InfiniteButterfly

I wish I'd horded more clothes. I'm just glad there's a resale shop not too far from me because otherwise I'd go broke as I go down sizes (although Old Navy does have some spectacular sales. I bought a bunch of their tank tops for $2 each...two sizes smaller than I was wearing and they fit!!) I won't do Forever21...personal choice, but as an artist I can't patronize any store with their business practices. (they do have cute clothes in there though) I should ask my dad if he has any of my old clothes. He's a horder for sure, and I know I left a bunch of things there when I moved out. I was pretty sure he'd given it all to the Salvation Army long ago, but I could be wrong.

The amount of fat is the different between Atkins and South Beach, if I'm not mistaken. Plus, South Beach allows you carbs, but good carbs rather than any carbs (based on the glycemic index) Admittedly, it's been a few years since I looked into South Beach (which was my doctor's recommendation for a lifestyle...he was very careful not to call it a diet, because according to him, diets fail, and what I needed was a lifestyle change, not a diet. Which is what I ended up with, although I also have my handy sleeve as a tool to aid in the lifestyle change) And I have no problem having a piece of bacon every once in a while. I don't do it daily, but I have had a slice on a few occasions. It's okay on my NUT's dietary list, so I don't see a reason to not have it on occasion.

What kind of cheese are you using? Just wondering what works best I love cheese, and these sound right up my alley.

Right now, at 2 months out, I struggle to go above 800 calories (at 800 or below, I stall. But when I bumped it to 850-900, I started losing again) To add calories, I use avocado (have it with my eggs), full-fat cheese, olive oil mayo in my tuna and egg salad (good grief does that add calories). Nuts were always a favorite way to get a quick boost in pre-surgery, but I can't have them for another couple months. If all else fails, I have half of a Quest bar as a snack. I also eat five small meals rather than three normal meals (my NUT's suggestion) because it helps spread the calorie intake out and I don't feel like I'm pushing myself to consume more.

I haven't had a bad migraine since surgery *touch wood*

Walk a bit? Around the block or just pace around your house a bit. That usually helps me, but YMMV.

I know too many people who got really sick on Atkins to think about trying it. Plus, most of the Atkins meal substitute bars, etc., have really high sugar alcohol content, and I can't have that. I just follow the instructions my doctor and NUT gave me. That seems to be serving me well thus far.

You might ask your doctor about the possibility of hormones causing a growth in breast tissue...since hormones tend to be in flux post-surgery. I don't know enough about hormones and their actions to give a good answer.

I had a lot of trouble gagging down most Protein shakes post-surgery. Way too sweet. Chike saved me. coffee protein FTW And Syntrex nectar (a lot of flavors, a lot of fruity flavors that aren't overwhelmingly sweet) For crunch...I would chew my SF popsicles. It wasn't perfect, but it allowed me to chew and it was something I was allowed to have at that stage. (I also had the chewable Vitamins and Calcium. That helped)

Honestly? I've been big for so long, I don't have a lot of smaller clothes (a few size 18s that a friend gave me after she had WLS a few years ago, but I was never able to wear them anyway), so I don't have a lot to shrink down into. I did get a pair of denim shorts on yesterday that I've never fit into before, so I was really happy for that...but they were a size 20. I did clear out four huge boxes of 2x, 3x and 22s that I can no longer wear (or won't be able to wear come winter), and one of the local charities is coming next week to pick them up. Hopefully they'll go to a good home (the charity gives clothes away to people in need. I know from experience that they rarely have nice clothes in larger sizes, so now they're getting a ton) I have seen some utterly adorable clothes at Old Navy that I can't wait to be able to fit into. Or hell, even some of the Zumba workout clothes. I'm saving my money for a small shopping splurge before winter so I have enough pants to get me through. I don't mind so much if shirts are too big, but pants that are too big fall off my butt.

SW: 249 CW: 247 (I'm hoping my second stall broke finally!)

I used a couple Progresso low-fat creamed soups. One was loaded potato something, and the other clam chowder. I used an immersion blender on them to get rid of any chunks (I did clear this with my NUT first)

Colase? Milk of Magnesia?

I'm only 8 weeks out (I have around 150 to lose as well). My boobs seem to be the first place I'm losing weight :/ They are definitely smaller than they were before (44DD) which is not a bad thing. Less pressure on my shoulders and lower back, so I find I'm standing straighter. They already sagged quite a bit due to large size and breastfeeding, so I don't expect them to bounce back into anything resembling perky. I'm definitely going to keep watch on this thread, particularly with the exercises (I've been doing planks and light weights currently, but if there are exercises that will help firm those puppies up, I'm all for it. Although since it's mostly fat and skin rather than muscle, I don't expect a whole lot will help :/)

Ugh, I know I gained on Zoloft. I went up nearly 30 lbs (that was the straw that broke the camel's back as far as me starting the process for surgery)

I saw the Think Thin (before I managed to find Quest), and I was wary of the sugar alcohol as well (sugar alcohol never agreed with me pre-surgery, and I don't want to risk it post-surgery). I do quite like the Quest though...I can only do half at a time, but they're tasty, and about perfect for after a walk or bike ride.

Good luck with appealing And I'm not familiar with Celexa, but does it cause weight gain? I know a lot of anti-depressant and anti-anxiety meds can cause weight gain (giving good grounds for appeal). Plus with all the other stressors?

I put a teaspoon in my Greek yogurt for texture. Let it sit a few minutes and they swell there. I know some mix them in smoothies and shakes as well. I just use a small amount though.

1) Yes, the density reduces. At nearly 8 weeks out, I have no hard spots near any of my incisions. I think it took around a month for the hard spot near the largest incision to fade away. 2) Stick with your doctor/NUT's guidelines and it will break. My stall lasted nearly two weeks, and it was when I was able to eat soft foods and take in a few more calories daily that I started losing again.

My MFP is currently set for 800 calories and 80 grams protein (although I only need 65-75 currently) It put in the numbers for carbs and fat. On the daily menu, I watch calories, protein and sugar primarily. Protein and sugar are the only ones I really need to track (I can't put enough in me right now to worry about calories unless I decide to completely derail myself and eat junk...and no, that's not gonna happen)

So much this! I'm in my mid-40s. I see how fast my body started going downhill with obesity-related issues. The risk of surgery was very minimal in my mind compared to staying as big as I was (or getting bigger, because it was getting to the point where I was having trouble walking or cycling for a significant distance. Hell, I was out of breath just doing laundry at home and needed daily naps to get through the day) Now? I sleep well. I wake alert. I'm active and have enough energy to get through the day...and that's at 8 weeks out. My blood pressure's normal. My sleep apnea's a thing of the past. My hips and knees only protest when I do too many squats or run up and down the stairs too many times (like today, cleaning the attic), but for walking or cycling, they're just fine. My range of motion has increased. Yes, WLS is a huge step. It is a drastic measure. But when I considered the alternatives, the risk was much lower than staying on the course I was on.

Those ups and downs can be so disheartening! I really tried to avoid my scales at home pre-surgery, because nothing I did seemed to make any difference (until the liquid pre-op phase) Even post-surgery, I wanted to cry when I gained a pound. It didn't matter that I KNEW it was Water weight from my period (my hands were swollen, which has always been my retaining water clue). I need to start avoiding my scales more now, because those daily fluctuations are terrible and can really play mind games on you. I try very hard to just weigh once a week (usually whatever day the challenge is, so Mondays during the Labor Day challenge), and I take my measurements at the same time. The multiple tracking really helps, as well as looking at an overview on MFP or another tracking program. The day-to-day doesn't seem so bad when you can look at a graph of the whole month and see a steady downward trend.

I was really ready to come home the second day, but my hospital's bariatric program requires three. I never touched the television, but I did get quite a lot of uninterrupted reading done The nurse was a lot less intrusive than the kids' "Hey mom!" every five minutes. If it weren't for the freaking shots and the IV, it would have been a nice mini-vacation.

My stay was three days. We weren't even allowed Water until the leak check 24 hours after surgery, and then another day to make sure you could actually drink and get liquids in. I've seen a lot of people mention different lengths of stay depending on the surgeon. I know I wouldn't have been able to move to get home the day of surgery because of nausea (plus the pain meds had me sleeping pretty much whenever a nurse wasn't prodding me that first day)