BlackBerryJuice

Depends on what kind of work you do.

I remember having these bizarre binging nightmares for like the first 4 weeks after my sleeve! So weird! That said, apricot Cookies sound intriguing. Might have to make some - with Splenda, naturally1

Does it have a strong taste? Like, can you use it to fry an egg without making it gross?

Yeah, it's a pretty small amount of hormones, plus it's also local hormones, not systemic (as with a pill), so it's not likely to cause a ton of weight gain. Paragard tends to cause very heavy periods, so I don't know if you'd be happy with it. I'm on the pill, anyway.

I think the 2 biggest factors are 1) your age 2) amount of weight you lose. I lost 70 lbs, and while I have a tiny amount of loose skin, it's not something I'd have surgery over. Even the boobs are pretty decent.

I've had yucky breath in the mornings since my first day post-sleeve - and no, it's definitely not ketosis in my case. Ketosis usually smells fruity, anyway, not gross. I don't know what it is, but I just learned to live with it. I just rinse out my mouth, have some water to drink, and everything is fine.

Very nice!

I'm 5'5" and started at 208. I originally set my goal weight at 145 - I'm big-boned and have a decent amount of muscle mass - but I actually got as low as 136. I couldn't really maintain that weight, since it required no desserts, alcohol, or any other sins, and I wasn't really willing to give those up. I leveled out at like 140-141 and at this weight, I can eat anything. My closet has clothes ranging from XS/4 to M/10, depending on the brand. I weighed 145 in like Grade 9, but I had a totally different body composition back then - I never in my life wore a size Small in ANYTHING until the sleeve, let alone X-small.

I'm too lazy to look up the source right now, but a massive paper just came out in the last year basically saying lipo becomes ineffective as soon as a year after the procedure - basically every single woman in the study regained the weight, albeit elsewhere. That regain is often worse than the original weight distribution - my mom's friend had regular lipo on her lower abdomen and then she gained 10 lbs....ALL above her bellybutton, so she had this ridiculous, massive shelf protruding above her bellybutton and then a perfectly flat stomach underneath. She was completely disfigured by it and wishing she had never done it.

I've eaten beef tataki, steak tartare and carpaccio....so darn good!

I'd never do a malabsorptive procedure, I've got a few friends who are doctors and they are always telling me about the people they see years post-bypass who have all kinds of issues. One friend was telling me about a pt she was managing who was like 2 decades out of bypass, obese (although god knows how big she was before her bypass) and spending literally half the year in the hospital because of electrolyte issues that were very difficult to correct. Electrolyte issues can lead to heart arrhythmias and even death.

You should check at your local Y, there is usually a spectrum of swim classes, including classes for those who don't swim like a rock anymore, but would like to improve their confidence with different strokes and work on their endurance (swimming is BRUTAL).

I boxed competitively for a while. I'm kind of a lazy person, so for me to be really seriously committed to something (e.g. a 2-hr boxing workout), there has to be some sort of competition. Problem is, getting hit in the face REALLY, REALLY HURTS. So, not boxing anymore.

Drink a glass of water first thing when you wake up and drink at least 1/2 glass every time you think you are getting hungry. That should keep you hydrated. Given your low blood sugar, I'd even make some of that water juice instead.

Thanks! I think I'll take some new pix soon to see if there's any difference in the last 6 months. I've been doing Crossfit since August, it's a pretty challenging workout all-around. Check it out online, these days there's a Crossfit gym in every town.

Good for you! I wish I could swim more often, but in between a bum shoulder (swimming is the single most aggravating movement for me) and boredom, I just can't bring myself to do so. But last summer I went for a nice swim in this massive lake because I really wanted to get to the little island in the middle, and it was so nice - especially when I finally made it back without drowning, haha.

Oh god, everyone at my Crossfit gym is obsessed with paleo. I like food too much! I eat dairy every day, usually Greek yogurt, and I like lattes. No way I'd do paleo for any extended length of time. Don't get me wrong, the people who stick to it look amazing, but for me, losing another 5 lbs is just not worth the deprivation.

Granted, I am in my late 20s, so I have age on my side, but feel free to check out my pix to see what I look like in minimal clothes. Oh, and I only ever wear Spanx to hide the granny pantylines with really tight pants or dresses, because I simply refuse to wear thongs.

Crossing my legs is my 2nd favorite NSV ever! First one being able to wear a skirt wth no tights and NOT having my thighs chafe. Best thing ever!

My boyfriend was happy with how I looked before the surgery at 208 lbs, and spent a lot of time dreading how I was going to turn into a bag of bones with no boobs, etc. That never happened, I just leveled out at a normal, healthy weight without getting too thin. He's at least equally, if not more, content with how I look now. My weightloss didn't really affect our relationship in any way, I think. He has told me that even though he liked me the way I was before just as much, he does feel a little more tickled pink when we go out and I dress up, because "according to society's standards, you are even hotter these days."

Make sure you have your blood sugar checked, too.

I still have some head hunger 1.5+ years out. Things that help include imagining myself eating the food I'm thinking about - for example, half an hour ago I was pondering digging into the bag of milk chocolate Chipits - and focusing on how the taste would not meet my expectations and on how I'd regret it once I started getting reflux after, etc. Also, I like to brew a cup of tea and drink that to see if my vague hunger is actually thirst - or just an oral fixation that can be appeased with something less calorific.

Ditto. Plus it's not like I hadn't ALREADY tried all kinds of diets, workouts, and what not.

They have a ton of sugar in them. You're better off going to the real Starbucks and ordering Iced Coffee with Milk - half the price of an iced latte and less sugar.

What do you do now? There are still some things I cannot do, e.g. skin-the-cats, but generally, if I had a dime for every day I looked at the workout for the day, thought "Holy crap, no way I could handle this," and then finished, I'd be rich.