Ree

Will there be an Easter Challenge as well?

Current weight: 218 I have a week to 3 pounds to reach my goal of 215. It's possible but the last few weeks have been slow losing. But I am trying to look at the bright side of things. When I initially started this journey I had over 150 pounds to lose, now I have less than 100 pounds to lose. When I look at it that way it puts a smile on my face.

Just wondering how open everyone is about how much they weigh to their spouse? I've never told my husband how much I weigh but I know how much he weighs because he is open about it and really just doesn't care, but he also doesn't have a weight issue either, like I do.

CW: 220

I'm about 10 weeks post op and last night I started getting left shoulder pain, it hurts more when I inhale deep. I was wondering how common this is? My surgeon said if something was to go wrong it usually happens in the first 6 weeks. So is this just a fluke or something I need to get checked out?

I got my EOB today for my surgery that I had in December and the insurance company paid just over $15,000 for everything (my surgery, the hospital stay etc...) and if I didn't have insurance it would have cost me over $18,000. How much did I pay of the $15,000? well prior to my surgery I had already met my out of pocket max for the year so it cost me $0!! Was your surgery covered? or was it all out of pocket? how much was your insurance company charged for the surgery (if your insurance covered the surgery)?

The only other discomfort I get sometimes is located under my left ribcage, but I figured that was just build up from not being able to go to the bathroom for a few days. Usually after I go, the pain goes away. This left shoulder pain is new and it's not a whole lot of pain but it's irritating. I usually get this kind of pain if I'm sitting in a weird position for too long but once I get up and move around the pain usually subsides. So far it hasn't left.

I worried what my family would say, so I didn't tell them. Plus a few years ago when I had an ectopic pregnancy that ruptured my fallopian tube, I had to have surgery and my mother was literally yelling at my husband over the phone telling him to tell the doctors not to take my fallopian tube. My fallopian tube was no good anymore, it ruptured but she didn't want to hear that. All she heard was they were removing something from my body that she didn't believe should be removed. So if I told her I was having a good portion of my stomach removed she would have passed out. So I felt it was better to keep this part of my life private. I'm sorry your family isn't being more supportive. I think its important that your spouse at least be supportive, screw everyone else!

Today's weight: 223

I gulp too but usually not more than 3 gulps at a time. I am 2 months post op.

I didn't have any pre op diet. I lost 24 pounds in the first month. The second month I lost 14 pounds. I'm working on my 3rd month now.

Are you tracking your food/calories everyday? I use to dread doing it but I do it and it helps. I am only 2 months post op and I am getting in about 500 to 700 net calories a day, that is total calories after taking into account how much exercise I do for that day. I eat lots of Protein, mainly in the form of seafood. My favorite thing to eat right now is snow crab legs and shrimp. I eat salmon, tilapia and sometimes clams and mussels. Sample meal plan (today) Breakfast: Yopa yogurt Lunch: snow crab legs Snack: P3 portable snack pack Dinner: Tilapia w/ broccoli Sometimes if you are doing the same thing over and over again (be it food and/or exercise), it might be that your body needs a jump start. Just like if you start to get bored of the same things over and over again you start slacking, but if someone throws you for a loop, it keeps you on your feet. Your body works the same way. Change things up a bit and see if that helps.

5000 mcg a day but now I'm considering upping that to 10,000 mcg a day. I didn't know it was safe to take such high of a dose? but so many on here seem to take 10,000 mcg a day without any problems.

That's great! Congratulations!! I'm just itching to reach onederland.

I can't wait till I weigh less than my husband but I'm about 60 pounds away from and even when I do weigh less than him my BMI will still be higher than his but that's because I'm short. I met my husband 15 years ago when I was 15 years old, back then I only weighed 115 lbs. I guess you can say I got a little too comfortable, plus I had a medical condition go undiagnosed for a decade that is known to cause weight gain. So that is why I never told him my weight. He clearly knows I've gained a ton but he has no idea how much exactly. Fortunately he has always stood by my side but I always felt like crap when he introduced me to one of his work buddies. I would wonder what they were thinking, like wtf is he doing with her. When clearly he can be with someone more attractive.

To start with, I wish there was an off topic forum section on here because maybe this post would be more suitable there. Have you ever had a family member spiral out of control and just go around hurting loved ones? I'm talking about someone who carries around a lot of anger in their heart over things that have happened a long time ago, that is out of their control and , that they refuse to talk to a professional about it. I have someone in my life that If I say or do the wrong thing that they just decide they are disowning me and never speaking to me again. It's hurtful and If I didn't love this person it wouldn't hurt so much. This same person also decided they would disown their own mother because she felt hurt over something this person had said to her. She tried to express that what she said was hurtful and instead of trying to understand or apologizing, this person decided they would just disown her mom (her words, not mine). She also decided that she would disown her 84 year old grandmother as well because she didn't let her boyfriend sleep at her (grandmother's) house, but to the grandmothers defense, she did not know this boyfriend of her granddaughters. This grandmother is hurting so much right now, she just lost her daughter a little over a year ago and now she has her granddaughter doing this to her. It's such a horrible situation that this one person can do this much damage to her family. Maybe if none of us loved her so much it wouldn't hurt so much. I'm sick over this and under a lot of stress. When I feel stressed out I don't turn to food but I tend not to eat. In the last 24 hours all I have been able to get down is one Protein shake and 1/4 of a 6" homemade chicken quesadilla. I wish this family member wouldn't be like this.

Thank you for the support. Its very hard to walk away from someone you care so much about. I know this is all about her and her issues and really has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else. It just seems like she sits back and waits for someone just screw up with her somehow, by saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. You really need to walk on egg shells around her otherwise she goes off the deep end. It's very hard to live that way. This person is my sister and I practically raised her being the oldest, while my single mom went to work full time to raise her 3 girls all on her own. This is also why it's hard to just walk away from her, because I feel some responsibility to her, like I did when she was a child. She is basically angry because a few years ago (when she turned 18) she found out the dad she thought was her dad wasn't her biological dad. Her mom decided to wait till she was an adult before telling her the truth about her father, and she had her reasons for doing that. But now my sister is angry and takes that anger out on the rest of us over stuff that is completely irrelevant. If she wants to be mad at me over stupid crap then fine but to say you want to disown someone takes it to a whole new level. By her saying she wants nothing to do with me is also saying she doesn't want anything to do with her niece who is only 3. Then to do that to our grandma? I can't even wrap my head around that. My grandma is the most sweetest understanding caring person I have ever known in my life. I cant understand why anyone would want to hurt her. I just feel so broken inside, mainly for my grandma.

I felt the exact same way when I was waiting to be sleeved and having to see a NUT every month. But when I put it all into perspective I understand why they have you wait. They want to see if you can follow instructions because after you are sleeved there are some very specific instructions/rules that need to be followed for your own safety. Hang in there, I know its tough. You'll get through this and on to the next stage (hopefully being sleeved) you'll go.

I always hear people refer to themselves or others as a fast loser or a slow loser. What do you consider to be a fast loser, slow loser and an average loser? Lets say from about 3 months out from post op. I am only 2 months post op but I had considered myself an average loser, my numbers are in my signature.

I'm scared. I have always seemed to have a problem with hair loss and now at 2 months post op If I run my fingers through my hair I can feel my hair break away from my scalp and into my hands. That's scary!! I wish there was something I can do to prevent this from happening. So since I can't, can someone please explain to me why this happens? I know it's because you are losing weight and eating less protein than before, but if you don't change the amount of protein you are eating will the hair still grow back? Before surgery I was probably eating 200g of protein a day, now? about 55 to 65g of protein a day. Is it just a matter of your body adjusting to the new protein intake?

During that time of the month do you still lose weight or do you gain? post surgery. Before surgery I would easily gain 2 to 3 pounds on my period, just to lose it the following week. I am only 2 months post op and so far I haven't gained any weight but the scale isn't moving at all while it being that time of the month. I am hoping next week that means I lose more. Just wondering what others experience is with this?

Yes, this. I have the Samsung galaxy note 3. Is there an app I can download?

Ok, so this is painful and I don't even know if it will work but I'm going to try it. Some people swear by this.... Have you ever used a micro derma roller? It is suppose to stimulate collagen production. It's a roller with little needles on it. After using it you're suppose to apply almond oil. It claims to remove scars, including acne scars, stretch marks, wrinkles, cellulite reduction, large pore reduction, hair loss restoration, hyper pigmentation treatment and stimulates collagen production.

I wasn't expecting to feel nauseas so much during that first month. It felt like I was pregnant with morning sickness all over again. I had to make sure to take an anti nausea pill each morning before I got out of bed and carried the bottle around with me just in case the nausea kicked in at any moment, which it had, especially during the 1st 2 weeks. BUT it does get better!

I cant find the recipes/food forum on here anymore but I wanted to share a new product I bought at walmart that I think tastes awesome! It's called perky Jerky (made with turkey, not beef) and it has no nitrates, preservatives or MSG added. This stuff tastes so good and here are the nutrition facts: 100 calories for the whole 2 ounce bag 0g fat sodium: 220mg carbohydrate: 4g sugar: 4g protein: 18g You can buy them in 1 or 2 ounce bags if you order them online, like at amazon. In walmart they cost $3.92 for a 2.2 ounce bag. I would not have known this was turkey and not beef if I didn't look at the bag of the package. I can't tell the difference.