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I am sure you have just reached a stall period, don't let it worry you, EVERYONE has gone through it, or is going through it, as it is raised as a topic here every few days it feels like. Your body is trying to adjust to the new you, new routines etc. so even if the scale has stalled (or even goes up a bit) you may be loosing inches etc. Over the last year I have had a few stalls and it is frustrating but part of the process. It also gets harder/slower as you get closer to your natural weight as there is less to loose. When it has happened I have upped my exercise (an extra walk or longer walk, more time in the pool etc.) to try and give the body a little nudge to get loosing again not sure if it helps or not but makes me feel better. Try not to stress and just keep up the positive changes you have made. It is seriously not that long into this part of your journey.

I dump and my first sensation is feeling loopy, then I see bright spots that don’t go away, they get worse. Then the sweats and shaking starts, and if I haven’t fixed myself with some protein then it turns into vomit/diarrhea town. Others could feel different, but the clue to me is you saying your “skin was crawling.” If it’s food allergy related, it’s very serious. I wish you the best!

Hellooooooo So I'm one week shy of being 7 months post op, and for those 7 months I have avoided sugar like the plague except for some rare occasions where I was traveling and the European country I was in was famous for desserts that I would order and only have a miniscule bite of. On one occasion I got excited and had 3 bites and thought I was fine. 10 minutes later I started feeling extremely nauseous that I was almost dry heaving, I started walking back to the hotel and after 1 kilometer I felt much better so I guessed that was dumping! Not fun Yikes! So fast forward this week, and it is that time of the month and I was craving some chocolate, so I picked a 72% dark chocolate square which I had with a few roasted cashews (to manage the blood sugar spike) and guess what? 10 minutes later I am extremely nauseous and queasy that my skin was crawling. I was at my desk and got up and walked back and forth but to no success. It lasted a good half an hour/40 minutes and it only fully subsided midway through my Pilates class. Does this happen to anyone? The chocolate square barely had any sugar! Will I ever be able to have a little fun? A tiny slice of cake for my birthday? Ice cream? Anything? I don't crave sugar anymore but I like to taste things and take bites here and there especially when I'm travelling/out for a nice meal (which is often).

Nothing like completely avoiding the digestive tract. I love the convenience of only having to change the patch twice a week. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get my script filled - supply dramas sigh! My GP swapped me to a gel & a progesterone pill for two months hoping the patch would be available by then & also hoping I’d absorb enough progesterone to cover me for the short term. They’re hoping end of August for the patch to be back which means I’ll need four months of the gel & tablet. Unexpected effect of being smaller was I was told to rub the gel into my upper arm. Tried that but I’d had to rub it over my entire arm because of the amount of gel & it still wasn’t enough skin. I now rub it all over my butt & tummy. That’s only 1 pump. I’d be rubbing it all over my body if it was two pumps. Lol! PS I found eucalyptus oil really great at removing the sticky residue left on my skin from the patch.

Its hot as h**l in Greece in September. If you are going Self catering then you will not need as much as if you are in a Hotel. I took a huge case full for 3 weeks in May and wore 3 swimsuits and 3 dresses and 3 tops/dresses for over my costume. I wear swim dresses and feel confident in them. The rest I didn't wear for the most part. Lesson learned for me. Its a very laid back country and unless you are going in a 5* hotel, you will be ok dressed down. Shorts are what everyone wears. Loose dresses look great and are practical. I would buy a size down. I went down a size every 2 months.

Do you have any idea of the kinds of temperatures you could be looking at so you can plan around that? We generally go to Cyprus in mid September and the temps can be mid-40s. Have a look at Superdrug for Lanacane anti-chafing gel https://www.superdrug.com/health/medicated-skin/medicated-skin-treatments/lanacane-anti-chafing-gel-28g/p/687900 I would also have a look for some mozzie repellent too as you don’t want to be bitten to death! Lots of stores are having a sale now, especially as our summer has been a complete washout. Have a look at Roman - 60% off sale plus use the code EPIC for a further 15% off everything (got to love a discount code 😉) The Next sale began at the weekend, Tu has up to 50% off brands, George (Asda) have their sale on plus Debenhams always have some sort of sale on! Thin, floaty things are always a winner as already mentioned by others. Thin tops and loose shorts are good for daytime, just be careful on sitting on hot, plastic seating outside cafes etc as you can end up leaving the skin off the back of your thighs behind (definitely speaking from experience with that one 🙄) A hat is a must as well as some high factor sun cream to begin with. Tescos dry oil is pretty good - you don’t end up feeling horribly sticky with it; Boots have sun cream and after sun that has insect repellent already in and doesn’t stink. A pack of one a day over the counter antihistamines are really useful if you suffer from prickly heat (or if you don’t normally but start with it on holiday) Take it with you as it’s generally expensive abroad, same with paracetamol. More importantly, have a totally wonderful time and revel in your fantastic weight loss to date!

I know the autumn styles will be in the shops closer to when you go so it could be difficult to find summer clothes by then but if you can wait a few weeks I would as you could drop a couple of sizes before your trip. If you can't wait you could get a summer dress (or three) in a size or two smaller than you are now and then have some belts if the style suits that way you can cinch them in if needed. Another thing is drawstring loose trousers as that way even as your waist shrinks you can adjust the waistband. I got lovely ones in M&S in both navy and black and even though they are the bit too big now they have a nice summer flow to them.

Do you like dresses? I adore dresses for warm weather. I suggest getting some loose, flowing types and a few light cardigans or those scarf-life draping kimono/shawl thingies for if you go inside somewhere that is cooler or want to cover your arms. I would probably take measurements to match up to your size on online size charts and try ordering or shopping in mid-August. You might get some things on end-of-season clearance. Actually, one of my favorite tricks is to find one dress I like and buy it in 3 or 4 neutral colors, and then top it with different accessories that I can use at any dress size. Three different kimonos will make a single dress look like you have three.

Other than the mozzarella it sounds nice to me though I am jealous, I have found since my op I can't chew/break down sundried tomatoes and they seem to stick in my throat, no issue with regular tomatoes. Same with grapes, not sure if it is a skin thing but I miss them both as used to love including the tomatoes in a salad and snacking on frozen grapes.

I didn’t loose any weight with the liquid diet because I had already been following the bariatric plan for a whole year before the surgery so my body was used to being calorie restricted. The salt levels sound kind of high… like others have said. Don’t be surprised if you gain weight while in hospital because the IV fluids are full of salt too. Just keep drinking water and it will come off. Best of luck with your recovery!

I kept loosing until the 2 year 3 month mark. I found the last year of it needed more attention from me. I still need to be mindful, not obsessed, but mindful. If you make the effort to keep your good habits up the scale will go down and stay down.

Hi all! Sorry I've been in a whirlwind (I'm not sure thats how you say that in english...) of work for the last few days. The political situation in France is very unstable and unsettling right now and because I work with public funding it's been more than crazy. I'm in Canada but am having to unexpectingly having to fly back to France early later today ( was meant to be in the US next week) to be able to hit the floor running if **** hits the fan with the election results Sunday. That said... I am proud of myself because I put my foot down and will not work through the weekend. I'm going to a music festival in the loire valley instead and will dance and be merry. Happy belated birthday @LisaCaryl! I hope this next trip round the sun is a good one and that by the end of it you are where you want to be. @NickelChip I'm happy your holidays went well and applaud you making good choices when away from home. I've got to the point where I'm loosing very slowly ( 5 pounds in 6 weeks) and so am just trying to make the best choices I can without over thinking things. I've finally dropped to 67.5kg (148.8lbs) (BMI 23.9) and have accepted things are going to be slow from now on .... I have three weeks of hectic work left before I'm on holiday for 5 whole weeks before starting my new job in September. Once I'm on holiday I'm going to try and up my steps and focus on eating the best I can( and drinking less alcohol) and I'll see where that gets me. @RonHall908 Like every true Parisian I know .... I leave Paris 48 hours before the games start! I'll be away on holiday for 5 whole weeks with my partner. The longest holidays we have ever taken. The games are going to be hectic and access to a lot of areas in the city are restricted - most of the bridges are also closed ... so we're just leaving the city... like every sane person I know! That said... in France we get 5 weeks of paid holiday a year plus 1 extra week if we work over 35 hours a week (my case) plus 11 bank holidays plus basically unlimited paid sick leave plus like an extra day when you move houses, 3 days for a wedding, 3 days for the death of a parent, 2 weeks for the death of a child, 6 months full pay maternity, up to 5 days a year full pay for sick children under 14 etc etc etc ... so we only use holiday days for holidays so every summer ( office working ) Parisians tend to leave paris en masse for most of August - we all joke that the 15th of August Paris is empty every year ... so this isn't so specific to the olympics! I did go for a walk in Versailles not long ago and saw the prep for the horse racing ... it's going to look so so cool with the chateau as a backdrop!

BMI isn't always the best way to judge for people who've lost massive amounts of weight because even though we've lost muscle and bone mass in addition to fat, we still have more muscle and bone than "normies" who weigh about the same but were never obese. (we needed a lot of infrastructure to hold up all that weight!). The PA at my bariatric clinic said we often look 10+ lbs lighter than the scale would suggest, because of that extra muscle & bone (well, there's the extra skin, too - but skin doesn't weigh very much. I think I "lost" about 4 lbs after my skin surgery - but there's that, too, if you haven't had it removed). Your PCP evidently hasn't worked with a lot of massive weight loss patients....

I was doing grocery pickup earlier so I couldn’t look it up but this link shows what I was trying to describe for baggy shirts. I guess it’s a little about the belly button. https://insideoutstyleblog.com/2015/01/how-to-style-your-loose-tops-with-a-rubber-band-the-kimtuck-revealed.html

Hi Crissy, the more I thought about it the more I think it was an episode of toxin leaving your body because it does end! I know no amount of lotion does remediate because it’s not a case of dry skin. It is just a case of toxins, leaving your body and that is a good thing, but I know it is awful!! Hang in there, sister

Happy 6wk anniversary!! It doesn't help in the bathing suit / swimming costume part of things (cause those often have to fit more snuggly to prevent flashing other swimmers), but for clothing I've found some fantastic clips to help when you're mid-size, or don't want to spend too much while you're still losing so quickly. Cardigan clips with rubber / silicone teeth (so they don't harm the fabric). I used to only see the fancy ones for the front of cardigans, but there's a bunch of elasticized fabric ones online that are much more comfortable on the back of a loose shirt to make it a bit more form fitting. I've still had to buy a few items here and there (which is honestly part of the 'hurrah' for losing weight anyway), but it's helped me fit into some tops better without having to sew them.

I know exactly what you mean by the stretchy clothing. I think the past couple years before my surgery, I was able to fool myself by only buying the stretchiest clothing. I stopped wearing jeans and bought lots of leggings, loose tunics, and flowing kimono-style wraps to wear over. They always fit, even if I went up 10 lbs. It was such a nice day when my jeans fit again, but it also drove it home to me how I had been kidding myself about not changing size in all that time.

I think I’m entering my ‘stall’ period now. Having had numerous attempts at weight loss in the past, I know my body sulks between week 3 and week 7. I’m just beginning week 5 so the timing is bang on. My weight has gone up 1.5lbs from my lowest weight this week but it happens so I will just keep on keeping on. Once my body has got over its sulk the weight should start coming off once again. A couple of NSV this week. I don’t know about anyone else but my clothing sizes can be a bit all over the place. One size of clothing can have 3 meanings for me, depending on what it’s made of. So, for example, there’s the ‘I’m kidding myself’ sizing - plenty of give, elasticated, stretchy material. It may say 22 but I know it’s really a 24+. There’s then the ‘huh, it’s not too bad’ sizing - some give, not that stretchy, a definitely generous 22, and then there’s the ‘unforgiving’ sizing - no give, no stretch, no elasticated waist etc, a definite 22. For long enough I’ve been at the ‘I’m kidding myself’ stage but I went shopping in my wardrobe and found a couple of tops with no give, a definite 22. Tried both on - they fit!! And they didn’t look like sausage skin!! Very happy dance around the bedroom! I also went out of my comfort zone at the weekend and bought myself a size 22 no-stretch denim maxi skirt. I can fasten it, just, but don’t rate my chances of sitting down and/or breathing in it 😮‍💨 However, I’m keeping it as I know I will fit in to it comfortably at some point. We’re off to London for a few nights in 3 weeks or so, so fingers crossed it may fit a little better by then 🤞🤞 Meds have finally been sorted and delivered, had my Oximetry test last week so hopefully that’s gone well. No Bariatric appointments this week but I have my endoscopy next week plus knee X-rays for my arthritis. Food wise things are going OK. My new favourite thing is Lindhals Stracciatella Kvarg protein yoghurt - oh, I could eat barrels of the stuff! I’ve also tried the Warburtons Protein Power bread as a change to the whole meal. It’s definitely nice as a change but doesn’t want to make me eat lots and lots of it, which is a definite plus! Hope everyone has a great week… Onwards and Downwards!

So close to the 60 lbs. lost mark.... I'm feeling great since my May 1 surgery. Clothes fitting nice and loose, people at work saying "whoa!" Still struggling a bit with hydration. I've been trying to find the perfect protein shake and I invite you to join me on my journey thus far. I'm going to rate them in order for worst to best. This is my opinion only and reflects only what I've tried thus far. I'm not affiliated with any protein powder corps but if someone wants to throw some cash my way for an endorsement, I won't say no. Be advised I don't mix the shakes with anything...just 7-8 oz of cool, clear water. Worst - Avoid at All Costs - Bodytech Whey Protein Isolate. They should call this, "aftertaste with a hint of flavor." I got the Melted Marshmallow and Cookies & Cream flavors in the 1.5 lb tubs. I choked the C&C down but couldn't stomach the marshmallow. Vitamin Shoppe did me a solid and let me exchange the opened tub back for store credit. Your Mileage May Vary - Ghost: The gimmick with Ghost is that they put a little of the flavored stuff in with the mix. That means the Oreo flavor I bought had a few Oreos mixed up in the powder. Not so many that it makes the protein/sugars mix per serving bad, but enough to effect the flavor and make you feel like you're having a forbidden treat. But hang on. For me, the shake (even with just water) was super sweet. Plus, the Oreo bits clump together and make for a chewy gooey swig. Ghost was too much for my newly cut stomach and made me nauseous. Now that I'm a few months past surgery, I can tolerate it somewhat better but it still isn't my favorite in consistency or stomach tolerance. Middle of the Road - Gold Standard: This powder never upset my stomach, mixes well, and is a good mid-range price point. There is a bit of aftertaste but it's not a deal breaker. Flavors are kind of forgettable. Double Rich Chocolate and Cinnamon Roll are safe bets. Getting Better - ISO100: This is a little more expensive than the choices below, you get fewer servings per dollar. You get what you pay for though. This powder mixes up nice and the flavors are pretty good. The Dunkin Glazed Donut was great! Gourmet Chocolate was also a cut above. Best so Far - Transparent Labs: Figures it would be the most expensive brand right? But this powder has been great on my poor stomach. The selling point here is that it's a minimalist powder, there are only 4-5 ingredients compared to the long list of additives you'll see in some of the cheaper brands. No stomach upset at all with this. Flavors are also subdued but pleasant. I've had the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Salted Caramel. Nice taste, not overwhelming. When it's shake time I think to myself, "Ah, this will be nice." rather than "Oh good grief...yeah, let's go choke it down." Ones I Want to Try: If any of you have tried these brands, I'd love to get your take before I shell out money: - Ryse - Gorilla Mode - Clean Simple Eats

YEP!!! I'm getting this literally right now. I have people that I've known for 15, 20, even 25 years that have never seen me below 250 pounds. So to see me at 185 pounds is understandably jarring for them. But once the compliments stopped the critiques started. "You're starting to look sickly, slow down the weight loss" and "you're going to look like you have an ED if you keep losing weight" and "your sagging skin is going to get so much worse if you don't stop losing weight". I mean...seriously????? My body FINALLY found its new set point and is happy where it's at and now the weight is resettling and redistributing itself. There's nothing I can do about it. Your comments are UNhelpful and UNnecessary. Ugh.....

Maybe check with your care team regarding your liquids too? I'm wondering if you're flushing the protein shakes out too quickly if you're drinking that much water. I know all programs are different, but for the first week my team told me to aim for at least 32oz clear fluid (including water but also any sugar free clear liquids like broth, jello or gatorade), and at least one shake per day, slowly increasing it as I felt able. By the end of the second week they were 'hoping' for around 48oz clear liquids and two shakes per day, but they were happy I was averaging 1.5. Are you drinking your fluids slowly? Part of they reason they ask is because we're dealing with a smaller stomach all of a sudden, and getting us to train ourselves to eat slower and more mindfully, etc blah blah -- but part of it is also to slowly re-train our bodies / nerves / etc to recognize what our 'new full' feels like, the sensations as our stomach fills up, etc. I have to admit I had a lot of trouble with that -- still do -- because I still have barely gotten those sensations back. (I have the opposite problem -- I can't feel when I'm hungry or when I'm full yet, so I have to rely solely on portion sizes at the moment) I guess the third thing to maybe bring up with your care team: how is your body digesting the protein shakes? Some people are suddenly lactose intolerant, or suddenly can't process certain sweeteners the same way, etc. If you find that it's moving through you really quickly (urine or loose stool), it may be that your body is just dumping it out. It might be worthwhile to try a different protein powder/shake brand, or one with a different protein base. I know whey is supposed to be one of the best, but whey is a dairy product and maybe you'd have better luck with collagen, pea protein, etc. Good luck! I hope it gets easier for you soon!

So I had my 3 month post-op follow up yesterday (at 14 weeks out). It went... about as well as my cynical little heart expected? Maybe better? LOL My follow up was virtual, so I didn't have to go in to the hospital which is a plus. The dietician I saw today is mmmm... fifth I've spoken to in my program. I honestly would feel a little better if I could have the same dietician every time but I understand that can be hard to schedule. Plus it's still not the worst -- to be honest, I've only actively liked one of the dieticians and yesterday's I passively was ok with -- so at least it's better than the weirder three I've seen in between. Review of my meds, of my health conditions as per usual. Somehow there's always something being left off from last time -- or several last times. Like, yeah, still have diabetes. My numbers are obviously a lot better now in my latest bloodwork, but considering it was one of the comorbidities that got me approved for this program/surgery it would be swell if I didn't have to surprise my care team 4/5 times by informing them of my past diagnosis. Review of my eating habits. Fingers-rapped (gently) over a few things -- not getting enough fruits / veg with skin, not getting enough fibre in each my meals and snacks because it's mostly just in one or two meals. I mean, if my fibre intake is within the 25-35 per day range that they suggested, does it really frickin' matter if it's split up between 3 meals and two snacks? (Also, the fibre range wasn't brought up until yesterday -- it hasn't been mentioned to me at all by any of my care team, or in the pre-op and post-op guidelines and manuals they've distributed to date. The only actual numbers I've gotten from my care team has been about protein, everything else has just been "keep it low fat" and "keep it low carb" and "stay away from sugars" etc in mildly vague terms. I figured out my own daily goals and limits for everything else by taking the average of what I could find online / in books / through the forum) I asked specifically if my bloodwork reqs could be combined with the bloodwork my PCP wants since both of them want it every 3 months for mostly the same things, and I'd rather not take time off work for multiple blood tests -- or sacrifice my blood twice in a one-month period due to timing -- particularly because of the low iron. And considering they both get copies of each other's test results anyway (thanks Ontario Health Care!). But no, no, we can't do that. They can't put his name down in the 'send a copy to this physician' area right in the form. Because apparently even though my PCP is the one to referred me to my endocrinologist, she's the one who referred me to the program. So they send the results to her, and she's on a network with my PCP which is how he gets my results as well. But they can't directly ADD him. ((Can my PCP just ask for the tests that he wants to check but they don't? Nope, cause in order for it to be approved by insurance they look to make sure there are corresponding requisites. Can I have my PCP just add them to his requisition? No, because as the surgery providers they need the requisition under their name for Ontario insurance purposes, and there are certain tests that my PCP can't request 'without reason' and that reason seems to be that everyone wants to bill the government insurance plan for every test they can, and my iron will 'replenish' so it's fine. Nevermind that I've had anemia on and off for most of my life and know from personal experience that the more often I'm tested, the more slowly my iron is replenished.)) ((He was just a dietician. I shouldn't have bothered asking him. But the fact that he had an answer ready makes me feel like they get asked this a lot)) Other than that, it was ok. I've lost half the weight towards my goal weight. He reminded me to expect things to start slowing down. I nodded along even though I started a stall literally the day I hit my halfway score and even though my logic knew to expect and accept all this, my gut reaction was of course 'what have I done to eff this up???'. He was kind of crossing all his t's and dotting all his i's in terms of chiding me on dietary choices -- ie, every meal and snack being 50% protein, 25% non starchy veg, 25% complex carb. Suggested that I eat all these things that their own program handouts say not to start until between month 4 and 6, like nuts and seeds. I was ever so grateful for the internal consistencies. ((This happened with the last dietician at my 1 month -- which happened at my week 3. She was asking me why I hadn't been choosing to eat this or that, and I had to remind her that their handout and biweekly seminars both said not to until week 5-9)) All in all... I feel 'meh' about my follow up, but good about myself and good about my loss so far. And great about the salt & vinegar roasted edamame beans I just had as a snack even though it was lacking a vegetable and isn't 'high enough in fibre per serving'. In other news, I'm only day 7 into my second stall and have been fluctuation between calm acceptance and riotous panic that I'm messing up somehow even after nitpicking my diet and exercise with a fine tooth comb. My ADHD is saying I'm only working in one extreme or the other today/this week.

Anyone itchy on the tummy around the incisions? I want to scratch my skin off. I am going to try some Cortisone creme! Karli

@SleeveToBypass2023 Please, always ask if I there’s something I have put that you don’t understand. I will never take offence. I like being on a forum that has users from different countries as it’s a shared learning experience 😊 @Arabesque Lots of shared heritage to go at! Our system is ridiculous isn’t it? I’m glad it’s not just me! As for your meds not being returned - it’s just such poor service. As if you would be happy writing off $150 because of they couldn’t be bothered delivering your meds?? And it is exactly as you said - YOU are made to feel like you’re inconveniencing THEM, even though it’s their screw up that’s caused this in the first place 🤬 Like our expectations are unreasonable! Mentioning having your gall bladder out has reminded me that I need to tell the nurses etc that I’m allergic to the sticky stuff that they use on their dressings - I had a bad reaction when I had mine out, I had red plaster marks all over my stomach where my skin had reacted so I need the hypoallergenic stuff instead. Must make a note!

It’s unfortunate you are experiencing some issues! D Mannose works well for UTIs and is available in almost every vitamin sections in stores. For the skin issues, have you considered a specialized soap? Also you can keep reinfecting yourself through clothing that is infected. Definitely see a dermatologist if you can. You said you are in remission now but your fasting issues may be connected to your diabetes. Do you monitor you blood glucose levels while fasting? I can still dry fast for over 24 hrs with no issues and wet fast for over 36hrs but I don’t have diabetes. Everyone is different so take that with a grain of salt. Some things may improve for you the further out from surgery you get or with continued weightloss. Good Luck!