It's all new

You look great - you probably feel even better. Nice work!

Men! You are such "losers"! In seriousness, congrats on your hard work - you look great!

I totally relate. I had terrible constipation for the first four months after my sleeve. I used enemas, took miralax, and used MOM - had bleeding, pain, misery. Then I switched Vitamins - the old Vitamin had no Iron, the new vitamin (a surprise!) had iron. Well, a week later - nothing. Had not gone, serious pain. So I tried everything. And my final resort was the enema, and when I couldn't even get the saline back out past the blockage ended up in the ER. HORRIBLE and humiliating. Since then I quickly realized about the iron - it is not a possibility for me. And also found that taking a magnesium oxide supplement (I take 800 mg but started at 400 in hopes that would work) and two Fiber gummies daily. For the most part my constipation is totally resolved. Phew.

I am also considering an ablation. I have to get a four hour Iron infusion (as soon as I get home from traveling) because my periods are so heavy and I can't get the anemia under control. I am pretty nervous about the ablation... Having kids is 99.9% not in my future, but that .01% is still in my mind. It seems silly objectively, but emotionally getting the ablation will be tough. Sorry to chime in with my story on your thread - I don't know anybody else dealing with the constant bleeding and ablation issues! Good luck!

Start by listing your Surgery date, surgery weight and current weight. Then figure out how many days you have until Thanksgiving and make a goal weight based on the number of lbs you are challenging yourself to lose between now and then. Update each week, probably on Thursdays as our final weigh in is a Thursday. Welcome to your first challenge!

I made my original goal but then revised it to 167. On Saturday I weighed in at 168.5. Unfortunately I won't get to weigh in again due to traveling. So... Some success but not quite what I hoped for! Good luck to everybody - moving on to the Thanksgiving challenge when I get home.

I went to Walmart and got a sports bra that I wore starting the day after surgery. I used to be... I think a 44H if I remember correctly. The Walmart bra really didn't fit, but I got it because it worked well enough and it was cheap. I hear they also have the genie bra and and there might be a large enough size depending on how large you need it. I just wanted something as cheap as possible because I knew it wouldn't fit for more than a few weeks. After six months I am down to a 36 DDD, which is a major improvement! I can't wait to be able to get a lift.

I keep hearing people say they have a sleeve of steel - apparently that is me. No one told me not to eat celery. In fact, I was told that was for lap banders. But I was told it might take a bit of time to tolerate stringy foods and to be patient. I was eating celery by two months, no problem. Everyone is different, our docs all seem to have different advice...

I am so glad you sought medical attention! This story really highlights the importance of listening to your body. I wish you the best in your recovery.

After almost six months I can eat two ounces of cooked chicken breast (I think that is equivalent to around 3 1/3 raw in terms of figuring out calories/protein etc), with a few bites of veggies. That would be... breast.

Congrats! The sleeve IS wonderful. Mix in a lot of hard work and... ONEDERLAND!! That's great.

That's great! Can't wait to hear the details. I would love to hear about how you eat as you train.

I had HORRIBLE constipation for the first four months. I used miralax, Fiber supplements, enemas, even went for colonics. Ended up in the ER with constipation. I now take two fiber gummies every day and 800 mg of magnesium oxide. Magnesium is at any grocery or drug store with all the other Vitamins etc. This is the only thing that has worked for me with no cramping and no problems. Thank goodness.

This sounds quite similar to what I could eat at your stage. Maximum one ounce of cooked meat was true for me as well. I had two shakes a day, around two ounces of meat per day, part of one poached egg, and a tablespoon of shredded cheese. That was around 500 calories. It got me through the first three months. I went to 600 calories for the fourth month, and now in the fifth month aim for 600-800 calories. At your stage I basically had zero veggies or fruits, but now occasionally sneak some in. I wonder if you are mourning the loss of food and change in routine as much as anything? It is hard to adjust at first to such small quantities constituting a meal. With the pho, perhaps your sleeve doesn't like hot "drinks"? Mine wasn't crazy about them and did much better with cold fluids. Even now when I have a warm drink I drink very slowly. Good luck.

Well, not quite the week I was hoping for... but it will happen Challenge SW 170.2 CW 168.5 GW 157

WOW! Hot mama! You look great. Congratulations on your success.

I know someone who was sleeved and this became an issue for them as well. It was the psychological component of increasing calories and fear of weight gain that kept the loss going - sounds like a similar issue. My friend was also concerned about possible anorexia. We haven't spoken in a few months so I am not sure if the issue resolved - but I can say you aren't alone. I agree with the previous post, counseling is important - preferably someone with experience with bariatrics, if not then someone with eating disorder experience. This is usually not a case of simply "eat more" - as you already know that is the solution but can't get yourself to do it.

As far as caffeine goes it depends on your doc - mine says as long as you stay hydrated otherwise it is not a problem. I have been enjoying coffee quite happily. That does not mean that because it works for me it will work for you - but like many other issues there isn't a definitive answer.

Dedication pays off! That is awesome. Congrats.

You rock! Totally inspiring. Congratulations on taking such a huge step in your journey.

You look fantastic and it sounds like life overall is going really well for you. Your arms... I covet them. I want my biceps/triceps to grow up and look like that!

Looking good! Congratulations on your success!