Infernored

That's good. I have heard that it can take a year after weight loss for skin to fully shrink up.

I am heavy on the bottom too. So far I am losing lots of inches around my waist and hips. My thighs and calfs are super heavy. I hate them. I haven't worn shorts since I was a kid. Forget skirts. I feel so anti-feminine. I wish I could wear a skirt and go out shopping or shorts in the summer. I am looking forward to losing from there... soon hopefully... please!!! LOL

Wow! You are amazing!!! Do you have alot of excess skin? My surgeons asks us in our post op checkups how are skin is and if we are getting sores or other issues from it. He says that insurance will cover the procedure if there is some kind of issue.

You are doing great!!!!!!!! With how full everything makes me feel, sometimes I can't believe that I'm actually losing weight! But all I have to do is look at the piles of clothes that are too big and can't wear anymore for me to remember!

Just keep sipping!!!! It takes a few weeks to be able to drink more than a couple ounces an hour. Once you get to that point things will get easier. Even though I can eat anything now, I still have to split my Protein drinks in early between breakfast and lunch and I won't eat regular food until I'm done with that. Even so, I find that I'm craving protein. I have been snacking on things like tuna, hard boiled egg, and hamburger patty. Not 3 hardboiled eggs like I used to. And just a single hamburger patty is enough to keep me full for a couple hours.

I was such a pop addict before surgery!!! I loved diet coke and dr pepper. After surgery I tasted them and even the taste was different. I love the fizziness, but there's no way I can drink it now like I used to. Maybe I can have a little bit and sip it slow over a long period of time. But after surgery I've just been trying to keep up with my fluids and protein, and I wouldn't waste it on soda unless I was all set on everything for the day already. Crystal light is my fave. I have 10 different kinds and switch it up everyday.

Slow loss is still a loss! My surgeon placed a drain for my sleeve. Getting it taken out was worse pain than anything before that. Ugh, it makes me queasy just thinking about it!! My doctor also fixes hernias and gallbladders during surgery on people who need it. Even 10 years ago, a plain gallbladder removal would require an incision in a zig zag pattern across the whole abdomen if not done laparascopically. So 4.5 inches ain't that bad. And when you think about the crazy surgery they just did with poke holes and cameras, I think it's amazing!! My scars are shrinking, at 5 weeks out they are about 50% smaller than they were. Good luck to you and keep us posted!

You are doing so awesome!!!!!

Been struggling with stalls for the past two weeks. I seem to lose on one day and then stall for a week or so. I go crazy! So I come on here and read and read and then I feel much better! Thanks to everyone!!!

The first 3 days after surgery I was tired and a little sore so I just bummed around for those few days. I went back to work the very next week, (as a nurse in the hospital) and had no problems. I actually felt energized!

That is encouraging to hear! I am a month out also and lost 25 since but mainly all in the first 2 weeks! I keep feeling like a failure! But it is true, I weigh myself everyday and get mad at myself when all I've been doing is fluctuating. I will try very hard not to weigh everyday and just once a week.

LOL, I'm glad I was off the day that they had a huge lunch for us this Nurse's Week. The other day they came to each department with all the stuff to make ice cream sundaes! Glad I was too busy to get one!

WOW!!! You look fabulous! and you look like you really enjoyed yourself on your trip! I read another post about someone who lost weight with a trip to Hawaii. I think you are very inspirational! Can you tell me if you've ever had stalls? And if so, how did you break them. That's what I'm dealing with now. I'm a month out and postop have lost 25, but most of that was in the first 2 weeks. Just feeling depressed about it.

I lost a bunch of weight right away and then I have been stalling the past 2+ weeks. I'm mopey and depressed about it. I am aiming for 60+grams of protein a day and have been keeping my calories in the 600-1100 range. I pretty much only eat something if it has protein in it. Sometimes I feel like I'm failing my sleeve. I wonder if the "big" losers on here have ever had stalls like this. I am starting to do exercise too.

I'm trying out the Instead cup today. Supposed to last up to 12 hours with no leaking. The reviews are pretty good. These are disposable ones. I just ordered a Lunette reusable one which seemed to have better ratings. Has anyone else ever tried these? I'm going on a vacation next week and my period is really heavy, so I'm hoping this helps!!!

Amanda- I probably would have slapped that woman.

You know, I realized later on that maybe I should have done this as well. I really struggled with losing the preop weight before surgery and felt like I hadn't said "goodbye" to my favorite foods. Also, I was thinking that for my very first weigh in that maybe I should have put on some ankle weights and stuff to weigh me down!!! I took way too long to lose that preop weight. I had my surgery 4/12/11, but had I lost the weight properly, I could have had it done in january! Just in case you are wondering, I have been able to have the foods I love post surgery. Just very small amounts at a time!!! It takes a while to get used to eating a small bit when your brain is expecting a huge amount! I am satisfied most of the time just by drinking my fluids. Rarely hungry. I feel like I'm thanksgiving dinner full after eating 4 oz of applesauce.

I am hoping for the best for you!!! I had a alot of ups and downs before my surgery including my surgery getting cancelled on the day of. I went home from that very upset and feeling like it would never happen for me. I was really bummed and depressed for a while but then I got on track and eventually got it done. My doctors made us jump through a million hoops before surgery to make sure we didn't have other problems. Luckily I was ok and didn't need much, but as I got to know my doctor, I realized he truly cares how well we do and succeed. I thought he was just being and a-hole. LOL. I know you'll get through this. You will get taken care of presurgery and get cleared and end up with a healthier outcome! I just know it!

My husband was pretty against it when I first decided. I remember when I first brought it up and I ended up taking off for a couple hours in tears because he pretty much told me that I could lose weight if I followed regular diets properly. I had told him about all of the diets and meds I've been on since being a kid and he was like, well obviously you weren't doing it right. I pretty much told him that it's my decision and he can either support me or not and if not then we're done. We were both pretty heated. I couldn't understand why he was so opposed. I figured out he was super scared of me volunarily getting a "big surgery" and I could have complications and die. I figure he was more scared than most since both of his parents recently passed away from cancer and felt like he couldn't lose me. We eventually went to counseling and agreed to disagree. Since my surgery he has turned around big time and is glad to see me happier and feeling healthier!

Yeah, I started driving within a couple days. I only took pain medicine for 2 days after surgery and I was fine. Not like I felt like going anywhere. I pretty much just bummed around for a week. But I went back to work after a week too and was fine.

I kept it a secret for so long and by the time I got it done I didn't care anymore! I don't advertise but if someone asks I say yeah. who cares. I am really starting to love myself for once in my life and if someone doesn 't like me for it or loses respect for me for it then screw them. life is too short to worry about what other people think. I've let that kind of anxiety run my life until now!

It is so crazy. I'll eat a little prepackaged container of applesauce and then I'll lean back and moan and sigh like I just ate a huge thanksgiving dinner!!! lol

What was your starting height and weight? I was wearing 24s and 3xs and now 2xs are big on me and 22s are getting baggy!

I have been stalling this past week (post op week 2-3). every day I weigh myself and I am up one day and down another, never lower than what I was a week ago. I am not so good that I can remember what day it is and only weigh in one day a week. I am most definitely losing inches. All of my clothes were tight on me before surgery and some I couldn't even wear. Now alot of them are too big and I'm fitting in smaller sizes too!

I am a slave to my scale. I wish I wasn't.