Indigo1991

Urine that colour is early signs of dehydration. U may think that you are drinking enough but your body is telling you otherwise. More sipping lol!!

Got my meeting with consultant today to discuss breast reduction. Apart from obvious stuff like recovery time, possible size etc, is there anything I should be asking that u wished u had? Thanks

Mme R, thanks, this thread is brilliant. I love that even when eating something, em, less good, some of us are still compelled to log it in My Fitness Pal!!!!! Lmao.... Our nuts/dieticians would be soooo proud :-))))))

Everything in moderation. "Diet" has two distinct meanings for me so while I don't want to diet for the rest of my life (and will rely on my sleeve to help with portion contriol) i do want to eat a good diet. For me that is about eating in a way I can sustain long term that incorporates what I have learned about good food choices since being sleeved. I always put my Protein first but enjoy a spoon of mashed potato or one little potato with some veg. I am talking tiny amounts here but, for me, it looks and feels as if I am eating " normally " again when I see my (side) plate with a mix on it. Again, for me, I know this will help me make this way of life sustainable. There are few "bad" foods but there are plenty of ways to abuse most foods through volume and frequency of eating them. That's my challenge rather than any one food!!!! :-)

GettingAllieBack, go for it, u won't be disappointed. I can't get back the times I didn't go swimming with my son when he was a baby or when I left him and his father to go sledging because I was too embarrassed... But I am living now and accepting every opportunity with two hands and a HUGE smile :-))

So, five month anniversary and I sometimes can't quite take in all the changes in life over that time. Short period, monumental change. Am I the same person? Yes, I am. But I feel as if someone has polished me. I feel shiny and full of energy, like I did many years ago. I am calm, confident and happy, emotions that have been buried beneath misery, uncertainty, frustration and anger. Not all weight related but summed up by my failure to deal with my health and weight. Life is now full of endless possibilities. I see no barriers. I am even considering taking up running. Me, the girl who was told from a child that I was built for comfort, not speed. I mentioned this in another post but I am beginning to like how I look, all of me. Yes there are some lumps and bumps but so what? I have restarted a social life and hosted a dinner for business colleagues last night with 4 courses. Didn't even panic - chopped up the starter and hid it round the plate: ate most of the piece of fish; had some sorbet from the pudding; and ate some oatcake and a bit of cheese. Sounds a lot but wasn't really - but no one noticed other than the man next to me who said he liked a woman who didn't fuss about her food, lol. If only he'd known :-))))) Now to get on with the next challenge, dating - eek!!! When I had the surgery, I did so with great hope of change but not sure what it would look like. Now that I am here, I am not sure I can actually explain what this all means to me. It's pretty overwhelming to be down six sizes, there are times I barely recognise myself, lol. I can tell you all the things I can now do that I couldn't before. But I wish you could see inside my head and see the new me or feel the pleasure I take in life now. This surgery has given me a second chance ... and I will not waste it. Thanks for listening :-)))))

I have PsA - think RA with psoriasis, it's an autoimmune system arthritis. Since my sleeve, I have stopped the methotrexate I had been taking for almost 10 years and halved my Enbrel injection. I have no swollen joints for the first time in years and my arthritis is officially in remission after 30 years. This started immediately post op. No one can explain what's happened. But I am taking it day by day and feeling grateful.....

Being sleeved isn't easy, despite that being the view of some outsiders. It is life changing and is a great starting point for supporting new behaviours and attitudes. At only 5 months out, who knows what I will be saying a year out? But so far, I have worked hard to get here - harder than losing weight any other way - and been through so much that I don't want to do anything that jeopardises my new life, which is beyond anything I could have imagined. So every day, I stick to the plan, I reinforce the good habits the sleeve has encouraged me to adopt. Have had a couple of tough things happen in the last week but I didn't reach for food- that is a first. And its because I now have something to lose - the new me, who's healthy, slim and happy. Like most things in life, it is what you make it. The only person who can blow this now is me. I feel I have been given a last chance and so its up to me to rise to that challenge. I didn't feel like this pre-sleeve (felt pretty hopeless) as I couldn't really envisage what life could be like, especially as a serial dieter - but it just keeps getting better, lol ! Good luck, hope you get the information and support you need to make a decision.

Thanks, lol. Looks ok (just) with my clothes on but it's like unleashing monsters when I take my bra off. And as I am trying to start dating again, don't want to frighten guys off when I get naked :-))))

I am a 32J - so on my frame they are huge, look like Jessica Rabbits mother, lol! I am a size 6/8 on my bottom half and 8/10 on top half. Nut and I have discussed that I have roughly 10-12 lbs weight to lose and he feels that I might look too scrawny. So probably going to lose 7 lbs. doc think I may also lose 5-7lbs off boobs. Have had large boobs all my life, can't wait to sort this :-))))

I have left the style but bought Toppick to fill in the thin bits - total lifesaver. It's keratin (hair) fibres that u puff into the roots of ur hair and it looks like u have a full head again. Stays put in wind and rain. Sure there are other companies doing similar but this has worked for me. Know my hair is thinner but no one else can see it now....has taken the stress out of the situation and lets me forget about my hair loss. Just beginning to slow down after 2 months :-)

Alex, got mine on Kindle which always makes everything feel shorter :-))) What you are talking about for the revise sounds great. As do the plans for this site too. Anything that makes info easier to find - especially when you are desperately looking for it - is very welcome. Will keep an eye out for all this!

Alex, loved the book, wish I had known about it pre-op. Clearly written in a calm tone, it should be given to every pre-sleever! One observation - many books come with a "trouble shooting section". Whilst I am not advocating medical advice, perhaps a chapter on common post- op issues might be helpful covering things like constipation, slimed etc?

No evidence that Mirena causes slow weight loss.... my surgeon told me to leave it in, it wasn't a factor in my sleeve pre or post surgery. i think 42 lbs in 4 months is pretty good going, congratulations. So why the rush to lose weight faster? Most of us have taken years to gain the weight, so it's not all going to drop off within a few months (although that was always my dream, lol.) And once you lose it, now that you are sleeved, there's more chance it will stay off for good. Speak to your PCP about whether to replace Mirena or not, the acne etc. But think about why you feel your weight loss is too slow. Maybe cut yourself some slack, have you ever lost 2.5lbs every week for 4 months???? Good luck.

Better now than later on Your body has had its revenge on you, just get back on the horse tomorrow.... and stick to the plan. Good luck, with surgery, hope it goes well.

Yes, see you on Monday night :-)))

Thank you for all the kind comments. I needed to say it...especially after my sister told me she felt she'd got her sister back. Not how I looked but my spirit and zest for life. Made me a bit sad to acknowledge that but then grateful that surgery had allowed that to happen. And i have to thank all of you on this site - at whatever stage I was at post sleeve and when I was worried or had questions, I came on here and found answers, support and comfort because others on the road ahead were generous in sharing their experiences. Just trying to do the same :-))))

You can do it :-)))) Before these pre-op jitters, you had made a calm, reasoned decision to do this (I hope, lol). Remember that - you wouldn't be human if you weren't a bit worried about what lies ahead. But just keep breathing, you are making a great decision for you and your health. Good luck !!!

I am 5 months out tomorrow - it does get better every day, you just need to hang in. Your hormones have also been affected by the surgery so you will be all over the place. Just give yourself a chance, put the what ifs in the corner and ask yourself that even if you lost 50lbs some other way, would it stay off? You just did something major and how you feel is understandable. But don't write off the surgery or you just yet...

Your video is great - so inspirational and you look amazing! Thanks....

SeriouslyChange, love the phrase! Mine was "this too shall pass" every few hours in the first couple of weeks. I cried the whole of day 4 and wondered what the feck I had done - buyers remorse on a HUGE scale - but, jillian109, each day it does get better. Dealing with your mind in the early days was what I found toughest, not dealing with the liquids, mush etc. Keep reading the stories on the boards and watch people make their way through the different phases. You will never be alone in what you are facing and you will find support and answers. Most important of all, you will see there are many who have been there before you, been in your shoes - and survived to tell great life changing stories. You made a great decision to improve your health and life by being sleeved, this is the hard time, the good days are just ahead! Good luck to you and red79...

First thing to do - don't panic. Stressing can stop weight loss (something to do with the chemicals it sends whistling round your body) so take deep breaths and relax. 45 days out makes it unlikely that you are eating too many calories (unless you are eating stuff you know you shouldn't be or grazing all day long). So, at this stage, don't agonise over calories and looking to find fault with yourself and what you are doing. Stalls happen, irrespective of what we do. Your body has been through a huge shock and change, it sometimes needs time to reflect and regroup. If you are losing inches, the scale will follow eventually. I had a stall of just over four weeks and, despite wanting to change everything, I stuck to getting the right amount of Protein and Fluid in, exercising and resisting weighing myself every day, which was just torture every time the scale hadn't moved. So stick with getting enough protein, drink what you've been told to and keep moving. It sometimes can feel like being sleeved is a battle of wills between you and your body but it isn't - it's a partnership and sometimes you can't make it go any quicker than it wants... The weight loss will restart, just hang in there :-)))

After over 2 months of steadily losing hair, washing it today I realised that single strands were coming out, not little groups of hair. It wasn't blocking the bath and when I brushed it out, there was way less hair coming out... I know, that was today and tomorrow might see more hair loss. But I will take every little victory and today, I am smiling :-))))))

Keep on track and don't panic. Protein, Water and exercise should do it. We have all been there, the key is to stick with the plan, watch out for losing inches while the scales are stationary and your stall will break eventually - and then your weight will drop. Hang in there!

Don't throw up, the food will go down, just give it 15 mins or so. We have all done it. Just sit quietly, do something to take your mind off how you are feeling and it will pass. Then remember the feeling next time u are eating and avoid that last mouthful ))))