madferitchick

I'm a secret sleeves too @@inkie and @@nomilktoday ! Told my family and best friend and that's it. I have quite a wide circle of friends and work colleagues who I meet regularly for coffee/lunch/dinner and I was concerned about how I'd manage socially. I can honestly say it's been totally fine though! I avoided doing much for he first month but have since carried on as usual with no issues and no one suspects a thing. They comment on how good I look but I think they'd be shocked if I told them about my surgery! The fact they see me eating healthily and know I am seeing a personal trainer men's that's what they attribute my weight loss to, which is true anyway. I've become a pro at eating my Protein and moving the Rey if food around my plate etc so it looks half eaten! I've had another stall this week which means I've only lost 7lb in the last month which is a bit disappointing, particularly as its in this time I have started at the gym with my personal trainer. I'm trying to focus on this being a marathon not sprint though and that there isn't a deadline to meet! My surgeon said he wanted me to lose 6 stone by my 6 month appointment but I'm not going to manage that but I'm happy with my progress so am trying not to worry what he will say!!

I am with you on all of these things! Activities with my daughter was one of my biggest motivators for getting sleeved :-)I am already there with the Normal size shops...I'm 16/18 bottoms and 18/20 tops (uk sizes) now and it is weird being able to go into shops I couldn't before, and not just having to head straight for Evans!! I get the emails from Evans and I still look through their website and then realize I don't need to! I have a bit of anxiety about all the clothes options that are opening up, it's just not what I'm used to. I'm spending plenty (too much!) on clothes, but tending to stick to next and m&s as I feel a bit overwhelmed at the idea of all the other shops I could potentially start to shop in soon lol! I think my daughter was 99% of my motivation for getting the sleeve, how old is yours? Mine is 4 on Christmas eve, she has so much bloody energy, I'm hoping I can eventually catch up, haha. That's absolutely amazing that you've got to 'normal' size shops, I think I'll be like you, a bit daunted by the fact I'll actually have a choice! I have no idea about fashion, I've just stuck to black for all my life....the colour in me might have to escape when I've lost weight (I'll probably end up looking like timmy mallett!) My daughter is four too, she just started school ???? I don't have complete free reign, places like warehouse, oasis, Zara are still well out of my reach lol! But I'm chuffed with just m&s and next tbh lol!

I am with you on all of these things! Activities with my daughter was one of my biggest motivators for getting sleeved :-) I am already there with the Normal size shops...I'm 16/18 bottoms and 18/20 tops (uk sizes) now and it is weird being able to go into shops I couldn't before, and not just having to head straight for Evans!! I get the emails from Evans and I still look through their website and then realize I don't need to! I have a bit of anxiety about all the clothes options that are opening up, it's just not what I'm used to. I'm spending plenty (too much!) on clothes, but tending to stick to next and m&s as I feel a bit overwhelmed at the idea of all the other shops I could potentially start to shop in soon lol!

I can't believe I am almost four months out from surgery, it is crazy how quickly the time has gone! I had a stall last week, which was frustrating but I lost 3lb this week so that's cool :-) I started with my personal trainer last week and so far I am loving it! I feel great after my sessions, despite having some very sore muscles lol! It has also exacerbated a few niggles I had with my shoulder and hip, so I have seen a chiropractor which really helped and I am going back again tomo. It's made me think of the physical impact of losing weight. Just like putting weight on, it takes a bit of adjusting for your body to get used to it, and that can cause a few niggles in the process. It's made me reflect on how much easier life is now at 15 and a half stone compared with my highest weight of 20 stone 9lbs! I had a spa day today. It was lovely, albeit short as I had to do it between the school run. I had a back massage and a facial, a nice lunch (ate the filling out of the sandwich provided) and a relax. I love spa days, but usually I don't have any treatments, mainly because I worried about being too big for the treatment beds and also what the therapists would think of me when they saw me undressed. So I guess it was a bit of a non scale victory that I felt confident enough to have not just one treatment, but two! I also did 30 mins swimming, which I really enjoyed. I used to be a competitive swimmer but gave it up as a teenager. Usually if I go to a spa or somewhere I will relax in the pool but not do any proper swimming, but today I really enjoyed doing it :-) hair loss is still horrific :-( trying really hard not to obsess about it. I've just ordered some dermmatch from Amazon to try and help disguise it. Will report back on how good it is. @@inkie good to have another Brit along for the ride! Do you have a surgery date yet? Are u private or waiting for nhs? Good luck either way, best thing you could do for yourself :-)

I knew it was going to happen, and I know there's nothing I can do to prevent it, but this hair loss is just horrible! I'm 3.5 months out from surgery and my hair started to shed about 4/5 weeks ago. I thought it was bad to start with, but it's coming out in multiple handfuls now :-( it shows too, particularly around the front and sides. I'm doing what I can in terms of taking my vits, getting in Protein, taking Biotin etc. it sucks tho and I'm petrified I'm actually going to lose it all! I mean, has that ever happened to anyone!?! Just needed to vent, thank you for listening!

Turns out all the products you mention are available here! The dermmatch appeals most to be as the thinning it around the front and sides which is noticeable as I tie my hair back everyday. Did you find this product to be good @@Bufflehead ?

Thank you, I'll have a look and see if any of those are available here in the UK :-)

15 weeks today, 61lb down :-) hair loss is horrible :-( been here before with a vlcd but still scary and desperately hoping it won't go on too long. Otherwise feeling great and start with my personal trainer on Monday which I'm really looking forward to! I'm almost at my wedding weight and my daughter is so excited as I've said I'll put my dress on to show her! She doesn't know I'm losing weight or about my surgery (she's only 4) but she asked me to show her my dress and I told her I would def do so by Xmas! I'm hoping it will be sooner than that though :-) Hope everyone else is doing well and hope you had a good holiday @@chrisredjeep

No advice but I'm right there too! Although I was expecting it, it's still worrying! I'm taking 10,000 mg biotin daily to help with re growth but it doesn't prevent the loss. We just have to ride it out I think ????

It was my three month surgiversary on Friday. 55lb down. Here are my first before and after pics...still a way to go but there is progress ????

So I'm sat writing this update whilst having a coffee, with my legs crossed :-) these nsv's really are just as satisfying as the scale victories:-) Speaking of which, 12 weeks today and another 4lbs off! Wasn't expecting that this week as it was my best friend's mums funeral this week so we all had a few drinks, I stuck to low cal/carb and non fizzy but it was still alcohol, and I slackened the reins a bit on food that day too, but got straight back to it the next day and it seems that helped damage limitation :-) Incidentally, the alcohol went down fine, I took it easy and drank Water too. I'm not much of a drinker but it's nice to know if there's an occasion I do want a drink it won't be a big problem. hair loss is in full swing :-( trying not to freak out but it's not easy! I've been here before when I did a vlcd and I didn't go completely bald so I'm hoping this time I don't either! And hoping it passes quick but time will tell. Already thinking about cutting my hair off into a short bob. I wear my hair up all the time as it makes me hot if I leave it down, but as I lose weight that's less of a problem so I think by the end of the summer I'll cut it off. One thing that has happened this week is I've started catching sight of my reflection, and liking what I see :-) I've always been very aware of how big I am (was!!) but I tried to dress well and take care of my appearance, and in some ways I think that led to me have a vision of myself in my head that wasn't quite accurate, so if I saw my reflection I'd be bit shocked/disappointed/disgusted by how large I was! Now I think I've reached the point where my vision in my head matches reality, so yes I'm still big (I'm still bigger than where some people are before surgery!) but body and mind are in sync! What's going to be interesting is how that works as I lose more weight. I just can't imagine myself slim so I imagine as my reflection continues to shrink I'll get back to being surprised by what I see...but in a good way!! Loose skin is starting to show. I was resigned to that from the outset though, and plan to get surgery to fix it when the time is right. My only real concern is my calf's as the skin there is starting to appear a bit loose and that's not an area easy to fix or to his unless I live the rest of my life in trousers! @@chrisredjeep I got Biotin from Amazon, take 10,000mg a day and I do have lots of baby hairs so it's worth a try! Sounds like you are doing really well, well done! I bet your surgeon was pleased. You are doing a lot of steps! I am getting a Garmin vivofit today actually to try and encourage me to up my steps. I've signed up for my personal training to start 1 sept, I'm looking forward to it!

11 weeks since surgery today, 13 weeks since I started pre op and I've hit 50lbs lost! It's been a difficult few weeks as my best friends mum died very suddenly and unexpectedly. I've seen the return of a little emotional eating, and in turn that's led to some carb cravings. I'm working to control it. I've booked to start with a personal trainer. I start 14 September, my daughter starts school the week before so the timing will work. I'm looking forward to it and hoping it will start to help tone me up as well as help continue weight loss. My calories have hit 1100 a day a few times, mainly on days when I've eaten something I wish I hadn't. I'm being sure to get my Protein and Water, it's just my carbs have been a bit higher. I fear the hair loss has started. I've been taking Biotin since before surgery, and do have lots of baby hairs so that's something at least. I've also just purchased a garmin step tracker to try and help me focus on increasing my activity level. Anyway...feeling pleased and proud to be 50lbs lighter ????

Glad to hear it's going well and you're feeling good Chris :-) Yes I'd def be up for all getting together, good idea!

Had a busy day yesterday so didn't get chance to do my 9 week update. Things continue to be good :-) lost 6lb this week so that helps make up for the no loss while I Watson holiday! The greater thing tho is that I've managed to come back from a holiday and get back on plan, which is a big achievement for me and another sure sign the sleeve is a good decision for me :-) So I'm no in the 16's and started in the 20's (stones). Love it!! Had another shopping splurge this week bought some gym gear which was equally as exciting as the dress I bought to wear to my besties 40th bday party at the end of August! Both of these are wonderful nsv's for me I just need to start using the gym gear now! I have s training session to get some tips on using kettle bells with a friend next week and then I can get started with that. I'm thinking of starting a few other classes too. I had a chat with my mum this week, she was just generally asking how I am feeling and coping, I said to her I honestly haven't had a minute of regret and feel better physically and emotionally than I ever have. It truly is the best decision I ever made :-)

Self funded in UK for £10k. I'm taking forceval vitamin on prescription from GP which works out much cheaper as got a 3 month prescription. I'm Also on 15mg lansoprozole.

Spire Southampton £9995, all inclusive with follow up consultant appts etc x

That's the same as I had for first few weeks and it was quite manageable, seems like ages ago now too! Ah glad to hear kate got on well too! Yes def nice to know others in UK :-) xx

Thanks Chris, that's good advice and you're right, I'd usually have put on atleast 7lb and then be totally off the rails now I'm home! Glad to hear you're feeling good, are u on full liquids still? What's your post op diet plan like?

8 weeks today and hit my first stall as no weight loss this week :-( can't help but feel despondent even though I know I'm lucky to have not hit a stall before 7/8 weeks. Also as I have been on holiday this week my calories and carbs have been a bit higher. I hoped I had counteracted that as I did lots of walking and swimming. So I am 8 weeks out of surgery and 27lbs down, 39lbs since start of pre op. Not feeling so positive about those numbers today.... I had my first flow up with my surgeon and nut today. They were both happy and the surgeon set me a target to lose another 45lbs by my 6 month follow up, so I need to average 2.5lbs per week. I hope I can do it....

Wow, this left me speechless! I'm so sorry for what you went through. You truly have triumphed over adversity though and you should be incredibly proud of yourself. Inspiring as ever xx

Hi there, your post struck a chord with me due to your 'fat suit' reference! I feel/felt exactly the same and I am no six weeks out from surgery. You can read about my journey in taking off my fat suit here if you want http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/339330-taking-off-my-fat-suit/

So I am writing this, my week 7 update, from a sun lounger in sunny Cyprus! It is a real moment for reflection for me as I wrote my very first entry in this thread from a sun lounger in Florida when I was pre op. That seems like a whole lifetime ago and i feel so much better about my life in general now than I did back then. Although we only arrived here last night already being on holiday is proving to be so much more enjoyable 40lbs lighter! I am wearing a swim suit I feel better in, I'm wanting to make more of an effort to look and feel good, the heat is a bit less of a problem (although I am still getting hot and sweaty but I do still weigh 242lb!). It has been an interesting day in terms of food. We went to Breakfast this morning which was the usual buffet affair with anything and everything you can imagine. Whilst I had a fleeting thought of how nice it would be to have a huge plate of everything, that was quickly replaced by a sense of relief that I knew I wasn't going to walk out of there full to the brim, bloated and feeling uncomfortable for the rest of the day! I enjoyed some Greek yoghurt with honey followed by a few bites of bacon and I was full and happy :-) my hubby and daughter snacked throughout the morning and early afternoon, and I did have a bite here and there of their Snacks (again moderation not deprivation is my mantra). We had a late lunch and I ordered Greek salad. I ate the feta cheese, tomato and a few olives and I was done. Whilst my hubby's cheese toastie and fries looked lovely I wasn't feeling I needed it or that I was missing out. My slight downfall has come with a bag of seasame coated peanuts I bought myself as a Proteins snack if I needed one, I haven't been able to leave them alone and they have been on my mind, and I just ate too many of them before I started writing this and feel quite full right now. It's almost because I bought them for me I've had this overwhelming urge that I have to eat them! Anyway, lesson learned and I won't be buying them again! Today would be weigh day but as we were coming away I weighed yesterday, 2.5lb down so I guess that's another consistent week as I weighed a day early! I am really hoping I can stay focussed this week and return from holiday for the first time ever having lost a bit of weight! We go home on 22 July and my first follow up with my surgeon is 23 July which will be 8 weeks, so I hope he will be pleased with my loss so far. I plan to speak with him about two things at my follow up, pregnancy and plastics. Neither are an immediate thing, but both are things I am pretty sure will be in my future, at least I hope so anyway :-)

Congratulations, you look amazing! And I love your hair! Do u mind me asking what your current weight is and how tall u r?

6 weeks post op and another 3lb off! Whilst I am not seeing dramatic drops in weight I have been consistent in 3lb a week for the last 4 weeks, so I'll take that! ???? So I stopped my ppi last Thursday. Whilst it didn't cause me any huge issues I started to gradually feel more and more 'hunger' and also my tummy felt a bit acidy although I didn't have any actual reflux. I'm aware the hunger was more likely acid too. So I went to my doctor yesterday and got a prescription for lansoprozole and for now am trying a 15mg dose to see how it goes, already feel better today though so that's good. Also got a prescription for a Vitamin to start taking too. My calories are still in the 700-900 range. I can see how it would actually be quite easy to go above this range though, so I am consciously keeping within that range and focusing on Protein. I'm using my fitness pal to track. I've still not started any real exercise to speak of, but am tracking my steps. Once I am back from my holiday I intend to start kettle bells and I'm looking forward to that. I went out for lunch with a friend this week. I ordered a grilled burger from the menu and asked for a salad instead of fries. I ate at the burger slowly, discarding the bun, and stopped when I was full. My friend doesn't know about my surgery but she didn't notice or comment on what I'd eaten or left. What I found really interesting is that she's naturally very slim and she actually hadn't eaten much more than I had! I'm still enjoying my new way of life and eating and remain pleased with my decision for wls!

Hi and welcome ???? I also had surgery may 28! You are a week ahead of yourself, we are just 6 weeks out this Thursday ????