Sadlers1999

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that even though for "normal people" it takes 3,500 calories to gain a pound but for "us" as soon as we slip just a little bit a whole pound will be gained.. I mean I get that we have serious intake restrictions and we can go from 600 calories to 1200 maybe 1500 if we try hard enough but a pound.. How is this possible when I haven't even take in 3,500 calories.... I am supposed to be in maintenance but it seems like I need to learn how to do that.. What can I intake without loosing anymore and or gaining any weight.. This in itself is a project.. Today make 11 Months on the date... I had my surgery December 6, 2012... 1 month until my Surgery Date.. I am so glad to be at goal already and still loosing.. But I don't want to loose anymore.. I believe that after skin removal I will be perfect. Is there anyone already at goal that has learned what there balance is?

re: calorie intake - Because I am hypothyroid, I never burned calories as efficiently as more slender people (including my siblings). I don't think that has changed a whole lot. I did work on some muscle building in my legs and that has helped, but there was never a period in my life where I could eat more than 2000 calories and not gain weight. Now that I am older and have hypothyroidism, I believe that the only reason I was able to lose weight is that the sleeve made eating so few calories tolerable (less painful; didn't feel like I was starving). So, I never believed that eating more than 1200 would result in anything but in me gaining weight.

re: stats - I was sleeved on December 17th last year. Prior to diet/surgery, I weighed 242. I am now around 141. I have not been eating as well as I should and due to 4 kids and 2 elderly parents with crazy schedules, I have not been able to exercise as much as I was over the summer. But, I am still plugging away. The doctor wanted me to get to 130. Still not sure if that will happen, but I am not done working on it.

I didnt read the whole 9 pages, but I am gonna jump in. I am in Colorado Springs and I am having my surgery at Evans on Nov 19th. I am excited and terrified...

Congrats on your surgery date! I have been very open with everyone around me about surgery and there are some who think it is "cosmetic," but the reality is that the decision to have it (and get it paid for by insurance) is always about health. The surgery really gave me my life back.

BTW, my maiden name is Appel. Do you know anything about your family tree...like where your last name came from? We were Czech. My great-grandfather immigrated first to France and he added the "e" to Appl so that the French could pronounce our name. He just kept the "e" in when he arrived in the US.

Nice. What is the mayo clinic diet? If yiu don't mind sharing can yiu message me?

If you scroll back up a little on this conversation Maria outlines the diet in detail. Don't make her type it up again. Lots of eggs involved for Protein.

Have definitely fallen off track. Gotten a little worse since having a very recent miscarriage this past weekend. I'm really struggling.

However with thay said here is my most recent comparison.

You look great and I am sorry about the miscarriage. The thing is that when you are feeling better (not bleeding as much?), you just have to get back in your routines. The thing about a miscarriage is that it is both physical and mental. So, I would not beat yourself up for "falling off track." ((Hugs))

Here in Lakewood we have had steady drenching rain but no flooding. Fiancé works up in clear creek so no work Monday since its been declared a disaster area.

No snow until after 10/12 thank you.

Also my goal for the wedding was 170. I have my final fitting 9/21 and as of today I'm down to 169.

Awesome!!!

I honestly have no idea what size I will be. I'm not shooting for any particular size. I just know that when I look at the extra adipose tissue I still have and the concentration I have in some areas it's obvious to be I have about 20-30 left. Which believe me is a far cry better than the 120 I had to go when this whole thing started lol

Well, I see a lot of posts like yours where people hit targets and go lower. For those of us in the "under a year post surgery" category, I don't know what the outcome will be.

I agree that having lost the first chunk of weight has been nothing short of miraculous. I have so much more energy and feel so much better when doing stuff with my family. Such a blessing. I really hope that I can get to 130 even if it takes longer than a year, but my big thing now is focusing on maintaining my activity level.

My little girls and I put out a ruler in the hail yesterday' date=' in that 1 hour time we measured 6 inches of hail. It was crazy, vegetation is destroyed, included my Tomato plants! It was crazy! Still only minimal moisture the basement, so I really can't complain, except for my tomatoes, and the excess leaf clean up we will have.[/quote']

We got a smattering of hail, too, but not 6 inches. How is your roof??

I'm 5'6 and a half. I'm 172 now my goal is 150. My new pcp wants me to be 140. A normal BMI for my height ranges from 117-156 . there is allot of different ranges out there. Ive been exercising allot which has lead to me eating more! I eat up to 1200 calories on almost every day of the week. I exercise 5 days a week. I cant seem to eat less than that without feeling hungry or tired. My surgeon said the first 6-9 months or year is the golden year. weight loss slows down after that. I have 22 pounds to go.I want to be done. I want to go into maintaining mode already! wish I was still losing 2-3 pounds a week

Re: BMI and weight ranges - Yes. There is a spectrum. 117 would be extremely tiny for someone your height. Your 140 is probably a slightly lower BMI than me if I get to 130, but sounds somewhat comparable. I am not losing any discernable weight right now and I think it's because to your point, I exercise more and that has increased my appetite. It may make you feel better to know that I am part of an online group that includes marathon runners (FEMALE, marathon runners) and they are constantly complaining that when they train for their marathons, they GAIN weight....unlike their male counterparts. Obviously we don't want to be obese again, but we are working against our gender's natural "protective" system to keep a little more fat on us than men. It helps us have greater longevity than men, but it is a battle.

It's funny to hear everyone's different opinions on weight goals. I THOUGHT that 150 was going to be tiny and that's the goal weight my surgeon has for me. Heck' date=' I thought 175 was going to be tiny. Im now 164 (last time I checked was a little over 2 weeks ago) and I feel like I have at LEAST 20-30lbs more that could easily come off which would put me around 135-145.

Never in a million years would I think that I would be 150 let alone less than that. But it's becoming more and more apparent that yes, my frame is a lot smaller than anyone thought. I'm extremely wasp waisted and come to find out I have very small legs and arms. Who knew?? I'm 5' 6 1/2" and at 164 I wear a s/m top, size 8 jeans and size 8 dress.

All that being said my surgeon said that most people hit their lowest weight and then typically gain back about 10-15 lbs so the lower you go right out the gate the better.[/quote']

I agree that it seems that most people regain a little weight after they hit a low. I don't think that makes me want to shoot for a size 4, though.

My surgeon wanted me to get to 125 based solely on BMI charts. Then (at the surgeon's suggestion), I consulted an exercise doctor (someone who works with athletes and with the other extreme...people like me). He used his big fancy machines and he was the one who determined, I should be 130 lbs. He thinks that since I have been overweight since childhood, the density of my muscle and bone is slightly greater than people who have either been the right weight their whole lives and/or people who got fat, but were once thin.

I made 140 my personal goal weight because there was a 5 year period of time (pre-children; pre-Hashimoto's disease, etc.) that I was able to get down to that weight and maintain it through walking...a lot of walking. When I got married, I was 140 wearing a size 10 and feeling fantastic. Right now, I am in a size 12 (pants), but can wear medium size shirts. I think it's great if you are a size 8 (already), but it sounds like you are thinking you want to be a size 4. It just shows you that everyone has a different mentality about where the end game occurs.

I think getting off the last 7 or 17 lbs is going to be extremely challenging, because I am as active as I can be with 4 kids and I am feeling great. It doesn't help that society is so used to larger people now that even at a size 12, people say I look "tiny." I admit this is a little skewed. When I was young in the 1970s/1980s, a size 12 would have been considered "big." But, obesity is so out of hand (as we personally know) that a size 12 doesn't look that big to people anymore.

Great responses guys' date=' good job, keep it up and keep the replies coming. Im down around 82.4lb and still have minimum 28.4lb to personal goal of 132.2lb. If i get any lower i will be celebrating big time. I hope i make it.

As per surgeons goal im 15.4lb away from goal.

Start weight. 243.1lb = 110.3kg

Current weight. 160.7lb = 72.9kg

Total loss. 82.4lb = 37.4kg

Surgery date. 21.12.12

Nearly 9 months out on 21st sept 2013.

Wish me luck guys. And best of luck to you all.

Keep your comments coming in.[/quote']

You and I are really similar. I am 5'3.5" tall. The doctor would like me to be 130 (but I have never weighed that in my adult life and I am 43). My personal goal is 140. (Most people seem to have personal goals that are lower than those of the doctor's office, but I buck that trend. )

I was sleeved by Metz also' date=' he is great! Do you go to the support groups?

I'm in Aurora, major hail tonight! Not quite sure where the rain is going to go tomorrow, maybe I should invest in a boat?[/quote']

Hoping you are okay. I don't have TV but a relative FBed me and said, "Did you see the footage on Aurora?" so I know it wasn't "fun" there tonight.

I still eat insanely small portions. For example I cannot eat an entire 1/2 cup serving of cottage cheese in one sitting or finish an entire thing if yoplait 100 Greek yogurt. I eat less in one sitting than my 18 month old son. I can drink maybe 3oz at a time but I also take a drink every 10-15 minutes.

From what I gather from here I am atypical. I was sleeved 12/12/12 so I am 9 months out (almost to the day) only have about 10-15lbs to goal and my daily consumption of calories is still around 600-800 a day. The week before my menses kicks my calories up to around 900.

I definitely eat more than you and I was sleeved on 12/17/12...only 5 days later. I would say my typical calorie count is higher...like 1000, but in the scheme of things, 1000 is not nearly what I could eat before surgery. Plus, now with the weight off, I am exercising and I have more stamina. I am about 7 lbs away from my personal goal and 17 lbs away from what the doctor thinks is my best weight for my height and frame.

Hi guys just wanted to know' date=' after how long did the restrictions stop? And when your portion size get back to normal adult size?

Hope to hear from you guys soon.[/quote']

meat that isn't well chewed still bugs me. I eat child size portions and have been able to do this since around 6 months.

It's so wonderful to see all of the accomplishments everyone has experienced! I love that everyone is continuing to post. Especially since we'll all be coming up on our one year surgiversary soon. I propose that we all post before & after pics all through December on our one year date. Is anyone interested?

I have not been able to post any post-op pics, because I can no longer figure out how to reduce the file size so that the pictures go through to the VSG website. I use a regular camera and have some pictures of me that I could share and have tried to share and no luck. I hate technology. I don't have a smart phone or I would share pictures that way. That seems to be the way that most people take pictures now.

I'm in the springs but not sleeved yet. I'm scheduled October 3rd but by the time I recover we'll be in the blizzard of the century lol

I was sleeved on December 17th without a weather hitch. There is HOPE.

I am scheduled for Monday. At this moment I can make it to the hospital' date=' but with this newest round of rain coming, I am hoping no more roads close around me.[/quote']

Please be safe. I hope that things are better Monday, but if not, try and get it rescheduled ASAP. You are definitely in a more dangerous flood area....Prayers for both your safety and future health.

Just checking in on all my Colorado peeps...how are you all faring with the floods? We have had some basement flooding but I am hoping it is under control. The weather has been just plain CRAZY!

Anyway I hope you all are well' date=' please check in when you can!

Here are some funnies for you all...

[/quote']

In Parker, our sump pump died and then my husband I spent about an hour debating if he should try to get to the Parker Home Depot because there were so many road closures. By the time he went, a lot of Water subsided and he was able to get to both Home Depot and Lowes...Neither had a sump pump. He bought a bypass pump (?). We have to operate it manually and it has hoses that go out the basement slider, but it's better than nothing.

That storm was just crazy and I feel worse for the people all along the mountains near rivers/creeks. The pictures are just horrifying.

There's a thing called "muscle confusion." Sometimes if we stay with a routine, our muscles kind of don't keep doing their thing (burning calories at rest) optimally. If we challenge ourselves in new ways, our muscles get a wake up call and start burning more calories. That being said, I think I have trouble wanting to deviate from routines. I am a creature of habit.

Rock bottom - Because I have had a weight problem my whole life...losing and regaining....I don't think I felt like I was at rock bottom but more like up against a wall. I did not have any comorbidiities but I was afraid of developing all of them. I have 4 kids and the youngest was 2 when I went for my first surgical consultation. I really just wanted to be healthier for my kids...to be able to enjoy the time we have together. I will say that having a problem getting an airplane seatbelt on last May scared the heck out of me. I got it strapped but just barely. Later someone told me that I could have asked for an extension, but even if that is true, I think I would have been too embarrassed (to ask for it).

Ive been stuck for.2 months now=( my doc says its normal but im frustrated

I've regained a few pounds. Still lost 90lbs overall, but I am going to have to change my exercise routine (again) if I want to see some progress. Sigh....

Me too' date=' he's the best. I haven't been to any support groups. I got pancreatitis from the surgery about 2 weeks after. Even though Metz was going through all that stuff, he still came and checked on me in the hospital everyday while not working. When were you sleeved?[/quote']

Don't get me wrong. If I had surgery before they let Metz go, I don't think I would have had any problems with him. The issue was that I was literally 3 weeks from having my surgery almost the LAST WEEK OF THE YEAR and my family was changing insurance on January 1st. Metz didn't have rights to operate at Parker any more and I couldn't risk waiting until 2013 to find out where he would be working. I did not want to go through the whole insurance process again and I didn't want to risk not getting the surgery at all. So, I took my chances with Dr. Long. It was emotionally stressful. Long was professional but he didn't know me from Adam before the surgery. Met with me once and I am sure his life was topsy-turvy. Before my surgery, all of Metz's staff quit. I don't blame them, but I was 3 days out from surgery and I needed to speak to someone about a problem I was having. I didn't hear for three more days (no one in office!). Honestly, I don't blame Long. I blame the hospital for such a crappy handling of the whole situation. It was also a complete surprise because I didn't understand that Metz was not in practice for himself. I didn't understand that the practice BELONGS to the hospital.

when I was updating my ticker' date=' I realized I have my HW incorrectly... the most I weighed in earlyer 2012 was 284.... I had surgery in Aug 2012...here it is Aug 2013 and I am a size 6!! HOT DAMMIT!! 152 pounds.... 5'7.5"...SIZE 6

I was about 160 when I was in a size 8

I had no co-morbs.... the reason for my surgery was pure & simply vanity.... and dammit I made it!! I look good...I feel good and I am happy!

now I do NOT want to be a size 4 or 2 or 0.... there are just not that many women in my culture who want to be that thin...size 6 is pressing it...[/quote']

I didn't have any co-mobidities, either, but I was very obese and I was afraid of developing co-morbidities. For me, it still is more about health. Wish I was a few inches taller, though. I am about 148 and a size 12, because I am 5'3.5". Congrats on getting to your size 6, though.

I want to lose the last 15 years so bad! I went from an 8 (I was a 4 or 6 until I had two children' date=' then I was an 8) to 20/22 - I don't even recognize this body.

I already realize that excess skin is growing to be an issue...[/quote']

re: quote on "body recognition" - Had my surgery at the end of December 2012. Was looking at some old pics on FB from May 2012. My surgeon never took before pics and I don't really have that many where I am not hiding behind children, so I found one from May where I am with my two sisters. I knew I was big, but I am starting to forget that I was that big. And, even when I was that big with a life long weight issue, the interior me never felt like I was that big because I was still trying to be active. So weird. Just glad the surgery has brought me down 90 lbs.

All day today my sleeve feels extra small I could only get half of my normal servings in all day today and I dont get why.. I had a yogurt today and normally I can eat the entire serving but today half way through I felt so much restriction. Has this ever happen to anyone else.. I feel like I'm 3 weeks post op today Uggg..

I haven't had this problem exactly. In general, I can eat "normal" size meals (small but not absurdly small) and every now and then, something will surprise me and fill me up more quickly than normal. But, if I was only eating yogurt, I don't think I would feel the restriction. Maybe this is not a negative thing because it will keep your eating in check. It's harder when you don't feel the restriction on a regular basis.

For me this surgery was so needed..these last few months I ws literally wobbling bcuz my legs and ankles hurt..would almost drag that leg due to pain. .I am a city bus operator and my knees' date=' ass b on fire from the constant movement. .sleep apena. .hbp border line diabetes. ..shyt my moms gets around at 72 btr than her 47 yo daughter. ..can u say sad and embarrassing...I'm tired of being tired..so for me what ever wait I lose will give me a option to live..for right now I'm just here taking up air..I hv no idea hw to enjoy life bcuz I've ben miserable most of my life[/quote']

This surgery is a health miracle. God bless you!