WhoKnows

Interesting that your protein drinks don't count towards you liquid goals for the day. Why would that be?

@@JCP, I will keep you posted. But honestly, if I were you, I'd start taking the Rogaine now regardless. Like I said, even if I have a few months of reduced hair from the surgery, I know the Rogaine has made a huge general improvement for me, and it will continue to do its job as the hair grows back (that is, if I lose). It's a bit like the surgery: it's life long, but my only regret is not having started sooner! Also, my dose is also slightly higher than the women's dose. It's actually a special mixture my endocrinologist has made up at the pharmacy specially: higher dose of the active ingredient in Rogaine, plus topical estrogen. I don't know if something similar in the US would be possible. But if not, I'm sure the men's Rogaine would get the job done!

I completely understand your nerves. My approval process took about two years, and even though I told my mom about a year in to that process, I didn't wanna tell my dad until I had a date set. He's big in to alternative medicine, and I was afraid he'd try and talk me out of cutting up a healthy organ and having anything to do with the medical industrial complex, etc. But to my surprise, he was also super supportive! Along the way, he's always giving me suggestions for extra supplements and stuff, and actually, as long as it's nothing homeopathic, I'm always happy for the tips. My parents have both been great. They know this has been a life long issue for me, and I think they're happy to finally see a successful change.

Just out of curiosity, is your hair fine or is it actually already thinning from something unrelated to surgery? I have PCOS, so I've suffered from hair loss for the past few years. I'm only two months out, so I haven't experienced any of the surgery related hair loss yet, but I've been using Rogain for a year now and have been really happy with the results. Yes, I know, I have to use it for the rest of my life, but I'd rather do that and have hair, than do nothing and be balding. So, I have no idea whether or not or to what extent the Rogain will help with the hair loss from surgery, but I figure it's better than nothing and will help with regrowth if I do experience surgery-related loss. Of course, this is only an option if you experienced hair loss in the past as well. It's a very long term solution, since what you gain and hang on to from the Rogain will fall out if you stop using it. But if you have good reason to use it, I definitely recommend it.

Isn't that one of the benefits of dating casually? Can't you take some space without it being a big deal?

This is something I'm interested in too. My Multivitamin makes me feel ill, and I know I'm not waiting as long as I should to take it so the Iron can be absorbed. I can't find anything to eat with no calcium though!

Good luck! Let us know how it turns out?

Oh, and in response to your actual question about when to tell him: I'd say after. He clearly can't be talked into it, and you know you need the surgery, but he's been capable of talking you out of it twice. Don't like that happen again. Get it done, and figure the rest out later. Either he'll be forced to come around or he won't, but you'll be primed to be the best and healthiest you you can be, with or without him.

There are, unfortunately, reasons why the divorce rate post WLS is so high, and this is something to be aware of. But you need to do what's right for you, not him. This might mean the end of a relationship, and that sucks. But do you really want to be with someone who is intentionally keeping you unhealthy? This might be about low self esteem on his part, or about wanting to control you, or just general fear of losing you during or after surgery. If it's the first two, then I'd say you're better off without him. If it's the latter, then get the surgery, and prove him wrong!

Are you having trouble with fluids because of restriction? Taste? Water nausea? Unless it's the first one, I found that adding some lemon or lime juice to the water really helped me in the beginning. I don't need it anymore, but around weeks 2-4, it helped me get in all my liquids.

One of the things we hear people who don't understand obesity of weight loss surgery say (or we are afraid to hear them say) is that it's "the easy way out." Pre-op I could list a whole bunch of reasons why this isn't the easy way out. Why it's actually really, really hard - just as hard, if not harder, than losing weight the traditional way. But now, admittedly only two months out, I'm not so sure. And that's a good thing! Now, I should preface this by saying that I realize many people have had complications and for many people every day or some days post-op are a struggle - I don't want to try and negate their lived experiences. But I do want to talk for a minute about my experience, which I suspect is more common than we admit. I have been obese or morbidly obese pretty much my whole life. I dieted and exercised, yada, yada, yada, but the weight always came back. We all know the drill or we wouldn't be here. But I am nothing if not pragmatic, so when I started doing research about WLS and about weight loss in general, and read the statistics for long-term success in people who hadn't had surgery (Spoiler Alert! They're low!), getting sleeved just seemed like a no-brainer. Two years of hoop-jumping later, I went into surgery. I was very well read on the subject, knew all the worst case scenarios to expect, knew what the recovery would look like, etc. But my surgery and recovery were super easy. I was on to purees almost right away. Soft solids by week two. Anything but raw veggies at week 4. Anything and everything at week 6. I have yet to be made sick by any food. I get in all my Water, Vitamins and 90g of Protein (on a vegetarian (almost vegan) diet!) every day without trouble. I was lifting heavy in the gym at week 5. My recovery has been stupendous! ...And easy. Now, I know I came into this with some one major advantage: I love, and always have loved, healthy food. Even before surgery, if given the choice between pizza Hut or a black bean and quinoa salad with avocado dressing, I'd say bring on the quinoa (all six servings of it). And now I have become one of those people who doesn't cheat. Ever. Not a single piece of chocolate or a taste of potatoes. But this hasn't been hard for me, because I didn't have to give up every food I love. In fact, I got to keep about 80% of them. My problem pre-sleeve was really volume, which now is no problem at all. But even so, I gotta say, looking back at the last two and half months (if we include the pre-op diet), this has been easy-peasy. Way easier than starving myself and being so effing hungry all the time. Easier than hating myself for not being motivated to get to the gym. Easier than staying fat. But why should that be a bad thing? So what if it's been (relatively) easy? The only reason we think weight loss should be a struggle, is because we look at obesity as a moral failing, instead of a biological one, and thus as weight loss as the penance one must serve before one is rewarded with thinness. Well, I'm calling BS on that. Obesity is a medical problem; WLS is a medical solution. It should be easier than the alternative. That's the point. Maybe it hasn't been as easy for everyone else as it has been for me (like I said, I know I've been very, very lucky in some respects), but it's gotta be easier (barring major complications) than all the alternatives or we wouldn't have chosen it. So, let's stop apologizing and making excuses. Yes, this is the easy (or at least easier) way out. And that's a good thing.

@RJ'S/beginning I've read about your complications, and my heart really goes out to you. I actually had you in mind when I added the caveat about major complications being an exception. But I find it really inspiring that despite everything you've been through, you'd do it again. It's a testament to both the efficacy of this surgery, and most of all, your strength. And thanks for the kind words! If I may ask, how would one go about getting something put on the article section? I assumed only people who work for bariatricpal can do that.

@@April206 I hope so too! But you know, even if it isn't as smooth as it's been for me, my main point is that (as mentioned, barring major complications), the whole point of surgery is that even at it's most difficult, it should be easier than everything else we've tried. Otherwise, those things would have worked. Good luck!

Yeah, for all it's benefits, I only smoked maybe every month or two. I doubt I could have maintained my general level of productivity had I been smoking every week, since I often need a recovery day as I tend to be kind sleepy and lethargic the day after.

I'm two months post-op, and this is exactly why I haven't smoked. It's not even that I'm worried I'll eat a bunch of bad stuff (in fact, in that past I always made sure to only have good, healthy stuff on hand anyway), it's more than I'm worried about volume. I used to be able to just eat and eat and eat when stoned (whether it was veggies and hummus, salad, quinoa, whatever), and I don't want to hurt or stretch my sleeve. I hope maybe in a year or so I can give it a try though. Marijuana always made me very introspective and I've learned a lot of valuable things about myself while high. Honestly, I don't know if I could have come to terms with my reasons for being overweight or even had the breakthroughs I needed to decide on surgery without it. Everyone's brain reacts differently, but for me, pot has always helped me see the truth about myself. It can be a powerful too and I hope someday I can use it responsibly again without fear of the munchies part...

That's awesome! Yay!

My reasons for being pretty private are similar to a lot of other people's, but for me there's the added complication of being an American expat in Germany. Yes, Germany, like the US, has an obesity problem, but it's not nearly as serious. Also, I live in a major metropolitan area, so really not a lot of fat people. I was used to almost always being the fattest person in class, on the bus, at a bar, at a party, etc, and usually the fattest by far. Obesity just isn't something people are used to. However many ridiculous misconceptions many Americans have about obesity, double that here. (Just don't drink soda! Have you tried exercising? Fat people are always so lazy, etc, etc, etc.) I just don't have the patience to not only explain the surgery to everyone, but also the biological and political realities of obesity, weight loss and fat-phobia. I'm an advocate for a lot of causes, and I don't have energy to add another one to the list. This one is personal and just for me. Maybe I'll feel differently when all the weight is off though. We'll see.

I did both before surgery, and I also always found pilates to be a better work out. (I was actually in pretty ok shape for a fat chick while I was doing it, but a tendon injury in inner leg caused me to stop.) One extra piece of advice though: while pilates is great (and yoga too, actually, if you find the right teacher), don't forget about weight lifting. Women are often so scared of getting "big," they don't lift weights. But girl, you gotta make sure you don't lose muscle post-op! Yes, Protein is important, but so is lifting! And also, just hormonally, you'd have to do some crazy stuff to end up ripped like a dude. I'm eight weeks post-op as of yesterday, I've been lifting to since week 4. I haven't stalled once, plus I can see such an improvement since I've been lifting. It's so gratifying and I really recommend it!

@@tiredtwinmommy That's wonderful! Clothes are representative of so much for us. Good for you!

Oh gosh, well, good luck! And the silver lining is, at least you know the cause and even if it takes three months, you have a likely solution.

I only had trouble the first week or so with liquid. Now I feel now restriction when I drink, and I can even gulp. I have no trouble drinking 2-3 liters a day.

It's a sort of meat substitute made from wheat gluten. You can make it at home with vital wheat gluten (which you can buy at some supermarkets in the organic section or at other sorts of smaller organic markets), or you can buy it prepackaged. I'd say homemade is better. It's a great low carb, high Protein option for anyone who doesn't suffer from celiac.

Link to the recipe doesn't work for me either, but the site looks great, and the recipe looks good too! When seitan is done well, it can be so good!

@@LipstickLady that sounds very realistic! I'm not up to 1/2 or 1 cup of food yet, but the general strategy sounds doable. From being on this forum for the past few months, I know you've had great success with this surgery, so I'm glad to hear your input in this.

I've lost 40lb overall, including the two week preop diet. It seems like I'm a slow loser compared to the others, but I think it's because of my PCOS. I'm meticulous about weighing and tracking what I eat. I hope I don't have to do it forever, but for the time being, it's keeping me on track and accountable, and it's teaching me what's the right amount of what sorts of things to eat. @@tattoogirl233, if I were you, I'd be careful about just eating what you want, even if it's only a little bit. That might not be why you're losing slowly now (everyone's body is different), but it could be the thing that keeps you from being as successful as you could be long term. Do you have any idea how much protein you eat vs. carbs? Or even how many calories? What about your water? These are important things to know. Also, there's no reason you can't eat what you want, as long as what you want is healthy food. I've been pretty lucky, because even though I ate some junk food in the old days, I've also always loved good, healthy whole foods (I just used to eat waaay to much of even them). Yeah, there are some things I miss, but I'm certainly not feeling deprived now or forcing myself to eat things I don't like (with the exception of my morning protein shake perhaps). I realize already liking "healthy" food gives me an edge up in this, you'll feel so much better without all the processed stuff. To give you an idea of what my high protein (vegetarian) diet looks like, here's today: Breakfast: 1 slice of protein bread, mustard, 2 slices of Tofurky deli slice, half a slice of cheddar cheese, lettuce (I ate half) Lunch: second half of the above sandwich Dinner: I made a yummy curried chickpea yogurt dip and I'll have a couple tablespoons of that with some veggies Snacks: I have some Babybells and blueberries in the fridge. I'll probably have one Babybell and some point and maybe 1/3 cup blueberries. Also, dry roasted soybeans (they basically taste like peanuts and are like high protein crack!). I'll also intersperse two protein shakes throughout the day. This is what works for me. You need to find what works for you, but it should be something that will set you up for long term success. The extreme restriction won't work forever, so my bet would be that eating a little of whatever you want, isn't going to do that.