Caltania

Pretty early on I was cleared to have sugar free candies or cough drops, though as other users have suggested, you may not want to have too many at any given time, since they can cause some digestive upset if you have too much at once... But they're great for the occasional mouth distraction!

Wow, that's really a bit of an insensitive thing for that person to have said! Every person is going to lose weight differently, and sometimes for reasons out of their control... I'm just glad you are doing so well, keep it up! It will get easier to meet those intake goals before you know it!

I hope it helps too! I'm really glad it's been such a smooth road for you so far, that's wonderful!

Mine was a miscarriage... Of course, I'll never know what, if anything, caused it, but it made me realize that, if I want to have a kid and give that kid the best chance of success in life, I needed to fix my own health first.

Day 14 gratitude - I am probably most grateful I was rejected by the person I was pursuing before I met my SO. Man, would that not have been a good match... whereas my husband complements me about as perfectly as one can. It really worked out for the best, as much as it hurt at the time.

That's awesome Lynda, congrats!! Keep up the awesome work, and the scale will catch up too!

I'm 5 months post-op, and I have hit several plateaus in that time, including a couple of long ones. A couple of things you can try... make sure your water intake is where it needs to be, in case you're dehydrated. You can try mixing up your physical activity, especially if you tend to do the same thing every day (I was doing mostly walking, but have had to start mixing it up a little more). Another thing you can do, if you haven't started it yet, is to start tracking measurements. I feel a little better about my plateaus when I can see that, although my weight hasn't budged, I've lost a couple more inches in various places 🙂 Non-scale victories in general are an excellent help when in a plateau. Most importantly, don't give up on your healthy habits! If you get frustrated and start to adopt your old habits, you have a pretty good idea of what will happen to your weight 😞 Hang in there! And keep us posted!

Yeah, chic is definitely a good way to describe that area! I only live a few miles away from it, so I drive through Monona quite frequently. It's so lovely there! I wish I'd grown up in Madison (my hometown leaves a fair bit to be desired...), but I'm very grateful to have discovered it as an adult at least!

Yep, I can relate to this as well! I've been plateaued for about 2 months, with a 5 lb dip in the middle (so I guess two separate, consecutive plateaus?) But - I've lost 2 more inches total across my body in the last month, despite very little change to my weight. So bear in mind that you may be gaining muscle (as much as that sounds like just one of those things people say during a plateau to make you feel better!) Most importantly... don't let the plateau derail you! If you stop walking, and start giving in to your cravings frequently, then you know for sure what is going to happen - the plateau will break, but in the opposite direction. Keep up with your water intake, keep up with your steps, and maybe add in something new and fun. Focus on non-scale victories. You've totally got this! (We both do!) Hang in there!

I've mostly been plateaued for the last two months, with the exception of about a 5 lb drop in the middle. It's really frustrating!! I feel your pain. But I took a new set of measurements yesterday, and I lost another 2 inches across various parts of my body over the last month, despite only weighing about 3 lbs less than my corresponding weigh in. So I'm going to believe that I'm losing less because I'm gaining more muscle as I lose the fat 🙂 The plateaus will pass - for both of us! Keep up the good work!

Day 13 gratitude: I'm going to go with spring, because it (usually) has stopped snowing and dropping below freezing, and it isn't yet so hot that I'm desperate for air conditioning Plus it's also so pretty! Though fall is my favorite for sheer beauty, especially in these parts... As far as my hair - I miss it 😞 I've probably lost somewhere between a third and a half of my hair since having the surgery, though my hairdresser says it's already starting to grow back. I miss my thick head of hair, but it was well worth the cost!

I'm a few days behind... time to catch up on my gratitude! Day 9 gratitude: Without question, it was China (although I haven't done much international travel, so someday this could change!) I was with my best friend when she adopted her son. It was a life changing experience in so many ways. Day 10 gratitude: An odd choice, but I am grateful for video games. Even though my choices were really limited in early childhood (Atari!), I actually learned a lot of very useful life skills from video games, and bringing that love into adulthood helped me form some of the friendships I have today. Day 11 gratitude: Another odd choice, but probably the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The community around the show helped me through my difficult teen years, and as an adult, I still find that movie worming its way in to my life. Runners up would probably be the two movies I quote most often, Airplane! and Spaceballs Day 12 gratitude: 3 people, huh? If I could only choose three, I guess I'd have to say my husband, my mother, and my best friend. B-Side Question: What would you tell past/future you if you could? I would tell past me to hang in there and to try to care much less what other people think. B-Side Question: How has your S/O been handling all of the changes since WLS? Like a champ, though it helps that he's also probably having WLS himself next year, so he's acutely aware of pretty much all things related to it, good and bad.

I adore Madison. I'm an east coast transplant, and I still go back there to visit, but the only thing that would ever make me leave Madison is the cold 🌨️ Especially as I continue to shed pounds from my surgery... brrrr.

I'm wishing you the best of luck as you go through your bypass today!! 🤗

I'm not used to seeing so much Wisconsin in one thread! I just drove through Tomah this weekend, but then again, I live in Madison, so it's not terribly surprising...

I got approved for decaf pretty early on, though I wasn't approved for caffeinated until maybe about 3 months, because there was too much risk that I couldn't get in enough hydrating fluids to counteract the caffeine. Now I can drink caffeinated coffee, but I need to be prepared to drink an equivalent amount of water to balance it in addition to all the hydration I normally get in. I also have to be careful what I add to it so I'm not drinking too many of my calories.

I had RNY and my weight loss was almost exactly the same as yours (about 17 lbs), but my SW the day of surgery was higher (286.6). It will continue to come off... hang in there, and keep doing what you're doing!

Day 8 gratitude: This is a tough one... I think my response is similar to ms.sss, except I have two events, one from two years ago, and another from about two decades ago They were the toughest two things I've ever been through, but I'm thankful that I've been through them, because they shaped me into the person that I am today... and I feel like that person is pretty awesome 😉 Also, day 8 and still going strong! I'm really grateful for this challenge - it's helping me stay on track!

Day 7 gratitude: I can only pick one?!? 😄 I looked through my book list and choosing a favorite is pretty literally impossible. I'm going to narrow it down to one series - The Dark Tower, by Stephen King. It's a series I try to re-read every 5-10 years, and it's one of the few I still own in print.

I've been a big fan of Phormula-1, although I found I liked fewer flavors post-op than I did pre-op. It's whey protein isolate, and it's surprisingly tasty. I'm a fan of the Vanilla Milkshake and Chocolate Milkshake varieties. I wanted to love the fruity Syntrax flavors, and I wanted to love the savory Unjury flavors, but none of them worked for me 😞 (I do like Unjury's chocolatey flavors though!)

Hi Issy, I can only speak to some of your comments - I had my surgery here in the states, and by some miracle, my insurance <i>finally</i> started covering WLS last year. I'm just about 5 months out from my surgery, and I have zero regrets about doing it, despite being warned by some that I might experience "buyer's remorse". My journey hasn't been without its bumps... my pre-op program was pretty rigorous, and they expect a lot out of you, but it was well worth it, since it prepared me so thoroughly. After the surgery there were very few surprises. I'd say to make sure you educate yourself as well as possible to know what you're in for (and I get the impression you've already done quite a bit of research!) As far as hair... I will admit, I've lost a ton of hair 😞 I had fairly thick hair before the surgery, and it's stunningly thin now - but my hairdresser says it's already starting to grow back. I don't know that every single person regrows their hair, but I think it's much more common than not for it to grow back. I've recently taken to wearing hats, and I get lots of compliments on my hats now, so it's a compromise I can work with Oh, and as far as planes... I've flown lots of times, and the only issues I've ever really had were my own anxieties about how I fit into the seats 😞 I found I could discretely ask flight attendants for seatbelt extenders and that helped! But as far as safety, I've always felt perfectly safe, even on a 12 hour flight (though let me tell you, that was a LONG day...) I hope some of this helps - keep us posted on your journey!

Duplicate, sorry!

Duplicate, sorry!

This! Most of the positive comments from people in my life are well-intentioned, but I still don't want the extra attention... And also, oddly enough, I wasn't mentally ready to have the surgery until I was comfortable with the way I looked before I started losing weight! I worry I won't like my post-op body as much as my pre-op body...

Day 6 gratitude: I'm grateful for the changing seasons... and, most days, I'm grateful to live where I can see it! Though given that I'm starting to get cold all the time, these 30 degree temps this week are killing me... ❄️ B-Side Question: Anyone/thing pushes your buttons too easily? Lots of things push my buttons, but I don't know whether they're pushed too easily... they feel fairly appropriately pushed, even if my quirks are my own! I'm sensitive to a lot of noises (for anyone familiar with the term misophonia, that seems to apply to me), so any triggering sound sends me running to my headphones or ear plugs... 😔