kbsleeved

My loss has definitely slowed. I'm 15 months out now, and noticed it really throttle back around 9 months but it still hasn't completely stopped. I reached "goal" a week ago - having lost 115lbs; I suspect the loss will stop completely here soon, which I'm fine with.
Its important to remember that success isn't measured by whether or not your hit your "goal" weight, but rather by how much of your excess weight you're able to lose and maintain. So for example, based on BMI if you have 120lbs to lose to get to a "healthy" weight, then you can expect to lose AROUND 78lbs (65%) of that excess weight. (We all know BMI is an awful measure, but its the current standard). That varies from 60-80% from person to person, and you should expect some amount of regain in the years immediately following. Most surgeons consider LONG TERM success to be a loss of 50% of your excess weight after 5 years.
So, all that to say, you are right where you need to be. Keep to your plan, and give it time. Goal weights are helpful, but they aren't the end-all-be-all measure of success. You're already a success!

Thank you!
It's never as much as you want. HAHA

I chose 120lbs. I was 120 in my late 20s I am 68 now. I am 5ft 2in so I figured that was a good weight for me, however my Nurse Practioner says that it really should be about 160lbs. But we will see. I was at 170 a few years ago and although I looked better I was still not happy with the way I looked so I am still hoping for 120 to 130.

They take it from there own BMI calculator. I am in the UK so the parameters may be different to yours. It uses height, age, ethnicity and how much exercise you do. A healthy range for me would be between 112 pounds [haha] and 150 pounds according to the British Medical Association. So I guess they pick a number in between and anything extra is classed as excess weight. So 100 % of my excess weight would be between 218 pounds and 190 pounds lost. The sleeve surgery itself says you should loose 65 % of excess weight

My goal weight has shifted a couple times; my initial goal was 120 but when I kept losing, I moved it to 110 to account for any eventual regain. I'm below that right now, and am trying not to get under 100 because I'm already getting the "too thin" comments from family.
I don't think having your goal weight change is uncommon; most of us have been overweight for so long that we don't have a good idea of what we looked like at that weight, or how we will feel at that size. I haven't weighed this little since I was 16 years old.

I chose 200 pounds because even though it still has me at overweight, I felt an looked GREAT at that weight. And I haven't been 200 pounds in 26 years. My secret goal weight is 170, but if I don't make that, it's ok. 200 is really the one I'm the most concerned about.

i chose 120lbs as it was the mid-point for the "normal" BMI weight range for my height (5'2"). no real rhyme nor reason why i decided this way, other than i had no other ideas, ha also, i figured it was doable since i was that weight in my twenties. its worth noting here my surgeon said that he would consider my weight loss a success if i reached 175lbs (or was it 165?, i can't remember)
by the time i got to 127, i decided to stop weight loss as i felt i was looking too thin.
kept losing weight anyway, got down to 109, then settled into 115-ish for 2 or so years, but for almost the past year ive been consistently closer to 120 (am 4 years post op today).
p.s. despite weighing less today than what i did when i decided to stop weight loss, in my opinion, i think i look better now (less gaunt and frail looking).

I didn't/ don't have a goal weight because I have been crushed by not achieving it in the past. Also I don't know how far this surgery will take me. The hospital dietician said I could loose 65% of my excess weight and I have already smashed that, her words. Loosing 100lbs was my first goal and I got there easy. I personally would like to get under the 200lbs barrier even if its only a pound. Not being in the obese category would be nice too......

Oh wow, I feel your pain! My parents came to visit me, after I had lost 200 pounds, and my mom saw me mixing the essential amino acid supplement that I take daily (as recommended by my PCP). She looked at the label and said, “You know that has CALORIES?!”
Five. It has five calories in a scoop. And thanks, mom, I lost 200 pounds without your help but I still need you to micromanage my calories.
I guess some moms just can’t help themselves. Most of the time — and I think this is true in your case and mine — they have good intentions but no idea how harmful they can be. My mom put me on the path of yo-yo dieting from my pre-teen years. I’m sure she just wanted me to be healthy and never anticipated that the yo-yo dieting would contribute to long-term weight gain. So I feel free to ignore her comments.

I had a really odd NSV that ended up being a bit expensive lol. I’m only 4 weeks post op, but I was forced into a corporate meeting where I was going to have a wear a suit. I was PISSED. I have smaller and larger sized suits, but I was between the sizes I currently owned. Wasn’t about to invest in another suit. I managed to find something halfway decent at Kohls, and I was able to fit into a X-Large or Large off the rack. (the large size was generous and stretch, of course). Then I freaked out because all of the dress shoes I have are too narrow and small. I went to DSW and they were having a boot sale. Well, I went wild. I was so happy to be able to fit into tall REGULAR calf sized boots that I bought, ahem, SEVERAL pairs. 💰💵💸🤑. I couldn’t find pumps that fit, so I resurrected a pair of old pumps I had for the suit 🤣. My husband was confused because I went to buy dress shoes and walked out with two HUGE bags of boots. Lol. Good thing he loves me. Pic of me with a Christmas dress I’m planning to wear, and red knee high boots!

I finally had to go shopping for jeans. I have went up and down so much over the years I had a HUGE range of sizes so I have been just working through the clothes I had in my closet.
Well 2 NSV's this weekend:
1, I have shrunk out of all the stocked sizes, which means I am officially the smallest I have been in my adult life!
2, Size 16 fits loose! 14 is uncomfortably tight but did (barely) button! (Started my journey at a size 26)

One year difference and 136 lbs gone

It's not cheating it's living life. We can Celebrate occasions without feeling any guilt.

having a good relationship with food means having a day where you indulge on rare occasion and getting back on track the next day.. it’s life and meant to be enjoyed, just in reasonable ways

I am so sorry you thought you Cheated. It made me really sad. Please relax a little. Have holidays and enjoy them like the rest of the world.

As a vet, I'd like to kindly suggest you reframe your thinking. There's no cheating, there are no bad foods. You're still allowed to eat and enjoy food. It's all about balance. You don't need to feel guilty or do an extreme work out to make up for anything. You're going to need to find a sustainable way of eating and relating to food.
Realistically, you likely ate under 1500 calories0 calories

you're seven months out now - from about this point and for the rest of your life, you're going to occasionally have days like this. It was a holiday - even skinny people tend to eat more than usual or have special treats on such days. The trick is to get right back to it the next day and don't let it continue on. Sounds like you have a good plan.

I had my sleeve done on 11/11 and I am in the last few days of the pureed/soft food stage right now. I feel like after I moved from liquids to purees (and all of the gas from the procedure was out of my system) I either haven't really felt my restriction or I'm still just terrible at recognizing it. Everything I've read seems to say ~2oz is a normal portion size for this stage, but I can usually eat 3oz (esp. of refried beans) and I haven't really had the nausea/runny nose/sneezing fullness cues from my literature. I do get a feeling of tightness in my sternum sometimes, but it will usually go away if I pause and wait a few minutes before continuing to eat. I'm worried I'm overeating and potentially (beginning to) stretch my stomach - should I be stopping as soon as I feel the chest tightness and consider the meal over? Is the kind of restriction I've read about more common once I've moved on to soft foods? How did you learn what your fullness cues were and does anyone have good resources for recognizing your restriction/not overeating?
I just had dinner and it was 1/3 a cup egg whites with 1 tbs of ricotta + Frank's sauce and I managed to finish the whole thing, and it was only the last couple of bites that I felt anything in my chest which is now lingering. Did I overeat? What should I change for next time?
Edited to add I have lost ~10lbs post-op.

That's really good to know! I was thinking more "it's important for me to finish this so I meet my Protein goals so I should wait to I can eat everything" but I will stick to the recommended portions/no more than 30 minutes from now on.

I didn't really feel restriction until I moved on to regular food. It takes a while for your nerves to regenerate - plus soft foods move through your stomach faster than the solid ones. At this point, just eat according to your program because your fullness queues are probably not there yet. And once they start up, as you've been reading, they're likely to be different than they were pre-surgery. I don't feel full the way I did before surgery. Now I feel sort of a tightness or discomfort in my chest (hard to describe it). I know if I don't stop, I'm going to be sorry...

Yep, that tightness across your sternum is your restriction. Mine always makes me want to slap my chest to relieve it not that it works. It’s a sign to stop eating now.
Not everyone gets the runny nose or sneezing full signals - I don’t. And it will take time for you to feel & recognise your full or had enough signals. The signs may be more subtle to begin. Remember all those nerves they cut during your surgery.
This is why it’s important to stick to your portion size recommendations. You should aim to stop eating before you feel your restriction or you feel full. Stop when you’ve had enough. I still ask myself 3.5yrs on do I need this next bite or just want it. Nothing wrong about stopping before you eat all your portion either. It can be easy to eat around your restriction & your smaller tummy if you just wait a bit until you don't feel any discomfort & eat again so be careful.
There are lots of things to learn & to discover how things work for you. You’ll get there.

I didn't truly feel my restriction till I moved on to solids, like chicken. I had small signals during my puree stage but you start feeling your regular pre-op type of fullness once you go back to normal foods, even though NOW I stop before before I feel fullness. Aiming for that satisfied feeling is better imo.
Also, I watched a 'VSG fail' video on YouTube & she mentioned one of the reasons she failed was because she knew "waiting 10mins will allow her to eat more" & she now weighs as much as she did pre-op. PLEASE stick to your reccomended portions, you will find you'll still feel satisfied!

Yes, once you feel that tightness - that's your restriction. Meals should not take more than 30 minutes to consume and not be more than 2 ounces in portion. I was forcing myself to eat a full cup of yogurt around 3 weeks because I was trying to get all my Protein in and my nutritionist strongly advised that was way too much (a cup of yogurt is typically about 5 oz) But you lose the most weight in the beginning and also don't have that hungry feeling so take advantage of it! Stay disciplined through the beginning and it will pay off! The first 4 weeks is the hardest but it gets better! Good luck!

I had my sleeve done on 11/11 and I am in the last few days of the pureed/soft food stage right now. I feel like after I moved from liquids to purees (and all of the gas from the procedure was out of my system) I either haven't really felt my restriction or I'm still just terrible at recognizing it. Everything I've read seems to say ~2oz is a normal portion size for this stage, but I can usually eat 3oz (esp. of refried beans) and I haven't really had the nausea/runny nose/sneezing fullness cues from my literature. I do get a feeling of tightness in my sternum sometimes, but it will usually go away if I pause and wait a few minutes before continuing to eat. I'm worried I'm overeating and potentially (beginning to) stretch my stomach - should I be stopping as soon as I feel the chest tightness and consider the meal over? Is the kind of restriction I've read about more common once I've moved on to soft foods? How did you learn what your fullness cues were and does anyone have good resources for recognizing your restriction/not overeating?
I just had dinner and it was 1/3 a cup egg whites with 1 tbs of ricotta + Frank's sauce and I managed to finish the whole thing, and it was only the last couple of bites that I felt anything in my chest which is now lingering. Did I overeat? What should I change for next time?
Edited to add I have lost ~10lbs post-op.

This is my first post!
I was sleeved 11/11 and just started the puree stage (my program calls it "smooth textures") on Sunday - yesterday was the first day I managed to hit both my Protein and fluid goals, which was really exciting. I managed to eat 4oz of refried Beans and hot sauce in the morning, but in the evening could only finish half of the ricotta and egg white scramble I made, so the rest was made up via Protein Shakes.
I'm so happy to be able to add some savory foods back to my diet - I don't have the biggest sweet tooth and I was getting so sick of the taste of protein shakes last week. Right now fluids are still giving me the most trouble, but I've been having better luck using the Owala water bottle with the built-in straw and it hasn't been giving me trouble with extra air. I don't know if it's because I don't swallow as I'm drinking, I still hold all the Fluid in my mouth for a second because I'm afraid of taking too big of a drink no matter how I'm drinking it, but I'm glad I can still use my favorite Water bottle so far.