higher

It is so true that falling back into old habits sneaks up on you. Over the past two months I got lazy about recording food and regular exercise. This caused a 3lb gain. My concern was not the weight gain but more of allowing old habits to sneak in.
Instead of beating myself up I am acknowledging that this is part of the process and got back on my plan as of Monday. This is a journey not a destination! No one is perfect! I still have achieved amazing results due to hard work!!

LOVE this topic!! I am about 7 months post-op, but I created a NSVs wish-list when I was pre-op. Here is the list and how I am doing so far ...
1. Weigh less than my husband DONE!
2. Wear something in a smaller size than when I graduated HS (20+ years ago) DONE!
3. Give away all clothing that starts with a #2 (28, 26, etc) DONE!
4. Shop in something other than a plus store/department .... Kind of for jeans that I like, but not for long as they are now getting baggy in the butt!
5. Buy/wear tall boots DONE! And Skinny jeans too!
6. Buy/Wear a "little black dress" and actually have it be little
7. Walk more than a mile without being breathless DONE! I am now walking 5K races.
8. Fly without needing a seat belt extender .... Hopefully when we go on vaca!
9. Go parasailing ... This summer, for sure!
10. Go mountain biking ... as soon as the weather is nice enough!
One that was not on my list, but just recently happened ... being called "skinny"!! Totally loved it, although I do not consider myself skinny.

That's kind of a privilege of being a male. Overweight women are pariahs--we are assumed to be lazy, have weak character, etc. I'm not telling anyone (not a single person) because people are nasty, judgmental, rude... I don't need anyone telling me how to eat, or what I should or shouldn't do about my body. For some reason though it happens all the time. "Are you sure you want to eat that?" "Have you ever bought a slow cooker? You can just fill it up with lean Proteins and vegetables in the morning and have a healthy meal at the end of the day!" "I can show you some easy workout routines." These things are always UNSOLICITED.
Most recently, a blonde haired plastic Barbie approached me at target to give me her husband's business card. It was very strange but I took it and gave an awkward "thanks..." And as she walked away, I looked down to see that her husband is a Bariatric surgeon. It was this moment that did in fact inspire me to look into WLS, but not because of her recommendation (I am certainly not seeing that surgeon). But because I'm so tired of being judged by other women.
I'm only 90 lbs overweight. I can't imagine how other heavier women manage.
I don't want my identity to be defined by my WLS or my weight period. It is for this reason that I refuse to tell anyone.

She has already lost the bulk of her weight, she is around 200lbs now. Any weight she drops from now is going to be at a basically normal pace and not a WLS surgery pace.
Women don't drop weight at the rate men do, and people that see you often don't notice it.
Finally men are dumb, and if the sex is good he will believe whatever she tells him.

I went on a date on Friday night. We went to a blues club where people take dancing seriously! I wasn't sure what the dress code was - ha - since Seattle is a pretty casual place (frumpy some might say!) when it comes to dressing "norms". My date and I are not very good dancers, but we braved the dance floor along with all those spinning and dipping couples that have been doing this awhile and we had alot of fun even if we didn't have the best technique.
I decided to dress how I thought I would like to look - not too concerned with what other might wear. I chose an above the knee black skirt (not a mini, but short) with flouncy ruffles. I wore a really cute patterned top that I like alot but seldom wear because it is dressier. I work dark hose and the most awesome multi color shooties (really, they are shoes, but they call them shooties when they look like booties influenced).
Once I selected my outfiit, I didn't give it another thought until this happened.... I went to the restroom and a very nice looking stylish woman came up and said "I have been admiring your outfit from across the room". We chatted a bit... she left... I did my thing, came out of the stall and another woman walked in and she said "I love those shoes - they are just perfect with your outfit"
It was nice to be validated, but I realized that I had no self consciousness, no thoughts about "am I dressing too young" (you know, fill in the blanks of self doubt).
It kinda hit me that the rest of the world really really really no longer sees me as morbidly obese... and maybe I am kinda reaching that state too. I look like a pretty normal woman and to be quite honest, much fitter than the average woman of my age range. It is an empowering feeling to no longer feel like I need to blend in or worry about how my "rolls" look.
In addition, I sometimes feel a certain amount of grief/shame about the physical problems I have as a result of a lifetime of obesity (mostly arthritis and joint problems). I am not sure how it came up, but my date mentioned he'd had a total hip replacement when he was about my age! This guy is slim, and has been an athlete his whole life. In his case, he took a huge fall while mountain climbing in his youth and it eventually caught up with him. It helped me reframe my own emotions about the damage to my body.
It is the past, we all have our stories and history and all we can do is make the best of right now and build toward an even better future. I am currently rehabbing my bum hip with a much more positive attitude than I had when I was first diagnosed and guess what - getting better results! It is estimated I have 3-4 years before I need that replacement, and I say bring it - I will be ready when it is time!

I posted another similar topic mostly as a goof awhile back and it's had an amazing number of views and replies. It made me realize that talking about your ass after surgery can be an embarrassing thing. Yes, I have shat myself, a number of times. There I said it. Lipsticklady gave me the words to live by: Never trust a fart. In keeping with educating people, especially new folks, I thought I would condense a long post and make sort of a guide to living with your ass after surgery, if I did this right, you, the reader will laugh and learn at the same time. Nothing is out of bounds in this post, it's just an amalgam of all the great information posted by the community in the last post. So, here we go: ** Note I am not a Doctor, this post makes no medical advice, it is simply my opinion and that of others, nothing can substitute the advice of your Surgeon or Weight loss team **
Section one: Possible Ass functionality. The ass, has three states, I'll name them, Normal, Sahara and Volcano. Normal function is what we all seek. There are a plethora of reasons your ass may not be operating in this state, but we'll get to that. Next up, Sahara, as it's name would imply, this is when your stool becomes as dry as the Sahara desert. You could spend an afternoon on the bowl, read half a book, your legs and feet go numb, and at the end you, if you are lucky, pass a couple pebbles that actually 'plink' when they hit the bowl. The result is blown blood vessels, having the crawl out of the bathroom because your legs and feet are asleep, and a sore anus. This is not desirable. Even the hardcore S&M people are like, no man, that's hardcore. Then there is the exact opposite, Volcano ass. We all know it. You get a bit of rumbling in your tummy, pass a little gas, then it's game on! You pinch and duck waddle at top speed to the bathroom, sometimes you make it, sometimes you don't. (On a sidebar, it seems like the nerves that connect the ass and the brain have a lag of about 5 seconds. Meaning your ass sends out an alert to go NOW, and your brain takes about 5 seconds to process this and get it out to you, effectively putting your ass 5 seconds ahead of you. Anyone who has shat themselves within 3 feet of the bowl knows what I am talking about). Occasionally Volcano ass erupts like Mt St Helens. You are just sitting there, and BOOM explosion. It may have felt like a little toot, but without warning your ass erupted. ** Edit ** Thanks to @@cherri2082 for pointing out something I omitted. Sodium. I know many of us have a tendency to grab the "Low Sodium" version of a product as sodium has been vilified, however it is an essential mineral. The US RDA for a normal adult male is 1500mg per day, I have no idea how a Bypass affects our ability to absorb sodium, and won't until I get a major blood panel done. However, you should strive to make sure you get enough sodium every day, and when your ass is in Volcano state and you are loosing precious Water, a boost in sodium may well spell the difference between dehydration or not. Thanks for pointing this out.
Section two. How to deal with Sahara ass. RNY GB are prohibited from using 'bulking agents' for 6 months post op. Meaning your solutions are the following. First, everyone should be taking a Probiotic. Our digestive system has just been through hell and a little help cannot hurt. Second approach, Miralax, call your Doctor and get a script, it's WAY cheaper. If you are in an extreme state of Sahara, try two does of Miralax a day for 1-3 days. This really should clear you up. DRINK Water, I shoot for 100 oz a day. You cannot be angry with your ass for going into Sahara mode when there is not enough liquid. If 3 days of double shots of Miralax does not help, call MOM. Yep, Milk of Magnesia. I took 3 Tablespoons on the first day and 4 the next, and went straight into Volcano. No kidding I lost 5 pounds in 20 minutes. Depending on your diet stage working Fiber into your diet can be hard. But it is not impossible. Chili is a stage 3 or 4 depending on your surgeon diet choice and you can put all kinds of high Fiber stuff in there and never taste it. I have been eating nothing but chili for over a month, because it's predictable and cheap. That and I am a boring eater. Well, chili for meals I eat other things. Things to avoid, any opioid pain medicine. If you are in pain and prescribed Vicodin or Percodan, plan ahead, start taking Miralax along with the meds, these WILL PLUG YOU UP!!! Feel free to post any other meds you have encountered that can cause Sahara or Volcano. Taking Miralax long term may be a reality for some. It's better than the alternative. There is a drastic measure that can be taken instead of going to hospital. If you have not pooped in I would say 4 or 5 days, see your PCP and get a script for 'Go Lightly'. It's an oxymoron. It is used to clean you out before a colonoscopy. You WILL poop, In fact, you might see stuff coming out you don't remember eating. This is an extreme solution and again if you go to the ER, this is what they are going to give you. Get it yourself and at least you can poop your brains out in your own bathroom. ** Edit** Thanks to @@Cervidae You may want to try Smooth Move Tea. She said she's had good results with it and I recall from the first post a couple people talked about different teas. Just a word of caution, or advice, if the tea contains caffeine remember that is a diuretic so you would want to increase your water intake a bit. Probably not earth shattering, but if your are already drinking coffee, God knows I do, water intake is so important. Thanks for sharing. Another shout out to @@gpmed who noted that MOM caused stomach discomfort and sometimes overshot (or overshat, that line keeps cracking me up!) the target. I found the overshatting part dead on, but preferable to Sahara. Colace gel caps were suggested, and apparently they do work in RNY GB patients. Thanks for contributing! Another shout out to @ for recommending the Squatty Potty. It's essentially a 'U' shaped footstool (no it not that kind of stool lol!!) that sits around your toilet bowl. Putting your feet on it changes the angle of your anus, rectum and colon, and it designed to make passing a Sahara Rock Poop easier. Thanks for the addition!
Section three: How to deal with Volcano ass. Here is the real problem, short of imodium, this is hard to deal with. Most likely you are eating something your ass does not like. Try backing off your diet and going old school. Go back a diet phase if you have too. Probiotics gotta take em. They really help. Aside from diet changes and Probiotics there is not a lot you can do about this. Usually if you are peeing out your poop, it's the body's way of saying there is something here I don't want so I am cleaning you out. Unfortunately the 'something' is unique. You may have become lactose intolerant. Try FairLife Milk (the ONLY milk anyone here should be drinking). It has no lactose, 1/2 the carbs and nearly twice the Protein. AND it tastes GREAT!! The whole milk is like cream. The Skim is like 2% milk. Very creamy. Another really, REALLY important thing to remember when going through a Volcano stage, is to increase your water intake. For RNY GB patients the #1 reason for hospital readmission within 30 days post op, is dehydration. I know I know, your ass is erupting and exploding and the last thing you think you want is more liquid, but you need it. In fact, lack of water can actually make Volcano worse, as your body dehydrates things go awry. Trust me, when I was in Desert Storm I almost died from dehydration. I was CAS evaced to a field hospital and spent 20 days in hospital. The doctor told me I was within hours of death due to dehydration. And that at a certain point, once your body becomes so dehydrated it stops looking for water in the usual places, it drains your eyes, your brain, your organs and even with an IV you may still die. Dehydration is NO ******* JOKE. **Edit, I forgot when writing this to add something I take regularly, however I make SURE to take it when in Volcano mode for more than 24 hours. When your ass is erupting, and your are loosing mass amounts of water, you are also loosing critical minerals that are required to support life. While I spoke about increasing water, and you should, during these times I make sure to add (in my case my water canteens are 30oz) 2 NUUN tablets. They are essentially sugar free Gatorade. You can read about them here and buy them as well from that site (Amazon), they are effervescent but that only lasts for like 20 minutes, so drop a tablet or two into a bottle of water, and let it sit unopened in the fridge for 1/2 an hour and the carbonation is gone. They have a fairly mild flavor, but I've tried every flavor and while some I like better than others, there is none that I do not like at all. Gotta give a special shout out to @@cherri2082 for providing a fix for a burned, chapped ass exit. Aquaphor, which is essentially a better version of Vaseline. We used it on my kids when they were little for a range of things. Good stuff, and it will certainly help a burned out butt. Thanks for the advice!!
Wrap up: We all want a normally functioning ass. Me and my ass had it out a couple weeks ago. A double dose or Miralax followed by 4 tablespoons of MOM and I went into Volcano mode, extreme edition. Once it was over, and it was quick. My ass called a truce. I keep the MOM on the back of the toilet to remind my ass every time I sit down, what power I have available to me. However, Probiotics (do NOT cheap out on them, buy good ones, it's worth the extra couple bucks), lots of walking, lots of water and fiber and my ass has been normal for a couple weeks. I don't poop every day, sometimes I flirt with Sahara, but it clears up in a day. I had a good poop today, and as it's been a couple weeks, I thought I would share all I have learned, and start a post anyone can add whatever they have learned. TOGETHER WE CAN POOP NORMALLY! EMPOWER YOURSELF! YOU CONTROL YOUR ASS, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Remember, anything coming out of your ass, started off in your mouth. Talk about your ass in the third person, it helps. I think of my ass like another part of me, one that needs to be controlled. And unless you want to deal with this: SEE ATTACHMENT
Heed the above advice! HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY POOPING!!!!
Reading this post is meant to empower you over your ass, rise up and declare you will no longer be a slave to your ass, that ass oppression is OVER. And all of us in a single voice say to the world we have had enough (or not enough in the case of Sahara) and we are DEMANDING change, POWER TO THE POOPER!!! POWER TO THE POOPER!!!, POWER TO THE POOPER!!!
/rant off

Just made what I call green base. It's 3 cup of raw kale, 1 cup frozen spinach, ¼ apple peeled, 1/8 cup almond slivers. I put it all in the vitamix with approximately 1/3 cup of Water. Puree it all and the pour into ice cube containers. Each serving is 2 ice cubes and breaks down to:
Calories 154
Total Fat 8 g 13 % Saturated Fat 1 g 5 % Monounsaturated Fat 0 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g Trans Fat 0 g Cholesterol 0 mg 0 % Sodium 8 mg 0 % Potassium 25 mg 1 % Total Carbohydrate 20 g 7 % Dietary Fiber 2 g 6 % Sugars 8 g Protein 3 g 7 % Vitamin A 26 % Vitamin C 42 % Calcium 2 % Iron 7 % I call it Green Base because you can use it in Soup, or in a Protein smoothie. It's got fiber, nutrients and even a tiny bit of protein. Blended in a drink using the vitamix or nutra bullet it will give it a green color, but the taste is pretty much undetectable.

I stocked up on Premier Protein shakes, Light Greek Yogurt (more Protein than regular yogurt), and no-fat Refried Beans. The Beans have a surprising amount of protein and I could eat them in little tiny containers and they filled me up and gave me a savory fix. I also got no-sugar-added applesauce and ate it daily for the first two weeks. After that, I got over it and gave that up. I still eat the other things regularly though.
I bought little 2 ounce containers to split my yogurt and beans up into and it helped a lot psychologically. Now I use the 4 oz containers for food I make in advance on Sundays for the week. Yay 4 ounces!!
I am also single and a mess in the kitchen but I have come a long way! You will too. Good Luck.

So...what does LSD stand for???? If not acid! Haha.

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

I haven't had surgery yet, but when I first started rapidly gaining weight a few years back I had some rough hair loss. I had great success tackling it with this product, phytocane, that they sell at sephora. Plus it smells great. After one cycle of use my hair stylist and I started to see all the baby hairs popping up and filling in.
I did two full cycles and one maintenance cycle. You rub it onto your scalp after showering and before styling.
http://www.sephora.com/phytocyane-revitalizing-serum-P2883

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

I had the surgery for things other than just the weight loss.
I seldom went to bars before surgery. When I looked at the menus, most of the foods are fried. I was asking so that I can prepare myself and make better choices. That's not setting myself up for failure; it's setting myself up to make the right choice with some advice from others.

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

@ - yes i traveled during the week before surgery and then my trip was post 10 days after surgery ( I was in soft food phase - so shakes, Soup and lots of yogurt).
My surgery did not have a liques diet until 2 days before surgery - at my trip I was on a pre-op diet but not liquid only.
I will say - my first trip was hard (I was still building strategies). I am now better at planning. Reach out (send my a message) if you want to talk live about how I travel now.

This is my plan. I'm on my third of six months of pre-op visits. I'm hoping to take an uber home from the hospital too!

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

@@jhclikesshopping@gmail.com this is so helpful! Thank you so much. I am so new to all of this. Did you travel at all when you were in a liquid only phase? Or in the post-operative period?

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!