Roo101769

The good news is that once you need to wear a wig most of your natural hair is gone, so it isn't nearly as hot to wear!!!. I have had no issues with heat for mine, but it has been winter. Ask me again in about six months. LOL

Update: He was SOOOOOO not "it". Long story short he is a scammer. Apparently I need to work on me a bit more before I am ready to consider finding a relationship. I still have a "fat brain" and all the insecurities that go with it. This guy managed to figure that out and used it for all it was worth. I will never say never, but for now I am not looking in particular.

In my youth I had super thick curly hair. In my mid twenties I developed "female issues" and was diagnosed with PCOS. At that time my once thick hair thinned considerably. Against all odds I became pregnant and had a child when I was 39yrs old. My hair had the thickness of youth during my pregnancy, but the fall out when my hormones balanced was devastating. It was thinner than it had ever been and I began using Toppik hair fibers. This did the trick and I was able to live with it until early last year. I was put on warfarin (generic for Coumadin) due to repeated blood clots and ever since my hair was thinning more. I started researching and looking at wigs before I ever had surgery knowing it was probably inevitable I would need one. When I was just over a month post op I decided to start wearing the wig. The thinning was becoming more pronounced and I had more Toppik than actual hair on my head! I was not happy that I had to wear the wig, but I was glad I prepared for it. Now I am about 3 1/2 months post op and there is no way in this God's green earth ANYONE will see me without the wig or something on my head. I try not to be vain, but it is very emotional when you lose your hair. ( especially for a woman) Currently I look as if I have been receiving chemotherapy. The back has thinned, but it is still the best area of what is left. I have nothing but thin, whispy hairs on my crown and sides. It is so bad I do not like to see myself in the mirror. I usually wear a chemo hat or scarf at home, when the wig is off. I agree with what you said about the difficulties of wearing the wig. I had to buy a swim hat/scarf for the pool and beach. I have had at least one close call during an "intimate" moment where my wig slipped.. I won't let anyone outside my 5yr old daughter see the reality of what is left of my hair. It took her a while, but she has adjusted to the wig. ( My horror was the first time I picked her up from school in it and she announced " Mommy, I didn't tell everyone you wear a wig!") I have been pretty honest and confessed to a lot of people it is a wig. A lot of my co workers envy me because I can get ready in a fraction of the time now. What they don't get is the wig is NOT and option. It is just my new reality. I do wish my hair would regrow one day, but to be honest I doubt it will.

I started looking at wigs online long before my surgery. With my history and already thin hair I knew it was only a matter of time once I had the surgery. ( that I would need them) I searched all kinds of sites looking at price and style. I am a working single mom and could not invest a ton of money in a vanity item. I found a site called Paula Young that had very reasonable prices. They offer synthetic and human hair varieties, depending on how much you want to spend. I found a style that was at least close to my natural length, although no wig was near my "real hair". ( I had a combo of curly/kinky/frizzy hair ) I bought two styles initially. One was a bit shorter and the other close to my natural length. I decided I did not like the short wig because, at the time I got it, I had not lost a lot of weight and it seemed too small for my head. The back hairline looked unnatural because of how it fit. The second wig was a bit longer at the nape, so it hid the hairline a lot better. I kept the wigs in my closet until Thanksgiving time. Although my hair loss wasn't as pronounced then as it is now, I decided to take the plunge after a long weekend. That way I hoped people would think I just went to a hairdresser over the holiday. ( oh yeah, for the record I bought synthetic wigs) My plan worked! Most people just thought I got a style / color job and didn't realize it was fake. I have had a hard time not being brutally honest about it so by now most know it is a wig. ( women more than men) I eventually bought a couple more of the same style, but in different colors. This helps go along with the "this is my hair" theory. I just decide to change the color now and then!! It actually has been a little bit hard to accept that my "hair hat" (as I like to think of it) gets so many compliments it is crazy, while I never got complimented on my natural hair. I chose a style and color that fits the me I am, not who I used to be. I wish I had my real hair for sure, because going swimming and intimate moments can be tricky when wearing fake hair. But I have grown used to my wigs and I don't hate them. Sure makes getting ready soooooooo much easier!

Ok. I will be the very first person to admit I have struggled with my weight loss and motivation post op. I have lost weight and I am happy I got the sleeve, no doubt about that. But I have had issues with controlling my head hunger and staying the course, not eating slider foods. ( which I can and have) I do try to stick with plan for the most part, but some days it is simply easier than others. I am trying a new zen approach in my thinking and I hope it works for me. Rather than being down on myself continually I have decided to be happy I am where I am. I could still weigh 316 lbs. I still could be unable to do many things I now can do. I could be in constant pain from the stress the weight was putting on my joints. But I am not these things. What I am is 77lbs down from my highest weight. I am able to do so much more than I had been doing. My joints do not cause me constant pain. And I do eat so much better than I had been. Maybe I won't reach my goal weight in a year as I had hoped, or maybe I will. I will continue to live my life and try to be thankful for the good and learn to process the negative in a healthier way. That all being said I did something this weekend that has me very happy. I was able to take my 5yr old to several community parks and play for hours. I was able to interact with her too, not just find the closest place to sit down. I climbed up on a jungle gym set at one park and went down a slide!! Granted my rear got a little wedged at the bottom where the slide narrowed, but I still did it! And the bigger accomplishment was going up "the Mound". There is an Adena Indian burial mound located in my hometown. If I'm not mistaken the tallest point on the mound is 65'. What I do know is there are 116 steps to the top look out point. I decided we were going to try it, and I made it!!! I haven't been to the top since I was in my teens, and my daughter has never been. It was awesome. I was so proud of myself for being able to do this. It was something I had told myself before I would do again someday, and I did it! I wish the day had been a little nicer because the view is awesome on a sunny day. But to me it looked darn good as I sat there marveling at my accomplishment. Oh it won't be the last time we go up. It is great exercise for sure. Yeah, I had to take breaks to stop and catch my breath but I didn't stop. And the most fabulous part came after as we continued to hit different community parks to play. I didn't stop! That climb was just one of the things I did, not the only thing. I was able to keep going. Sure I was a little stiff afterward but heck , that stiff achey feel was a norm every day I was so grossly overweight. I lived with it daily. Now it is just a by product of a little extra exertion and it felt great! Needless to say I am more motivated to try other things. As the weather breaks my daughter and I are going to find a lot of other things we can get outside and do. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!

I have hit this topic before, but let me say I totally get what you are saying and how it feels. When I was young I had a head FULL of hair. Now it was curly/frizzy/kinky and I hated it at the time, but boy do I wish I had it back now! In my mid twenties I had a significant thinning due to PCOS. It was thinner, but I could still live with it. I had a baby at age 39. During pregnancy my hair was AWESOME thick. Then, about three months after giving birth it fell out again. (thanks to hormones rebalancing) It was now thinner than it had ever been previously. I started using the hair fibers at that time to help hide the thinning. Trust me, they work. ( just be sure to spray in well and careful when laying on white pillows in exam rooms!) This camoflauge worked until last year when I went on blood thinners. I noticed the longer I took the warfarin the thinner my hair was getting. Then I had surgery on 10/21. By Thanksgiving I started wearing a wig and have been ever since. I didn't even make it to the 3 month fall...Of course now I have reached that point and let's just say it is a good darn thing the wig was already in play. I could very easily pass for a person receiving chemo at this point. Think "the Crypt Keeper". Yeah, it is bad.. It has caused me more mental anguish than anything else. It is hard to see myself without the wig because I get very emotional. But I try to look at it this way...The wig is very attractive. I get TONS of compliments on it, from people who know me and strangers. ( one lady asked if I colored my hair because she loved the color, another commented about loving the cut) And the wig makes getting ready to leave the house MUCH simpler! Just brush it out, out it on and a quick style then I am done. Would I rather have my own hair as it was? Yes, for many reasons. But it has not been the end of the world wearing my "hair hat". Because this weekend me and my fake hair had an amazing time going to parks and playing with my 5 year old, something my hairy fat self never could have done!!! ] [

I didn't have a chance to read the entire post, so forgive me if I repeat any information. First, it is not unusual to still feel the way you are three weeks out. When you said you have read others who are doing well with the same surgery date, well there are probably as many feeling as you do too. Most people don't want to post the negatives, only the positives. I am just past four months and let me tell you, relish this time. Soon enough you will be healed and it becomes more about you and your choices than what your body allows. Sure, you have restriction. But it is also entirely possible you will be able to eat many of the foods you once did, (in smaller quantities of course) even ones you should not eat. I have only had one episode of severe "slimies" since surgery, and that was just the other day. I ate a slider food and it made me sick. First time sick, not first slider. I was actually happy my body finally decided to reject somthing instead of allowing everything. But sorry, I am on a tanget. Make sure to get your fluids. Water is essential at this point. I have read and was confirmed by my NUT that the moleculor make up of water is sometimes difficult for the new tummy to handle. Change that make up and you may find getting in Fluid is easier. To this very day I cannot stomach a lot of plain H2O, but add a little Crystal Lite and no problems what so ever... If you haven't tried this already I encourage you to. The journey is not easy, period. It is a lot of emotions besides the physical. But I will try to encourage you the best I can by saying the physical does indeed get easier!

One of my oldest and dearest friends had VSG surgery on 12/17/13. He has been doing absolutely fabulous. In fact, I am a little jealous at his success because he has trounced me in weight loss. ( He started his pre op diet 12/3 and since that date he has lost 85lbs. I started dieting on my own 8/1 and total, including post op weight loss since 10/21 surgery date, I have lost 75lbs) Ok, granted he is male. And he had a lot more weight to lose. But I have to admit I am jealous as all can be too. I know I should not be. And when we speak I do not mention my stupid, irrational feelings. Yet there is one issue that has me absolutely baffled and even more upset. I am two months ahead of him. I was a guide (of sorts) to him early on. I would share my experiences and thoughts with him as he prepared to journey through things I recently had. But since his surgery we have very little contact. I keep track of him through his weekly Youtube blogs. I can't understand what happened. We had planned to be there and support each other as we did this. We had discussed sharing food as neither of us could eat much, didn't want weeks worth of leftovers, yet wanted to create new recipes for our new lifestyles. I bought him a Yonana machine for his birthday last August, preparing for his coming surgery. In the two months between my surgery and his something happened, but what it was I don't know. Shortly after I had my surgery he sort of disappeared. I was not hearing from him and would have to reach out to him several times before we would actually connect. When he was struggling through the early stages of his pre op diet I tried to be as supportive as I could. I encouraged him and did all I could to be the friend he needed. Then he had his surgery. After that he shut down, at least towards me. During his recovery he was too tired or not feeling well and didn't want to chat. As he healed he continued the distance. He speaks about reconnecting with all his old friends on his video blogs, yet I am being left behind. I am not sure what the reason is. Maybe it is because I am his former fat friend, from his former fat life. Maybe he feels our friendship is toxic for his newfound healthier lifestyle. Yet I have changed too, I am not the fat friend I once was. I am the friend who has been there through many major life events with him. I held his had at his dad's funeral. I held his hand as he went through a fight with cancer. ( and came out of completely in remission) I accepted and supported him when he came out, even as he struggled with his family to accept. We have been through thick and thin together, literally. Yet now, when we were both at a place where support is critical and we are both on the same page....He has gone. Maybe I was expecting too much from him, I don't know. All I know is it really hurts me deeply that he is wanting to move on with his life so entirely while our friendship is being pushed aside. I truly thought both of us having the sleeve surgery would only ingrain our long time friendship that much deeper, but it appears I was wrong. Watching him from the sidelines is becoming hard to do. How do I celebrate my friend's success when it has meant our friendship is suffering?

Miamisburg here, we are neighbors...LOL

Wow. I cannot believe I haven't blogged since surgery! I will blame it in the problems incurred from the switch over from the old site to new, but the truth is I have had a lot of emotions that have blocked me. I truly and honestly thought I was 100% ready and motivated for this surgery. Early out I held in there so well, being super careful to follow the plan to the letter. Heck I even had a lot of restriction early on, almost too much. But then it all changed. One day I realized I didn't feel the restriction I once had. I could eat more. I assume I healed and swelling went down and this is what I have, my new stomach. But I liked the post op one better, then one that couldn't hold as much. This one gets hungry. Hunger still feels the same post op, it just doesn't take the same amount of food to make hunger go away. I have learned the difference between what I feel like eating protein dense food, and what it feels like to eat junk. I wasn't going to be the person to mess back with junk, no not me!! Until the day I put that first bite of whatever it was in my mouth. My stomach didn't complain. I tolerated it. Flood gates opened back up. No, I haven't binged on a daily basis since I had my first slider food. But I have had entirely too many sliders since that occurred. It is only by the grace of God I have continued to lose weight, although slowly. To date I have lost 42 lbs in four months post op. I am just not one who posts the big numbers, for whatever reason. Maybe because I had lost a bit pre op, on my own diet. ( 33 lbs) Maybe I am just a slow loser. Or maybe , and yes I realize this is more likely than not, maybe it is because of my lack of conviction of late. Not only have I taken a walk on the slider side, I am also guilty of Couch Potato-itis. I have all kinds of ideas, plans to get up and get moving. But the end of the day I am not up, I am home sitting. I can blame it on a thousand different things.. I am a single mom (it is hard to make time with a 5yr old) I work 40+ hrs a week, I have other stuff to do etc. But the bottom line is I haven't done it. I need to exercise. At least part of me wants to. Yet I am a big lazy blob once the work day is over and I go home, take care of the dogs, and make supper. Weekends are only slightly better. At least one of the two days I spend hours running up and down stairs doing housework and laundry. The other day may or may not consist of watching tv. Occasionally we go do something...something. It has been a rather cruddy winter so I am ready to go outside and DO something, so is my daughter. There is a lot of outdoor activities I want to do this year as I have been unable to do them in years past with my weight, things I want to do with my daughter. But I also sort of worry I will cop out of that too, as I have done with each and every other thing I had planned to get myself moving. I just do no know what has caused this "ugh" factor in me. I was so darn pumped to get this surgery. I was so darn excited to lose the weight finally. Is it because I was have fantasies of returning to an "old" version of me? One that last hit one-derland in my twenties? I haven't been twenty in over twenty years, I can't go back! And let's not start on the toll the weight took on my body. I haven't been at my current weight in at least the past 17 years, but it is hard to enjoy it as much because of how bad I look. The decade of obesity has stretched the skin past its rebound point. I have rolls, just more deflated. My double chin is mostly gone but in its place are deep ridges no amount of facial exercise and firming cream is going to fix I fear. And my hair is....gone. As I have said many times over my situation is unique with other factors contributing to my hair loss. But dang....it is harder than I thought. I hate having to wear a wig, even if it does look good. And when the wig is off I absolutely cannot stand to see what is left. I look horrible. I look sick. It is so hard to stand and look at myself and enjoy what is happening (losing weight) when I cannot stand to look at my true self. Maybe that is why I stopped blogging. I am depressed. I am so hurt by what I allowed myself to become and now what it has done to my body. I can't go back, only forward. I still want to get the weight off. I want to reach goal, but I admit I am very scared. If I am so unhappy now (with my body) what will I feel when there is nothing left but sagging skin, wrinkles, a bald head and smaller clothes? Maybe some of my slider sabotage has been to stall that from coming. Maybe I am afraid I won't be happy when I am at goal, and then what? I have a lot to deal with, but then again who doesn't? I am going to try to blog more and hope I can talk my way through all of it. Sometimes just getting it out can be a first step. ( I hope)

Yes, I have a few times now. But it could be anything. I know from a childhood experience it could even be some constipation. I had a small blockage back when I was a kid and started having pain in my side. They actually thought it was my appendix. Nope- it was poo. Even though I had been going, obviously not all was moving along. So I had an embarrassing trip to the ER. (good thing I was young and didn't worry about stuff like that) Anyway, if it continues to bother you be sure to discuss with your doctor. ( and of course if pain gets worse seek medical help asap)

Even though we go through a psych eval before surgery I don't think a lot of folks get what a BIG mental battle this all is! There are so many elements to it to, not exactly "one size fits all". (Pardon a very bad pun) You have been on such a ride since you had surgery, not a fun one either. This is just another time when there is brain/body disconnect. Do your best, that is exactly all you should have to do. No one is in your shoes but you, it is hard to understand and easy to judge. They do it out of love no doubt, but it is still your path to follow. Do what you can to make your doctors happy and to stay healthy, after that be sure to make yourself happy!

Here is the easiest way to explain sliders....If it is something that tastes good, ( or did) is processed, out of a bag, box or drive thru and you know it is bad for you- that is a slider. They go down easy, you can eat too much and they were never good for you to begin with. Everyone will eventually experiment with sliders. (or a large majority of folks) The key is to identify and try at all cost to avoid. Yes, it happens. Just don't allow to happen too often because it IS a slippery slope!

I am in the same boat, although my journey is far from over. I have lost 75lbs to date and I have a very hard time adjusting to it. I stayed in my size 26W jeans forever because I didn't feel I was actually changing that much, until they about fell off me! I bought two pair of size 24W jeans not quiet two months ago. I figured they would suffice for a while too, as I have been losing weight at a slower pace.(IMO) Well early last week I actually had to go to the restroom and check what size jeans I had on because I thought I had grabbed the 26Ws by mistake.. Nope- the 24Ws are just getting too big! So I ordered three new pairs of jeans, two size 22W and a pair of 20W. I think my issue is I still see fat (and now sag) when I am naked. It is hard to process how much less fat there is when all I see is rolls. As it was said before, I didn't see the fat when there was 316lbs of it either. Ok- I knew I was fat. But it was hard to "see" it, unless I saw pictures of myself. Easy problem to solve, just didn't take pictures!!! LOL So now I do try to take selfies a little more often. It isn't vanity, it is my way of showing my mind that my body IS changing. For me it is a slow process of change and acceptance.

I absolutely hate to admit this but...My BFF bought me a bunch of these for my birthday which was a few days before my surgery. He bought one of every flavor he could find, I think there were 8 or ten overall. I drank half a punch and some of an orange and threw the rest out. I did hold on to them for months thinking I would drink them eventually, but I just couldn't do it. For the record my friend had his surgery in December and he can't stand the Isopure either! Everyone has different tastes...

I have to say I am in the minority that wasn't all that fond of them, but they are ok. I did try chilled as suggested in another post and liked it a bit better. My favorite is actually PB&J....lol

I think it iis an absorbtion thing, but I may be wrong. I can only use Caltrate because everyone else adds vitamin K. I am on warfarin so I cannot take vitamin K. I like them and they are good so I have no issue using.

Hi Heather...My name is Rhonda. I read your post and I can totally and completely relate to you. I am just shy of four months out and have been in a similar situation lately. I have found I can eat sliders, easily. It has messed with my head more than I think I want to admit. I can't say I was a compulsive overeater, but boy did I eat crap before. And lately I have been pushing the boundries hard. To the point I tell myself no more, but turn around and do it again. How crazy is that? It hurts my heart that I haven't had the control and strength I wish I had. But each day I get up with hope, hope to get back on track. I think I am going to try what the poster above mentioned, two weeks of protein shakes. Next week is my four month check up with my surgeon, so I expect to have further motivation. I have continued to drop weight even with my self sabotage, but nothing near what I could have lost had I done what I should have. I wish you the very best of luck in finding the help you need to push past your demons and find the inner peace you need. I hope to find the same..

My surgeon and NUT said no CAFFEINE. I can have decaffeinated coffee or tea. I usually only have about one cup as my tastes have changed. The reason I was given was because caffeine can limit Vitamin absorption. We are already taking multiple supplements because we no longer obtain the bulk of our vitamin needs from food, so we don't need to hinder the process further. I will admit at work I do not have decaffeinated coffee available but still yearn for that morning cup of coffee. What I started doing was using a Styrofoam cup ( bad for nature but much easier to regulate amount as my ceramic coffee mug is enormous!) and fill it about half way with coffee. Then I fill to the top with hot Water. This creates a full cup of coffee, but only half the caffeine. You would think it would be to weak or watery, but it really works for me. Might be because I have become used to caffeine free at home ( couldn't give up my Keurig, just had to switch) or because my stomach doesn't handle the full strength stuff anymore. IDK... My recommendation would be ( and this is only opinion, I am not your doctor) spend the time you have in the next year of weight loss and healing getting used to decaffeinated beverages. Once you drop your addiction to the caffeine you may not wish to return to it. It is just another one of those habits we obtain that really serve no good purpose for us. Good luck!

Jens....It is a double edged sword for sure. I think 99.9% of people go into this with the fantasies of the "perfect" thin body. You imagine being as you were at your skinniest, and being that person again. For me, my thinnest adult body was in my early twenties. I had curves for sure, but in a good way. I wore a medium or large. I could shop in regular stores. And I looked good naked! LOL Well now I am almost mid forties. I spent the better part of the last 20 years obese / morbidly obese. Even if I get down to the weight I was in my early twenties I will not LOOK like I did in my early twenties! That fact is probably the hardest pill I have to swallow now. It is why it is hard for me to see my progress. Instead of thinking "Damn! I haven't been 245lbs since I was around 28-30!" I think "dang, look at how old I look!" My face has aged. I don't have the multiple double chins, but in their place I have these deep lines where the skin was stretched out and the fat is no longer filling it in. I still have rolls on my stomach, but now they flatten out a lot more. My boobs....oh my poor boobs. They have lost much of there fullness. Since I am still obese they aren't pancakes, yet. But as I continue to lose weight they will continue to deflate. And the hair issue. That is probably my biggest and worst realized fear of all. Not everyone will be in the place I am so I don't want to panic anyone. My story is my own. I have struggled with hair loss for years, starting in my mid twenties when I was diagnosed with PCOS. ( about the same time my weight started going up) In recent years it was made worse by health issues that have forced me to take blood thinners (warfarin) for the rest of my life. And now I have the post op / three month fall out. I have been wearing a wig since Thanksgiving. My hair has continued to fall out. Currently my real hair is so thin or non existent that I look as if I have been on chemo for months. You know how cancer patients look after a while? The paleness, sagging to their skin? The balding heads? That is exactly how l look at night when it all comes off. Sure, during the day I look better than I have in years. But that isn't ME! I am scared to death to allow anyone to see me for who I really am. I even wear a hat or scarf around the house most of the time ( when I have the wig off) because I don't like to catch a glimpse of myself. And let's not even begin to go into the dating/ meeting a new guy/ first time intimate thing. I am single, so I have had no one beside me during this journey. I have started dating someone new and he has seen me without makeup and in my hat or scarf. Trust me it was hard as hell to get to that point. I cannot imagine him ever seeing me without, in "all my glory". It is hard to live this way because I am not comfortable. But what small amount of vanity I have left prohibits me from being open with my true self now. Yet here is the crux of the whole matter..I m glad I did it. I am glad I had the surgery. While I still have a lot of weight to lose, I am glad to be where I am. I physically feel better than I have in YEARS! I have knees that don't hurt all the time now. I can bend and move and get around without constant pain or restriction from fat. I look forward to getting on a plane again sometime and NOT needing the seat belt extender! I just have to contend and reconcile with the fact that my appearance is not what I did this for. We all say it, we all say we do it for health. But in our hearts, we all want to be eye candy. We live for the moment when the world stops, draws in their collective breath and cannot believe the beauty in front of them. As Revs said, the Butterfly (Demi) moment. It is part of our human nature. We are all blessed / cursed with some amount of vanity. Sometimes vanity has to take a back seat. My reality is it is highly unlikely I will ever grace the cover of "SI Swimsuit Edition" or "Vogue". Can I live with that? I think I can.....

I have read through the entire 5 pages of this post with great interest. I too get what you are feeling, I think. I struggle to see a "Demi" transformation. It is like I went from Sloth to RuPaul. Why did I pick a drag queen to compare? Because under the wig and war paint (make up) and body shapers he is nothing but a skinny dude. I get compliments how I look now, out in public. People do notice a change. But it is a total and complete sham and I feel like a fraud. I go home, take off my wig and war paint and less fitting clothes and I am no Demi. I see an old woman. Things dangle and jiggle. I have scars. I have aged. I love being thinner for every health benefit imaginable. But I have to work a lot harder now to be "passable". I am not a natural beauty. I would never say I was, but I was ok. Now I am not. I am so self conscience now, and I never imagined this. I thought fat was the worst thing. But this is running close to it. Anyway I think I went off on a tangent here. I guess the thing is I do have some who have noticed. Wasn't until I was down nearly 60lbs before that happened. And I know I have a lot more to go to be near or at goal. I have had to realize I am no longer in my twenties. ( although my mind has issue with that fact) I am not going to look like those who are. No matter how thin I get I won't be a Demi. ( unless I win a lottery and get LOTS of plastics and a hair transplant) I sit and think " I haven't been this size in about 15 years", but it isn't as I had hoped. Because I put my body through the wringer with the fat in those fifteen years. It is a whole lot different coming down than it was going up. And I am fifteen years older, that won't change either. It is hard to put what I mean into words. I think it boils down to expectations. Pre op my expectations were different than where I am at now. I had the dream, believed the fantasy. I saw all the amazing before and after pics and wanted that for me. Now, I just hope to lose as much as I can to be healthier. And maybe, just maybe, I can hope for a older Demi moment! LOL

My surgeon did a 10 day diet, 9 1/2 were full liquids with clear liquids from 2pm (until midnight) the day before. But my BFF, who used a different surgeon, was put on a two week diet that included two Lean Cuisine meals a day. Each surgeon is different, as each weight loss journey is different. To use a winter analogy ( because who hasn't had enough winter yet?) it is all as individual as a snowflake! I will tell you this, anything you do pre op to help you prepare will only pay off for you post op. I won't lie and say there might not be struggles, because there probably will be. But if you are making the effort mentally to prepare it is nothing but helpful. And the lower your BMI is going in the less risk of complications. So if you can drop that a few points it is just a bonus. ( not to mention less you have to lose post op) It is great to be proactive but also listen to your surgeon and NUT. I think this is a journey of knowledge and not any one plan is the perfect one. But the overall is what is perfect!

I bought probiotics at Walgreen's pharmacy. I went in looking for the Align brand, but they did not have in stock. I had also heard good things about pearls, but the ones I saw you had to take more than one a day. I bought a probiotic that is a gel cap ( was thinking easier digestion) and only take one a day. I do forget the brand name, but they are small darker red gel caps. They have definitely helped me a GREAT deal. As I told another poster I was having some pretty serious constipation issues. (not impacted but heading that way) I also suffered from a LOT of gas. Once I started the probiotics I became much more regular ( I may skip a day now and then, but mostly everyday) and the gas and bloating is less. So, for me, they have been awesome.

I used to watch the Biggest Loser religiously. That was until I started seeing all the stories about what goes on behind the scenes. Former contestants saying they were not given the kind of support and counseling they needed to be truly successful. (long term) The show is a contest, plain and simple. The biggest loser wins. People who are morbidly obese will have ( the majority of the time) a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits and emotional baggage. You cannot just saw "eat healthier and exercise" and not take into account the mental aspect of losing weight, it is a recipe for disaster. So the idea that a contestant would take things too far in losing weight does NOT surprise me. I did not see the show, but I would bet money that this lady now has another eating disorder. Just like what can happen after WLS, she traded addictions. It is a sad thing.

I started having some pretty serious constipation issues myself. It felt like I didn't have the "push" I used to have, if that makes any sense. After doing some reading and research I started taking Probiotics, one a day. While I do still have a day or so without on occasion, for the most part I am now back to pretty regular. I had considered laxatives or stool softeners, but probiotics seemed like a more natural remedy. So far they have worked for me. Between your constipation issue and taking sugar as a remedy ( probably not a good idea) this may help explain your stall. Talk to your doctor about probiotics and get his take. I know I am glad I found them...( PS- I used to have HORRIBLE gas too, which has now calmed down greatly with the probiotics)