TwoStepsBack

Hey Diva! Good to hear from you. The weight loss challenge is a great idea, I'll check the topic out this evening when I get back from work. Thanks!

All my blood tests have been perfect so far. I asked my surgeon at my 6 month follow-up whether I could stop taking the Vitamins and try and get the nutrients through my diet. I use a lot of ground up seeds etc to help with getting enough Protein and amino acids and they have tons of nutrients in... But he said it is better to take them and be safe than sorry. He also put huge emphasis on the calcium / vit D chewables that I take and said that those are the most important to help prevent osteoporosis.

Hi M2G! Thanks for the reply Maybe measuring would be a good idea. I do still get people saying that they think I am losing, even though I'm not... so perhaps it is muscle weight since I took up PIlates. I can always hope! LOL

Hey! Look at you!!! So pleased for you, you reached goal. CONGRATULATIONS! :D

Absolutely getting you! Having the same problems myself at the moment. I think as someone else said, realising you are doing it is the first step towards putting it right!

Hi Everyone, I haven't been around on the forums for quite a while now... No reason other than I haven't had much time for forum browsing, and my recovery was so good I haven't had any issues to ask you guys about! I am now 8 months out, and doing pretty well. I've lost the majority of the weight I wanted to lose, with very little discomfort or problems. However, recently I feel that I have "let myself go" a bit. I have about 10lb left to my goal weight, and I haven't lost any weight for at least a couple of months now. My surgeon said that he would expect me to lose a bit more yet, but it just isn't happening. I know that if I up the exercise levels and cut out the Snacks (I have started to get into bad habits recently), then it will start coming off again and I will be able to reach goal without too much difficulty. I just need to do it! And this is the best place to talk to people with the same issues who can support me and kick my butt into line! Looking forward to getting to know you all again

Hi! I am 27 and am now 8 months since surgery. I have lost 70lb so far and have another 10lb to lose but the loss has ground to a halt. I have quite a lot of loose skin on my arms, tummy and thighs. I was swimming regularly but I felt I needed to start doing some resistance training to help tone the muscles so I am now doing Pilates. I found a great DVD called "10 minute solution - pilates" which I've been doing from start to finish twice a week. I've been doing this for about a month now and I have noticed quite a big difference to my stomach already. I also use a general "all-over body firming moisturiser" when I get out the shower twice a day (when I remember!) I took some photos of my loose skin a while back, and will take some more as it gets better. I may even post my progress once I can see a real difference. Good luck!

Thanks guys!! I had many hopes from this surgery, but never truly expected that it could have gone so well and that I would get so much out of it. For me it was less to do with losing weight, and more to do with having control over what I eat and taking away the obsession with food which dominated my life. I now barely think about food, and feel like a new person. I want to cry when I look at my before photo because it reminds me just how depressed and desperate I felt. Now I feel liberated. I realise some people have not had such an easy ride post-op, and I can only say that I hope that everyone finds at least a fraction of the happiness I have found in time. I am extremely lucky, and I never take it for granted. Ramble over!

Hey Kelli, Really glad to see you are home and doing better. Hang in there! *huge hugs* xxx

Hey Everyone! I recently hit the three stone lost point, and getting tons of lovely comments from people about how well I look. Loving being able to dress up pretty for Christmas parties for the first time too! Here is my horrific before pic again for those of you who haven't seen it, and a couple from last night. I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas, and that I might inspire anyone in a stall or on the road towards surgery to keep going! xxxxx

Hihi. Was interested to see that someone else was put on mushies before leaving the hospital. I thought I was the only one! I was given Water, tea and clear Soup on day 2, and yoghurt and liquidated salmon/mash potato before I left. Been able to eat about a tablespoon of food from day 4, and now about three tablespoons. I've had no issues at all. Granted some days all I could tolerate is creamed soup and yoghurt, in fact I still get days like that now if my tummy feels sensitive. Oh I just thought it might be worth mentioning that I read somewhere that your body can only absorb 25g of protein at any one time, so it is better to space it out into two shakes throughout the day rather than trying to get the whole 40-60g in at one time. Not sure how true that is, but might be worth some investigation in case you aren't absorbing as much as you think Best of luck with it!

Hey everyone. I just wanted to thank you all for your input on this. I upped my Water intake, did three sessions of resistance training, and hey presto - down 5lb! I am very pleased that things started moving again, and with such little effort! Never would have happened prior to surgery. I would have felt beaten and gotten back into old habits. Not so anymore! Looks like that dress might be doable by Christmas after all, we shall see! I might even post pics if I wear it Thanks again for the support and great advice. xxxx

Hmmm, my dietician told me to try and aim for 1000 cals per day to prevent the body going into starvation mode. But I guess everyone is different. I went to the gym twice over the weekend for resistance training, and have really upped my Water intake. Finally dropped 2lb. Hopefully it continues!

Thanks LowCho. I guess I just hoped that since my problem was always with volume eating, the fact that I can eat so little now would mean that I would lose. My dietician and surgeon's guidelines only said to use moderation where alcohol is concerned, and to ensure I take Vitamins. There was no 60g Protein, 40g carbs etc rules. I do think I am following a fairly healthy diet though, and really didn't want to cut out all treats and deprive myself. If I felt I was over indulging then I could understand, but in my opinion I am not. But in all fairness I asked you for suggestions on how to break my stall, which you have done. So I guess I am just being childish and stamping my feet about these little treats which I might have to give up, but didn't think I would have to

Oh, and I should probably add that I usually have approx 4 glasses of wine at the weekend and maybe one small cake or bag of corn puffs per week? *slaps her own wrist*

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm going to start using the gym like you suggested and see how things go. I will also try and drink more Water. Someone said that without knowing my diet it is hard to comment. I would be interested to see how my intake compares to other people's too. I'm currently taking in between 700-1000 calories per day with a menu similar to the below: Breakfast: Two tablespoons low fat natural greek yoghurt with one tablespoon of oatbran (supposedly helps with the constipation?!) Mid am: 3 wafer thin slices or one hand carved slice of pre-cooked chicken, or small handful nuts, or cheese string Lunch: One wholemeal cracker with tuna&low fat mayo and half a tin of chicken Soup Mid pm: piece of low fat cheese, or a Protein bar/shake, or a wholefood Cereal and fruit bar Dinner: 1 egg omelette with cheese and onion and a little carrot, or small can of baked Beans, or small portion of shepherd's pie (more meat, less potato) etc etc... Evening snack: Malted drink (warming and high in Calcium - but has sugar so should maybe cut out) or Protein shake Fluid throughout the day: 2 pints of sugar free blackcurrant squash, 3 cups redbush tea with milk, 2 cups decaf milky coffee

From about the 5wk mark I was on mushies and enjoying my food with hardly any discomfort. If I push myself and eat too much or the wrong things then I still get some pain now, but you get used to what you can and can't eat, and how much. It may feel like forever at the moment, but the recovery period goes very quickly, and you'll be feeling like yourself (albeit you with a smaller appetite!) in no time. Best of luck with it! xx

Hey everyone, I hope you are all doing well. Although I do not post here that much these days, I often check in and see what everyone's up to. I have been trying to deal with a stall for almost 5 weeks now, and it is finally getting me down so much I felt the need to seek some support from you guys. Having done plenty of reading on here both pre and post op, I always knew that stalls were going to happen. But this just seems to be going on too long I don't remember seeing anyone talk about stalls which last over a month... At first I was losing approx 5lb per week. I have lost 28lb since the op, with 7lb lost pre-op. So 35lb in total thus far. As a lightweight with only approx 80lb to lose I was really pleased with that. The problem is that I have been hovering between 179 - 183 for almost 5 weeks now. I made a record of everything I was eating showing calories and Protein, and emailed it to my dietician who sent me some tips on things to cut out / replace. I have made these adjustments but STILL no loss after ten days. I am swimming for approx 25 mins four times a week. If anyone has any further suggestions on what I can do to start things moving again I would be so happy. I have a dress I was very much hoping to wear at Xmas but I am still about 7lb off being able to wear it comfortably. I also feel like a bit of a failure because my family keep asking me "So have you lost any more weight?" and I keep having to say no Maybe I need to shake up my exercise a bit and do some gym work instead of just swimming? I know about the whole "muscle weighs more than fat" issue, and the "losing inches but not lb" issue. But surely after five weeks I should be seeing SOME movement? Yours frustratedly Lyndsey xxx

Got a test... it was negative... period started about ten minutes later. Typical! I am trying not to admit that I'm ever so slightly disappointed, I was getting used to the idea! Oh well, so soon out of surgery it is for the best. Can't really afford a family just now anyhow. So I'm a bit and a bit lol xx

Awww I love this Zeebie! Great post Lizzy, so very true. Thanks!

I was told 1 month. I didn't want anything until that point anyway. I used to drink about three glasses of wine on a weekend night before my op, but now one is definitely enough! I did go out for Halloween to a party, and drank three glasses of wine and one shot over the course of an evening. Although I didn't feel all that drunk I did have the most terrible hangover the next day, so I won't make that mistake again!

Hey Guys, Hope everyone is well. I haven't been around for quite a while due to being really busy at work, and just generally getting back into routine and "normal life" after my op. Everything has been going great, hit a two-week stall but finally came out the other side this morning which is a relief. I am now down 30lb! Hooray! I have noticed one thing though, which is that I have been feeling nauseous a lot over the past week. Like actually urging at the slightest thing, especially in the morning when trying to take my tablets. I had no trouble whatsoever with feeling sick until now, and as I am almost 8 weeks out I would have thought it would have affected me before now if it was going to. Then tonight I realised that my period is three days late... Now I realise that a) it isnt' VERY late yet, and I am probably worrying for nothing, weight loss can affect your periods, c) I have been on the pill and therefore highly unlikely that I am pregnant. But I still can't help worrying. I wish it wasn't so late in the evening so I could go and buy a test to put my mind at rest. Nowhere sells them at this time of night here. My body has been through a lot over the last couple of months, so I wouldn't be surprised if my hormones are totally messed up. Hy head tells me that my period will start soon and I am being silly, there is nothing to worry about.... but my heart feels like it is going to go pop. I know that no-one can tell me the answer, but I just needed to type it out. Somehow it helps! Thanks for listening. Cross your fingers for me! xx

Thank you so much everyone! Hope you are all doing well. xxx

Thanks Doug, I was very depressed pre-op as I had really let myself go and didn't truly believe even this would work for me. I am definitely 100% happier already, and it just keeps getting better. x