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I'm almost a year out (August 30th) and was a low BMI'er with PCOS. I had alot of short stalls, but just stuck with the program and feel that going to the gym (after doc's release) was imperative to the whole process. I just did what I could at the gym. Everyone has to start somewhere. I just talked to someone with my same stats who had surgery in December and already lost as much as I did. That's 6 months versus a year!!!! That blew my mind. It's hard to not get caught up in the numbers. My advice would be to focus on how you feel and the things you will be able to do as well as your loss. Don't let the scale dictate your total success or happiness. My stats: Height 5'7" Starting weight - 236 Surgery weight - 232 Weight as of today (7/29) - 144 Best wishes to you on your journey!

Way to go!

I'm not surprised to hear this as you are in the very early stages of recovery. None of those things are unusual in the first month or so post-op but I'd definitely recommend that you give your medical team a call so that your concerns can be fully addressed.

Wow. I had a person tell me that if I should cancel my surgery and do whatever diet shakes they were selling. The water guy and that person must be related. LOL And for an extra giggle, I had a medifast/optifast sales person tell me if they had gotten to me first, I wouldn't have needed the surgery.

I am down from a size 14/16 to a 4/6. I have an immediate family member who lives across the country, that no matter what picture I send, gives this response: "Well, I can't really tell much. It looks like you took the picture at an angle." So, people I know in my area (who see me every month or so) have seriously not recognized me, but you can't tell if I've lost any weight or not. Also have had two people tell me that by having surgery that I cheated. 4 nights a week in the gym, a lifestyle change, a whole diet overhaul now makes me a cheater. I've also been getting the "you're too thin, I'm worried" routine from another.

Monday 6/26 Breakfast- leftover bacon wrapped sirloin steakLunch- leftover lamb chopDinner- tri-tip pot roast with carrotsSnacks- 1/2 slices of muenster and smoked gouda cheese wrapped in proscuitto; part of a chocolate chip kid's rx bar protein bar

Saturday 6/24/17 Breakfast- 1 egg scrambled, and two pieces of baconLunch- A few ounces of sirloin and peasDinner- Grilled lobster tail and brussel sproutsSnacks- smoked provolone wrapped in proscuitto; part of a chocolate and sea salt rx bar protein bar

I didn't have a stall until around 4-5 months. Keep working your plan. Your body has to take time out to "rearrange". There's alot going on. Don't get disouraged. You're doing great!!!

I'm certainly not telling you to NOT follow your doctor's plan, but if it makes you feel any better, eggs were on my doc's plan immediately post op. I had a little bit of scrambled egg the day after surgery. I found that what got me through the head hunger in the first month was drinking fluids when I thought I was hungry.

Her body, her choices, whether you like them or not. She's well on her way into adulthood. Give her a chance to prove you wrong. If it ends up being a bad decision, it's HER bad decision that SHE has to live with, not yours, in spite of what you think or believe.

Congratulations on all your changes. You look amazing, and it shows that you also feel amazing. Yes, you are that tiny! We have the same stats (I'm also 5'7, goal was 150). I stalled at 152 and just started dropping again. My brain still hasn't quite caught up with me being a size 10, let alone the 4-6 or XS or even XXS clothes I can wear now. I am always shocked when someone refers to me as "little", "tiny", or "small". Continued good wishes on your future successes. You are definitely an inspiration.

I had ridiculously high cholesterol, even taking medication. I stopped taking medication on my own long before I even considered surgery. I did not take medication after surgery. At my 6 month follow up, my cholesterol levels were within normal range. If I can find my lab paperwork, I'll come back and post the numbers.

I am 8.5 months out and half a pound away from goal. My eating is not perfect, but I think I do ok. My nutritionist and doctor think so too. I could do better but I'm still grappling with how much to get in and am also facing maintenance soon. For reference: Consult weight (May 2016)- 236 Day of Surgery 8/30/16 - 232 As of today - 150 I eat alot of meat and cheeses. My husband has been great at being creative with the meats and marinades/spices. I have very little room for vegetables, but when I do, I eat brussel sprouts (with bacon), carrots, cauliflower (I love it mashed) and squash. I eat low carb, but I DO eat carbs because I don't do well going zero carb. My main focuces are my protein goal (60g minimum) and not completely burning up (or going way over) everything I eat via exercise because that's when I've had the longest stalls. I just moved into the 700-1000 calorie per day range, but still have days where I struggle to get 600 calories in. I still have really good restiction, so a 1000 calorie day is rare for me. I have spoken with my doctor and they would like me to continue the upward trend in calories since I am very active, but it's hard. On rare occasion, I have to do a protein shake to get to my goals. We also like the POW red lentil protein pasta. That's a very, very rare treat as it takes up alot of room. Very good paired with ground turkey spaghetti sauce. I also on rare occasion do the Atkins frozen meals, but can only make it through half of a tray at most. I am not a fan of fruit, so it's just not something I eat. Some typical items for that are recurring in my diet broken out by meal: Breakfast - eggs (hard boiled, scrambled with cheese, or sunny side up), bacon, turkey sausage, avocado Lunch - usually leftovers from previous dinner, steak, ground turkey (I do a turkey taco bowl with cheese), sliced turkey deli meat Dinner - lamb, lobster, steak (all cuts), ground turkey (great for taco bowl, spaghetti sauce), crab legs, ground buffalo, tuna, salmon, ground beef Snacks - Panino Proscuitto (all time favorite, especially the stick by Fiorucci), bacon, almonds, pistachio, cheese sticks, cheese squares, occasional protein bar

I like to do cheese and meats. I especially love the Fiorucci Panino Proscuitto sticks that come in a tray (I get mine at the base Commissary, Walmart, and Vons/Safeway). The same company does the cheese with pepperoni and salami in trays as well, or you can get all three in a giant tray.

My husband is a type 1 diabetic but wasn't doing all he could to give himself the best care. I didn't ask him to modify his eating when I had surgery, but he did and he lost weight like crazy. He also does all the cooking, so I think that made it easier for him to make the jump. We do super high protein/low carb dishes and snacks. He chose to come to the gym with me and that was a huge game changer. We now do that and all kinds of activities like bowling, disc golf, etc. together. All of our friends joking refer to us as "the power couple" since we're both healthier, more fit, happier, and super active. Best of luck to you and your husband on your journey!

I am an August 30th sleever, but cruise the September threads alot. I too lost a huge amount of hair around the 4-5 month mark, but have noticed it starting to thicken back up at the crown again in the last few weeks.

I'd like to try it, but have the upper body strength of a flea! LOL I still may give it a shot anyway.

I'm 8.5 months out and it varies based on the food. I can maybe get down 2 ounces of tuna steak, 2-3 of chicken and regular beef steak, yet can do 4 ounces of ground turkey, ground buffalo, or ground elk. But if I do that, it means absolutely no other food. Some days I can do a full scrambled egg with two to three pieces of bacon if I eat slow, but other days I can only do about half the scrambled egg with the same amount of bacon. Someone posted a picture of the various bougie sizes that are common for gastric sleeve using pens and markers as a visual correlation. The bougie is like a tube the surgeon uses to make the circumfrence of the sleeve (this is a simplistic explanation), I'm sure it's around somewhere or can be found via a search engine. It was very interesting. My doctor did mine at the approximate size of a sharpie.

I'd tell them I wanted to see someone else. The VA is terrible about overmedicating anyway. Dad and husband are diabetic veterans who get care there, so I'm extremely familar with the system and how it works. I have no qualms about seeking a 2nd opinon in that system.

Congratulations and here's to many more years filled with love and happiness. What a beautiful couple. I loved all of your pictures, but especially the ring finger one. My husband and I did a series of those too!

I also have that issue when I get up. It was worse the first few weeks after surgery but stil happed occasionally. I believe mine may be due to low blood pressure. I've used a monitor I have at home immediately following these incidents and it does read low. I had ridiculously high blood pressure prior to surgery so I don't know if my body is readjusting or what. Give your medical team a call and get checked out.

Amazing transformation! Congratulations. I know you worked hard and I wish you the best and sweetest joys in life.

You may want to change your title to Virginia instead of the state abbreviation so that people understand it's not a VA (Veterans Affairs) hospital.

Turkey taco bowl. Found the Jennie-O ground and taco seasoned turkey at the grocery store two days ago. My husband will have his with a Carb Chopper wrap and veg. I will have mine with no wrap and a sprinkle of Tillamook Colby Jack shredded cheese in a bowl. I am not a huge veg fan so none for me.

@TheRealSergio I felt pretty overwhelmed by the idea of being dependent on drinks/powders and not having room for anything but protein when I was your stage post-op. I'm currently 8 months out. I assure you it got easier once I was released to full foods and was able to experiment more. My husband is diabetic and decided to clean up his eating to accomodate my dietary needs as well. We've had to figure out the best ways to make the main portion of our dishes as high in protein as possible, and that has meant experimenting with spices, rubs, etc. It has been fun. I regularly hit keto, paleo, and bariatric foodie sites and message boards to explore my options. I do eat vegetables, just not very large portions, but try to combine them with a protein rich item. I don't eat bread by choice as I am one of the unfortunate sleevers who has dumping syndrome. I don't miss it and even at 8 months out, I am amazed at what I don't miss and how much my tastes have changed. There are days that I don't meet my protein goal, but I just try to do better then next day. I have had a ready to drink shake here and there while traveling as it was the most convenient and healthier option at the convenience store. Congratulations on your weight loss. I hope you'll be able to find something that works for you. Best wishes to you.