pleasedontjudgeme

My doc is fine with gummies as long as they are bariatric or prenatal... compare nutrients.

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My doctor never advised me against gummies.
In my early months, I had a lot of trouble finding a Vitamin that didn't make me sick. After trying what felt like everyting under the sun, I bought a pack of Vitafusion gummies out of desperation and found that they were the only things I could take that didn't make me sick. I took them for about the 1st year, mainly because I had bought mega-size bottles at costco and couldn't see wasting them. Once they were gone (or near gone), I tried and found that I could once again tolerate the regular horse-pill size multi-vitamins. I still take the horse-pill type today.
However...I do take daily Calcium gummies. Not "chews", gummies. #1 they also have D3 to aide absorption and #2, I like them. I haven't had any problems in terms of "gumming" up the works and my labs are fine.
1 word of caution: gummies usually have sugar in them. So, be aware that they can contribute to the slippery slope back to sugar and sweet consumption.
And, as always...when in doubt, consult your doctor

It seems that at least 50% of the posts on BariatriPal are bemoaning a stall. Daily, and sometimes hourly, I am reading about how someone ONLY lost x number of pounds and now the scale hasn't moved in ___ [fill in the blank] days/months, etc. Oh no, they write, I am a failure/unique/my surgery didn't work/life is not fair, ... Why am I in a stall?
I know I am exaggerating but I think you get the idea.
Guess what? STALLS are a NORMAL part of the PROCESS of losing weight. If you want to lose weight, you will stall. Not just once, but over and over. And, guess what? A stall is where your body actually does the hard work of becoming smaller. It takes a lot of work and energy to dismantle a structure that has been holding up, in some cases, hundreds of pounds.
For those who think they have to DO something to somehow "break a stall" (in my opinion, you do not break a stall, you just ride them out), here is my response:
What can you do to "break" a stall?
1) STAY OFF THE SCALE
Relax and stay off the scale if it bothers you so much. Weigh no more than once a week, or even less often. Weighing only at your doctor's appointments early in the process is a good strategy if your mood and self-worth are dictated by the numbers on the scale.
2) PICK UP A TAPE MEASURE
In addition to using the numbers on the scale to measure your progress, take your measurements. Inches lost are also a great way to see physical progress when the scale isn't moving. Most people see the biggest physical changes in their body when the scale seems stuck.
3) TRACK YOUR Protein AND Water AND MEET OR EXCEED YOUR PROTEIN AND WATER GOAL EVERY DAY
As long as you are getting in all your protein and water and following your NUT and surgeon's instructions, you are doing what you are supposed to do.
If you aren't getting in all your protein and water, then increasing your protein and water is something you can do (and should be doing anyway whether or not you are in a stall).
4) EXERCISE
If you aren't exercising, then you can exercise (and should be whether or not you are in a stall). You can start slowly by walking or even moving more around the house. Exercising will help you feel better, tone your skin and build fat-burning muscle.
5) MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR NUT
If you are unsure or unclear about what you are supposed to be, or should not be eating, then make an appointment with your NUT (which you should be doing whether or not you are in a stall).
6) REASSESS AND REEVALUATE
About the only good result I see that comes from complaining about a stall is when you take an honest look at what you are doing and realign with the program recommended by your NUT and surgeon. Have you started eating more outside of your plan? Are you restricting calories? Are you eating enough carbs and protein for your exercise? Are you taking your Vitamins? Are you eating often enough? Are you eating slowly with protein first? Sometimes, all you need to DO is go back to basics.
7) JOURNAL
One of the biggest things I have noticed from the various posts is how anxious and out-of-control some people feel when they notice a stall. Journaling can help you gain some perspective and deal with some of the emotional turmoil.
-- Write about how you are feeling about the stall and your weight loss, and surgery in general.
-- Write about why you had the surgery in the first place.
-- Write about what life was like before surgery.
-- Write about what you hope and dream about accomplishing in the future.
-- Write about your fears.
-- Write about your NSVs.
-- Make a gratitude list.
-- Make a bucket list.
-- Write a letter to your old self; write a letter to your new self.
Just write.
8) SEEK HELP
Stalls are when too many people seem to revert to old, counterproductive dieting behaviors (restricting calories, over exercising, bingeing, etc.). If this is you, then another thing you can DO is to talk to a counselor or therapist or consider joining a bariatric support group or a twelve-step group like Overeater's Anonymous.
The discomfort of being in a stall can also drive people to develop new, unhealthy coping habits or even transfer addictions. This is where you want to marshall all the resources you have available to you and use them.
The last, and most important thing you can DO is:
9) EMBRACE THE STALL
Stalls are a normal and natural part of the process.
Our bodies are complex systems and not simple machines.
Stalls go hand-in-hand with weight loss.
If you had Weight Loss Surgery, then you probably want to lose a significant amount of weight. So, get ready to embrace the many stalls you will experience as your body is transformed. It will be worth it.

Hi everyone!
I technically hit 6 months 2 days ago, but whatever Wednesdays suck so boo. Anyways, I am 6 months into my new life, and good lord is it a new life. I am a new person for sure. One year ago to the day I had been sobbing in my room because my size 24s would barely button. I know without a doubt that I was over 300lbs, but the sight of a scale had anxiety clogging my throat. I decided that day something would change. I went out and dropped 2k on an elliptical and resolved to "fix this ridiculousness immediately."
Fast forward to February of 2018, and I was frustrated as all hell. Killing myself on the elliptical every freaking day and I was sitting at 292 and not moving. It wasn't enough. It was never enough, because this wasn't the first time I had gotten fed up and resolved to change. I went online and booked myself an appointment for March 15 for a WLS consultation. I think the stress and anxiety over that appointment helped me drop a few lbs, but I weighed in at just under 288 for my very first weigh in, and the first day of my new life. I reworked everything about my diet, cut out the crap and worked studiously with the nutritionist. I was scheduled for surgery on May 14th, weighing in at 260lbs.
Fast forward six months later, and I am sitting here at 184 (Darn you sweet potato wedges and the 2lb gain this morning because of you! But you were so worth it). I am OVER 100lbs down from where I began 2018. I am 76lbs down from my surgery weight. But numbers are really not my major accomplishments. Or at least, not those numbers.
What are my important numbers?
2.5: The number of miles I can run without stopping to walk. I will be running my second 5k Thanksgiving Morning.
12: The size freaking pants I am wearing! I am NOT plus size anymore. This is huge for me. I've been in plus size clothes for the majority of my children's (8 and 5) lives and now I am not. I am below average size for the american woman.
7: The number of sizes I have dropped. I don't know why, but I feel like that's a big deal. I dropped SEVEN sizes in less than a YEAR. Total Mind F**k.
3: The number of days per week I take my kids on a hike/walk in the neighborhood. Given this is weather permitting, but I am always out with my kids now, doing the things I couldn't before. Whether it's riding on the bike trail, doing laps around the pond, or mini-hikes through the state forest, or even exploring the small woods behind our house- We are doing it. Every weekend and many times during the week if we can.
1 Million: The percentage displaying how much better I feel about myself, and about my health.
and lastly,
0: The number of regrets I have for deciding to have this surgery.
So that aside, whats my day to day like? Well here it is! (Work week, weekends are less regimented but usually are where I focus my heavier workouts)
4:30am: I wake up and drink a cup of coffee (8oz) mixed with half a bottle of caramel or chocolate Premier Protein RTD drink. This is the start to my day, every day. I then go for my run or do my weight lifting/exercise regimen. During the week it's usually only a two mile run. I also go to OTF once a week, but that's usually on weekends. Wednesday is my OFF day because F**K Wednesdays.
6am: I make a shake and drink it during my 1.5 - 2 hour commute. Yes 6 months out I still drink a shake. I do this because I make my own shakes and they are super good and I ALWAYS feel way more energetic when I have them. I have a huge selection of shakes I make, but they typically will consist of greek yogurt or cottage cheese, almond milk, Protein Powder, and either sweet or more savory items. I pack as much nutritional punch as I can into that shake. I even have holiday ones (My peppermint mocha shake is delicious!)
10am: I will usually have a small snack. Honestly it really varies. Sometimes it will be a fruit, but it's usually something more cheese based. I love cheese. So a babybell cheese, string cheese, or even my newest obsession Sargento breaks.
12pm: Lunch always varies, but I am usually good for about 2.5oz of food. I know it sounds super small, and at times I can eat more but I usually try not to since I don't need it. I tend to eat smaller frequent meals. Again this varies, but one thing I eat a lot is turkey salad. Roast turkey with greek yogurt and a FEW dried cranberries, salt, pepper and paprika and I am good to go.
2pm: Coffee #2! Actually I drink so much coffee, but luckily it's almost all Decaf. This coffee is a staple because well I have routine issues and just need it. It makes me happy. If I am having a rough day energy wise I'll add some PP in like my first coffee, but I seldom need the added Protein. In fact I take in too much protein honestly. I'm working on it with my nutritionist.
3pm: This is usually my sweet snack. I make my own seven layer bars that I will sometimes eat, but if not it will be some sort of sweet. I will often eat some sort of fruit, yogurt, or whatever floats my boat. If I eat chocolate, I eat dark. It's my preference anyways.
6pm: Dinner time! This is my last meal of the day. I almost never eat anything after this since I go to bed around 9am because I am secretly an old person LOL. Dinners as you can imagine vary a ton as well, but I eat predominately white meat. Not that red meat is bad, but my husband had a heart attack back in April so we limit the amount of red meat in the house. Despite changing taste buds I hate fish just as much post surgery as I did before it. I was bummed by this but whatever. We eat lots of turkey and chicken. Because my diet is pretty healthy, I do tend to be a bit more lax about dinner but that is just me. I will still opt for a healthier option a majority, but I still make a mean homemade chicken pot pie so I splurge every now and then
Overall my calories range from 1100-1400 depending on how heavy my workouts are, and the time of the month because YES that makes a difference. I get in about 85-100g of protein (too much I know, I'm sort of working on it sort of. I made routines post surgery when you had to focus focus focus on building protein and I sort of overdid it. I mean I STILL drink protein waters because I'm weird. I drink about 100oz of water/fluid (This includes the DECAF coffees, I don't count caffeinated coffee in my Fluid intake and will drink a bit more Water if I have caffeine). Honestly any less than that and I really really feel awful. Keeping hydrated literally means the difference between going for that run, or lying in the fetal position on my bed with a Migraine. I don't respond well to my migraine meds post surgery. If I only got in say 70oz of water a day for 3 days straight, I'd be bedraggled with dark circles, and fighting a headache. My body likes water. A lot.
I take my Vitamins mostly daily. The BIG vitamins I do... it's the Calcium ones I don't always take. I don't know why, but they always make me feel super super thirsty after taking them. My one a day does too, but not nearly as bad and they are more important. I LOVE my B12 I feel like it makes a huge difference so I always take that one. I'd say I take the calcium one 5 out of 7 days. I would say I'm working on that too... but I'm really not. NOT because I don't think it's important, but because I am a stubborn idiot and my teeth are probably paying for it :(. Maybe that will be my resolution for 2019...
So that's me in a nutshell I think? Hair loss sucks but I have alopecia so that's not new. Saggy skin is definitely a thing. Mine isn't TOO bad, but it's definitely there. I mean I've had two kids and been fat so I wasn't expecting any less. My ass ran away though. That's kind of sad. I've tweaked my workouts a bit in hopes of coaxing it back but who knows if that will work LOL.
Oh and lastly I wanted to talk stalls. Holy lord do I stall. My body is kind of ridiculous. Each month I kid you not I will not move at all, then bam I'll lose a ton of weight. My body likes to stall...gain... then wooooosh drop 5lbs overnight. So don't let stalls discourage you. It's a thing. They happen. And if your eating right and exercising the weight will continue to drop until you reach your happy place. Don't get discouraged. I personally treat each stall like a good friend. Because that stall always means my clothes are going to get a bit looser So I welcome good old Mr. Stall ❤️
P.S. Running makes your legs look fabulous. My thunder thighs no longer go BOOM. In fact they look kind of... sexy... in my running pants
P.S.S. My feet AND head shrunk too! Went down a full size in shoes (may go down to a 9.5 too since my 10s feel a bit slippery) and all my pre-surgery wigs are sooooooo big. Who knew I had so much fat on my head...
Okay Piccy time (I know 90% of newbies will skip straight to that because that's totally what I did LOL)
June-September 2017: I was probably about 295-305 in these pictures (Kind of hurts to look at them now to be honest.)

October 2018: I was at a conference and getting ready to run down to the gym. (The bulge in the sweater is a water bottle, I know it looks super weird haha! I was about 190lbs.

And lastly, this is me TODAY at 184!

So the summary of this post... Life is effing amazing, and you can achieve WONDERFUL results if you are committed. I attribute my success to the dedication to BE a better, healthier version of myself and also a STRONGER version of myself. I can lift weights at the gym with the fit folks and NOT look out of place Such a good feeling. I even get a little smug when I notice my lifting form is better than the pretty boy who likes to offer me "advice"

Matt's right! Get some lube and even consider trying some of that warming stuff they sell at the drugstore and don't skimp on the foreplay!!! (the warming stuff is LEGIT) You'll get in the mood and be more comfortable during the official act. Get your boyfriend involved with getting you ready and have fun with it. You can do this!!!

Matt's right! Get some lube and even consider trying some of that warming stuff they sell at the drugstore and don't skimp on the foreplay!!! (the warming stuff is LEGIT) You'll get in the mood and be more comfortable during the official act. Get your boyfriend involved with getting you ready and have fun with it. You can do this!!!

Fat stores estrogen, as you lose fat, your system gets flooded with estrogen, unfortunately your sex drive is controlled by your Testosterone levels. But, the good news is, that once you flush out a good amount of fat, and your body has a chance to balance out again, your sex drive should come back with a vengeance!

As far as the dryness... get yourself some lube. Water based stuff doesn't hang around long, but it's condom friendly. Oil based stuff works amazing, but isn't condom friendly. Silicone lubes are more expensive typically but are both condom friendly AND has good staying power. And no need to go to an adult store for lube, all pharmacies carry lube and personal massagers now.

So things I do when I get hungry (in addition to making bad choices sometimes).
1. Have a drink. I live on Crystal Lite.
2. sugar free Jello. They are 5 or 10 cal's, so pretty hard to go wrong with that.
2. Sugar free fruit cups. The Dole or Delmonte ones are around 50 cal.
That is usually enough to get me through another couple of hours. Personally I try not to think too far ahead, just get me to the next meal time if I am hungry.

I was sleeved June 13th, so my four month mark is coming up fast! I've lost 49.8 lbs. since surgery and 81 lbs. total since I began the pre-surgery diet at the end of March. The one thing that has been difficult for me is constantly worrying about my "slow or slower" rate of loss. I believed the hype from some other people prior to surgery that I would easily drop 100 lbs. in the first three months after my sleeve and quickly learned that was not the case for most people. So it is a daily mental struggle to stay positive and remind myself that this was never a quick fix and those people were wrong. I focus on my wins and making sure I get my 60 grams of Protein a day. I feel so much better than I did in March and that's what matters. I tend to be a worrier in general, so I am afraid one sip from a straw is going to stretch my sleeve and other ridiculous crap that I really hope hasn't happened. I have a hard time getting my 64 oz. of fluids in each day and that has been my only real problem/issue since my procedure. I love that my pants size has dropped from a 26/28 to an 18/20! It's definitely time for me to get serious about exercising because I have a long way to go to reach my goal of 165 lbs!

I was sleeved June 13th, so my four month mark is coming up fast! I've lost 49.8 lbs. since surgery and 81 lbs. total since I began the pre-surgery diet at the end of March. The one thing that has been difficult for me is constantly worrying about my "slow or slower" rate of loss. I believed the hype from some other people prior to surgery that I would easily drop 100 lbs. in the first three months after my sleeve and quickly learned that was not the case for most people. So it is a daily mental struggle to stay positive and remind myself that this was never a quick fix and those people were wrong. I focus on my wins and making sure I get my 60 grams of Protein a day. I feel so much better than I did in March and that's what matters. I tend to be a worrier in general, so I am afraid one sip from a straw is going to stretch my sleeve and other ridiculous crap that I really hope hasn't happened. I have a hard time getting my 64 oz. of fluids in each day and that has been my only real problem/issue since my procedure. I love that my pants size has dropped from a 26/28 to an 18/20! It's definitely time for me to get serious about exercising because I have a long way to go to reach my goal of 165 lbs!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

I read a lot about the different WLS procedures out there. It amazes me that there isn't some kind of standardization of preventative measures like the following for instance:
"If the staples fired are not aligned appropriately, it can predispose the stomach tube to undergo torsion along its long axis. Such a twist can be avoided by properly aligning the staples and by placing tacking sutures to the omentum and new stomach tube."
If you end up going in for an endoscopy to find out what's going on, ask if this simple stitching procedure was done.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3788014/


Stricture
Formation of stricture is another potential complication occurring after LSG. It could present either acutely after surgery due to tissue edema or more commonly in a delayed fashion. Presenting symptoms include food intolerance, dysphagia or nausea and vomiting. Although kinking of the stomach following LSG has been reported,23 the most common site of stenosis is at the incisura angularis.24 An upper gastrointestinal study or endoscopy is usually diagnostic.

Mandy!!! You are 81 lbs down!! How amazing is that?? And it won't come back!! How long did it take you to lose 81 lbs before? Focus on that and tell yourself how amazing you are because I think you're a rock star!!!

Hello! Hope everyone is doing well :) I am down a whopping 59lbs since surgery which is nice! I am feeling great. It appears I’ve stalled for the past 3 weeks right at 201.3 which is sooooo frustrating! I just want to hit wonderland 😭 but I’ll get there eventually.

I am comfortably wearing size 14s though which is freaking amazeballs though.

So how’s everyone doing with their eating? I made mini cupcakes over the weekend for a party and learned others are 100% right that sugar makes you crave more sugar. I nipped that in the bud real quick.

Hey, May sleevers! How are you doing? Any updates? Progress? Frustrations? Successes?
I'm at 58 # down now (48 since surgery) and feeling amazing. So healthy! Trying on new clothes makes me happy! Frustrated sometimes that I can still eat very little at a time, but that's the whole point, so I tell myself to chill.
How is everyone else?

I noticed this too and I'm so excited for you @AshAsh1!!! Our starting weights and day of surgery weights are so similar and you are a huge inspiration to me. I dream about my weight starting with the number 1. You give me hope it will happen! Congrats

I completely understand how you feel. I was lucky in that my surgeon's office forced you to adapt to the post surgery lifestyle prior to surgery. So many of my favorite foods and large portions were already gone. With that said, there has been plenty of stuff I have craved and missed. But it really does get easier. I'm three months out this coming Thursday and you do have to accept that you should never eat some of the foods you ate before. (Well at least not the volumes and not all in the same day.) Try to focus on the fact that in time you can have 2-3 bites of a favorite food you miss and you will really enjoy it. I've totally done that. Now it's just the exception and takes planning and a lot of mindfulness. I can tell you that nothing I miss food-wise compares to how great I feel with 73 lbs. gone. You can do this!! Just focus on the end game--reaching your goal and getting healthy. The only way to get there is to fill your body with healthy food and follow your food plan from your surgeon. Best wishes!

I completely understand how you feel. I was lucky in that my surgeon's office forced you to adapt to the post surgery lifestyle prior to surgery. So many of my favorite foods and large portions were already gone. With that said, there has been plenty of stuff I have craved and missed. But it really does get easier. I'm three months out this coming Thursday and you do have to accept that you should never eat some of the foods you ate before. (Well at least not the volumes and not all in the same day.) Try to focus on the fact that in time you can have 2-3 bites of a favorite food you miss and you will really enjoy it. I've totally done that. Now it's just the exception and takes planning and a lot of mindfulness. I can tell you that nothing I miss food-wise compares to how great I feel with 73 lbs. gone. You can do this!! Just focus on the end game--reaching your goal and getting healthy. The only way to get there is to fill your body with healthy food and follow your food plan from your surgeon. Best wishes!

I'm new to this, but I think it's a combination of 'slider' foods and overall wrong foods.

The restriction is definitely helping me, but I feel at times it'd be super easy for me to make a bad decision about food. But - I went through a lot for this surgery. Even with insurance it was expensive. It's also pretty drastic. They cut most of my stomach out. And it's irreversible. Why would I do anything to jeopordize this? So I plan to follow the plan. Protein, veggies, then carbs. And I'm working on finding better carbs. I recently bought some black bean Pasta (i hope to try it soon - and I really hope it's good). So good decisions are super important.

For me personally, I usually ate OK, but I over-ate a lot. Weight watchers (believe it or not) taught me to overeat. As long as I stayed within my points, I could keep eating. So I'd have a super large serving of pasta and made sure it fit in my points, but I was eating so much food. After I hit goal at weight watchers, I still ate the large servings of pasta (i was used to it) and I'd eat other large servings of other foods.

With the sleeve, provided I continue to eat mostly good foods, I won't fall in the trap of eating super large portions, because physically my stomach won't be able to handle it.

But if I eat small servings of really bad food, I'll gain it all back. So I just won't do that.

Same for me! (around six weeks)
My surgery was 6/13/18 and when I went for a follow-up on 7/26/18 they said I could begin lettuce and Tomato. I'm still very careful with any raw veggies and don't eat them often. They don't always feel great.

I noticed this too and I'm so excited for you @AshAsh1!!! Our starting weights and day of surgery weights are so similar and you are a huge inspiration to me. I dream about my weight starting with the number 1. You give me hope it will happen! Congrats

Right there with you!
HELP ME (but I refuse to provide you with the required information)
HELP ME (I'm going to post the exact same question in several places)
HELP ME (I refuse to believe what you've told me)
HELP ME (My opinion of your facts mean that your facts don't matter)

I'd call myself a vet at this point... Banded and became a member here in 2011, Bypass in 2018, So, 7 years on this site... 2 WLS surgeries and lots and lots of failures...

But, you can lead a horse to Water, but you can't force him synchronize swim with you.

I'm doing ok. Still having bouts of nausea here and there since posting this question. (Today actually!) Sometimes I get it just from drinking my Protein shake! Not sure why that has started happening, but I am rolling with it and trying to stay positive. I drive to Pittsburgh tomorrow for my six week post-op check up. Hoping for more weight lost.
Thanks for asking about me!

@Dontjudgeme Which one is the sweetest?