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I went by my self. 1st mistake. Lol but everything is good stared at 240# and now iam at 207. I fell so much better now I won't to get out of bed and spend time with my grandson. Sent from my SM-A526U using BariatricPal mobile app

You’re doing so well. Congratulations. But I do understand that lethargy that comes when you’ve been so vigilant. Our will power & focus starts to waver & it all just seems to be too hard. I think most of us experience it at some time. As @GummyBearQueen suggested reflecting on your non scale victories can help regain your focus. Are you moving about more easily? Has your health started to improve? Have you dropped clothing sizes? Is it easier to bathe or do your hair? I loved looking at the graph of my weight loss. Watching that line going in a downwards direction was often more motivating than looking at a number on the scales every day. Also reminding yourself why you made your decision to have the surgery helps. Set yourself some staged goals (every time you lose another 20lbs, walk 3 kms, ...) & reward yourself with a new haircut or colour, a spa day, a new accessory or jewellery, etc. when you achieve them. How we feel when we’re full or hungry is different after surgery. One of my learnings was the difference between feeling full & having eaten enough. You don’t necessarily need to be full to have had bough to eat. I still ask myself do I need this bite or just want it. It was a bit of a come to Jesus moment for me. Seems like you’re meeting your water goals, increasing your activity & if you’re meeting your protein goals, you’re already ahead of the game. To begin you are really focussed on your food intake. You’re learning to eat in new ways & it does take a lot of effort to ensure you’re doing the right thing for your plan & for you. I’d like to say in time you won’t be consumed by what you eat (bad pun) but it does get easier. I know what foods I can eat & what ones my tummy doesn’t like all that much (like oily fish or char grilled meats). I’ve worked out what foods I don’t want to eat anymore (processed carbs) & what foods/drinks I’m happy to have less frequently (alcohol) or those I’ll have only on very rare occasions (desserts, cakes, etc.) I used to worry about how much I thought about food but then I realised I used to think a lot about food before surgery. Before surgery I was always thinking about what I could eat & when I could eat again. Now I think about good food choices, the nutritional benefits of a food & if I really need to eat. But it is so worth it.

I finally showed my before and after photos on facebook. I was very, very scared. I had told a lot of people - but some didn't know. I had never EVER showed a full body picture like that. From the side at that! Anyways, on the left: I was a miserable 369lbs. SUPER unhealthy, probably headed to death. I doubt very seriously I could make it past 400. My body would probably just give out. I was already struggling to breathe doing simple tasks/walking up stairs. ANYWHO, the right was a shot taken by my beautiful momsicle on Mother's Day just last weekend. Ignore my "suns in the eyes" face. I am over 120lbs lost from February 27th, 2020 to now. I finally am under 250lbs and I am just floored. Of course, I won't lie. It's been a struggle. Currently, my biggest challenge has and still is - dumping. In the beginning, for the first 8 months, I threw up every. single. day. I realized ice cream, fried foods, steak - out of the question. Buffets were a waste. Most every meal I got out, was a waste. It made people feel bad at first because I would stop eating after 3 bites. I had to constantly remind people that I didn't mind if they ate! I got accepted into nursing school and reverted back to some old habits. Sugary coffees (which made me dump like HELL), chicken nuggets, fries...Anything I could stuff in my mouth "on the go". I would pay the price, but I wasn't puking after every single meal. So I thought I was in the clear. Earlier this year, I started to have tremendous abdominal pain. Spasms that took my breath away. After numerous tests, it was concluded that I had severe IBS with constipation and diarrhea. After talking to my NP at the weight loss place, we decided to try more plant-based alternatives. I'll admit, I was skeptical and very upset because this girl LOVES a nice juicy steak! But, I have noticed my symptoms are near non-existence when I eat beans, (wild) rice, whole grains, some fruits, and almost any veggie. I take it light with caffeine as that is a trigger, but I do still consume some. Suffice to say, this has been the hardest battle I have ever fought in my entire life. I continue to fight it. I continue to struggle with choices about food. I've learned to not limit myself completely. If I want a cookie, I'll eat half. I don't starve myself. I just don't overindulge like I used to. It seems to be working as I have lost a ton of weight. I plateau, but it's going. I just want to be an advocate for anyone considering the surgery and will answer ANY questions! I want to also be your cheerleader if you have already had the surgery. I can't promise it won't be hard, but I will promise it will be worth it to look at yourself in the mirror and have self-esteem again! I am actually OK with people taking full body pictures now! Insane! I am waiting for my weight to be stable to get skin surgery, but baby steps! #AMA

You lost 55 pounds in six weeks (down 125 pounds total) and you’re questioning your decision? That’s an amazing weight loss already! Remember, the less you weigh, the slower the weight comes off. I definitely understand being obsessed with the scale but I encourage you to focus on NSVs also. And think about long-term goals. I know it’s going to take me about a year to lose 115 pounds, so I am taking it day by day. I recommend working with a bariatric therapist or seeking behavioral strategies from Overeaters Anonymous or a mindful eating program to learn to stop eating when full. It can be really tough especially when you love the food you’re eating. But, this is a journey and a battle and we have so many resources to help us. Good luck!

So sorry you are experiencing this. Has anyone suggested other ways of you getting in nutrition in the meantime? My dad had a temporary feeding tube after his stem cell replacement & he couldn’t keep anything down. Sounds scary but it helped build up his strength again & he only had it in for a couple of weeks.

Thank you for your advice for Cajunincheesetown.It has taught me a thing or two. I certainly didn't know about the daily protein requirements correlating to body weight. I will remember that when I am on the other side which will be next Monday!

I stalled frequently if I dropped below 80 grams of protein. Talk to your dietitian but as hard as it is and as silly as it seems to be....getting in those few extra grams of protein really do matter. I still stalled, don't freak out about the stalls they are going to happen no matter what you do, your body just has to catch up and that is normal. But stay the plan and keep up the protein and water.....those two ingredients are the secrets to success and a whole lot of patience!

1) unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", your weight loss so far is very normal. Most of us lose 15-25 lbs in the first month after surgery. Yes - you will find people who lose more or less than that, but they're the exception. You're in that range, so you're perfectly normal! 2) you're in the infamous "three-week stall". Almost all of us go through that. It's not ALWAYS the third week, but it is for most (hence the name) - but it can really happen any time within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale if you need to. It'll last 1-3 weeks, and then you'll be on your way again. If you want to read more about it, do a search on this site for the three week stall. You will find about 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding...). It literally does happen to almost everyone. No changes necessary - just stick to your program and wait it out. It WILL break. oh - just re-read your post. Thirty grams of protein is too low. Most surgeons recommend at least 60. So THAT is a change you should make. Otherwise, you're good. Just hang tight!

As of today, I am down 120 lbs. from my highest weight. My HW was 374 when I had my first appointment with a new endocrinologist in July 2019. My A1C was creeping up again and I was put on Victoza. I made a conscious effort beginning at that point, to maximize the weight loss side effect of the medication. I lost about 60 lbs. by the end of the year. In January 2020, my insurance began to cover WLS. I had my first appointment that month. The process of classes, doctor visits and supervised weight loss was going to take a minimum of 6 months. The insurance and program mandated everything was done through program providers. There was no option to see my local doctor or dietician. Covid slowed down my progression and I also made the choice not to rush to surgery when it first became available again. By the fall, I was ready to proceed. I managed to not gain a tremendous amount back (about 8-10 lbs.) but wanted to stop the trend. I decided to schedule surgery for right before the holidays so I could minimize the time off from work for recovery. I weighed 325 on the day of surgery on 12/14/20. Today, I am 254. Surgery was relatively easy for me. I had post-op discomfort, but no pain. I was able to tolerate and progress through food stages as expected. I’ve not been hungry or overly full since surgery. I do experience old, bad habits trying to creep in at times. I know that is always going to be the case. Surgery did not eliminate my want for food nor the thought of how nice it would be to eat large quantities again. That will also be an on-going battle. The hardest daily thing for me is not to eat and drink at the same time and then to wait until time has passed before I drink again. Eating slowly and thoroughly chewing has been a challenge (with sometimes painful reminders) but I am gradually getting more mindful. I feel better than I have in years. I don’t remember the last time I weighed 250. I would like to get to 180 but don’t know if that is achievable or realistic to maintain. We’ll see. I’m tall so that weight would put me just slightly over normal weight. I recently had 3 month labs run. Everything was normal and my T2 diabetes is currently in remission. I stopped all diabetes meds the day of surgery. The pressure was lowered on my CPAP but there is still a need for it. I’m not done. Even if I never lost another pound, I’m happy with the changes and the regaining of health. One of my primary motivators was the desire to not lose mobility. I’m fortunate that I’ve never had any issues with mobility but I could see the writing on the wall if I stayed the way I was or continued to gain. I did not want to have to participate in any of the pre-surgery preparation. I just wanted to have surgery and be done. I thought I knew all there was to know. And while I did know a lot going in, I really did learn things and have benefitted from listening and following the plan provided. I did not want to weigh, measure or track my food. But I did (and continue to) and it’s paying off. I’m troubled sometimes by questions that I read on this board and it leads me to wonder about the quality (or lack of) preparation that other programs offer. It makes me grateful that for once, I listened and learned. What I take away from this board is the wisdom and experience of others who are going through the WLS process now and those veterans who share strategies that have helped. I try remember that everyone’s experiences are slightly different but I still look for common themes (same process I use when I read vacation/resort reviews).

Yes, I did in January. I had a tummy tuck, breast lift & augmentation and an arm lift. There was some pain post op, but only the first few days were rough. Yes, I have scars. They’ll fade over time and I’d take them any day over the loose flappy skin.