BabySpoons

One week, then once or twice daily after that. I take 2 stool softeners every day on the advice of my doctor. Softener is not a laxative, so your bowels won't become dependent on it. Keeps things moving. I never have constipation but notice if I don't have my daily movement, my weight stalls.

I'm close to losing 100 pounds and still haven't had to layer up or gets the brrrs. But even so, I no longer mop sweat from my face like before. Any amount of movement, even while sitting in an air-conditioned room brought it on and was embarrassing. I always carried handkerchiefs in my purse and acquired a small collection of folding hand fans. I don't really look forward to feeling chilled all the time but will pick it any day over the sweats.

What mindless eating looks like. And eating too fast. LOL

Research Meralgia Paresthetica. I was recently diagnosed with this and had numbness/tingling down both sides of my outer thighs from hip to knee. It's caused from a compressed nerve. Mine from obesity and a lot of sedentary sitting pre-op. My chiropractor is treating it and says my daily walks and exercise have aggravated it. Before it was just a mystery numbness but now there is shooting pain on occasion. Mine is sporadic like yours but is improving as I lose weight, stretch and do prescribed exercises for it. Not sure this is what you have but sounds similar. GL

Metabolic Effects of Bariatric Surgery | Clinical Chemistry | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

Thank you @NickelChip and @Arabesque . Makes perfect sense and great suggestions.

Mine is a PA. The key differences between the role of a PA vs. an MD come to light when complex issues arise. MDs have knowledge about complicated conditions that many PAs may not possess. I was not happy to leave my family doc of many years for her to begin with. But my insurance changed with work, and he was no longer considered in network, sadly enough. My company has their own doctors and pharmacy, and the coverage is amazing, but the choice of doctors there are limited. Yes, before ever considering WLS, I wanted to find an internist to sort out all the meds I was on. Some I knew were necessary, some were preventative and some questionable. To be told that I will be on all of them the rest of my life after my bariatric team told me otherwise was disappointing to hear and questionable. She's always been quick to prescribe meds. I didn't see her often but when I did, I always walked away with one or two more. She prescribed Ozempic to me years ago before it became a thing. I didn't take it long, after reading it caused tumors/cancer in mice plus it made me feel horrible every day. Then recently, when I saw her to get a release for WLS, she wanted to put me back on it. I declined. Ironically, we had a discussion about Ozempic face at that time. She told me if I lose too much weight in my face after surgery, to look her up and she will fix it. She owns a business that does fillers. botox etc. So she lives in that world. I guess I've always felt that since she is a PA, she may not be as knowledgeable as an MD when it comes to medication. But I will wait to see what the bariatric team tells me first before deciding anything. Like assuming I would change doctors based solely on her looks? I recently had 3 of her patients tell me they already changed doctors for some of the very reasons mentioned here. So nothing "snap" about it. If anything, I'm biding my time and giving her the benefit of the doubt. For now. Agree... I'm more holistically minded and need a doc who's likeminded. Not someone that hands meds out like candy. I'm not working this hard to be told I can never reverse the need for them. I realize it will take time and I may not be able to eliminate all of them but just never tell me never. Not yet anyway.

I'm familiar with Dr Weiner by watching some of his videos on YouTube but haven't read the book. I'm curious of his diet suggestions post-op. I was able to eat large volumes of veggies during my pre-op diet. I could easily eat a pound of salad. I miss that. But after WLS I can't do volume. Is he suggesting splitting that amount into many small meals along with getting our protein in? As much as I love my veggies, I wouldn't want to stretch my tummy out meeting that goal daily and honestly not sure if I could, even if I wanted to.

That is totally not me. LOL I question everything. Thank you for the kind words. And I agree. I am the first one to admit to being a nonconformist. I am a little over halfway to meeting my weight goal and who knows how I'll look when I get there. At the moment friends and family are all telling me how great I look, but who knows if that will change as the scale goes down. To be honest, it won't bother me at all to have a rail thin body. But if it comes with a face that ages me twenty years, I don't think I'll be happy with it or need anyone else to point it out to me. Does that hurt anyone else? No. My point in bringing up Sharon Osbourne and my family doc is one... if you read the article, she is warning people against the use of Ozempic. She saw and recognized the effects on her own body and stopped using it. Doctors doling it out to anyone that can afford it, regardless of whether they are diabetic or overweight is hurting people. And some of the side effects are life threatening. And two, how my doctor misuses this drug directly affects me. She's not diabetic or overweight and making decisions on meds for me and others that are potentially harmful to continue long term. More than one patient has voiced their concerns to me regarding her. So, if you have more than one person telling you it's gone too far, it might be advisable to listen. Especially if it's coming from people you love and trust. If it's from people that are jealous of your weight loss than that's another matter and they can wanker off. xD You got that right brother. Thanks for the input.

Calculators are a way to get a good general idea of how much you should weigh based on height, sex and age, What it doesn't do is take into account bodyfat percentages or muscle mass. But gives you a generalized weight reference to go by. Ideal Weight Calculator A better determinate is bodyfat measurement. My bariatric team weighs me using a bodyfat scale. Between the two types of formulas, it should give you a good idea where you need to be. I only ever had one goal because I knew before I ever gained weight what I should weigh so 150 has always been it. But the number to me isn't as important than being in a healthy range and no longer considered obese. So it's subject to change. GL @earthshrimp and congrats on your weight loss so far!!

I ended up having an abnormal result on my pre-op echo test. I was so worried about having arterial blockage and how it would affect me qualifying for WLS. A heart catherization was scheduled and when I asked my bariatric surgeon about it, he said a large percentage of his patients are heart patients and if blockage was found it would only delay the surgery date. Thankfully my heart was good. Said it was an echo glitch but needed to be checked out further due to my families' heart health history. I've never been so relieved when I was told no blockages. You shouldn't have to redo any of your other pre-op testing if something is found. It can push your WLS into the next year which would cause you to pay out another year of deductible co pays though. 😞 Good luck with your testing!

What a great accomplishment following WLS. Very inspiring!! Way to go!!

I don't use butter, but I do olive oil. I have a spritzer bottle and sometimes use it when baking or air frying. You'd be surprised how little oil you need to crisp things up. But I mostly use 0 calorie cooking spray for that purpose. Also, heating olive oil to high temperatures cause it to lose a lot of its health benefits. Better to have a good nonstick skillet than fry anything. Even with a healthier choice of oil. The thing to remember is that the use of high fat oils can clog up your arteries and spike your cholesterol regardless of our weight. I know a lot of unhealthy thin people. Use sparingly.

Bad situation...great line. LOL At 5 1/2 months post op, I am finding myself getting less nauseated and my tummy tolerating things way better. I can eat more too which is a bit concerning but I'm not experiencing the foamies lately and realizing I haven't had to use my barf bags in a good while. I am stalled ATM, which is OK. It's to be expected. I had a good long run without one. The restriction is still there but not as painful if that makes sense. If I don't finish a meal, I set it aside and eat a bit more later. That can get some people in trouble, so I stay mindful of how many calories I consume in a day. I hope mine is. I need that reminder to stop. But it definitely gets better to where you can enjoy your meal but know when to put the fork or spoon down. GL

I throw clothes in the dryer to shrink now instead of line drying to prevent it.

Love roller coasters. It's been quite a few years since I've rode one. I think I'm going to add that to my list of things to do in the near future. Glad you enjoyed your day @SuziDavis Woo hoo!!! My fav coaster was in FL at Disney World. I went during the off season in Oct so I was able to ride this one 3 times without having to wait in line for hours as some told me they had to, if you go at the wrong time of year.

I'm going to Planet Fitness today for the first time to lift some weights. But if my fat cells scream it might set off the lunker alarm. It goes off if anyone is making too much noise. Banging weights, grunting or in this case screaming. LOL too funny!!!

I've reached the time of shedding hair. But it's OK. I have plenty of it. Everything I've read says it's inevitable regardless of how many supplements you take. So I'm just rolling with it....

I can reheat lean ground beef no problems. But steak..... that's a big NO. Chicken too. If it's rubbery at all..nope. No matter how much I chew it, it seems to go down better if the meat is shredded and in some kind of sauce. Texture is a big factor for me to determine if it's going to stay down. At 5 months out, I seem to handle most foods better now. Reheating everything else has been just fine. But I did read on a few Bariatric websites, somewhere while researching surgery pre-op, to avoid reheating food in a microwave. I told my nutritionist what I read, and she also said like people here, that she'd never heard that before. But that info is out there, somewhere. I just don't remember where.

I've had a few days of 4-5 BMs a day but on the average 2-3. Thankfully I've never had problems with constipation post-op except during week one. That usually comes with weight stalls. I was told pale stools was caused from the fat loss especially if it floats so.... I'm happy to go often. I figure I'm flushing fat and pounds down the toilet. 😌 Downside, I sometimes worry about being out somewhere and too far away from a bathroom. So I plan carefully. But I know at some point it will slow down. GL

Sashimi origins...uhhh

I can relate to that mindset. I used to kid people pre-op that all I had to do was look at food and gain weight. And it was kind of true. But now after your WLS and sticking to the doc's plan, you will see the results on the scale. Fears will subside. Mine did. GL going forward.

I like to say that's exactly what I signed up for. But knowing at some point it will return helps to get through it. I used to love my Crystal Light drinks but after WLS it was too sweet and plain water tasted better until about 2 months out. So, tastes do change but usually are only temporary. Metallic taste is usually from your body detoxing. So that's a good thing. At 5 months post-op a lot of things are hit and miss for me still but that's OK. I stick with what I know my new tummy can tolerate and slowly introduce new foods as I go. My restriction has really increased as time goes on and my appetite as well. With nerves healing and increase in exercise to blame. LOL I do experience days of extreme fatigue too. On some days it literally felt like my bones were aching. But I don't push myself and allow myself to rest when needed. Also, It's really important to make sure you keep up on your daily vitamins. Especially now, when eating less. Don't worry. Enjoyment will return soon enough. And hopefully by then you will be that much closer to all your goals. Good luck!!

Eating a hand-picked tomato. Why is that a NS victory? Because of WLS required pre-op testing, I was told that I never had COPD. I was told to quit digging in the dirt years ago. I quit gardening. Both veggies and flowers. It made me sad but I'm so happy to know now, that I can do it again. So, post -op I decided to start small and grow a couple containers of Early Girl tomato plants on my deck. They are so sweet and warm from the sun when I bite into them. So much more satisfying than store bought. Just lovely. Also, I'm usually a side sleeper but recently realized I can comfortably lie on my back without feeling like I'm suffocating. I carried most of my excess weight around my abdomen. (the most dangerous kind of fat) It probably didn't help that I also had a hiatal hernia. It was repaired during my gastric bypass. With each improvement I notice, I am more thankful for deciding on WLS. If I hadn't gotten it, I never would have known about the hernia or the COPD misdiagnosis. And would probably still be sedentarily sitting on my couch gaining weight and wasting my life away.

This may sound weird but try drinking some dill pickle juice. I'm told it works almost immediately to stop leg cramps. More than likely you have an electrolyte imbalance. Vitamin B or a Vitamin D deficiency or a lack of minerals (e.g., calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous) can be leg cramp drivers. So hopefully you are keeping up on your daily vitamins and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Good luck!!