higher

2 months post op tomorrow (ah!) and still haven't cheated. Kind of can't believe it.

Ugh. I hate when grown men act like whiny babies.

Sunscreen, silicone gels, Mederma. A dermatologist can laser your scar away if it really bugs you.

Hey OMI, thanks for this very detailed response. I wasn't able to respond for a few days and just getting around to it now. I'm still way too soon post-op to tailor my macros at this point, but I've bookmarked your post and will come back to it in a few weeks. I really appreciate the level of detail. Interesting point on the carb cycling.
Why do you say you can't eat the fats they eat on /r/keto? If you are also trying to up your calories, wouldn't some added fat do that?
Anyway thank you again for sharing all of your info. You must be past the 365 day mark at this point so congratulations again on all your hard work and success.
Also re: celiac, I got diagnosed during the pre-op process for the sleeve which is why I asked but I'm going to make a separate thread for that.

Just a bump to say I spoke to my surgeon today and he said I will be cleared to swim after my first pre-op visit which is about 4-5 days after surgery. Nothing too strenuous for 2 weeks, but I'm fine to hang out in the pool or the ocean after that first check up.

Mine stopped around month 6 or 7. I lost quite a bit of hair. I used a topical treatment throughout called Phytocane serum that successfully caused regrowth and my hairline is still filling back in.

Ask your surgeon to recommend a PCP. They will have one that works with their patients.

Mine stopped around month 6 or 7. I lost quite a bit of hair. I used a topical treatment throughout called Phytocane serum that successfully caused regrowth and my hairline is still filling back in.

No. At 11 months Post op I can eat whatever I want, so there's really nothing to miss.

Eating less however has actyally made me LIKE food more than I ever did before. So maybe I liked something about sitting down with an entire bag of chips pre-op, but it was mindless eating- I wasn't actually enjoying the taste. Now I often find myself TASTING a food more than I ever did before. Eating fewer bites so making sure to eat the best looking one first. Quality over quantity.

I had my RMR tested at 7 months post op and it was 1450. I'm a 5 foot tall female. The doctor recommended consuming up to 1975 calories a day if I maintain a light activity level. So I try to eat around 13-1500 to maintain a deficit and continue to lose.
Its really comforting to have had the test done and not have to make wild guesses about my metabolism. One of my biggest concerns was screwing my metabolism up for life so this gave me peace of mind. @OutsideMatchInside recommended I get the test done and I'm grateful I took her advice.
I was eating up to 800-1000 calories a day pretty quickly post op, by a month after surgery if not sooner.

No. At 11 months Post op I can eat whatever I want, so there's really nothing to miss.

Eating less however has actyally made me LIKE food more than I ever did before. So maybe I liked something about sitting down with an entire bag of chips pre-op, but it was mindless eating- I wasn't actually enjoying the taste. Now I often find myself TASTING a food more than I ever did before. Eating fewer bites so making sure to eat the best looking one first. Quality over quantity.

25 lbs in 4 weeks when you are this close to goal seems like an unreasonable expectation. The pace of weight loss can really slow down as you move closer to goal. Continue to do what you know what you need to do to lose and be proud of any continued losses. You will do great. I just don't want you setting some lofty arbitrary goal and then feeling frustrated if you don't hit it. You should be proud of any downward trend on the scale!

Mental health is super important. If the surgery helps enable you to view yourself in a more positive light and boosts your confidence, that's an improvement in your mental health and that's a big deal.

When I was fat I often felt sad depressed and ashamed over it. When life's difficulties would arise, I would double down on the bad feelings because on top of the normal stressors- work, family, etc - I hated my appearance.

Now when im having a bad day, I make myself feel better by looking in the mirror.....

Thank you for sharing this

You're getting good advice in this thread. In addition, you sound extremely well informed about the surgery, grounded in your expectations as well as attuned to your own body. recipes for success in my mind.

Dont tell your parents if you think that will cause an undue amount of stress for both you and them. You're still a few months out from surgery, so you can reevaluate this strategy at various points in your journey. My advice to you at this early pre-operative stage would be to focus on your own needs. I posed the same question to this board when I was pre-op and it was recommended to me that I re-evaluate telling my parent (who I knew would freak out and be unsupportive) once I had a surgery date. Ultimately I chose not to tell and I'm pleased with that decision. I'm 10 months post op now.

My chosen field (journalism) is also intellectually demanding with longgggg hours, many spent sitting and writing. But it's also personally fulfilling, I know I'm serving the greater good and not many people are cut out for performing the job at the level I've attained. What's amazing is that I made it as far as I did while morbidly obese, which I fully know was holding me back. Not only do employers inherently trust and respect me more now that I'm thinner (not saying this is right, it isn't) but I simply have more intellectual and physical energy since regaining my health. It feels like my synapses are properly firing for the first time in years. I honestly think I had fat brain in retrospect, that sometimes my thoughts were sluggish.

That said, I also have experience with depression. There were times pre-op when I would cry everyday. I struggled to get out of bed and go to work in the morning. As a psychologist yourself, I don't have to tell you the importance of discussing this with your physician. What I can say is that for me the increased energy and activity levels have helped improve my mental health across the board. I went through some really difficult personal stuff over the last few months, unrelated to surgery, and the newfound mental acuity combined with therapy and medication helped keep me from slipping into a deeper state of sadness. I honestly felt better equipped to handle life's obstacles and the reason for that, I think, is the confidence that comes from knowing I have taken charge of my health in a way most people never do in heir lifetime.

Oh and meant to add- about 2 days after surgery I felt 100%. I went back to work quickly. But at some point in that first 10 days or so I was suddenly hit with extreme fatigue and had to spend 1-2 days resting and catching up on sleep. Luckily I had a very flexible work schedule at the time, but do know that even in a perfect, easy recovery like I had you still need to rest when your body tells you.

You're getting good advice in this thread. In addition, you sound extremely well informed about the surgery, grounded in your expectations as well as attuned to your own body. recipes for success in my mind.

Dont tell your parents if you think that will cause an undue amount of stress for both you and them. You're still a few months out from surgery, so you can reevaluate this strategy at various points in your journey. My advice to you at this early pre-operative stage would be to focus on your own needs. I posed the same question to this board when I was pre-op and it was recommended to me that I re-evaluate telling my parent (who I knew would freak out and be unsupportive) once I had a surgery date. Ultimately I chose not to tell and I'm pleased with that decision. I'm 10 months post op now.

My chosen field (journalism) is also intellectually demanding with longgggg hours, many spent sitting and writing. But it's also personally fulfilling, I know I'm serving the greater good and not many people are cut out for performing the job at the level I've attained. What's amazing is that I made it as far as I did while morbidly obese, which I fully know was holding me back. Not only do employers inherently trust and respect me more now that I'm thinner (not saying this is right, it isn't) but I simply have more intellectual and physical energy since regaining my health. It feels like my synapses are properly firing for the first time in years. I honestly think I had fat brain in retrospect, that sometimes my thoughts were sluggish.

That said, I also have experience with depression. There were times pre-op when I would cry everyday. I struggled to get out of bed and go to work in the morning. As a psychologist yourself, I don't have to tell you the importance of discussing this with your physician. What I can say is that for me the increased energy and activity levels have helped improve my mental health across the board. I went through some really difficult personal stuff over the last few months, unrelated to surgery, and the newfound mental acuity combined with therapy and medication helped keep me from slipping into a deeper state of sadness. I honestly felt better equipped to handle life's obstacles and the reason for that, I think, is the confidence that comes from knowing I have taken charge of my health in a way most people never do in heir lifetime.

You're getting good advice in this thread. In addition, you sound extremely well informed about the surgery, grounded in your expectations as well as attuned to your own body. recipes for success in my mind.

Dont tell your parents if you think that will cause an undue amount of stress for both you and them. You're still a few months out from surgery, so you can reevaluate this strategy at various points in your journey. My advice to you at this early pre-operative stage would be to focus on your own needs. I posed the same question to this board when I was pre-op and it was recommended to me that I re-evaluate telling my parent (who I knew would freak out and be unsupportive) once I had a surgery date. Ultimately I chose not to tell and I'm pleased with that decision. I'm 10 months post op now.

My chosen field (journalism) is also intellectually demanding with longgggg hours, many spent sitting and writing. But it's also personally fulfilling, I know I'm serving the greater good and not many people are cut out for performing the job at the level I've attained. What's amazing is that I made it as far as I did while morbidly obese, which I fully know was holding me back. Not only do employers inherently trust and respect me more now that I'm thinner (not saying this is right, it isn't) but I simply have more intellectual and physical energy since regaining my health. It feels like my synapses are properly firing for the first time in years. I honestly think I had fat brain in retrospect, that sometimes my thoughts were sluggish.

That said, I also have experience with depression. There were times pre-op when I would cry everyday. I struggled to get out of bed and go to work in the morning. As a psychologist yourself, I don't have to tell you the importance of discussing this with your physician. What I can say is that for me the increased energy and activity levels have helped improve my mental health across the board. I went through some really difficult personal stuff over the last few months, unrelated to surgery, and the newfound mental acuity combined with therapy and medication helped keep me from slipping into a deeper state of sadness. I honestly felt better equipped to handle life's obstacles and the reason for that, I think, is the confidence that comes from knowing I have taken charge of my health in a way most people never do in heir lifetime.

You're getting good advice in this thread. In addition, you sound extremely well informed about the surgery, grounded in your expectations as well as attuned to your own body. recipes for success in my mind.

Dont tell your parents if you think that will cause an undue amount of stress for both you and them. You're still a few months out from surgery, so you can reevaluate this strategy at various points in your journey. My advice to you at this early pre-operative stage would be to focus on your own needs. I posed the same question to this board when I was pre-op and it was recommended to me that I re-evaluate telling my parent (who I knew would freak out and be unsupportive) once I had a surgery date. Ultimately I chose not to tell and I'm pleased with that decision. I'm 10 months post op now.

My chosen field (journalism) is also intellectually demanding with longgggg hours, many spent sitting and writing. But it's also personally fulfilling, I know I'm serving the greater good and not many people are cut out for performing the job at the level I've attained. What's amazing is that I made it as far as I did while morbidly obese, which I fully know was holding me back. Not only do employers inherently trust and respect me more now that I'm thinner (not saying this is right, it isn't) but I simply have more intellectual and physical energy since regaining my health. It feels like my synapses are properly firing for the first time in years. I honestly think I had fat brain in retrospect, that sometimes my thoughts were sluggish.

That said, I also have experience with depression. There were times pre-op when I would cry everyday. I struggled to get out of bed and go to work in the morning. As a psychologist yourself, I don't have to tell you the importance of discussing this with your physician. What I can say is that for me the increased energy and activity levels have helped improve my mental health across the board. I went through some really difficult personal stuff over the last few months, unrelated to surgery, and the newfound mental acuity combined with therapy and medication helped keep me from slipping into a deeper state of sadness. I honestly felt better equipped to handle life's obstacles and the reason for that, I think, is the confidence that comes from knowing I have taken charge of my health in a way most people never do in heir lifetime.

I'm at 7 weeks out and no exhaustion issues. My only thought is I eat closer to 800 calories a day (sometimes as many as 1000.) So maybe @@Inner Surfer Girl is on to something?

Awesome job, keep it up! Thank so for sharing.

I really dislike Ambien, I prefer taking Xanax or just OTC Benadryl when I'm sleepless.

I have long mermaid hair. But very dark brunette with a white scalp and it can look patchy up there. I won't use Biotin because I've shelled out for expensive laser hair removal treatments for my body hair and don't want to mess with that progress. I've had great luck with scalp treatments like phytocane in the past when I've had Hair loss and am going to try another treatment cycle now at 3 months post op and will let you guys know if it helps my hair look fuller at the root.

Yeah so I finally did this last night. I left for a tropical vacation this morning and I have a sexy new bathing suit with lots of cut-outs on the abdomen and it did not look cute with my stomach peeking out 3 shades whiter than the rest of me so I went for it.
I have no idea what I was so worried about. Yes, I'm way thinner than when I started this thread but I have a small stomach overhang stil. I didn't move it out of the way or anything. The technician just sprayed me like it was no big deal, because t wasn't a big deal obviously she sprays naked people with all kinds of bodies all day long!
It felt really good and I look cute with a nice glow. NSV!

This x 1000.
Not to mention, all the people on this thread who kept it a secret are also IN THIS THREAD providing help and support to other people. So the argument that it's a disservice not to be public with your surgery holds no Water.

I kept my my surgery a secret, except for my medical team and on forums. It's worked for me. Nobody asks me how I lost weight really.