fruitandveggies

Agreed with everything above. I use SparkPeople for tracking because it has almost all the nutrients and I can track everything over time and export spreadsheets. The thing it won't let me do is track less than 1100 calories per day, and it doesn't track certain nutrients (sugar, biotin come to mind). Oh, and it is essential for me to be able to put in custom food and meals. I'm vegan and don't eat any processed food so I need to be able to put in the things I eat on the regular. Having a "favorites" section is very helpful! The one thing I really want is better meal timers. I use Baristatic for timing, but it's not quite right. I need to eat one bite per minute, for 25-30 minutes. I can't set both at the same time in that app, and would love to be able to do that. I also would encourage heavy use of 3D touch for the Apple version of your app. With Baristatic, I wish I could 3D touch the notification and go to my next bite. Instead, I have to keep going back to the app and tapping "next bite." I do it, but it's really annoying. Thanks for making this by the way!

I had a three week stall right at four weeks out, like you. I even gained five pounds! I honestly started losing once I started eating a little bit more. I'm about 4 months out and I'm having a stall too. Really is interesting how we can have such a large caloric deficit but not lose weight every week. This will pass! We just need to keep on doing the right things.

Hi @Ance, It seems like you've made your decision to stand by your daughter's choice which is great. I understand your concerns, so it would be awesome for you to support her with therapists, trainers, etc. after surgery too. I will just share that I really wish I had just gone ahead and done the surgery when I was 20 (been obese since I was 7). I spent my 20s, the time of life that is supposed to be fun and exciting, gaining and losing hundreds of pounds over and over. I look back and have so many regrets. I could have had a wonderful decade of life but instead I was sitting alone bingeing or starving myself and over-exercising. If I had gotten surgery back then, I could have enjoyed those 10+ years. I could have had kids earlier (still can't have them yet at 32), could have done so many fun things that I missed. You're right that she will have to stick to this, but it's really the best chance she's got at sticking to it. There is a 95% recidivism rate for "natural" weight loss, as we've all been able to show you. I just feel excited/jealous for her since she will be able to fly after this and enjoy her 20s like a normal woman should be able to!

I have a huge pile of stuff I was going to start selling on Posh! Never done it before--any tips?

Don't be scared, it just makes more stress! I've had BED for many, many years. So far, I've found that RNY has almost completely squashed it for me. There have been a few times where I noticed it was a little *too* easy to eat something (for me it's crackers and chips). I took that as a HUGE red flag. I don't restrict myself from those foods, but I add on a very small amount at the end of a meal. NO snacks with those trigger type foods. But on the whole, the urges are almost totally gone. PS--have you read Brain Over Binge? Game changer! And to the OP--I'm only 4 months out, but my mom is 3 years out. She eats like a cow, meaning she grazes all day! ;p She eats pretty much whatever she wants. The only thing that has given her trouble is mixing cashews with oranges. Random! Neither she nor I have dumped really.

Yep, regular sugar Gatorade. I was feeling weak and nauseated all the time and she said I needed sugar. It actually worked! Only drank it for a couple weeks per orders though.

My mom had hers there, seemed nice!

[emoji1309] Northern VA here! Had my surgery at Reston Hospital.

Wow, I am totally going to try that essential oil blend, James! Also, welcome, Lorren!

I'm definitely vigilant because I've regained so many times in the past (before RNY). I go to weight watchers and count calories and plan to for the rest of my life. I will NOT be losing weight again after this go around!

I don't and didn't follow low carb. Surgeon and NUT don't require it. Doing fine, lost 77 lbs so far!

Not mine, we're to aim for at least 30g of protein and don't need to eat it first. No carb restriction either. In fact, my PA asked me to drink Gatorade in week 4!True for me about the no drinking with meals though.

Just amazing! What an incredible journey, I bet you are feeling awesome! I haven't had any plastics, but my mom has. We live together, so I got to see what she went through when she got got her panni/TT done. I think the number one thing is have someone there who is willing to basically be your maid for at least 2 weeks. My dad did nearly everything for her as she was on very heavy drugs and couldn't walk for a while. Make sure that person keeps a daily record of all the meds you take, when you took them, and when you need to take them again. Once my dad stepped out and I needed to give meds to my mom but I couldn't read his writing on what she had already taken! The surgeon's office also gave her a handout about the psychological effect of the surgery. It is very common to become depressed in the weeks afterward and add to that all the drugs, pain, and being cooped up, my mom definitely got depressed. Let your helper know that you might be kind of a mopey b***h for a while! ;p I'd say it took her about 6 weeks to feel somewhat normal again. It seemed like a hard process but she seems super happy she took the plunge!

Interesting, so would that mean that the resistance-only group would have a lower metabolism and therefore eventually lose less weight if they kept going with their assigned programs (since their respiration utilization was lower)?

I've been vegan for 13 years and never had issues with getting protein. That being said, I don't restrict carbs either (my doctor doesn't require it). I say just give it a try and see how you feel!

I personally have no experience with scar fading treatments as I don't usually have visible scars. But I can tell you that collagen pills are a scam. Your body just breaks it down like any other animal protein, it doesn't contribute to your own collagen. The best thing to do is maintain and support your own collagen. Vitamin C and biotin are especially good for this. Avoiding sugar makes sure your skin cells are healthy and hydrated (so does lots of water of course)! Also, dry brushing for exfoliation and circulation as well as weight training will help minimize saggy skin.

Awesome, good luck @blev! Let us know how it goes. Today I had a piece of homemade gluten free pizza, some buffalo tofu, and some of a Chipotle sofritas bowl. A very salty day indeed! (glugs water)

Hi all, I'm 14 weeks out and just had my second follow up appointment. I'm doing excellent on all fronts, my bloodwork and rate of weight loss are great. So, yay! However, my PA says I will likely never reach my goal weight. This pissed me off to no end! I've been wanting to be in the 120s for many years. I was 145 at my lowest (after losing 120 pounds the old fashioned way), and I felt that 20 more pounds down would have been comfortable for me, I still felt blah and overweight at 145 (I'm 5'5). I prodded to understand why she thought I wouldn't get to my goal, recognizing that I know there is a point where surgery alone not get me all the way there (it would stop around 180 she said). She said that once you're obese, your hormones change, so it's not likely that I would get to my 120s goal. Sure, I am aware of the metabolic studies on previously obese people (NON-bariatric patients mind you) that showed their metabolisms are 20% less than that of a never-obese person. I'm assuming this is the hormonal shift she was talking about, but my medical team will only discuss things with me on the most basic, third-grade level so I'm not completely sure. I've done further research and can't find anything else that makes sense that would prevent me from reaching my goal. I have no problem eating 20% below a standard 120-pound woman, I'm doing that already! I recognize that I CAN be healthy at a higher weight and that I might not want to maintain a low weight once I get there. I realize that. But I want to GET there to make that choice for myself. Does anyone on here have any other research to point me to? Have you found this to be true in your own journey? What have your doctors said about goal weights?

Great idea! I had avocado rolls for breakfast/lunch and going to have vegan general tso's for dinner. Yum!

@AnA92212 Yay!! I was hoping you'd say that! Congrats!

Sorry for the months later follow up, but this is so inspirational! I have at least 2 years to wait before I can start trying and I was afraid of the "geriatric" gestational age of 35. Glad to see we can affect how "old" our bodies are. Also--your goal weight is very near mine, you are awesome!!

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! Good to see I'm not alone in this. @j16, you are inspiring! Did you find there was a point where the WLS stopped "working"? Or did you do anything different to get to a lower weight? @Airstream88 Thanks! I agree, as long as it's healthy for me I don't see why I couldn't go lower. I'm sure she was setting the bar really low, but man that's so dis-empowering. My mom was the same way as you with her WLS, she would be and has been happy around 180-200 and it works great for her! @catwoman7 I wonder why so few of us make it to normal BMI. Just the same issues that got us up to an unhealthy range maybe? You are an inspiration! And that is a great idea to get a DEXA scan. Wish I had done one before the surgery to get a before and after! @briski Glad you can relate. I really don't like that doctors set such low bars of "success." It's so depressing! @rachel_babe I bet if your bloodwork is good you will be able to settle at a higher weight! @Berry78 So true! Even when I was 145, I wasn't under a 35 inch waist. That's why I figured that being in the 120s would be more healthy for me. @UK Cathy Thanks for posting! So according to that chart, my goal is totally reasonable. I don't see why they would have these numbers if doctors thought they were "too low."

Can't believe I just saw this, sorry! I got RNY in February, been vegan for 14 years. So happy to see another vegan on here!

Thanks both @Diana_in_Philly and @blondie66! I've been overweight since I was 6 years old, so I have never been near my goal weight. However, according to the body frame size tests, I'm very slender--I can wrap my fingers nearly halfway overlapping around my wrist. I work out a lot, but I'm not a big muscle builder. At my lightest adult weight (145), I was working out 7-8 hours per week, but didn't gain very much muscle. I'm fine with that, but it guided me on my goal to be in the 120s. I was still overfat even though I was doing serious weight training and HIIT. I'm many years away from menopause, so I shouldn't have issues in that department! I totally recognize that every time losing is different and maybe when I get back to 145 this time I will be fine with my body and how I feel. If that's the case, that's fine with me, it's not really about the number for me, it's about how I think I will feel and look when I'm in that range. Just really not pleased to have her try and keep me from believing in my goals. I am not the kind of person that just stops because it might be kind of difficult. And if there's no scientific reason why I can't reach my goal, I really want to try--even if I decide I don't want to maintain that low! Thanks for your thoughts again!

@Introversion Thanks for sharing! It is really awesome you can maintain at such a normal calorie level. Hoping that I might get that lucky!