bikrchk

Right there with you on this topic! I'm 5'6" and initially set a goal of 135 pounds. Right smack in the middle of the healthy BMI range for my height. At my 6 month post-op appointment I was still technically overweight, but my surgeon was telling me it's okay to stop losing weight. His reasoning was that the health conditions (hi bp, hi cholesterol, asthma, pre-diabetes, etc) that caused me to seek WLS were gone and I was off all the meds to treat them. When I asked him though, he told me it was perfectly safe to adjust down as long as I hung within the healthy BMI range. What he meant was, don't obsess if no more weight comes off. Medically, I'd reached "success". Now in month 9, I'm no longer overweight at 149 pounds. I work out 5 days per week, hard. I have muscle, under the loose skin :-/ I had always though of myself as large framed, (size 11 shoes, big hands, wide shoulders, etc). But today I can wear a size 4, at 149 pounds! "Big Boned", for me was a crock! I've adjusted my top goal weight up to 145, but will still try to make it to my stretch of 135 if my body cooperates. I won't obsess to get there, but the loss of an even 100 would be cool even if I end up maintaining 10 pounds higher. I still can't picture life as a size 2. At all. Trying to have faith that I'll land where I'm supposed to be.

Dropped 12 bags of of donations at Goodwill this weekend and decided to stop by Nordstrom Rack to replace some of what was culled. Ended up walking out of there with a couple of size FOUR's. That word looks so weird when I spell it out. One was a pair of 100 dollar designer jeans in a junior cut I picked up on clearance for $22. Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd ever wear a 4.

You come to the realization that you were never "big boned".

Your thighs no longer rub together when you walk!

http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ She has a million recipes for all stages. Ricotta bake is yummy. Like lasagna without the noodles. I whizzed mine with a little spinach and cheese and top with Pasta sauce.

Take a small pillow to splint your stomach. Get a Biotin supplement added to your Vitamin regime. Some say it helps. I'm 9 months out and haven't noticed much hair loss. Don't know whether its the Biotin or the 75+g of Protein per day or if I'm just one of the lucky ones. I can say my nails are in GREAT shape for the first time ever so I think its at least helped them!

AMEN to this!

I haven't had a lot of negative feedback, but I think what it boils down to is ignorance and jealousy. Your best revenge is to be a fabulous success so be a compliant patient, do what you're supposed to do and BE FABULOUS!

Check this out http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ Great ideas for all stages of WLS.

I didn't tell a ton of folks before I had it done. Close friends, family and a my work team. All were supportive, though many had questions as they were concerned for my safety. I handled it this way; if I cared about their opinion, I would work to educate them. If not, screw them if they're not on board with my plan to get healthy that I've been built with my PCP and surgeon for the last year. Fast forward... I'm 9 months post op and I tell everyone who asks what my "secret" is. You never know who'd struggling and needs to hear your experience either for themselves or for a loved one. I've helped many folks toward a journey that may just save their life and had no negative comments so far. Or maybe I just don't remember since if they're not on my side in this, I DON'T CARE! :-) The best revenge is being fabulous. Mission Accomplished.

I needed less. I was the first patient in on a Monday morning, released from the hospital a day early the next day and was back at work the middle of the next week, (several days early). I never experienced extreme fatigue. A little tired for the first week, but then it was pretty much business as usual. I was very lucky. Not everyone has that experience, and it's hard to predict who will have a hard time and who won't. My advice is plan for the worst and hope for the best. If your workplace will work with you to come back early if you feel great, plan for at least 2 weeks off, be a complaint patient as far as hydration, vitamins and walking goes, and hope to be able to get back early to preserve what's left of your PTO.

If you choose the lower Protein choices you've listed, you won't be able to do very much of them in the first place and you'll need to do more protein supplements to hit your targets and maintain health. You have to work all of it into your daily totals and maintain a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. I'm not saying you can't shouldn't have those things. I'm one of those folks that subscribes to the "I'm not on a diet" philosophy. I eat what I like in small amounts, protein first. I eat a bit of chocolate almost every day, but I've also gotten very creative in my food choices.

No one has ever said that to me. If they ever did, while my head would be screaming GFYS, my mouth would be repeating, "This is a decision my doctor and I made together. Surgery is a tool to help me improve my health, so I CAN be active again." Which I very much AM now that the weight is off. Exercise was not a part of my life before because it was too painful, but about the time I'd lost 30-or 40 pounds, I turned a corner and was able to establish a healthy exercise habit. I do not hide the truth that I've had surgery. You never know who needs to see the example that you have become. The person you are talking to or someone they love may need the information to save their life. And if they're not on my side in this, I really don't value their opinion anyway.

Crossing my legs Painting my own toenails Walking a couple of flights of stairs at work, (I never take the elevator anymore!) Shopping in the Jr's section occasionally Being able to buy something off the rack without trying it on Tucking in shirts Bought my first bathing suit in 20 years last week!

There are unflavored Protein powders and I've tried one, unjury, but found it modified the taste and texture of food in ways I didn't like. I much prefer to add a scoop of chocolate protein to my coffee in the morning, (makes it taste like a mocha latte), and if necessary do a Quest bar or Syntrax nectar Protein Iced Tea drink, (mixes with water) in the afternoon to hit my 75g including the high protein food I'm getting. I did the traditional chocolate or vanilla with frozen fruit shakes mixed with milk pre-op, but found them too heavy post-op. Be prepared for your tastes to change. Try them all if you can, but don't buy too much of one product you like pre-op or you may waste your money.

I was the first patient in on a Monday morning and was released the next morning a day ahead of schedule. There was a HUGE difference between 5 pm the day of and 5 am the next morning, at least for me. I was still a groggy mess from the anesthesia until around 8 pm that first day. So much so that my mother left the hospital in tears about 5 pm, (moms can go a little crazy). She was absolutely shocked when I met her coming out of the elevator, (doing my laps) when she showed up early the next day and told her I was sprung! Literally a night and day transformation overnight for me. I'm not sure same day release something you can plan for or count on as everyone is so different in their response to anesthesia\surgery. I didn't have a drain at all.

I also take Omeprazole and just knocked it back to once per day as the reflux is managed and I was concerned with the side effects of too much medication long term. I'm only 9 months out but my labs have been perfect so far. Just a thought, but if you're taking an additional Iron supplement, you're not taking it with a Multivitamin or with Calcium are you? My team told me that can affect how much iron we absorb. I was directed to take my iron supplement mid-day with no other supplements.

Many will lose quickly at first. Partially because our bodies are losing the extra Fluid they gave in surgery, partially because of the shock of having surgery. Some don't lose well at all that first week or two as they hang on to the surgery fluids. All of it is OK. Stick to the plan your doc gave you, keep hydrated, walk, and you'll do fine. Also try to remember you felt this way when you hit your first stall, because that will happen too! It all evens out in the end!

Yep. I was the same way. Today, the $1.99 salad ROCKS! Also, oddly enough, being able to do my OWN pedicure if I want!

I'm 9 months out and in my goal range, (under 149 pounds) and still losing about a pound per week. I wear a fitness watch that does heart rate and record my intake and exercise in MFP so I know what's going in and what I'm burning on a daily basis. I choose Protein first almost always, but work in a small treat almost daily, whether that be protein'd "ice cream" or a handful of dark chocolate almonds. Occasionally, the treat is complete crap like part of a desert at a restaurant or a glass of wine. I do focused exercise 5 days per week (stationary bike at 4:30 every work day) burning about 600 calories a pop so that I can maintain this kind of flexibility in my diet. Exercise was not a part of my life pre-op, but it is how I choose to maintain balance now. I love the fact that I never have to feel deprived or like I'm on a diet. At this point, I'm trying to slow down the weight loss and figure out what maintenance looks like, but it's still coming off which freaks me out a little. I'm eating about 1200 calories per day. At 148, I'm definitely not "too skinny" yet, but I'm 5'6 and already in an easy 6 and I don't need to get too much smaller. I have faith that my body will level out where it's supposed to be. Many folks choose to maintain their loss by giving up trigger foods. I know that can work because I did it form the pre-op diet. The longer you go without, the less you want the junk. For me, I prefer to exercise. If you're hitting your protein and supplement totals, IMHO, the rest is calories in vs calories burned. You just need to figure out what works for you and commit to a lifestyle that works.

I "thought" I'd tell no one, but ended up telling everyone in the end. Once neighbor asked if I'd been sick, another didn't recognize me until I walked up my driveway so the change has been... hard to hide. Now a days I tell because you never know who needs to see the example you are. I feel amazing and I'm happy to share the tool I used to help me get my health back! I've had no negative reactions. If I ever get any, I really don't give a cr@p if they're not on my side. This is MY journey and I wouldn't trade these results for the world!

Check out http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ GREAT ideas and recipes for all stages.

Occasionally I'll do an egg white delite minus 1/2 the muffin, but I've never been a fan of their hamburgers. I do eat other burgers occasionally. Always a kids meal, just the meat and maybe a few fries, counted in my daily totals. Be aware that your best\easiest loss will occur over your first year. After that, I'm told it gets harder\takes more work. You'll want to figure that in to your plan for how much you have to lose as far as pacing. I've lost 85\90 pounds now in month 9. I may decide to go as low as 135 for an even 100 pound loss if continues to come off fairly easily. I do exercise hard 5 days per week for an extra calorie burn or about 600\day, so that helps, a lot. My pacing has been deliberate though. If I can eat 1200 calories per day now and still lose weight, maintenance will be much easier in the long run.

I also had a hernia repaired along with my sleeve procedure and the post op regimen is a similar diet progression, (though over a much shorter time span if the hernia is all they do). Many people who choose not to to tell, say they've had hernia repair. This is actually what I told the first person who asked, she had medical training and started asking all kinds of questions I could not answer about hernias and I came clean. Not a biggie at all. There was no judgement, only support from her. That said, you don't owe your boss specifics about your medical procedures, only how long it is anticipated you'll be off. I should add that I did eventually tell EVERYBODY. I told my team pre-op and if anyone asks now, I tell them with excitement about the fantastic tool that's helped me get my health back. Sometimes you don't know when you're living the example that someone else (or someone they love) needs to see.

Personally, by the time my mind was made up, I was more scared of the consequences of doing nothing than I was about the potential problems with the surgery. Mine went "textbook". I was in the hospital for 24 hours, (that's release a day earlier than planned), and back at work the next week. I can't say it's been a cake walk, but there have been no surprises. I've lost "an Olsen Twin" and about 10 prescriptions. I enjoy good health now and wear a size 6. I can eat what I like in very small quantities. I know others who HAVE had complications, but even they would do it again to achieve the results they have today.