MrsSugarbabe

Love it! You look mahvelous, @@Djmohr!!!

Last summer I decided I would add white slacks to my work wardrobe because I was very tired of wearing black slacks all the time with a variety of tops and/or jackets. Well, this summer I got a little bolder and added a white tunic top to my wardrobe, so today I'm dressed in all white (a little scary!) including my flats and gold jewelry. One woman I work with and who isn't my biggest fan (in fact, there is no love lost between us) actually told me this morning when I saw her the first time "You look really pretty today, Lisa!" I about fell out!! I graciously accepted the compliment by saying a simple "Thank you!"

I just made 4 years post op.

I'm 5-09, and started off at 276 the morning off my surgery. I got down to my lowest weight of 174 at almost a year after my surgery. My Original goal weight was 168, which would've put me at the top end of a normal BMI. I never made it there.

During the honeymoon period, the first year pos op, I religiously logged my food, concentrated on Protein first, weighed everyday, all the things we are supposed to do. At some point I decided I didn't need to do all that anymore. That was a mistake.

For the last year and a half I've maintained between 200-209lbs. That's right, a 35lb gain. Your hunger comes back, life stressors happen, and instead of keeping on doing what I learned and practiced the first year after my surgery, I turned to old habits. I ate around my sleeve. Carbapalooza.

This past April I decided enough was enough. It was time to get back to my lowest weight, and then continue towards my goal weight I never achieved. I'm happy to report that today I'm sitting at 180lbs, and as my original goal of 168 gets closer I'm thinking I need to be more ambitious and try for mid range BMI weight for my height. I love my sleeve, even though I did the wrong things and gained weight, once I started focusing on Protein first again, I still have great restriction! I'm still only able to eat 3-4oz of dense protein. I've gotten back into all my habits from my honeymoon period, protein first, weighing and logging food, I weigh myself everyday.

That's been my experience.

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Thank you for sharing your story @Wolfgirl78. It encourages me because I've been stuck for about 6 months now and maintaining within about a 5-7 lb. range, never quite reaching Onederland. These days I'm doing what I can to get back into the new habits (ha!) that I developed during the first year following surgery. If they were truly habits, I think I would be having difficulty right now. I still weigh every morning, measure/weigh my food as well as track it (1200-1400cals./day), and exercise regularly throughout the week, i.e. walk for about 25 mins. during my lunch break and workouts at the gym on average 2-3 times per week. I can't help but feel that if I stay diligent, I will start losing again and eventually reach my goal.

Thanks to all you BP Vets out there who share your stories!! They are always encouraging, enlightening, and oftentimes hilariously funny

I got the unflavored I have a hard time mixing it in stuff I can taste the Protein bad any tips to make me like it ?

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My suggestions for traveling:

Take premeasured Protein powder with you or a scale so you can accurately measure the powder rather than depending on scoop size. Powder can easily compact or be too loose and you won't get an accurate serving size. Don't wait until you're in the restaurant to mix your shake. Premix your Protein shakes and ask for a glass of ice to pour it over. Have it ready to drink and I think you will avoid some strong temptations. unjury Protein Powder shakes can be made at least 24 hours ahead of when you plan to drink the shake, which I do often because I think they taste better when the shake has had time to "bloom" so to speak. Also, Unjury has a chicken Soup Protein powder that is quite good, but you have to be careful about Water temperature so it helps to have a simple thermometer on hand. If the Water is too hot, the whey will clump. It doesn’t change the taste, just the texture which can be weird. I have found that having a non-sweet protein Meal Replacement helped me get through the restaurant meals and such.

Most of my protein beverages are just shaken up; I do not use a blender or make them frozen for simplicity and time sake.

Get creative with your drink flavors. Some of my favorite flavor combinations are:

1. vanilla Protein Powder, SF Sunrise Orange drink (it’s like an orange Dreamsicle)
2. ½ serving vanilla PP, ½ serving chocolate Splendor PP ,4 oz. brewed coffee, chilled, 4 oz. skim milk
3. Chocolate Splendor PP, 8 oz. skim milk, 1 or 2 servings PB2
4. ½ serving Vanilla PP, ½ serving chocolate Splendor, 8 oz. skim milk
5. Chicken PP with less than a serving of chicken bouillon mixed with 8-10 oz. water at 140 degs.

@@GSleeve822 - No, I'm not in maintenance yet. Still working on getting to goal so I have about 40 lbs. more to go to get there. Just need to really buckle back down to doing all the same things I did after surgery. More shakes, higher Protein, I'm still exercising most days and staying active. The bad beast of snacking reentered my life earlier this year and he's being a bear to get rid of. I do still make more good food choices than bad ones. And because of my exercise, I am still losing some inches.

I've been "stuck" in the same 10 lb. range for about 6 months now. Very frustrating. I've been logging, counting, changing up exercise routine, decreasing caloric intake, increasing caloric intake, doing whatever I can think of to jumpstart the weight loss again. I do take satisfaction in the fact that I have not gained and have still continued to lose inches. I will press on!!

Are you in maintenance phase?

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Congratulations, ladies!!! Great job!!

I concur with @OKCPirate.

I just finished reading this article and felt it worthy of passing along.

http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/articles.html/_/plateaus-and-regain/pushing-your-way-through-r242

It took a long time, but actual physical hunger did return for me. It takes a lot less food now to satisfy that physical hunger which is a very good thing. I keep a variety of healthy Snacks available so I have something readily handy if it's not time for a meal yet; especially while at work.

Unfortunately, the head "hunger" returned, too, and is a difficult beast to fight. Do your best to not let old bad habits creep back into your lifestyle. Do as much as you can to develop good eating and exercise habits early on so that it is all first nature as time goes by.

Our new tummies are a tool, not miracle workers.

Great! Congratulations!! Follow the plan for you and you'll do fine.

My one word of advice - do your best not to let old (bad) eating habits creep back into your lifestyle down the road.

Dr. Kuwada was my surgeon. I think the whole group at Carolinas Weight and Wellness are wonderful.

Congratulations on your success!! Great progress!!

Ditto what @@OutsideMatchInside said.

Some days not much appetite or actual hunger; some days want to eat anything not tied down. Some days I have physical hunger and want to eat something or drink a Protein shake just to end the hunger, but have trouble making myself get up and do it. Today is one of those days.

You look amazing!! Congratulations on your success!!

I concur with all of the previous comments, too.

I can relate to your feelings about reconciling the former you with the current you, despite pictures and journal entries and posts and compliments and therapy.......... It takes our minds a whole lot longer to change.

Throughout my life and during any of my weight loss efforts, including having been sleeved, my body typically will change a clothing size every 15-20 lbs. It does depend on style and the particular piece of clothing. My shoe size has stayed basically the same, again depending on style of the shoe - either a 7 1/2 or 8 medium width.

It all takes time and diligence following our plans. And patience.

I've been stalled for about 6 months now, but I have NOT given up nor do I regret having the surgery. It is a tool for us to use and benefit from, it is not a miracle worker.

I saw this link on another thread. Maybe it will help you somewhere along the way.

https://www.youtube.com/user/WorkHardFeelGoood

Excellent! Thank you for sharing it with us. I especially liked what he said about graveyards being the richest place. Liked it so much I shared it with my FB buds.

I just found this post today.....ya'll are a hoot!!!! I'm about half way through all the posts and will have to continue later.

I've done the same thing many times over the years, esp. during my wild woman days going to the bars....great place for lipstick and keys. And I've been known to put my phone in with the girls.

Awesome!!! Congratulations!! A wonderful NSV!!!

I've been in freezing/chilled all the time mode since surgery. Not a normal mode for me. I keep Cuddle Duds handy to wear under my work attire and I keep my work zone/office warmer than other areas near me.

@@crazyplantlady - my hair was shoulder length. The most noticeable thinning areas were on the crown and at my temples. At the bottom of the length it got really thin and difficult to work with. Keratin spray helped me to manage it through the changes.

The first clump of hair that came out of my head totally freaked me out! I knew I would lose some hair at some point, but NOT THAT MUCH!!!! And then to lose similar sized clumps for 4 more weeks really freaked me out. I was not prepared for that amount of Hair loss in such a short time. These days any hair loss is what has always been typical for me pre-surgery. Just hang in there!

I concur with @InnerSurferGirl. My program recommends a minimum of 100 grams of Protein a day. This far out from surgery I still cannot eat enough solid food to achieve that goal so I supplement with an powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury shake and/or Quest bar 1-2-3 times a day depending on the day. I've been on a plateau for months now and continue to strive for 100 grams a day with 1200-1500 calories.

You should have received recommendations from your surgeon's office and the nutritionist. Give them a call for more information.

I was allowed Decaf within a month, but really didn't have a taste for it for awhile following surgery. I've been back on my half and half caff routine now for many months without any problems. I just make certain I include my coffee beverages on my meal tracker because I drink sissy coffee in the morning's which means they aren't calorie or fat free and usually make a Lisa Latte in the afternoon (named after me ). Enjoy it when you can!

Been there, done that, it grows back. No need to worry about going bald. Some places will be thinner than others tho.

Mine starting coming out in clumps at week 13, lasted about 4 weeks and then the thinning slowed considerably. I discovered keratin spray to help with my hair since I was flat ironing it. I did not cut my hair short during this time because I wanted to keep the length. I just did the best I could with what I had and toughed it out. Now, a year later, it is almost back to its original fullness (I have really thick hair!) although it is curly now. I've changed my style some so that I can wear it curly or straight. My straight, full-bodied hair started becoming more curly a few years ago, very slowly. The significant Hair loss just sped up the change. I believe the curly hair started as my hormones were changing because of where I am in life

Nothing special. Tummy still makes gurgling noises after eating, probably just quicker after something sweet. I just ate a pork chop for lunch and am sitting at my desk just gurgling away.