catwoman7

I can't speak for all post-menopausal women, but *I* do.

the normal BMI range for my height tops out at 154 lbs, so I decided I'd shoot for 150. When I got there (actually, when I was about 145), I had a DEXAscan to see how much body fat I had to see how much more I could afford to lose. Answer - not much, since my body fat was at already at 22%, which is OK for women but definitely on the low end. So surprisingly, I was already at my true goal. If you get a DEXAscan (which is one of the better ways of measuring body fat percentage), you have to go to one of those commercial places or places that do them for athletes (e.g., some universities do them). The kind they do at medical clinics just check for bone density - not body composition. Sports/commercial places check for both.

I think my first one was at two or three weeks out, then every three months for the first year. Now I just go annually.

I think for some people, yes, they reach equilibrium. For me, I had a Dexascan when I was about 18 or so months out because I wanted to see what my fat percentage was so I could decide on a final goal weight. It was 22% - which is on the low side for a female, so the tech said I probably couldn't afford to lose much more - maybe five pounds tops. I had no idea - I figured I could stand to lose another 10-15 lbs. My PCP agreed - time to stop. So I started increasing my calories a little at a time until I found my sweet spot - a calorie range where I could maintain my weight (1500-1700 for me - but YMMV)

I just go back to basics when I need to lose weight. Protein first, then non-starchy vegetables. If I have room after that, maybe a small serving of fruit or whole grains. I don't think I could go all the way back to shakes only at this point. I also have reactive hypoglycemia. Eating something every 3-4 hours helps with that. Either a protein or, if I do a carb, then I pair it with a protein - for example, some apple slices with peanut butter.

quitting smoking is one of the toughest things I've ever done (I quit in 1994), but there are millions of people who've done it - so it's do-able! I joined an online support group back when I did it - and I also chewed on and "smoked" plastic straws a lot. You do get through it one way or another, but yes - it's hard!!

try either carbonyl iron or heme iron if you haven't already. Those versions are less likely to cause side effects than some of the others that are more commonly taken, like ferrous sulfate.

it's just a liquid that goes right through you, so your stomach will be fine with it volume-wise. If you're lactose intolerant, though, that could be an issue. There ARE some lactose-free protein shakes out there, though.

oddly, my weather-related headaches pretty much went away after WLS. I rarely have them anymore.

I have arthritis in my knees and right hip. I was really worried about not being able to take meds for it after RNY. The first few months post-op I got cortisone injections in my hip (it's worse than my knees), but then I stopped - the pain just wasn't as bad anymore once I lost all that weight. The damage that was done is permanent, but not carrying around 200 extra pounds made a huge difference. I walk with a slight limp due to the damage, but it's just not all that painful anymore.

I've always taken Centrum or the generic equivalent (Walgreens and CVS both have generic equivalents of it). In the early months I took the chewable form, then I switched over to the regular tablet. To get 200%, you take two a day. I take one in the morning and one in the evening.

I lost the most the first month - after that I lost 10-12 lbs a month up until about month 6. Then it dropped to maybe 8-10 lbs, and so on....so a gradual drop. Once I got to a year out, it was crazy slow - maybe 2 lbs a month. But I kept losing for 18 months.

a 10-20 lb gain after hitting bottom is REALLY common. Not inevitable, but it seems to happen to most of us. Could be we get complacent - we aren't as strict with ourselves as we once were - we're not weighing/measuring/tracking our food as carefully and constantly monitoring our weight. I know I sometimes eat things that I NEVER would have eaten during the weight loss phase. At any rate, the only way to lose it is to cut back on calories, unfortunately...

I decided to enter maintenance after a DEXAscan. I thought I had about another 10-15 lbs to go, but my body fat according to the scan was 22%, and the technician said no - it was time to think about stopping. My PCP said the same thing. She doesn't like her older patients (which is evidently me...) dropping too low and having no cushion if/when they get sick. So I started coming up on calories until I found my "sweet spot", which for me is in the 1500-1700 range. As long as I stay within that range, I can maintain my weight. If I have more than that more than a couple of days a week, my weight starts inching up. So it's trial and error. Keep in mind, though, that most of us (not all....but most) do have a 10-20 lb bounce back after we hit bottom, so you may want to account for that when deciding where to stop. It's not inevitable, but it does seem to happen to the vast majority of us.

yes - it sounds like the calorie level you were at was too high for you (what it takes to maintain weight is a very individual thing). Sounds like you're taking the right steps to reverse it. It does take awhile to re-lose once you're out that far, but lots of people have done it!!

Good to know - I hadn't heard about that. Thanks!

if you don't get any response here, check out www.realself.com It's a doctor review site (i.e., patients reviewing doctors), most of the doctors being plastic surgeons. You'll find a lot of before & after photos there.

lactose intolerance makes sense - it seems like a lot of people develop that after surgery. Sometimes it's temporary; sometimes it's not....

I'd be surprised if it was related. I know some people develop gallstones after a quick weight loss (thus, they put a lot of us on ursodiol after surgery), but I haven't heard about people developing kidney stones. Still, you're right - being well-hydrated should help. Sorry you're going through this - I've heard stones are really painful!!!

honestly, I found this to be the hardest part of the whole thing. Just white knuckle it. It's just for two weeks. It does get easier after about the third day. You can do it!!!

this sounds an awful lot like the chocolate croissant person...

what are your symptoms? You're also in the time range when strictures appear, too. I thought I had an ulcer once. My first PCP did a bunch of blood tests to rule out anything else, and then assumed it was probably an ulcer, so she had me taking omeprazole and something to coat my stomach. I changed PCP's about a month after that, and the second one did an H. pylori test, which came back negative - so I don't know what was going on. Probably just some reflux or something (??) Anyway, I didn't have an endoscopy, although I would guess they could spot one with that - unless it was in the part of your stomach that's been closed off.

this early out, you should be sticking to your program. You're still healing and can injure your stomach if you don't. If your friend cares about you, then she'll be fine with you eating what you're supposed to be eating.

that's really low. Some WLS patients get infusions when it gets down to 20 or so. I know it's technically in the range, but...low. Some of us really feel like crap when it gets down to the low end of the range. Are you feeling OK? If so, then maybe you'll still be OK for awhile - but monitor that for sure! (mine has always been over 200, so I haven't had that issue (yet....), but a lot of WLS patients have) P.S. that's getting too low for oral iron to do much good. It's supposedly kind of difficult to bring your ferritin level way up on oral supplementation alone. Usually they do an infusion or two (or maybe more), and THEN put you on supplements to maintain your (higher) level. Watch that..

Mine didn't really change - although my sense of taste was more intense than before. What I mean is, it's not that I didn't like things that I liked before surgery and vice versa, but everything tasted more intense to me after surgery. Sweet things tasted sweeter; spicy things tasted spicier. At four years out, I don't notice it any more, though. Not sure if it's gone or I've just gotten used to it.