pdc1605

I know how "set" some of us can be on a specific number "goal" or "I am going to lose 50 pounds in X months."
May I suggest that instead of looking at a number that seem impossible - and having a constant reminder of what you HAVE NOT done... that instead, pick a really logical goal or EVEN (horrors) a goal that WE KNOW we can attain.
I was inspired by an acquaintance on Facebook who said he goal for that year was to lose 20 pounds. I thought about it, for a couple months......and decided that I was tired of my weight gain and MY goal could be to stop gaining weight, and maybe lose 10 pounds in a year. Reversing habits that had snuck back over 8 years.... and heck....it started working. And instead of setting myself up for failure... I was; to myself; an amazing success !!! Maybe I COULD lose 20 in a year ! I had lost that and more by 7 months.
I also knew what weight I COULD NOT maintain back when and how miserable I was trying to continually FIGHT and never win. So I set MY GOAL for 5 pounds over where I had managed to maintain for several years.
NO, I won't be a size small or even a medium. But I started at 5'3 (now 5'2) and 320 pounds at age 53. I have lost 147 pounds. I am good with that.
This may not apply to you. This may not be you. It is me. I managed to do this as a full time working 64 year old human with some auto immune disease - exercise is not something I can do much of. I practice meditational yoga, actively garden a few times a week. I take care of a small flock of a couple dozen chickens, so I rake and hoe and haul things around. I have a teenager who comes and hauls 40 pound bags for me on the weekends. But I am active even in times of Covid, grow some of my own vegetables and fruit and salad greens .... life is good. Find your Good.

I'm right there with you. I had my sleeve in December of 2018, lost a fair amount of weight, not a ton, but it was slow-going and stopped after four months. I kept it off for 15 months. Then during COVID I put on 10-12 pounds and I'm having a hard time taking them off. I want to kick myself for going through major surgery only to screw it up again because I'm such a loser. But then I focus on what I need to be doing and get back on track and have been doing really well for the last 15 days. You can do it. Go back to basics. Get the Protein in. Get the Water in. Watch the portion sizes. You can do it!

AWWWW Jaelzion - Thank you for keeping me in your heart !!!
Yes, I am still around ! More than 10 years later you CAN take some control back. If Depression is a problem, talk to your doctor - even your regular doc and ask about a referral for therapy or for some medication - antidepressants are a wonderful help - and although they take 6 to 8 weeks to kick in well, they can really help you to lift yourself out of a chemical imbalance that causes us to have depression. (yeah, I am a therapist/social worker too !!) But do not allow yourself to be depressed about YOURSELF.
Take one thing. Just one thing and turn it positive. Mine was "no more fried potato food" I stopped eating french fries and potato chips. Then I added more healthy foods back to my diet. I remembered how much I really liked eating healthier .... and I added more and substituting a healthy choice for a not so healthy one is a VICTORY EVERY DAY. And not eating out ? I forgot how much added salt is in things. THAT took weight off me too.
No, it isn't easy. But I did it. I have kept those 45 pounds off since October 2020 and here it is January 2021 and .... I have lost another 2 pounds. I know, not alot. But I had told myself that at 45 pounds I was stopping and going to maintain my weight. Maybe lose 5 pounds in the next year. Maybe not. And look at that. 4 months and down 2 more pounds ! YES AND WHOOPPEE for meeee !!!! Celebrate your victories like crazy ! I will be 65 years old this year - actually in a couple months... and I will weigh what I did in graduate school when I was .... 25 ! I am not thin. I won't ever be thin. I am "overweight" for my height and age. And you know what ? I am okay with that. Because I WAS SUPER MORBIDLY OBESE. I weighed over 300 pounds. I now weigh 173. My BMI WAS 58 - it is now 31. And IF i were to have the extra skin removed ? I would probably lose another 10 pounds easily. But I don't need to do that. Or want to. I'm good.
Figure out where you can be "good" with yourself. Then start on the road. YOU CAN DO THIS.

After what seems like a million years I finally got my approval!!! I am ecstatic and overjoyed! Now that it is really happening I can’t lie I am kind of nervous because I never had a surgery besides a c-section almost 20 years ago lol I am waiting to speak with the nurse so I can pick a date but I know it will be sometime in February omg!!!! Any helpful tips and tricks will be highly appreciated!

Try measuring yourself!!! I measured myself during my stall and realized the inches I lost were incredible!!! Sometimes you notice the bulk and not the pounds!!!

Your body is wondering what the hell you just did to it. It went through a major trauma of surgery and is healing. Now you're feeding it way less than it's used to getting. It happens. It really is okay, I promise you. You're doing everything right. I can't explain the science to you, I just know it's real. For instance, I have been eating 650-800 calories for the past 12 days. For the first 5 days I lost weight. For the next 3 days, I GAINED weight. How the hell do you gain weight on 800 calories/day? But I did and I figured it was my body adjusting, plus I was eating green olives, which are high in sodium. So now fast forward two more days and it's slowly coming down again. Weight fluctuations are normal. Take it easy on yourself and take care and trust the process. 😀

Congrats on your surgery & welcome. You’ve lost 77lbs that’s amazing. I lost about 70lb in 6 months so pretty similar.
It’s going to take time. Remember you didn’t put on your weight in a short time frame so you can’t expect to lose it quickly. Surgery isn’t a quick & easy fix but you’ll get there. Stick to your plan, meet your Protein & fluid goals each day. Take time to learn new healthier cooking methods & try more nutritious foods. It’s a lot of learning & changing from what you used to eat, how you ate & why you ate. But it’s so worth it.
Good luck.

How cool! I think I am going to have to take a long, hard look at my body, and see just where some of the weight is coming off, because I have lost nearly 60 lbs and only went down one pant size... Seems like it should be a little more, but... it isn't. I think I have lost some back fat (yay), and I HAVE noticed the underarm and pubis thing, so that is good... I HOPE my hooded eyelids become less hooded like yours!

So. Ok. I’ve been noticing some strange & totally unexpected changes to my body post weight loss. I’m not talking shrinking feet & fingers. I mean they seem logical when I think about it but...
Was doing my makeup for Christmas Eve when I realised I could see the eyeshadow on my lids when my eyes were open. The reason this is strange is that for as long as I could remember, I’ve had hooded eyelids which run in the family. I had a fleshy overhang over my upper eyelid so I couldn’t really see any eyeshadow I applied & when I put on eyeliner I’d get a line on the overhanging part of my lid as well. But I’ve noticed my hooded eyes aren’t so hooded anymore. I can actually see eyeshadow & eyeliner just like most people do. So I guess I lost weight on my eyelids too. What the???
My neck is thinner & longer. Now the logic tells me this is because I don’t have a double chin any more & I don’t have extra flesh around my collar bones & shoulders. But I wasn’t really expecting it. I mean I’ll never have a swan like neck but I don’t feel like I’m being strangled physically or emotionally if I wear a high neck top.
Now this last one is a bit personal so beware. I’ve lost weight around my lady parts specifically my pubis region. It’s definitely less fleshy & ‘puffy’. So I guess I’ve lost weight there too. Who’da thunk it?
Anyone else noticed these changes or have other weird & unexpected changes to their bodies since they’ve lost weight?

LOLolololzzzz...I had to re-read this sentence as at first I was all "What the?? she can see through her eyelids? Or Are her eyelids drooping over her eyeballs??" Then I realized you were talking about looking at yourself in the mirror. Duh. (I'm tired, I really need to go to bed lol).
Armpits. They are concave now, so they are so much harder to shave (although there is a lot less to shave as my armlift had removed much of the part that grew armpit hairs!)
Head circumference. Hats that were snug or well fitted 2 years ago are now loose and floppy.
Back of neck hump. I used to have a fatty piece of flesh at the base of my neck at the back. It made me look like I was jutting my head foward when looking at me from the side. That lump is gone now, and like you, my neck looks longer, and also curvier from the side (at the front too, lol)
Stretch Marks/Cellulite. I thought these would be with me forever even after the weight loss, but to my surprise, they are gone (mind you, I did have plastics, so some of that skin may have been cut off, but areas that weren't touched by plastics have dramatically improved: back of legs, side of thighs, lower part of butt).
Nose: Everyone I've asked says they see no difference, but *I* do. Its smaller/less wide now.

I read the eye shadow thing like 10 times until I realized you were looking in a mirror!!! LOL

By day 60 post op, I had lost 54 pounds, which includes 15 pounds lost on the pre op diet. BUT EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! It doesn't matter if you lose fast or slow. You cannot control that as long as you are following your plan. I lost fast, but had terrible body dysmorphia from the rapid change. I think losing slower has advantages in that area. But we really don't have a choice in how we lose - just the choice to stick with the plan. Hang in there! Don't get caught up in comparing your numbers with everyone else. It is interesting, but the journey is unique for each person.

Napa, CA. Wine country. 🤪 me everytime I pass a vineyard lol

Yes I miss my wine. But being thinner is better feeling

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yay!

I know what you mean - I no longer have to use t-shirts that I'm given as dust rags - I can actually wear them!

That's great! I, too, have a bunch of company shirts in my closet that I never wore because they were too small (even the biggest size available). I remembered that recently and I thought, "Hey, now I'm small enough to wear those company shirts!" Well, now most of them are too big! I have a really nice one that I never got to wear because it was too small, and now I could almost wear it as a dress.

So I've recently been hired for a new job. As part of the "Welcome Kit", this company sends new employees a company T-shirt. They sent a size medium and in the past, I would have known there was NOTHING I could do with a medium T-shirt except maybe hang it up and look at it. It would have been just another one of those small indignities that you have to live with when you are bigger than the rest of the world. But today, the T-shirt fits perfectly and I'm starting off my new job without a reminder that I'm different from everyone else. How sweet it is!

I use MFP, but I'm not the best at tracking consistently so this has been helpful. Plus, my dietician is on my friends list so she can see what I've posted.

I will be 60 this spring! Started the process and hopefully a June/July surgery date. I am like many of you...want to be healthy and get off as many diabetic medications as I can....here's to us in 2021!

Hi. I started out at 203 lb. 5 ft 2
I had my vsg in 2010.
Dropped weight way to fast.
Not by choice. Lowest weight was 110 lb. happy weight was 125-128.
I am sad to say I am now at 156. Not happy at all.
I blame myself and also my husband. Me mostly.. I feel right into the spot where he made me feel guilty because i was small and he gained. He started to offer and push more food. Remember this is your body. Your life. Don’t fall for it. Stay strong.
I am officially back on track today.

I started to respond "Yeah, COVID is really surging here too" and then I looked at your profile on the side panel. I'm in California too, so yeah, LOL. 😂
I'm in a similar place as you - I've reached my weight loss goal and now I'm experimenting and learning how to maintain. I used to say I'll never be thin but then I woke up one day and I was pretty thin! LOL I have excess skin on my tummy and until I get that removed I won't really feel thin, but the rest of my body really is. Sometimes I don't recognize myself when I catch sight of myself in a mirror. I walk 1.7 miles every day and I strength train three times a week. I occasionally allow myself a treat but I mostly eat clean from day to day. I still weigh myself regularly because I've seen so many people say they started to gain in their second year. So I'm staying alert but so far, all is well! Happy new year!
Edit to add: this is my silhouette in the window. Sometimes I think my reflection is someone else!

I am 10 years out from a sleeve. Sleeved at about 300 lbs. Started at 320. 5'3" and I was 54 years old. I lost total of 150 pounds to 170. Then life happened. Lost my mom, then my younger brother then my dad.... and divorced and single parenting and moving and working and well.... I gained back to 220.
About a year and a half ago I decided I needed to make changes. Small ones. and little by little I got control back. I didn't do a major diet, I didn't do a fast or liquids only. I just started eliminating one lousy food and then another... and replacing one bad habit with a good and positive one. No cheap chocolate. Only good expensive chocolate. And one or two pieces is enough when it is really good chocolate. No potato chips. Air pop popcorn. Salads. fruit. Veggies. Protein. More Water. I have never been a soda drinker so that was not it for me. Just rebuilding good habits. I lost 45 pounds in 14 months. Not fast. But steady. And I took breaks to see what it would take to maintain that weight. Since September when I got back to 175 I have lost another 2 pounds. I will be 65 in two months. I know I will never be THIN. I don't need to be. But I am stronger, healthier, happier and maintaining my weight at a level that I can for the rest of my lifetime. Eating well. Moving more.
You can do this. Figure out what will work for you. Then do it.

Jonni, I am 68, also retired, and just beginning this journey, too. I am on Medicare, and must go through several months of different types of counseling prior to receiving a surgery date. Like Elidh, I realized I wanted to improve my health to enjoy those retirement years. Some days I think about the foods I will eliminating from my diet; and then I realize, it's the very foods that have lead me to this point of overweight-ness, and which is more important to me - those foods OR my health, for heavens sake?!?
Good luck with your procedure; look forward to following your positive progress!

Thank you for the encouragement!
I am actually 67 and still working. I will pray for results like yours!

Jonni, I beat you by a few years - I was 67 when I had sleeve surgery last July. I was fortunate in that I had no pain or nausea, and had no trouble tolerating foods at the different stages. I retired in 2018, and didn’t want to spend my retirement years struggling with weight, yo-yo-ing etc. I was self pay, because my BMI was too low for insurance, but there are no regrets so far! Good luck on the 14th.