KittyChick

Here's an update- I'm down 72lbs now & will Celebrate my 6 month "surgaversary" next week. I'm getting hardcore with lifting weights now so hopefully the inches will continue to dissipate. I'd like to lose another 53lbs!

I'm five months post op...a little more than halfway to my goal. I mostly think I just look taller at this point but those close to me are saying the change is "drastic". I don't see it that way yet but I am excited to keep progressing!

So many people insist that certain cravings go away if you abstain from something long enough but I haven't found that to be the case AT ALL and it's getting frustrating. I have a major sweet tooth. Detoxed during pre-op in January, have stayed away from my vices (sweets & baked goods as well as LASAGNA/pasta) since but the cravings really haven't subsided as much as I've been led to believe. I keep hoping a week will pass where I'm not fantasizing about cupcakes but no such luck! I feel like I'm ALWAYS going to be dealing with this psychological obsession. It's a REAL distraction in life! I wish I could get electroconvulsive therapy or have my brain scrubbed to somehow forget the taste of pastries! Anybody else in this sorry state?

@@Kindle - This has been suggested to me before and I've just been too afraid....feels like a "slippery slope". But the other part of me wants to see if I can take away it's power and prevail. Eat half the damn cupcake and MOVE ON. I've made great health changes and I practically LIVE at the gym....I feel like maybe it's time to test my mettle!?

I have PCOS and weight loss was stalled/slow after about 3 weeks. I hear that's common though so I'm not directly correlating it to the PCOS. I work out like a maniac and it's gotten better now. I try to stay away from carbs. I'm down 50lbs since surgery 1/21/14. I did have to switch from a low dose birth control pill to a higher dose this month though due to irregular bleeding. I took BC continuously to avoid painful periods and hadn't bled in DECADES. Once I had surgery, my periods came back despite me taking the same birth control for over 10 years. My body just didn't give a eff & started doing it's own horrendous thing.

I'm glad some were able to take the "filthy liars" comment jokingly/sarcastically as I intended it. I'm just annoyed at people insisting that because something worked for them, it will absolutely work for you also. Everyone's different! I'm tired of the "one size fits all" proselytizing. It can make you feel VERY inadequate when that "one size" doesn't fit you. I didn't have surgery with the expectation it would diminish cravings. It's the healthy eating I've been told time and time again, that I hoped would diminish them. Sadly, that hasn't worked for me and thus, here I am posting about what a tough mental struggle this is. If you are lucky enough to not have cravings just from eating healthfully, yay you! I just want others who are experiencing this to know they aren't alone. I eat healthfully and work out HARD with cardio & weights almost EVERY DAY and my cravings haven't budged in the five months I've been on this journey.

I felt like s$#% for about 5-6 weeks post op. Nausea especially. The anti-nausea prescription I was given was worthless and most OTC meds I tried also didn't help much. Hang in there. It gets better.

I'm just over 4 months out and have no noticeable hair loss. I kinda don't wanna celebrate just yet but so far so good!

I really need advice on how much I should be eating. I only lost 2lbs last week but am KILLING it in the gym. Did 190 minutes of exercise total last week- 150 of which were spent in spin class on the brink of friggin death. I only lost 2lbs- compared to the FOUR I lost last week with about half that much working out!!! The spin bike shows me doing about 16 miles per class during that hour which totals over 1100 calories burned for someone my weight according to several calorie counters (fitness pal, spark people, etc). On ONE of the days, I ate 1500 calories. The rest of the days, I had 900-1000. Am I eating to much? For people who exercise intensely, how many calories are you eating? I've started weight training this week too which I know helps in the long run but may cause me not to lose anything for the next few weeks. I banished my scale to my BFF's house for the rest of the month. I'm too stressed out over this.

We were at the same starting weight too give or take 10lbs (I WAS HEAVIER!) Surgery was 1/21. I had a very rough recovery, had the notorious three week stall which lasted 3 WEEKS, and have been feeling like my progress is NOT where it should be. I hardly ate or drank anything after surgery for at least a month. I had Water nausea & everything. Puree phase was the worst...I just could NOT eat and the sight of Protein shakes made me heave. She, on the other hand, had a super easy recovery and lost almost 20lbs more than me at this stage (her surgery was in Aug & 8 weeks later she was down 50) I just started tracking food- right now I'm having about 800-900 calories most days & I just started back to doing vigorous exercise this last two weeks. Tuesday I did a 63 minute spin class and ate 1500 calories that day. I felt that was WAY too much. I don't even like going over 1000 calories but according to FitnessPal, those 63 minutes burned off 1100 calories... Anyway, I've done over 190 minutes of exercise this week and lost only 2 friggin pounds. She's 10-12 years older than I am too. I''ve been teary all morning since weighing in. I don't know if this was really worth it. I could have struggled like this WITHOUT spending $7000 of my money on this effing surgery.

When I was at 600 calls a day and at the weight loss stall, EVERYONE said "eat more" and drink more Water. Well...I DID! Now what? I wanna go back down to below 800 per day now- WITH exercise and see what happens. Have you been told the same about upping calories? I noticed a change the first week or so when I started doing it but I see no long term difference at this point.

Both MyFitness Pal & SparkPeople calculated 1100 calories for 63 minutes of vigorous spinning at my weight (16 miles was the total # calculated on the computer of the spin bike when I was done). Put in 16miles of vigorous cycling in an hour at 241lbs and this is the range you get every time on pretty much all of the calculators I used. Some even said it was 1200 calls burned. I had 1500 calories that day, 480 of which were in the form of three Protein shakes: One in the morning, one after exercising, one before bed. I usually do two a day, but the gym manager said I should probably get a bit more protein that night. The not comparing thing is impossible as far as I'm concerned. I need a reason WHY she's older AND weighed less than me and still lost almost 20lbs more in less time. And yes, I *know* I'll never get that answer, but you can't help but ask why. It's really, really upsetting. I wanted to kick someone's ass when I got on the scale today. Can you say "abnormal amount of rage"? I should probably take a nap and calm myself down at this point. I was going to take today as a "rest day" since I worked out 4x this week but now I'm thinking that's not an option. #PissedOff

Yup. Happened to me. I've been on the pill continuously (meaning not taking the week of placebo pills to spur on a menstrual cycle) for well over a decade and I bled for the first time a few weeks after surgery. First period in like 15 YEARS while still taking the same dose of BC continuously. My gyno said I may need to increase to a higher dose if it kept happening but luckily it lasted only a week and hasn't come back!

Hey lady friends, I have PCOS and have been taking the pill continuously (no placebo week) for YEARS (over 15 years to be precise) with out having a period. Well for some reason, I started having moderate (not what I would deem as light) spotting a few days ago! I haven't missed pills so that can't be it. I'm finding limited answers online but did see something (not from a doctor/medical professional) talking about how rapid weight loss can cause you to produce more estrogen or something but again, I am on the pill so I can't figure out why is this happening. Anyone else have this happen or have an idea what the f*** is going on?