naturegirl

This is a normal reaction. We get concerned that once we start eating again the weight will return rather than continue to be lost. The concern continues as we hit plateaus in our journey. Do not let these feelings control you. Your weight will ebb and flow as you progress in your journey. Rest in knowing that your body is reacting to new foods or new portion sizes and will adjust accordingly. As long as you follow your guidelines including portion size and foods to eat/avoid you should be fine and these concerns non-existent.

At least you can have protein drinks and yogurt. I was on clear liquids and protein drink only for 2 weeks.

I would sit down with her and continue the discussion as to why you are going through with the surgery. The stats of you having complications from the surgery are minimal and worse if you don't. Going into a discussion I would also look at her side of the argument, is it out of concern for your safety or is there another reason like jealousy? My in-laws were naysayers the entire time about the surgery, but I believe that it was more from jealousy than anything as we showed them the stats. They even said that it wouldn't work, well it's two years later and I've lost over 100 pounds, am healthier, and more active than before. They can see it now, but also claim that I'm too skinny. Um, that's laughable as I'm considered 'overweight' for my height.

I regret not pushing for it sooner. Also, take complete advantage of your honeymoon period!!!

Hang in there! The first three days are the worst. You will be hangry. About day 4 you'll start to normalize, as much as you can on a liquid diet. SF Jello became my best friend! Also, avoid watching Food Network or Cooking Channel as they will drive you insane. When you start to crave food any find yourself in the kitchen get up and go for a walk. Do something else with your "free time" so that you don't eat mindlessly. Good luck!

Hubby resumed drinking coffee a few weeks out with no issues. He adds Premier Protein to his instead of milk. I started drinking coffee at 1.5 years out as I wasn't a coffee drinker until recently.

I haven;t used anything on my scars and they have faded considerably after two years. Honestly, these scars are better than the stretch marks that I have in terms of fading

I had been wanting the surgery for a number of years before my doctor finally agreed to make the recommendation, and wish that she would have signed off on it year before as I feel that I lost so much of my life to being overweight. Most importantly pictures with my kids as I don't really have any. Like others I was nervous going into the surgery but knew that what I was doing was right for me and my family. I even went through a bout where I regretted my decision in the days/week following surgery. This was because I was in discomfort and frustrated that I couldn't eat anything. I was sick of protein drink and baby food. But this passed and I'm grateful for my tool.

Hang in in there, things will improve. Remember, it could always be worse. At least the discomfort should subside within a few days since you caught it early and are probably on anti-biotics. Three days after I came home form my surgery I was admitted to the ER for dehydration coupled with a migraine and had to be hooked up to an IV for fluids.

You can't make someone want to do it. You can suggest it, but ultimately they have to be 100% on board with it. This is especially true if your insurance is paying for it and requires a psych evaluation to be completed prior to surgery approval.

Would you mind elaborating on what exactly you are asking? How do you think it could affect your surgery plan? Me, I've considered breast augmentation and the only thing that I see my running affecting my surgery is the dates and what races I have on the books. It sounds silly but I want to make sure that I don;t miss out on certain races that I enjoy participating in.

Ignore it. Don;t focus on the scale right now. You're body will fluctuate the first month as it adjusts to your new lifestyle.

As others said, don't focus on it. It's going to have a different reading than your own. As you're on vacation you also have the possibility of bloating or water retention from experiencing a different lifestyle while traveling. Personally I'd avoid the scale until a few days after I've returned home.

It was at least a week following surgery and I was dreading it. I've had 4 vaginal deliveries and dreaded the first few BMs after each childbirth, so I was scared of this too. While there was some discomfort it was not nearly as bad as I had imagined. For the first year I was an every other day or so pooper. I can still go a day or two without having a BM, although these days coffee really helps get the process going, at least for me.

I was open with my family about discussing that the surgery entailed, including the recovery process, food limitations, and that this was for life not just a few weeks. It did help that we watched My 600 lb Life prior to and after (*still do) my surgery so that they could see what the process was like, as well as the dos and don'ts. Because let's be honest, there's a lot of don't on that show.

Everyone is different so take it for what it is... SF popsicles, because there will be times when you don;t want to drink or eat but you need to remain hydrated. Protein drinks, but don;t overstock as your flavor preferences can change. SF jello- see the note about the popsicles. Broth of some sort to satisfy your need to feed your body and maintain hydrated.

Saggy skin comes with the territory. Depending on how long you have been overweight will influence the amount of excess skin that you have. I have excess skin all over and have chosen to not remove it. I'm not interested in painful surgeries/recoveries. Instead I use it as a reminder of where I was and where I never want to return. As for people thinking I might be unhealthy, this has occurred once. This past winter I was pretty sick and dropped 10 pounds in about a week. I was under loads of stress at work, I was physically sick, not sleeping, and overall in a bad spot. I dropped lower than I ever wanted to go weight wise and it started to show. My face looked bad (sinking cheekbones, sunken eyes, off colored skin), my collar bones protruded more, and I felt weak. It took three weeks to get back to where I felt healthy, and I never want to return to that place. Now if I had been healthy at that time things might have been different, but I never want to go back there. I do however appreciate that I had friends and family who were concerned about it. On the other hand, there may very well be people who are jealous of your weight loss who comment that you look too thin and unhealthy. Those you have to take with a grain of salt. I have family members (in laws) who gossiped about my weight loss and claimed that I was unhealthy when in fact I was doing great, They just didn't want to see me succeed.

I'm so glad that I found this thread. Since March/April I have regained 10 pounds. Carbs are my weakness- breads, crackers, cookies. I know that I'm eating bad things and really need to be mindful to not consume it. I did great last night and only had two spoonfuls of ice cream. It helps that ice cream and I don;t get along too well since surgery. I have also started social drinking more that I need to cut back on. I don't drink soda as 1) it doesn't sit well with me, and 2) I never really cared for it (except Mtn Dew and Root Beer. So this helps keep calories in check there. I am a snacker and Ritz are my bff that I need to cut back on. I also don;t drink protein shakes anymore. I just couldn't tolerate it any longer. The only flavor I could stand was vanilla and it got old. I need to retart this too. On the plus side I enjoy running, just need to increase my frequency again. Sleeping in before getting ready for work needs to stop, lol. I also take the stairs in my new (desk) job, so I plan to add in "stair breaks" a few times a day to ensure that I'm up and moving again. My question- what are your go to snacks these days? I'm a picky eater which is terrible I know. But I need some ideas that will hopefully break/reduce the Ritz habit.

Sadly it's there to stay, or until you have it removed. I have plenty of extra in my belly, arms, and thighs. I don;t wear shapewear, instead I deal with it. I use it as a reminder of who I do not want to become again. I wear compression shorts when I run but my thighs, calves, and arms still flap in the breeze. I cringe over the look of my melting thighs and "pull up" the skin to get a mental image of how nice they'd look if the excess skin was gone. But no way do I want to spend the money or deal with the pain of cutting it away. If you do not plan to have surgery then you'll want to invest in shapewear or come to terms and accept it. Use it as its own tool. You mentioned that you do go to the gym so you know that there is muscle underneath.

Honestly I don't think it really changed my body. I was running (more like slogging- slow jogging) two years before surgery at 250-270 pounds. I've always had large calves and feel like running just helped to tone them, as they are still huge even after 110 pounds lost. If anything it has helped keep me on track. I can notice a slight loss in muscle/toning in my legs when I'm not running as often, but again not a sizeable difference. Although each body is different.

I run in a skirt with compression short to help hold in the loose skin in my butt and thighs. There's a LOT of jiggle there that needs constant control. I also wear compression socks to help with blood circulation as well as the loose skin in my calves. I truly feel better on runs where I run with compression socks than when I forgo them. But I know that can be personal preference. DH is a bigger guy and when he was running he would wear a spanx tank top for men under his workout shirt to help hold in his extra skin.

I've been running for years now, started a few years before I had my surgery. They only differences between now and then are I'm faster, have less weight on my knees, have excess skin that makes for funny in motion pictures, a am not out of breathe as quick. When I first started I downloaded a free C25K (couch to 5k app). It was a good way to start and I adjusted as I needed to as I was not in the best shape. Fast forward to today, I run 5k races a few times a month. They are my accountability to keep exercising; my goal. This year alone I have completed 2 10k and have 2 more 10ks planned as well as a half a half marathon. My advice, take it slow. Don;t push yourself. Interval run/walk methods can be your friend when you're starting out. Don't get discouraged if you are unable to run specific distances without stopping. You also don't need a PR )personal record) each time. For instance, last weekend I went into my 10k don;t feeling that great. My goal was to just finish, and preferably under 1:20:00 min. I did just that. My time was actually only about 30 seconds slower than my May 10k time. Imagine if the course had been flatter, I might have actually beat it. Good luck.

Is it like Crystal Light? I prefer my water and plain and cold, but DH is always looking for something that adds flavor to his. He typically uses drops but this might be worth looking into.

I told a few selective friends and family members. Yes thee were a few that were negative, but I'm nit sure if it was out of concern due to only hearing negative things about the surgery (like failure), envy, or thoughts that WLS is like cheating? Ultimately those who really know me know that this has always been a struggle, even with my regular exercise regime. In the end everyone has been supportive. There have been a few people that I did not tell abut WLS who have asked how I did it and I have been honest with them. But those who know me and follow me on FB know how active I ma with my running so they see that I have made a lifestyle change rather than having the surgery with no real follow through in life style change.

I have the Mirena IUD and love it. But I also have 4 kids and do not plan to have any more. I've had IUDs for 6.5 years now and have had no issues. But talk to your doctor as I have heard of women who were on the pill in the early stages of weight loss where it wasn't as effective as their weight was fluctuating.