christinems4280

*I want to preface this post with the following: I DO NOT judge anyone for the decisions they made about entering into this process. This is all my experience and my personal choices. What works for me and the reasons I made my choices clearly is different for everyone else. No offense is intended or implied.* I'm a very open person by nature. It was never an option for me to keep the surgery a secret. I come from a belief that if you have to hide something or lie about something, it means you shouldn't be doing it. I didn't want to enter this process that way. I wanted to be proud of what I was doing for my health and well being. I wanted to be able to educate those who were misinformed (or uninformed) about the process. My friends know. My entire family knows. My coworkers know. My bosses know. I've been met with overwhelming support and positivity. I have yet to encounter a negative response. I also feel by sharing my journey on social media, I'm forced to be held accountable. Ultimately, you have to do what's right for you. Sharing my journey is what was right for me.

Tuna. Which made me sad because it's such a good Protein source and I loved it before surgery. But I tried it twice after and it made me violently ill. As for bread, rice, Pasta, or carbonated beverages - I have no idea. I was told to keep them out of my diet so I haven't tried.

I do that now and it didn't seem to help. But the redness has gone down this morning so that's a positive.

I will definitely give that a shot. Thanks!

Thank you!! It's not to the point it's painful or anything. But ugh, so annoying.

@jenn1@kranky813 Thanks, ladies. I have an appt with my PCP next month and a follow up with my surgeon on Feb 23. I'll definitely mention it. Although, the prospect of skin surgery scares me greatly.

Hey All, My surgery was pretty recent and I've only lost 68 lbs so far, so I'm pretty early on in the journey. I have begun to notice excess skin, however, especially on my arms, upper inner thighs, and around my belly button. The skin around my belly button is most concerning as it's creating deeper creases in existing folds. I have a hard time keeping the area dry and as a result, I've already gotten an infection. Is there any way to combat this? Thanks!

That's actually kinda cool! Haha

Nope. No pain at all. So bizarre.

I got myself on the operating table and the anesthesiologist came over and asked me if I had any questions or concerns before they started. I said "please just make sure I wake up" After, I woke up and the first thing I saw was my dad standing over my bed. The first thing I said was "please wet my mouth!"

Hahaha yes! That's exactly what it sounds like!!! It's just embarassing, but I wonder if it sounds as loud to someone else as it does to me.

I'm over two months out and mine still does it.

I hate Spanx with a white hot burning passion. Buuuut. I am obsessed with Maidenform Flexees. I usually go with the high waisted boy short ones as they are the most comfortable for me, but they come in a variety of styles. They aren't crazy expensive at all. And they hold up really well after longterm use. I even put mine in the regular washer (on cold cycle - no dryers!) and they come out perfect. They come in nude and black, which is helpful. I typically purchase mine at The Avenue or Macys, but there are plenty of online retailer options (Herroom, BareNecessities, Amazon).

Hi People, Do any of you experience really LOUD tummy noises immediately after (or even sometimes during) eating? When I'm home I don't mind since I'm alone, but at work (especially when it's quiet), it's really embarassing. Is this caused by something specific? Can anything be done about it? Thanks!

This is some awesome advice! Thank you so much! I also have a "not eating before I leave my house" problem. But that's an entirely separate issue

@OKCPirate Good to know! Thanks. I've tried some of the clear Isopure drinks. I don't mind them at all. They are just SO expensive!

I have a hard time with artificial sweeteners - they give me crazy headaches. I don't mind plain water necessarily. It's just getting it all in that seems daunting. Any issues at all? With continued use of the shakes?

Thank you! 100g a day? Wow. And here am I whining about 65! haha. Do you eat veggies as well?

Thank you! You as well, that's an amazing loss! I try and stay away from caffeine. I tried unflavored Isopure in plain water and I basically gagged. I've heard good things about GENEPRO, so I ordered some samples to try. Is there any reason NOT to supplement every day? Or is it fine to?

Hi Everyone! I'm new here. Joined back in August 2015 after my initial consultation with my surgeon. My surgery date was November 23, 2015. Been lurking awhile, but this is my first post. All in all, I think I'm doing pretty well. I've lost 61lbs. I tolerate most foods well. I haven't experienced much nausea or vomiting (that only happened once thankfully!). I do have some concerns and I'm hoping the lovely people here can offer some tips. I feel like my life revolves around food now. I feel like I'm constantly eating all day to get my required Protein in (my doctor recommends 65-80 grams per day). Water is a whole other beast (64oz). It seems I just don't have the space for the volume of food and water necessary to meet these requirements. I know once we are able to eat solid foods, we should be getting most of our Proteins that way. I do okay maybe half the week and the other half I'm still using shakes to supplement. Should I not be doing that? I almost feel like Protein Shakes will be something that's part of my life forever, but there's a lot of people who disagree with that feeling. While I'm not vegan or vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination, I CANNOT just eat meat and nothing else all day long. I eat veggies and dairy products as well. I don't eat much fruit due to the sugar content. If I have any at all it's blended in a shake or 1/2 a teaspoon is added to my Greek yogurt to take the tang out. To make matters all the more awesome, I was never a big water drinker. If I had 8 cups of water in a month, that was a lot. So to go from that to 8 cups PER DAY is really difficult for me. I get maybe half. My doctor is aware and it's something I'm working on. He'd like me to get it increased, and quickly at that. So. Any tips to ensure I get as much protein packed into a single meal WITHOUT using shakes? Or is it okay to supplement with them as long as I need to? Tips for water consumption would be awesome, too. Thanks for reading! Sorry if I rambled