Screwballski

This post is really for the folks who are considering the sleeve, wondering if it will "work" for them, if they should take the leap... This post is for the folks who just returned home from surgery or are several weeks out..the people who are starting to feel discouraged...didn't realize it would be so "hard". And, this post is for the folks that have a bit to go before they reach that goal they set thinking the weight they REALLY want to be is unattainable! First, the sleeve alone will not "work" for you unless you are willing to WORK with it! It's a tool not a cure. And, yes, it is often hard, especially in the beginning when you are creating new, successful solutions to combat old habits that got you where you used to be stuck. But, the very best things in life come from pushing through the hard moments. If you give up before you get to the top of the mountain, you don't get to enjoy the beautiful view. Trust me, it's spectacular when you get here. DO NOT GIVE UP! Now, about that goal weight...if you are anything like me, you've lost and gained so many times you've become used to failure. You almost expect it. So maybe you set your goal weight at a number that seemed pretty reasonable. Attainable, even, right? And, perhaps, you told yourself that if you got anywhere near it, you'd be happy because, for goodness sake, it's soooo much better than where you started! It's a definite win! I did that. I let my pre-sleeve experience shape my goal. But that wasn't the number I truly wanted. Initially, I just didn't believe that I could ever get back to my teenage and 20's modeling weight. I mean, I'm a woman in my 50's! That could never happen, right?! So, I shot for 5 pounds over the top of the weight chart for my height. Guess what happened as I was working my way down the scale, working my program, building strong/healthy eating habits, changing my relationship with food? I hit that goal! Then I shattered it! Then I continued on, logging every morsel of food I put in my body, every darn day! I'm not even a full year out of surgery. But by working with my sleeve and using this tool to it's fullest potential, I weigh LESS than I did as a slim teenager! I'm 2 sizes smaller than my busiest period as a model in my 20's! This tool requires sacrifice. But, you are only sacrificing the things that were dragging your body down in the first place. In fact, I look at it as finally showing ourselves the respect we've deserved all along. You are so worth it. You absolutely deserve be healthy. Life is so much easier mentally and physically when you shed the weight that you are carrying. It becomes easier every single day! Then the months fly by and it becomes routine. All of a sudden you realize your whole life is brighter, healthier, EASIER! I put everything into getting where I am right now. I truly believe if you give it everything, the sleeve will give you your life back! You absolutely deserve this! You are absolutely worth this! Don't let anyone make you feel/think differently!!!! PS....Log everything every day! That's a game changer. Load an app (I use LOSEIT). Log everything. Never stop logging! Love to all!

I’m so thankful you posted here. Your comment shot this thread back into MY world! I’ve had some major, I mean MAJOR life events in the last couple months and I have struggled. Weight maintenance hasn’t been a huge issue (I’m at the upper end of the fluctuation window I allow myself) but outlook and positivity wavers. Your comment allowed me to revisit my everyday outlook on this issue and life, in general. It snapped me out of my negative head space. I was supposed to read YOUR post TODAY!

Once I was very heavy (260). My skin looked young and firm stretched around my fat. Now I am very thin. My skin flows down my body like heavy drapes. I am healthy. I am happy. I am loved. I look fantastic in clothes! I’m not willing to undergo all of the procedures it would take to correct all of the areas that could use intervention. Life is a series of compromises.🤷🏼‍♀️🙂

I’m a little over 1 year and 3 months out. I weigh/measure everything. I track everything. I don’t believe my way is the only way, but I do KNOW it is the only way I CAN continue to maintain this lifestyle. (I’ve stayed within a 3 pound window for several months that included a cruise, a multi-day family reunion, an out of town graduation gathering and other family trips and events. Without weighing, measuring and, most importantly, tracking on LoseIt, it would be impossible for me.)

I’ve been buying clothing all the way down at the same places I’ve been making money selling my “way too bigs”; Poshmark and Mercari! I can’t post my links but you can do the same and find a great wardrobe while making money off your too big clothing. I also find nice pieces at Clothes Mentor and Plato’s Closet.

If you’ve stopped tracking your food, load an app (I use LoseIt) and start tracking again. Don’t stop tracking! That personal accountability habit is key. There is Step One. 🙂

It's okay! We go through burnout in all phases of our lives. Unfortunately, if you sit too long in this spot, you will really get bogged down so do not linger here! Get back to work!!! You already know what to do. It was the third sentence of your original comment. You just need to get motivated to do it. Remind yourself that: FOOD IS FUEL! It is not comfort, love, entertainment, recreation or purpose! All of that comes from you and what you make of your life! Food is what you feed your body to give you the strength to generate the rest. Make sure you fuel it properly so YOU CAN FEED YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE! I wish you the very best!

Honey, you're still swollen!

I'm 15 months out and frankly I get my fruits/veggies from Juice Plus capsules that I empty in my daily plant based protein shake. Note: I don't sell the products and this isn't a product endorsement...just what works for me. My only other fruit source is one banana per day in my shake and an occasional 2-4 ounce glass of OJ. Although I very much miss a nice salad and veggie sides, it doesn't usually end well. On the other hand, I can do celery sticks with peanut butter or one or two cooked or raw baby carrots every once in a while. Before there is any blow back about the fruit/veggie sitch, my bloodwork (every 2-3 months...forever...) is phenomenal...even the trace minerals.

I'm a huge fan of LoseIt. I made my husband load it last Summer. He lost 45 pounds along side me!

Are you kidding?! You are KILLING IT!!!! Great job!

I have almost no body fat left. At my heaviest, 10 years ago, I was 260. I'm at 115 now. As you can imagine (even with very little fat left) I have a lot -- they tell mw 12 lbs -- loose skin in all the areas you would expect. At nearly 55 years old, my skin has done better than I expected but its still a mess especially in my bottom, breasts and thighs and arms. Occasionally, I do pull-ups to tighten my arms and core. At this size, with this much extra skin, there is no firm to be had in the loose areas. It's not in the cards. I knew this going in. I consulted with a plastic surgeon long before my sleeve and he was very frank with me. He said that there was no getting around what was going to happen and that the smaller I got the worse the hanging curtain appearance of my rump and thigh skin would be. He correctly predicted that my DD's would completely deflate...that my breasts would be awful. Because my breasts would disappear, my back and side skin would begin to drape , too. He also predicted that my belly skin skirt would not be a tremendous factor and likely absorb (it mostly did) but that my abdomen would be wrinkled and soft. He told me that my arms would not fair well but that they would do far better than my thighs. He did tell me that if I was diligent in eating high protein, my body would maintain muscle well. He based all of this on the general make up of my body, the condition/elasticity/density of my skin, and my general muscle tone. None of it had anything to do with predicted exercise. I had a neck lift last year. I couldn't live with that extra skin.

My very best to you. You look wonderful!

You are very kind.

I’ve read this entire thread and it’s been so helpful to know we have each other. For now, I’m going with this plan... First, I was able to get back to 118 but I found that I liked 115 better so I just float between the two now. It’s my three pound window. Second, I can have a cookie or a bite of pizza crust every now and then but I’ve found there is no room in my world for that type of carb on a regular basis. I haven’t touched a slice of bread in a couple years...no buns, no sandwiches, no biscuits...I simply can’t. You might as well ask an alcoholic to taste your drink. I’m fine with the carbs I get from proteins and natural fats and veggies. Finally, I’m frequently monitored for for vitamin/blood/mineral levels. My health is incredible, especially for a woman in her mid-50’s. When someone comments that I appear to be too thin (and I’m amazed that people, strangers even, feel free to do so) I just smile. I no longer wonder if I need to do something. I feel fantastic. After 27 years of retirement, I’m a working actress and model again. My husband is loving, supportive and my family is thriving. I just continue to track everything on LoseIt and adjust my intake accordingly. It’s almost effortless. I'm no longer overthinking this. I’m just using the habits that got me here to keep me stable. I'm living life and enjoying the freedom this weight loss has given me back. I wish all of you the peace and happiness you’ve helped me find.

I’m a big fan of the Oh Yeah ONE bars. I find most protein bars are too sweet now but the OYO Almond Bliss are less so and give an Almond Joy-ish kind of flavor when I’m too lazy to put together my own high protein meal.

You’re not done yet! If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably go in fits and spurts for a while. Then every now and then you’ll weigh in and a few pounds will drop all at once. Meanwhile, measure because you’re likely losing inches, too. My journey to 150 was quick but from 150 to 130 took months. Then all of a sudden I was 115! Like....woah! How did that happen?! Thank you VERY MUCH! If you’re working the plan, the plan will work. It just gets weird every now and then...and slow sometimes. You can get stuck for weeks. Don’t sweat it. Keep doing the work. BTW, I’m 15 months out and maintaining a 3 pound window by tracking everything I put in my body with my LoseIt app. I weigh every single day and make sure I get my protein in. It’s so easy now. Just continuing habits I laid down early on! 😁

On the bright side, I’m enjoying the heck out of this Texas summer. Just baking by the pool on 100° days with no complaints! 😄

As you glide down the scale take the advice given above. Thrift stores, Poshmark (it’s a dot com) and Mercari (another dot com) are great sources for inexpensive clothes. You’re going to go through several sizes on your fantastic journey!

Absolutely! Formerly a 9-9.5W. Now a regular 8.5.

I have nothing insightful to say that can fix this but, Dude, I feel your pain. I’ve been there a number of times through the years.

Folks, don’t worry. I know you want it all gone now...I did , too...but it will happen! I am 5”6”. I was 209 at my consult. I was approved by my insurance companies and given my checklists (all the boring poke/prod stuff). They scheduled me for 3 months later and I set about doing all the stuff they’d scheduled. All they told me was DON’T GAIN ANY WEIGHT OR YOUR INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL DECLINE SURGERY! Okay. Got it. So, I got super vigilant and began LOSING weight. I showed up for surgery weighing 180 lbs with a BMI of exactly 30... apparently, the OTHER number where MY INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL DECLINE! Uh, wait...you’ve got to explain this stuff upfront! (However, since I had a complication, my Doctor got it approved on that day and off we went.) Anyway, this is the long way of saying, I had my surgery at 30 BMI! I kept and continue to keep copious notes on my weight loss. Initially I lost 8-10 pounds per month. Then it slowed to 5-6 pounds. I hit my goal very quickly but then I decided that was my Doctor’s goal. MY goal was 35 pounds lighter. So I kept going. Now I look back and think how the time flew and what I’ve accomplished. But, in the moment, I thought it was taking forever! Don’t spend time worrying about how quickly it will happen. It’s different for everyone. Comparison is fruitless. It gets you nowhere and it robs energy you could be using to make sure you get where you want to be! i wish all of you the very best.

I’m 14 months post surgery. I’ll turn 55 in November. I was 209 lbs at my surgery consultation. I’m 115 lbs today. This surgery/weight loss tool has been everything I needed to help me take control again. I had the determination, the motivation and the required knowledge but my body never seemed to let me “win” at weight loss and kicking my diabetes. I have been off insulin and oral meds since a few weeks before surgery (I chose to start eating a Bariatric plan early to lose ahead of time). Its been so freeing...so life changing. If you work the program, you will lose. The rate will vary but the results will be there in the end!

Terrific work!

I apologize for missing responses on this thread. I have been recovering from gallbladder/hernia/intestinal repair surgery. Now I'm even healthier! And, I’m able to eat without pain. To answer your question, I’ve been under 120 for 3-4 months. I slipped to below 115 after surgery but have managed to climb back to 117. I’ve been hovering here for a week...building. I think it will just take time and effort to eat healthy foods to gain the right kind of weight back. Now that I’m out of pain, I’m more inclined to be able to dedicate my efforts to this in the same manner I did to losing the weight. I’m very happy at 120. I don’t care who thinks that is too thin or too fat. It’s my happy spot. 😁