sunflowerchild

I don't think the internet is for everyone.

You would have to be very careful with frozen margaritas because they tend to be loaded with sugar. Some people can get sick from too much sugar and the loads of sugar combined with the alcohol might be too much.

Hi everyone! I made a post a few weeks ago about the Hair loss I was/am experiencing and I mentioned getting hair extensions instead of cutting my hair off. I had people inbox and ask On the thread to see them. I ordered mine from a seller (from Australia) on eBay. They are 250 grams of human hair and I paid 130-ish for them. I also went to the salon today and has them layered and styled so they aren't just flat out of the package. I think I have answered some of the questions! I probably won't wear them everyday and I'm not suggesting people use extentions I just chose to because my hair is thinning..and I love them hope everyone is doing well! oh and the pic with the short hair is a lovely picture my 5 yr old took when I first woke up...don't judge! I only used it to show my actual length. Ha! Oh Annnnnd one more thing before I forget..I get asked how I pronounce my Name. It's pronounced like L.O.D or Melody without the M! Ok I think I covered everything now

I've not posted since i was in the very early stages, but thought I'd post a before and after. My surgery was Oct. 21, 2014 and I weighed 247. I've currently lost 80 pounds putting me at 167lbs. It's been much slower this past month, and it's been depressing me a little...I'm so afraid I've lost all I'm going to. I hope not!! Anyway,
 ta-dah!

I was only sent home with liquid pain meds, nothing else.

I recently posted an article titled “The Biggest Loser:” Irresponsible Weight Loss Surgery Comments? . We received many fantastic comments from our concerned members. I've decided to follow up our article with an Open Letter to Dr. Robert Huizenga or Dr. H as he's known on the show. The letter will also be sent to the shows producers and staff members.


Dear Dr. Huizenga,
I am the founder of BariatricPal, the world’s largest online community for weight loss surgery patients and potential patients.
I am writing to you today regarding your role as an expert on “The Biggest Loser.” I am asking you to please stop publicly portraying weight loss surgery in a negative light without any explanation. Most recently, during the Season 16 Finale, you stated that losing weight using methods used on the show were far healthier than turning to weight loss surgery. The implication was that bariatric surgery is under no circumstances the best choice for individuals struggling with obesity.
I am asking you to stop making comments like this. You and “The Biggest Loser” have a significant amount of influence on America. The season finale attracted 5.4 million live viewers, with untold millions watching the show at a later time. Given that one-third of American adults are obese, it is almost certain that many viewers have obesity.
“The Biggest Loser” reaches out to this audience throughout the show. Contestants, trainers, and health experts like yourself directly address viewers who need to lose weight, offering encouragement and tips. As you know, positive gestures like this can motivate people to change their lives.
Unfortunately, the derogatory comments about bariatric surgery can have just as much impact, but in a negative way. Your statement at the Season 16 finale of “The Biggest Loser” and similar ones make weight loss surgery sound like a shameful, dangerous, and ineffective choice in all cases, with no further explanation.
According to the Weight-Control Information Network (WIN), 4% of men and 8% of women in the U.S. have extreme obesity (BMI over 40). That translates to about 20 million American adults who are potentially eligible for weight loss surgery. This figure does not include the approximately 60 million Americans whose BMIs are between 30 and 40, and who might be eligible for surgery due to the existence of a co-morbidity.
Not all of these individuals are eligible for and interested in weight loss surgery, but many are. BariatricPal alone, for example, has a quarter-million members who are weight loss surgery patients or who are considering surgery.
For weight loss surgery patients, your comments can be hurtful. Weight loss surgery is not the “easy way out.” It is a tool to help control food intake. Eligibility criteria include a requirement that patients be committed to the strict dietary changes necessary to lose weight after bariatric surgery. I and millions of other weight loss surgery patients who have successfully used weight loss surgery as a tool against obesity worked hard to get where we are today. We do not deserve for you and your colleagues to suggest that we have cheated to lose weight.
Comments that groundlessly condemn weight loss surgery can harm potential patients just as much if not more. Eligible candidates might decide not to get the surgery in part because of your position. First, your comments can lead to a feeling of shame for even considering bariatric surgery to fight obesity. This is unjust, since the post-surgery diet is strict and requires a lifetime of attention, just as “The Biggest Loser” contestants must modify their own diets for the rest of their lives to maintain weight loss.
Secondly, your comments on the show seem to imply weight loss surgery does not work. While there are patients who do not respond to surgery, and complications are always a threat, the scientific literature overwhelmingly agrees that weight loss surgery is a viable option for the treatment of morbid obesity.
Furthermore, the scientific community largely agrees that weight loss surgery can improve health and metabolic parameters. To varying degrees, methods such as gastric bypass, adjustable gastric band, and gastric sleeve have been linked to improvements in diabetes and other obesity-related conditions, such as hypertension, sleep apnea, and dyslipidemia. The UK’s healthcare system, known as the National Health System or NHS, is so convinced of bariatric surgery’s effectiveness, safety, and cost savings potential it covers bariatric surgery procedures.
Unconditionally stating that weight loss surgery is the wrong choice is particularly unfair given that “The Biggest Loser” contestants do not always achieve or maintain their goal weights. An article on Today.com, which is owned by NBC, looked at initial, finale, and current weights of selected contestants from the first 11 seasons of the show. Of the 56 contestants they highlighted, 20 were within 10 pounds of their finale weights, and 8 had gained back at least 40 pounds since the finale.
These results are impressive but not perfect. And, “The Biggest Loser” is not for everyone. So far, only hundreds of individuals have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to lose weight on the show. For a few others, losing weight at one of the Biggest Loser resorts is an option – but not a practical one for most people. At $3,000 per week, it could take $50,000 or $100,000 or more to reach goal weight, not including time out from work and life.
Weight loss surgery may be the only practical choice for people who have work and family obligations, and who live within a budget. People struggling with obesity do not choose weight loss surgery because they think it will be easy. They choose it because they have no other choice. Nothing else has worked for them. For me and hundreds of thousands of other weight loss surgery patients, it worked.
Because of this, I ask you again to please stop publicly attacking weight loss surgery without explanation. You and I and everyone else who is connected to obesity knows what a terrible disease it is. We should join forces in fighting it. Let’s work together to get the greatest possible number of people healthy, and not work against each other with derogatory and divisive comments.
Thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to fighting obesity. You have established yourself as one of the most influential health experts in obesity, and I hope you will use your voice in a positive way. Thank you for considering this.
Sincerely,
Alex Brecher
Founder, BariatricPal

I use Flinstones complete

19 days post op without any BM is too long in my opinion. I had surgery on a Tuesday and my dr said If I hadn't gone by Saturday that I should take something to get things moving. There's a chance your bowels might be impacted at this point. You should let your doc know that you still haven't gone ASAP.

Hey all! I haven't posted since the very early days out...I was sleeved on 10/2/13 at 273 pounds. I reached goal in 9.5 months which was 159 pounds which would put me at a normal bmi. At about 8 months post op I started running. That was a game changer! I have since completed a triathlon, a 5k, 2 10ks, 4 half marathons, and on January 25th, 2015 I became a marathoner! I went on to lose and additional 20 pounds and I've been maintaining 20 pounds below goal ever since. From a size 22/24 to a size 2/4. I eat clean and train hard! I am really living my best life now!

For me it just felt sore like I had done a bunch of sit-ups

Quest Protein chips. My favorite flavors are the cheddar and the sour cream and onion. 21 grams of protein per bag.

For me it just felt sore like I had done a bunch of sit-ups

For me it just felt sore like I had done a bunch of sit-ups

My favorite flavors are strawberry cheesecake and double chocolate chunk. I also like their Protein chips in the cheddar and sour cream and onion flavors.

Someone posted a recipe for Valentines Cheesecake on the board a couple weeks ago. This might be a good substitute? Do a search in the forums for "valentine cheesecake" and you should find it.

Also, not sure if you are familiar with Quest products, but they post recipes on their site. I saw one the other day for some kind of red velvet dessert.

3 months out I was averaging about 600-700 but my doctor wanted me to be taking in closer to 1,000. I think this is one of those things that can be pretty individualized based on your bmi and how quickly your losing and some other factors

My favorite flavors are strawberry cheesecake and double chocolate chunk. I also like their Protein chips in the cheddar and sour cream and onion flavors.

@@sunflowerchild Ok good to hear. I wish I had thick hair to start with but I don't. It's not Horrible yet but I put a Head wrap on before I cook. It freaks me out to think a hair might fall in the food! Gross! That's instant vomit for me if I get a hair in my mouth!

I had very thick hair so my hair would always fall out but it felt like pretty sudden that I noticed it falling out a lot. Every time i would brush my hair the entire brush would be filled with my hair. It was out of control. I cut off 12 inches after dealing with it for a month or 2 and then it seemed to get a lot better. Now I have more of an average amount of hair so it didn't wind up turning out too bad for me.

Quest Protein chips. My favorite flavors are the cheddar and the sour cream and onion. 21 grams of protein per bag.

I think the hair loss lasted about 6 weeks for me.
Edit to add: my hair still falls out now but the really drastic period of Hair loss where it was like clumps of hair lasted like 6 weeks

My surgery (gastric bypass) was July 30 2014 start weight 247 current weight 147. 17 more lbs to lose for my goal weight of 130. It's been a great journey.

Nope. It sucks.
I don't have a choice, however, because if I drink after I eat, I vomit. So easier? No, but can I do it? Yup. At 21 months out, it's habit, but it's frustrating at times.
Totally worth it, though.

I had my initial meeting in late May and was sleeved a little over 2 months later. The requirements were psych consult, a few nutrition consults, sleep study, and an endoscopy. I had an endoscopy within the last year so I didn't have to redo that. I was waived from the sleep study because of my health history, neck circumference, and relatively low BMI. So that left the psych and nutrition which I completed in the two months leading up to surgery. In summary it isn't unheard of to have a soon surgery date when you don't have a bunch of insurance requirements. Best of luck!