Brandeis

I haven't posted here! I figured I might; I'm still only a couple months in, but I finally am starting to see some change, so...

My before pic, around ~317 pounds, last spring.

New years eve! Down 50 pounds~

And then because this pleases me mightily, two pics in the same dress:

First one was about the 2nd day of purees, I think, so probably down about 35 pounds total? And the second, just yesterday, at almost 60~

I haven't thrown up a single time since my surgery [2 months out]. My bad reaction to food is pretty much just heartburn telling me "shouldn't have done that!". However, my friend who's about a month out throws up pretty much constantly. What I'd say is that there is no 'normal'; people are different, and the way they react to the surgery is different. If you're concerned about frequent vomiting, I'd advise talking to your doctor. u.u

My favorite shoes are at least half a size too big already. ):

I've been told that the stomach can't really stretch, but you can do damage to/stretch out the valve -- which, basically, amounts to the same thing, since it means that things'll go straight through you and you'll be lacking a lot of the restriction which is the entire point of the surgery.

Y U P.

Mine was 10 days early, and very heavy. Some people apparently skip their period; not me. I bled through all my comfortable pants. XP

mine was liquid, mostly; it was 2x Protein Shakes plus one light meal a day. So I could at least eat that light meal...

Yeah, all kinds of little things can affect your weight. When did you last eat? When did you last have a BM? Are you retaining Water? How much have you had to drink?

I also weigh myself every day, because I just can't HELP myself. :C But I try to always weigh myself at the same time of day: first thing in the AM, before eating, before showering, after peeing lol. That helps even SOME of the variables out. And if it goes up a little...well, it happens. Take a look at how little you're eating. Tally up how many calories you're consuming. You'll realize there's basically no way you CAN'T be losing, whether it be pounds or inches!

I was SO sure something had gone wrong with the insurance ~.~ I even called the bariatric wing and they were like "well, we had a feeling this would happen, right?" so having it be an entirely unrelated error...it's just so hilarious to me, now that it's settled.

I about had a heart attack this morning when I finally got the bill for my surgery.

A bill for 18k.

For about 15 minutes I was frantic, because I had all kinds of insurance problems with my surgery; apparently the doctor was covered, but the hospital wasn't. They managed to work out a deal where the hospital got paid at the in-network rate and I would only have to pay copay + remaining deductible.

Then, something clicked in my head. Copay + remaining deductible -- I should have owed 1800.

Of all the bullshit I went through to get my insurance to cover my surgery, I could think of nothing but the fact that something had gone wrong and I was being held responsible for a huge chunk of the surgery. And what actually went wrong?

Appropriately enough: a fat finger error. BASICALLY, THE DECIMAL POINT WAS IN THE WRONG PLACE.

They're sending me a new bill, for the correct amount thank god. But I had to share, since I'm laughing so hard now.

I was in a stall and just BUSTED OUT OF IT, I lost 5 pounds in the last week ?!

I'm still taking my antacids (because I take steroids for asthma, which can cause problems) but only 1 a day instead of 2.

SURGERY: 11/14/16

HW: 317

SW: 292

CW: 262

Mine came 10 days early due to surgery. <____> so it can definitely mess with you.

Don't forget the simplest helper for BMs as well: WALK AROUND! walking around apparently aids mightily in digestion, and should do a lot to help with your Constipation.< /p>

It was really great honestly. T_T I could even CROSS MY LEGS in the chair.

I've lost more than 50 pounds, but I swear this is the first time I've REALLY felt it: sitting on an airplane and easily putting on the seatbelt. Not only did I put it on [something I couldn't always do before QQ] but I put it on without tugging, pulling, or "sucking it in". And then, when I dropped my tray table, it didn't immediately bounce back up off my belly -- NAY! THERE WAS ROOM BETWEEN THE TOP OF MY THIGHS AND THE TRAY TABLE!

I can't remember the last time I could use a tray table on an airplane. It's dumb, but it's horribly exciting.

My NUT was VERY serious about 3 meals a day + maybe one small snack. It sounds like you're just eating whenever -- maybe what you need to do is instead of winging it, really plan your meals. Plan when you're going to eat, and what you're going to eat. I eat at 10, 2, and 7, EVERY SINGLE DAY, and I don't actually do a snack [considering adding one in these days, though].

Planning is your best friend, honestly. Planning is EVERYTHING. Because if you plan ahead, and you plan the right things to eat [high protein] and you have a routine, you can train your body to it. If you're just winging it, you won't train yourself.

I burp all the time and I'm a good 2 months out. u.u It happens if you eat to fast, but for me, it's probably because I try to be active for 10-15 min [walking around a bunch] after I eat to make everything settle a bit better. I think it has to do with how small your stomach is. You're full, but a lot of that is air, right. So you walk around a bit, and it all compresses and pushes the air out -- voila, burp!!!!

For the record, this is NOT Dumping Syndrome. This is just the shits. XD Dumping syndrome is just intense pain in the intestines~

I'm also not sure this has anything to do with sugar. You might be lactose intolerant? A lot of people have problems post surgery with milk, especially if you were sensitive before surgery. Or it could have to do with oils in what you're eating; fatty oils might make things slide through you a bit more uhhh....lubricated.....

I could do treadmill after the first week, but they didn't want me doing any core exercises or using the bike until 6 weeks out~ I do advise starting SLOW, though. After 15 min on the treadmill, that first time post surgery, I almost passed out when I got off. Up until then I'd easily been doing like 5 miles on the bike...

Well, the deal with salt is that it makes you retain Water -- so you've got all this excess water weight, which is just FLOATIN AROUND INSIDE OF YOU. It's something you'll probably lose if you cut down on salt [and I mean, lose it practically overnight]. (:

my NUT actually suggested that I do SOME carbs. One suggestion was to go for whole grain wheat thins, to eat with some cheese. carbs aren't inherently evil, is the thing -- they just don't have much [if any] Protein, and so they should be secondary to hitting your protein goals.

:* :* thank you all!!!

As of this post, I've lost 50 pounds! 25 of that was pre-surgery, and 25 is since surgery on Nov 14.

Last night I went to a really fancy party in a really fancy dress. Other people say they see the loss, but for me, I really don't -- but I do feel it. I can walk so much more now. I don't get tired. And I'm definitely eating a ton less.

I think I'll need to lose another 50 before I can actually recognize any change...we'll see!

Today's a month for me, and it's 22 pounds since surgery!!

It's exactly one month now since I had my surgery, and I've lost...22 pounds, which is pretty exciting! But I'm definitely still experiencing some hardcore fatigue. I feel fine in general, I'm just sleeping about nine to nine and a half hours a night, ugh! It has me stressing my Protein pretty hardcore, even though I'm pretty sure I'm doing fine with it. My brain just won't let me alone.

Are you getting enough Protein? I was told that making sure to hit my protein goals would help a lot with preventing too much hair loss...