Dashofpixiedust8

I had severe pain for 3 weeks and had to take pain meds all day. You are not alone.

Hello! I am now 8 months post op! In answer to your questions: 1. My cravings have not gone away completely but I am able to control it better. If I want something sweet I eat it just in a MUCH smaller amount. As my nutritionist says, you really only taste it the first couple bites and then its just a bunch of calories after that. I'm fine with having a bite of a cupcake or what I normally do is get the mini squares of ghirardelli dark chocolate. They are only 36 calories a square and one mini square is all I need. 2. I do feel full. It's not the fullness I expected this far out. I felt much fuller right after surgery but that is to be expected since your stomach is so swollen. I have much less of the hungry 5 minutes after eating that I had before surgery. Now its more like 1 1/2-2 hours after I eat. 3. I take many medications (14 pills a day) for various medical issues. Right after surgery I had to space them out throughout the day so I could take them all. Now I can take them in a bunch in the morning and at night. As your stomach heals it will be easier to take pills. There are only a few pills you shouldn't take after surgery. Your surgeon will be able to tell you them. It's basically because some pills have an irritant in them that can cause stomach bleeding or ulcers. 4. I have had some complications after surgery and did not have a straight down slope. I am still down 226 pounds since I started and 160 pounds down since surgery. There are periods of stall and whenever I travel in a car for long periods or fly I retain Water like crazy and always seem to gain 10-14 pounds. >:( So annoying! But it's usually very temporary!

I also had the band before I was sleeved. I had the band in 2008 and it was removed in 2012. I had the sleeve in May of 2016! Welcome to the club! Good luck with your surgery!

Starting weight (October 2015): 540 Surgery Weight (May 2016): 480 One month post op: 440 Current: 314 Goal: 200 Height 5'10 Age: 30

@KrisZ Thanks!!

You look soooo amazing!!! Congrats on your progress!! I was sleeved May 29, 2016 so basically June. I'm down 226 pounds overall. (started at 540 now at 314!) This was me in 2015 before my consultation This was me in May of 2016 This is me now

Each surgeon has their own procedures. I also think it varies due to how overweight you are to begin with.

I am so sad my boobs are getting smaller and smaller!! I am 8 months out and down 226 pounds.

@ladyslim2015 and @dede0314 I have added you both! Welcome to the challenge! @Daja I agree! Everyone is doing great!

@schmauss No problem! I need the help too which is why I like to run them! We will get to goal together!

@Deputydog35 Is 205 your goal to be reached by March 24th? @Jen-2+1 So Sorry! That has been fixed! @SunshineUnicorn It has been updated!

@DajaIt's no problem! If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask!

@princessao Thank you! I'm going to!

@Brenda818 I have days where I am hungrier than others. I am much hungrier than I was in the beginning. I had been using a calorie goal of 600-800 until about 2 months ago and was famished until my nutritionist told me I should be at 1000-1200 now (oops haha). I'm trying to eat more Protein and raw veggies now which helps with the hunger. I was eating things like popcorn and such but I feel like those are slider foods. I still have them but not as often. I wasn't eating enough veggies according to my nutritionist but I wasn't eating them because they felt harder to digest. Eating them though has helped with my hunger. I will eat some raw veggies with dip I made from plain greek yogurt mixed with a dry ranch dressing packet. It helps up my protein but keeps it in my calorie range. I find that I get FAMISHED every time I work out though. It is really annoying. My surgeon suggested I eat protein and carbs before and after my work out to try and help with my hunger, It has helped a little but I still get pretty hungry.

@ElysiaDee Thank you!!

My weigh in is 319!

Congratulations @faithlovehope and @MrsHutto143 for making it to ONEDERLAND!! @emluv03 You are so close to onederland!!

@Jackson53 Thank you so much. It is really hard to deal with body image issues. I appreciate your compliment though! Very sweet!

@LaDivaDev Thank you so much!! That's something many people tell me!

@dlkumes Thank you so much!!

@Daja I eat around 1200 calories a day. I have not cut out carbs but I do focus more on protein. I use a lot of weight watcher recipes and also have Greek yogurt and protein shakes. My surgeon said I was actually getting TOO MUCH protein so I have cut out most protein bars but keep one with me at all times for emergencies so I don't get fast food or something if I end out being out during a meal. I have started going to the YMCA only recently because I had a lot of complications after surgery and wasn't really able to exercise much besides walking. I do about 30-45 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week. Then I do the weight machines twice a week (I separate out my upper and lower body and do each twice a week). My weight loss really ranges. Sometimes I lose nothing for weeks or I lose 10 pounds in a week. In the past 5 days I've lost 6 pounds. But the week before I lost nothing.

@Montana Gal Aww thank you so much!!

@MissKay Thanks for your reply! I definitely understand and have had the same thoughts. I worry about having the skin surgery and then having kids which would just stretch it out again! I just invested in some spanx but they aren't holding up as much as I would have thought they would for $76!! I wore the one for the first time yesterday and When I took it off it had stretched larger than the one I didn't wear. I'm worried it will stretch too much that it won't be helpful anymore.

I had started my journey at 540 pounds. I was so overweight I needed oxygen all the time because I couldn't breathe properly. When I had surgery in May of 2016 I was 480 pounds. Today (February 8, 2017) I am 319!! I can't wait to reach the 200's and then the 100's! Here are some comparison pics! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You have done amazing!!! You look entirely different!! Congrats on your success!!