Courtney86

@AJP I am taking the Multivitamin complete and B12 and Calcium chew...that’s about it

@sweettoothless
Thank you for this candid post! I think I will start with the $2 starter kit from Walmart just to test it and if it works like yours did I’ll have a winner! I thought taking the daily stool softener would work but that has not been the case 😫. I have to rid the granite poo! This is my mission lol I am very glad we can have this discussion here as well! 😀😀😀

Well, there are 2 kinds of laxatives: osmotic and stimulants.
Epsom salt is essentially magnesium sulfate, an osmotic laxative that replaces magnesium in the body and essentially causes your GI system to pull more fluids into the poop so you can pass it easier. Think stool softeners: colace and Miralax. I assume she cringed or made a face because use of Epsom salt isn't something we hear too much of in this day/age of products like Miralax. Also, using Epsom salt as a laxative can cause magnesium imbalance (needed for muscle contractions), increases your need for Water, and can lead to dehydration if you're not careful.
Just from reading all the frequent posts on BP about Constipation and how to fight it, everyone has their own method that works for them. Until then, I think we all have a certain amount of anxiety with BMs.
Me, I make sure I take a fiber supplement every day and I drink lots of water. If I miss more than a day, I will take a low dose dulcolax just to keep things moving. I do not wait. Waiting only increases discomfort and makes things more difficult to resolve. *In my first month or 2 after being sleeved, I used milk of magnesia for the same purpose as the dulcolax. I DID NOT want to have to strain with those first few! both Dulcolax and MOM are stimulant laxatives=stimulates the muscle of the intestines to push things along.
I've heard lots of bariatric patients promote Smooth Move Tea. I haven't tried it, but I've had other teas like it. They are also stimulant laxatives and rather powerful ones if you steep the tea long enough.
Hope this was helpful!

My first poop was more scary and more painful than delivering my first child. And I had no drugs and he had a big melon. Memories of my first poop give me more anxiety than the 2 kidney stones i have to get blasted soon. More pain than the last 6mm stone I passed with no drugs or medication. That's how much I feel your feels. I just bought the cheap glycerin suppositories at Walmart. It is around $4 for a ton of them or $2 for a starter bottle. You pop one in and watch TV or take a hot bath and 15-30 minutes later you have soft serve instead of icicle. That has alleviated a lot of my worries, knowing I dont ever have to granite poo again. (So glad this discussion isnt on fb and we can be totally candid!)

@sweettoothless thanks for the suggestion! I’ll have to look for that particular suppository. Yes this anxiety sucks so bad right now. It sometimes have me feeling like I wish I didn’t eat because I’m so worried about how is going to come out...you know painful or not. Smh

And I totally know what you mean by poop anxiety! I had no idea poo would be a worry so I wasn't prepared. Now I have the suppositories in every bathroom.

Are you taking Iron supplements? I find that clogs me up quicker than anything. I had rny and do not take the iron. We monitor my levels and so far so good ands no more of this problem lol

Use the glycerin suppositories. It softens up your poop so you aren't pooping granite. I use them a few times a week especially when eating meat. supplements and Protein Powder and lack of Fiber really jack up our systems. I tried colace but I like the faster moving of the glycerin suppository. I've used milk of magnesia a couple of times but it takes over night to work. I don't want to be on laxatives for life or for my butt to forget how to poo so I feel more comfortable with the glycerin, not that it is a joy sticking them up there. I'm only 2 1/4 months out of rny so I hope things work themself out.

Okay, so this maybe be too graphic but I need help. I have spoken to my physician assistant, & was informed to take a stool softener daily until better. I am having problems having a bowel movement most of the time. I have had to resort to using two teaspoons of epsom salt and hot Water with an 8oz glass of water. I mentioned this in support group and the dietician there made a face that seemed to imply she wished I hadn’t done that, but I don’t know why. I had to leave the group earlier so I didn’t get to ask why is hat bad. Is anyone else experiencing this problem. I had my surgery on 10/8/18, the sleeve. I’m open to suggestions. Before surgery I was a pretty regular persons sometimes going twice a day, & NEVER backed up or stopped up! I actually used to enjoy going with no problems. Now I are such anxiety and distress.

Ok, but this may be a bit of a long post. We all want to be stronger. Not necessarily huge muscle strong, but make-everyday-life-easier stronger. The elderly might want to open jars unaided or be able to squat down and get back up from the toilet without grab rails. Middle aged people like myself need it to do all the things that are necessary with older parents and evidently slug-like teenage daughters who cannot move anything under their own power. The young want it to p!ss off those of us 40 and up by showing off.
The one thing that all of these type of people have in common is that strength is the ability to exert force on an external object via the leverage and power of our bodies. In the simplest example I can think of, you have a rock and a seesaw. To move the rock, you push down on the opposite side of the seesaw. If more or larger rocks are added the more force it takes to move them, but the plank of the seesaw will also start to bend. If the person is strong enough to continuously lift the rock, eventually the plank will break. In our case, that doesn't mean a bone will break, but there will be a chance for injury.
Muscles can get stronger faster than bone, but bones can definitely get stronger. NASA includes resistance training in space for this exact reason. Bones are in a constant stage of breaking down and building up. Just like muscle tissue that tears and repairs stronger, bones breakdown and are built back up stronger via osteoblasts. Remember that Vitamin D and Calcium we were told to take religiously post op? This is exactly why.
There is a lot more to getting stronger than just getting bigger muscles. You can have larger muscles, but a weak nervous system. That could be just the way a person is or because of some injury, but the strength of the signal telling the muscle to contract and pull bones together is what makes lifting everything possible. This is one reason that warm up sets are so important. Train the neural pathways of the movement so that that pathway stays strong as long as possible.
Heavy weights exert stress onto the skeletal system and that system response to that stress by getting stronger. It gets stronger by becoming more dense. It is an evolutionary response that all animals with bones have. It just takes time and measured training to accomplish it safely. Hope this little blurb helps.

You can target areas for increased muscle size, but not for weightloss. One bad thing about targeted muscle training is while you may get one muscle group stronger, the supporting kinetic chain does not. Perfect example would be the leg press versus the barbell back squat. I can leg press an insane amount of weight, but only squat 250lbs. The reason being the entire body's kinetic chain (basically any joint that moves or is an anchor point for muscles) is involved. You cannot squat anything more than your shoulders, back, and hips can bear. So while the leg press will work your legs muscles, it won't do much of anything for your hips, back, and shoulders. Same thing goes for the deadlift versus a lat pull.
This is problematic because the leg press does not carry over into real world applications as good as a squat. While your legs may be strong enough to pick up something off the ground, your hips and back are not. There is also the fact that machines to not load the skeletal system so you are not gaining bones density, but that is whole other post.

I'm a 41 year old graduate student studying social work. I'm sarcastic, funny, and a hard worker.

Yes, my first stall came at the end of my 2 weeks post op and lasted about 2 weeks, I came out of it and now right back in it. Just follow your plan and trust the process. Remember you didn't gain the weight overnight, we won't lose it overnight. Be patient, it will come off.

Congrats on three weeks out!
Weight loss is at its best in the first months. It will slow down as you progress. Take advantage of your first year. We all lose at different rates. It's not a race and comparing stats with others will make you crazy.
I got to gaol in six months. Nothing magic. I followed my plan. Walked, elliptical and a bit of weight training.
Honeymoon phase: My answer depends on your definition of honeymoon phase.
I think my first stall made me realize this is work The reality that any of us can gain weight back The high from seeing the scale move stops and maintaining begins Four years out - I am still grateful and excited about this 2nd chance in life. Weight Loss, getting my health back, having adventures in life........ It's still a honeymoon to me.😉

I did the Bariatric Fusion Multi-chews (kind of like Starbursts; if it matters, I did the berry flavor), and at some point they started making me feel nauseated, morning and night. Since I didn't actually throw up, I just kind of ... toughed it out? until the end of the bag, and then I switched to their chewables (big, round, kind of chalky; I knew I didn't like the berry flavor, after sampling at my surgeon's office so I switched to orange). So you might do what I did: switch Vitamin types, in case maybe there's a specific ingredient that's not working for you.
Both kinds I've tried are available in the store here, along with a LOT of other options.
My team gave me a "no" on the vitamin patches, but if your team allows them, a lot of people who find the Vitamins hard on their stomachs seem to do well with those? (The science is out as to how effective vitamin Patches are, in general, but anecdotally, I know there are people on here who use them and whose labs come back just fine.)
Edited to add: not all of the Bariatric fusion chewies (Starburst-shaped ones) are problematic for me. I do fine with their caramel calcium chews, and they're pretty good. You wouldn't mistake them for real candy, but I enjoy them.

In my early weeks, say maybe first 6 weeks, I changed Vitamins countless times. I started with the Patches, but became sensitive to the adhesive. I tried the chalky chewables, the starburst-like chews, under at least 3 or 4 different brands. I tried them with Calcium, without calcium, with Iron, without iron. I varied the time of day and considered with food vs without food or what other vitamins to combine them with. They all made me nauseated and a couple even made me dizzy.
I finally settled on gummies. They're not 100% sugar free, but they're only 15 calories, so I decided that the risk of eating sugar vs not getting my vitamins/minerals was something I was willing to take. I've been taking them regularly ever since. No problems. Plus, it kind of feels like a treat.
I don't plan to take them forever. Now that I'm nearly 7 months out from surgery, I think I'll try to go back to the regular One-a Day pills once my Gummy stores run out. I've had no trouble with capsules that size, so hopefully it won't be an issue.
I say this so that you know, we all have things we tolerate better than others. And we all have that Vitamin that works for us, but not for others. Experiment. Be patient. It will take some trial and error to find what's best for you.

Don't be discouraged😪
Everyone that got where they are,Started out where they were.😝

I'm not you
You are not me
We are each on our own pathway
But when they do run parallel or intersect
May I walk a while with you?

Good morning all! Today I experienced my first non food reward since being on this journey! I got a custom full body massage and IP resort and spa in Biloxi today!! It was amazing I have never done anything like that for myself before! I will do again!

Update: I've reached my first milestone - 218 today (or 99 kg!!)! Pedicure time this Friday!!

Well worth going to Mississippi for! Wish I were there instead of gloomy drizzly Central Ohio today☔⚡☁☔

All time favorite

LONG POST ALERT- sorry. Please read it, hope it helps.


Aww you sound like my best friends situation, so i’m going to give suggestions just as if i was talking to her. I hope it helps and isn’t to harsh, also feel free to send me a pm if you need to.

1. Plan. Just like how you plan out your school stuff, plan out your meals and your workout schedule. It will help. You can’t eat what you don’t have so if that means you have to pack healthy low carb Snacks and order groceries online, then do so.

2. Write things down, whether it’s in my fitness pal, notes section of your phone or an actual food log. Visually see how you eat to hold yourself accountable.

3. Don’t do a “diet” because those are all temporary focus on getting in tons of Protein first and you will be to full for junk. Obviously you know to watch your carbs and sugars so no need to repeat that.

4. Meditate- this is mental. Clear your mind and relax

5. Find a workout buddy or coach to help you stay active and even when you aren’t working out, stay busy. Don’t eat in front of the tv, no grazing or snacking, try to stick to 4 smaller meals per day.

6. Therapy- it works wonders and it’s not scary. It will help you overcome the mental aspect of things and help with the self image part of things. Sounds like you’re in the middle of a slight depression, talking to someone can help so much. Many of us (including myself have had to do so)

7. Prioritize- focus strictly on this and school. Worry about men later. Trust me they will always be there, there’s like billions of them on the planet. Date yourself first and do what you love so your confidence improves first. That confidence does NOT come from validation from some guy. You’ll meet the right guy in due time, there’s no rush.

Water- when you think about food always have Water first. Then eat later.

Only do workouts you love- this journey truly is 70% diet, 30% exercise. But it is all about 100% consistency. So do things to be consistent. Create a routine for yourself.

You’re soooo driven in all other aspects of your life so i know that you can handle this too. Also realize how far you’ve come. You have lost a ton of weight already and wear that crown proudly!! Tell your self positive affirmations each and every day and practice self care because that is 100% part of self love.


Somewhere in the archives there is a rant from a long time ago, when i first joined that lists a ton of tips i used to mentor my local support group and trust me everything may not be for you, but it will definitely help. Read over it and find what works for you. This is YOUR journey, you’re a strong bad ass and you’re in control of it. Best of luck to you!

I hate to say this but online dating is the easiest way to get back in the dating pool.
It will help you regain that dating confidence.

I met my bf on Tinder, we've been together almost 3 years. Some people think it's a hook up site, but I think it's what you make of it and how you use it.

Being in NYC, I'm sure there are a ton of groups where you can meet people face to face. I used an app called "meetup" and it was for various meetup groups, like singles for dinner, or sports clubs, etc. I met a lot of great people that way (of all age groups).

Go have fun! You deserve it!