loridee11

1) I had pretty bad hairloss between 3-10 months. Now, 18 months out my hair is back to normal. I do take collagen but not sure it had any impact. 2) I am not perfect with vitamins --- I probably hit 90%+ and so far my labs are good. 3) I take 3-4 times a day. Most I take in the AM (Multi, Calcium, D, B12, A, Thiamin) then I take calcium at lunch; calcium and 2nd multi at night. 3 days a week I take Iron and Vit C before bed. I take Turmeric as well to help with inflammation but that's not standard. 4) At 18 months out I eat "normal" sized meals - normal people not my pre-surgery normal. I could eat again after a couple of hours but try to stick to the 3 meals a day guidance. Hope this helps. Lori

I am so, so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you.

I'm 5'10, started at 334 HW and 292 day of surgery. At 3 months I was down 40 lbs to 250. I was a "slower" loser, but have lost over 175 lbs and couldn't be happier.

You are doing great loss wise- but water is CRITICAL! You really need to be getting in a MINIMUM of 64 oz, and realistically more. It does take focus, especially as you are getting used to it, but I find when I drink enough water my weight loss picks up. I also find I just feel better - my joints and energy. Best of luck!

My surgeon wanted my goal weight to be mid-overweight range. They weren't worried about being in the normal range, but wanted me far enough away from Obese that if I had a little bounce back I wouldn't fall back into obese. My personal goal moved around a lot, and actually ended up just above my original goal... From 150 to 187 (dr goal) to 167 (half my previous weight) to 160. I'm pretty happy where I am (although body dysmorphia is a *itch). I may try to hit 150 so that if I do have a little gain further out I end up right around 160.

I'm so sorry your frustrated. You are only a week out from major surgery, Our bodies don't react predictably from that a lot of the time. Just be patient and follow your plan and the weight will come off. In terms of your diet, of course listen to your team. I can tell you that early out I was "eating" only 1-2 oz very soft foods (like greek yogurt) and stuffed from that very small amount and waited 30-60 minutes after to drink fluids. Outside of those windows, I really, really focused on fluids. Small sips every couple of minutes as it was the only way to drink enough. It took a lot of effort to get them in until I could slowly drink more at one time.

Congrats!

I know some people experience changes in what they like right after surgery, but has anyone experienced a change more than a year out? Over the last couple months I've noticed that I don't seem to be tasting salt like I used to and it's making a lot of foods much less enjoyable. Wondering if it's just a weird thing or potentially related to surgery?

I have heartburn post Bypass. My surgeon says its rare (bypass is actually a cure for people with bad heartburn) but it does happen. It's not as bad as before surgery and I manage it with 1 pepcid in the am.

FOllowing! I think I'll want a thigh lift as part of my round two (I haven't had round one yet) so I'm following. Thanks for sharing your journey and good luck!

Hi All, I am struggling to find balance now I am in maintenance. I either eat on plan which is too few calories for maintenance, or I seem to go a bit wild and eat in a way I know will cause me to gain weight if I continue. I talked to my nutritionist and she was zero help. All she repeated was to eat protein first, etc... and stay at 1200 calories. I am fortunate enough to lose at 1200 due to height but she simply won't adjust. So - does anyone have any ideas for good maintenance meals? I am trying to limit processed carbs as they are a slippery slope for me, but I don't want to be totally carb free. I also need around 1500-1700 calories a day and prefer to stick to 3 meals and 1 snack. Thanks in advance! Lori

Thanks. I meal prepped last week with healthy meals, ate until I was full, and lost some weight. Still within my maintenance weight range so good, but need to add to what I did. I already have healthy grains like Quinoa and even some english muffins in what I did last week. I have enough of what I prepped last week to last this week as well. Turkey Taco Soup Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes on English Muffin Vegetable gratin with turkey dinner sausage Pumpkin and ground chicken chili (from the freezer) Quinoa and ground turkey stuffed bell pepper Chicken breast with pineapple, red onion and cilantro relish, and yellow squash with onions For breakfast I did coffee with a little half and half and either eggs or greek yogurt and for snacks I did popcorn and SF popsicles. This weekend I've eaten off plan so will probably be a little up tomorrow (I won't weight again until Saturday). I think maybe I'll add a little potato to some of the above to try to bump up just a bit. Open to other suggestions. I AM SO grateful for this tool, and know I am still in my honeymoon period so I'm appreciative, I just want to get this right before it gets harder to lose and easier to gain. Thanks! Lori

I can't wait to go diving again! Its been years because of my weight (I haven't been since I was around 250 which was about 80 lower than my high). SUPER excited once Covid lifts and I can go again. Lori

My Dr allowed it at my 6 week appointment. I'm allowed up to 2 cups a day but was cautioned to be careful of milk, creamer etc.. as it can add a lot of calories. Each cup is 2 Tbs 1/2 and 1/2 and sugar free syrup. Until I hit maintenance I also mixed in protein, fiber, and collagen and had that as my breakfast.

I'm so sorry you are struggling. At 4 weeks I was eating: Greek yogurt - I liked the Fage Blueberry Beans: Pureed with cheese and onions Very soft scrambled eggs Cream soups (no lumps) Cream of wheat with cheese and thyme Protein smoothies I hope you figure out what works for you! Lori

This Pumpkin chili is amazing! Use ground chicken instead of ground pork: https://www.aspicyperspective.com/pumpkin-chili/ Huge batch, but you can cut it in half. Lori

agreed! I've had chronic headaches most of my adult life. I don't anymore. It's amazing!

Glad to hear you are trusting your team. As others have said, what you are likely seeing is just water. Once your body adjusts you'll start to go down again and probably put yourself in a better position for long term success.

I know others have posted about this, but body dysmorphia is so real. I am wearing size small in shirts (and some of them feel big). I do still wear a 8 or 10 bottom which isn't tiny, but was always my goal size (I'm 5'10 so would be way to thin in a 0 or 2)... And yet, I still see myself as overweight and as the biggest person in any given room. Even in pictures taken Saturday I feel like I look large. Some of that I think is due to the excess skin, especially on my legs... and some may be some of my jackets and stuff are still older and too big. But a lot of it is just my mind playing games. Anyway - has anyone gotten past this and able to recognize their own healthy body? Any tips for things that worked for you?

I'm in South Bay and haven't found one yet, but am looking as I notice I am struggling with the dysmorphia, but also with my food addiction. I'm far enough out now that I can eat a fair amount (nothing like before of course) and I really want to get my handle on eating for any reason other than hunger before I undue all the hard work. If anyone has a good one (really anywhere, happy to do virtual appointments) please do share.

Collarbones --- I really love my collarbones now. Such a wierd thing to notice, but I didn't have them/they weren't visible for so long.

If I eat pasta I can eat a normal serving and be hungry not long after. Same thing with crackers or other things like that. f I eat a chicken breast, that's often all I can eat in a sitting.

I've had chronic headaches most of my life. The only thing that helps me is regular chiropractic care as mine are caused by issues with my neck. As long as I get regular adjustments I am much better. Worth looking into!

I find carbs are slider foods - they break down so small they pass right through. Dense protein, even chewed well seems to sit longer in my stomach.

My "3 week stall" lasted about 3 1/2 weeks. Be patient and follow your plan!