MrsSugarbabe

I've been hypothyroid for at least 40 years. I was sleeved at age 68. I've lost 100 pounds and been maintaining at 135 for over a year.

I think the only way to start exercising is to start moving -- just a little bit. Then move just a teeny bit more. I honestly believe anyone can do anything if they just do that.
Last spring when I was recliner-bound (yup, could hardly move my ass out of it), I started counting my steps in my head (one, two, three ... thirteen, fourteen ... sixty-one, sixty-two). I literally counted how many steps I was walking each day. Kept a record. I found I was walking less than 1,000 steps a day.
These days, even before being sleeved (happens in a few weeks), I'm now hitting over 5,000 steps daily and sometimes 6,000 and 7,000/day. I've lost over 10 pounds in the last 8 weeks.
I'm now on Day Two of the pre-op diet. I have no doubt I will survive that, too.
It doesn't matter at all what you can and cannot do. Just do that today. Then tomorrow do a tiny little bit more. The next day, same thing. And along the way, be kind to yourself and don't hurt yourself.
If you want some inspiration, check out this guy!

@@jess9395 the plan from my bariatric team was:
3 small meals per day plus
supplemental Protein Shakes ("no Snacks other than Protein shakes" was the exact wording) to make up any protein differential. Other than the 3 small meals + protein shakes, no caloric intake for the day.
Everything was logged of course, and we had calorie limits, carb limits, and protein targets to comply with in addition to the general format of 3 small meals + protein shakes. Plus a whole bunch of other rules about the kinds of food to eat -- no grains, no starchy veggies, no sweets, no tropical fruits -- stuff like that.

Ha ha! 100-200 calories 4-5 small meals day is how I lost 135lbs. I couldn't get in enough calories or protein in three meals. Still can't most days at three years out.
I was specifically asking bufflehead because I know she did it on three meals and I was just curious if she counted the shakes as meals (which I did) or if they were on top of her meals. Three meals and two shakes could get me there.
Believe me I'm three years out two years at goal not looking for free food. I still can't get my calories and protein in some days
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I think everyone uses a different definition of "meals" and "snacks", so it's important to talk to your team about what exactly they mean when they say those words.
I know if I eat even one bite too many, I am desperately miserable for the better part of a half hour. So pushing the sleeve to hold more is NOT a good option IMHO.
My instructions are to eat 4-6 small meals/snacks a day (every 3-4 hours), with a total calorie intake around 1,000-1,200 calories and a minimum of 80g Protein. A Protein shake can replace a meal. I cannot do super low carb, but I focus on complex carbs and have been keeping total carbs under 100g. My weight loss has slowed down but it's still chugging along. There is no way I could meet my Protein goals if I didn't eat multiple times a day.
I also think that there's a difference between having planned Snacks and grazing. Some people hear "snacking" and think "grazing". For me, a "snack" is just a smaller meal than normal, and is planned out, not just grabbing something from the pantry and laying into it.

Follow your team's instructions. Eat three small meals a day and supplement with Protein Shakes to get your Protein in. Do not overeat.
These are exactly the instructions I received -- I followed them and lost over 200 lbs and hit my goal weight.

There is no way that I could have gotten my Protein in with only 3 meals a day. My restriction was to significant. So I eat 5 smaller meals per day and I get my protein every day.

I take regular Equate (WalMart) Multivitamins and Calium along with other supplements by either Nature Made or Spring Valley. My surgeon was okay with that and all my work since surgery has been fine. Other supplements consist of D3, Biotin, B12, coq10. Because of my sleeve tummy, I do take all my supplements and medications spread out over about a 1-2 hour timeframe. There's no way I can take all of my morning meds & supplements all at the same time.

You will never feel full on fluids...they don't stay in your sleeve long enough. Regardless, even when you transition to solids, you should not be using "full" as a guideline of how much to eat. It's a nasty habit that made us all fat in the first place. Measure and track your food according to your program's plan. Meet your Protein and Fluid requirements and don't eat more than the ounces recommended for each meal/snack.

That feeling you have is the most important thing of all... To hell with what other say or think. Your the only person living in your body.... You are living for you and your family... No one else.
So when people started to say.... OMG your so thin... I'd look at them and smile the biggest cheesiest smile and say.... OMG.. You really think im thin, Yeah me (while clapping hands)..... thanks... and walk away.
You keep up the great work.... you look fabulous

I feel VERY comfortable in my own skin... Even the parts that need to be tucked lol.
I am back to having the confidence in myself I thought was forever lost.
As for the last few pounds? If they don't ever come off, that's ok, too.
8 months ago I could not walk without aid.
Anything better than that was a win in my book.
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"Oh honey chil', 'Normal' is just a settin' on yo' dryer." "When all is said and done, usually more has been said than done. "

I want to lose more weight so I am at a healthy BMI but physically I am small enough as is. If I ever get my skin removed, I will lose a size or 2.
I was morbidly obese in the super category for a long time. That has changed my body forever and my muscle. I am smaller now at a higher weight than I was in college. That is because of my muscle density.
So you might not need to lose more pounds. You can lose inches working out/surgery.
As weird as losing a lot of weight is for us, it is just as weird to the people around us and I think we forget it. I'm half the person I used to be, almost literally, and that is a lot for me to handle and other people also.

It's very common. Many of us have been large or a long time that it has become part of our perceived identity. I still make a comment along te lines of "a big guy like me" and get funny looks from people that don't know what I looked like before. It takes a long time to make the adjustment; not only in our minds but in the minds of others. Their mental image of you hasn't caught up with the reality of it yet.
On the flip side of it, in more rare cases, there are some that develop eating disorders. There was a Soup sandwich of a person on here a while ago that went crazy with the not eating and was reduced to skin and bones. Those are the ones that should have probably been better vetted or had more intense therapy before being approved.
In your situation, just give them time. Smile and laugh it off and just ignore them.

Yes, it did happen to me. I got below my goal weight and my Surgeon and my PCP got worried. They thought I was losing muscle because I lost my weight so fast. That was strange for me because I have never in all my 60 years been told to stop losing weight. Then my nieces, hubby and my daughter all said that I needed to stop losing weight they were very concerned about me. Again NEVER in my life had anyone spoke those words to me. Then my Surgeon's Nurse came up to me and ask me if I had ever stopped losing weight. I then told her that I had actually gained 8#'s. Everyone that had said, I was to thin were beside themselves that I looked so much healthier after those 8#'s. I also felt better. What a difference to go from people ( Dr's and all) saying that I had lost to much weight. But...I was and still am so petrified to gain any weight at all. I have maintained my loss for 2 and 1/2 years. I guess I didn't handle what was being said to well because I still see that fat person. I am working hard on being nicer to Myself. When I look in the mirror I still don't see my body weighing 125#'s. I just hope I can eventually see her. It really feels strange when someone says YOU ARE SO SKINNY!! Or you don't look like you ever was overweight.

I would actually make chicken noodle Soup and just drink the broth. It had more flavor then chicken stock. When I did have chicken stock, I added garlic salt and pepper to it. I would also cook it with carrots, corn and celery in it, and then stain it. It gave it a different flavor that way. I relied more on yogurt with Protein powder, as I found it to not be as sickly sweet as the Meal Replacement shakes, puddings, hot chocolate.

Man, this sounds amazing and I am YEARS out!

I'm allowed to have Tomato juice and I am craving salt lately. Never did before... I love v8 now and could live on it. I put plain Protein in it and I'm set.
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I'm just about 2 years out and still do not drink carbonated beverages - at least not more than a sip or two. There are (and have been) plenty of times I'd love to drink a Diet Coke, Diet Cheerwine, Diet Sunkist, or Diet Root Beer, but I do not like the way the carbonation makes me feel. Once in a great while, I will take a sip or two, nothing more, of my husband's Diet Sunkist just to taste something other than our usual SF flavored Water, tea, coffee, plain Water, etc. I continue to have great restriction with my sleeve so sometimes one or two bites (or sips) too many can/will make me feel absolutely miserable for at least a hour afterwards. It's not worth it.

Hey gang,
I am about 2 1/2 months post op and wanted to chime in about the road so far. I went from 226 to 191, stalled at 5 weeks and the scale didn't budge for 3. Didn't panic, but decided to focus on lifting weights instead of cardio as I noticed I was really soft/flabby and losing a lot of muscle. I have a free workout joint at my work and now take a 45 min lunch break to lift weights, alternating upper and lower body. The gym is cold and I don't get sweaty so I can jump right back in to work with just a minor touch up.
I have read that one of the best perks about WLS is that when we work out, we will quickly begin to see a noticeable difference. I've gone from a size 20-ish down to a 14. The smallest I have ever been is a 12, so I am pretty dang chuffed about the progress. in the 6 weeks of weight lifting, I have lost 6 lbs, but, wow, what a difference in my size and how my clothes look/fit. Even better, I have more energy, sleep less and even took up playing the guitar again. I feel like a new person. It's amazing how much time I have now to do other stuff.
Weights seem to have been the post op magic bullet. After getting burned out on gyms and the hours I had spent spinning my wheels, it amazes me that 45 mins 4-5 days is all I need. Who knew?
(If you are going to start a program, get with someone about proper lifting techniques as form is crucial. And clearance from your docs. So worth it!)

You put in the time.
You put in the money.

You go to all the appointments and you jump through all the hoops.
You do the pre-op diet.

You have the surgery.

You cared enough about yourself to make the commitment to WLS and you physically and permanently alter your body...


And then you get mad because someone tells you not to eat the d@mn taco? Not to drink alcohol or soda 2.783 days after surgery? To put down the freaking pizza'? To stop eating bread/rice/pasta/bananas/hoagies/20oz steaks TEMPORARILY while your body heals and you get to your goal weight? To actually stick to YOUR doctor's plan?

Even better, you get mad when they only do so AFTER you ASKED????

SERIOUSLY PEOPLE?

Yes. I'd guess most of us have head hunger and cravings. I'd guess most of us had a nibble or sip of something off plan. I've no doubt that most of us were not 100% compliant 100% of the time. But I'd also guess that those of us who have done this, gotten to goal weight and stayed there have been compliant the majority of the time. I'd also guess that many of us who have been successful would appreciate a swift kick in the rear if/when we ask a question I bet we already know the answer to.

It's not rocket science and this isn't Romper Room. Make good choices, stick to your doctor's orders or don't, but don't get mad if you fail to get the results you want when you refuse to do what you are supposed to do. And don't get mad when someone tells you that what you are putting in your mouth isn't the best idea in the world even though you want it right now.

Value yourself more than that. Seriously.

See this? This is what the staple line of your stomach looks like. If one of those ruptures or comes loose, you will have your stomach contents leaking into your abdominal cavity, causing possible sepsis. Your stomach's nerves have been cut and stapled, so the feeling isn't as sharp as it should be. Post op diet requirements aren't 'suggestions' like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. It's a prescription so you heal properly and don't hurt yourself. It has nothing to do with weight loss early out.
Follow your surgeons orders from here on out, please.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will stick to full liquids only.
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OP, sorry to pile on here, but you really do have to realize what you're doing here. Granted, some of the guidelines we're given are probably safer than needed, but it's for our protection.
You're not just putting your toe over the line, you're stepping way past it.
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Seriously do not take offense, but concern for you doing that is mind boggling. I choked on a soft piece of chicken six weeks after surgery, and I could not breathe. I ran through my house like a crazy person, so panicked. Three years later I still am cautious and make sure I chew chicken and beef very well.