Moogle

This is very important. That is NOT okay and should NOT be normalized.

Hair loss started about the 3rd month. I'm at 6 months and keep shedding like crazy. Best thing to do is keep getting your protein, water and vitamins in. I added a dose of biotin as well. It'll stop eventually. I actually used it as an excuse to cut over a foot of hair off.

Congrats! It is a good feeling. I just got mine back this week - 5.4, but my doctor still won't take me off the small dose of Humalin. Still frustrated that I have to jab myself with 10 units twice a day. I woke up with a few lows this week so she took me from 15 in the morning to 10. Honestly I'm about to change Dr.'s. Never been too impressed with mine, and now that I moved, it is nearly a 2 hour drive. There is a Kaiser complex an hour and ten away so that is much more desirable.

Please, no. Nothing else off the rear. I didn't have a butt to begin with. Seriously. Flat. Well, now its even flatter. I can't believe I lost enough back there to have hanging skin under my cheeks. It's so uncomfortable to sit for too long (no padding) and I'm a student which means I spend loads of time on my butt every day. Lol.

Law school is awful. I put my husband through. He graduated in the top 5% of his undergraduate class and struggled with his grades in law school. The not being able to work thing almost killed us. I was working a crap retail job that really didn't pay enough. He didn't get any scholarships and now has $150k in student loan debt because we took every cent possible to make sure we had a roof over our head (seriously, DC area is freaking expensive - my paycheck didn't even cover our rent). When he got out, it was right in the middle of this last recession and no jobs were available. He interned with all the public-interest groups who were all in hiring freezes. The situation is pretty bad when you go to a tier I school with no employment prospects afterwards. All the people who got hired when they graduated had family firms and connections, which we had none of. When the freezes ended, they only wanted people fresh out of school. It really didn't prepare him for anything afterwards at all. He does criminal defense and he had to learn pretty much everything. Like right now, he just started a new firm and is learning the civil sides because trying to get people to pay their bills is nearly impossible sometimes. I'm just glad his stuff is doing well enough so that I can go to school full-time and not work, especially since my college is tough (it's an honor's college). The kicker is, his school keeps begging us for money. We haven't even started paying his loans back. And the fact that they changed their name to "honor" one of the biggest disgraces to the legal profession (and Supreme Court - sorry to get political, but yeah, not happy about that name change) means they can go well.. uh.. yeah. If they had the money to do that, then they don't need the money we don't have. Relax, breathe, relax. Drink a glass of wine (if that's your thing). Don't go overboard: law school almost made my husband an alcoholic. Yes, an F can be catastrophic. But it sounds like you've done pretty well other than that class. Fingers crossed for you that it pulls you up over that hump. If they try to kick you out or pull your stuff, appeal it. Explain your situation: your life, stress / mental health factors, etc. They might have programs to help with that (my husband's law school did). I have to keep a 3.0 to keep my scholarships and get into the graduate program I want to do. The pressure is on there. I feel ya. I couldn't afford to stay in school if it weren't for my scholarships. Oh, and the way classes are graded are terrible. I remember his grades being determined 100% by the final exam. Nothing else mattered except that exam.

Chipotle has become one of my new favorite places. I can get a bowl with no rice or Beans (I hate beans), chicken, peppers and onions, salsa and cheese. Lasts me 2-3 meals. Mmmm. At home I make tacos with lean (93%) ground beef and use baby romaine as the "shell". Add homemade salsa and some cheese and diced jalapenos. Sometimes I'll do it with diced chicken. I get the crunch and spice without all the empty carbs. I have not had any problems with spice. I am thankful for that because I was a real chilihead before the surgery. Now I'm craving "tacos" and my seasoning from Penzeys is on order so now I have to wait. Boo. Note: I didn't try any of this until I was approved around week 15. Also, I'll go to Golden Corral for a "fajita bowl" every once in a while. They have grilled chicken strips and all the stuff to go with it and it usually only costs me about 3.50 and it is good for two meals - I just have to deal with the snarky comments about why my container is so light :\ (I don't care - it is just embarrassing sometimes).

I was getting all of my fluids in pretty quickly after surgery. I was super strict about it. I had a timer to remind me every 15 minutes to drink my 1 ounce thimble. With that said, my two first appointments I found out I was dehydrated. Had to sit there for several hours and receive fluids. Its been better since, though.

I come from a family with major addiction issues (both sides going back multiple generations). Because of this I have always been careful about alcohol consumption. Hell, I get worried about taking prescription pain meds for the same reason. Before my surgery, I would have a cocktail maybe 5-6 times a year when dining out. I never drank at home and would have a few drinks at my favorite yearly gaming convention. Now that I have the surgery I will probably never touch the stuff again. Maybe a few years out I can have the occasional (yearly) cocktail if it can be made in a way that it is no longer a sugar bomb - no sugary juices or sodas. And that is if my doctor approves it, which I am highly doubtful of considering he told me it would be years before we could even discuss adding coffee back. (This has been the biggest struggle for me - I am a student - I NEED my morning coffee.) I never liked wine (well at least when it isn't in sangria) or beer. Honestly I won't miss it, though I may miss the occasional sangria.

@ I think that is one of my problems: I play on a dead server. Seriously, I'm surprised they haven't tried merging it yet. It (Shadow Council) is almost always dead last for progression. I have some alts on Stormrage, but that is a little too populated for me. @@Sai I used to play a holy priest. I'd like to think I was a damn good one.. lol. After Cata I played a BM hunter. I remember my cat jumping on my desk and my keyboard and activating aspect of the pack (where you get speed, but stunned if hit) when we had Rag down to like 24%. They didn't let me live that one down for a while. @@LipstickLady I can dig the fancy cheese. When cheese got added to my diet I went to Wegmans (who seriously has the BEST cheese shop ever - not sure if you have one in your neck of the woods - I know there are a bunch in VA now) and bought like all of the fancy cheeses. I'm sad that it is now 1.5 hours for me to drive to one (or Trader Joes). Blast you southern MD.

I want to play Civ VI but I know I'll never get any homework done again. I've been sad at my lack of time for video games as of late. It's like I never have free time anymore. I think I'm finally through my League withdrawals. Also side note: I used to be huge into WoW. Played since launch but got bored the last few expansions. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using BariatricPal mobile app

Adult coloring books. It is a great stress reliever in between homework and papers.

I've had this happen a few times. At first I felt awkward about it, but then I realized why should I care? Even today, the cashier at Golden Corral made a comment about it. GC is probably my favorite place to pick stuff up after class. I can get lean grilled chicken breast, veggies and other healthy options and not have to worry about cooking lunch (I've tried leftovers but Chef Mike makes me ill - I think it is from the food dehydration) especially on days when my husband is at work. Either way, it usually comes to about $2 and some change for my lunch. "What do you have in there, a salad?" What does it matter to you? I'm not going to explain my life story and why my container only weighs a few ounces. That is my business, not yours.

I'm still not allowed shrimp at nearly 5 months out. They say it will probably be added at the 6 month mark. At my 4 week follow-up they added any seafood except shrimp.

I'm allowed one "snack" a day in my plan. I don't have to take it and some days I don't. This is outside the three meals (well two meals and a Protein shake) that they have me eating. My Snacks of choice? Apples: I'll have 2 a week. I get small ones, slice and peel. I wasn't allowed these until my 4 month follow-up. Parmesan Crisps: Crunchy, salty, carb-free and a good source of protein. Sometimes I'll make my own cheddar ones and add seasonings such as old bay, or Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix (the dry stuff), or chipotle seasonings.. whatever I'm in the mood for at the time cheese - String Cheese / Baby Bell, things like this. Again, good protein, no carbs and under 100 calories

I'm about 4.5 months out. Lost 75lbs. Started at 276; I was 201 this morning. Today was the last day for the MD Renn Faire so I just had to go. I took a picture last year but didn't share it with anyone because I thought it looked terrible. I had another picture taken today and I just can't believe how much of a change there was. Last year I was wearing a 46" corset. The one from this year was a 36". Oh and my hair is a hot mess in this, but that should be expected after being outside all day. Can't wait to see where I am next year!

Make sure you get your protein and fluids in. Take your vitamins. Walk. The stalls will break. They always do.

Sometimes you just have to have patience with this process. It doesn't happen overnight. It took me 16 months from my first orientation meeting until my actual surgery. I wanted to have surgery over winter break last year. It ended up happening early summer of the next year. Be proactive. Is there a number you can call to find out if you were approved for the study instead of waiting for them to call you? There were times that I got down, but I kept reminding myself that it will all work out eventually. I am glad I stuck with it. Trust me, it is worth it.

I used to sweat so badly, especially at night. I would keep my bedroom super cold and run a fan but would still wake up sweating. The house would have to be sitting at about 68 for me to be comfortable during the day. Now I am constantly freezing. My thermostat is set at 75 and I'm still cold. In my classes my fellow students would complain about the warm temps and I'd be sitting there shivering in my shirt and sweater. I definitely appreciate it because I can't use antiperspirant (only deodorant) due to my hs issues under my arms. It makes my life a whole lot easier not having to deal with the displeasure of being moist.

I have a desk cycle. I used to live in a terrible neighborhood. I wasn't going to go outside by myself and risk getting mugged, run over or worse. The apartment was tiny - 600 sq ft. I would walk around when I could, but two adults with a lot of stuff and four cats means not much room for anything. I got the desk cycle so I could pedal while at the computer or while sitting on the couch. My team really liked this idea and said they would recommend it to patients with space issues. I would still get up and shuffle around the rooms the best I could several times a day. Thankfully I've moved to a much more rural part of the state where I can walk freely and my college campus pretty much forces me to walk 30 minutes a day between classes and my car.

Started about week 13-14 for me. Best thing to do is to make sure you get your fluids, protein and vitamins in. At least that is what my team told me. I started taking a biotin supplement as well hoping that it grows back faster (seriously though, my nails grow so fast now). Every time I run my fingers through my hair I end up with a half dozen or so strands and you do not want to see what comes out in the shower.

I'm going to miss having only a handful of stores to shop in. I was able to keep my wardrobe in check (not really - I donated like 5-6 trash bags overflowing with clothing in the last two months - and I have two more in the closet!) by not having access to every store on the planet. Now I have too many choices and it means I want to shop and buy all the clothes from all the stores. :x

A suggestion for the popsicles.. get some popsicle molds and make your own with Crystal Light. That is what I did when I got sick of the same basic flavors of the Popsicle brand.

I am on a platinum plan I purchased through the state exchange (Maryland). My premium (which I take no assistance for) is about $320 a month. I got the higher-end plan because of my health issues. My copay for the surgery was $350 (would have been $250 last year). It is really late in the year, which means health insurance enrollments will be opening up soon. Do you have the option of changing plans? Maybe see what else is open? Just something to look into. I told my doctor that I wanted a referral for bariatric surgery on my first visit two weeks after I got on the insurance and there was absolutely no problem.

@@KristenLe Well I feel like a complete moron right now. I don't know how I ended up on this side of the forums lol. I guess that is what I get for trying to do homework and forum-browse at the same time. If I could delete my post I would. Just ignore me.

I'm all about Stevia. If it is something that I want to add flavor to I use Torani sugar-free syrups. I make decaf iced green tea and I'll add the Torani peach or mango syrups to it. Mmmmm.