CowgirlJane

I am 2.5 years out from my surgery. I really don't miss overeating, I don't miss having food as a comfort or "friend". The reason I eat the way I do is it is what I need to do to stay trim - I COULD eat more at a setting then I usually do. It is like when I was still overweight (even post WLS) people seemed okay with a fat girl eating light. when you aren't fat anymore, I get alot more comments on it. It is like people think I am faking it, pretending to be a light eater or something. Once a person knows me well I have no problem explaining to them that i have to eat this way or I will regain weight. Many of my friends and aquaintances know I had WLS so I am pretty open about things. When it is people I don't know, I don't feel I should have to justify what I eat, how much I eat or any of that. I find it a bit intrusive that I get remarks about it now (and I didn't when I was fat). I don't think I realized how rude people can be about very personal things - and it puzzles me why they even notice or care. This is more the nature of a rant, but bottom line I don't really get why people have no problem digging into a pile of deep fried food and nobody asks "why are you eating like that?" but if I pick away at a plate of raw veggies and hummus I get the interrogation and more annoying, the insinuation that I am eating that way for "looks" - or so people will think I am a light eater. Of course, i realize that most people, even normal weight women, eat a heck of a lot more than us formerly obese can. We are predispositioned to become obese again even eating a "normal" or typical diet and portions.

I saw the surgeon and I don't really have symptoms of gallbladder disease, ulcer or any other more serious suspects. So, the real compelling evidence is that i eat quite well if I am with people and having a good time so it seems like it is mood related and probably a little related to the fact that at home by myself I don't tend to keep a lot of super appealing foods. It is hard to get too excited by Tunafish, lettuce, sandwich meat, etc. My weight has stabilized and in spite of my sister and best friend thinking I am gonna blow away in the wind, the surgeon thought my weight is just right. We have a plan to monitor, try some things etc and if things aren't better in 2-3 weeks I will be scoped... just in case. My son comes home from college in mid June and I suspect my appetite will be better once I have someone to cook with/eat with. I think I need to get more fluids in too, so just working on going back to basics. I had spent alot of energy learning to eat more intuitively so I don't track etc and at least temporarily I might need to do that until this resolves. anyway, good news is that I don't have symptoms of anything really serious but will continue to get things checked out if i don't have improvement.

I am most interested in the calcium topic too. Mostly because it doesn't seem to show up on tests AND because i think it is the hardest supplement to "stomach" All my blood work since surgery is "perfect" but calcium is my nemisis. I hate the pills, I feel the chewables are crazy expensive and I guess I have a little worry about it. I was always vit D low prior to losing weight - now it is normal even though I take less Vit D then I used to! My Iron is always really good so I personally don't need to take that supplement. I also switched from high quality multi Vitamins to chewable gummies once I got to maintenance since I eat pretty healthy and most vitamins make me feel kinda ill. The gummies are almost like candy... About 2 months ago, when my appetite problems started, I stopped taking all vitamins except for the B complex sublingual drop that I do a few times a week. Everything else just seemed like more than I could deal with. Now, I am taking vitamins again but barely choking down 500 a day dosage of calcium citrate. I know i should have about twice (taken separately) that but they kill my appetite for hours. I appreciate you starting this thread... I am ready to be educated!

I think most people work during the time frame of the preop diet. There is no reason not to. Did I misunderstand the question?

I gained about 10 pounds due to all the fluids in surgery... so I think by the end of the first week i had lost most of that..haha. I had big losses the first month even with the week 1 gain.

It takes time for the brain to see the weight loss. I keep before and after photos at my work station. I took an advisor clothes shopping at one point because I kept coming home with too big of clothes. I went from 3x/26W or. Bigger range now about a size 4-6 so it was a big adjustment.

Suzy, that's a good one! I don't think I would have agreed to go ....

Just post in vets forum. .I think good reminder as I am sure people lose their vitamin diligence over time...

I have lost 160 since my revision and am at a healthy weight.

It.just.gets.old. Don't worry, I'll live.

I had the band for 10 years, sleeve for 2.5 My success with band was modest and shortlived....sleeve so far has exceeded my expectations and beat the "statistics"

Is this why butter and Laura departed? Miss em both GG is crazy analytical and needs the occasional reminder that not everything works on a spreadsheet....but I like her alot too.

Georgia....we have the same wacky penpal. I think some people must be even loneliester than I am! Yes... I wonder how much of my issues are in my head. I was telling the doc that last summer I felt so strong....now I feel less robust somehow. He told me he was depressed all weekend cuz his sons didnt want to do stuff with dad. He really took me seriously but just told me i look amazing, I dont have redflag symptoms and contrary to what some think.... I am in no danger of blowing away in the wind. Florinda...wonderful to hear from you. Safe and sound and a new guy...woohoo! My advice....people will eat junk everywhere you go....need to find our own compass. I say this after a lifetime of struggling with the "see food" diet.

I am so happy for you! Little thought for the day....you're worthwhile and love worthy no matter what that tag says....

I have lost so much I am not recognizable....So I have been "outed" in a professional setting by accident. Be prepared... However I agree it is an intimate detail and I have no wish to divulge until I decide the guy is a serious prospect. Even then, I won't talk about WLS but rather massive weight loss and plastics. There are people who will rule you out for this. My example was a guy who pursued me pretty hard till he happened to notice my arm scars. I decided to go ahead and dive into my story. He claimed to admire that I had changed my life....but within a week he claimed he never felt any "chemistry" with me. Strange coming from someone who had been in daily contact and was talking pretty big about stuff about trips together etc. until then.... I didn't lose weight or have plastics to find a guy so I don't let itbug me. I love how I look, I am fun to be with and frankly if I wanted to just "date" casually and never have to face this, I could. What i want is a real relationship and that won't happen unless we are comfortable with each others history so at the right stage I will risk "rejection" over this until the right one comes along. And in the meantime, loving life single and with a few close supportive friends.

Thing again. I theorize it is because I am thin now. When I was fat people thought it was good I didn't eat much. Now that everybody thinks I am thin, my small portions are gathering unwanted attention and i don't like it. Maybe this belongs in the rant section, but I really really really wonder why it is people even CARE what I am eating? My BMI is still in the 23 range so it's not like I am skin and bones either. I have not been feeling 100% lately and eating greasy fried food doesn't sit well. So last night I was at a tavern and could not imagine a burger and fries so I ordered veggies with hummous. You would have thought I ordered a side of birdseed to eat based on the reaction I got ...grrr Yes, I am socializing more with people who didn't know me as obese and don't know about my surgery... but still... Okay, rant over.

You look great - CONGRATS!

I understand. I get alot of friend requests and I accept them, but I never do anything else with it so I was just wondering what I am missing out. I message with people whether they are "friends" or not so wasn't sure how people using the "friend" function. Oh, and I go in about once a month and just accept friend requests so I also tell people to not take it personally if you don't hear back immediately!

So, I have not been 5:2ing lately. I am down to about 142-143 and don't necessarily seek to lose more. I have people around me freaking out about my weight loss, even though my BMI is still in the mid range of normal, and I am content here. One of my friends declared me officially a "skinny chick" and I should stop losing or my ass will completely disappear - good point. I still try to use the idea of fasting - meaning you don't really need to eat around the clock! Give the digestive organs a break - it seems we evolved to eat that way - we are not grazers like horses, deer, elk. We seem to be more genetically programmed to eat like predators which is less often. If I get hungry late, i open a premier Protein drink, have a few sips and put it back in the fridge. Very low carb, low sugars and an a few sips seems to satiate me.

Many go through this during the early weeks and months.... which is more typical I think. I was surprised to find myself dealing with it so much later. Desiring food for comfort is no longer a key issue, but it is an issue of how to get used to really FEELING things. It's much better now though - and much of it is due to OTHER life changes. I am a recent empty nester, my job changed to being much more solitary, I lost my sister and mom who i was very close to about 7 years ago. Basically, my life scarcely resembles what it was like say 10 years ago. In so many ways it is better, but it has been ALOT of change. It is tied to the weight loss because some of the changes I needed to make a very long time ago, but only finally now have the energy to do it. I wonder if that is why the divorce rate etc is high too... something that needed to happen but didn't due to the overwhelming weight that morbid obesity puts on a person - crushes some of that energy to solve any other problems in life. I don't think it is the least bit negative to discuss it and people who have not gone through it maybe just haven't hit it yet or are perhaps fortunate enough that they won't.

Thanks for the summary Wanda! I like gamergirl and would be okay with adding her but we don't talk that much about 5:2 here so I think it should just be a thread on the vets forum... I went to the surgeon's yesterday, didn't get to see my surgeon but Dr Harris who is the guy who also does cosmetic surgery there. He is a general surgeon and has a couple of years experience with the sleeve... but not quite like seeing Billings or Landerholm who are the old hands. Anyway, he thinks my issues are emotional... he suspects ulcers or gallbladder as "maybes" but I don't have real symptoms of either one. It was also good that he confirmed I am not "too thin" a barrage of which I have been dealing with lately that is just more pressure on the situation I don't really need. (My BMI is not low - I think around 23 but people around me think I am fading away) Anyway, we have a plan to try some things and next step is to be scoped if things don't resolve in a couple of weeks. We also talked very briefly about face work. He suggested more fat injections in my cheeks to give a more youthful look - he thought that was the most bang for the buck so to speak. I hate my chin skin... it doesn't show up unless I am certain angles but then it looks like a wattle. He talked about the laser thing. What they do is zap out some fat cells which burns you under the skin. Then, you wear a binder while you heal and so the skin reattaches which gives you a "firmer" chin but doesn't actually remove extra skin from the chin. Nobody else but me seems to think i could benefit from that... so for now I might look into the cheek injections. I like the idea of maintaining a bit more youthful look... as we go... so you don't get that shocking change. I don't need a facelift yet so this is a good intermediary step. So, I got private messaged from someone going over the edge... regretting surgery and afraid all she will ever be able to do is sip water and eat 1 spoon of mush at a time etc. Seriously, she writes like a person on the verge of insanity. I feel like i don't have much to offer - I mean I so far have never regretted it. She weighed under 200# at time of her surgery and honestly, 200# was my success mark - if I made it under that surgery was a win for me. so, it is hard at times to relate to someone who started UNDER my initial goal. I sent her some encouraging words because I try to be a good person, but lord no wonder people like tiffykins and others moved on from here.... I am concerned about long term complications these days due to all the talk, but trying to manage that in a rational way and think about what I can do to prevent it rather than being "worried". I have not been taking my calcium the last few months because i can't stand the IDEA of those huge pills while my appetite is so bad. I have to "steel" myself just to take tiny pills. Not because of physical restriction but because the thought of those things hitting my stomach just makes me go "blech" right now.

Why not start a 5:2 support thread on the vets forum? I personally don't think it's a great idea for people in their first year anyway, they should be following their surgeon s program. ... As I have said I am a 5:2 person but do not track so am not a purist.. There are variations but it is all about reduction a couple days a week and that "fasting" element.

Swimbikerun could you start a thread specific to long term supplement issues? I will be honest...I am lost and I know this is important. Did the Calcium issues happen even while supplementing?

And why do we need a friend list on this forum? I don't understand what difference it makes to be a friend or not.

Frank..I am so sorry, it is hard to understand.