I am scheduled for February 18th. I will be first in. Wow, this process takes forever.

6 minutes ago, Pattianne said:

Yesterday I went to Dress Barn to purchase some smaller pants. It was the first time ever I went to the regular size side of the store YEAH. I must admit I did feel a little lost, had no idea what size I am. The saleslady had me spin around and told me I was a REGULAR

Congratulations regular size girl!

On ‎9‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 11:27 AM, Everythinganna said:

I have a question. So while I am waiting on the cobra paperwork which seems to be taking a long time, do I just pay cash and then send those receipts in or how is that handled?

I would assume dental is different? I had Delta dental and my son is supposed to get braces on Monday. I guess I am no longer covered..?.

I would maybe hold off on the braces. I know sometimes if they are mid treatment and you switch insurance the new dental insurance wont pay for any of the orthodontic treatment that has already started. I am assuming you would not stay on Cobra dental for the next 2 years while your child has braces.

Not to be a negative Nellie but are any of you ever having bad days? Most days are fine of course you have to take the time and eat the right food etc. so it's a conscious effort still and not easy yet.

I had an episode of eating too quickly and getting sick last week and then again last night when I tried oatmeal for the first time. Is it just me or have you had an easy time of it? I don't think anything is medically wrong it's just that it seems easier for a lot of you without issues. I am still in a mental state of constantly being reminded of the surgery due to the difficulty getting in enough calories (I am already in maintenance).

My hubby reminds me that there are others that are 7 months out still having bad days but I feel like it's just me. OK pity party over.

On 09/13/2019 at 13:09, 2Bsmaller18 said:

Not to be a negative Nellie but are any of you ever having bad days? Most days are fine of course you have to take the time and eat the right food etc. so it's a conscious effort still and not easy yet.

I had an episode of eating too quickly and getting sick last week and then again last night when I tried oatmeal for the first time. Is it just me or have you had an easy time of it? I don't think anything is medically wrong it's just that it seems easier for a lot of you without issues. I am still in a mental state of constantly being reminded of the surgery due to the difficulty getting in enough calories (I am already in maintenance).

My hubby reminds me that there are others that are 7 months out still having bad days but I feel like it's just me. OK pity party over.

Nothing I would call “bad”
I have days where I intentionally stray off program, but I ALWAYS go the extra mile before AND after to make up for it.

I now practice IF (intermittent fasting) all of the time. What varies is the length of time I fast daily.
Most days I practice 16:8 or 18:6, but when I restrict further (either 20 or 24 hours between meals) it takes me a day or two before I can hold my usual amount of food and I supplement with protein shakes.

One thing I consistently practice is what I call bari-Keto, and I’m convinced that’s why (along with the IF) that I have so few problems.

It’s like regular Keto, but without many of the fats bc those hurt.
I very rarely have >25gm carbs on any given day and any carbs I do have are veggie related so it’s offset by a ton of fiber which helps slow the absorption and thus reduces the chance of getting sick from it.

Check over your food logs and I bet you find the days where you’re experiencing “bad” are days when either the carb or fat load is higher than normal.

Twice I’ve tried to eat salmon with my signature mayo-dill topping and both times it made me very ill.
Once I ditched the mayo and subbed in wasabi mustard, I had no problems at all. Which was fabulous news to me as I use tuna/salmon at least 1-2 times weekly to try to keep on top of healthy fats.

I have to say that I don't have bad days, but I definitely have bad hours. They can usually be tied directly to a food choice or a behavior, such as too much fat, eating too fast or eating too much. I've also had reactions to foods with artificial sweeteners if I eat too much. So, it not really a secret to me why my bad hours happen, and I try to make sure I don't repeat them.

9 minutes ago, Recidivist said:

I have to say that I don't have bad days, but I definitely have bad hours. They can usually be tied directly to a food choice or a behavior, such as too much fat, eating too fast or eating too much. I've also had reactions to foods with artificial sweeteners if I eat too much. So, it not really a secret to me why my bad hours happen, and I try to make sure I don't repeat them.

OMG, on Thursday I had all sorts of issues and I just realized I added sweet and low to a coffee. I bet it was the artificial sweetener. Course it could have been the coffee. That was only me second cup since surgery. Funny, I did not think about it until I read your post.

So we went to my MIL this weekend and here are a couple of photos
It’s sooooooo nice to be able to blend into a crowd of strangers and not be the fat chick anymore.
Also, I’m able to wear this OU shirt my sister got me over 10 years ago. It FINALLY fits me

Hey guys im a newbie but I been reading you guys threads since before your dates .and it has thrilled as well scared the -------out of me. I feel like I know the February babies ,@Themarine79,@Everythinganna,The @recidivist (honorary member) @sheribear68,@Gottajustdoit,@med28med,and @dubchild. anyone of you can hit me back please and give me some advice.

Edited September 16, 20196 yr by november11

you look good @Sheribear68

Hi November! Welcome to the convo!

Goody - Thanks for the advice. I should’ve checked this earlier to see if you responded because he got the braces this morning! But at least it’s done. We’ll just figure out the details as we go. They were only paying for $1500 of it anyway. He had to have some oral surgery in the hospital etc. etc. etc. so really in the long run $1500 isn’t the worst.

Sheri you are looking lovely as always. My mom would have loved your shirt. She was a huge OU fan. My husband a huge Texas fan so that was always a fun conversation. My mom was from Okmulgee Oklahoma. Ever heard of it?

Congrats Pattianne!

2B - you’ll have to define “bad days” for me. I still puke now and then and sometimes I even still spit out that last bite of food. I get a little ahead of myself rushing.

OK last thing and this is super personal but has to do with weight loss surgery so I’m sharing. For the last four weeks I have been battling symptoms of a urinary tract infection. I have been on antibiotics and they have sent my samples to the lab twice. I get the new results later today. The last time I gave a sample they said I was extremely dehydrated. So I have been chugging water which seems to have really helped all the problems I was having. Just something to think about because we focus so much on food. I was literally only using the bathroom twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. So I am actively forcing fluids now. Hopefully that will resolve the issue once and for all... (Hope you enjoyed that bit of TMI!)

My hair loss has finally stopped! It was weird it’s sort of just all fell out at once and then stopped immediately. So I got my hair highlighted and I feel pretty now. I have been trying to increase my calories and stop the weight loss. I gained a pound in the last couple of days and that’s exciting. Between the dehydration and the (almost) scary weight loss- it was a little concerning. I’m starting to feel better now though. Nice checking in on everyone! Hope everyone is well.

Hey!!! @Everythinganna It looks like I got the queen herself . It has been a blast reading you guys . I am reading this from 8:30 am when I get to work till 4 when I leave (shhh). I am going for my sleeve on the 11th so I have done a lot of the pre dr stuff getting ready to go into losing weight now on my own before my next nutrition date. any advice queen?

Hi November! Thank you for your kind words. I definitely would not say I am the queen around here in my mind that’s more like Sheri. She is very organized and disciplined and I am all over the place! But I do love coming on here and catching up with everybody. It has been wonderful to have a support network of people that understand what you are experiencing.

Sounds like you are going in the right direction - doing lots of research and preparing yourself mentally! The first two weeks are a little tough but it gets easier. The long-term results are definitely worth it. Congratulations on taking control of your health and your life. There are great things to come!

Oh, and please feel free to ask us anything! We are here to help!

Hey February buds.been reading you guys since the pre ops you guys were going through how you guys doing 7 months out?

@sheribear68 you look gorgeous! You must be feeling so great.

Thanks guys.
lol, I’m the queen of disorganization myself, but Anna is super kind and I’m always such a big fan of hers.

November feel free to chime in with any questions or concerns, we’re more than happy to help out. Research and prep are KEY to success, and as a type A control freak, I definitely understand.

Anna, I’m so glad your hair stopped falling out! Honestly I don’t know if mine has stopped, but at least it doesn’t seem to be falling out more.
I’ve got a cut and color scheduled for mid-next month for a bday present, and I haven’t had new color since about 2 weeks after surgery. Can’t wait.
Girl you’ve GOT to keep drinking that water. So far I’ve avoided the dread UTI, but I think I came close back in July when we took that NOLA trip and I drank about 1500 calories a day in alcohol.

Usually I’m uber-hydrated at 80 plus ounces water daily, so it was a radical change.

I can’t believe this, but I’m about 7 pounds away from goal and it’s probably going to happen by my 9 month surgiversary.
TBH, I knew I’d lose weight from WLS, but never would’ve imagined I’d ever truly hit goal.

How many of you guys have an actual plan for maintenance? I’ve discovered that I really kind of don’t have a plan and that’s a bit scary for me.