glitter eyes

Welcome back!! I was just thinking of you the other day and was wondering where you have been. I am excited for you that you have another procedure coming up in which to make yourself even more fabulous. I know you have been wanting to get your teeth/mouth fixed for awhile so congrats!
Hopefully with the protein/liquids you won't lose a lot more weight. I know you are at goal. Maybe you could add in a few shakes that normally we Bariatric patients wouldn't drink ( higher carbs and calories) so you can maintain your weight. I know you will figure it out because you always do. You will have to keep us all posted.

I know this doesn't have much to do with wardrobe advice- but I just wanted to say I am so darn proud of you @@Inner Surfer Girl!! Getting back into the workplace is a huge change and I know you will be successful. It's a NSV!!

I have made that same mistake myself at least a half a dozen times in various places. It's priceless!! Welcome to the club.

Prior to weight loss I was taking 300mcg of synthroid daily and now I am down to 100mcg daily.

Awesome. You look gorgeous! Congrats on maintaining

I didn't see if anyone posted this but... You really need to call your surgeon and let him know about what you ate. That was a high calorie, carb and fat meal which means the liver has to work overtime to process it. The purpose of the pre op diet is to shrink the liver so they can reach the stomach easier without your liver becoming damaged in the process. You have already eaten the food and there is no going back so don't beat yourself up. However, you do want to have the safest surgery you can without complications, so I would call the office. Better to be safe than sorry.
Life is easier post op than pre op trying to deal with that horrible pre op diet.
However, @@Babbs is right, there will be times later down the road that hunger will be a real possibility and learning how to deal with that is a part of the process. I am two years four months post op and I do have hungry times. Sometimes it is difficult to choose what is best for my body rather than what I want to eat. I work hard and have to stay very diligent to maintain my weight.
Hang in there and remember you only have one body and this surgery is a wonderful chance to get healthy!! Good luck we are all rooting for you!

My Hair loss was probably about a 5 out of 10 scale. It began about month 7 and lasted until about a year and half post op. I called it the "Bariatric hairstyle"!!
I was one of the ones who lost hair despite taking 10,000 mg of Biotin, getting all my Protein in (80-100 gm), taking my Vitamins.
My hair was really thick to begin with so the hair loss was manageable. What was bad was the dryness, brittleness, and breakage. What helped me was I began drinking bamboo tea- high in silica and I added marine collagen powder to my Water. The collagen slowed the hair loss way down and the bamboo tea really helped combat the dryness, made my hair silky and shiny again. It also stopped the breakage. I also cut a few inches off my hair and that helped too.
I am now a little over two years post op and my hair is pretty much back to normal.

I didn't see if anyone posted this but... You really need to call your surgeon and let him know about what you ate. That was a high calorie, carb and fat meal which means the liver has to work overtime to process it. The purpose of the pre op diet is to shrink the liver so they can reach the stomach easier without your liver becoming damaged in the process. You have already eaten the food and there is no going back so don't beat yourself up. However, you do want to have the safest surgery you can without complications, so I would call the office. Better to be safe than sorry.
Life is easier post op than pre op trying to deal with that horrible pre op diet.
However, @@Babbs is right, there will be times later down the road that hunger will be a real possibility and learning how to deal with that is a part of the process. I am two years four months post op and I do have hungry times. Sometimes it is difficult to choose what is best for my body rather than what I want to eat. I work hard and have to stay very diligent to maintain my weight.
Hang in there and remember you only have one body and this surgery is a wonderful chance to get healthy!! Good luck we are all rooting for you!

I didn't see if anyone posted this but... You really need to call your surgeon and let him know about what you ate. That was a high calorie, carb and fat meal which means the liver has to work overtime to process it. The purpose of the pre op diet is to shrink the liver so they can reach the stomach easier without your liver becoming damaged in the process. You have already eaten the food and there is no going back so don't beat yourself up. However, you do want to have the safest surgery you can without complications, so I would call the office. Better to be safe than sorry.
Life is easier post op than pre op trying to deal with that horrible pre op diet.
However, @@Babbs is right, there will be times later down the road that hunger will be a real possibility and learning how to deal with that is a part of the process. I am two years four months post op and I do have hungry times. Sometimes it is difficult to choose what is best for my body rather than what I want to eat. I work hard and have to stay very diligent to maintain my weight.
Hang in there and remember you only have one body and this surgery is a wonderful chance to get healthy!! Good luck we are all rooting for you!

Haven't had mine tested yet, but it's something I would really like to do. Sounds very informative.

I don't remember at what weight my collar bones began to emerge- but boy do I love having them again!!

I have not had my TT and Breast lift done yet but I did have my Brachioplasty 8 weeks ago so take this for what it is worth.
Ice packs! Ice packs and more ice packs. LOL.
I think the biggest thing I learned was how badly your body reacts to plastics. With swelling you get burning pain. Your lymphatic system is definitely effected and even though I had my arms done, my feet, hands and even stomach was swelling. The major swelling went down after about 5 days but even now my arms swell every day.
In talking with my surgeon who was phenomenal she told me I can expect my tummy to swell as well.
But let me tell you, it is all worth it and I cannot wait for my TT and Breast Lift. The difference for me was unbelievable. I am including some pics.
Before

After

I should also say that my after pic is only 3 weeks post op and still shows swelling but you see what a crazy great result I got. For the first 3 weeks I had my arms buried in ice packs. LOL.

They may be concerned about hyperthyroidism if your TSH levels are low. It is an inverse relationship- if TSH is low then hyperthyroidism, if TSH is high then hypothyroidism. There are also additional levels they can check such as your T3 and T4 levels.
I have hypothyroidism and the only thing that has changed for me post surgery was as I lost weight I have needed less medication. I went from 250 of synthyroid down to 88.

I completely understand how you feel!! I too am so grateful for my weight loss and the fact that I have maintained it (over two years post op).
I love myself and have a wonderful fulfilling life, yet I don't really like clothes shopping because nothing ever fits quite right and I have to look for things to disguise my "hump"- which is the name I have given my lower belly. It does get frustrating.
I have tried a million creams, oils, exercises and nothing makes a difference for me.
I feel like you, that I am not "finished" until I get my stomach fixed. Hoping next year to try and fund plastics- this year we had to have a new roof and our pool redone.
I think that part of the problem is I was normal size a good portion of my life and like you it's kind of a shock see our bodies look the way they do.
I know seeing a therapist would not help me. I don't have body issues or feel bad about myself. I just want my stomach gone. Hopefully we will both find a way to get our plastic surgery done!!

LMBO- just had to google the whole pop rocks thing. Guess I am sheltered too. Learn something new everyday!
I am in maintenance- so maybe I can spare the carbs and give it a try.
Now my google search has a naughty search history.LOL

Anyway, about the 5:2.....
I know it sounds like another "fad", but honestly, my metabolism changed once again in maintenance. Any little change in my daily routine would cause a gain, and it WOULD NOT come off no matter what I did. I found the intermittent fasting along with moderate to hard exercise helped ramp up my metabolism again to where I could start losing. Something about the on again off again eating pattern helps with the metabolic changes.

You get dialed back in by taking control of things.
Stop grazing. Plan your meals and space them apart at correct intervals that will provide you with energy.
You are in complete control of every bite of food that you take. Nobody is forcing you to eat. You hold yourself accountable and make the right choices with the right types of food in the correct quantity and at the right time.
Tracking every bite through the use of an app like myfitnesspal makes it really easy to see where you are slipping. It's right there in front of you. It breaks down the macros really nicely so you can see where you are failing.
Exercise can be a great way to get there, too.
I promise you that if you get on a treadmill and punch in your weight.....allow it to track calories burned......you'll see and feel how much each calorie really counts. It will make it easy for you to stay on track.
It's all about you regaining control and being in charge of your nutrition.

One thing you might want to look into is there is an online support group called BOT which stands for Back on Track. They have a private Facebook page and their website Bariatric Eating.com sells Protein Powder called Inspire which I have tried and the flavors are good and they don't have that Protein after taste some have. This protein is a high quality whey isolate. 20 grams of protein and a little over 100 calories. The powder mixes super easily.
My friend who had some regain after her surgery tole me about it. They have tons of Bariatric recipes. I didn't look into the program in detail since I haven't regained. However, I think the first week or so you do the shakes all day and then have a high protein low carb meal. My friend swears by it and has lost almost 20 of her regain. I joined the Facebook page to help keep me on track and there are tons of inspirational stories of people who are losing their regain and some who have re lost it all!
I ordered the protein powder since I occasionally so shakes as a Meal Replacement or will drink them to drop a pound or two and I really like this brand.
Good luck- you can do this!!

I think my pet peeve is when people say, "oh your husband must be so happy now." News flash people... My husband has been happy and loved me fat, thin, young and older. Why do people think your spouse is miserable if you are fat. That is my pet peeve.

Prior to weight loss I was taking 300mcg of synthroid daily and now I am down to 100mcg daily.

Not sure why it'd be frowned on around here.
It's a part of life and a damned important part, too.
Sex is much better now than before.
Now, I know that I broke the bed due to effort.......not due to weight.

I know this doesn't have much to do with wardrobe advice- but I just wanted to say I am so darn proud of you @@Inner Surfer Girl!! Getting back into the workplace is a huge change and I know you will be successful. It's a NSV!!

LMBO- just had to google the whole pop rocks thing. Guess I am sheltered too. Learn something new everyday!
I am in maintenance- so maybe I can spare the carbs and give it a try.
Now my google search has a naughty search history.LOL

Just read this entire thread and all I can say is WOW. Why would someone get so upset over just some helpful comments and suggestions.

Don't be sticks in the mud!!

We all know our surgeon's instructions are nothing more than mild suggestions.

I mean, just because we paid the big bucks and trusted this gal (or guy) with our lives, I really see no need to actually listen to what she says! Seriously, you lived through the procedure, you are up and feeling great, you've got your diet down pat, and you are losing weight successfully! You've totally got this.

No alcohol? Hogwash! I read about successful WLS patients who are drinking days after surgery and they are OK, at least according to the internetz.

What's a few drinks? Bottom's up, y'all!