CdnExpat

Who is Lisa Lampanelli?

Some people will lose no more than the regular amount of hair (normal growth/regrowth cycles) and some will lose a lot of hair. It depends on how the individual's body handles the "insult" of surgery and the wls. Keeping up the Protein helps with the regrowth cycle, but does not prevent hair loss. For those of you who didn't lose much hair, say a small 'hallelujah' and observe a moment of silence for those of us who have.
There's great suggestions in one of the other forums on hair loss, and some will work and some won't. Again, depends on the individual. Fortunately, research so far supports that nobody goes bald (with the VSG) and the loss is temporary. I decided I don't care, I'd rather be skinny. So I'll either shave my head a la Demi Moore, or wear a wig a la Dolly Parton if it gets too bad. In the meantime, I've gone and gotten a pixie cut (veeerrrry chic for a 49 year old I can tell you) and I'm reveling in the no muss no fuss hair days after years of long (and sometimes very long) hair.
The thing that seems to be helping me is the silicon supplement. As a side effect, my fingernails are looking pretty amazing too. Just in case, I'm eyeing up the long blonde wig in the window at the mall. HWHN* says it looks way more like Rod Stewart than Dolly Parton. But what would he know? He thinks Dolly is a test-tube sheep.
CE
*HWHN = "He Who Hates to be Named" aka my quiet, introverted husband.

The wild card is always the client. No matter what the professionals do, or the skills they may have, or the techniques they may employ, if the client isn't invested enough in making the changes required to be different, then no matter what magic wand is brought to the table, it's not going to work.
I understand from the doctor and nutritionist that the more weight to be lost, the more dramatic the loss ...in the beginning. As the body adjusts to the new regime, it begins to be more efficient in using the calories that are consumed. So this can backfire big time. If there are no changes made to eating habits, the lower calorie intake will cause an initial wls, but if the foods chosen are sabotaging, then the more efficient your body gets at using those calories, the slower, and slower the loss. When the high calorie foods are the only source of nutrition, wls is negligible. (Living in the Middle East, the doctor and nutritionist had many examples of bariatric surgery that "didn't work" as a weight loss procedure fro these exact reasons) It is typically very difficult for people here to make the lifestyle changes necessary to sustain the new weight.
After lurking on VST for months before joining, I can definitively say that the one consistent tip, hint, trick, or suggestion is that in order to take advantage of the "tool" of bariatric surgery, one has to be prepared for a whole and complete, permanent lifestyle change. If that one piece is missing, everything else is a crap shoot with the chances of success dropping to about equal with winning the lottery.
"Winning" the lottery... through hard work,
CE

I had surgery on a Thursday morning, and could have gone back to work on Monday. I had planned for the whole week off, but truly didn't need it. It really depends on how you feel. If there's lots of up & down, bending and straightening, I'd take the time allotted, but spend the last few days conditioning yourself to do those activities.
It's a good place to begin listening more carefully to your body.

Two books that could help a lot are: "Emotional Incest" by Dr. Patricia Love (about what happens to the siblings in a family with a 'golden child') and "Healing Rejection and Emotional Abuse" by Jonas Clark. Both are available as Kindle books (or Kindle app for iPad). There's also "Severing the Connection: An Instruction Manual of Escaping Emotional Abuse" by Melanie Mayer.
Here in the Middle East, your situation is common, but there are ways to learn to deal with your mother's emotional & psychological abuse that do not include going against cultural expectations.
Lastly, remember that the abuse is not about you - mom targets you as the scapegoat, but the issues are hers, and hers, alone.
Hang in there. Maybe take some strategy tips from Dad... =)
CE

The aliens are more afraid of you than vice versa. Maybe it would help to re-watch Monsters, Inc. I know it seems like an animated cartoon, but the truth comes in the strangest forms.

You're losing. That's the important thing, right? How much and when are less important than the fact that you're losing. Try some of these things for the obsessing:
1. Write down the ruminating thought(s). Those repetitious phrases that echo round & round in your head, write them down.
2. On a scale of 1 to 100, rate how much you believe the thought to be true. (1 not at all, 100, totally)
3. Under that thought, write down anything - anything at all - that contradicts the thought.
4. Now write down as a percentage how much you struggled with these kind of thoughts before surgery & wls.
5. Carefully re-read everything you've written, and come to a conclusion about the repetitious thoughts.
6. Re-rate their accuracy based on the objective information you've gathered.
7. Visualize yourself shrinking the thought(s) into their proper perspective in relation to the truth of your life.
It takes mindfulness, but it works.
Lastly, I'd suggest you see a nutritionist if you're not already to discuss the "Always having a Gatorade in my hand" thing. Maybe this could maybe be translated into something more helpful (and healthful). You could also change up your exercise routine a bit (there's great suggestions in that forum) and you could try SuperBetter (as an app if you've got an iPhone or iPad, or online at www.superbetter.com if not) for encouragement and support.
Keep at it... setbacks and stalls are not failure. Giving up is.
CE

Just as an aside... why so much Gatorade or Powerade? I've learned to be cynical thanks to a very eventful (former) career as a patient advocate. If the surgeon can't a) medically justify recommending those particular drinks, or offer an acceptable alternative, I'd be asking when he last went on a cruise or vacation on PepsiCo's dime?
But that's just me.

We used a dehydrator that my husband built, for years. (HWHN* is a handy kinda guy) He took an old lingerie cabinet, took out the drawers, used the drawer size as a guide and made frames with stiff mesh screening. (The screen door mesh is too flimsy, and the steel grid is too heavy... something in between). He put an in-car heater in the bottom of the cabinet, ran the cord through a hole he drilled, and voile. We dried everything. Some things weren't as successful as others, but we perfected cherries, grapes, plums, apricots, apples, bananas, peaches, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, homemade fruit leather, homemade Jerky, and many different kinds of herbs. At a time when our daughter could not eat anything with chemicals in it, we figured out how to eat well all year round.
The fruit and veggies don't look the same as the ones you buy in the store because we didn't spray them with a preservative to make them look "nice" but after the first taste, you don't care what the fruit looks like. It's awesome. My girls grew up thinking dried apple rings were the best snack in the whole world.
CE
*HWHN = He Who Hates to be Named, my very quiet and introvert husband.

The actual formula for deciding ideal weight (for women) is 100 pounds for the first 5', and 3 pounds for every inch more. To fine tune this number, follow the directions below for measuring your elbow width. (This is more accurate than your wrist, especially if you're overweight). After you've determined frame size, adjust the ideal weight by adding (to the above formula) 1.5 pounds per inch for a medium frame, and 2 pounds per inch for a large frame.
Directions: Place arm parallel to the floor, straight out from shoulder, palm up. Bend arm up 90 degrees. Using calipers (or help from someone) measure the distance between the centers of the two prominent bones behind the point of your elbow. Be sure to center on the bones. Using that measurement, compare to the chart below. If your measurement falls within the guidelines listed for your height, you have a medium frame. If it is less, you are small-framed, and if more, you are large framed.
Sorry. The chart got all gibbled when I posted it. Here's the link instead... http://www.am-i-fat.com/body_frame_size.html
Having said that, like Cheri points out, our bodies sometimes have a "happy weight" that pays no attention whatsoever to our wish for an ideal weight.
I've just learned I have a small frame. Something I didn't know.
CE

i looked on my chart printout they give me and the goal weight they have for me is 130...i think my left leg weighs about that much on its own. that number is just way too low for me to get my head around.

7 months post open. Came off the insulin pump 4 days post op. Dr. Appt on last Fri w/ labs. Dr. Called all numbers looked great, my new A1C was 5.0 haven't seen anything under 8 in 7 years. So happy about my Choice, 90 lbs down. Its life altering. Vitamin d low, lve always had that issue. Just happy right now, so many asks how skinny do I want to be, I say its not an image thing for, I just wanted to be more healthier, for the first time in 12 yes, I am not taking 9 different pills and hooked up to an insulin pump and sensor, but to keep me on track I keep them in plain view as a motivator. My journey is not always easy, that's reality. But I am enjoying the trip and learning something new all the time. Pre open was 260, now 170. Thanks for support from all

Don't you blush! The top rep people get on here everyday or nearly, and really try to help.

They are "reputation points. " the number tells you how many times people have hit the "like " button on your posts. On the main home page down on the right you'll see the top 5 "reputation point leaders" (blush).

Two books that could help a lot are: "Emotional Incest" by Dr. Patricia Love (about what happens to the siblings in a family with a 'golden child') and "Healing Rejection and Emotional Abuse" by Jonas Clark. Both are available as Kindle books (or Kindle app for iPad). There's also "Severing the Connection: An Instruction Manual of Escaping Emotional Abuse" by Melanie Mayer.
Here in the Middle East, your situation is common, but there are ways to learn to deal with your mother's emotional & psychological abuse that do not include going against cultural expectations.
Lastly, remember that the abuse is not about you - mom targets you as the scapegoat, but the issues are hers, and hers, alone.
Hang in there. Maybe take some strategy tips from Dad... =)
CE

Two books that could help a lot are: "Emotional Incest" by Dr. Patricia Love (about what happens to the siblings in a family with a 'golden child') and "Healing Rejection and Emotional Abuse" by Jonas Clark. Both are available as Kindle books (or Kindle app for iPad). There's also "Severing the Connection: An Instruction Manual of Escaping Emotional Abuse" by Melanie Mayer.
Here in the Middle East, your situation is common, but there are ways to learn to deal with your mother's emotional & psychological abuse that do not include going against cultural expectations.
Lastly, remember that the abuse is not about you - mom targets you as the scapegoat, but the issues are hers, and hers, alone.
Hang in there. Maybe take some strategy tips from Dad... =)
CE

you all have made me smile - thank you so much! I also went through all the stages of liquids and small bites - trust me there is life after the stage you are in now; you will look back and feel accomplished.
CE - glad you understand my feelings today, I do go out with my friends and order something small or healthy and bring it home for a few more meals. I drink alcohol on the weekends - but it is not the same - but my wonderful friends get me and understand - they all have weight issues so they have compassion.
Thank you all for the responses - it is what I need

P.S. Congratulations! Think on that glorious sentence for a little bit... Whoo hoo. The other nice pick-me-up this week was giving away all my bigger-than-size-14 clothes to the local women's shelter.
Way to rock those skinny yoga pants.

I was thinking this yesterday. I currently have what feels like a very limited repertoire of food and I'm thoroughly sick of it. I don't necessarily crave anything in particular, I just think, "Chicken, again. Ugh." My husband and I are slowly getting back to being able to go out (he orders and I nibble) but it's so different than the Foodie life we had before. I like good food and right now it feels like I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel. (I am seriously whining here )
The difference between what I am supposed to be eating and what my stomach can handle is still huge, and I'm not getting enough calories. I'm sure I'm stalled because my body has gone into starvation mode, but like you, I'm exhausted by food, and not at all inclined to be hungry. Argh!!!
Exercise this morning helped, and I just found a lovely little app called SoFit that I'm going to try. I am determined to change everything about the way I live, but sometimes, I really just yearn for the mindlessness of life before the sleeve. Mind you, I'm so much happier with myself in this new life, that I truly don't want that old life back. Except maybe for five minutes while I eat something delicious.
Hope you enjoyed your walk. I'm off to get a yoghurt my ownself.
CE

You know I'm only 2 weeks and lost 25 lbs in a month and yesterday I felt great gettin back to cooking and I wanted to eat my pork and rice so bad which I'm not aloud to I'm still on the liquid thing but I know what I mean wanting to have a nice big meal **** I wish I I too can have a nice alcoholic drink lol the things we give up to live a healthier and sexier life style

If you have difficulty with a hard, dry "plug" because of the constipation, glycerine suppositories and a lubricating jelly (e.g. KY jelly) help prevent serious straining, minimize pain and prevent tearing. After that, lots of liquids and Miralax close to hand should make it better.
CE

Nope. This is exactly how I feel, and sometimes I struggle mentally with the loss of enjoyment. My husband and I are long-time foodies, and now, going out isn't very much fun. We've managed to revisit a few of our favorite places - he orders what he wants and I "nibble" off his plate. (He says he loves the cheap dates!) But I certainly don't think about food like I used to. I'm usually not hungry and I find I have to force myself to try to eat the minimum calories I'm told I require. In my head, I miss the comfort that food brought, but I'm learning to do other, more positive things with that emotional space. As I do, I've found that my relationship to food is becoming more balanced. And that's a good thing.
CE

Some people will lose no more than the regular amount of hair (normal growth/regrowth cycles) and some will lose a lot of hair. It depends on how the individual's body handles the "insult" of surgery and the wls. Keeping up the Protein helps with the regrowth cycle, but does not prevent hair loss. For those of you who didn't lose much hair, say a small 'hallelujah' and observe a moment of silence for those of us who have.
There's great suggestions in one of the other forums on hair loss, and some will work and some won't. Again, depends on the individual. Fortunately, research so far supports that nobody goes bald (with the VSG) and the loss is temporary. I decided I don't care, I'd rather be skinny. So I'll either shave my head a la Demi Moore, or wear a wig a la Dolly Parton if it gets too bad. In the meantime, I've gone and gotten a pixie cut (veeerrrry chic for a 49 year old I can tell you) and I'm reveling in the no muss no fuss hair days after years of long (and sometimes very long) hair.
The thing that seems to be helping me is the silicon supplement. As a side effect, my fingernails are looking pretty amazing too. Just in case, I'm eyeing up the long blonde wig in the window at the mall. HWHN* says it looks way more like Rod Stewart than Dolly Parton. But what would he know? He thinks Dolly is a test-tube sheep.
CE
*HWHN = "He Who Hates to be Named" aka my quiet, introverted husband.

Yes. Ignore him! He's having to adjust to your changes and you're dumping hormones like a crazy person right now. Those hormones will make you insane for a bit. If he wants to eat hot dogs, let him. He's only hurting himself. Once your weight loss starts showing and he sees that you are serious about adopting new, healthier habits, hopefully he'll get on the healthy bandwagon. But, you don't want to make any significant changes until you know that your hormone levels have evened out.
At that point, I'll be your cheerleader if you smack him upside the head, but family members have a tendency to irritate the tar out of us, especially in those early post-op months because WE are out of whack.
Good luck!