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Yup, I really lost a lot off my chest. I am not even sure what my cup size was for sure, but my band size was a 40 and that was tight! Now, depending on the bra, I wear a 32DD to a 34D. I lost steadily off my chest, but it has been the last 20lbs or so to goal that I noticed the most coming off. It was beginning to feel like every pound was coming off my boobs! The only drawback is they are pretty deflated now. I have been heavy most of my life and breast fed 2 babies and my poor girls kinda paid the price. Nothing a good bra can't solve! The only other thing is my hubby finally fessed up to missing the bigger boobs!

I have struggled literally my entire life. I started putting on weight in Kindergarten and by grade 5 had been on the SlimFast diet (shake for Breakfast and lunch, then food for supper). I lost weight in high school after working my a** off and got as low as 153lbs. I only stayed there for maybe a year, 2 tops before I started putting weight back on and was the heaviest I have ever been the day I got married. I was ridiculed constantly in school, so I know what you feel like. I think for people like us that really have no idea what it is like to be thinner, it is a really difficult adjustment. I am now a healthy 136lbs, wear a size 4/6 and still have trouble seeing it in the mirror. I still looked a thin women and wish I looked liked them, and I still feel like people are looking at me sometimes thinking, she can't wear that, she's too fat. It has been almost 2 years since my surgery, and only now am I starting to see myself as a normal size person. As for your friends, it probably is strange. They can see the changes to the outside probably more than you can. Change is hard for people, and to see you getting smaller and not being the fat friend anymore is most likely a challenge for them and intimidating. Are they still being supportive?? If their attitudes change towards you, then I would not consider them very good friends. If they are still supportive and they are happy for you, you could give them a little slack. Think of yourself as inspiring them to get healthy!

Like so many have said, everyone is different. My first piece of advice before I say anything else is don't compare yourself to anyone else. Sometimes you have to look at where people are coming from that have lost 100lbs in 3 months. Not all the time, but likely they have more weight to lose, 150-200 lbs (ex: BlueOctoberGirl above has lost 156lbs total). The heavier you are, the faster you lose. I had about 80lbs to lose, and lost 41 lbs in the first 3 months. At the time of my surgery, I only had a 3 day pre-op, so I did not lose anything there and in the beginning I was average to a little slower than average weight loss. If you put the pressure on yourself or have the expectation to lose 100lbs in 3 months, you are going to be miserable. As for your husband, I think everyone is right. He loves you and I am sure he isn't even thinking about it. Going with him, being there with him, and having a good time would mean more to him than you being 100lbs lighter!

It actually took me 18 months to even reach my goal, and now I have dipped a little below. But I am happy that I have been pretty much maintaining for the last 4 months. It was a frustrating battle not losing as fast as others, but I think it really helped me entrench new habits because if I didn't, I wouldn't lose the weight! And you can eat a lot more. I still have great restriction almost 2 years out, but I can still eat a fair amount. At a sitting, I could eat a small chicken breast (3-4oz), 1/4-1/3 c veggies, and a few bites of something else (sometimes a little rice or Pasta, but I only have literally 2 tbsp). I had heard at 6 months out about how much you can eat at that point is what your capacity will be, but, for me anyways, I would say closer to a year. It is a huge learning curve, and learning how much you can eat without feeling overfull or sick is a balancing act! There are still days that I eat too much and don't feel good! Good luck with the pouch test, you can do it!

You are right. We are so incredibly hard on ourselves because we have been beaten down our whole lives not just by others, but by ourselves. We should know better, we can't have this, we can't have that, we are failures. It just creates a vicious cycle of guilt and shame then over-eating because we feel bad, then more guilt and shame. Everyday is a battle for me to overcome all these little demons inside. But I try to keep perspective. If I eat a small ice cream cone, it isn't going to make me gain weight...it is eating them everyday that will. It is important to learn to be kinder to ourselves.

I am almost 2 years post op so I will try to give some information that has helped me. I still follow a lot of my post-op guidelines like CowGirlJane mentioned as well. For the most part, I stay away from the white stuff. I eat Protein and veggies first with a meal. I never drink with my meals. I eat a lot of protein and drink a lot of fluids. I do get physically hungry, but there is a difference between being actually physically hungry and head hunger (just search for it, there is probably a million threads on it). Head hunger is the hardest battle. Most days I win the battle, some days I lose and end up eating a lot of things I shouldn't. The one thing that I do that keeps me on track is not keeping any of that stuff in my house. I also like chips, crackers, salty foods and would eat a lot of them it they were there (they are slider foods, so you can eat a lot more of them as they just kind of turn to mush in your stomach). I know you don't like hearing it, but it really is only a tool. You still need to make changes to your lifestyle in order to maintain. I am not saying that you should go on a special diet, I see a lot of people do that and I am afraid they are setting themselves up for failure because it is hard to maintain. For me, I made changes that I knew I could live with. I have lettuce wraps to get rid of the carbs in the bread, I eat a lot of veggies, I do not drink anything if it is not sugar free (except on occasion). I still will have other foods like ice cream and chocolate, but in moderation. Am I perfect at it, HELL NO! I still make mistakes sometimes, I still overeat sometimes. But I don't let one bad day (or even a few) throw me off. I just start over again. That is the beauty of the sleeve. Yes, you gained 4lbs, but before the sleeve it could have easily been 40lbs! You have caught yourself before it has gotten out of hand. And you probably really cannot eat as much as you could before surgery. It seems like a lot compared to what you can eat in the beginning months, but I am still guessing it is not as much as before. I would start by tracking what you eat for a few days. What are you really eating? How many calories are you getting in? Protein? Water? Get back to the basics. You could also try the 5 day pouch test (http://5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html). It was designed for bypass patients, but I have seen many sleeve patients have success with it. It is a good way to get rid of those cravings. I know myself if I start eating high carb or sugary foods, I crave them more and more. One blog that I love is The World According to Eggface. My Favorite quote from her is: Weight Loss Surgery is not a DO-OVER (repeat same mistakes = get a similar outcome.) Weight Loss Surgery is a DO-BETTER (make lifestyle changes you can continue forever.) You can do this! Just keep your eye on the prize! Don't trade what you want most, for what you want at the moment (also from Eggface)

I am almost 2 years post op (I don't need chewables or liquids), and I was doing searches online and found a few different sites comparing Vitamins, and how good they are and how absorbable they are, and so on. According to these sites, not all vitamins are created equal. What I am wondering is if these comparing sites are legit?? This is one of the sites I was looking at: http://www.multivitaminguide.org/ What's everyone's experiences?? Had anyone heard of some of these vitamins before? Xtendlife?

You could try the pouch test. It is actually for bypass patients, but I have heard of many people using it to get back on track with their eating. http://www.5daypouchtest.com/ From what I understand, you can not "stretch" out your sleeve in the same sense as a bypass patient can stretch their pouch. What is left of the stomach is the more muscular firmer part and stretches very little. I am not sure if you track or not, but maybe start writing down everything that you have been eating and just see. You could also be retaining fluids from hormones or salty foods. You can do it! The thing that I have found that is wonderful about the sleeve is that it is so much easier to get back on track and get things back under control!

So gorgeous! Congratulations!

If you are 2 weeks late and still not positive, the chances are you are not pregnant (not saying it isn't possible, my friend never got a positive test until she was 3 or 4 months!). I struggled with very irregular cycles when I went off the pill and started trying to get pregnant. I would have a month or 2 of normal cycles, and then I would have a cycle that lasted 50 days. I even went over 70 days one time. So just because you had a few regular cycles in a row doesn't make it so (sorry). Are you actively trying to get pregnant? They do usually suggest a year before trying, but I have seen women get pregnant and have healthy pregnancies earlier out. I do not know if you are interested in herbal remedies, but one thing that I found that help regulate my cycles is chasteberry or also called vitex. It is well known for helping PMS and irregular cycles. I used and it worked great and had no problems conceiving my second child. Good Luck!

Not gonna lie, it will be tough, but keep your eye on the prize. You have done so well, you are so close. Think to yourself, is it really worth it this time. You will be able to go out again, and even have a drink, but you can get through it this one time. Especially alcohol so close to surgery. Alcohol thins the blood. I remember when I got my tattoo, they would not work on me if I had been drinking because you will bleed way too much! Keep that in mind. The best thing to do is leave if it is getting too hard. If your friends know, they will understand, especially if you leave before everyone else has had a little too much! If not, use not feeling good or something like that. You can do it. You obviously have a lot of will power and determination!

Every NSV counts! And if I am reading your ticker right, you have lost 103lbs in 5.5 months! That is incredible!! Congratulations!

I agree with Happy. It has not been easy losing my boobage! It is part of what makes some of us fell womanly. I thought I was going to get away lucky because I still had a fair sized chest until the last 15 lbs...then it felt like every pound I was losing was coming off my chest and rib cage. I have also nursed 2 babies, so they are just a hopeless cause now. I now wear a 32/34 D or DD depending on the bra, but it is kinda of roll them up and tuck them in. I am saving to have work done, but if I had to choose between a breast lift/augmentation and a tummy tuck, I would pick the TT. That being said, I wouldn't trade being thin and healthy for having bigger boobs. I wear good bras that having some padding, so no one can tell, and my husband has no complaints!

You said it yourself, and I will reiterate, please, please, please do not compare yourself to others. It will only end up making you frustrated and depressed if you are not losing as fast. Just to shine some light on the subject, a lot of people do not lose anything the first week, or even gain. Why? From all the Fluid they pump into you during surgery and all the swelling. It takes time for your body to get rid of all that. I didn't lose anything after my first week, in fact, I had gained 10lbs right after surgery, and when I got home 6 days later, I was still a pound heavier. I didn't start losing until into my second week. I was also a slow loser. It took me 18 months to reach my goal. But I got there and have been maintaining for the last 3 or so months. Everyone is different and everyone's weight lose is different. If you do what you need to do, which it sounds like you are, it will come.

This looks good!

I had posted before in a separate topic, but will post here too! I love seeing other pictures and find them inspirational, so I will post mine too!

Stalls are normal. Just revisit what you are eating, is there anything you would change?? Also realize that after 6 months, weight loss also tends to slow down, but it is not the end! I didn't reach my goal until 18 months out, so you will still continue to lose!

I only know one person that had lots of problems, not quite the same, but maybe a similar situation. She couldn't keep anything down and got full really fast. She ended up going for an endoscopy and her sleeve had been made too tight at the bottom. They used the scope to actually stretch it out a bit, and she didn't have anymore problems. Maybe yours is too tight at the top and food is having trouble getting through?? I am no expert, so just a thought.

Technically, you are not eating a lot, most of it is liquids. It does seem like more than a lot of people can get in at only 7 days post op, but I would not be too worried. I think some people swell a lot more than others. Wait until you are eating more solid foods and see what your restriction is then. You should really not be able to be able to eat more than about 2 oz of dense protein in the beginning (of course this is a little more the further out you get, I can probably eat about 4 oz). The only concern I have that someone else said is eating soft foods already. I know my plan was not soft foods until week 3. But I do know that everyone's guidelines are different.

Thank you for posting this. Many people do not talk about some of the struggles you can have after losing weight. Me, for example, I have really struggled to realize that I am not big anymore. So many times, if I see someone looking at me, I feel that they are judging me still, looking at my flabby arms or thinking that "she shouldn't be wearing that". I am not as shy as I used to be either, but I too find it difficult. I still feel sometimes like the biggest one in the group, or that people won't want to be friends with me. Our bodies might lose the weight, but our brains don't lose the baggage. I really don't have great advice. The only thing is to say that congratulations on embracing your new life and making an effort to put yourself out of your comfort zone. It takes a lot of courage to try new things! Like the old saying goes, "fake it until you make it". Just keep going and it will get easier! And congratulations on your weight loss too!

Very normal. It takes months for the swelling to completely go down. My facilitator said usually the amount you can eat at 6 months post op is about what you will be able to eat normally. For me, I would say a little further out, but not much. I am almost 2 years post op and still have pretty good restriction in the amount I can eat.

My mom has MS, so I can partially understand your situation with that. She also cannot be in the heat and gets tired very easily. I have never exercised regularly since I have been sleeved. I am active with my 2 young children, housework, and yard work, but I have never went to the gym and I have never made a point of doing regular aerobic exercise. It may have taken me a little longer to reach my goal (18 months), but I reached it, and dropped below it. I have been very careful with what I eat and have made significant changes to my eating habits. So to answer your question, yes, it can be done without exercise. If you can be active in some way, I encourage you to do that as it does help you feel better not just physically, but emotionally as well. Best of luck with your surgery!

I didn't start losing until into my second week after surgery and I gained around 10lbs from the fluid. Don't let it get you down, it is normal and the weight will start coming off.

I think most of us have strayed of course, I know I have...and I still do! I love my sleeve because it is so easy to get back on track.

I don't believe that certain foods should be off limits either, but the key is moderation. So if you love creamy pasta, only have it if you go out, and only once in a while (if you eat out often). And my trick (well, not really a trick, just common sense)...do not keep it in the house. Like I said earlier, I love chips and would probably take a spoon to the bag (I don't care about the grease and chemicals!). And you never know, you might not like it or it might not agree with you. For almost a year after my surgery, pasta made me feel like I was going to throw up, even just a bite or 2. Now I can eat it, but in very small quantities.