2Bsmaller18

Just my 2 cents and I know others on here hit that 120 lbs. at your height. However remember you still probably have a few pounds of loose skin that someone who has never been over 125 pounds will not have. I am 5'3" or maybe 5.2 1/2 and I had a goal of 140 but flew past that. I purposely tried to stop or slow weight loss since I felt the loss was out of my control. Now I have been bouncing around 125-128 for 2-3 months but seem to be closer to 126 this month vs 128 a month or 2 ago. Others on here said your body will naturally slow down the closer you get to your own body's ideal. I have found that to be true however even with increasing my calories I have dropped a few pounds so my body must not be settled yet. Are you still loosing at a steady rate or has it naturally slowed down? I still see myself as heavy and pick up bigger clothes when shopping however at the same time I feel too thin at 125 if that makes sense. I thought I looked better in the 130s with less wrinkles but recently saw a picture from this summer at 145 and thought wow I was still heavy back then. It's mentally a challenge and takes awhile for your head to adjust. Do you feel like you are beating yourself up about a certain number on the scale or if you don't hit a certain number you failed? If you played out the scenario in your head that in a few months you settled at 130 or 135 would you be ok with that? IMHO I think it's fine to have a goal and even a lower dream goal as long as realistically you would be happy at a higher number and not start bad habits to reach a number. You have come so far already and succeeded past what most charts say people reach after WLS. Also, don't forget the scale might stall out but things shift and clothes will get looser, stomach smaller etc without a pound lost.

What are your top foods for high nutritional value yet for smaller volume? I still have a premier shake to help get in protein. I am also sautéing 1-1.5 cups of spinach with an egg to get more iron and fiber. I have nuts or nut butters to help with protein and increase my calories for maintenance. I have not tired chia seed but plan to soon.

Congrats!! that must feel amazing. I bet it will be so much easier to get a coat that fits too. I have kept some old, loose shirts thinking I would need loose fitting stuff for swelling and the ease of getting them on and off but I guess even with swelling your arms are immediately smaller from the skin removal. I will hold onto them just in case but I guess i may never wear them again. Did the surgeon say how much skin he removed form each arm in size or weight? Did he do lipo before removing the skin? I guess that is the norm since lipo separates the skin to remove it but I don't have much fat on my arms, its just skin.

How long was the surgery for your 2 procedures. I’ve been told 5 hours maybe a little less! Seems like a long time.

I followed my doctor's strict guidelines. So didn't t try questionable foods like lettuce or a cracker until 6 months. I got really sick from oatmeal around 6 months but I think it was too thick and got stuck. It was bad enough that I still haven't tried it again and have no plans to ever try it. Around 8 months I started trying pretty much everything. However I have only literally had 1 bite of regular ice cream, a tiny Halloween size candy bar, one piece of bread, 1/4 cup of noodles etc. at a time. I tolerate a variety of foods but don't want to try a large amount and get sick. I still haven't tried cake with icing, soda, or alcohol and have no plans to. I have only had a few grains of rice that were stuck to chicken and was worried that would cause an issue but it was fine. I am pretty scared to push the limits.

So I would guess the cramping and vomiting wouldn't damage your pouch either. Just like if we eat too much it hurts or may make us sick but it's not going to tear the pouch.

Good to know since I don't have a gallbladder anymore either and if I was puking bile I would be freaked out.

If you are taking sips from a big glass I wonder if you ate sipping more than you realize. Do you have any shot glasses or a liquid medicine cup? Maybe try filling one up half way and sip from that so you can see if you can tolerate a half ounce, 1 oz etc. set a timer and refill it every 10 or 15 minutes. you buy the premade sugar free jello containers and “eat” a spoonful but almost let it melt in your mouth too.

My fitness pal, i liked it better than Fitbit

yes. Even 10 months out I can make the same meal I eat multiple times a week that is maybe a 1/2 cup worth of food but sometimes I can't eat that last few bites and I still feel like I should finish the plate. I have to stop and put it away for later or toss it.

How did you find out you mLadsorbed protein? Do you have any symptoms or was it a blood test?

Do other liquids go ok like milk? If so maybe it's the pH?? My local grocery store sells alkaline water in a gallon for $4. Maybe try that?

I think I skipped it just the night before the test.

Mine was tested 6 months post and said over 2000. I don’t even have the exact number. It was from lab Corp. my surgeon wasn’t concerned. I was under the impression that the excess just gets peed out. I can’t cut back on mine since I take one bari multivitamin (Pro care brand) with everything in it.

Take a washcloth and roll it up, put it in your palm squeeze it with your hands. Point and flex your toes. Using those muscles contracts the muscles and squeezes the tiny veins to pump the fluids out. Try to do it 20 times 2-3 times an hour every hour will help a lot.

I went in this am for another consult for an extended brachio and abdominoplasty. This surgeon uses a z incision in the armpit to help with scarring. It's the first i have heard of it but it makes sense to decrease any pulling and possible webbing. I have had 4 consults with a price range of 9-18K all in the same city. I think i am going with the second most $$ one since I feel most comfortable with the incision he is proposing and outcomes etc.

I would think they did the test that morning prior to surgery. I wonder if it was skipped, not read, or if it was a false negative since maybe the hormones were not detected since it was still early. I am sure you are concerned but do remember there are women that don't know they are pregnant for months and drink, others use drugs, don't take vitamins etc and the baby turns out fine. I would ask your OBGYN about an additional vitamins you need to take above what they would normally recommend. Maybe ask about the vitamin patches and if those absorb better wit less stress on the stomach etc.

My guess is the warm water and movement of taking a shower pushed fluid out that was trapped. The shower may have also loosened glue and the fluid will take the path of least resistance. I would call the surgeon regardless but unless it continues to drain at a steady rate or changes to a yellow color, has an odor or you run a fever I would bet it is fine.

Bypass -I only dumped once very early due to flavored meds. I sometimes get discomfort like a dull ache with too much sugar but No nausea/vomiting. I ate a half piece of pumpkin pie (so 1/16 of the pie) and didn’t dump. I’ve had a mini piece of Halloween candy, 1 cookie or 1-2 bites of regular ice cream and never did. Each time was only that 1 thing and I purposely ate protein with it so it wasn’t just sugar on an empty stomach. No alcohol trued as of yet and no plans to. I had GERD so felt for me the sleeve wasn’t an option.

Due to the limited stomach capacity I am trying to eat the best nutritional foods with vitamins and minerals I can. Besides protein requirements what are some foods you eat to get the best nutritional bang for your buck? I still have a premier protein shake daily. I eat yogurt and spinach daily. I eat pumpkin seeds and or walnuts often too. I know a varied diet with different fruit and veggies is good but sometimes i want to just stick with something I know I will get a lot of nutrients from. I don't eat beans often and think maybe I should try to add some to my diet.

I never had a fiber goal. I am getting (9 months post) between 15-20g/day. I usually have a cup of spinach a day and maybe 1/3 cup of veggies at dinner. I also eat carbs with fiber and beans a few times a week but it's still that low. I probably had 5-10g/day for the first few months. I only took milk of magnesium a few times the first couple of weeks. That seems like it would be hard to get that much in.

I was a BMI of 35 and had a bypass. I think the first 2 weeks I lost around 8-10 pounds then it slowed considerably and I was a steady 2-3 pounds per week loss for a few weeks then it quickly dropped to around 2 pounds/week consistently for the next 6 months. I then purposely increased calories once I hit a normal BMI at the 6 month mark from my typical 600-700 to 900 then up to 1000 and now am around 1500 maintaining. Everyone is different. I expected since I started at a low BMI for weight loss to slow quickly and taper down fast but it was really steady after the first few weeks. I never hit the typical stall either. Looking back I think my calories were too low. I barely hit 60 gram of protein and averaged 650 calories for months. I did take body measurement and some weeks the inches would suddenly drop even with only 2 pounds lost and other weeks the measurement would stay steady. It is so hard early on to not hyperfocus on every detail, we all did it. Try to focus on following your guidelines and it will happen. Some people stall or weight loss slows, they increase calories and have a sudden drop in weight, on paper it doesn't make sense but once you are farther out you will see your progress.

I used a half dose of milk of magnesia twice a day. If I did that then it work but not too much too quickly.

I mixed the premier shake with fairlife milk since it has higher protein than regular milk.

If it's hard to pull the recliner level see if you can get a short piece of PVC pipe cut (maybe 8- 10 inches long) that will fit over it from the Home Depot. This will make the level longer and thus easier to pull it with less effort. It might be too hard still but in a few more day to a week having a longer lever might let you be able to use the recliner. Just try it when someone is there so you don't get stuck in the recliner. I read somewhere on this site about attaching your drains to a lanyard worn around your neck so that you don't have to unpin them to go to the bathroom etc.. I don't know if that would work for everyone but I guess it did for someone else. I am so glad to hear your recovery is going so well.