Cervidae

depression and sleep paralysis are not considered co-morbidities of obesity, even though they are obviously linked. Hope it works out for you!

Following. My last quote from a plastic surgeon here was $26,000 for three procedures. No thank you!

Hello awesome people. Since I began this journey in January of this year, it's been an absolutely wild ride. I've had some huge changes both with my body and my life, and triumphs I never thought I would see. Through all of my hard work, i have pretty much point blank refused to tell most people in my life, let alone "go public" with it. I spend a lot of time with social media and I've seen firsthand how ignorant, judgmental, and downright cruel people can be about wls and the people who get it or want to get it. I'm sure many of you have witnessed this as well... "weight loss surgery is the easy way out", "people who get weight loss surgery are lazy and undeserving of praise", etc. At best, people simply don't know much about it and have preconceived notions that are hard to change. At worst, people outright hate and name-call because they have problems of their own and take it out on others. Positivity has been one of my main weapons during this battle to reclaim my body. Exposing myself and my struggles to people was far too much of a risk for me, and I don't regret not telling most people. However, I've recently been having a (very uncharacteristic) desire to share my progress, hardships, and everyday tips with people who could use them, either for inspiration or ideas or whatever reason. I realized that I would have been so much less brave and confident going into it without the help of people who have shared their own stories and ideas. I want to contribute to the "next generation", so to speak, of wls patients. I want to give back a little to the amazing community that has done such wonderful things for me. To that end, I've decided to make an instagram. I'm still a little nervous about showing my progress in a place where I could be found (which is silly... people in my life saw me when I was 440 pounds and they see me now at 320 and they will see me later at 170, maybe below) but even just making the account and posting my first two pictures is sort of.. liberating. I found a picture from my highest weight that just astounded me. It baffled me. It saddened me. Then I put it next to a picture I took a few days ago and seeing them side by side made me feel like being so open will be worth it if it helps even one person who has suffered and struggled that way I have and am. So, people, I would love to make new friends! If you don't have an instagram, I would highly recommend you think about making one, even just as a place to document your daily progress. You can make it private or for only friends, and you can follow other people who are wls patients or hopefuls, or exercise gurus, or anything, really. I would also like suggestions for accounts to follow, if anyone already follows some helpful people. here is my page: https://www.instagram.com/belly.laugh/ I really look forward to making new friends.

Right now I'm all about spaghetti squash! My favorite is to make a delicious beef broth with bouillon and spices and toss in some tomato sauce, spaghetti squash, and turkey meatballs or shredded chicken, as well as a bit of real butter. It makes a super delicious, healthy, fast, and easy Soup that I'm crazy about.

Sounds like we are kindred anxious spirits. My strategy was to approach the entire process and each stage moving forward as "well, this is where I'm headed but I refuse to believe it is actually going to happen. I'm just aiming for this, and if it works, it works, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. No point in getting my hopes up". This may not work for some people but for me, it's the only approach that kept me sane. When my insurance approved, I was pleasantly surprised. When I got my date, I was ecstatic but hesitant to actually admit it was happening. When I went under for surgery I resolved to accept the possibility that I could wake up and the surgery wouldn't be done for some reason or another. During the healing phase as the pounds melted off I did my best but prepared to stop at any time and be stuck at 350 pounds, 300 pounds, 250 pounds, etc. Now I'm approaching my goal weight and here I am, still moving forward, still waiting to see if I somehow fall apart and fail and gain everything back. In the mean time, I enjoy my triumphs and successes and continue forward with my goals.

I often wish that too! I finally find a shirt I love that fits me well, is comfortable, and actually looks halfway decent... and I'm suddenly swimming in it by the next wear. It's depressing. :'(

Despite the RNY being notorious for having a lot of "no-no" foods even well into maintenance phase, I haven't found many foods I cannot tolerate now (almost 14 months post-op). There is one food I miss and one that would be a good addition back into my diet that just refuses to sit well in my tummy: steak. I've tried everything; eating it with a sauce of some kind, chewing it beyond paste consistency until it basically disintegrates into my mouth, eating the most tender filet possible, etc. It seems my tummy will never again allow me to eat such a dense Protein. Oh well! Could be way, way worse!

Hello. I was 23 when I had my RNY last year and I never told most of my family. I know just from growing up with them that the chances of them being extremely judgmental or worse had I actually told them were basically 100%. Even now at nearly 14 months post op and after losing over 250 pounds, I KNOW that if I told them about surgery, the happiness and pride they're feeling now about my health and progress would still be there, but it would be overshadowed by judgment, ignorance, and jealousy. Having them believe I changed my diet drastically, focus on exercise, and generally take much better care of myself is the reason I've lost weight (which, it is!) without knowing surgery kick-started it and made it possible is essentially showing me their kindness without the ignorance. It's a win-win situation to me. As for being young... how often do you see people here saying they wish they had done it when they were younger? How many people marveling at how incredible they feel and lamenting spending so many years, decades suffering when they could have prevented it? Does it even make sense to know what lays at the end of the road you're travelling is an early painful and humiliating death, but to keep travelling down that road instead of just taking a fork NOW before you harm yourself permanently? When I finally understood and really made myself believe these things, caring about the opinions of the people who bitch about me being too young just sort of melted away. They're telling me I'm too young to save my own life and fight for decades of extra years and health. After taking these things to heart, their opinions suddenly seem not only laughable but offensive. You're not a child anymore, and you know what you need to be healthy. It's time for the adults in our lives to sit down and stop being our authority. They are now the lucky spectators of our wonderful future.

I'm almost 14 months post op and I just finally broke a month-long stall. Be prepared for them to happen after surgery! Still, despite this stall and the stalls I've had pretty much every month since surgery, I'm down 194 pounds since surgery. It adds up, and in the end, the stalls will just be a distant memory but your health and weight loss will be a reality. Good luck to you.

female bodies are also equipped to hold on to fat stores as much as possible for baby reasons. Even our hormones are geared far more towards retaining both fat and Water than men.

@@trekker954 therapists are just people. Some of them are going to be better than others at what they do, just like some people are better at being diplomatic than others. I've been in therapy since I was 10 and I've known more mediocre ones than good ones, but once I found the right therapists for me, they made an enormous difference. There's also a definite length of time you need to go to one before you even know if it would help or if the therapist and you connect with each other. You may have even passed up a great therapist by giving up way too early. It's a process; they can't just bandage our emotional wounds and send us on our way with a pain killer, thus fixing our problems. You have to work with them over a period of time to first identify what the issues are then figure out how to solve them or, in many cases, how to cope with them. They are trained to help you help yourself, rather than telling you how to magically fix a problem. The best therapy I've had was more like talking to a friend that will never judge me and figuring out my own problems through introspection and hard work, and my friend was there to guide me and encourage me and give me unbiased, objective opinions and advice. It can be great if you really try and give it some time! It's saved my life more than once and helped me lose 250 pounds and take control of my life and health, all things I never really believed I could do.

I was a carb fiend! I basically only ate ramen noodles, white pasta, white bread for a period of several years, during which I ballooned to over 400 pounds. I was really messed up at the time, and carbs made me feel the most full. I never really binged, though I certainly ate more than I should have. Mainly I was just always eating. I was NEVER ever satiated, never felt secure because I was never full and the only security I knew at the time was "okay, my stomach is full. I'm okay." Then the carby sludge would pass through my stomach and I would be starving again, and the cycle would continue. Scary stuff.

That rule (100 pounds for first 5 feet, 5 more pounds per inch) is an okay general rule, I suppose, but I know I certainly would look completely malnourished and sickly at 125 pounds. I just saw a plastic surgeon a couple weeks ago and he said he wouldn't recommend going lower than 150, and that's after skin removal, based on my frame and current size. We all have to keep in mind that carrying around extra weight for so long increases the density of your bones, which adds unseen weight. Also, most of us exercise fairly frequently so keep your muscle mass in mind as well. I would say if you're unsure about what weight you should be at, get your body fat percentage tested as well as perhaps a Water displacement test, and go from there. That's far more accurate and tailored to your personal body, and will therefor make a whole lot more sense than just choosing a number and trying to get there. You may find that the little extra around your tummy is just skin, and continuing downward when you're already healthy would not only be pointless but also possibly not good for you. Personally, I think you look amazing. You're super pretty! Congratulations on your success.

It's different for everyone, unfortunately, like so much of this process. Generally speaking, if you've increased your exercise then you may need to increase your calories, still focusing on Protein. Every plan is different when it comes to carbs. Mine says to eat a complex carb with every small meal at maintenance, but if I go above like 30 grams a day, I stall or even gain a little, so their plan is just not realistic for me, at least not now. I would suggest talking to your nut first, as per usual, but then also keep in mind that everyone's body is different. The nut's suggestions can be a springboard for you to experiment a little and find out what works for you. Still, I would definitely stay away from refined carbs forever. A treat every once in a blue moon is one thing, but refined carbs are a slippery slope of insulin spikes, increased food cravings, and regain. You'll want to stick to the good stuff: quinoa, legumes, nuts, occasional whole grain bread, etc.

@laceemouse http://mrjakeparker.com/inktober there ya go!

I am! I haven't decided exactly what yet, but I'm leaning towards a cute/sexy deer costume.

Like many others here, I'm greatly enjoying being able to comfortably cross my legs, sit with my legs bent underneath me without them falling asleep/hurting, etc. Also, with all the new space and flexibility comes new positions in the bedroom (you know we're all thinking/wondering about it! ) so that's been a blast! Sitting in booths at restaurants. Never having to worry if the seatbelt won't fit whenever I ride in a different car. I can go up four flights of stairs without feeling like I'm dying afterwards. Fitting into all the rides at an amusement park (did that for the first time in over a decade last month... it was incredible). Being able to wrap average-sized towels completely around myself. Knowing I could walk into most stores and find something that fits me. The list goes on and on and on...

Us artists have our own version of this! We call it Inktober; each day of October we produce an inked drawing. Some people use prompts, some people use the official prompts, written by the artist who started Inktober, and some like me will do my own thing.

The surgery can resolve things like type 2 diabetes because type 2 diabetes can be controlled and subdued by an extreme diet change alone. It's just so, so much harder to eat that kind of strict diet without surgery. PCOS is a whole other beast, unfortunately. It's a hormone disorder first and foremost. So if you DO have PCOS, at the core of your issues would be a hormone imbalance. But in the end, if you had "string of pearls" follicles on your ovaries during an ultrasound (also called cysts), you've got PCOS. :/ The birth control is really important because it helps keep the lining of your uterus thinner, which in turn helps prevent cervical cancer, infertility, and a whole host of other scary problems. It also shrinks the cysts on the ovaries, which is important for obvious reasons. If you need peace of mind, or another opinion than your gyno's, feel free to see an endocrinologist. But if you've got the cysts... you've got the disorder. And it's for life. The good news is, losing weight/staying active and eating low carb is EXACTLY the way to best treat the core of PCOS. So with birth control and a strict diet/ your major weight loss, you should barely even be aware of your PCOS, especially since you say you have no other symptoms. You're one of the lucky ones! Congrats on your loss, by the way. You're doing great!

I'm over 13 months post-RNY. I'm down almost 200 from surgery and over 250 overall from my highest. I'm perfectly healthy, and happily living my life in a way I thought was never going to be possible. I would do it all again a million times over! Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with. This place is a wonderful resource for everyone at every stage of the process. Best of luck!

It depends, how far out are you?

A severe texture aversion to most fruits and veggies played an active role in my inability to lose weight and my constant weight gain while growing up. I always tried to explain to the doctors/nuts/etc, even when I was just a child, that I WANTED to eat these foods and I TRIED to eat them, but the moment I put them in my mouth, my gag reflex kicks in immediately and I literally get sick trying to force these things down my throat. I would still try, and still get sick, all the time, and no one I ever talked to ever believed me. I was just a fat kid that "didn't want to" eat healthy foods. Never mind that my texture problems extend to plenty of unhealthy foods, like popcorn, twizzlers, gummy anything, etc.