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I have tried NOW brand Better Stevia. It is a liquid form and I have not had any experience with it being bitter. Swerve is an Erythritol sweetener, which is a type of sugar alcohol, but it is not suppose to give the tummy troubles and I have read good things about it. And just an FYI, even with the sleeve you can dump. It is not common, but it can happen.

Love these!! There is a melon apple one that is the best!

I think it is a really touchy subject. I know even for myself, I am always worried to say something if someone hasn't been publicly open about it. I am always worried I am going to offend them, almost like I am saying "you needed to lose weight". And I am coming from a point where I know how good it feels to get compliments, and I am still scared!

That is the nice thing about the surgery. It can't stop you from getting of course. But it is much easier to get back to good habits and lose the weight. Plus, if you do start gaining, it is not like before. Optimal for early intervention. It is a lot easier to lose 5 or 10 lbs than 50 lbs!

I have been overweight my entire life and I have had to babies. There is no solution for me other than a tummy tuck after losing all my weight. It does all depend on how well you heal and how skilled your surgeon is. I haven't had the surgery, but I have seen a few others scars. It is hip to hip, but it is very low. Most can still wear a bikini (as long as it is not a g-string type or super skimpy). For me, I would take the scar over the amount of saggy skin I have any day, just trying to save for it now! I would probably be a pants size smaller if I didn't have so much skin. But, I would take the saggy skin over being overweight in a heartbeat! Clothes can hide almost anything!!

Congratulations! And like everyone said, make sure to keep drinking, it actually makes you retain less fluids!

I agree, don't let comments like that get you worked up.

Well, I had 80lbs to lose, so a little more than you. It took me 18 months to reach my goal. I was a slow loser. But I reached my goal, actually dropped below by a few pounds, and having been maintaining for the last 6 months without issues.

You are 100 percent correct about this but, let's face it, this is a lot easier said than done. For many Euro-Americans, including myself, food has become symbolically fused with love (and in many dysfunctional families, it was a substitute for love). I totally agree! That is why I mentioned that there are things that I still struggle with. And, to be honest, will probably always struggle with. But knowing you have a problem with food is a great help. I know I have trigger foods, I know I am an emotional eater. So I have set up my environment so that I can't rely on the food. If it was in my house, I would eat it! If something you love to eat is in the house, you are just setting yourself up.

I have no answer for hanging skin. I need a tummy tuck and I am currently trying to save for it. I think a lot depends on how long you have been overweight, pregnancies, genetics, etc. I did have significant hair loss. It started at about 3 or 4 months out and lasted for about 4 months. I cut my hair short it was getting so thin. But not to worry, I have all my hair back and it is healthier than ever!

This is a great post and I love all the input. I took a stance similar to Cheri's. I did not want to diet for the rest of my life, and I don't. However, that does not mean that I did not change what and how I ate. I never tracked, I never followed extreme diets after my surgery (super low cal, super low carb, etc.). What I did do...cut out the bad carbs (ie.the white stuff). I see no justification in cutting out an entire food group like fruit because it is higher in carbs. I also learned to make better choices. So when I take my kids to McDonald's (let's face reality, it is going to happen), I order a salad with grilled chicken and with no dressing or a grilled chicken breast sandwich and don't eat the bun. Will I have some fries? Yes, but I eat my other stuff first and then only have 5 fries and stop myself. For me, it has really come down to learning how to eat and moderation. I am a firm believer in that you have to make healthy changes that you can live with for a lifetime. I also know that I am an emotional eater. And I also know that I am a hormonal eater. I can tell when I have had a bad day, when I am stressed. All I want to do is eat. I still struggle with it, but the way I have found to combat it is to not keep trigger foods in my house. If it is there, I will eat it. The sleeve has not given me more will power. I have to make a conscious effort everyday to make the right choices. I was also a slow loser, which I think also forced me to make better choices. If I didn't, I knew I wouldn't lose even with the sleeve. It took me 18 months to reach goal. I am now 2 years post op and I have been maintaining my goal for 6 months now without many issues. I do feel I am doing something I can live with forever without feeling deprived. I think, like so many others have said, is that too many people go into this in one of 2 ways. They think it is the magic cure. They will still be able to eat however they want, but because they can't eat very much, they justify it..."Well, I can only eat half a hamburger". If you don't not take the steps to change your relationship with food, you will struggle in the long run. Trust me, there are a lot of foods out there that you will be able to eat a lot of, ie:slider foods. Sure you can only eat 5 chips not, but 2 years from now, you will be able to eat a whole lot more. And if you don't take control right from the beginning, you will find yourself stalling or gaining later on. Then there are the people that go to extremes. I am all for healthy eating, but I knew that I could not go the rest of my life never eating ice cream, or eating less than 20 carbs in a day. All you are doing is dieting again and it is bound to backfire. We are all human. And, unfortunately, we like high-fat, high-sugar foods. If you completely restrict yourself and do not build a healthy relationship with food, you might just end up finding yourself binging (we have all been there before the sleeve). Am I perfect? Not even close! Even being 2 years out, I still struggle with emotional eating. I still worry that I will re-gain. But I am working on it everyday knowing that I have this amazing tool to help me. But if I don't help it, it can't help me.

I wouldn't say I struggle with thinking I stretched out my stomach. I still have pretty good restriction and it has not changed in a long time, no matter what I ate like. I do still struggle sometimes with bad food choices. For the most part, I eat really well, but there has been occasions where I eat something and don't feel good and wonder why I did that to myself. I am human, I make mistakes. I will be honest, I do struggle with the thought of gaining the weight back. I always have gained the weight back so it is always in the back of my head. But it has been comforting having maintain my goal for the last 6 months without issues. I think once I hit a year at maintenance I will really start to feel like I won't gain it back.

On November 29th marked 2 years since I had my VSG done. How quickly time flies! I am 83lbs down from my surgery weight, and 122lbs down from my highest weight. I went from wearing a size 20/22 at my highest the wearing a size 4/6 and xs/s tops. I actually dropped a little below my goal and have been easily maintaining for the last 6 months. I was a slower loser, but I reached my goal in 18 months and couldn't be happier! I have never regretted having the surgery done and have always felt like it was the best thing that I have EVER done for myself. I feel so great and would do it again in a heartbeat!

To answer one question, yes, your boobies go with all the rest of the fat you are losing. Queen of the crop, I just had a consult with my plastic surgeon. After losing all the weight, I still have to wear a D cup bra, but they are deflated. Even though I still have a larger cup, he strongly recommended a lift with implants. The lift brings them back up and gets rid of that excess skin and the implant gives them the perkiness! He also told me because of my breasts being deflated, a round implant is the better choice. A tear-drop shaped implant would still create the same sort of problem. My surgeon is from Mexico (he is in Canada for a Christmas party and doing consults!) and he ONLY uses the cohesive gel implants (both round and tear-dropped).

In the beginning there are concerns over swallowing it. But also the air can cause upset stomach. I know I had never thought of it, and about a month post op I popped some gum in, and my stomach started to hurt, so I spit it out. Now I can chew it no problems!

It will stop, trust me! Mine fell out for around 4-5 months! I cut my hair short because it was so bad and I was getting of pulling out clumps in the shower. With it short, I didn't notice it as bad. I am not 2 years post-op, and my hair is back and actually better than ever I think because of better diet and extra supplements that I take. The only thing that I ever noticed that made a difference was a supplement called Biosil. It is NOT the same as Biotin. It is a silicon(?) supplement that is suppose to help your body produce collegen. The extra Protein, extra Vitamins, biotin, etc never worked for me. That is the only thing I can suggest. Good luck, and don't worry, you won't go bald!

In 1 week is my 2 year anniversary. I can tell you a couple of things. Remember that your tummy is EXTREMELY swollen right now. And it take months for the swelling to go down and actually be at your actually capacity. You will be able to drink more than just a couple sips at a time. I can drink half a Water bottle at a time if I am really thirsty, like while working out. Carbonated drinks though are still a no go. Maybe a couple of sips and then my tummy hurts from the gas. They aren't healthy anyway, so no big loss there! Will you be able to eat a big plateful of food? No way in hell!! Will it bother you in the future? Probably not. I am so used to the way I eat now, that it seems normal to me. When I watch other people eat platefuls of food, I am shocked that I could ever eat that much. I still enjoy food, but you can enjoy food without eating a pound of it at a sitting. And I can enjoy treats as well, knowing I can only eat a little and savoring it! On the odd day that I find myself saying "I wish I could eat a little more", I always remember a handy little thing my support group leader told us...."If I could, I would, and that is how I got to where I was in the first place". I have no regrets at all, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The reward of food comes no where close to touching the reward of self-confidence. The reward of not feeling like the fattest person in the room. The reward of being able to go wherever I want and do whatever I want. Surprisingly, by having the surgery, it gave me a normal life, it didn't take it away!

I always thought I was "big-boned" too. That is what everyone told me and that is what I thought too! I am only 5'3" and always wore a size 8.5-9 shoe size. Now that I have lost the weight, have gotten down to a weight I never even thought possible, everyone tells me how tiny I am!! I now wear a size 4/6, small or x-small tops and had to have my ring sized down to a size 6.5! You will be surprised what kind of thin person is in there!!

I am a raving carb monster right before TOM. I feel like a crazy person sometimes and want to eat everything in site. I best defense is not to keep things like that in my house. Also, it is true, the more carbs you eat, the more you crave it. But you are not crazy, it is very common for many women because of our lovely hormones!

Height 5'3" Highest Weight 260ibs, size 20/22 pants and 1x-2x tops Surgery Weight 221.5lbs, size 18/20 and 1x tops Current weight, 138lbs, size 4/6 pant, xs/s tops I was a slower loser, it took me 18 months to reach my goal of 140lbs, and now I have dropped a little below! And it is true about sizes varying wildly depending on bones, muscles, etc. I wear the same size as someone I know that is almost 10lbs lighter than me!

It is totally normal to have the weight loss to slow down. The first month is always the highest loss, and then each month is usually a little less than the last. Put it in this perspective, if everyone lost 40 lbs each and every month, many would reach goal in just 2 months! Your body needs time to adjust. ButtertheBean has a great article link on his profile that talks about stalls and slowed weight loss in the beginning...worth a read!

Although you can tell just by looking at her that she was not what today would say is a size 14 or 16, according to the article she was a size 8 most of her career, which is a far cry from the size 0 or even 00 that models of today are! I love her body and her curves! Just like Robyn Lawley, Ralph Lauren's first "plus" size model...she is a size 12 and stunning!!

I love your post! I have said right from the beginning that you have to make changes you can live with for a lifetime. I never tracked or counted anything and my exercising has been sporadic because most of the time I am chasing after my 2 young children. I did make a lot of changes to my diet, but they were all changes that I could live with. I try to stay away from the white stuff, but that doesn't mean a piece of bread or an ice cream cone ever pass my lips. It may have taken me a little longer to reach my goal, but I reached it in 18 months and I have been maintaining for the last almost 6 months, actually dropping a little below my goal weight. I got the surgery done so I could live a healthy, normal life, not being controlled by food, making healthy changes, but not having to go on an extreme diet to get there! Congratulations on your success and your healthy view on life!

You are doing great! You can't compare to others because there are too many deciding factors. How much you weigh and how much weight you need to lose (heavier starting weight=faster initial weight loss) is the biggest factor. If you are concerned, track what you are eating, how many calories, carbs, protein and see if there might be any changes you should make. Everyone is so different and it is hard to to compare to others. I know I did for a long time, to the point that it just about drove me crazy! I was a slower loser and it took me 18 months to reach goal, but I am extremely happy, made changes that I can live with, and would not change a thing! Good Luck!

I have heard of crystal light, so I think that would work. I actually think that would be a great idea using MIO. Experiment and let us know!