IcanMakeit

117 this morning. I reached my Easter Challenge goal. Now I just need to stay here. Thanks @@Susan11803 for being so generous with your limited time. And thanks to all who participate in the challenges. They are really fun when lots of people chime in.

Fruit juices are full of sugar. When out, I drink iced tea, either unsweetened or with a non-caloric sweetener. If you don't want the caffeine, you can ask for herbal tea. You could also carry some of those Water flavorings in your purse (like Crystal Light) and just add that to a glass of ice water. Have fun in Vegas!

Thank you for your thoughtful post and thanks for sticking around this site. I really appreciate hearing from people who are maintaining their weight loss. In the past, my diet efforts were focused on losing as much weight in as short a time as I could. I never prepared for maintenance, so I never maintained. As soon as I stopped dieting, I started regaining. This time, I started thinking about maintenance before I had even lost much weight. I finally realized that diets, being short term changes, only give short term results. Long term results are only possible with permanent changes. I have a laid back, passive and hedonistic personality. None of those traits are helpful in my Quest to change my lifestyle. I don't need or want to be a different person, I just need to permanently change my habits enough to succeed. This will only happen if I stay focused. Reading posts like yours helps affirm that real change is possible. Even though I have only dipped my toe into maintenance, I already see a difference in my approach thanks partly to what I have learned from others in this community.

I think it's common to go through a period of adjustment after WLS. The feelings you are currently experiencing are probably temporary. As the weeks go by, you will feel more and more normal and your outlook on food will evolve. It's good that you question yourself, though. You don't want to replace one form of disordered eating with another.

I agree that we need to be less self indulgent when it comes to sticking with the WLS program, even when it involves foods that are not enjoyable or too restricted. We have the surgery to help us recover our health. How can we do that if we are not willing to eat healthfully? But I think many of the whiners are really just venting. This may be annoying for others, but I find myself doing it as well so I can't complain when others do it.

@@lemonpoppyseed2013 which surgery did you have? VSG? I don't think I have heard of that kind of stretching with VSG. I think most people who eat more do it by eating more often/grazing. Have you been back to your surgeon recently? Maybe you should check in with him/her.

This surprises me. Does everyone with a WLS experience a noticeable lessening of their restriction over time? I'm only 10 months out but I still feel full on portions that would have been an appetizer pre-surgery.

@@Robynne Hazebroek-Buzanko and @@Julie norton, I am glad that you both had successful, uncomplicated surgeries and hope that you continue to recover without any problems. Please continue to check in so that we can follow your progress. I will be having the fleur de lis in May and am looking forward to it with hope and trepidation. Hearing from people who have gone before me is very helpful and encouraging.

Recovery is highly individual and is affected by age and general health. I took two weeks off from my desk job, but found my first couple of weeks back at work very difficult. Once I was allowed puréed foods (my surgeon's program was very conservative), my stamina and concentration improved.

@@charmia, that's my take on it, too. I think that since smoking marijuana lowers inhibitions, you could end up making bad food choices and/or overeating. I'm not a smoker but if I was, I would avoid it post surgery. Just my $.02: Lets be careful how we use the term addiction. If it's applied indiscriminately to every behavior we don't approve of, it loses its meaning.

@@Babbs has the right idea. Don't let yourself get in too much of a routine for too long, change your workouts, raise or lower your calorie intake. I don't know if this has been scientifically proven, but it seems like whatever you do over a long period of time, your body adjusts, so you just have to keep trying new routines.

Sounds like you're one of the lucky ones and you're afraid it's too good to be true. Don't worry, be happy.

Walking and hiking will keep you outdoors and engaged. Do you have a garden? There's a lot to do at this time of year. (We're already having warm spring days in California.) For indoors - how about crafts, such as knitting, crocheting or sewing? If you don't know how to sew, it might be a good idea to learn. You will be needing to take in a lot of clothes over the next few months!

Fiber is good, but make sure you drink more water as you add it to your diet. Otherwise, it may bind you up even more.

You are considering this for yourself, not your family. Let them know that their opinions matter, but they are not the deciders, you are. You are the one who will live with the consequences of your decision. As you probably have read over and over again on this site and have heard from others who have had the surgery: very few people who have the surgery regret it (after the first few weeks -- almost everybody regrets it for at least a few days because of the initial discomfort). I agree with the posters above. Take your husband with you to your pre-op appointments and to the pre-surgical seminars. He is probably very frightened about the possible complications. The best cure for that is education. When he learns the actual statistics, he may relax quite a lot. But in the end, this is your decision, not his and not your parents'. Good luck no matter what you decide.

119 this morning. I better take a look at my intake and make adjustments if I'm going to make goal. (But I'm not changing my ticker until I weigh that amount twice in a row - usually weight gain goes away after a day or two.)

A wonderful young man who was well loved in our community died in an accident recently. One of the speakers at his memorial said that one of the last things he said was, "life is for living, not surviving." That really struck me. But I realized while thinking about it that the statement means something different to me today than it would have before I began my quest to recover my health. I still think it means that I should enjoy my pleasures whenever I can, but my definition of pleasure has changed. I seek out non-food pleasures much more than I used to, and really am grateful for them. I love my life even more now, even though I have become very careful when it comes to food.

Very true.

I am very interested in this question. I have also experienced a rise in my blood pressure even though I'm eating healthier and am now at a good weight. I think it might be stress/insomnia, but I'm not sure.

You're comfortable now, but will you be as the years go on and the health problems associated with obesity begin to manifest? Right now, you are young and beautiful and your body is resilient, but unfortunately, youth is temporary. Think about your long term health. Also, pregnancy is complicated by obesity. If you are planning to become pregnant, losing weight first would be a very good thing to do. It may be that you can lose weight and maintain the loss without surgery, but if you don't believe that's your reality, WLS may be your best option.

No one can make your final decision for you, but everyone I know who had the bypass is happy that they went through with it. What does your doctor recommend?

Thin hair does usually looks better in a short style. There are so many cute short styles, you might find that you prefer your hair short. I don't think there is any way of predicting how long the shedding phase will last once it has started, but it seems to be pretty brief for most people. It probably feels pretty scary to be losing so much hair, but most people have so much to start with that the loss is not so noticeable to others.

You are one of the bravest people I have encountered. You should be proud of yourself for the way you have handled this horrible situation. I'm glad to hear that you are somewhat better and hope you continue to improve. When/if the botox wears off, will they be able to administer it again, if necessary? Or is that too risky?

My plastic surgeon advised me to wait until my weight was stable before having the TT. I was also impatient because of the discomfort, but I think I'm glad I waited. As you said, we can only do this once.

I will also be having a fleur de lis. Mine is scheduled for late May. I am planning a road trip that will include a lot of walking in mid-August. Now I'm worried that it might be too soon?