Cervidae

Don't we all! Truer statement never uttered.

oh wowwwww, that dress. SO beautiful. You have amazing taste! Congratulations on your health and success, your wedding, your gorgeous dress, and everything else!

Totally and 100% agree. <3 I'm not planning on leaving anytime soon, either.

Something I always try to remember and remind other wls patients of: this process is about health, not weight loss. Weight loss is the result of the changes you are making to get healthy. If you do the things that lead to health (eating enough protein, drinking enough water, sleeping enough, keeping your body active, etc) the weight loss naturally follows, no matter what, and it will happen exactly the way and exactly as fast/slow as your body needs it to. Just keep making healthy choices and your weight loss will happen. You've got this.

oh my gosh, you are SO pretty! you were before and you are now. Congratulations on your success and health!

Hello! I use myfitnesspal to keep track of my measurements, though I do have a record of more in-depth measurements that I update once a year on my surgery date. MFP keeps track of the basics, like waist, hips, neck, and give you an option to see graphs of your records and so on. When I am asked how many inches I lost, I say "x inches around the waist, x inches around the hips" and so on.

bookmarked to read when I've got some time this weekend.

It can also greatly reduce your body's ability to heal and permanently damage your immune system. It goes far beyond just being "an unhealthy lifestyle", unfortunately. My program required a blood test before surgery to prove that you have been smoke free for at least 6 weeks. Some programs even require you to sign a contract promising you will not smoke for at least a year following surgery, as it takes that long for your body to heal. It's a gamble with your life, plain and simple.

I had the same pain from drinking water for the first 10 months or so, then I realized one day it was just gone and I never noticed it leaving. It's just part of the healing process.

@@ejsisman - don't panic! Your surgery still happened. Your stomach is still surgically altered. The ability to fix this is still there. Just go back to basics. protein first, cut out white bread/pasta, drink more water, etc. And maybe use something like myfitnesspal to record your intake for a while, it's a great tool to help you get back on track. I know many people think you can stretch the pouch, but multiple Bariatric surgeons have told me that it's not. All that happens is we get better at pushing certain foods (usually slider/unhealthy foods) through our stomachs faster. Go back to eating what you should be and viola! You'll be losing weight again. You're still in control here. Don't give up that control just because you gained some weight back. The tool will always be there, now it's up to you to utilize that tool. I believe in you! Don't give up.

As with so many things after surgery, it depends on the person. It can give some people HORRIBLE munchies, which is a slippery slope after we've had surgery to shrink our stomachs. I smoke regularly, though not very much of it, to actually stimulate my appetite and help me sleep, which are both issues I've had since surgery. However, I know for a fact that for some people, the side effects (munchies, sleepiness/laziness, etc) can be detrimental. It's just been a positive habit for me, personally. So I would say just be aware of how it affects you and keep close tabs on your habits, and if it's more negative than positive of an effect, re-evaluate your priorities. If it starts being a problem rather than a solution for me at any time, I have no qualms about quitting. Hope my perspective and experience helps.

I posted a link to mine a few comments up! @@bayougirlmrsc

Now people. I want to just put a warning here. Try to contain yourself when you see THIS sexy fairy: http://imgur.com/a/WG5T6

Right now, the nerves in your stomach have only recently been severed and will need time and care to heal. You won't feel full during this time, as most people don't. There are some people who never actually feel that super-full feeling at any stage post-op, which is why it's so important to measure and be very aware of how much you eat. The difference now is the lack or great reduction in hunger, and that's what you need to use to your advantage. My surgeon always says "if you're always going to eat until you feel full, you'e always going to be cultivating the very habits that contributed to obesity in the first place." Eating til we were full before meant we ate until our stomachs were stretched to max capacity (somewhere around a football in size) and eating until we're full now just means we've hit the limit of our tiny stomachs and are now starting to fill our esophagus, but not necessarily that we've eaten enough for a meal, which is why we have to eat so slowly and measure portions. You could eat slow enough to get around the sleeve/bypass and be eating all day; nothing is stopping the food from passing through your stomach after a short time. Measuring and sticking with that amount regardless of fullness is key!