jenpez

I am 5'6" or 167cm. No body ever gave me a goal weight. Everyone just supported my weight loss on the way down. I have been around 55kg since the middle of July so I guess I have stopped losing and this can be my goal. I am quite happy being this weight.

It occurred to me that not many people who have no problems really tell their story and that people doing their research may need to hear some success stories. I am a lurker, I read some of the posts on some of the threads some of the time! In May 2013 I weighed my heaviest ever at 234lbs. I have spent my life and a small fortune going to various diet groups, mainly weight watchers, but also others that provide food etc. I have also done every diet imaginable. I cannot remember ever feeling thin, I remember my first "diet" at about 7 years of age. My parents were fat and are both now dead from Type 2 diabetes related illnesses, I could see the writing on the wall. In June 2013 I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I had terrible pain in my knees from arthritis and decided I had to do something drastic. I had never heard of Grehlin, or leptin or gut biomes. So I started some serious research into weight loss surgery and so did my GP (PCP). He found me a surgeon and on August 7th 2013 I had my Sleeve surgery. In the first 12 months after surgery I travelled to Houston for 2 weeks, to New Zealand for a week to the UK for Christmas, to Sydney (Australia) for a long weekend, to India, Israel and Jordan, and then back to the UK for 5 weeks to visit my grandchildren. While in India I turned 60 and on that day I weighed 60.6 Kg (133.8lbs) I don't usually travel this much it just happened to be the year. Despite all of the travelling and having to find the right food to eat I managed to just continually lose the weight, no stalls, no complications just round about a kilogram each week. Of course I lost some hair, I expected to. However because I had done a lot of research I was not overly concerned and It is all growing back quite well. Some of the things I did along the way are:- I tracked every meal every day on MFP. I walked every day, not a lot, just enough to make me feel good and exercise my dog. I only weighed myself once each week. I tried my best to get the right amount of Protein and Fluid in but it was really about 9 months before I could actually manage to do this. I was, and still am religious about not eating and drinking at the same time, or drinking my nutrients, the only nutrients I drink is my once a day skinny Cappuccino which is my morning snack and gives me 7gm of protein. I stopped the Protein shakes at about 6 weeks post op mainly because they are carb loaded and they don't meet my no drinking nutrients guide lines. I took, and still take, Vitamin 'gummies' on most days. My blood levels have been great and I am sure this helps. Now I am 14months post op I have weighed between 54 and 55kg (120-123lbs) for the last couple of months. I now no longer track on MFP because I pretty much eat the same or similar things each day. I still walk and have even been known to make a mad dash across a park to catch the dog! I have added some low GI things to stop myself from continuing to lose, mainly nuts and also things like 'low fat' instead of 'no fat' yoghurt and the occasional piece of 'fat' cheese, and I mean occasional, not daily or even weekly. I get about 60 - 70gms of protein each day and the rest of my diet is low GI, I eat fruit and small amounts of veggies and some bread and sweet potato, really a normal diet. I don't add or have any sugar apart form those that occur naturally in fruit and veggies. I can eat about 3/4 cup of food in one meal if it has dense protein and about a cup if not. My butt must have been HUUUUUGE because I now have so much skin that when I sit, I sit on layers and folds of skin and it is very uncomfortable. So on November 17th I am having a butt lift and blephoroplasty (eyelid lift). This is the best thing I have ever done in my life. I have a wonderful and supportive husband and family. I tell people if they ask sometimes and sometimes I don't. I don't really care what they think, part of the freedom of being 60! There have been a lot of people on this forum along the way who have come and gone who helped without even knowing and I sincerely thank them. I have never been this skinny in my life and I love it!

No more fibromyalgia since surgery and my surgeon never wants me to have ibuprofen again! I have once had some arthritis after a very long walk over rough ground but relieved with paracetamol.

I was 59 when I had my surgery 10 months ago. I am now at goal and have lost over 100lbs. Yes saggy skin, yes wrinkles but no fibromyalgia, no aching knees and little chance of developing the diabetes that both of my parents had. My husband still loves me, saggy skin and all ! I feel great and have more energy and better health. This is the best thing I have ever done for myself. Go for it and best of luck!

I could eat fresh raspberries from quite early on. 10 at a time was and still is my limit. I can also eat about 3 largish strawberries or a tablespoon or so of blueberries. I could not eat apples until I was about 8 months out. Watermelon was ok. I started with about 50gm/2oz. I can now eat about 100 gm. Have not tried bananas yet. Have a bit of a problem with pears because I only like them crunchy! Mandarins and oranges are ok for me too. It's all trial and error really.

My husband thinks the surgeon operated on my temperature sensor because I am always so cold now. Good luck with the weigh in. You must be in the Southern Hemisphere if winter is coming. Big congratulations on your loss so far, fantastic!

The thread is this whole set of comments following the original post - OP. A single comment is a post. Me answering your questions on this thread is called a hijack! However I can't leave you feeling miserable and depressed so here are a few ideas. Did you track to lose the weight? Whether you did or not start tracking. Most people use My Fitness Pal, but a pencil and paper would do. Can you go back to the surgeon and see if you need a refill or whatever they do? I had the Gastric Sleeve so I am not sure about Bands. Did you have a dietician or nutritionist? Can you go back to that person or find a new one? Is there a support group near you? Your Surgeons office will be able to tell you about these. Did you exercise to lose? Whether you did or not start right now, even if you just walk for half an hour each day. Are you able to keep bad food choices out of your home? Can you make your home a little safe island away from these bad food choices? About feeling pretty, I completely understand. I wear a BB cream and lipstick every single day now. There is something about putting lipstick on that makes me feel good! Weird huh? Hope this helps you get back on track and sorry OP, about the hijack. Love Jen.

Only ask this question because I can't find the rules about posting on this area. I am 10 months out, I am at goal and have lost just over 105 lbs. I have some questions about maintenance. Historically I have never been good at this since first diet aged 7 yrs or so.

Thanks for the answers. I will go onto the site tomorrow. I usually just do everything on my iPad. No problem to wait a couple of months anyway. I may have answers to my questions by then as well.

I think what happens to people is that this surgery becomes so much a last chance thing and if you fail what then? I, for one, have failed at so many diets over my time that I know failure better than success, a stall or a gain would definitely have signified the beginning of failure for me and if I had no where else to turn I would come to this forum for comfort. I can see that for some people there is not time to sit back and smell the roses while meditating over the journey. Sometimes co-morbidities are so overwhelming that time taken is important, some people are older when they find out about or save up enough for the surgery. I am not saying you shouldn't feel frustrated about some of these posts, I am just trying to help you understand why some people need to post . Another thing I have noticed is that people post using different Apps or even devices and with some of the Apps for some devices it is quite hard to find your way around the forum so searching becomes a problem so they start a new thread, or they are so new to the forum and they want some instant reassurance. I too get frustrated with some of these people so I just move on to another thread, but sometimes I am in a better mood to cope and might try to help them. About yoga, I would love to learn but so far have not found out where to go to learn, so far everyone I have met is an expert and they can't even tell me where to begin. Now that I am thin enough to contemplate wearing the required clothes and old enough to not care what I look like in them, or what I look like doing the poses, I am quite interested in a beginner class.

I lost about 1 kg per week consistently week after week after week. No stalls! No massive losses! Just followed the instructions. I have never consistently lost this amount week after week on any other diet programme. Congratulations on this loss! It means you are on track and following the programme. Don't push too hard to eat too much too soon. This is massive surgery and your new sleeve will still be quite swollen for months yet.

Congratulations. You look wonderful. I have especially loved reading your posts, you are truly inspiring. Also loved all of the changing lips!

Hi Kelly, Misty,and Lissa, I have had a break from the forum for a while, it was making me obsessive. So have just come back recently. I would love to see you all again some time you were all very inspiring for me. I am at goal now and turned 60 last month. For any body interested here are my stats Highest weight - 5/6/2013 - 106.1kg Surgery weight - 7/8/2013 - 97.7kg Current weight - 27/5/2014 - 57.9kg Goal weight - was never given one Total loss since highest weight - 48.2kg Height - 167 cm Surgeon - Dr Greg Nolan at Pindara.

Hi kadybug I live in Surfers! Had my surgery last August. Who was your surgeon?

I am 10 months out and at or below goal. I eat about 1000 cals per day. I eat a huge variety of food but always protein first, then veges then a little bit of starch like sweet potatoes or quinoa. My understanding of what happens to bread is that on its way down the oesophagus the peristaltic movement causes it to ball up then when it reaches your stomach it feels like rocks landing. I have bought a whole sourdough loaf and sliced really thin slices, about quarter of an inch thick, then toasted the slice to have tuna or egg on for lunch. This one slice will have 2gm of protein! I could not have eaten any bread before about 8 or 9 months out, and I have it about once every couple of weeks now because it is yummy and makes a nice change. I am trying to have a normal diet and not say no to too many things. I don't have pasta, and only ever have a teaspoon of rice if ever. I have had weight watchers ice cream but it is a special treat. I have made some bad choices but just treat these as a learning process and move on, it don't call any of my choices cheats, just poor choices. I am hoping that by having a large variety of food I will not get bored and will better manage to maintain the new skinny me. Good luck to you all.

When I was fat I felt nothing looked good on me, so just settled for what looked the most respectable. There were also a limited number of places that sold things for my size. I never bought a fashion magazine because.... Really what was the point! Clothes shopping was to be endured, not enjoyed. Bras were basically boring. All underwear was uncomfortable! Then I got to a size 14 and I could not imagine ever getting any smaller than that, even as a teen I was about a size 14.. I was thrilled everything looked quite good on me. A huge number of shops opened up to me and it took me ages to decide which of any number of clothing items to purchase. I did buy some more expensive items, then dropped to a size 12. So I found a really good clothing alteration place and had a few things made smaller. I started buying Vogue magazine to find out what was really in fashion, and In Style magazine to find out what fashionable items were more affordable and where to get them. Now I am a size 8 - 10. Trying to learn how to maintain this weight and really learning about my shape and what does and does not suit me. I used to be a pear shape. I have no idea what shape I would be called now apart from "saggy". Sadly Coochie shorts have never, and will never, suit me, maybe the poor girl in the photo just wanted to feel sexy? My clothing sizes are in Australian, I am 10 months out from surgery and have lost just over 100 lbs, I am 5'6" and have just turned 60.

On Christmas Day I had one glass of Moet & Chandon champagne. I was 4 nearly 5 months post op. Since then I have had a couple more. I decided that if I was going to have wine or bubbles it would be the good stuff. Not a big drinker anyway. I am still here! It didn't make me sick or gassy or drunk. One of my other decisions was to never put anything into my new stomach that had no nutritional value, or that could damage that little sleeve! So coke would not be my choice but if you are obsessing about it, have a half glass and see if it still appeals. This is a choice you have to make, and we all have to make these choices every day for ever. Sometimes our choices turn out to be the wrong ones. Just move on and remember which are the right choices.

It's only human to compare, we all do it. It's what you do with the comparison that is important. If mentally tossing the comparison aside is easy for you then good. If not you need to try not to or tell yourself things that make the comparison less valid. Age, start weight, height, geographical and cultural differences, knowledge or lack of about nutrition all change stats. I am 10 months and well below everyone else's goals for me but about where I want to be. Now I just have to learn how to maintain. ie stop losing without gaining!!

Hi lucky, so sad to hear you have had this experience with professional people. All I can say is that even in the medical profession someone comes at the bottom of the class!

To Aguafria6. Are you really telling me that your brother in law would want your sister to do things the "hard" way? Is this not some sort of spousal abuse? And what century are they living in that he thinks it is up to him? Your sister has a few issues to sort out!

Seriously? When did these ignorant people get their medical degree? If they don't have a medical degree why are you listening to them? Never ever has major surgery been considered a trivial option or "easy way out", and this IS Major surgery.

Multivitamin tablets!

Multivitamin t alerts. Even the smell of them. I have to have the gummies which I looooooove!

There is quite a lot if stuff on here about lightweights! What the? I was considered a light weight - who knew? My BMI was only 38! Only! Apparently lightweights have a tougher time losing! Also, I was OLD, and apparently OLD people have a tougher time losing! My surgeon initially set quite a high goal weight. He didn't actually tell me this weight, it's just that I am very good at reading upside down, even script. (This comes in handy when dealing with Bankers, Lawyers and car or insurance salesmen). I am convinced surgeons set high goal weights to make their statistics look better! That said! It might be easier to deal with a higher weight goal at the beginning when it is all so overwhelming. Personally I did not have this major surgery to still be overweight. I wanted to be normal! So here are my stats:- Highest weight - 106.1kg/234lbs. June 5 2013. BMI 38 Surgery weight - 97.7kg/215lbs. August 7 2013 Current weight - 57.9kg/127.6lbs. May 29 2014. BMI 20.8 Height - 167cm/5'6" Age. I turned 60 on April 28th. Had my birthday in Mumbai at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and flew to Israel that night. Exercise - wear a Fitbit and aim for 8000 steps per day plus do a bit of cycling. I guess I am now at goal! And at 10 months out I am still not considered a veteran! PS. I live in Australia.

What does your heart say? Do you have co-morbidities? Have you explored options like visiting with a psychologist to help you sort out your issues? Have you written a list of pros and cons? Done a mind map? As much as we all need support from our friends and family, in the end we have to do the work, and it is work. Have you really talked to you loved ones? You might be surprised to learn that they would rather have you around for longer, feeling fitter and being healthy. There are lots of people on this forum who told very few people, some told no-one. I chose the VSG because it had the best long term results, because my GP and surgeon felt it was the best option for me and because I had done a lot of research. At the time my problems with bad health due to obesity were just beginning to show but I knew that for sure I would have lots of problems in the future if I didn't do something drastic. I am now 9 months out and have reached my goal, lost over 47kg (100lbs+) I am now learning to maintain. Best decision of, and for my life! Good luck with your decision making. Alex Brescher who is the moderator/creator of this forum has written a brilliant book, you can down load it. It was one of my deciding factors.