JamieLogical

OMG! Can I just say how glad I am this hasn't been a problem for me? You poor thing! Might a different sports bra make a difference? I think the problem is that I need to wear two sports bras and that cuts down on the moisture wicking aspect of the material.

I know in these early days post-op it's hard to imagine, but you really will feel "normal" again eventually. Just take it one day at a time. Stay focused on your water and protein and stepping. Work your way up to a reasonable amount of calories as you progress through the food stages. And you will eventually get back to normal.

@@lifeofblair I agree with all the others. Your calorie intake seems way low for where you are post-op. By the time I reached goal I was probably eating 1400-1700 a day just doing Couch to 5k and light strent trainkng. Now that I'm training for a half marathon and I'm in maintenance, I need to be closer to 2200-2300 calories on cardio days.

I don't count calories. At least not in any formal way. I have done some "spot checks" here and there where I would log my food for a day or two just to see where I was at. But I have found that eating 5-6 times a day, putting protein first, and getting my 100 grams in pretty much keeps my calories right where they need to be. I'm in maintenance now and training for a half marathon, so I've had to actually start working on getting in MORE calories, which I am still stumbling my way though.

I've been using myKind B12 spray from Amazon for B12 and my levels are good. In case you are looking for B12 options.

@@Rogofulm Definitely need to stay religious about the eating and drinking at the same time. It seems like a surefire way to eat around the restriction. How long would you say you stay "full" when you eat high protein and don't drink at the same time? I find that as long as I am eating high protein meals and snacks... I usually feel pretty contentedly full until it's time for the next one. Only long stretch I have is usually between my afternoon snack and dinner, so I might be tempted to try to squeeze some more food in there if I weren't busy working out.

Okay, That sounds pretty similar to me in the amount you can eat at one time. I'm supposed to be getting 100 grams a day and I don't do shakes, so that's probably why I have less room for bread and such. Not that I never eat bread, just that I wouldn't say it's part of any of my "typical" meals. I will do a slice of multi-grain toast with peanut butter every once in a blue moon.

What's your daily protein goal? I don't think I could get my 100 grams in with so much bread and fruit and such.

In my experience, the pain was very minimal. I wasn't on any narcotic level pain medication after I left the surgical center. There is ab pain and gas pain, but it's nothing I couldn't just suck it up and deal with.

My biggest fear is definitely regain. I've successfully lost massive amounts of weight many times in the past, but always regained. Now I've been maintaining for about 6 months and I am still terrified some switch is going to flip and I'm suddenly going to start regaining and not be able to stop. Rationally, I know how it would be almost impossibly for me to regain ALL the weight without willfully eating around my sleeve. Even if a few sweet treats and carbs crept back in, I probably wouldn't gain more than a few pounds before I got it back under control. But I still have this panicked part of my brain that thinks "if you eat that Peanut Butter pie, you're going straight back up over 250 pounds!"

Congrats! Before you know it, you'll be celebrating being "overweight"!

No reason to be afraid. This is a very low risk surgery. There will definitely be some trials and tribulations post-op and you will struggle to adapt, but you will get there eventually. As for the loose skin, that should be the least of your worries. Excess skin never killed anyone. Obesity kills thousand and thousands of people every year.

I ran 7 miles for my half marathon training on Saturday and learned that nipple chafing is REAL....

You should be open and honest with the surgeon about the struggles you've been having when you have your appointment. If you are experiencing problems with meat and other high-protein foods, then you need to get to the bottom of why, because you are going to need to be eating those things for the rest of your life. Not meeting protein goals is a serious issue.

@@naturegirl I'm a runner too. Doing my first half marathon in April! The implants are nothing that doubling up on sports bras can't handle. I just wear two bras and the bouncing isn't a problem. The chafing is still an issue on long runs, but that has nothing to do with size.... that has to do with the fact that apparently no one who designs sports bras has ever actually tried running in one... Stupid seams in the wrong places!

Glad you are feeling better. Hang in there! I found it a lot easier to get my sips in if I marched in place. Might want to give that a try. Another think to try is different temperatures of water. I did better with hot beverages like tea or super ice cold water. Luke-warm water was more of a challenge.

Did you go to the hospital? What did they say?

I carry all my weight in my hips and thighs, so even now at 159, I am really a 12, but squeezing into some 10 pants. I've been wearing size 10 dresses since I was 180 and they are mostly too big on me now, but I haven't bought any new ones since then. If you look at my gallery pics, you can see how bottom-heavy I am. I still have to wear wide calf boots! Here's a pic of me in a size 11 juniors dress and some wide calf boots from a few weeks ago:

Welcome to normal life! Every single normal weight person I know has a little binge here and there on a weekend or a vacation. You know what they do? They just get right back into their normal routine again when it's over and move on. That's what maintenance is. Living like a normal person!

You probably won't lose all your hair. Especially if you are meeting all your protein and vitamin goals. My hair fell out pretty heavily for about a month and a half from 3.5 months out until about 5 months out. I just cut it short and no one else really noticed. The only thing that was noticeable was when all the baby hairs started growing back in and sticking up all over the place. Mine started regrowing immediately.

Awesome!

If you think you will be able to stick to your post-op food plans, then there is no reason not to go. If you are still on liquids and purees at that point, you may be a little tired. I had issues with fatigue until I was back on solid foods and could get more calories in.

Of course you can still lose weight after a year out. It's still just calories in versus calories out. Your metabolism doesn't just magically switch off at the 12 month mark. What DOES happen around the twelve month mark is that you stomach has fully healed and relaxed and so you might not experience as much restriction, which might make it harder to continue losing if you are always just eating until you are full instead of being mindful of your portion sizes.

I've decided on a spiral thigh lift with Dra. Cardenas, probably sometime in mid to late August. I want to wait until running season is mostly over. If anyone is planning on going to TJ around then, let me know! @@Queen of Crop Wear your compression garments 100% of the time!!! It's very important!

@@Rvamom I started the process at 260. I was down to 236 on the day of my surgery. I got to 165 (goal) almost exactly at my one year mark and have been maintaining/losing a bit more in the 6 months since then. I'm now at 159.