monalyssa33

I took all of my psych meds the day of surgery.

I used to be the person who got hot very quickly, now I have days that I call "Double Sweater Days" because that's what I end up wearing at work is two sweaters.

I like having a scale to track whether I'm on the right path and the choices I make are giving me the results I want. If you feel that having a scale would cause you stress or make things difficult, I'd suggest seeing if someone you know has a scale you can use once a week just so you have an idea of how you are doing.

Sadly that would not have worked this last time. I eat a lot of Fiber One throughout the week so I'm fairly regular (maybe 4 or 5 times a week), but there is something about the time of my period where things get a little insane.

Here I am in 2012 at the Minnesota State Fair. I was probably near my highest of 400. I looked very masculine back then, even when I didn't have short hair. Here I am last month after getting my makeup done for a friend's Halloween-themed wedding (I went as Mary Poppins). And lastly this was me a couple of weeks ago after finally getting a haircut. Down 185 pounds and look more feminine than a few years ago.

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People who knew me before the surgery haven't treated me very different, I think. Most people are happy for me and the progress I've made. I have noticed that men are more receptive of me. It's not that they were cruel or mean to me before, I just felt like men never really saw me, but now they do, I guess, or maybe I'm just more aware of it.

I'm rarely sitting at work, so I'll have to really practice on mindfulness while I'm walking around.

I've been on the verge of getting a cold the last week or so and I was home sick from work yesterday and today. I've been going stir crazy because I want to go for a run so badly! It's weird how much we all change after surgery!

I would take the Vitafusion Multivitamins. They taste kinda like fruit snacks and the same consistency. Now I just swallow a multivitamin and do gummy calcium (also Vitafusion).

Yes my hair started falling out around month 3. I didn't take any supplements because I figured it would happen regardless and I knew it would grow back. The hair loss has slowed considerably now that I am near month 9 and my hair is growing back. I was blessed with thick hair so it hasn't been noticeable to other people.

I actually didn't have a planned last meal. I said years ago that when I had the surgery I was going to go to a buffet and make it a big party, but I ended up going to a movie with my dad and getting popcorn and pop then having tacos for dinner.

My surgical team pushed me to build a consistent exercise regimen that had me walking 4 or 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes. It helped me a lot after surgery because I was limited in my movement due to surgical pain and craved to get outside and walk. I am 31 years old and didn't and don't have a lot of movement restrictions though. Your surgical team will likely work with you to find some form of exercise that you can do with limited pain. It may be something you do while sitting on your couch until you are able to do more. It doesn't have to be walking or weight lifting.

I was debating whether or not to sign up for one, but I asked if my sister wanted to do one with me and she and my brother in law both were interested, so I decided to go for it. I'm excited! I have been running more lately and I already pretty much do 5Ks every time I run, but I haven't done an actual "race" since I was 14. When I registered, the application asked if I had an inspiring story, so I said that I was once 400 pounds after battling a decade-long depression, but have now beat depression and lost 180 pounds.

Compression garments are my friends. I've found some decent ones at thrift stores and they reduce the bouncing significantly.

I'm sure I'm not alone in having moments where you are shocked by the changes your body is making. What are some of your moments that made you stop and say, "Whoa!"? The most recent change I've noticed has been being able to see the tendons in my hands and feet. I still catch my reflection in windows and think, "who is that?!" Since my job is fairly physical and has me stooping and kneeling a lot, I am amazed when I can basically jump back up from a kneeling position without breaking a sweat or having to grab onto something. In fact being able to push myself up from any position (especially laying down) still surprises me. When I first started to see my collar bones, I'd see how visible I could make them by moving muscles or my neck and arms in certain ways (okay I still do this).

People kept asking me if my feet had shrunk and I kept telling them they hadn't yet, but then suddenly my size 11 shoes started feeling way too big. I only own 2 pairs of shoes (I'm not the stereotypical female) so I'll have to go buy more.

I originally had 180 as my goal weight, but after talking with my mom, she said that when she was at her lightest (about 160) she felt it was so hard to stay at that weight. She's gained a little and lost some too and she is now just under 190 and she says it is a comfortable weight for her. I am an inch taller than her and I'm pretty sure I'm also "big boned" so I started to realize that 180 may be a little unrealistic for me and will probably make me look weird, so I settled on 190. As I get closer to that weight, I may adjust it, but that is my goal for now.

I'm 8 months out and have not vomited at all. I thought it was guaranteed to happen for everyone, but I was shocked to find out that there are a lot of people who don't vomit.

I was in a (costume) wedding yesterday and it was the first time ever where I didn't hate every picture taken of me and in fact I like most of them! This time last year I was on a trip to Chicago so I've been getting Facebook memory notifications too, so I thought I'd post some pictures of me from one year ago and then some from last night. I'm making that face in the before picture because I was "displeased" that my mom was making me take a sweatshirt on our day out because the temperature was 40*F. Now I am freezing at 50*F but I don't mind it because I love being cold.

I have been in remission from depression for two years now. I would love to go off of my psychiatric medications (Wellbutrin and Lexapro), but since I had surgery in February, I told myself that I would wait until my weight settled and I adapted to my "new" life. I see a therapist every other week and my psychiatrist every 3-6 months. Has anyone gone off all psych meds after surgery and had any regrets? I know what I need to do to prevent a relapse and I'm very aware of any mood changes I may have and what I need to do to fix them, but I'm worried about going off meds that I've been on for years. Should I wait before I start seriously discussing this with my doctors?

Do any of you have ideas to fight off sugar cravings? I used to never crave sugar until a couple of years ago and then it was mainly fruity candy and such, now after surgery, I seem to crave chocolate all the time. I do give in to these cravings with my Fiber One cookies that I make (melted chocolate chips with peanut butter, a scoop of protein powder and a sleeve of Fiber One) instead of straight up chocolate bars and stuff, but even with these cookies, I feel like I'm losing a little control with them. I haven't gained any weight, but I also haven't lost any since the cravings got worse. I'd love to not have to give up chocolate, but that probably makes the most sense.

How did you decide what to have done first? I'm nearing my goal weight and at this point, it looks like I'll need an arm lift, boob lift, tummy tuck, and maybe something for my thighs. My priority is likely being the tummy tuck and boob lift.

I didn't start seeing loss until 3 weeks after surgery. It will happen. Many of us have had the same problem with doing everything we are supposed to but nothing changes, then you just start dropping weight like crazy.

I took Prilosec for a few weeks but switched to Nexium (I believe) later because I found out Prilosec interacts with one of my antidepressants. I was on the PPI for a couple of months and I haven't had issues since I stopped taking it. It will likely get better for you as time goes by.