CheleLynn45

I started this journey above 300lbs so I knew no matter what I did I would have extra skin at some point. I am down 63lbs so far and am 12wks post op. I work out regularly but have recently in the last month or so added in some strength training. I am trying to do what I can so we will see what happens as I lose more weight. The one thing that is bugging me now is my ventral hernia which is on my right side lower abdomen. Now that I have lost some weight it is showing way more than before. You can actually see the bulge I will be having that removed probably sometime this summer I am thinking. My surgeon couldn't remove it when he did my sleeve surgery like they can a hiatal hernia. Last time in my lost almost 100lbs it took over a year and a half, I was 15yrs younger and I didn't have any excess skin. Excess skin was something I was really worried about before surgery but now I am just happy that I had no complications, a very easy recovery and (knock on wood) no stalls to date!

My surgeon spoke to me about where he would like me to be. For my height of almost 5'4" my "ideal" weight would be 135lbs. HA! I actually laughed out loud in his office when he said that. I told him I have set my goal (for now) at 175lbs, he suggested 165lbs. I think that going with a weight that YOU feel good at works for me. I had lost almost 100lbs years ago and was down to around 190ish and even at 5'4" I felt GREAT!! I had worked out a lot and think my body was shaped pretty good. Now I was still obese I believe at that weight but I felt good and thought I looked pretty good. I am hoping that as I continue to lose that I don't get to a point where those last 10 or 20 pounds drive me nuts. I believe the number on the scale is just a number it doesn't define us. Just like clothing sizes. It does feel great to zip up a smaller size of jeans, believe me you, but like the number on the scale no one sees your size tag. You keep doing what you are doing, as long as you are doing what's good for you I see no reason to kill yourself to get to some number that your surgeon wants you at. Good luck and keep rocking that beautiful body!!!

As of yesterday I am 12 weeks post op. When I came on today to update my ticker I got excited. I noticed I only have 7 more lbs to lose till my weight lost is MORE than my weight to left to lose to get to my goal weight. Just thought that was cool. Now grant it 175 is my first goal weight, but I know my doc wants me a little lower. But one step at a time. Also on another note......2 more lbs to go till the 240's!!! Hope everyone has a great day!!!!

Anyone of those would be GREAT, but to have all three in one day FANTASTIC!!!!!

I can't speak to the heartburn issue but the constipation, oh yeah. I was so excited when I went 4 days after surgery thought I would be ok. But alas I was not. I drink decaf tea every night with miralax and have no problems with that anymore. I was doing a full dose every night but my NP said at my last check in that I could do 1/2 dose, but I do not want to end up like I was so I do one full dose and then the next night one half dose. I hope you find some relief soon!!!

When I started looking into what I had to do to get the time off I only told my work I was having surgery. I then contacted my HR department and had my docs office send in the correct paperwork saying when my surgery was and that I would be off for almost 5 weeks. I told my immediate department what was going on that I was having weight loss surgery and a few other people that I thought would wonder where I was. I am only part time. I was pretty determined not to share my surgery with to many people I was afraid of being judged for m decision. But I have to say every person I have talked to about this has ben super supportive. It has been so nice. I really didn't need 5 weeks off of work, probably could have gone back after 2 weeks, but it was so nice to have the time off to get used to everything, and figure out my eating. My doc would have wrote me for longer if I had asked.

My best advice would be to involve him in as many of your appointments that you can. My husband and my 15yr old daughter went to most of my appointments. They both went to my 2 1/2 hour post op class. That way they could hear first hand what was involved, and what I was going to go thru. They were able to ask their questions. I really think it helped my daughter understand better what was going to be involved and what I was going to have to do after surgery. They also both went with me to a support meeting a month after my surgery. My husband has gone to all my follow up appointments too. And also be grateful that he is so supportive, there are a lot of people on here whose family, significant other or friends are not very supportive!! That saddens me. Good Luck with your journey!!!

I had my suregery on 10/27 and on Chrismas eve we went to church. Without even thinking about it, I went up to take communion and took the bread (the first piece I dropped....oops!!) popped it in my mouth took a sip of grape juice and went and sat down. Then all of a sudden I looked at my daughter and whispered...."that was my first bread I hope it stays down!" Needless to say it did. YEAH! But I didn't even think about taking it till after I did.

There are certain Quest bars I like. I like to keep 4 different ones in the house along with my Think Thin Protein bars. I only buy the Quest bars at GNC, I know I am paying more for them with their buy three get one free, but I don't like any bar so much to buy a whole box. The Think Thin bars (have a few more calories but 20g protein) I can buy at Target. I only use these bars once in a while. Some days I eat half a bar after my gym workouts. I don't want to rely on the bars for regular meals though. Some days I am lazy and can't think of what to make or don't feel like cooking I will eat one.

Great job!!

In the beginning I was weighing once a week, at the same time. But at my 2 1/2 week check up my doc wanted me to weigh daily and record it. So that is what I started doing, and I have kept doing. When I went for my 2 month check up I asked if I should keep doing this and my NP said only if I didn't let it rule me or dictate how I felt. I have continued to weigh daily and log it. I know this is not for everyone but it keeps me on track. I also take measurements monthly so I can tell that way too. I have been losing pretty consistently so far so I am happy with that. We also take monthly pics in the same outfit every month so I can visual see my progression. My daughter bought me a nice book for Christmas so I can start putting them together. I weigh first thing in the morning upon waking up, after going to the bathroom. That is the weight I record. I do not get back on the scale at a later time in the day. Monday mornings I record my weekly weight since that was the day of the week I had my surgery on. You have to do what is right for you. But one thing I will say is not to get on throughout the day, DO NOT!! Your weight will fluctuate so much during the course of a day. Make sure you are using other ways to see your progress, there is more to life than a number on a scale!!

I was sleeved on 10/27/14 No complications to speak of. I was amazed at how well everything went. If I had to pick something it would be 5 days after surgery I tried a shake that did NOT agree with me. Not really a complication but it knocked me down the whole day and I remember how bad I felt. I will be 3 months post op on Monday and the NSV's I have had so far are great!! - I was in a very tight size 28 jean, I am now wearing size 20 skinny jeans and loving it - bought my first pair of tall black boots and have been wearing them with my skinnies and leggings - I still squeal out loud everytime I slide into a booth and there is between 3-5 inches of space - I now have choices in what footwear I will wear each day, instead of just my flip flops - the energy I have is amazing, no more sleeping in till the afternoon time, when I wake up I get up - I rode my bike for the first time since we moved it out here 12 years ago - I can get my wedding rings on normally now, no more having to put lotion on my hands to get them on - my 15 yr old daughter can get her arms all the way around me to hug me - I am looking forward to our vacation in March able to fit in the plane seat with no extender, and decide what rides I want to go on, not just what ones will I fit on These are just a few that I can think of right now. I cannot imagine what my list will look like as I lose more weight. I know that I am at a weight right now that a lot of people start their journey at, but my starting weight was 314.8 with my highest ever being 324. Good luck with your journey marbelvsg, follow your docs orders, get your Protein in and drink your liquids and you will do o great!!

I will be 3 months post op this Monday and I can eat between 2-3oz of meat or cheese. I found recently that I can eat one whole P3 Protein pak from the store. I use these when I can't think of what I want or don't want to cook. I am still doing two shakes and one meal for most days, maybe once or twice a week I do one shake and two meals. I am usually between 65-80 grams of protein, 8-10 sugars or less and 450-550 calories. Sometimes 600 calories on gym days.

I'm not a coffee drinker but I am a tea drinker. I drink 32oz in the morning and at least another 24-32oz throughout the day. All decaf.

it doesn't bother me when someone is eating something that is not the best for me. I don't know if it is because I am still almost only 3 months out and I feel I doing pretty good. I want to work this took that I have been given for all it is worth and get the best bang for my buck (well my insurances buck....lol) as long as I can. I knew before I went into this that there would be plenty of times that things like this would happen. I told both my husband and my daughter that they could not worry about eating in front of me. I know in the beginning it was hard for both of them. But the changes that I am making have brought positive changes into the house also. My husband we always called the cookie monster, he loves Cookies. Now when we grocery shop he doesn't even pick them up, he says if it is not in the house I won't eat it. Now for one thing he does not have a weight problem, and second he does still get his sweet fix here and there. We as a family have made positive changes. It's funny but both my husband and daughter use the unjury Protein to make shakes with on an almost daily basis. LOL I don't even use it anymore, my husband just had me reorder the vanilla and chocolate splendor.

I was also required to do a 6 month doc supervised diet. I started the whole process Jan 2013, with a visit to a general surgeon to see about getting my ventral hernia removed. She went over the procedure with me and then recommended bariatric surgery. She said the recovery from the surgery would be easier if I lost weight, and the main thing was the chance of the hernia returning was less with weight loss. So I made a time to go to seminar at the end of January. Then we found out what was required to submit for approval to my insurance. I had to do a 6 month supervised diet, I was rather happy about that since I needed that time to wrap my head around all the changes that would need to take place to be successful. This surgery was not something I had looked into before this. So I started to see my general doc once a month. Then come May I found out that my insurance company was not in contract with the hospital anymore. When we called they said they were renegotiating and it should only be a few months. So I kept seeing my general doc for weigh ins, but never really lost anymore weight. Well lo and behold they did redo the contracts and we picked up where we had left off. I was so glad I kept seeing my doc every month. So in September I did my psych eval, it was the only thing I had left to do, I had put it off till the contracts were fixed. The day I had my eval I went straight to my bariatric docs office to turn in my paper that said I was cleared for surgery. They put together all my paperwork and submitted to my insurance. Took I think 10 days and I found out I was approved. Once again, I was really happy that I had the 6 months supervised diet to really understand how I ate and why. Without this time I do not think for one minute I would be doing as well as I am without that time to research and learn about myself. Good luck with your journey!!

That's awesome! Great job!! You will be at your next goal before you know it!! Here's to continued success!!

@trulyamazingtoo HI!! Yep my name is Michele Lynn. My goddaughter couldn't say Michele when she was little so she called me Chele.

My pre op was only a week and I had to do two shakes a day and one Protein filled meal. I could also have a piece of fruit if I wanted /needed it. I marinated some chicken breasts in some light Italian dressing and cooked them up and then pre portioned them into 3oz servings. Then ate them throughout the week either with a salad or on a salad. I lost 9.5lbs and didn't think it was to bad to stick to.

This!!!! Take it slow is super good advice and works wonders! Keep plugging away and one day you will notice, hey I just ate xx amount and be amazed. Supplement your purees with Protein shakes to make sure you are getting in all your protein. Hang in there , it does get better. I read that all the time on here and guess what it did!! Before you know it you will be telling people the same thing!! I am 11 weeks out and I do not know where the time has gone!!!

Yeah You!! See you can do it and you are doing it!! I always have told my daughter we don't say Can't we say Try!! Keep up the good work!!!

I am almost 5'4" and my "ideal" weight would be 135. But I'm not sure if that will be my goal weight or not. Right now I have my personal goal set at 175. When I talked with my suregeon we decided to see where I felt comfortable. Last time I lost a good deal of weight I got down right under 200 and I felt wonderful! So we will see. As far as buying clothes, I am having a ball shopping. I have been shopping the malls, local thrift stores, ebay, my own closet and a facebook group called FatToo. (I know not a great name but they have a few different sites for above an 18/20 and then below an 18/20) I have sold on there and bought on there. I am big believer in wearing the right size clothes if you can. You feel so much better when your clothes fit properly. Even if you get a few pieces it's worth it. The funny this is I had been making sure I had clothes that fit properly that the one day I was trying on tops with my daughter she was like "Mom you need new bras, those are to big!" LOL I knew that but it's hard to find decent deals on good bras, so I was waiting on those. Plus for me I am in AZ and have lived in jean capris, black tshirts and my flip flops for the last 3-4 years. I used to hate when we had a cold winter and God forbid I had to put on a pair of jeans. UGgghh! But this year going from a size 28 (very tight) jean size to a comfortable size 20 I am loving it. I actually want it to stay cooler longer since I know I have clothes to wear. It is so weird to me! LOL Good Luck on your journey!!

Well as my title says I am 11 weeks post op today and I am down 60.2 lbs!!!! I am so excited and happy with my progress I could just scream it from the roof tops!! This surgery was not something I wanted to do, it was recommended to me by a doctor I was seeing to repair my ventral hernia. So we started looking into it. I was so afraid of the surgery, the recovery, the way I would have to eat, etc. I don't think there was one part that didn't scare me. I am glad that I had to do a 6 month supervised diet because it gave me time to wrap my head around all the changes and to make sure I thought I could do it. Well I did it and I am doing it. Nothing went as I thought and that is a good thing. I have had very few problems and the ones I have had have been minor. Grant it the weight I am at now is a weight a lot people are starting their journey at, but for me with a highest weight of 324, and pre op diet weight of 314.8 I have come a long way. I still have a ways to go, but I truly believe I can do this. I feel so much better already. The NSV's are happening daily. Like just the other night we went to dinner and I did my usual check out the booth before I sit down, picked the side that looked bigger and sat down. I literally squeal out loud almost everytime I sit in a booth and I have like 5 inches between me and the table now. My family just laughs at me. It's little things like this that amaze me everyday. I just wanted to share my joy this morning!! This site has been a god send for me, pre op and post op. I try my best to encourage and give back posting when I can. For anyone out there just starting their journey, when you read it will get better, IT DOES GET BETTER!! Sometimes it is hard to believe that but it does!! Have a great Monday everyone and drink your water!! lol

You have to be ready mentally to do this. Backing out if you weren't ready is not a bad thing. Don't be so hard on yourself. I went to a seminar about 5 years ago to see what this surgery was all about. We started listening and I kept looking around the room and I got so scared. It sounded so bad and I kept telling myself I don't need this I am just fat there is nothng else wrong with me. Most of the people in this seminar were on oxygen and in wheelchairs or walkers. I told myself I could do this on my own. Well years later and probably 50 more pounds I realized I could not. Learning all about what was involved with having this procedure and having to go thru the 6 month supervised diet I found myself ready to do this. You will know once you are ready!!

You have to be ready mentally to do this. Backing out if you weren't ready is not a bad thing. Don't be so hard on yourself. I went to a seminar about 5 years ago to see what this surgery was all about. We started listening and I kept looking around the room and I got so scared. It sounded so bad and I kept telling myself I don't need this I am just fat there is nothng else wrong with me. Most of the people in this seminar were on oxygen and in wheelchairs or walkers. I told myself I could do this on my own. Well years later and probably 50 more pounds I realized I could not. Learning all about what was involved with having this procedure and having to go thru the 6 month supervised diet I found myself ready to do this. You will know once you are ready!!