KristinaRN

I started out close to where you are, 5'7 and 266 lbs. My goal is 150 lbs. I am 10 months out and have lost 90 lbs; I weigh 176 today, so 26 lbs to go! I am not the fastest loser by any means, but I am still losing, albeit slower than I was in the first 6 months. In fact I have not yet had a stall, I have lost consistently every week, even if only a small amount. I have been pretty lax in the exercise department I'm sorry to say, so that is what I am working on now; I think it will help me lose this last bit and also tone up some. Good luck to you, you'll do great!

I buy mine at Cost Plus World Market

My favorites are the salted caramel, the chocolate, and the white chocolate (all sugar free). I use them in my coffee.

I measure once a month, on the 24th (the day I had surgery and did my first set of measurements). I measure my neck, bust, waist, hips, thighs, calves, upper arms, and lower arms. I have lost 72 inches total in the past 10 months!!! Good luck to you!

Quest bars are a little more expensive, about $2.00 per bar, but they are a great meal replacement when on the go. They have a ton of protein and fiber, so they keep me full and satisfied more than any other protein bar I have tried.

I think you have done amazingly well, and should be so proud of yourself! My advice: you really need to hit that 1200 calorie per day goal, especially if you are working out that much. Taking in too few calories can halt your weight loss; sometimes you actually need to increase your calories to lose weight, especially when exercising. Otherwise, your body will hold onto everything, thinking it is in starvation mode. I know it can be hard to get more calories in without eating junk, but there are a few things you can do. Try a handful of almonds or cashews, a tablespoon of peanut butter, protein bars, an extra protein shake after a workout. Also, make sure you are getting a minimum of 64 oz of water per day, more on days you exercise. Good luck to you! I for one think you are a rockstar!

VSG has been around for awhile, but back when it first originated they used much larger bougies, resulting in less optimal results. Welcome to the forum, we are here to support and encourage you in any way we can!

Quest in Vanilla Almond, and Power Crunch in Triple Chocolate or Peanut Butter Creme. Soooo good! I buy both at the Vitamin Shoppe. Hope this helps!

Hey All Stars! You all are doing so well, congrats! I am down 88 lbs, weighing 178 lbs. I have 12 lbs to go, to reach my surgeon's goal for me of 100 lbs lost. I ideally would like to get down to 150 lbs, so another 28 to go. We'll see how it goes! I've never been this small as an adult, so not exactly sure where I would like to settle. I am not losing as quickly as some of you have, but I am really okay with it. It is still steadily coming off, albeit slower, and that's all that matters. I do love my sleeve!!! Hope you all are enjoying your summer! Kristina

This sounds amazing, thanks for sharing!

For those of you a year or more out from surgery: when did the amount you are able to eat level off so to speak? I am 9.5 months out, and can eat a little more than I could at 6 months out but not much; I was just wondering when your sleeve completely matures and reaches "maximum capacity" so to speak. I am very happy and satisfied with the amount I can eat now, but wondered if it will continue to increase or if this is it. Thanks so much for any input!

Thanks Foxbins! I appreciate your input. I agree with not eating until stuffed, I hate that feeling. And the amounts you mentioned are exactly what I eat now. I was wondering if I will continue to be satisfied with this amount. Just as you can eat more at 6 months out than you can at 3 months out, I wondered if that increase ever stops/levels off? Congrats on your success, you are definitely an inspiration!

http://smells-like-home.com/2010/03/bb-mini-meatloaves/ I made these yesterday, and they were AMAZING!!! I made the recipe exactly as stated, but I made mine into 12 smaller loaves instead of 6--and I still can't finish one! I put parchment paper on the baking sheet first, kept them from sticking. They also freeze and reheat really well, I love that I have already portioned yummy food to take to work! If you like meatloaf at all (and really who doesn't?!) then you HAVE to make these!

I like the idea of a monthly check-in, great idea Libbe! My weight loss has slowed down as well, only 2 lbs in the past 3 weeks. I am down 82 lbs total; I have 18 lbs to go to hit my surgeons goal, and 34 lbs to go to hit my personal goal. The loose skin is a little bothersome, but I'm ok with it. I am in a size 14, from a tight size 24. This sleeve is such a wonderful tool!!!

Hey All-Stars! I am very excited this morning--I am down 80 lbs!!!!!! I weighed 186 this morning, down 1.1 lbs from last week. I will be 8 months out on April 24, and am very pleased with my progress so far. I am not the fastest loser, but I'm also not the slowest. My end goal is finally feeling possible, and that is a great feeling! How are my All Star friends doing?

Hey friends! I have not checked in for quite awhile, took a little break from the forum. I weighed 187.1 lbs this morning, so that makes me down 4.5 lbs since I last checked in 4 weeks ago. It has definitely slowed down, but I'm ok with that as long as I'm still losing. I have 21 lbs until I hit my surgeons goal of 100 lbs lost, and 37 lbs until I hit my personal goal of weighing 150 lbs. I am playing it by ear, may change that goal as I get closer. It has been so long since I have weighed less than 200 lbs, that I don't really know where would be a good weight for me! I hope you all are having a wonderful week, and I look forward to hearing how you are doing!

I have lost almost 80 lbs, and have virtually no skin issues. My upper arms and upper inner thighs are a little flabbier than I would like, but they are getting better with exercise. I would like to lose another 37 lbs or so, and I really hope my skin continues to hold up this well!

I also feel mine on the left side of my neck and collarbone, I HATE that feeling! I only feel it when I have taken one bite too many, so I try really hard to stop before then.

Hi! I live in St. Louis, and had my surgery in August 2011 with Dr. Varela at Barnes. LOVE HIM!!! I have had such a wonderful experience, and would recommend him to anyone. Good luck!

Hey friends, how was everyone's week? I weighed in at 191.6, making me down 1.3 lbs this week. My BMI is now 30, down from 41.7, I am so excited to almost be out of the obese catagory! I really look forward to checking in with all of you each week and seeing how you are doing, I hope we can keep this thread going! I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend

Hey friends! I had a much better week this week, the scale has finally moved! I weighed 192.9 this morning, making me down 2.1 lbs this week. So glad to see those numbers going down again! I was never one that lost my hunger after surgery, unfortunately, but it was greatly reduced so I didn't mind too much. Well, for the past 2 weeks or so my hunger is coming back with a vengeance and I am scared to death! I still have amazing restriction and get full very quickly, but 2-3 hours later I am ravenous! Since surgery I have been eating every 3 hours or so, per my surgeon's instructions, but now I am actually hungry whereas before I was just kind of empty feeling after about 3 hours. I don't want to feel this hunger again! It does make it harder to make the best choices, that's for sure, but I am doing my best. Any advice? And no, it is not acid; I know that is everyone's go-to response for hunger feelings. Thanks ladies, and I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Quest bars are my favorite, I have one every day! Total carbs minus grams of fiber will give you the net carbs. Quest bars have the most fiber of any protein bar, hence the lower net carbs. They are delicious and so filling. My favorite flavor by far is Vanilla Almond Crunch. I usually order mine from amazon, but Vitamin Shoppe is starting to carry them so you may want to check there. Hope you love them!

LOVE THIS!

I went on a family trip to Disney when I was a little over 5 months out, and I had some concerns as well. Fortunately, most of those concerns were for nothing. I lossened up on my diet and ate pretty much what I wanted, within reason. My sleeve doesn't tolerate bread, pastas, potatoes well anyway so I stick more to protein naturally. But I did indulge in a few bites of dessert every night! I had a few drinks while there as well, no problem. We ate at quite a few buffet restaurants, and all I can say about that is you have to get over the fact the you are not "getting your moneys worth." Once I got over that mentality, I realized buffets were actually a great option b/c I could pick and choose what I wanted to take a bit or two of and move on. You will be fine, enjoy your trip! Oh, and by the way, I lost 3 lbs that week!

Hey there All-Stars! So I meant to post this yesterday (Saturday) but I got busy and forgot. Consider this our Saturday check in a day late! I weighed 195 lbs yesterday, same as last week, so no loss for me this week. Even though I know this will happen at times, and that the scale will move again, it still bums me out a bit to see the same number 2 weeks in a row. On the bright side, I am losing inches and dropping clothes sizes, so I know things are still working. Here's to an even better week next week! Kristina