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First I want to say thank you to so many of the veteran posters on here. I hope you gals and guys know how much your experiences and feedback have helped me and I suspect many others. There's just such a fantastic mix of people and experiences - It's great knowing you aren't alone in this journey. The first few months after surgery were easy. The weight was simply falling off, there wasn't anything I couldn't eat or drink - And better yet, I couldn't overeat because of the restriction. I felt fantastic most of the time, had all sorts of NSV's and loved my new life. From August until January I lost almost 50lbs - I was so close to Wonderland I could taste it. THEN reality struck - Suddenly I was one of those "slow losers" - It took almost 2 months to lose 13lbs. UGH, I WAS going to be one of those slow losers. OK, fine, I'm 52 and it is what it is, right? From January until May, I "only" lost 33lbs. Again, every week/month I told myself that I would lose the weight, I was just in some sort of a stall and things would magically pick up. Well, they didn't, I would lose 2-3 lbs and then I would gain 2-3 lbs. Again, "it's normal" I told myself. Fast forward to a week ago - I jumped on here for some motivation (reading stories, etc.) and I took a hard look at what I was doing. Basically, I was being lazy - I was eating whatever I wanted and justifying it by saying "I only eat small portions" - Well, yeah, that was true...BUT I was grazing, I was drinking too much alcohol, and I wasn't tracking. I honetly have no idea how many calories I was consuming (especially on weekends with family and friends). I played mind games with myself and said "As long as I'm not gaining, I'm doing things right." - Well, that was a giant load of (@*$. This past Tuesday (after a weekend of Mimosa's, Crown Royal, and some really great BBQ), I woke up to a 5lb gain (BTW, yes I realize some of that was water retention). WAKE UP CALL. 5lbs? Seriously - Time to go back to basics before that's a 10lb gain. For the first time in MONTHS, I tracked every thing I tracked everything that went into my mouth (water, food, etc) - I did 3 days of liquid - In two days, those 5lbs were off. Rather than what I've done in the past, I didn't stop there - I continued tracking, I continued being cognizant of what and when I was eating. I said "no" to many things that I thought I wanted. I lost 6.8lbs from Tuesday to Sunday. What? I'm NOT a slow loser - I'm a LAZY loser. Folks, for many of us, it's EASY in the first few months, it's EASY to convince ourselves that we're doing OK, it's EASY to compare ourselves to others, it's EASY to ignore signs that you're falling into bad habits, and it's EASY to get lazy. In reality, it's HARD to stick to your plan when you're feeling fantastic and patting yourself on the back for losing so much weight. I'm choosing to be thankful that this happened now rather than 2-3 years into it. I'm glad that reality smacked me in the face and forced me to face the fact that i wasn't doing what I needed to do. Right now it was EASY to get back on track before I let it get out of control. For those of you experiencing the same - Buckle up buttercup, start tracking, weigh yourself often if you need to, and take a good look and when and why you're losing weight and when and why you aren't. Again, a very special thank you to you old timers for always keeping things real and giving out such fantastic advice.

WOW! I can't believe it's been 3 years since my Gastric Sleeve surgery! It feels like I had it yesterday. I started out at 470 and I've pretty much maintained at 215 pounds for the bulk of this year. If anyone is on the fence about having this surgery, let me tell you, it's life changing. I am so happy I did it. Not only is my health great, I've gotten very fit and am more active now than I have been in years.

I created a blog entry with the same content below here, but I feel like no one ever reads BP blogs, so am posting in the forums for good measure. Sorry for the dupes! Also sorry this is so long! ---------------------- It's been 3 years, y’all. I’m a 5’2” female and was 235 lbs & 45 yrs old at the start of the 2 wk liquid diet. Didn’t lose any weight prior. I was on high cholesterol and blood pressure meds, diagnosed with fatty liver, pre-diabetic, peed every 20-30 mins, and snored like a freight train (so said Mr.) Day of sleeve surgery: 223.2 lbs No recovery issues, but I became dumper on sugar (still am). I got off my meds, eliminated liver and diabetic diagnoses within a month. I can hold my pee like a superhero (including not having to go once during a 9 hr flight pre-covid!), and I sleep so silently that Mr. admitted to checking on me during the night in the beginning to check if I was even alive. I ate VERY little during weight loss phase compared to most, but it worked for ME…I didn’t suffer any medical/nutritional issues nor any angst throughout. I tracked everything I ate/drank, weighed myself every morning and took my measurements every Wednesday (I STILL track and weigh daily - its just habit now -, but no longer take my measurements regularly) Reached goal of 127 lbs 7 months after surgery. I had zero stalls. I had a tummy tuck, arm lift and breast lift at 14 months post op. Lowest weight: 109 lbs (this was a month or so after plastics, but quickly gained back to 115-ish) I’ve basically been 115-ish +/- 5 lbs since a couple months into maintenance. Weight this morning: 116.0 lbs even. Happy place is below 120 and/or that my clothes still fit, LOL. These days I exercise semi-regularly, running minimum 5km 2-3 times a week supplemented with the occasional 20-30 min strength training sessions at home (I continue to hate strength training exercises but consider it a necessary evil), and various other for-fun cardio activities. Part of me wanted to get back to higher exercise levels so I can get the “fitter” look I had back then, but I long ago reconciled myself with the fact that I don’t want it THAT badly. Maybe someday I may change my mind, but I’m cool with it for now. I average 1800-2000 cals a day. I drink alcohol and carbonated water on the regular, use straws, chew gum, drink coffee, and eat popcorn, fried foods and carbs. I love desserts. At 3 years out, my restriction is still in effect and could probably eat about 1-1.5 cups of food in volume at one sitting before I need to tap out: some things I can eat more of (salads) than others (dense protein & fluffy bread). I will barf if I eat too much or too fast. I have energy for days, and am more than satisfied with how I look and feel. Life is good. Had my 3 year follow up last week and I continue to be the picture of health, and my surgeon asked again if I wanted to be on a poster. Ummmm, no thanks. Regrets? ABSOLUTELY ZERO. Well, except maybe that I didn’t get a v-shaped tummy tuck incision vs the straight line one that I got. Just means that I can’t wear higher cut bikini bottoms without my scar showing (see the last pic in the collage below). But I mean, really, I’m just nit-picking at this point. This forum has been a constant in my life for the past 3 years, and I’ve made some great connections and some actual REAL friends. Its really nice to engage with others who know what the eff you are talking about, even if its just about food porn and clothes sometimes, lol. Hugs and Congrats to those who made it to the other side with me, and Hugs and Good Luck to those on their way.

Yesterday I drove 2.5 hours to meet up with my very dear friend that had gastric bypass only 3 months before I had my sleeve. We enjoyed our day together shopping for new clothes, talking about life and the joys and struggles of WLS. She has also lost 100lbs.

Greetings, Going to celebrate out loud today! I have lost 100 lbs from my July 2021 highest recorded weight and all in PRE op!!! 85.8 Lbs in 2022! Damn, this has been hard. A lot of emotional and behavioral change went into this effort. A lot of re-education about nutrition and choices. A lot of forgiving myself for getting to this weight. A lot of healing. A lot of journaling. A lot of reminding myself that I am worth taking care of. It also has been easier than I thought. Once I gained the confidence that I could, I did. Yes, I have had doctor support and taking Ryselbus helped, but mostly this is me making true and long lasting change. I am comforted by the fact that if for some reason I could not have the sleeve surgery on November 3rd, 2022, I would still loose weight and feel better and my LIFE would be better. Everyone has this in them. Its a tough road, but we can all achieve better in our lives.

As of this morning, I officially lost 100 lbs!!!

So, I haven't really told many people about my surgery. A few close friends know, my mom, and my sister. I tell my mom everything so she knows, but out of my few close friends, only one was really supportive--everyone else was a bit hesitant. They all struggle with their weight, including my sister. So I don't like sharing my victories as they all start feeling bad about themselves. But today was huge and I want to share with someone other than my amazing and supportive mom. I laid down today to do sit-ups and I could actually see and feel my ribs starting to show through. I thought it was too good to be true so I videoed myself and lo and behold, I could see them quite prominently. I haven't seen them since 2015/2016. I am so excited! I can't see them standing up, obviously, but man was it a surprise laying down. Just really happy! I also tried on a shirt that was too tight before and now it is baggy. Anyway, that was my NSV. Thanks for listening!

Just showing off my ticker because as far as I am concerned, I just reached my GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!! I mean, what is 1 1/10th of a pound anyway??? This just totally made my day after a REALLY crappy week! I work for a school, my school is closed, But this week because we just gave notice we are NOT REOPENING this school year, I have been rushing around like crazy to get a certain task done. From home of course. Plus running around to get staff what they need. And my staff has been extremely difficult during this. Anyhow... last week I almost put up a post stating that I was SO CLOSE to my goal, but I didn't think I would reach it. The scale was NOT moving anymore. And I was at a healthy weight so I was coming to terms with the fact that my body might be done. Afterall, my healthy weight used to be in the 135-145 RANGE before, and while I hoped to get to 135, I was fine anywhere in that range. But this week? OMG, the stress this week was AWFUL. My ability to stop and get myself to EAT was awful. But what I DID eat was extra healthy because since I am working from home, I have been cooking throughout the week more. I mean... not just cooking a little something for me which I always do. But cooking for the family, and meals that I can partake in. Anyhow, the last 3 days I did NOT have time to cook. But I had those healthy meals to eat as leftovers when I did eat. So... after many weeks of the scale BARELY moving (up OR down), I dropped nearly 4 pounds to hit 135.1, and my goal is 135 so I am sure after I have a BM... I am already there! LMAO How is my body doing? Overall it looks great. Still have a little jiggliness at the back of my arms and thighs. Not too bad, but need to tone. My calves are still too big for my liking. Hoping they go away, but the rest of my legs look pretty good. My face has a LITTLE loose skin/wrinkles, but not too bad. And last but not least... my c-section belly is well hidden by clothes, but that NEEDS to go away! I know I can lose a little more bellyfat above my 3 c-section scar... I did it after my 3rd baby. It will never be flat again, but I know it can be better. So... once I am in a better work from home routine, I need to try to resume my workouts. Oh... I had been doing great with workouts until early March.... but this transition to work from home has NOT left me the time I need to do them, and by the time I DO have time to workout... I need to go to bed. So, maybe after next week I can focus on that belly. But I REACHED MY GOAL WEIGHT!

Its hard to believe that this kind of surgery has been around this long already. Yes I had this done 45 years ago in Traverse City at Munson Hospital. Back then it was an open surgery they staple the stomach and create a small pouch then it is bypassed to the jejunum. While they were doing this surgery back then all the organs were removed and cleaned out. You stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks or so, much different then how it is done now adays. I have maintained the weight loss over the years, however, there was a few years when I had put on up to 40 pounds and just started slowly getting it back off once I realized what I was doing.

This morning I hit a new all time low BMI for me since I started gaining weight after my kids were born. My BMI is now 29.8 so I’m am now just overweight and no longer obese! I have 13.2 pounds left to get to my original goal, but think I’ll drop a further 5 from there to defend a 5 pound range. I’ve got PS scheduled in January, so right on track to reach my goal in October and then maintain a couple months prior to surgery. Feels soooooo good!!! On another note, the closer I get to goal, the more people notice when I’ve dropped smaller amounts. Early on I’d get a lot of comments every 20 pounds or so. Now it’s about every 5.