IcanMakeit

I don't know your age or general state of health, but I personally needed every day of my two week leave, and I have a desk job. My first few days back to work were rocky because I had so little energy. I just couldn't get in more than a few hundred calories a day for the first few weeks.

Each person loses at his/her own rate and comparisons just drive you nuts. But there are some techniques that generally seem to help weight loss: measuring your food rather than "eyeballing," tracking your diet (using MyFitnessPal or some other website or app), staying very low carb (particularly if you have metabolic syndrome), and gradually increasing the frequency and intensity of exercise. All that being said, your weight loss so far is pretty good. You must admit that losing 49 lbs is usually an occasion for celebration. I don't think losing 100 lbs in 7 months is very average with any type of surgery. The Lexapro might be a possible contributor to slowing down your rate of weight loss, but you should talk to your doctor about that. Note: in case you are still comparing, my stats include 42 lbs of pre-op weight loss.

I'm no veteran, but it sounds to me like you are a prime candidate for the sleeve. The key to long term success with the sleeve is a permanent change in lifestyle and faithful adherence to the dietary guidelines. Seems like you have already made great changes, now you need the tool. The fact that at your current weight you are not losing weight on less than 1500 calories a day means that the extreme low calorie diet generally prescribed after weight loss surgery is probably necessary for you. Even though you have become more active, your metabolism is interfering with weight loss. And as you know, an extreme low calorie diet without weight loss surgery is just a yo-yo waiting to happen. Whatever you decide, don't give up your new healthy habits. They will serve you well.

Oops. Maybe I need a new scale. I checked again, and I'm back up to 159. So I lost 4 lbs in a week, not 8. I was so happy, that I wanted to believe it.

I have been afraid to try GwinnieBee. What happens if you stain or rip the clothes? What if the clothes don't fit? Does that still count as a rental?

Ree: I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you have plenty of loving support. My final check-in for the Labor Day challenge is a head-scratcher: 155 lbs. How does one lose 8 lbs in one week? I must have been retaining water like crazy. If this isn't a temporary anomaly, I have exceeded my goal for today by 8 lbs!

I had a great NSV at the Elizabethan Theater in Ashland a couple of weeks ago. On my first visit, a year ago, I couldn't walk up the stairs to the balcony without stopping to gasp and rest. This year, I just walked right up without giving it a thought until I was at the top and remembered how I felt last year. I am ecstatic that I can now walk and climb stairs without difficulty.

I love the back. Keep it.

I posted out of frustration, but of course there are solutions! You guys don't let me feel sorry for myself. Thanks. I do have some smaller sized clothes in the attic that I can go through. And although the thrift stores never seem to have anything that will fit my bust size, Ross is still around. I'm sure I can find something if I look. Time to stop complaining and do something about it.

I have lost 40 lbs since my surgery on May 12 and 82 lbs since January. My biggest challenge has been getting used to my decreased capacity at mealtimes. I get full so fast that I often don't enjoy eating. Since I'm pretty hedonistic, this is disappointing. My biggest surprise is that although I am 60, I'm no longer as old as I thought I was. I am now riding a bike for transportation and exercise and routinely walk rather than drive.

I am going to try to convince my insurance company that I "need" a panniculectomy along with breast reduction. For me, the main driver is not aesthetics, but comfort. My "apron" is in my way and my heavy, pendulous breasts keep me from moving as much as I would like. Not to mention the pain in my back and shoulders.

It sounds like you have a good attitude. So many of us get so hung up on the number of lbs lost and lbs to go that we forget to appreciate the health improvements we are achieving. You are so right. Getting beyond my co-morbidities is way more important than the number on the scale. I also think pressuring yourself to lose a certain amount of weight in a certain amount of time might lead to frustration and eventual backsliding. Of course, I'm a big hypocrite because I am tickled that I made my Labor Day goal a week early. But I hope that if I did no make the goal, I would just keep on keeping on without recriminations.

I felt the way you do a couple of months ago. I felt that since I lost so much weight pre-surgery, that I should lose more and faster after the surgery. But our bodies are not machines. There are lots of things interacting at once and we don't control what our bodies do with the inputs. We only control what fuel we feed it and how we exercise. Please don't give up. If you keep moving in the right direction, you will eventually arrive at your desired destination.

I have not encountered mean-spirited posts on this site and I'm sorry if that has been your experience. I am actually grateful when I make one of my hand wringing complaints and someone gives me a reality check. But I know I would not get take it well if their advice was actually a put-down. If you see a post that is inappropriate, please report it. I don't want this site to go the way of so many other places on the internet!

I have not heard about any correlation between weight loss surgery and birth defects, but to put your mind at rest, you should talk to your surgeon as well as your PCP.

I am so sorry you are going through this. It is indeed a scary place to be. But I don't think you should totally give up on your WLS plans before you know your diagnosis. It won't hurt to go to your appointment and discuss your situation. I am sending you healing thoughts.

CW: 163! I can't believe I made goal a week early after losing slowly, or not at all for a few weeks. Bring on the Halloween challenge.

Everyone is different, but I definitely needed two weeks before going back to work. It took that long for me to feel like I could stay awake all day. I also had very bad nausea caused by the antibiotics I had to take. Regarding hair loss, I have heard that if it's going to happen, it usually starts around the 4th month after surgery. And the only thing that affects its severity and duration is adequate Protein and Vitamin supplementation. I am not at the 4-month mark yet, so I don't really know if I'm going to lose a lot of hair. I haven't noticed any changes so far.

Hi. I'm 60 years old and I live in the wine country in Northern California. I'm a little rattled right now because we just had a pretty strong earthquake. But the earthquake reminded me of how lucky I am. Not only did my friends, family and job all come through the earthquake just fine, but I had my 3 month follow-up appointment with my surgeon and was told that my A1C level was absolutely normal. I was so happy, I would have hugged him if that would not have been completely inappropriate. But my list of good fortune is actually much longer and deeper than that: I have a great, supportive husband, two adult children who are healthy and happy, and the two cutest grandsons on the planet. I know everyone thinks that, but for me, it's true :-)

Even though pre-surgery I told myself that I would likely be a slow loser, after reading about others' successes, I became impatient. If they can lose 20 lbs. in a month, why not me? Now after three months, when these thoughts arise, I tell myself, "slow your roll!" Everyone is different and we are not machines. If you stay on track, you will lose. Maybe not as fast, you'd like, but you will lose.

Congratulations. What a great accomplishment.

I understand you not wanting to have your kids be too far apart to be companions, but I think your health should take precedence. Also, your pregnancy and childbirth will be less complicated if you are not obese.

Please add me to the challenge roster, and thank you so much for organizing the challenge. Since it doesn't look like I'll make my Labor Day goal, I hope to do better on this one.