ElyQuint

7.29.13 (I think) started at 288 I'm at 172 now. I've veered from diligence and must return.

I was an emotional basket case. My body panicked and my mind ran with it. Somewhere in that emotion is the reason we turn to food in the first place. This is a window to the spiral. Observe it as objectively as possible so you can strategize as to how NOT to feed it when it comes creeping back.

Its a constant issue for me post op. 15 months out and I've been told I will have to take prilosec for the rest of my life. Small price to pay but wow.

I'm a year out. I drank wine right up to surgery and waited about two months before picking it up again. When I did I failed to consider my reduced tolerance. Now a days I have a glass with dinner but it takes a good three hours to get through. I often water it down so I don't make a spectacle.

Hi all: July 29th will be my one year anniversary! 108.5 pounds lost, new job, new city, new house, new hair, big smile! Good luck all!

Thanks. I know what it is. Never got them prior to surgery though other cysts have been common. Many posts I've seen connect them to sugar, yogurt, stress... My doc won't drain it so I'm just sitzing around waiting. Lol.

I think I would like to live more independently now. A more off the grid lifestyle where my needs are met naturally and more creatively. I'd like to learn to make furniture rather than trading my time for money to pay for furniture. If only they had a surgery that removed 75% of my student loan debt.

I have no idea and have been asking myself this question since size 20.

I'm having a hell of a time lately. I think I'm over medicated at 100 pounds down. I'm super irritable and so thin skinned that I fled work the other day. I'm also living in a new city 2 hours from my spouse who monitors my routines and dietary intake. I see a new therapist on Thursday who I hope can point me in the right direction. I know I'm triggering and my meds are suddenly not working the same. Ugh. I hate being flammable! Sorry for the vent.

Well, if it wasn't a struggle you wouldn't need surgery. Focus on what other techniques you might be able to use to lesson your anxiety especially you will be inundated with anxiety post surgery as you can't use food to sedate. Therapy helps. A. Always have a plan. Don't give yourself time to entertain anxiety. Paint, clean, crochet, learn guitar... B. Practice meditation, yoga, visualization, radical self care.

Honestly, I'd be a bit suspicious. My boyfriend, who is always on my ass about food, water, sleep, exercise, sloppiness ect would NEVER even mention my loose skin! If I bring it up he pretends he doesn't know what I'm talking about. Then I start flapping my arm skin at him and he rolls his eyes and grabs my boobs. If he ever said he wanted me to lose faster so I could get my back wings removed I'd slap him with my belly flap!

I ordered a whole case until I noticed it a quarter of the way through. I'm Ok with whey for now though. Good luck!

Today is my last day at the job I had when I had my surgery. When I started there I weighed 288. As I leave I am 195. I've never hidden my surgery. This was a personal decision which is oft debated on this site. As I approach my new job on Monday, I am contemplative of the new relationships I will be building. My new colleagues will not have any awareness of me as the "fat girl". I know I still have a ways to go but the mental fat girl has mostly fallen away. These new folks will see me eat healthy, exercise and lose weight fairly gradually. They won't even require an explanation. I wonder if I will feel compelled to tell them. I am happy with my decision to tell folks about my surgery and I won't debate the choice as its been done here already. But I wonder how long the former fat chick will be my chosen identity? Anyone have any thoughts?

The skinny ladies treat me the same. The one who just had a baby and is dealing with the extra weight is kind of annoyed about it. I get it. What woman struggling with her weight wants to hear "nah, I just ate a spoonful of Peanut Butter and couldn't eat another thing"!?

I have a close friend who has been sober for over 10 years. For the first few years after cleaning up she immediately confessed to being in recovery. She says that she no longer feels the need to announce her sobriety. She lives a sober life but it doesn't define her.

That is awesome! Congrats!

How is it going?

Frequently actually. Many people challenge the decision. I don't think they view weight as a health concern. Its as though its cosmetic. I did tell my new co-workers. Its just too awkward. I'm no good at secrets.

Seriously! Congrats! You must be incredibly proud!

I started using protein shake powder when cooking. I couldn't stand the texture of most shakes so I started making muffins out of shake powders, hemp seeds, almond flour ect.

Do a trial run or start early. Concentrate on the experience, the company ect. You have (at least) five senses. Practice using the rest of them. That's where life lives. Good luck!

I spend a lot of time on the road. I'm low carb high fat so I rely a lot on breve lattes, egg salad wrapped in swiss cheese, nuts, avocados, Cole slaws ect. The hard part is dealing with inevitable leftovers. Without access to a fridge it gets rough. Some protein shakes can be purchased at 7-11 or gas stations. Most hotels have a gym and yoga is always accessible. I do a fair amount of wining and dining. This is rough. I can't drink and eat at the same time. I always schedule apps and drinks so it takes some pressure off.

Well one of the women asked me why I eat so little. I guess a yogurt isn't a normal sized lunch. I cannot lie when asked a direct question. So I confessed. It was fun for a lil while though.

They are on to me.

I thought I could hack it but my brain was a little scrambled for at least two weeks if not a month.