Is this normal?

Okay so I am now officially one month post op. Can I just mention what a ride this has been? Trying to get used to my body again and adjusting to the chages is not really so bad.. no pain since day 2 after surgery.. only threw up 3 times since then.. because I was trying to eat things I shouldnt.. (un-pureed things like chicken and also eating way too fast.) I tell you that you really dont want to make the same mistake twice. 2 week visit with surgeon went well.. I was scolded for joining gym and exercising too much too fast.. 4 week post op visit with PCP yesterday.. I am taken off of blood pressure medicine... Oh and not only have I lost 40lbs since surgery on Oct 7th.. (my new birthday!!) but.. my PCP also told me exactly what the insurance company requires to have tummy tuck covered one year post op... which is going to be a breeze. I have averaged out the numbers.. I am losing about 1.4 lbs a day. I fluxuate a little but have remained consistent for the most part. I have been told that men lose weight initially a lot faster than women. I am still unclear as to whether I will continue at this rate. If I do though.. I will have potentially lost 120lbs by Jan 1st. This seems like it will be alot, almost too much.. but if I am eating right and getting the right amount of protein each day and have no additional problems.. should I be worried?? Or is it different for everyone.. individual thing? Also.. I am noticing recently that now have very dry skin. Anyone else ever experience that? well.. I await any thoughts on these subjects.. Thanks so much.

There is a weightloss calculator on the site www.thinnerself.com that I have found to be on target in projecting what I will lose each week. -BJ 300/157/150???

Joel, Congratulations on your success thus far!! Seems like you are on the right track so keep up the good work. I am only pre-op but from what I understand everyone's situation is different and what works for one may not necessarily work for the other. I say this to say that it seems that whatever plan you are on seems to be working just right for you, a 40 lb weightloss in the first month is GREAT plus getting off pressure medicine is a double plus! I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next few months for you. Keep us posted!!! JaNae

Joel Hi, You are doing great! I had and have dry skin well I get really dry on fingers so weird since surgery. I have a tendency to get enough fat so I supplement with Fish oil caplets (not always) and if I keep up my fats for the day consisently it is under control Your still newly post-op so you'll have lots of little things during this initial phase of weight loss... it passes as you get further out and at goal. Keep up the great success! /Lisa PS: don't forget you are probably going to have drier skin now because of the season's changing...

Hey, Joel!! You are doing great!! You probably won't continue at the rate you are losing now, but will still be down quite a bit by the first of the year. I had some very dry skin as well. Itched like crazy and I scratched myself raw! There are several things to work with. Make sure you are getting all your water in, min. 64 oz. Take a fat suppliment. Oils are hard to digest so fish oil capsules may or may not work. Many people swear by Coromega. Taste is okay. The last thing would be to start taking DRY vitamin E. I say DRY because most vitamin E is sold in oil based gel capsules. As I said before, they ususally don't work. But when I started taking the DRY vitamin E, things got much better. Took me a couple of weeks to get to a level where I wasn't itching anymore, but it was so wonderful when I did! Start by taking one dose per day for about a week. If that works, stay there. If not, double the dose per day. Keep uping the dose about once a wee****il you find relief. Make sure you get vitamin E checked in your labs so you don't go too high. Good luck and keep up the good work!! Keetara Germantown, MD Lap RNY, 6-15-2005, 150 cm bypassed Dr. Barry Greene Sept. 2004 327 Highest 6-14-2005 265 Day before Surgery Current 190.5 Goal 145 Total lost -136.5

Hey Joel! Glad to hear you are doing so well! I agree with what you said...as long as you are doing everything you are supposed to be doing, don't worry. I too experienced dry skin the first six weeks or so after surgery. I used lotion and it didn't seem like it did anything. I made a concerted effort to drink even more water and by 2 months out I didn't notice the flaking/dryness nearly as much anymore. Take Care, Terry