Georgia

You look great!!! Love the jacket!!!

I'm now 2 1/2 years out and up about 10 pounds from my goal. Lost 100 lbs and hit 150 at 8 months out. Held a few months and then started snacking too much on carbs and gained over the next fews months about 15 pounds. Got really upset about it and started trying all these different things such as truly low carb, WW, etc. Few pounds up, then few down and got really frustrated! Then, (smile) an amazing thing happened! I went on vacay to Disney World for 10 days, with A PINCHED NERVE IN MY NECK, (not smiling) and all the walking etc and pain somehow got me back on track! I know that sounds strange but it truly did. Now, I really feel like I'm just normal and not worrying about it all. Just watching what goes in my mouth and when. Amazingly, I've lost about 6 lbs in the last two weeks!!! lol So, I will be back down to my original goal soon and actually now, for the first time, understand that THIS is what normal is! No stress, nothing hard, just moderation and no constant snacks (which will slide right through that Sleeve)! Life is good - well, except for the physical therapy, heat packs, muscle relaxers and tins( sic?) machine! But, hopefully, this too shall pass! Go forth and conquer, Fellow Sleevers!!!!!

SW 250 Goal 150 Hit goal 8 mos out 100 lbs -100% of excess lost 2.5 years out 165 lbs BMI 25.1

Hee hee! I'm excited to see others sneeze! My husband thinks I'm crazy and my co-workers laugh when I start because I sneeze at LEAST 6-7 times when food gets to the "spot". And still does 2+years out! Funny how it affects all if us differently

Way to go! Isn't it an amazing feeling to watch those sizes go down!

Well, I wish I could be honest and say I'm not hinged and I don't want to snack and I like to eat really healthy but I would be lying so that cancels why I did this in the first place. I did easily lose 100 lbs with very little hunger in the first year or so. Once at goal, I gradually added back in some carbs and snacks and my appetite for them grew simply because even though I still have restriction for dense protein etc I can "eat around" my sleeve and gain if I choose. I have added back about 15 lbs over a year and now am concentrating on trying to eat normal and not deprive myself but watch what and when it does go in my mouth. My body does NOT want to let go of these extra lbs again. I admit I am not exercising right now. Too much stress and tired with all that goes on in my household right now. I do know this. I would gladly line up to do it again today of necessary. I am healthy, thin and plan on staying this way. But trust me at 2 1/2 years out I know I must work at it too. It is NOT a magic bullet.

Any surgery can cause this. I had a huge chunk of my right thigh which literally burned and tingled even though it was numb when I had hysterectomy in 2000. VSG 10 years later (2010) and believe it or not, with the weight loss it is gone! And that was 10 years of numbness, tingling and pain!

Crosswind, you have it exactly. There are always ways around even a small stomach. If u continually eat high sugar, calorie junk food (and you can because most junk food are sliders) you will eventually gain weight. Will u eat like before? Nope. You DO get hungry and you CAN gain. But p, let's face it, we did this not for a magic bullet, but to get healthy. We all have to learn to eat NORMAL. Which in most cases, for most people, is portion controlled, NORMAL eating. Including Snacks, occasion treats and LIFE, lol. Get my drift? Normal. We weren't normal eaters or we wouldn't have needed VSG. I can remember telling a friend of mine pre-surgery, "I just want to be normal!". Well, now I am, and I don't mean normal in the sense obese people are unnormal. I mean, look around, at people who seem to just EAT normally and go about life in the same way. My head has to catch up to that fact. Did anybody watch the first Rikki Lake Show? She covered this topic talked about the very things we are discussing. I am 5'8" 164-169 right now and that is 10 pounds up from a year ago at goal. Too many mini- meals, Crosswind, of high caloric content so again I am rethinking my choices and logging everything that goes in and making better choices in order to lose that 10. Still happy where I am and am at a healthy, livable place for my body if I don't. No meds, normal levels all around and that is what counts! Best to all. Thanks for keeping me inspired!

Sorry for the typos. Hate iPad keyboard. Myfitnesspal app

Oh yes, Coops, sugar DOES have weird effect on us! But carbs do for me more than anything. I am between 164-170 all the time. Got all the way to My Goal 150 (surgeon never really gave me one but indicated 155-160) and I lost steadily all the way to150. Really never had a true stall. As soon as I hit goal, I started relaxing and gained a little over the next year to where I am now. At 2+years I can definitely eat much more but what I if d alarming is the fact that I truly have had to realize in the last few weeks is that MY HEAD hasn't changed much! Lol. As any addict, if I let myself I would devour Snacks all day long and they will slide right on down as fast as I eat them. Trouble! I carry my weight from the waist up and as soonas any pounds go back on it goes right to the middle! Sooo. Tried low carb for a few weeks which I can do because I love meat but noooo energy so I stated just eating healthier and watching calories 1200 recommended to lose 2lbs week. It is amazing how differently I look at myself even after a few days when I KNOW I am eating right etc. I LOOK slimmer to myself, I have more energy and better frame of mind overall. Isn't it funny how our psyche plays tricks with our minds!? AND I am loving myfitnesspak app since I a, logging every bite now. I truly never had to in losing stage because it seemingly fell off me without much effort. Lucky me! But now jam realizing that MY NEW NORMAL will always have to be very mindful of what and how much I put into my mouth. My body likes where it is and I suppose I could be happy here if I didn't KNOW how I felt and LOVED being at 150. It is encouraging, MeginNOLA, to know that when we correct ourselves quickly, our bodies happily respond to! I really love talking to is gang of VSGbies! Have a great wknd!

Awesome!!!!! You go, Girl!

Anybody ever done the special k challenge? 2wks - 6lbs. Well I started my own today and right off the bat I left my entire sack of food sitting on my counter at home! Lol. But! Never fear there was a box of special k cereal at work! Ha! I had almonds and fruit already and some progresso soup for lunch. Whole wheat pasta w marinara sauce for dinner and I LOGGED IT ALL ON MY FITNESS PAL! So proud. Lol. Was hungry today which tellse I've been eating too much and too often. Yaay to healthy living and losing my excess gain! We are only failures if we aren't trying according to Mark Batterson author of The Circle Maker book!( great book if you believe in faith, prayer and the miraculous!). Happy week to all my VSGbies!

Awesome awesome awesome awesome! You will LOVE IT! Best to you!

Thanks, both Lisalu and Escape! I know it all comes down to me and my Sleevie as one of our VST friends calls hers! Gonna take something for a few weeks and see what happens. I do feel the symptoms and don't want to cause more serious problems down the roadso will check with Primary Dr too

Oh and als, I AM experiencing heartburn symptoms in my stomach more now and worry that over time I will have problems health wise. My Dr did not prescribe anything from the beginning but I do feel like I could eat non stop sometimes and even low carb is causing me burning in my gut. What's the best to take?

Anybody still here? Lol. I'm telling you me and my maintenance are going round and round. Ha! I went for two year surgeon appt a month ago and was feeling good about it all. Was satisfied at where I was after seriously cutting and watching carbs for the previous month or so. Dr. Happy too. Since then if I don't watch every BITE of what goes in my mouth carb wise I gain. Since July 13th I have put on 7 lbs and it is seeming easier and easier to gain. Now this is UpAnother 7 from regain already! I am once again watching my carbs and can lose a few quickly but I really had hoped I would just be able to live normal. I admit that if I would exercise regularly I would most likely be somewhat better but to be truthful, I don't have the energy many days todo it. My daughter and two "grands" live with me right now while she is in Nursing school and I have pretty much most of the "wear and tear" of a 7 and 9 yr olds plus a stressful job. At almost 59, I honestly, drag myself to bed a lot of times. Oh yeah, I'm whining, Susan, (private joke) but..... I know I will persevere and truly don't want to let this get out of hand. Anybody else like me? I just loved the way my clothes felt but now that spare tire around the middle is crewing up since I carry my weight from the waist up

No preop 250 starting 150 goal hit 8 1/2 mos out 160 now 2 1/4 years out. ???? Comfortsble and NORMAL weight and BMI of 25.4.

100. I was 250atsurgery. 5'8". I have regained about 10 lbs but watch and cut back on carbs etc so it doesn't get out of control. My surgeon was happy with me earlier this month. I want to lose the 10 to give myself a true "bounce" zone but wearing size 8-10 skirts and medium tee shirts work for me!

I had severe sleep apnea used cpap for several years before VSG I CRAVED using it! Lol. I couldn't even nap w/o issues. Since VSG and 100lbweight loss no sleep apnea and no cpap! Now my husband says if I lay flat on my back I snore a little but at 58 who doesn't? Lol and I'd like to know how he could hear me over that freight train coming out of his mouth! Lol.