HealthArtLove

TvlGrl712, I am just three weeks out, post op, and I am already feeling regret. Don't get me wrong, I'm losing weight and lots of it. But I can't help but feel sad that I couldn't do this on my own. There are a lot of changes that you have to make to be successful. In hindsight, I wish I had tried to follow the post surgery diet during the six months wait for insurance approval, just to see what would happen.
I'm sure my sentiment isn't popular. But I actually had a debate with my surgeon prior to surgery regarding the fact that it's an unfair world where people are starving in some countries and people are undergoing surgery so they can lose weight in others. The irony and injustice really didn't sit well with me. You can imagine the look he gave me!
My decision to have the surgery wasn't an easy one. But, I was starting to have problems with my knees, I couldn't participate in activities with my family and my health was starting to be impacted by the weight. After spending the majority of my 40 years living life as a fat person, I decide to see what it was like to finally be free of the excess weight. But I debated my decision for over a year. I finally decided to take a leap of faith, let's see how I feel about it in a few months. ????

Hi! Great to meet other December people. I was sleeved on 12/30. The first 3-5 weeks were rough. Doing well now.
Would love to know if all of you are getting your Protein and Water in, I went back to one Protein shake a day, because I couldn't fit in all the food required to hit my 60-70 grams of Protein. Still struggling with the Water.
Also, curious if anyone else has had multiple stalls? I hit one at three weeks and it seems like I am in one again. Looking forward to learning about others experience.

Hello group
4.18.2014 is my sleeve anniversary, I am just shy of one year. I have had reasonable success in that I have lost 140lbs. I started at 400 so I had a bunch to loose. Anyway, I have stalled at this level for the last 45 days or so.....I will loose 2 pounds and gain 2 pounds. Water intake, exercise, calories are all fairly constant. I saw my surgeon last week for a follow up and asked for advice. He explained that the body tries to seek normal. By that he means it wants to maintain a steady state. He advised me to shake things up: either exercise more or eat less. As we talked, he advised me to restrict food intake to 400 calories per day for the next month. I have done that for the last five days and lost 9 pounds. He further stated that I have lost all the easy weight, I am going to have to more actively manage my situation going forward based on results and be prepared to make adjustments as needed.
The concept of fighting normal was new to me and as such I thought I would share.
Mark

Congrats!

. My before and after I still got a little more to lose but all and all down 125 since 2/12/14

Told only my immediate family and a handful of very close friends. All of whom only want the best for me. No one at work knows and I didn't tell my in-laws. I tell my husband all the time, my surgery wasn't and isn't a "secret"-- it's private. There is a difference. Congrats on your success.
Shorty54, I am interested to know though-- What do you tell people about how you lost the weight? I'm only a couple weeks out so I haven't had to cross that bridge yet!

SCREW THE SCALE!!
You know that the scale measures the weight of your muscles as well as your fat, right? Well, it sounds to me like you have been gaining muscle from your workouts! This means the scale may not budge because muscle is dense and will weigh more than fat BUT you ARE getting smaller -- as proven by your measurements!!
Be nice to yourself!! Focus on how far you have come from where you were pre-op. And remember this is not a race, it is your life! Keep up the good work!

Big mama, I'm with you! I weigh myself multiple times a day. So not dropping weight as quickly as before is killing me! Oh well, I decided that I need to get my ass up every weekday morning and work out. Need to get all I can out of this surgery. ????

Tfarr, I'm in the same boat. Nothing bothers me either. I'm on a business trip and I decided to try a few fries (fried anything is my weakness). I was able to eat a hell of a lot more than I could have imaged. Decided to find a support group asap.
Have you tried Meet up? They list bariatric support groups by zip code. I found a more convenient group then the one at my surgeons office (which is an hour from me). Maybe you can find a group that meets at a time that is better for you.
I was given the best advice from a friend the other day. She reminded me that I need to learn to eat for life, just not for weight loss. There will always be temptations and some days will be better than others. But I can start each day with the best intentions, even if I gave in the day before.
Please reach out to others for support. This is hard and to important to go it alone!

God it's like all of you are telling my story!!! I'm down 55 since my journey started dec 3. surgery was dec 17 and have lost 38 since then. but the past 3 weeks I've been stuck around the same 6 pounds. have been losing slowly and it's killing me! well all get there.. slowly but surely. but it is nice to know that others are feeling the same. I don't want to be a sleeve failure

wow, i have been banded with plication for almost 2 yrs
and been on this forum for 2 yrs 4 months..where has the time gone?
i am happier today then i was when i started in Feb 2012...compared to
where i am now today..
the only (advice) i want to give is the following (take it or ignore it):
call your doctor if you are hurting or concerned or need (assistance w/questions can i or should i eat/do/drink) i strongly advise anyone to do what THEIR doctor says, not mine or anyone elses.. use common sense (you cant gain true weight overnight and you wont lose true weight overnight) eating more calories than you burn off will make you gain weight with or without any WLS reality is clothes sizes getting smaller is a accurate sign of losing weight (dont focus totally on the metal monster) you do not have to be at goal in six months...get there when you do...WLS has no expiration date and last but not least
believe in yourself to give yourself credit..you know if you eat too much of the not so great food chioices out there
dont say the WLS did not stop you..you stop you.....YOU can control yourself..(you wont step out in front of a train would you??)
WLS will help you but it wont be the save all as that part is up to you and me
be well and all the best to you.

so, a huge NSV for me this weekend, I went shopping at the mall for the first time since surgery for new clothes. (bypass surgery 7/4/14 and down 101 pounds so far!!) (I've been to places like Savers and goodwill buying things here and there, but this was my first mall outing). I went into stores I've never stepped foot in... and I BOUGHT there too! WOOHOOO! I went to H&M, Aeropostale, Forever 21,just to name a few. So, since this is a whole new shopping world for me, where are some stores that you like to go in now that you're on the losers bench? My old go-to store was Dressbarn for Women, and I'm so happy to have a new variety of stores to shop at. Please share your new favorites- whether in store on online- I'm in the shopping mood!

It's 5:30am....9 degrees out with wind gusts of 20-30mph putting the wind chill way down below zero....
Snowed over night and the plow just went down the street....
Sitting here on my second cup of coffee....
The gym opens at 6am, and in spite of everything I will be there when they open (or shortly thereafter)
THERE ARE NO EXCUSES! I could easily go back to my warm bed with my wife and sleep in....put this off to another day...perhaps another day after that, then another day after that...NO! At my age I need to take advantage of every opportunity!
The more you do, the better you get, and bigger are the rewards....if I don't go, I will feel like crap all day long...and probably punish myself.
Yes, I am 100% successful with my weight loss...finished this journey (if you like that term, I don't) years ago....however I do not think I would have gotten this far from surgery alone...it was the exercise that really made it complete...no sagging skin, flabby arms, etc...all tight!
Exercise also covers a multitude of sins....it's probably the reason I can do some of the things dieters would never dream of doing....
Dr.'s have been preaching it forever...diet and exercise...diet and exercise....
I don't like the "D" word, counting calories, etc...that's all behind me...to me it's all part of the new, permanent lifestyle of healthy eating, staying active, enjoying the good things in life, (I'm not into self punishment), but never over indulging...all things in moderation.
I cannot stress enough how fortunate and pleased I am to have had this surgery...otherwise I would have been dead by now...literally! My Dr's informed me so in direct terms I was a walking time bomb.
And lets not ever forget...,behind it all the band is there quietly controlling my appetite, hunger and cravings...easy way out?
WHY SHOULD I CARE OR FEEL GUILTY!!!
Give me a break.....It just doesn't get any better than this!
Some people give up too easily at the first sign of this or that....believe me...this DOES WORK! Don't let negative people - whiners, tell you otherwise....
Many, just about all, successful lap banders move on and leave this site...believe me, it is hard to stay with all the negativity...
But that is the sole reason I stick around...somebody has to stand up to it and call it out for what it is....whether newbies want to believe it or not...

Lol I hear you! I weigh myself constantly. Before & after. .. I use the bathroom, shower, eat, with and without clothes.. practically every time I'm in the bathroom! =/ I'm obsessed with it, it's horrible! I won't weight myself at the gym though, because that scale is off! Lol

@@Big_Mama it's so frustrating. I try not to weigh myself every day but I can't help it. I want to see those numbers move. I've decided to weigh myself on the days I go to the gym. Three times a week is plenty I think.

I'm on my second stall and I'm going crazy. I've started the gym three times a week so I'm hoping that helps. I'm on soft solids but still eat mostly mushies with boiled or grilled chicken thrown in there.

@@Liz5012, Our situations are very similar! I was sleeved on the 31st of Dec, am down 38 pounds now, am doing well except for Water which is still a challenge. I haven't told anyone but my hubby either, and no one has noticed yet. But I don't mind, I am down a few clothes sizes, and feeling great.
@@HealthArtLove, I starting eating Protein bars & chips a few weeks ago because I just couldn't stomach adding a shake back in and wasn't getting my 70 grams. I found a few I really like: Pure Protein Bar, gives 20 g of protein; quinoa chips by Simply 7, with 9 g of protein; and spicy chili chips with 15 g of Protein. All of them you can take anywhere, and they satisfy that need for something crispy. This has really helped me a lot with the protein requirement. I have hit multiple stalls, too -- seem to lose nothing for a week or so, then a bunch, then nothing again. So I am just not worrying about it .... (as much as possible, lol). Good luck!

I am struggling with some of the same issues. I was sleeved on 12/12 and I too am in a stall. I've been the same weight for the past 3 1/2 weeks. I have horrible stomach cramps whenever I eat anything, which just pushes me further and further away from wanting to eat anything, but I know I have to eat. I struggle everyday with trying to get my liquid and Protein minimums in, but I just keep taking one day at a time.
I've lost a total of 67 pounds. I've lost 37 pounds since my surgery. I too would be very disheartened if this was all the weight I lost post op.

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling like that! When do you have your next follow-up? You might want to talk about the nausea and how food doesn't taste good. I had my sleeve on Dec 3rd and am doing pretty well. I am still learning what foods my tummy can tolerate and have days where I eat more than I should and have that yucky full feeling to contend with for awhile. But.. I've never been sick, just had nausea a few times when eating new things and then I don't eat those again. I'm still losing but have days in a row where I sit on the same number on the scale and start to feel discouraged. I just remind myself of the basics... Protein, veggies, Water, exercise, and things get moving in the right direction again. I think you're gonna get going that way too!

I've lost 30 pounds, but have lost nothing in past 3 weeks. Still have trouble meeting protein/liquid levels,. I have had some pretty miserable nausea to deal with, everything I try to eat tastes gross to me. Trying to just push on, hoping for better days and more weightless. Would be very upset to go through this and only lose 30 pounds..lol. How is everyone else doing?

I was sleeved December 11th. Since surgery I've lost 44 lbs and I'm down 82 lbs total! I'm feeling like my normal self again! I haven't really hit a stall but the weight is coming off slower now since I'm eating real food. I started exercising about two weeks ago and it has really helped kick start my weight loss again! I'm still having problems with vomiting random things. I think it's because I either eat too fast or one bite too much. I'm able to get all my Protein and Water in, but I keep forgetting to take my Vitamins

Feeling great! Sleeved December 29th and I'm down 23lbs. Starting to eat soft foods. Need to Learn to get more creative with foods choices, but trying hard.

Sleeved on December 31st.. Down 25lbs, & feeling really good.
Loving stage 2 of my diet, & I'm even working out now ????

Dec 18th Sleever here. Down 21 pounds and in a stall for almost 4 weeks which is making me a lil crazy. Feel so much better and relatively no pain or issues. Still getting used to my limits and new stomach. But I'm trying not to over~stress about it. My regular Dr says to chill out and let the surgery do its job.
Good luck to you all!

Hey gang,
I was sleeved on 12/22 with an umbilical hernia repair and it has been an excellent experience overall. Since I'm keeping the surgery a secret (I have a lot of judgemental people around me), im looking for some folks to go through this journey with.
If you were sleeved in December of 2014, please friend me on here as well as on Myfitnesspal.
My user name is ChrisJane180.
Thanks, and I'm looking forward to encouraging each other!