KristenVSG2014

I'm a year out and can't finish a hot dog with a bun. I can eat a whole hot dog but no bread. If I eat the bun I can eat about half. No point in eating the bun so I skip it.

Yeah...I barely have any booty left...It hurts to sit so I try to avoid it. Boobs are still DDD but I'm also in the "rocks in socks" club. The interesting thing is my boobs rest on my ribcage rather than my stomach so they don't look half bad when I'm standing. Just don't ask me to bend over!

Tijuana

I didn't have BCBS NC, I have BCBS FL but my plan didn't cover any bariatric surgery. What I wanted to say is I'm also 5'7 and I was 260 when I decided I needed surgery so our stats are very close! By the way, I went to Mexico. I got a loan for $4,500 and it covered everything excluding airfare.

Wow. I can't believe it has been a year since surgery. When I started this process I kept thinking, "I wish I could just fast forward a year!!" I'm quite impatient. It's finally here. While expecting a physical change, what I didn't expect is the amount of mental change I went through. Even without this surgery I had a LOT go on the past year that challenged me and knocked me down. But add the surgery on top of it...Trying to find new ways to cope or deal with stress rather than eating. Learning how to forgive myself if I slip up. Figuring out that I'm stronger than I thought. I still have many issues I'm dealing with. I don't know what the next year will bring but I'm more confident in myself that I have the ability to handle it and I will become a better person because of it. I'm learning to love myself for the first time ever. It's interesting. I was disappointed in myself for so long and now that the disappointment is gone and replaced with pride I feel like a different person. Not different personality-wise. Different confidence-wise. For once I have confidence. Oh gosh...I'm going to break out into a Sound of Music song so I better get back to work...

My doctor had the same reaction. He didn't seem concerned. Sigh. Oh well. It's a small price to pay, I guess!

I had my follow up with my PCP today. Since I had surgery in Mexico he is the only doctor I deal with. Takeaways: 1) He wants me to lower my goal weight from 160 to 155 to allow for some inevitable regain. This will leave my bounce range 155-160 rather than 160-165. 2) Despite joint/muscle issues he wants me to buck up and add whole body workouts back to my exercise. That terrifies me but I'm going to try. I think I'll bust out my 30 Day Shred DVD to do first thing in the morning. I'm still not allowed any high intensity exercise like running ???? 3) He wants me to do a better job tracking calorie intake. My calories are too low some days so I need to plan my day ahead of time and make sure I'm hitting at least 1,000 but getting closer to 1,200.

I named mine Stevie (Stevie the Sleevie). The relationship gets better with time. Especially since you know your relationship is permanent.

I'm almost a year out and this still happens to me. I think it's funny. Small price to pay!

I took the same dose and still lost a lot of hair. My new growth is just now long enough that I feel better about it.

I agree with having "safe" fast food options as a last resort (I like the grilled chicken wrap sans ranch dressing and tortilla from McD's or a small chili from Wendy's) or emergency food in your desk/purse/glovebox. That helps a lot. But it's ok to mess up every once in a while. None of us are perfect as much as we may try to be. Try to remember how that burger made you feel, learn from it, forgive yourself and move on.

November 3 is in only five short days!!! I'm still six pounds from my ultimate goal weight. Next year I'll be looking into a tummy tuck and possibly breast lift.

"Being overweight in this world is very difficult. I was tortured about it as a child and simply equated my own self worth with my weight regardless of health and logic." Wow. This just made me realize I also have always equated my self worth with my weight. Mine also stems from childhood. I'm happy you are smart and aware you need help before it is too late. Please keep us updated on your progress!

I have the opposite problem. Short legs and a long trunk! It takes all sorts to make a world ????

My highest confirmed weight is 290. I wore a size 24. When I decided to get surgery I was 260. Almost a year later I'm 166 pounds and I wear a size 10. My goal weight is 160. At my highest weight I was diagnosed with diabetes. I had the big, dark ring around my neck and PCOS was out of control. hair started growing on my neck and if I waxed it came right back a week later. I lost 20 pounds and was able to get back to "only" insulin resistant. But all the other conditions remained so my doctor put me on Metformin and Spironolactone. Later I lost another 50 pounds at a weight loss clinic starving myself but once I stopped going I slowly gained back 40 pounds. That's when I made the decision to have surgery. I have the Mirena IUD so I wasn't having any periods before surgery but now I regularly ovulate and have cramps and cravings during my period but little to no blood. I lost a LOT of hair. It's just now coming back. I've always had very fine hair but I cried a few times because of how bad I thought it looked. My facial hair is still there but grows MUCH slower than before. I can wax and not worry about it for six weeks or more. Here's a before and after of my neck: Here's a before and after of my face and hair (you can see my scalp more): And full body:

Just be careful and take it slow. Every food is like a mystery how your new stomach will react. Just take it one meal at a time. Follow your post-op instructions very carefully. The first few months are tough but soooooo worth it!

I love to have a big cup of hot tea. I have an entire drawer of different teas so I have a selection and can pick what I want based on my mood. If you use a fruit-flavored tea like blueberry it can help satisfy a craving for sweets AND it counts towards liquids for the day ????????

@@Elode, avocados are my favorite food. I'm kind of sad about winter approaching since they will be close to impossible to find. ???? At least this is awesome chili-making weather.

I agree with no carbonated drinks! But realize that fruits include avocados, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, olives....

Thanks! It was quite delicious. I use this method to use up any leftover meat I need to turn into something different. It works great with any pre-cooked meat, especially pulled pork, chicken or ground beef.

I was very strict with my carbs and sugar the first three months after surgery. Random muscles started twitching uncontrollably and I had no energy at all. My muscles ached all over. My doctor told me I HAD to increase carbs. In fact he wanted me to eat a few bananas a week. I thought he was crazy but I immediately increased my fruit intake and while it took another month or so to recover I felt SO much better. I'm also only 6 pounds from my goal weight so not too shabby. My husband can make some magical salsas. My favorite is his pineapple mango salsa served over grilled chicken...I'm glad my doctor tells me eat the rainbow. ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I needed to use up some pulled pork I made over the weekend so I added some onion, peppers, corn and beans. Topped with red salsa, crema (like sour cream), green salsa and avocado. ????????

Most people are gradually able to eat more as the stomach heals and restriction relaxes some. Of course we will never be able to eat in one sitting what we could before surgery. It would take deliberately grazing over hours to accomplish that. For me, hunger returned around 10 months after surgery. Next week will be one year post op and I get hungry every four to six hours. My stomach actually growls now where it didn't the first 10 months. I can also eat a lot more than I could the first six months. I used to be able to eat about 3-4 ounces of meat with no room for anything else. Now I can eat 3-4 ounces of meat and some veggies and maybe even a little carb. While I'm thrilled I can eat "normally" now, I also have to be mindful since I can fit more that I choose wisely what I eat. I can no longer rely on restriction alone to make sure I don't overeat. I'm back to weighing, measuring and tracking to keep calories in check. There are different phases of the sleeve. I'm entering the second year and very close to maintenance which is very different from the first year of surgery where restriction is tight, getting calories in feels like a chore and weight almost magically comes off. Now restriction is good but not near as tight, I have no problem getting calories in and weight loss has come to a halt (I'm very close to goal though).

I see many examples of this myself. In fact, I think that "growing up fat" required I develop significant compensating behaviors and skills to overcome the downside of being fat. This is a big subject. The topic would benefit from its own thread. Agree. I grew up fat and overcompensated by being all those things. More funny, witty and sophisticated than friendly. I'm friendly but I don't go out of my way.

Yep yep yep! It actually took me by surprise and lasted longer than I thought it would. It lasted six very long months. I don't think that length of time is typical but I have a history of depression so that probably was a factor.