It's all new

I take an oral potassium supplement daily prescribed my doc. It is an easy solution as far as I am concerned. I had my first Iron infusion recently. Be prepared, I was there 6 1/2 hours! They told me it would be 4-5, but that first time they check if you are allergic and it adds time. Take a movie or a book - then again, they gave me a small dose of IV Benadryl and I slept most of the time. I was low on iron before surgery and can't bring it back up. I am not sure if these infusions will be in my life long term or not. My surgery was in May. It seems so worth it to me to have an occasional infusion though if it will bring up my energy level and allow me to exercise at that next level. I hope you are feeling better quickly - I don't have the answers that you wanted but I wanted you to know you are not alone!

At about three weeks after surgery I stalled for a month. Now, it's been six and a half months and I'm down 98 lbs. from 255 to 157 and still losing steadily. Any other 30 day period since surgery the least I have lost is 10 lbs. Give it time, understand that the stall may stick around for a while, be grateful if it doesn't - and no matter what, remember that it is not an indication of your future success!

Yes - the calorie estimates for exercise on MFP appear greatly inflated. The estimate for elliptical is particularly inflated. Also, with their elliptical calorie count there isn't an option for having exercised at high, medium, or low intensity which would help get an more accurate reflection of calories burned. I do really like their feature that says something like "if every day were like today, in five weeks you would weigh 145 lbs", so some variation of that feature would be nice. It is rewarding when you finish your day to get an idea of where you are headed. Also, MFP has a search feature that previously just searched the database but now searches your past entries first. I really like that, because I don't have to scroll through the hundred other entries I have made to find something obscure I have only entered one other time. I'm sure I will have other ideas, but this is what comes to mind first!

I can't believe it - this morning I weighed in at 157 exactly. Last week I was 160.7 so it was a pretty good week for me! Two more lbs to the century club. Happy Thanksgiving!

I am having three ounces of turkey, 2-3 roasted Brussels sprouts, and a tiny bit of pumpkin pie. I will put in 1 1/2-2 hrs at the gym in the morning so I don't feel too guilty about the pie!

Yes, this is very common after surgery! I am cold all the time too. I was cold before surgery, but this is even more so. I don't sweat much anymore either, even when I exercise. I have started taking long baths every day, because it is the one time I feel warm!

I take two fiber gummies and 800 mg magnesium every day. The magnesium is a supplement you can find at the grocery or pharmacy. I started with 400 mg magnesium, but 800 is what works for me. I no longer have any issues with constipation.

I am also wondering what the rate is. I am planning on those same procedures. How did they do with pain control after surgery? How long will you have be in the hospital?

I am 5'6". Started at 255, size 22/24 and 3x tops. Currently at 160, size 10 and large tops (a few mediums). Still losing steadily. I've work out quite a bit, which has really helped me. Surgery was six months ago.

It's true. I take 800 mg plus two fiber gummies - and have no more issues. It is a miracle after months of problems!

CW 160.7 GW 157 I am doing my best - not 100% sure I will make it.

My weight is coming off the belly last! Don't give up hope. At some point in my weight loss it seemed that proportionally I lost weight everywhere except my belly. It is finally improving. The difference between 175 and 160 was a good changing point. I know it will keep getting better with the next 15!

I am six months out. Up until recently my only choice for breakfast was egg whites with a tiny bit of cheese - it had the proper nutritional profile I was looking for, filled me up, and most importantly was soft. It's only in the last week I have been able to tolerate lean meat for breakfast. So I've had many days of plain turkey or chicken for breakfast. Low cal, high protein. Not the tastiest compared to eggs and a little cheese - but I think it helped my weight loss a little.

I was allowed to have coffee starting a week after surgery. For quite a while I added one shot to my protein drink each day. It really helped the flavor! Now that I am six months out I often have a 12 oz nonfat latte. The bad thing is that I add one pump of sweetener (20 calories, the real deal). I can live with myself doing that, although it would be an absolute NO for many. I would recommend never tasting coffee with real sweetener again!

I went through all sorts of problems with this. The solution that finally worked for me (and I tried quite a few) was this: 800 mg magnesium oxide nightly and two fiber gummies. The magnesium oxide is a supplement sold at drug stores everywhere. I started with 400 grams (which I think is a good idea) but it wasn't enough. The fiber gummies are also very easy to find - I use the vitafusion brand. I now go almost every day. This solution has led to no cramping at all, which is important to me!

I'm not exactly sure - I do recommend asking in the sub forum specifically dedicated to plastic and reconstructive surgery if you don't get response in the post-op section that this thread is currently in.

I hear from many people that you should wait a year or longer after you have finished losing so that your skin can bounce back to whatever extent it is going to. In essence, right after you finish losing your skin will be saggier than a year later. I am looking into having my thighs, stomach, and breasts done and I don't think I will wait a year. As advisable as others find it, I know that at that time I won't be able to have the procedures due to my life circumstances. Also, my surgeon doesn't require the one year wait - I have heard that many do. I have read of people combining surgeries. I'm not sure what they would say about the specific procedures you want - I heard about someone who had thighs, breasts, and stomach at the same time. So it seems possible. Good luck!

You have been amazingly successful! Congrats on hiring a trainer - I absolutely LOVE seeing my trainer, I think the workouts are the best part of this new lifestyle. Way to go.

I was able to eat about 3/4-1 oz of lean Protein at 6 weeks. 1 oz was really pushing it. Measure before you eat, and start small!

I generally seem to have what others have called a "sleeve of steel". The one thing I'm starting to have problems with is coffee. It did not bother me at all until recently - now, at six months out it makes my stomach burn. I take Rx Precavid twice daily already. Maybe adding coffee to an empty stomach is just not going to work anymore!

As I stated in the first sentence of my reply - I totally agree with the overall point. The problem is that on this site there are many people pre-op or shortly post-op who are looking for the best path forward. Many of us received very little information from doctors or nutritionists and use this site to make up for gaps in our knowledge. And I think that there is a risk of people taking this type of advice literally. Glad that you were able to look past the particulars to the overall idea - as long as every other reader does the same, that will work out really well.