McButterpants

It will - my rational brain knows this. There is no way we aren't losing, right? The whole calories in vs. calories out thing. I think sometimes we get hung up on comparing ourselves to what everyone else is doing and trying to figure out what's "normal". I don't think that's healthy. Our bodies are going to move at their own pace - our hearts don't beat at the same rate, our metabolisms are different, we're moving our bodies in a different ways, but we expect to have "normal" or the same results as someone else. For now, I am going to just try to get thru today doing what I'm supposed today...3 shakes, 3 "meals" (80 grams of protein) and go to the gym for a treadmill walk (there is 8 inches of snow on the ground now, so walking outside isn't in the cards for me). I have to keep reminding myself that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint!!!!!

First - congrats on your weight loss! Well done! It's weird how your tastes change after surgery - I can't stomach plain Water for some reason and that's all I drank before surgery. The berry flavored propel tastes like it has finger nail polish remover in it. Weird. As for coffee - the sugar free syrups don't taste right in it, so I've been having it with some Coconut Creamer and no sweetener. It actually tastes good, but it takes so long to drink. I use a Contigo insulated cup as a thermos. It's crazy that it takes an hour to drink a cup of coffee. I think it's like anything else - just keep trying to figure it out!

Yup - hit the dreaded 3 week stall. It sucks. Ugh.

Jen...I'm three weeks today (11/14) and I hit that dreaded stall. I only weigh weekly because, quite frankly, I would drive myself insane if I did it every day. So last week, I lost 1.8 pounds - my heart actually hurts right now. I'm putting my scale away again today and will pull it back out next Thursday in hopes that it comes up with a better number for me! Hang in there - I hope the scale is better to you as well.

Three weeks ago today I was sitting in the hospital admitting area thinking to myself, “You can walk out of here right now and you’ll only be out $500.” I was terrified – terrified of the surgery, terrified of the recovery from the surgery, terrified of the future, terrified of my life post-op; I could go on and on. I was outright scared. Today, three weeks later, I’m at peace. I haven’t second-guessed my decision to have this surgery (it wouldn’t do me any good anyway). I’m at peace with my new tiny tummy. I try to make sure to drink/sip slowly and take tiny bites that I chew, chew and chew some more. I consider myself fortunate – I haven’t had any complications, I haven’t had nausea, no incision pain, etc. I have had an uneventful recovery – I get tired easily, that’s about it. I’m still on a pureed diet for the next week, then at weeks 5 and 6, I move to soft foods. I am really looking forward to having a Carb Balance whole-wheat tortilla for some reason! I’ve been eating a lot of pureed chicken salad (whiz up some canned chicken and add a little mayo and mustard in the food processor), a lot of fat free refried Beans (top with melted cheddar and add some salsa and Greek yogurt), and last night I had some pureed Wendy’s chili (it’s not as bad as it sounds). Breakfast usually consists of a scrambled egg and a Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patty (I can eat about ½ of each). I’m eating about ¼ cup of food at a time and I have to drink three shakes. It’s exhausting sometimes, calculating what time I have to stop drinking Water in order to have a shake or meal. I’m eating/drinking between 600 and 800 calories per day. I am amazed at how little food I need to fill me up; sometimes I simply lose interest in eating, so I stop. I downloaded an app for my phone called Eat Slower. You tell it how often you want to take a bite and your phone will make a sound or vibrate when it’s time. I set mine at 1 minute. When it dings, you take a bite. Pavlov’s dog, anyone? I’m trying to walk at least two miles every day. Now that there is about 8 inches of snow on the ground, I have to move inside to the gym. I’m only allowed to walk on the treadmill, which is tedious, but I’m moving and that’s what counts. I’m looking forward to the release to the elliptical and maybe even some light weight lifting. One thing I am frustrated with is coffee – I’ve written before how much I love coffee, real coffee, not decaf. So, I have one cup of decaf coffee per day and it takes me about an hour to drink an 8-ounce cup. I really miss coffee with my breakfast – it was one of my vices pre-op and I really do miss it. Let me clarify - I miss drinking it like I used to drink it. Some other things I’m working on: · I am still trying to figure out the signals my body is sending. Is it true hunger I’m feeling? Am I full? · I am trying to figure out my meal/shake planning and how to get in 80 grams of Protein. · I found that stopping drinking 40 minutes before eating and 40 minutes after works better for me (rather than 30 minutes). · I am doing the December Fitness Challenge on VST – Walking 50 miles this month. · I am working on some ideas for meals that are sleeve friendly and family friendly. My husband and son aren’t particularly fussy; I would just like to keep things as “normal” as possible. It’s hard being on puree right now, but they are doing OK. · I am working on keeping my emotions in check, not being so volatile…yeah, we’ll see about that. Today was weigh in day...I'm down a total of 34 pounds total with 16 pounds since surgery. I'll take it!

Amazing transformation! Congrats on your success. Thanks for sharing your pics.

Tomorrow is my week 3 weigh in day (I haven't weighed in a week). Praying to the Weight Loss Gods!!!!!! :-)

Everyone is different, but I'll tell you how my recovery was...I was sleeved three weeks ago tomorrow. I had the surgery on Thursday and worked 1/2 days the following week. I telecommute, so I have it easy - didn't have to get up and shower or drive anywhere. Nonetheless, 1/2 days were plenty for me the week after surgery. The following week I went full days and was tired by the end of the day. I took multiple breaks during the day for walks, and I'll be honest...a nap every once in a while. I didn't drive the week after surgery (I honestly can't remember what the doc said about driving). Riding in the car was uncomfortable when we hit bumps - the seatbelt didn't hit my incisions at all, but the car shaking did. For me - an outside sales job would have been hard to do the week after surgery. The week after that would probably be doable. I would caution you to not push yourself too hard - you need to recovery. This is a major surgery. I would have days that I felt really good and would over do it and then I was no good the next day. Pace yourself. Best of luck to you.

My husband hid the scale from me and I'm thankful he did - I was weighing every day and sometimes mid-day as well. It's just not healthy. We rejoice when we lose 2 pounds overnight - it's physically impossible to do...you'd have to have a 7000 calorie deficit in order to achieve that. And we lose it when the scale says we gained 2 pounds - again, it's not possible. It's completely irrational on both sides! And most of us do this. I berated myself the other day because I "only" lost .5 pound the day my husband took my scale away. (I'm eating about 600 calories a day right now and I'm exercising...yet I still came down hard on myself for failing.) Please hang in there - you have lost over 50 pounds so far. Be proud. Most of all be patient - your body it's own timeframe on losing pounds and it's rarely on the same schedule as your brain. Take care of yourself!!!!! Sending hugs.

The first few days of the pre-op are the hardest, then you hit your stride. I drank a lot of green tea - it helped with the hunger. December 13th is right around the corner for you gals! It's an exciting time. Best of luck to you - keep us updated on your progress.

Kitty, you are not alone. I shed a lot of tears over a lot of stuff over the past few months. It's all part of the process and journey. A couple of weeks before surgery, I cleaned out my closet of the "fat girl clothes" that I absolutely hated. I also found a box of my "skinny clothes". I still have the outfit that I wore the day I met my husband - I vow I will fit into that outfit again. You'll do just fine - just be good to yourself and allow yourself to have emotions and assclown moments - at the end of the day, we're all assclowns!!!!! Best of luck to you.

Hey there, Redbean...You have had such great success - 53 pounds is amazing. Please don't put value in some crappy Thanksgiving day photo. I am not sure I have every liked a pic taken of me - at any weight. Keep your chin up and be proud of what you've accomplished and look forward to the future. I'm going to copy your signature here - read it until you believe it! :-) Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start. ~Nido Qubein

I'll be three weeks out tomorrow (OMG - I can't believe that!!!). Closet cleaning is good for your soul! About a month before surgery I went thru and ditched all my ugly things - the tops that don't quite fit right or are just plain ugly, but you bought them for a specific event or function; the fat pants with elastic - yeah, those are gone, too. I'm not replacing things right away - I'm lucky, I telecommute, so I don't need a lot of work clothes right now. I'm holding off on buying new pants for a while - my pre-op jeans are lose, but they fit (man, I was really packing them in more than I realized). I'm going shopping after the holidays, though. Mama needs a new pair of jeans! December 17 will be here in no time. 2014 will be a great year for you!

I can see my jawline developing....I think I lost it sometime around 1999!

Best of luck! We'll see you on the loser's bench soon!

Wow - that's amazing. Congrats to you. Have an amazing holiday season this year - you earned it.

The first four days were definitely the hardest for me - it will get easier as your body adjusts. I also found drinking green tea really helped me - I wasn't a tea drinker prior to the pre-op diet. Hang in there and keep your eye on the prize. It will be over before you know it!!!!!

I telecommute as well. I was sleeved on a Thursday and went back the following Monday 1/2 days (one day was all day - sitting at the desk...it was too much and I was exhausted). Went back full time the following week. I would get tired and luckily, I could take a mid-day nap at lunch time. I think I probably could have gone back to an office job, but nothing physical. Good luck!

You look amazing! Wear it with confidence because it really does look nice.

Would this be the wrong time to mention I'm in key west where the high is 79 degrees? Uhm yeah!!!!! LOL. OMG - it's cold here. when I say cold, I mean 11 degrees. And so much snow to shovel in order to get my car out of the driveway! But I made it to the gym and did 2 miles on the treadmill. I lived in FL for 15 years, but never made it to Key West. We lived over in the Tampa area. Miss it this time of year! OK - I feel better that we are in misery together. I telecommute from home, so I'm back in the home office with hot tea looking out at the snow! I hope you're doing well! I'm recovering and feeling better each day. Tired, but feeling better.

Would this be the wrong time to mention I'm in key west where the high is 79 degrees? Uhm yeah!!!!! LOL. OMG - it's cold here. when I say cold, I mean 11 degrees. And so much snow to shovel in order to get my car out of the driveway! But I made it to the gym and did 2 miles on the treadmill. I lived in FL for 15 years, but never made it to Key West. We lived over in the Tampa area. Miss it this time of year!

Snowed 6 inches here last night...I need to get to the gym since I can't walk outside. Limited shoveling since I'm 2.5 weeks out, but did what I could to get the car cleaned off enough for safe driving...the car has been warming up for 1/2 hour! Such dedication to this challenge!!!!!! :-)

You got it. Very emotional and it's understandable, this is a huge life change you're about to make. I almost backed out...multiple times, including in admitting the day of surgery. Then I remembered all the reasons why I decided to do this in the first place. It will be a roller coaster and not just before surgery. Expect similar feelings immediately after - for 3 days, I wondered why I went thru it. On Day 4, I was feeling better and getting used to the idea (what choice did I have, right?). One thing I realized - I am a lot stronger, physically and mentally, than I thought I was. You'll find out the same thing. You got this. Best of luck!

Best of luck to you! Look forward to seeing your progress!

Congrats, Branmuffin! Those wins are nice!!!! Keep up the good work.