GotProlactinoma

Now that I'm so far removed from the immediate inconveniences of plastic surgery and sleeplessness, it was entirely worth it! Here's a photo from about 9 weeks out. I'm still healing everywhere but no more bruising or open wounds. And I'm sleeping like a rock! Fifty-four is right around the corner. I weighed in today at 136 pounds and I feel fantastic! I feel like I look my age but, as folks say, do finally look "good for my age".

It could well be that people have individual reasons for doing one surgery before the other. Some people might even do more than one at once. But if you start kind of small to get the process going, and if you are just newly at goal weight, what would you start with? Any suggestions, or personal experiences?
Im not at goal weight but will be soon, and considering starting surgeries thst soon. My mentor who has worked with thousands of patients agrees that at my older age there is no need to wait an extra year for anything, since she sees how dedicated I am to my lifestyle, and why waste that time? But still, I might well lose more or get more muscle as I continue to get fitter. My idea is maybe the best way to start is the boob lift plus implants. I saw a friend go through it (not after WLS though) in October 2017 and by January she was fully back at normal life looking and feeling great. She was pretty much by December too but by Jan it was like surgery never happened.
Also, are there some surgeries you might later decide not to even do, as you get used to your new body? Like right now, I want the boobs, the lower body / Tummy Tuck thing, and my thighs are still all out of proportion with fat and skin now, it is really where all my last 10-15 lbs are, and I’d also love to get rid of the arm wings. Possibly also the neck skin.
Has anyone done those 4 things, and in which order did you do them? Just wondering how to plan this out. Thanks.

I hear you but the thighs bother me the most and they have more to lose plus I hear that surgery is really a tough recovery. Anyone start with them? Anyone start with one of the more difficult ones first?

You look fantastic. Our weight loss is identical and our necks and undereyes are similar. But not sleeping for weeks has me a little scared! (I saw your videos). Congrats on being past all that and you do look fantastic!

Reading so many clothes ones, I’ll add: I have bought a few nicer smaller pantiesover the last year as I lost. But my old cotton ones still sort of worked so I didn’t overhaul them. Now that I can wear actual dresses without longline “shorts” under them to protect the chafing thighs, I PUT ON ONE OF THE OLD PANTIES AND IT WAS FALLING DOWN under the dress! So I ordered as a surgiversary gift a whole set of new undies and the others are trashed as soon as the new ones arrive!

Another NSV from today: I found out that working out flattens the earth. I walked my daughter up to her first day of camp. Same place as last year. I had to hike up this hill to her group. Same area this year, but no hot sweaty hike up the hill.... I didn’t even realize it was slightly uphill. It was Everest last year; this year it’s as easy to walk as a flat sidewalk. Yeah!

10 months since surgery. The other day I realized that I can squat all the way down with butt near the floor, and get right back up, no using arms or anything!! I ran right to my 15 year old son’s room and asked him if he remembered 10-11 years ago when he fell down in a little wave at the beach, and I got down and caught him, but I couldn’t get back up so I just held him and couldn’t lift him out. I vowed then to try and get to where I could squat down and get back up. When I was fat I never could do that. Now I can! He remembered and was proud of me.

I don’t cheat. But I have my two beloved extras every day. My granola which I make myself with very little sugar (a splash of maple Syrup before baking), and my 92% dark Madecasse chocolate. It’s not a sweet any more, just a fatty antioxidant.
I allow myself some empty carbs every day, which might be whatever, I will eat a few in n out fries, or some gluten free pretzels, but I always gain ounces or a lb when I do. So I try not to. Not trying to lose any more, trying to maintain. So I just look forward to my dark choc and granola each evening. Makes me happy. I bake all the time and don’t ever eat any of it. I stopped all sweets and breads from surgery and I don’t want them any more, I just want to make them. I knew NONE was the right amount for me. I do eat a bite or two of fruit a day after Protein too. I think it would be too hard if I got back to eating sugar because that craving was too powerful for me. Now I don’t crave it and I want to sTay this way. And I still am human! 😉

I don’t cheat. But I have my two beloved extras every day. My granola which I make myself with very little sugar (a splash of maple Syrup before baking), and my 92% dark Madecasse chocolate. It’s not a sweet any more, just a fatty antioxidant.
I allow myself some empty carbs every day, which might be whatever, I will eat a few in n out fries, or some gluten free pretzels, but I always gain ounces or a lb when I do. So I try not to. Not trying to lose any more, trying to maintain. So I just look forward to my dark choc and granola each evening. Makes me happy. I bake all the time and don’t ever eat any of it. I stopped all sweets and breads from surgery and I don’t want them any more, I just want to make them. I knew NONE was the right amount for me. I do eat a bite or two of fruit a day after Protein too. I think it would be too hard if I got back to eating sugar because that craving was too powerful for me. Now I don’t crave it and I want to sTay this way. And I still am human! 😉

Isn’t it wonderful?! I’ve had to buy underwear twice in the year since surgery, and it’s been so fun. I can finally fit in hanky Panky brand which I always wanted to! And I can buy bras in regular stores!

I just want to say to the two gorgeous ladies quoted above, you do look fabulous. Congrats.
‘High blood pressure was what pushed me into surgery finally. Only 7 months later, my doc has spoken to me about low blood pressure issues! (Which I don’t have yet, but he said it could occur at goal weight.)

Isn’t it wonderful?! I’ve had to buy underwear twice in the year since surgery, and it’s been so fun. I can finally fit in hanky Panky brand which I always wanted to! And I can buy bras in regular stores!

Isn’t it wonderful?! I’ve had to buy underwear twice in the year since surgery, and it’s been so fun. I can finally fit in hanky Panky brand which I always wanted to! And I can buy bras in regular stores!

Isn’t it wonderful?! I’ve had to buy underwear twice in the year since surgery, and it’s been so fun. I can finally fit in hanky Panky brand which I always wanted to! And I can buy bras in regular stores!

I had to go to a formal event last night. I was so worried I wouldn't have anything to wear because it was last minute. I found a beautiful gown in the back of my closet from when I was maybe 13 or 14 years old that I bought for a cousin's wedding. I nervously put it on, and not only did it fit, but it looked better than when I wore it the first time. I'm almost 20 now.

Went to Breakfast yesterday on the motorcycle with my husband at one of our favorite diners. Rode about 160 miles round trip. I have not been able or willing to ride with him in 2 and 1/2 years so this is a major non scale victory for me. It was fabulous!! And NO I did not have any pie

If your deep love of food is really in the eating, think about what you really love eating. If I am honest about my deep almost unrequited love prior to surgery about food, it was sweets and carbs. Looking at baking books was like porn to me, and I wanted to bake it all and eat it all. I I baked, I just had to taste taste taste and NO AMOUNT was ever satisfying. Ever. 10 Cookies might make me feel sick and I stop, but not the first nor the 10th cookie was truly ahhhhh, satisfying, had enough.
When I learned that our cravings come from our gut bacteria, and certain ones want sugary foods, I knew I could do a serious reset with my diet and this with my gut population at the same time, by avoiding all sweet tastes after surgery, when I wouldn’t be eating real food for a while. I used only unsweetened, unflavored Protein powder. Absolutely nothing with even a sweet taste at all. I mixed it with raw milk or full fat Greek plain yogurt. Eventually I added veggies and meats to my diet, eggs, Beans. I never added in anything sweet. My nutritionist had me off fruit for 6 months.
so I lost the desire to eat the sweets I used to crave. But I kept the desire to interact with them. It’s a bit weird. Bear with me. I still love to bake. My family loves to eat it. I get pleasure out of smelling what I bake. If I were to eat sweet carbs, I feel a bit ill Nd my vision gets bad and I feel really off. So I have zero desire to feel bad, so I don’t eat it. But sometimes I will sniff it and thst is heaven for me - magically without any desire to taste it. I don’t know why this has changed for me. But it is wonderful. I get pleasure from smelling foods I used to want to eat! For real. I told you it was weird. I still “love food” and getting my hands in it and making it and serving it. And smelling it. But I don’t even want to put it in my mouth. And as weird as thst is, I am very happy about it.

If your deep love of food is really in the eating, think about what you really love eating. If I am honest about my deep almost unrequited love prior to surgery about food, it was sweets and carbs. Looking at baking books was like porn to me, and I wanted to bake it all and eat it all. I I baked, I just had to taste taste taste and NO AMOUNT was ever satisfying. Ever. 10 Cookies might make me feel sick and I stop, but not the first nor the 10th cookie was truly ahhhhh, satisfying, had enough.
When I learned that our cravings come from our gut bacteria, and certain ones want sugary foods, I knew I could do a serious reset with my diet and this with my gut population at the same time, by avoiding all sweet tastes after surgery, when I wouldn’t be eating real food for a while. I used only unsweetened, unflavored Protein powder. Absolutely nothing with even a sweet taste at all. I mixed it with raw milk or full fat Greek plain yogurt. Eventually I added veggies and meats to my diet, eggs, Beans. I never added in anything sweet. My nutritionist had me off fruit for 6 months.
so I lost the desire to eat the sweets I used to crave. But I kept the desire to interact with them. It’s a bit weird. Bear with me. I still love to bake. My family loves to eat it. I get pleasure out of smelling what I bake. If I were to eat sweet carbs, I feel a bit ill Nd my vision gets bad and I feel really off. So I have zero desire to feel bad, so I don’t eat it. But sometimes I will sniff it and thst is heaven for me - magically without any desire to taste it. I don’t know why this has changed for me. But it is wonderful. I get pleasure from smelling foods I used to want to eat! For real. I told you it was weird. I still “love food” and getting my hands in it and making it and serving it. And smelling it. But I don’t even want to put it in my mouth. And as weird as thst is, I am very happy about it.

By 8-9 mos out I got extensions. Stillhave them at 13 mo out. Love them. I probably lost 70%of my hair.

Agree with others that you should start an activity that your workouts help with, for that inside motivation. Like hiking this fall, or (I do this one ) riding scooters with your kids, or learning to ice skate (I’m doing that one too). You have more fun and it’s easier, if you keep up your regular workouts.
maybe look for ease of bending down in the kitchen, or ease of walking up hill, etc, rather than the after workout high. It’s been a year for me since I started working out, and i don’t get the high post workout either, I just feel better when I move.

I stopped all foods that had any sweet taste post surgery. I wanted to reset my gut bugs because sweet cravings come from the bad gut bugs who insist you continue eating sweet things. So my Protein was NorCal organic grass fed whey powder, PLAIN. I missed it with raw milk (something I am used to, not for starting anew right after surgery, but it was so good for me and has some Probiotics in it naturally). You can mix it with Water. It wasn’t about tasting good, it was about eating to live.
after a while though I found it was best to mix Protein Powder with plain full fat organic Greek yogurt. A very small volume gives you SO MUCH PROTEIN. And now almost a year later, it is my go to way of getting in all my protein. Sometimes I will with in some prebiotics like a tbsp of flax seed or inulin. Perfect food that tastes plain and not sweet. You eat it for what it does for you. Gives you strength, gets rid of your hunger. You know how good it is for you.

Reading so many clothes ones, I’ll add: I have bought a few nicer smaller pantiesover the last year as I lost. But my old cotton ones still sort of worked so I didn’t overhaul them. Now that I can wear actual dresses without longline “shorts” under them to protect the chafing thighs, I PUT ON ONE OF THE OLD PANTIES AND IT WAS FALLING DOWN under the dress! So I ordered as a surgiversary gift a whole set of new undies and the others are trashed as soon as the new ones arrive!

Another NSV from today: I found out that working out flattens the earth. I walked my daughter up to her first day of camp. Same place as last year. I had to hike up this hill to her group. Same area this year, but no hot sweaty hike up the hill.... I didn’t even realize it was slightly uphill. It was Everest last year; this year it’s as easy to walk as a flat sidewalk. Yeah!

Not my experience. I have a sleeve and I do IF here and there for various reasons. It’s not about not eating all day, it’s about limiting the window during which you eat. Say an 8 hour window and then fast the other 16. So if you delay your first “meal” till 10am and have your last meal at 6 you’re good. That’s what I do when I do IF. And it doesn’t make me any hungrier than any other time. I still stop when I’m full.

A lot of vets do it for regain and it works quite well!

Since we need Protein powder for the rest of our lives, i had to figure out something. I only want unsweetened unflavored protein powder form healthy grass fed animals. But mixing that with Water is yuck. Mixing it with milk makes me feel sweaty and dizzy. FINALLY I have figured it out. I’m now mixing the 20g protein powder portion into a cup of greek yogurt, adding some flax seed and some coconut water (to get the powder stuff to mix), and put them into two little metal lunchbots and taking them with me all day (with coolpack if needed). Finally I can get that extra protein we need, no sugar, no fake sugar. No weird dizzy low blood sugar reaction.

I tell everyone. Waitresses, strangers. Friends. Fellow parents at my kids’ school. Maybe it will help someone else. I don’t see any shame in it. And I don’t work in an office where I would be under pressure with people trying to “prove I won’t make it” or chatting about me in a bad way. I take care of my elderly mom and my kids. So I just don’t have societal pressure to keep it to myself. And in talking and being open about it, I have had some fellow obese people really think they might learn more about it, and I’ve connected with other people who had it and you would never h e known, or their sister did, etc. I feel more a part of the universe sharing it. It was a tool I absolutely needed.

I am so sorry. But glad they did the safe thing. Also rooting for you to have the actual sleeve ASAP for only the anesthesia fee as someone said above! Good luck tomorrow at the cardiologist.