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Thanks for the reference. I ended up having a capsulorrhaphy procedure on my right shoulder about two months after my VSG surgery. They also repaired the labrum, rotator cuff, and she spent over 45 minutes just cleaning up the bursitis. She put in 4 anchors during the procedure just to try and stabilize the shoulder. I used Alison Cabrera @ UTSW, and would highly recommend her. I ended up on daily hydrocodone just to get me to that surgery, however, I was still able to maintain my daily steps. Shoulder surgery is no joke! And this was all done to try to get me another 10 years so I can get reverse shoulder replacement 😐 My range of motion is limited now, but that was to be expected. I'm doing my best to protect my left shoulder so I can avoid surgery as long as possible. I've finally gotten used to sleeping flat on my back. For VSG follow up, I ended up about 80lbs lost. Right now I'm sitting about 75lbs down (gained 5lbs back) as I am noticing I can eat a little more (but still really restricted). I have a little anxiety about that as I am just over 10 months post VSG surgery. The last thing I want to do is undo all of the work. I'm still staying positive and using the Streaks app (iOS) to help with motivation (70K steps a week, plus 360 minutes of workout per week (includes walking)). I need to get back into putting all of my food into the fitness pal app. After the VSG surgery and the shoulder surgery, I ended up in a depression. Talking with a therapist who had experience with bariatric surgery helped. I don't think it was a depression just because of the VSG. I'm sure the chronic pain followed by a shoulder surgery (sling for 6 weeks post-op; and PT for 5 months) contributed significantly. As I mentioned previously, make sure your are taking care of your mental health. @Humikrig Good luck on your surgery!

Try some 70% or greater cocoa dark chocolate. Just one square a night and that morning wood might come back. Works for me. ;) And for original thread - yup losing weight does wonders for sex life. My wife loves the slender me and it’s added enhancements.

A good phlebotomist once said it's not about what you see, but what you feel. I don't have any medical issues that relate to vein issues, but many many times it was a hunt for a vein to have my blood drawn. I've been poked up to 3 times and have had to have blood taken from the top of my hands on several occasions and once from my wrist (do not recommend that one hurt like a /@%$*). On the day of surgery, the anesthesiologist also poked me 3 times before finally placing the IV and that was with the use of a sonogram thingy(?). I won't lie, that hurt like heck - one because i'm already not a fan of needles and two that one is larger than a standard blood draw needle. Thankfully that was honestly the worst part of my entire in hospital experience start to finish. I was also told that drinking plenty of water helps a lot to plump the veins and I have found that has worked. Obviously that won't always be fail proof when you are restricted from both eating and drinking several hours beforehand. Oh and nothing really changed for me from before or after major weight loss as far as visually finding veins. I've just been lucky the last few blood draws to have someone who knows how to feel around for a good one and only poke me one time.

You have done so well and you look fabulous. I had a blip at Christmas too and its the first time that I had put a little weight back on. I was so mad at myself. It took me until all the festive food was out of the house. I could then shop better. I left carbs off my diet . Once I knuckled down and got my calories under 1200 for the day, it came off again. If you want to reply to someone's comments, just press the quote button. Or you can put @summerseeker for example and pick the persons name out of the drop down list

Exactly why I didn't tell many people beforehand. I think 5 people knew I was having it done, not including my parents. They all found out after, and I still haven't told people (family/friends) that I have had it done, if anyone asks about my weight loss then I will say something.

Try some 70% or greater cocoa dark chocolate. Just one square a night and that morning wood might come back. Works for me. ;) And for original thread - yup losing weight does wonders for sex life. My wife loves the slender me and it’s added enhancements.

having surgery vs weighing 373 lbs (and not being able to lose more than 50 at a pop - just to gain it all back a few months later) was a no brainer for me (well, maybe not a no-brainer as it took me a long time to come to this conclusion!). I was headed for lots of complications and an early death to boot. Major complications on modern WLS surgeries are really rare. This wasn't the case 20 or 30 years ago, but it is now - techniques have improved and these have become very routine surgeries. of course the decision is up to you, but this was one of the best decisions I've ever made and like the above commenter, I'd go back every year and have it again if I had to. This surgery was life-changing for me and there's no way I'd ever want to go back to where I was.

A dozen years since my sleeve. Maintaining my weight... I am now 67 years old. I have been bone on bone on both knees for years. I finally had the first knee replacement. Let me tell you.... this is no joke. I am very stoic and don't get crazy about anything. The level of pain in the first few weeks was epic. However the thing that has me totally entranced is that I am now in Physical Therapy doing my rehabilitation. And getting stronger for the second knee replacement that I will get in late Spring... After 4 grueling sessions; I am walking, moving well, and have almost 100% function in my surgical knee. I can't get over the comments from the PT and surgeon - About how my "normal" weight allowed me to do so well. My weight is still high. I know that. But I am comfortable where I am, and this is where I have been for a few years, and is my lowest adult weight ever. HECK. NORMAL WEIGHT ? No one is commenting on me being super obese, or needing to lose weight. Instead the focus is on strength and eating well, and getting stronger . What a huge difference.

I had gastric bypass in July of 2019. Highest weight was 400 before losing a bit on my own. Current weight varies from 167 to 173. I still feel some restriction to this day. My meals are usually small although I know we can all 'eat around' the restriction by eating smaller, but continuous meals and this was a slippery slope I fought back against. About 2 yrs ago, I started having right sided pain. It felt like the pain I used to feel when I ovulated so I assumed it was ovarian. Saw OB & had 2 ultrasounds and they couldn't even see right ovary (and the left was fine. Since they couldn't 'see' the right one, they said that was good since there was no obvious signs of..I don't know tumors, growths? The pain continued to worsen & I finally had gall bladder taken out 1.5 yrs ago. I adjusted diet again to deal with gal bladder being gone and things seemed ok. A few months after that the right sided pain returned. About 4 mos ago, the pain got so bad at times I'd be in a ball on my bed considering going to ER (which I HATE doing). Went back to primary got CT scan. CT came up with no findings. Then he referred me to GI doctor for colonoscopy & upper GI. I thought finally 'this was it, we've ruled out most other things'. I also had seen blood in my stools and it was old blood, like coffee grounds so I thought ok, not hemorrhoids? Just got back home from colonoscopy & upper GI. I thought doing prep was bad yrs ago, but much harder having had bypass surgery. Good news is no polyps or other concerning things. Bad news is main finding was on bypass "Patient's surgical anastomosis noted to be widely dilated, raising possibility of Dumping Syndrome as a cause". OK, most know what dumping is. I thought it was post surgery when we ate food (i.e. sugar, high fat) that processed too fast, etc. and you had dumping. Is the type of dumping they are alluding to different from our post surgery dumping? They recommended I see gastric bypass revision specialist. Has anyone else had revision NOT due to 1st bariatric surgery not being successful but for a "medical reason" like this (other than GERD, heartburn). I'm not even sure insurance will pay, but I have 2 yrs worth of history on this pain. Even it if does pay, I dread what this means for me - more hair loss? If I do this, will I need another revision in 5 yrs again at which point I'll be getting up there in age. I also still feel restriction kick in although yes, nothing like 1st 2 years My highest right now hovers at 173. I hoped I'd get to 150 but closest I've come is 167-168. Is revision another 'nuclear detonation option'? I've also wondered with the CT scan, etc. is there any chance of some straggler/stone from my gallbladder surgery 1.5 yrs ago that should be considered? Should I post this in the revision group instead? I read through some and was unsure. Are we allowed to cross-post? Any input would be appreciated. This is causing issues on my job as the pain hits out of nowhere (not X amount of time before OR after a meal, that I have been able to discern. Thank you!

Don't be in awe of me lol I've had my fair share of ups and downs in this, but I found what works for me personally. Take what you want from my suggestions and toss the rest. But for ME, I noticed that I'm sensitive to carbs. I tend to respond better when I am at lower carbs. I don't eat bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, sugar, little to no salt (and when I do, it's pink Himalayan salt), or fruits high in sugar and carbs (grapes, bananas, and I limit apples). I'm not a fan of chocolate (if I eat it at all, it's in the form of keto brownies and I eat 1 small brownie every 2 days or so). I avoid Starbucks now (didn't used to and noticed my weight would stall a lot more). I avoid cow's milk (almond milk has more calcium and nutrients in it) and if I want ice cream, I get Rebel ice-cream from Walmart (2g or less of carbs for the whole pint of ice-cream, lactose free, 5g of less of sugar for the whole pint of ice-cream depending on the flavor). There's keto bread and keto bagels that I eat when I REALLY want something that requires those (my avocado toast is something I have 1-2x per week, or I have a keto bagel with sausage, egg, and cheese on it maybe once a week). If I want pizza, I get the ones that have cauliflower crust (omg so good), I have cauliflower rice, and mashed cauliflower if I'm wanting mashed potatoes (cauliflower has almost no flavor so it takes on whatever flavors it's mixed with). If I want sweetener, I use monk fruit sweetener (doesn't raise the blood sugar at all and actually tastes sweeter than sugar). If I want a nice flavored coffee, I buy the coffee shop coffee and make it at home, add almond milk, and put in Jordan's Skinny Syrup (no sugar, no calories, no carbs) in any flavor I'm wanting (they basically have every flavor you can think of). If I want fruit juice, I go to Walmart and buy the sugar free mango splash or sugar free fruit punch. Absolutely DELICIOUS. I drink a lot of flavored water with the sugar free powders, Gatorade zero, and Propel waters. For me, the trick has always been to eat within the boundaries of my diet while not feeling like I'm depriving myself. Everything tastes delicious and feels like I'm eating like everyone else, but I'm keeping to what I can eat without having to cheat to feel satisfied. I like sugar free tropical popsicles for a treat while my husband and daughter eat the regular stuff. We can all have popsicles together and I don't feel deprived or left out, yet I'm not breaking any of my personal dietary rules. I also make sure to change up what I do in my work outs. If you do the same things in the same order every time, your body gets used to it and the exercises stop being effective. If you do different exercises in a different order periodically, it will "confuse" your body and everything you do will have a greater impact. For me, not only does exercising help me lose weight, it also makes me feel good physically and mentally. I was 421 pounds and needed a cane to help me get around. Being able to hike 10 miles with my son means more to me than I can even express. So if you're working out, try to confuse your body as much as you can. I hope some of this helps you out. I never want anyone to think that my way is the only way to do things, but maybe something in here will give you some help with getting out of your slump and back to losing weight at the rate you're most comfortable with

I made it past 100 pounds lost! 11 more to go until I get to my goal weight of 150

Hit goal a few days ago, but now I’m worried about the “bounce” that people talk about, so I’m going to keep on for another 20lb. And I actually wonder if I’ll ever be able to STOP losing weight, since I eat so few calories. Still in the 700 range most days. How is everyone else doing?

I am about to turn 57 and had my surgery almost 23 years ago. I have given birth to three children and stayed thin the whole time. I started at 250 and settled at 125 ( I’m 5’4.5” and that made me a size 0 or a 2) When I was done having my last child I settled back at 155, still wildly successful. When I entered into perimenopause, it became a fight to keep my weight off and I kept fighting. And then now through full-blown menopause two years since I’ve had menstruation, I’m almost as big as I was when I started. I’m wondering if there’s any help in this situation. Any doctors who will look at a revision I guess or make some practical suggestions. I have changed my eating, habits a dozen different ways to try and bring everything down but it’s like it was before, the weight loss is nearly impossible. I can get it down sometimes but then it comes back and it never goes down more than 30 or 40 pounds. I regularly get my hormones checked and I’m on progesterone and testosterone. My estrogen is always fine or even high. Looking for optimistic ideas. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

i had the loss-of-fat-butt pain, as well as the mid-back and hip pains as a result of my body re-alignments to adjust for my new centre of gravity (or whatever the weight loss reason for musculature aches from body size shrinkage is!) those pains became non-issues the between the 1 and 2 year post op mark. however since losing all my stomach bulk/fat i can no longer sleep comfortably (unassisted) on my stomach...ill wake up with pretty bad lower back pain if i do. the lack of stomach no longer props my middle up makes my back hyper-extend when i lay on my front. i even have to put a pillow under my stomach when i get massages to keep the discomfort at bay. this was definitely unexpected. i mean never-fat people sleep on their stomachs all the time and they're fine. so we came to the conclusion that i have a weak back and need to strengthen it up. still a work in progress though...am 5+ yrs post op and it's still an issue.

Hello - I had gastric sleeve in June of 2015 and lost over half my body weight initially, getting down to well below my initial goal in the first year. Started having issues with acid reflux pretty early on, and it's gotten steadily worse, especially in the past 3 years. I'm currently on omeprazole and famotidine, plus Tums in addition. A 24-hour PH study showed that I had over 100 episodes of reflux in that period. So I was approved to revise to a gastric bypass. I also have regained over half of what I lost, mostly since my reflux has gotten worse, and am about 50 pounds heavier than my ideal weight. The reflux makes me feel hungry all the time, and I'm eating way more carbs than I should because they seem to tame the acid somewhat. I understand that it's pretty much a pipe dream that I'll be able to lose anything close to that with revision, but I guess any weight loss would be better than where I am right now. My new surgeon said she expected that I'd get back down to 110-120 after revision (my preferred weight personally is around 125), but based on all the posts I've read here and on reddit, she is definitely exaggerating to make me more willing to go through with the surgery. The best it sounds like I could hope for is to lose maybe 15-20 pounds over the course of a year or more? I am scheduled for surgery on Jan. 18th, but I'm having second thoughts after reading so many horror stories of unpredictable dumping episodes and ever-changing food intolerances. I guess maybe my reflux isn't as bad as others, since the reality of daily life with RNY seems unbearably miserable to me in comparison to my life currently. I'm afraid that I won't be able to do my job anymore (or even leave the house at all) if I am unable to eat or drink anything without the risk of vomiting/foamies (I have pelvic floor issues, so I pretty much always lose bladder control when I vomit or dry heave) or having uncontrollable diarrhea. After revision, do you have to wear an adult diaper all the time? Has anyone developed an eating disorder based on fear of getting sick after consuming anything? Do you have any "safe" foods, or is it always a (literal) crapshoot? I know that continued GERD can cause esophageal cancer down the line, but wouldn't the same be true of daily vomiting? Has anyone who is several years out from revision developed cancer or precancerous damage to their esophagus due to the constant vomiting? Likewise, have your teeth been ruined from it? For those who revised from VSG to RNY and are past the initial healing stages, would you do it again or has it made your life even worse?

Hello, It really came down to SADI seems to be more effective on keeping the weight loss off long term (5+ years) post-surgery. My doctor also said there is less chance of getting GERD/acid reflux with SADI compared to the sleeve.

Anyone else at 5 months noticing the weight loss is slowing down? In the last 3 months (my scale averages it out) I've lost 20.4lbs. From December to today 3.8lbs - less than a pound a week!! I'm not happy. I do exactly as I was told: 1. No more than 800 calories 2. No more than 50 carbs 3. Low calories, low low sugar, low low fat 4. Drink the equivalent of Lake Superior every day 5. I'm always active, stairs, dog walks, cleaning, treadmill, Occulus, etc etc... 6. Take all my vitamins I didn't go through surgery, liquid diets, being hungry all the time (including now) to have weight loss come to a screeching snails pace this soon after surgery! Is there such a thing as a complete slow down/stall 3-4 month post op for several months? I worry because everyone says its "normal" to slow down at 6 months..but this started at 4, what will happen at 6?

TL/DR: Worried about losing weight by not eating enough. | Looking for tips to reach protein/calorie goals when not hungry. | Looking for others' experiences with lack of hunger this far out in WL Journey. ------------------------- I meet with my nutritionist for check-ins about every 3 months. For this last one, my 9-month, she told me not to be upset if I hadn't lost, as a stall was expected. Yet, I had lost just as much as I had been. We went over what I had been eating & she wasn't concerned about content but suggested increasing variety. [I'm a meal repeater 🤷‍♀️] Though, she again warned me that it is now especially likely that I would stall since I hadn't yet. Since that appointment, I've still been losing weight. I know it might appear strange to worry about meeting the goals we are here to meet, but my nutritionist is big on trying to relearn the natural cues of the body. So, as they are absent, you can notice pressure in your stomach, sighing, or a runny nose as indications of fullness. As indications of hunger return, you can utilize them to increase portions within the parameters of slow eating and not exceeding controlled sizes. The thing is, I don't know that the initial increase after, you know, the literal wounds healed, I have really expanded much more. I don't really get hungry until 'early-bird dinner' time. So eating during the day is purely done out of obligation. [& if I'm being truthful, there are times when I forget entirely until after work.] So obviously, that leads me to try to have all of my calories in one 'meal' in the day, which I have to eat over a couple hours [even if it is small] if I don't want to get nauseous or actually regurgitate. [The regurgitation has improved slightly over the last couple of months. I had a very reactive stomach that required me to prolong my dependence on protein shakes. Pre-surgery, I don't think I came even close to needing to vomit since pre-school 🙁.] To be fully upfront, I have not counted a single macro or calorie or weighed a single food item during my entire journey. I've tried tracking before in my weight-loss journey, and it was not healthy mentally for me. I realize that I may be under goals rather than over them, but straightforward counting of calories is just not something that would be part of a successful journey for me. So, all of this is a longwinded way to say: - Is anyone else struggling to eat enough this far out? - What helps you to reach your protein/calorie goals when you don't really want to eat? - Any other tips/tricks/specific brand or meal suggestions?

Why are you trying to cut back? What do your doctor and dietician have to say about it? You seem to be losing weight very rapidly and doing well, so I don't see how you're doing anything wrong, unless the specific foods you are choosing are bad for you. But just because someone else ate less doesn't mean you aren't doing what is right for you! Remember that 1000 calories per day pre surgery would have been starvation level, and it's very hard to get in the nutrients your body requires in even that amount of food. You've had a metabolism altering surgery. Choose healthy protein and natural foods. Let your new metabolism figure out what it needs to function at the best level for you. If you deprive yourself of calories now, you're setting yourself up for a lifetime of deprivation. Remember it's supposed to take a year to reach your goal!

Why do you feel you can’t go to a restaurant? Do you worry there’ll be nothing you can eat i.e. not on your plan or may compromise your weight loss? Scope out menus on line & then suggest where you go to eat? (I still check out menus online before I go out & make my choice before I go & work out what I may need to ask the restaurant to change.) Choose an appetiser or share a main with a friend or family member. Most places offer soup which is always a pretty safe choice. Many places will allow you to make small changes to what you want to order. Make the best choices you can in the situation. You don’t have to eat everything on your plate & you don’t have to have dessert or choose fruit or cheese. Remember this isn’t something you’re doing every day. You have to be able to enjoy your life. At almost 3 weeks after my surgery I went to a casual back yard joint 60th birthday. Took my shake & sipped away. At around three months went to a canapés & cocktails 40th. Sipped a G&T for hours & nibbled on a cheese croquette & a tartlet. At 7 months went to a 21st at a formal restaurant & ordered a fish dish. It can be done. Happy birthday.

I love this topic, I'm recently thinking about how I will want to dress when I hit my stable weight. I've reinvented myself many times over the years and now I'm going to again. Right now I'm only wearing sweatpants and pajamas since it's so cold but come summer there will be lots of dresses. I'm 7 weeks post op and already my swimsuits are baggy and I'm hesitant to get new ones, I don't know what size I'll need now, and I don't think it will fit for very long, but maybe worth it anyways then donate it. I did splurge on a pair of jeans that I love but they're starting to sag on me. This is going to be fun and a bit scary I think.

Two Month Update!!! How is everyone going?? I have been losing and gaining the same 2-4 lbs for a month now. Stalls are stupid. They swear the weight comes off the fastest in the first 3 months but that has not been my experience past the first two weeks. It is frustrating. But I feel a lot more energy and my underwear keep trying to fall down even though the rest of my clothes still fit, so I figure something must be happening. I got out my tape measure to do my month two measurements (I skipped the first month because I figured it wouldn't have changed much) and great balls of fire people, I have lost 26 inches!!! In two months!!!! I've lost 28 lbs since surgery, I had no clue it would add up to that many inches lost... I've lost 8 inches from my chest 😭 and 6 inches from my waist alone!! That means I'm losing a lot of visceral fat, which has me sooo excited. And is probably the cause of my underwear falling down. LOL Everywhere else (hips, thighs, arms) have lost 2-3 inches each! Moral of the story?? BE SURE TO TRACK MEASUREMENTS!! I have them in my Baritastic app and also on paper in case the app does something stupid with them. In other news, I've decided I can be more active now, so I'm adding in steps at about 1,000 per week. Last year with all the injuries and illnesses I averaged about 1,000 steps a day, can you imagine?? That is so low it is scary to me. So this week I'm doing 2,000-2,500 steps a day, and will increase it by about 1.000 a week until I hit 10,000 steps consistently. Steps are excellent cardio because below 5,000 you are considered sedentary/low activity. Over 5,000 is considered medium activity, and once you hit 10,000 daily you are considered highly active! So that's my goal. I can't do lifting or an elliptical or anything because I have a shoulder injury we are still assessing for surgery. But once that is taken care of and healed I'll add weights into my workout. I have a gym phobia but my partner is lovingly encouraging me to face that, as it will be the only way to get those steps in, we don't live in a walking friendly area. So to celebrate my progress so far I ordered a few funny sarcastic gym tanks and sweatshirts to cheer me up for when I have to go face the gym. Sarcasm always helps. 😂

Ty for the links @NickelChip and yay on the weight loss! Woohoo! I have a major sweet tooth also and have made these brownies twice and think they are pretty good. My twig of a hubby likes them also 😂. I mean they’re not as good as “real” brownies but honestly you get used to it if you stay away from “real” sugar which I do. (Mainly bc I know I’ll go overboard if I try eating sugar again so I just avoid it all together.) I also try to eat and cook mostly keto/very low carb most of the time. This website has some pretty good recipes and directions for freezing and stuff. I’ve tried a few recipes from another website also that I’ll link for you. i don’t make my food separate. My hubby eats whatever I cook for me, just more of it and when my kiddos (20 and 24) were here a couple of weeks ago, they ate what I made for myself also. 😉 of course I try to make stuff I knew they wouldn’t hate 😂. Try these https://thebigmansworld.com/best-fudgy-keto-brownies/ Made these a couple of nights ago https://thebigmansworld.com/keto-stuffed-peppers/ I’ve also made this and so has my daughter and she likes it too, I’ve made it once as written and then doubled the recipe once using lean ground turkey and ground pork. https://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/chicken-egg-roll-in-a-bowl/ plus I’ve made a couple of other recipes on this last website that were good also just trying to mix stuff up…..I hate eating the same crap all the time. oh and we eat the egg roll in a bowl with cauliflower rice 😉

You talk about what you're eating when snacking but what are you usually eating? I mean - besides these foods. You also don't mention if you're losing weight or not.

I never really had the emotional ups and downs, mostly because at the time I had PCOS, and the influx of estrogen from both my surgeries actually normalized my hormones for a few months each time lol What I DID have, however, is the emotional issues that came with changing my relationship with food. I had NO IDEA that would be a thing lol Changing what you eat, how you eat, when and why you eat, how often you eat is like breaking up with a toxic partner. You've been together for a REALLY long time, and even though you KNOW it's a terrible, unhealthy relationship, it's really all you know and you're so dependent on it you don't think you can function without it. And now you have to figure out how to. You have to completely retrain your brain, learn the difference between true hunger and head hunger (there is an actual, real difference), and you have to learn to read the nutrition labels, track your calories and Protein and carbs, work out, don't cheat (and don't make excuse after excuse and justification after justification for why you went back to the toxic relationship even after you knew it was bad for you, yet still gave in), measure food, track fluids, take HONEST accountability for your actions (which isn't something most of us had been particularly good at) and make adjustments as needed to stay as compliant as possible for the long haul. Contrary to what so many think, there's actually a LOT of work that has to happen after the surgery. The surgery itself is just a tool. It's not a miracle cure. It won't fix all the issues if you don't put in the actual work. Just eating smaller amounts without making any of the necessary changes isn't enough, and that's a hard lesson many learn later on. All of this is such a mind eff, and takes a toll on a person. It's a lot of changes, and a lot of work, thrown at a person all at once. And no matter how ready you think you are, it can still cause so much emotional turmoil, and understandably so. What I, and so many, don't realize is that we all have ED (eating disorders) in order to get to being obese and morbidly obese (or in some cases, super morbidly obese). It's not just anorexia or bulimia. I genuinely didn't know that. We have to retrain our brains to get out of that, and sometimes that requires help, and we have to be ok with getting that help. And because we have to do that, we then get incredibly frustrated and defeated feeling when the weight comes off slower than we thought it would, or we hit stalls (or in my case, stall after stall after stall - which is COMPLETELY normal, by the way, and should be expected). I said all of this to say there's SO many different reasons we can have emotions all over the place. Influx of hormones all at once, changes in relationship with food, changes in routines and increase in the things we don't particularly like doing (or not doing anymore), learning we have to do a lot of work to get and maintain the results we want after the surgery, learning PATIENCE with the rate of weight loss and trusting the process (easier said than done, believe me, I know), realizing that body dysmorphia is REAL and we can and do struggle with seeing ourselves as anything other than our formerly obese selves (I'm 182 pounds and I still see 421 pounds sometimes when I look in the mirror), and of course, hair loss (also COMPLETELY normal, and will eventually stop). You won't go bald, there's nothing to prevent it or stop it, you need to increase your Protein, Biotin doesn't slow it down, and it's a COMPLETELY normal part of the process that many of us don't know about until it happens and then we freak out. So give yourself some grace and just know this is normal. You're doing great, and we're all here for you, just like everyone was here for me