Hi February losers! I know we've got a great group in the pre-op sub forum, but now that we are on to week two, thought we should start the thread over here too! I see a few other Feb stragglers around so hopefully they can join here too.

I had my surgery on Monday 2/3. I'm down 10.5 as of one week. Not sure if this is a normal amount or not. I'm not getting in much calories, but do get in Protein of at least 50g per day (need to up this) and all my Water. I have a drain which still causes me pain. Other than that thing, I'm doing good on my incision and recovery. Today I start back up work, but thankfully it's from home and I just have to work on a laptop or computer.

So looking forward to the losing phase of this journey with you all and learning and growing from each other.

Edited February 10, 201412 yr by kimr

Hi,

Tammy and Kim well done on reaching ondeeland, i know how important that is for you. Erin you look just wonderful, you must be so pleased.

I was on a plateau for a few weeks but i seem to have started drifting downwards again over Christmas. When i look at my overall loss i seem to still be losing about 5 pounds a month which surprises me because it doesn't feel like that. A big miliestone for me was hitting the 19s not the 20s in terms of stones. I did that a few weeks ago now and although i have not quite weighed this on a Silmming World night yet i have now lost 11stone in total from the beginning of my weight loss journey, and am not far off 8 stone loss since surgery. We are going to Maui for a couple if weeks on Monday so i am not sure what will happen there but it is all good news. It will be lovely to be somewhere warmer than here.

Congratulations to us all and i really look forward to celebrating our successes through 2015 and our one year surgery anniversary. One unexoected bonus of the surgery for me has been meeting such a great group of supportive and like minded people to share challenges and celebrations with. That is such a wonderful thing to have.

Happy New Year to you all.

Claire x

Erin. you look amazing! Sorry we weren't able to meet up in Orlando.

Claire, have a lovely time in Maui. So jealous of all your travels!

Yeay.. i have finally started moving after a two month plateau. I was very pleased with where i stalled even though it wasn't my goal weight but, I'm very happy it started moving again. Daily challenges still keep me guessing but i wouldn't change any of it.

2015 is going to be a fabulous year!

Clair i hope Hawaii is treating you well with beautiful weather.

Deanna

Hi everyone! Haven't posted in a while with all the holiday chaos etc. Just got back from Texas - working with refugees from Central America - what an eye-opener for this northern, upstate NY girl!! Also got to spend the week with my younger son who now lives in San Diego - he was so impressed with my weight loss and made his mum feel proud.

Kim - congrats on reaching Onederland - isn't it great? I got there around Thanksgiving.

Erin- you look fabulous - "skinny" even You're bound to make your goal!

Deanna - glad the scale started moving again. I've been stuck several times so I know how discouraging it can be. I'm back in my eating "routine" of 3 small meals and 3 "snacks" a day - that routine helps me a lot - prevents mindless eating.

Claire - have a fabulous time in Hawaii and congrats on the 5 lbs/month - that's fantastic - I've slowed down to about 3 lbs/month but as long as the numbers aren't going up, I'm content.

Bless this little stomach - despite all the turkey, pies and cookies, I actually lost a pound over Christmas & New Year. My slim husband gained 7 lbs and is now on a "diet". I got a "Fitbit" for Christmas so gotta get it set up and synced with MyFitnessPal.

Good luck to everyone for a successful and losing 2015!

Jenette glad you are doing well. Next time you are in San Diego, let me know so we can meet!

Hi to you all,

Deanna that is great news about starting to lose again and Janette your trip sounds amazing. I am not ignoring your personal messages, just trying to work out our travel plans for the year, and I knew that you were away. Now trying to mark student work while we are here which is a pain but being here is so wonderful.

We are having a wonderful time in Maui. The weather is much better and warmer than we thought that it might be. Slightly less whales too because we thought that we would be nearer the peak of seeing them than we are when we come later in the Spring, they are there though.

I am feeling so much better being here. I really thing that the English winter was doing me no favours at all. I was getting more and more run down and tired and I had a very prolonged feverish cold that hit me so much worse than anyone else and went on forever. I was looking paler and paler and feeling more and more tired and just physically below par, which was also making me feel less happy. My hair is also getting worse and worse but as long as it stabilises soon I will be happy. I am being a brave little soldier about that, because my hair is important to me, but I just want it to stop getting thinner and stop breaking.

However, some sun and a bit of a tan can do wonders. I am starting to feel much better and I am looking better too which has a positive knock on effect. I think some winter sun was what was needed and I think that we will plan for that next year too. I would like to prescribe it for us all! My weight started to go down again before Christmas which was good. I am not sure quite what it is now but eating is going fairly well. Some meal times are not working so well whatever I eat, but others are going better. I am trying to keep up the protein and rare steak and tuna work best but as those are often main courses I can only really have any of that if they are starter dishes, or if someone else is having them. The food here is wonderful and I am happy to just have mouthfuls of whatever works.

Is anyone else feeling more jaded or unwell at the moment? Also how is everyone's hair, is it improving yet?

I am topping up my batteries really nicely over here but if I had not had the holiday I don't think that I would be getting stronger as I am now.

Take care all of you

Claire

Claire

My hair was falling out very heavy during three months out until seven months out. I am now seeing new growth. Hang in there.

Hi Deanna,

Thanks for getting back to me. Mine didn't really start falling out until around 5 months and then it carried on. It stopped falling out quite so much but it is still looking as if the breaking is much worse now than it was. I have a lot of fluffy bits because of that. I am hoping that some of that is new growth and I am hanging on to that, however I think a ;lot of it is where it is breaking off. I am looking for positive signs and I think the shine might be starting to come back a little and as I say I am hoping that there could be regrowth.

So watch this space and as you say I will hang on in there. I hope that you are feeling raring to go, it sounds like you are doing so well.

Take care

Claire

My hair started falling out dramatically around 4 months and continued for another 3 months. I'm now using women's rogaine and seeing a lot of regrowth. It's sticks up, but I'm ok as it's coming back! I've gone through this before and it does come back, so just hang in there.

Thanks Kim,

That is good to know!

Take care

Claire

Strange incident happened the other day.. i had what the nurse called a brown out.. i didn't quite passout but came pretty close. Has anyone else had this happen?.. the nurse said i could be dehydrated. .i just had my one year labs drzwn and everything was in range

Hi Deanna,

How strange and no it hasn't happened to me. It does seem as if suddenly things can happen from nowhere. I heard about someone in my UK griup who had a lot of pain and something she ate got stuck and she ended up in hospital briefly. They told her to try some Diet Coke and it worked, which is odd too. She had never had that before and she is 5 years post surgery. If only things would stay the same and predictable for us all that would be easier.

I hope that you feel better now. Take care.

Claire

Thanks Claire

Still occasionally dizzy but not as bad.

Take care

Deanna

Deanna, so sorry you had a "brown out" - I've never heard of that but it doesn't sound like fun. Feel better and drink your water

Claire, how are you feeling? I'm really concerned that you're either doing too much and getting run down or that there's something more serious with your hormones /electrolytes /iron /other blood work. I asked around and didn't find anyone else feeling that poorly after a year. Hope Hawaii really helped (silly me, how could Hawaii not help). Make sure Allan spoils you (even more than usual) and let us know what the doc says. As far as the food is concerned - my advice is order what you want - even if it's a main course and way too much food. You're worth it! You can always adopt the American "doggy-bag" trick. I order whatever I want and then just take the rest home (one of us has it for a lunch the next day).

Hi Janette,

Just back in the UK. I honestly feel so much better after my time away in the sun. I did a lit of work over there and am very busy workwise, and could do with a better work life balance, particularly when I am meant to be on leave, but I do enjoy my job.

My bloodtests are up to date and were already planned for a week or so. Everything was looking absolutely fine in September. I am asking for hormonal bloodtests because my hormones have always been all over the place and it would be good to know if things have improved.

I think that a lot of us feel worse in the winter, certainly my UK group people have been. I do miss my energy and hope that returns. I am seeing my hairdresser today and she has bought me hair extensions, so we will see how bad I am at trying to get those in myself. Alan will have to help I think.

As for food while we have been away ... I have found that having choices available (through other people's orders too) works well. Sometimes I can manage only a couple of bites, other meals much more. We will see what my weight is like having not weighed for a few weeks now. I managed the long trip home with the use of anti diarrhoea stuff and everything was fine. The upgrades to Business Class also made a huge difference.

Thanks Janette for your concern, I am feeling much better and I am sure that I am fine. I hope that everyone else is ok too, not long until our one year anniversaries, time to celebrate. Such a change for all of us maybe we should all put on here what those changes are.

Take care

Claire