JupiterinVirgo

I was always a big meat eater before surgery. At my weight, not only did I need a lot of Protein just to stay upright, but I needed specifically animal Proteins. I remember one year I tried to go vegetarian and after a month or so I was nearly falling over just trying to walk across the parking lot. I felt as if I had become anemic. After surgery, I of course attempted to follow the bariatric gospel diet I was given to the letter. After a while of eating meet at almost every meal and eating at first, and getting very little else inside my body I started to feel quite sick and I knew that the diet they gave me was not away for my body to be healthy. I became less and less interested in eating meat. And sometimes, the thought of it made me nauseous. As my stomach healed, instead of meat I started eating high-end cheese, nuts, whole milk yogurts and limited actual meat consumption probably take 2 to 3 times a week tops. The weight fell off quickly, and I felt much better. I started using high-end, tasteless collagen protein to compensate, and keep hunger at bay. I cannot stress enough, that there is no one-size-fits-all healthy way to eat when it comes to bodies. It really truly depends on where your ancestors came from, your personal bodies specific needs. Sometimes it is hard for us to trust ourselves because we are taught to outsource authority, and because we feel like we must not know how to eat if we got to the point where we need the surgery. But I don't think that that's really the truth. I think the truth is that only you can know what your body needs from day-to-day minute to minute to be healthy. Guidelines are fine, but the final authority needs to rest with your body and it's intelligence. I'm a big fan of intuitive eating, which is the regular practice of tuning into the messages of your physical body. If my body wants me to give it meet. If my body wants nuts or fruits or greens that's what I give it. But I choose the best version: organic, less processed, more Whole Foods. And it has worked so far. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Congratulations on starting your new life! 2017 is a "one" year, which means new beginnings are highly supported! I know that the days right after surgery are pretty tough, and all the old fears are still there. I was terrified that it would work for everybody except me. I still struggle with fears that I won't make it all the way to go, or that I will gain weight. But the truth is, the surgery was a miracle of grace for me. I have a whole new life. My body is almost half the size it was a year ago. And even though I fall off the wagon occasionally, because the surgery is a permanent thing and my life is no longer a diet, it's just not that big a deal. I just try again. And in this way, I have lost 130 pounds with 30 more to go. You can do this! I'm so happy for you. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You are so early out. Even though you can't see it, your stomach is still healing from serious wounds. If a product, especially one like premier which is full of chemicals makes you nauseous, you should listen to your body. Nausea with almost anything is fairly common at your stage, but I find even add a year out if I eat or drink something that has a lot of chemicals in it it still makes me sick to my stomach. The body is intelligent! A migraine means that those chemicals are so toxic to your specific body that it's a literally making you ill. Nausea is nothing compared to the allergic reaction from chemicals in so-called food. The coating in the mouth is usually related to the Protein shakes, the major chemical changes happening in your body as you process fat cells and all the toxins that are stored in them, and good old-fashioned ketosis. Constipation is also caused by painkillers, on digestible protein overkill, and just less movement. I nearly became impacted after surgery, and what worked for me was milk of magnesia and smooth move tea. I had three or four weeks out you're still really tired. And it's really important to make sure you have something with you so you can eat every few hours or you will get very weak to the point of almost not being able to drive home, let alone chase after a little child. Things will get better! Much better. Hang in there and take good care of yourself! And FYI, there are lots of good protein shakes options that are organic, Whole Food, and/or plant-based. I bet you're really sensitive to chemicals. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I follow that rule the first couple of months but I no longer follow it. It is not normal not to drink while eating. I have no problem with that at all. And I have been very successful since surgery which was a little over year ago. I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all type of plan when it comes to bodies or personalities. Do what works for you! There's always more than one way to get where you wish to go. I am the kind of person that does it her own way. I started out following the bariatric gospel on weight loss and started feeling quite ill. When I trusted my intuition and started eating what I knew my body wanted the weight dropped off quickly and I felt physically much much better. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The real issue with carbonated beverages is how toxic soda and diet sodas are. Some people are bothered by the bubbles, but there is research to support the fact that ingredients in diet soda actually cause weight gain. So the real question is, if you know that that particular had that works against your primary goal of getting leaner and healthier, do you really want to re-introduce it into your life at this time? For the record, I drink carbonated beverages whenever I want but I don't drink them very often. I'm more of a coffee drinker anyway. And the bubbles and carbonated beverages don't bother me at all. I am over a year out of surgery. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am down 130 pounds. From a size 28/30 to a size 16. Not in one single day since surgery have I counted my calories. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had my surgery just over a year ago and I've lost 130 pounds. I am now only 10 pounds above my lowest adult weight. However I would like to lose another 30 pounds. I have read that the last pounds are the hardest to get rid of, and so far it seems like that's probably true. I cannot eat much less than I do. And I exercise. But if I could just get this last 30 pounds off I would be very very happy! Who made it all the way to goal, and how did you deal with those last 20 to 30 pounds? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have been on this forum for about a year and a half. I have seen so many posts of people worrying about excess skin after weight loss. I find this to be incredibly trite and shallow, a roadblock thrown up in the mind to justify the subconscious reasons why we put on and hold the weight to begin with. First of all, there are of course permanent consequences for getting so big that your skin has to stretch to be twice the size it would be if we were normal weight. It doesn't go back to a state in which it was as if we never were overweight. And so what? What is often unspoken in these forums is that a very overweight person worrying about how they are going to look if they lose weight because of sagging skin, is silly in a society in which obesity is considered ugly to begin with. More importantly, most of us have the surgery because our bodies and lives were becoming unmanageable due to excess weight, not to look better at speed dating. For those who are asking the question I have seen posted on this forum a million times, no your skin will not go back to being how it was before your weight gain. There is no cream, no wrap, no swanky magic that's going to make it be as if you were never overweight. The only real option for getting rid of excess skin if you are very overweight when you start, is plastic surgery. And that comes with its own price. I am not knocking people who choose to have that, I might even choose that eventually, as vanity is one of my flaws. That said, plastic surgery is very very serious, and fairly savage. And still, your body cannot look like it would have if you had never put on weight. They will be scars. Big ones. Surgery of any kind is a serious injury to the body. The point I am trying to make is that if you are considering having weight-loss surgery to save your life, stop worrying about your skin. Worry about the inner conditions that have led you to the point where this is necessary. Focus instead on changing your behaviors. Focus instead on health, not looks. We have such a distorted view of bodies in this country. Body diversity is beautiful! Stop thinking that you have to look a certain way. Be healthy. Be you. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The cognitive dissonance you experience because of so much weight lost so fast. The mind it doesn't keep up in real time with the physical changes. It's like, it thinks the edges of your body are in the same place it was a few months ago when in fact you're down 50 or 60 pounds. It can be quite disorienting. That said, despite all the symptoms others have listed, I also wish somebody told me how quick and easy this surgery can be. How beautiful it is, to see yourself read emerging from under 100 pounds of fat. How are more active lifestyle means more happiness. More friends. More activity. More joy. I wish somebody told me how proud of myself I was going to be. How much better I was going to feel, every day. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's pretty normal to be dizzy periodically postop for months to come, particularly when going from a seated to standing position. It is not normal to be dizzy to the point where you can't walk or function or be dizzy in an ongoing way. I come from a family of nurses and they told me having a little salty broth when I feel dizzy will help. they said this has to do with blood pressure. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You were gorgeous before and gorgeous now! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

What an amazing story you have! Thank you so much for sharing it. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am a big fan of the plant-based diet approach. The bariatric gospel on the other hand, tends to condemn that but I think it is a very doable thing. In fact, there is a bariatric surgeon on YouTube who has a video called "eat your veggies first" where in he makes the argument that we have always eaten the Protein first, and if we can get in the habit of eating my vegetables for us we will be healthier and be more likely to keep the weight off. I think in the very beginning, vegetarian diet could be very challenging because the restriction is so significant due to swelling. But I would say 6 to 9 months out, it's quite feasible. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

What a great question! I am fascinated by how many people can identify the moment they decided to change their lives! It brings a tear to my eye. I remember the day that I nonchalantly decided to suspend all my judgment, all my fear, and "feel "how it would be if I got the surgery. To my shock, I experienced a sensation of this great opening of space inside of me. It was expensive and it was light. That was the moment when I knew I needed to look into this more seriously. Following this catalyst was a series of inner events in which my subconscious kept producing beautiful images of how happy and free life could feel if I were thinner and able to engage with it. This quickly tipped me over the edge and I made my surgical appointment. It's now a bit over a year later and I'm down 130 pounds, living a completely new lifestyle that would have been impossible before, and finding myself much more outgoing and social and I was able to be at 320+ pounds. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

First of all, averages mean little to the individual. I have been on this form for almost 2 years, and I would say that it seems to me that most of the people on here who have had their surgery 9 to 12 months ago have already lost well over 100 pounds. Including me. We all have the fears that you expressed, but in the end I think most of us came to the conclusion that when we were honest with ourselves, we knew we needed this more than we were afraid of changing. I know in my own personal case, my body had gotten so big in my life had gotten so small. I was terrified- but it was even scarier to imagine that I was going to soon be so big I was going to need a wheelie cart to buy groceries. And I have seen many people on this forum expressing their joy in meeting their goals. I only have 30 more pounds to lose! Like you, my initial goal was to lose 150. And I'm almost there! And if it takes another six months who cares? My life is so much better now! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I need some fit bit friends! Does anyone know how to get them? It seems like it would be more motivated and fun Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

All of your comments have been so helpful! Close friends who knew I had the surgery keep asking if I'm still losing weight and that makes me feel bad. And of course, I have this fear that I won't make it all the way and/or will put weight back on. It is so encouraging for me to read your stories, and know that this is normal for the sleeve. I will just keep on keeping on! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You look amazing! Honestly I would never think you were ever overweight. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have so many nice dresses that I bought from torrid. Most of them are size 26/28, or a torrid 4. I also have several that are a 22/24 or a torrid 3. I have some other brands as well in the same sizes. Probably $1000 worth of clothes. Stuff that's hard to find in those sizes. So if anyone is interested inviting some really cute dresses second-hand, they are up for grabs for $25 apiece plus shipping, with a few exceptions of more expensive brands and clothes. This household has smokers and pets.

I think our culture tells us what we "should "want. This is especially true for women and sex. And if we don't actually want what we are told to want to, we tend to go through a whole lot of cognitive dissonance and guilt. Even though you don't seem to feel emotionally guilty, the fact that you are even asking this question indicates that something doesn't feel quite right to you. But probably it is not the fact that you enjoy attention of many partners. It is probably because, not all partners are fully informed willing participants, specifically the husband. I don't think we should be afraid about wanting what we want, but I think we should be honest about what that is to those who are affected by our desire, so that they have the same free choice we have. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Your strength and courage makes you a kind of pioneer! As a culture, we outsource everything. Including the most important initiatory experiences of our lives: birth and death. Both of these things change everything, and people become very afraid. But you are showing them, leading by example! Congratulations! Vanquishing of fear is expansion of aliveness! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@JupiterinVirgo you have no idea how much I needed to hear your words. I too have struggled with trust issues in med field along with self doubt and fear of complications. As I get closer to my surgery date (12/21/16) my addiction is trying everything to win. I know this isn't a cure all, and I know there is lots of work to be done, but fear has held me back for so long, that I have listened as if it is a trusted friend! Your words were exactly what I needed to hear to tell fear, once and for all, to take a hike! I will not let fear rule my life any longer! This is a Weightloss adventure, but the journey is in finding out what we are made of, what we have been missing, and what we are meant to be! Thank you again!!!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I am so honored, if in some small way my story gives you strength or courage. I know it's really close now-really just stays away for you. The doorway to a new life! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

So much gratitude for the Sharing of your journey. At least I know it's not because I'm doing something wrong. That it's normal. I knew it was going to slow down, I just wanted to make sure that it isn't stopping. The last time I lost over hundred pounds, I was younger, and I still couldn't get under 180. Not only was I younger, but I was in better shape, and had a more active lifestyle than I am able to have now. So I started freaking out LOL Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you for sharing your experience! Yeah that's kind of how it's going and I'm glad to hear it's normal and that they'll keep coming off. Even though I'm "thin" for me, I'm still overweight and I want to get down to 160. Currently at 190. It's taking me like 6-8 weeks to lose 4-5 pounds. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you for this! Things have slowed down so much that I was afraid that I wouldn't make it. This is so helpful. I didn't know about any of this. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me and anyone else on this thread! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App