Screwballski

To be fair Matt, it’s 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. Neither is reversible. They become variations of each other when you make the switch to/from.

Congrats on all fronts! You are a champ. I could not have pulled that off so successfully. DANG, GIRL!

TRUTH!

I was sleeved May 17th. I’ve been stalled forever but I’m under goal so no biggie. I’ve lost 70 pounds since the start of the process, 40 of it since the morning of surgery. Since the initial revision consultation in very late Jan 2018, i’ve gone from 209 to 139. My highest weight (8 years ago) was 260. Natch, my husb thinks I’m way too skinny.

“Those are MY JAM! Seriously, I buy them in bulk. Also got a great "hack" meal with those. Drop those into a bowl, drop down some low fat taco meat and toppings... boom, healthier taco salad bowl!” I haven’t seen these or the nutritional info. What is the sodium content?

You may have heard of it because of the college. 🙂

@FluffyChix. My facial surgeon is Dr. Jordan Rihani of FacialPlasticSurguryInstitute.com located in Southlake, Fort Worth and Keller. If he’s not local for folks, he’s certainly worth traveling. His staff and facilities are outstanding.

@Swanton_Bomb Thank you so much! I specifically asked my surgeon not to turn back time. I just wanted the turkey neck tightened and the jowls lifted. Basically a lift from the nose line down. He, did, however, need to lift everything up lightly to accomplish this.  I am so pleased that he left me looking like me with my many of my wrinkles. I still look like a lady of 53. Just a less flappy version.

I was still at about 600 calories at 3 months. At almost 5 months, I’m struggling to break 800. Honestly, there’s probably never a good time for Cheerios. They’re pretty much junk. You really want to start with Protein. If you have room, go to good, healthy carbs. If you have more room and “need” a starch, sweet potatoes or black beans...something along those lines. If Cheerios is the thing you crave, make it an every now and then thing. Plan for it. I mean, unless they have changed since I read the nutritional panel 4-5 years ago.Does Metamucil work for you or does it cause bloating?  Might try a bit in your Water for Fiber.I really only go 2-3 times a week.  I eat solid food but can’t take on large volumes so there isn’t much to eliminate, I guess.  But, when I do it’s just normal.  I’m not in discomfort and I don’t feel constipated. Do you feel uncomfortable or are you just eliminating much less frequently?

How are you getting your Calcium? Just concerned, not trying to be bossy. 🙂

Two BariLife Vitamins three times a day. The second photo shows that they are rather large coated tablets. My surgeon specifically cited these Vitamins. I’ve had my bloodwork done three times in 4 months for other procedures. It is spectacular. I sometimes throw a Calcium patch on if I miss a dose of Vitamins. I also throw down a Biotin once a day for nails and hair.  The BariLife and Calcium Patches are available here at the store.These keep my Iron, B12, Calcium, everything at the mid to upper range on my lab results sheet without the hassle of a trillion different pills.  They hit the stomach and dissolve as soon as the coating goes.  The surgeon recommends them because they are gone so quickly.  However, if you have a problem with big pills, these are on the large end of the scale.  I don’t know how splitting them would work since they are quick dissolve inside.

I’m only going to address one point you mentioned. It pertains to what people will think about you having this surgery. WHO FREAKING CARES WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK?! What other people think about us most often has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO WE ARE. It is simply what other people think. It doesn’t make it true, important or worth our energy. I’t took me until my late 30’s to figure this out.

I took the risk of band to sleeve revision with pre-band history of GERD and it played out well. I’m very thankful. I knew it could have gone either way but I also knew there were options if it didn’t work out. I’m not on a PPI and I have no issues. Its an individual choice that requires a lot of thought. I felt very calm and confident in doing so. My surgeon advised me to have a bypass but left the final decision in my hands.

I’ve been stalled for quite some time. Up and down the same pound for what seems like forever BUT I’ve dropped a full size during that time! I’m also 11 pounds under my goal weight. Not sure I’m happy about it and I am trying to add calories, but at less than 5 months out, I can only eat so much. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It’s also the beginning of flu season AND in some parts of the country (like here) The Back To School Plague season! Hope you feel better soon.

If it’s just a matter of flavor, sadly, you may just have to water them down and drink a lot for a while. Post op instructions vary and we all survive. At almost 5 months out, I can tell you that everyone is different and you may have to mildly tweak things (using great caution) depending on what your body can tolerate. Example: I came out of surgery unable to tolerate whey AT ALL! My body would not contain it. It immediately flushed out any whey I put in it. I think you get the picture. So all of my Isopure Waters and shakes became poison. I had to use bone broth and plant based protein to meet my requirements until I could begin eating meat.

It really is pretty normal. Your body has been through trauma. your intake has changed. Anesthesia takes a toll. so many factors. Just press on but follow your body's cues. When you really start to bounce back you will be amazed how invigorated you feel. There are just so many confusing phases along the way that are just temporary!

I bit the bullet and had mine cut two days ago. I got my extensions out 4 weeks ago for a neck/face lift. A week later my hair started coming out in hand fulls (right about the 4 month sleeve post op mark). I’ll try to post a before and after cut. The before will be without extensions or Neck lift! :). The after will be The day of cut and 4 weeks after neck lift. :)

Because I was a Band to Sleeve revision, I had no Nutritional education requirements. I did have 3 phone calls over 90 days but there were no tests, just conversations about whether I’d read a pamphlet, ordered my vitamins...just checking the boxes... Thankfully, as a Diabetic (controlled without medication for 3 years now) I’ve been through a butt ton of nutrition classes, so I wasn’t exactly left flailing like some.Absolutely no nutritional support after either.My psychologist happens to be, entirely coincidently, a Batiatric Specialist, so I just text her when I have pressing questions to which I can find no answers after extensive research.   

My surgeon would take me. As a Revision, many surgeons didn’t want to touch another’s work. Especially since the other, very accomplished surgeon, is still practicing in the metroplex. I had no problems with the original other than no longer wishing to drive two hours in horrible traffic for every appointment and using a hospital so far from home. 12 years ago, when I got my band, that was the only option available. My PCP worked the phones until she persuaded someone local, that she trusted, to see me. And here we are!

Oh, that was a loooong one. Feels great on the other side, though, right? Remember the feeling. There will be more. Just breathe through it and keep doing your part of the job. Best wishes!

I have a hard time having room for veggies after fitting protein in so I take Juice Plus (Orchard, Garden and Vineyard) capsules each day in addition to my supplements. I just dump the contents in my daily shake. Oh, how I miss my salads and veggies but the Juice Plus seems to be doing a pretty good job. My blood work looked great again last week.

I’m hitting you up to say, go ahead and eat that CHEESE AND PEANUT BUTTER in moderation. Of course they count toward protein. I eat both everyday as part of my protein goal. I’m 10 pounds under goal and still losing. I’m not bragging and not happy about it. I just wanted you to know that cheese and peanut butter has not kept me from reaching goal. I’ve eaten it since the first day it appeared as an option on my plan. I just buy natural products. And, I don’t do the low fat thing, at all. I track all my food, every bite, but I don’t even care what the fat says because I’m more concerned about what is added to low fat foods. It’s usually more salt, more sugar and more chemicals and/or fillers.

I had a consult with him years before that, like 2005-ish, maybe. I didn’t use him because I wasn’t feeling it. I understand he has a very good surgical reputation. He was very experienced back then and referred because he was one of THE lap band guys when it was pretty new. I’d imagine, at this point, his level of experience in all areas has only increased immensely. I didn’t happen to like him. I was also a lot younger than I am now and thought that had some correlation to whether or not he was a skilled surgeon. One has nothing to do with the other.

Btw, 3-4 months is the big hair loss zone. You have a ton more hair than I had BEFORE I cut mine down to the "thickest" level (the new doo in the photo). The loss will stop and new hair will start filling in, so you can probably hang in there with the amount you have. As new hair grows in, just start taking a few inches u. You'll be golden! Also, 53 lbs in 4 months is A LOT1 HELLOOOOO!!! YOU'RE DOING GREAT! Just stick with protein first, drink your water and make sure you are getting proper supplements. It will start coming off again. And stay active. The formula won't fail you. Only you can let yourself down. Best wishes!