lsereno

Where did you get your surgery? Have you had follow up appointments? Did you have a post-op plan? Here's how I would tackle this if it were my issue: Make an appt. with my program doctor. Bring documentation of how I have been eating and exercise I have been doing. If I felt like I could eat more than average (more than 4 oz. of firm protein), I would ask if the sleeve could be evaluated to see if there is a physical issue with the surgery results. If that doesn't bring results, I would step up exercise - particularly strength training to build muscle, track my food and exercise with a tool that allows me to review it ( either online or in a paper journal) and weigh or measure my food. Also, I would keep carbs reasonable (one small serving per meal at two meals per day) and get them from whole grain or starchy vegetables. I would re-evaluate Protein vs calorie and look for lower calorie protein sources. The 5:2 plan is good, but I would be very careful of what I ate even on the non-fast days. I would ratchet back calories until I began to lose. If the calorie count that losing occurs at is super low I would make another appt with my Dr. to discuss why, bringing my food and exercise journal. If that doesn't work, I would consider revision to RNY or DS. Lynda

Not everyone hits a stall. I lost just a few ounces but I consistently lost every week until 4 moths out when I gained a couple of ounces one week. After 5 moths out I had occasional weeks where I gained a few ounces, but I always lost the following week. I went into surgery with a huge muscle mass and I think it really helped. Post-op I did strength training three days a week and walked foe an lour two days a week till I hit goal. Lynda

Still at goal. Had a big day yesterday: two cocktails, a small French roll, a small ice cream cup and two pieces of candy. Hello Santa Cruz!! Weight 136.5 this morning. Back on the wagon today. B: Medium Soy Latte, then about an hour later 1 slice WW bread, 2 oz 98% FF ham L: 1 slice WW bread, 2 oz 98% FF ham S: 1/2 peach, 1 oz Special K crackers, lite string cheese D: Bistro chicken Sausage, 1/3 C. Pasta with sauce, 1/3 C. Spinach, 6 cherry tomatoes S: 1 C. Fage 0 with Splenda and blueberries

Some people choose a higher goal weight because they want a curvier or more muscled look. And most people look a little jagged for a few moths after the rapid weight loss. I did. My hair was still thin (it's since grown back and looks thicker than ever) and my face was more sunken. I have yet to see the person who looked better with more than 100 lbs of extra weight weighing them down. Lynda

Sorry I meant consistent exercise. Although cocci stent sounds interesting!! Lynda

It's gonna take time to get used to the smaller you. I didn't see myself as thinner till I looked in a three way mirror. I was like "who's that? Oh, it's me!" After 16 months at goal, I am getting totally comfortable with my size, how my clothes look, and how I feel. The emotion thing is rough too. It's a big change even though its a positive one. Congrats on your loss so far. Buy yourself a present. You deserve it! Lynda

Congrats and Welcome to the Century Club! Love the pics. I also vote for the pink shirt pic for your new profile pic. Lynda

Wow! I think you're gonna set a record for rapid weight loss! I think the cocci stent exercise really helps. You'll be joining the century club any day now! Congratulations! Lynda

Congrats and welcome to older land!! Lynda

Only thing I have to add is look for something to fill the hole that food leaves. Make a list of soothing things you enjoy that are calorie free. When the urge for a sweet hits, refer to the list and pick something. Lynda

My top benefit is health. Next up is energy, followed by clothes. I don't like shopping still, but its way easier to grab a tshirt and jeans now. Weight was the one area in my life that was totally out of control. I had been working to fix it for years. I feel in control now. Lynda

Hey Canary, let me know what they are and I'll try to find the definition for them. It's surprising what I can dig up when I try. Lynda

It's not that is snapped back more, it just bounces around less without the extra fat under it. I'm a bit older than you. I didn't get fat till later, but once I went down that road in my 30s (more than 20 years ago), I never came back. Lynda

Congrats and welcome to the century club! I'm a member too :-) Lynda

I liked what I bought, but I paid an arm and a leg for most of my clothes. Can you say Macy's Tier One Store Plus Size department for under $100? Not usually. Now I can wear a wider variety of clothes and I mostly shop at Target, Walmart, Forever 21, etc. I still remember the first day it dawned on me that I could now tuck my shirt in. I kept looking at my outfit, not liking the way my shirt looked under my jacket and Tada! the thought came to me to try tucking my shirt in! It had been so many years since I wore a tucked in shirt, it simply didn't occur to me for months after I got thinner. Lynda

I think that will get better when you get to goal. On my way to goal, my stomach totally looked like the squash in Plants vs. Zombies. Totally depressed me for a while. But as I continued to lose weight, it looks a million times better. Now I just have a little extra skin around my tummy and a frowny belly button. I have extra skin on my legs, arms, and lots of other areas too. But not enough for me to want to deal with plastics. Lynda

When I went over the top of my bounce range earlier this year I: - Started tracking every bite - Gave away the junk food I had in the house - Made sure I stocked up on my low calorie high Protein faves. - Followed an eating plan: at least 60 grams of protein per day, 64 oz of fluids. Breakfast of 1 serving nonfat dairy, 2 low fat protein, 1 whole grain, and 1 fruit. lunch of 2 low fat protein, 1 whole grain, and 2 vegetables. dinner of 3 low fat protein, 1 whole grain, 2 vegetables, and 1 fruit. - Continued exercising 4 days per week. - Continued to weigh myself every morning. - Continued to weigh and measure my food at most meals. This worked for me. After I got to my goal weight again, I set my bounce range smaller. Lynda

Yes, there are a lot of acronyms here. I've listed just the ones related to weight loss surgery, not ones in common use, such as LOL (laugh out loud). Be sure to let me know of any I've missed: BMI: Body Mass Index CW: Current Weight DS: Duodenal Switch weight loss surgery EWL: Excess Weight Loss FF: Fat Free GBP: Gastric Bypass GW: Goal Weight LBL: Lower Body Lift MO: Morbidly Obese NSV: Non Scale Victory, such as fitting in an airline seat NUT: Nutritionist OH: Obesity Help, another good online forum PB2: Peanut Butter 2 (peanut powder substitute for peanut butter) PCP: Primary Care Physcian PPI: Proton Pump Inhibitor, such as Prilosec RNY: Roux-eN-Y (gastric bypass) weight loss surgery SF: Sugar Free SMO: Super Morbidly Obese SW: Surgery Weight TT: Tummy Tuck VBG: Vertical Banded Gastroplasty weight loss surgery VSG: Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy weight loss surgery VST: Vertical Sleeve Talk, our wonderful forum WLS: Weight Loss Surgery

I've also heard it helps shrink the liver. That's important because the liver can be in the way during surgery. Lynda