CowgirlJane

Good news is that a year or two from now you won't even remember your stalls...

I suspect you are eating either too much, too fast or it isn't chewed well enough. Eat tiny, eat slow and see if that doesn't help

The best exercise program is the one you will actually do...

I read a post from my phone that inspired me to write this... but I can't find the post so I am starting a new thread! So many share incredible transformation stories - and that post mentioned people who pose in bikinis (raising hand here) to show off this transformation. We all Celebrate and say "wow" and all that great stuff.... but how does it make people feel who have more "average" results, not quite getting to goal, maybe not doing plastics etc so they don't feel as "wowed" by their transformations. I want to say something about this. i reviewed some progress photos and looked long and hard at the ones where I weighed about 190... I started at over 300# so it was a big difference. at 5'5" I was still overweight at 190, but you know, I was "pretty good". It's very hard to not feel a certain pressure to succeed in the way that others define it, but truth is this is our own journey and not someone elses. If I had stopped at maintained at 190 or thereabouts... or even in the 170s... I really met my most important goals. Improved health, no more sleep apnea, no more high blood pressure, could hike and ride more easily and could shop at normal sized stores. BTW, as far as attention from the opposite gender, it was definately MORE when I weighed around 160-170 range then my current weight of 140. I have no idea why... but it is the truth. From a quality of life perspective - getting down to my current weight did not really improve it much more. We need to define our own success and not let the excitement of the success story board make you feel like you aren't successful. Lets be honest, statistically, many of us reporting getting down to that elusive "goal" will regain a few pounds or 20 over the coming years. I don't plan on that, but it is a very common occurance. I want to give a shout out to all of you who have had amazing success even if your BMI is still over 25. Think about how far you have come and how much you have improved your life! also, look around, the average person has gotten bigger over the decades and someone in the 25-30 BMI range is considered pretty average size now. congrats to all of us for taking control of our health and fitness!!!!

I gotta tell you... I felt pretty crappy those early weeks but it got better. I tell people though that i didn't really feel human until about 12 weeks post op. Hang in there, stay hydrated and rest and recover.

Amazing! You look wonderful and so happy.

Over the years I have seen many posts about this so I think it is common. I don't really understand it personally, I guess I am pretty focused on ME and don't really judge or notice others intake. I have a friend who eats unreal quantities of food and I find it shocking in the sense of ... disbelief but I don't judge him for it. He is only a bit overweight, not obese so apparently can burn it off. What I have noticed is I gravitate toward people in general that are less food oriented. I have pretty much given up "recreational" eating.

I would want an explanation. Someone (like me!) who had 150# to lose can surely afford to lose more than 7 before being too light for surgery. Usually a BMI of 40 is the insurance cutoff. I started with a BMI over 50. I think losing some before surgery can be a good thing even though I really wasn't capable of it at the time... I was pretty messed up in terms of out of control hunger.

Somebody posted this link in a thread and i couldn't find it again - so thank you! I think it is a great article and should be read by people considering WLS. I am 2.5 years out from a revision band to sleeve and that article made so much sense based on my experience. Band (when filled) - I had a very small food capacity but I couldn't tolerate the reflux. I also honestly couldn't tolerate the very small capacity either and it drove me toward sliders (my responsibility not blaming the band). When I revised to the sleeve I was surprised that eating was so much easier say 3 months out then it ever was with the band. I didn't think about it that I could eat more quantity /capacity then I had with a filled band but it is true. I think for me that is one reason I have been so much more compliant with the sleeve, I can eat salads and veggies and dense Protein without feeling discomfort or pain. I get an "absence of hunger" sensation after pretty small quantities, but still more than I could consume with a filled band. I had the band for 10 years, most of that time with "no fill" due to my issues with it. I think that might explain why some people do really well with the band and struggle with the sleeve after revision because you can eat more. Anyway, there is alot more to the content of this article, but that particular piece fit my experience.

Fluff, I agree - I don't actually believe in calorie math anymore...haha. I do believe in carb math as that actually seems to influence my losses/gains in a clearer way. To OP - you left out a lot of details, but if you have already lost a bunch of weight you might be in a stall, there is Water retention there are many many complex metabolic things that can cause the scale to not move when you expect it and then it will move later. don't get too wound up in your daily or weekly weights. Just follow the program, eat high Protein, high veggies and low everything else and get active and the weight loss happens.

I lived in Germany for 2 years back around 2000. What I observed is a shift away from daily bicycling for errands etc, or from walking to the grocery everyday that was a traditional lifestyle to something that looked more car reliant. Younger more affluent Germans were more likely to drive for errands. The small town near us had a recently opened McDonald's, and while my colleagues said only Americans went there it wasn't true. Everytime I went in there were young families or young Germans either inside or doing the drive through. I personally think that it is a combination of easy to get crappy food combined with reduction in day to day activity that bumps a population into higher obesity rates. I spent alot of time in the Netherlands too and as a general statement they are a tall people who ride their bikes everywhere. The people I knew ate alot of bread cheese and milk but for some reason that milk and bread based diet doesn't fatten them up like it does me. Anyway my observation was that they are less into cars and even younger affluent people seemed like they were still walking and biking alot.

You have done great, congratulations!! I am 2.5 years out. My favorite Breakfast is an egg beaters omelette or scramble. I usually sautee veggies (frozen bell peppers, onions, broccoli etc), slice low calorie high Protein sausage up in the sautee. Then I whip the egg beaters with a bit of Water or milk and pour over the sautee. Turn heat down, put on cover and cook. If you stir it you get a scramble. Instead I put a bit of cheese on top and finish it under the broiler without stirring. It kinda puffs up and looks pretty. I usually eat half for breakfast and the rest for lunch but now that my son is home he likes it too so no leftovers. It's low carb and low calorie. The key is the sausage, I buy a healthy one at costco...and it adds the main protein to this.

I got to goal in 14 months - so I went from 308 to 158 in 14 months. I now weigh 140ish You look great - good work!!!

Actually, the bikini pic shows the lower body lift scar, I didn't realize that it wasn't covered for my photo shoot until seeing the pics. Click on it and you can see the body lift scar, and the groin/thigh scars a little and the belly button reconstruction scar. My breasts have no visible scarring at all, but I need to get an updated photo on the arms. You can also see the "imperfections" on the thighs since i did not have the long thigh lift, but only the groin one which does not remove as much excess skin, but of course has a minimal scar. I don't wear swimsuits except quite rarely but i do wear skirts and shorts so do kinda like that I don't have a scar down my thigh. If you feel that scars make you like Frankenstein, don't get plastics. My scars are flat and healing nicely and I am pleased with them. I believe they will eventually become quite unnoticable, but not everyone scars well and it is a big risk. I personally do not have that feeling about it (ie scars don't make me feel freakish) whereas the extra skin did make me feel like i was still obese when I wasn't. Now, on the twilight sedation. I did wake up 2X that i remember. This has been discussed on the Dr S facebook group and happens to some people. Everyone has the same experience I did - dreamlike, peaceful, feel nothing... back to sleep. No anxiety, no feeling or sensation, more like a surreal like state of relaxation. The first 24 hours after surgery I felt so good and well rested, like I had slept all day - which I guess I had! I can remember seeing the color blue (scrubs I think) and wondering if they were almost done. I thought I asked but they put me right back under and later they told me that no one heard me talk so perhaps i dreamed it. I know it sounds weird, but even thinking about it 8 months post op I feel a certain pleasant feeling... so I guess they had me drugged up pretty good! So, my opinion - even with twilight sedation you need a dedicated anesthesialogist (Dr S does have one) so that he/she focuses on managing your sedation and not have what happened to you during the nose work. I had no problems and everybody on the Dr S support group says the same thing. I wonder why more surgeries aren't done this way - no sickness feeling and waking up refreshed not barfing...

Deedee makes excellent points. I would add that it applies regardless of % of excess lost ... meaning that is how regain happens. Weight Melts off fast and then the demons resurface. I basically stopped losing when I got to about 190... took effort and focus and time to lose the next 50#

Be careful on personal trainers... too many of them have been watching "biggest loser" and think having you run stairs is no problem... I was cleared for the gym about 6 weeks post op - but walking was okay before then. I did easy walking and then joined Water aerobics. Water aerobics was amazing because it protects your joints but as you get fitter you can push harder and harder. After I lost about 80 pounds I moved more to other types of exercise but it was a great way to get going when I didn't want to walk outside in the winter.

I had lifting restrictions - so help with groceries, carrying a big bag of dogfood etc might help. For me, I kinda wanted to be a little bit alone during the early weeks post op to get used to the restriction; those early weeks were hard from a food/drinking perspective.

I used the regain argument for years of why to not get sleeved. My sleep apnea doctor asked me... if you regained 50% in 5 years, would that quality of life improvement be worth it? How about 100% in 10 years. I was so freaking miserable. ..He was right. Even with a regain risk...still worth it. He convinced me it was worth risking "failure" in an attempt to save my life. 2.5 years old and holding steady at a 23 BMI (was over 50)...

Wow. He is a human being not a drug. I really find this to be quite insulting.

I went to PSSC and have had great success! Overlake hospital has a support group open to all. I love Ross... I shop there all the time even now at goal. I found that fit of skirts and dresses are much more fit forgiving than slacks. I love that I can get several outfits for so affordable! !!

I agree! I set aside money for this and after being SHOCKED by the 40-50K price tag of 3 surgeries I found a reputable and more affordable option myself. I am thrilled with my care and results so just making the point it is possible. I also want to say that plastics aren't for everyone. Be proud of your changes, excess skin isn't NEARLY as harmful as excess fat. At some point, there is value to simply accepting ourselves as well. I had ALOT of excess skin pre plastics. My boyfriend kept telling me I didn't need plastics. Once I did it, he was wowed by the change but my point is that we tend to judge ourselves so terribly harshly. My excess skin did bother me, but I did reach a point of realizing I could live happily even with it. Now that it is gone, i am estatic but I was "ok" with it too.

It is important to recognize that we are all different and you shouldn't compare to others. Find your OWN success - that is the key. The advice my NUT gave me was both very simple and very hard. Eat small quantities - always. Keep the HABIT of small portions even as your ability to eat more at once expands over time. Eating small helps you keep from desiring more. Eat till lack of hunger, do not seek out the feeling of "full". That took a LONG time to make that mindset shift. She told me that was the number one success factor she had observed, followed closely by avoiding "grazing" Protein and veggies should be the heart of your eating. No junk food, no fast food and no processed food on a regular basis (I do sometimes have unhealthy food, but it is the exception, not the rule) I am quite carb sensitive so even in maintenance I really watch carbs. I can't help but notice that if I am not hungry for a slice of turkey... maybe I am not ACTUALLY hungry - right? I can eat a slice of bread anytime, hungry or not.. since carbs are like crack to me... I will eat it even if I am not hungry. Stay active. Change up your fitness routine as your body becomes very efficient if you keep doing the same thing. Bottom line - keep working the sleeve the same way as the early months. The losses will slow down, but it doesn't matter... just keep working it. I use the scale to monitor my progress (and maintenance) but for many people tracking food is critical to success. Find what works for you and KEEP DOING IT. When it stops working, look into logical changes - mixing things up. It's simple, but hard to keep doing it. I figure i don't have much of a choice though...

I remember reading a strange little fact, about the number of people over 40 who just drop dead essentially due to being obese. I got interested in this after it happened to a distant aquaintance who was obese and in her 50s. Hit a bit too close to home. I was just thinking, if there were whole web pages devoted to the "died of obesity" victims I wonder if it would help us see the risks in a more balanced way? My point is this - weight loss surgery of ANY KIND is drastic (don't be fooled into thinking the band has no risks as it does and many of them are longer term damage and scar tissue etc - I had the band for 10 years so speak from experience). Any pre ops SHOULD be a little worried about risks and complications as it is a real thing. However, we should also worry about the risks associated with keeping on the obesity path too.

Mine was in a surgical clinic that normally does "day surgeries". Due to my sleep apnea, I had to spend the night and be monitored. I am really happy I wasn't in a hospital, but the clinic is right next door to a major hospital so I felt quite secure.

Woohoo!!!!!!