WorkinOnMe

Skin-schmin .... around here it is like having Jello every night "watch it wiggle, see it jiggle!" I knew going into WLS that I would most likely have loose skin but that wasn't a concern for me. My health and the need to get things under control was a priority. Maybe some day I will consider thinking about it ... maybe not. It is what it is. And besides, right now I am more interested in the acrobatics that are taking place in the bedroom to really care!!!!

I too travel frequently and have to eat out when we are away. I am nearing the one year mark, but have been eating out since just after my pureed stage. I have found a few things that helped me: 1. Get familiar with the menu BEFORE going. Most places have menus online now. Take a few minutes to research what restaurants are in the area and check out what they have to offer. I find if I am armed before going in, my frustrations are less. 2. Don't be afraid to order an appetizer as your meal. I do it all the time. When they ask if you want that first, I simply say "No thank you, this is my meal tonight." Never had an issue. 3. Protein, protein, protein! I tend to order fish, chicken, or if all else fails, a burger and I pull it apart. I eat the protein, or what I can of it depending on the portion size. Sometimes I give my sides to kids/hubby. Sometimes I just leave them on the plate. 4. If I really cannot find a single thing to order, I will get a Soup. I never order chowders, as they are too heavy for my sleeve and fill me too fast. However, most restaurants have French Onion or another broth based soup on the menu. I love TGIFridays because I can order 2 sliders, eat just the patties and be full. I also have been know to ask if I can order off the kids menu. Some places allow it, some don't. I just tell them that due to abdominal surgery I cannot eat typical portions and I hate to waste food. Best of luck & enjoy!!!

Forget it ... the girls are a lost cause here!! I once had beautiful, full, 44DDD ta-tas that I was quite proud of. Now I have nothing but smooshed, flat, pancakes that hang like sad puppies. In a 38DD now, and literally have to pick them puppies up and tuck them into the cups. A friend wanted me to be fitted professionally, but I just laughed and asked her how I was gonna hold them up to be measured properly otherwise they would be measuring my bellybutton and not my chest! The hubby tells me if I don't like it I can have them fixed. Honestly, I could care less ... they may have been pretty once, but my boobs don't define me. I'm more stuck on losing this last 23lbs that doesn't seem to want to budge!

@@Dub is 100% correct ... when I was no longer focusing on the weight and health issues I was able to focus more on the rest of my life. I don't really think "Fat Stacey" was much different than "Thinner Stacey" in all the really important areas ... my morals and values have not changed, but I am so much more confident and willing to stand up for myself now. Also, I find that I don't hide behind the weight like I used to ... I put myself out there much more and am willing to take more risks than I used to in all aspects of my life. The hubby has always said he likes me for ME ... no matter what that looks like. However he has been my biggest supporter and my rock when I flounder. All in all, he likes this me too ... especially in the bedroom.

@@Inner Surfer Girl You go!!!! Had to do the dreaded bathing suit shopping myself last week & it wasn't TOO painful. How awesome is it to shop right off the rack and not have to try every single thing on?!?! LOVE these kind of NSVs!

@@KindaFamiliar You always crack me up!!!

Each time I hit a stall ... and there have been a few in the past year ... I not only change things up with exercise and push the fluids, but I also avoid the scale like the plague. I have found the more frustrated and depressed I get, the more I fixate on the stall instead of the changes to help jump start me again. It has helped a bit, and so did the exercise shake-ups. Plus I felt more energized when I changed up my routine. Good luck!!

Mine was a quick turn around, but mostly because I was working closely with the coordinator due to an upcoming change in insurance. I needed my surgery to be done before the change over or else I wouldn't have been able to do it. That said, most people in our program usually wait about 4 weeks from approval to surgery day.

WOOHOO!!!! Happy Dance for you! I remember well that feeling of accomplishment ... savor every moment of it, you earned it!

PHEW! After several weeks of no internet or spotty connections I am finally back to the 21st century!!! I must admit that I have been a little grumpy without it and am hoping that now that our construction has progressed to the point of "mostly done" I will be able to get online a bit easier and more frequently. It is funny how I became so accustomed to jumping on the boards each day to see what y'all are up to ... now to go catch up on all I've missed!!!

173lbs today .... let's hope this trend not only continues but that I also maintain my internet access!

No Internet all week due to construction ... sorry so late! 178 lbs this week. Grrrrr! Really wanted to say "Go home scale, you're drunk!!" Instead I just grabbed a bottle of water & and hrrrumphed my way off to work. {some day this up & down game will stop} Here's to hoping eveyone is having a great week!

Let's hope this round is better for me!!! Starting weight 176 lbs Goal weight 170 lbs. Good luck everyone!

Crazy week ... never got back on to post my final weigh in. 177lbs. Not my goal, but at least the scale kinda moved!

I am a middle school teacher & took off 2 weeks. My surgery was on a Monday h by that Friday I was ready to go back! My admin wouldn't let me, so I had the full 2 weeks off. However, realistically I could have gone back after 1. I was mildly tired when I started back, but not so exhausted that I couldn't do my job. It really does depend on you. Everyone is different!

I'm in again! Let's hope the scale & this stall both cooperate this time!!!! Thanks again for all your hard work Sarah!

Totally agree that everyone's recovery is different. I initially took 2 weeks off, not knowing what to expect. I came home on day 3 and by day 5 I felt great. I never used any pain meds, I was walking 1/4 mile, and able to eat & drink nearly what my surgeon wanted me to. I tried to go back to work a week early and was denied (more for liability on their end). Had I worked from home I would have started back after 5 days. My suggestion ... take it easy & listen to your body. You may find that you are able to work from your recliner and wont need much down time. Or you may need the 10-15 days to start feeling more like yourself & up to doing the day-to-day work regimen. Good luck!

I tend to mix things up frequently ... can't eat the same thing too long or I get bored & cravings kick in. Here are some of my go to's: 5 oz greek yogurt with Protein powder (adds an extra 10g) w/ small bits of fruit or berries 1/2c cottage cheese (+powder) with diced peaches 1 scrambled egg with salsa & cheese 1 chicken sausage - large (favs are the spinach & feta or apple) 1 tuna packet (premade) or 1/2c with fat free caesar dressing instead of mayo 1/2c chicken salad with plain greek yogurt instead of mayo & Mrs. Dash seasoning/flavor In a rush I will have a Protein Drink (either EAS or Syntrax nectar fruit flavored) or when we are traveling I order a plain bagel with sausage, egg & cheese and have them put the cheese between the egg & meat. I give the hubby the bagel and eat just the egg and meat.

I agree ... fill your time with something more productive and constructive! When the head hunger hit me bad I would walk if I could. Not always feasible with my job though, so I took to drinking... Water. Every time the hunger would hit I would hit the water bottle. When I wasn't at work I would use other projects to keep my attention... I went through closets and boxes that hadn't been touched in years! The best part was that I got so engrossed in the task & mementos & memories that I forgot the hunger. And an extra bonus is that I tossed a whole bunch of junk that I really didn't need any more.

I can pretty much echo what most of the others have said .... I know my core morals and values have not changed. That is internally "who" I am. But as for changing in other ways? Yup! I too am more confident in how I present myself. Not that I treat myself or my viewpoints differently than I did before, but how I present them to others is more open & somewhat more determined. I've always been very outgoing, but like @@Miss Mac said, no more doormat. I find I stand up for myself more now than I ever did before. I am more goal oriented and more determined to reach the goals I set for myself. That is something new for me. I like it. Strangers seem to see me more, or rather acknowledge me more. I guess I am no longer the fat chick that just blends into the background. Not a totally bad thing, but I little weird to get used to. The one thing I have noticed is how my center circle of family & friends DO NOT treat me any different. I love that they love me for me ... always have and always will. They cheer my successes and they support me in my struggles on this journey, but HOW they treat me is the same as it always has been.

OOOOOooooo!! I forgot about shoes!!! I have dropped from wide width (unless it is in boots ... still need wide calf) *and* I lost an entire size too! Had to start slowly buying new shoes, especially running sneakers. UGH! Never realized how quickly my feet size would change after WLS!!!

I am quite the opposite .... I still *HATE* shopping!!! I think I still have body-image issues in that I really don't see myself in the size I truly am. That said, how did I deal with the changing sizes?? At first I kept my bigger sizes until people started to tell me I was swimming in them. Then I decided to go the thrift store/Goodwill route. I spent about $50-$60 and got 4-5 outfits that I could mix & match. When I started to outgrow these, I would hit up the thrift store again. I am now almost 11 months post op and I have lost 127lbs and gone from a size 28/30 to a 12. My first "real" new clothes shopping was about 2 weeks ago. Hubby insisted on going shopping and I ended up getting 3 pairs of pants and 2 new tops. Couldn't manage more, as I am a bit disproportionate right now and had to try on EVERYTHING. Maybe at some point I will enjoy shopping more, but right now it is more out of necessity (keep my clothes ON me) than out of enjoyment. Good luck to you ... it sounds like you will have a blast when you get to the point of needing new threads!

I had the same issue with spicy foods too. My hubby does most of the cooking and at first he cut out all spices. Then he began slowly adding things back into the cooking at around the 5 month mark. He did things like cumin and coriander and turmeric at first then added chili powders, and cayenne pepper. At 10+ months I still cant tolerate what I used to, but I at least have most of the flavors back that I like.

The loss of hair is the result of the rapid weight loss, not necessarily the type of WLS. I had a sleeve, friend had band, another friend had GBP ... all 3 of us lost hair just at different rates and at different times in our journey. Mine started around 2-3 months and came out by the handful everyday in the shower. By about 5-6 months it was coming back in. I am now 10+ months out and have not had a 2nd round. It still isnt as thick and full as it was, but I never had bald spots either.

Totally agree with @@march3rdsleeve!! Keep it up and don't cheat. You will be happy you stuck it out in the end. You got this!!