LessofApril

So I've been avoiding setting a goal all along saying I would know when I got there. My doctor just goes by the "lose 60-70% of excess weight." Well I blew past that a while ago.
I've now blown past all my milestone goals--my "I will re evaluate when I get to X weight" goals. You know--under 200, pre pregnancy weight, normal BMI, lowest adult weight...even my stretch "let's see if I can get below X."
I still keep thinking I will know it when I get there, but will I? Some close to me think I am there already. I accidentally put on my 16 yr old skinny Minnie daughter's jeans this morning and while it's not the size I would buy for myself, they actually buttoned. They were size 4.
So...how did you decide? I keep seeing flabbiness so I want to keep going, but when is it just skin? Is it body dysmorphia? I am strong and fit (triathalon last month, training for half marathon in November).
Thoughts for me?

Highest: 234
Starting weight: 228
Weight Day of surgery: 213
Current weight: 148
Goal weight: 135
Surgery date: 12/17/13
I am in the home stretch of my weight goal. I feel very happy with the results. I have plateaued during the past 2 months. But slowly decreasing 1-2 pounds every week or so.
I don't drink my Protein shakes because I cannot handle it still. But I do mix unflavored Protein in Soups, drinks, oatmeal, etc...
I do look for 'snacks' online. For example: one day I was craving chocolate chip Cookies. But they are very high in sugar and fat most of the time. So I looked up low fat low sugar Cookies and came upon the most delicious cookies called chocolate chip clouds. I like to bake though so I constantly look for healthy low fat recipes.
Good luck to you.

I average under 800 calories per day. (I take a week at a time and average my calories) There are occasional days when I go over 800, but it all averages out in the end. I haven't weighed in a couple weeks, so I'll probably weigh early next week. I am close to 50 pounds. Love being told how thin I am! My health is fabulous, and I am feeling good. Overall, my Protein is solid, I don't drink Protein shakes anymore. I keep snack a noun so I don't find myself "snacking" (a verb). I have had the occasional carby snack, but I account for everything in my fitness pal, suck it up, and move on. Have you tried nuts? They come in interesting flavors, high Protein, and you can count them out, stick 'em in a baggie, and you're good to go! I appreciate a salty crunch now and again!
Surgery date: 12/18/13
Highest weight: 210
Weight at last weigh-in: 164
BTW--you may want to add December sleevers in your post title.

A snuggie is a great idea! Gloves would be nice too. And a nose warmer!

Hi guys. I was sleeved on 21 december 2012. I started at 110.3kg and now i weigh 49kg. My dress size was a uk size 22/24 and now its a size 8/10. Keep going guys, you will get there.
Just remember not to compare youself to others as we all are different and our bodies work at different rates.

I am 40 and had the sleeve done two years ago this month. I lost 125lbs total. For my 40th I did a mommy makeover. It was a Tummy Tuck, Lipo on flanks and upper abd. A breast lift and augmentation. They removed 11 pounds of skin from my stomach. It was a rough two weeks after surgery but I would do it again in a minute. It cost me $14,000 and I will pay it off in a few years. I have never had a flat tummy till now.

I am NOT complaining about this, but my feet are shrinking? I was a 10. Now? Maybe a 9 1/2. So weird to me. Meanwhile my feet are flopping around in the super cute shoes I had from before. Go figure.

Get consults - that is the only way to know what is best for YOU. Truth is if you get a lower body lift (like I did) it does not fix any excess skin way up high. Depends on your starting point, some people really need that vertical cut to get desired results. Do not compare yourself to me or anyone else. I lost over 160# from sleeve (and over 180# from lifetime high) but my body is my body and has it's own special demons...haha.

I've had a few NSV... They are almost as good as seeing the scale move down.
I can wrap a towel around my body!
I am less out breath when I go up the stairs!
When someone sits next to me on a bus, I don't feel like I'm taking up all the room!
Woo hoo!

@@ges12877 I haven't done it yet, but I signed up and have stuff in my "closet" this what I needed to hear. Perfect! Thanks....

Is their anyone that's scared to get rid of their old clothes... I'm scared I'm going to gain my weight back... so I feel the need to hold on

Ladies --
I wanted to share a cool solution that someone shared with me for clothes in the meantime, while you are losing weight and nothing fits...It's called Gywnnie Bee. It is like Netflix for clothes. You decide how many pieces of clothing you want at one time. It is $80 a month to have 3 items at a time. You can pick anywhere from 1-8 items at a time. They have sizes from 10-30. You go on their website and fill up your virtual closet and then they ship you your items. They send you return bags to ship back the items. I got my first shipment on Monday. 2 of the items didn't look great, so I sent them back immediately. One of the items, I wore yesterday and got lots of compliments. I already have 2 new dresses on the way.
They have a lot of dresses. I am a consultant and meet with clients often, so I need to look as professional as possible. I was feeling frumpy in my clothes that are getting too big. I know, what a great problem to have! I don't want to buy a new wardrobe in every size. And I wasn't finding lots of cute stuff at the thrift store. So even those this is costing me $80 a month, I think that this is a good solution for me. Plus, I feel pretty and confident wearing clothes that show off my new body
Hopefully some of you find this helpful. Here is the link below to their website. Good luck to all!
Gretchen
http://goo.gl/0bo7mW

I'm doing fantastic! I hit surgeon's goal a month ago and my personal goal last week. I started adding more fat (2% instead of skim milk, regular cottage cheese instead of nonfat, 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee, etc) and healthy carbs (whole grain bars, sesame sticks, more fruits) to my diet after hitting surgeons goal and am still losing about 1 pound/week.
I take 2 Garden of Life Vitamin Code for women (which is 1/2 the recommended dose) daily, and B12 sublingual and D3 5000iu 3-4 times/ week. I was taking Iron and Calcium, too, but these were both high on my 6 month bloodwork so I eliminated the Calcium (I eat a lot of dairy, anyways) and only take the Iron 1x/week. The rest of my bloodwork was perfect...PCP was impressed.
For the most part, I've had a wonderful postop experience, but here are a few low points...
Stalled for a month between weeks 6 and 10. I increased my food and Fluid intake and started losing again. Had a second stall around 5 months but that only lasted 2 weeks. I didn't do anything special for that one.
Got a Clostridial infection 2 months out that resulted in almost 2 months of severe diarrhea. I went through 3 rounds of an antibiotic that made me incredibly nauseous and I could barely eat/drink. ( This was, ironically during my month long stall. ) Then another 2 rounds of a different antibiotic that didn't make me sick. But nothing could clear the infection, so I ended up getting a fecal transplant on April 10th. Instant cure and makes for an interesting story... Always a hit at any gathering !
Had a gall bladder attack a few weeks ago. Worst pain EVER. Ultrasound showed no stones but maybe some sludge. I may be needing to get my gallbladder removed, but in the meantime I'm just praying I don't have another attack.
I know this all sounds like I've had a rough time, but really it hasn't been that bad. My weight loss, drop in clothes size, and the fabulous way I feel has far outweighed any of the other things. I don't count or track or measure anything. I drink one large Protein smoothie (24-32oz/30-40g protein) everyday. Eat balanced meals of Protein and veggies and snack on protein, fruit and whole grains. I do have alcohol, Desserts, Pasta, bread and other no-no's, but these are very occasional and in moderation.
Love love love my new life and hope you all do, too.

I guess the email has been taken down because I don't see it. However, I take what people say on internet forums with a grain of salt because it's so easy to BS someone when you're anonymous behind a screen. For all you know, that person may not have even had WLS and they're just bored and/or want attention, so they opted to troll.
I was sleeved 6 months ago and the only time I feel sick are when I do stupid stuff that I know I shouldn't be doing. Like two days out of the hospital, I wasn't taking my prilosec, so I had severe heart burn that made drinking even Water unbearably painful. So I barely drunk which resulted in me getting dehydrated and feeling weak. Once I started taking my meds, I felt much better.
I also went to a holiday party about 3 weeks post-opt and wanting to hide the fact that I couldn't eat solid foods, I tried to do the "chew and spit" with some super spicy chicken and I swallowed a little bit by mistake and was in agony for about 15 minutes.
Most recently I let myself get really hungry (should've known better!) and begged DH to stop at McDonald's. I took HUGE bites (the way I used to pre-opt) of a double cheese burger with Mac Sauce & bacon (another no no!) and shoved several fries into my mouth hardly chewing.
All of a sudden, I felt like I needed to vomit and I could feel the food sitting in my chest and I had tightness and pain in my chest. I wanted to throw up, but all that I felt was foam rising up in the back of my throat.
I take responsibility for those mistakes, and try to do better. Everyone isn't like that. For some people, it's easier to lie and pretend they're doing everything right and it's just the sleeve that's wrong.

Awesome NSV tonight.... Went to a Detroit Tigers game. I was walking ahead of our pack, or with the pack, and did not struggle in the least to keep up. Zipped up and down the stairs. Walked up steps in parking deck without feeling like I couldn't breathe. Wearing jeans that are now too big that I hadn't worn since 2008 - friends noticing how loose they were. And of course, sitting in stadium seat comfortably. Awesome night!

Gina, I can relate. Since I passed through what had been my 20-year nemesis--'200 pounds'--and made it into Onederland on May 13th [weight 197.8 that day], I've been off-program.
I was planning to post a topic: "Warning: Carbs: Once You get Started"... Like the song, oh, it's hard to stop. I have grazed on stuff I hadn't eaten in a while: potato chips; some crackers. a little bit of ice cream. Granted, I can't eat much of those things, but still... Dang.
Fortunately, I have still lost a few pounds since May 13th, and have NOT seen '200' again. I'm hanging ~191-192 lbs. But I need to get back on track, as well.
We can do it. I'm going to try to go cold turkey again re: the carbs, because they really can and do hook you, give you hunger, cravings, etc. I need more Protein, to get ~ketotic again, etc., and quell those urges and carb desires.
Hang in there, and know you're not alone. [Oh...PS: Don't keep pointing to "childhood memories" at this point. Focus on what YOU--the adult--CAN do for YOU TODAY. Choose to be a victor, not a victim.] Hang in there, and/or go get counseling if you feel you really can't lay the childhood baggage down.

@@lizzyloo same thing happened to me. I was really upset about it. But it kicks into high gear. You're doing well!

Track your food for a week and then show them the plan. They will lose weight in that plan too! Lol. You just eat way less calories than before and you've upped your Protein intake. Simple as that. That's your diet plan. It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks. Tell them you've made a life change in your diet and exercise plans and you've learned to stick to it.

You look great! Can't wait to catch up to you!

girrrrlll you owe no one anything.. let there brain wonder as you get more beautiful everyday.. smile your way thru any akward moments. keep smile as you loose the lbs.

I'm going through the same thing. I was sleeved almost 6 weeks ago. Most people in my office think I just had gall bladder surgery (which I did). My boss and two co-workers whom I trust know that I also had the sleeve. People are starting to notice that I've lost a bunch of weight, so I'm just telling them I am exercising more, avoiding carbs and generally trying to eat less. You don't owe anyone an explanation. What you've been telling them is just fine!

Had only been at my job for six months when I was sleeved March 24. I developed a hernia after Christmas and knowing I would be out for surgery in the near future, I shared with people that I had a hernia and I was going to have a surgery. I wanted to sort of "cover" the surgery issue because I knew I'd be out. But what I didn't consider was that my coworkers would notice my weight loss, and put 2 and 2 together that I had WLS. I have had a few people say, how are you doing it?, etc. I have said that I cut out processed foods, sugar, alcohol, white carbs, etc. That is all true. But now some people have asked for details because they want to lose weight themselves. And these people who asked for details are not obese, but want to lose a few pounds. Also, there are 2 obese women there who are the best of friends and always talking and huddling. And I have very clearly sensed dislike and jealousy/or envy from one and a sort of, "I'm not stupid, it's obvious that you had surgery" looks from the other. I can feel their judgement just seething from behind their smiles. One asked how my surgery went (I gave her the hernia explanation).
Anyway I feel like I need to do something pro-active now. I can't say I had WLS now because I'd be "lying" in their eyes, and I don't want their judgement (even if they are judging silently to themselves!)…
So now I'm not sure what to say because my weight is still dropping and I'm still getting questions. I know I don't owe anyone any explanations and it's my business and stuff. The reason I elected to tell only a handful of friends I'd that my BMI was only 35, and when I began thinking about it, the folks I did talk to told me that I didn't need it. And another thing that crossed my mind was that I would seem vain for wanting to do it when I wasn't morbidly obese. Now I know it was they best decision ever and I am very happy about my results.
But I need advice on how to proceed. Thanks

Umm, fudge! It had been a crazy busy week. Away from home for 10 days, facilitating two training courses and speaking at an Obesity Summit, I was tired and ready to go home. Though I have a pretty good routine when I travel and stay focused on my good Success Habits, I was tempted


Umm, fudge! It had been a crazy busy week. Away from home for 10 days, facilitating two training courses and speaking at an Obesity Summit, I was tired and ready to go home. Though I have a pretty good routine when I travel and stay focused on my good Success Habits, I was tempted beyond my ability to resist, to buy a piece of fudge. Umm, I love fudge and of course the walnuts added the all important “protein.” I had kept up with my exercise and make good food choices all week, so I felt justified in splurging a bit.
As it always does, the first bite was heavenly! Smooth and creamy. So good. I relished that first bite, waited a bit and then another, and yet another. Enough! I thought. I’m good. Now I am going to mindfully throw the rest away. A difficult thing to do knowing how much I paid for it and due to all of the starving people in the world. But I knew it had to go. With Michael Jordan flair, I strutted by the trash can and slam dunked it. There! Good for me. I would have high-fived the guy next to me, but he gave me a funny look so I decided I would just Celebrate privately.
Boarding for my flight began and victoriously, I marched onto the plane. Safe from “too much” fudge. An hour passed by still on the tarmac, waiting for a mechanical repair. Finally, the captain announced that we would need to deplane and board another flight. By that time I had missed my connecting flight in Denver so I knew enough to get off the plane and get quickly in line for re-booking.
As I waited patiently in line, I don’t know why, but the thought of my left over fudge so close by started to haunt me. Though I am embarrassed to admit it, here is the conversation in my head. “This situation is beyond stressful and surely another piece of fudge would calm my nerves.” Honestly, you are not thinking of getting the fudge out of that trash bin over there are you?” Well, it is still good, it was wrapped up and in the bag.” Really?” What will people think of you digging in the trash?” “It will be right on top. Easy and there are not too many people over there, I can be quick!” Come on, seriously, you are better than this. You don’t eat food from the trash! Well I guess you are right! Thank goodness.”
Whew! That was close. It shouldn’t have even crossed my mind but it did. Why, I wonder? What is this problem I have with food? I was pleased that my good voice over ruled my temptress voice but I would have preferred not to have had that conversation at all! Perhaps you can relate?
Sometimes I find myself focusing on how unfair it is that I struggle with such unhealthy food relationships. But then, I am both relieved and proud that I have been able to win many of these battles. And every time I do – the “you can do it, you are better than that” voice gets stronger and stronger. For those of you who have heard my other crazy food stories, you’ll know how important it is when I say, I don’t eat M & M’s off the floor, whipped cream with my fingers, OR fudge from the trash! Yeah!

You look amazing. Congrats! My new addiction too is shopping and I may drive hubby wacko showing him daily a new shirt or dress I bought but it feels great to be able to go in a store and buy off a rack instead of a plus size store. Im just I loving it as it sounds like you are too . Ahhhhhh kickboxing my new favorite workout

Someone asked what I do?
Low carb, high Protein, and I followed my doc's orders as far as food stages. I have occasional treats so I never feel deprived and I eat until I'm comfortable which does not mean full.
I am usually around 1100 calories a day and I rarely use Protein drinks or bars. I eat a lot of Jerky, cheese, roast beef from the deli, seafood or chicken salad and shrimp.
It's truly the best "diet" I've ever been on because I don't feel like I'm dieting, I'm simply making the right choices for my body.
Exercise is kickboxing, martial arts and zumba. Looooooove zumba. I now do mud runs and 5k obstacle courses (what the what?!?!?), teach kickboxing and regularly get in my 10k steps. I wear my fitbit everyday and I love to move.
Did I already say that this was the best decision ever?