erikalexandra19

Terri, you have to make 100 posts before you can post in Vets forum.
This is a very individual subject and I would like to share my perspective of someone who lost significant weight and been at goal for nearly 2 years
(3 years post op)
My lifetime highest recorded weight was 332 - but I think I was in the 350s at some point - my start weight for the sleeve was 308. I am 5'5".
when I got under 200# I had all my family telling me I was "skinny" etc. My friends thought i looked wonderful and I felt comfortable. I was physically able to enjoy things in life, but frankly still had a comfortable layer of fat. I would say I looked like a fairly typical middle aged woman. My weight loss had crawled to a near halt and I spent some time thinking about what I really wanted.
Conclusion I came to is that i wanted to be trim/fit...or HAWT as is often said here. I made a big push and got to my goal of 158. My shoulders and chest looked bony, but that is because that is what happens after massvie weight loss. I looked less bony at 140 (which I dropped down to later) because weight redistributed.
So, people who didn't know me as obese, think I look good/great at my current weight. My sisters still think I am WAY too thin and they thought I weighed more like 125 versus 140-150, until I set them straight. My point is that you will always have people uncomfortable with what you choose.Flip side, I would have been absolutely fine and healthy settling on the 180-190 range. I think losing the last 30-50 pounds is more vanity than health related. I LIKE being in single digit clothing, being able to wear junior sizes readily etc. (When I got to 140 I had trouble finding pants small enough at my discount store Ross cuz I have a skinny butt).
Then there is maintenance.
I personally think that a healthy goal weight is first priority.
After that, it is a trade off between vanity and maintainability. I would LOVE to weigh 125-130 range but that isn't going to happen because it is quite some work for me to stay in the 140s...in fact I bounced up into the 150s over the last few months.
So, don't let other people's ideas control your thinking on this. Be healthy, don't get obsessed with the scale or thinness, but do what pleases you and what you can live with over the long haul.
BTW, you have had amazing results - I hope you feel so proud of our accomplishments!!!!!!!!

Fallen off the wagon is an understatement... In fact it's rolled over me a few times lol but I get back on again and again.
Old habits are hard to break. I'm going to try the low carb thing and start to count my carbs. After losing over 150 pounds pathetic weight loss began to slow down... I believe low carbs is the key. Thanks for the suggestion.

I love this strategy! I may incorporate something like this

Thank you.. Will start tracking... I havent slacked in the exercise part.. But carbs are creeping up...

Thank you!! Yes, carbs are my downfall Will read into it

For me , carbs were my downfall. I recommend you read Gary Taub's Good Calories, Bad Calories. It completely changed my outlook. I now track carbs, not calories, and eat high fat and 70+g of Protein a day. I limit my carbs to no more than 15 g at a time, usually far less, and no more than 45 g per day. I started this a few months ago. I am never hungry. Have gone from size 8 to size 6. If you are addicted to carbs like I am, read the books on this topic and give it a try for a few weeks. I will eat like this for the rest of my life. Yes, I do have bad days when I indulge in high carb treats. But that is the minority, I enjoy it, then I go back to my low carb regimen. It works, that's all I can say.

I was very fortunate in that I was not hungry at all for 2-3 months post op. I ate because I knew I should. When my hunger returned it wasn't as intense as before, and by then I had established my new eating habits which helped a LOT. Now I eat every 4 hours (8a, 12n, 4p and 8p), and I keep my carb intake as low as humanly possible. Both factors contribute to my never being hungry for very long at a time.

What keeps me on track when I could never stick to a diet before:
The feeling of satisfaction / fullness after each meal, plus the decreased hunger, is the main thing that makes it possible for me to stick to the plan. I do get head hunger sometimes, and when I can't ignore it I have a big glass of Water, a SF popsicle or some SF Crystal Light. I've lost a significant amount of weight doing this, so I KNOW it works. I will be da**ed if I'm going to throw away the $12,500 I paid out of my pocket to have this done, not to mention all the work I've done (and the goodies I've resisted eating) to get to this point. Sometimes I just repeat to myself, as many times as necessary "I'm not going to eat that. Not gonna do it. There will be goodies available when I'm at my goal." The support available on this site and on the Facebook group I belong to is PHENOMINAL. It helps SO much, especially at those times when family/friends would probably beat me to death if I mention one more thing about the trials and tribulations -- or the NSVs -- related to being sleeved. You may also want to review the rules, to get your head back in the game. I just posted my version of them in the Taking a Trip thread.
Hope that helps. Best wishes.

Well hello there!
I was sleeved in November, 2013, so I'm right at 6 months. My loss has slowed considerably and I was so frustrated. While I sat in the doctor's office for my 6 month check up it's like a light bulb went off in my head - I'm letting some old habits back in my life. Yep, I'm snacking and I'm not tracking. I'm drinking too much coffee (empty calories with the milk and agave) and I'm allowing myself extra bites, bigger meals and surprisingly eating too fast.
So, for the past few days, I've been tracking...I was surprised at what I found. I'm eating way too much - I'm eating around my sleeve, I'm not watching my portion sizes and eating too many slider foods (yogurt pretzels are a favorite slider for me).
So, I went back to basics - I'm logging all my intake and I'm doing 1-2 shakes per day. I make sure I track my fluids, too. I can already feel a difference.
You've identified a problem - that's important. You're going to be OK - My plan is to get back to basics - Protein first, logging my food and Water and continue to work out (I do 3-4 cardio workouts a week, resistance training 2-3 days a week - I move my body most days of the week)
You got this!!!!!

Hii!
Just wanted to post a picture; I hadn't realized how much different I look until today..

Pre-op weight: 251
Surgery day weight: 248
Current weight: 210
Goal weight: 150

Hii!
Just wanted to post a picture; I hadn't realized how much different I look until today..

Pre-op weight: 251
Surgery day weight: 248
Current weight: 210
Goal weight: 150

Okay...January 1, 2013 I weighed 345 lbs.
Now January 1, 2014 I am 198 lbs
That's a total of 147 lbs last year, wow!!!!!!!
Before that I would not even had been able to lose 7 of those on my own....
How much did you lighten this world up in 2013? What makes you grateful for your WLS?
Mine is that I can walk for hours. Hold my granddaughter close to my chest. Buy clothes at a regular store. And best of all no one knows who the hell I am when I pass them on the street, I no longer stand out in public!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've seen quite a few people around these parts talking about people they know who have lost weight "on their own" while they personally had WLS and I must say, this mindset makes me a bit pissy.
Before having VSG, I tried every freaking diet out there. I exercised like a maniac. I tried drugs I knew were potentially harmful to my long term health. I resigned myself to being fat every single time I failed before slapping myself around and trying something new or trying something old again and again. I saw nutritionists, I saw gastro specialists. I considered a hypnotist, but I waved that off as hogwash. (No offense to anyone who tried it, just not my cup of tea.) I lost weight, I gained weight, I lost weight, I gained weight, I lost, I gained, I yo-yo'd myself right into a flucked up metabolism and mass frustration for myself and my family.
I finally decided that I had no other options and settled on the Vertical Sleeve after researching my WLS options for almost a year. I went through 4 months with one surgeon before realizing there was no way in H E double hockey sticks could I let him cut me open before starting the process over with another surgeon that I felt comfortable with.
I did all the pre-op work with a nutritionist (whack job!!) figuring that if I could concentrate on losing for those 6 months, maybe I wouldn't need surgery after all.
I saw the counselor (WHACK JOB!!!) and never got to the root of my troubles other than the fact that I am a greedy piglet. (She swears I am repressing sexual abuse in a past life -- no REALLY, a PAST life, not just in my past. Uhmmm...)
I did my pre-op diet for a month instead of the required two weeks because I wanted to.
I exercised my fanny off (literally) over the last 7 months.
I weigh, measure and log my food.
I read labels.
I make good choices putting my Protein needs first.
I make sure to get in my 10k steps every single day even if that means running in place for an hour at 10pm when I know I have to be up, bright eyed and bushy tailed in 7 hours.
I look for recipes that are healthier for my family that I can eat as well but I often cook two meals so they can eat what they like and I can eat what I need to eat.
I put the fork down before I want to so that I don't spend the next 30 minutes bent over the toilet even when it took me an hour to prepare a meal and I've only had two or three bites because ,my tiny tummy isn't tolerating more than an ounce instead of it's usual 3 or 4.
I read menus days in advance if I know I am going out so that I can order seamlessly with everyone else.
I attend parties and conferences and work functions and eat mindfully so I can enjoy the event without calling attention to myself.
I suffer through stalls in my head so that my family doesn't have to hear my incessant whining because I know they've suffered enough of my nonsense over the years.
I appreciate everything my changing body has allowed me to do over the years despite the abuse I put it through and I appreciate how much it's thanking me as I am relieving it of all the excess weight.
I went to kickboxing even when I don't feel like it and now I teach it so I don't have a choice but to go.
I joined a high dollar gym and hired a high dollar trainer, not because I am a high dollar girl but because I am now forced to go.
I look at my saggy skin and my floppy boobs and my melty thighs and my squishy bum and my hangy arms and while I regret that I didn't do this 5, 10, 15 years ago, I smile that I did do it seven months ago.
I am losing this weight ON MY OWN. If you honestly think I'm not, please tell me who is doing it for me. They owe me a whole bunch of money, time and heartache for all the things I've put myself through over the last year+ and I owe them a HUGE amount of thanks for getting me where I am today.

Hi Marfar
Here is something I posted about stomach stretching back on November 4th. I hope this helps.
http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/286386-will-my-stomach-stretch-interesting-information/
Bonnie

Havent posted progress in a while.
Just past the 11 month mark.
Sleeved 12/31/2012

High weight: 303
Surgery weight: 297

First month: - 31lbs
Second month: - 11 lbs
Third month: - 13 lbs
Fourth month: - 10 lbs
Fifth month: - 10 lbs
Sixth month: - 9 lbs
Seventh month: - 4.8
Eighth month: - 8.6
Ninth month: - 6.8
Tenth month: - 4.2
Eleventh month: - 6.2

Current weight: 187.2
Total lost: - 115.2 lbs

Average Calories: 1300-1400 per day.
actually walked in the store this weekend and bought 32x30 pants and medium shirts... from a 44x30 and XXL

I was told tonight at my favorite store that I can't shop there anymore...the woman behind the counter told me they don't carry my size at all....
What is strange is that a little over a year ago I was in the biggest size in the store and just barely fitting into it it was so tight....
Wow eh!!!!!!!!

Your story is my story to the "T". I actually called my doctor and asked how much did he remove, and wanted to speak to anyone who was in the OR and witnessed the surgery because I didn't feel as though the doctor removed anything.
From the first day of surgery, I was up out of bed flying around the hospital. In fact, the nurses had to keep up with me. LOL I drove myself to the hospital and my sister and mom came the day of surgery and stayed overnight nearby so that I can be driven home. Well I was in no pain so on the day of discharge since I was not on pain meds, I drove myself home while my sister rode as a passenger. LOL
What I learned is that the "full feeling" everyone talks about after they've eaten two bites does not hit you until the nerves in your sleeve heal.
Now, that I am two months out, I am uncomfortably full after about 2 - 3 ozs. of solids like dense Protein. I can get up to 4 ozs. of soft foods and feel full. Before the nerves healed, it was business as usual... I felt hungry all the time and never felt full. I remember getting frustrated because I was so hungry. I was like... What happened to the "since the portion of your stomach that produces ghrelin which triggers hunger is removed, you will feel less hungry". Well, I found out that it takes a while for the body to rid itself of the ghrelin after surgery! Again, now that it's been 2-months post-op, I can go forever before realizing that I haven't eaten because I don't get hungry.
Ok, now that I've written an entire book here, LOL I say all that to say, give it time, stick to your post-op diet, even though you feel you can eat solids, your sleeve is still healing and the nerves are repairing themselves. Once the nerves are repaired you will begin to feel full just from looking at food! LOL
Be careful, it takes your brain a little longer to catch up, and you'll find yourself fixing a plate with your normal portions and only eating two or three bites. When the time comes that you are back to eating solids, use a small salad plate instead of a large dinner plate, and measure your food. The plates I have were humongous, so I went and purchased smaller plates.

“You simply do not see specific, trans-regional trends in human subsistence in the archaeological record. People can live off everything from whale blubber to seeds and grasses. You want to know what the ideal human diet consists of? Everything. Humans can and will eat everything, and we are remarkably successful not in spite of this fact, but because of it. Our adaptability is the hallmark of the human species. We’re not called omnivores for nothing.”
“Nearly every food item you currently eat today has been modified from its ancestral form, typically in a drastic way, ” he began. “The notion that we have not yet adapted to eat wheat, yet we have had sufficient time to adapt to kale or lentils is ridiculous. In fact, for most practitioners of the Paleo Diet, who are typically westerners, the majority of the food they consume has been available to their gene pool for less than five centuries. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, potatoes, avocados, pecans, cashews, and blueberries are all New World crops, and have only been on the dinner table of African and Eurasian populations for probably 10 generations of their evolutionary history. Europeans have been eating grain for the last 10,000 years; we’ve been eating sweet potatoes for less than 500. Yet the human body has seemingly adapted perfectly well to yams, let alone pineapple and sunflower seeds.”
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://mumanu.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/archaeologists-officially-declare-collective-sigh-over-paleo-diet/'>http://mumanu.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/archaeologists-officially-declare-collective-sigh-over-paleo-diet/</a>

I think it's normal to be impatient about seeing results (and to not believe you will be successful). We spent a lot of time being involved with this process even before the surgery. Some of us (like me), have even dumped a ton of $$ into this as well ($25,000 for me and that doesn't include lost wages for being off work for 6 weeks, or time I missed going to doctor appt's.). Im 10 weeks post op and down about 45lbs. I can feel the difference, but can't see it. I really worry about that not seeing it part. I got down to 180 over a decade ago and I felt just as fat then as I do now (251). That is a mentality issue that I think can really hinder our true success and happiness. Is it completely normal though, I think for a lot of us.
I think most of us fear we will be the ONE that fails at this. Just remember to be mindful of your eating, try to identify what causes you to reach for the bad foods (or reach for food when you aren't hungry) and most importantly...Try to love yourself more and be forgiving when needed. We are all going to slip up at times. We have get right back up and dust off though. We can't dwell on it, and we have to move forward. This surgery has taught me to reflect in my actions more than I ever did before.
So try being really happy about those loose pants or growing further from the steering wheel etc. That's what is getting me through even though I can't see a difference in myself

Hey everyone!
I had my surgery August 22nd, 2012 so I'm about 15 months post op. I've lost a total of 101 pounds and I feel great I started at 231 lbs. and now weigh 130 lbs.
At 23 years old, I feel like life can't get any better I've been maintaining for about 7-8 months. I feel so much healthier and more confident. I continue to exercise and make healthy choices to motivate myself to be the healthiest me that I can be. This journey has been one of the most humbling and challenging experiences of my life. I've surrounded myself with positive people who have supported me throughout this whole process.
I'm now participating in the "Bari-Buddy" system at the hospital I had my surgery at - getting paired with people who just had the surgery to be a support to them. It's been a great experience - both rewarding and inspiring to help support other people who are in the same position I was in 15 months ago.
Since the summer, I've graduated college and started a new job. I'm now an occupational therapist working in a pediatric setting. This is something I always wanted to do but I was always too intimidated to work with kids - because let's be honest...kids are a little too honest!! I am so grateful that I now have the confidence (and the energy!!) to help these kids achieve all of their goals.
I hope everyone is having lots of success and happiness Here are some before and after pictures!

So this is right before surgery and then another from this most recent weekend. And yes, I know the suit is a little big for me now, but I haven't had a chance to have my suits altered yet...Still, there's about 40lb difference between the 2 photos. Apologies for the low resolution....better pics in the future...

So Today I hit 149.2 lbs. According to my BMI I am NORMAL!
I had surgery March 20, 2013 and weighed in at 240 lbs. I have chosen to only tell 2 people. My husband and sister. So when I posted a picture this week it created quite a buzz. I have lost 91 lbs in 7 months and feel better then ever. I could not ask for a better change in my life I can run and play with my son and not get tired. I have been so blessed to have had an easy recovery and a sleeve of steel.
I have attached a picture from February 2013 and from this week.

For starters, I have never believed everything I read on here. Don't think anyone should.
Secondly, It seems like everyone has different instructions from their Surgeons and NUTS. After all, we trusted them enough to remove 80% of our stomach so why would we NOT do as they instruct?
That said, I believe the different surgeons instructions come from this; first, medical fact, second, medical opinion, third, serving the lowest common denominator, and lastly, covering their asses.
Caffeine is fine? No caffeine ever again? Straws ok? No straws ever? Alcohol ok? No alcohol ever? Carbonation ok? No carbonation ever? I think lots of surgeons say these things because lets face it, we didn't get morbidly obese doing all the right things so many think that there is no wiggle room in their patients and they don't want someone suing them because they used a straw and gained all the weight back and we not warned about it.
I do follow my surgeon's and NUT's instructions but I also think they use a common sense approach. My only no no according to them is carbonation. I can live with that. Had I been instructed to never have caffeine, alcohol, use a straw, or consume a carbohydrate I would not have had this surgery. I got this surgery to live a long, healthy and normal life not spend the rest of it being afraid every time I put something in my mouth.
I'm sure there are some WLS patient who need that strict set of rules but I think for the most part, we can all use our common sense along with our medical advice and make the right decisions that work for us.

I got my test results. I am @ 7.5. Surgery is scheduled for 10/1

I had a day of firsts today... Someone wrote to me from the board about my Doctor and I realized that I was starting to forget about my VSG, i.e, not thinking about it on a daily basis. So I made a quick post about that as a reintroduction to the board and for the first time posted my before and after pics. It was quite a freeing and emotional experience. I realize they are in the wrong place and I might qualify as as success story, so if it helps anyone else, here they are again before i lose my nerve...
I was sleeved on March 16th 2012 and am down 150 pounds... 1st series of pics was the night before surgery.
2nd series are from my holiday to Aruba this July.
My wife says she loved / loves both guys equally

I can't wait to start dating again. I really miss male attention. I also miss sex. I'll confess a secret little joke I have with myself. Ok, I HATE exercise. More than anything in the entire world and it's been this way my whole life even before I was morbidly obese. However I know it is now an essential part of my weight loss and body transformation. So I tell myself I am training for the holympics. ho + olympics = holympics. (crass I know but it makes me workout )