Sammi25

cleaning out my closet was emotional for me, i did it after surgery. i kept thinking oh i can still wear this...then my friends would say absolutely not! i still have about 40 pounds left to lose, but it was hard accepting that my body had FINALLY changed. i still see myself at 310 pounds, even tho im at 190. there are days im super proud of myself and other days i dont see any progress. i didnt keep any clothes and i wish i had, so i recommend keeping one whole outfit just to try on every few months, during those rough periods. congrats on making the best decision for yourself! your life will be changed so many ways for the better! and welcome to the vsg family!

i didnt have a drink until after i was 1 year post op and i had half a drink and felt drunk and i wont be doing it again! its empty calories and will make you stall. its pointless.

i have almost black hair and i just box dye it ( i know, i know, ladies dont yell! ) but i didn't notice any change in the hair thickness or damage when i was going through the hair loss stage. i am almost 14 months out now and i have had no problems with it what so ever but i also take biotin and zinc

if you arent eating enough protein and calories u will not lose. u MUST get in your protein especially when you're exercising. everyone stalls and thinks it will last forever and it doesn't, but if you are starving your body it will hold onto the fat and thats why you have to be getting in that protein and calories. i am 13 months post op and down 120 pounds and i also wanted to be farther along by now, but its not up to me its up to my body and i have to be patient and know i am doing all that i can. bump up that protein!!

i had not one, but TWO guys i dated tell me they liked me better heavier. that my 120 pound weight loss made me LESS attractive to them, and that ALSO makes me resent them. what, was i just a fat girl fetish? we all go through resenting someone at some point but the best thing u can do is not let him upset you. i know it's hard but if he is being malicious, it might be time to let him go and focus on yourself. there will be plenty of new guys who will appreciate your body as is, and in the future.

im down 120 pounds (still have about 30 to go) and i still have a hard time understanding that i am no longer the same person as i was. we get used to living life in that big person mentality, and its going to take time and effort to change. we all struggle with it, even when we see progress sometimes we forget the positives.

I also have really bad pcos and suffered and still suffer from some bad stalls but that seems to happen with non pcos-ers too. my stalls were 3 weeks out, 3 months out, 6 months out and a year out. all varied in length but i was so frustrated. the biggest thing for me was thinking i was never going to lose again but you will. your body has to take a break and digest the weight loss and it will start to come back off again. right now just stick with what your surgeon suggested and try mixing up your workout routine that always helped me. im a little over a year out and lost 120 pounds and i still am working on losing in my gut that seems to be my biggest problem area, but it does come off and it will come off for you too!

thank you!

Just wondering how many calories everyone is consuming after about a year out or more. I know we tend to go more by meal size, but just wondering the average everyone takes in.

im a year out and i can (slowly) enjoy a caffeine free diet coke now, carbonation and all. i didnt try it until about a month ago, and i wouldnt recommend drinking it without taking the fizz out so early on but you will be able to enjoy it again normally at some point in moderation

i also have a hard time with this, but i learned that it doesnt go away so you have to embrace it. i always just respond with thank you so much! i still have a long way to go but I'm trying! this kind of cuts off the awkward feeling i get of thinking that i am too big to be complimented and kind of diverts people from asking too many questions. i work in a big building and find people come up to me daily, who i dont ever remember seeing before, to tell me i look great. sometimes it is uncomfortable but you really just have to learn that it is just people genuinely being happy for you, and you should be happy too. Just because you arent a goal weight doesn't mean you cant celebrate how far you have come!

try it with water ice and half a banana, if you can. it tastes better with the water than milk.

i love the triple chocolate powder.

we all drive ourselves crazy at one point obsessing over what everyone elses numbers are versus our own. i am a little over a year out and i am not at goal and i see people who are at 8,9 months and i think, "im failing." but i also have lost 120 pounds! and i have to remind myself that while others may be at goal of losing 80 pounds, i had to lose much more. so try not to obsess because your journey, body and numbers are different from everyone elses. we all hit the dreaded stalls and the best thing to do is switch up your carb intake and work outs. the longer post op we are, the harder it is to lose weight. at a year out i lose super slow compared to the first 6 months. and thats okay! i have never been into gatorade just because of the carbs, i would also dilute it if i were you like other people have mentioned. just be mindful and try to switch things up it sounds like you are being hard on yourself, which we all do!

I chose to tell a group of close friends and family, and everyone else I do not tell. Usually if a group of us gets together at least one person in the group knows of my surgery and will "share" my lunch with me or distract others from noticing im barely eating. It is difficult though. Recently I was taken to a buffet, against my will, and was embarassed when a friend made fun of me for only eating a salad. But I respond with things like I am on a diet, etc etc. I really have only had a few occasions where its been an issue, but I did have to tell people I see often. And I explained to them all the pre op work you have to do to get approved and once they heard what I had to say, they all have been nothing but supportive. Hopefully if you decide to share your decision, your father and step mother will be supportive too