Groovinchikin

My surgeon made me sign papers saying that I would not try to become pregnant for 24 months after surgery. As an unmarried woman, I'm certainly not planning on it. But I've had friends in similar situations and I think it's usually recommended that your weight loss stabilizes before you try to become pregnant. Also you want to be far enough out that you can physically consume enough daily calories to support a healthy fetus.

Also, if you happen to be attending a university with a Kinesiology department they usually offer these tests to students for free! While I am no where near "training hard" it's still a really useful piece of information to have. Our university also offers these tests to the community for a very reduced rate, so if anyone lives near one it's definitely something to look into.

So I've lost at least 70 pounds in my journey so far. I say at least because I gave up my scale for Lent and I'm not actually sure of my current weight at the moment. But with that much weight loss I can already do so many things that I wasn't able to a couple of months ago. The beautiful winter coat that I bought right after Hurricane Sandy is already so loose on me that I can easily overlap the front panels. I fit in the seats at my school's theater. The dress I wore to junior prom in high school is so loose now that it falls off of me. I have a neck, I can wear normal sized rings, I can run....the list is long. When it comes right down to it however, I feel like I'm still looking in a funhouse mirror! I feel like I look twice as big as I did when I started. I look at old pictures of myself and where other people can see a difference, I feel like I am still exactly the same. It's a discomforting feeling, knowing that you are changing to everyone else but being unable to recognize those changes in yourself. I suppose everyone who has undergone dramatic weight loss deals with this sort of body dysmorphia, but it's still a bizarre feeling. As a costume designer, I can pretty much sketch an accurate body sketch of someone just from a page of garment measurements. So I've taken my own actor's measurements every other week since I began. Those numbers are really where I can see a difference. I can picture bodies from measurement charts and my first chart body is dramatically different for my current chart body. So for now I guess I'll have to depend on that kind of external measure to understand how my body is changing.

I'm going to start blogging my journey as a way to A. hold myself accountable for the negative thoughts and feelings I have towards myself and my weight B. to map my emotional journey in a way that photos alone can not. So here goes. I am 23 years old. I have been fat my entire life. I was a fat child who was promised that I would "grow out of the baby fat one day" but alas I have only grown into a fat adult. I have an odd relationship with my weight. I must say that as a fat girl, you know who your friends truly are. Because of the negative stigma associated with my size, only the people of true character and kindness stuck around. I have a group of fiercely loyal friends who I wouldn't trade for the world, and they love me regardless of my physical shape. I have been interested in theater for as long as I can remember. I was a force in my community theater troupe, and while I was never chosen as the ingenue I always had a fantastic character role in everything I auditioned for. Never the star, but I had a ton of fans. My weight directly influenced my choice of profession. You see, I am a theatrical costume designer and puppet builder. I was taught to sew at an extremely early age, but I only began to pursue my talent because my community theater's designer didn't know how to sew anything for a plus size woman that didn't resemble a tow sack. I began to costume myself, and I must say that I looked fabulous. But the thing is...I WANTED to be the lead. I WANTED to be the ingenue. My size kept me from it, and I developed a deep seated self loathing over it. I developed a social anxiety disorder because of it. So in college I enrolled directly in design and never once attempted to audition again. Last year I was looking for an internship. I wanted to work as a puppet designer and builder, so I applied to all of the usual places. Jim Henson, Puppet Heap, Puppet Kitchen, Sprout, etc. But I also applied to late night TV shows like Conan and Colbert for their props making internships. Well, I was called back for everything I applied for...except for those applications that asked to include a picture. Maybe it was coincidence...but I don't think so. Eventually I decided that as a life long Henson Fanatic they were the company I wanted to peruse. Everything was going perfectly...I had every skill and experience they were looking for but there was one last hitch in the giddy up. They called and asked for an in person final interview!! Now, I live in Alabama. The Creature Shop for Sesame Street is in NYC...that's a long way to go and an expensive train ticket just to be shot down because of my weight. Those old insecurities creeped in and almost made me cancel the interview. So many opportunities had already been lost because of my appearance. But my mom MADE me go. She said that Jim Henson company celebrated people of all shapes and sizes in their body of work, why not in their employees? And she was right. The hired me for the semester and I had the absolute best time of my life!!! That's where I began my weight loss journey...on The Street. I lost 30 pounds just working my tail off for that amazing, AMAZING company. I met people that changed my life and my perspective on everything...Only problem? I discovered that a few of the AM puppets did not fit my obese arm, and that's the kind of character I hope to one day puppeteer. So I made up my mind. WLS happened about 2 weeks after I returned home. I am 70 pounds down total at 2 months out. My arm fits most of my puppets now. I still have 100 pounds to lose, but I already feel like a different person. Sometimes I just don't actually SEE the change...more on that next time.

I'm 2 months out. Yesterday my mom took me to Red Lobster. I got some steamed crab legs, very lean protein, very delicious. But those darned cheddar bay biscuits kept calling my name. Long story short...I ate half of one and immediately regretted it. Bread just seems to sit like lead on my stomach. So from now on, I'm strictly eating protein and produce!

Hi ladies! I don't want to write a novel about this situation, but I'd like some objective female input. Ok, so I'm 23 years old and I've only been in 3 relationships...one of which turned out to be with a gay man. So, needless to say I'm not very experienced in that field. I dated a guy we'll call Eric for about 3 months 4 years ago. He had been my very best friend since junior high, and we were good together but I was in college 2 hours away from him. I didn't want to do the long distance thing and he was interested in someone else, so we broke up. It wasn't pretty and it divided our friends for quite some time. Over the past year we have reconnected and become even closer than we were before. He was there holding my hand the day of surgery and has been an amazing support system ever since. He's been dating on and off since we reconnected, but right now he is single. This weekend he presented me with 6th row Elton John (my absolute favorite) tickets for March, and asked if I would consider going out with him again. I was stunned, but he is the kind of guy that is prone to making grand gestures. My question is, should I go for it? I'm just afraid that he's only paying attention to me because he's single and bored, or that I'm losing weight. Is my self-esteem craziness getting in the way of something wonderful?? Or is it completely ridiculous to get involved with a best friend who also happens to be an ex-boyfriend? He is blonde haired, blue eyed, bearded, and BEAUTIFUL...so I have no idea why he is even my friend, much less asking me out. Opinions? How does one deal with self esteem issues and relationships post surgery? Thanks in advance, and sorry the post is so long!

While I don't honestly have a scientific answer for you, I can say that it helped me during the first few days. It very well could just be a placebo effect, but it sure did help me! Plus the strips have a nice minty flavor that I enjoyed.

Completely normal! I asked the exact same thing a week out. You shed a lot of water weight those first few days. Enjoy it, and congrats on the t-shirt fitting!

Thanks everyone!! Your replies really helped. Just to update, I have decided to accept and go to the concert with him (I can't walk away from Sir Elton), But we are taking things very slow. I told him my hormones are six kinds of crazy right now and I need the emotional support of a best friend more than I need a boyfriend. So basically we are going to continue things the way they have been for months...it's just now we are being open about our feelings for one another. He's not thrilled about my not wanting to be his girlfriend , but he said he supports me in whatever decisions I make. We have a coffee (tea for me) date tonight...should be fun

I attend a southern baptist church, but we use wafers very similar to the wafers that are used in Catholic mass. I participated in Christmas communion services 7 days after my surgery with no issues at all. Except that I am mildly allergic to the brand of grape juice used at my church...so I did suffer from hives but that's normal for me, lol.

Nope. No underwear. They will take those away before surgery. Do whatever feels most comfortable for you! If you are a regular waxer, go for it. But I just trimmed and groomed normally. You have to remember that your surgeon and his/her team likely does 3-4 of these operations a day. They have undoubtedly seen FAR crazier than whatever you are bringing to the table, so don't sweat it!

Same here. I'm two months out and it's still numb. My surgeon said it's normal and that it could go away in a few months, or it may never go away. It all depends on how your nerves heal themselves after being severed during surgery. It's such a strange feeling, I can only hope I'll be one of the lucky ones!

You look absolutely amazing!! Congratulations!

I think I'm giving up my scale for lent! This is going to be the hardest thing for me to do, because I am a daily/multiple times a day weigher. I think this is going to help me remove my obsessive focus from the numbers. Anyone else giving up something?

Haha, I'm pretty close to being a heathen myself!

I take 40 mcgs of Synthroid daily and I'm actually ahead of what my surgeon estimated for me. I am 2 months out and down 70 pounds total. (30 preop, 40 since surgery).

Dont feel bad. I ate 2 big chocolate chip cookies a few weeks ago before i even realized it. Cake, cookies, icecream...they all slide right through for me. Now that I know that I make it a conscious decision to avoid those things. This is a learning process, and as long as you are learning from your mistakes it's not a huge deal. I applaud your restraint in only eating one peice, lol. My mom is from NOLA and I adore king cake!

2 months out and I have thrown up a couple of times, but it was because I ate too fast. Now that I am getting a hang of slowing down and paying attention to when I am full, I haven't had much problem with it.

Hi! I'm 23. 5'6 and my starting weight was 400 pounds. I had the same concerns in choosing the sleeve over bypass, but this is why I chose the sleeve. My mother had Gastric Bypass when I was in the 7th grade along with her cousin and her close friend. They all had the surgery and all initially lost all of their weight. Over the course of the past 10 years each of them has gained at least a third of their weight back. Unfortunately, they all also suffer from malabsorption issues. All three of them go to an oncologist 4-6 times a year to get iron infused into their blood. My mom had the site where they rerouted her intestines ulcerate and she had to undergo emergency surgery that almost killed her to fix it. Am I saying this happens to everyone, no. But I am saying that I chose sleeve because I've seen the long term effects the Bypass has had on some of my family members. My Dr. said that because I am so young it was best to do a surgery that doesn't include a malabsorption procedure because I have a lot longer to live with the effects of iron and vitamin deficiencies. I In the end the decision is %100 yours, and I encourage you to do as much research on both procedures as possible! I am a week away from being 2 months out and I have lost a total of 70 pounds and I wouldn't hesitate to do the surgery again if I had to. It has been the best decision I have ever made for myself. I wish you the best of luck in your journey, regardless of which surgery you choose!

I haven't had an acne problem since I was in the 6th grade. I get a pimple on my chin every so often, but usually my skin is very clear. I'm 9 weeks post op, and now my skin is going cuckoo-bananas ! I've had a weird dry rash on my forehead and a crazy amount of blemishes. Has anyone else had this experience? Will it stop, or will I need dermatalogical intervention?

I've lost 70 pounds and 3 dress sizes in 6weeks and my own grandma let me know how disappointed she is that i'm not skinny yet. Yeah, people suck. But you've done an awesome thing for yourself and others. Be proud, and rock that sleeve!