WhoKnows

At this point, I sort of think macro nutrient ratios and exercise have more to do with it than calorie intake (up to a certain extent anyway). I mean, it's different for everyone of course, but I think what people say about about Protein, Water, watching carbs, and exercising (especially weight training) is really all golden advice.

I dunno, I'm down to 199 from 265, and I've always had thick calves, now just as much as before. Don't get me wrong, I've lost a couple centimeters off my calves, but proportionally, I'm highly skeptical that it will improve much. The tissue just doesn't feel soft like fat. It feels like bone and muscle, always has. I think I just have huge calves. And all I want is to wear skinny jeans

I don't have any pictures, but I'm 5'7". I started at 265lb and I've lost 66lb since the middle of May. People tell me I look good, and I have to agree. My upper arms are flabby, as are my inner thighs, but my stomach and butt seem to be holding up ok, and in clothes, I feel like a totally new person. My face looks a lot better too. Also, I'm 27. Age can definitely be a factor.

I think I started eating raw veg around 8 weeks. But my healing process was really smooth and I've never had any trouble with anything I've eaten. So, 8 weeks might be too soon for some people.

I never said your comment didn't make sense. I just implied it was kinda mean, especially since from the content of her post and given the context in which she made the post (ie, in this specific thread) chances were that she was well aware of the situation. I didn't mean for this to turn into a whole thing. I just wanted to stand up for her because it seemed like her feelings got hurt, and (again, only in the context of this thread) I think that sucks.

Did you read my post? I said we've all read those posts by uniformed people doing stupid things! Clearly that's not the situation here. And as long as we're going back and quoting people, her entire initial post was:

"Not losing weight like I was and starting to get upset. I know this is a marathon and not a sprint but I am not losing like I was but I haven't changed anything." (Emphasis mine.)

She wasn't even asking a question. She was clearly just venting the frustration most of us feel at some point. I get short with people too when they're complete newbies who start a new threat to ask the same question someone else asked ten minutes earlier, but to me it looked like you jumped on her for no apparent reason, and that's just not what I thought this thread was about. I assumed you started this thread for all of us so we'd have a safe space to talk about what we're experiencing with other people who are on the same timeline. I dunno, all I'm saying is, if people can't vent a bit here, then what's the point?

Some people get sleeved without being informed. We've all seen those posts where people are like, "I didn't lose ten pounds today and then I ate ice cream and pizza, did I break my sleeve???" I don't think that's what @@4andcounting was saying. I think she was just expressing frustration. It seems like on this thread we're all pretty well informed, so we know stalls will happen and that they're normal and nothing to freak out about. That doesn't make them any less disheartening. And it's fine to remind people that stalls normal, but on a thread like this (which is really about camaraderie I think, right?) I'm not sure how helpful it is to just accuse someone of being uninformed. The internet is tough because we can't tell how people mean for things to sound, but I think if you reread your last two posts @@lylabelle, you might find that they come off a little harsh.

Ok, not to be a dummy, I know this has been asked before, but... Is excess weight the amount of weight it takes until your BMI is below "overweight," or is it the amount of weight to get to your personal goal?

I agree with@5BeautifulDays. Let us know how things turn out, as this is a very interesting topic that's probably relevant to a lot of people. Good luck!

Doesn't it also have something to do with absorption though? Like nutrients are better absorbed if we wait a bit before we drink?

I've gotten used to it. If I get my Water in throughout the day and I'm well hydrated, then I don't physically need to drink while I eat. Plus now I eat so little, I don't find I want to drink during meals either. This was a big adjustment for me though. I used to drink sooo much while I ate. Now I only do it if I'm eating in a restaurant with people who don't know about the surgery. It helps me eat a bit more (not by much though) and look more normal.

I eat pretty normal now, at about 4 months out. I mix up two Protein shakes in the morning and drink 1/3 for breakfast, 1/3 sometime in the day (before the gym, if I go), and 1/3 in the evening (after the gym, if I've gone). For lunch I'll make a sandwich on a piece of Protein bread with tofurky deli slices and cheddar. I'll usually eat half and have the other half for an afternoon snack. For dinner if I go out, I'll have something like a miso Soup or a curry. If I'm home, I keep it light - maybe just some almonds or spicy lentils. If I want something sweet, I'll make casein pudding (check out some youtube video tutorials - lots of protein, and really tastes like pudding, especially if you mix in some raw unsweetened cocoa powder). If I snack during the day, I'll have a cube or two of parmesan or some roasted soybeans.

I find I don't have trouble hitting like 110g of protein a day (and no meat!) and I get in all my Water too. I realize I've had it easier than some though.

Wow, this is all great info. I was worried I was too high with 20-25g net carbs a day. I'm still losing though, so I won't try and take it up too much higher, but it's good to know I don't have to feel bad if I go up to 30 or 40g every now and then.

@ that sounds doable. Like I said, I'm a-okay on Protein. And keeping it under 50g net carbs sounds downright luxurious at this point!

Oh, I'm not worrying about too few carbs. I try to keep my carb intake as low as possible, but depending on if we count net carbs or not, for me there's an average intake of either 43.2g or 23g (which either way I guess is pretty good, since I'm average 110.5g of protein). It's just that 20g is quite a difference, and if we do indeed only count net carbs, I could afford to add in some more veggies and legumes on some days, which would be really nice.

Don't forget, you can also make whipped cream out of coconut milk. Not lowfat, but for a special occasion not a bad source of calories.

For those of you tracking your intake of macronutrients, do you just just try to stay under a certain limit for overall carbs, or do you just worry about your net carbs (total carbs - Fiber = net carb intake)?

From the research I've done, some nutritionists mention net carbs something to measure and others don't use the term at all, so I'm not sure how "legit" the whole idea is.

Oh my god, what an ordeal! Well, very smart of you to listen to your body and have it checked out. I'm so glad you're doing ok now, and thank you for keeping us posted! Good luck on the rest of your recovery!

I looked up Latisse on Wikipedia, and there doesn't seem to be a German article on it, which leads me to suspect that it doesn't exist here. Bummer

I've been using Rogaine for a year and a half now for PCOS related hair loss and it definitely didn't make a difference with hair anywhere other than my head. Must be different for different people.

I've been curious about Latisse as well. Do you have to keep on using it though, like Rogaine? I'm not even sure if I could find it where I live.

I actually know exactly what the problems are: 90-95% stress eating (I'm in the middle of writing a very complicated term paper in a very short amount of time) and 5-10% the fact that the bulgur in the tabbouleh was starch and I am and always will be a sugar/carb addict. I have been so, so strict since surgery in terms of scheduling and measuring all my food, and yet it hasn't seemed restrictive. But it was a weird give an inch take a mile kind of thing the past couple days. I guess that's how addiction works. I think working from home has also been a problem. It's given me more opportunity to mess up. I'm definitely going to go back to packing up my meals/snacks and heading to work at the library. I think that will help.

As for therapy, I dunno. I've had such terrible luck with therapists. It's made even harder because of the fact that I live in Germany and I don't feel like I can do therapy German (also, getting my insurance to cover it would be quite a process, with no guarantee of finding anyone I like).

So, my recovery has been really smooth and I've been super successful so far. But I also find that I can eat way more than half a cup of something. Most of the time I don't. I measure and weigh religiously. But the past few days I've been slipping back into old habits. My roommate has been making really yummy food (first a Thai tofu curry and then tabbouleh salad). Eating healthy was never the problem, but volume definitely was, and with these two dishes, I've been grazing all day and way overdoing it on volume. Especially with tabbouleh! I've been so strict about no starches, and the bulgur in the tabbouleh really threw me for a loop - it's like crack! I think I'm ok on calories and everything, and like I said, I know both dishes were pretty healthy, but I am worried about the general trend of eating too much. I know there are always these "I think I stretched my sleeve!" threads, and I feel bad making another one, but, sh*t! I'm worried I'm stretching my sleeve!

We all know about the thinning hair, but what about eyelashes? I'm losing so many, and I can see gaps in between them! Did this happen to anyone else?

I'm sorry you're not in a position to go anywhere else. I had similar trouble at the hospital where I first planned to go (I don't even know who my surgeon would have been because I met someone new every single time I went there), so after I finally FINALLY got approval, I switched hospitals. Luckily my insurer didn't care as long as the hospital had the same level of certification, which wasn't hard since I live in a big city.

Are you sure there aren't any other places your insurer would cover?