mrs.petethecat

i focused on Protein and calories. for the first 6 months, i stayed between 600-900 calories a day and shot for 60-80 grams of protein. other than avoiding obviously bad things with carbs, i really didn't worry about carbs at all. and the majority of the weight that i lost was in that first 6 months. now, as long as i get my 60-80 protein and stay under 2000 calories a day, i've maintained my 183 lbs weight loss since january.
the important thing to remember is that in order to make changes that will last, you have to make changes that you can live with. yes, you can go all out adkins if you want to, but, is that a lifestyle that you can live with? it's better to find healthy foods that you like and start new eating habits. if you say "i'm cutting carbs for the next 6 months" you may do really well, but what happens after that? find what will work for you forever, and make those changes and you are more likely to have long term success. IMHO.
good luck on your journey.

Just thought i would update my progress : )
I have lost 152lbs WOW!!!!!! OMFG!!!! I had my Surgery 7 months ago!
Life Is Getting Better!
There is HOPE : ) Light at the end of the tunnel!

Are you counting other fluids into your Water quota? They count.
I also count the humidity in the air, I live in Florida.
kidding

2x4NoMore,
Just a question for you to think about. Did you gain all your weight over days, weeks, months, years???? As long as you are moving in the right direction you are winning. It just takes time! Good luck on your journey and stop comparing yourself to others. It is YOUR journey and no one can do it but you. Be patient. It will happen!

The other day i had half of a large Water melon in the fridge, it was in there for awhile but was still good wrapped up in plastic wrap so my sister kids come over and I thought what a good way of getting rid of this to the kids. Well I got the bowls out and started to fill 3 of them, but being a good uncle as i'am, I had a taste to see if is was ok.... OMG is was so good with that teaspoon circle I made, it was so sweet , so I filled their bowls up, there was plenty more left so i went and got 5 more spoon full cuts, after all its just watermelon right??... Worst mistake I did, I think I had 1 too many, I experienced my first (and last) dumping, I was in pain, short of breath, chest pains, watermelon felt like it was all the way up my throat, went on for intense 15 min. I wanted to throw up but I was afraid i rip something so silly me just laid out on the chair all slung out (what I site i must of looked to the kids...lol) then I recovered. So I got up walked in the kitchen and ask if the kids wanted to take home the rest of the watermelon they said no they had one at home. I did not hesitate or blinked my eye i tossed all that sweet tasting melon right in the garbage lesson learned. I had my sleeve surgeon appointment two days later and told him and he just smiled.. I ask "you think I might have hurt something" but assured me i was ok and that Fiber fills up quick . I never have thrown away so much food in my life, so I'm better on buying foods now and I love eating healthy...

I too still have eyes bigger than my stomach. Hard to break that

Better that it ends up in the trash/garbage disposal than on my thighs!
As I see it, my brain is still adjusting to the amount of food it thinks I can eat (eyes are still bigger than the stomach) - I'm wasting food/money, but I'm okay with that versus the alternative.

Never in my life have I had food spoil since getting sleeved (6/19/13). Since I'm just eating a 1/2 cup at each meal there are plenty of left overs, food savers have plum full both the freezers , I use to be the one that ate the left overs but now I've learn to buy less and my food bill has gone down. So far I lost 65lbs and feeling pretty good about myself.

WLS is excluded from many peoples policies... It's sad, but it's final in regards of insurance coverage. There are a few very doable and positive options out there. If you want the surgery bad enough you can find the way.
Some people feel they won't be around long enough to see their retirement/investment monies due to their health .. so why not spend it on your life now?
It's doable.. Good luck

I think your foot Dr. is a heel! lol
I have lost a whole size so far.

BTB I can be happy with that and would be. My problem is that over and over I read "one week out and 15 lbs down" or " 30 lbs my forst month" i expected to lose 1-3 lbs a week after i got rolling. I also expected a really amazing first month though. Almost all of my loss came on the first week then nothing at all for a week. That was basically my food funeral weight gain amount. It's a bummer for me but I will muddle through it. I have no choice.
RJsBeginning, goirish78 and gamergirl thank you all.

Uh.....you had me.....right up till the end where you said in 3 weeks you're only down 11 pounds. So.....you're losing 3.6 pounds per week....approximately. In 6 months that's 93 pounds. In a year that's 186. If you can't be happy with that..........

I am so glad you posted this. I wrestle with my scale daily. I admire you for deciding to weigh once a week. My big battle now is to only weigh once a day because otherwise I'd step on it four times a day! Every time I go into the bathroom, I want to step on, and I force myself not to.
Good luck with your decision. Much healthier all around!

2x4, I think you touched on something really important - that what we envision will happen and what will actually happen are sometimes two different things. Like you, I was sleeved in mid-July and while I have lost some, it's not anywhere near where I'd thought I'd be now. Ultimately, though, I realize that in the end I just want the numbers to go down over the long haul (emphasis on the long), and in the meantime I'll focus on how I'm feeling apart from the numbers.I also bought a fancy scale over a year ago when I was on my last attempt at WWers, and when I started this process, I made a deal with myself that the only "tradition" I'd be carrying over from my dieting days would be weighing once a week on Friday mornings. There are times when it is SO hard to keep myself from hopping on it everyday; the question that I keep coming back to, though, is that for almost 35 years I've lived my life entirely defined by numbers - do I really want to live the rest of my life that way? I've decided that I don't. So I'm going to try really hard to stick to Fridays. We'll see.
Just know that you're not alone and we're always here whenever you need us. Keep up the good work and we'll eventually get to where we're going

The scale is a liar...You are smaller then you think in inches probably...Too bad it did not count those....I never weighed myself before the surgery and decided why would I after...I see so many on here discouraged because of a number..
I weigh myself at the surgeons office about every 8 weeks....And I feel like I can't breath while I am standing there waiting for the verdict....So far there has always been a loss....yeah me!!!!!
But that is not the end all of it....Our minds play tricks on us and we become our own worst enemy by trying to sabotage our sleeve journey.....
Your son is right...It is mind over matter...Think of how you are feeling and how your mind set and health is improving and stay away from the scale......It is deceptive to say the least.....
Your going to lose it all...You are now geared to do it! There is no way you can't unless you abuse the sleeve....
Your on your way kid!!!!!!! Go girl go!!!!!!!!!!!
Ruth

My son had gastric bypass a little over a year ago. He lives in another state. When I prepared for my sleeve he phoned me often to give me tips and bits of wisdom that came from his experience with life after WLS.. One of the main points he pressed was to get rid of my scale. Weighing only at Dr appointments was his advice. Little did he know that my scale obsession had already led me to purchase a professional Drs scale a few years earlier. The one with the sliding weights, not digital. It didn't come cheap. I bought it when I went on one of my larger attempts at weight loss, Atkins I think. I used it daily then until I was secure in the fact that yet another diet had failed, or guess to be honest I should say I had failed. After that the newest object of my affection became an object of contempt. I stopped standing on it and began giving it " the look" whenever I was forced to be in the room with it. I told my husband it was too large and in the way. I asked him to just throw it out. I won't bore you with his opinion of throwing out perfectly working and expensive items. Particuarly when he was armed with all of the reasons I had given him a year earlier of why we should buy it. Lets just say it remained in its place of honor. Instead he suggested choosing a monthly "Weigh Day" actually marking it on a calendar and weighing only then. In between weigh days my current weight would be a non issue. Easy enough. Sure, I can do that. It only takes a bit of self control. It's mind over matter thats all. Excuse me? Does he really know me so little?
Fast forward to today. I find myslf once again stepping on the steel monster 2 x every day. Every time I step away from it angry and usually feeling defeated. If it gives me anything it gives it in 1/2 lb increments. What did I realistically expect weighing so often, right? But realism has little to do with anything when it comes to my scale. Enough! It messes with my feelings. It makes me feel like a loser and not in the weight loss kind of way. It isn't good for me. It hurts me.
Today I will change. I cannot say I will go from one Dr appointment to the other or wait a month for weigh days but as of today I will commit to weighing 1 day per week. I know that I will be devestated if I stand still for 7 days but it is what it is. My son was right. The scale is not my friend. I cannot go back from my surgery. I have a small capacity for food and I always go for Protein first. I get as much protein in as I possibly can daily and sip flavored water all day long. I walk as much as I can and I am trying to get more exercise each day than the day before. The weigh is coming off slowly for me but it will eventually come off. I see I will not have one of those amazing success stories. At 3 weeks I'm only down 11 lbs. from my day of surgery weight. With my slow rate loss my hopes for where I could be at 6 months are dashed. I have to give up that dream now and settle for 6 months being whatever it will be. Thats where I am today.

The only experience I have with Spanx was about 4 yrs ago (weighed 250). They left a roll over the top. Guess the fat has to go SOMEWHERE...

I started out at 340. I am now down to 210. As far as I'm concerned I have lost ALL of my excess body fat. According to some charts, which don't take into account a muscular man, I should weigh 195, that makes it about 92%. I exercise with a passion.
Make it happen!

Statistically sleeve patients lose 60 to 65 percent of their excess weight and keep it off for a period of time...
The difference is, do you want to be a statistic or not? I'm choosing to fight past the 60% and get to a healthy goal that I want.
The sleeve can help you lose the weight but its like everything in life, you get out of it what you put into it..

I am 10 months out and have lost 84% of my excess weight and I am still losing consistently. If you work the program and exercise you will lose what you desire and work for!

Sleeved on 5/23

Loving that I have collarbones again!!

My wagon has gotten a flat tire more than once girlie! Vacations they are hard to rebound from sometimes! the last one took me a good week (or two) of beating back cravings.
Ok the most important thing I see here is the SNEAKY eater! That was (is) me, how I deal. With it now is talk about it. I throw a bright light on it by telling my husband that the behavior is creeping up again when it does... I don't know just telling someone helps, he never thought this surgery would work for me because ad he said
"But Laura you never eat" honesty to him has been very freeing...

You fell off the wagon but the wagon is not going in circles. You are learning, learning leads to power. I am proud of how you are thinking this through. I predict you success!