catwoman7

some of the B vitamins can cause nausea, too. I had trouble with those early out, but I've been taking them without issue for awhile now..

I lost over 200 lbs, so I had a lot of it. Your weight sort of shifts around and redistributes at some point, though, so I looked better in year 3 than I did year 2 - not as "drawn" looking. But I still had a lot of excess skin. I ended up having it surgically removed. You probably won't have it as bad with a 70 lb loss - but you still may have some. Mine was pretty easy to hide, though. Here's a picture of me before I had skin removal surgery. I was "apple-shaped", so most of my weight - and later, my excess skin - was in my torso and arms. My butt, hips, and thighs were never that awful, even at my highest weight. But I had a TON of excess skin on my abs. Plus my boobs looked like I was 90 years old (I'm 60), and I had bat wing arms. I just tucked the ab skin into my jeans or "tummy control" leggings and wore slightly oversized, long-ish tops with 3/4 length sleeves to hide it. Ta da! Gone!

check with your clinic - but for me, I was allowed to walk right away. At four weeks out, I was cleared to do everything but weights. At eight weeks out, I was cleared to do weights.

ah - you're actually well ahead of the curve...

if it keeps up, let your clinic know. You're in the right time frame for a stricture. If you start not being able to keep things down, give them a call. It happens to about 5% of RNY'ers, and it's an easy fix.

I didn't mind it. It was a relief to eat real food again, even if it was pureed. I ate pureed omelets, pureed cottage cheese, hummus, some kind of baked spinach/feta cheese dish, and pureed "ricotta bake" (from "The World According to Eggface" blog - which is worth checking out for lots of recipes for all stages)

I was told when I started researching plastic surgery about three years ago to expect about $8000-$10,000 per procedure. If you want the complete lower body lift (front and back), that counts as two procedures. But a basic panni is just one procedure. I did four consults, and that estimate pretty much rang true. Prices have probably come up a bit since I looked three years ago, but it doesn't seem like they've come up by much. whether or not insurance pays depends on your policy. Some companies don't pay anything at all (mine didn't). Some will if you've had medical issues with your excess skin - for example, chronic rashes - that don't respond to more conventional treatments. So if you do have issues with your excess skin, be sure to see your doctor so it gets documented. The insurance company will want to see a trail of documented evidence before they decide to cover it.

yea you're right. Endocrinologists know a lot about various chemical balances but most of their patients wouldn't be bariatric patients - and bariatric surgeons are, of course, very familiar with bariatric patients but wouldn't be as well-versed in chemical balances. Although as long as they're re-running labs within a couple of months after making a change and then adjusting if necessary, it should be OK.

I mix cocoa powder into one of the ultra-light vanilla yogurts - like Light & Fit or Carbmaster. That'll do the trick as well - plus give you a boost of protein, too!

a lot of people have trouble with chicken at first - but can eat it later on. It's the dryness. as I recall. Sometimes they can eat the thigh (which is moister) and/or chicken with some kind of sauce on it - and sometimes they just have to wait awhile. You'll likely be able to eat it again at some point.

no - I followed my clinic's guidelines because I was afraid of screwing something up.

Lived there for many years (still have family there), but I left 32 years ago. But I just wanted to say hi! To be honest, most of my support has been online (on this and other bariatric forums). My clinic does have a support group (or did before COVID - not sure what's going on NOW), but I haven't been in a long time. I visit internet forums at least once a day, though. It keeps my head in the game...

you just have to white-knuckle it and remind yourself it's just for a few days. It's hell - the worst part of the ordeal, in my opinion. I was actually relieved the morning of surgery because I knew the pre-op diet was finally over!! It does get better around day 3 or 4 (you'll be on day 4, right?) because that's about when your body goes into ketosis, and your appetite/hunger decreases. I remember eating sugar free Jello with abandon because it was the only thing I could have that resembled real food. I'd literally make a box of it every day and eat the whole thing! Can you have tomato juice/V8 and/or broth? I had that every day, too. The sodium in it makes some people retain water, which also helps you feel fuller...

check out the blog "The World According to Eggface". She's a long-time vet of bariatric surgery and an accomplished cook (she's also on the board of the Obesity Action Coalition). She has recipes posted there for every stage.

I'm wondering if you've developed a food intolerance (??). Some people become lactose intolerant after surgery. It's often temporary - but sometimes not. Although it could be something else (food-related or not). Yes - I'd definitely call the doctor if it persists.

if you've never had problems with artificial sweeteners before, then that's probably not what's going on. Not sure. Obviously there's something that's upsetting your system, though. Keep us posted....

maybe the protein shakes? Maybe there's something in there that your system can't tolerate? Like maybe whatever artificial sweetener they use? (some people get gastric distress from certain artificial sweeteners). Are you able to try another brand - or do they want you on Premier?

yes, you do have to work at it or you'll gain back a significant amount of weight. The surgery acts more like a strong tail wind - you still do the work, but it gives you a huge boost. I started off MUCH heavier than you - I had about 15 stone to lose. I am 60 years old. I spent DECADES losing and gaining weight. Four stone would have been one of my more successful attempts - and I would always ALWAYS gain it back. And I had 15 stone to lose. I knew there was no way I would EVER be able to do that on my own, if I couldn't even keep four stone off for more than a few months. as for hair loss, some people lose a lot, some lose very little, some don't lose any at all (I lost hardly any). But for most of us, we're the only ones who notice it. And it grows back. I think most "vets" on here will tell you that in retrospect, we wonder why we wasted even one brain cell worrying about hair loss. In the grand scheme of things, the hair loss was just a minor (and temporary) annoyance. I would take the hair loss any day over almost 400 lbs again. ANY DAY!

you're right in that some of this stuff goes out the window when it comes to bariatric patients because we don't absorb a lot of things - or don't absorb them as well - as "normal" people. re: endocrinologists vs bariatric surgeons: my endocrinologist has me taking half the calcium that my bariatric clinic suggested, because she said I was excreting a TON of calcium, which is really hard on your kidneys. So I'm obviously absorbing it better than most bariatric patients do. So we've been playing around with the doses, rechecking bloodwork every couple of months, and then adjusting up or down as necessary. I do think this is more of an endocrinologist's bailiwick. five weeks of taking too much or too little of something is fine. Usually when they increase or decrease your dosages of things based on your bloodwork results, they re-check in a couple of months to see where you're at and then adjust if necessary. re: iron - I take carbonyl. A lot of bariatric patients seem to take that since it's easy on the stomach. I take 100 mg a day (all at once), and my labs are good. I'd cut back at one time but my ferritin got too low, so now I'm up to 100 again. We don't absorb all the iron we take, so even if that amount would be toxic to normal people (and I'm not sure if it is, to be honest), it might not necessarily be toxic to bariatric patients.

I've always liked the powders better than pre-mades. I have gotten pre-mades before (like if we're traveling somewhere by car) because they're more convenient. but I always thought the powders tasted better.

I agree - I'm pretty sure that's a violation of HIPAA

intestinal backup (i.e. constipation)? Water retention? Hormone fluctuations? These can all cause a slight gain. it would take 7000 calories over and above what your body needs to function to gain two pounds, so this isn't "true" weight - it's likely water - or "bathroom backup"

just go back to the plan you were given and don't cheat any more. It's tough - but you have to white knuckle it. It'll soon be over.

I don't think anything helps, really. Just stay on top of your supplements so it doesn't get any worse than it would be otherwise. The WLS scars will fade in time - my faded to the point where you couldn't see them anymore. Plastic surgery scars are an entirely different story - but they're MUCH larger/longer.

yes. Do a search on this site for the three week stall. There are over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding...). Happens to almost all of us... Just stick to your program, stay off the scale if you have to, and trust the process. Your weight loss WILL start up again...