JMJames92

The first picture is a few months before my surgery and the second picture was from a few months ago (about 4 years post op). I was around 296lbs in the first picture and 165 in the second. I am currently at 160lbs -28 years old.

I think you have a pretty good plan. In my opinion, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to not focus on weight loss but to focus instead on living a healthy lifestyle. It's kind of cliché but if you look at nutrition guides, such as the food pyramid or myplate.gov (what I used) you can get a pretty good idea of how many calories you should eat each day and what percentage of your diet should consist of starch, protein, fruits, and vegetables. If you focus on just being healthy and getting the nutrients your body needs without going over your calorie limit, you will lose weight as a side effect of that. This is especially helpful after your surgery when you have lost the weight you want to lose. As I'm sure you've heard 1000 times, if you don't change your lifestyle and nutrition/exercise habits, you will likely end up gaining much or all of the weight back. Good luck with your insurance and your surgery! I hope all goes well for you.

The fact that you are 18 is a very good thing in my opinion. Obviously everybody is different and will have very different results but here is my surgery story (short form). I was 23 when I had the gastric sleeve surgery. I was 276 (give or take a few pounds) on the day of the surgery. In the first few weeks I lost 50 pounds. I kept steadily losing weight until I plateaued after a few months at 190lbs. I kept doing what I was supposed to do at that point and pretty soon it all started to come off again. Six months after I had the surgery I was down to 133lbs (too low!). I worked to put some weight back on and have been in the range of 155-165 since then, it has been over four years now. I believe that the weight comes off slower for most people than it did for me but I have always attributed that to the fact that I was so young when I had the surgery. So as I said at the beginning of this post - you being 18 is a good thing and in my non-professional opinion, I don't think your goal is impossible. It is obviously not a guarantee either. My suggestion is just to do what you're supposed to do. Everything your doctor tells you is designed to help. It may seem tedious but it is important. Also, exercise is very important! Not just for losing weight but for feeling better, being healthy, and for energy levels. Good luck with your surgery and your weight loss journey! -Joshua

I'm not in Modesto but I'm not too far away in Sacramento. My band has played there a couple of times though!That's awesome. If you're ever out this way again you should hit me up Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

I am in Modesto. I am 6 weeks post-op. I would love to connect with people in my area. Anyone that is interested please reply to me here or send me a message.

It is amazing how many changes I've noticed so far. I expected an increase in energy and I somewhat expected the improvement I've had in my depressions but I am amazed that the intensity of my ADD is decreasing. Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

@bayourgirlmrsc Thank you for the advice. Most of what you said can be applied not only to this site but to life in general. Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

@@Raynbolite I have started to realize that everyone has a different post-op experience. What happens for one person might happen slower, faster, or not at all for someone else. Glad to hear it's going well for you too though. Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

Thank you. Yeah I'm pretty stoked. I thought it was going to come off a lot slower even in the beginning. Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

Thank you. I hope I can continue on like this. I know that the weight loss will eventually slow obviously but as long as it keeps going in the right direction I am happy. Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

Congratulations!!!! I am curious, how many grams of Protein are you consuming a day. I am having issues with that now Sent from my SM-G928T using the BariatricPal App I hope everything comes out good with you!!!! Good luck! Sent from my SM-G928T using the BariatricPal App Hey thanks for the encouragement. I am consuming between 60 and 80 grams of protein daily. Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

Thank you Rosey. I appreciate the warm welcomes :-D Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

@@daniellepb Thank you. I just looked at the progress picture you posted back in April and the same and more could be said to you Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

I'm not sure if this is the right section to post this in and I apologize if it is not. My name is Joshua; I am 23 and from California. I just found this site/app today googling some questions that I had about my gastric sleeve surgery. I am six weeks post on and have lost 49 pounds thus far. I just wanted to introduce myself on these forums and say thank you to everyone on here that provides useful information and/or support for other people on this site.