MsNat3

I am 9 months post op, and down 72.5 lbs. My weight loss has slowed down quite a bit to the point where I am only losing about 5 lbs per months now. I still have 30 lbs to go to get to my goal weight, but slow and steady has proven to be good for me. I am finding that I don’t really have any loose skin. I think that is for several reasons. First, I have been losing at a slow and steady pace. Also, I work out every morning before work. This includes cardio and weight training. Finally, I started making my own body butters right after my surgery to specifically target loose skin and stretch marks. I slather it on every day. The pictures I am attaching show me prior to my surgery, at 3 months post op, and then this morning at 9 months post op. I still have a ways to go, but I can definitely see a difference at each phase. It helps to compare these pictures because I have been feeling a bit discouraged lately with the scale moving so slow.
  

I am also on the 13th! Go twin! I think I’m more nervous about the surgery in general and not the day. I love horror movies and October is my favorite month so this felt like fate. I’m on day 2 of this liquid diet and it’s really a lot. I’m doing a podcast type conversation so follow along and maybe you can call in one day to chat with me about having this day!

Had gastric sleeve surgery in June of 2016. Was 389 at the time of surgery. All time high weight was 470 pounds in February of 2015. Now down to 170 and hoping to maintain at this weight. Included some before and after pics. Still have the pants from the before pic and can literally fit my entire body into one pant leg.

Finally time for my 6 months before and after pictures.
I have lost over 90 lbs.
A week ago I completed a Nordic Walking half marathon.
I have prevented a second back surgery, and life is pretty good.
I have under 15 lbs until I have a normal BMI. I started at 42.

I chose not to tell anyone except the hubby and immediate family. Someone at work asked if I had the surgery. This person is obese. I don't think she was being nosey or rude. I think she just wanted information. I just said I decided to live a healthy life and left it at that. I don't think it's something I need to share with everyone.

HW 330
SW 292
CW 204.2
GW below 200

Don’t give up on yourself and your journey! ️

I hit a milestone today I am super excited about!
I have finally lost 300 pounds! I have been stalled the past few months and finally lost those last 6 pounds to hit this milestone! I am so thankful to be making this journey.
It still feels like a dream to me. It's crazy how I went from having to be on oxygen 24/7 and hardly being able to cross a room without getting out of breath to being able to walk for 6 miles and still be ready to go out and do other things!
I am loving life right now and wanted to share my excitement at hitting this milestone with you!
 

Pretty psyched by my Dexa scan results, the technician said she's never seen results like it. I was able to bring my body fat down to 23.7% and gain muscle while doing it! This puts me in the 9th percentile for women my age....Thrilled with the results. Now I need to stop losing.

I've been gaining for the past week and I can't understand why.

You're less than 2 weeks post-op. At this point you should limit your exercise to leisurely walking because the priority is for your stomach to heal.
Also, you aren't eating enough to properly fuel more vigorous levels of physical activity. Undereating combined with strenuous exercise is a perfect recipe for stalls/plateaus.
I did absolutely nothing but occasional walking for the first 3 months post-op. Then I started a walk/jog routine. 2+ years later I run 20+ miles weekly, lift heavy weights 3 times a week, and throw other cardio into the mix such as the stair mill and stationary bicycling.

Before surgery, I too was very active. I lifted weights 4X weekly, and did cardio 3X weekly. It was hard to stop that level of activity, but of course, I did.
On day 7 post-op, I started walking 45 minutes every day at a slow-moderate pace. Over the past 5 weeks, I have kept the same routine, but have stepped up the intensity. I started out walking maybe 1-2mph, and now I walk 4mph with a much higher elevation. Next week, I will start light weight training 4days per week, and gradually increase the weight and intensity over time.
The takeaway is that you have to take it slow. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you are ready. It will also tell you if you are prematurely doing too much. Make sure that you are getting in your liquids to avoid dehydration.

13 days out is pretty early, discuss your restrictions with your doc so you don't hurt yourself or bust internal stitches. I found that in the first two months, after I was cleared for exercise, I was taking in so few calories that as much as I wanted to push myself at the gym, I just didn't have the reserve energy. After 30 min or so of a Zumba class I would start to get weak and dizzy. It was all I could do to make it back to my car to go home and lie down. Listen to your body, and consider your intake and ability to re-hydrate when planning exercise. Now at 3 1/2 months out, exercise is much more fun because I can take in more Water, I can eat a little more, and my stamina has returned. Another factor was that I was on BP meds, and my BP was likely getting too low, so now I am off them.

I haven't felt like I'm losing much. Doc says I will lose slower because my BMI was 42 at surgery. I'm 48 down right now....was 46 down in this photo. If you are starting this journey - take progress pictures!!! I have a whole new motivation, now!

There was a whole rack of little 6oz baking ramekins at Kohls on clearance one day so I bought them out. Haha. I use them for cooking things as they make the perfect little 4 oz controlled sizes. I LOVE ricotta bakes. (Eggface recipe) with little cut up pepperoni, spinach, and a teaspoon of pizza sauce (which has way fewer carbs than Pasta sauce). I bake 6 of those and use them for lunches and dinners during the week because they reheat quickly. I also make chicken salad with walnuts and dried cranberries, I eat that with a fork or on lettuce wraps. I also really love cucumber Tomato salad with red onion and that blush wine vinaigrette in the fancy bottle. I forget what it's called. Sometimes I throw feta cheese in there too.
Mostly I snack all day (5 small snack-meals instead of 3), and I know that's considered bad, but for what I do for a living, it works well. I just prepack a lot of steamed veggies, fruits, nuts, cheeses, and deli meats and sort of make little plates with those that take 10 minutes to eat. Oooh, and kalamata olives. Ok, now I'm hungry....

I have those 4 oz. containers for my lunch at work. I made a sort of salad with canned chx breast, cottage cheese, a dab of Dijon mustard, and canned, drained, and rinsed small white Beans. A little seasoning and divided into my containers it was low cal, tasty, and protein-ful.
I'm getting more creative all the time with my high Protein foods. My program also offers a free bariatric cooking class which I am looking forward to.

Lately my lunches have been a 4oz salad with 1 oz of walnuts and 2tbls of orange seseme dressing. I usually pack a Power Crunch Protein Bar for an afternoon snack since lunch is at 11:00 am and dinner is often not until 6-6:30.

They are these great little cups - 4 ounces, 140 calories and 14 grams of Protein. Tasty, too. Sometimes I'll make a wrap with Damascus Bakeries high protein whole wheat wraps - but I usually can only eat half.

I'm a year out. So my lunch may be different than yours just from where we are on surgery dates --
1.5 cups of mixed green salad
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 4-ounce container of the low-fat cranberry almond chicken salad that they sell in 8 packs at costco (because its easy to transport.)
That will be my lunch. I also pack a morning and afternoon snack.
My morning snack was a Sargento Balanced Break (those little things with the cheese and nuts). Afternoon snack will be Oikos Triple Zero if I get hungry.
Had a Protein Shake for Breakfast this morning (Fairlife Skim - 8 ounces, 3/4 cup tropical frozen fruit, scoop of Protein Powder - 235 Cal. and 31 grams protein) and black coffee
I will fence for about 2.5 hours tonight for my exercise.
My lunches are pretty boring because I don't have access to either a fridge or a microwave at work, so I pack what will work in my little insulated lunch box. I find if I stay with the same thing (I'm only in the office 2 days a week) it makes it easier.

I'm curious, whats in your lunch box?
Being sleeved put the brakes on eating out as much as I use to. So, I've found myself packing my lunch waaaaay more than I use to.
I bought a bag that I like and some colorful Portion Control containers. Which helps a lot.
So what have you done to help with packing your lunch? What are your favorites, must have's, cant stands and OMG-I-wish-someone-would-have-told-me-sooner! for your lunch?
Just trying to eat with an open mind and new options.

Glory to God. May God continue to bless you on this journey.

Sent from my SM-N920V using BariatricPal mobile app

Surgery 3/23/17 i hope to break 300 by January. 525 lbs at start of journey 6/26/16. 450 at surgery date to 332 as of 9/5/17. 9XL to 3XL. I can walk again without pain or breaking into a drenching sweat. My sex life with my wife has vastly improved. I am off most medications. I can sit in normal chairs again. Not just fit bit be comfortable and not afraid they will break. (That last one makes me tear up cause of the struggles I had with just existing outside in public.) I cannot say how much has changed and how better my life is. Without this tool and encouragement of my family and wife I am positive I would have been dead by now. Thank you everyone that helped me.
Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

I was sleeved 8/17/15. So I am two years out. All I can say is remember everything you have gone through to get this far. You should be so ready. I was nervous the morning of my surgery. I saw the hospital bed prepped for me and almost backed out until my surgeon walked in. He eased my mind. He said I was in perfectly good hands and I'll be done before I know it. Then my hubby and my son came in and gave me a hug and a kiss and said I've got this. They have supported me through it all. You are strong and you can do this. Can't wait to see you on the losing side. Good luck and hope to hear from you and how it all went. I waited one hour after surgery and went walking around the hospital floor every twenty minutes. I refused the morphine drip. This walking helped me overcome the nausea and made me very strong. Best of luck to you

What a journey! I don't feel like I'm at the finish line yet, but my life is 100x better. I go on walks with co-workers that I would have been afraid to take before for fear of passing out. I fit into a size 14 pant. And most of all, I don't hate myself for not having the willpower to lose weight. I'm 4.5 months out and highly recommend this surgery to anyone considering it. It's been a wonderful experience that I hope to benefit from for the rest of my life.
Hw 310
Sw 299
Cw 229
Gw 180

If you're quick to heal and rebound (like I am), you will probably be fine physically, but you will need to plan your meals. You will most likely be on liquids (maybe pureed at that time depending on your plan) which can be challenging in certain environments. If you will be staying in a home - no problem, if you are staying in a hotel you'll need to think through how to manage your nutrition.
Also, most people find that while they are physically fine, there are repercussions that they are dealing with (less stamina as your body adjusts to a longer term calorie deficit), soreness, mental and emotional fatigue, irritability, etc.)
Also you may want to consider how "food centric" your vacation will be. Some things (and some people) are heavily oriented around food/eating. It really supported me in the first 6 weeks not to be around what I considered food oriented activities. While on liquids I just MISSED EATING. I missed the taste of food, I missed chewing, I just missed it.
That did pass after the first two months, but I also had very little of those kinds of activities in my environment and that really worked for me and let me keep my mind focused on other things.

We worked hard we struggled we faught to get these pounds off let show off all that hard work !!! Come post your progress pics let me see how amazing you look !
My stats:
7 months post op sleeve
Hw:367
Sw: 324
Cw: 228
that's 139 total pound loss I can't even wrap my head around that number it's crazy and I'm still losing !