individual, based on their height, but it was never meant to be the only tool used to determine what someone's healthy weight should be, because that is very individual. Those of us who are curvier in the butt, hips and thighs tend to be so because we carry more muscle there, not fat. If you are truly concerned, once you get to a weight where you think you'd be happy at, have your body fat tested. I'll bet you'll be at a normal percentage, or close to it. My home scale estimates body fat, and I have been in a normal range since 155, even though according to BMI I need to lose 10 more pounds.

I set my goal at 140, based on the BMI charts. That would put me at a normal BMI, something I have never achieved in my adult life. My surgeon said he would be happy to see me at 160. But at 10 months out, I pretty much eat what I want in the amounts that I can tolerate, and I am still losing a few pounds a month. I weighed in this morning at 152. So I don't know if the 140 goal will happen, but even if I don't lose any more, I know this is something I can maintain, and I look and feel great, so what more can I ask for?