Fluffnomore

One night, and I had a hernia repair too.

Depends on whether your surgeon delineates between clear and full liquids. Sounds good though!

I think if there was really a hard and fast formula to this, we'd all know it. My experience has been that my hair has definitely thinned out a bit, but not fallen out in chunks (like some.) I still see some breakage issues at 8 months, but can't really say that's due to the weight loss entirely. I have long, thin hair and I have been taking all the supplements, using a shampoo designed to help with breakage/thinning, and also using an anti-snap leave-in conditioner. So far haven't had the urge to cut it yet either. Although, some swear by that for giving the illusion of fullness.

I'm on my second round. It's both seasonal and because I had some older clothes in smaller sizes. It didn't happen for the first 1-2 months, because honestly I was cramming myself into the size I started. Then all of a sudden about 2-3 months in there was a noticeable difference. I bought jeans in progressively smaller sizes every month for about 4 months. After 8 months I am 4-5 sizes smaller on the bottom, 1-2 on the top. Sadly, it hasn't changed much in the last month or so, but I'm hoping when we swing into winter again I will have to replace things again. Warning: once you have some choices, shopping gets to be more fun and expensive. :-)

It was at least 50 pounds before people really started asking me. I don't know...

Liquids are fine in that amount. Make sure you're eating slowly, though.

I'm 8 months out and my boobs have not gone down in size, though my band has. So, I was a 36-38 GG or H when I started, and now I'm a (tight) 34 GG or H. I also sport bruised kneecaps when I let the girls out of captivity and walk around the house.

The math DOESN'T always add up. However, I remain hopeful that it will catch up. My experience is that even though I track both intake and exercise religiously, the 3500 calorie deficit/pound logic is flawed at best. I'm going to go have my metabolic rate tested just to be sure, but based on deficits alone I should easily be losing 1-2 pounds per week. I don't really know the answer to that, but I'm stepping up exercise again and doubling down/adjusting the make up of my food intake since the calories are okay. This experience has proven to me a couple of things I have always known instinctively: we are all different, and calories in/calories out is a flawed formula.

My surgeon's office told me that if my primary care would not write a referral, they would refer me to someone who would. It's backwards, but there's a lot of misinformation out there. I would also see if you can go that route. BTW, my PCP ended up signing the referral and they are "amazed" at my progress and interested in it. So maybe it will influence their future patients too.

Also, you're probably only on weight restrictions for 6 weeks or so (depending on your doctor) so you could easily ramp up now with walking and then make an appointment when you're cleared to have a trainer or PT work with you once you're cleared. Good luck!

I had an issue like this before my WLS. I had all the tests and basically it looked like a piece of cartilage was floating around and getting "folded" in uncomfortable ways. It wasn't separate, though, so surgery wouldn't have helped it. I know that is as clear as mud. They did offer a cortisone shot, and I decided to wait and see on that. Never ended up needing it. It resolved with some rest.

This is one of those crazy things. I think when we see what everyone is doing here it can skew how we feel about our own successes. At my last appointment (around 6-7 months post-op) the PA told me that as far as the practice is concerned, I am now a success story, with just about 70% of my excess weight loss to get to their goal of 160. My personal goal is to get as low as I can go, but at almost 9 months now, the weight is really moving slowly. Everything people say is true: my body still shifts around, my life is 100% better and healthier, I can't believe what I can do physically, and for the MOST part I am enjoying the way I look. My personal goal is 150; my stretch goal is 143 (100 pounds.) Will I get there? I don't know…I hope so. Right now it's a constant dance of figuring out what kind of workouts work for my body and make me feel good. Experimenting with what and how I eat. Trying to be patient when the scale doesn't do exactly what I think it should be doing. I think that is because a lot of what we believe, we still base on "conventional" wisdom, and that doesn't really cut it anymore. For example, keeping my calories steady and burning 3500 extra calories in a week does not automatically lead to a pound of weight loss. We want to quantify and be in control, and I'm squarely in the phase where I have to just do the right thing and trust. It's a trip, isn't it?

I'm Pollyanna but I don't have much I would change, if anything. I have felt intuitively all along that what is important for me is to find a balance that doesn't leave me feeling consistently deprived or on a mission, because my personality is such that eventually I would rebel. The hardest thing is to keep perspective now and try to stay out of the whole "I wish I had done THIS differently, because my weight loss would be better" game, and remember that it is a long term thing. Honestly, when I take a giant step back I can see that I've been active, I've been consistent and I have been successful. Maybe not as successful as others, and I may not yet have reached my goal, but there is a huge difference in my life already. In some ways, isn't that the point?

When you figure that out, let the rest of us know the secret.

Yeah, the conventional wisdom is that you probably shouldn't go too crazy stocking up, as there might be flavors you like now but can't stand later, or vice versa. Most of the web sites have options where you can buy samples; I think you can do this at GNC and to a lesser extent Whole Foods too.

Right, that old quote about insanity, doing the same thing and expecting different results, is so true. But very few of us (especially really successful WLS patients) are actually doing the same things we were prior to surgery. You can only meet people (or choose not to meet them) where they are. You need to just "do you" and they'll come along or not. This is your new normal and it doesn't really matter. After you've been at goal and running for 5 years, no one is going to remember you doing anything differently.

If change were not possible, not a single one of us on this planet would have any reason to adopt or replace any positive habits. Yes, I have a sleeve. I can still choose to sit on my couch and eat ice cream all day long. I was having this discussion with two other sleevers about accelerating weight loss by either ramping up the cardio and eliminating weight lifting, or doing a 12-week on, 12-week off program with heavy weight lifting (I do CrossFit now.) At the end of a long debate about what would work better, we all had to laugh. This would have been a non-conversation a year ago. It would have been, "Hm, wonder if I should have a third margarita with my quesadilla."

I believe this is ultimately one of those non-issues that we build up to be a huge deal in our minds. Yes, I mean, if your main activity with someone was overeating together, that can be hard. But I eat out frequently with friends and family. The further along you get, the easier it is to make it "look" like you're eating a lot, if that's what you wish to do. But after the first month or two when I had added other foods back, I stopped really worrying about it. I almost always get a to-go box, and eat half of my food or less. I was always surprised when if someone questioned me and I said a variation on, "Not hungry any more" or 'That doesn't agree with me" that they accepted it and moved on. I'd say this would be after about 4 months; that period of moving into solid foods was more obvious. At 8 months, I get questioned very little. On the other hand, I don't make a big deal of what I am or am not "allowed" to eat, of how much I "can" eat, or anything either. It is amazing to realize that I don't really have to worry about someone else's expectation of what I will do, whether that is drinking (or not drinking) a glass of wine, ordering dessert, or whatever. I know others have had the opposite experience; I'm just wary of assuming people are reacting to me one way or another.

You also might be having stomach acid issues. Ask your doctor for a PPI or try some ranitidine (OTC) on your own. See if that helps.

I'm 8 months out, and I do remember feeling tired of everything at 6 weeks out. I didn't have some of the physical issues, but I was still on full liquids at that point and it felt like it would never end. Remember too that you are probably releasing hormones as you lose weight and an emotional roller coaster is par for the course. I go out to eat regularly, and I eat regularly. Just a lot less than I used to. But the good part is that it does come back, somewhat. I do not feel like a freak at restaurants (I used to), I just get a to-go box. So much of what you are upset about is temporary. There's a light at the end of the tunnel!

You might want to try freezing a protein shake.

According to my surgeon I am "already successful." I'm right at 70% for the goal listed on my ticker. I still have a long way to go. On the other hand, I am delighted to be here. It's hard. The crazy thing is that the closer I get to my goal the harder it is for me to see that I have been doing well. Plus that goal is an arbitrary number. One of the trainers I work out with weighs 10 pounds more than my goal, and is a size 6. I think that would be great too.

I'd LOVE to lose a little boob, but that has not yet been in the cards. Sigh.

If this is your first day of a liquid diet it is possible it is the liquids. Just take it easy today!

That's true, height is huge. So, I'm 5'5" and therefore pretty "average." But if you're 5'10" and 177 I would bet the size would be smaller.