BamaXpress78

You're doing great Rico! I'm sure you feel so much better and able to do things you either couldn't and didn't think you could before. Thanks for sharing.

160 lbs since November 2011.

You look great, good job!

Hi UTGal! The only regret I had was just detoxing from my addiction to food a few weeks after the surgery. When I hit my week 3 stall where I didn't lose anything and was still on liquid mush and couldn't eat anything with texture there was a moment where I questioned it all. In past diet attempts, this is when I would give in to the food addiction but with the surgery and following surgeon orders that was not an option. By the next week I lost 5 lbs, was feeling so much better and since then I've had zero regrets. Just enjoy the process, every time you feel challenged just use it as motivation. There will be ups and downs but the journey is full of rewards. Good luck!

Here are my before and after photos from surgeon's office at 6 month followup. This was back in May so I'm actually down another 25 lbs from the last picture. I knew I felt a lot better but for some reason it really didn't resonate fully until I saw these pictures tonight. I don't even recognize that person from the before picture. I can't wait to get this last 67 lbs off to hit goal.

I had my 6 month followup with surgeon last Thursday and counting what I lost over the weekend I am now down 136 lbs total since I started my pre-op a week before surgery back in November. I have another 84 lbs to go to reach my goal. The surgeon was very please with my progress, said he was going to be happy and say "good job" if I had reached 100 lb loss so he was very happy with my progress. The wife and I took a cruise week before last and were gone for 9 days total so it was a big adjustment eating away from home and making time to exercise but I did it. Even though I only lost 1 lb during that time, I went to the gym and worked out several days on the cruise and went to the walking track on the top deck daily. I tried to make smart choices and ate lean Proteins and vegetables but I did splurge a little one night for a special dessert that is our favorite. Otherwise, I ordered the sugar free dessert and just took a bite or two, never finishing the small serving they provided. I wanted to lose a few more but honestly I'm positive it was the first time in my life I have went on vacation and lost even a pound instead of gaining 5 or 10 so that is a win to me. I am going to be joining a gym this week mainly for the access to strength training equipment. I do plenty of cardio at home but after going to the gym on the cruise I realized that my strength has suffered since my surgery. Now I'm not saying it is a result of the surgery, I think anytime in the past that I didn't maintain some level of strength training, I lose what I had previously built up to so I guess its time to get the old muscles built back up. For any of you that are further along than I am, how long did you wait to start strength training and did you see any slow down in weight loss once you started? I think that has been my biggest fear is that the scale will stop moving as it has in the past when I started working out and yes I know I will still lose inches but I still have a good amount of weight to lose so I don't want to start this process too soon and drag it out longer than necessary. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I was a little worried about the injections myself but it really was no where near as bad as blood withdrawal or even steroid shot. Luckily for me, my wife had just started nursing school and she was excited to have a guinea pig to inject for two weeks. Good luck, hopefully the time will fly by.

Congratulations! I hit halfway myself last week so I know what an awesome feeling it is. Keep up the great work.

I have officially lost 110 lbs since my highest weight of 440 in early November 2011. My surgery was on 11/16 and as of this morning, less than 5 months later, I am 330. This was my best case scenario I had in mind going into the surgery but I think part of me tried to say don't get your hopes up, etc. I've stayed very consistent with my food choices, high Protein, low sugar/carb, lots of Water, and a Vitamin regimen daily. My next big goal will be to get into the 200's so I'm hoping the scale reads 299 by the end of May. For anyone out there that wants to know if this surgery works if your over 400 lbs, I would say YES IT DOES! I still have a long road ahead of me but as of today I would not trade my sleeve for any of the other surgeries. I've had zero problems eating any types of food...red meat, chicken, seafood, vegetables, etc. I have ate very little starches and sugars like fruit, potatoes, Pasta, etc but the few I have did not cause me any problems at all. Thanks for all the encouragement and support on this forum, I am not sure I would have went through with any of this had I not found so many people that were having success with the sleeve. Hopefully you'll be getting another success story update in a few months when I say goodbye to the 300's forever!

Thanks for all the replies and sorry if my profile pic is confusing...I am on the left, that is my wife in the picture.

I went for my 3 month surgical followup yesterday and was at 89 lbs, was shooting for 90. But today i went for my 3 month nutrition followup and I had lost another pound so officially down 90 lbs since the week prior to my surgery. Now I had a lot more to lose than most so don't compare your numbers to mine. I would have gladly traded starting weights with most of you. But I am proud of how I've been dedicated to sticking to the plan and seeing the results so quickly has been a great motivator. I've got a lot of achievements just ahead of me...10 more lbs to reach 100 total...20 more lbs to reach half my overall goal...and 51 more lbs to be below 300 for the first time in 12 years. This has been one of the most important decisions I've ever made and so far I have zero regrets.

Between work, exercise, and taking on some extra responsibilities around the house since my wife is in nursing school and working it seems all my computer time has disappeared...but I wouldn't trade anything for how I feel right now. Three months ago it was a chore to get off the couch, now I look for an excuse to not go sit on the couch. The only down side is how easy it is to start spending lots of money as I find all of these new projects around the house I want do now. Amazon, Lowe's, and Home Depot stock should be doing well the past couple of months.

My wife found a product at our local Publix grocery store called Gardein - Mandarin Orange Crispy Chicken in the frozen section. It is considered "Meatless" and typically I am not a huge fan of those types of foods but the nutrition values were not bad (plenty of protein and not bad on fat or carbs) for serving so we tried it and much to my surprise it was very good. It was quick and easy to make and we just tossed in some broccoli and cauliflower when it was finished cooking. It completely satisfied my chinese food craving and we liked it so much that I picked up another bag for this week.

Thank you all for the encouragement!

My BMI was 59.7 when I started my preop on 11/09/11. Had my surgery one week later and now at just over 10 weeks out my BMI is 49.6, a total loss of 74lbs. I am so excited that this surgery has been as advertised and while it still takes discipline and effort, at least I have a tool that gives me every opportunity to be successful. It feels really nice to go through the closet and take things out to donate because they are too big and not because they are too small. Now its time to kick it into 2nd gear and reach the 30's, its been 11 years since I've had a BMI under 40, so that milestone will be even sweeter.

Great job, loly13! 57.4 lbs is awesome...just think you'll never have to see those again. Today is finishing week 10 for me since pre-op, 9 weeks since surgery. I am down 70lbs overall and I already feel so much better having that weight off. As you can see by my tracker, I have a lot more to lose than most on here and I can tell it is starting to slow down some. However, 3-5 lbs a week would not be slow to anyone who didn't have surgery so I guess that keeps it in perspective. Keep up the good work, we're both closing in on that 100lb mark...can't wait!

I had the same fear going into the Dr's office for my followup. I can tell you I was amazed the I felt literally nothing when the nurse pulled them out. I had 4 small incisions with staples (probably 9 staples total). Of course the nurse told me that sometimes it depends on who and how they take them out but I'm sure you will have no problems.

Hi FlawedMan, Thanks for your post! We are almost identical in starting weight and surgery weight. I just had the surgery on 11/16 so it is very encouraging to see how much progress you've made in that short amount of time. As of this morning I am 392 so that puts me at a loss of 48 overall and 28 since surgery. I am hoping to break the 300 barrier by my birthday on May 2nd. If you don't mind me asking what are your eating in a typical day? How many calories?...protein?...water/fluids?...and carbs daily? What are you doing for exercise? Starting Wednesday I can add chicken/fish/ground meat to my diet which should help me with the Protein but right now I'm averaging about 62g protein, 450-500 calories, less than 30g carbs, and about 65-70oz liquid a day. I'm trying to walk about 30min a day but it seems like if I have a day I can't get outside to walk I actually lose more than the days I do walk. Congrats on your achievement so far and let us know when you hit another milestone!

Thanks everyone for the replies! I am glad to report that the past 3 days I've lost a lb a day so things are moving along again. I am still having a hard time getting all my Protein and fluids in to the degree I would like. I'm averaging about 65-70 oz liquid and about 65 grams of protein. I am keeping my carbs below 30-40 daily which has been harder on the soft food stage. Once I add meat in next week I can have a lot more protein options and hopefully that will help. How are you all doing food wise? Do you find that higher liquid/protein/lower carb helps with the weight loss?

Ok, I've read about the stalls (especially the third week) but for those of you who have lost a lot weight, what was it like early on for you? I think my expectations were that I had so much to lose and was eating so bad before surgery that perhaps I wouldn't have a stall for awhile and lose 7-8 lbs a week for the first 6-8 weeks. Maybe my expectations were too high but when you have 220 lbs to lose the quicker the better. Here has been my weight loss per week over the last 6 weeks. As you can see I had a great pre-op week and first week after surgery but the last two weeks things have really slowed down. I know better than to ask for a pity party on here so what I'm really looking for is insight from someone who has lost 200lbs with the sleeve or well on their way to losing 200 lbs how long it took that first 100 lbs to come off. Hopefully I'll be on here in 2-3 months reporting that the first 100 is gone and on to the second 100. Thanks! Date Weight Weekly Lbs 10/26/2011 440 0 Highest Weight 11/2/2011 435 -5 11/9/2011 435 0 Start Pre-Op Diet 11/16/2011 420 -15 Surgery Date 11/23/2011 408 -12 11/30/2011 401 -7 12/7/2011 398 -3

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated. I guess I imagined that if I took small bites (which to me is basically about 1/4 teaspoon), chewed really well, and waited a couple of minutes between bites then I wouldn't have any problems. But after thinking it over maybe my bites were a little larger than they should have been and maybe the couple of the bites I didn't wait long enough. I completely get the restriction part and so glad that I have this working for now. I am just going to have to give it some time as far as capacity. Tonight for dinner I boiled and egg and made some egg salad (using light mayo, greek yogurt, and seasonings) and it went down really well not to mention I didn't miss the gobs of full fat mayo I used in the past to make it. Thanks again for all your help and advice!

So I was sleeved 11/16, had 6 days Clear liquids, followed by 8 days full liquids. I am moving on to soft foods and so far I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is normal or not. Here goes... I tried a scrambled egg with just a splash of FF Milk and put a small amount of shredded cheese on top to melt. First few small bites seemed ok but by 3rd bite I started feeling alot of pressure and discomfort in my stomach. Almost to the point where I had to stand up to relieve it. For lunch, I just made a 1/2 cup of FF Refried Beans with a small amount of LF Cheese on top. Again, first few bites went fine but by 3rd or 4th bite it felt uncomfortable. To explain the "uncomfortable" feeling further, it was as if a fish was swimming around in my stomach and it had too much air in it. I was able to burp a few times and that gave temporary relief but I stopped at 1/4 cup because it just didn't seem right. So did everyone go through a transition like this when you went from liquid to soft? Does it get better or is this just the new experience of eating food with the sleeve?

I was sleeved on 11/16 and I have prescriptions for Nexium (packet) and Carafate. I take the Nexium first thing in the morning and had been drinking liquids about 20-30 min afterward, then waiting 20-30 minutes and taking the Carafate. My concern is I found a comment on a website about Nexium that said you should take on an empty stomach, which I do with exception of a little Water beforehand, and then wait at least 1 hour before taking food. I did not receive any special instrutions on my prescription of Nexium. The Carafate just states to not take an antacid within 30 min before or after taking it and that is why I take it at least 30 minutes after the Nexium. Now in another week I'll start all of my bariatric Vitamins. I cannot get my head around how I am going to space out taking Nexium, Carafate, 3 Calcium Citrate Chewables, 2 Multivitamin Chewables, a B12, all of my Protein supplements, plus food and water. Can someone give me their experience on timing of everything (especially the nexium and carafate) and how to fit everything into a day without having to stop what you are doing every 15-30 minutes to do food, water, medicine, or protein supplements. I mean I work from home and have an advantage in that but still I have to work and can't stop constantly. I just assumed I could break everything down to 4 or 5 events a day plus sip on water throughout the day but that doesn't even seem possible.