higher

Ask your surgeon to recommend a PCP. They will have one that works with their patients.

Mine stopped around month 6 or 7. I lost quite a bit of hair. I used a topical treatment throughout called Phytocane serum that successfully caused regrowth and my hairline is still filling back in.

Sunscreen, silicone gels, Mederma. A dermatologist can laser your scar away if it really bugs you.

I'll be one year post-op on 7-7-17. I'm still continuing to lose, so I'm not celebrating hitting goal, but I was thinking it might be nice to do something for myself to mark the date. What did you do to mark your "surgiversary?" Any ideas?

No. At 11 months Post op I can eat whatever I want, so there's really nothing to miss. Eating less however has actyally made me LIKE food more than I ever did before. So maybe I liked something about sitting down with an entire bag of chips pre-op, but it was mindless eating- I wasn't actually enjoying the taste. Now I often find myself TASTING a food more than I ever did before. Eating fewer bites so making sure to eat the best looking one first. Quality over quantity.

I had my RMR tested at 7 months post op and it was 1450. I'm a 5 foot tall female. The doctor recommended consuming up to 1975 calories a day if I maintain a light activity level. So I try to eat around 13-1500 to maintain a deficit and continue to lose. Its really comforting to have had the test done and not have to make wild guesses about my metabolism. One of my biggest concerns was screwing my metabolism up for life so this gave me peace of mind. @OutsideMatchInside recommended I get the test done and I'm grateful I took her advice. I was eating up to 800-1000 calories a day pretty quickly post op, by a month after surgery if not sooner.

25 lbs in 4 weeks when you are this close to goal seems like an unreasonable expectation. The pace of weight loss can really slow down as you move closer to goal. Continue to do what you know what you need to do to lose and be proud of any continued losses. You will do great. I just don't want you setting some lofty arbitrary goal and then feeling frustrated if you don't hit it. You should be proud of any downward trend on the scale!

Mental health is super important. If the surgery helps enable you to view yourself in a more positive light and boosts your confidence, that's an improvement in your mental health and that's a big deal. When I was fat I often felt sad depressed and ashamed over it. When life's difficulties would arise, I would double down on the bad feelings because on top of the normal stressors- work, family, etc - I hated my appearance. Now when im having a bad day, I make myself feel better by looking in the mirror.....

Thank you for sharing this

I'm 10 months out and I dine out frequently. I like to order proteins prepared in a way I can't make at home. So I don't have a grill at home- love ordering grilled fishes and steaks. Baked or grilled chicken wings are a delicious casual bar food. Last nite I had a grilled branzino that was wrapped in banana leaf. Soooo good.

Oh and meant to add- about 2 days after surgery I felt 100%. I went back to work quickly. But at some point in that first 10 days or so I was suddenly hit with extreme fatigue and had to spend 1-2 days resting and catching up on sleep. Luckily I had a very flexible work schedule at the time, but do know that even in a perfect, easy recovery like I had you still need to rest when your body tells you.

You're getting good advice in this thread. In addition, you sound extremely well informed about the surgery, grounded in your expectations as well as attuned to your own body. Recipes for success in my mind. Dont tell your parents if you think that will cause an undue amount of stress for both you and them. You're still a few months out from surgery, so you can reevaluate this strategy at various points in your journey. My advice to you at this early pre-operative stage would be to focus on your own needs. I posed the same question to this board when I was pre-op and it was recommended to me that I re-evaluate telling my parent (who I knew would freak out and be unsupportive) once I had a surgery date. Ultimately I chose not to tell and I'm pleased with that decision. I'm 10 months post op now. My chosen field (journalism) is also intellectually demanding with longgggg hours, many spent sitting and writing. But it's also personally fulfilling, I know I'm serving the greater good and not many people are cut out for performing the job at the level I've attained. What's amazing is that I made it as far as I did while morbidly obese, which I fully know was holding me back. Not only do employers inherently trust and respect me more now that I'm thinner (not saying this is right, it isn't) but I simply have more intellectual and physical energy since regaining my health. It feels like my synapses are properly firing for the first time in years. I honestly think I had fat brain in retrospect, that sometimes my thoughts were sluggish. That said, I also have experience with depression. There were times pre-op when I would cry everyday. I struggled to get out of bed and go to work in the morning. As a psychologist yourself, I don't have to tell you the importance of discussing this with your physician. What I can say is that for me the increased energy and activity levels have helped improve my mental health across the board. I went through some really difficult personal stuff over the last few months, unrelated to surgery, and the newfound mental acuity combined with therapy and medication helped keep me from slipping into a deeper state of sadness. I honestly felt better equipped to handle life's obstacles and the reason for that, I think, is the confidence that comes from knowing I have taken charge of my health in a way most people never do in heir lifetime.

Will definitely impact Medicaid coverage of WLS.

Clothes sizing is weird. Also- when you lose weight you might lose it in different ways than you did before. The same thing happened to me. Your fat redistributes around your body, you lose weight from one part of your body but not others, etc.

Seek talk therapy and go often. Try multiple therapists if you have to until you find one that you are most comfortable speaking with. Therapy works. One of the best things about it simply having someone to talk to who will tell you that it's not all for naught. Wishing you the best of luck and lots of hope- you can find the strength to get through this.

I really dislike Ambien, I prefer taking Xanax or just OTC Benadryl when I'm sleepless.

Awesome job, keep it up! Thank so for sharing.

This x 1000. Not to mention, all the people on this thread who kept it a secret are also IN THIS THREAD providing help and support to other people. So the argument that it's a disservice not to be public with your surgery holds no water. I kept my my surgery a secret, except for my medical team and on forums. It's worked for me. Nobody asks me how I lost weight really.

Anyone ever get a spray tan while fat or with loose skin? Did you have to lift your skin up for the technician? I don't know why I have anxiety about getting a spray tan right now but figured this is the right place to ask!

Eh, I felt good enough to ski 2 1/2 weeks post op. I didn't, but I did fly to another country and walk nearly 15 miles a day at a high altitude. Some of us recover quickly. I don't think it's a troll. But, concur on the other point- only your doctor can help with this query.

Go shorties!

Thanks for this! Looks great. how do you reheat them later in the week? Or do you eat them cold?

I second the recommendation for therapy. You had the surgery, so you still have the tool. Therapy can help you begin to address your self sabotaging behavior. And trust me, no need to feel any shame. Just get back it! You can do it.

I was 5'0 and 214 day of surgery in July. Now I'm 145, which is still overweight for such a petite height. No one would describe me as skinny and if I'd never gotten so fat and never had surgery I would still be trying to lose 20+ lbs. So I'm still working on losing, but I feel fucking great! Every pound makes a difference at our height.

If it's genetic, you should expect shrinking in both areas but not total loss lol! the women in my family have big boobs and no butts. At 6 months post op, my butt is almost nonexistent but I'm happy with my boobs. They're still big and round. I went from a 36 DD to a 32G, I sometimes wear a size 30 band depending on the bra. As for the butt? I'm confident that with some butt building exercise I can get some curves back in that area!