AvaFern

First off, your husband is rude and I would tell him that. Past that though, how long did it take you to eat the burger? I'm 2 years out and I can't eat an entire patty in a normal speed setting, but if I have it on my desk and I pick at it for an hour or two while I'm working, then I can eat it just fine. Some people can eat more than others, so as long as you don't feel sick at all, then who care is you ate a whole burger. Think about it in this perspective. If you did not have a sleeve and you went to a wedding while you were on a diet and all you ate was a bean patty...wouldn't you feel like a diet rockstar?

I felt like that the entire time. I stalled for a few weeks a few different times. You just keep on keepin' on and one day you wake up, you get on the scale, and you're at goal. Time passes no matter what you do, so if you stick to the plan, inevitably you should get to where you are going.

Yay for boot season! This is also one of my favorite things about being normal sized again. All the boots fit over my calves! I still have thick calves probably from running, but even the smallest boots will generally go over my legs now which is fabulous.

Woohoo!! Congrats!!

I eat a cup of Panera chili since it is now back in season. 190 calories, 8g of fat, and 15g of Protein. The sodium is at 720. I eat that chili all through the winter and it is one of the few things that has never made me sick.

You had a terrible day, enjoy your cake and start over again the next day. There are still plenty of times where I eat my feelings, albeit in smaller portions. A few weeks ago after a difficult day I ate a snack size portion of ice cream and I haven't had any since. There is nothing wrong with the occassional slip-up. I will think good, positive thoughts for your quick and complete recovery.

In theory, yes, your PCP should know. I did not tell any of my non-major doctors because I've worked in medicine and I know when it is relevant to my care and when it is not. I told my plastic surgeon, because in the event my surgery went horribly wrong, he would need to know for nutritional purposes. I only told 3 people about my sleeve surgery and the more doctors that know, the more people that know, and ultimately things end up getting out...even with HIPPA. My PCP has no idea I have a sleeve. It is generally a good idea to tell your PCP, but if you choose to keep it private, be cognizant of the fact that if you ever have a serious illness, it is something that will come up. If you use your PCP like I do for the occassional flu, UTI, or my annual physical, he really doesn't neeeeeeeed to know.

I am two years out and I am not a low-carber. I tried low carb in the past and as soon as I ate carbs again, I gained the weight back quickly. I wasn't willing to spend the rest of my life not eating carbs, particularly since I don't do very well in terms of energy and feeling well when I really drop out the carbs. I eat what I want to, just in small portion sizes. I weigh everyday and if I have a day where I gain a pound or two, I log my food in MyFitnessPal for a few days and I always drop right back to where I was. As an example, I woke up this morning somehow 2 pounds heavier than yesterday, probably because I ate these cheese puffs from Trader Joes that are supposed to be healthy, but tend to make me retain Water. So, today, I logged my calories, I stuck with only healthy food, and as of tonight I'm already a pound less than this morning. Sure, I didn't really lose a pound today and I didn't really gain 2 pounds last night, but if I am always conscious of what I weigh and I never let myself get over a certain weight, then I don't have to worry about tackling 10-15 pounds when I realize my clothing doesn't fit. I have been successful with moderation just because it is something I can do for the rest of my life. I am not willing to give up a sandwich, a few bites of Pasta, crackers, or granola bars forever and I knew if I started with low carb I would drop weight quickly but I would also gain it back quickly if I didn't develop a plan that I could use forever. As such, I lost weight slowly...it took me 19 months to lose 108 pounds, but I have not had a terribly hard time maintaining for the last 5 months because I eat in a way that I don't have a problem doing forever.

I drove myself home from surgery, 48 hours post-op. I also made sure the nurses stopped giving me narcotics 24 hours before I knew I needed to drive. As long as you are off drugs, you're fine to drive.

I have eaten and drank (drunk?) at the same time since the start of surgery and I'm below goal and maintaining. I just didn't want to eat with a dry mouth for the rest of my life and the only reason you're not supposed to do it is because it flushes the food through your sleeve faster. I also tend to end up at a lot of dinners and I just order a regular plate, eat what I feel like eating, push around the food, and take it home in a doggy bag. A lot of food that hasn't been cooked by me doesn't sit very well (oil, fats, etc) so I end up getting sick if I really eat anything much when I'm out. I still like sugar, but my sleeve isn't a big fan so I tend to avoid that as well. For the most part, every once in awhile someone has commented and I just say I had a big lunch and move on. If they push the issue I say, well, do you like me in this size 2 dress? You do right? Well then don't bitch about what I eat. Ok to be fair, that last part is reserved for someone I have been dating awhile, lol, but if they push the issue enough I'm fine letting them have it. Men should know better than to comment extensively on what a woman eats and if they don't, take this as an excellent time to educate them in some manners.

As I’ve gotten further and further out and maintained at goal weight I really don’t feel like I have a lot of NSV’s anymore, so when something dawns on me as having been one, I’m like…hey, YAY. I’ve always liked clothing but when I was larger I avoided buying any because I knew no matter what I wore it wouldn’t matter. Now though I tend to love shopping entirely too much and every time I go into a store I am as equally delighted that I easily fit into the 0,2,4, xs, and small range as I was the first time I zipped up a 0. I took almost 6 months to fully heal from my last plastics surgery where I ended up with a giant hole in my back that only recently has fully healed, so I haven’t worked out as much and I tend to feel like I look a little flabby in the mirror. The scale says I weigh the same, my clothes all still fit, but I feel like I see cellulite on my butt and thighs appearing more and more everyday. Yesterday a store I really like got all of their new fall suiting in and they had a giant sale. I went to the store and I had a jolly good time trying on all of the new clothing. I was super excited that their tight business dresses fit me in a size 2, since my fake ta-tas make tight dresses a bit of a complication since the top is usually too tight on smaller sizes and larger sizes that fit the top end up being way too big on the bottom. By the end of the trip I had purchased several new suits and dresses and had my list of stuff I wanted to buy online since the store doesn’t carry all the petite styles. I felt grand. I then walked out of the store and Auntie Anne’s was right in front of me. Oh you beautiful cinnamon and sugar pretzels. I decided to be virtuous and instead run to the food court and find what appeared to be moderately healthy fried rice, vegetables, and some kind of bourbon meat. I really just wanted a small plate, but you apparently had to order this massive dish of food, which I did. I then took my bag of food and walked back to Auntie Anne’s where I got a big cup of sugar, cinnamon pretzel nuggets. Ohhh they were good. I ate 2-3 of the nuggets out of a cup of maybe 15, and then I threw the rest out. I also tossed out the giant plate of food because who was I kidding…dirty rice, fried veggies, and bourbon pork…no way was that actually good for me. My sleeve also tends to rebel against anything that has been anywhere near oil or a fryer so I figured I was in for a night of puking either way. I then went home, heated up a cup of some turkey chili I made the other day, and ordered all of the things online that the store didn’t have in stock. Two years ago I would have eaten all of that food and I would have cried because not a single thing in that store would have fit me. I think the entire time I was in there I saw maybe one size 14 and it would not have fit over my butt in the months before I ended up having surgery. Now, while I did enjoy a few bites of sugary pretzel, because of my sleeve not only do I fit into the smallest sizes in a designer store that I used to hate because they carry nothing for fat people, but I didn’t have the slightest problem throwing out about $14 in food that probably tasted really good. Fitting smaller sizes is always a nice NSV, but being able to throw away food without feeling much guilt at all, that’s a big win for me. There may be starving children in Africa as my parents always told me when I was forced to clean my plate, but right now there is one less obese girl in America because I’m finally learning how not only to not clean my plate but how not to feel guilty for having not done so.

I take 3-4 Benadryl a night. I used to also take 2 Melatonin, but I ran out and keep forgetting to get more. The two combined tend to work for me well, but if you aren't deficient in natural Melatonin taking the pill won't really help much.

You will love your results! Plastic surgery is the bees knees.

There's nothing wrong with being excited about the new you. I had my first plastics procedure a year ago and just today I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror in my house and thought, hello there look at that fabulous flat stomach. I too enjoy wearing nice clothes again and not being ignored by the public. I think as time goes by this will be more of a normal feeling for you and you may not be so excited by it. Most of my friends have things they are passionate about and these things tend to vary. One day it's baseball for a kid, the next day it's camping, a few weeks later, omg someone is starting ballet as an adult...we have friends because in exchange for them getting to blab about the things they are excited about, they listen to us as well. RIght now I'm studying for the LSAT and it is largely all I talk about. My friends encourage me, probably roll their eyes a bit when I'm not looking, and likely think...omg, she needs to stop talking about that...but bottom line, they encourage me. If your family and your friends cannot appreciate your excitement, then to hell with them. It was never about them anyway. Enjoy life in whatever fashion you choose and if someone else cannot enjoy the ride with you, then that is their lost.

I've been on Depo for 10 years. I never have a time of the month and I have been both thin and fat on it. I don't feel that it causes weight gain and I have been happy with it.

You look fabulous!! My 2 year surgiversary was last week and I still haven't gone to an amusement park. Congrats on your success!

I had a breast lift and augment at 11 months post-op. My surgeon had no rules about being at a stable weight. He simply told me that if I wanted the best results for plastics procedures I should be within 15% of my goal weight. My goal weight was 129 and I was 153 the day of my first surgery which is almost exactly at 15% above my goal. I have since hit my goal weight and my fake boobs look just as good as they did originally. When I was your age I had gone through significant weight loss and gain and I was not thrilled with my breasts. If I had known what I know now and if I had been able to keep my weight stable, I would have gotten a lift and implants when I was probably around 22. My suggestion would be to wait until you are at 15% above goal at the soonest and then consult a surgeon. Getting them done any earlier would be a bit of a waste of money because you lose a lot of fat from the breast region. You want as much fat gone from there as possible before you get the implants.

I also really love sugar and my sleeve only tolerates it in small servings. It has been good for me because whereas before I might eat a cupcake or two, now I am quite content with 1 or 2 minicupcakes over the course of a few hours. I don't really crave sugar anymore, even though I do still enjoy the taste. I'm glad I got the sleeve because I didn't want to worry about the malabsorption issues of bypass.

I read through the privacy concern post and I didn't reply because it kind of blew my mind that people had an expectation of privacy on an online forum. I have never posted any pictures on here or anything that was truly private because it is just plain common sense. If you don't want something about your life being on the internet, don't put it out there. I suppose if someone really wanted to find out who I was they could, but as someone who has kept my surgery a secret from all but three people, I was always cautious about what I put on any site. I think you're right that posting your progress is important for other people and that when I went through plastics I also looked at a TON of online postings with pictures. I only ever put pictures of my arms online because in the event I want to run for president someday I didn't want my fake boobs, my new butt and my fab stomach anywhere online for others to see. Anyone who is not cognizant about the fact that anything posted online is a matter of public record, really needs to become more educated in how to use the internet before continuing to do so. I have seen no privacy guarantees on this site or any other online forum, so the fact that people are all shocked and shaken that their posts are not private on a publicly advertised site is a little surprising to me.

I've had food dreams infrequently. Sometimes I dream I ate a giant cake, donuts, or some variety of bad for me bakery goods and I would wake up in a panic. It was mostly for the first few months after the sleeve procedure when I was extremely paranoid about eating anything bad for me. I don't believe I have had any dreams like that any time recently.

Nothing for me. I take Benadryl to sleep...I took it before surgery and I still take it now. I don't feel like I sleep any better now than I did before although I didn't have any sleep apnea or conditions that contributed to making sleep more difficult.

I had a few goal clothes before surgery, although I think all but my Halloween catwoman costume where things that I had fit into before. I had a pair of jeans that were a 12, a skirt that was a 3, and a pair of capris from high school that were a 5, and which I swear they started cutting clothes bigger, because that 5 is a lot more like my 0's now. Because I had clothes from most sizes I did measure my progress by how I fit into things. I also found that a lot of the stuff I wanted to wear again, I didn't really want to wear once I was back into that size and then when I passed all of those sizes I had a jolly great time buying new things. Buying one or two goal outfits can serve as a great motivator. In fact, I tend to buy clothes now that fit me perfect, or just a bit snugly because it keeps my weight constantly in check.

Outside of the suggestions to document the issue, which is a good idea because your insurance might cover the removal, I used to get an irritation under the skin flap on my stomach and under my boobs. I used deodorant that was roll on (powder-based solid, not gel) and it not only prevented the chafing, but limited sweating, and I smelled delightful as well, lol. Even though I am now at goal weight and have had all of my plastics procedures done, I still sometimes use it on my upper thighs. They don't really rub anymore, but it minimizes sweatiness in the summer and prevents the little bit of chafing issues I have left if I am wearing a dress.

I didn't realize a stricture could develop once you were so far out from surgery. I'm 2 years out and at about the year mark I started barfing up a good portion of what I ate. I still puke a solid 50% of the time although I'm never quite sure if it is because maybe I ate too fast or too much, since I figured I was past the point where there were any major complications. I will be honest though, I probably won't go find out because I like not being able to eat a lot. The vast majority of bad for me food (oils, fats, milk, sugar, and anything covered in that stuff) tends to make me sick and I've taken the curse as kind of a blessing. I maintain at the weight I'm at now without a ton of effort and like you I am also terrified of regaining. So...even though I'm not sure if I have a stricture or just a picky sleeve, I can appreciate that you don't really feel great.

I'm not sure I'm far enough out for my personal experience to matter much, but I didn't take any Vitamins my first year and I really only started doing the B12 because I felt tired frequently. I had a full blood panel done at roughly 18 months post op and every single one of my values was perfect. I tend to think that it would have been better if I had actually taken vitamins and consistently paid attention to the B12 drops, but given I basically eat what I want to and don't pay much attention to nutrients and all of my Vitamin, mineral, etc results are exactly where they should be makes me tend to think that at least right now absorption isn't an issue. Another point that someone else made is that while this surgery for weight loss is relatively new, removing all or part of the stomach in cases of cancer has been a very common procedure for decades. Research the nutrition of those people and in my experience not having an entire stomach or not having any stomach at all did not create major issues later down the road.