SuperSparkly72

Congrats! You look great!

I feel your pain! I'm up to 13 pills right now, one I absolutely despise because it increases my anxiety, makes my lips go numb and only lets me get 3-4 hours of sleep a night. BUT it keeps my liver alive so I guess it's worth it. And that's the thing about our Vitamins. I'm not sure what kind of surgery you've had but as a bypasser, malabsorption is no joke for me. If I don't take all of those stupid pills, I risk long-term permanent consequences to my body that are not good. Granted, it's tough, especially at the beginning to choke them all down. My Calcium citrate used to sit like lead in my stomach. (And then there was the time I bought a different flavor of Multivitamin because it was on sale. So gross! But I was too cheap to throw them out so I gagged 4 of those disgusting creatures down a day for a month followed by a sugar-free mint chaser). The good news is, there are lots of decadently yummy options out there for vitamins. If you do some research, I'm confident that you can find something that is more to your taste and doesn't feel so much like torture each time you take it. I consider my calcium chews like a dessert that makes me look forward to lunch. I also hear your concern about the surgery itself. Is it worth it? I've been lurking on this site for over a year now as well as devouring anything I can regarding WLS and one theme I see over and over again are the stories of people who were able to lose vast amounts of weight on their own only to gain it back plus more. (Personally, I could never lose, I just got bigger and bigger) Yes, you've lost the majority of your weight so far before the surgery, but from what I've learned, the surgery has the highest potential of allowing you to keep it off long-term. And yet, it's scary sometimes, isn't it? This thing that we've done to ourselves. It's permanent, there's no going back and now we have to live with the consequences of that choice. I'm guessing you are still fairly early on, so not only are you trying to adjust to a new reality, but your body is still in recovery mode and you are being flooded with hormones that amp up all of your emotions. This is a tough time and buyer's remorse at this stage is not uncommon. But please hang in there. Follow your plan, take your vitamins. It would be a tragedy to sacrifice so much to have this tool and then not use it to its full advantage. WLS works. Yes, you will have to take pills for the rest of your life but hopefully, that life will be decades longer than it would have been had you not made the choice to take control of your health. Thank you for posting. And please keep using this community for support. There are people who care and who want you to succeed. You aren't alone. Sending lots and lots of virtual hugs your way. SuperSparkly

I have several people who hold me accountable to my routine. For instance, I pack my gym bag and change clothes before I leave work. It puts me in the mindset to go but also, I HAVE to go the gym because if I walk into my house dressed for the gym before 6:30, Mr. SuperSparkly knows I didn't exercise and teases me mercilessly. Or I make an appt. with a trainer or schedule to meet a friend. Knowing other people are waiting for me gets me in gear on the days I'm feeling too tired. Oh, and I have some really cute pink shorts I only wear at the gym. Cuz they're fun. And I like pink.

And don't forget the inevitable 3 week stall as your body adjusts to all of the changes. You might want to do some research in this regard. There is lots of information on this site about it and it's good to know what you are getting into ahead of time. There will be lots of stops and starts along the way. One week you'll lose pounds, the next you might lose inches and the next .... nothing. But every day you follow your plan, you will feel so much better than you did before your surgery. Excercise. Listen to your NUT and don't compare your journey to any else. We're all different but this wonderful tool we have been given works when we use it the right way. So excited for you and your journey!

@Highfunctioningfatman OMG! This is why I love it here! There are healthy alternatives for everything, even pop rocks! We've got tons of frozen fruit prepped for smoothies. Hubby is going to be so happy when he gets back from his run this morning. Smuckers makes a sugar-free caramel sauce. I'm pretty sure they sell it on Amazon.

Did I mention we've been married 22 years? I have to save something for special! Hence pop rocks for Christmas. Plus, Hubby knows he can have "pop rocks" anytime he wants to go to the grocery store for me. Believe me, he's not deprived. I just finished paying off my debt for all of the shopping he did for me over the winter when I didn't want to drive in the snow. (yes, I know we're not right, but it works for us) However, you make a good point. Mr. SuperSparkly is exceptionally nice to me and of all of the husbands I know, he's my favorite. He deserves a little extra every now and again.

For me, head hunger can be one of two things. First, it's just obsessive thinking. If that's the case, as @Djmhor suggests, distraction is the best method. Sometimes, though, it's an emotional thing. Because of the way I grew up, food represents security for me. If I feel stressed, unsafe, sad (insert negative emotion here) my brain tells me to eat and I'll be happy/safe/calm .... whatever. If it's emotional, then I need to address how I'm feeling and take steps to manage the problem behind the emotion. Usually by the time I journal, call a friend or go work out either a. I'm not hungry anymore or b. it's time to eat again. Therapy is so, so helpful for this type of thing. I highly recommend it.

Congratulations!

@@KristenLe Right? I learned so many fun facts after I turned 40. Turns out, my mother was right. You are influenced by your friends. I should have been hanging out with the girls who smoke. It wasn't until I started joining my secretaries on their smoke breaks that I really started to have fun! Pop Rocks, Jello shots, Pure Romance parties. . . . For anyone feeling sorry for Hubby, don't. He's been benefitting greatly from things like my hormone dumps, increased stamina and a much more flexible SuperSparkly. The pop rocks were him just being greedy. LOL!

I posted too soon! Things I worried about before surgery came from articles I read 1. Do people really experience more depression after surgery? 2. Do marriages really fail when one partner makes such a drastic change? 3. Do you really lose friends who can't handle the changes you make? I know for others this has been a reality. For me, I have been blessed to have my life just get better. But knowing to ask the questions before the surgery and being prepared helped me to keep my eyes open for any potential problems.

@@Dub I SO agree that life is infinitely better on the other side of WLS. I am 7.5 months out and over 120#s down in the last year and I am grateful every day for my bypass. Things I worried about before surgery came from articles I read: