LaBelle509

Can not believe how much time went by since my surgery!!! I am grateful of the results that I have enjoyed so far. Like most slow losers, I wish I had lost more! But things are moving along. I am making changes that will not only help me lose the weight now, but keep if off in the long run. I just went through a super stall, BUT to my surprise I got the most comments and compliments during that period!! Go figure lol!! My upper body slimmed down significantly, but my lower body is stubborn and will not be as flexible:( I did lose, but not as drastically as my top did. I hope that will be the next site of improvement or I am going to look very disproportionate:( NSV: I wore heels for the first time in YEARS today! And I felt ( do I dare say ) so SEXY lol!!! I am of good spirit and faith. I am going to win this fight.

I felt that way too. After my labs came back with a low iron level, my Doc suggested Bifera or SSS Tonic. The Bifera is kind of hard to find but Walmart carries the SSS Tonic. I take 3tbsp with a 500mg Vitamin C after my dinner. Within a few days I felt way better. I also take a B12 in the morning.

I do get hungry. Nothing like the constant " starving " feeling I used to have. A more easy to control feeling. I usually feel it when I did not eat enough Protein. During the days that I am at work, it's easy for me to go long period without breaks. That is a mistake. Now I carry a couple of Protein shakes with me. That helps me a lot. At first I used to feel hungry all the time. But like someone else mentioned, it was mostly head hunger. I wanted to eat!! If I saw a commercial or smelled food, I felt super hungry. But with time I learned to distinguish between my head hunger and physical hunger. That took time. But I was able to do it. With physical hunger, whatever I ate, I felt satisfied and it went away. Emotional hunger will only go away if I ate the specific thing that I was craving. If I ate something else, the "feeling" of hunger hunted me still. Once I learned that, I slowly started to control myself better. I am a slow loser ( going through a stall right now ). I want to see result right away. I want people to notice the progress I have made. That is a lot of stress. In my pre-op class, the nurse warned us against the danger of getting on the scale every day. She also said ( she had the bypass ), to limit the amount of info that we share with others as far as what we are losing. The need to report is added stress. I can see her point now. I get asked DAILY about what I have lost. I found freedom in answering : I dont know or that's my secret ( followed by a cute wink ) . Imagine the struggle we are going through when the scale doesn't move... Now imagine telling some regular person that has never struggle with their weight, that you had weight loss surgery but yet not losing?! The " You are failing " ignorant look that will surely come, would be enough to send me over the edge!!! I have told not ONE soul at work or church how much weight I lost. I still catch a few looks here and there, like " she still looks fat to me ". that is why I make sure they know nothing of my progress. I have enough internal pressure about the way I still look. I refuse to add them too. Tell your husband to hang in there. Make sure he is eating enough protein, drinking enough Water and eating his meals at a set time. If he gets hungry before his meal, don't eat what he is craving but rather something different. Lastly, tell him people will notice. Be patient. Take care.

That is a great link! Lots of great information. Thanks so much for posting.

Don't be so hard on yourself!! One thing I know for sure, our body will lose this weight at it's on rate. We have to be sure that we are doing the right thing. I don't know about you, but I was not eating the right thing most if the time prior to surgery. That's how I got to where I am. If I was to eat what/how I ate before, even in smaller amount, I would be in deep trouble lol!! I really want this surgery to work, so I made a total change. I use ( absolutely ) no oil in my cooking, I stay away from carbs and starches ( potato, rice, bread and such ). I always take in 80gr of protein or more. I drink no less than 64oz of water. I do not take use sugar ( or substitutes ). More importantly I exercised no less than 3x a week, from 45 mins-1hr Keep a journal of what you eat for three days or so. Sounds like hard work but it's not. Just write down what you are about to eat, amount and time. Share it with your NUT and see what the NUT can change. That might do the trick. Really hope your spirit is not down. You had a rough start but you can turn it all around. You can do this!!! We are all cheering for you:) P.S 30lbs loss is still a loss, take pride in that:)

I WILL claim mine FOR sure

Felt it too. I went back to clear and tried again the next day. Also I only did 1oz at a time. I used a baby spoon and held the soup and my mouth for a few sec before attempting to swallow it. I relaxed and took my time.

I felt that way too!! don't worry, you are not alone. I still have moments when I feel alone in this journey. My husband can eat everything in sight and not gained a pound. We met as teenagers. He still wears shirts from when we first met. He has been real supportive. But he has no clue what it means to struggle with weight loss/gain. I was driving and all of the sudden I just thought "what if this does not work?" I lost it!!! pulled over and cried for minutes. I had other episodes of self doubt and fear. Fear of failing, not making it, complications ect. But I went through a lot to get ready for the surgery ( doctor's appointments, labs, tests, seminars, getting my money ready) I was not about to walk away from it. I felt comfortable with my surgeon and the education that I received so I pushed forward. After surgery I had moments when the old fears will surfaced and shake me to the core. But I am so glad I went through with it.

that was way too funny lol!!!!!! congrats girl, you must feel so proud

That question came up during a group session, and the nurse said not to drink water with our meal. We drove her insane that day lol!!! we kept asking stuff like, can we eat cereal/milk or coffee/toast.. She had a good laugh But yes, you can eat let's say baked chicken and have some soup. Or even some yogurt afterward as "desert". It's water that is not recommended.

yes it is i am going trough a stall as we speak I see others that had surgery around the same time I did way ahead of me. But as i am often reminded, this is not a race. We all going to this differently. Our journey is going to be different. But at the end, we will all reach the destination... Skinnyville

YES!! I FEEL THE SAME WAY!!! I used to go into a panic attack when I saw leftover food at a party. I felt like I had to eat more and find containers to bring the food home. Not anymore. I love the feeling of not having to stuff my face at a party. I feel in control :wub:

for the leg cramps I was told to stay on top of my water intake.

Beef stew was a fav!!

keep up the good work!

I love this website! I have received so much encouragement, support and hope form others. I can sincerely say most of my success so far, has to do with the people on this site. I learned so much from their mistakes, success stories and knowledge. When I am down, they offer me love and the kick in the touche that is needed. But I also see the ones that will belittle you for asking a question that they deemed you should've have the answer to. Gratefully they are only a few of them! I usually stay away from them. To all the "senior" sleevers that always take the time to answer every silly, misspelled, stupid question, thank you:)

I'm pretty much experiencing the same thing. A few girlfriends are on super strict diet and one goes to the gym twice a day. She sat quietly while another coworker that has not seen me in a month, started complimenting me on how smaller I looked. When she was asked: can you believe how great she looks? She got up and said: I see her every day, so she looks the same to me and walked away. I was a little surprised but said nothing. She came back and asked me if I brought my lunch with me, stupid question, to which I replied yes. She then screamed: great see you at lunch sexy!! and gave me a big, awkward, hug!! She confessed to our other friend what she did. She tried to bring it up a few times. I shut her out every time. But yes surgery did change the dynamic of my friendship with her.

I am doing ok so far, I'm just not sure how long I will stay that way lol!

thank you! really appreciate your words.

I love turkey bacon!! and I started eating them around two months out.

wow!!! You are doing a great!!!!!

I have read so many posts and blogs about stalls. I promised myself not to panic when I got to that point. I have been stuck at 277.3lbs for a solid two weeks. I know it's not because I did something wrong, or because the sleeve is not working. After being on this site for so long, I know it is a natural/normal part of the journey. I stayed off the scale and kept my eating and exercise routine the same. But this morning I got on the scale. I gained ONE pound!! 278.4 The sight of the number took my breath away, and the taste of disappointment stayed with me all day. So I came home and took a picture so I could remind myself that I am doing ok. I needed to put my demons to sleep and realized this is all part of the journey. I am not failing. The sleeve is not failing. Life is beautiful and victory is mine

It is never too late Tomorrow is a brand new day to do it right! we all make mistakes, but it's important not to carry the same attitude to the next day, and the next, and the next.... I like Atkins, Oh Yeah, and Isopure ( nasty taste, but I have learned to deal with it ). Look to see what you like, there are quiet a few to choose from.

Looking good!!

Look into already made drinks so you don't fall behind next time. Protein is a big part of our weight loss, got to stay on top pf it:)