. Hello fellow sleevers!

It's Day 76,almost eleven weeks since my surgery and I have lost about 45 pounds. I went on vacation, had a few white wine spritzers, went out to eat sort of, well, all the time, and it was great. I came home two pounds lighter, so even with *extreme* inattention to any sort of caloric or nutritional rule ( except, of course, Protein first) the scale went down, not up.

But for the most part, I've been in a serious stall for about two weeks. It makes sense. My calories are up. I am healing and getting used to real food, logical portions, and nourishing myself in general. Two weeks of happy time made me come home absolutely exhausted. I haven't really upped the exercise but I've still stuck to a schedule of swimming for an hour three times a week. My size eighteens are getting looser and my waist and hips are down an inch.

Also, right after the vacation came a dental surgery which necessitated a short course of steroids. I was really pissed to find out about this because you know there is no way your body will part with an ounce of anything when you're on steroids. Then I got an allergic reaction to another medication and had to take Benedryl -- another weight gainer. So for about three weeks it's been pretty darn slow. But not at a standstill, and in the meantime my body is changing and growing a waist.

I can't believe the jeans I'm wearing fit. Actually I can't believe the jeans I'm wearing *didn't* fit at one point. These things would not even go halfway up my thighs only a few short weeks ago. These were the *fattest* jeans I owned at one point and I'm just...amazed, then, at how fat I was. If I am fat *now*...good god, what did I look like?

I took some reference pictures right before the surgery and then right after. I took another set last night but I'm not ready to put them up. I'm still fat, as I said...but holy mackerel, what a difference 45 pounds makes.

My calories are up to about 1200. I keep thinking I should cut back a little bit but I feel good and I'm still losing. My goal when I decided to get surgery was to refuse to obsess, to eat normally to the best of my ability, eat what I want. and to enjoy my life instead of letting food and weight issues hold me back.

. So. Almost eleven weeks, 45 pounds gone and still? Not dead.

Woohoo!!!! Congrats on your progress!! I'm just being sleeved Tuesday, but I remember what 45 lbs lost looks n feels like!! Keep going and post pics when you are ready. I am ready to join you!!! Joan

. Hello fellow sleevers!

It's Day 76,almost eleven weeks since my surgery and I have lost about 45 pounds. I went on vacation, had a few white wine spritzers, went out to eat sort of, well, all the time, and it was great. I came home two pounds lighter, so even with *extreme* inattention to any sort of caloric or nutritional rule ( except, of course, Protein first) the scale went down, not up.

But for the most part, I've been in a serious stall for about two weeks. It makes sense. My calories are up. I am healing and getting used to real food, logical portions, and nourishing myself in general. Two weeks of happy time made me come home absolutely exhausted. I haven't really upped the exercise but I've still stuck to a schedule of swimming for an hour three times a week. My size eighteens are getting looser and my waist and hips are down an inch.

Also, right after the vacation came a dental surgery which necessitated a short course of steroids. I was really pissed to find out about this because you know there is no way your body will part with an ounce of anything when you're on steroids. Then I got an allergic reaction to another medication and had to take Benedryl -- another weight gainer. So for about three weeks it's been pretty darn slow. But not at a standstill, and in the meantime my body is changing and growing a waist.

I can't believe the jeans I'm wearing fit. Actually I can't believe the jeans I'm wearing *didn't* fit at one point. These things would not even go halfway up my thighs only a few short weeks ago. These were the *fattest* jeans I owned at one point and I'm just...amazed, then, at how fat I was. If I am fat *now*...good god, what did I look like?

I took some reference pictures right before the surgery and then right after. I took another set last night but I'm not ready to put them up. I'm still fat, as I said...but holy mackerel, what a difference 45 pounds makes.

My calories are up to about 1200. I keep thinking I should cut back a little bit but I feel good and I'm still losing. My goal when I decided to get surgery was to refuse to obsess, to eat normally to the best of my ability, eat what I want. and to enjoy my life instead of letting food and weight issues hold me back.

. So. Almost eleven weeks, 45 pounds gone and still? Not dead.

I missed you GIRL!!!!!! I am now at five weeks tomorrow- time has whizzed by.

Read this article about stalls- the chemistry of them- it really helped me get why they happened and why you are still losing when they happen.

http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html

I had an 8 day stall at two weeks, and another last week, now I am slowly losing- my issues is that I eat about 600 calories a day and still can't eat more than 1/4 cup, if that- so getting more calories aint so easy! I know that will improve.

Anyway I am off for a walk but literally stopped stock still when I saw you had posted and wanted to say welcome home- glad you are loving AND living with your sleeve so happily- and woo hoo on the 45 pounds! I am at about 37 today including my 2 weeks pre-op. By the way- you had mentioned wondering about pre-ops vs no pre-ops and the subsequent weight loss so look for my thread about that- I think a pre-op , especially a strict one, definitely affects post op loss.

HUGS AND KISSES!!

Congrats on 45 lbs gone!! You are doing fabulous, AND having fun and living your life. Sounds awesome to me!! Way to go!

:cheer2:

Kelly

That is fantastic! I can't wait to see your pics and 45 lbs is so great. Welcome home and good job on living life to the fullest!

Yeah: I think it's TOTALLY true that the pre-op diet determines how fast you lose in the beginning. Your body can only take off so much before it starts to rebel. That can happen before or after surgery and the rest is...restriction. Now I'm at about a 4 pound a week average but that will probably go down since I only lost four pounds in the last three weeks.

I don't know if I mentioned this before but the last time I lost a lot of weight I got *very* weird about it at the end. I was down to about 165 and couldn't leave the house without my diet food scale. I would eat Peanut Butter out of a measuring spoon. I was *obsessed* with this and so terrified of regaining it turned into a sort of complex. I really couldn't think about much else and started to believe things like I couldn't hold down a job and stay at 158, since it took up ALL my attention an energy. I just can't let myself get like that again, there's no point in losing weight if all you're going to do when you're thin is obsess about getting fat. The point is to be FREE of it.

Slow, steady, easy this time.

Congrats on your weight loss! So good to hear from you, been wondering about you!!

Congrats on your weight loss! So good to hear from you, been wondering about you!!

Yeah: I think it's TOTALLY true that the pre-op diet determines how fast you lose in the beginning. Your body can only take off so much before it starts to rebel. That can happen before or after surgery and the rest is...restriction. Now I'm at about a 4 pound a week average but that will probably go down since I only lost four pounds in the last three weeks.

I don't know if I mentioned this before but the last time I lost a lot of weight I got *very* weird about it at the end. I was down to about 165 and couldn't leave the house without my diet food scale. I would eat Peanut Butter out of a measuring spoon. I was *obsessed* with this and so terrified of regaining it turned into a sort of complex. I really couldn't think about much else and started to believe things like I couldn't hold down a job and stay at 158, since it took up ALL my attention an energy. I just can't let myself get like that again, there's no point in losing weight if all you're going to do when you're thin is obsess about getting fat. The point is to be FREE of it.

Slow, steady, easy this time.

WOW, aint it the truth? Powerful words right there.

And Welcome Back!

You are doing great!!! I am so happy for you. That is about what I lost the first three months. I eat about 1200 calories a day and I continue to lose consitantly. I feel good eating that amount, so I stick with it. You will start to lose again. Your body just needs time to catch up. Awesome job!!!

I was wondering where you wandered off to... glad it was vacay! Welcome back and congratulations on the wonderful weightloss and transition back to semi-normal eating life!

Wonderful!! Congrats! Especially on your vacation... sounds like the sleeve is doing its job for you.

Sorry to hear about the benadryl & steroids. I know ALL TOO WELL how that is.

I just can't let myself get like that again, there's no point in losing weight if all you're going to do when you're thin is obsess about getting fat. The point is to be FREE of it.

Slow, steady, easy this time.

Could not agree more. I am also being pretty cognizant of being in that place in the past, more than once and for long periods of my life. I refuse to spend another day there. Thanks for the reminder, I need them.

Nice to 'see' you again.

Glad to see you back, I just did a search to see if we were just ships in the night, and found this post. Sorry about the extra drugs...it may slow you down, but things will look up again as soon as you go off. Cheers, and glad to see you living life so well.

Very good! I can’t wait to be where you are... jeans loosening...growing a waistline...you've got to love it!

I can relate to getting obsessive, had a similar experience last time I lost big…didn’t carry around the food scale, but was obsessed recording calories/carbs/fat etc on myfitnesspal and getting so down on myself when I went over. What sucks is I know I’ll need a tool like that post-op…am not sure yet how I’ll keep from obsessing.

Congrats on your progress and thanks for the update, always enjoy your posts!

Very good! I can’t wait to be where you are... jeans loosening...growing a waistline...you've got to love it!

I can relate to getting obsessive, had a similar experience last time I lost big…didn’t carry around the food scale, but was obsessed recording calories/carbs/fat etc on myfitnesspal and getting so down on myself when I went over. What sucks is I know I’ll need a tool like that post-op…am not sure yet how I’ll keep from obsessing.

Congrats on your progress and thanks for the update, always enjoy your posts!

That might be a hard one.... Have you talked to a psych? That might be helpful. I know i write down everything except low glycemic veggies. I hate to be a slave to the counter... I have at different times refused to write anything down. I swore I would never again go on a "diet" where I had to write everything down... and here I am again. I am trying to make a different relationship to the scale and the counter...just to help realize one kind of measure of the progress... but not get too pushed around by the good and bad of it, or letting it push my "failure" button.