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I'm not real big on Before/After pics....as in I haven't posted a single one yet. So this is the first one! Also - who else prefers Before/During pictures since I never really consider myself an "After"?
Officially to my own personal goal weight (about 75 down) after almost 8 months. Dr told me to expect to lose 65-75 over 18 months - so I'll take it!
Wedding pictures - before was after I had already lost 30 pounds. Same dress - different color - plus 4 sizes smaller!

Well I finally have hips again. They've always been big (got wider after having a kid) but you can finally tell. When I run my hands down my side and over my hip I can feel my hip bone with only a light press. I can't remember the last time this was possible. I'm also in onderland for the first time in.....13yrs? Never thought this day would come.

I was always self conscious when shirts were tight enough to show my stomach. So I always bought a size larger. I've been an XL for 4yrs now. And a size 16-18 pant. I'm now self conscious for a different reason. My shirts are too baggy and they make me feel way bigger than I really am. My XL leggings are too loose. My size 14 pants are now getting too big. I'm going to try and hold off on buying new clothes for another few mths but I'm finally excited to go clothes shopping.
Height: 5'7"
HW: 325lbs
CW: 197lbs

I have a work potluck today. I went with silly for my festive outfit. My necklace even lights up, so fancy!

that really varies a lot between people. I'm pretty active on another site and we talk about this a lot. We have people who can only eat 1000 and others who can eat 2000 (all women). I would say most are in the 1200-1600 range.

Honestly? Embrace boring. Embrace eating simply and very small. Encourage food apathy where you just barely eat to fill the small real estate you have. Get busy learning new things! Pick a hobby. Add a creative activity. This is the time when it's SUPPOSED to be boring and routine and easy. You want to ideally kinda break up with your fixation for food and for truly slap-your-mama appealing cuisine.
I quit the Food Netwook, Food Channel, commercials, cooking mags, cook books, etc until I was well into my routine and new life.
I went from full liquids to mushies (fork tender and chew to puree) skipping puree state but I ate:
yogurt
cottage cheese
canned chicken and chicken gravy (low cal, low carb, low fat)
roasted smashed cauli with chicken gravy (low cal, low carb, low fat)
turkey lunch meat (Hillshire Farms)
tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad whizzed until chopped very fine and very wet with Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard
sf Jello
sf popsicles
pumpkin puree "refried" in a tiny bit of ghee for flavor
Protein pudding
protein drinks
homemade Bone Broth defatted
cream Soups with protein added to it
green smoothies made with high protein milk, Protein Powder, frozen spinach, frozen blueberries, greek yogurt
mocha and peppermint frappacinos made with protein powder, decaff coffee, ice, sf Torani peppermint and chocolate syrups
And the time passed so quickly...

Well it's a small milestone but I've officially lost 100 lbs since surgery on July 1. I was 441 then and now I'm 341 as of Dec 1. Overall for the year that puts me at 132lbs lost! I've been eating right, no cheating, working with weights for my arms and just started swimming 2 wks ago. I go swimming 4 days a week for 30 mins. I still have a long way to go but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel [emoji3]
Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

G;ad you're still with us 😂

I had my first carbonated beverage since surgery yesterday. I’d like to report that a half a bottle of sparkling Water didn’t kill me.

I had the bypass done on August 28 and just had my 3 month post op visit. My surgeon is beyond thrilled with my results! I have lost over 50% of my excess weight to date and he said he wouldn't be surprised if I was near or at goal by 6 months. I also met with the nutritionist and she is perfectly happy with how things are going as well. I told her there are days I don't want to eat very much, if at all, and she said that's totally normal and fine but not to force myself to eat. She's ok that some meals I only get 1/4 cup of food and others I can eat a 1/2 cup. My goal is to be 199 by the new year, and if I keep losing at the rate I have been it's a very feasible goal! My surgeon also said that I could start looking for a plastic surgeon to get rid of the some excess belly skin because I'm already getting rashes and having pain from it, that won't happen until later next year though as summer 2020 is already filling up fast.
I also bought a new swimsuit for our cruise in June, in a MEDIUM! I tried on the medium top yesterday and while it was a little snug fingers crossed it should fit perfect by then! It was on clearance so even if it's too big by then it's not a huge loss of money. I also got bottoms in a medium!

If you cycled 40 miles you earned the fries 🤷🏻‍♂️

Today is one year from the sleeve. Best decision I ever made... For those of you out there just starting.. do not get discouraged. It may come off slowly, but if you keep on plan and keep on task it will come off.. Keep the faith!

My two cents - my goal is 140 to be able to fit into size 8/10 clothing with room but I honestly think I would be okay with 150-160 just so I don’t look too sickly to everyone. Right now I want to reach the goal first. 😀

Thank you for posting. My surgery date is tomorrow. I’m nervous and reading your story made me go “ok, I can do this” . Keep killing those goals!

Coming up on 6 months post OP (next week) and I'm 42 pounds from my ultimate goal... so close, but so far away. I needed to see this today. THANK YOU for posting it and CONGRATULATIONS on your incredible success!

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!

You don't look like the same person at all!
Your before and after pics are a great example of how we stereotype people. The guy on the left looks like someone's crazy uncle that everyone loves but no one takes seriously. The guy on the right looks super smart and who everyone asks advice from. And yet you are the same person.
Congrats for your hard work!

My two cents - my goal is 140 to be able to fit into size 8/10 clothing with room but I honestly think I would be okay with 150-160 just so I don’t look too sickly to everyone. Right now I want to reach the goal first. 😀

Head games are going on- We all have been there the stalls are common, switch it up a little - Try more Water less food - then different foods, The stall will pass, if you search here you will see 100s of post on stalls, I broke mine doing a 10 day fast of water and supplements only, It broke in 5 days.
Do not panic it will break - As for not motivated Why not? You have already lost 47 pounds - Get your ass in gear pound out the rest of them! Then reward yourself - For example i have a reward set once i hit my goal weight to just party my ass off in cuba for 3 days. Of course no food but as a guy just going to kick back and seize the day

My two cents - my goal is 140 to be able to fit into size 8/10 clothing with room but I honestly think I would be okay with 150-160 just so I don’t look too sickly to everyone. Right now I want to reach the goal first. 😀

Agree with above advice. Let me also stess the need to cut your grain carbs for the time being. The grain carbs will raise your glucose levels which in turn causes your insulin to shoot up. The insulin drives the blood sugar down and then you are hungry again. This can cycle all through the day. Cut out the grains and never eat fruit without the protection of Protein. A little fruit is fine in a protein smoothie, or as dessert with some yogurt at the END of a meal. But not as a snack.
Ok, For part two: EVERY time you eat, insulin levels increase. Insulin drives calories into fat storage. The more often you eat or snack, the more insulin you have floating around, doing it's dirty work to store fat and not allow fat burning. You have to limit your meals to 3 a day with NO snacking. Just doing this alone (along with eliminating grain and minimizing fruit) will take the pounds off.
If you want to amp it up even more, give yourself an 8-10 hour window to eat each day. Only eat your nutritious food during this window. This is one form of intermediate fasting (most people skip an early morning meal and start around noon.) It is very powerful and kicks you into a fat burning mode. Do your exercise routine during this fasting time, and you will get even more benefit.
I am also very nutrition conscious. I was not allowed to eat any form of veggies for 8 WEEKS post op!!!!! I have a large organic garden, and this was just torture! (I ended up making filtered greens Water that I added to everything. My doc was mad at first, but I showed him that it was CLEAR and was a heck of lot better than Crystal Light, Gatorade, pop-sickles, or any other artificial "food."). Anyway, you have to follow the plan and get your protein in first. Then add all the veggies you want (except starchy ones.)
At 6 months, I was still only eating about 600 cal/day. But I made every bite count for optimal nutrition and my 6 month labs came back great. Do not worry about becoming nutrient deficient at this point. Your labs were fine and you can eat plenty of phyto-nutrient dense foods now. But you still have to get your protein in to protect your muscle mass. Sometimes overeating is from fear of malnutrition, resulting in OVER eating. An overweight person is NOT well nourished - they are over nourished, which leads to a host of other serious problems.
You can do this. The "honeymoon" period can last a lot longer than 6 months. You haven't lost the opportunity to maximize the next 6 months. The whole first year is really important and now that you can eat more "real" foods, you should not worry at all about nutrition if you are eating a healthy balance.

I think we're all different honestly. And you have to do what you know is right. I would try to see if I could find some balance due to your fear.
I would:
Only have 1 green smoothie a day (if you feel you must). Pack it with a scoop of Protein Powder, 1oz of avocado, 2oz of deep dark greens, psyllium husks, 1oz of blueberries (or other deep berry), liquid stevia, 28g Greek yogurt (plain) and thin it down with ice and either Fairlife Fat Free Milk or unflavored almond or cashew milk (not as much protein).
Then for lunch, I'd have raw veggies in a salad or with my 2-3oz of Protein + raw veggies. Use a Greek yogurt (plain) dip with Ranch seasoning if you need. Thin it with Fairlife Fat Free Milk. Include 1oz of avocado and a very very very light oil. I used 3 zeros Italian or Greek (zero cal dressing) or Walden Farms zero cal dressing. I would add 5g of pumpkin seeds or 10g of some kind of nut. That way you are getting plenty of fat for fat soluble Vitamin absorption.
Then for dinner, I'd have 3-4oz of protein + 1-2oz al dente steamed veg + 1oz avocado + 1oz grape tomatoes.

I would drop everything else. Your hunger should come under control in 3-4 days from now.
I would try to get in a range of 700-800 cals per day. I lost best around 650-700 cals and carbs at 30g net or below per day.
At the rate you are going, I honestly believe you will stop losing well before you are finished or should be finished. You need to up your speed and you are right to feel concern. You are mainlining sugar into your body with all your juicing and smoothies. And just quit the grains. No one needs em. Frankly. If they are causing your weight loss to slow so significantly and causing so much hunger, you clearly as an individual cannot handle them right now. Maybe for maintenance, but the question should ALWAYS be:
How did your meal xy or z make you feel 1 hour after eating, 2 hours after eating, the next morning. How long was it before you felt hunger cues.
By now, you should be able to go 3-4 hours minimum between meals. If you cannot, you are having blood sugar roller coasters and those are very bad for all of us.

Hope that helps. It's not too late to restart your plan!!!! Choose to do it today!

Just a quick update. Down to 353 which is a really good feeling. Thank goodness for the local thrift stores and second hand shops because I have dropped from a size 58 to 42 in pants alone and have pretty much needed to replace my wardrobe multiple times over the last few months.

Huge milestone for me, I ran a 5K for Halloween. I was always the anti-run type guy. In fact I used to tell my coworkers that if they ever saw me running they should run too because the end of the world was behind me. Fast forward and I completed my first 5K which honestly felt amazing. I have signed up for another one in December this time doing a santa dash and I am hoping to improve on my times.

Still have no complications and no regrets. I feel 100 times better and younger. I even managed to out walk my kids trick or treating on Halloween. As the one who always had to quit early it felt good for the kids to tap out first.

**********NECROPOSTING ALERT***********
I TOTALLY MISSED THIS WHOLE THREAD
Probably because on 7/15 I was in the hospital being revised from VSG to RNY and NOT FOR REGAIN 😂
I don't know why others post the way they do but, the reason I chose to include that bit of info is because:
I didn't want to assume everyone knows my whole story (some people may have just joined that day etc)
I wanted to be clear as possible so when some one runs a search for info here on BP they find exactly what they are looking for
I wanted to share my specific experience and because the stories/ questions/ support/ techniques/ insurance rules/ *plans/ *preop /*postop may change vastly depending on why you need a revision its not helpful to lump it together.
Can you imagine being asked nonstop in DMs if you lost all of your excess weight then having to explain you didnt have any excess weight/ you were at goal already
Or never being asked if your stenosis was properly bypassed/GERD resolved/ torsion corrected/anatomy fixed because no one knew that was the reason for the revision.
Or telling people that insurance approved it in 48 hrs, but not explaining that it was likely because it was emergent in my case and highly unlikely to get approved that quick or even the first time on a weight regain only case.
For me it was about clarity & I hope my input helped 💙

Lol! I'm in.

I often time find exercise to be the very best option for handling emotions and curbing emotional eating, specifically something pretty high energy, a dance workout video, even Wii Sports, just something fun that requires my brain to be paying attention to it instead of what is bothering me. Other things would be calling a friend, reading silly articles on buzzfeed, playing with my pets, essentially anything to keep my brain busy, that's the real key.