Butrcupz622

I would have to say bread. It feels like I'm trying to stuff a bowling ball down my throat and than when it goes down, it hits me hard. I get pains from the digestion alone. Not worth it. Everything else to this point has been fine, but I might add that I've lost most interest in food. I'll get a craving for something and when I finally get to eat it, I'll find that I don't want it. It can get frustrating...

Keep your head up. There's always a moment after a major change when one feels like the bottoms dropped. But once you begin feeling like yourself you'll realize that it isn't as bad as you once had thought. Your body's going crazy trying to adjust to these new changes so expect to feel a certain way, at least for the time being. Try not to focus so much on the feeling but on the moment. It'll be over before you know it. I wish you the best!

Oh, my god! I am sooooo happy for you. I just wish the same thing would happen for me. I've been trying for years to get preggers and for you to say that it's happened after so much time trying, it gives me hope that maybe one day I'll get to be as lucky as you. Congratulations on your bundle of joy. I wish you the best!!

Here's my situation. I'm already frustrated and getting disheartened. I was operated August 17. Post-op I lost give or take 20 lbs. To this date I've more than likely lost only about 5 lbs. My 3 week stall happened almost a month ago and I have yet to see the scale moving. This is beyond a stall. I'm beginning to think that I had this surgery just to lose 35 lbs. I keep reading online that most readers are keeping to a strict eating schedule of 30gr of carbs, 60+ Protein, and between 600-800 calories per day. Can anybody out there please help me by giving me a run down of what exactly you eat to maintain such a low carb diet. I've been keeping track of my calories on myfitnesspal.com and I'm eating about 700-800 calories a day. My carbs usually range about 80-120 on any given day. And please keep in mind that it's not from sweets. Is my carb intake what's messing me up? I drink Protein shakes everyday and I've already started going to the gym. There really shouldn't be any reason on why I'm not losing the weight. My boyfriend's telling me I shouldn't pay so much mind to it but I can't help it. I want to lose weight already...

It's a long time coming but I've begun the process of reinventing myself. I went out and bought hair dye, am FINALLY going to the gym tomorrow (I'm going to have to be carried home), APPLIED to go back to school in January for my bachelor's degree (WOOHOO!) and am looking for a job already. I've also decided to get another tattoo and what better way to symbolize a rebirth of myself than to get a tattoo of a phoenix. I'm excited and my goal here is not to only feel and look better about myself in a healthy, positive way but to really enjoy life. A huge part of being happy is accepting myself now and loving myself even though I'm changing for the better. I'm working hard on changing my whole mindset and not just because of the whole weight issue but for me. I deserve to have purpose in my life, to feel secure, accomplished, confident. I want to begin believing in myself again. I'm going to conquer that person inside of me that loves to critique (or at least lock 'em within the deep recesses of my mind). The next stop for me is Halloween. I bought a Goddess' costume that I was too ashamed to wear last year because I would've been forced to show a part of my big, flabby arms. Now, I'm counting the days til I can go out and have fun. Go to the village and watch the parade while sneaking a few drinks hoping I don't get caught doing it. Ah, reminds me of when I was a 20-something girl. Those were the days... :biggrin0: If anyone has any suggestions on ways to reinvent myself, I would appreciate any feedback. Take care!

No, I acually had my surgery in the bariatric clinic of Bellevue hospital in NYC. They were great.

A month out here and I can only still sleep on my back even though I'm a side sleeper. In the begining, I used to put pillows under my knees to help alleviate any pains I would get from sleeping flat.

Congratulations! Once you have the surgery and begin seeing and feeling the results for yourself, you'll forget that there was any hesitation to begin with. Today, for the first time in a month, I put on a pair of jeans and my boyrfiend told me I was swimming in them. Just hearing that made my day. Of course I couldn't change them so just feeling them baggy all day kept a smile on my face. Make sure to keep us all here posted on how your doing. Good luck on your journey!

So here's the deal... I finally went to myfitnesspal.com and registered myself. I entered all my food consumption for the day and apparently I'm barely managing to eat 700 calories a day. And all the other days are not much different from today (meal wise). Accordingly to their data, my body is like in some sort of starvation mode which is why I'm not losing the weight. My metabolism has slowed down which isn't helping me at all. My question to everyone out there is this: How can I possibly consume the suggested 1,200 calories a day when I stay feeling full? :laugh0: I can never fully finish my meals because they either don't sit well with me or because I instantly feel full. Add to that the amount of liquid I'm supposed to be drinking. How does anyone do it? Am I doing something wrong here?

Hello Fran and welcome. Deciding to get this surgery is one of the best decisions you could've made. There are so may people out there who have been in your place and are still adjusting or have exceeded their expectations of how this surgery can change their lives. When I had my surgery, I was filled with the same worry and anxiety that you have. And after not only reading but seeing the drastic changes and all the smiles in the after pics, I was a changed person. I've been a big girl all my life and all I would like to be able to do is cross my legs. Go figure, huh? Your worries are normal but any change does come with an adjustment period. Just as Dave said, read as many posts as you can in all the forums. Absorb everything. I've learned so much from having joined this support network than I could've on my own. In the end, you'll look back and see that not everything you're worrying about was worth the trouble. Any change from here on out can only be an improvement on the person we all want to be. Good luck on your journey to a better life!

Thanks for all the info everyone. I'm not so worried about it now but I will be going to the store and buying Biotin and Folicure shampoo. I'm pretty lucky in that my hair grows quickly so hopefully it'll help jumpstart my hair growth. I don't use a blowdryer at all and my hair is naturally curly so all I really use is mousse to keep the frizz under control. If it gets worse, then I just might have to invest in a wig though I'm not so sure how having a hat of hair on my head is going to feel. I'm glad to have you all on this forum. Thanks!

I've been noticing pretty much lately that my hair is falling out and it doesn't just fall out when I wash my hair. There could be times when I'm fixing my hair and when I pull my away I notice ALOT of strands on the hairbrush. Am I not getting enough Vitamins or something? I do take a Multivitamin everyday. Does anybody know of anything I can do to keep my hair from falling out? The last thing I want is to have waist length hair and a bald spot at the top of my head. It's been like two weeks and I don't think it's going to let up. :scared0: Also, I've been on a 2 week stall and haven't lost any weight since surgery (16 lbs). Since I just recently had the surgery (8/17), is that to be expected? I'm planning on going to the gym next week (my abs not quite ready). I don't really count calories but I know I'm not over doing it. I drink a Protein shake in the morning. My lunch/dinner usually consists of half a ground chicken patty with a 1/4 baked potato and a snack in between. It's usually one or the another because I always feel full. Is there something I'm doing wrong or is it because I'm not exercising at all yet? I'm not frustrated yet since I've prepared myself for this from having read all the posts but I'm beginning to wonder already. :001_smile:

Welcome. It's good to know that you have someone nearby with whom you'll be able to comapre notes and gain on hand information. At 33, my BMI was 58. Way more than what I had ever expected it to be and rather depressing. Even so, I was relatively "healthy" but due to my family's medical history, I'm pre-disposed to getting diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. Add to that infertility as well. All of which I'm trying to avoid by having gotten this surgery. It seems that only myself and my other sister are the only ones who haven't been diagnosed with diabetes and it's pretty scary. The rest of my family's rotten with the stuff and a few family members have died from it's complications. For me, losing weight is not an option I can ignore. With the weight loss, I'll be significantly reducing those chances and I'm all for it. Not to mention any aches and pains I'll be prone to getting when I'm older and overweight. I hope this has helped somewhat. And congrats on your decision!

Sorry to read that you've been having such a rough time. Evidently, this surgery isn't for everyone and it certainly isn't a quick fix for those who may think so. Every decision made has its adverse side effects. I believe this surgery shouldn't be offered to those who aren't severly overweight but we all struggle with our weight, self-esteem issues as well as medical conditions. I hope that you will begin to feel better in the long run and find the energy to spend with your children. Take care.

Congratulations on the good news. Before you know it, you're be on the recovering end and ready to roll!

Woohoo! Congrats! You must be feeling really good about now.

A month has passed and I'm finally feeling better. I hardly have any real pain anymore. All I've been feeling lately is a tightness in the left part of my abdomen that's gone from severe to moderate. I'm hoping that I'll be good to go (with no help) within two weeks. And then off to the gym I go. I was actually able to really laugh (to the point of tears) today for the first time in a month with no pain. I'm actually feeling excited and am looking forward to the road ahead. I took a picture of myself today and my face looked slimmer than I've ever seen it look. Those wannabe chipmunk cheeks are disappearing so now all I see are the two headlights for eyes that I have just protruding from my face. Ah well, que sera sera. It's so funny, too, because I've been reading the posts about how the breasts begin to deflate once the weight starts going down and I can't help but notice my own and ... laugh. A couple of days ago, I marched in the living room to ask my boyfriend if he noticed any changes on me and the first thing he does is walk up to me, grab my breasts, gives me an amused look and tell me that my breasts are soft. :001_wub: Now mind you, he didn't mean soft as in a baby's tush. He meant I've lost the wholesome goodness and it's time for me to go to the gym and start lifting weights if I wanna try and salvage the pair I have right now. I let him laugh it up but revenge will be mines! :thumbup1: To all those awaiting surgery, good luck to all of you!!

Congratulations and I wish you the best on your journey to a better life. I'm a month post-op and I can already see a big difference. You're going to love the changes!

I don't think it's normal at all so don't worry so much about it. I weighed 320 when I went in for surgery so the belly bulge is what's causing me to feel my stitches moreso than someone who weighs lesser. Most people I've seen or read about have had good experiences. Good luck on your surgery. It'll be here before you know it!

That's it. I'm so mad I could just scream! I had my surgery on August 17, almost a month ago and I can still barely walk. There are some days when I begin to feel good that I start doing things around the house. All this just to end up going to bed crying or waking up in the morning in such pain that I end up laying on my sofa all day. I'm getting infuriated with this already. I knew it was going to take some time but this is getting ridiculous. I want out of this house! I'm tired of being home. I want to go back out there and find a job already. It's upsetting. If I would've had a job, I would've been fired by now. I'm forced to do things I know I can't really handle that involves bending over and lifting things, but I'm starting to feel like I'm alone here. If I ask for help, I get told I'm asking for too much. How the hell am I supposed to get better? I'm frustrated AND hurting...

Today, I'm feeling pretty good. I woke up kinda dreading today because my boyfriend wanted to go to Targets. For those who've read my blog, I've been having trouble with the stitching in my abdomen area so I wasn't particularly in the mood to go shopping. But I sucked it up 'cause I can't stand being a hermit anymore. I drank like 5 ibuprofen's and went on my my way. I'm happy to report that even though i felt a lil pain, it was no where near enough for me to want to stop shopping. Any time I felt any beginnings of real pain I took a sip of my tylenol with codeine. I was doing great and I walked ALOT. After the shopping, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings to eat. We decided to share some boneless chicken which comes in different flavored marinades depending on what we wanted. I took a piece, ate it and gave the rest back. My stomach started acting up and I wasn't about to keep messing it up. I think the grease from the chicken didn't agree with me. So, I stayed with my fruit punch and watched my boyfriend eat all the food. That's one thing, though. My boyfriend has one of those endless, black hole stomachs. He can eat just about anything and only gets full once he sees the plate is empty. A couple of months before I had my operation, I had realized I was turning into him. Stuffing my mouth with all this food. Sometimes it would take me an hour or more to eat my dinner (that's how slow I was). And I didn't seem to mind because we usually watch a movie while we eat so I never really noticed how long it took me to finish a meal. My boyfriend was always the one to point out that I ate like a snail. Oh, well. At that point I decided to limit my food intake, eat earlier, and just a lil bit healthier. But prior to this, bout 6 months ago, I stopped frying everything and began baking everything. The flavor is basically the same so why not? So.. getting back on topic, I sipped on my fruit punch until it was time to go. By this time, I was exhausted and so sleepy. Since I barely go out, my body's adjusted to not doing anything and resting all day. I am so tired of that. I've never had my big ole butt hurt so much from just sitting. The sad thing is that I really do feel pain from just sitting. Ain't that something? Well, when we finally got home, I was in a lil pain, more tired than anything though. But, I felt good and still do. I laid down for half an hour and found myself getting up to unpack the bags of stuff we had bought. I got the laundry and garbage sorted out. Not much, but it's a good start for me. Tomorrow, I'm going shopping for groceries. I'm hoping this good feeling is going to last. I think I'm finally getting past the point of pain to where I can begin enjoying having had this operation. And it's beginning to feel good. I put on one of my shirts today. And you know what? My boyfriend actually told me that it was too big on me. What a way to make a girl smile, right? I was happier than a pig in sh-t. No pun intended. :thumbup1:

Today hasn't been such a bad day. Even though I have pain in my abdomen, it's nothing compared to what the past few days have been like. The pain with the stitches has gone down some, but I've recently begun experiencing a different kind of pain now; and it's all in my belly button. It feels like my belly button is being stretched, pulled and yanked. And while it's not a constant pain, the suddenness of the pain feels like a stabbing motion. At times, it catches me so unawares that I'll end up screaming out loud. I took a look at it yesterday and it looks like it's beginning to separate where its healed which has me a little worried. I started putting neosporin on it in the hopes that it'll heal just a bit faster. But I'm especially pleased when I decided to look at myself in the mirror today and saw that my second chin is finally starting to disappear! It's become just a little thing. My face is definitely thinner, too. I've also weighed myself and it's in the 290s. Can't wait to see it in the 280s and hopefully soon. :001_wub: The one thing that I have noticed is my lack of interest in food. I barely think about eating real food (except when I see a commercial or two on tv). I mean my doctor has put me on mushies already and after all the complaining I've done about being hungry before and after the surgery, I can't bring myself to even wanting a baked potato. I drink all day long and I've eaten string cheese and soup (only because my mother made it). I can't seem to find my appetite. Wonder how long that'll take to find. :thumbup1: Ah well, I'm not going to worry about anything until I have to. Now, I'm off to watch my tv marathon of two and a half men. Have a good day.

Yay me! I went to my post-op appt today and they weighed me before my actual meet with the doctor. I officially now weigh 300.3 lbs. I've lost 16 lbs in 2 weeks! I'm ecstatic! I knew I had lost weight but I hadn't expected it to be so much. But... I am nearing the third week and if I'm not mistaken that's when the stall begins. But, it's okay. I've lost more in this month than I would've ever dared to dream. I've been so preoccupied about the slow rate of healing I apparently thought was happening that when I went to the clinic I was met with surprise. One of the same women whom I had shared a hospital room with had come to her appt and was being pushed around in a wheelchair. Damn. And I thought I had it bad. I finally met with the doctor who told me that there's nothing I can do about my stitching problem unless, somewhere down the line, I elect to have minor surgery to fix my stitching. 'Perhaps in 2 years when I come back for the plastic surgery' is what she said like I'm really about to go through this pain for two years. Besides, after experiencing this pain, I'm kinda thinking about not getting that surgery. I'm still not entirely convinced it's really worth it. And, as soon as I can, I plan on going to the gym and becoming ms.musclegirl. I'm going to throw myself into it. Anyway, she prescribed me more tylenol codeine (thank god) and told me I can begin my mushies on Sunday. I'm already planning on having a baked potato that day. :drool5: I was given another appt for next month. Let's see how much I can manage to lose by then. Of course, the bit of walking I did to get there made me feel a slightly better than I've felt in a longtime. So, needless to say, I took advantage only to have it bite me in the butt even before I got home. When I got to my neighborhood, I got my prescription, then went to the supermarket. By the time we left the supermarket I was dying from the pain. All I could feel was the pain just hitting my abdomen. By the time I had crossed the street, I was walking crooked, breathing hard and about ready to faint. My poor boyfriend :001_wub: couldn't do much and didn't know what was going on. He had been carrying like 6 bags of grocery so it was pretty hard for him to hold my hand. He ended up leaving the bags halfway down the block (I had told him to go ahead) to come get me. First thing he did was give me water followed by a big gulp of the tylenol codeine. Phew! It started to work almost immediately and soon I was feeling drunk. But, thanks to his quick thinking, we got home in one piece AND without me kissing the sidewalk. Never again. But I'm happy today and as much as I've bitched and moaned and cried tears of frustration, I certainly wouldn't change a thing. :thumbup1:

Last week, my sister's car died on us just as she was about to take me to the clinic for my follow up. I ended up having to reschedule for tomorrow, Sept.1 @ 10am. I've opted on taking public trransportation over there because I don't want to ask my sister for another ride even though I'm almost sure she'd have no problem. But still, I've resolved to doing most things by myself simply because I want to get better. But, of course, there's this persistent stomach problem I have with my stitches; and instead of focusing on it, I'm going to work around it. I do plan on asking the doctors if anything can be done about it. A question I most likely know the answer to anyway. I've noticed for the past few days that my abdomen has become hard. It doesn't really sink in when I poke it or anything but I feel it pulling on my stitches even when I'm laying down. I guess I have to drink more water or something, but I am going to point it out to the doctors. It could also mean that I'm just bloated due to my "Aunt" coming for a visit. But I'm prertty sure it's nothing big. I weighed myself today and was pretty surprised that with swollen tummy and all, how much weight I've lost. Well, it's not like I've been eating alot. I usually do a protein shake in the morning and drink liquids in the afternoon and then nothing in the evening. Not healthy, I know, but I've lost my appetite lately. I feel at times like I'm full just from the liquids alone. Anyhow, I'm not going to post my weight until I weigh myself at the clinic. I don't trust my scale at all. It gives me so many different numbers that I'm reluctant to believe anything I see. But I will post my weight tomorrow. I'm just hoping that it's closer to what my scale's been showing. On a good note, I've started working on my arms with a heavy resistance band I had bought prior to the operation. They're pretty toned but one wouldn't be able to notice because my arms are still fat. And those morning protein shakes are doing wonders, too. My legs are not as big as before. They're not as fatty as they use to be. They're actually a lil bit thinner and look better than they have in years. The results are beginning to show. So, while I wait for my abdomen to heal, I'll continue working with the band until I'm able to ride my bike again. Adios til tomorrow!:huh0:

I went out today; first time in a long time. I put on the baggiest clothes I have, rolled my pants under my belly and walked. It took me almost an hour to go 2 blocks but I did. I bit my lower lip as my stitches threatened to burst, stopping on occasion to lean against a lamp post. And for all my effort, everything was going good. Right towards the end, my pain started to really kick up. At times I would feel like crying. My boyfriend, who was with me, was good... until the end when he insisted that I "just do it" and stop being a "baby." Aside from fighting the urge to tell him to "f--k off" I told him that this was my pain and I wasn't about to rush for him or for anybody else. I took my time, pain and all. I'm happy though I went out because since I came home, I've had only minimal pain. I feel better than I have in days. I plan on going out tomorrow again. See if I can get better. BF's being a pain in my arse.