FrankyG

It is good that you're committing to staying on target for your diet, but the other thing to remember is that you're not expected to be 100% perfect 100% of the time. We all got to the point of needing bariatric surgery because we had serious issues with food. The surgery isn't going to magically solve all of the problems - the reasons we crave crummy food, the compulsion to binge, the head hunger - the only thing it helps control is portion sizes. Losing weight and keeping it off is still going to be hard work. Eating a few bad things every once in a while isn't going to ruin what you're working towards, but getting super negative and down on yourself isn't the answer. You're human, you'll make mistakes, and that doesn't mean you're a bad person. So don't feel too harsh towards yourself, rather, use this feeling as a "I'm better than this, and I'm super psyched to get back on track!" And stalls are gonna happen, so don't think it is always something you did - your body will lose at the pace it decides. And sometimes that will be S-L-O-W as a turtle. You just keep going, keep motivated and positive, and you'll get there!

That's wonderful! You're doing so well!

I know I've always noticed in people's faces/necks when they've lost a large amount of weight. I am pretty sure it just looks off for a little while, and the skin eventually rebounds somewhat. I know I've been okay so far, just the smallest of sag in the neck area, but that's minimized by the fact that I got my cheekbones back. I figure if my neck area doesn't tighten eventually, I'll fix it later if it continues to bother me. But you are so right - I would do the surgery again in a heartbeat considering how much better I feel and move.

I slept mostly for the two weeks I took off, but if I was working remotely, I might have been able to handle just one week, and then worked a few hours, nap an hour, work a few more, nap... But I was really, really exhausted. Like the worst tired you've ever been and it drug on for over a month as I slowly was able to increase my calories. It may be okay, but you're the only one that really knows your workload and how much contact you have to have and whether you can take frequent rest breaks/naps during working hours and maybe just work later to make up for the breaks.

Totally my opinion... If you have to beg others (friends and strangers) to afford something like this, then you can't afford it. Reduce your spending, save money and pay for it yourself. Living below your means (which means you aren't spending every last penny of your paycheck and that you are saving a good percentage) should be a given. Just off the top of my head - cut out the high phone bill (plenty of low cost phone plans out there below $40/month - I pay around $30/for TWO phone plans!), stop eating out, cook in bulk and freeze meals, do away with shopping for fun or things like car washes, manicures or cable... just about everyone has one or two (or 10) things that they do that could be stopped to save up without causing real pain. The money is there, you just have to give up some other luxury to find it. Again, completely my opinion, but I think it is a really sad sign that some people think they are owed an easy time just because they want something, instead of working hard and making some effort to do it themselves.

I used an over the counter PPI - generic is called omeprazole. It has to be taken daily and I was on it for about 6 months before my doctor said try coming off and assessing if I still needed it. (I didn't)

You're barely even to two months... you aren't giving the sleeve a chance to work. As long as you are following your doctor/nutritionist instructions regarding Water, Protein and exercise, you will do just fine. Stalls are completely normal, and expected and can last for weeks. The weight isn't just going to steadily melt off until you reach goal; there will be a whole lot of starts and stops. Please read this from another savvy poster: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/351046-embrace-the-stall/ And if no one told you this part as well: take your measurements ASAP. Arms, chest, waist, hips, legs using a measuring tape and then retake it every month around the same time. Many times when you think you're not losing any weight because the scale isn't budging, you're losing fat and gaining muscle. One pound of fat is far bulkier than one pound of (lean,mean) muscle, so while the scale is telling you you're stalled, your body may be slimming down anyway.

Make sure to take your Vitamins, include Biotin if not already in your regular bari Vitamin, and lots of collagen (eating sugar free Jello means you're also getting some collagen). That, plus getting your Protein in means you're less likely to experience any extreme hair loss. It is pretty unlikely anyone but you will really notice in any case.

Walking, ride my bike and yoga right now, but in the summer I swim like 6 days a week and ride my bike to get to the community pool. Love swimming! I made up a walking playlist so I have songs that are fast paced and really great for getting the heartrate up, and then one or two songs slower paced before the next round of fast walking... it's more fun that way.

Holy moly!!!! That is amazing especially in that short of a time frame... Congratulations!

Save a few things... but just so you can look at them later and see just how much you've lost. Congrats on such a great NSV!!

I think this question comes up at least once a month (just like a period!) It's fine. You can't wear a tampon, so let the nurse know the day of surgery that is getting you prepped and they'll give you a pad to wear for during surgery (they'll have you do a urine test for pregnancy anyway, so just tell them before that and you can take care of all of it then). They've seen it all before and there is absolutely no reason to worry or get embarrassed.

Your husband is (excuse my profanity) a complete asshat. I know I've lost lots of weight over the years using all manner of diets. And I've regained every damned bit of weight after as well. This surgery is a tool to help you get control of your eating habits, allowing you to relearn how to eat healthy and create an entirely new lifestyle if done properly. It is not a fad or a diet - it is a total life change. Your relationship with food is forever altered. So if you weren't already aware of that, then I guess it might be something to think about. But the fact is, no one exercises every day. No one eats perfectly every single day. This isn't a sign of lack of commitment; it's a sign of being human. But using the sleeve, you'll lose the gnawing hunger, and the ability to eat large quantities and also for about a year's time, you'll lose the overwhelming desire to eat really bad stuff. This gives you a chance to change up everything. You should become better at making healthy choices overall, so that the indulgence of a small slice of cake or a few Cookies every once in a while don't do anything to your weight. Or feel well enough to get out there and walk or ride a bike or go play a sport several times a week. You might even get to enjoy certain activities to the point where they don't even feel like you're exercising. That's the goal - and with this surgery, it is achievable. He is a jerk for being so unsupportive. He is a jerk for not understanding that carrying large amounts of weight around is only going to increase your health issues as you get older, and he is a total jerk for trying to make you feel like a failure before you've even tried. Just because you've lost some weight now doesn't mean you will be able to keep it off long term, and you are giving up on yourself because he's basically put you down enough to where you feel like it is a given that you will fail at this too. And that is the biggest jerk move of all. Even if you do give up on this surgery, you need to sit down and really examine the relationship where your husband is so unsupportive of something that is meant to improve your health and well being. It might be that he is scared something bad might happen, or it might be that he is upset that you might get better to the point where you might leave him or some other insecurity he has that makes him project his fears and anger at you. Because that sounds like a really crappy relationship to have, and I would be super pissed off at my spouse if he acted that way. All of this should have all be discussed and worked out months ago - when you first started this whole weight loss journey. He should not be freaking out and making you feel awful just days before your surgery. And that is why I say he's being a complete asshat - because he is so small and petty as to basically tear you down right when you need him to be there for you - no matter what his reasoning is for doing so. Big hugs, and I hope you can have a real conversation with him regarding his attitude and what you need from him and he actually hears what you're saying. And good luck with whatever you decide... but I do hope you are able to move forward.

I started eating it about 6 months out. It is dry and tough compared to foods you're eating for the first few phases, and you should definitely wait until you're cleared for all foods before even attempting it.

I'd never heard of it, but this just looks scammy and unlikely to produce any measurable results while picking your pocket for the experience. Save your money. You shouldn't even consider any plastic surgery until a year out from being a stable weight as your skin most likely will adjust and tighten on its own somewhat. Work on building up muscle, getting in your fluids and using decent moisturizers and hope you've got good skin genetics. Since you're still actively trying to lose weight, figure at least a few more months to hit your goal and then one year after you hit your goal before you should start worrying over skin procedures. Most reputable surgeons won't operate earlier than that anyway. So you've got lots of time to save up for any plastics. And you might not really need them as much as you think depending on your skin's elasticity anyway.

It hurts and would definitely have more bruising because they pulled the stomach out through that incision, and there was more surface area of muscle compromised by that. It also likely contains stitching in the muscle layer as well (which also causes more pain).

You look amazing! So sorry you're having a rough time right now. I do hope things get better for you and yours really soon.

I read his blog, and really enjoyed that piece. Thanks for posting!

My 1 year appointment check-in is in a week. I was really hoping to be 100 pounds down for that, but I'm going to miss it by about 10 pounds. Sigh. But I can't be too upset, because hey - almost 100 pounds down in one year is AWESOME. I'm still going to do my best to ramp up the Water and tamp down the carbs the rest of the time I have left so I can get closer to a triple digit loss. So far, I'm achieving my water intake, I'm exercising more than ever before and I'm keeping my calories around 1000-1200 with carbs under 75 mg a day. Fingers crossed I can make it to within 5 pounds by next week! I did a quick pouch test and I can hold 6 ounces. I think that's a decent size and should be great for continued success. Two of the many things I've learned that I have to be careful about: 1. Carbs have to stay around 50-75 grams or I will not lose anything. 2. It is really easy to eat over my caloric allotment if I allow myself to pick at food over several hours. I am now eating what I feel is a good portion, and then putting the food completely away so I don't sit there and eat on it over the next hour or two. I'm a bit sad still seeing some folks posting about losing 100 pounds in just a few months... but my body isn't wired that way, and there's not a damned thing I can do about that. I am seeing a slow but steady loss and that is just fine really - slow but moving lower is still progress! SO I still have about 40 pounds to goal. I am not going to be too upset if I don't make it, but I really think it is still possible. Here's hoping anyway!

So update after my official office visit: 92 pounds down total for my 1 year anniversary. The Nut and Doc both think I'm doing really well. But they think the slow pace is because I am over active and under eating. I have more than 1200 calorie difference between what I eat calorie-wise and what I burn exercise-wise. They want to see no more than a 500 caloric difference, so the body doesn't go into starvation mode. Understandable, but wow - being told to eat more or stop doing so much is a very funny situation for me to be in! I got done with my 5 day pouch test, and no longer crave simple carbs and am back to having to remind myself to eat. I am exercising more than I have in my entire life just because I want to, not because I have to. I actually got really giddy and excited about going out for a long walk yesterday morning! That has never happened. Oh, and the doc said the pouch sizing test using cottage cheese is wrong and doesn't work since cottage cheese is so liquid it definitely would start filtering out of the stomach almost immediately. He said the only way to properly test the pouch sizing is with firm/dry meat like a baked chicken breast. So my sleeve is much smaller than the 6 ounces I could hold of cottage cheese. Good to know!

Fat stores hormones - mostly estrogen, but a bit of the other stuff too... so as you lose fat, those stored hormones get released back into your bloodstream. Meaning you can turn into an angry, weepy mess for quite some time while your body adjusts to the hormone flood. Try to talk to your partner, apologize for anything you did that was out of line, but ask for some leeway for over-reacting or hormonal issues, and start being more aware of when you are acting crazy and why so you can get it under control. Leave the room, go take a nap or have a good cry or scream into a pillow rather than taking the mood swings out on your partner.

No judgement here either. You do what you need to do to stay or get back to healthy. I would also suggest at some point looking into the 5 day pouch test as a way to reset your eating habits and get back to where you were in the beginning. You can see the basic overview here: http://www.5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html I did it (on the 4th day actually) because I'm a year out and realized I was starting to crave stupid things and grazing a bit too much, and it really helped me to stop the carb/crap cravings and get back to how I'm supposed to be eating.

Sounds like you need a PPI instead of regular antacids; you can get omeprazole over the counter at any pharmacy. You'll need to take it daily for a few months, and then can come off of it and see if the issues have resolved (I was on it for about 6 months total). If you don't see an improvement in about two weeks, tho, go talk to your doctor again.

I'm right at one year out, and I'm really not experiencing real hunger. I do have to contend with head hunger now, which I'm still not completely controlling (some grazing and craving bad stuff sneaking in). Mostly I'm having to learn to distract myself when I start thinking too much about food cravings. I am having to stop doing things that encourage me to want to eat mindlessly (like surfing on the computer or reading) and go do something physical - like yoga or cleaning something.