loridee11

Lots of water and focus on protein. I know some people really struggle with fluids early on but it is really important. My "3 week stall" lasted 3 1/2 weeks. It eventually broke and I've done well following the plan.

How interesting - it looks like your scar curves around the outside of your arm near your elbow to catch the extra there. I've mostly seen the scars go just along the inside of the arm. Looks great! Thanks for sharing

Do you still have (if you ever did) overhang around the outside of the elbow when your arms are down?

Hi - That's a ton to be dealing with all at once, so I can definitely understand how losing weight on top of all of it can be hard. I think the key for me when I was losing the weight before I was approved was to really focus on this has to be a lifestyle change - so what changes could I make that didn't require a lot of extra work or thought and could be incorporated for life. For me it was things like ground chicken instead of ground beef. Veggie noodles instead of noodle noodles, etc.....I also had a few key recipes I would make (I don't have kids at home to feed so not sure how well that would work for you --- but worth a thought). Some of the things I did were: - Ground chicken taco's, I just didn't do the tortilla and ate it on lettuce - Thai chicken salad, you can find the recipe online. Easy and low calorie - Pumpkin chili with ground chicken or turkey Good luck - you can do this! Lori

As others have said, it's very common to weigh more in the evening then in the morning. I would pick 1 time of day and stick to it. For me, I weigh Saturday mornings before I have anything to eat and drink so the trend should be fairly accurate. Of course, weight still fluctuates throughout the month as well....

And a NSV from today. I went shopping for the first time in almost 7 months (last time was pre-Pandemic as most stores are just starting to open here). Last time I was still in plus size and I was so frustrated with the complete lack of options (shopping discount type stores like Nordstrom Rack and Marshalls). Today, there were so many great options - it felt amazing to be able to pick clothes I like v. anything that fit and didn't look terrible. I still have a ways to go so I bought a handful of tops and stopped myself but seriously so excited to be able to wear clothes that are my sense of style!

Thanks. I think I'll be OK at my target weight --- it's lower than I've been in my adult life but still at the upper end of a normal BMI so I should still have some fat ... If not, I'll just have to be happy with the smaller breasts

Years ago after losing a lot of weight I had a breast lift. I went from tennis balls in socks to perky, small breasts. (DDD/E to B). He did a keyhole surgery. However, even after the lift I still had excess skin at the TOP of my breasts that felt like pleats. SO --- I had a second surgery to have implants put in. I asked for just enough to fill in the extra skin and ended up back at a DD. After regaining and losing the weight, I'm wishing I hadn't done the implants and when I go in for surgery I'll be having them removed. I've decided I just don't want the implant. I may ask about the fat graft depending on the size I'll be after the implant is removed.

8 1/2 months after surgery and 14 months after starting my weight loss journey, I am officially in One-derland!!! As of this morning I am down from a starting weight of 333.6 to 199.3. ??‍♀️?

This is exactly what I am hoping I can find a surgeon to do at one time. I'm still about 30 lbs from goal and am just starting researching surgeons. Would you mind sharing your surgeon?

Thanks. I'm about 4 1/2 months into loss so hopefully it will slow. I was able to cut it to a bob (about 6 inches) so it doesn't look as raggedy. AND the stylist asked if I'd been losing a lot so I guess there are baby hairs up there. Now what I have just needs to stop falling out, and those baby hairs need to grow faster

For those veterans who experienced hair loss, when did yours stop? I started losing hair at about 3 1/2 months post surgery. I'm now exactly 8 months out and I am still losing a TON of hair. I honestly have no idea how I have any left on my head. I keep hoping it will stop soon.

I'm not a big fan of my nutritionist either. She seems to have a basic set of "here's the type of meal you should eat but if I ask questions I don't get much. For example, I asked if I should eater lower fat versions of food, or less of the full fat as I'd read full fat may actually be better in the long run as they aren't as processed/chemically enhanced. I couldn't get a straight answer and this feels like something a nutritionist should be well versed on. Fortunately I don't have to see her after I just smile and nod through the appointments now.

Hi All, Do any of you have a good plastic surgeon in the San Jose/San Francisco bay area that has experience with weight loss patients? I'm still in the weight loss phase (down 130 of a target 163) and am already seeing that I will want my arms done. I also have breast implants from years ago that I want removed and likely just a lift with no replacement implants. I may also want to consider tummy and legs, but maybe not -we'll see where I end up. I would prefer someone who specializes in weight loss since the amount of skin and damage can be so different. If not in the bay area, anyone have someone good that does travel patients with good setups to stay there for some time after surgery (I would want to stay in the US).

Before deciding on lapband, be sure to do lots of research on results 5-10 years out. When I had mine about 15 years ago it was the it surgery and I was really excited. And the first few years I had great results and lost 145 lbs. However, what they are finding now is that the complication rates farther out are a lot higher than other surgeries. I myself had mine out about a year ago, but for almost 10 years before that I was completely unfilled as I would wake up at night choking on acid and would throw up regularly with even a tiny fill. Last year I had it removed, and then at the end of the year I had RNY. I specifically chose RNY due to my history with heartburn and the band and have been very happy. Whatever you do, just do your research and be honest with your doctor. Best of luck!

Ditto high stress desk job. My doctor offered a month and I was able to take a medical leave, so I took the full month. I probably could have gone back at 2 weeks, but I was able to use the extra time to get my eating down and to do lots of walking - I couldn't go to far at once so instead I went a few times a day. If you can get the time, I would take it.

It's always a good idea to talk to your surgeon when you have more pain than expected and the swelling you describe so they can confirm if you need to be seen. I had my band out in August of 2019. For me, my incision where the port was removed was larger than when it was put in. I also had a small hard section there for a while - maybe the size of a ping pong ball --- my Dr. told me they pull the tubing and all out through that area. I also recall it taking a 3 or 4 weeks before the pain went away completely but it was never significant --- I didn't need anything more than OTC painkillers.

Thanks for sharing - it's helpful to hear what others experience. I rarely get full - I almost always measure 5-6 oz of food and stop when that is gone. I do sometimes just feel done with some of that left though, not really full, just had enough. When I do get full it's because I didn't measure. Even then, I eat slow and chew well and I've never gotten sick or had any issues. Oddly, when I do get full it's a fairly similar sensation to pre-surgery.

My Dr. mentioned it the prepared materials, but I haunted this site for months before surgery and knew about it from here and from video's on YouTube. But yes, it would be great if the Dr's would share a little more on the side effects (3 week stall, hair loss, etc...) so it wouldn't be a shock when you have them.

I had a lapband and had a pretty similar experience. I lost 145 lbs and was doing great - except I'd wake up choking on acid and throwing up/sliming was an almost daily experience. I tried various fill levels and any amount caused this. So eventually I was unfilled entirely and put back on all my weight. After a few years I finally decided to do surgery and I decided on gastric bypass because my surgeon shared that many people who heartburn/reflux before will have it worse with Sleeve. I had RNY 12/31/19 and have had a really great experience - better than even the early days with the band. I've had just a little bit of heartburn even with RNY, but Dr has me taking some meds and thinks it will resolve (technically still healing). I'm only a little over 7 months out but so far no regrets. Oh! And I have dumped exactly 3 times. I can have fruit and even 2 glasses of red wine and I'm fine. I even had a bite or two of a sweet and I was fine. But, I tried a margarita and had less than 1/3 of it - dumped. And I had a piece of birthday cake and dumped (2 times --- sometimes I take a bit to learn). To me that's a good thing. Dumping is very unpleasant, and as a result my desire to eat sweets is really dampened which is good!

I've been really lucky in that I haven't had a ton of hunger since surgery. Even now, I may get hungry or I may not. However, I have also noticed I don't get "full" on 5-6 oz of food (lean meats and veggies). For the most part, I stop eating at that amount and I'm no longer hungry - but again, not full. I realized I don't really know how people who don't have weight problems do this. Before surgery, I would eat until I was stuffed most the time and I'm pretty sure "normal" eaters don't do that. But do they look for a feeling of being full, or just no longer hungry? For those of you who are out further and in maintenance - do you eat to when you are full? Or do you stop when you are just not hungry anymore?

I am officially 7 months post surgery and am incredibly happy with my progress so far. I'm down 122.4 lbs total, and 80.8 since surgery. A few of my NSVs: - The arthritis in my knees causes significantly less pain - I am walking 2 miles most days, and hiking when I get the chance (up to 6 or more miles) - My strength and endurance is increasing. I still get winded and need to take breaks (especially on inclines) but there's no way I could have done some of the hikes I'm doing pre-surgery. - I'm down from a tight 2X to a L or XL. - I have collarbones again Below pics is from shortly after I started my journey (pre-surgery) to this morning.

Congrats on your surgery! I'm now thinking of all the beautiful towels I could have at home since I don't need bath sheets anymore

I had bypass on 12/31. I was SO nervous the morning of surgery but overall I had a pretty easy recovery. I made a commitment to myself before going in to the hospital that any time they asked I would walk (and I would ask to walk if they didn't ask at least every 2 hours). I think that really helped keep the gas pains down and set me up for an easier recovery. They had me drinking water & crystal light and eating SF Jello in the hospital (maybe 2 tiny bites is all I could get in with the swelling) and they had me taking my vitamins the next day (I triple checked since that seemed crazy but I had no issues). My program also had us on modified liquids from day 2, so I had a tiny bit of greek yogurt my first day home and it was fine. I took tiny bites, and waited to see how I felt between bites. It's crazy how quickly you get full but makes sense when you think about the size of your new stomach and the swelling. I always had water by my side and sipped pretty much every 10 mins (aside from 30 mins after eating). The first week I walked around the house 5 or 6 times a day and then I moved outside and quickly got up to a mile (I still try to do around 2 most days). I was definitely tired and fatigued the first month or so, but after the first day home I didn't need to nap or anything else - just took it easy aside from my walking. Congratulations and good luck!

I took WAY to much stuff and the only thing I used was my chapstick, toothbrush/paste and hairbrush. I didn't even need my phone charger or anything since I wasn't on it much and I wore the same clothes home that I wore to the hospital, and I wore the hospital gown & socks while there (they gave a second gown to wear when walking to cover up the backside.