SleeveToBypass2023

I've never heard of hot yoga. I want to start either yoga or pilates but I would need the waaaaay beginners stuff lol I'm not flexible or limber AT ALL. But I've heard such good things about both, and I was told yoga would be really good on my rest days, so there's that....

Hi!!! Why have I never seen you on here before? We have so much in common. I'm Wiccan, my son has adhd, autism, and ptsd. I'm not specifically physically disabled but I have systemic lupus and MS, so that causes A LOT of physical and emotional issues. It helps that the guilty feeling isn't just me. It still annoys me, but I'm glad it's not some crazy head trip that only I'm on lol

I hit my original goal of 200 and moved it to 195. I just hit my next goal of 195 and moved it to 190. Let's see how long it takes me to hit 190 now!!!! The question is, will I actually hit my secret goal??!?!

Awesome, thanks!!

😅😂🤣 omg that comment was literally EVERYTHING!!!!

For me, the head hunger never went away after both my surgeries. I also never lost my real hunger at all, so I had A LOT of work to do to retrain my brain. I eat 3 meals and 1-2 snacks per day. I know I'm eating enough, so when the urge to eat a specific food hits, or the desire to eat outside of those specific meals, I know I'm not actually hungry. My old habits are creeping in. I was a grazer as well as a binge eater. I was able to eat more than most men I know. In 1 sitting, I ate an appetizer, a 24oz porter steak with 2 sides, and a dessert in full by myself. That was on top of a full breakfast of 4 eggs, 2 sausage patties, 8 pieces of bacon, and 2 hashbrowns, a lunch of 2 roastbeef and cheese sandwiches that also had bacon, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes on them, and multiple snacks throughout the day. If I craved it, I ate it. If I was bored, I ate. If something sounded good from a commercial or even just a conversation, I ate it. I rewarded myself for things with food. Everything in my life revolved around food. Had a bad day? Food. Had a good day? Food. Had an argument with someone? Food. Kids or hubby drove me nuts? Food. So learning that food was necessary to live but not necessary to be happy and fulfilled was a big deal. That took me the longest. I need food to fuel my body to allow me to live the life I want, but it's not the thing that drives me or controls my happiness anymore. It's just fuel. No more, no less. Once you learn that lesson, it becomes easier. Not easy, because the head hunger is always there in some form. But ignoring it and taking stock of your body's actual needs becomes easier.

I had so much pain after my sleeve. I was miserable for the first 2 weeks. I couldn't meet my fluid intake because I couldn't tolerate cold liquids at all. I was living on my pain meds and later tylenol. So I completely feel you on this. If your surgeon already knows how you're doing and says you're fine, then there's not a lot you can do. You can call them back and tell them the same stuff again (emphasize that it was initially managed but now it's not) but I'm guessing they'll tell you the same things they said last time. Sleeping propped up or in a recliner was my saving grace. I, too, am a side sleeper so finding a comfortable position the first 2 weeks was really tough. Also, I was falling asleep all the time in the beginning, so that made it worse. That's normal (sleeping a ton in the beginning) so don't worry about that. The only thing that's not negotiable (in my eyes) is the multivitamin. You absolutely HAVE to have it. If you can't tolerate the one you have, find a liquid one or chewable one in a flavor you might like better. While not preferred, maybe even gummies (they have yummy flavors, and that might help in the beginning). A capsule might also help since they have no flavor at all. Tablets can be rough in the beginning due to size and flavor. If the premade shakes are too much for you at times, try an unflavored protein shake powder. Add it to milk (I personally do almond milk) and then add a non sugar sweetener to taste (I use monk fruit sweetener because I hate Stevia). Protein and fluids are the absolute MOST important things right now (next to the multivitamin). It's ok to not hit the goals in the beginning, but you want to get as close as you can. Instead of regular broth, try different flavors of bone broth (richer taste and higher protein amounts). Try different shake flavors. Taste buds absolutely change after the surgery, so it's normal to not like the flavors you loved pre surgery (that's why you shouldn't stock up before the surgery). I also got a lot of the sugar free water flavoring powders in different flavors (you can get them at any grocery store) which gave me variety when getting in my fluids (I still use them now because I despise plain water).

While 2 scoops of icecream 3 days before surgery won't cancel your surgery, you definitely don't want to do that again. Your stomach need to not have the solids in it, especially this close to surgery, because of the anesthesia. If you have food in your system, it can cause dangerous problems for the surgery. You also want to think about low to no sugar icecream for after the surgery. I don't eat sugar and I am still able to have it. I get Rebel icecream from WalMart. Very low to no sugar, lactose free, very low to no carbs, low calories, absolutely delicious. My favorite flavors are coffee chip, butter pecan, and orange cream. My husband's are birthday cake, triple chocolate, and cherry something (I can't remember the name). They have other flavors, too. One thing you want to remember, and this really helps me stick to my diet, is there are delicious, healthy, compliant alternatives to the things we love. Icecream, bread, bagels, pizza, cinnamon buns, chicken nuggets, etc... There are ways to make good choices, but you have to want to make them. Being compliant, particularly post surgery, is so so important. WalMart, SafeWay, and Kroger brand stores (Krogers, Fry's, King Soopers, etc) have them. Look for Real Good Foods, Legendary foods, and Atkins.

I'm almost there!!! Holy...freaking...crap!!! First goal: 200 pounds - HIT IT!!! 2nd goal: 195 pounds - HIT IT!! 3rd goal: 190 - ALMOST THERE!!!

I wonder if we'll ever get used to it. I know I'm not yet lol

I bought a pair of green Calvin Klein capris in size 14, with no give, no elastic, no stretch at all anywhere. They weren't fitting yet (mostly in the stomach area, pre-hysterectomy), so I kind of hid them in the back of the closet. Today I pulled them out and tried them on and OMG they fit PERFECTLY!!! I actually cried. I got them at our local thrift store here called The Arc (it's my favorite and I love it so much) and just never had the chance to wear them until literally right now. I am still shocked that I'm in an actual, legit size 14. I was a size 30 at my highest weight, and this just absolutely BLOWS MY MIND. I had to clean out my closet AGAIN and get rid of the size 18 and 16 stuff and the last of my 2x tops (they're listed on Facebook Marketplace). I suspect once I get my skin surgeries and Tummy Tuck, I'll be in a size 12. HOW is this my life now???? lol

I'm almost there!!! Holy...freaking...crap!!! First goal: 200 pounds - HIT IT!!! 2nd goal: 195 pounds - HIT IT!! 3rd goal: 190 - ALMOST THERE!!!

I'm on HRT and I have the patch (Climera) and it's amazing. I was put on it because the patch gets in the blood stream but avoids the kidneys, liver, and GI system. As for the rest of your pills, I would say if you can cut them, do that. That's what I did after both my surgeries and it really helped. Crushing them is just nasty. I did it for a week and couldn't stand it and switched to cutting them into small pieces. I'll be super honest, I took my pills all together and never had an issue as long as they were small. There was just no way I was taking them 1 or 2 at a time. It would have taken me all day!!!

I do both. I take long walks up hills and around a lake and even up rocky paths to the waterfall. You can't beat a beautiful breeze, nature, water, it's fantastic. Indoors is more for my actual working out. Weights, core and strength training, etc... 2 totally different beasts that do different things.

Like I said, 2 weeks is standard, but the door is open to longer if needed. Some people take longer if they personally feel they need it, but that's if the employer (and potential accumulated PTO time) allows. If you had any complications, you could have had longer from your surgeon. But since you had a fantastic recovery, there was no need for longer other than you wanted it. Which was then up to you to secure, which you did. That's typically how it goes.

When I had my sleeve, I never lost my hunger and I didn't really have any restriction. It was mostly learning what I can and can't eat, how often, and when. I had to do the work to retrain my brain because I didn't get the benefit of loss of hunger. I complained about it all the time on here lol I had to have a revision to bypass 13 months later due to complications and while I didn't really lose hunger, there was DEFINITELY a hard stop when it came to how much I could eat and how often.

If you can't find the instructions for the liquid, call the pharmacy or the doctor's office. Easiest way to find out how the doctor wants you to take it.

Seems pretty standard. I had 2 weeks off when I had my sleeve and when I had to have the revision to bypass a year later, also had 2 weeks then. I think they tend to only give longer if you have complications. Otherwise I think 2 weeks is pretty typical. Some doctor's offices will give longer if you specifically ask for it (not mine) but I don't think that's typical.

Thank you!!! I loved my waves in high school, then for whatever reason I just started to dislike them about 20 years ago and was always straightening my hair. This time around, I had the big surgeries (hysterectomy and emergency surgery right after) and decided that I wasn't in the mood to bother. I cut my hair again because again, didn't want to deal with it, and then waves came back in full force. I decided I love them again lol So now I don't straighten my hair, I don't put a lot of product in it, I just let it live and breath. And I'm finding the shorter, wavier hair is actually a lot more flattering than long straight hair. So yay!! lol

Very true, but be careful not to bleach your hair. Ask your hairdresser how to color it without doing extra damage since your hair will already be a bit more sensitive than normal. But going lighter (not platinum blond or anything, just a little) could help some. It won't work miracles, but it could help a bit. I use volumizing products, which help, as well.

Ok, first of all, you're BEAUTIFUL!!! Just wanted to say that. Now, as far as already having layers, you're half way there then!!! Look at having medium layers with hair about 4 inches shorter than in this pic and you should be ok. Ask your hairdresser about ways to style it to minimize the look of your scalp showing through.

Both of these points right here are exactly 100% correct.

Thank you so much!!! A trick was to have the hair dresser do layers in my hair. Adds shape, depth, and fullness. And the shorter length really helps. I wash my hair twice per week. I blow dry it with a diffuser so the heat isn't directly on my scalp. I add leave in conditioner for curls and a tiny bit of curl defining mousse and then blow dry it. Once it's all set, I run my fingers through it a few times and that's literally it. Think about doing layers when you get it cut. It's hard to part with the length at first, but once you see your hair looking fuller and healthier, and it's a lot easier to manage, it takes the sting out pretty quick.

My hair was down to the middle of my back. It really looked terrible. Split ends, super dry and brittle, no shape, emphasized my scalp and the general thinning. After my surgery, I was nervous to go too short so I went to juuuuust below my shoulders. Looked good for about 6-8 weeks and then started to show the thinning and my scalp again. This time around, I cut my hair just ABOVE my shoulders and decided to stop straightening it. My natural waves came back in full force, which helped A LOT. And it's easier to maintain and doesn't look thin at all.

It takes a good 30 - 60 days to really feel a difference, but you will. I tend to stay away from dairy and I use almond milk for anything requiring milk. I do use shredded cheese in my eggs and in my modified shepherd's pie (we use mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, and omg I swear it tastes even better). No matter how much dairy you have, you're still going to want to take the extra iron w/ vit c. And the multivitamin is a must no matter what. As for changing things up, that is the best way I've personally found to confuse my body into doing what I want. That and making sure I'm getting enough calories on work out days. I'm glad I was able to help, and good luck!!! Let us know how it goes!!