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At the top (widest part 20.5), it's the same weather I'm sitting or standing. I have a thigh gap for the first time ever but in shorts, yikes hello wrinkles. That's why for me ideally I think if I gained 5-10 lbs. to fill in a bit I would look better. I think Old Navy runs larger. However my waist is still larger compared to my hips etc so. I am trying to build up muscle in my hips, gluts, thighs to get more curves.

You look great. I was thinking about ordering a pair too but then i thought "what if they stretch out my jeans and then if I don't wear them then my pants will really be saggy". Maybe I will and just have one pair of jeans just for these.

You always look so trendy. I feel so out of touch. You are right about the dysmorphia. I am wearing size 4 jeans (Old Navy) and see others on here at the same weight/height but I think they look thin and I don't see myself that way at all. The other day I googled the average size of a woman's thigh. I was shocked to see I totally fit in with the average.

Where did you get the top? I see some shopping in my future.

I also put it at the back of my mouth so it hit less taste buds and chased it with a swig of water then brushed my teeth.

Yes my suddenly came out in clumps right at four Months. It was really bad for about a month and then it slowed down considerably then around seven months I already notice new hair is growing in and it’s back to normal shedding. I honestly looked online at topper wigs. Then I found out and started using I use topix fibers and tinted Baptiste dry shampoo to help fill-in and that helped a lot.

I should have mentioned this earlier but you can buy a reacher to use so if something is on the floor or too far away to reach you can get to it without leaning over. Just make sure it is not too heavy since it will put more of a strain trying to lift something up that is far away. Using baby wipes will help any "clean up issues" easier than toilet paper. To get in and out of bed roll to your side, don't attempt to sit straight up. Go through your daily routine and purposely give yourself limited reach and see what you need to adjust before surgery (dishes on the counter not in cabinets, soap bottles lower in the shower etc).

I read somewhere that the first few weeks it's 5-10 lbs a week then 2-3 pounds a week on average (of course most of us had the expected 3 week stall). I initially lost maybe 8-10 total in the first 2 weeks then it dropped to 3/week then 2 a week steadily unitl the 6/7 month mark when I hit my goal of 70 lbs. Everyone is different.

I only had to take a pill once a few days after surgery and then used Milk of Magnesia (the sugar free kind) a dose to a half dose just a few times the first few weeks. Now at 9 months a few times a week I eat a few prunes. Once I was able to start eating more vegetables and salads it improved.

You look great. That dress looks like it was made just for you!

I have heard that too. My thinking is that they might remove 4-5 pounds of skin/fat however initially you swell so you can't see that on the scale then when you do get an accurate weight a few weeks later it might be only 1-2 pounds lighter. My theory is that your body adjust to stay at a set weight so you may have lost 4 pounds from your tummy for skin removal but you gain a few pounds and it is probable distributed everywhere else.

I am still at 9 months post having a premier shake everyday. I mix it with milk, preferably Fairlife for the extra protein. My Md and nut. are both fine with it long term. I drink it every morning. Initially it took 45 minutes to drink one, now if i am in a rush I can easily drink it within 15-20 minutes.

I put in a call to my nut. to check in and ask about macro percentages now. in the meantime I came across this study: http://bariatrictimes.com/carbohydrate-fat-and-protein-what-do-we-know-about-the-macronutrient-composition-of-the-diet-following-bariatric-surgery/ I am now at 1500-1600 calories. I seem to bounce around between 126-127 pounds but still have trending down so my guess is at this rate I will be 125-126 in the next few months unless I can increase my calories a bit. I am logging everything with an updated goal of 1600 calories. I had a goal of 1500 calories for the past month but would really like to stay closer to 128 pounds and not drop to 125. I am anticipating plastics in the spring and the 3 surgeons I saw said I don't have a lot of fat left and what I thought was still fat ie love handles was just loose skin. I am anticipating I would lose another few pounds after plastics too. So at 1600 calories my marco goals are: 40% carbs (159g), 30% protein (120 grams but usually hit closer to 110), and 30% fat (53g) but seem to go over that due to whole milk and high fat nuts just to get calories in. I am going to ask the nut. if that protein is too high. I eat a lot of high calorie nuts to get calories and protein in vs lean protein. Any thoughts? Does that seem like a lot of protein? The carbs seem so crazy high since 3 months ago I was at less than 40 grams of carbs a day. I am actually eating a little bit of triscuit crackers or granola type of cereals to get fiber and carbs in.

I wasn't even able to drive until day 5 but it was exhausting and I didn't want to be out if public for the first week. I would really try to get a full week. If you can take a full week and even the next week go back on Tue. or Wed. so you know if you can get thru a few days you would have another weekend to rest up before going back for a full 5 days. The other option is if you can go back after a week but work a shorter shift. That would probably mean a shorter commute time if you had less traffic too.

If you are watching TV and used to eat now do something else like color in a coloring book, do Sudoku or knit. If you keep your hands busy it replaces the habit of eating while sitting to watch TV. If you feel you have control over you can try flavored water, sugar free jello for a sweet craving or Hershey sugar free syrup in Fairlife milk. Even a teaspoon of some peanut butter was enough to distract me from old habits.

My Md had guidelines that I could only eat strained creamed soups and liquids the first 1-2 weeks. That included yogurt, protein shakes 2 days after surgery and then cottage cheese and refined beans began at week 2/3. However it is hard to drink or eat much initially. I used a shot glass to get 2 ounces at a time and a timer so every 15 minutes I would drink 2 ounces. Once I was on soft foods like 1 egg or tuna it initially took 45 minutes to eat that then a week or so later 30 minutes, then eventually 20 minutes etc. Food wasn't appealing and after a few bites I felt like I just ate a Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn't painful but just that blah I'm done feeling. I think around 3/4 months I could drink a 11 oz. protein shake in 30-45 minutes, eat a 5oz cup of yogurt or 1 egg in 20 minutes but not much more in one sitting. Suddenly at 6 months I could comfortably eat about a half cup of food total if some of it was soft. Not a half cup of chicken, but a 1/4 cup of protein and a 1/4 cup of soft veggies. Now at 9 months sometimes I can eat almost a cup in one sitting in a normal amount of time like 10-15 minutes but usually it's closer to 1/2 to 3/4. I don't feel deprived or over full.

I think having 2 weeks off work would be ideal. I able to drive on day 5 but there's no way I would have had the energy to stand up and teach all day plus it took that fist 2 weeks to figure out when to eat and drink etc. If you keep the April date then you would be fully physically recovered for summer which would be perfect since the first 6-8 weeks you healing and probably just walking for exercise etc. and eating the same foods repetitively. During the summer (so at the 3-6 months post op) is when you will feel like being more active, starting new habits, and trying new foods to figuring what works for you regarding meals and how your body handles eating "normal" foods. Then when you go back to school in August you would have a good handle on things.

The dumping-I did early on from flavored medicine that had sugar in the flavoring. I was super strict for 6 months but now I am at my goal weight and I have had a cookie, a bite of ice cream, a piece of bread (one of those not all of them maybe once a week, not everyday) and have not dumped. I have not had a large serving and if I get too many carbs or eat to fast I feel blah but don’t get sick. It’s different for everyone.

I definitely don't ever feel hungry. Yes, sometimes food is desirable if I see or smell something however if it's been several hours sometimes I get super cranky and sometimes feel "off". I have had to buy the individual milk at the grocery store and drink it while I was shopping. If I am busy I could def. skip eating for that long. I am kind of surprised you are so far out form surgery and still don't feel hungry. I had assumed after time that would return for most of us.

I think it was 10 pounds for a few weeks. I did pick up a 15 pound animal at week 2/3 and didn't feel it immediately but felt sore later that day.

If I do overeat I get a pain in the middle of my upperback. It's weird. I also feel better after 15-20 minutes. That only happens if I try to eat and it has only been an hour since my last snack/meal especially if it was a denser food.

How long does it take you to eat? I still feel restriction at around 1/2 cup of most food and up to 1 cup of salad with toppings. However in the past month (around 8 months after surgery) I can eat so much faster. I can sit and eat my small meal in 10 minutes. I try to slow down but I guess since it's not a huge amount it's ok. If I were eating something out of a bag or form a big bowl i am sure eating too fast would cause me to eat too much and then feel sick. Do you think I am pushing it? Going to cause an issue?

I was given the guideline to try to follow less than 5g of sugar at a time so I had a lot of low carb yogurts, tuna and cheese. I didn't have fruit for the first 5-6 months and then it was maybe a 1/4 cup with a protein so it wasn't just fruit sugars on an empty stomach. My nut. and MD pushed protein so much that I did get some carbs and fat from meat, yogurt, and cooked veggies etc. but not alot. I did use sugar free BBQ or ketchup or salad dressing to dip lunch meat in so I could chew/digest it easier. I logged my food but didn't need to purposely limit my carbs or fats since by focusing on protein and staying around 500 calories I never got a lot of carbs in, I'm guessing half of my 500 calories were protein at the time. I also struggled to eat more than a 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup at any time. Every morning Ii had a premier shake to get in my 30g of protein. I also drank Fairlife milk since it has higher protein /lower carbs than regular milk.

It goes against what you normally learn (to tighten your abs/core when lifting) but try and keep them relaxed and use your arm muscles more. That at least would put less strain on your abs. If you can try to exhale when you lift that may help you to also keep your abs relaxed. If you can use a towel or pillow case under her during part of the movement to slid her vs lifting her that would help too. Another option would be to ask a coworker to lift her and just avoid it altogether.

I wonder if some of us that works better, it might mean gaining more weight but it could also mean getting more nutrients. I wonder if there is a study where people kept the weight off long term and had nutritional deficiencies vs people who gained a significant amount of weight. The stories I heard from my Nut. were people having deficits that stopped their vitamins so I guess even if your body gets better at absorbing calories and nutrients it still isn't enough.