noteasierstronger

If you have a Costco membership, they sell two pack sports bras for $12 or $13. They have no under wire but do have thin pads that help prevent uniboob. They are comfortable. It's what I have been wearing for the last year since surgery. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

It really depends on how you heal as a person, I would imagine. I led a group of teenagers around Europe 4 weeks after surgery. My surgeon said that was the minimum amount of time he wanted me to wait before leaving the country (I think it was more in case I had medical issues in healing or with my gall bladder). Everything went fine. I packed protein powder, made sure I ordered only approved soft foods at restaurants, and drank water all day. Stopping in grocery stores along the way to pick up yogurt or cheese or premade protein shakes was also helpful. (I was super tired of that protein powder flavor by the end of the trip, though.) Good luck! Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

I like this thread for two reasons. 1. It gives me ideas. 2. I get to see (and sometimes be envious of) all of the food people in other countries have and eat. [emoji846] Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

I can't speak to whether the vitamins that say they help will. I did ask my surgeon about a month ago what I needed to look for in a vitamin if I wanted to switch to a different one. She said that as long as it has bariatric in the name, it should provide the nutrients I need (I double checked labels anyway). I can tell you that I lost what looked like a lot of hair every day around 3-4 months. I did not go bald, but I could tell that my hair was thinner. I have noticed it growing back this month (months 9-10). It does get better.

I agree. I am 9 months PO, and had you told me that I would be able to reach the weight I currently am, I would not have believed you. I didn't set a firm goal at the beginning, because I had no idea where I "should" end up. I did some math with weights around the top of the "normal" BMI numbers for my height, to see what the percentages were so I could have some idea of my progress at 3 and 6 months. Then I ended up dropping weight faster than predicted. The only time I had an actual number in mind was after my 6 month appointment when the APRN told me what they had written down as my "ideal weight" in the computer. It messed with my head some, because I couldn't ever remember weighing that little, so when I got into the range with the same number in the tens place, I was psyching myself out. I had to work to get over that. I still don't believe the number on my jeans (6 - I had to buy new ones because my saved clothes only went down to 10). It's insane to me that I can wear size small t-shirts. I can feel bones in all kinds of places that I never did before. I am still slowly losing, letting my body decide what it wants to do, but my brain is still catching up with what I see in the mirror. I also agree with wearing things you have saved as soon as they fit and as often as possible. Sizes can go by quickly sometimes. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

I have low(er) iron levels. When I did blood work at 6 months, the doctor told me to add an iron pill every other day, on top of the 45mg already in the Bariatric vitamins. I haven't done my next set of blood work yet, so I can't tell you how my numbers have changed. Obviously you should listen to your nutritionist, but this is what happened to me. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

I need this information. Do you happen to recall any keywords so I can search for it? Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

Mine wasn't on base, but it was through Tricare. I had to get a referral from my PCM, meet with the surgeon, have a psych eval, meet once with a nutritionist from the program, and then go back to the surgeon who looked at everything and wrote a letter about my eligibility. Then they sent everything off for approval. It's faster than a lot of the other health insurance companies require, but approval can take time. Also if anyone sees things that you need to get checked or taken care of before surgery, that can extend the timeline. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

I just started participating in a study that Yale is doing on cravings and uncontrolled eating after bariatric surgery. Here is a link to the study info, if anyone is interested. https://medicine.yale.edu/ycci/clinicaltrials/trial/smart-bar-loc/ Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

I have three. 1. I have reached that point where my armpits are actually pits. Weird. 2. I can feel my hip bones. And my hip bones can feel stuff. Weirder. 3. I can row on the rower with my knees inside my arms instead of outside my arms. The weirdest. It feels so strange but I love it. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

I found puma sports bras at Costco. 2 for $12 is an amazing deal for bras you are going to shrink out of. (I would not recommend them for actual exercise, though. Not enough support if you are jumping around or running. Perfect for day to day, though.) Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

Once a month right now. I don't want to drive myself crazy as my loss slows down over the next 6-9 months. Some days it's difficult to not get on the scale, but I try to tell myself that if I keep doing what I am supposed to be doing, the weight will keep coming off. And my clothes continue to fit differently, so I know something is happening. I don't know what I will choose when I get to maintenance. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

Some of the jeans from my "someday maybe these will fit again" drawer just slide on. And then they button and zip with no problem. It amazes me every time. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

These pixies sound awesome. Also it would be a crazy busy job. But then what do they do with the fat after they take it away? Is that how other people gain weight? Do you have to make offerings to the pixies in order to stay on their good side? ... Maybe I should stop wandering down this rabbit hole... Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app

So here's my take on this, and I am definitely not presuming to speak for anyone who has posted in this thread. For me complaining is a pressure release valve of sorts. It gives me a chance to release my frustration to the world so that I can get back to baseline. I know what the behaviors are, I understand that they are not changing unless he is interested in changing them, and I am fully aware of the choices I am making IRT my relationship. I have my reasons, as does everyone. Mostly I just complain out loud alone when I need to, but sometimes it is a commiseration if one of my friends is also in the same headspace. That's my take. Sent from my Pixel 4a using BariatricPal mobile app