naturegirl

You'll know it when you feel it. Think of how you felt after over eating at Thanksgiving. Where your tummy hurts and you can feel in backed up in your throat. That is how you'll feel if you over eat, at least I do. "Full' means I feel pressure in my tummy and just know that it'as time to stop. With proteins I feel it quick.

We went to Disneyland three months following surgery. It was wonderful not having to worry about if the safety bars fit. True, Disney does a good job to accommodate people of most sizes, it's the turn-style son some rides that scared me the most. I had to go through sideways and on my tippy toes to fit through some. These days everything is open to me! We've visited WDW three times since and no issues! I've heard that one of the new rides in Pandora at Animal Kingdom has been challenging for some people but I won;t know for myself until December. As for ride discomfort, I've always had motion sickness issues due to migraines so there has been no change in that. One time through on California Screamin' (at Disney's California Adventure) or Rockin' Roller Coaster (Disney's Hollywood Studios) is enough for me.

I'm almost 2 years post-op and I'll be honest, my upper arms are so saggy that I can probably lift my arms and fly. I joke about it, but that's because if I view it negatively it makes me depressed. Instead of looking at all that I've accomplished I look at the extra skin everywhere. My skin shrunk back some but not all. I was overweight almost my entire life so not all of it was going to shrink. There are days where I look in the mirror or at pictures and cringe at the saggy fly away skin, but it's much better than the alternative me from 2 years ago! Since you're young you might find that some of it shrinks. You can also work to tone your arms, but keep in mind that this might not fix everything.

Yay! What a glorious day as I recall, lol. Obviously there's baby food (some better than others), but also pureed chili or the ricotta bake.

I injured my lower back in 2000 in a car accident. The pain never fully went away and has always been a thorn in my side. While it has mostly been a dull pain I have had periods where it was terrible. OT meds don't cut it, and muscle relaxers are needed to alleviate it. I spoke to my doctor about it and like the previous poster agreed that it was my body adjusting to the weight loss. I'm carrying my weight differently now than I did 100+ pounds ago.

The ricotta bake helped me in this stage, as did pureed chilli. Broth and I didn't got together too well. I did get other soups and strained out the meat/veggies giving it to my kids. This helped with the needed change in meal options. I didn't do this too often but it helped when I needed something different.

My doctor said that I could have it in moderation. Just to make sure that it is not the "stringy" stage where it starts falling apart. As others have said, with watermelon you walk a fine line between fruit and sugary fruit. So yes, you can have it, just don't over indulge. I started eating it about 3 weeks out and it was wonderful! I love it and find it to be my summer go to snack. I put it in a small Tupperware container so that there is portion control.

Some women have noticed that their periods stop following surgery as their body is going through an adjustment. This might be the case for you.

I've always had large hips, thighs, and calves. While I've gone from a size 22-6/8 those are still problem areas. I now have loads of extra skin that if wasn't there might make them smaller. I don;t plan to have surgery on those areas, so I have resigned myself to keeping them as tone as possible. I run a fair amount and laugh at all the bad race pictures of my extra (loose) skin looking like a sharpee (wrinkly dog). Me, I try to find the positive in it. At least they are no where near as big as they were previously!

I will either split a meal with my husband or I will take the rest to go for another meal (lunch or dinner). he challenging part is when I go out with coworkers who don;t know about my surgery and question why I barely touched my food. I usually just tell them I had a snack before we left, lots of water, or wasn't that hungry.

Insurance won't cover your boobs unless there was some medical necessity, a lift usually isn't one. An exception might be if you had so much excess skin because you went from an H to an A-B, resulting in a heaviness in your smaller frame, skin irritation, etc. Not for aesthetic reasons. As for tunnies, same thing applies. Not everyone needs tummy surgery. Mine shrunk back more than I though it would, even after being 100+ lbs overweight and having 4 pregnancies. It's still saggy and could use some help, but it isn;t the end of the world to me. My boobs do need serious help and for that it's on me.

I prefer my water plain and cold, but realize that doesn't work for everyone. DH can;t stand plain water and uses the infuser drops like Mio. This helps with his water intake. I also avoid soda. This early in the game don't drink soda. Wait it out to create better habits. I wasn't a big drinker of it before but a cold Mt. Dew or Root Beer was always enjoyable. I crave them fro time to time but avoid them. I have had a few sips of Root Beer or Dr. Pepper since surgery and almost every time it has left me feeling sick or in pain due to the carbonation. The only time that it didn't was when I had a few sips of a flat Root Beer. But again, I don't want to waste my calories on soda. I do waste a few once a week on part of a light beer. That I can tolerate, it just fills me up fast. Hence, the "part" of a beer.

Like others have said, I would encourage you to talk to someone, whether it's a group setting or a private appointment. You might also consider medication. You're body has gone through many changes in a short amount of time and is trying to cope with all of it. Things that have worked in the past no longer work. I would also look at what it is that is specifically bringing on these feelings, can anything be pinpointed? As for hunger, are you sure it's not head hunger? That can seem like hunger and can really mess with us. Also look at what you're eating, as you said that you;re hungry an hour later. Could boredom attribute to this as well? I know that at work I sit all day and start to feel hungry but it's really head hunger. I make myself get up, drink water, and after a period of time if things don;t improve consider a healthy snack. But I try other things first. Sometimes all I need is a distraction. Lack of the scale moving could be a plateau as those happen. I went 3 months on a plateau that drove me batty. Are you eating the same way everyday? Getting in physical activity? Sometimes your body becomes accustomed to certain things and what you were doing to lose weight no longer works. It's at that point that you might want to consider adjusting what you're doing or eating to see if the change will help rejuvenate weight loss. Search the forums for stalls, and you might find suggestions about what others did to get the scale moving again. Last, remember what you reasoning was for the WLS. What were your goals, and what have you accomplished since surgery? When I get frustrated I look at old pictures and remember how far I have come. The things that I can do now, and how proud I am of myself.

I started having salads again at about 3 months. Like others said, be sure that it has plenty of protein otherwise it has no nutritional value. DH tried salad in the first 6 months following his surgery and it had negative results including cramping and diarrhea. Me, I was fine with it.

I've used a straw since about 2 weeks out. It' show I ensure that I get in my water. I just have to make sure that I take smaller sips not inhaling it. Otherwise I get sick.

A few times a month I will have a glass of wine or part of a light beer. Alcohol hits me hard and therefore I don;t have much. With wine I can drink a glass over a period of time, beer I don;t even drink a full glass before I fill full.

Every one heals differently. Your body did go through a major surgery so it might take longer for some things like muscles to heal than for the skin to close up. I would give it more time (at least a week) and if there is still pain to check back with your doctor. Of course if the pain worsens or you notice anything abnormal to check with your physician sooner. FWIW- I'm 2 years out and occasionally still have pangs of pain near my incision sites. They don't last long, but as said to be nerves. I had similar pains following childbirth regarding my stretched out skin.

Isn't it a wonderful feeling! I remember my first flight after surgery. The seat felt spacious and the belt was tightened without a single issue.

I have an IUD and rarely have periods. Wouldn't you know, it decided to come the morning of my surgery. Thankfully it's super light when it does come, but none the less I was mortified. I told the nurse and she said to not worry about it. That it happens a lot.

My boobs have disappeared! Before surgery I was a 40DD, I'm now a 34/36 C. Sadly the bulk of it is saggy stretched out skin. I can literally fold them into a cup it's so pathetic. I do plan to get implants someday. Bra shopping is a tear inducing experience. Nothing fits right. Too much skin and not enough firmness.

You'll know your limits and will need to stick with them. Plus, it's all about portion control. You can choose to have a hamburger, but avoid the bun and sugar heavy condiments. If you have a child who only eats half a burger or hot dog then that means you can have the other half (or a portion of it). You don't need to explain to anyone or reason with them. You might find that you're only able to take 3 bites of a burger and be full. I'd probably avoid the drinks. I've found that a few sips and I'm already toasty. If you feel that you need one, then see about taking a sip from your partners drink just to have a taste and call it at that.

Former eastern WA resident. I spent the better part of 10 years living in Pullman. Miss the Palouse.

As the pp said, WLS can mess with your cycle. I had an IUD for 4 years prior to my surgery and had no periods. Thanks to surgery I had a few. It worked itself out but takes time.

Maurice's!!!!! I'm wearing more Old Navy now too. JCP and Maurice's for work pants.

I made a batch of the ricotta bake and puréed chili. I then rotated that with baby food, and occasionally retried Beans. I' not an adventurous eater so I stayed with what sounded appealing and I knew that I could tolerate. Of course Protein drinks and sf Jello were still being consumed.