catwoman7

Headaches can also be a sign of carb withdrawal.

I was a slow loser from the get-go. I was about where you are in the same time frame (it's been several years since my surgery, so I only have my monthly weights - not every week anymore - but at four weeks out, I was down 16 lbs). I went on to lose all of my excess weight, 235 lbs. I've since gained back 20 lbs, although it's super common to have a 10-20 lb regain after hitting bottom. I did have stalls - not too many the first year - maybe two or three. I had a lot during year 2, though, as I got closer to a normal BMI, and they lasted a long time. Every time I hit one I'd think "OK - I guess this is it", and then the weight loss would start up again. My weight loss finally stopped at 20 months out. if you stick to your program, the weight will come off, whether fast or slow.

it depends on how old you are, your genetics, and how much weight you lose. I'm in my 60s and lost over 200 lbs - so yes, I looked older. But on the other hand, when I was super morbidly obese I looked young for my age - people were always surprised when they found out how old I was. But after I lost all that weight, I think I just looked my age. P.S. Supplements won't help with loose skin - on your face or anywhere else, unfortunately. I like the suggestion summerseeker had about looking at before & after pictures. And I agree, most people's faces don't look old and wrinkly. And you can always get a facelift if you don't like the way your face looks afterward - but most people don't because it's not bad. Excess skin is usually worse on the body - where it's easy to hide in clothes.

a lot of women have screwed up menstrual cycles for the first few months after surgery. Your hormones kind of go haywire with the rapid weight loss. It eventually stabilizes and you'll be back to normal. If it's been five months for you, you're likely near the end of it. EDITED to add that this craziness usually starts pretty quickly after surgery - so I"m a little surprised yours started so late.

you guys are lucky. I could have 4-5 protein shakes a day, all the no-calorie, noncaffeinated liquids I wanted, a cup of tomato juice/V8 and a cup of broth, plus unlimited sugar free popsicles and sugar free Jello. No solid food at all. For two weeks. I ate sugar free Jello with abandon because it was the only thing I could have that somewhat resembled real food. I'd make a batch in the morning and eat the whole darn thing that day. I never once cheated on it, but boy---it wasn't easy. It did get a little easier after about three days because my body was in ketosis by then, but still - it was a struggle.

I had bypass, but the hair loss issue is the same since it's due to trauma to the body (from the surgery) and the super low number of calories we're eating the first few months. it's pretty rare for it to fall out in clumps. It's usually just shedding. And not everyone loses hair. I lost a little, but not enough for anyone to notice. In fact for most of us, we're the only ones who notice it. the jury is out on biotin. Some people say it helps, others say it did nothing at all. Honestly, I'd focus on making sure you're meeting your supplement and protein requirements so it's not any worse than it would be otherwise. Mine lasted from months 5-9. it grows back. I think i can speak for those of us a ways out in that in the grand scheme of things, the hair loss is a blip on the screen and is a small price to pay for being able to lose all that weight.

I agree with summerseeker. If you do it through a liquid diet, it'll just come back on. You'll need to maintain it. Focus on protein and vegetables. Watch your portion sizes. I worked with a dietitian before I entered the program and lost over 40 lbs by eating around 2300 kcal/day, gradually increasing my protein intake, and gradually decreasing my carbohydrate intake. I also had to watch my portion sizes. I didn't think I could do it, either, but I did. Plus it got me used to what post-surgical eating would be like so it wouldn't be such a shock after surgery.

I was always able to drink more than they said I'd be able to. They didn't seem to care. Not sure why your person did, but whatever. And no, it wouldn't have stretched your stomach. Fluids go right through you.

it's actually a lot more common to not make it to goal than it is to lose too much weight. Only about 10-15% of bariatric patients make it to a normal BMI, let alone lose too much. You will find some who do - but they're few and far between.

stretching out your stomach is pretty rare - you'd have to REALLY overstuff it day after day to do that. Liquids for sure wouldn't do it - they pretty much go right through you.

it depends on the person. The dietitians in my program are really into intuitive eating and they hate the fact I count calories, but honestly, it's worked for me all these years, so I'm not about to give it up. I think intuitive eating works well for some people, but not everyone.

depends on the program. Many are low carb, but not all. Mine wasn't. They wanted us to eat balanced diets.

some people who are a ways out do Keto, but this early out, you have to make sure you're meeting your protein requirements and you can only handle so much food, so it might be challenging to do a strict Keto diet.

we were originally told we'd have to crush pills for awhile, but they only crushed them for me when I was in the hospital. The PA at my clinic said as long as the pills were no bigger than a pencil eraser, I could swallow them whole. Bigger ones might take two or three weeks, he said. Almost all of mine were small, so I never crushed those. And one of the big ones was calcium (those giant horse pills), so I just got a chewable.

when you count total carbs, you also include the ones are fiber. Net carbs are the total carbs minus the fibrous kind (because your body doesn't digest fiber...it just passes through). for example, if ate a bowl of bran cereal that has 34 carbs, 18 of which are fiber, then your total carbs would be 34, and your net carbs would be 16 (which is 34-18). some people count total carbs. Others just count net carbs because the fiber kind aren't really digested.

they vary a lot and some people don't even have to do one at all. So just do what your new surgeon requires.

I'm pretty sure I was four or five months out. Even at seven YEARS out, raw vegetables occasionally irritate my stomach. I think they would have really been tough to eat at just a month or two out, since you're still healing at that point.

the further out I got, the more frequent the stalls were, and the longer they'd last. Every time I'd be three or four weeks into one I'd think "well, this is it...", and then I'd suddenly start losing again. It finally quit at 20 months out. So in short, this may or may not be the end of it...

my immediate family knew, as well as my husband (of course) and a few close friends. Otherwise, I wasn't very open about it. I'm still not super open about it, but i do tell more people about it than I used to - although at seven years out, I really don't have to. Everyone has either already seen me since I lost all that weight, or they never knew me when I was obese.

I was just supposed to eat healthy (which honestly, I already did) and keep my calorie intake at around 2300 (which clearly, at well over 300 lbs, I didn't). The dietitian didn't restrict any specific kind of food, but on the other hand, eating more than the occasional sweet treat wouldn't really be healthy eating. I lost about 40 lbs during the six-month pre-op diet (required by my insurance company) and another 17 lbs during the two-week liquid diet (required by my surgeon).

starchy vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, lima beans, corn - those are all starchy

I agree. Check with your clinic, since not all programs limit carbs.

yea didn't think of that - it could be something in the shakes, too. Like maybe the artificial sweetener they use?

it keeps getting better every day, though...

yes - it'll go away. I never really had pain to speak of, just discomfort - but after two or three weeks it was pretty much gone, as I recall..