JamieLogical

Hair loss is temporary. Your sleeve is forever! Don't let potential hair loss deter you. Would you rather have slightly thinner hair for a few months or be fat for the rest of your life?

Just to warn you, the first three weeks are pretty smooth, but there is a HUGE ramp up in the total amount of running in week four. Be prepared for that!

If you are going to use one, please read up on the risks of wearing it too tight. They can cause/increase heartburn, which is already a problem for many sleeve patients. They can also push your stomach up through your diaphragm (hiatal hernia). http://news.health.com/2015/03/10/what-is-waist-training/

I'm 6 months out and unless I'm currently eating or have recently eaten, I am not conscious of my stomach. It feels normal in that I don't feel it at all. Is that what you mean?

Eat on a timer. If/when your appetite comes back, it will be a good habit to have, because it will keep you from grazing and snacking. Just set an eating schedule and stick to it.

I was on my pre-op liquid diet for 15 days and mine was only 450 calories a day! You got off easy! As for advice, I would say it really starts getting a bit easier after day 3 or 4, but it does suck all the way through. Just hang in there!

I would say around 8 weeks is just about when I turned the corner in terms of feeling normal. I was back on solid foods at 6 weeks, which helped, but I was still trying to figure out portions and pacing. I think I still wasn't getting enough calories. So yeah, took a few more weeks to really get into the swing of things.

I'll have to think about it!

I'm going to have to go to my doctor. I am scheduled to see her at the end of April, but I may go sooner. I have been experiencing dizziness when going from sitting to standing. Last Wednesday I actually fell right down onto the floor. Didn't actually black out, I don't think, but one second I was standing and the next I was on the ground. That time was going from laying down to standing up, so I think that might be what made it worse.

Love this! I agree that the best thing to do is to start RIGHT NOW. You may not be able to change everything all at once, but do what you can TODAY, then a little more tomorrow, then a little more next week.

It gets a little easier. If you are on day 4, you are through the hardest part, honestly. But it does suck! We've all been there. Just focus and keep it together. All of the issues you are dealing with now will be practice for post-op. Hang in there!!!!

Congratulations on your amazing success and progress. I wish you much luck in your renewed efforts and achieving your goal weight!

People have. I did not. I do NOT recommend going against the surgeons/nutritionist's recommendations. They have them for a reason. They have dealt with hundreds of WLS patients. I would trust their expertise over my own.

@@JamieLogical Fantastic! Spring/Summer will be perfect weather for running. I have been looking at my local running events. I'm doing the shamrock shuffle 5K tomorrow. I'm so excited for you. a 5K every month. Post some pic's if you have time. I would love to see them. What do you think of the C25K app? Is it easy to use? Once you are doing a 5K do they have another app for longer distance run's? (I will look it up) The first time I did C25k, I just wrote out the times on a post-it note for each workout and stuck it to my treadmill! Now I have the app on an old iPod Touch that I stuck velcro to the back of and I have the other side of the velcro on my treadmill, so it just sits there on the console and I see the prompts. I always watch TV while I work out in our downstairs rec room. I had to disable the prompts in the app where the coach says "you're halfway done", because I found them too depressing! LOL But the app is definitely easier than writing everything out on a post-it and having to watch the clock on the treadmill the whole time. If I were running outside and listening to music, I don't think I could possibly do it WITHOUT the app to prompt me about when to run/walk. As for my plans after completing C25k, I have no intention of running longer distances, but I do want to improve my speed. So I have this idea to re-do C25k and run at my current, slow pace for the "walk" portions and then just increase to a faster pace for the "jog" portions. I'll have to post again once I know how that works out!

Another example. I eat Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt. If I compare their Key Lime to Oikos Traditional full-fat Key Lime flavor, the Dannon Light & Fit has: 80 less calories (exactly half as much as the Oikos) 4.5 grams less fat (including 3 grams less saturated fats) 20 mg less sodium 5 mg more potassium 9 grams less carbs (exactly half as much as the Oikos) 10 grams less sugar (LESS than half as much as the Oikos) 1 gram more Protein So, again tell me how the low fat option is the wrong one in this case? Edit: I checked the ingredients and the Dannon Light & Fit does have sucralose listed, so if you are opposed to artificial sweeteners, then that might be a knock against it. However, the Oikos has "sugar" listed as an actual ingredient and much higher on the list than sucralose is for the Dannon.

@@LipstickLady aww man bud you took the wise words right out of my mouth @@Swampdoggie i will not eat low fat this, or that "they" add more sugar to make it taste better decisions, decisions, decisions good luck bud kathy That's not ALWAYS the case. It's good to read nutrition labels. I eat Reduced Fat string cheese every day. If I compare the nutrition labels from the full fat version to the reduced fat version, the reduced fat has: 10 less calories 2 grams less fat 10 mg less sodium same Potassium same carbs (1g) same sugar (0g) 1 gram more Protein 5% more Calcium So why on earth would I choose the full fat version over the low fat version? The reduced fat is better for me in every way. I think blanket statements like "only eat full fat" or "only eat low fat" are equally foolish. Read your labels!

Here's an article that might make you feel a bit better: http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan I have been a slow loser since the beginning (Sept. 1), but when I started really exercising regularly in January and then increased my cardio intensity and started doing strength training in early February, the loss REALLY slowed to a crawl. It's pretty frustrating working so hard and not seeing the scale move. I've tried modifying my calorie intake to get things moving again. I've added more calories in form of an extra morning snack and adding Cereal to my afternoon greek yogurt. It's still slow going. But even with the slow loss on the scale, I am definitely seeing the differences in my body composition. I've JUST NOW (after 6 months) started to get comments on my weight loss. A coworker just came back from a 2 week vacation and told me that I'm "melting", even though I'd only lost like two pounds since the last time I'd seen her. And I'm getting STRONG. I love seeing the muscles in my upper arms and thighs. And the best part of all is that I actually have some ab definition coming in (thanks to my tummy tuck 3.5 years ago that's held up through my weight regain and loss). So the scale is being stubborn and stupid, but I feel really really good about myself. So, I am definitely going to keep it up!

Mine started at about 3.5 months post-op and I joked that if hair were blood, my bathroom would have looked like a scene from a horror movie. However, it never got so thin that anyone else would have noticed and the hair loss tapered off a LOT around month 5. I had preemptively cut my hair short at two months post-op, hoping that if/when I started losing hair, it would be less noticeable. I'm now a little over 6 months post-op and all my little baby hairs that have come in are about an inch long. Edit: I should mention that I never took any extra Biotin (there is some in my bariatric multivitamin), but I am VERY good about taking all of my Vitamins every day and getting in all of my Protein every day.

Yeah, that looks to work the exact same way mine does, just an updated model. It's perfect for smoothies and I love the way it works with the blade that just screws onto the cup. Makes it so easy if you get multiple blades and can just throw them in the dishwasher.

I haven't experienced it at all. I'm just over 6 months post op and I've tried pretty much every kind of food at this point, including cookies, cakes, and ice cream.

I have a little Ninja that has individual cups. I bought extra blades, so I can just throw them in the dishwasher instead of hand-washing between uses. Since I have three cups and three blades and I run the dishwasher every 2-3 days, I never have to hand wash. It's very convenient. I don't think they make my specific model anymore, but a lot of them come with those cups and you can buy extra cups and blades from the Ninja web site. The one I have is pretty similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Kitchen-System-Pulse-BL201/dp/B007SBBL4S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426259000&sr=8-1&keywords=Ninja+Pulse It doesn't have buttons or variable speeds. You just push down on the cup and it blends. When you ease up on the cup, it stops.

The pre-op diet is meant to shrink your liver, not lose weight. As long as you are following the plan, you will be fine.

You take risks with your life every day. Just leaving the house in the morning is a risk. But you take that risk because you need to earn a living to support your family. And being cooped up in your house all day would be NO LIFE at all! Surgery is the same. Is there risk? Yes. Though I feel obliged to point out that the mortality rate with sleeve is lower than with knee replacement. But the alternative, being obese and having all the related health issues, is NO LIFE at all!

I occasionally get a little sad that I can't enjoy food the way I did before. But enjoying eating an entire pizza and a pint of ice cream is what got me fat in the first place. I also feel a little sad for my husband, because we don't go out to eat as often anymore and I know he misses it. I'm perfectly open to going to to eat most of the time, but I am no longer the one suggesting it. And since he doesn't bring it up often, it just doesn't happen. I'm perfectly content to eat at home now, as I don't really think of eating as "an experience" anymore. But do I regret it? HECK NO!

Take your vitamins, get your protein, and pray. My hair loss started around 3.5 months post-op and only really lasted about a month and a half. It never really got to the point where it was noticeable to anyone else. My husband only noticed because the bathroom was COVERED in hair. Didn't take long for the new baby hairs to sprout up and now that I'm almost 6 months out, my baby hairs are over an inch long. So, it does grow back!