mmorral

Hi all my VST April friends My weight loss has been slowing wayyy down. I started off at 4 pounds per week and now I am averaging about 2.5. I am very happy with all that I have achieved. I have had a few stalls but 79 lbs in 4 months is great

I can't agree with you more. I needed to hear that. I have been in a stall for 2 wks and it is easy to forgot all the things I couldn't do before..... Not on any medication for diabetics Not be scared or ashamed to go out there and do Zumba Wearing clothes that fit my body and not hide behind the clothes Not having to ask for a table when going to a resturant because I don't fit in a booth I know that my life continues to change for the better. We all are doing great in our personal jorneys and should be very proud of ourselves

I too am losing so much hair. It falls and falls. I was told that it would start happening about 10 to 12 wks post op and will stop around 12 - 14 months post op. I have been using Lush's shampoo bar called NEW! I love the way it feels. It has cinnamon and clove in it and claims to to encorage hair growth and help slow hair thinning. I have combined it with their lightest conditioner. As anyone else noticed that once you hit around 10 to 12 wks the weight is not coming off as fast? I lost 41 pounds since post op which is about 3.75 per week, but I have noticed it has slowed down a bit to about 3 pounds per week for the past 2 wks. I know that the first couple of weeks are accelarted because of the liquid only and limited food choices, but darn. I am increasing my activity level to help. I am happy to have lost as much as I have; don't get me wrong. My goal was to be 95 pounds lighter by my anniversary date I will have to make it work

I haven't checked in awhile. I have been doing pretty good. My food choices have not been the greatest this week. I have been selling Fireworks as a fundraiser for our local track team for a week. I still did lose; just a lot slower than usual. I am down 52.8 pounds since I started and 37.3 since surgery. I went into the Avenue store and bought a pair of size 22 jeans and now feel like I have to go back and buy a smaller size. I don't want to keep buying so I am thinking of keeping my "tent" looking outfits for a little bit longer I hope everyone else is doing well.

Fanny, I can only do dark meat on chicken. I have found some grocery stores carry boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I can't stand lean ground beef though, because of the smell. I grosses me out

April 23rd sleever here! I was told that I was eating too much and worried about the stretching, but I saw on a post that we have to listen to our sleeve. There are some days I don't want to eat and I am not hitting all my mark and there are some days that I am upset that I am getting close to the 850 calorie intake mark I set for myself. I stepped on the scale and am down 5 lbs since May 24th. I am loving my sleeve. I am fitting into size 22 / 24 pants that I couldn't even a few months ago. My highest size was 30/32.

I agree with Lisa, as long as you are losing, you are doing great. I was sleeved on 4/23/12 and lost 33 pounds with pre-op. My doctor said that was fine. Everyone one loses the weight differently. Just keep the faith and still work on it

Denise, I am sorry to hear about the trouble you are having with the insurance. I too have Blue Cross PPO. I know that one of the things that they a strictler about is the BMI. You mentioned that you were just under 40. From when I went through the process I had to be over 40 for a while. Just a few suggestions... see if the doctor can re-weigh you after drinking a lot of Water to get you at a BMI of 40 and to re-write it to put your sleep apena in the request. If all else fails.. Appeal, Appeal, Appeal!!

My screen name is the same on MFP as here mmorral. I am always looking for ideas & support like here

I added you as a friend

I was cleared @ 3 wks. I have been going to water aerobics 3x a week since. The only scar that is not so pretty is the bigger one but I have been putting that scar cream on it and it is starting to look a lot better.

I was able to recover at home after I was discharged from the hospital. I had my husband take me home but I was able handle everything myself. I just suggest to plan ahead and have your Protein shakes, broth, Soups, etc at the house ahead of time

If you are 4 wks post op, I don't think the banana chip was the best; however, it can be several factors. How much you spaced each item you ate, how fast you spaced them, and how much you chewed. A rule of thumb is if you vomit, you should go back to clear liquids til you feel better. I am sorry that you are feeling bad. I hope that it passes soon

Here is the link... http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/35127-20-ways-to-tighten-skin-after-weight-loss/

I completely understand. You are taking the right steps. There is a great article on one of the forum about 20 tips to not have the loose skin. Some of the things I am trying is lots of suncreen, lotion, sea salt scrubs. The more your skin is hydrated the better it can repair itself. There was a few other things listed like wraps and such. I will post it when I find it

My surgeon also told me that you are just chewing on air and it can cause gas in the early stage of being sleeved. It is the same as straw drinking. It just depends on your tolerance

Thrifty has some wonderful Greek Style frozen yogurt. It is both under 16 grams of sugar and give you 6 grams of Protein. They have a chocolate flavor and a blueberry cheesecake. I also like their nonfat strawberry frozen yogurt and it has 3 grams of protein.

I am a 40 D as well and I went without a bra for two weeks while I was at home. Once the smaller incisions closed and somewhat healed; it was a lot easier

I am always looking to sharing. My MFP username is mmorral

I added you anna as a friend

Maybe a will try again in a few weeks. I wish I was so lucky, CaliKat. I had gas pain for 2 wks post op. It is not that bad anymore though. I agree that it would make getting my liquid intake a lot easier. I am getting the bare minimum. I found a few cups I have that have helped, so I am getting closer to my goal.

Disneyland was AWESOME!!! I got 3 hours of walking in because the park was so crowded due to Grad Night, but I didn't care. I wasn't sure how the meal planning was going to go. I had breakfast at home. I also took a few snacks with me ( cottage cheese, light string cheese, crackers with peanut butter on them) I was so surprised how well they are at accommodating me. I had a chicken taco with no lettuce off the kid's menu. I asked for beans instead of rice. I was barley able to get through the taco. I also found that in Tomorrow land I could have had a "power pack" which has yogurt, string cheese, and crackers. ( they had apples in it too but I would give that to my son). My husband told me to go on Sunday if I would like. I might think about it to get more calories burned. I hope that everyone else is have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Linkybo, My NUT gave me the following tips 1. She says to work towards 2000 calories burned in 2 months and when I see her in July we will work towards 3000 2. Even though I am still in the meat only stage - lean ground beef, turkey, chicken stage; I can work in my veggies as a sauce to spice up my proteins. 3. I should be around 800 calories daily. They are not worried so much about the calories as long as it doesn't go over 1200, but there are ways to give you more for your buck. She gave me a tip of dividing the protein per ounce and the calories per ounces. This way I can judge what will give me the best calories but the most protein. For example. 3 oz of shrimp was 100 calories but 21 grams of protein. So for every ounce it is 4.7 calories and 9 grams of protein for every ounce. 4. Count on a milk product like yogurt to have at least 12 - 14 grams of sugar and that is okay, I have to be careful with the added flavoring. I hope that this is helpful. I thought she gave a lot of tips I could use. I was also told that I was eating too much at one time. I need to slow down and count on just 2 - 3 oz not try to get to 4 and I will train my new stomach to be satisfied with that instead of needing more after the honeymoon phase is over

So today was my 1 month post - op. I was a little nervous. I know that I have all of your support here; but every doctor is different and I wasn't sure if I was doing how they wanted me to do it. Officially, I am 33.4 pounds lost since surgery. Great! one thing to celebrate. I was told that I am taking this as I should and getting in everything that I needed. The NUT told me that she wants me to work up to 2000 calories burned in a week for exercise and I should be about 800 - 850 calories a day. They asked me to split my meals up so that I am not eating so many ounces in one sitting. I will have to start planning a little better. She was a great help in showing me how to make sure that I am getting more for the buck when it came to protein so I am not wasting the calories. All and all it was a great day. To reward my weight loss I went and had a manicure and eyebrow wax. I have to look great for when I go back to work on Tuesday. Tomorrow I should burn some more calories. I am off to Disneyland with my son. A little fun to treat and test myself. I will let everyone know how my meal planning went I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend.