pintsizedmallrat

I had cramping and they prescribed me what they described as a "muscle relaxer for the digestive tract" which helped quite a bit (the specific medication is Hycoscyamine but there are several medications in that class like Bentyl that do the same thing). It helped quite a bit. It sounds like you need to follow up with your team to make sure they know what's going on. They may be able to call you in a prescription or make a recommendation of things you can do.

They wouldn't offer both if they weren't a good solution for different people. Gastric sleeve, in general, results in about 10% less weight loss than bypass, but also has fewer long-term limitations...but I am a sleeve patient who lost every bit of their excess weight and more. In *general*, you hear of less sleeve patients who cannot tolerate certain foods a couple years after the procedure, and bypass patients sometimes end up being unable to tolerate certain things ever again. That being said, I am a sleeve patient, I am 21 months PO and I still don't tolerate apples, potatoes, rice, pasta, certain types of bread, or carbonation very well so I am still actively avoiding them (which, in a way, has helped me stay on track, so I suppose it's a bit of a mixed bag). I would listen to your doctor's recommendation and make sure you understand their reasoning for making said recommendation. There is a reason both surgeries are as common as they are.

Everyone's different; I had specific food restrictions for 3 months following my procedure. It was gradual and things were added along the line, but I wasn't free to eat whatever I felt like until 3 months.

At that stage about all I could get down was tea with a little bit of honey. Everything tasted awful. It will get better, though. Your whole system is extremely confused right now so be patient.

In my case, because I had probably PCOS that was already thinning my hair, not only did it all grow back, it grew back THICKER. Make sure you're keeping yourself nourished and your hair will come back in a few months.

I felt like my skin got itchy after my weight loss kicked back into gear, it almost makes me wonder if the process of my skin retracting makes it itch.

First of all, complete agree with this just being a "normal" stall and the best way out is to just stay the course. It will eventually break if you are following your plan and tracking everything as closely as you are now. If you like nuts and want something different for lunch, I usually make myself a salad with 1/4 oz of nuts or seeds (I like pistachios and pumpkin seeds), 2 oz of rotisserie chicken, 1 oz of leafy greens like spinach or baby kale and 1 oz of berries or other lower-carb fruits/veggies like tomatoes, and 1/2 oz of salad dressing (which can be something of your choosing; I like poppyseed dressing but it's a bit sugary. I just allow for it elsewhere in my day). The whole thing is under 300 calories, is well balanced, contatins more protein than the nuts alone and will keep you full longer. Another way to incorporate nuts in a more "substantial" way is to put, again, 1/4 oz of them in a Greek yogurt, maybe also add some kind of lower-sugar fruit like berries. You end up with a meal closer to 20g of protein depending on what brand and quantity of yogurt you're having.

There were two moments that were my turning point: The first time I attempted to learn to ride a motorcycle, I was hampered by my belly and thighs and overall being in poor shape. I had to drop out of the class because I didn't think I could safely hold the bike up on my second day. I'm an aspiring filmmaker. The moment I went from 'I'm not sure about this' to 'This is the right decision' was when I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a shoot at a place on my bucket list, and by the time I hauled in all my gear and got everything set up, I had no more energy left. I couldn't carry my things up the stairs. I was out of breath and exhausted. Now almost 2 years later, I can't stop and won't stop. Always on the move. I did this so I could DO everything I wanted to be able to do that my body was holding me back from. (AND I got the motorcycle and ride it CONSTANTLY, sometimes to film things!). Even if I looked exactly the same as I did then (and I don't, I have people who knew me before not recognize me quite often), I would do it all over again just to be capable of all the things I am now.

Yes. Between the hormone changes, less fat in your diet, and the changes in your hydration patterns, it'll be dry. I started "slugging" my face at night and it seems to be helping (which is where you put a thick, heavy moisturizer over your serums and treatments to "seal" them in while you're sleeping...it helps your active products work better and keeps your skin moisturized). I also swear by Nivea Creme and Aquaphor for below the neck. Make sure you're getting hydrated and taking collagen/hyaurlonic acid seems to be helping too.

I'm 40. I am 20 months PO (as of today!) and have lost 150 pounds off of a very small 4'10" frame. I have some loose skin on my neck and stomach and under my arms. The only part that is really noticeable is on my stomach, but since it's under my clothes it's not a big deal to me. It has tightened up considerably since my weight loss has slowed, and I feel like it's going to continue to shrink. It's minimal enough that I don't feel like I need or want to have skin removal surgery.

I think this is incredibly useful--I would love to have had someone who's "been there" to talk to. I often find I am having to educate non-bariatric medical professionals about the issues I have (including therapists). Especially when it comes to mental health providers, it's important that they understand that some of the things we deal with are "normal" or "expected" and aren't, for instance, a symptom of an eating disorder. You also get to a point where sharing your wins or revealing your struggles is hard to explain to your well-meaning family and friends. If they struggle with their weight, your wins can feel like bragging, and they often can't understand how difficult, truly, it can be to have your entire body change that quickly, and you get met with "but you're skinny now! What's the problem?"...having a life coach who has been through the process would make you feel a lot less normal and a lot less alone! I feel like I see stories quite often from people who are unhappy with the advice or attitude of their dietitian and my opinion is that many of the dietitians people are having issues with don't understand our situation fully. Many of them have never struggled with their weight (and being a life-long healthy eater would certainly entice someone to enter that field, so it's understandable). It would be nice to be able to speak to someone who knows where the landmines for our unique metabolism and capacities are. Especially for those of us who haven't had the greatest examples of what a healthy relationship with food looks like, we need direction and support, not judgement, and you are in a unique position to provide just that. I think most people would welcome being able to meet online. I would have really wanted early in my journey someone I could check in with once a month, etc, about what I'm experiencing.

VERY! The clinic I ended up using, despite the distance, was wonderful (JourneyLite in Cincinnati). I hope you are doing well also!

If I had read this a couple years ago, I might not have ended up having my surgery in Cincinnati after the dietitian at St Mary's made me cry! Good information and hello neighbor!

I had a lot of trouble with eggs in the beginning too. I don't think I was able to eat them until I was off soft foods.

I had mild sleep apnea and it was GONE less than a month after my procedure.

That is a brilliant strategy I need to put in my back pocket; thank you!

A lot of the process is trial-and-error; chances are you're not doing anything "wrong" per se but your stomach and entire system is drastically different from the last time you ate some of these foods a month or two ago, and doesn't know what to think. Keep track of what you eat that does and does not agree with you. Most of your new intolerances won't last forever, but when you try them again, go slow, eat a small amount, see how it goes. When I was about where you are I was having issues with milk and gluten and I eat both now. It took a few months for me to try them again but when I did, it was ok. You may also find it helpful to introduce new foods slowly, and not too many at a time, in case something does go badly you'll be better able to pinpoint which ingredient is the issue.

I am 4'10" and my high weight was 245; I was 220 on the day of surgery. After six weeks I had lost about 40 pounds. It took me 13 months to reach my goal weight of 110; I am now attempting to maintain but apparently I am not eating enough because I've managed to shrink my way down to "nonederland" at 97 pounds, and I'd really like to gain about 8 pounds and get back to 105. The biggest period of loss I had outside the first 30 days was around the spring following my surgery as I finally had that "burst of energy" and became MUCH more active, mostly by riding my motorcycle which is a surprisingly good workout on the arms and core! I lost 50 pounds between May and October last year.

I was on some form of a restricted diet for the first 3 months: clear liquids for a week, full liquids for 3 weeks, purees for 3 weeks and I think 6 weeks on soft foods. By the time I got to the point my diet was no longer restricted I was CRAVING raw vegetables something awful, and that's not really something that has let up (to a point where my dietitian had to gently chastise me for eating so much salad because it wasn't leaving enough room for protein!) I'm not going to suggest you go on your own and contradict your team's recommendations, but you may consider talking to them if you are tolerating things well if they would be open to you potentially accelerating your schedule. If you're having trouble, I would stick with the schedule.

I travel quite a bit, but most of it is alone, so I only have to be in charge of myself and my own schedule which makes it a bit easier...but I do have some suggestions of things that work for me. I would try to seek out lodging that has a refrigerator and possibly a microwave and consider preparing at least one or two of your meals in your room as opposed to eating in a restaurant--you'll have a much easier time being able to control your portions and what is in your meals that way. I usually hit a grocery store before I head to my hotel and pick up things like string cheese, vegetables that are easy to snack on (grape tomatoes, baby carrots, even things like sugar snap peas are really good raw), individual containers of cottage cheese or yogurt, deli turkey, things like that. When you do eat out in restaurants, think outside the box and consider pairing several sides into a meal you can live with (for instance, my husband and I have a Japanese restaurant we like a lot, his meal comes with a side salad and I usually take that, and then I ask for a side order of shrimp to put on top, and I eat that as my meal). This works out better because by getting only the sides, you're not paying for nor being tempted by the inevitable carb-based side that accompanies most restaurant plates. The tricky thing is that while traveling it's harder to store and/or find time to eat leftovers so I always end up feeling like I'm being wasteful if I order a full "meal" intended for someone with a normal stomach. A lot of this is going to potentially boil down to how flexible and accommodating your travel partners will be in helping you be able to eat places you can find something suitable. If they insist on eating bar food (or something along those lines) all week, it may end up being a little hard, so hang in there, do your best, it's not forever, and if you have a difficult couple days, just get back on track when you get home.

You're at the 3-week mark which is a very common point to either stall or even have a modest regain. You didn't mention what liquids you were drinking prior to now but if you weren't having much salt (from things like broth, for instance) and have now added things like cheese that can be kind of salty, it could also be water weight which will resolve itself.

I have FEP Blue and while I wasn't going for a revision, I had gone through the entire process and had an approval, and my surgery was originally scheduled for early 2020. The state I was living in cancelled all elective surgeries for several months at the beginning of the pandemic, and then we moved to another state. I had to start the entire process completely over when I contacted the original surgery center 18 months later (after having tried to start with a place in WV where the dietitian made me cry and I decided I'd rather drive 3 hours than put up with that). I suppose the good news here is that even if you do have to start over, FEP Blue's requirements are a little less of a pain than some others; you only have to do the supervised diet for 90 days and a lot of insurance companies require six months or a year.

I guess we're all different (and it depends a lot on the "culture" of the people we encounter), but definitely the worst amount of shade I received was from a woman who lives a very "adventurous" lifestyle who I imagine has never struggled with her weight whatsoever, who is one of those thin people who looks at anyone with a few extra pounds as a moral failure. She treated me like I'd told her I'd gotten a completely-cosmetic procedure, and with all the judgement that implies. I feel like people who have been thin most of their lives but have experienced "success" at losing 10-15 pounds at some point don't understand how different it is to need to lose 100, 200 pounds and how that is a much bigger, difficult task.

Budget for it. If you know you're likely to have a couple snacks after dinner, make room for it earlier in the day with your calories/protein. Learn what your behaviors are and try to "outsmart" yourself. Another thing that has helped me tremendously is to make my healthy snacks more convenient for myself than the unhealthy ones. These suggestions are obviously with the caveat that I don't know what stage of eating you're in, but this has worked for me. Cut up some veggies, make yourself some "snack boxes" for in the evening that are grab-and-go (maybe a Babybel Lite cheese and a handful of berries? Fresh mozzarella and tomato skewers? Olives and some sliced ham or turkey?). If you like sweet stuff, I make "yogurt sundaes" sometimes which is basically what it sounds like: greek yogurt (I like Dannon Light and Fit), with a handful of berries and a small amount of sugar-free chocolate chips or cocoa nibs, maybe some nuts? (Whatever fits with your diet that you like). It makes it feel more fun to call it a sundae.

My biggest suggestion is to just be patient and supportive over the first few weeks...all those bodily changes can have some really, um...interesting effect on the mood! My mom got me a bunch of gift cards for clothes after my surgery and I appreciated it so much...after being overweight for years it was actually fun to go try and figure out what my personal style was when I wasn't as hamstrung by having to find the few items in the store that fit me. (19 months later I'm still trying to figure that out, but I'm learning!) Another suggestion for gifts might be a nice bariatric-friendly lunchbox or meal prep stuff for when he returns to work and starts eating a wider variety of foods. Having ways to transport your meals is important!