Shells_Almost_There

I used Milk of Magnesia, but it took many doses to get things moving. It was horrible. Even now, 15 months later, I am prone to constipation. So annoying!

You're getting some great advice here, all different outlooks and ideas. My tactic was to only tell a few people (in confidence) about my surgery, and that was my choice. Now, 15 months later, a very small number of people are even aware. If some of them "suspect" or want to gossip about me, that's their issue. I'm too busy trying to get healthy to worry about them. You're under no obligation to tell anyone, including your supervisor, as people have mentioned above. But, since the weight loss will be noticeable, the backstory is important. I made a huge deal for 6 to 8 weeks before surgery about my new diet/lifestyle and working with a nutritionist. It all worked out fine. And who knows, you may end up telling people by choice later on. Some will tell you not to lie, some will help you lie (if even just by omission), but this journey is yours - so you'll end up doing what's best for you! By the way, my surgeon's office automatically writes patients out for 4 weeks after any WL surgery, so I had to plan as if I would be out a month. I ended up taking 2 weeks (had a lot of pain initially) then worked from home for a week. When I returned to work after those 3 weeks, I was 22 pounds lighter. It wasn't super noticeable, but some did ask and I just said that my new diet seemed to be paying off finally. Good luck!

LOVE your comeback!

I feel your pain, and here's my sob story: My hair finally stopped falling out at about 12 months, but all is not well. At about 10 months out, it was still falling out and then it started breaking! These high Protein diets can do something to the hair, especially if you use the wrong shampoo/conditioner. So, not only is my hair super thin now, it has broken so much that it looks like I've cut 6 to 8 inches off. I've switched products, so I'm hoping it will recover. But, you know what? I say to myself, "I'd rather be getting healthy and weigh a lot less with stupid looking hair than weigh 350 pounds with awesome hair!" Hair grows back... LOL

I notice it as well, and feel a bit guilty because I would probably still be eating like that if I could. What I also notice is really heavy people - I used to notice them before and wonder if their weight and physical issues were my future. Now I notice them with a lot of sympathy (which also makes me feel a little guilty!) and wish I could lead them toward this journey. It is so strange how our lives change...

Lil Miss Diva just converted not long ago - I recommend contacting her!

LOVE IT!

GG, so happy to see your update and the amazing pictures of you and your hubby. I really appreciate the insights of your journey because it's such a great reality check of what life is like after 6 months to a year. Surgery only takes us so far, then it's up to us again!

WOW - very inspirational and amazing. What a transformation!

For me, it's too easy to NOT do anything if I stay home. I will sit on the couch and think about exercising but never actually do it. I started using my treadmill to hang dry my clothes instead of using it to work out. So, a monetary commitment was what I needed to stay motivated at first. Now, I have habits and it's great. To meet my hectic schedule, I get up at 4:00 a.m. and arrive at the gym by 4:30. Weekdays this is the only schedule that works so that I get to my office on time. It was painful at first, but the 4:30 a.m. group at the gym are a bunch of great people (who sadly only see me when I look like crap LOL) - and they help motivate me everyday. This is a personal, decision, of course, and I truly think that you can make it work at home - I just learned that I can't. Plus the gym has neat machines and personal trainers to help out when I need it. Good luck with your decision!

Possibly your best post EVER. Kudos to you and all that you were able to recognize in your life that you wanted/needed to change - especially those things that you had no idea needed to be changed. I too just passed my one year. It has been a struggle, and the struggle continues. That is frustrating and inspiring at the same time (sounds weird, but hopefully someone here understands!) - In another year from now, I truly want my life to have changed even more...and I've been so grateful to the awesome people on this site who have been the voice of reason, the severe butt kickers, and those patient folks who really want to help others. Keep on keepin' on, friends!

I'm a year out and am still experiencing dry, chapped lips from the dehydration. I always carry Carmex or Burt's Bees because of the chapped lips - and whenever I put some on, it reminds me to keep drinking my water!

I love my Fitbit - my 10,000 step goal is a great way to compete with myself all day (longer route to the bathroom, walks during breaks, etc). Don't trust the calories burned thing, especially if you haven't had your RMR testing done -- My Fitbit calculates way more (like 300-500/day) calories burned than my RMR tests showed, so I try to ignore it now - I just stick to my eating plan instead. One tip I will share is that if you work out with it on, like on a recumbent bike or elliptical, you have to specifically move your hands/wrists for it to pick up the effort. Nothing ticks me off more than doing 15 minutes on an elliptical and sweat like a pig, then have no "active minutes" counted! I do the recumbent elliptical daily at my gym, and I sort of snap my wrists in the handles to be sure I'm getting credit - I'm sure it looks dumb, but if I'm working out, I want the credit! LOL Otherwise, have fun with it, it's an awesome little tool.

Following up on my earlier comment, I wanted to share what happened yesterday afternoon at work - a perfect example of feeling like a complete idiot - yet the person's intentions were undoubtedly good! I happened to be wearing this pair of black jeans that seem to make my weight loss more accentuated. I walked into the deli downstairs and a gal I've known casually for a few years stares at me for a couple of heartbeats then yells really loudly "Oh my god you look amazing!" Thank god there were only about 6 people in the deli because I was so embarrassed. The other 3 women at the gal's table all turned to stare and look me up and down. I didn't know any of them, so I bet they were wondering "what the hell is she talking about?" I mean I am still a very large person - they don't know the change I have gone through, even if I'm still so big. It was one of those moments where I wanted to just have the floor open up and swallow me. Instead I just smiled and said "thanks I've been working out a lot." Sheesh.

You are undoubtedly more confident and that is probably showing in ways that you don't realize. I have funny little things that are showing up that I've had to have pointed out to me because I hadn't noticed. For example, I walk really fast now. Once I had my knee surgery (5 months after my sleeve), 7 years of knee pain has disappeared. I'm unstoppable! I even hiked 5 miles this weekend. Not something I would have done pre-sleeve, due to my weight and my bad knee. I will say though, I work with someone who I've had to ask to stop greeting me by saying "Good morning, Skinny!" She did it again last week and it really ticked me off. I weigh 260 pounds, and am in no way "skinny." Plus it makes me really uncomfortable. I mean, I walk into my surgeon's office and I'm sure the people in the waiting room assume I'm pre-op because I'm so big. It's just that my weight loss is super noticeable to those I've known for a while, and she can't seem to help herself. She thinks it's a compliment. I've explained to her that it makes me feel uncomfortable, but she just seems to have verbal diarrhea and says it anyway. I should probably clarify that almost no one at work knows about my surgery, so my change is probably a mystery to them (and I really hope to keep it that way!) Anyway, I just go with it and try to control what I can, but I realize I can't control everything. Just another part of this crazy journey!

My list post-op was a daily multi-Vitamin (I like Centrum flavor bursts), a weekly (prescribed) Vitamin D, and 2 sublingual B-12s per day. Oh and I added Fiber gummies. Later, Calcium citrate was added to my daily list, but I'm still trying to find a version that doesn't have a side effect for me. Yuck. What does your doc recommend?

My arms are a tragedy right now and I've had some issues, but I still would not go back. Despite my frustrations (which make me crave carbs/sugar, of course) I feel so much better! My surgery was 100% worth it, and dang it, this journey isn't over yet. Just don't ever ask me to wear short sleeves! LOL

@@jarodnaaron are you on your way to surgery today? If yes, good luck! @@Unhappysleever It all depends on the density of the food - but I can probably eat 6 to 8 oz of dense Protein at once. I've noticed that the drier it is, the less I can eat. So really soft meat goes down super easy, but dry chicken breast is hard to eat - and is kind of disgusting. Knowing that, I try to eat soft fish instead of a prime cut of steak - just to keep my calories and fat down. Also, I can eat way too many carbs at once and I am still working to discipline myself against slider foods, which taste awesome but don't fill me up (and they totally cause cravings). It's such a balancing act. I had always heard "this is a tool, not a cure" and other things like that. I guess you could say that I am experiencing the reality of that truth,

I wouldn't go as far to say "anything I want," but I can eat many many things at once. Georgia above mentions "lots of restriction." I don't have that any longer (and I wish I did!) -- I used to be able to be completely full after a few bites and not be hungry for hours. Now I can eat quite a bit, and only sometimes feel sick or like I'm going to throw up (by the way, I've never puked or had the slimes since surgery). My hunger has returned. It's so much different than month 1 or 2. Anyway, as I said above, I still would have surgery, I still would spend the money, etc - I just am not having a very restricted experience and therefore can eat a lot of calories in a sitting and in a day if I'm not super careful. I try very hard to stick with my doctor's guidelines, but it is too easy to slip. I exercise a lot now and I'm happy to have lost the weight that I did in the first 4 months post op (and I had knee surgery a few months back once I felt ready for a 2nd operation) - so I feel more like the old me, but I still want to lose at least 60 if not 80 pounds. Now, it's all up to me - not the sleeve - to get that done. I hope this helps!

I will hit my 11-month mark this week, and I basically have no restriction - and haven't had for months. It has been extremely frustrating. I still want to lose 80 more pounds and it is a real struggle. There are so many people like Georgia above who still have restriction,and I sure wish I was one of them. People always say that this surgery is a tool, and wow, they are truly correct. I had 4 months of an awesome diet without hunger before it started to be like pre-surgery - and that's when my new struggle began. While I really appreciated those 4 months of "help" from the surgery, I thought I would be like most people and have a longer honeymoon period. And of course, I thought my small stomach would continue to have restriction for years to prevent overeating! So I say this, as my own personal experience, but in no way do I want to discourage you from surgery! That may sound contradictory, but it's so true. I would do it all again in a heartbeat! Many people feel restriction for a long time. Many people's hunger never returns or is very minor when it returns...and there are many more benefits that you hear about. Despite my frustration and disappointment that I am not one of those people, I would still have the surgery because it got me this far. The rest just has to be up to me. Good luck with your journey.

I don't think it will halt your surgery, but I will say surgery will make it worse. Be certain to get a prescription for the Clotrimazole before you leave because the antibiotics during/after surgery will cause it to flare up even more. I hope you have a great surgery day!

Sounds like you have made up your mind and know what you are doing -- go for it! Mini-rant aside, it's good to know some of the uphill challenges you might have post-op (like the "I told you so's" ) and work past those towards your own goals. Best of luck on Wednesday! You'll soon be on the loser's bench again.

Go for it! I am consistently the largest person at the gym that I joined 2 months ago. While there are the usual "look me up and down with that judgmental look of disgust" people from time to time, the overall feeling and attitude is super positive. Do what you need to do for you and to heck with the rest!!

Thanks for this post! I am mystified by the calorie indicators on most of my tools. Today, for example, I did 20 minutes of moderate elliptical ("jog") and 45 minutes of recumbent elliptical, again, moderate. The machines told me based on my weight and age that I burned 451 calories for that 65 minutes. My Fitbit said I burned 1,170 calories (please note that it only picked up "38 active minutes"). Add onto that my Spark People fitness minutes - they say I burned 900. So which is it? This is just too crazy for me - I just assume I've burned enough to eat my 210 calorie Atkins pretzel bar, which I count as a "treat" each day.

"Better than Bouillon" was a lifesaver during liquids phase - the beef and chicken are both great tasting.