SummerTimeGirl

Thank you!! I have been taking the ones mentioned on this site, ProCare Health. I have been taking the ones with 45mg of iron. They've also been the most reasonably priced, IMO, too. https://procarenow.com/products/bariatric-multivitamin/

UPDATE: So I had my 6 month check up with my surgeon today. He was happy with all my progress and says that I'm ahead of the game despite being in a current stall and not having lost anything since October 25th. He said he feels it has all to do with my hormones being wacky right now and expects I will start losing again soon. Although he did say that I should still keep an eye on my water intake and diet to make sure they aren't the culprit or contributing in any way. Told him about my hair loss and he said it will eventually stop and for now to add in more protein. That that should help greatly. He said I could try biotin but in his opinion, he doesn't really think it works. I told him I agreed because I used to take it years ago and didn't notice any difference either. At least for me. He told me my numbers were excellent! And he particularly was happy to see my Vitamin D levels. He said that is almost always an issues with all his patients and that I am actually an odd one when it comes to that as my level is perfect. LOL I said I guess it's the good vitamin I'm taking that has me good with everything. He said yes, and to keep taking it. We also discussed the missed periods and he thinks that's also due to the large amount of weight loss/hormones. Especially since I am not peri-menopausal or menopausal. And wouldn't you know it, a few hours after seeing him I finally got it. SMH So that's that. All seems ok still. Just gonna wait on this period to come and go and HOPEFULLY some more weight will drop.

October 25th was my last lowest weigh in of 241.2 lbs (dang scale hasn't been below since). So, roughly 69 lbs since surgery and 87 total since March. And I believe it was last month when I finally tried on a new pair of jeans in the store. The size was a 20! They fit good so I bought them! I used to wear a 26/28 and some of my other jeans were even size 30's! So that was nice to FINALLY fit in something smaller as I've been slumming around since surgery in my old big clothes (mostly cotton capris). LOL I've tried several thrift stores for clothes to hold me over in-between so that I don't have to waste to much money but I haven't been lucky in that department. So for now I have those newer jeans and like 3 different pairs of leggins from Torrid. Not getting anything else until I lose more. LOL I also fit into a lot of older shirts that were too small when I was bigger so they too will suffice for now.

UPDATE: So I got my test results back. Doc had me get several tests to check and see if I was perimenopause or menopause and if maybe that could be the reason I am almost 4 weeks late with my period. Turns out he said I'm most definitely NOT menopausal or even close to perimenopause, which is a shock considering I'm 49. But yeah, that's that. He said if things don't level out soon to see my GYN. I think even more now with those results that this is most definitely tied to me cutting my Metformin in half. Bleh!

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Yeah, I get it but I didn't expect it to slow this much so soon. And yes, I spoke to my surgeons office today as I'm still not sure if this period issue is due to the surgery or something else. Either way when I asked him if there was a test for me to take to test my hormone levels he suggested I contact my regular doc for that as he was unsure about what exactly should be ordered. So I did contact my family doc and he has ordered several tests to be done. He's worried it's gonna be hard to nail down exactly what is going on (if the tests show nothing outright) due to the amount of weight I've lost/surgery and possibly the cut in Metformin. But we shall see. I get the blood work done on Friday and he said he'll call me again after the results come in. Yes, I actually do feel more hungry (at times and depending on what I'm eating) but I don't think I'm making bad choices when it comes to my food. Eating the same type of stuff I always have just eating a lil more of it when I'm extra hungry, as I described above. I agree I need to do spot checks and in fact I started monitoring again several days ago to see if I'm over eating too much or not getting enough protein in. As for water, I know I at least get in 50 oz a day (cause I drink at least one of my 36 oz bottles and 2, 12 oz cups of coffee each day) and some times more (water) so not incredibly bad or off on that.

UPDATE: So just about 6 months out for me now. Just wanted to make note of some things. My lowest weight thus far was 241.2 and that was on October 25th!! I have not lost anything since then and in fact, have been weighing in consistently around 248/249 since. Now I know this happened to me back in October, I think, but yeah, VERY frustrating!! Why the 7+lb difference? I know, I know, could be water weight, hormones, etc. But it sucks to not see the scale move DOWN in so long. I hate this back and forth/up and down thing with the weight cause I feel like it's now taking a whole month just to lose a few pounds when it used to be 10-15lbs a month I'd be losing, at least! I also only lost 1.75 inches last month which also sucks. Especially when previous months had me losing 7 or more inches at a time. My last regular doctors appointment was Sept 13th. At that time he cut my Metformin down in half. Which I am happy about. HOWEVER, when I was first put on it 10 years ago it was to help my Insulin Resistance and my PCOS. My endocrinologist said, while it's normally prescribed for diabetics, it also helps people with those issues which is why he gave it to me. And it did regulate me all that time. So fast forward to this Sept when it was cut in half, and now I have not had a period since Sept. 17th!!! Not sure if it's due to the cut in that medication or if I'm maybe pre menopause or due to the surgery. Not sure. Weird thing is I'm crampy and all bloated like I would be had I had my period and that's very annoying too. And finally, I feel like I'm suddenly able to eat more food than I originally was. I guess that's normal? At least I hope it is. But for instance, I used to be able to eat a turkey sausage, egg and cheese on a bagel thin for breakfast and have about 1/4 of it left at the end. Now I can eat the entire thing. Or only one egg and half a turkey sausage patty now I can eat two eggs and maybe a half of patty/sometimes the whole thing. I used to be able to eat only 3/4 small wings, now I can eat like 6 or 8. I'm hoping this is ok and not due to me stretching out my pouch. I wonder too if my slight gain/water retention/whatever is due to me now consuming more carbs and some foods with sugar? I had previously stayed away from those things but my nutritionist said not to. To add in more variety and varied foods and even ones I used to stay away from as long as I'm only having a serving of said foods. And I do. But funny how now I'm NOT losing regularly since adding in things like bagel thins, quinoa, brown rice, a small handful of Goldfish Crackers here and there, Whole Wheat Saltines, etc. Not sure what's happening. Very frustrating as I did NOT expect things to slow down ALREADY this soon out. I have not been following closely how much protein I've been getting in or my water intake. So one or both of those could also be contributing too but I'm not sure. Maybe it's time to crack down again? I don't know. I don't feel like I'm really doing anything off plan or out of control. Who knows.

Thanks so much and best of luck to you too!!!

I sure do hope it goes back to normal eventually. I don't like not knowing when it's coming nor this extreme bloatedness I'm experiencing. I swear I'm retaining like 8lbs of water weight right now. It's nuts. And of course I'm no longer on my prescribed water pill (that went with my BP pill) so no help there either. Ugh!

I have. I mean for me it was not bad being what it is and having zero everything. LOL I only use a little bit anyway if and when I do use dressing so definitely doable. But everyone is different. But to be honest, if I were to only eat salads and require dressing very only every now and then or even once or twice a week, I'd probably just get a lite version from the supermarket or even the regular one. I doubt using so little of it so infrequently would be an issue.

Have you tried Walden Farms Dressings? https://www.waldenfarms.com/

I figured at almost 6 months out this would no longer be an issue/related to the surgery. It just seems awfully strange that this happened right after I cut the Metformin dose in half. I wonder if there is something I can get that will normalize my period without actually going on the pill. I'm so out of the loop when it comes to that sort of thing. LOL

So I'm down 69 lbs since surgery (may 19th), 87 lbs total since March 1st. Feel like things are slowing down for some reason. Could be lack of protein and/or water periodically. I try to be good every day and do what I need to but it doesn't always go as planned but at least I know the WHY when this happens. Just have to get better at doing the right thing. I am, however, still ahead of where my surgeon said I should be for this far in. He said at 9 months out I should weight between 217 & 245. So far my lowest has been 241. So yeah, ahead some so I think I'm doing ok. I still walk every day but have been slacking in the lifting weights department. I really need to get my butt in gear again with that. Otherwise, all is well. Still no aversions to any foods I have tried. And no issues otherwise. I have my 6 month check up next month and another full blood work up so that will be interesting. Oh, one last thing. I was put on metformin like 10 years ago to help with my insulin resistance and PCOS. My endocrinologist said that it would help greatly with keeping me regular when it came to my period. Something that was never regularly before that. And it did. Well, during my last doc appointment he halved my metformin and now it's been 44 days since I last had a period. It's really disappointing because I loved knowing when it was coming and it always did between day 28 and 33 and it would be gone in like 4 days. So, not sure if that too is having an affect on my slowed down weight loss either (hormones being out of whack?). Who knows. But that's really the only odd or off thing that has happened to me since surgery. Glad to hear everyone is doing well.

So I've been taking the ProCare Health One A Day Vitamin with 45 mg of Iron for probably about a month now. In the beginning I had no issues with them (whether I had food in my stomach or not) but for the last week or two I feel nauseous for like 15 min or more after taking them. To be fair I don't always have something in my stomach when taking them so that's understandable, but many times I at least have some fruit or an egg before taking it in the am. Just wondering if anyone else has issues too? What do you eat before taking it? I wonder if I should just switch to taking it after dinner instead. After I've eaten something of more substance? Not sure why it was fine initially and now I'm having issues.

Yup. Totally normal. That feeling for me went away around week 3.

Yup. I remember having the same concern and others told me that with puree it kinda just goes through you and that I would eventually feel the restriction once you get onto more solid foods. And it did. You will too.

Hang in there. It gets better. My nutritionist and surgeon said from the get go that in the very beginning I may not get all the protein in that I'm supposed to and that that was normal. Gradually I was able to get more in and by the time I hit soft food stage, I was no longer relying on protein powders or shakes for my protein because I was getting enough in with food! I think in short time you will be fine and not need those things either. The first month or two may be iffy but I doubt that will be the norm for you forever. You're still early in the game and things change. Hang in there and see what new ways you can get your protein in come your next phase. You are still way early in the game. As for the hair, I was feeling so confidant I wasn't gonna be one to lose mine because I made it to about the beginning of month 4 and no hair loss really. A lil, not much. HOWEVER, here I am month 5 and it's falling out like crazy. But, not enough to create baldness or anything. I've read that this is normal and that your other organs start demanding more of the nutrients and vitamins and so your hair temporarily goes into a dormant stage but that it doesn't last too long and it will start growing again. So, while it does suck I will just wait and see how things play out. I go to my surgeon in Nov and at that time he will be testing all sorts of vitamin and mineral levels. So, if things are too crazy I'm sure he will see it and we will adjust accordingly. But yeah, you may experience this too like many of us but it gets better and things do improve.

I'm 5 months out now and my taste buds never changed. I can still eat all the things I used to and more (more meaning I now eat fruit, rice, whole wheat, etc. things I used to avoid because it made me gain or stall in my diet).

I can't even believe people would have the damn audacity to even utter such words. I'm sorry you've had to go through that and don't even know what else to say. SMH

UPDATE: Just wanted to drop an update on my monthly measurements. I lost another 10.7 inches this past month!! Which brings my total since surgery up to 45.5 inches lost total! Total loss for each area I measure are as follows: L. Thigh: 3 R. Thigh: 3.5 L. Calf: 2 R. Calf: 1.5 L. Ankle: .75 R. Ankle: .5 L. Bicep: 3 R. Bicep: 2.75 L. Forearm: 2 R. Forearm: 2 L. Wrist: .75 R. Wrist: 1 Neck: 1.25 Breasts: 5 Hips: 8 Waist: 9.5 Really Happy with the progress so far!

Strange, right? But yeah, I do believe it was because I didn't have enough food in my stomach when this was happening. I have since made it a point to make sure that I do and haven't had issues since.

So I have experienced some good NSV's like many of you during these past few months. Stuff like fitting in restaurant booths better, fitting clothes better, not having to worry so much about weight limits on certain things, the car seatbelt not making that dreaded sound cause it was pulled out too far.........lol.......etc. But this weekend I had something else happen that took me by surprise. So since surgery on May 19th I lost 62 lbs and since March the total is 81 lbsl! Even though those numbers sound good and I can see some changes in me, whenever my husband says stuff like, "Wow, I can't believe how thin you've gotten!" etc. I always reply with how I don't see it and how I still have lots to go. He always says I don't give myself enough credit, etc. Anyway, this weekend we were out and about and we decided to stop and have lunch and as I approached the restaurant door, I was taken aback by the figure/person I saw in the reflection. It was almost as if I didn't recognize myself for a split second. It was strange. I usually wear my old baggy clothes still but this day I decided to wear leggins that actually fit and were NOT baggy, I had my heel boots on, a nice sweater, etc. I was feeling really good about myself. Well, the next day we were out again visiting a lake/park. This particular lake has different boat rentals like kayaks, canoes, etc. Things I could never do cause of my weight. So we went inside to inquire and, low and behold, I was actually UNDER the weight limit!!! I was so happy I could barely contain my excitement!! So we walked outside, me in front of my husband, and he again commented on my weight loss and how I've been looking and so I told him to take a few full body pics of me so that I could see what he sees. He took one of the front and back. Now, taking a photo of my whole body has always been a HUGE NO NO and everyone knows it so I was scared to see the results. Well when I looked at the pictures I actually burst into tears!!! It was such an unexpected reaction from me that it caught us both off guard. My husband was asking and hoping they were tears of happiness and I told him YES! That it was the first time in decades that I could actually stomach seeing a photo of myself that I was Ok with. I cried some more and hubby comforted me and told me how proud he was of how well I was doing and how happy he was that the surgery was finally helping me lose weight when so many things I tried never did. He said he was happy I was getting healthy, that I was off some medication, and my labs were coming back great. He also reaffirmed that my weight was NEVER an issue for him and that he loved me always, no matter how big or small I am and I told him that I always knew that but that it was always an issue for me. Which is why I had the surgery. I guess it was the combo of the catching a glimpse of myself in the reflection, the better fitting clothes, learning I can now kayak and then seeing myself in the photos that it just really hit me. I have a ways to go still, like I always tell him, but I am FINALLY starting to feel happy with what I am seeing. It feels really good!!

Yes, they (stalls) definitely seem to be common and sometimes for no reason at all. I just came out of a 4 week stall and I believe this time it was due to water retention. Not sure why as I haven't eaten off plan or anything different. I thought it was maybe due to my period but that wouldn't explain it lasting all month long. Make sure you're on plan, eating enough protein, enough calories, and drinking enough water (think lack of water was partially my problem this time around.......before I had a stall and I think it was due to lack of protein so always check yourself). Best of luck! Hang in there!

So there have been 3 occasions I had a drink(s) since May (surgery). The first time I mixed diet orange soda with some red wine and sipped that Solo cup of it for over an hour and didn't feel a thing. Maybe because I took so long to drink it? A few weekends ago hubby and I checked out a new cider place and they had flights which is 4, 4 oz pours. We were there for about an hour and a half and those I felt. But no faster or slower than before surgery. Last weekend I had a solo cup of a wine from a nearby winery and after a few sips of that I could feel it but was not buzzed really and definitely not drunk. LOL I'm thinking if it seems to hit most people faster it MAY be because they are smaller in size/weight and/or it has been a while since they even had a drink. Either way I'm not so afraid to have a drink now when I feel like it. I do it so infrequently that I'm not gonna not have one if I want one.

Thanks!