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In an instant. For me, there was only one place I was going without this surgery and it wasn't going to end well.

I got a bra on the day after surgery as I HATE that feeling of having boobs flopping around. I had an incision on the high sternum too, but this was well covered and small so the front of the bra rested on it and caused no pain at all. Having my boobs resting on my stomach loose was WAY worse. This is total TMI, but when I first got out of bed a few hours post surgery I had nothing on but a gown and I had to lift them off of my stomach (what with all the sweat and blood stains) to even get standing. It was so much more painful!

I've been militant on getting 75 to 80+ protein a day, but still my hair loss started at about three months and continues to this day. Sometimes whole handfuls just come out. I lose a lot when brushing and washing. I've always had thick hair and been a 'shedder' but this is unreal. I've recently started on Biotin, but I guess it's just one of those things. As long as I don't get a bald spot, I can ride it out for now!

Hi there, I live in the UK and it's a little different here. Both procedures were free on the National Health Service (although they have only started offering and supporting WLS procedures recently and I waited almost 3 years!)

To be honest, I didn't rate the balloon that much. Although I did lose a good few pounds on it, at least 20lbs of those were on pre-op diets for the sleeve at the start of this year. Besides the initial nausea of having a bag of saline shoved into your tummy, the balloon doesn't offer much restriction at all. I could basically 'eat around it' (bad, I know). I could still eat whole pizzas, burgers, chips, all sorts of junk. The sleeve has made me much more focused, change my eating habits for good and dedicate myself to making it work. The restriction of the sleeve is like nothing else I've tried and I'm loving it! I am thankful that I had to have the balloon (surgeon's requirement) to kick start my weight loss and improve mobility etc, but it's not a long term solution like the sleeve is. It's just like another diet that I feel is doomed to fail once it's taken out, really. Haha, funny you should say that - I was actually carded on Sunday! Though I do think it was a bit of a sympathy ID because I was with a friend who looks pretty young and we were at Glee Live which was full of teenagers, but not bad for a country where the legal drinking age is 18! But nice of you to say so because I'm so concious that I look old and wrinkly now I've lost weight in my face.

I suppose this is kind of a weird question. Anyone out there further along and perhaps at their goal weight, do you still 'think fat'? It's strange. I remember clearly how it felt to be nearly 400lbs. It was horrible. I could barely move. I was constantly miserable and barely left the house. Now I'm nearly 140lbs lighter. I have nothing but energy. I actually enjoy going out in the sun, going for walks and to the gym. Still a long way to go weight loss wise, but getting around is so much easier. People are always complimenting me on how well I look. I know my body's changed for the better in so many ways... but deep down, I sometimes still feel like that 376lb girl. I find myself scooting over on bus seats to give the person next to me room when there's actually enough now. I have no sense of how much I weigh in comparison to other people. I still look at big people and smile as I know how tough it is, but now it must look like I'm being rude and staring because they're larger than me. I was talking to my brother about our upcoming trip to Florida and I was expressing concerns about which rides I'll fit on and he was just like, "Everything. I don't think you realise how much weight you've lost!" It's not something that really affects me, but I suppose I just thought all the head self-image stuff would sort itself alongside the weight loss. I guess not! Sometimes I guess I just look down at all the loose skin and the big belly still to go and get myself down as I start to worry it'll never go and I'll never be a healthy weight and I'll still look fat at my goal weight. It's something I'm still working on. Just wondering if anyone else can relate!

It's not whether you fall, IT'S WHETHER YOU GET UP.

A couple of tablespoons of flaxseeds per day work miracles!

If there was ever time for a happy dancing banana gif, it's now. SERIOUS congratulations to you. You've done such an awesome job!

I had a bad time with meats when I was on purees and when I was first on solids. They just weren't agreeing with me at all and making me throw up! I basically gave up and became vegetarian. I have wanted to do it for ages and the veggie burgers go down so much better and can boost my Protein. Although intentionally slip up and have some beef Jerky and really well stewed curried goat last week. Went down a lot better than I thought it would. I also tried a few bites of spicy rice and a tiny bit of hard dough bread too, but that's the first time I've gone near the super carbs really. I'm basically terrified of having a bad time on them so don't really have rice, Pasta, potatoes or bread in my diet yet. It's really hard to know what's going to work. I understand how you're feeling. One day something will be going down great and the next day it'll turn your stomach. Best of luck with the meat journey

I can relate to this. Some (not all) people have made such dumb comments to me just before and since my surgery. Like today I saw someone for the first time in nearly two months and the first time since my op and all she had to say to me was I looked "really, really pale; even paler than normal" and I needed to go on a sun bed. So rude. I'd like to see her after major surgery! I also had someone warn me today that did I know my stomach would stretch eventually and I'd be able to eat more? No! Really?! And here's me just going into this surgery blind without doing any research and throwing my doctor's advice into the garbage! You've got to just blow them off as ignorance. At the end of the day, this is about doing something for yourself. If you're like me, it's probably the first time you've done that in a long time and I guess some people just find it difficult to comprehend. Brush your shoulders off and keep going. Good luck! x

Hey guys, Thanks for all your amazing and lovely comments! You guys and this forum really helps spur me on when I miss my old crazy eating ways. Being a new me is still something I'm getting used to. Inside I still feel like that near 400lb girl struggling to walk. Hopefully I'll get used to it and the changes will keep coming! StacyS, a gastric balloon is a minimally invasive weight loss procedure where they basically put a tube down your throat and fill a balloon full of saline in your tummy. The idea is that because your stomach is full of something, you'll want to/be able to eat less. Can't say I was overly impressed with it. I could still eat a LOT, nowhere near as restricted as I am with the sleeve. I think most of the weight I lost with it was through all my pre op diets and feeling sick for the first month it was in! I only had it because I had one failed attempt to have my sleeve because surgeons wanted me to lose more fat off my abdomen and suggested the balloon. I had my sleeve here in the UK on the NHS, so basically what they suggest goes if they're paying! They were a great help every step of the way though. x

I'm around the same time out as you, and I find that I can just about hit around 600 to 700 calories every day. I usually get most of this from a Protein shake made with half soy milk half Water, and then adding either a tablespoon of Peanut Butter or half a banana. It usually gets around 250 calories out of the way! The World According To Eggface blog has been my saviour for helping jazz up my shakes. I'm also finding things like string cheese and Laughing Cow (light) cream cheese triangles go down really easily and help boost up the calories and are great for protein. The Laughing Cow also goes great spread onto a small piece of cold cut like ham or turkey and then rolled up like a little wrap. A glass of milk is also a good calorie and protein booster and is generally easier for me to get down as it feels less like an eating chore . I get around 125 calories from 250ml of semi skimmed milk. Good luck! I'm always struggling to up mine too and seem to be forever eating tiny bits!

Hi, I am 7 days post op today and I think on the same kind of diet of you. And I get EXACTLY how you feel! My family have been eating fried chicken, bacon and all sorts over the last few days and I seriously felt so compelled to eat, despite knowing I couldn't as a few spoonfuls of yoghurt right now are making me so full. People keep saying to me, "Oh, food shouldn't bother you now," which is the complete opposite of the truth. I'm finding the head hunger a lot harder to overcome than I thought. I guess it also comes with feeling down and ill all the time too. When I'm like this, all I usually do is eat to make me feel better so it's a hard transition. Keep at it. I'm feeling a bit less sick every day. Last night was the first time I managed to sleep lying down on my back rather than sitting up in a recliner chair. Would much rather be snoozing on my side but that seems a long way off right now! Lex