moppet

THESE stories are so inspiring! Thank you for sharing! How often - how much - how intensely are all of you working out?? I'm 4 weeks post op & I'm absolutely exhausted.
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Yes! Basically I was told to hang in there. They suggested I try an IUD. but honestly I didn't want one more thing new in my body.
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I'm 6 months post op. For the first 4 months I had my period EVERY SINGLE DAY. it was a blood bath. Someone on here said a crime scene. Omg. It was ridiculous. I was buying Super Plus tampons (I didn't even know plus existed!). And I was changing them often. As a result I was absolutely exhausted. Lethargic. BUT as of last month & again this month - I am happy to tell you that my period has tapered off. I'm back to getting it once a month for about 5 days. It's still heavier than it used to be. But my point is my body is slowly crawling back to normal. GOOD LUCK !!!
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First period since surgery on Aug. 19. Not to be indelicate, but it's like a crime scene.
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I guess I was just expecting (hoping?) to get really sick. I genuinely did not expect to successfully get the Cookies down. Lesson learned.
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Cookies are what we call 'slider' foods. They aren't very dense, and break up into tiny little crumbs. The result? We can eat more of them. That's why the number one rule of these surgeries is Protein, Protein, protein. It fills us up, keeps us satisfied, and helps with weight loss because it takes work to digest. Less chance you'll eat 8 Cookies with a bunch of chicken breast in there
As you well know now, it's on us to make the right choices, the sleeve won't do it for us. I know this is cliche, but it is just a tool, not a barrier.

I generally bought new clothes when my old ones were getting too big.* Thrift stores, EBay, thredup.com and Kohls were my mainstays.
*Sometimes I had to push myself to realize that clothese were, in fact, getting too big. I think we all get used to seeing ourselves a certain way. So occasionally I would make myself go into a store and try on clothes I thought would be too small just as a check. And in fact the clothes I thought were too small never were!

6 months out. So what happens if we drink hot chocolate? Do we crap ourselves? Seriously.
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I have a hot cocoa almost every morning. 1 packet Nestle fat free hot chocolate + 4 oz unsweetened vanilla cashew milk + 2 oz Water + dollop of fat free reddi whip. All in all under 55 calories of deliciousness.
I also add in other flavorings -- like this morning I added some hazelnut sweet drops & instant coffee for a hazelnut mocha hot cocoa.
Nothing I've eaten since being sleeved has made me "crap myself." I think that's more often for bypass or DS people.

I guess it depends on what is in your hot chocolate. Have you tried the ProtiDiet hot chocolate?

When I was craving hot chocolate last winter (I was about 6 months out then), I would heat up 8 oz of the chocolate Fairlife on the stove. Yes, it's still got 140 calories and 12g of sugar, but it has 13g of Protein and it was a great treat every now and then. And it never caused me any digestive issues.

Hello friends. Would/could someone please explain how people regain 50+ pounds? This is a genuine question. Not a judgement at all. Does your pouch expand? Are you no longer full? Are re-gainers simply eating thru the pain?? I'm terrified of gaining the weight back!
THANK YOU

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Believe it or not, you're not always going to be able to eat itty bitty portions. Also, what we call the honeymoon period ends and hunger and cravings may return. So basically, as time goes on, we still have our smaller stomach, but can put away more food. Add to that the cravings and hunger, and people run the risk of falling into old habits such as too much sugar, processed foods, and drinking calorie laden drinks. By years 3-5, some can eat up to a half a plate of food. And grazing all day long becomes much easier as time goes on. I could easily put away a whole pizza in a day if I put my mind to it!
So it's pretty simple. You will gain weight consuming a half a plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and washing it down with a soda, as opposed to a piece of grilled chicken and a green veggie. Add lack of physical activity, and boom. Weight gain.
Sticking to the rules of WLS (Protein first, lower carb, healthy fruits and veggies, move more, lots of water) helps people keep their weight off long term.

I think people believe that having weight loss surgery is a one time magic cure that will fix all problems for life. It is not. You have to use the surgery as a tool to change your habits. I only eat about 6 ounces of food per meal, which is not a lot, but you could pack a lot of carbs and calories in to 6 ounces if you wanted to. For example, for 6 ounces I could eat 12 oreos for around 250 carbs. Or I could eat 3 ounces of chicken and 3 ounces of veggies for 5-10 carbs depending on the choice of vegetable. An hour after eating the oreos, I will crave more oreos. An hour after eating a healthy meal, I will still be full and have no cravings. But still, I only ate 6 ounces either way.
It is possible to stretch your sleeve, and you should definitely be aware of not forcing yourself to eat more than you should, but the bigger issue is food choice. And just as a side note, I am not picking on oreos. I love those stupid things! But everything in moderation.
On another note, I have not gained any weight back. Not even a pound. It takes constant work, but it can be done.

HANG IN THERE! It will totally get better. I had my period for 3 months straight. No joke. I thought I was going to lose my MIND! I am nearly 5 months out & my period has stopped. It's still not normal but it's not everyday. Just hang in there. You're doing great!

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I opened a can of Canada Dry and my little brother heard it downstairs. He came up running upstairs to snatch it out of my hand. "No way"...
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THANK YOU !!!
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I had the best arms of my life back when I was tossing hay bales up onto a wagon. so, getting a hay bale would be pretty cheap, but you've gotta toss it a lot, and then toss it back down at 5 am and 5 pm. works your core too.
I learned to drive a tractor so I could stop tossing up the hay bales - although it didn't get me out of the daily toss down year round.

Hand weights- I'm going to try and describe this-
Stand over something - maybe a desk, or countertop- and plant one hand firmly on the surface.
Take the weight in your other hand, and begin with your arm bent 90degrees, and now extend it back behind you.

Alternate to other arm.
Another one is to use hand weights with your arms down at your side, and extend them out away from your body- so you will be palms facing your legs, and then lifting the arms away from you to the side, so that your arm is even with your shoulder.


Those are two- is suggest a good Google search- or if you go to the gym- ask a trainer.
Resistance bands are awesome too!!!
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As an aside, I do these exercises not only at the gym, but home, too. An ever-present need to prevent arm flab. Hell. Women have been using Soup cans for these exercises for years!
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I posted this same topic over on the general boards, but figured you guys might benefit, too!
Hi guys! I wanted to put some minds at ease about excess skin. It truly depends on your body type, age, exercise level, Water intake...and about 20 other variables. That being said, I think most of the after photos people see show huge excess amounts of skin, and thankfully, it isn't that way for EVERYONE.
I drink tons of Water, exercise a lot, and in general, have good skin. I also had rather good weight distribution - no one part of me was excessively larger than all the other parts (luckily!).
I had VSG almost 2 years ago - I'll be 22 months out on the 20th of this month. I'm 28 years old, my high weight was 330 lbs, surgery weight was 323 lbs, and current weight is 150 lbs - putting me at 173 lbs lost.
I know so many people decide WLS isn't for them, for fear of excess skin. Don't let that sway you - it might not be as bad as you think!!

THIS IDEA IS GENUIS! I tried it this evening. Thanks!
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THIS IDEA IS GENUIS! I tried it this evening. Thanks!
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How about a frozen marshmellow???

Honestly it could lead to bad behavior again. Maybe some Greek yogurt. Also Look up Protein mug cakes from "the world according to eggface". She has some really tasty recipes and 1 recipe makes about 4-5 servings. Something with some nutrition http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2010/04/that-takes-cake.html?m=1
Dub that's not sweet!!
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