miangr

I am three months out today and I have been struggling with the mental aspect of this. I have lost 33lbs since surgery, 66lbs overall. During the holidays I slid, a lot. I was bound and determined to get back on track once the new year started, but I find I am still having issues. I am now in a mental battle with myself to do what needs to be done. I look at my scars and get mad that I am wasting this awesome tool that I have. Yet I find myself still reaching for "sliders" and eating with abandon. I am trying, it isn't like every meal every day is junk. (which has been my only saving grace not to gain) Yet I know if I followed my plan better and exercised like I should I would be much further ahead than I am. I think yesterday I recognized one thing that might be holding me back, mentally speaking. I dawned on me I cannot imagine, at all, myself thin. My current weight of 250lbs is the lowest I have been in probably 13+ years. I cannot really remember what it felt like to be in "onederland". I still feel like a fat chick because, quite honestly, I am. I get compliments and kudos for the weight I have lost. And while I don't sneeze at the fact I HAVE lost 66lbs, I have a lot of fear I won't ever get lower. ( Which may be another reason for my self sabotage) I need a LOT of reflection and determination to get the train back on track. I am not giving up, I refuse to do that. I just need to dig deep and figure out why I am allowing food to ruin a good chance at health. I need to get back the drive and fire I had when I was going into this. I need to remember how bad I really wanted this and take it home... I never want to give up, and I hope you don't either.

From a 18/20 to a 10/12! I bought a gorgeous Kelly green dress today in a 10. I am so stoked. I moved a little in my stall....thank goodness! Started keeping a food journal again. I am getting in about 1000-1200 calories, 80 grams of Proteins, 20-30 net carbs per day, 20-30 grams of fat. Working out. Snacks are Ostrim Snacks and Quest Bars. Surgery was end of February. I am so happy I did this. I cannot believe i am down 76lbs.

Give it time. I am 9 months out, down 111 lbs., from a size 34 to a 22 & none of it happened how I thought. You can eat perfectly & exercise & the scale won't move. You can lose 50 lbs. & not one size. I just went 4 full weeks without losing any weight at all...absolutely ZERO change on the sale but lost 2 sizes. It can be frustrating, but have faith in yourself & the process. Follow your nutrition & exercise program & the rest will fall into place eventually.

I got the whole "wow you've lost a lot of weight!" "Are you sick"! Its like Gee thanks!

Is their anyone that has not lost weight with the sleeve? I'm just so scared that I will have this surgery and I will be a failure or I won't loose weight... I'm hearing how much weight everyone is loosing in 3-6 months ... Could that really be me in a few months?? Ugh I don't know how to feel :-(

In all honesty I'm almost 2 months out and I haven't lost since my first 3 weeks basically. So meaning I've been in a stall for a month lol. It is frustrating to be in a stall so long especially at the beginning because I think it just reminds us of all the times we have failed. No I don't need to loose 100 lbs in 3 months but at least 15 over the next month

I am two months post op and have been for a stall for four weeks now. I have tried changing my food and exercise and still no results.

It happened to me too. Then after the month long stall I lost maybe a pound a week for another month. At about 4 months or little longer the weight just started dropping. I didn't do anything different. I just started losing pounds. I'm just over 5 months now and losing a couple pounds a week on a good week and a pound or so the rest of the time. Don't let it frustrate you. It's just part of the deal for some and undoubtedly you will lose more. I guess that happens when your body gets good and ready to let it go:)

Lately I've seen a TON of posts about lucky sleevers that drop 100 pounds in six months.
Congrats to them and to their loss. And I would never, ever begrudge anyone the right to crow about a fantastic success. It's part of why we're all here, to share the ups and downs of this surgery!
But frequently, these posts are followed by folks that feel frustrated because they aren't losing at the same pace. All too often, we forget that everyone loses at a different pace. It's easy to lose sight of the real goal (long term maintenance) in the face of the scale goals we set for ourselves. And it's also easy to forget that this isn't a race and that there's no special prize waiting at the end for reaching goal more quickly.
I would like to contribute my loss pattern so that people can see that there is more than one way to achieve a goal. Being successful is about reaching your personal goals, overcoming your personal food demons and maintaining your weight loss for life. It's not about hitting goal in nine months.
I encourage everyone else with a slow loss story to contribute their successes here as well. It's hard to research this surgery and find only the stories about extremes - people completely thrilled with surgery or people that regret every minute of life post op. The same goes for loss. When people search out stories on this, it's too easy to only find rapid loss or stall posts but nothing showing the more realistic and moderate journey many of us take. The sleeve is a permanent tool that does not have a special window of easy weight loss. There is no reason to feel discouraged when you haven't reached goal at one year out, or even two. There is nothing preventing you (short of your own body's natural stopping point) from achieving or re-achieving goal at any point post op.
I lost 60 pounds in the first five months after my surgery.
And I slowly lost 32 pounds over the next seven months.
It took me another five months to shed the final 15 pounds to my goal.
I lost 107 pounds over the course of 17 months. I stalled twice for nine weeks each time. I had months where I only lost one pound. I regularly experienced a gain of three pounds around my cycle, and often only lost weight in the last week to ten days of the month, after sitting at the same weight for nearly three weeks.
I am a success, and at 2.5 years out (and currently pregnant) I still have good, healthy eating habits and maintained my weight loss quite easily. Even 30 weeks pregnant, I am still wearing a size 6/small (in maternity clothes, of course) regardless of how I feel about my expanding body!
I learned what was important on this journey and am in better health today (not just physically, but mentally and emotionally), than I have ever experienced as an adult.
Good luck to those currently on their journey, and I encourage everyone to share their stories here so that newly sleeved folks can see that slow vs. fast loss doesn't really matter in the end.
~Cheri

I'm so scared that this will fail like all my other attempts. I'm so happy for you. Did you feel like I do?

Started exercising when it no longer Hurt to laugh or sneeze lol. I started at 4 weeks. I'm currently in week 5 and I'm walking/joggin 2.5 miles and weight lifting and feel fine. Just make sure to do what you can handle

Surgey date: 3/20/13
Surgery Weight: 349
Current Weight: 283
When I look in the mirror I still look the same. But when I look at this...
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I just feel like I'm lifting weights rather than actually strength training lol. How do you strength train w/o a professional because I'm too broke for a trainer

Congratulations girl! That is so exciting!!! I can't wait until I am there with ya!

I am 10 weeks out and frustrated by a 5 week plateau. I am going to have to start working out HARDER- but I thought the weight loss would be a little more consistent during at least the first 6 months!

Yep, I did. And was not happy with it. I began at 496lbs and am 5'10". I never imagined I would ever come close to 250, let alone where I am now. I was very fortunate and was down to 200lb at one year post op. I became so fixated on getting to a "normal" BMI, which for me would be 174lbs, that I just kept doing the things I had been to lose. I got down to 177. Woo Hoo me, right? Nope. I felt like crap, my joints hurt when jarred (like jumping down from a ladder) and I did not like how I looked, my face was way too thin for my comfort. My body fat was less than 9% which, per my DR was too low. So for the first time in my life I made a conscientious decision to gain weight. (How crazy is that!) I am now living my life in the weight range between 185 and 195 with a body fat between 12-14%. I feel great, look relatively good and can do all the activities at the level I want at this weight range. Can one lose too much? I believe they can. I do think that each individual needs to make the determination of their ideal weight range is based on their lifestyle and it should not be based on charts or what is "normal".

I can't do that at seven weeks PO. Just do your best!
Don't force yourself to keep eating if you don't want it, either. liquids are most important right now. Just try to up your Protein a bit every few days. At your stage, I was getting 24-30 of each max, but most days it was one or the other.
I am still hovering around 40 of each, but my healing has been slower than most. You will get there,

It depends on your Drs. recommendations. I am one month out, and I can eat pretty much anything, I just need to chew it well. My dr said I can eat anything except bread, rice, Pasta, nuts, popcorn, seeds, fresh fruits and veggies. I can do canned fruits and veggies, but not fresh. He said to eat Protein first, then veggies, and if I have any room, then fruits. But every Dr is different. I've been eating a lot of Soups, chili, egg salad, tuna salad, scrambled eggs, cream of wheat, high Fiber dry Cereal, egg drop Soup, tons of greek yogurt, moist chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, string cheese, baked Beans, black beans, lasagna without the noodles, lots of fish, turkey meatballs.

I have the exact same problem . I had to do something because I felt like I would end up in the ER for dehydration. I would wake up with an extremely dry tongue and ravaged at ice when I got the chance. I have found that I being only 2 wks out I can't get in both all Proteins and liquids.
I need to buy Isopure I heard its easier to take down because of the thinness.
How's the taste? Does it have that after Protein taste?

Hi!
I have a question. Yesterday I woke up feeling very thirsty. I got up and took my meds and drank my Protein Shake that I tend to sip throughout the day. Yesterday I felt so thirsty right after lunch that from that point on that I stopped drinking my shake so I can fit as much Water in as possible.
I just woke a bit ago and I feel so thirsty! I weighed myself and I lost 5 pounds in 2 days. My ave has been about a pound a day. Is this normal? Am I doing the right thing by drinking water instead of my Protein? I drink Isopure. I find water to be way more thirst quenching. I am struggling to get my protein in but I am getting in more as each day passes
I am 12 days post op.
Thanks in advance!

I had cream of wheat in the hospital so I came home eating oft foods like that. Some things didn't go over well but it was a learning process. 2 weeks it is when I got the official word that I can have the pureed foods

im going on week two and getting protein in is extremely difficult with just shakes, especially since they are thick and gross. I cant wait until i can eat the majority of my protein with good foods.

Day 6 was my.....WTF did I do day!? I think most (not all) experience this in the beginning. Just remember what you & your new tummy just went through! All I can say now is, each day gets better & better! My day 6 was at night & lasted maybe 10 whole minutes......Thanks to my amazing supportive hubby!

2 weeks before surgery I was 325...
The day of I was 296
Today, about 2 months later I'm 242
To anyone who gets worried that the weight won't melt off just stick to the plan and slowly start to hit the gym. My goal is 220 before the end of August and I'm sure ill hit it.

Week Two: Greek yogurt, pureed Soup, thin oatmeal, pudding, fudgesicles, applesauce, milk....
Week Three: Cottage cheese, mushy veggies, bananas, eggs, soft/moist baked fish, natural nut butters....