STLoser

Luckily, I have a friend who wears my old size (4 or 5x) and I gave a lot to her. I had surgery a year ago. I am down 165 pounds so far but still want to get to at least 200 lost. I wear an XL now, bordering on a large. I have been getting rid of clothes all along the way. I just donate mine. I have always had WAY too many clothes so I have to get rid of them to make room. I was bummed when I got back into a 2x though, because I had given away a bunch of 2x's a few years ago thinking I'd never get back down to that size. Oh well! It is hard to part with clothes though!

OK, here's a funny one. I need to start off by saying that my husband is supportive, thinks I'm beautiful at 240 pounds when we first met 18 years ago, all the way up to when I weighed almost 400. I've lost 165 so far and naturally have a ton of loose skin. You can also feel a lot of my bones now underneath it all. Anyway, my husband and I were lying in bed and talking about my progress and I was talking about the loose skin, and he said yeah, I have a sack-o-Tricia now! Now I know this may sound like an insult, but he was just saying it was crazy how much I've lost, and I died laughing at "Sack-o-Tricia". And what I love about it is that he knows that Tricia is the person I am, not the shell I am inside. And I love him for that. He's always loved me for me. So it's sort of a NSV, but also I'm super lucky to have such a supportive husband. I'm pretty darned proud to be a Sack-o-Tricia now! [emoji1787]

I was self pay.. I started the process in March 2020. Then the pandemic hit, and my testing got delayed. I had my EGD in May 2020 as elective procedures reopened then in my area, but then they laid off my surgeon, so I went to a different hospital and new surgeon. I met him June 15th. My surgery was July 23rd, 2020, so it took just a little over a month.

You're welcome. And that should have said "can". [emoji2368]

I'm a year out now, and I can't tell you I always lose better when I'm very careful to get in my 90-160 grams of protein a day. I had the Loop DS so I'm supposed to get a lot. I always lose the best when I do, so I don't think you're jinxing yourself! Congratulations on your fantastic loss!

I think they're about the same, but needles don't bother me and neither does the covid test. I mean, it's weird and uncomfortable, but not that bad. And it's over super quick, so if you just make your self relax and hold still it is not hard to get though. Don't let people scare you!

I felt really weak and shaky for the first couple weeks. What helped me was Gatorade Zero. The electrolytes seemed to help that weak feeling.

Everyone has already given you good advice, but I want you to know I felt like my surgery was a mistake the first couple weeks. I kept thinking "Why did I do this to myself?" This seems to be something a lot of people feel early on. It's such a big life change! I can tell you, it got better as I moved through the food stages. I'm a year post op now and my life is INFINITELY better than it was before and I'm so happy I had my surgery. Hang in there! It will get better!

I'm looking forward to following your journey. I am still losing, but after 163 pounds my thighs are a mess. I expected to be most bothered about my stomach, but it's my thighs that are really bothering me. I don't know if I'll to any plastic surgery, but I'm seriously considering it for my thighs.

I had a rough time, especially the first 3 or 4 days. I was hungry and went through caffeine withdrawal and had a bad headache. I was on a 2 week clear liquid diet with protein shakes. After those first few days it got much easier, but was certainly no picnic. I just kept reminding myself why I was doing this and that helped me get through it.

The first 2 weeks after my Loop DS I wondered why I'd done it to myself. I also threw up the first few days and had to stay in the hospital for 4 nights. I never had much pain, except when swallowing, but the nausea was miserable. It was hard to sip and keep anything down and once I went to protein shakes they were disgusting and I regretted my decision to have surgery. I'm happy to say it got better and now I'm a year post op and it was the best decision I ever made! Now I can drink a whole glass of water in a few minutes without a problem.

This is SO true. I had my 1 year follow up with my surgeon the other day and he was saying I've done a great job, and I said it's because now when I make an effort to lose weight I feel like my body isn't fighting against me. It's amazing! My weight loss has slowed down quite a bit, but it's still going down. As long as you keep following the plan you will keep losing so don't worry!

I've had 4 of them now. I had 3 surgeries and one EGD since January 2020 so I had to get tested each time. As a nurse I've done this type of swab on countless people and a lot of them really hate it, but I don't find it too bad. It is uncomfortable and weird. The last one did give me a nosebleed, but didn't really hurt. It's over quick at least!

My butt has always been big, even at my smallest weight. I've lost 162 so far and it is still big, but at the bottom where it meets my legs it is loose and saggy. Sometimes when sit on the toilet it feels like I'm sitting on wadded up toilet paper or something, but it's the skin bunching up! I am also having tailbone pain when I sit too long.. I still hope to lose at least another 40 pounds, so I imagine it will only get worse. [emoji2368]

I chose the Loop DS because my BMI was so high (69.9), and my surgeon said it was the most powerful operation. I was paying out of packet, so I knew this was my only shot and I wanted to give myself the best chance to lose as much weight as possible. I'm very happy I chose this surgery!

Congratulations! You must be so excited!!!

I was not allowed to lift for 2 weeks, so depending on your surgeon you may be ok.

These are all such wonderful NSV's! I also got to buy clothes for the first time ever at Costco this summer! I got shorts in a XL! I still can't believe it!

Yes they do. My 10 year old son had to do it. I'm scarred for life from that stupid test! Congratulations on your pull - up! That's an impressive feat!

I felt very weak for the first couple of weeks after my surgery and did have difficulty getting all my fluid. What helped me was Gatorade Zero. It definitely helped the weak feeling to get some electrolytes.

Thank you all for the great ideas! [emoji4]

Ohhh what a good idea! Then I could make it as I need it so it doesn't sit around forever. Thank you!!

I prefer the real natural ones too. I don't like how sweet the ones with sugar taste!

Hi all. I've been trying to find a good tasting, easy to stir peanut butter that is also crunchy. I only like crunchy! Ideally I want just peanuts and salt, and no added sugar or artificial sweeteners. I have tried a few (it's hard to find in natural), but I don't eat it often and it settles after a while and is almost impossible to stir. I'm using Jif Natural crunchy right now because it's closest to what I want, but it does have added sugar, which I prefer to avoid. Any suggestions, or tips for stirring natural peanut butter that has settled? Thanks. I know this is rather long winded for being about peanut butter. Lol

Yeah, I did not expect this, because I have a big butt even after losing 157 pounds so far. However, my tailbone does hurt if I sit too long now. Today I had Umbilical Hernia repair, and my surgeon was behind schedule so I had to wait a long time to go into surgery and the stretcher was killing my butt! I don't have loose skin I'm the area of my tailbone, mine is lower on my butt at the top of my thighs, but it sure hurts anyway! I've been thinking of getting a donut cushion.