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LumpySpacePrincess

Gastric Sleeve Patients
  • Content Count

    869
  • Joined

  • Last visited

About LumpySpacePrincess

  • Rank
    Bariatric Evangelist
  • Birthday 06/16/1980

About Me

  • Gender
    Female
  • Occupation
    Mom, budding psychologist
  • City
    New Milford
  • State
    New Jersey
  • Zip Code
    07646

Recent Profile Visitors

5,655 profile views
  1. LumpySpacePrincess

    Before WLS and After CTT!

    I'm only about 5 weeks out. That picture was taken about 5 days post tummy-tuck/skin removal, so a lot of the swelling still has yet to go down. As for the pain, for me the majority of active pain was gone in about 48 hours; after that it was just annoying dull pain for another week or so, but I have a high tolerance. He says typically 4 days with the tuck, but to be honest, it was WAY less painful than the laparoscopic type surgery I had with the sleeve. Other than that, recovery has been good; I was back to my normal routine (just slower and taking frequent breaks) about 6 days post-op.
  2. LumpySpacePrincess

    Before WLS and After CTT!

    Yes he did! So happy I chose him, and that his office is only 30 minutes from home.
  3. LumpySpacePrincess

    Before WLS and After CTT!

    I had WLS in 2013 and lost almost 170 pounds in 10 months. This year, I decided it was my year to finally get my flaps removed. What a difference!!! I hope everyone can see the attachment. My surgeon was excellent, very caring, and most importantly very experienced and knowledgeable about what he does. Couldn't be happier!
  4. I finally picked a surgeon here in NJ who is amazing (Dr. Capella). I think he wrote a few textbooks on post-weight loss reconstruction. He's certainly done hundreds of them, and I trust him completely. My lower body lift is scheduled for August 8th. Honestly, I dreamed about this, but never in a million years thought it would happen to me. I've lost all my excess weight but figured it would be YEARS before I could even start to think about doing an LBL, but this year I forced myself to get over my financial fears and just do it. Now I'm looking for advice on what I can do pre-op to make recovery easier. I want to hear what worked for you, both pre and post-op. I'd also like to know if you felt it was worth the pain and financial cost to have it done? I've had a hanging pannus since I was 8 (I'm 35 now), so I can't even imagine life without my belly fat!!! I'm all ears!!!
  5. @@JamieLogical do you happen to have a copy of her CV? Probably not, but I thought I'd ask!!
  6. I'm considering this surgeon for a lower body lift. Her consultation was extremely thorough and she even made me aware of a few plastics techniques that will fix my side/back skin, but that other plastic surgeons in the NYC metro area were not performing (Fleur de lis). I sent her photos and she completely addressed every area of my body. I feel confident in her abilities. BUT...I want to see if anyone here has any unbiased reviews on this doctor. Going to Mexico for PS scares the crap out of me, but my insurance won't cover it even in a medical emergency and my funds are limited. Thanks in advance!
  7. I am over 2 years post op, and have been maintaining for quite awhile. I have recently felt my old major depressive disorder creeping back in and am looking for an AD. I have heard a lot from my therapist about Viibryd and how she has seen good results with her binge eating disorder clients because it acts as an appetite suppressant. I was wondering if anyone here has had experience with Viibryd?
  8. LumpySpacePrincess

    Hair loss

    Folic acid supplement will help tremendously. I didn't lose a ton of hair, but what I did lose was just in one three inch patch on the side of my head. I bought a B6/B12/Folic Acid supplement from Trader Joe's (they're little dissolvable dots) and took two every morning before Breakfast. Not only did it stop the hair loss, it accelerated hair growth. My hair has always been super slow growing, but after starting the supplement I average about an inch to an inch and a half of growth per month.
  9. LumpySpacePrincess

    What Are Your Best WLS Tools?

    A little over two years out, maintaining my weight loss since 10 months post-op. My best tools: 1. Therapy!! 2. food routines. I have had the same Breakfast since 7 months out: scrambled egg whites with low-fat cheese and a few tablespoons of veggies mixed in. As I was able to eat more in volume, I added extra egg whites, and two strips of bacon to keep my Protein up. 3. Planning meals in advance. This helps so I always know when and what my next meal is; cuts down on mindless snacking if I know what I have to look forward to. 4. Carefully selected treats. Anyone who has worked with eating disorders knows that complete abstinence from certain foods can actually backfire and cause bingeing. I incorporate occasional treats into my week to stave off the feeling of deprivation. The rest of the week I am sugar-free and low-carb. 5. Learning to bake and cook low-carb and sugar free foods that are actually satisfying! Reducing over eating has a lot to do with the satisfaction level of our food.
  10. LumpySpacePrincess

    3 weeks after surgery and I can eat anything

    I don't know how RNY differs, but after I had my sleeve many of us misinterpreted extra stomach acid as hunger. Once I doubled my PPI, it went away. BUT, since you had a different surgery you might want to check with your surgeon to see if this is OK. Also agree that just because you can, doesn't mean you should! If you are having trouble with eating smaller portions, talking to a therapist who is knowledgable about weight and food issues is invaluable. I couldn't have been as successful as I am without therapy!
  11. LumpySpacePrincess

    Veterans: Sluggish bowels?

    Looking for advice for people more than a year out (sorry, couldn't find the vets forum. Did it move???) I am almost two years out, and I still have trouble having a bowel movement unless I take a laxative. I tried Miralax but I gained weight on it (apparently more common than not). Anyway, I want to know if anyone else more than a year out also has a sluggish bowel? Is there something I can do about it? I mean, I don't mind only pooping once a week, but my toilet goes into crisis mode when I flush after that.
  12. LumpySpacePrincess

    Losing weight, tummy staying same

    This probably isn't a comfort, but I have lost all of my excess weight and still have belly fat. My surgeon told me it probably won't go away without actually having it removed. The more weight you carried in your belly pre-surgery, the more skin and trapped fat you will have even after you have lost all your excess weight. It sucks, but its just the way it is. On the bright side, I might still have a bunch of loose skin and trapped fat, but I wear a size 8 jeans, which is smaller than most of my "naturally thin" friends! Also, it may look larger to you than it actually is. I'll lay down at night and see my skin spread and think about how much fat I have left, but then I look in the mirror after a shower and am sometimes shocked at how thin I am under all that! Lastly, make sure you are pooping regularly. Some of your belly staying the same might be due to bloat.
  13. LumpySpacePrincess

    Sleeved August 26 but only 20lbs

    Tips from a successful sleever on what made me more successful than most (in my observation and talking with others who were sleeved at the same time as me) 1. Protein and Produce before Carbs and Crap. If it is a starchy veggie or fruit, put it in the carbs and crap category (any root veg like potatoes, carrots, parsnips unless consuming less than a teaspoon per meal). Green leafies and very low carb veg (spinach, mushrooms, sometimes onions and peppers in very small amounts) are the only things that should go in the produce category so far. 2. Track, track, and track some more! Find a website you like. I like sparkpeople.com because it has a function to let you enter in your own recipes by ingredients, calculate servings, etc so you know exactly what you are putting in your body. 3. Watch your calories! At this point, you should still be around 650-800 calories per day total. And your carbs! You should be around 50 total for the day, if not less. 4. Keep your protein HIGH with lean meats such as tuna, shrimp, chicken (dark meat is OK if you have trouble with white meat), and extra lean ground beef. Fill up on your meat portion FIRST before you take a single bite of any veg or side dish!! This will keep you fuller longer and stop blood sugar spikes that cause false hunger later. If you find you are hungry between meals, plain non-fat greek yogurt (single serve cup) sweetened with splenda or similar will cut cravings and give you an extra protein boost. 5. You have no more hunger hormone; you are not physically hungry you are either thirsty, emotional, or bored! Take a drink of Water (or a few!) and find an activity to do instead of eat unless it is a designated meal time. AVOID SNACKING LIKE THE PLAGUE! That "eat every few hours" concept is bunk and can lead to you eating hundreds of extra calories during the day you do not need. 6. Plan your meals out in your tracker first thing in the morning so you know exactly what you are going to eat and when. This helps curb snacking because future meals are no longer an unknown. 7. Get moving! It doesn't have to be much. Park your car further from the door and jog at a comfortable pace to and from your car. Take stairs. Get up and dance to the theme songs of tv shows you watch. Dance with your cat, dance with your gram, just move a bit! 8. No refined sugar. PERIOD. You'll get it back later, but for now, Splenda is your best friend! 9. Watch your portion sizes! At this point, one third measured cup total per meal (unless it is something like plain non-fat yogurt or similar) should be more than enough. One extra bite today leads to two next week which leads to very little restriction a year out. 10. Lastly, if you are having trouble emotionally adjusting or the thought of letting go of food is troubling you, find a therapist to talk to. They are invaluable throughout this experience! I am almost two years out. I lost almost all my weight in 10 months after surgery using these parameters and I have been able to keep it off for 13 months. Good luck!
  14. LumpySpacePrincess

    Veterans: Question RE: bowel movements

    I wish veggies worked for me, but they don't. I typically eat quite a bit of cauliflower, broccoli, green peppers, spinach, and lettuce but it doesn't seem to help. I even took a fiber supplement at one point and it did nothing but make it worse. My nutritionist told me I'm probably just not eating enough in volume to really go very often. Even at almost 2 years out, I have a lot of restriction so my portion sizes are rarely over 1/2 cup.
  15. LumpySpacePrincess

    Veterans: Question RE: bowel movements

    I'm not really sure. I've heard this from a few other people, but it doesn't seem to be common. It works fantastic as a laxative, I just noticed a 10 pound weight jump in a matter of days after taking it. Even if it is water, its enough that my clothes won't fit so I had to stop taking it.

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