To Be Thin 2011

CONGRATS!!!! You are doing great!!

WOW!!! Congrats to you that is alot to lose in 3 months!!! Good for YOU!

I am no doctor, but you asked for opinion's and YES! Dehydration can obviously create your extreme thirst (64 oz b/4 going to bed WOW)... But also the symptoms of dehydration are fatigue, weakness, headaches, nausea, chills, head rushes, dry mouth, muscle cramps, increased heart rate and the list goes on! It sure sounds like you needed to get the fluids in you.. its hard sometimes and I still find myself getting headaches or fatigue and whent that happens I instantly know I did not focus on getting my fluids in me for the day! It is a learning process! Good Luck

GREAT response gmanbat! It is incredible was lack of fluids can do to us sleevers! Fatigue, weakness, nausea, headaches,chills, head rushes, dry mouth, increased heart rate, muscle cramps and the list can go on. Some people the symptons will differ as everyones body is different, but the fact remains - Get your daily doctors recommendation/requirement of fluids!

Congrats! You look wonderful!

Hi fellow Michiganders! I was sleeved January of 2011 - Barix in Ypsi - Dr.Nunn The best thing I have ever done for myself!

Congrats ! The journey is hard..... I love where I am, I would not change a thing.. but.. it isnt easy. People who think having WLS is the easy way out, just dont understand.

Hello! I had bouts with nauseous that were incredible....Mine started about week 3 and did not quit until week 9. I could find no rhyme or reason, it could hit me in the morning, noon or night, before I ate or after I ate - there was nothing I could put any connection to... I felt that I possibly overate, but then it would happen with just a protien shake in my tummy. I thought possibly a connection with too much gas, but I really dont know. I do know when it hit me it was incredible... there were times I literally had to lay on the bathroom floor as I was so sickly feeling, I described it to my doc as "I was moving like on a boat", the room was not moving, I was moving, the feeling in my gut was incredible ~ I did not know if I was going to vomit or have diarhea..although I never did either it sure felt like I was going to. I would have the cold sweats, could not get air... It could happen once a day, 3 times a day or I could go a couple days without an attack... I didnt call it nauseous, I called it an attack... there may even be old posts that I did when this was happening to me. They rescoped my sleeve, they ran different tests, -- no medical reason why this was happening to me...The doc told me to stop trying to push the protien in me, and to only eat when I was hungry... I always was on prescription previcid, the doc added a stomach calming pill to take 1/2 b/4 I ate.... I have no idea if I just needed time for things to calm down, or if I was still trying to overeat in order to get my protien.. no idea but, it did pass and I was so very grateful! I understand the thoughts of regret, until someone is literally laying on a floor in pain - they dont understand! I even had to extend my medical leave from work because I could not risk having a nauseous attack at work... For me....I have no regrets, as bad as my nauseous was I love what the sleeve has allowed me to do, finally, lose wieght... Good Luck, hopefully better days are ahead for you...

Hello! I can totally relate to your post! I also eat, get full quickly and then 1 1/2 hours later I am starving again. It is so darn hard! And to read others post that they have to remind themselves to eat... OH.. makes me cringe! I still am fighting off my hunger, the sleeve has totally helped me stop eating so much at one time, however, it has not taken away my hunger like it has some. With this being said, the only little advise I can give you is the liquids, if my will power is strong that day, when I start getting hungry 1 1/2 hours after eating, I hurry and mix a crystal light & water and I will not let myself eat until I finish 20 oz of liquid... Somedays it is hard! Nights are hard, I can be hungry an hour after eating... I just have to keep putting the liquid in me! I started this journey at 341 LBS... I have lost 115 so far. I am bigger boned or hold my weight differently or something as people do not believe I weight as much as I do! In my comparison photo I am at my 1 year mark - 223 pounds... I still have 60 pounds to lose, I want to be at 160 goal weight. I know since I am over a year out it will take me longer to hit my goal, but I will hit it... and as long as I am not gaining, I am smiling!!! Hang in there and keep trying... losing weight is a daily battle.

Hi! WOW what a loss you have so far! I hit my 50 lb loss at the 3 month mark, you are kicking butt!!! Good for you!!! My doc told me not to focus as heavy on calories, focus more on hitting my protien goal each day and 84 oz of water each day. I have a hard time with the water intake, but on days that I do hit that much water I am not hungry at all, so I know there is something to it!!! If I can suggest any protien packed foods it would be fat free cottage cheese... that stuff is loaded with protien. I also love the cold imitation seafood (crab or lobster) that you can buy in grocery refrig section. I buy water packed tuna fish in the pouch (dont buy the canned stuff yuk!) and I have chicken/turkey/seafood every day for dinner! I still do either a protien shake or a protein bar every morning instead of breakfast and my doc/nut hasnt said anything negative about my choices. I am happy with my loss so far and so is my doc. If it works for you and you are feeling healthy, that is all that matters! Make sure you are taking a good vitiman. My doc runs an extensive blood panel every 3 months for his patients, so I had mine checked at the 3 mth, 6mth, 9mth and 1 yr mark... If you are deficient in anything the blood panel will turn it up... Dont worry too much about the red meat - your goal is protien and you can get your protien in many ways other than red meat.. Good Luck!

Atkins choco chip granola bar is a great choice for the protien/calories/sugar content and carbs -- 17 grams of protien in one bar - 200 calories - 1 grm sugar. I also like the Atkins Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar - 19 grams protien, 240 calories and 1 gram sugar. Both can be found at Wal-Mart!

Hello Avi! Congrats on your journey so far... If I can offer you any advise it would be two things... Do not try to compare yourself to others on this forum. Each of us have different body types, doctor advise, foods we can tolerate, etc.. and it becomes so frustrating to see some posts that just blow you away with thier stats. It is hard not to compare yourself to others, but please try!!! The 2nd piece of advise would be to stick to basics that your doc & nutrionists suggested. Again we each are so different and we follow different recomendations, in the end result is you have to answer to yourself. To be honest, it sounds like you are doing great so far - especially with your focus on water - good for you! I strugled with that aspect. For me - I began my journey at 341 pounds January 12, 2011. I have lost 112 p ounds so far, I have 60 more pounds to lose. I still start almost every day with a protien shake. I eat lunch, usally always the same thing - 1/4 cup of fat free cottage cheese and 1/4 cup of either chicken or the imitation crab seafood stuff in the frig section of stores. Sometimes I do tuna fish & cottage cheese for lunch. I always have a afternoon snack...usually it is beef jerkey, or nuts any kind of nuts, I love em all! Dinner is always chicken, turkey or seafood... sometimes I will do Wendy's small chilli, sometimes taco bell pintos & cheese (no red sauce)... I love eating 1/4 of a backed sweet potato or 1/2 an avacodo, I wasnt able to do a salad until I was about 6 months out.. and now I have a salad a couple times a week, always just spinich, a hard boiled egg, fetta cheese and bacon bits... no dressing.. just the salad. I love it now! I still turn to sugar free popcycles and fudgecycles for a treat. If I have a super busy day I always pack a small little lunch box cooler with a couple of bottles of crystal light mixed up and protien bar (I buy atkins choco chip granola at Wal-Mart), lo-fat string cheese, nuts & jerkey... If I get caught being out and hungry my old habits sneak in and I am stopping at a party store to buy potato chips! Hope some of this helps, keep up your great work!!!

Hello! I am 5'6" - I started at 334 lbs in January 2011 -- I hit 55 lbs loss in 3 months, and then things started slowing down for me... I "averaged" 6-8 lbs loss a month after my first 4 months... and I have no idea why because it was beginning of summer and I was outside getting fresh air, started walking daily... I just didnt show the drastic loss however... my inches loss improved, it was like my body readjusted or something! If I could change anything, it would be that I wish I would have been more proactive in exercise post op, I came up with too many excuses. The bigger you are, the better numbers in weight loss you should have, and I truly felt within my first year I should have had better loss for as big as I was starting out. But, it is what it is and for me its going to take a little longer. I laid back in November & December, developed bad habits. However, I am back on track now, I still have 60 pounds to lose to goal...I was "hoping" to hit it by May. Just a suggestion ** Please do not get frustrated by other peoples stats, it is hard not to compare yourself to others and it is easy to become frustrated when you see others posting big numbers and you are only losing 2 pounds a week... Tell yourself now that every little pound is great and that you will not be upset with a 2 pound a week loss! It also is hard when you are starting off on the higher end of the scale. Trust me I know how it felt to see posts from people about "stalls" or that they have only lost 2 pounds and they started off 100 pounds less than me for the surgery! Gheeze!!! It is amazing the tricks your mind can play on you! You are making the first steps and each day you work towars a healthier you is great, be thankful and focus on that -- and if you do that, before you know it your going to see the pounds melting off!! Good luck my friend, I wish you the best and I am jealous of the cruise thing! Good for you ! What an awesome goal to be working towards such a nice trip!!!

WOW - You are doing fantastic! Congrats!!!

Carolina Girl -- CONGRATS!!! Awesome, awesome, awesome comparison photos, thank you for sharing and wishing you continued sucess!!