M2G

Beautiful pictures (super-cute pup too!) I agree, it's amazing to accomplish something like this. Well done, and congrats!

Thanks SOS!! I just found and posted over in the Vet's forum. I would so love to eat 2000 cals a day. A very bad day of eating and grazing will usually net me 1,700 calories. But that is like a day when I just say what the heck, and will eat birthday cake, and a few extra carbs here and there, etc. (and yep I will still measure and log it so I can see what I'm eating...) But it would be interesting to try and get in 1,700-1,800 calories that don't have the extra calories coming from carbs/junk. I really should try to eat that many cals but having most of it come from Protein. Hum, something to think about.

Wow, it has been a long time since I spent any "real" time here at VST. For those who may not know me, I'm almost 2.5 years post-op, with well over 100+ posts (so I think I'm ok to post here ) but I definitely count myself in the 'slow to lose' category. I initially lost 100lbs at just about the 18 month post-op mark, and then spent a good 9 months putting on about +15-20lbs by not tracking what I eat, grazing, and generally sort of letting my guard down. I never quit exercising but in 2012 I took on a full-time job and that put a crimp in my exercise style which was basically workout every day. I went from working out every day to 2, maybe 3 times a week. So that helped also contribute to my gain. Now I'm not working, but have decided to go back to school (already have my bachelor's but need updated skills) and I've learned the importance of not letting exercise slide. So even though school is a huge time sucker, I've been very true to my exercise pattern. I don't work out every day anymore, but 4-6 days a week is pretty normal for me. Since Jan 1, 2013 I've now lost -9lbs so I am working off the regain. Then it will be time to get to goal (I never made goal initally.) Part of my absence was due to work, then school, but also for the a lot of the same reasons that many of the vets don't stay here. Another reason is my preferred browser is VERY slow to load this site as it is bogged down with so much advertising that it will literally time out. Alex is working on that, and I have other browsers that aren't so slow. I also have the phone app which does okay reading but I rarely find time to post, as the reading is usually a quick 5 minutes while waiting to pick up a kid from school, etc. Anyway, just wanting to say hello and meet some of the newer vets... so GLAD to see a Vet's Forum around here! Also happy to see some old timers still here, like Coops, CLK, PDX, Lsereno, MsSkinniness, and Lissa, etc. Sorry if I'm leaving anyone out. One of my goals is to be around more often!

This is such an interesting topic to me! I feel like the short answer to the question is YES, I've metabolically screwed myself by having WLS. Disclaimer here that everyone is different and there is NO ONE THING THAT EVERYONE CAN DO and have it work 100% of the time. I'll pick on myself. I eat about 900-1,200 cals a day. I'm currently trying to work off a regain from my 2nd year post-op. (I'm almost 2.5 years post-op) and so far eating low-calorie and low-carb has netted me a -9lb loss since Jan. 1, 2013. Now I'm not perfect and there were days that I ate 1,500 or 1,700 calories but in general since Jan 1st, I've keep it to an average of 1,100 cals. On the other hand, my husband who is 2 years post-op (march 7 was his anniversary) eats pretty much whatever he wants only in smaller quantities. He never tracks his calories, carbs or Protein, but he eats routinely similar food (like greek yog, turkey, chicken, etc.) but doesn't restrict his carbs nearly as much as I do and he has maintained a 70lb loss for about a year now. I'm very interested in possibly resetting my metabolism. I had a body scan done about a year and a half ago and at the time my RMR was 1,400 cals (i.e. I could do NOTHING all day and burn up to 1,400 cals). I work out hard 2-3 days a week and lighter 3-4 days a week. I probably burn about 200-800 calories per workout depending on how hard it is. The one really GOOD thing about the sleeve is I'm not starving at 1,100 cals a day. I feel like I eat enough, but I get frustrated because I think if I had eaten 1,100 cals a day BEFORE being sleeved, OMG I would be soooooo skinny now. LOL.

OMG, Coops! I KNEW IT! I knew you would see the 150's soon. It's real, I have no doubt my friend! I had forgotten about this thread and so many apologies to those who have been faithful with their updates. I'm just shy of 2.5 years post-op and I was lazy in my 2nd year and from Apr 2012 - Dec 2012 gained about +20lbs. NOT GOOD. So I'm working it off, and I just have to say how totally unfair it is for it to come on so fast but how it takes it sweet time leaving. I'm down -9lbs since Jan. 1, 2013 and it is only because I've been quite dilligent with tracking my food, calories+carbs+protein. Big effort. Also because I'm exercising 5-6 days a week. But it is just a S L O W process and there are many days that I resent the fact that I exist on basically 900-1,200 calories a day and don't see big losses on the scale. But that is my issue so I need to just vent about it and get over it. Sigh.

Welcome, this really will be a NEW LIFE for you! Congrats!

I hate to be a downer, but for me maintenance has always been the struggle of ANY diet I've ever been on, and for the most part, the sleeve is no different. After you are past your honeymoon stage, losing the weight becomes harder and harder. Gaining can happen fairly easily (for me anyway) all I have to do is quit paying attention to what I put in my mouth and viola, the scale goes up. Here is where the sleeve makes a difference for me. I eat about 900-1,200 calories a day. I'm almost 2.5 years post-op. I don't feel hungry even on such low calories. I do much better when I eat 80-115g of protein a day. When I let more than 100g of carbs slip in that is when I feel MORE hungry, due to more carbs. Maintenance is for life, that is the hard part! But you can do it, if you are willing to put in the work!

My husband and I are both sleeved. We were both obese/overweight when we met, and have been married almost 17 years. I was more of the yo-yo dieter, due to having 2 babies 19 months apart. I had lost weight doing Medifast before getting pregnant but gained it ALL back with my first pregnancy. That helped set me up for many yo-yo diet failures since (my girls are 10 and 12 years old now and before the sleeve I had tried ALL the popular diets!) I think it was probably really good that we did this together (I'm almost 2.5 years post-op, he is 2 years post-op) because we both ended up FEELING better, looking better, and we are both much more physically fit than we were before. I will say that I have the greatest husband ever, no matter what I weighed he never made me feel bad about it. He has always maintained that attraction, and vice versa. So even though we had gained weight together, it wasn't a deal breaker for either of us. But as far as getting hit on/asked out, neither of us has had that happen. Maybe I just don't put out that "vibe." I will say that I've notice I have much more direct eye contact with men, and people in general. I truly think there is something about being larger that makes people look away. Like they don't want to "see" you. And I do think feeling better about yourself does open you up for more conversations with strangers, and more interaction with people. As far as your relationship changing, my surgeon always says "if you have a rocky relationship to start, WLS isn't going to make it any better, if you have a good solid foundation you will probably be ok" Or in shorter terms, when I told him I was having my wedding ring made smaller, he only half-jokingly said "well it's either that or get a divorce"...meaning this relationship stuff could go either way. It's really all up to you and your partner about how you get through this.

My husband had his VSG surgery ON his actual birthday (he was 41) and he will be two years post-op this coming March 7th. I thought it was kind of goofy that he planned it for his birthday but he says it's the best birthday present he could have ever given himself. He had a couple of nurses that actually connected the dots so he got a couple of happy birthday wishes from hospital staff.

Just last week I am 2 years post-op and much like Kikiphiasmom I've lost a significant amount of weight but not at goal. It is interesting that you ask about feeling normal. That is one thing that I feel all the time and I love it. I went from a tight 3X on top and a tight 22 on bottom to a size L on top and a size 12 (sometimes 10 but 12's always fit) on bottom. So basically I'm the size of the "average" American woman and it's wonderful. I was never meant to be a skinny-minnie and the last time I weighed 120lbs I was probably 11 years old. It's so nice to walk into a closet full of clothing that fits me and I feel great in. No more stuffed sausage feeling that I used to have wearing my tight old clothes. But having the sleeve has given me the ability to lose a big chunk of weight and keep it off. I also struggle within a +10/-10lb range and right now I'm about 7-10 lbs higher than my lowest weight I hit this spring, so I'm working on being more consistent with my eating to get that back off. I feel 100% normal about my eating as it is very routine for me now. I still weigh and measure my food sometimes just to track it or keep in check. I eat betwen 1,000-1,500 calories a day and exercise 3-5 days a week. And I definitely could go lower (weight-wise) but it would require me to consume >800 calories a day or workout at LOT more and much more intensely than I do now. So basically I've been coasting along in maintenance mode for about the last year. I tell all newbies to take full-advantage of the honeymoon period because it disappears rapidly and then it's a lot harder to work your sleeve for weight loss. Would I do it all again? 100% YES! I love my sleeve!

Great story, thanks for sharing! I didn't notice how much being morbidly obese affected my life because it happened a little bit at a time. Things that should be easy (like picking up something you dropped) just aren't anymore and you find yourself compensating and figuring out how to do things since your body no longer allows you to do. But once you start shedding the extra weight, it's so amazing to free yourself and it's fun having those lightbulb moments. Wow, I can run, I can tie my shoes, fit in a booth, or do situps. Things that "normal" weight people do everyday without even thinking about it. Congrats on your journey so far and may the rest of it be just as wonderful!

Great place to be (well except for going broke...lol!) But isn't it amazing to not have to shop in one tiny sqaure of a huge store (plus size goodbye forever!) If you have the time and inclination, I recommend Goodwill or similar thrift/consignment shops. I've found brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Jones NY, Coldwater Creek, Aerosoles, Steve Madden, and Kenneth Cole all at second hand stores. It takes more time to shop (and I wash everything with a bit of vinegar or have it dry cleaned) but I've found TONS of good deals that don't break the bank. Good luck, it's fun to shop now, isn't it?

Absolutely incredible! You look like the daughter of the woman in the first photo! WOW and CONGRATS!!!!

I too am so sorry you had to go through what you did in order to get where you are. The best part is that you are healthy, alive, and thriving. I'm glad that God chose to continue your time here on Earth. I imagine the rest of your journey will be a breeze considering where you have come from. Hugs, and so glad you are around 9 months later to share your story!

I agree that some people just don't want to say anything because generally weight-related comments can be like skating on thin ice. If someone says my gosh you've lost weight, and you look great does that mean that you were fat and ugly before? I noticed that when my hubby and I were both loosing (he is sleeved too about 5 months after me) that comments about his loss were flying all around even though I lost MORE than he did. Seems like it's okay to talk to a MAN about his weight loss but most people are hesitant to bring it up to women. Just my experience. Oh yeah and I got a lot of "I see it in your face" type comments when I was down about 25-30lbs. On one other thing...people love to say that you lose a size with every -10lbs. That for me wasn't true until I got below 200lbs.

Love this!! Our current stats are quite similar except you are taller than I am. I think I would be happy with a BMI of 27. Everything since my one year has been a struggle (as far as losing goes) so I've been partially content to stay here (size L on top, 12 on bottom) and haven't had the motivation to kick my exercise up a notch or scale back my calories from 1200 to 800 (that is when I lose when my caloric intake drops below 800.) Anyway, just wanted to say great job and I totally KWYM about being estatic to be smaller and then find out that you are smaller than what you originally could even imagine.

Look at your skinny cheeks and chin! Yep, big difference. And I'm just shy of 2 years post-op and I still somedays have a hard time seeing myself as smaller. For instance I will hold up a pair of jeans out of the laundry and think that they belong to my almost 12 year old daughter who is 5'3" and wears a ladies size 8. Then it will dawn on me that they are really my size 12 jeans.

Copied and pasted from the other name thread... Well, mine originally was Mommy2Girls, but then I changed it to be shorter, M2G (plus after a couple of people who didn't want to type that out would say Mommy...lol, sounds wierd coming from anyone other than your kids!) But I have two girls so not only am I a Mommy OF 2 girls but I'm a Mommy TO girls (don't know what it's like to raise boys!) so I thought that Mommy2Girls cleverly associated the two ideas. M2G is much easier to type out!

I'm somewhere between 70-75% of my excess weight lost, and coming up on 2 years post-op.

Well I'm almost 2 years post-op and when eating dense Protein (chicken, salmon, tuna, beef, etc.) I max out at around 4oz. I can still eat some veggies or some carbs at the same meal, but for the actual meat portion 4oz is my max limit. When you are eating tuna, are you getting the 5oz from the label on the can? Because usually tuna is packed in Water (or oil...yuck) once you drain the water, it's no longer 5oz. Just a thought. And I still weigh and measure my food sometimes just to keep myself in check that I'm not going too big on my portion sizes.

Coops, darling, you look wonderful! And as per usual, we are both on the same bloody page in regards to loss and stalls. I totally get what you mean about not taking the photo because you aren't at "goal"....totally get what you are saying. But then I've been thinking lately, wasn't my goal to be healthier, lighter, be out of plus size clothing, and generally take up less space on this planet? IF that was my goal then I've darn-well acheived it!! Time to start celebrating how far we've come instead of what is left to accomplish!!! Hugs my dear friend!!

Thanks for making me smile. I feel sooooooooooo much better without the extra weight. It's like I didn't know how much the fat was making me feel miserable until I started to lose it and feel better. It was like I forgot how a body should move, and feel. I've dropped out of the fat girls club but still haven't joined the skinny girls club, because I still have some weight and curves...which is all good with me!

Definitely listen to your body (and quit doing manual labor!!) If you feel yourself getting worse then it's time to call. Fever, more intense pain, and generally feeling worse instead of better are all good reasons to call your surgeon. I pulled a muscle in my abdoment when I was 6 weeks post op and cleared to go back to Curves. One machine did me in and I definitely overdid. The pulled muscle hurt on and off for about a week, and I avoided that particular machine for the next 6-8 weeks. Hope it feels better soon!

Get a good top coat. One of the best I've found is this: http://seche.com/products/product-83005.html The type of polish (to me anyway) doesn't matter as much as a good top coat.

Congrats! My honeymoon was over by the 4th month as well. I continued to lose but it was much much harder from 4-12 months. Now that I'm almost 2 years post-op my weight hasn't changed much in the last 8 months or so. Sigh. OH well. I'm still thrilled w/my results. Keep up the hard work!