BHoenig

I just had a revision from the sleeve to a bypass a week ago today. I'm already 16 pounds down. I had horrible stomach acid... the thing is, lifelong taking medicines for stomach acid is bad for you. Increases cancer risks, dementia risks, and accelerates bone loss. I did not want to be taking these meds for decades to come when science has proven how dangerous that is. I've had no vomiting or nausea while healing. This time around, the vitamins don't even make me sick which is a huge relief. They used to.

My addiction was Diet Dr. Pepper. I gave it up cold turkey when I started pre-diet and was surprised I had no issues. I used to drink it from the time I got up to the time I went to bed. I found it easy to give up because my nutritionist laid out what it does to my body and what it could do to my sleeve after surgery. That was enough to give me the willpower to let it go. I didn't go through all the prep, surgery, and the past three months of healing and losing weight to sabotage myself for a soda. I've only craved it one time since I gave it up. A few weeks ago in Walmart I walked past a display of it and could literally taste it. I took my cart and ran from the display.

@@Onyx999 I'm going to be brutally honest here. Please don't take offense, but I don't believe in sugar coating things. First of all...plans to drink on your 21st birthday should never ever be a factor in whether you do this. Most doctors say you can have drinks in moderation in the future. I'm assuming like almost everyone else on the planet you have had drinks underage so it's not like you're missing your first drink. I was pregnant when I turned 21 so I missed that right of passage, but growing a healthy human was so much more important. So is your health!!! Getting rid of those energy drinks is best for your health whether or not you have the surgery. They're damaging and dangerous. That addiction can be broken in prediet. I didn't have a liquid prediet but a lowfat one for two weeks. Dropped twenty pounds alone. Some have liquid diets. All depends on your doctor. Doing this at 20 is going to be the best shot for your skin to shrink. The younger the better and at 20 you have an excellent shot at not needing skin removed. Don't delay. And finally...yesterday #DearMe was trending on twitter. Let me be your #DearMe...don't waste one more day being unhappy in your body. Don't let food control you, you control it. There is nothing scarier than if food has that much control over you. Get healthy, try to be happy, and get over the mindset that turning 21 you need to do this or later you'll want to do that. It all comes down to how bad you want it and if you want it more than that one night on your 21st birthday when you can order a drink. Losing weight will affect the rest of your life. You're 21st birthday is one day in a long life of milestones. No reason you can't order that drink...doesn't mean you have to drink it!

@@MichiganChic How was the surgery and the recovery from the tummy tuck?

I originally thought I would do it, but I loath stomach pain. And I'm worried about healing from a hip to hip incision and having drains. I like to be active...even pre surgery so that recovery time is what I don't like the idea of.

My doctors, I have five, and nutritionists, I have three all recommended either skim milk, soy milk, or almond milk. They do caution on soy though because we as a society are becoming more and more sensitive to soy and many of us allergic all together. Our bodies aren't designed to break it down and it's not the best option. So yeah, almond milk might not have as many nutrients, but it doesn't cause allergies.

Some people can handle milk with no issues. It's not all sleevers are told not to have it. It all depends on what your body will tolerate. Protein is huge!!! I can't imagine why a surgeon or nutritionist would say not to worry about it. It's the quickest way to heal and it's what keeps you from losing a shit ton of hair during the 3-6 month mark!

We all need to be careful to not compare ourselves to others. Fact of the matter is, none of us is ever going to look like bikini clad women in magazines. Unfortunately, we took that option away when we let our weight get out of control. Even if we all get tummy tucks to have a flat stomach, we'll have stretch marks and such. It's okay. This is about health, not about vanity. I myself, after going through the surgery decided there is no way in hell I'm having skin removal surgery. So far it's shrinking up as I lose, but I take really good care of myself. I drink my shakes daily, take my vitamins, and coat my skin daily in a combination of grapeseed oil and lavender oil. And my body is losing 3-4 pounds per week now. It's those big weight drops over short times that do people in every single time! There will come a point that it won't shrink down and I'm okay with that. My husband is okay with that. I've accepted that I didn't do what I needed to in order to have a bikini worthy body. I'll disguise my skin with clothes and maybe even some spanx. After all, all the size 2's in Hollywood even wear them. I'm going to take my spanx, get a few cute golf outfits, and I'm going out on the golf course this year, thinner and fit and I'm going to kick my husbands behind all over the golf course!