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I have to track my food and water to stay focused. When I plan or prep my food in advance, it helps me stay on track and hit my protein goals. Go back to protein first then veggies when eating. You might consider limiting or skipping the simple carbs like crackers for now and limiting fruit to one or two servings a day at most. Good luck.

I am almost 18 mo out. I either drink a shake or make some type of food that I can add a scoop of protein powder to most days. I got off the PPI early so can't help you there. My hair loss started around the same time frame and continued for about 5 months. Now I have what looks like a gazillion fly always in new growth. I also found that I would dehydrate overnight and had to keep water by my bedside to sip before I fell asleep and anytime I woke during the night as well as upon waking. Drinking some water before getting up and moving for the day, really helped a lot. I still track my daily intake via My Fitness Pal. If I didn't, I would never meet my water and protein goals but I use it more loosely as I no longer weight all of my food. So it helps me know I am in the ballpark calorically rather than being so strict or precise. Now that I can eat more, it is much easier to have a complete calorie fest and gain weight without really trying.

I have loose skin on my arms and belly. The upper belly has impoved some but neither it now my hanging lower belly will go away without surgery. Similarly, I have wrinkly excess skin on my inner thighs and below my butt. I look like my tush deflated. I exercise about 5 days a week and lift weights 3 of those days. So yes, you will see improvement over time but as others have said depending on how long and where you carried yournweight, you may still have loose skin. Most days I am ok with my skin, I am a strstegic dresser and even with the skin still wear a size small.

Early on, I found staying hydrated the biggest challenge. I would get dizzy upon standing and woozy after short periods of exertion due to dehydration. Even now, almost 18 months out, if I am shaky it is because I need to hydrate. If indeed you actually need protein, then I would recommend a protein or meal replacement shake- best of both worlds- liquid and protein.

I find the lower my weight goes the more I see fluctuations due to hormones. I'm sure I have always retained water and bloated the weeks before and during my menstrual cycle but I never weighted myself as much as I do now or labored over every pound. When I was over 250 and the scale bounced up a few pounds, I couldn't see it or feel it, now a few lbs means my pants might not fit that week. As long as you know you are eating right and saying active, there's probably not much to worry about. You may also try tracking it to see if there is a pattern like I experience.

Congrats! I love you in that yellow! You look gorgeous.

I love yoga but found that unless I did Bikram (hot yoga), it didn't really increase my fitness. It is a great transition to moving more and that's really what this is all about. If you find a trainer that you like and that motivates you- it is so worth it. I remember when I thought I would pass out using 5# dumbbells, now I use 20# dumbbells and get excited each time I progress to heavier weights. Here's an inspiration photo for you!

I'll start training next month. Just signed up for this race to raise $ to help end human trafficking. Event name- Run for Courage Date- Sept 27, 2014 Location- Folsom, Ca If anyone wants to donate or volunteer: www.runforcourage.org.

Oh Boy must buckle down, 143 this morning.

I like their organic salad greens and low fat salad dressings in the refrigerator section. I like their pre-cooked, sliced chicken breast in the cold case as well as their canned crab and frozen shrimp. They have a great selection of nuts and cheeses. They also have a good supplements section, I get flax oil, psyllium husk, etc there. You can get a lot of good stuff there, just keep all the chips and crackers out of the cart. :-)

17 months out.

Updates are fun. Here's mine:

Updates are fun. Here's mine:

Walked the dog today.

I started with walking until about 3 months out. That gave way to downloading the Couch to 5k app. I spent a few months using that until I got serious about exercise and hired a personal trainer. From there I worked out with her 3 days a week, focusing on strength training, and 1-2 days of cardio (elliptical or jogging) on my own. Over a year later, I still focus on strength training 3 days a week and do bootcamp classes or cardio 2-3 days a week. My take aways would be find something you like to do, for me that is lifting weights and working out with a partner or group. As well as crawl before you walk and walk before you run, meaning work up to a good routine.

142 today Labor day goal 135

I went dress shopping last week. I found that I wore a 10 in most dresses at David's Bridal and a 6 in most dresses at Alfred Angelo. David's sizes like a typical bridal salon (2 sizes up) and Alfred does street size equivalents as I normally wear a 6. If it were me, I would start trying on dresses to know how the shop sizes their dresses and then order accordingly. One point of clarification, are you a 16 missy or 16 women's currently? If you are a missy now, I would guess your street size to be a 12 by wedding day. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

So glad you posted. I am almost 18 months out and am experiencing the same as you. I had no idea how easy regain can be or how hard maintenance would be.

Bending got much better about 2 weeks out. At 5 days, I was still sore. Liquids will improve as your post op swelling goes down. I had to create a schedule at first to get liquids in. Give it time, it will get better.

I'm trying to get in extra walking. The dog is loving it!

Like most, the fear of regain lives inside me but it doesn't slap tortilla chips out of my hand for me. I have never been as active as I am now. I log my food everyday and synch my Fitbit. I wonder if most regain is fatigue of the vigilance required to be successful.

Quest bars, best ever.

I readjust my goal by how I feel at a given weight. Got down to 136 the other day and was feeling really good about my body shape, clothing fit and how I move. Initially, I set 145 as a goal b/c I wanted a normal BMI. Then I decided 140 lbs, so I would have a buffer. Finally I settled on a stretch goal of 130 knowing I will be happy anywhere around 133-137 for maintenance. If I went with my surgeons goal, I would be 165 today. So my suggestion is to go with what makes you feel good and comfortable.

No catheter or drains here. I was in a lot of pain the first day after surgery because they infiltrated my vein so pain meds we're not being delivered properly. However my overall recovery was a breeze. After about 5 days I stopped taking the Rx pain meds and stuck with Tylenol. My advice: read everything you can on this site, while some people post some bat sh*t stuff, you will hear common themes and advice. That's the stuff to pay attention to. Good luck.

Burpees are a great full body workout. Good for you.