Brandeis

walk, walk, walk, walk, walk. the more you walk, the faster you'll work that gas out.

Complications are EXTREMELY rare. Of course there's always a risk, but they wouldn't be offering the surgery if there were extreme risk.

At 33 I can tell you, I wish very much it were something I'd done at 26 instead. The risks are worse down the line, for many reasons -- and your results won't be as good. Mine have been excellent but it's taken work. Almost 10 years ago, I wouldn't have all the loose skin I have now, I wouldn't have to worry about that so much.

However, if you keep freaking out, I think what you need to do is talk to a psychiatrist. This sounds like true anxiety, since it's so extremely irrational -- and that's fine. It's a hard thing to deal with. But if you're serious, you need to actually deal with it, and talking to someone might help with that.

Skipping it is normal, any shock to the system can do that. Count your lucky stars; instead I got mine about 2 weeks early, immediately post-op.....

The deal with straws is that they do make it easier to drink much faster -- which is NOT something you want. But if you can control the flow of liquid through a straw, you should be fine. You just have to be conscious of how fast you're drinking so you don't make yourself sick.

Ditto with carbonation. I drink sodas now and then. I rarely can finish them; the bubbles fill you up so quick!

I drink the **** out of that chocolate milk. But I'm also a huge voice of "moderation, not abstinence". So long as you're keeping track of the sugar/carbs you're eating and are aware, you can compensate around it. So having a cup of chocolate milk with 12g carbs really isn't that terrible, unless you're also eating a lot of carbs the rest of your day...

The sublingual B12 is extremely cheap, it'll be the least of your concerns when it comes to vitamins....

Thanksgiving last year was the first day I could eat pureed foods...that kind of SUUUCCKEEED. By Christmas (which was a little over a month out) I could eat normally enough that I went out for dim sum with a friend, though I basically just ate the insides of all the dumplings.

Your portion sizes will still be small. You can have treats, I'd say, as long as you can be mindful of how much you're eating, and definitely start with the Protein, whether it's turkey or goose, or ham, or whatever it may be!

I don't really watch what I eat, not at all -- I mean, I try to follow the rules (protein first, low carbs, get those veggies) but I haven't calorie counted since pre-op, and even then I didn't do it much....

It's hard for me to imagine how people don't have success with this tbh. I'd have to eat so much to not lose weight!

You should take up walking or running or some kind of activity, though, if only to see how much more you can do now.

I hear what you're saying, but here's something that might help wrap your mind around it.

Take two identical-appearing people -- both, say, 5'9 and 150 pounds. One of them has never been extremely overweight. The other once was 320 pounds, and lost a lot of weight to get down to 150. Feed them the exact same meal every single day, the same number of calories, the 2000 "suggested" by general nutritional info. The person who was once fat will in fact process those calories more and might in fact gain weight, while the person who never was obese might be perfectly fine.

If you have ever been fat, there are certain hormones your body creates more of, that changes the way your body works on a fundamental level. You will need fewer calories for the rest of your life -- even if you get down to weight -- than people who never had that excess weight.

Here's another fun fact. Related. The number of fat cells in your body never decreases, but it can increase. This means that when you put on a lot of weight, you increase the number of fat cells in your body -- and then when you lose weight they don't go away, they just shrink. This means that for the rest of your life, your body will more effectively store fat. You have more of a warehouse to fill, and so your body squirrels away more fat in it.

My NUT approved toast as soon as I went to solid foods. Limited amounts of it, and it has to be very dry. Just be aware of the calories you're taking in and you'll be fine.

The problem with not toast is that it can as much as double in size in your stomach. So think about what that means. You eat until you're full, and then slowly the bread begins to grow in your sleeve -- it's going to be uncomfortable, might even hurt. To avoid this, I suggest eating it slowly, or eating a VERY SMALL AMOUNT and NOT until you're full.

I had my surgery about a week before you!! I'm down to about a pound or so a week myself; I think it's just what happens around a year out. T_T You're doing great, though!

This is probably due to ketosis. You're not taking in carbs, and so you're in Keto mode -- I had HORRIBLE dry mouth during keto, and also the weirdest smell (my body, my spit, my mouth...everything smelled weirdly sweet). Once my calorie intake went up a bit, it chilled out again.

Are you lactose intolerant or are you allergic to milk...? most cheeses don't have much lactose, especially hard cheeses like cheddar etc! I'm lactose intolerant but cheese is a major staple of my diet. (;

Zulily is really great, if you're looking for cheap! If you're looking for fun & youthful and don't mind spending a bit (not expensive, just not CHEAP) then I suggest Modcloth.

I'm having this exact same struggle, personally. Somehow in my weight loss I've gone from floofy and girly and a little silly tot more rock/goth/punk, and frankly, I have no idea where to get the kind of clothes I want, aside from Torrid -- which I have now definitely 100% sized out of (she said as sitting in a 00 torrid dress that sits on her like a sack...)

I think the thing is that there are a TON MORE STORES with a TON MORE OPTIONS. It might be time to actually (gasp) go to a mall, and walk around, and try things on at a bunch of places. You might pick things up more piecemeal instead of just buynig full wardrobe in one store...

21 hours ago, ellen martin said:

my dr said no alcohol. i knew someone who drank after 3 mos, is that ok?

A sip or two isn't going to kill you, but it is empty calories. If you're going to drink alcohol, be aware of how much you're drinking and also how much it can slow down your weight loss. A simple drink like a gimlet can run as much as 200 calories; that's like 1/5th of what you're eating in a day. If you go for something sugary like a hurricaine it can be as much as 350-400. Pint of beer is around 200. Glass of wine is 100.

As you can see, these could all totally kill your diet plan -- and, in addition, you're going to get very drunk very fast. After a certain point the alcohol isn't a "danger" to you, as in it's not going to cause problems specifically with your sleeve. It will just slow down your weight loss and might also have negative effects.

Personally, I say drink responsibly. My NUT says "never drink again" but with a wink that says she knows that no one ever listens to that....

For me, I break a lot of rules -- a lot -- but I break them sparingly, which I think is why I've been so successful thus far. I've had sodas, now and then; full calorie ones, if I do it, because it's a treat that I have only now and then & I know how many calories it is. I eat sweets, but only a very small amount, which is usually enough to satisfy. At parties, etc, I indulge in things I never would at home.

But on the day to day basis, I follow the rules. I no longer sit and eat an ENTIRE THING of oreos. Instead I eat 2.

Abstinence doesn't work, but moderation does....

As a rule, I'd probably avoid anything at starbucks, as they're probably INCREDIBLY high in sugar. I tried a thai iced tea at one point and...well....had to change my pants. Trust me, that sugar can be a really bad shock to your system, don't risk it.

I've heard so many people rave about them so I gave them a try, and about threw up. The texture is so gross to me. I'm glad they work for you, though!

20 hours ago, Rainbow_Warrior said:

You're right. The 20 pounds (or most of it) has left from your lower torso.

You look more vertical ... a higher centre of gravity. A strong hint of more confidence.

Yes! It's very nice! And it's strange because I remember, after the first ~50 pounds, being like "I barely see any change at all!!!"

Now it takes so little....

It's strange to me how little it takes now to drastically change the way I look. These pics are only about 2 1/2 months and 20 pounds apart, but the difference is so major to me! The scale hasn't been moving as much as it did in the beginning, but it certainly still seems to be doing more to my body...

I had a lot of these problems recently (like 10 months out!) for the first time. I'd been working out so much in the heat that I'd been sweating madly, and I think I sweated out all the salts in my body!

I bought some electrolyte additive to help replenish those missing electrolytes, like berry suggested, and it's helped a ton.

Raw veggies are extremely fibrous, which can be difficult on the gastrointestinal system. You might be itching for it, but don't give in!!

Yeah I got my period 2 weeks early, like 3 days after surgery. It was terrible.

What you're expressing sounds like dehydration to me, though. Your body can do okay on very low calorie counts, but without the fluids it freaks out. It can make you nauseous, too; dizzy, with black spots, shakiness, etc. Make sure you're just drinking CONSTANTLY!!

Do it over the break, I say. Not being stressed out about other things will be a huge help in your recovery. You might feel totally fine, or you might feel like utter crap -- it seems a "better safe than sorry" thing, to me. T_T

I'm with everyone else. My only regret is that I didn't do this 10 years ago.