desertgirl_74

Yes, I travel overseas most of the year (I'm only in the US 3 months during the year). I bring in my luggage or have my preferred protein powder shipped. Other than post-workout shakes I get the rest of my nutrition from regular food.

I went shopping in my closet this morning...pulled out a bunch of clothes I wore when I was 15lbs less than I am right now. Even though I weighed less then, these clothes now fit completely different. Everything is too big between my shoulders and chest. I workout 6 days a week. I do cardio and weight training. So even though I am still heavier than I was at that time my body is different now. I'm sure this is because of the exercise.

I'm 8mo post-op and still can't handle eggs. After a few bites I'm nauseous. Nothing else has bothered me, and I'm very careful not to overeat. But even this far out my sleeve just doesn't like them.

I'm doing well. Weightless has definitely slowed to a crawl since returning to the gym in September. It's taken me 3 months to lose 15lbs! But I'm down 70lbs since surgery and 135lbs from my highest weight. I still have a long way to go, but I feel confident I'll get there eventually. I have to keep telling myself this isn't a sprint. ????

Don't worry about it. People know you've lost weight, but from my experience only those closest will say anything. It wasn't until I got about 100lb off before acquaintances have mentioned it or asked me about it. Don't take it to heart, trust me, they can see it.

I noticed my shoulders, neck and face first. And yes @@BLERDgirl, I too have lost in my feet. I'm almost 6mo post-op and I'm down one shoe size.

For me it was my trip to Dubai. We were staying at the Atlantis, and my husband and kids were at the water park. I was sitting in my hotel room looking out over the Gulf and I didn't want to leave the room. That was the moment I finally decided this is ridiculous! I was tired of missing out on life. I made the appointment to get a surgical referral a couple weeks after I got back.

I use benefiber 3x per day. This is what works for me.

I think it's normal and completely natural to be nervous about this decisions or even have second thoughts. It's a huge step and once it's done it's done. For me I needed to get a grip on my weight and my health before I was too late.

One year from my first appointment. I had my surgery performed at our company hospital (husband works for an overseas company). I didn't have any insurance hoops to jump through, just had to wait my turn to get a surgery date.

I guess slow and steady is not a bad thing. I will say that surgery is not a magic pill. It for sure is making losing weight much easier than it ever was before. At least for me it still takes effort. You cannot think that having WLS will make the weight disappear if you don't change your eating habits. I know 2 women that have done just that. They got nowhere. So far I follow my post-op diet. I stick with low carb foods, mostly protein and veggies. I've had a bite a cake at a birthday party before. But I wouldn't say it's something I crave. For me the hardest days were the first few weeks after surgery. I really wanted the foods I was cooking for my family. I had to leave the room. I couldn't stand it. But that passed. It honestly doesn't bother me anymore, and I hope it stays like this.

@@ellie123, that's odd. I had my sleeve surgery 4/15. Not sure why it says 1999. Anyway, things are going well. I'm not a quick loser apparently, even though I had a pretty high SW. But it's been steady, about 2-3lb per week average. I'm down almost 65lbs since my surgery and feel great. Actually this is the best I've felt in probably 10 yrs.

I know it's frustrating and disappointing. I had mine pushed back 3 weeks from the original surgery date. I was not a happy camper. I'd already waited a year for my surgery. But, I will say the extra time passed quickly. I kept telling myself I just wasn't supposed to on the operating table that day. Just go with it. It's how it's supposed to be. I was very fortunate and had a surgery with no complications, no pain, no nothing.

Mine started about 3 1/2 months post op. I had short hair to start with, so it hasn't been noticeable to anyone but me so far. I just hit the 5mo mark this week and I noticed the last 2 times I washed my hair that there seemed to be less falling out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's going to be a continuing trend.

I regret not doing this when I was 280. Instead I waited until I was 380 and felt like there was no other option. I wasted 10 yrs thinking I could get a handle on things on my own.

My BMI was 61 at my first appointment. Not my highest weight though. I had the sleeve surgery. I'm now 5 months post-op and I'm down to 45.5 right now. I don't think I'm dropping weight super fast, but I follow my plan and exercise regularly. It's coming off steadily though. My diabetes is in remission and I feel better than I have in 10 yrs. I'm only half way to my goal, but I see light at the end of this tunnel.

My experience with phentermine is that it worked to cut the appetite and help me drop a lot of weight. Only thing is that once I stopped it (not advised to take for a long period of time) I ended up bigger than I was to start with. This was a roller coaster ride I went on more than once. The ultimate result was always the same. I would be very careful and caution with it.

You're welcome. I'm 5 months post-op and feeling great! I drove a couple days after coming home. My surgeon never gave me any driving restrictions. I'm an expat wife overseas, so I didn't have to balance work and recovery. I would count on allowing yourself at least 2 weeks off if possible. There's just no way to determine how your body will respond to surgery.

I guess it depends on your surgeon. I was only given pills when I left the hospital...vitamins and nexium. He told me there was no need to crush anything.

Chapstick! My lips were so dry, plus my glucose shot way up after surgery so dry mouth and lips were bad (and no water allowed day of surgery). Cell phone charger, slippers and a robe if you'd like. I just used an extra hospital gown. And I brought a small knitting project. I actually felt great, was bored out of my mind plus my television was only in Arabic. So I was pretty thankful I packed something to keep me busy and pass the time.

I didn't expect to feel so good after. I thought I would feel tired and run down for weeks. I didn't expect fixing dinner for my family would make me so irritable (was on full liquids for 3 weeks post-op). I didn't expect the first stall to come so fast or last so long. One week post-op and lasted 2 weeks. But I made it through. I didn't expect have a love-hate relationship with the scales. Some days I love it, other days I want to take a sledge hammer to it. I didn't expect to look back and see how quickly it really did pass. At the time it felt like it would drag on forever and things would never be normal again.

So far no. I'm only 5 months post-op, but so far I honestly don't miss the foods I used to stuff myself with. I was never the type that enjoyed cooking in the past. It was a chore and I hated it....which lead me down a horrible path. Lots of take out, drive thrus, and home deliveries. However, now I'm actually enjoying finding new ways to work around old favorites. Plus I like trying new recipes with foods I never would have eaten in the past.

I was back at the gym on the "dreadmill" 6 days post-op. My surgeon cleared me for walking immediately. That's all I did, and I went at a slow pace, about half what I was doing pre-op. I'm in the Middle East and it was just too hot to be outside...the treadmill was a good alternative for me.

You just had surgery and are still full of IV fluids. It's hard to tell how many pounds of saline they pump into us. It will come off. Your stomach is also very swollen. You'll be surprised the day you look down and think hmm...I thought these incisions were up higher. Lol.

This is the one thing I really struggle with! It's been the hardest habit to break for me, especially when eating out. I still want to suck down a quart of iced tea with my dinner!