ShrinkingPeach

9 months out here and consistently 1200 per day but I also go to the gym 4-5 days a week with minimum one hour of cardio.

Sadly the hair loss is what it is. Yes, Biotin will help the regrowth to possibly grow faster but not guaranteed. The stretch marks I consider a reminder of how I will never go back to the weight I was. I do plan on plastics at some point so who knows where they will end up lol. And, yeah, the girls, ugh is all I am going to say.

Some things that may help.
In the present:
Take a bubble bath if you are able. I am looking forward to being able to do this in the near future.
Take a long shower.
Light some candles.
Make some hot tea or Protein hot chocolate. My favorite is Harney & Sons Decaf Hot Cinnamon Spice.
Listen to soothing music.
Practice a craft or hobby. I have been doing a lot of knitting lately.
Color.
Write a letter.
Make a phone call to a trusted friend.
Journal.
Pray.
Take a walk.
Go to bed early with a good book.
Make a gratitude list.
For the future:
Sign up for a class.
Plan a trip.
Volunteer.
Get a pet.
I am sure that other people have some ideas, too.

I've not read all the replies and I will when I have more time, but my initial response is that the whole "movement" is ridiculous. Bullying or discrimination of EVERY flavor should talked about but I do think Tumblr and other social media has created some very special snowflakes that think they are entitled to feel "shamed" or "bullied" over the smallest of slights instead of just manning up and moving on. They have completely watered down the meaning of both words taking away from the terms when they really matter.
There is a BIG difference between told you can't do something because of your size and expecting special allowances (ie two seats on a plane for the price of one) because of your size. When I was at my heaviest, I expected to pay extra for my bigger clothes. I didn't demand that amusement parks make special accommodations because I couldn't fit in all the attractions. I knew trendier styles would come with a big price tag and would be few and far between.

I think fat shaming is ridiculous regardless of who is doing it.
My mother n law (when she was alive) was the queen of fat shaming. She would figure out ways to make you feel like a big fat slob. For example, she would buy my husband a birthday gift that was 2 or 3 sizes too small. She would then ask, will it fit? Hubby would respond and say, no I am not a medium I am a 2xl. She would say well them lose weight. (True story).
I collect wee forest folk mice. One year for Christmas she bought me a chubby little mouse standing in his bathrobe on a scale. She proceeded to tell me it reminded her of me. Really? B#%+€!
then there is a right way,
For me it was my nephrologist who suggested I consider WLS. He did this very respectfully but at the same time very sternly helping me understand that if I kept on my current trend I would be looking at dialysis and ultimately a kidney transplant.
There is a right way and a wrong way to deliver that message. Thankfully he delivered it the right way and I listened immediately.
I remember being very angry at my PCP for not having that same conversation with me before I got to that point. I had no idea that my kidney function had been so bad for so long, when my nephrologist pulled up my chart and showed me the downward trend was chronic and had been going on for years, I really got pissed that my PCP never said a word until I was at stage 3. Not 1 word. I spoke with her about it and told her that my nephrologist was my hero for helping me see the light. My PCP then told me she really should have been the one to direct me there and felt bad but she did not know how to deliver the message appropriately.
That was when I changed PCPs.

The fat acceptance movement is a lot like the feminism movement in that a lot of people have utter misconceptions about what the movement is actually about and why it exists. Much like the crazy people who call themselves feminists while attacking men, saying we should just kill off all the men, saying the men are inferior, etc are not ACTUALLY feminists, people who truly believe that being fat is healthy and that all doctors are just being hateful and discriminatory are not actually fat activists.
The point of the fat acceptance movement is the same point as the broader body positivity movement: it doesn't matter if you weigh 800 pounds and literally can't move off your bed, it doesn't matter if you have made yourself unhealthy with poor choices or if you are making no move whatsoever to lose weight. Every person deserves to be treated like a human being, with dignity and respect, end of story. Fat acceptance is all about treating fat people like they are humans instead of the often appalling way we are often treated, ways that are still socially acceptable and that need to change, NOW. The point is, no one has a right to judge you or treat you poorly because of your body because it's your body, not theirs, and no one gets a say unless you want them to. These misguided people who stubbornly tell themselves that fat acceptance is about pretending to be healthy and thinking fat is better are just that, misguided. I can't really blame them, in some ways. Being treated like less of a person because of how you look is just absolutely wrong and ridiculous, and doesn't serve to actually help people.
No true body positivist would ever ignore medical advise just because they are hurt and offended by the truth, just like no actual feminist would say that men are inferior. There are idiot radicals in every movement, but what's important to take away from it is the core message.

That will change so hang in there. As you heal you will be able to eat more. Focus on quality and not quantity. Measure your food but don't stress if you cannot finish it all. Relax and breathe. You've got this!

That will change so hang in there. As you heal you will be able to eat more. Focus on quality and not quantity. Measure your food but don't stress if you cannot finish it all. Relax and breathe. You've got this!

I would encourage you to recommend your therapist to learn more about weight loss surgery. If she is this discouraging, she may not know much about it (which isn't uncommon).

Your stomach doesnt stretch without the fundus. It cant its impossible, again as others have said if done incorrectly, well if anythng is done incorrectly during surgery you could die, so take that with a grain of salt. Simply put your new sleeve will over time enlarge to fit more food as you heal and the body adjusts to the new you. Wil it ever be "normal" Nope cant possibly happen, no in a year not in 10 years. Eating too much will not make a correctly sleeved..erm,, sleeve stretch. Can you fail? ABSOLUTELY. hell thats easy to do. Will you be able to eat enough to gain back all the weight you lost? YEP Most DEFINITELY. Which is where you come in. You have to walk the walk. like SMokey says, ONLY YOU. can prevent the weight from coming back.
And the rest of us will try to help.

Ok so today I went shopping because my size 12 jeans were getting fairly loose. I went to my favorite place to buy jeans since having WLS. Lucky Brand Jeans.
I grab a pair of sweet and straight jeans in a size 10 and I am grinning from ear to ear because I am confident they are going to fit and I love that feeling. I have not fit into jeans this small since I was a teenager.
I put them on and I am right! They fit fantastic! I come out of the dressing room and model for hubby who promptly says, those look a little big. Maybe you should think about a smaller size.
I the immediately say "no way!" An 8 is not going to fit me. I am honestly not sure if I have ever worn a size that small. I decide to encourage him and prove there is no way I will get them up.
I grab an 8 and head back into the dressing room. I look at this tiny pair of jeans and go, here goes nothing. They fit perfectly! I could hardly believe my eyes.
Then the sales clerk tells me that they are buy one get one half off but she says the darker dyes seem to be more forgiving so she gives me an 8 and a 6 to try on. I laughed but thought well just see how far off you are.
Well, I put the 6 on, buttoned them up and stood there in shock. Now, I didn't buy the 6 because although I could wear them, I do like my jeans to be comfortable and have a little room.
So when I started this journey I wore 24 jeans and 26/28 tops. I am now in a size 8 and a medium or large top. Sometimes I have to get the large because I have a lot of loose skin.
I cannot believe where I am today! For me, clothes shopping is when I can really see the thinner me.

Congrats on making the toughest decision so far...taking your health into your own hands. Follow th eplan and you will be fine. Nothing to be scared of.
I am 8 months out and 106 pounds down so far. This literally will change your life. You may just find that you have different feelings about the extra weight once it is gone.
Good luck and stay vocal here. There are lots of folks here to help!

It's been three years so most of the NSVs have already happened but once in a while a new one pops up. Yesterday, I was sitting on the bus in a two seater by the window and had to get off and get past the lady beside me in the aisle seat. She didn't even bother to get up...she just did the body shift and moved her legs out of the way so I could get out. Not only was I able to do it, I was able to slip past her easily. I had the goofiest smile on my face when I got off the bus... This is the kind of thing that tells me I'm normal sized...not the scale.
Second NSV...I was between meetings this morning and didn't want to bother putting the laptop back in the port so I worked at my desk with the laptop on my lap. Yes...my lap is now a flat surface with no stomach in the way. I've worked at home on a laptop for a while but tend to do so with feet up...either on the bed or the coffee table but this was with my feet firmly planted on the floor. I know I couldn't have done that before I lost the weight.
These are good reminders of living life the way it was intended and not with the challenges of all the excess weight I carried.

Dropping multiple sizes would indicate loss even if not in pounds. Inches lost are still a victory and progress. Watch that you are not eating too little as stated before. Protein is key, it keeps us full longer and it repairs and builds muscle.
At times for me the inches change then the pounds will go. Sometimes it happens together, sometimes not. As long as progress is happening hang in there!

Dropping multiple sizes would indicate loss even if not in pounds. Inches lost are still a victory and progress. Watch that you are not eating too little as stated before. Protein is key, it keeps us full longer and it repairs and builds muscle.
At times for me the inches change then the pounds will go. Sometimes it happens together, sometimes not. As long as progress is happening hang in there!

Everyone loses at different rates. I would only worry that it's "too fast" if your surgeon seems concerned. As long as you are following your nutritionist's plan and not starving yourself, then there's probably not much you could do to slow your loss even if you wanted to.

My bariatrician told me to stop weighing myself so much and put the scale away for a month. I did and gained ten pounds. I am one of those people who needs to weigh every day to stay in touch with how I am doing.
On the other hand......in September of 2010 (right after I had moved to a new city), I had a mild stroke. When I went to my new primary doctor a month later, I told him that I was concerned that my blood pressure fluctuates so wildly. He asked me how did I know that it was. I showed him my notebook of what my blood pressure for every hour for that previous month.
He told me to not be so overwhelmed by fear of another stroke that I became obsessed with the numbers. He said "how I feel" is a better indicator of how I am doing, and to just measure once a day - maybe even just once a week...........Then he prescribed an anxiety medication for me.
When I went in for my first bariatric appointment, the bariatrician changed my med to Buproprion (a form of Wellbutrin) which two years later I am still taking. But I tell you what - I don't fret about much of anything anymore. Regret can't change yesterday and worry can't change tomorrow.
Your doctor may just want to prescribe a little something to take the edge off of your anxiety. My family calls it "Better living through chemistry".

I weigh myself once each morning when I get up. I record the weight. I use this to evaluate the effect of my diet on my continued weight loss. It is not a negative obsession. If my weight goes up or down, I do not panic. It just informs me that my current approach may need some fine tweeking.
Weighing yourself daily can become negative if this obsession alters your mood. This habit can cause stress which can lead in-and-of-itself to some weight gain. If this is the case, avoid weighing yourself, throw the scale out and let them weigh you at your doctor appointments.

Congrats on making the toughest decision so far...taking your health into your own hands. Follow th eplan and you will be fine. Nothing to be scared of.
I am 8 months out and 106 pounds down so far. This literally will change your life. You may just find that you have different feelings about the extra weight once it is gone.
Good luck and stay vocal here. There are lots of folks here to help!

Vitamin Water zero. Powerade zero, Mio drops in water (my fave is rasperry/cranberry)

Vitamin Water zero. Powerade zero, Mio drops in water (my fave is rasperry/cranberry)

Oprah is a fraud. She is the LAST person I would take any weightloss advice from seeing as how she's rich beyond measure, has a chief, personal trainer, glam squad ect..and still can't get her shit together. She could literally have someone exercise her body for her and she still can't keep it off longer than a few months. I don't know why WW would even support a multimillionaire failure in the weigh loss division. I don't trust them. They should pick a real human that has done WW and kept it off for a few years. They aren't repeatable in my opinion. As far as the show....no clue what it is.

I watched the first half, but not the second. I did find it interesting, but not surprising, that the high Protein, "paleo" type diet was the most successful as far as weight loss the first week. And the guy was very satisfied with the program, also. I mean, who wouldn't be when you can eat steak!
I like WW's. It's a great program, and just like with any other program, you've just got to follow the plan to lose weight and keep it off. I actually am a lifetime member, so obviously I wasn't successful with following program to keep what I lost off
My sister has lost almost 70 pounds on WW's as I was losing my 95 with the sleeve. She actually was very successful with it, and surpassed me as far as getting to a lower weight than me ( She's 133 at 5'6" now, and I'm 140-142 at 5'5") which really chapped my ass. But now I am curious to see if she can actually KEEP it off, as this is about her 3rd go round with it. It will be an interesting study as to which one of us is more successful avoiding regain. I plan on it being ME!

Congrats on your progress so far! It sounds like you have a really great attitude. I highly encourage you to stick around these forums and become active in posting and responding to posts. I find that it keeps me accountable and focused, when it otherwise might be easy to just get complacent. I also find that it makes me feel good to "pay it forward" so to speak. These forums were a HUGE help to me pre-op and immediately post-op (still are sometimes!), so I like to be able to answer questions for the new people or address their concerns.

What a lovely post and so timely for me. I was at my husbands office party this past saturday. I have been overweight my whole life and at 103 pounds down I am struggling to see my weight loss. They had a photo booth and we took a photo together (you get a printed strip of 3 poses). I could see that I looked different but it was when some of his co-workers wanted a group shot that I got a shock. I was smaller than some of the women in the photo.
I have noticed I fit places where I didn't before. I have seen my sizes of clothing change. I notice that people treat me differently. I notice that I no longer get "the look". I could go on and on, but the physical vision of myself in the mirror remains the fat girl.
Congrats on your epiphany and than you for sharing, this really hit home for me!