Chelenka

I am only 4&1/2 months post-op but I can definitely eat more volume that I could a month ago. I have a carb-demon too. I consider it an addiction really. The surgery doesn't cure that, dammit! LOL! However, I've done pretty well thus far by tracking my food intake using the Lose It! App on my phone. I keep track of the calories but also the ratio of Protein, fat and carbs. I find when my pie chart is almost equally divided into thirds between Protein, fat and carbs with a bit more going to the protein I seem to lose at a steadier rate. When the carbs, especially my addiction, sugar and simple carbs, creep up too high it slows things down. The fact that I can eat more already really scares me because my biggest fear is that I'll have gone thru this surgery, lose a ton of weight and then gain it all back. AAAARGH!
pre-surgery weight 325; surgery date 2/28/2013; surgery weight 307; 8 weeks past-op weight 281.4; 12 weeks post-op 274; 4 month post-op 266.2

I was 325 at my first surgical consult. My highest weight though was 360 approx. One year post-op I was 100lbs down to 225, just 5 lbs short of my goal. I'm 6'1" so 220 seemed like a reasonable goal since I've always been obese since childhood. I maintained between 225-230 until last September when my Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer and I started the emotional-eating roller coaster up. The holidays added a few more lbs and i went up to 240. I've been trying to reverse the trend. It is just as though I hadn't had WLS except I'm fighting to lose 15lbs rather than 100lbs. Add a new and stressful job where food is a constant temptation and a knee injury which is keeping me from doing much strenuous exercise and you have the perfect storm of weight-loss challenges.
There is a point after WLS for most of us when we realize that we can eat a little more and that a cookie or candy doesn't cause nausea anymore. Old behavior around food starts creeping back in and the self-sabotage takes over. If you have a history of issues with food and over eating WLS doesn't magically cure that. It is a life-long battle. If you keep doing what you've always done you'll keep getting what you always got. I don't say all this to shame or scare anyone. I just know that it is still a struggle for me and always will be. My body is genetically prone to obesity and my metabolism is extremely slow because of thyroid disease. I can't get the same level of exercise I was engaged in last year but I'm making some changes which seem to be helping so far. I'm cutting out wheat and have been drinking a Protein shake Breakfast. I plan to give the intermittent fasting a try as well.

to all WLS newbies VET's, and everyone else in betwen
Today i celebrated my 62nd birthday
party dance party dance!!!
it's been 4 amazing years since i moved to sleeve land
i was one of the lucky ones that hardly had any problems PO
(not even gas!!)
in my previous life
i wore elastic waist blue jeans to work
they "hid" my rear end !!!
i wore big blouses/t-shirts
I looked great - NOT
didn't care about my appearance
if i didn't look in a mirror - i was "ok"
miserable etc - but that WAS me
fast forward
i have lost 105 lbs!!! GOAL
i feel wonderful, healthy and happy
experienced a lllllllong list of NSV's
and they keep coming
as i was reaching GOAL
my life was changing, improving
loosing the weight improved/got rid of meds and health issues
i "gained" confidence, happiness, - all those great feelings
"those feelings" were always there
couldn't find "them"
they were hiding
under all my blubber!!!
i peeled my excess skin off
feel like wonder women!!!
"we"/most say "WLS is not easy"
mental improvements aren't easy either
getting head/body issues to mesh together
isn't easy either
i'm stlll a work in progress
i look amazing, i really do
"cute as a button" LOL
DOS
12/15/11
235 lbs
57 years OLD

present
130 lbs
GOAL
62 years YOUNG!!!
Happy B'Day to me, today!!!!
my weight is a part of my past, present and future
life gets better and better
i am 5'3 short
but i feel 10 ft tall
congrats to ME
kathy

I started at 325, SW 310. My bmi was 49. My surgeon said I'd be equally successful with the sleeve or bypass, long-term. I've lost 82 lbs in four months with the sleeve, so I'm happy with my choice.

I take a probiotic capsule every day. I think it helps. Lots of Water, benefiber, a strong cup of coffee, chia seeds in your Protein Shake or yogurt, these have all helped. If all else fails a suppository ( sorry if that's TMI).

I am 16 months out. I never made goal I still need to lose 40 pounds . My lowest weight was 173 in August. I had gained weight and was at 187 at my dr. Visit last week. Needless to say my surgeon challenged me to lose 10 pounds in two months. Told him I thouj my sleeve was broken. Turns out I have been grazing. I kept saying few snack won't hurt me. They have killed me and Im so mad at myself. I'm going to Paris in June and want to look fab.
This week went back to basics and have lost 6 pounds since monday. I have gone back to basics as everyone on here suggested and it works. 1 Protein shake in morning , greek yogurt for lunch. Lean Protein for snack when get home from work. Additional lean protein around 7 pm. Also have gotten in all my Water something I never did before. Keeping my carbs at 20 grams and my protein at 90. I am so grateful. That I have this forum to see that I'm not alone on this journey

I was 325 at my first surgical consult. My highest weight though was 360 approx. One year post-op I was 100lbs down to 225, just 5 lbs short of my goal. I'm 6'1" so 220 seemed like a reasonable goal since I've always been obese since childhood. I maintained between 225-230 until last September when my Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer and I started the emotional-eating roller coaster up. The holidays added a few more lbs and i went up to 240. I've been trying to reverse the trend. It is just as though I hadn't had WLS except I'm fighting to lose 15lbs rather than 100lbs. Add a new and stressful job where food is a constant temptation and a knee injury which is keeping me from doing much strenuous exercise and you have the perfect storm of weight-loss challenges.
There is a point after WLS for most of us when we realize that we can eat a little more and that a cookie or candy doesn't cause nausea anymore. Old behavior around food starts creeping back in and the self-sabotage takes over. If you have a history of issues with food and over eating WLS doesn't magically cure that. It is a life-long battle. If you keep doing what you've always done you'll keep getting what you always got. I don't say all this to shame or scare anyone. I just know that it is still a struggle for me and always will be. My body is genetically prone to obesity and my metabolism is extremely slow because of thyroid disease. I can't get the same level of exercise I was engaged in last year but I'm making some changes which seem to be helping so far. I'm cutting out wheat and have been drinking a Protein shake Breakfast. I plan to give the intermittent fasting a try as well.

Just wanted to share a before and after. Before pic is from Christmas - 378 lbs. Other pic is today- 288 lbs. 5 months ago yesterday I started my preop diet. I couldn't really see the difference until I look at these. Crazy!!! And ignore the dirty bathroom. ???? 

I was sleeved about 18 months ago, the bulk weight flew off and I have been hovering around the same weight all of this year . I'm pretty happy. Wear I am even though I'm still plus sized I look very skinny to anyone that has known me went from 338 to 181 living comfortably in my 12/14 pants and large/xl shirts. I have noticed that recently I can eat a lot more then I could before so I may go back to having a shake for Breakfast again and try to get off the last 6 lbs that would get me to my goal !

It's been 2 years since my surgery. I am now 220 started at 400, sleeved at 360.

Good for you! I hope you'll share some photos soon. You are already beautiful so now you are stunning!

My highest weight ever before my 6 month supervised diet was 346. My pre op diet I was 314 day of surgery 297. today I'm 227. There is hope out there for everyone, its a struggle but as long as we keep reminding ourselves of how great we feel and how far we've come we will all be successful in our weight loss!

I am really liking my Soma bras. Went in their store, got measured and have picked up 2 in their store and 2 online all on sale. They are worth a shot.

I had my surgery on 5/8/15 and weighed 381, I am now down to 331 for a total of 50 lbs. lost in just under 3 months. I can live with that!!! Next, another 50 lbs...

Emotional eating is very hard to control and I struggle with it all the time. I knew that I was an emotional eater pre-surgery but didn't realize the full extent of it. I was knee deep in de-nile! LOL! Becoming conscious of your eating triggers and behavior is half the battle. Also, make sure you are eating enough Protein and eat some healthy fat like avocado or organic unaltered butter, organic nut butter and the like to help combat hunger. Stay away from sugar and simple carbs, drink your Water, etc. We got this!

Yeah that doesn't work for me. Unless I see it in a log it's to hard to keep track of. Even with the sleeve my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I don't pull out nearly as much as I used to before surgery, but it is usually still a bit to much.

Some of you know me well as I have been around a long time... but for back story I was pretty hopeless about losing weight and especially maintaining it when I began this sleeve journey. I had "failed" with the lapband in an epic way and by the time I revised to the sleeve I was well over 300# (although down from my lifetime recorded high of 332# while banded). I was super morbidly obese and spent a lot of years there. I felt aged beyond my years and besides feeling physically miserable, I was certainly NOT an object of attention from the opposite gender. Hell, i never even had a chubby chaser interested in me.
(I did have a serious relationship, I have never been a loner, but my point is I have always been one to focus on intelligence and personality, not looks or body)
Because of my active lifestyle, I have mostly had slender friends even when I was obese. I never went out for girls night with them, never went dancing, I felt like I didn't belong in those settings. So, after losing a bunch of weight, I had plastics and am now maintaining. I social with lots of people now and feel like i fit in many places, but am still sometimes surprised at my own preconceived notions.
Currently, I am about 5# over my goal and about 25# over my lowest weight - I am 3.5 years post sleeve so this is frankly pretty typical. It can get a little discouraging as I am having a heck of a time re-losing this weight. I am fine at my current size, but i was finer thinner haha... so it is still something I want. You know how your state of mind is when your favorite jeans are too tight.... that is where i am!
Okay, now my NSV Story!
I went out to the racetrack on the 3rd for a big girls day of races and fireworks. I went with 3 very attractive ladies who are all naturally very trim. They range from tiny cute as a pixie (Which also makes her look really young) to that tall blond skinny model look (two of those, one fairly boyish looking the other more curvy - both very very attractive). Anyway, all 4 of us are unloading the cooler, doing stuff getting ready to go in. I was applying sunscreen. this really really really attractive man - probably about 40 (we are all about 50) walks by and looks right at me and smiles and says "need any help with that?". All of us freeze as it processes... he is talking to ME! What? I smiled at him as he walked away (it was only later I thought I should have said "YES") and one of the ladies said "this is going to be a good day".
I don't spend alot of time comparing myself to others, I really don't. But after a lifetime of obesity, super morbid obesity - you never expect to be the one in your group of attractive friends to get the notice.
Looks don't actually matter that much - one of the ironies i have learned in this journey, but it still felt good and my friends were all very happy for me too... That also makes me feel good that they are so pleased with my successes.

Chelenka I hear what your saying and I know that honesty like yours causes people to become very defensive, ( without even knowing it's called guilt), but to hear what you have to say is very necessary, those of us that are new to all this can learn from veterans like you, I knew going into this that if I wanted to be successful I had to have certain things in place, my mind set plays a major part in this, I used to have a teacher who said that the mind and body that can be balanced and healthy and create a beautiful continuing circle, unhealthy body and the kind suffers, unhealthy mind and the body suffers, I never understood this balance until after my surgery, I am far from perfect and make many mistakes, but I refuse to overlook them and I try to not repeat them, I make comparisons of myself to an alcoholic, it helps me understand my psyche better, 1 turns to 2, 2 turns to 3.............., so I learned to not even start on those things, if I want a dessert because I take my wife out to dinner and hers looks awesome I will then take a bite of hers and not order one, with an understanding that I will not do that every time we go out, and if can't say ok to myself then I say NO!to myself, this is and always will be a constant battle with myself, but the more small victories I have the easier it becomes, don't give up, you have come to far, and if what you say sets even one person straight then you have done more than most, be strong, if your kicking then your breathing, and if your breathing keep kicking!!!!

Twenty months out 100 lbs lots at last- today is going to be a good day
Normal bmi as an added bonus!!! Hope to still drop a bit more 4-5 then I will have to figure out the maintenance thing????

I'm still here, too. Two and a half years out, maintaining for well over a year, and still so happy I had WLS. I also have had lots of plastics, and I gotta say, I'm looking and feeling better than I did in my 30s and 40s! Not so bad

18 months postop and down 90 pounds. So happy with my decision- at goal for 6 months and losing a pound every month or two now. Still tracking every bite and expect to continue to all my life. Keeping it under or about 1000 calories a day to maintain which is less than I expected but this tool makes it tolerable. BEST DECISION EVER!!

I am jo ann age 57 6 weeks today post op sleeve

I had an endoscopy and it showed that my sleeve is twisted like a corkscrew, that's the best way I can describe it. There is a bit of a pouch on the end of it. (I don't like using the word pouch, but that's what the surgeon called it). The food is not emptying properly, it backs up. So it causes the Gerd and has caused slight sleeve distention (stretching).... I also had a barium swallow. So my surgeon does believe a revision is my best option. As far as I can find on sleeve Angulation it is a late term side effect.....oh and I have a nice size Hiatal Hernia...
I was a very slow loser with the sleeve, however I did loose 50% of my excess weight (w/pre-op). I am just not sure even without getting pregnant if I would have made it to goal and I think 1200 cal would be my limit. I never thought it would be easy, but I also never thought it would be this hard. I never experienced a honeymoon phase. I lost weight month 1, but lost nothing in months 2 & 3.
I was very active in the forum and had a difficult time processing why my journey seemed so hard the 1st 9 months. I am currently seeing NUT again and will start attending group for post surgery patients.
We always see a lot if the great success stories here. I think those like me, stop participating because the outcome was not what was expected or never see goal. Even if you are doing everything right, by drs orders and then come to the forums the remarks can be discouraging. There is a huge percentage of people that obviously fail because they did not do what they were suppose to do. But trust, there are those of us that are out here that had a difficult time out the surgical suite. And yes, I got pregnant 8 months earlier than my surgeons recommended time frame....so I will slap my own hand for that.

I think people get hung up on what is "typical" and lose sight of the fact that we are all individuals. Every step of the way through WLS, people have different experiences both mentally and physically. Some people lose very quickly, so much more slowly. Some experience extreme nausea and vomiting, some never throw up once. Some develop intolerance to certain foods, some can eat anything. Some have ongoing, severe GERD, some have none at all. Some experience dumping with high-sugar foods, some can eat sugar without issue.
We all have to work within the parameters of our own bodies. What works for one, or even most, doesn't necessarily work for all. Unfortunately, some people get a "raw deal" and WLS doesn't benefit them the way it does others. Those people have to work harder and struggle more and that really really sucks. We can all hope it doesn't end up that way for us, but we need to acknowledge that it does end up that way for some people and we need to be caring and supportive of those people, instead of accusatory and judgmental. And more importantly, for those that do have a harder time with loss and maintenance, they need to not be accusatory and judgmental of themselves! They need to not label themselves as failures, which I see all too often on these forums and it breaks my heart.

I am still here, LIfe is just so busy I do not have time to post nor read the board like I used to. Still loving my sleeve, I did read somewhere if you are craving sugar, that is a sign you are not getting enough Protein.... not saying that is a fact, but maybe somthing to it.. Still recommending to people... and then they thank you.. Drink that Water... Loving Life!!