IcanMakeit

I am the textbook definition of "apple shaped." When I lose weight, it always seems to start in the areas that need it least and then progress. This spring I lost about 30 lbs before I could see any real progress in my belly and breasts. My bottom, extremities, shoulders and face seemed to be losing all of the weight. But that was a temporary situation, thank goodness. Now that I am near goal, my waist is still thicker than I would like, but it no longer seems so disproportionate. My problem now is loose skin, not my body shape. Your situation may not be as extreme as mine was, and your weight loss may be more evenly distributed as you progress, but even if you're like me, you'll get where you need to go.

I posted about this this morning, when this sweater was still aspirational. That post was eaten by my iPad, but I just bought the sweater.

I also use measuring cups and a food scale. I've gotten pretty good at eyeballing, but I check with actual measurements to make sure I'm on track. My guesses are surprisingly accurate, but I'll bet if I wasn't checking, I would allow myself to be more generous. In order to save the most money and waste the least food, you should buy plastic food containers with lids. You can then portion out and refrigerate/freeze your future meals. We have a million of these and except for the always missing lids, they are very useful.

Now that I've had my breast reduction, I can't wait to get cute (not the loud, ugly ones) sweaters in holiday colors. I really want to dress in the spirit of the season, without looking like a prehistoric Venus.

I'm glad to hear that so many of you have joined my rebel alliance! I will continue to enjoy my herbal teas. It's definitely helping me hit the 64 ozs. When drinking plain water, I never (or rarely) hit the goal.

I guess you didn't hear me singing after my VSG? It was so loud I thought everyone could. I got completely off my metformin immediately after surgery. My 3 month A1c was 5.0. My 6 month A1c was 5.3. As long as I continue with my carb controlled diet, I'll probably never go back to diabetes. WLS is definitely the most positive step I have taken for my health in a long time.

I'm an old so the current craze for hairlessness has gone right over my head. However, neatness appeals to me. I vote go for the triangle.

Although i know WLS patients that have added diet sodas to their diets, I see no reason to start drinking diet soda. I think studies have shown that drinkers of soda, even diet soda, weigh more than people who don't. That's good enough for me. But also, diet sodas are made with aspertame. I have never really trusted that sweetener and have always tried to avoid it whenever possible.

At my 6 month follow-up appointment, I confessed to my bariatric surgeon that I have been substituting herbal tea (sometimes with Stevia, sometimes without) for some of my 64 oz. of daily Water. I can only drink so much water and the tea seemed to be keeping me well hydrated. Also, I read an article that said that you could do this without consequence. Well my surgeon told me to cut it out and to only drink tea in addition to the 64 oz of water. I like to do what I'm told, but in this case, I'm feeling rebellious. What do you think? Do it the hard, boring way? Or can I continue to enjoy my daily teas?

You all know I was only kidding when I predicted that my "carb controlled" breakfast would be pancakes and syrup, right? Well the hospital didn't. They sent French toast, syrup, oatmeal and orange juice for my low carb breakfast. Now that I'm home I can laugh about it, but I was pretty put out when my tray finally arrived. I was feeling less than charitable, so I made them take it away and bring me scrambled eggs. I'll bet they noticed how little of the prodigious pile they served me was eaten. I probably should have made it clearer that I only needed one egg, but I don't care. Don't mess with IcanMakeit.

Had my breast reduction & axillary liposuction on Monday. I weighed myself before leaving for the hospital: 139. I stayed 3 1/2 days, ate almost nothing while there and came home weighing 140.2. How can you gain weight after they cut (and suck) out at least 2 - 3 lbs? ( I know, I know, water weight blah blah blah. But that's only supposed to happen to other people, not the special snowflake that is me.) I am going to report 140 for today, and not the extra tenths. Because I'm mad darn it.

I eat on plan almost 100% of the time (with slight deviations for my birthday and Thanksgiving), but I don't think I'm on a diet. I make sure most of my meals are tasty as well as healthy and I usually avoid low fat versions of foods. For instance, I don't like chicken breast, so I usually have skinless thigh meat instead. The reason this works is that my restriction keeps me from overindulging. I think if I was "dieting," eating egg whites instead of whole eggs, avoiding real cheese and avocados, etc., I would be less successful in the long run. A diet is something you go on and off of. I plan to stick with my current eating habits when I reach maintenance with a few small additions.

At two weeks out I wasn't really feeling my restriction. I was still on full liquids which didn't make me feel full, but paradoxically, I couldn't take in that much of them. I never hit my Protein or Water goal until about six weeks out. I don't think the hair loss you are noticing can be related to poor nutrition. It takes longer than two weeks to develop. It is probably related to stress both from the surgery, and from worrying about the surgery. Try to take a few minutes each day to check in with yourself and reassure yourself that everything is going according to plan and you are currently ok. Almost everyone has been where you are now. (At least the part about not hitting your nutrition goals and worrying about not feeling full -- the early hair loss is unusual and should be discussed with your doctor.) Keep following your doctor's meal plan and try to relax. You are headed for success.

My surgery went well but my left breast showed signs of a hematoma. They kept me a couple of extra days. I'm going home sometime today. I am looking forward to it. My surgeon now says that I look great and she is no longer concerned about my healing. I definitely feel better, so she is probably right. And guess what. I now have the breasts of a 30 year old. You don't know how stoked I am.

I'm waiting for my Breakfast tray. It will probably be pancakes with syrup! These people are clueless about low carb meals. But the good news is that I will be released sometime today so I can finally get healthy food in the proper proportions at home. Thank goodness for my VSG. If I had my normal appetite, I would have fallen to the temptation to eat what they served me. For those of you considering breast reduction -- go for it. Don't wait 15 extra years like I did. Why suffer? It has turned out that even with my less than optimal post surgical experience, it is so worth it. I am so thrilled to not have all that extra weight on my shoulders and back.

I have not yet gone to a support group meeting. My town is so small, and the one in the nearby small city is a 45 minute drive and inconveniently timed. I need to make this more of a priority. I tell myself that my bad eating habits were caused by a combination of carb addiction and an inability to feel full on a normal recommended serving of food. And since my surgery, both issues are currently resolved. But I know that as I get further out, I might be dealing with those issues again.

As soon as I got over the nausea from the VSG surgery, my hunger returned. However, I don't overeat because even though I might be ravenous when I begin eating, I get full so fast that each meal is kind of disappointing. I have also found that carbs are a lot less attractive than they used to be because I fear that they will make me sick, not just gain a few pounds. I had the same exact experience as @dupexi. I lost more than 100 lbs 15 years ago using the Atkins diet, and then threw it all out the window when I got bored with it. I believe that my new eating pattern has a better chance to stick this time. There is a definite physical aspect to my avoidance of empty, high calorie foods and overeating is pretty much unthinkable. It would be too uncomfortable. I am trying to be as compliant with my nutritionist's recommendations as I can while my restriction is still at it's strongest. I hope that will help me extend the restriction for as long as possible. And my current stint in the hospital (where they keep serving me high carb meals that I can't eat) has shown me that my restriction becomes stronger the less I eat. This is pretty good news. Maybe all I have to do to get and stay slim is what I'm currently doing. And maybe I'll be able to do it over the long haul because my new stomach will help me.

It's 4 am. My hospital roommate is in a great deal of pain. She's a very nice lady but she is very expressive and that makes her a difficult roommate. I selfishly hope she feels better soon. @@HawaiianTexan don't worry too much about the surgery. It's only been 3 days and I'm already getting better. The first couple of days were rocky but now I see the light at the end of the tunnel. And did I mention that my surgeon, Dr. Cynthia Goodman, is a miracle worker? I now have average sized breasts that are kind of perky. Monday morning I had tube socks with rocks. I don't have the relief from my back pain yet, though. She had to do some axillary liposuction that went into my back. I think the liposuction hurts much worse than the incisions. And she said the swelling will be with me for up to 3 months.

I had my breast reduction on Monday and I am massively uncomfortable. But more worrisome than the pain is that I have been running a fever and one of my breasts is more swollen than the other. The surgeon was worried about a possible hematoma and decided to keep me for observation for a couple of extra days. The only good thing about that is that someone else has to deal with my drains. I'm afraid that when I strip the lines, it looks different from when the professionals do it. If you ever have an extended stay in a hospital, be prepared to have to fight for healthy, low carb food. Even though I was on their "controlled carb" plan, they served me Pasta and angel food cake in one meal. Breakfast was quiche that was obviously made with flour in the filling. My husband brought me my ipad today so I can finally catch up with my "peeps" on BariatricPal. I was having withdrawal symptoms!

I agree with @Elode. Exercise builds muscle. You may be replacing fat with muscle. But are you measuring and logging your food? Be certain that you are really keeping track of the actual calories consumed. Then maybe take a few weeks worth of logs and talk to a nutritionist. Also I have read that you should only raise your calories on days that you exercise the most, and reduce your calories on rest days. I hope you find a solution.

I called my surgeon and talked to the anesthesiologist when she called me. They both said that they would check me in the morning and if by then my cold hasn't progressed to where I have a fever or chest congestion, then surgery can go forward.

I have a stuffy nose and a scratchy throat. These symptoms are common for me when I have allergies as well as when I have a cold. I will definitely inform the intake nurse about my symptoms when I arrive at the hospital tomorrow. Do you think they will cancel the surgery?

I talk big but I am worried about the recovery period. It seems that it is longer and more painful than the recovery from laparoscopic VSG. I am sorry you are hurting and hope you feel better soon.

I have not experienced this personally, but from reading this site I have noticed that this is a common problem. People are used to you being in a certain box, and they don't like it when you want to change. A lot of people get their self esteem from comparing themselves to others, including relative weights. If you weigh the same or less, they feel diminished. You'll have to be on the lookout for this so that you don't let their negativity derail your efforts.

I am looking forward to having a tummy tuck next year. What a relief it will be to not have to arrange my loose skin under my clothes. I've discussed it with a surgeon here in Northern California, but lately I've been considering going to Mexico. I keep reading on this site about people's positive experiences at Mexican surgical facilities.