jess9395

Ditto. I lost the weight a number of times and always gained it back and more. @@JamieLogical made a post somewhere here that was great--she said she looked at it as weight MAINTENANCE surgery not weight loss surgery and I couldn't have put it better myself! I've kept it off this time.

Trust your own body? Trusting my own body got me to 264 pounds. The "I'm hungry" and the "I need food" signals were obviously broken or I never would have needed WLS in the first place. That, along with the inability to actually see inside my body to see how the healing is coming along told**ME** that it was a much better idea to trust my surgeon -- the guy I paid big bucks to and entrusted my LIFE to -- more than to trust myself. But again, that's just me. Amen. Consider the sources here. Do you wanna listen to someone who had surgery this month or someone below goal years out? I'm years out and below goal too. Followed my surgeons plan.

Question-- I know you can eat a lot... but is a reduced from what you could eat before?

Your sleeve could be perfectly well formed and still have a higher capacity if your initial stomach was significantly LONGER. Think of the banana they always refer to when describing what a post op sleeve is like. Some bananas are small (5") some medium (7") and there are some are large (I've seen some up to 10" or so!). Everyone's initial existing anatomy is unique. Surgeons use different sides bougies to guide them (ranging in size again from like a #2 pencil to a sharpie to a thick marker/highlighter). Then their surgical techniques (over sew staples, pull tight or loose against the bougie) results in variation as well. So if your stomach was 4-5" longer than say mine, your surgeon used a larger bougie than mine and mine pulled tighter and oversewed my stapes. In that case your sleeve could easily hold several ounces more than mine. Studies have shown that smaller bougies/sleeves result in more side effects and increased risk of strictures and don't usually result in greater/quicker weight loss so that's probably what your surgeon was referring to. I hope this info is helpful to you and perhaps explains part of your issue.

I still think it's awesome! I'm lucky I've only ever chafed twice and both in the same spot on the brachioplasty scar under my left armpit. Now I just put a bit of KT tape there and I'm good to go!

An 11 minute mile is nothing to sneeze at. I too had ambitions of running a sub 30-minute 5K, but gave that up long ago. I have embraced my slow running and opted to increase distance instead. Which I've obviously been pretty successful at! Can I just say how awesome it is you run in just a sports bra? Down to a size four and post plastics and I still can do it!

My sister is a paramedic and she didn't think one was necessary. She couldn't think of a field procedure that the knowledge would impact.

I had something similar--arms, breast lift and tummy tuck at the same time. As far as what needs to be done--drains and the biggie, but I could handle my own really. Getting in and out of compression garments is another. Possibly washing those in the sink too so you can have a clean fresh set since you will be wearing them 24-7. Supervising you in the shower just in case... the heat and standing can cause some people to pass out. Those kinds of things... you have a lot in place to help like the toilet seat and lift chair so you may not need up and down help there, but you might. I can't really speak to your timelines.... because you say you needed four weeks to recover from WLS. I recovered much faster. I was back to most normal activities in a week. So.... my timeline with plastics recovery may be better than yours. BUT I want to warn you that when you have that much surgery done... the tummy tuck is the worst of it, but you have what I did in that both upper body and Lower body were out of commission... and that is TOUGH. For me it was twice has hard, easily, as WLS recovery. You feel like you've been hit by a truck and the swelling and muscle pain and just the inability to use either your arms to push/pull or your abs to stabilize/stand up is really a lot of difficulty. I couldn't have worked remotely that soon out. And that long a drive at two weeks? I couldn't have. I don't mean to scare you, but it's major surgery! Take it easy on yourself and let yourself recover. Don't push too hard.

Carry gu or chomps or sport beans. They are in single serve sealed packets. Open eat discard. Tiny portions. You can't prefuel enough for that kind of endurance event, your glycogen stores will get depleted.

Is that a rule? When I did Spartan we could. I wore a hydration pack with pockets. Will there be water/fuel stops on the course? How will you get water? Because anyone would have issues fueling in a situation like that, WLS or not. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Can you bring running fuel like Gu or Sport Beans or Chomps? Honestly I run distance endurance events and I don't fuel for anything under an hour length... Which for me means anything up to 10k.

Outside. This is the one I have but there are lots of styles: Evelots Antique Swirls With Crystals Sweater Clip, Stylish, Cardigan Collar Clip https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017O3XP7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ov14xbEFTTTQX

This sounds like great news! Do you have a source for this? I would love to find out more. Thanks! The thing is there are no studies that show it DOES stretch your sleeve so the burden of proof is really there. And most doctors current thinking is that a 1. The stretchy part of the stomach is the fundus and that is removed during a sleeve and 2. The small amount of air pressure shouldn't be enough to stretch the tough material that's left. I was listening to a great podcast where a doctor said they were afraid of air pressure and straws in the early days of the sleeve but after years of doing it and using air pressure to expand and test the stomach during laproacopic surgery they realized that was far more air pressure than carbonation bubbles or straws would ever introduce so how could those cause stretching? You can listen here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/weight-loss-surgery-podcast/id662443588?mt=2&i=375162110

Not a fan of the waffle ones myself, but I LOVE the cheese crackers ones!!!

Can't wait to hear how your marathon went!!! However it went, you are a rockstar already!

Amazon, GNC, Vitamin Shoppe all have unflavored Protein powder. GENEPRO is controversial, do a search and read the messages. I like Quest unflavored. But yeah as all have said think of survivor. We all survived, you will too! But the more sips of Protein shake you can get down, the better you will feel!

I'm all for as much of the dirt coming from whole real unprocessed foods as possible and so are my doc and RD. That said I wasn't able to meet my Protein goals without supplementing with Protein powder for two years. And still use it several days a week, my restriction is that tight. (I also likely have a higher protein goal than most due to my endurance athletic activities--marathons and triathlons-- and yoga schedule)So just be open and flexible in order to meet your goals. I would also caution against too much fruit in the smoothies because of the sugar-- especially bananas. Choose lower sugar fruits like berries and such at least during the losing phase. I also am down to one Multivitamin and one Vitamin D per day for supplements. The rest I get from a variety of whole foods in my diet.

Almost three years out and it still hurts my sleeve. I was a Diet Pepsi addict... Multiple cans a day. I gave it up before surgery and am thrilled it doesn't have the same appeal to me or hold over me. I am also thrilled not to incur the expense--more money to spend on cute clothes! Bikinis and my new addiction.

I didn't have one post sleeve. My surgeons opinion on them is they make you comfortable short term but long term they weaken your supporting stabilizing muscles because you aren't using them you are using the band/compression for support. Perhaps that is what has happened? Maybe a few hours at a time would encourage those muscles to work and get stronger and you can wear less and less?

Best item I every bought while I was losing? A dress clip. It cinches in items at the waist by clipping it to to spots in the back. Got so much more wear out of clothing and it made it flattering! Search on Amazon and you will see them. In a pinch a mitten clip works too

Congrats!!! And if the worse of it is a sunburn, that's AWESOME! Way to set a goal and achieve it!!!

Very

As soon as my doctor cleared me, which for me was at four weeks. Began couch to 5k that day and also group exercise classes (including my first yoga classes) at the local gym.

I run 30 + miles per week, do power/vinyasa/Ashtanga yoga and have big time muscles (18% body fat). Didn't stop me from having excess skin. Don't count on exercise to fix that, but don't let it stop you! So many other benefits!!!

If the warrior dash is anything like Spartan or tough muddier yeah probably not the best thing for injuries. My sister had just gotten back to running after IT band issues and dislocated her knee when we did Spartan and she was back in rehab for another year or more. If you find a GOOD cross fit place that doesn't glorify pain & injury and works hard on form that might be a good fit. They have all levels of competition including beginner so if that is what motivates you that's a thought. Summing for sure... Biking. I love yoga but that's about as non competitive as you can get!