Bluesea71

I had a BMI under 40 but a diagnosis of PCOS alone qualified me for surgery.

Just out of curiosity, have you tried to drink a sip of soda post surgery? I am 14 months post WLS and it is SO uncomfortable to drink anything carbonated that it hasn't been difficult to wean myself off soda. I lived on diet Dr. Pepper and Coke Zero before and my new addiction is now vitamin water zero dragon fruit. My tastes have also changed. Soda just tastes like carbonation to me now. It doesn't have the same flavor.

Sending prayers your way. It makes me sad that it sometimes takes reading posts like yours to remind us that what we complain about on a daily basis really doesn't matter. Please take care of yourself and your family. ❤❤❤❤

Ouch. She's a CPA and took the time to answer your post. Is it necessary to blast people who are trying to be helpful?It seems like you are looking for a specific answer. I'm sure if you search long and hard enough you will find all sorts of people claiming and deducting things on their taxes that wouldn't fly if they were audited. In my opinion, the plastic surgery your are speaking of doesn't qualify as a deduction. How about you claim it on you taxes and report back to us if you got audited? I will probably pass as I've already been audited once in my lifetime by the IRS. I prefer to stay under the radar ????

I like your positive reframe of a smiling face! Don't let the picture fool you though. I can grab handfuls of skin and it looks like I could whelp a litter of puppies when I bend over!Then you found a great bathing suit! It looks great on you! Gasp! I didn't buy a bikini! It would never leave my drawer! ????????????

I like your positive reframe of a smiling face! ???? Don't let the picture fool you though. I can grab handfuls of skin and it looks like I could whelp a litter of puppies when I bend over!????

I tried on bathing suits today. I tried on a few bikinis knowing there is no way in heck I would be seen in them in public with the sad state my tummy is in. I snapped the picture on the right to send to my Husband as a desperate plea for a tummy tuck ASAP (he's anti-plastic surgery and loves my body the way it is.) I left the store feeling sad that although most of my body has snapped back after my almost 95 pound weight-loss, my stomach still frowns at me. I feel trapped in a fat suit most days. Something made me search for the pic that led me to get WLS in the first place. A picture of me at my heaviest (245 pounds) in a bathing suit on a zip line on vacation. Im still critical of my body but it helped to remind myself where I started. For those of you just getting started, take plenty of pictures to remind you where you started. Now to save up for that tummy tuck! ????????????????????????????

That's pretty impressive! Wish I could have this delivered weekly. (This counts as my 2nd response to your topics )[/quote What's your home address Alex? Just ignore those Internet safety rules in favor of some yummy food. It's totally safe to put your personal information on here. Nobody reads my boring posts anyway. ???? I opened my freezer this morning and I think I saw evidence of lipstick lady lurking around....

It is my Bariatric dream to have Alex respond to one of my posts. It's been a year now and no success. I'm kinda jealous. ????Oh wait, he's "liked" a few of my posts. But I want words.....

1) Congrats! 2) Okay... So can we have a coming to Jesus talk about you talking about losing any more weight?!?? ????

And you're still trying to lose weight?!??? You're going to be shopping in the baby section soon!

I just saw this post tonight. Maybe they can share their experience. Just remember there are plenty of people on here who have successfully lost a lot of weight and got to goal. You need to stay focused on your goal and not give up! Cowgirl Jane is one I can think of who I believe started over 300 pounds and is now at goal weight. Maybe look her up? http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/341070-2-Years-after-Sleeve-surgery---I-have-stopped-losing/page__view__findpost__p__3842422

Are you familiar with the realself.com website? You will have to create an account to view the pictures, but it a great way to see people's before/after pics and people blog about their experience. It was after viewing that website that I decided to put off plastics until I was at my ultimate goal weight. I was able to see people at my height/weight and I realized I wouldn't be happy with the after results. It's also a great way to research different surgeons and read reviews on them.

Cool tool. I personally think the results make a person look heavier than in reality though. At least it did with me and every family member I plugged in to compare! My daughter and I are the same height and look about the same size. We wear the same size clothes even though she weighs 132 and I weigh between 150-152. I don't think this tool does a good job distinguishing between muscle and fat weight! It can result in a huge difference in your total body mass size!

I was thinking in the shower today (I tend to do a lot of my deep thinking there lol).... What does a tummy tuck feel like long term? I will frequently try to hold my stomach in but after awhile the tension becomes too much and poof, back out she goes! Once you recover from surgery, does it feel any different?

JFGI. Sorry, I couldn't resist saying that . The internet makes a wealth of information available to us with a click of a button. You will find arguments on both sides and each of us has to decide how much calculated risk we want to take. My bariatric program is ultra conservative. No coffee. No alcohol. Ever. For the rest of my life. Well guess what? I made a decision that I still wanted to enjoy a morning cup of coffee. Coffee didn't even appeal to me the first few months post surgery. I still find myself pouring a cup most mornings and only drinking half of it now 14 months post-op. I agree that the acidity is probably not good for me, so I don't entertain the idea of drinking more than one cup a day. What it does to my bowels is havoc alone, but that's a whole different topic of conversation ????. I think we all have to find a balance with what works for us - weighing the pros and the cons.

And what are some of these yummy meals? That's an awesome idea!!!! Are you banded, sleeved or bypassed -- just out of curiosity? I was sleeved April 2014 and now maintaining at 150ish (although I may still try to push myself to my stretch goal of 145!) I love Pioneer Woman and often tweek her recipes to double the Protein. Yesterday I made skillet chicken lasagna but I doubled the chicken, added an extra clove of garlic and put 1.5 teaspoons of red pepper flakes in it as I found the original recipe a tad bland. It's easy to make and delish! I stayed away from carbs early on but started eating a small portion of Pasta once I hit my goal weight at 10 months out. Another staple I make is Pioneer Woman Hamburger Soup. The first time I made it, it turned out really bland. The next time I tweaked the seasonings until it had more flavor to it. It's loaded with meat and vegetables and reheats nicely. Both recipes can be found by googling Pioneer Woman and then the recipe name. Super easy to make. I store them in the ziplock 1 cup plastic containers which stack nicely in the freezer.

I can't view your stats from my phone - what was your beginning weight, current weight and goal weight? I can only share my own experience now 14 months post-op. I started this journey at 5'7", 241 pounds and was 226 the day of surgery. My surgeon predicted I would be 160 by a year out. That's a loss of 66 pounds post WLS. The first 6 months I lost the majority of my weight. I recorded everything in a journal, so exactly 6 months later I weighed 171. That's a loss of 55 pounds. Looking through my journal it took me another 3 months to lose another 10 pounds to get down to 160. Another 2 months after that to drop down to 150. My body has decided it wants to now stay between 150-153 for now. The closer you get to goal, the slower the weight comes off. Most surgeons predict that most WLS patients will lose 65% of their excess weight. For example, if you are 100 pounds over weight, that means you will lose 65 pounds of it. Only you can decide if you want to fall into that statistic or be one of the people who loses 100% of their weight. I frequent these boards everyday and from what I can tell, those who have a lot of weight to lose rarely do it within one year. 14-18 months seems to be more realistic. I was a low BMI to begin with, so reaching it within a year made it a tad simpler. Please don't compare your progress to anyone else. Your journey is your own. The last 6 months were torture for me as I didn't feel like I wasn't losing at all. Then one day I woke up and I was at goal. Just keep doing what you're doing and you will be too. I think the hardest part is that it is really easy to get off track the farther out from surgery you get. I recently attended my one year follow up class at my weight loss center. There were about 40 people there. Only myself and one other person raised their hand when asked who was at goal or near goal. Many people started at higher a BMI and were chugging along happily. Others had completely fallen off and eaten around there sleeve. 65 people were signed up for the class and only 40 showed up. I'm hoping the other 15 didn't fall off the program completely. There is no expiration to the sleeve but the journey changes as you get further out from surgery. Now at 14 months I sill have awesome restriction but I could eat around it if I'm not careful. The early months is so important to adapt and make new, healthier lifestyle choices. You're doing great. Come to BP and read the topics often. It's one thing I do of many that helps keep me on track. ❤❤❤

Planning ahead so I don't make trips to get take-out after a long day at work. I always have individual sized portions of my favorites ready for me at home in my freezer. Now that I'm at maintenance, I've branched out a bit and eat some carbs, but not many. I love Pioneer Woman and tweek many of her recipes by doubling up the protein in them.

Guess how I spent my Memorial day? Cooking and restocking my freezer with individual sized containers of some of my favorites. One of the secrets to my success - knowing I have something delicious to heat up for dinner keeps me from eating too much take-out or impulsively going through a drive-through! Those days are looooong gone! ????

I'm in! I will post beginning weight and goal weight next Monday ????

I have been 150.4 all week... Then went on a 17 mile hike two days ago and since then my weight has been up to 153-154! I know better to freak out as I have had plenty of BP support reassuring me its my muscles repairing themselves and the weight gain is temporary. I didn't make goal... But I'm hiking 17 mile hikes!!!! Living life at goal! Loving life at goal! Now on to the next challenge to get me to my stretch goal! I just want to see the 140's... Even if it's just for one day!!!!

I am 5'7" and weigh between 150-152 and am wearing a modern size 8 (which are getting loose on me.). See what I mean about modern day sizing being different?!??

Me: " I promised my Husband that I would ask you when we were allowed to have intimate relations again after surgery." Surgeon: (with a chuckle and a smile) "You can have sex as soon as you feel up to it." My personal experience: we waited about a week but I had a really easy recovery ????

The first few weeks, or even months post-surgery are the hardest as your tummy is swollen and you are adapting to a new lifestyle. What I can tell you is that it gets better with time. In fact, I'm now 14 months out and while I still have restriction, it is nowhere compared to where it was in the beginning. I can eat almost anything and yes, you will be able to chug Water again at some point! As difficult as it is right now, embrace this period as this is the time where you have the opportunity to lose the majority of your weight. It gets more difficult to lose the weight as time goes on, especially as you able to eat solid food. Experiment with different Vitamins. Both regular and chewable vitamins still make me sick. I found some melt away vitamins by Nature Made that I love! They taste like candy. Do you really wish you had the lap band? Having to get shots in the stomach the rest of your life and struggling to find that "sweet spot" of restriction? Having it possibly dig into your stomach? Feeling/seeing that port under your skin? Throwing up if you eat too much? No thanks. I can't even tell I have the sleeve at this point. It limits how much I can eat but that's it. And as far as how much I can eat, that's increased with time. Personally I think losing weight is the easy part in the journey. The emotional part is difficult for many of us. I adapted easily to a new lifestyle post-surgery, but I still struggle with accepting my new body at goal weight. The boards of Bariatric Pal are a great resource for support. You may also consider therapy to address specific issues coming up for you. Hang in there. We are here to support you.