minniekitty

I started with a BMI kind of close to yours- 38, and was sleeved almost 3 months ago. I'm between 5'4" and 5'5". I weighed 221.75 lbs the day of surgery, and now weigh 183.2. That gives me a loss of 38.5 lbs post-op.

Great advice. It's all about perspective. Would you be 100 lbs less today without the hard work and time you invested pre and post surgery? That's an amazing accomplishment. You gained 3 lbs, but you don't have to gain anymore. You can change things around

I never went out and got baby silverware, but I do use smaller plates and bowls. I kind of wish I got cute little baby silverware . Sounds kind of fun lol

I use milk as a source of protein (along with meat) on a daily basis. If you're watching your carbs, though, you just have to be careful because milk has a lot of natural sugar.

During my liquids stage, I used to chew on food I wanted and then spit it out. It's gross, but it really helps take the edge away. I was close to tears my first few weeks because I missed food so much. I feel you *hug*

What a great NSV - your nephew's so cute! You're also only 6 lbs away from the century club! Congrats!

I'm watching your YouTube videos. You look amazing! Thanks for sharing your inspirational story

I'm almost 3 months post-op and I feel normal. In fact, I feel better than I did pre-op because I'm so much lighter! 40 lbs in 4 months seems reasonable to me. I've lost around 40 lbs in less than 3 months, so it's definitely doable!!!! I can eat anything I want at this point, but of course in smaller portions. I still have to be careful about eating too quickly, and I throw up at least once a week. I need to fix that :/. Desserts like brownies and cakes slide down my sleeve with ease. You'll feel fine during your vacation :smile1:.

I also recommend MyFitnessPal. It's a great tool- I log everything I eat. If you have a smartphone (or an iPod touch like I have), you can download their app and log your calories when you're on the go and away from a computer. If you want to add me, my username is kalars88. We can compare food diaries and see each others weight losses. It's a lot of fun :smile1: Everyone loses weight at different speeds, so don't be discouraged. You may be in a stall- I get those all the time. I drop weight quickly the week before and during my period, and then during the other 2 weeks of the month I stall. It's frustrating, but as long as the scale keeps moving it's all good :smile1:

I'm almost 3 months post-op, and my fine/thin hair is starting to fall out faster also. Sleeve4Me- your hair clips look beautiful! If it gets to the point where you can see bald spots or it's too thin, I may look into getting a weave or extensions. I'm curious to see what others are doing in this same predicament. edit: Also, would cutting my hair shorter help with volume?

To add to what everyone else said, the opposite of a slider food would be dense protein foods like meat. Those sit in your stomach and don't slide through your stomach- they make you feel full for longer. Slider foods don't give you the level of satiety that a high protein food would, and you are more likely to eat more or sooner.

Sometimes scratching right next to or around the incision helps, too. If you still have bandages on it, they may be irritating your skin. I still have have a faint red mark on my skin from the bandage around my large incision at almost 3 months out because it irritated my skin so much.

I set my goal weight at 145 lbs, the same weight my doctor recommended to me. I'm 5'4" (almost 5'5"), and 145 lbs would place me at the highest weight for a "healthy BMI". I didn't go lower because I have a large body frame AND I wanted to be realistic in my goal. There's a chance I'll keep on losing weight and go lower, but 145 is a nice goal for me. I have a "goal weight range" of 135-155 lbs. I'll be content anywhere in between those weights. I know a lot of sleevers aim for a lower BMI, but 145 sounds ideal and healthy for me personally. In the end, what matters most is if you're healthy and happy with your body and appearance.

You're an inspiration . You got to a normal BMI in just 5.5 months! Damn girl!! Congrats! You'll make it to goal, no doubt.

You look beautiful, and you're really rocking those size 4's. Congrats!

Congrats She is really cute.

Congrats!

I struggled with "head hunger" while I was on the clear (and later full) liquids diet after surgery. But, I felt no physical hunger at all. I mourned food and mentally wanted to eat, but I didn't have any extreme headaches or hunger pangs that come with real physical hunger. It's only for a few weeks, though. It's worth it

I feel cold all the time too. I'd rather be cold and wearing cute layers, than sweating like a pig because I'm so damn hot. I used to hate the summer and hot weather because of my fat. I would sweat excessively, and I felt stinky and gross (on top of being fat). Now I look forward to next summer- I hope I'll be near or past goal by then :smile1: Being cold is uncomfortable, though. I suppose it's a trade-off. I haven't had the butt-bone issue yet, but I'm sure it will come .

I've read on the forums that the closer you get to goal, the faster your clothes size will shrink. Usually the women you see on weight loss TV commercials were smaller and only 10-40 lbs overweight to begin with.

Listen to Rev Me Up. It's the 3-5 week stall, and it will pass. Don't worry :smile1: I hit that stall too during weeks 2-5 and stayed around 200-202 lbs that whole time. The scale started moving again (not as quickly as I'd like). Now I'm at 185 lbs, and pretty happy with where I am so far. You'll lose weight. You're eating so little calories now; it's impossible NOT to lose weight.

I'm a little over 2 1/2 months post op, and when I eat out I share meals with people. I have ordered off the kid's menu. I also like ordering a cup of Soup as a meal. I never ordered appetizers, because at the restaurants I've gone to they're not that healthy. It gets easier. At first I would order regular sized meals and then have to take most of the meal home or end up wasting it. After awhile, I stopped feeling self-conscious about ordering smaller meals. My eyes have started to adjust to my itty bitty stomach, too :smile1:

I've only lost 0.8 lb these past two weeks . I guess that means I've hit another stall *sigh*. 1 day away from the deadline and I'm 2 lbs away from goal. I'll weigh myself tomorrow to see if I've magically lost another 2 lbs in one day lol. Congrats to all of you who've already reached their Halloween goal! 9/9 - 200.2 9/17 - 198.6 (I broke the stall and into Onederland!) 9/24 - 196.8 10/2 - 193.3 10/6 - 192.1 10/7 - 191.1 10/15 - 187.8 10/30- 187 SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Kala.................200.2...............187.............185..............2 On the brighter side, I dropped 3 inches off my waist this month! I guess I haven't really failed after all I'm going to copy Meg and list my goals after my Halloween goal of 185 lbs (also 50% of my excess weight loss). 1. Being "overweight" instead of "obese" - 174 lbs 2. Losing 75% of my excess weight - 165 lbs 3. Breaking into the 150s. 4. GOAL!!! 145 lbs

Way to go! That is amazing

I also am worried about that. I would like to weigh 135-155 lbs; my ultimate goal will be determined by how I look and I feel in my new body. I don't want to be skinny, but would love to be curvy and voluptuous (instead of flabby lol). I agree with Rootman- monitoring your calories should help.