I know the surgery will work as long as I follow my surgeon's plan but, now at 12 days post-op, I'm just not seeing any change. Maybe it's because I lost 44 pounds from the time of my first visit on April 25 to the day before surgery. I'm still on Clear liquids plus 3 Protein shakes a day for another 2½ weeks & then I get to advance to puree. As of yesterday I'd only lost 3.8 pounds from my pre-op low & that only after I was allowed to add the Protein Shakes on post-op day 8. It took a week to lose the 5 pounds I gained in the hospital. And today I gained 0.2 pounds! How can that be when all I "eat" is sugar-free plus the 3 protein shakes a day?

I've had my husband take pictures every couple of weeks & I can hardly tell the difference from when I had my first visit with my surgeon on April 25 & now. I have lost a total of 47.8 pounds in that time but, other than some shirts are looser, I don't see a difference. I wear elastic-waist skirts or pants I've made for years & I have not even had to take in any of the elastic. I have lost about an inch, one measly inch, in my bra band measurement. I mean, I’ve lost about a third of what I need to get to my goal of 155, shouldn’t I see a difference?

I didn't try the dress today, but I did just a few days ago. Next summer I'll be "swimming" in it!

I've been pretty much the same weight for 20 years, between 300-304. Occasionally, I'd drop down to 285-290 without even trying. Then I'd decide to try since I had lost some & gain it all back. I did better when I didn't try! My highest recorded weight was 314 after I quit smoking 4 years ago. I gained 10-12 pounds over 6 months & then lost it over the next 6 months, again, without trying.

Like so many of us I rarely let myself be photographed, but here are a couple. One from 2006 & the other a couple of days ago.

Peggy? YOU may not be able to see a difference but I sure do! There's a very noticeable difference between those two photos! And I am not very observant typically so it's not like I have a keen eye or anything.

There's a difference. I think the people who talk about clothing sizes are wearing clothes that are more fitting than yours but trust me, your body looks different in those two shots.

I put them side by side for you. Does that help?

Oh yeah I can tell, clothes are bigger, face is slimmer, mid section and hips are slimmer too!! Looks like you're swimming in that outfit now:)

Great side by side for her Gamergirl:)

Totally see the difference and I bet it would be even more dramatic if your clothes weren't so big. We do tend to wear clothes that are too big for us, don't we? My husband complains all the time that everything I wear is too big.

Anyway, keep up the good work!! You are doing great!!!!

Thanks everyone.

Gamergirl, how do you attach thumbnails to posts?

Sooo.. Your clothes defiantly are not tight on you anymore. Were you just not able to see it until all these people told you they could see it?

Also, do you wear pants or do you wear skirts and dresses? Because a flowy skirt is not going to show much difference in your buttocks thighs and calves. I suggest getting a seamstress measuring tape and start taking measurements of all your different body parts. So when the scale isn't moving you could still see a difference with measuring...

Sorry Peggy but your recent outfit is far too big for you. A job for the weekend is to get out your machine and to make some alterations. Best wishes.

Thanks everyone.

Gamergirl' date=' how do you attach thumbnails to posts?[/quote']

Peggy I find it easiest to attach on an iPhone or iPad. On an iPhone, start to answer a post or reply to a thread. Go to the plus sign above the message box (to the right of New Reply) and it lets you add a pic from your camera or photo album.

On an iPad you can click advanced after you start typing and do the same.

On the computer, you have to bang your head against the desk several times before giving up.

HTH

Sent from my iPhone using VST

The types of clothes you are wearing are definitely having an impact on your perception of not being able to see a loss. Here's a good example from my clothes. I have lost 74 pounds and I still wear a 2XL pair of shorts from before surgery. They are super loose and I have to pull the string extra tight, but they are comfy! I needed a new running skirt and I decided to splurge on a sparkle skirt (best running skirts ever!). By their sizing charts I would wear a medium (I don't think I've ever worn a medium!) I decided to trust their measurements and it got here today and it fits!! It looks so small! My brain has still not caught up to my actual size and wearing clothes that are way too big and baggy doesn't help me. These two pics are from today. What a huge difference the right size can make!

I'll use my iPad next time.

Sooo.. Your clothes defiantly are not tight on you anymore. Were you just not able to see it until all these people told you they could see it?

Also, do you wear pants or do you wear skirts and dresses? Because a flowy skirt is not going to show much difference in your buttocks thighs and calves. I suggest getting a seamstress measuring tape and start taking measurements of all your different body parts. So when the scale isn't moving you could still see a difference with measuring...

The clothes I make never were tight, that's why I make my own. I don't like form-fitting clothes, never have. I prefer to wear skirts to camouflage my enormous "apron." I am definitely going to need a panniculectomy when I get to goal!

I can remember waiting for something to be loose around my waist,and it not happening. Then I began wondering why the sleeves were so long. Soon after that, I had the same experience with pants, they were still snug around the middle but suddenly I was stepping on the hems.

I had not realised I was losing weight and changing shape in unexpected places; shoulders, butt shelf, upper arms, etc. I was looking to the obvious places but in fact the changes in shape were going on elsewhere. The same places where I had gained weight without ever realising it.

Time. Give it time.

The types of clothes you are wearing are definitely having an impact on your perception of not being able to see a loss. Here's a good example from my clothes. I have lost 74 pounds and I still wear a 2XL pair of shorts from before surgery. They are super loose and I have to pull the string extra tight, but they are comfy! I needed a new running skirt and I decided to splurge on a sparkle skirt (best running skirts ever!). By their sizing charts I would wear a medium (I don't think I've ever worn a medium!) I decided to trust their measurements and it got here today and it fits!! It looks so small! My brain has still not caught up to my actual size and wearing clothes that are way too big and baggy doesn't help me. These two pics are from today. What a huge difference the right size can make!

That Medium looks JUST FINE on you! very cute.

This might sound silly, but many of us don't even know what clothes being too big feels like. It's only happened a couple times in my life! And I am comfortable in baggy! At least I am comfortable!

Now having clothes be too small or fit too tight - I know all to well what that feels like!