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FINALLY! Onederland! I can't remember the last time I didn't see a "2" as the first number on the scale. Seeing the "1" this weekend was just surreal. I think I must have stepped on and off the scale at least 10 times. What a motivator! I feel like I've accomplished the impossible and now ANYTHING is possible!! ~40 to go (I'd like to hit 50 just to have some wiggle room). For those who might be struggling after the first couple of months - Months 1-3 were EASY - weight just fell off. Month 4+, slowed A LOT (as in less than 8 a month) - Being able to eat pretty much anything I wanted without having an upset stomach didn't help. I was hoping to be under 200 by the end of December. Stalled (much of it my fault for choices I made, and simply my body catching up), got frustrated, felt sorry for myself, etc...and at times even wondered if it was possible or if I was just going to stop there with my weight loss. Booked a vacation and decided that I WOULD be under 200 before I left (next Sunday - nothing like cutting it close!). Got back on plan, made better choices, and quit feeling sorry for myself and WOO HOO - Major goal #1 accomplished. If you're struggling, hang in there, refocus, know you aren't alone in this journey and make up your mind that you CAN do this. NSV's this week - I didn't see the "OMG, PLEASE let this fat lady be seated ANYWHERE but beside ME on a plane" look. People actually look me in the eye rather than past me. Servers @ restaurants are concerned that the food they served me wasn't good because I didn't eat much. I got more work accomplished onsite because I didn't need a lunch break (quick protein bar and I was good to go). I could go to ANY store and buy some cheap clothes for vacation - Can't wait to rock that bathing suit coverup in Hawaii next week!

I went from a 54DDD to a 38C. That's a big loss for me... has been really strange to get used to...

Im feeling the same so many emotions at once my surgery is march 8 good luck on urs!

There’s really only one way to get rid of loose skin & that is to have it surgically removed. Your skin has been stretched out and it can’t stretch back. But in saying that there are factors, like age, general skin elasticity, how long you were at your highest weight, how much you weighed at your highest weight, etc. that may mean you don’t have as much loose skin. I have flabby, flappy upper arms but have decided not to have any surgery. I just keep my elbows close to my body. No waving my arms in the air like I don’t care - lol! I even got told I had lovely arms a couple of months ago 😂. You can dress around your arms too. I don’t wear strappy or strapless tops but that’s no bother. I love all the puffed sleeves about at the moment & off the shoulder tops are very flattering. You won’t feel the heat nearly as much either when you lose your weight so a sleeve won’t be as much as an issue. Good luck.

I love that they taste so good, it almost feels like cheating. LOL I recently had chunky PB & sugar free grape jelly on a 1/2 whole wheat pita, and I was in heaven. I was a huge PBJ fan before surgery. Maybe I shouldn't have done it because now I want to eat it everyday for lunch. If you had 2 Yasso bars, good for you. There are days when I say I am going to do it, but I am too full to try. No judgement here.

Wow, I never thought of it like that. I am looking fwd to having real pasta soon. I am craving it. Of course, I know I will only be able to eat a little without getting full.

Basically, yes. With rice you simply have to cook it in enough water, same with e. g. oats. Pasta, I'm more a fan of bean pasta, but I ate and eat "regular" e. g. at restaurants. Breads, no problem (started with crisp breads though). Sugary stuff I have to be careful because there could be dumping, but yes, I eat simple sugars. Some people shun carbohydrate rich foods because they think they "make/made them fat" or that they "slow down weight loss". I'm not one of them. I believe in CICO, not in low-carb or keto magic. Eat less than your TDEE and you're going to lose weight. But what about "the insulin"? Protein rich foods cause release of insulin from the pancreas' cells as well. Look for "insulin index" on a search engine about this one. Beef, fish and cheese cause more of an insulin spike than pasta. So much for this.

It tastes no different to me. Though I'm probably not the most reliable to ask lol as my taste buds changed after surgery. However, at christmas, to go with the ham she made, my mom made macaroni both with the regular pasta for everyone and then she made macaroni with my chickpea pasta in a separate dish so that I could eat some. My brother in law got some of my pasta on accident and he said he couldn't tell the difference from the regular pasta noodles verses chickpea noodles. My niece was curious and tried it and said it tasted the same to her too. So, personally, I don't think you'll be able to tell the difference. It just comes in 8oz packages verses the 12-16 you normally see for regular pasta noodles. Considering the fact that your stomach is smaller though the 8oz is a perfect amount. And left overs last for DAYS for me...

I don't eat bread at all. Mostly because the one time I had low carb bread I dumped and I haven't wanted to even so much as attempt it again... I don't eat regular rice at all either. I substitute with cauliflower rice. Regular rice swells and I don't want to chance stretching my pouch out so I only eat the cauliflower rice. As for pasta... I only eat veggie pasta noodles. Chickpea is my favorite to use, but I've used lentil and zucchini as well. Mostly because pasta is useless carbs and at least if you use veggie pasta you're choosing a healthier option that's not quite as useless and fits in a pasta craving. I rarely eat pasta though. Maybe once every two weeks or so? I DO have some chickpea noodles and alfredo sauce currently in my pantry... I just haven't done anything with them yet, though maybe I'll have that tonight for dinner. It's an idea...

Yes I am! That is exactly what I am hoping for. Thank you so much for this great insight. I am grateful for your response.