Introversion

Unfortunately, the only way some individuals learn is by putting their hands into the fire and being burned. Some would say that the best way to learn is through experience. The informal schools such as 'Baptism by Fire' and 'The School of Hard Knocks' are the some of the most effective educational institutions for the more stubborn people among us. In other words, she'll learn the hard way. I wouldn't expend any further time and energy advising someone who thinks she knows it all and won't seriously consider the advice.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... I don't order from the kid's menu when I am at a casual dining restaurant. I simply order a regular size lunch or dinner entree and request a to-go box when I'm finished eating whatever I'm going to eat during that visit. The to-go box leftover food yields, on average, an additional two more meals when I'm home. I also concur with the statement that upscale eating establishments tend to not have separate kids' menus. You will never see kids' menus at places such as the Capital Grille or Tavern on the Green because the fine dining ambiance is diminished by crying toddlers and noisy school-aged children. http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/17/tech/social-media/apparently-this-matters-fine-dining-babies-alinea/

I'm approximately two years out. With the limited information you've provided, my guess is you aren't consuming enough calories for your self-described 'intense' level of activity. Thus, your body is holding onto its fat stores for dear life. Someone like you who does five intense workouts per week definitely needs more than 1000 kcals per day. You are probably underfueling your workouts and activity level. It is common knowledge that a combination of too much exercise and not enough calories will slow your body's metabolic rate the hell down: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/ I eat approximately 2000 calories per day, plus or minus a couple hundred. Since I run about 30 miles a week, I need to eat in order to fuel my exercise. I do not count fat or carbs. I simply ensure I get 100+ grams of protein and 60+ ounces of fluids in me each day.

I take over-the-counter Centrum vitamins. My nutritional lab blood work results are all perfect. There's no way I'd pay the extra money for bariatric vitamins unless I had a procedure with some malabsorption such as a distal bypass or a duodenal switch.

Vitamin B1 deficiency (a.k.a. thiamine) can result in numbness, paresthesias, and neurological symptoms. Many gastric sleeve patients develop this deficiency. I know I did. I cannot diagnose over the world wide web, but this is just some food for thought.

I consume about 2000 calories a day with my sleeve. Then again, I started purposely increasing my caloric intake in a stepwise pattern at about 4 months post-op. I didn't want to screw up my metabolic rate with a low-calorie diet, so I stopped dieting. If you think about it, most of us in the bariatric surgery community sucked at adhering to diets in the past, so why be on one? I basically consume 100+ grams of protein per day. The thermic effect of protein is high, so the body must expend a great deal of energy digesting it. This keeps the metabolism in high gear.

Yes, it is normal for a sleeved stomach to stretch over time. In fact, a sleeved stomach is expected to relax and stretch somewhat. For a more detailed explanation, watch some of Dr. Matthew Weiner's YouTube videos. The tight postsurgical restriction that enabled us to feel full after a few bites of food doesn't last forever. Dr. Weiner states that, by three to five years out, most sleevers can eat two-thirds of a plate of food. Compare that with the three to five bites of food most of us ate at two months post-op. I am more than two years out and can quantities that were impossible for me in the first couple of months. I can eat two large slices of pizza in one sitting, but opt not to. I can eat a 6-inch sub sandwich all at once, but opt not to. I can eat two small fast food cheeseburgers in one sitting, but opt not to. The further out we are from surgery, the more crucial our food choices are. People regain their weight from slider foods such as pizza and crackers, not from dense protein such as fish and steak. Even if your stomach has stretched to a 16-ounce capacity, you will not regain if your food choices are healthy. The stomach size is not as important as the types of foods you stuff into it.

So you are a little less than two months out. The dietitian at the bariatric surgery practice where I follow-up never had me counting calories or macros such as fat and carbs at any point throughout my journey. By the way, I am more than two years out. The only things they wanted me to track were grams of protein and ounces of water consumed. Here's the reasoning: those who consume a minimum of 80 grams of protein and 60+ ounces of water each day should feel enough fullness and satiety to not overeat. Also, dietary fat is not what makes people fat. The lack of counting calories and macros worked for me. I have never weighed or measured my food or tracked my macros, yet I reached my goal weight and have been maintaining. Based on a few spot checks, I estimate I consume about 2000 calories a day at 2+ years out.

Okay...there is a notable difference between a woman telling you that "You're ugly" and actually feeling ugly. Our self-esteems should not hinge upon other peoples' opinions of us. People who love and value themselves do not feel ugly. I do not place enough importance on other peoples' negative views of me to let them alter my positive feelings for myself. In other words, conjure up some self-esteem. Learn to love yourself. Once you regard yourself highly, no one's words can break you down or cause you to feel badly. I live by this quote: "Your opinion of me does not define who I am."

You're on your pre-op diet, correct? The unfortunate reality is that not everyone loses weight on the pre-op diet, especially if they've had trouble losing weight in the past. Many people consider bariatric surgery in the first place because they struggle to lose weight and/or keep it off with diet and exercise. The one thing I'd change about your routine is the exercise. Since you are not really consuming enough calories to fuel a vigorous exercise routine, I'd either reduce the intensity to a leisurely walk or (better yet) cut out the exercise altogether during your pre-op diet. Here's the issue: some people throw their bodies into starvation mode with a combination of vigorous exercise and not enough calories to properly fuel their workouts. The body holds on for dear life and slows down metabolic processes because it isn't getting what it needs. Good luck to you.

While I have not had my thyroid removed, I have had hypothyroidism since 2005. I have taken Synthroid for nearly 12 years as my sole source of thyroid hormone replacement. I did have the VSG (gastric sleeve) rather than gastric bypass; however, I lost 100+ pounds and attained my goal weight. Most importantly, I have been maintaining that newer, lower body weight almost effortlessly with a daily intake of about 2000 calories per day combined with exercise.

When is the last time you lost 8 pounds in 13 days? You are doing wonderfully. It is important to maintain realistic expectations throughout the process. You did not become nearly 100 pounds over your ideal weight overnight and the weight will not be lost overnight, either. Patience is a virtue. I was the classic definition of a slow loser: I averaged a loss of 3 to 6 pounds per month, and it took 17+ months for me to lose 100 pounds. Here's the important part: I have maintained my weight loss in a world where the majority of weight loss surgery patients regain some or all of their weight, or never even get to their goal weights. The weight maintenance phase will be harder and more important than the current weight loss phase you are in. Good luck to you, and keep your eye on the prize (patiently).

Quite the contrary...there is plenty of harm associated with cholesterol-lowering medications, also known as statins. They result in muscle pain, myopathies, liver damage, digestive problems, mental fog, elevated blood glucose levels, and so forth. For the few weeks I was on a cholesterol-lowering drug, my muscles ached so badly that even the simple task of walking from a parking lot into an office resulted in notable pain. I refuse to take statins again. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013

There's a phenomenon called transient hyperlipidemia, a.k.a. transient hypercholesterolemia. In the active weight loss phase, our bodies burn off numerous molecules worth of stored fatty acids. The ultimate result in some people is a momentary rise in blood cholesterol levels post-op. The same thing happened to me. Click on the link below if you wish to read more about it. http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2012/06/i-lost-weight-and-my-cholesterol-went-up/

I didn't have weekly losses. I lost at an average rate of about 3 to 6 pounds per month. It took me 17+ months to lose 100 pounds, yet I achieved my goal weight. I was the real definition of a slow loser. The most important part is that I have been maintaining my loss. This is your personal journey. Your weight loss journey is a marathon, not a sprint in which you race against other bariatric patients and compare your progress against theirs. Good luck to you.

Since diabetes runs strongly in my family (my father has it, my mother had it, three out of four grandparents had it, multiple aunts, uncles and cousins have it, etc.), I developed insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome at a young age. A highly processed diet of boxed macaroni & cheese, Rice-A-Roni, breakfast cereals and fast food didn't help, either. When I was 24 years old, my former endocrinologist said insulin resistance was the potential reason I kept rapidly regaining after major weight losses. Metabolic syndrome keeps us hungry and craving carb-laden foods. Also, insulin drives fat storage, making it easier for those of us with metabolic syndrome to store fat and gain weight. I had the low HDL, borderline blood pressure readings, and elevated waist circumference. I also had the acanthosis nigricans (velvety hyperpignemtation) on the back of my neck. This is a classic marker of insulin resistance and prediabetes. After weight loss surgery, my HDL (good cholesterol) went from 45 to 112. My waist circumference is 27 to 28. My blood pressure readings are low normal. My fasting blood glucose is usually in the 80s.

I was cleared by my surgeon's aftercare team to perform 'real' exercise (a.k.a. moderate to vigorous intensity) at six weeks out. However, I did not resume exercise until approximately three months out. I started with a walk/jog routine. Less than two years later I run an average of 30 miles per week.

Look up the "three week stall." It is so common that it has a name. This stall happens to the majority of newly sleeved people sometime between the second and fourth postoperative weeks. It appears your stall came one week early. So did mine. Also...stay off the scale for a few weeks. These frequent weigh-ins will only create more anxiety. You did not become obese overnight and will not lose it overnight, either. Only a small minority of people lose at the rate of 1 pound per day. For the rest, the weight comes off in a nonlinear, unpredictable pattern. For instance, I lost at the rate of about 3 to 6 pounds per month, but still attained my goal. I also agree with previous respondents to lay off the exercise for the next few weeks since you are not consuming enough calories to fuel your activities properly. You'll potentially throw your body into starvation mode.

The hair loss is due to telogen effluvium. Essentially, the shock of surgery causes temporary trauma to the hair follicles. Keep reading to learn more. http://www.americanhairloss.org/types_of_hair_loss/effluviums.asp This type of hair loss normally begins anywhere from three to six months after the surgery and subsides within a few months after it started. Some people praise biotin supplements and Progaine shampoo and conditioner products, but time is the factor that resolves the issue.

Lunch: homemade pizza made with 90-calorie Flat-Out flatbread (9 grams of protein), pasta sauce (2 grams of protein), mozzarella (12 grams of protein), jalapenos, and turkey pepperoni (9 grams of protein). Dinner: two mackerel patties (36 grams of protein) and a side of steamed broccoli florets with cheddar sauce (3 grams of protein).

I only purchase ready-to-drink shakes since I dislike dealing with blenders and shakers. My top three favorite brands are: 1. Muscle Milk Light (100 calories per carton, 20 grams of protein) 2. Premier Protein (160 calories per carton, 30 grams of protein) 3. Atkins (160 calories per carton, 15 grams of protein)

Bariatric surgery has been worth it for me. Good riddance to the 80+ percent of my stomach that was removed. I could lose weight without surgery, but always regained in a yo-yo pattern (lose 50, regain 75, lose 60, regain 90, rinse and repeat). With the sleeve, my weight has been stable for the first time in my adult life. My biology no longer fights against my efforts to maintain my weight.

Regarding the lack of energy, I felt it for about six weeks post-op. Mine was due to low level post-anesthesia fog that persisted for several weeks after the surgery. http://health.ccm.net/faq/326-fatigue-after-general-anesthesia

Most obese and formerly fat people can lose weight without surgery. Losing weight is not the problem. In fact, I estimate I've lost a couple hundred pounds over the years via yo-yo dieting. I'd lose 50, regain 60, lose 75, regain 100, then rinse and repeat the miserable process. I'd regain much faster than I lost. Maintaining the weight loss is the problem for many obese people. For me, weight loss surgery offered the last glimmer of hope to keep the weight off after losing it.