melissa130

I think so many people forget that when a person has 200 or more pounds to lose - the first 100 will fly off in about 6 months. And for people that have 100 to lose-- the first 50 will come off pretty fast. I started off at 284. Surgery day weight I was 264. That 20 pounds came off quick due to liquid pre-op diet.. Today is a few days shy of three weeks post-op and I weigh 240.5. And i am really aggressive about moving. 10 days after surgery I walked 1 mile. And was very proud of that. Today I went for 3 miles. Slowly - but I did it.

so let me start off by saying that i know what i've done is terrible so please don't kick me while i'm already down. i feel terrible, both physically and mentally. i have eaten horribly the last two days. i am 2 months out and my ride has been up and down constantly. i keep thinking "is this what my life will be like until i die". and if so what have i done?!?! i had lots of trouble with getting in food and liquids for a while. and then, literally, overnight it was better. i could eat and not feel like i had swallowed a rock. liquids are another story. can't stand the taste of Water (anyone else have this problem and if so does it go away???) and can't stomach anything artificial (crystal light...) I was getting anywhere from 70-85grams Protein which is plenty according to my nut. then i started with acid symptoms. my doc put me on 2xday protonix about a week ago. for the last 2 weeks i have had waves of nausea that has kept me from eating next to nothing. then yesterday i didn't have the nausea and i made the worst food choices- the worst being a donut. i ate the whole thing. not at one time of course but i still ate the whole darn thing. then today i ate 2 reeses Peanut Butter hearts and a few hershey kisses. oh and a few Jello jigglers i made for my kids. full sugar versions! i'm not drinking my Protein shakes in the morning like i have been. mostly because i am so nauseous when i wake up. i know that really gets me off on the wrong foot each day. seems like that big burst of Protein in the morning just sets the tone for the whole day. the good in all of this came at about 6pm. i had to go to kohl's to grab something for my kid and i decided to look in the "big girls" section for a shirt. nothing fit in the plus size. i could hardly believe it! i actually HAVE to shop in the regular ladies sized now- bought 2 shirts: 1 was an xl and one was a Lg. so apparently i fell off the wagon with my eating and most of all my attitude about what goes in my mouth. my day will start with a shake tomorrow and good choices for the rest of the day! because nothing tastes as good as buying new clothes in normal sizes feels. i actually had choices to make as far as what to buy when before i was just getting what fit without hugging too many fat rolls. i know i am human and will make mistakes in the future but i have to remember what my goal is and the extremes i've gone to with this surgery to make that happen. i just hope i didn't hurt my belly with my 2 days of bad choices!
tomorrow is a new day!

I love this, Cheri you are an inspiration!
I am 5.5 months out and have *only* lost 53 lbs. I was stalled for the entire month of Jan but seem to be making steady progress again. I feel pretty pleased with myself but then I see other people losing 53 lbs in their first 3 months! I'm glad to know there is hope for me and that its possible for me to lose ALL of my excess weight. The surgeons say 60-80% is realistic, but I want to beat the odds and lose it all. Just because it hasn't already happened does not mean it won't happen.
The saying 'comparison is the thief of contentment' is so true!

I sure did! That is what I called it too. I felt like I wanted the whole house clutter free and organized for my new start in life.

Sorry, he's a surgeon but I call B.S. Really, I do. Show me the evidence of a "magic window" with the sleeve. There isn't one. There are a lot of folks here still losing at the same, poky pace one and two years out. It gets harder to lose weight the closer you get to goal, but this is not a bypass, where you have a stretchy pouch and a short guaranteed window of malabsorption to do your work for you.
Frankly, I'm kind of mad at your surgeon for even approaching the situation that way, to be honest. You're losing at a faster rate than I did - I lost more in my first six months than you but had no preop diet, whereas you shed 24 pounds before you even had surgery! On average, you're still losing more than I did per month.
Do not let this discourage you. If I had stopped losing at one year, I still would have lost a tremendous amount of weight and improved my life in a hundred different ways. But I didn't stop - I kept on. And many others do, too. And you can, too, if you want to do it.
And touching on my buddy coops' story, too - none of us are failures if we don't get to a particular number on the scale. Every day we spend weighing so much less than we did before, with improved health, improved confidence and an improved outlook on life is a SUCCESS. I never lost this much weight before surgery and I know I never could have gotten here without it.
And coops may not like that she never got to the goals that were set for her (I still hope she can if she wants, but oy! her body is stubborn!) but she has managed to maintain a huge weight loss for more than two years. That's a huge success.
Chin up. No magic windows here, it's a major reason why I opted for the sleeve. Eat properly, do whatever you can to get in shape and let it work for you.
~Cheri

Cheri,
Firstly, wow... you look so beautiful! I love your recent picture ,,, makes me want to give you a big baby cwtch (welsh fir hug)!
You always speak so much sense... and over the last 2 1/2 years you have been beside me every step of the way, Between you and a few other old timers on here, you really have made a difference to me... encouraged me, cheered me on and cheered me up!
You know my story... but I will share it again for the newbies.
My sleeve is now 2 1/2 years old... it has great restriction and does a lot of good work. My head is now in line with my sleeve, but this has taken longer. Not with respect to the food side of it... that is a physical thing that I was quickly acquainted with, but emotionally it took me longer to realise that I was doing well. I am, and have always been a slow loser... on any given 'diet' I would never lose more that 7lbs and that would take me 2 -3 months to do.
I have lost a total of 74 lbs and this happened in the first 16 mths. For over a year, I have not lost a single pound... regardless of what I do or don't eat and the way I move or don't move. It would appear that my body is happy here at this weight and doesn't want to lose any more - even though my mind wants to see smaller numbers and my doc would like to see me out of the obese range on the BMI chart. However, in that time I have gone down a whole dress size. I started off in a UK 22-24 and I am now a UK 14 and have been for a year - this was my original size goal.
I have had a few health worries over the last year that might have impacted my weight loss... but I can't use those as an excuse. (On set of early menopause and trying out HRT - didn't suit me; I don't take any thing now and I had a nasty back problem that made me stop my training/gym. I am finding it hard to get back to hard exercise now - something I need to work on.)
Not reaching goal does have an upside too... I have never gained! I have read some sleevers, who dipped to goal super quick and then had a dramatic regain... I have been sat at this weight comfortably for over a year and I am happy with my 2-4lb bounce range. If I go over that... I get focused and it goes away.
I am currently upping the anti again, in another effort to get to my surgeon's goal... I am just 10-12lbs away. My hubby is on board now too... he wants to lose about 24lbs ... it is easier to do it with someone else at this stage. There is a part of me that just doesn't want to give up... I would love to post a goal thread but I am also realistic that this might never be the case.
If it happens I will be happy... if it doesn't I will remain healthy.
So with that in mind I am looking into getting the skin from my middle removed - I am looking at a TT and possible uplift. Once this is done, I guess I will be done! I don't want to be perfect but I do want my body to look like my face...lol
I have started to realise that just because I am not at my weight goal that I am still successful. I think that the over emphasis on the numbers at the beginning of this process for me, took away each successful pound lost. That was not a good move! Looking back I should have also focused on how I FELT and how I looked.
Just today, someone asked me if I had lost more weight... the body is a wonderful thing!!
For all slower losers and newbies... remember, this is about YOU... not about someone else who farted and lost 14 lbs! Ok, that is a little over the top, but you know what I mean. The whole reason for the sleeve is to get fit and healthy... if that is how you feel, regardless of your weight... then, in my eyes, you are a winner.
The sleeve has no expiry date - it is with us for life.

I think so many people forget that when a person has 200 or more pounds to lose - the first 100 will fly off in about 6 months. And for people that have 100 to lose-- the first 50 will come off pretty fast. I started off at 284. Surgery day weight I was 264. That 20 pounds came off quick due to liquid pre-op diet.. Today is a few days shy of three weeks post-op and I weigh 240.5. And i am really aggressive about moving. 10 days after surgery I walked 1 mile. And was very proud of that. Today I went for 3 miles. Slowly - but I did it.

It is an absolute fact. Protein gives your body's metabolism the chance to burn fat--most healthy people have enough protein in their diets.

It is an absolute fact. Protein gives your body's metabolism the chance to burn fat--most healthy people have enough protein in their diets.

You need to really let that office know loud and clear how disappointed you are. I had lots of your exact problems. One day - at the office - I let them know. I couldn't take the delays and the poor communication anymore. I let the girls behind the desk know the following : " Listen to me - I am scared. This is a life changing event for me and I need people that are knowledgeable and compassionate. I need help from you people - not to be pushed aside. If you don't have time for me and can't take time to make sure all the things I need for this surgery are ready and correct- then I wish you would have told me that day one. I would not have wasted your time." My legs were shaking. I had never stood up for myself. At home I fired off an email to the office manager and my surgeon. What a difference it made for the rest of my journey. I just had surgery on 01-14-13. And originally, my insurance company denied my request. I appealed - and I won that appeal. If you believe you are on the right path - nothing will stop you. Good luck. Stand up for yourself.