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I think this is a pretty good idea for people who are in any part of the process to see how folks further along are doing vs what they are supposed to do and seeing their progress measured against it. I'll play along too, thanks Brent Water - A - I get at least a gallon a day Protein - B - I get to about 80 or more most days, but I could do better Food Choice - B - I have completely cut out complex carbs and processed foods, but I do indulge in the occasional simple carb, I'm human... Portion Control - A - no choice here due to the surgery Mindful Eating - D - I still eat too fast, it's a 40+ year old habit to break Exercise - B - I work out 6 days a week with both cardio and strength training. Since I added strength training, I'm not seeing as much loose skin as I used to, but the weight loss has slowed, but I think that's good since muscle weighs more than fat Vitamins - A - I never miss them Again, great idea, thanks

Happy Monday to me! 10.5 months post-op. 146lbs lost since surgery. GW ACHIEVED!! I would like to thank... literally nobody but myself because I am the one who accomplished this! Hollllaaaa!! And this is before the skin removal so who knows what I will end up being. I am also still actively losing so I am not at equilibrium yet. Interested to see where this will go....

Anyone iron deficient? I have been a bit chilled since before WLS? I alternatively attributed it to anemic or a sympathetic neurological disorder usually depending on my MD Most likely it is the latter but since I don’t like any of the treatments I live with that. - it is almost like a low grade pain and at time penetrates into my core Sweaters do not really help but getting any moving air off my skin does. Hyper sensitivity to sensations

Well Well it's update time. On August 27th Dr Doolittle, my ortho , removed a Ganglion Cyst from my Left wrist. Now I have been allergic to Hibiclez for several years so had to prep with my alternative, Golden liquid Dial, got the directions down pay and I NEVER GET any inflammation. Well I don't know what they painted my arm with pre- surgically but I suffered the Torture of the Damned- shortly after returning home I was unwrapping their fine gauze handiwork, wrong shade for Betadine, but it made me swell and blister. It was Ambulatory SURGERY but I still went to LaLaLand, knew I probably would , I hadn't slept well the Night BEFORE and although it can often done with a Local DrD joked. He DIDN'T need comments from The Peanut Gallery as he did His Magic. Really wasn't all that painful, have me a script for Tramadol, still have most of them left. Okay , You All know wierd things happen to Me and if course I do talk about them. Well I also have an adhesive sensitivity, might go with my latex/rubber allergy. so about the only bandages I can routinely use are Nextcare. So I put on a large bandage dressing, went to remove it at the Doctors Office, since I was having stitches removed. I have been sutured/ stapled so often at my age it truly is NBT. aWell the one side, the one over the top of my wrist, the bandage ripped up my skin, looked like it was down to the subcutaneous layer, hurt so so much and it was oozing blood badly. Wonder if it is going to leave scarring. So every day I change the dressings, every day it bleeds once again so I finally bought some Telfa 3by3 pads that wouldn't stick to the wound, no more bandages except gauze for a while, I Think it is starting heal some but still looks wicked bad. Wonder if he did my cyst removal minimal invasive, only the top one of 3 slits was sutured, the other 2 maybe trocar/camera placement? Okay that's Chapter One of my Update. I have suddenly started producing lipomas, maybe they always was there, just weren't apparent until my arms got slender/gaunt. Had an consulting appointment with my General surgeon, thought she might remove both the ones that were prominent, she will remove the one September 24th but won't remove the one lying in the antecubital fold, said she is nervous about getting too close to the nerves et cetera lying just under it. Orthopaedics wouldn't do it, although he has Operated on other area of both upper limbs, Dermotologist refused to do it, told me to consult General Surgeon, she refused, so where do I go next? Could a neurologist do something? IDK but maybe a trip to OSU where they aren't scared of their own shadow, have to see my PCP the 23rd, local hospital demands a physical within 30 days before surgery. Maybe he will have some bright ideas and can help me figure where I go next. That's Chapter number 2! . Okay now to the Third Chapter. About 11 weeks ago a Surgery Day was set up for October 3rd so 2 procedures in 10 days, Me Oh My! And having had the Right One. done in December of 2016, I do know what it us like. This is one I DO WISH I could sleep through, not so painful as nerve- racking. 4emember lying there with my poor little eye propped open. Really doesn't 5ake a long time but right at the point I was ready to tell the Opthamologist "I CANNOT TAKE THIS ANY MORE", Dr Reeder said "We're All Done!" Now this one will be done by Dr Koehler, her partner, she had no open Time and Dr Koehler, he did although booking way out because I think all the other people in Knox County had cataracts ripening at the Same Time! And do you think That Could be enough? Nope, no Way, now my Left shoulder has gone bone on bone, due to my arthritis more than Rotator Cuff Complete Failure, although he will fix them also, it's called a Reverse Shoulder Replacement, and most likely before the End of the Year, because it WON'T GET BETTER until then. My Birthday is December 26th, maybe if he isn't going ski- ing or leaving town for Christmas, that Would Be a Lovely Birthday present for Yours Truly, My Birthday does fall on His Regular Surgery Day! And since nobody's planning to shoot me and put me out of My Misery, guess I should have consulted a Veterinarian, they do help their patients become Angels when their Quality of Life fades down. So I will Keep on Keeping on, one of these surgeons ought to give me a Big Basket of Fruit for Christmas because I am sure fattening their wallets single- handily !👈😣👉

If I isn't Paying Rent, kick it Out! Of course right in the middle of Mass is not a Good Thing, but better to let it loose that STRAIN than to Hold it back and bear the PAIN.

Ok, so I went through all the months of nutrition classes, blood work, stress test, EKG, and x-rays. I am revising from the sleeve to the bypass because of really bad acid reflux and a hiatal hernia. After Aetna kept giving me trouble I was losing all hope of getting approved. Yes, after all the work I did they said my appeal was DENIED! However, I received a letter in the mail on Friday that ordered Aetna to approve my surgery within 72 hours. Medicare had stepped in and said basically that Aetna is my fiduciary in the medical insurance and they are responsible for keeping me healthy. Due to the fact that bypass is proven to stop reflux Medicare overturned their decision and I am now on my way to getting a surgery date. I am praying that above all other things the bypass is good for that it just relieves my acid reflux and helps me loose another few pounds. I had my sleeve June of 2016 and I'm still doing good. I've gained about 25 lbs. back so I hope it helps me lose and I'm positive it will, but haha to Aetna and don't let these insurance companies dictate what happens with you're health. Stay vigilant and keep pressing forward to your weight loss goals. Thanks for listening. [emoji171] Sent from my SM-J337P using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi... I am a month out and can eat anything (Haven't tried steak) and do not seem to get full....I am still loosing, so I am not too concerned about it. I notice that on this forum all people can eat different things at different phases, so I think the phases are more suggestions to scare you into eating right. No I am not a Dr !!!!! and here come the critics......Drumroll please .

The best: Getting my life back!!! I feel 20 years younger and am doing things now that I haven't been able to do for decades. Rode 15 miles on my bike today and felt great! Hiking hills, riding my mule, climbing stairs, swimming (in a size 10 suit!!!), getting down and up off the floor, no more sleep apnea, no problems with asthma or reflux, no fungal infections in my skin folds this summer, no joint pain, normal BP and blood sugars (ie: no more metabolic syndrome!), wearing cute clothes, feeling "normal" in a crowd, more confidence, not having to size up the furniture in a room to decide which I will fit into, the list just goes on and on. I took a "Biological Age" test, and I am 16 years younger than my stated age! Hurray!!! The worst: Can't think of any. This is one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself. I LOVE my new active lifestyle and lifelong way of eating. Yes, there can be temptations, but they get easier and easier to deal with as you see the benefits of healthy choices. Sugar and desserts have no appeal at all any more. Neither do processed foods, coffee, soda, or alcohol. I do not even see those as sacrifices - not when I get to eat so many other healthy things. I guess one thing might be that when I go out to eat, I can only finish about 1/4 of the meal. I take the rest home, but the left overs are really not that great past a day, so I end up giving the rest to the chickens. So that's a waste of money. I am learning to order off the appetizer menu and to not let my eyes get bigger than my stomach. It's a process. Another thing might be that I feel a bit self conscious about my face, which I think looks old and wrinkly now. Others tell me differently and that I look younger, but I just don't see it that way. I am trying to be more out going and cheerful so that the wrinkles look more like smile lines than grumpy lines. That's just a matter of building confidence and learning to accept a great new body, but one that looks a little funny in places.

I think being in the normal BMI is good however due to our extra skin and probably more muscle than the average person at the same weight I would look sick at a low end of the normal BMI. I am also now is size 4 jeans and feel like that is the lowest size I want to be. A lot of small tops fit but some are still baggie around me but tighter in the arms. I don't want to have to shop in a juniors department and would if I dropped another 10 pounds.

If I didn't have plastics planned, I'm not sure what my goal weight/appearance would be. I personally find my body to be too thin, for my liking, with the exception of my stomach. The excess tummy fat bothers me, but conversely the lack of body fat/skin laxity on my butt, thighs & boobs bother me as well. For right now, I have an upper limit of 130 lbs. It's really only there for two reasons. I feel like I need some kind of guardrail, so I don't starting gaining again. Also, I want to be lean for my upcoming plastics. I'm going to ask my surgeon if I should get even leaner, and if that would improve the results of my LBL. I'd say my lower limit is 125 currently. My lowest weight is 125.4, and I've hit that a few times. I don't have any desire to go lower than that, unless my plastic surgeon advises me to. It's definitely more about how I feel and how I look than a number on the scale. Once my tummy is flattened with plastics, I'll see if I can play around with my weight a little bit. I honestly miss my curves. I would like to have a fuller butt again, and wouldn't mind fuller hips and thighs. When I look at pics of myself during the WL process, I find myself most attractive in the 140-160 range. I'm not sure if I'd want to get up to 160. I'd be pretty far above a normal BMI. That weight might make me feel "heavier", harder on my feet in heels etc., but we'll see!

Happy Friday everyone. Here’s an old dress I haven’t fit into in a couple of years. It was right when I wore it last, now it’s loose. I hope you all have a great day.

TMI Alert. Before my LBL there was too much excess skin for easy intercourse. Something folded or bunched or just got in the way. It was better after LBL The inner thigh work though returned intimacy to the magical level.

I have been taking gummy vitamins, I researched which ones I thought were best and ordered them ahead from vitacost.com I have shopped there for years and filled my cart and waited for them to send me a coupon before I ordered. They seem to be keeping my labs good, I’m not sure vitamins can totally stop hair loss but they do help overall. I can’t speak for energy but these vitamins do work for me. I spread them out throughout the day. This is my list (one month supply) 1. Garden of life my kind organics women’s multi 40 plus Whole Food gummies, organic berry 120 gummy drops four per day (2 in the morning and 2 in the evening) 2. Natures way hair skin and nails with collagen strawberry 60 gummies two per day one morning one evening 3. Natures way alive clacium plus d3 cherry strawberry, 60 gummies two per day one morning one evening 4. Hero nutritionals slice of life omega 3 and chia seed, adult gummy vitamins, Cran orange 60 gummies- Three gummies i take mid day. Though I take two and supplement with another fish oil gummy I got in target so the bottle lasts the month. 5. Ollie probiotic gummy 1 in the morning. I got in target to see if it helps my gut (so far not really) 6. I’m including b-complex on the list, it’s a good vitamin but I stopped taking it since it wasn’t helping me. And I get enough from my multi. You might benefit from it though. And they aren’t expensive. Natures way Alive B complex gummies, 60 gummies two gummies, one in the am, one mid day 7. I also take a natural heartburn chewable, natures plus nature sec natural peppermint 90 chewable You might also benefit from coenzyme q10. Hyaluronic acid. Prebiotic fiber. A lot of people take bariatric vitamins but they contain added iodine and since I’m allergic I had to find a multivitamin that didn’t have it. Any vitamin that is Whole Foods based will be utilized better by your body. I attached a screen shot of some of the vitamins. I rely on getting coupons since I’m on a tight disability budget. Best of luck to you on your journey!

My other surgery twin!! My surgery is the 18th as well! I'm planning on trying to find a loose dress or gown type something for the ride home. I'm in AL and it's still hot as three hecks here so no sweatpants.

I live in So FL so I was going to wear loose shift/ dress so nothing around waist. Not sure where yo are & how cold.

👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 22 MONTHS POST VSG/ 2 MONTHS POST RNY CONVERSION 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 ❤❤❤❤❤ weight unknown: on a trip ❤❤❤❤❤ I suspect my weight is in the 150s still as I can see/feel it in my skin but i will not be near a scale for at least another week. Not worried about it. Updates: Developed a stricture and had a dilatation to fix it. No big deal 👏 Cannot eat mechanically separated poultry (turkey sausage, chicken deli meat, etc) my body rejects it. Mostly maintaining despite conversion/complications 🙌 Life is basically back to normal so... Selfies and food pics (boring because variety was halted for bit)

Sorry if I am repeating myself but I feel like this is the only place I can vent my frustration and my concerns without someone rolling their eyes. I never in my life thought I would have this issue and it's freaking me out. I was concerned about losing too fast at the end of July at 136 even thought I was just into the healthy BMI. However my concern was I kept losing a steady 2-3#/week. I increased from 800 to 1000 calories and seemed to work with a little loss but bouncing around 132-134 for a few weeks. Then suddenly then past 2 weeks despite an avg of 1200 calories without increased activity I have lost 3 pounds in 10 days. So the past few days I have increased to 1300-1400 but still lost another pound this morning. I am still mid range BMI however I am looking too thin since extra skin and have big muscular leg from carrying extra weight don't factor into a standard BMI chart. I am trying to stay put around 130 but now am at 128 and don't want it to keep slipping. I think the weight gainer shake may be my next step. I just don't want it to make me feel sick. I am forcing myself to get in every bit of that 1400 calories the past few days. It is like a full time job and is now giving me food aversions. OK vent over.

Well I had taken my own advice and still lost for a week after increasing from 800-1000 calories but then maintained bouncing around 132-134 for a few weeks. Then suddenly then past 2 weeks despite an avg of 1100-1200 calories without increased activity I have lost 3 pounds this week. So the past few days I have increased to 1300-1400 but still lost another pound. I am still mid range BMI however I am looking too thin since extra skin and big muscle leg from carrying extra weight don't factor into a standard BMI chart. I am trying to stay put around 130 but now am at 128 and don't want it to keep slipping. I think the weight gainer shake may be my next step. I just don't want it to make me feel sick.

Omg yes!! I am back in my wedding ring and it actually spins around it’s so loose! Such a great feeling bc I have t been able to wear it in years!! I am 15 mos out

I'm completely lost and unsure about doing a sleeve or bypass. I am female 37 yes old, no kids in the future, 172cm and weigh 111 kilos. I have a small hernia and the surgeon recommends a bypass. I guess I'm apprehensive because I focused so much on doing a sleeve. I am an active individual who would like to add muscle while loosing fat. I'm afraid with a bypass I wont absorb necessary nutrients to achieve these goals. Anyone out there with similar situation? Is there a success bypass story where adding muscle mass wasnt a big challenge? Sent from my BLA-L29 using BariatricPal mobile app

From all my reading I've done, it seems like for the most part the mons is pulled tight and reduced as a natural part of the lower body lift or tummy tuck. As all your skin is pulled upward, so is your mons. Some surgeons will do lipo on the mons too, if needed. As a side note, it's really a shame that you are so uncomfortable with your body that you're not able to relax and be intimate with your husband, We are way harder on ourselves then anyone else would be, especially your partner (if not that's a whole nother issue!). The fact is sex feels amazing, and physical intimacy creates strong bonds, you really shouldn't deny yourself that!

Hi: I am 1 month pre-op RNY and I’m nervously excited. I’m not too scared about the surgery part as I DO expect to wake up. But I am scared about complications. I have read enough on here and elsewhere to know that bad things can happen. I’m worried about how I am going to feel afterwards. Not so much the surgery pain because I have had surgery before. I’m more worried about fatigue and possible sadness. I’m worried about what I will eat when regular food is reintroduced. I read what people eat and not much of it is what I like. It seems the healthy things that I like are off limits. I don’t eat a lot of protein but I do like protein shakes so I expect that they will be a part of my life forever which is ok. I also hear that tastes change so maybe I will start to like things that sound awful to me now... I’m slightly worried about how my appearance will be regarding mainly my face. I’m 55 and I’m not wrinkled much right now probably because my chubby face helps. I have had said chubby face for 20 years so I don’t know what my middle aged face looks like at a normal weight. Last time I was thin, I didn’t have wrinkles. Lol. What a kick it will be to be a healthy weight and have an unrecognizable face! Lol I am not too concerned about loose skin because most of my weight is in the belly and that looks pretty bad right now so it will just look a different kind of bad. And there are always plastics... I’m hoping getting this stuff off of my chest will help me and maybe others would like to get these things off of their chests, too. Thanks

If they told you to remove the glue, I would do it I was a little worried about it, but it did help me...and nothing came loose, lol.

I had no problems whatsoever telling people I was having the surgery done. Pretty much all of my friends and family are excited for me. Even my daughters gymnastics coaches are extremely supportive of my decision. They love seeing my updates, even a teacher I had in HS (I gradated in 1992!!) is following it and has told me she's one of my biggest "fans" My family is amazing, my husband was deployed on my surgery day so at age 45 my daddy drove me to the hospital and drove me home and my mom stayed with me for almost a week to take care of me. My 12 yo is so amazing and supportive over it, she loves to ask me how much I have lost and gives me high 5's etc. My 25yo is supportive as well however he is one who was always more worried about my smoking than my weight when he was growing up. For him I made sure he knew I was well taken care of here so he wouldn't even think about trying to take leave to come home for it. I have only had one friend of mine who felt the need to tell me that she didn't think her bmi was high enough and even if it was "I couldn't handle the loose skin" why she felt the need to tell me that I don't know but that was the only not really supportive comment I have gotten she is one though who thinks she is perfectly healthy obese and it's not her fault she doesn't lose weight...so that could play into her reply too she just seems to take my having surgery personal. Whatev her opinions don't bother me in the least I did this to better myself and to stop worrying about the ticking time bomb to diabetes or heart problems. I hope you are able to have a wonderful supporting cast. For me knowing I had so many rooting for me makes me feel amazing.

I cannot answer your question as I haven't bought anything but socks and underwear from WM in many years, I have to buy FR (Fire Retardant) clothes for my work so I just wear those jeans for everyday clothes as well, shorts, sweats, shirts, etc...I buy online. BUT, I just wanted to give you a huge congrats!!!! I know the feeling as we have almost the exact same stats. I was up to 420 in 2015, am 5' 10''. I was up to a 54 waist also. I am currently in a loose 40 and saving pennies for some 38s. I had a bunch of stuff, down to 36 because I had lost down to 190 but when I gained a bunch back (up to 330) I got pissed/depressed/whatever, and gave all my smaller clothes away....again. I had my revision from sleeve to bypass in June and now having to keep buying all these clothes all over again. Anyway, congrats on the amazing weight loss, keep it up.