Gottajustdoit

On 10/4/2019 at 8:52 PM, Recidivist said:

Hi, all. I got access to a scale today and am now down to 138 pounds. As many of you have said, I could never have imagined being this weight six months ago. I was realistically hoping to get to between 170 to 180 and would have been happy with that result.

I'm attaching a recent photo from my trip to Stockholm. (Please note that I'm not showing off a cute outfit in this picture.) What you can't see here is the loose skin all over my body--but I certainly prefer that to weighing 100 pounds more!

WOW! You currently weigh 138 pounds or you lost 138? You look fabulous.

8 hours ago, Goody222 said:

You do look good. Take a minute to Celebrate how good you look and how far you have come

Amazing! Thanks for sharing your photos!

20 minutes ago, Goody222 said:

So I am finally posting the before and during pictures. Can’t wait to post the after. The first picture of my husband and me was taken in April of 2018 and helped me to confirm I NEEDED help. The second picture was taken this past Sunday at a play. Also , NSV Fit in the seat comfortably. Also, please pretend my eyes are open.

wow! What a transformation! You look great and I bet you feel great too. It's so much fun seeing these before photos and the NOW photos. BTW---we are the same height, had the same starting weight, and same goal weight!

6 hours ago, Sheribear68 said:

Oh please be careful and stay hydrated!
I did 3 hours gardening today with temps in the 90’s. Got slightly light-headed at one point because I hadn’t broken fast for the day and I was sweating like crazy so I had a whole 32 ounce Gatorade zero and now I feel like normal.

Definitely sounds like jet lag symptoms to me. I get nauseated when I have a long flight/severe time changes. Sounds like a horrific flight experience too. Feel better soon!

20 hours ago, Sheribear68 said:

Funny you should post this today.

So it’s flu shot season, which means many times during the day I step outside the pharmacy to give shots. Usually I wear my now-oversized smock coat, but we’re still dealing with second-summer and temps are well into the 90’s and I had my jacket off because I had started sweating

I went out to give a shot to a “regular” and her jaw dropped when she saw me.
She’s definitely MO— if I had to guess, I’d put her between 40-45% BMI— and she couldn’t stop asking me “how???”

I thought for a moment as I was prepping the shot and realized I’d be a pretty crappy healthcare professional if I didn’t explain the “how”.

What I said went something along the lines of
“After years and years of trying and failing on a multitude of different diet and exercise plans, I chose WLS as my tool to get my health and well-being back. It’s taken a lot of hard work and dedication and WILL CONTINUE to do so for my entire life, but I’m committed to making this life-altering change in previous habits and behaviors in order to live a healthier, happier life”.

I then gave some quick advice (because she told me she had been thinking about WLS) about checking first with her insurance to see if/what place was covered and then to plead watch videos and online seminars as the next step.
Who knows? Maybe it made a difference, but seeing the desperation in that woman’s eyes gave me the opportunity to maybe make a difference

Great topic! For those who I know, but don't know well, such as casual work colleagues, I tell them that I've made a change in lifestyle and I'm focusing on eating more Protein and less carbs. I leave it at that. I did have a situation, though, in which a former colleague asked me how I did it. She is overweight and kept pressing. She knew I had been out of the office in February for surgery, but not what kind. I finally told her, but the first thing I said to her when she said she was considering WLS too is "Oh, you don't need the surgery. You look great!" I really don't think I handled it well, but I wanted to boost her self esteem. She definitely wants to lose weight and because she is so overweight, I should have given her a different answer. I used to have people say things like that to me--that I looked great and didn't need to lose weight--but I know they were being kind. I did go back and tell my colleague to feel free to ask me any questions, so I hope that I helped her out a little.

On a side note, I find it so difficult seeing very overweight people now without thinking "Oh, you should consider WLS." I don't say it out loud, obviously, but when I see someone like that, I really feel for them and want to share with them what could be life changing and life saving!

1 hour ago, Goody222 said:

You look great! Isn’t it crazy to think six months ago the jacket that is too big actually fit? Great job

Wonderful! I hope you bought a new suit jacket by now! 🙂

25 minutes ago, ldawn said:

I bought my very first regular sized outfit today!!

Awesome! I spent most of the day yesterday trying all my "winter" clothes and sorting through everything. I ended up with 5 13-gallon-sized bags of clothes that were too big. I'm donating it all to the Salvation Army. Some of the stuff had been in my closet for years as items I thought I would "someday" be able to fit into--and even they were too big. It was a great feeling to rid myself of this baggage (emotionally and physically!). I then took my daughter shopping with me and bought a few items. I can't believe I can shop at stores that I stopped going into years ago. It felt sooooooo good! Goodbye Lane Bryant!

3 hours ago, froufrou said:

This is my last month... up a few pounds, down a couple, etc etc. such a pain in the arse

You've lost 118 pounds! Amazing! I feel your pain, though. It can be very discouraging.

4 hours ago, EmzBee said:

Thought I'd upload a shot if me wearing that dress. Same one I wore onstage in my band all those years ago

Went to a conference and wore it at a cocktail party. Lots of people there didn't even recognize me!

I've finally transitioned from 'obese' to 'overweight', by BMI standards, anyway! I'm still losing significant weight atm (I think over 10 pounds last month) but I'm expecting a stall soon. My stalls are getting longer and longer... it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if I lost nothing this month at all.

Hope everyone's doing well and keeping positive!

Where's Recidivist at? Have you moved to winterless Australia yet, my friend?? Can't wait to hear about your move! Stay away from the TimTams. Hehe!

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

Emzbee--you're rocking it! Thanks for your photo update. Your hair also looks great--not thin at all. And the Timtams? They are soooooo good. We have them in the States now (I first tried them in Australia). Deadly.

That sounds like a tough four weeks of camp! I have never gotten into exercising and now that my weight is leveling off I'm very discouraged. I've tried gym memberships many times and have lost a lot of money. If I enjoyed it and maintained it, I doubt I would have gotten as heavy as I was. I still have no interest. I've gained two pounds from my lowest weight and feel as if the scale is set and I now I need to work really, really hard to maintain the weight I am at now (even though I was hoping to be a size 8, not 12). I have to be honest with myself: I'm not going to be able to keep it off with exercise. 😞 Maybe someday as you all inspire me. I'm sure Gladiator classes would kill me too. Good luck to you!

Last night I had dinner with a friend who is about 8 years older than me and she is considering botox. I know I look older since the weight loss and have been wondering about going down that road. Has anyone done it? What do you think about it? I have so many other areas I also want to work on, like a breast reduction. I swear the girls are just flapping into each other now and it's ugly and uncomfortable. The extra tummy skin is yech, but tolerable with Shapewear. Sorry for the complaining. I do feel blessed to have been able to lose 60 lbs since surgery, but am at a scary point. I have done too much googling about people who have gained some or all of their weight back since gastric bypass. To be honest, I didn't even think gaining all the weight back was doable! What about the lack of absorbing calories? Can I really stretch out that egg-shaped stomach so much? It's daunting. The surgery was tough, the mental prep was tough....where is the good news about people who have kept it all off? I need to start reading success stories!

Hmmm....my doctor prescribed the Ursodial specifically because he was leaving my gall bladder in. Since I had a healthy gall bladder, my surgeon left it in and said I had to take the Ursodial for the next 6 months because otherwise, I would have a high risk of developing gall stones. He told me to stop taking it my 6-month checkup last week. Yes, rapid weight loss can cause gall stones. I'm very surprised your surgeon left your gall bladder in and did not prescribe the preventative medicine. Perhaps you never would have developed the gall stones if he/she had done so. So sorry!

16 hours ago, sjemle said:

Hey everyone, I posted recently, but am always keeping track of the conversation and topics. So I kinda hit a stall and was discouraged, and on top off that I found out I had gallstones. Didn't even make it the scheduled MD appointmentto discuss treatment. I ended up in ER this weekend and had to have gallbladder surgically removed. Has anyone else had the gallbladder removed, and if so how was it afterwards? Could that have caused my 3 week stall prior? I am still tracking food and exercise, and based on that I should be losing weight. I try not to focus on that to much, but it is hard. Well I did just have a NSV, I was able to wear XLG scrubs..

Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

smjeie--sorry you had to undergo another surgery. I just finished a 6-month course of taking Ursodial (Actigal) after surgery to prevent gallstones from developing. Just curious--did your surgeon put you on Ursodial after the surgery? Hope you are recovering well!

7 hours ago, Everythinganna said:

Uuugghh. I think this is what I did to her with those cinnamon apples! She was doing so good and then I walked in her room this morning and found this bag almost completely eaten. I asked her and she told me she just got it yesterday. There are 1500 cal in this bag so I’m estimating she ate 1200 cal of candy yesterday. She got really really angry with me and accused me of lying to her about a multivitamin that I bought ( she accuse me of slipping her a diet pill, which I would NEVER do). I just don’t want her to go through what I did my entire adult life. It is such a sensitive topic.... teenagers!!

Looking on the bright side, at least she chose a snack with a lot of protein! I once heard that peanut M&Ms were the best choice from a vending machine because of the protein--much better than pretzels. Having said this, my BFF is BONE THIN and adopted a girl with weight issues. She also hides food. She is 19 now and orders from Uber Eats when her mom isn't home. It is very hard on my friend to see her daughter struggle but I know the girl feels as if her mom doesn't know what she is going through because her mom has always been very thin. This is such a tough situation. I wish I had some advice but I don't....just a story that relates to your struggle. Sorry!

1 hour ago, Sheribear68 said:

Yeah.
I’m shedding worse than my cats.
Fingers crossed that means I’m still in losing mode.

Agreed! My German Shepherd is blowing her coat. She doesn't mind at all of course, but in addition to picking up her fur, I'm picking hair out of my shower, sink, everywhere. I don't have any bald Patches, but my hair is super dry and thinner by the day. I just ordered the Boldify Shampoo, conditioner, and serum from Amazon. I hope it helps!

10 hours ago, Everythinganna said:

My daughter has expressed an interest in losing some weight so that's helping me more than it's helping her. I've been getting up at 5:45 every day and making eggs, helping her develop meal plans and track her intake. She is extremely active so I'm thinking she will see results somewhat quickly if she sticks to plan.

I need more IDEAS for Snacks I can pack in her lunch and keep in the fridge. I've been using an old Weight Watchers snack trick that she loves; cut up apples with cinnamon, Truvia and nutmeg. Not low carb but a great substitute for a sweet snack and she LOVES them!

If you guys have any more ideas like that one, would you please share? Sherri I'm going to buy Pork rinds and hummus for myself, she won't eat that... but please let me know if you have other ideas. We've agreed on sliced bell peppers in lieu of the Pork rinds for a "chip". And I guess I'll do sliced cucumbers with Maast-o-Khiar (basically taziki).

I need to keep healthy stuff on hand because not only can I EAT more, I'm also hungry like...ALL THE TIME. UUUGGGH

Here are some of my go-to Snacks that I bring to work: string cheese rolled inside a slice of ham, avocado toast pack (from Target), cheese cubes and almonds, and pimento and cheese dip (not low fat, but has protein) with tortillas (need to find a lower carb option but I do like chips and cheese). I am finding, like some of you, that I am not losing weight anymore. I am eating more and I am afraid all of my desires for sweets and salty snacks are coming back full swing. I am wondering how common this is. This is truly the end of the honeymoon phase. Are any of you still losing at a fast rate (and by that I mean 3 to 5 pounds per week)?

3 hours ago, Recidivist said:

Sorry, FrouFrou--I was mistaken. I bought most of them on Bariatric Pal, not Bariatric Advantage, which doesn't have many snacky things.

However, I got my favorites on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079YZ2KVB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079ZLLNG7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KFP95CG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

If you are looking for a meat snack, you can get really good cheese sticks wrapped in proscuitto at various places. I buy them in a pack at Target in their cold section by the cheese. I also buy small packs of avocado toast packets there and bring them to work. I read the reviews on some of the Protein Snacks on Amazon....do you have a favorite flavor? A wonder if they have a blech aftertaste or taste like Styrofoam?

I'm also looking for a low-carb cracker to each pimento cheese dip with. The tortillas (Tostido lime) are a terrible option as they are high in carbs.

28 minutes ago, Sheribear68 said:

Okay so I’ve got my 6 month follow up next Thursday and I’m keeping my fingers crossed I can lose another 3 pounds by then so I can have a 80 pound loss from surgery day.

I just took notes on a couple of your points and I’ll ask some of the same questions.
It will be interesting to hear what they tell me as you and I are almost at the same BMI.
I’m 5’7” and as of today I weigh 169.
Since we both are carrying almost identical BMI, and had surgery the same month it will be a good comparison on what different doctors/nutritionists/bariatric clinics say.

Sheribear--it would be great to get a comparison! I was also told I could switch to any Iron supplement and start taking capsule Vitamins (versus the softchews) as long as the Multivitamins are bariatric-specific vitamins. I don't mind the softchews, but they are expensive. Anyone have a good Multivitamin capsule to recommend?

I had my 6-month followup with my nutritionist and surgeon yesterday and thought I'd pass along the results. I am down to a 25 BMI, which the surgeon said is better than average at this stage. Yay me! I told him about how dry my mouth is when I wake up using my CPAP machine and he wants me to get a new sleep study, saying that the pressure is probably too strong (I'm calibrated at 11). I really hope I can be off of that darn machine, but my brother (normal weight) also has sleep apnea so maybe it's partly heriditary. I confessed my ice cream cone cheats to the nutrionist and she said it's normal to incorporate "other" foods in at this stage, even ice cream if I want (of course, just a little!). She asked me if I'd be happy at my current weight (I'm 5"6" and weigh 165). I said I'd like to at least get to 150. Not sure what was behind that question, but she did say between the 6-month and the 9-month point the weight comes off very slowly, so she said maybe I'd lose more, maybe not. The surgeon, however, said I'd probably lose 10 or 15 more, so who knows. I hope he's right! My labs all came back good, but I forgot to ask him if I could stop taking Ursodial (Actigal) to prevent gallstones so I'm waiting to hear back from his office on that. I also asked the nutritionist about my Hair loss and she said it could last up to 6 months (oh no!). All in all it was a great visit, but a little depressing to hear that things are going to slow waaaaay down when I'm also starting to eat more carbs. I'd love to hear about the rest of your 6-month follow ups!

1 hour ago, ldawn said:

If bra/panties pics aren’t allowed I will gladly remove. Here is a before and current. Pic 1 is 268 and pic 2 is 198. Notice in the side view that I’ve lost so much fat in my arms and chest that my arms now hang closer to my body so my fingertips hit a lot lower on my legs. I want to lose 60 more pounds, but it’s so far away it seems impossible. Adding my measurements also. I’m now wearing the lowest plus size they make. Almost in normal sizes!!

Amazing transformation! Thanks to all who are sharing photos. It's so great to see such progress.

Way to go! You shouldn't be embarrassed to post...you're looking awesome! Thanks to the rest of you posting photos. I work in a large Federal agency so I run into certain people every few months or so. Today one of these people did not even recognize me. That was a little weird, but it goes to show how dramatic my weight change has been.

I remember going to my first required support group after the surgery and how one guy said he was struggling with wanting to wear big clothes all the time. I thought that was odd, but I get it now. It feels so good to wear shorts that are actually loose and not digging into me. It feels wonderful.

35 minutes ago, EmzBee said:

It's my surgiversary tomorrow and I've lost 75% of my excess weight!
Setting a new goal of 69kgs, which would mark losing HALF of my bodyweight.

Wishing us all continuing happiness and success

Sent from my CPH1719 using BariatricPal mobile app

FANTASTIC! And I see you are at the gym. If you are working out on your arms, do you see loose skin or are you building muscle there? I see no loose skin on you.

1 hour ago, froufrou said:

Oh p.s. nsv right here! My BP used to be ‘fair’ bordering on bad and my pulse was always near 100.

Wahoo!!!!

34 minutes ago, AZhiker said:

It's so good to see how well everyone is doing 6 months out. So interesting hearing about how everyone is eating now, the challenges, and how friends/family are reacting. I am trying to get the last few pound off to reach goal and then would like to go down 5-7 more, just to add some wiggle room. Once I reach goal, I never want to see the 150's again. My mom and daughter weigh between 140-150 and they are actually feeling a little threatened! They have never really known me as anything but heavy, and although they are happy for me, it seems that they (my daughter, especially) are feeling a bit odd about me possibly weighing less than them.

I discovered a little life saver tip. I have several 70-100 calorie Snacks I make and freeze, and then when I might be tempted to grab something not so good, I can grab and nuke one of these. They are also a good supplement to any meal or to stave off the hungries on their own.

1) Mini quiches (made in cupcake tins. No crust, Made with eggs, milk, onion, mushrooms, cheese, broccoli and a few cubes of gluten free stuffing mix.) 80 cal, 3 gm Protein. (Good cold or hot.)

2) Turkey meatballs. (made with ground turkey, shredded zucchinni, eggs, onion, finely ground GF dressing cubes instead of cracker or bread crumbs). 100 cal, 6 gm Protein. (Good cold or hot.)

3) pumpkin custard squares (made with pumpkin, eggs, milk, spices and a little Monkfruit sweetener.) 100 cal, 3 gm protein. (Just kept in fridge and eaten cold.)

4) I also keep a pot of turkey/veg Soup in the fridge. I cup only has 50 calories, 6 gm protein. A good way to get in a lot of veggies. It is very filling if I am feeling a bit hungry.

5) My final little treat is a sweet one that I use sometimes in the evening. It is the only sweet splurge I allow myself, and I have no sweet cravings. 1 TBS 72% cacao chips with 1 TBS (10 )raw almonds. Yum!!! 150 calories, 4 gm protein.

Best wishes to all the Feb 2019 buddies, as we approach the final stretch! Hugs to all.

Great snack ideas! Congrats on getting so far toward your goal!

4 hours ago, 2Bsmaller18 said:

I am guessing a lot of us are dealing with Hair loss at this point. It happened to me in June suddenly and I don't think it has slowed done at all yet. However I noticed something weird today. I have gray roots and normally color my hair every 4-5 weeks. I colored my hair literally 2 1/2 weeks ago and suddenly I have a ton of half inch roots all over. So on closer inspection I noticed that I have a ton of baby hairs growing too. I think my hair may be growing in quicker now and that the roots are showing so much sooner. I am trying to focus on that instead of freaking out about the clump on the shower floor or in my brush. I also tried Toppik and like it better than sprays I have tried before. I have Biotin in my Multivitamin that I have been taking form day 1 and started using Nioxin Shampoo a few weeks ago. Maybe it is helping.

Ugh. My Hair loss is terrifying. I have extremely thin hair and when I'm in the shower washing it, I can feel the strands coming out in my fingers. I am trying not to wash it as much, but I seriously cannot go more than two days without it getting nasty looking. I hate combing it out after washing too, as I see lots of strands in the comb. I comb very gently. I am also losing a few eyelashes (again, not good!). It is quite obvious I've lost a lot of hair, especially at the part line, but I'm really trying to stay positive as I know there are many folks miserable on chemo and going bald who have it way worse than me. I take Biotin with Keratin but have not noticed that it helps. I'm going to look into Nioxin shampoo....thanks for telling us about it

Thanks for the food recommendations! I have surely come across a big change in what I can eat and tolerate at the 6-month post-surgery point. I just got back from a wonderful vacation in the mountains of Wyoming and Montana and even though I was ECSTATIC that I had more energy to do things like hiking and whitewater rafting, I also seemed to have much more energy to eat! My biggest downfall was ice cream. I always enjoyed going out for ice cream during the summer and realized I can eat a baby cone with no issues. In fact, at this point I'm wondering if dumping syndrome is still possible. Have any of you suffered dumping syndrome after eating high-fat or sweet foods at this point in our journey? I have not had any problems I maintained my same weight while on vacation, so disappointed I did not lose anything despite the athletic nature of the trip, but not surprised given the four or five ice cream splurges. Also, I've had some apple pie! I never liked pie before but now if you put a piece near me I want it. I was hoping my sweet tooth would be gone (given my love for salty foods), but it is has returned. Thankfully, my portions are still small, but my cravings are not. Are any of you also experiencing this at the 6-month point? Am I just adjusting to eating less or do I need to need to buckle down and stop eating sweets every now and then? What are you all thinking/feeling about this?