Rogofulm

Stalls suck, but they tend to be related to Water retention. Any chance that you've been slipping just a bit? I suspect that if you go into and out of ketosis, it might lead to water retention, which can cause a stall. The good news is that even during a stall you should be losing inches. So check you clothing and use the non-scale victories (NSVs) to get you through. Like a tunnel, there's a light at the end of every stall. Good luck!

While that one bite won't hurt you, thinking you can "get away with it" might. You will be much more successful if you can avoid slippery places. Use this experience as a warning shot that the temptations are still out there, and decide to try to always make the right choice. Good luck in you journey!

Your surgeon's office can help guide you through the insurance piece. Just keep asking for help with it. If you have a high enough BMI, and/or co-morbidities, you're very likely to get approved. And you can certainly document the effort you have put into weight loss in the past. As for the decision, we were all nervous and apprehensive. It's totally normal. For the six months prior to my surgery I was totally addicted to Buffalo Wild Wings. I'd go to 2 or 3 different BWW restaurants a week, so they wouldn't know how much of it I was eating. Since the surgery..... Haven't gone and haven't missed them. When I reach goal, I'm thinking of buying a bottle of my favorite BWW sauce to use with chicken breasts. Here's the thing... With the sleeve, you really don't miss the foods you think you love. (Used to love bread -- now don't care about it.) Once you detox from them, it's just like booze or cigarettes, the remaining addiction is in your head. "Head hunger" we call it. But with one big difference -- your tool (the sleeve) helps you make better decisions. It isn't a cure for emotional eating, but it helps you control your urges. My biggest tip is to stay full of fluids. Since I started drinking 100+ ounces of Fluid per day, my occasional hunger pangs have disappeared. I can honestly say that in the 6 months since my surgery, I have learned to "eat to live". It was a major A-ha moment that came to me about a week ago. So go for it! You've tried everything else, this is what you need to beat this thing forever!

I vote for Premier Protein, chocolate flavor. I've had at least one a day for the past 7 months. It's my standard Breakfast and carries me throuth to lunch (with lots of fluids in between). If your tummy is acting nice, you may be ready to transition to soft foods. Purees, tuna salads with fat-free mayo, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs (or egg whites), etc. My doc was pretty liberal about the transitions to new phases. He let me move on whenever I could tolerate new foods. What he doesn't let us do is eat carbs. "The fewer the better" is the way he puts it. Good luck on this awesome journey!

Hi All, Need some WLS veteran advice! I've taken the approach that I wanted to get to goal as quickly as possible, and then deal with learning how to eat "normally" from the lower platform, rather than on the way down. Up to now I've existed on 700-900 calories per day from 90% Protein, 10% veggies and tons of fluids. So now I'm approaching my goal and looking for advice on how to proceed. I'm wondering... if I keep doing what I'm doing, will I continue losing weight, or will my body find it's ideal weight and stop losing on its own? Or, more likely, I'll need to increase my calorie intake to 1300-1500 in order to maintain without gaining weight. Does that sound right? If so, what foods should I reintroduce that won't throw me onto the slippery slope? I figure sugar and Desserts need to be off my menu pretty much forever, but how about high-Fiber carbs like brown rice and sweet potatoes? What other foods increase calories without danger? The thing is.... I get full and stay pretty satisfied the way I've been eating during the weight-loss journey. So what would I give up in order to add something else? Lower my protein to add carbs? That sounds crazy at this point! But it might be the only way. I know.... This is a really good problem to have compared to the way it used to be, but still, I'm a bit baffled here. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks, Rog

A couple of thoughts about stalls..... Stalls can be due to Water retention. First, make sure you're hitting your Protein and Fluid levels. (Fluid intake does not cause water retention.) If you're going on and off your eating plan, or eating sugar or carbs, your body may be going into and out of ketosis. This may cause you to retain water. But the way to deal with stalls mentally is to keep checking how your clothes fit. If you're being true to your program, you should be losing inches even when the scale isn't cooperating.

At my 2-week checkup I told my doc that I was getting hungry. His response, "Are you sure you're not just thirsty? that's what it usually is." And he was right. Now I'm 6 months out and I'm a drinking machine -- 100-120 oz per day. I get hungry on occasion 3-4 hours after a meal, but that's normal. If it gets uncomfortable, I eat an 80-calorie Greek yogurt (which used to be a light snack, but now fills me right up). But mostly, I just keep my sleeve full of liquid and that keeps my hunger away. And I agree with taking the antacids. Whenever I try to go off of them my stomach feels uncomfortable. Good luck, and If you need tips on how to drink tons of Fluid, let me know....

Hi again, Susan, You're awesome to do these challenges! I'm only 8 pounds from my goal weight, so I guess that should be my "goal". Thanks again! Rog Current weight 162 Goal weight: 154 (or lower)

You're doing great! (Except for that Giants gear .) I've had many a-ha moments during this fantastic journey. At some point, I started identifying with the slimmer me instead of the big guy. That was HUGE! I know some people look in the mirror and see their old self in disguise. I know it's hard, but that's defeatist thinking. I'm choosing to visualize the permanent success I hope/plan to achieve. Had another a-ha moment this past week when I went to the hospital to visit my best friend who is very sick. I made a big tumbler of Crystal Light for the road, then stopped at Wegman's and bought several bags of turkey Jerky. (Jerky is my on-the-fly food.) I ate a bag on the way there and drank the Crystal Light on the way home. As much as I enjoy both things, the a-ha moment hit me that I was now eating to live, not living to eat. We've all heard that mantra all of our lives, but it really seemed to fit. A-HA!!! Keep making good choices, and "be" the slimmer person in the mirror!

No rumbles. I can eat most anything, but stick mostly to Protein (meats and some beans) and a few veggies if there's room. I'm still getting "stuck" fairly regularly and have to excuse myself to get rid of a piece of chicken or pork that didn't make it all the way down. But I consider that a small price to pay for being able to lose 100 pounds in six months! I'm pretty close to goal, and have my 6-month appointment with my surgeon next week. I'm going to ask him how to expand my diet for maintenance without sliding down any slippery slopes. (In my mind, that means starch and sugar.) Or will my body adjust and find its ideal weight even if I keep eating the way I am now? Don't want to get too thin, but don't want to start gaining either!

Hi Susan, My final weight for the challenge is 193. Thanks so much for doing this, and Happy New Year! May it be a successful one for all of the Holiday Challenge participants!! Rog

June 24th here. Lost 100 pounds by December 24th (exactly 6 months). Love my sleeve!!!

This is a frequent post-op problem. [TMI Alert!] From research when it happened to me, constipation is caused because there is not enough moisture in the stool. Most laxatives and stool softeners add Fiber to your system, which causes the stool to absorb more moisture and become softer and easier to pass. [Yuck!] I took Miralax, which is a tasteless powder that can be stirred into any drink (coffee and sugar-free hot chocolate work well). Then drink as much Fluid as possible. Shortly after surgery, fluid is even more important than Protein. It may take a day or so to work, but when it does you'll feel so much better. Good luck!

164. Thanks and Happy New Year, Susan!

Does WLS work? Darn straight, it does – if you follow ALL the rules! Today I'm exactly 6 months out and 100 lbs down. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all, and may 2015 bring us all good health and weight loss success!!!

"Blank" him! I mean, come on, you've lost over 200 pounds and kept it off for a couple of years. How many people can say that? You are far healthier than you were before, and most if not all of your weight-related co-morbidities are probably gone. So yes, you have other health issues. Lots of people thin, fat, or green have medical issues. Do not let that jerk derail your success. Because make no mistake about it, you are a smashing success!!!!! Did I mention, "Blank" him?!!! It bears repeating......

Way to go!!! Okay, here's your heads-up that at around 3 weeks out you're likely to stall for 2-3 weeks. It sucks, but it's expected and normal. If/when that happens if you'd like more info, let me know and I'll send you a link. BTW... Even during stalls, the inches keep coming off. Keep up the good work, and make good decisions every day!

After two weeks, my surgeon pretty much left it up to me to decide what I could and couldn't tolerate and when. In my opinion, steak goes down much easier than chicken or pork. Probably because the higher fat content makes it softer. I do fine with it unless I get distracted and don't chew enough. Then it can get stuck just like other meats and may have to come back up before anything else can use the pipe. And you you can grease the skids with apple sauce or other low-carb sauces. Fat and calories don't really matter much at this stage because you'll be taking in less than 100 a day anyway. But keep those calories to Protein as much as possible. And as a steak lover you'll be happy to hear that my on-the-fly meal is a bag of Jerky. A 3-oz bag is a meal. Gotta watch the sodium, though. Enjoy the ride!

Congratulations and welcome to the club! As you know (but it bears repeating), sip, sip, sip! Right now, fluids are even more important than Protein for healing and to avoid constipation. And walk, walk, walk. I know you're going to be very successful because you've done your homework and have a great attitude. Enjoy the journey!!!

Congratulations, @@Teachamy, you're looking great! Keep it up!!!!

I'd have to say that I feel a little weaker than before in my upper body. I try to get to the gym once a week, but our family schedule often gets in the way. I do walk regularly, though, and my lower body fees strong. Guess I'd better get my butt back to the gym for some lifting!

Congratulations on your one-year surgiversary! How's the maintenance phase going? Have you introduced new foods and how have they affected your loss? Good luck with maintenance in the New Year!!!

Congratulations on making your personal goal, and in the anticipation of making your surgeon's goal! I look forward to hearing how you handle the maintenance phase. In a month or so I'll be looking for advice on how to introduce new foods without torpedoing my progress. Good luck with maintenance in the New Year!!!

Pimp my sleeve! Love it!!!

OK, I get that I'm a guy so my contribution to this subject may be moot. I'm down 98 pounds, and 13 from goal. Do I consider myself thin? No. But I don't think of myself as fat anymore either. My goal is a target that puts me exactly one pound into the "Normal" BMI range. So is "normal" the same thing as "thin"? Ouch! That's a rough equation! But for my peace of mind, I want to get out of the "Overweight" BMI category. While that may be my weight-loss goal, I've actually been seeing a normal-weight person in the mirror for the last 25 pounds or so. I remember telling my wife, "I don't feel like a fat guy anymore," a couple of months ago. And it's true! I suspect that we all have different definitions of "normal", depending on how far our journey has taken us, our self-image (old and new), and even the perceptions of those around us. So what does "thin" mean? Or "slender"? Or even "skinny"? Everybody's definition is likely to be different. But if we equate those terms with the BMI charts, (and I recognize that many/most don't believe in them), I'm going to put "thin" and "skinny" in the "Underweight" category. And I will choose the word "slender" to define the "Normal" BMI range. In fact, this topic has made me re-think my tag-line and change the word "thin" to "slender". Lookout, Slender, here I come!!!