dreamscometrue

FINALLY!!! I've hit ONEDERLAND!!! The scale moved a lot this week after several semi-boring weeks so I was super excited! Current weight- 196.8

I have been waiting for this day for so many years and prior to surgery, I didn't think I would ever see my weight starting with a "1" again. I have read over and over people on here writing that magical word "ONEDERLAND" and I couldn't wait to be the one to type it! Today is the day!!! I am a few days short of 5 months post op, and today on the scale read those magic numbers... 199.8!!! Who knew that could feel so good?! Just for anyone curious, I am 5'7 and started out at 277.6lbs. This is kind of a lame post, but since I chose not to tell people about my surgery, you guys are my PEOPLE! I've attached a few pics along the way . I still have another 30-40 lbs to go, but today I'm celebrating the success so far!!

Well I can only speak to myself, but I know that every day (prior to the sleeve), I would skip breakfast because I wasn't hungry at all, eat a huge lunch because I became super hungry and would eat something like fast food, and then there would be days that I wouldn't eat dinner or if there was a social event, I would go and eat a relatively unhealthy dinner as well. I never had that experience that people talk about where they feel so down on themselves for being fat so they go drive through McDonalds. My biggest problem was for sure the quantity. Quality sucked too, but I do love healthy foods and when I would become fixated on a diet, I was fine with the foods, but if could never get full on the "recommended quantities". Who knows! I don't want to blame it strictly on genes, however my dad is extremely large and my mom has struggled her entire life with her weigh as well. I think the combination of everything was less than ideal for me!

I read this with the biggest smile on my face because I felt the EXACT same way prior to my surgery and I am now 5 months post op and 80lbs down and I look back and still think it was that I honestly just loved food! Growing up, I always played sports and was extremely social and outgoing and with that comes dinners and events like crazy! I literally loved (and love even more) everything about my life except my weight. Great marriage, family, job, etc... So to answer your question, yes I think that could be your issue was that you just are in love with food! It's strange because my husband and I went out for a really nice meal tonight and as I was sitting there, I realized "holy crap, I'm fully paying to the conversation instead of wondering, "when is good coming out? Is he going to eat all of his half? That's all they are bringing out?! I'm still hungry!" I know people say all the time that this surgery isn't going to fix all of your problems, but for me, I honestly felt like it solved the big "issue" in my life. Everyone is different but we may be in the same boat here!! Good luck to you!

I agree... I went back to work after 1 week and if the awards ceremony is just for a few hours, you'll be able to suck it up for those few hours even if you're tired! Pain wise- I felt like a completely different person going from day 3 to day 4... Those first few are kind of brutal but you'll be fine before you know it!

Thank you all so much!!! I appreciate all of the positive comments and compliments!

Current weight- 201... So close!!

Holy crap!!! You look amazing! I'm so concerned with my arms right now, but yours look great!!! What has your work out schedule been like?

Are you serious? You've lost 46 pounds in 3 months. That's 15 pounds per month. You are losing a pound every other day. How much did you typically lose in a 3 month period prior to surgery? I'm sorry, but I think this post is absolutely ignorant.

Today's weight - 202... Down 1lb this week. Monday is never an idea day to weigh in after the weekends ha!!

I'm in outside sales, and I also had a week long meeting at my 4-5 week mark and so I planted the seed weeks before seeing any of my district/work friends that I had been getting really strict and trying to eat small meals. I also would get a drink with a straw and just casually pick my drink up and "pretend" ...I wouldn't go down for breakfast or if I did, I would just take my protein shake. It's hard when it's a buffet, but I would almost prefer that because I would get a salad covering half my plate and then whatever protein... What I didn't eat, I could hide under my salad and it seemed to work just fine! That was back in January and I will now be going to another meeting this week and seeing the same people, only I'm down another 40lbs (78 lbs total) so I'm curious to see their reactions! Hopefully you don't have any other meetings coming up soon!

I can totally relate to this!!! Oh, and for the record, I saw that post the other day too and I agree... It's fun to say "oh thanks! I've lost 40 lbs" but now at 75 lbs lost, I am really embarrassed, which I didn't see that part coming. I'm in pharmaceutical sales (which is known to have the stigma of very pretty/good looking people in it ) and I'm like you... I was not prepared for my "story" that I was going to tell people. Nobody said anything until I had dropped about 45-50lbs and then out of nowhere, some of my doctors and nurses I see weekly all started the "what's your secret?" (To which I always want to respond with... Well funny story, I had 75% of my stomach removed! It works wonders!) hahaha... Anyway, in the beginning, I started to overthink it or wonder if they could tell I was lying or if they suspected I had surgery. Now, I have the same story everytime... "I've cut out sugar, carbs, caffeine and alcohol as much as possible, I lift weights 5 days a week and I run/walk a lot. All of these are true! Practice your story a few times in your car on the way to work... Keep it consistent... Also, my advice is to never give people exactly how much weight you've lost... I stopped telling numbers after about 52lbs ...I always say "oh I only weigh myself every few weeks and try not to obsess about the number but just go by how my clothes fit!" I had surgery on December 17th of this past year and if people start to ask when I started dieting, I tell them September/October so my weight loss seems more realistic. Nobody has questioned me once! Here is a before/after and here is one from last weekend.

Holy crap, girl! I just read your entire story as well and I am in absolute shock. I just turned 28 and was sleeved almost 5 months ago, and as I was reading the initial part of your story, I saw so many similarities in us! Then when I noticed your posting had slowed down (which mine did too, as I documented on my own thread pretty often in the first few months), I assumed you were out living your awesome new life. I am so so sorry to hear all of these struggles you have gone through. It definitely sounds like you've been put through the ringer. Did you end up graduating from nursing school or did these health issues prevent you from finishing? I'm sending prayers your way that this revision to bypass will be the answer/solution you've been looking for. Also, are you still with your boyfriend?! I'm so curious to hear how things (other than weight/health) are going. Please keep us updated! I just subscribed to this thread so I can read your updates.

My surgeon said the exact same thing about sugar. He said that will almost slow weight loss more than carbs... Essentially, where you find one, you find the other... I am very careful with protein bars because the sugar in some is insane!!

I was always so curious about this before my surgery and it still blows my mind... How are people taking 4-8 weeks off of work and still having a job to come back to?! Are you guys going on short term disability or what? I mean, 8 weeks is longer than most people who have a child take off work and that's maternity leave! I think if you set your mind to going back after a week or week and a half, you can do it just fine! Yeah, you may be a bit tired, but it can for sure be done!

I just went and checked my lame chart that I keep and I was down exactly 60 lbs on the dot from my surgery date to the 3 month mark. Starting weight was 277 and I'm 5'7 (just for reference)

I had UHC with zero co-morbidities and a BMI of 41 as well and was approved within 3 days so stay positive!! I didn't have to do the 6 nutritionist visits prior to my surgery so that's kind of weird, but you have access to UHC's requirements (which I'm sure you called and learned about those before starting this) and as long as you meet what they have listed, you should be good to go!

Ha!!! I do the exact same thing! I'm almost 5 months post op, but since day 1, I watch food network a lot (even though I've always loved to cook and never really watched it on tv) AND I'm now constantly on Pinterest looking at crazy unhealthy meals! My husband always asks why I "torture" myself but I laugh and tell him it's my "food porn addiction". For some reason, it doesn't really bother me to look at all the delicious food!

I'm in outside sales and drive/walk around all day and I went back to work after a week. The first few days I could tell I was a little tired, but I sucked it up and was just fine after that weekend of rest!

I agree with everyone else... Way too many carbs. Two out of three of your meals are potatoes. With cheese. Carbs on top of carbs. Watch that trail mix too! You can munch on that and before you know it, you've eaten 350 calories in trail mix! If you could get another protein shake in and get some chicken/turkey/fish in at lunch and at dinner, I bet that scale will start moving faster!

Thank you!!!

I was going to ask the same thing! I've been doing my free weights daily and really trying to work especially hard on triceps, but I'm so self conscious about my arms and am not seeing definition yet! I've got another 40-50lbs left to lose and I can't possibly imagine my arms getting any more gross... Ugh! Give us any tips you've got!!! You look great!

I never said only people that need to lose 200+ pounds go with bypass, but when I was debating both options, my surgeon told me that in situations like mine where no co-morbidities exist (sleep apnea, high bp, cholesterol, etc...) he would recommend the sleeve, unless they had a lot more weight to lose like 200+ pounds because then you would have a better chance of getting to goal faster and keeping it off.

A few things I think you need to have your doctor explain: the vitamin deficiency for the rest of your life if you go with bypass. Also, the dumping syndrome was a concern for me. I was sleeved and am 28 years old and needed to lose 125 lbs. it's not even been 5 months and I'm down 75lbs. From what I have heard and knowing several people who have gone through bypass, this tends to be the option people go with when they have 200+ pounds to lose because you have a better chance of getting the weight off faster and maintaining that. With that being said, I met a girl at my pre op meeting who was much larger than myself and we had surgery at the same time- I had sleeve and she did bypass bc that's what her mom had done a few years prior. I am still losing at a faster rate than her even though she was 100+ larger than me. Everybody is different, there is no right or wrong answer, but with only needing to lose 100 lbs, you could easily have that off in the first 10 months with the sleeve if you put your mind to it! Just my opinion, but I feel like a lot of people choose bypass because they hear they can lose weight faster than the sleeve, but that is not always the case and honestly, I would not want to be losing any faster than I already am! Keep us posted!

YES!!! That was me!!! Ha! I actually just saw her on Sunday (and hadn't seen her since the bridesmaid fitting over a month ago ... I think) and she immediately said "look how skinny you look!" so that made me feel good! Good memory on your part!!