AvaFern

Yep, sounds like lipomas. Depending upon their location, they could also be palpable lymph nodes. Unlikely, but if you look at a lymph node map on google and compare where you feel the lumps, you can make sure. I had lots of those lovely lipoma lumps in my breast tissue before I had plastics, although I also had one under my arm that ended up being a swollen lymph node (the node didn't like my new deodorant, nothing serious), but ever since I've been careful to make sure my random little bumps are not lymph nodes.

It's common when you are on a liquid diet. It could be thrush, which in itself isn't a big deal, but it can also just be the gunk that builds up on your toungue when you aren't chewing anything that manually scrubs your toungue everytime you eat. Get a toungue scraper from the toothbrush aisle, scrape that junk off your toungue, and that should solve it. Once you are eating real foods again, the process of solid food scraping over your toungue does the same thing for you as the toungue scraper.

I understand how you feel. I am generally very good about not eating junk, but on Halloween I ate a little more like a normal person in that I had a few bites of dessert and enjoyed some caramel popcorn. I gained 3 pounds. In one day. So now I get to go back to starving and running everyday and at 2 years post-op, yes I resent this a little. I find it annoying that some people can eat their faces off, or even just eat like a normal person and not instantly gain weight. I get angry when I think that at my birthday in a few weeks I don't get to have cake because I have to fit in my clothing, that at Christmas I won't get chocolate and at a wedding I'm going to I can't feast on the wonderful food. In the end it is a choice. I can be thin and not enjoy food or I can be fat and eat whatever I want. I choose to be thin. And at the moment, cranky and a little resentful that I don't get to enjoy a big part of life that I used to.

I was a big bag of sag. I had plastic surgery to remove my biggest problem areas, although for some reason I have a wrinkle of fat on one of my thighs that continues to annoy me. My doctor did my thigh lift twice because I complained about the wrinkle and the damn thing came back anyway. Before surgery I'd say my arms bothered me a lot because they were this big indicator I was fat once. I also hated that I could literally pick up handfulls of skin around my stomach, hips, and back. Now I can wear tight clothing and not worry about any muffin top, purely because there is no skin there.

I am two years post-op and in a sense my relationship with food changed. I don't really see it as a fun time anymore or something to make me feel better after a bad day. Now it is just something I eat to stay alive, which to be fair can be kind of depressing if you think about it too much or in the wrong way. I don't really enjoy going out to dinner because for the most part food that has any oil, grease, or butter makes me sick and that seems to be what most places cook with. Most of my friends know I pick at my food when I am out to dinner, although only three of them know why. It has really just gotten to be a matter of habit. I used to like eggs, now they make me barf. I used to love sweets, and now I still like them but they tend to make me really hot, sweaty, and sick feeling. I think now I tend to like meat more than I used to which is probably compensating for a bit of anemia since I apparently cannot remember to take my B12 until I start feeling crummy and think...oh, whoops, forgot about that. Overall, I really work very hard to see food as fuel as opposed to any form of comfort. I am not always successful, but I feel like this has become easier as a result of surgery.

@@CowgirlJane You are relevant to me! I always enjoy reading your posts and I would say you are very tactful in your responses. You have periodically not entirely agreed with me, but even then your responses leave me smiling. Before I had surgery I looked for the people who were veterans because I wanted to see if 2,3,4 years out they were still successful. I guess I am now technically a veteran, but I do tend to still place more value on the responses of people who have had the sleeve for a few years than those who have had it for 2 months and think they know everything. While some of the newer people may be easily offended, ideally they either get over it and get on bored, or get off the site. The people who sincerely want to research the sleeve value the opinions of veterans, or at least I did.

I didn't weigh myself after my sleeve surgery because I was stuck in the hospital for days, but after all three of my plastics procedures during which time they used about the same amount of fluids, if not less, I gained a solid 10 pounds immediately after surgery and it took about 3-4 days to get back to my normal weight. Weight gain after surgery is normal and you shouldn't retain the extra Fluid for longer than a few days.

Fruit makes me puke, but if it didn't, there is no reason to not incorporate it into a healthy diet with moderation. I can tolerate a half of a frozen banana tossed into a Protein shake made in the blender because it makes the drink a little sweeter and it also adds a lot of froth. Straight fruit smoothies all the time are generally high in both calories and sugar, which isn't really helpful on a diet, but fruit in moderation, like everything else is fine. If you make a smoothie that includes veggies, throwing in a small amount of fruit can make it taste better. For example, I have taken frozen kale, half a banana, soy milk, and almond butter, stuck it in a blender and ended up with protein, vegetables, and a taste that is tolerable because of the banana. So many surgeons have these stupid ideas that their way is the right way and realistically, any doctor who tells you to never, ever eat something, if it is not because you are allergic to it, is not only unrealistic, but not acting in a very patient-centered manner.

I think this is a good question. I think I reverse compensated during times I was fat, if that makes sense. I was chubby as a kid, thin when I graduated high school and through most of college, and then during my 20's I yo-yo'd from being thin to fat. When I am fat, I am far more withdrawn. I felt like no matter what I did, nothing mattered because I was fat. I wore black or dark clothes, I refused to be seen in public which resulted in missing my grandmother's funeral and not seeing my family for several years, and my logic was that if I have free time it needs to be at the gym, not engaging in any socialization since ultimately I was just wasting valuable time. I was aloof, difficult to get to know, and not terribly friendly, because I was certain that I was a burden on anyone who had to be seen with me and this prevented me from getting my feelings hurt. Now that I am thin, I have the same attitude. I am not outgoing, I am polite, cool, and distant, which amusingly enough tends to be something that works out well for me. I like people who don't want to be my friend and I find it annoying when people are like little eager chipmunks trying to make new friends. I compensate, by undercompensating, if that makes sense. I was a b*tch when I was fat and I'm a b*tch now that I'm thin...the difference is that then it was because I didn't think I was worth much and didn't want to be rejected and now I think I am fabulous and do not give two craps if people don't like me.

I am over 2 years out and while I don't eat unhealthy food, I do tend to graze. This is partly because a lot of food makes me sick, so I learned to eat at regular intervals and I tend to eat things that don't make me sick- like granola bars. When I go up a pound or two, I get all the stuff I shouldn't eat out of my house and I log all of my food. It usually gets be back on track fairly quickly.

I am treated differently, and like the others have said, I think at least part of this is because I also carry myself differently and expect to be treated differently. I was successful when I was fat, however most people didn't know that, and I am still successful now that I am thin, however my business largely involves sitting behind a computer where most people never meet me in person. I used to work in the white collar world and I consistently noticed that thin, attractive women were almost always promoted over women who were just as effective in their job yet overweight. I'm not sure if this is confidence or perception, but it is a reality. I recently began working on a new business that does involve a lot of face time with people and my boyfriend this summer said, "you'll be great- everyone will want to work with you because you're little and cute". I wasn't sure whether or not to be insulted, but I don't tend to think he's wrong. I also think at least part of the issue is attitude. I see a lot of larger women really working hard to get people to like them, to be funny, to be witty, to be sophisticated and friendly and essentially massively over compensating. I have never been friendly. I am aloof, I am professional, and I get crap done, and when I am overweight, this is called a "bad attitude" and when I am thin, it tends to draw people to me. I don't think it's fair that size matters in the professional world, but I do think that it does, even if admittedly part of that is related to our own perception of ourselves.

Ohhh I like steak. The trick is to only eat a few bites and then wait a bit to decide if you're full. Dense Protein like steak is something I enjoy, however I have to be extra careful to eat slowly, chew it a lot, and not put anything like oil or sauce on it, otherwise it hurls itself right back out of my mouth.

I'm not a big fan of Halloween. I have a cute costume this year, but it also involves some really great tights, otherwise no way could I pull off the short tutu that goes with it. I feel like Halloween is the one time of year where it is socially acceptable for good girls to dress like wh*res and so, I am ok with it. If the rest of the year I wear conservative clothing, I figure once a year I can go out and look like hookerella and I should be good.

@CowgirlJane I agree with you that there are people who are very tasteless and while the playground comment made me laugh on here I would have been completely turned off in person. The big "compliment" I tend to get from idiots is something about my boobs, either along the lines of them being really nice or questioning whether they are real. This is an instant disqualifier for me. I have also found that guys have read that stupid book about Mystery the Player and one of the suggestions is that when you're intimidated by a beautiful woman, you give her a compliment that comes off almost as an insult. Apparently women are so surprised that someone might insult them that they pay attention to the guy who gives them a little bit of an insult. As an example "Your hair is beautiful, is that your natural color?" or "Your eyes are beautiiful, are you wearing colored contacts?" or stupid things like that where silly women feel the need to explain away the insult and then a few minutes later find themselves talking to a guy who read a book about how to pick up women by playing on their insecurities. I very much enjoy the boys who try this tactic, at which point I say....oh so you read Mystery's book too? So did I. Go get your own game. Then I walk away and they are left feeling even more insecure than they already were before they started the conversation. I enjoy crushing their soul when they try that crap. Yes, I'm evil, and I'm ok with it.

Good gosh this is a long thread, lol. I can understand how you feel in a sense. Men tell me I am small all the time. My last boyfriend would tease me about how little I am, pick me up and toss me over his shoulder, and make me laugh until my face hurt because he teased me that I was tiny. I average about 129-131 pounds...good days I'm smaller, bad days or weeks I'm about 2 pounds bigger, but I am by no means a small girl. I don't mind when men tell me I am small...it makes me feel good. My last boyfriend also used to tell me how smart I was, how good of a cook I was, how funny I was, and a lot of other things, all of which also made me feel good. In the end, each man is attacted to different things. I don't feel like I'm being offensive when I tell a man how his big shoulders are sexy, how his butt looks fabulous, or how I like how thick his wrists are, so when a man tells me I'm little and teases me that he can toss me around, I take it as what it is...a compliment. Men are conditioned to think women like to be told they are small because all we do is complain about how we are fat. We can't complain that they might not like us because we are too big but then in the same sentence turn around and complain that they tell us we are small. The overwhelming majority of people in the world, including men much as I hate to say it, are good people, who when they say something about our appearance are trying to be kind and make us feel good about ourselves. Smile, accept the compliment, and move on...no one is trying to be offensive, shallow, or hurtful.

Nice shoes! (and your legs look fab too)

I drink soda everyday...if you are more than a few weeks out for surgery, drink a diet coke. It isn't going to hurt you and it will cure your craving. It will also probably taste awful and then you won't want anymore of it anyway. When I went back to drinking diet soda I was appalled by how bad it tasted, and if I had stuck with that instead of continuing to drink it, then I might not drink as much as I do now.

As far out as you are from surgery, you don't have to worry about injuring your sleeve at this point. I am on the fence about whether the sleeve really stretches significantly enough to matter. It is never, ever going to be the same size or close to the same size as your old stomach, so at least find comfort in that. I am 2 years and 2 months out and I notice that when I pay attention to what I'm eating, my sleeve works exactly how it should, however I can easily graze my way through way more calories than I should with slider foods. I can't eat an entire bagel because it makes me barf, but depending upon how long it took you to eat that bagel, it is entirely possible to do that at 5 months out. Everyone falls off the wagon sometimes. I had a bad week 2 weeks ago and managed to gain a few pounds, so I went right back to eating how I should and now I'm back to my normal weight. The good thing about the sleeve is that like you said, it works if you work. It doesn't just up and quit on you because you fed it too much food or did something you weren't supposed to. Recognize the problems with your diet, work to fix them, and the sleeve will do its part.

You and I have very similar statistics. At a year and three months I was also stuck in the 140 range, I think around 137. I didn't finally hit my goal of 129 until I was at 1 year and 8 months, and then I dropped to 126. I would say I have great advice for you, but I lost my last few pounds because I had three major plastic surgeries and couldn't work out for months, so all that pesky muscle went away, lol. I float now between 128-133 throughout the week and when I get to the higher end, or God forbid over it, I just go back to being extremely strict and I drop back down. In theory as long as you focus on continuing to eat well and workout, you should continue to drop.

My hair started coming back before I was at goal, and recently fell out all over again when I've been at goal for months. I tend to think it is more a matter of stress and the initial shock to the body of the reduced calories and when you adjust to your new diet, your body does as well and your hair grows back.

No one noticed my weight loss until I had lost almost 70 pounds, and like you I still at that point felt that I was big, so I wasn't crazy about the compliments. I just try to remember that 99% of people are being kind and trying to be nice to you when they give you a compliment, even if at times it feels insulting. I have been at goal for about six months and I still run into people who feel the need to comment on how much I lost...by the time they're done talking about it, anyone in the immediate vicinity knows I used to be a monster. It's really embarrassing and I would like to put the fat me behind, however people like to say nice things and so I swallow my humiliation, I smile, and I say thank-you. No one is intending to be rude or bother you, they are just trying to be supportive...even if that is at times annoying.

1. How long did you go before having your first drink? Three weeks- I had a few sips of champagne at a dinner to be polite. After that, probably about 8 months until I had a tequila night. 2. Have you had any MEDICAL complications with your surgery that were attributed to drinking alcohol? Nope 3. Have you gained back significant weight from drinking alcohol? Nope 4. Have you developed an alcohol addiction post VSG after having been able to control your drinking before? Nope..I developed a shopping addiction, lol.

I had this problem the first few months after surgery. I would get hot, sweaty, nauseous, and lay in bed for about a half hour while my heart pounded. It was triggered by anything remotely sweet- even ketchup would get me. I am two years out now and while I still can't eat anything super super sweet like pie or cake, I just had oatmeal with honey and I feel fine, which 18 months ago would have had me curled in a miserable ball feeling like I might die. The only thing I did to make sure it didn't happen was to be really careful about any kind of sugar in food and it gradually stopped happening the further I was out from surgery.

Three cups of juice a week is not a big deal....as long as you're talking about the measurement size cups and not a giant cup of fruit juice. I don't really like juice and fruit makes me sick, but 3-4 times a week I drink a can of the Pellegrino Blood Orange stuff which is juice with carbonated Water. It's good, I like it, so I drink it. I'm not a big rule follower, but if three cups of juice a week makes you feel better, go for it.

I know how you feel. I haven't dressed up on Halloween for years because I could never find anything that looked good on me. The last time I bought a costume, I was around 165ish and I was so convinced I looked cute. I had this super cute purple and black tutu, and lacey stockings, and this black corset top. I put so much effort into perfect outfit- the fat ballerina. Then the guy that I thought I was going to go out with on Halloween stood me up and went out with other people...dressed like a big stupid banana. That was around 5 years ago I think. I kept a picture of myself in that costume to remind myself that I would never, ever be stupid again and think that I could go out looking cute for Halloween. Babbs if you are reading this, I hear your voice in my head telling me that this was a silly thing to think! Funny enough though, he and I are still friends and now that I am thin and fabulous, he would love to go out with me and yet I have zero interest in him. You will get your turn...maybe not this year, but next year is coming. All of the misery of the surgery and losing the weight will be worth it when you slide your hot, sexy self into next year's costume. I am going as a ballerina this year... a hot damn ballerina that never needed that big ugly banana anyway.