KristenVSG2014

I can't wait to see @@LipstickLady's response. I would probably burst into tears and run out. Seriously. That is so rude. Mean people suck.

Yes! I made this a rule for myself before surgery. "Celebrate EVERY ounce." I've had a stall for the past three weeks. On Monday I got on the scale and I lost 0.2 lbs. I could have thought, "Only 0.2 pounds in three weeks?!" Instead I thought, "Oh thankfully the scale is moving again!" I've struggled with negative self-talk my entire life (I've also been overweight my entire life). When I was researching surgery I also decided I wanted to heal my view of myself and my obsession with weight. While I'm still obsessed with my scale and measuring tape, I don't give the scale as much power over me.

I went from busting out of a 44DDD to a 36DDD. I lost a LOT more than I thought I would but I guess it makes sense since my mom and sister are both 34DD's. I will need a breast lift but I thought I needed one even before surgery. I actually wear my bra to bed so they don't flop all over the place.

I just got my FitBit Charge HR last week and I hit the track today. I only did 1 1/2 miles since I had to go to the store before I headed home. I realized halfway through shopping it wasn't tracking my steps because I was holding onto the cart. Dang it!! Then I tried driving the cart with one hand and got so many funny looks I couldn't do it anymore.

The crackers shouldn't make a huge difference as long as you don't have any food for 24 hours before surgery. My surgeon required liquids only for THREE days before surgery and then no liquids on the day of surgery. I was so weak by the day of surgery. The broth at the hotel is super yummy. Make sure you drink as much as you can since you won't be able to have any fluids tomorrow. Let us know how everything goes tomorrow if you feel up to it!

I read through a few of your previous posts. You ate fried chicken the day before surgery and you've already tried alcohol when you aren't even a month post-op. Now you think starving yourself is the way to lose the most amount of weight so you can make your boyfriend happy? You need to go see a psychiatrist. Like now. Please. You are making so many stupid decisions that can hurt your body permanently or even kill you. I think you don't realize how serious this surgery is...

All totally normal feelings. It feels kind of surreal on the day of flight. The day of surgery I was ready to get it over with I was so dang dehydrated.

Loan Officer

You may not be eating enough for how much you're burning. How many calories are you eating and a day and how much has your nut suggested? You may need more to keep up with the demands of your job.

I'm now 10 pounds from goal weight. For me, losing weight resolved the dark skin folds, oily skin/breakouts, and I now ovulate every month. What it didn't alleviate is my fine/thin hair, facial hair and depression. I will say that my facial hair grows back even slower now. I can actually wax and go up to 6 weeks without needing to again. Yay! I can deal with that. The depression comes and goes. I find getting outside more helps a lot. Here's a before and after for you. I don't know if you can see, but in the before shot my skin was breaking out and I had a bad dark ring around my neck. That is all gone. Skin is basically flawless now and I have to moisturize every day because it's not oily at all. There's hope!

Have you tried any unflavored protein powders? Just mix those in some other liquid. Right after surgery protein shakes were too sweet so I drank unflavored protein in coconut electrolyte water.

When you're stuck or stalled sometimes you've got to change something to get the scale moving again. That could be increasing Water, increasing exercise, decreasing carbs or sugar, increasing or decreasing calories depending on how many you've been eating. I would suggest tracking your food in MFP for at least a week to get an accurate idea of how many calories, Protein, carbs, sugar you are truly eating. Then adjust what you think needs to be adjusted. If that doesn't work then call your doctor or nut and get advice from them! Keep in mind the body needs time to recover and adjust sometimes. As long as you are following your plan the weight loss should pick back up again.

I always wore dark clothes because I didn't want to stand out. One time I wore a red dress to an event and I almost had an anxiety attack because I felt everyone was looking at me. Now that I'm smaller I find I really REALLY love bright colors. I went shopping at Macy's for a few new dresses because I had no idea what size I wore and I ended up in MEDIUM. I almost cried in the dressing room because I actually liked what I saw. I suggest just diving in and grabbing things that appeal to your eye. Try a few pieces that you think would show off your new physique. I still end up wearing a sweater with almost everything because I'm not comfortable having attention drawn to myself but I'm working on it ????

I started following Whole30 in June and cannot believe the change in how much better I feel overall. Now I'm mostly Paleo. I eat meat, veggies, fruits and certain fats. I avoid alcohol, grains, dairy and legumes. The only sugar I eat is from those naturally occurring in food, mostly fruit. I will have a rare treat if the occasion warrants it though. For example, my cousin is getting married next month and I may have a bite of cake. Ok. Maybe a few bites. ????

I've never had dry or itchy skin until surgery. It wasn't until I increased my fat that the issue went away and my skin is soft and smooth again.

I also have developed some laugh lines and forehead wrinkles I did not have previously. I thought maybe it was because my 30th birthday is coming up in a few months but it must be weight loss because I've always had incredibly smooth skin. Experimenting and finding makeup that doesn't settle in my new creases was interesting. I think I've finally found one that I'm happy with. I'm not opposed to fillers but I'm not to that point yet either.

YES! I love massage. We actually have a massage school about 45 minutes from where I live and the students do $33 one hour massages. I've never had a bad massage there. I've gone before surgery and always felt like they were pushing my fat around on my back. Now I feel more confident, especially with my collarbones on full display. ????

I'm nine months post op and I can eat 3 oz of meat and a few bites of veggie and carb. If I eat carbs only I can eat a heck of a lot more so I try to always eat protein first.

Aw thanks! I actually lost another pound but I won't update until Monday (my official weigh in day). I'm 11 pounds to goal weight. ????????

I don't know if I felt the same way as you but I definitely have always struggled with feelings of never being good enough. It comes from having a perfectionist personality but growing up overweight. All I ever wanted was to make my parents proud, especially my dad, but I knew he was always disappointed with my weight. So I was very well-behaved, made great grades, an all-around overachiever and always on a diet. In time the self-hatred grew because my weight was the one thing in my life I couldn't control. I had a complete breakdown about this time last year because I had been doing a juice fast and I couldn't take it anymore. I decided I needed weight loss surgery. A surgeon recommended it a few years before and I felt insulted he thought I couldn't lose the weight on my own. I realized he was right and I hated him for being right and I hated myself for letting him be right. Here I am nine months after surgery, I'm 89 pounds down and 11 pounds from my goal weight. While I'm happy with my progress I'm not as happy as I thought I'd be. I keep thinking, "just get to your goal weight" but I know when I get there it won't be good enough. Now I want a tummy tuck but I'll need to wait at least a year before I have that done. Will I ever be happy with myself? I hope so. One thing you'll read on this forum is that they do surgery on your stomach, not on your brain. If you have issues before surgery those same issues will be there even when you reach your goal weight. My goal now is to work on accepting my flaws (those new forehead lines, my saggy tummy and thighs, my fine/thin hair) and having a normal relationship with food. I've been reading "It Starts With Food" and it's turned on a light for me that seems like the missing piece of this journey I've been on this year. You deserve this surgery. Everyone deserves the best shot at getting healthy and you are no exception. Anytime you have a negative thought about yourself tell that voice to shut up and compliment yourself.

You look fantastic!! Congrats on the new body and self-esteem.

I pretty much lived on sugar-free pudding, yogurt and Taco Bell pintos and cheese for the week of puréed food. I had puréed chicken soup a few times but it felt very heavy and uncomfortable in my sleeve. Oh! One time I made a tomato/basil/ricotta/mozzarella bake and it was quite good. Then I tried to add spinach to it and I thought I was going to die after I ate it. Waaaaaay too fibrous too early on.

Welcome! Try to visit the forums every day before and after surgery. It helps to remember you aren't alone and helps you stay focused. You have a lovely family! You're making a good choice putting your health first so you can be around longer with them. :-)

I definitely recommend reading the book "It Starts With Food". It explains the science behind how our brain is addicted to certain foods and how to heal your body physically and mentally. I didn't realize how much I was addicted to sugar and sugar substitutes until I cut them out. I had binging dreams (mostly cake and doughnuts) for a week straight.

I can eat anything; however, bread, pasta and rice hurt when I eat them so I avoid them. Also, the only food that still causes reflux is deli meat. So the food I truly miss the most is a Publix Ultimate sub. I've eaten it a few times since surgery and it causes very uncomfortable pain (from bread) followed by hours of reflux (from deli meat) so I find it best to avoid it altogether. I tried an Unwich from JJ's and avoided the pain from bread but still had terrible reflux all day so no deli meat for me!