pintsizedmallrat

I understand them not wanting to change your CHAIR, but the cushion that the other poster mentioned is not attached in any way, is it a situation where you could purchase your own chair pad and just bring it to work with you? My workplace can be a bit draconian about that sort of thing but they've never said anything about the cushion because I brought it in myself.

It'll take a few days but you will be able to move. You're doing everything you should be doing, but just be gentle with yourself. You just had major surgery and if something hurts or makes you feel unsafe or nervous you should listen to your body.

This is a big part of it for me, too: I am open about how I lost the weight because I too deal with a lot of busybodies and didn't want them starting the narrative that I had an eating disorder or was on drugs, because that is absolutely what they would do.

I don't know if this is an across-the-board thing or not but the "projected weight loss" I was given by my doctor was VERY conservative. They expected me to end up between 135 and 145. I started at 245 and for someone my height, 140 would have still had me in the "obese" category. I weigh 95 pounds as of this morning. It's going to be pretty dependent on your height, your starting weight, your fitness level, your understanding of nutrition and your body's overall unique system...but people can and do absolutely blow right pass the initial number their doctor says. I think they're trying to be realistic, but I remember feeling that way when they gave me that number, like, "That's it? I'm going go through all this and still have to have a conversation with my GP about what we're going to do about my weight every time?"

I don't know how attached you are that it must be vanilla, but their Fruity Cereal flavor is by far my favorite. It tastes like Froot Loops and milk.

It's probably because it is lower in vitamins and minerals; I don't know if it's a "forbidden" kind of thing or maybe a gentler "Hey if you're going to have a salad choose darker greens that offer more micronutrients because iceberg is basically crunchy water." Iceberg isn't going to hurt you, it just would probably be better to choose something like spinach or spring mix because those greens contain iron and calcium, something we bariatric folks often struggle to get enough of.

I reintroduced raw vegetables and nuts on my surgeon's schedule at 3 months, which was the last "salad ingredient" I was restricted from eating. I've never had an issue with salads not agreeing with me; it's all heavy carbs that give me trouble (potatoes, rice, pasta).

I am 22 months PO, I am 40 and fair-skinned and my scars are minimal enough I have to look for them. The only prominent scar on my abdomen is from 2014 when I had my gallbladder removed.

AlaniNu's vanilla is pretty great and it's lower in calories than a lot of other popular shakes.

Most medications that regulate the appetite can have an effect on the brain and mood; when you take away someone's coping mechanism/dopamine source (a lot of overweight/obese people self-medicate depression and other demons with food), it makes those feelings you were stuffing down come roaring back to the forefront. If anything this is a cautionary warning that those who use it who struggle with their mental health should probably be under the care of a professional therapist or psychologist during their treatment with this medication.

Could be water weight, could be hormones, could be the day of the week, could just be...your turn to have a minor setback. You'll have some fluctuation here and there and as you lose more and the weight loss slows, you may notice it more. This is not a "failure" and it's destructive to frame it that way to yourself. It's part of the process. It's going to be ok. Don't beat yourself up. Don't sabotage yourself. Just keep going.

Maintaining is half the battle when you're traveling; unless this is a trip that is going to last for months, just get back on track when you get home. There's nothing you can do in a week that can't be undone.

I don't have children, so my opinion may not be valid or desired here...but considering I was headed toward being able to barely move by my mid-40s and potentially dying from a heart attack or stroke in my 50's, my motivation for having the surgery was 100% based on extending my life. If I had done nothing, my husband and loved ones were going to be left alone within 20 years. Full disclosure: I desired children. I was unable to have them. I've made peace with this.

Take a look at Warby Parker; they have a lot of frames that are specifically for narrow faces. They're the only brand for adults I've found a lot of choices; the frames I currently have are actually children's frames because I have the same problem.

Focus on what the procedure will do for your health; it sounds like you're literally doing this to improve your quality of life and even save it. Excess skin is not going to harm you in most cases. You'll have the rest of your extended life to worry about that.

I basically live in sports bras...if you want something that resembles a "normal bra" I would seek out styles labeled as minimizers because they offer a small amount of compression.

I wouldn't let getting a different type of procedure dictate your success; I have a sleeve and the primary problem I have is that I can't STOP losing.

If this gives you much hope, my sleep apnea was GONE by the time I reached the 3-4 month mark after my procedure

This is a phenomenon I refer to as the "One A$$hole Rule"...somebody did it, now we've all got to be told not to LOL

I feel like the TL;DR is don't microwave the crap out of your food so that it becomes dry, which is really good advice for anyone.

I still have to in order to meet my protein goals and I'm 21 months out. My capacity is quite a bit lower than most people at the stage I'm at. I also quite frankly don't really like meat all that much, so I supplement in order to be able to eat more salads/veggies. I do usually have a bar/shake/some other protein infused item (I really like the Legendary pastries, 180 calories and 20g of protein!).

I don't remember being told not to microwave things--my goodness, I ate so slow right after the procedure that everything I ate would have been stone cold without being able to reheat my food! That's a new one.

You are both very recent surgeries, and your body is still healing and adjusting to things like, for instance, the hormonal changes and the changes in your fluid consumption, etc. (and @kla7403 64 pounds especially on a 5'2" person is a LOT! Give yourself the credit you deserve!)

I regretted the surgery HARD at where you are. I was miserable. Now, I'd do it again in a heartbeat even remembering the misery. The only way out is through. Stay strong, stay the course, know that other people have experienced exactly what you are now and you are not alone. I know it's maybe one of the most difficult things you've ever done (it was for me). It's going to be OK. You'll get through this.

SPOT. ON. Bravo for explaining this better than I could.