AmyMarie79

This is amazing!!!
Congratulations!

Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

This is amazing!!!
Congratulations!

Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

When I began this journey at the beginning of 2018 I was 426 pounds. Can't tell you measurements because all my clothes were in X's and not inches. But for reference, I was in a 5x shirt from Casual Male. I only wore sweatpants and those were also a 5x. People only saw me in clothes and the comment I often heard was that I carried my weight well. Being 6'1" I had the advantage of being tall and heavy vs short and heavy. It was all an illusion.
Medically I was prediabetic, on CPAP, could only sleep on my back, had knee pain and sweated like a frog fresh out of the pond in any weather over 72 degrees.
7 months post surgery and I am down 139 pounds. My A1C is 4, off the CPAP, I can sleep on my side, I can walk all day and not have knee pain...unfortunatley I still sweat a lot.
My physical appearance has changed in visible ways. Prior to surgery, I use to measure my weight loss and gain by how close I was to my steering wheel. If I was rubbing it then it was a bad week, if I could fit my hand between my belly and the wheel it was a good week (I avoided scales, I knew I was fat and honestly just wanted to get by in life). I look down at my steering wheel now and I see the marks where my belt scratched up the leather. Now there are a good 10 inches between me and the steering wheel. I can get in a car accident and not worry that the airbag is going to kill me.
I can see the weight loss in my face:

I also see the weight loss around my body. My shoulders are boney, my arms have lots of skin, my butt sags, the skin just hangs everywhere.
I'm down to a 2x and my waist is in a 50 pant which needs a belt. I hold these clothes out in front of me as I'm about to put them on and I say to myself, "There is no way this will fit me" or "Boy this is gonna look tight" and the clothes fits perfect. Not tight and hides my sag well.
Overall I don't want to sound like I'm not delighted, but I'm realizing just how large I was...and honestly still am.
I wish I were brave enough to take a photo so I could show you what I mean, but I can't believe after all this weight coming off I'm still so big. I sit and there is a huge belly still in my lap. My thighs are huge. Maybe as I continue to lose weight these two areas will decrease dramatically, but it seems like there must be 150 lbs there alone.
I never thought for a moment that after my surgery I was going to have a thin, fit beach body. I hoped though that it would be less fat looking when dressed and in public. I almost feel like I want to tell people "Yeah, but just half a year ago I was..."

So today I was able to put on my wedding rings and not force them on! I haven’t worn them in almost a year because they became too tight. Going to try and sleep in them tonight.

Thank you!!!

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So now I am 8 days out and finally the pain in that area is better still there but better. Good luck hang in there!!!!!

Yes - I had a revision too and when I woke up from surgery I honestly thought the surgeon had ripped out my left ovary because it was SO painful. The pain lasted a good 2-3 weeks afterwards. It does go though. Hang in there.

@@AmyMarie79
You are on the right path. Keeping vigilant will pay off. Are you setting mini goals as you lose weight? At each goal treat yourself to something special.(non food) one of mine was toenail polish when I could easily bend over...I hope you find your honeymoon phase.
I agree with @Babbs. After you reach goal, Maintenance is a whole new situation. I have had weight gains. I think that's why I keep up with the new people. Love the enthusiasm. They remind me that this is a lifestyle. The goal for me is healthy not a pant size.

@@jaxmom
Thank @Babbs. for my attitude..lol. She gave great advice in a thread a while back..Wish I could find it. I do have my crap days. I just have to keep perspective.

Your awesome attitude and advice are like a contact high (can you get that though the web? ).
Your post really hit home. I'm a month post- op and on a high so high I'm soaring... And I'm sure my poor family wishes I would keep on going so I can give their ears and legs a break!
Soooooo important to know that there will be bumps, stalls and gains along the way. Keeps me in check. Also nice to know there are wonderful, supportive HONEST people like you to turn to when I come down from the clouds.
Now I'm off again, la la la la!!

Jen
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Congratulation! Thank you! Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

Here are typical posts by people still in the WLS honeymoon period:
* "82 pounds gone forever!"
* "What a relief not to be hungry anymore!"
* "I had WLS so I'd never have to diet again!"
There's no two ways about it: You will lose the most weight when you're the heaviest and before your new sleeve (if you're sleeved) heals fully and your restriction is greatest. Generously defined, that's six months post-op.
And for sleeved patients, our ghrelin (hunger hormones) are greatly reduced post-op. There's controversy about whether or over how long a period our bodies learn how to produce ghrelin again (elsewhere than in the fundus / stretchy portions of our stomach, which was removed during VSG).
In any event, most sleeved patients here who are 2-3-4-5 years post-op report that they experience increased appetite the longer they're out. Many sleeve veterans also report that their appetite levels have never returned to pre-op levels.
It's also clear that the more sugary and high-starch foods WLS patients eat, the more we crave those foods. Likewise, the more WLS patients graze, the more we reduce weight loss and invite weight regain.
All that's to say we have a lot of power to extend our "honeymoon period" (when weight loss is relatively easy).
My own story is that I lost 19 pounds pre-op, and by 8.5 months post-op reached my weight goal of 150 pounds. By that point I'd lost 85 pounds. During the next 8 months I went on to lose another 15 pounds. I now weigh 135 pounds and am maintaining pretty easily.
I weigh every morning and track all my food / drink using My Fitness Pal. We'll see how I do going forward and how I might have to change my regimen to maintain this weight. I would really like to stay at 135. But I will also be grateful to remain below 150 pounds.

Thanks Jenn. I'm 8 weeks out. Don't feel like I've hit it yet. I've had to work very hard for the 36 pounds I've lost in this 8 weeks. If I don't follow the plan is will gain or not lose. Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

Around the 18 month mark, I noticed something changed. I was hungrier, and suddenly I could eat so much more than before. If I didn't actually measure out my food to force myself to stop, it's almost alarming how much I can eat of certain foods. My cravings for foods I really haven't even thought about before is ramping up, too. Without *seemingly* doing anything different, I have gained almost 5 pounds within a month.
I have really buckled down, am tracking EVERY BITE that goes into my mouth, and have managed to lose 1.5 of the 5 I've gained, but it's not coming off that easily. But I'll continue to fight!
I don't want to scare anyone, but these are the realities we all have to face eventually when the honeymoon period ends. Boooooo!

@@AmyMarie79
All I can do is laugh at myself. The high was incredible. My focus and conversations revolved around surgery and the process. Support group meeting's you can tell who is in the honeymoon phase. ( they are excited and experts..Lol) Yes, I believed I knew it all and had all the answers.
Honeymoon phase for me was when it took little effort to lose weight. At three months out honeymoon phase was gone. I stalled out and kicked my Teddy Bear. I had the reality check that this takes work.
Honeymoon phase came back after I could see results from working out and eating right.
I love being around people in the honeymoon phase......Its now a contact high.

Depends on your definition of honeymoon phase....
If you mean the period during which I lost all my weight then it was about 9-10 months.
If you mean the period that was really easy, had super tight restriction, had no cravings or head hunger and I didn't really need to mentally work at maintaining my loss and could have easily lost more (but didn't because I would have been too thin for my liking) then I'd say about 14 months. After that is when the real work began.....

It begins pretty much as soon as you have surgery. You will have the possibility of gain right after due to the fluids and drugs they pump into you, but once you are about a week or two out, the weight loss comes pretty easy (despite the stalling - everyone stalls and there will be many of them).
The honeymoon phase lasts around 12-18 months according to my doctor. That's when it's pretty easy to just stick to a basic meal plan, drink your Water and get some exercise and you'll see actual weight loss without working super hard.
Once you are past that time, it is still possible to lose, just that your body's metabolism has adjusted to how and what you eat and your activity levels (established a new weight set point), so you will have to work harder, pay attention to your food (especially if you're still wanting to lose) and ramp up activity to keep your metabolism up. So it will be similar to what normal people without weight issues (or metabolic problems caused by frequent dieting) experience.
For me personally, I was a slow loser after the first month or three. But I still lost weight. By about the year mark, I was still able to lose 5-7 pounds a month but it was harder than the first 6 months. I'm still working towards goal and know how it works now - reduce my carbs and watch the caloric intake and keep moving.

None of us lose at a constant or steady rate. We all stall and most of us experience our first stall about three weeks after surgery.
Just follow your program. Focus on getting in all of your Protein and fluids and stay off the scale.
Embrace the Stall!
http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

I'm on 3rd week and I have come to a stall, don't weigh yourself because you are losing inches
Craig Martinez
Austin, Texas

My doctor told me that weight loss slows down at the puréed stage but speeds back up when we start food. I'm only 1 week post op so can't verify what he said.
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@@AmyMarie79 - yes I have some now :/
Not a big fan of the smell or how it mixes. Not sure if I will buy this again.
I like the powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury better.

We're working our way through a 3-lb tumb of it. Preop it was fine, I do notice a smell and aftertaste postop. I use it in smaller amounts because of that.

Here are mine.
Down 180 lb.
I was sleeve 7-2-2012 and reached goal 2-28-2013.

No, I haven't.
I was advised to get Sustagen powder. I got the unflavoured one, so I can add it to anything I can have, mainly yoghurt, Soups, juice.
I find it very agreeable to my recovering stomach

I totally understand...my bmi os 52 and I never saw me that large. Even when I see myself in the mirror..I accept it as the mirror is a little skewed and because I'm in a wheelchair I am bound to look a little squat. My first great granddaughter is 18 months and wants nothing more than to sit in gammys lap....but I have none. I know the time is now to make changes. You and I ...and others are on the right path...we've begun a better way of living. Plz don't feel ugly....it's just a shell we've worn for a time and are about to shed that shell into a whole new life.
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