ms.sss

Yes, still taking it, I'm scheduled to go in at my 9 month mark (about a month from now) and get my bloodwork done again, and they will determine if I need to keep taking it, or if I can come off...we'll see.

Agreed. Regular exercise makes you feel soooooooo much better all around. Everyone and their mother has been saying it forever, and its' so true. It's hard to start, but try. It's worth it. ♥️

At my 6 month checkup (I'm almost at 8 months post op currently), my labs showed low Vit A. So was told to add supplement to vitamin regime of 10,000 UI of Vitamin A twice a week. No prescription required (insurance doesn't cover it anyway). P.S. I was already (and still do) take a pre-natal vitamin once a day, as well as Vitamin D (2/day), Calcium (2/Day) and Vitamin B12 (2/month)

what is the red sauce?

same. *sigh* Strength training continues to be my nemesis. I just dislike it so (read: HATE), but I've read and seen everywhere just how beneficial it is for both metabolism and toning/shaping that I keep trying to do it (albeit not for very long nor with much enthusiasm). I've been trying to find some exercise that I can do regularly (and also like) that can address my strength training deficit. Me and the Kid are going climbing/bouldering later this afternoon, and that is sort of like strength training...kinda, sorta, maybe. Suggestions welcome, lol.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

If it makes you feel any better (hopefully), you have really long curly hair (according to your profile pic ♥️), so it probably looks much worse than it really is when you see it in your hand cuz your hair takes up more volume per strand. It'll get better later!

I'm loving all these before and after pics this morning ♥️. Gives me all the feels ♥️ Congrats on getting halfway to goal so quickly...such a transformation already You look awesome!

Nice! Your waist is shrinking! Great job, lady

wow. you look badass. 235 lbs lost! crazy!!! congrats to all your work!!!

EXERCISE. I'm assuming that the long term successful maintainers have some sort of exercise routine incorporated into their lives. How much of it do you do now, and what do you do? Tips? I know that the loose skin is a fact of life now, but have you noticed any firming up of the post weight-loss sag? It's crazy that I actually like getting up and about and moving now. I feel like something is missing on those rare days when I don't at least get my daily 6k walk in. This morning I went for 10k and actually RAN the last 2k!! Madness. I do need to invest is some tighter clothes though as I can feel myself "jiggling" in the back...that and my pants kept slipping down over my butt.

Yeah, the hair loss sucks. But barring any huge nutritional deficiencies it will come back. Painfully slowly, but it will eventually. I chopped all my hair off in month 3 cuz i was shedding EVERYWHERE. It’s still falling out a bit, but I do notice it’s not in such large quantities anymore, so im hoping the shedding phase is nearing its end and the regrowth will start already! Hang in there, it will get better eventually.

I thought maybe YOU were drunk...read the title of this thread. LOL 😂

@anaxila, if its not too much to ask, would you mind posting a pic of your arm and scar? I am scheduled for an arm lift myself in December. I know I scar easily and take a long time to heal, but like you, I don't care about the resulting scar as much as I care about ridding myself of these bat wings of mine (I had a breast reduction 15 years ago, and the scars are still visible, but I prefer them over the disproportionally large breasts I had back then any day). Anyhoo, I'm curious what a 2 year old scar looks like. I understand if you are uncomfortable with posting a pic, so no pressure if you don't want to! ♥️

I agree with the other posters, the decision to get plastics should be based on your opinion alone. You need to do what makes you feel awesome, not what other's think. P.S. if i read correctly, you had an arm lift in 2010? If so, the absence of scars on your arms are pretty impressive!

Slow it waaaaaaaaay down. You could try to take a bite or two, put your fork down, wait 10 minutes. If after the 10 minutes you feel any fullness/tightness in your your stomach or chest, wait another 10 minutes, if not, take another one or two bites. Rise and repeat until you finish your pre-portioned out meal OR when 20 minutes have gone by and you still have fullness/tightness, whichever comes first. I know this sounds tedious, but it may help you avoid the pain of overeating, and allow you to learn your body's new tolerance levels. Hopefully, once you get to know your cues and limits, you will be better able to navigate at a higher speed limit. P.S. It still takes me a relatively long time to eat my meals at 8 months out. I learned that my stomach seems to fill up on smallish amounts of food, so I need to wait for it to digest or whatever before I put more in it. If I don't, I will start to hurt and possibly barf. And I hate hurting and barfing, so I do what I can to avoid it....i.e., eating slowly.

I put the noodles in a strainer and run water over them (for like forever)...do you have a tip to make the rinsing more effective??? I feel like I'm wasting some much water rinsing this stuff!

I'm almost 8 months out and I'm still not eating that many calories (i'm barely reaching 900, not for lack of trying). You are about 1 month out..at that stage MyFitnessPal tells me I was doing 300-400. (but i remember I was going through a food aversion thing though) Also, I have been able to drink well over 2L (67.6oz) since month 2... We all have different needs, you will learn what works for you and what doesn't. So long as your labs/checkups come back good, you feel good and are losing weight and/or inches, then you are golden. If one or more aren't, adjust as necessary. EDIT: forgot to add a disclaimer, that this works for me, and may or may not work for others, and also I am not advocating to ignore your medical professionals, just a reminder to listen/pay attention to our bodies, as well as our medical professionals, and make informed decisions based on the information you gather from all

Ooooh this is a good idea. I always dry them with paper towels, but this is a way better idea (and saves on paper towels ). Thanks!

I delayed my process twice. The first time for 6 months, the second time for 2 months. I just wasn't ready at the time. When I finally committed to go ahead with it, I never looked back. Best decision ever. Sorta wish I never delayed it those times, but like I said, I just wasn't ready yet. Sometimes the thought of something new/different keeps us staying put, sometimes the thought of things staying the same makes us move in a direction . Weigh your options and do what is best for you. More of the same, or a stab at something else? Good luck!

Am behind on laundry this week, so it was slim pickings in the closet this morning and I had to settle on a pair of pants I haven't worn in about a month...granted, they were a little loose back then, but still wearable-ish, and when I put them on this morning, yeah, they were still loose, but it seemed OK to wear (they are a old-school size 8's, i.e., pre-vanity sizing). They. Just. Fell. Down. Luckily, no one was around to witness my humiliation, especially since the underwear I'm currently wearing is also about 3 sizes too big for me (like i said, I'm behind on laundry!). I need to buy new clothes.

I think genetics plays a big part of it too...years ago when I had a breast reduction my surgeon told me I have hyper-pigmentation and that I will likely have scars that won't fade to my liking. He was right. Its been over 15 years and the scars are still visible...a lot better than before, but it took a while (1-2 years) to get to an acceptable level for me. Its been almost 8 months since my sleeve and my scars from that are still dark and raised. I knew it would be this way and I'm good with it. (Now that I'm getting plastics at the end of the year, I will probably end up looking like a verifiable Frankenstein naked. Mr. and the Kid suggest I get some tattoos not just as a cover up, but to increase my street cred. LOL)

Agreed. Some people can handle seeing the daily fluctuations and get on with their day, but for some others, that occasional 1/2 pound overnight gain causes anxiety and stress. Know what helps and what doesn't help you, and behave accordingly. I weigh myself every morning at the same time, wearing nothing at all. lol. Works for me

*raises hand*

nailed it.