AZhiker

It all depends on how much you have to lose and how much elasticity your skin has to start with. I am 63 and lost over 100 pounds. My arms, thighs, belly, back, and chin were really saggy, to the point where I was seriously considering plastics. However, with time, a lot of the sag has disappeared. It has been about 4 months since I hit goal. I don't know how to explain it, but I would not even think of surgery at this point. (My boobs are hopeless, however, and there is no comeback for them outside of surgery.) My suggestion is to wait a year after reaching goal before deciding about plastics. You may be very pleasantly supervised and not have to undergo more surgery. I think waiting also gives your mind a chance to catch up with your new body. There is a huge mental adjustment to make - from disgust/embarrasment to acceptance/embracing the changes, and only time can do this.

Finished my first triathlon in October and a 52 mile bike race yesterday! Starting to train for a rim-to-rim Grand Canyon hike next year! I am absolutely loving this new life - free from pain. It is so great to be a "normal" sized person now - fitting into furniture, squeezing through crowds, getting up easily into the high pick up truck, getting up off the floor, the list is endless.

Yes! Holiday time is your time to SHINE! You have to plan ahead and know exactly what you are going to eat. I remember during my first month, I had to cook and host several family meals - including a full out Mexican buffet. I just sipped my broth, telling myself, "I can't have any of this food yet, but I will have it later down the road." Remember that everyone else is going to regretfully gain weight during the holidays, but you will LOSE! No New Year regrets for you!

I lost 22 lbs in the first month, which I thought was really fast, and was at goal in 7 months. 20 pounds is great! You are right on track. You absolutely cannot compare with anyone else. Your journey is unique and individual to YOU. Getting on an exercise routine is also important. Hopefully, you are getting at least 30 minutes of walking every day.

Follow the doctor's recommendations. You can do this.

I tried Premier Protein preop and thought it would be great. I bought 3 cases of it when it was on sale at Costco. Then post op it tasted so sweet I couldn't stand it -like chocolate syrup. I had hubby take it all back to Costco! Then a couple of months later it was fine again and he had to bring more home. I think the taste buds do a big flip after surgery and a lot of things taste different. But hang on to your protein drinks for now - you may be able to tolerate them better in a few weeks. As mentioned, bone broth is a great fluid - I personally did not like the beef, but the beef/turkey/chicken was great. It's got a good deal of protein as well. Once you get to soft or pureed, mix some refried beans into the bone broth. You can also try thinning your protein drink with some soy or almond milk. Soy has more protein.

Sometimes exercise will cause a temporary gain from fluid shifts.

I rode and finished the 52 mile bike race/ride of El Tour de Tucson today! (Hubby did the 100 mile.) It was an amazing experience and just even more amazing to think that I could do this at all. It would have been unthinkable a year ago. I am so proud of my finishing medal! I used my new hydration and nutrition strategy and felt great - not even thirsty at the end. I don't feel sore anywhere except my poor bony bottom that no amount of cushioning seems to help. I may tell a different tale tomorrow when I wake up, but I sure feel good now. I maintained a strict whole food plant base diet this week and did not experience any lack of energy, muscle weakness, or extreme fatigue.

Just throwing my 2 cents worth in.......... I also drink only tea now. When I want something a little sweeter, I use a tea that is more spicy with cinnamon. If you can stay off the artificial sweeteners, you will find that your taste buds will change. Bigelow's Vanilla Chai are Celestial Seasoning's Bengal Spice are two of my favs. Artificial sweetener does you no favors. It messes with your stomach/brain communications which can cause you to eat more, can trigger insulin release in some situations, and can cause loose stools (the sugar alcohols). Repeated studies have shown that people use drink diet sodas actually gain more weight than those who drink regular soda. Using fruit and sweet spices like cinnamon can go a long way in satisfying the need for sweetness, but you have to give your taste buds a couple of weeks to make the transition.

Excellent information. It's not all about calories - rather the KIND of food eaten and the TIMING.

You have to go slowly at first. I remember taking a tiny sip every 5-10 minutes. 1/2 ounce would have been way too much. Fluid is your first priority.

You are right. When I see little fat kids who are going to have diabetes and high blood pressure by the time they are ten years old, I am making a judgement. (I'll never forget the first MO child I saw with a BP of 145/90.) A judgement on our society that has 2/3 of the population being overweight or obese, a judgement about personal choices, and a judgement about the total failure of our educational system and government programs that have been controlled by special interest groups - to the peril of the population. A judgement about how on earth we are going to support the health care needs of so many "self induced" co-morbidities. Making these judgments motivates me to also be a part of the solution. As a health care professional, I am working within our system to provide education and resources for MO patients, and working with one of our doctors to initiate a program to screen for fatty liver disease, and subsequent educational followup. I came so close to losing my own life from MO, and I want to do whatever I can to prevent that from happening to others, especially the youngest ones.

I had a runny nose for years - sniffing was something I did continually and was not even aware of it. I'm sure it drove everyone around me crazy. Since losing weight, I do not sniff anymore. My asthma is 1000% better, and no more reflux. I think the reflux and sleep apnea, and higher intraabdominal pressures contributed to the runny nose. All I can say, is that all that is gone now, much to the relief of everyone.

That is the "best self" speaking! I confess that I am not my best self, many times when I see what other people put in their carts. It's not judgement as much as sadness, especially when I see the fat little kids who don't have a chance.

"I can't have that now, but I will have it later" is a great strategy. It helps relieve the feeling of deprivation and is a great exercise in delayed gratification.

I wish I could slow down a bit. If anyone has suggestions, I would like to hear them. I go about 5-6 times a day - soft and floatie. Sometimes with urgency that will turn into an accident if I don't find a facility quickly. (Not fun when I am hiking or bike riding.) I've tried cutting out dairy products with no change. I am already gluten free. My volume of grains or veggies doesn't seem to make any difference, either.

Absolutely!!!! I did not have to deal with a caffeine headache, sugar cravings, or Diet Coke cravings. I had already started to reframe my thought processes toward healthy lifestyle changes. By cutting out sugar and caffeine, my energy levels had stabilized and were even throughout the day - no afternoon slump or need to charge up in the mornings. This allowed me to focus on healing, walking, and drinking water. Younger gals can have emotional swings related to hormone release, and I cannot imagine dealing with THAT, as well as sugar and caffeine withdrawal! My best piece of advice to anyone before surgery is to get rid of the addictions BEFORE hand. b

I will honestly confess that I was totally embarrassed by my shopping cart the other day. I had lots of healthy stuff - no junk and no processed food. Then my husband catches up to me and throws in his bologne, pot pies, hotdogs, cheap pizza, and boxed mac n cheese. AGHHHHHHHH! Kind of funny and sad all at the same time.

You are going to have hungry days after surgery, as well. Most of us forgot what "hungry" really felt like while we were packing on the pounds. This is a great time to read all the threads about head hunger and mind games. Try to use it as a learning tool for future challenges.

You are going to be highly successful in this journey. You are already making lifestyle modifications, eliminating addictive trigger foods, and working on the "mind games", reframing your food decisions into healthy choices and delay of gratification. Surgery is a tool - not a magic bullet. YOU are working the magic NOW! Great job! I really look forward to watching your progress and success!

Transfer the addiction into something you are passionate about. Just as long as it isn't drinking, smoking, gambling, or shopping! As stated, walking, hand crafts, sewing, puzzle, or even sipping warm tea. It's best if you do something that keeps your hands busy so you can't eat at the same time. TV is not a good idea if you are a muncher. I found that researching and adapting recipes was helpful. I was thinking about food, but in a good way. I made up lots of recipe cards and figured out the macros for each. This also helped me plan some "less boring" meals.

As long as we learn from mistakes, we are doing great! I never would have explored better hydration options for exercise, had I not salt binged on french fries and gotten sick!

Sometimes I tally the percentage of OW or MO people in a room or in a store. Sure enough - right at the national average of 2/3. I never really noticed the numbers before - mainly because I was so worried about being the fat girl in the room. But actually, 2/3 of the population was right there with me. What a gift we have been given in WLS. Such a second chance at life. May we never take it for granted.

One of the biggest life savers ever for me what finding out several years ago that I absolutely cannot tolerate gluten in any amount - not even a communion wafer. My joints immediately swell, and I get nausea, diarrhea, abd pain. At first this felt like a curse - no wheat, rye, or barley of any kind. Avoid all cross contamination - like oats that have been processed in contaminated machinery. No Italian restaurants, no more delicious breads, no more crackers, bagels, pita chips, cookies, cake, pie, donuts, brownies, coffee cake, or any variety of goodies brought into work. BUT it is actually one of the greatest blessings ever - from what it has saved me from! Tens of thousands of calories! Same with sugar! Making sugar a forbidden food is actually a real blessing, as it saves us from most everything we shouldn't have anyway! We just have to draw the line in the sand and say, "Not for me!" Everyone else can gain weight over the holidays, but this is our time to shine! We can actually lose some pounds if we stick to our guns. We can also make some healthy alternatives for ourselves - treats we can enjoy without undermining all our fantastic progress. I think a big key is the ability to delay gratification. If we can say to ourselves, "I don't need to eat that sweet now, but I can have _________ when I get home," it can save us. Delayed gratification is a mature and healthy response to any form of temptation, and we get the chance to cultivate it bigtime during the holidays! Hang in there! We can do this!

I had a GREAT bike ride today - the best ever! My 50 mile "race" is coming up on Saturday, and today was the last chance for me to tweak my fluid and nutrition for the event. I think I finally found the magic bullet - at least for me. I started hydrating well the day before and early this morning. Then I ate a big bowl of cooked whole grain cereal with soy milk. Instead of plain water, I used a drink called BodyArmor (70 calories, 18 carbs, with electrolytes) - about 75% with 25% water in my drink bottles. I also changed my food bars from RX bars to plant based Think Thin bars (230 cal, 28 carbs, 13 protein.) I felt great and was not starving and craving salt afterward. I had my best mph time and at one point I felt like I could have gone 100 miles - like my legs were machines! Ha! Ha! Anyway, I have also really stuck with plant based whole foods this week - no animal protein at all, and this may also have helped, as the research does indicate that blood vessels are more open and there is better circulation to the muscles when animal proteins are eliminated. So that's my story and I'm sticking with it - at least until after the race on Saturday. Then we'll probably go out for Mexican food ! (Topopo salad for me with black beans instead of chicken. ) I am soooo happy to have found a formula that seems to work.