Its been quite a while since I've been here, but thought an update might be appropriate. My "after" picture shown here is actually around 8-10 lbs heavier than I am right now. I'm still losing, but very slowly at this point. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them, but be prepared for some brutal honesty that may not jive with other experiences and perspectives.

That is an awesome achievement! Congratulations No questions at this point but I am sure I will have some in the future. Brutal honesty is okay, sugar coating things never helps.

You look amazing! Congratulations!!

Amazing! Congrats!

I'm curious about the brutal honesty, lol. What parts of your experience were different or unexpected?

You look incredible! Congratulations on your success

I'm curious about the brutal honesty, lol. What parts of your experience were different or unexpected?

Everyone is different, so I can only speak from my experiences, but many of the fears, rumors, advice has turned out to be far, far off base.

I am not promoting or endorsing any of my particular choices for others, but I've found that I can still have anything and everything I like to eat and drink and more. I rarely exercise, I can drink any form of alcohol I like, with no difference in tolerance from pre surgery. No special gear, eating utensils, measuring devices, apps, fitness gear is necessary. If anyone is told they need any of those things by other post vsg individuals, they really don't (unless it is the advice of a surgeon/doctor). But, hey ...if it works for you or makes you feel better, by all means go for it.

Weight goes up and down. Stalls happen. Weight gain happens. Its not hard to get back on track. Paying close attention to what my body is telling me is one of the big differences for me. hair falls out, hair grows back. With a large weight loss at an older age, there is extra skin that I may or may not address at a later time.

My latest lesson is that there are extremely unpleasant consequences to missing B12 supplements for very long:

shaking, numb hands and fingers

bruises

weakness

breathlessness

extreme...very extreme, joint pain

debilitating back pain

Sometimes I'm not hungry and don't eat all day. Other days I eat constantly.

I keep losing. It is a lot slower now, and I have periodic maintenance periods, but still lose about .5 lbs a week. I really don't want to lose much more. I'm 2lbs from goal and have loose skin. At this point, my concern is that if I continue the pattern that has been playing out over the last many months, I will be losing too much weight. I've seen people on the forums fuss about this as if they are doing an eye roll that it isn't a real problem or that the solution is just to eat more. Just like when someone says, "If you are fat, eat less and exercise more. You don't need surgery." ...they are over simplifying a complex problem and don't really understand. I eat lots of junk. I eat Desserts and bread. I drink beer. I eat and drink anything and everything I want. But, believe it or not, I'm still losing and it has not stopped. I may sustain a weight range for a month, but then it drops. No, I don't exercise at all. This may not be the norm, but is a legitimate concern and a reality for some here.