libbyleeb

Few of us are prepared for how hard those first post-surgery days are. It really sucks but I promise it is temporary. You will feel normal again in time. Congratulations!

I didn’t really notice too much hair loss after my sleeve in July, but I must have lost some because I now have this halo of short curly hairs regrowing all around my face! Very strange looking. ?

A few says ago, I rounded the corner to see my bus at the stop about 200 feet away. I ran! Actually ran, long strides, solid heel strikes, and caught it! I didn't even feel too winded afterwards. Only later, did I realize how amazing it was.

I commute to work on the New York City subway and it used to be the worst part of my day. I’d always be hoping that I could find a seat that I could squeeze into without pissing off the people next to me. Now I see seats that I think I can get into and when I’m in them I find that I have room to spare. Even having to stand is not a big deal anymore when my knees and feet aren’t aching.

Going back to Dr. V’s talk about getting your head straight. I’ve been able to break my plateau by working with the Noom app. It teaches you every little psychology trick you can think of to help maximize your weight loss and helps you set goals for self-care and healthy habits. For me, it’s the missing piece between nutrition facts and psychotherapy. I’m learning so much. You can do a 2 week free trial.

I lost 12 pounds during a 2 week liquid diet of 1000 calories a day.

I spoke to my doc about those “bathroom issues” recently and she said that was my hungry body refusing to let go of food until it had sucked every last calorie out of it. ?

If you have a relatively high pain threshold, you will probably be able to go back to work after 3 or 4 days. I agree there is no need to tell anyone who doesn’t need to know. Best of luck to you!

@feelinghopefulnow, the big surprise in my recovery was not pain from the surgery itself. Instead I didn’t expect how week I’d be from eating so little in the first few weeks. I felt weak and lethargic until I could handle around 500 calories a day which took a few weeks. So I’d prepare to be spacey for a couple of weeks. I could work at my desk but I didn’t get a whole lot done at first. ?

I finally saw my actual surgeon for the first time since the surgery on Friday. I was feeling bad about losing so much more slowly than many people here but she said .5-1.0 pounds a week is good for a 54 year old woman 8 months out. (Yep, it was a “good for a ...” type compliment. ?). But still it helps to know I’m not off track. I’ve lost 78 pounds total and gave so much less pain and fatigue. I am very grateful.

Hmm, I don’t know if it is true in Utah as well. I hope so! I wish you some some wonderful cheap finds so you can get through this transition feeling cute.

My loss slowed way down as I approached the 6 month mark and dealt with some life stress. In an attempt to get things going again I subscribed to a service called Noom which I am really liking. In addition to tracking food and steps etc, every day it gives you a series of cute little lessons on how to control your thinking around food, all based on psychology research. It’s built my motivation and is helping me dismantle my “fat brain”. Plus you get an occasional high five or message from an online coach. I’ve got the scale moving again these last 2 weeks (Phew!) They have a two week free trial then a monthly fee. ~$30/month depending on how many months you buy. If you use this link, you can get a 20% discount if you subscribe. Full disclosure: I would get a discount too. https://friends.noom.com/YVlFVkE4TllUOmNm

They say there has never been a better time to go thrift shopping. So many people are watching the Marie Kondo series on Netflix and purging there closets of anything that does not “spark joy” that the thrift stores are overflowing with good quality items. I should make a trip myself. I am interviewing for new jobs and had to face the fact that all of my suits made me look like a little girl in her mother’s clothes.

I am totally flaming out in this challenge! I haven’t met my challenge goals at all. On the first day I found out that I didn’t get my dream job after it had been hinted to me that I would. It went to the internal candidate that I didn’t know existed. ?. And what I’ve learned is that I still have a lot of work to do around managing my feelings with food. I’ve been eating about 1800 calories a day for the last few days. Way fewer than I would have a year ago but way too many for my post-surgery goals. Thanks for listening. I just had to publicly own that.

I felt woozy for part of the time. I was on my preop diet. They told me I could have some extra protein but it didn’t make a difference. I kept feeling weak after surgery until I got my calories up to about 500 per day. I hope your vertigo passes more quickly.