Chelenka

I started with short walks. It took me a few months before I was up to anything more stenuous. I suggest you listen to your body and don't overdo it. Also be sure to stay hydrated.

I would suggest that in the beginning he refrain from eating tempting food, i.e. Ice cream, pizza, etc., in front of you. Eventually you will be able to eat pretty much whatever you want but in much smaller amounts. My hubby has been incredibly supportive but he ate pizza in the hospital room while I was newly post-op. He was just clueless and meant no harm but I pretty much wanted to kill him! LOL! Once I explained to him how torturous that was for me he was very apologetic and never made that sort of mistake again. Also, once you are able to exercise ask him to exercise with you. It's more fun that way and it's good for him too. Best of luck!

I've had one similar comment about regaining weight but not anywhere near as rude as that. At the time I felt as though the person was trying to put the gain-back whammy on me! I was very PO'd. If you see this "friend" again I would be very direct and say you find that sort of comment very offensive and on multiple levels. No need to be abrasive but she may just be clueless, and needs educationg. Congrats on your success! Own it!!

Gallbladder problems can occur with any weight loss surgery. IMO, it happens more frequently w/ those who lose very rapidly because it overwhelms your gall bladder's ability to process fat. This was not an issue for me, but a friend's mom who got the bypass had to have hers removed about 2 months post-op.

Try searching the forum to see if there is a support group in your area. If not you might someone who lives in your area by searching your state and city name and who is willing to be your buddy. A lot of people use My Fitness Pal to connect with others for support and encouragement. We are all here for you in cyberland as well but I understand the need to connect in real life with someone. Also, a therapist can help. Does your surgeon's office have a counselor or support group?

Yes, but it depends on the type of food. The hard protein such as steak or pork are harder to digest so I eat about 4 oz with a veggie. But I can eat about 2 cups of salad. It's also easy to eat too much of all the sliders like popcorn and chips.

I was a 42 GG in the Elomi bras pre surgery. Now I'm a 36 G. My boobs are like two deflated balloons. :-(

LL you are lucky. I still get hungry and struggle with cravings - which are mostly emotional and not true hunger. My full button is not as obvious as it was in the beginning either. It seems to be different for everyone. That being said, I am sooo glad I chose this surgery. However, to the original OP the pre-op diet is a struggle for everyone and there seem to be as many different requirements as there are surgeons. I think it's important to stick with your surgeon's requirements so that you have the best outcome, as complication-free as is possible.

You are BEAUTIFUL! I'm 6' 1&3/4". I'm struggling to get to 220. I was 325 pre-op and 307 on my DOS, but highest weight was 357. Our body types look very similar, carry most of my weight below the waist. I have been obese my entire life so the idea of reaching a "normal" BMI seems unrealistic to me. Been struggling for the past few months with the same 2 or 3 lbs. i keep saying I'm going to try the 5:2 diet but haven't gotten myself to do it yet, sigh.

Fiddleman: just saw this thread, so scary what you've been going thru! I am glad you are feeling better and hope you continue to get back to your normal athletic self! I had the flu a couple of months ago, not anywhere near as bad as what you've been going thru, but also lost my appetite and lost weight. It came back - appetite and weight :-(, as soon as I started to feel better.

Congrats on getting back on track! You are probably not feeling this way right now but your honesty about your situation is such a wonderful example to us all. We will always struggle with food issues and maintaining our weight loss. That's life. You've nipped it in the bud!

Just get back on it now and don't cheat! 10 days is enough to shrink your liver I think but if you find you just can't get yourself to do the pre-op diet you may want to re-think having this surgery. The pre-op diet is temporary but the surgery is forever. Eventually you can eat at McD's but remember that processed food is part of the issue, IMO, it acts like a drug and creates cravings. So try very hard, if you truly want this, to stay clear of fast food and stick to your surgeon's pre-op diet requirements. It ain't easy. Thought I'd go nuts during mine but I made it thru and so you can too.

I've been stuck in the comfort zone for a few months now. I lost 100lbs and keep bouncing up and down a few lbs. my original goal was to lose 105 lbs and I can't seem to get myself down that last 5 lbs. Every time I get within the 5lb range I relax my efforts and sabotage mysrlf. Grrrrr! Really old and self-defeating behavior of mine! Definitely need to do some deep thought about it and figure out what is holding me back, I also want to shake up my eating plan by trying the 5:2 diet that so many of the vets have been successful with.

Great job! You look AWESOME!!!

@@CrazyJaney be sure to have your thyroid levels checked. Your symptoms are typical for hypothyroid issues. Also try adding to Omega 3 fat rich foods to your diet such as avocado and nut butters.

I started to experience hunger within 3 hours of eating at about 8 months post-op. Doesn't seem to matter what I eat. However, my recent efforts to eat more slowly seem to help a little. Not sure why except maybe the food stays in my stomach a little longer and thus I get more of a sense of satisfaction. Some of it is definitely head hunger but discerning the difference isn't very easy for me. I'm a serious head-case when it comes to food! LOL!

I struggle with "relaxing" every time I get within 5 lbs of my goal weight. Last week I had regained almost 4 lbs. most of it was fluid owing to the salt content of the food I ate. I was in party mode for no real reason. I think it's an old behavior of mine to sabotage myself whenever I get within 5lbs of reaching goal weight. Also, I had stopped weighing myself daily but was weighing twice a week. I decided to go bake to daily weighins. It seems to help me stay on track better. I am going to try the 5:2 diet, or a variant of it, and also lower my goal weight by 5lbs to see if I can trick myself into working at it instead of relaxing.

All I can think of is Homer Simpson saying "paaahptaahrt" instead of "dohhnuuht"! LOL! Glad you had your pop tart and enjoyed it!

Dear Lisa: sending you and Bear lots of love and light. Don't be hard on yourself right now about regaining a few lbs. You are doing your best to cope with a horrible situation and my heart goes out to you. Please be as loving, kind and caring to yourself as you are to your sweet husband.

My upper back and shoulders have been a problem for me too. I have a bone spur in my right shoulder and have been doing a lot of stretching of the pectorals and trapezoids which helps. Also do yoga stretches and haven't done Pilates in a while but agree w/ LL that it would be helpful. The interesting thing for me really is how the weight loss has affected my singing coordination. Singing opera is quite physical. You have to produce enough sound to be heard over an orchestra and there's no amplification. It takes a lot of breath and the core muscles are very involved in the support of the breath. The breath has to move though your tiny larynx at just the right level of pressure in order to carry the sound and allow your vocal folds to vibrate freely on the pitch. Of course you can't think about all that while you are actually singing. You just do it! However, since dropping 100 #s my coordination is all confused. I keep overblowing, using more air and force than neccessary. This tires my voice very quickly and doesn't produce the desired sound. It's not just my core too, it's my throat. I think I must have had some cushion of fat around my larynx as well that provided a bit of resistance. It's as though my voice is thinner too. I'm not sure if I like it but I'm starting to get a handle on things. it's quite frustrating at times to struggle with what was so easy and natural to me.

What he said... Alas I don't feel the restriction nearly as much at 15 months post-op. Though I do feel it of I over eat and it's misery. I think everyone's advice here is great. It's very important to retrain your eating habits and lifestyle. It's also important to enjoy your life. So I try to enjoy my food so that I feel satisfied. Then I'm less likely to overeat or go grazing in the kitchen. Boredom and stress are big eating triggers for me and the emotional eating behavior and food addiction is what I am finding the hardest to address effectively.

Perhaps thinking of the constant vigilance required to maintain one's weight loss as a chore that one must do daily isn't such a bad thing. If you never washed your dishes or scrubbed the toilet you would live in filth. Some people do but I couldn't live that way, not that I'm suzy super housekeeper, mind you. It does suck, like lots of not particularly enjoyable but necessary aspects of life. I've recently been testing my sleeve with lots of low-quality fat food=garbage. Essentially a reaction to stress. The result was a 3 lb gain, mostly Water retention caused by the excess sodium. My body stubbornly refused to let go of that excess Fluid for two days. "Take that!" It told me! "Eat crap and you won't be able to crap!" And it mocked me as I looked at my swollen ankles. So I'm back on the wagon after my little binge. Sugar is one enemy but salt can be just as bad for me. I love them both, God help me! Recently downloaded an app called "eat slower". It's free and simple and so far is helping me to stop inhaling my food, which has always been a problem for me. I've noticed when I use it that I pay more attention to my food and thus enjoy it more and that I feel the restriction better and thus stop eating before becoming overfull (another issue of mine). Good God, after reading this it's freaking miracle that I managed to lose any weight even with the sleeve!

You are so beautiful! Congratulations on your success! Enjoy that shopping trip!

I've also dealt with unwanted facial hair since my late teens because of hormonal imbalance. I never tried electrolysis but I had laser hair removal several years ago, pre-surgery. It was expensive, painful, and a long process but it did remove about 85-90% of the hair and what didn't go is much finer. I was the "perfect" candidate, light skin w/ dark hair. However the hormonal hair growth is much more resistant and difficult to get rid of. I tried waxing but got ingrown hair from that. I also bleached it. I now quickly shave the offending few remaining hairs in the shower. You should see your GYN and ask about this. There is a cream called Vanique or something like that that works for some people. I never tried it myself.

Had a two-week protein shake and green veggie, no fats allowed, diet. Stuck to it like glue. Seems everyone has different pre-surgery requirements. Hope all goes well for you!