BloomingLotus

I'm still trying to get used to it. Not so easy when there's such a before and after difference. My surgery was just over two years ago.

My surgery was almost two years ago and I've been "at goal" for over a year. I am still amazed when I see pictures of myself not fat.
The kid in this picture is a size 2. I am not. Ha!

Couch to 5k actually has an app if you have a smart phone (I think it's 5k runner) that plays over your own music.
You have have your own playlist on your phone and whenever it's time the music lowers a bit and the voice prompts come on.

I was sleeved on 1/29 and I'm down 22lbs since surgery, so you're doing fantastic in my eyes!!
Overall I'm down 49.4 since my first appointment, and I'm feeling great! My loss is slow, but steady. I stay the same for 5-6 days and then overnight I drop 1.5-2.5lbs and then I'm the same for another 5-6 days.
Keep doing what you're doing because you seem to be on the right track! ????

I had my gastric bypass on September 8, 2014. HW was 279. I'm 5' 7.5" tall. My current weight is 151 lbs. I look great and feel fantastic. This is the best decision I've ever made. It has changed my entire life.

I am a sign language interpreter for the deaf. I decided this was going to be my career at age 6, and I am now the CEO of my own company.

I've never posted pictures on here before. My co workers found an old picture of me yesterday and wanted to take a picture to compare. We were all amazed at the results. It was very emotional for me. Down about 90 lbs in 6 months. Never been happier!

Yesterday I weighed in a 185.2, which puts my BMI at 29.9. So I am now officially only "overweight". Woohoo! Even though it's only been 2 months and 12 pounds since my last set of progress pics, I had my husband go ahead and take new ones for this major milestone. You can see all of my pics in my gallery, but here are a couple showing my 54 pound loss since the pre-op photos were taken:
       

I am only a month out, and my loss isn't super noticeable yet but I wonder if I'll feel the same way in the future. You're a very powerful writer.
Whenever a man speaks to me, I assume he wants my skinny friend's phone number. When someone actually expresses interest in me, I'm confused, because who could find fat me attractive? When I'm thinner, will I be angry that I wasn't good enough fat but now I'm worthy of being hit on?
I am in the dating world, and no one outside of this website knows of my surgery (no family, no friends) so navigating dating is scary for me.
I hope I too can find the confidence in myself!

I just finished reading a couple of posts and I couldn't do anything but say to myself, "Seriously? Really?"
I know there are going to be some people that will probably what to take my head off for this one, but I just have to ask... Are there really people that frequent this website that are so weak-minded and sensitive that they can be absolutely devastated and sent into an uncontrollable bout of depression over something someone wrote in a thread?
If someone that you don't know, have never met, and they know nothing about you, can cause such an emotional reaction in you, I personally think that you don't even need to be considering WLS at this point. You really should be seeking out the services of a therapist to figure out what makes you give away your personal power to a complete stranger.
I hear people say how "mean" some people are, and how rude others are. People are only to you what you allow them to be, and they can only take control of the power you give them.
I have never testified that I know everything about everything, but to the contrary I'm not dumb as a box of rocks! Bottom line, stop letting the things these people on this site upset you, or even get your dander up. You never know, they may come here just to see what type of drama they can get started. If you find something of value to you, keep it and cherish it. All the rest of this mess is nothing but chatter.
This post may not have been directly toward you, but if the shoe fits, feel free to lace that b i t c h up and wear it.

@@Elode your professors would be so proud... Someone has been hitting the books hard! Awesome ???? thanks for the scientific information, it's helpful to see the bigger picture!

@@Elode your professors would be so proud... Someone has been hitting the books hard! Awesome ???? thanks for the scientific information, it's helpful to see the bigger picture!

Happy anniversary! Not a single person knows about my surgery other than all the bariatric pal folks! No family, no friends, no coworkers. I am 2 weeks out today and seem to be doing well.
I have my first event where I will be eating with people in a week and a half so I'm going to have to mentally prepare for that. Perhaps just getting over a stomach bug if any comments are made. It IS winter after all.

Glad to hear everyone is doing so well! Sending all my strength and patience to those in stalls... It will break soon!
I had my one(ish) month appointment with my surgeon yesterday and he is very pleased with my progress. I was sleeved on Jan 29, and I am down 15 in the 5 weeks since surgery. From my very first appointment with him on Sept 24, I am down 43lbs! He said that I am losing at a good pace (I think it's a little slow, but hey, he's the professional) and to keep up the great work. Blood work was done so I should know soon if all my levels are where they should be.
I also got my first compliment, and it was genuine! No one knows about my surgery, so I was wondering when the comments would start. The answer: 41lbs lost. A woman I work with said "you know, I've been meaning to tell you, you look fantastic! You must feel so good, you can see it in the way you're carrying yourself. Good for you!" It was so genuine and not a backhanded compliment and it made me feel great!
I know I'm getting smaller but it's hard to conceptualize when you see yourself every day. I took pictures on the day of my first appointment, and I want to wait until 3 months to take new ones, so it's nice to hear that my changes are noticeable!
Have you started to notice the changes in yourself? What has been the most motivating to you so far?

Hey everyone, today marks 6 months since Being sleeved!
Total lost is 135 lbs.
45 lbs lost pre surgery
90 lbs lost since Sept (6 months) post op
Lost 16" around waist/ 8 pants sizes!
I'm very happy! Today I weigh 245 lbs and I'm hoping to lose 45 more lbs over the next 6 months to get to 200 lbs. I hope everyone is doing well!  

Whoo Hoo! After I stalled at 200.4 for a while and I stepped on the scale this morning with fingers crossed and....198.4!!!! So happy. I haven't seen onderland in 13 years!!!

I just had my 3 month post op check up today along with the body composition analysis. I am down 48 pounds and 47.8 pounds of the weight I have lost is all fat! I have only lost .2 pounds of muscle mass which my surgeon, NUT, & dietician are thrilled with! Apparently most post ops lose significant muscle mass along with their weight loss. So even though I haven't lost as much weight as I wanted to in this time, the weight I have lost is all fat! Yay to my sleeve!

(sorry about the atrocious typo in the title >.<. "SURGIVERSARY"!)
I'm sitting her reminiscing about my surgery day. I remember so clearly the emotions that I was feeling. I was not scared in the least. I was so READY. I did have a bit of anxiety, as anyone who is about to go under the knife would have, but was never scared. Waking up from the surgery was one of the biggest sighs of relief that I have ever taken. It's over with! I'm alive! Yeah I feel like crap, but I "feel" AMAZING! I only had to stay one night in the hospital.
Recovery after surgery was typical. I took 3 weeks off of work which I felt every day was needed. Pain was manageable and I didn't take any pain meds at home. I also never threw up, and still have not thrown up once since surgery.
I followed all of the stages to a 'T'. It took six months to lose 100 lbs.
I've had the best, most ideal experience with the sleeve and I am so thankful for that. As of today, one year out, I am down 135 lbs. I am smaller then I was in high school by about 40-50 lbs. I think I was this weight in elementary school, no joke.
I have been at this weight since November, though. I've been maintaining around 3 months, which is fine.
I do want to mention that I lost a lot of hair. At least half of what I had is gone. Seems like more but probably not. So now I have very thin, fine hair. I'm ok with it though, as it is already growing back. I feel like I look like Elvira at the moment because all the new stuff sticks straight up. I have to hairspray it back down lol. I still lose a little in the shower, but as far as losing hair by the handfulls, that part is over.
I do have lose skin. It isn't terrible, but very noticeable. I look good with clothes on and that's it. My next goal is to start working on toning, to see if it makes any difference.
I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have.
Stats:
Height: 5'9"
HW: 320
CW: 185
GW: 170
Pics:
Before:


Day of surgery:

Today, one year out:
I will update this evening with more pics as I am at work right now.
Edit:
Here's a pic I took this evening. I have always dreamed of taking picture like this! This is me in my size 22's that I used to wear all the time pre-op. In fact, I think I'm wearing them in the picture above (the one in the pink shirt.) I wear a size 8 now.

I'm not too creative when it comes to tofu, but my favorite (and incredibly fast/easy) tofu recipe:
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis
1 package light ultra firm tofu
Throw both in skillet until all of the Tomato juices are absorbed into the tofu and it gets a little crispy on the edges.
If you like spicy, its flavorful with a little kick. It's very filling, and tastes great reheated as well.
Hopefully others have more creative recipes!
Good luck

Not a single person outside of this forum knows of my surgery. Not family, not friends, not work.
I think it's wonderful that so many people have such a great support system around them and can shout their surgery from the rooftops, but that is not the case in my situation. I am very proud of my decision to take my health into my own hands and conquer this problem before it gets too out of control. My medical decisions are no ones business but my own, but I do have all the respect in the world for those who are open enough to share.
For work, I often travel and can be out of the office for days at a time without question. I emailed my boss and HR that I would be using vacation days for one week. I did no further explanation. I did not tell any coworkers, and let them assume I was traveling on assignment.
As for eating out. I have been on a diet for most of my life, so saying "i'm being good today" before a meal seems to go without question from family and friends. Everyone knows that I was doing the occasional Protein shakes for Meal Replacements, they just didn't know it was in preparation for wls.
My loss isn't too noticeable yet, so I will cross the bridge of how to reply to loss questions when I get to it.
I may decide down the road to be more open, but for now this is my little secret, and I am totally content with my decision to keep it that way!

So happy I found this thread. I was sleeved on January 29th, so I'm just past the one month mark. I have lost 39 lbs since the start of the process and 11 since surgery. I have been on a stall for more than a week, which has been making me looney!
Reading about how many January sleevers have gone through/are going through the same thing makes me feel a little better. I have been bouncing up and down the same .4 pounds for over a week which definitely messes with your head.
So far my recovery has been smooth sailing. I have done really well with every food I've tried, and with the exception of early-on lactose intolerance, I have tolerated everything. I'm slowly reintroducing regular skim milk to see how my body handles it. Overall, I am very pleased.
I have not slimed or thrown up, but I definitely struggle to identify the "I'm full" signal. On more than one occasion I've done one or two bites too many and felt serious uncomfortable pain for a while.
I do still experience hunger, but I'm satisfied with so much less than I ever would have thought.
I have yet to introduce regular exercise, but that is next on the agenda.
Glad to see everyone is doing so well!

Alex just set it up. I hope it takes off big time. Here's the link:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1180-singles-forum-new/

Let me start off by saying I don't keep pictures of my old "self" so when my mom sent me this picture from thanksgiving I was shocked at how much my face has actually changed in this process. I knew it would but when you do a side by side it's pretty inspiring to keep up the motivation! 60 more lbs to go!!!

Last night I had Soup I bought from target - chicken tortilla Soup. It's noodle-free but has chicken, black Beans and spices. I put it in the nutribullet with some extra chicken broth to thin it out, and then strained it after to make sure there were no lumps.
It was flavor heaven. Granted it was maybe 6 spoonfuls of it, but MAN having something with flavor really does make a difference.
You can get inventive with your Soups and experiment with spices to stay on plan!

All these photos were taken WITHOUT Shapewear. After geting to goal, I was able to look pretty good with clever disguising of clothing and shapewear, but I chose photo #2 to show what I really looked like...extra skin showed even with clothes.
My sleeve surgery was Dec 2011 - photo #1 is right before
I got to goal of 158 in Feb 2013 - photo #2 is about 6 months later
I had plastics in Oct 2013 (Dr Sauceda in Mexico - lower body lift, arm lift, breast lift and augmentation and SMALL thigh lift). - Photos 2 show pre plastics.
Photos 3 and 4 were both post plastics and you can see that losing a few pounds made very little difference, it was the getting rid of the skin!