ms.sss

You are only 5 lbs to goal!! (at least what's stated on the sidebar)...that must feel amazing 😁 My hair had started to shed around month 3...so I chopped it all off and it looks less thin now...hopefully it starts to come back soon...

Okay, October sleevers, its April 1st tomorrow and that means we will all be hitting our 6 month marks over the next 30-31 days. Would love to hear/read about everyone's progress and updates as we all reach our 6-month-surgiverssaries (yes, i know that's not a real word, so I don't know how to spell it!). Hope to hear from everyone (even its its just to say hey whats up...)

If this was done 4 months ago, I'd have jumped on board My weight loss is a lot slower now, and I wouldn't be able to compete against the newly op-ed. Good luck to those that join, sounds like fun

Water. If nothing else, get your water in. Try your best to focus on that today and tomorrow you can touch base with your docs for next steps. One. Day. At. A. Time. Hang in there ❤️

Love these ❤️

Wow, you have shrunk. Nice calves, btw, I wish I had a nice line running down mine too! Do you run?

so, so cool.

HOLY SMOKES. You look amaaaaaaaazing.

I'm the opposite, old pants/jeans fit my hips and legs, but they gape at the waist, especially at the back...if you stand behind me you can look down my jeans when I'm not wearing a belt. It doesn't help that my butt has deflated considerably 🙄. WLS wish: that we could choose where the weight came off from. 🙏

Have fun!

Wow, being discussed so thoroughly seems oddly unsettling (?) @SteveT74, thanks for taking the time to write all this, I can tell you have put a lot of thought and research into your posts. As someone who to tends to lose hours reading about subjects that interest me as well as take pride in composing a well thought out essay/email/argument/post-it note, I can appreciate your efforts. To be clear, both my nutritionist and surgeon (and while i'm at it my PCP) are satisfied with my progress so far (despite my NUT preferring that I up my calories). I'm sure they think I could be doing even better, like more calories, more exercise, more sleep, less salt, less special-occasion alcohol, less Perrier (my nemesis!) etc, but for now they are cool with what I'm doing. Come three months from now, they may advise me differently, and thats cool too...I could very well be in a different position to better address that, then.

I'm nearing 50 (turning 47 this year), and I chickened out TWICE in the year and a half before I finally went through with it last fall. The "chickening" is probably one of my bigger regrets. It really served no purpose other than to allow me to gain another 15 lbs during that time, and to further delay getting to where needed to be. Good Luck!

Like others have stated above, everyone will have a different recipe for what works for them. What works for one, may not work for the other. With that said, I watch/track calories and carbs (and protein, fibre, fat). These were two goals my nutritionist set for me, which I consider my primary daily goals (I don't always meet them, but I do the majority of the time): 70g protein minimum 2.5L water, the more the better. The next two I set for myself: Net carbs under 20g. Fat, I put a limit of 20-30g (but this is the most flexible macro I watch/track). I have noticed that if I take in more fat over consecutive days, my bathroom regularity improves. I end up averaging about 500 cals a day*. * I know this sounds like a small amount of cals, but I don't feel deprived nor starving...primarily due to the restriction of my sleeve (sometimes I think my surgeon may not have meant to make it this size, but whatevs, I'll take it). I am physically satisfied with the amounts I eat at meals. My nutritionist last month said she would like to see me take in more calories, but not to force it, if I can't. I'm sure I could choose more fatty, high-carb foods to do this, but honestly, I don't want to. In any case, both she and my surgeon were satisfied with my progress. P.S. I am also only 5'1".

I've slowing been going through my "skinnier clothes" that I've kept over the years (in case I lost weight of course!), and piling up the clothes I'm sizing out off on one side of my closet. I'm planning to sell the good items to a thrift shop, and the not-so-good ones are going into the donation bin. I don't want to keep them if only as a symbolic gesture that I will never need them ever again. As for going through my skinny clothes, they are depleting and there are only size 6's left in my stash, which I can't fit into comfortably yet. I haven't done any major shopping, just underwear and bras, and SOCKS. However, I do plan on doing some serious shopping soon as I need some summer clothes and some new shoes (my feet have shrunk 1.5 sizes!)...kinda excited

Probably a better question would be, "What didn't swell up before surgery?". Feet, ankles, calves, knees, elbows, wrists, fingers...all swell-free now.

Ah, a fellow Canadian 🍁 I also eschewed socks before (they made my feet sweat!) If I wore them out, I would take them off as soon as I got home. Now they are my bffs. Being cold afterwards is pretty common, I understand, but everyone tolerates it differently...your hobbit feet may be OK au naturel.

I'm a couple days past my 5 month mark. I had my labs done last month (around mid-feb), and all was good except I was a little high on B12...so they asked me to reduce the frequency of taking my B12 vites, that's about it. I remember reading somewhere that body temp goes down during active weight loss phases, but I can't be sure...I'll have to go do some research on that later to confirm...

Yeah, being cold is annoying. But I have to say I prefer it over being so hot all the time. Before, the slightest exertion would result in me being a hot, sweating mess. Then I'd be all flustered about being sweaty and then end up sweating some more. *sigh* So now socks are a fixture on my feet (I only see my feet now when I shower!), and I drink hot water all day. I want to say it has gotten slightly better, but it may just be because the weather is getting warmer. *shrugs*

I can tell you that getting into and out of a laying down position will be difficult/painful. Do ask your doctor if you should be doing the exercises though...

I can totally see the difference! I can see that your neck, shoulders and jawline have slimmed down congrats! Yay you!

The 4 people I told about my WLS don't watch, nor really care, what I eat or don't eat. However, the gazillion other people who I didn't tell, do. People (including strangers) seem to feel the need to question/comment on/judge my food choices (or lack thereof). That, or they will continually offer or encourage me to eat more of whatever happens to be on the table. I figure people are somehow uncomfortable when other's don't eat? In short, the food police are everywhere.

It's normal to feel c-c-c-c-old after surgery and have the need to wear sweaters/socks/blankets All. The. Time. Side note: I am the only one in my hot yoga class who wears socks and long sleeves to class. Sometimes I even keep my yoga jacket on for the first half of it.

This. While at first I didn't mind the attention, because really, I was feeling myself and I was happy that others were noticing what I saw. But now, it seems my weight loss seems to dominate the conversations, and yes, it has become uncomfortable and annoying. It's no longer, "Hi! How are you?", it is now "Hi! So how much weight have you lost now?" I find the need to continually change the subject to something else.

Wow, thanks for the info and pics...the transformation is AMAZING!! I'm about 25 lbs to goal, and hopefully will be following in your footsteps soon after! So long, batwings!

Ok, this is an odd one, but I'll take it: Since losing the weight, I find (and so does Mr., as I needed a second opinion, lol) that I am no longer in need for deodorant. I'm not sure if it's because my diet is different, or because I am always cold and no longer as hot as I used to be, but it is what it is. Though even after working out, and getting all sweaty, upon close inspection, I still manage to avoid smelling "ripened". Go figure. Again, I'll take it.