M2G

Thank you G! OMG that freaking rocks...you are killing it girl! thank you that means a lot! Love the "young" comment...ahhh, youth is wasted on the young. Wish I had done this 20 years ago! That totally sucks!!! Don't bow out of the challenge...keep going. Thank you Rox...I felt kind of guilty about spending $115 on these (they sell them without the metal clips and you have to BUY them separately...grrr.) But then I realized that it was my 3 year anniversary and decided to use that as my excuse to buy them.

Forgot to address this...I totally FEEL so much LESS hunger after a fast day. It continues to amaze me. But I don't feel queasy...GT do you think that has to do with your intestinal issues? I just don't feel hungry, and I love that. Makes me feel like a "new" sleever again.

This is such a good solid group of ladies...I am literally feeling all the positive vibes going on around here... I am sitting here with a silly smile on my face Daisy at your comment "dating makes me slimmer" (or skinnier? or what? just can't remember the exact wording but I *love* that!!) I hope you have an awesome time on your date! I guess seeing my surgeon makes me "skinnier" because after a half-arse fast day on Mon. I did a do-over on Tues PLUS my double workout and I saw a new low today...like a -14lb new low. We shall see if it "sticks" though, I'm not expecting it too, but dang that was nice to SEE today.

I think for some of us, even when we get all our Vitamins, Protein, Water, etc. we still just lose hair, and my own personal belief is basically that it's due to the weight loss. Years ago I did Medifast and lost my hair then too. No surgery needed, just weight loss. I didn't go bald, and it mostly grew back. It might be slightly thinner today than it was 3 years ago before I had WLS, but not by much.

Hahaha!

Ha ha ha!!! Did you ever think we would still be "around" 3 years later?? Thanks all for the great comments! You all are wonderful, and I'm truly glad to have a VETS forum...those of you who are coming up on your 3 year soon, I look forward to hearing all your words of wisdom of what you have learned along the way. It truly is a journey of self-discovery!

Thanks everyone for your kind, uplifting words. I didn't realize when I first found VST that 3 years later I would find and "click" with so many individuals and that I would still be an "active" participant here. I'm glad my story can help even one person in their own journey!!

Oh my gosh, this actually brought some little tears to my eyes! COOPS, you know you have been my rock through this whole journey and I totally agree that this place would NOT be the same without you and your wonderful personality. I'm forever grateful that we 'clicked' on this journey and have been there for each other through every pound, frustration, stall, and also the joy, happiness, and excitement too! I love that you always just "get it" no matter what the situation is. Hugs to you, and thank you for writing this wonderful note to me...my sleeve sista!! :wub:

So this is a GREAT question!! Neither of us have a "normal" BMI and I completely 100% agree with you that I see lots of "number chasing" around here in regards to that freaking chart and I just don't agree that just because you DON'T have a "normal" BMI doesn't mean that you can't be healthy. He started at 5'10" around 280-285, and today he maintains a weight of around 210-215. He is pretty lax with the scale and only gets up on there every so often (like once a month!) For him to have a "normal" BMI he should weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 175-180lbs and at the beginning he said there was NO way that he was aiming for that. His real and final "goal" is 200...but we all know how hard the last lbs are to lose. He is actually much more muscular than I am which is why even though he weighs more and our BMIs are similar he can actually eat more food (calories) than I can and NOT gain weight. I think the BMI chart leaves a lot to be desired and while it can be a helpful tool in the right circumstance, I do NOT believe that it can predict the health of every individual.

Cheri feel better!! GT I have never heard of that Rittersport? What is that? FYE soup sounds yum. If you remember will you post the recipe over on that thread? Georgia ahhh, thank you!!! I'm so glad you are rocking the 5:2. I feel like I'm working it working it working it...and still it is a slow crawl for me, but you know what? I'm getting 'er done!!! LV NO GIVING UP! I have those days too! But don't let them turn into more than a day...you can do this...we are all in this for the long haul!!! I've been sleeved 3 years ago exactly today. It's been a wild ride and there have been bumps in the road. But at the end of the day I'm so forever grateful that I took this step to reclaim my health. Fasting today AND it's double workout day, so I'm sitting here at the computer and drinking water and dreaming of when dinner is gonna roll around. I'm at 225 right now, so hope to stick right around 500.

Okay celebrating 3 years being sleeved TODAY!!! Woo hoo! (if you want before/after pics, etc.) http://www.verticals...-i-had-the-vsg/ So in honor of my 3 year anniversary of the sleeve I went to women & weights and did a 1 hour lifting workout, followed by my beloved spin class BUT I was sporting these bad boys: MY NEW SPIN SHOES!!! They have the little clip on them so I'm "locked" in when I spin. LOVE THEM! They were expensive but a MUCH MUCH MUCH better reward than cake: Miles so far are 119.8...150 I'm coming for you!

You guys need to start a comedy duo and go on tour!

Well, you are asking on a SLEEVE site, so just remember that when you hear the responses. You might try over at RNYtalk.com also and see what those people think. Remember not ALL bypass people end up with dumping. Or if they do sometimes it's only temporary until their body adjusts. Do your homework and figure out what is best for you. You have a lower BMI, the sleeve should allow you to get to goal, if you work it properly.

I wear the Flexees every single day. And while working out. Even though I'm typically a size L, I have to get size M on these for extra "help" in the midsection. Don't be afraid to get the smallest size possible and the BEST way to put these on is to STEP into them and pull them UP instead of over the head!!

I'm 3 years post-op (today!! woo hoo!) and honestly I probably CAN eat double what I could at 2 weeks post-op (which was probably an ounce or two at a time). It's a natural expansion that happens as the swelling goes down and your stomach organ settles into it's new shape, size, etc. But I still max out at about 4oz of dense Protein. I will never again sit down and eat a 6oz, 8oz, 12oz steak...not going to happen from a physical standpoint. Also you need to remember, just because you CAN eat more doesn't mean you SHOULD eat more. Controlling your portion sizes is basically what lies at the root of this surgery. It can't do all the work for you, as you have to be in control of your portions.

Ooooh, so glad you came on here to SAY IT COOPS!!! HAHAHA! If you didn't I was going to! Yay Cathy, that's awesome! Good luck with the houseguests. I had a tough day yesterday too. It was to be a FAST day but ended up closer to 700. Gah. Thank you GT for that link, I need to investigate that further! You are right, Eggface uses a lot of artificial/sugar subs, etc. She has addressed it a bit but I'm always amazed at WHAT she can actually find that is SF. Little candies and whatnot. I do love some of her recipes though. And I love that when you are having a rough day you visualize being back stateside, in a coffeeshop with yummy treats and a cute outfit on. Love that! Glad the -3 is gone and I have so totally been there when the scale and I don't agree about what IT SHOULD TELL ME! I give this advice all the time but sometimes it's hard to remember that the scale doesn't measure our self-worth. Okay going to try a DO-OVER on yesterdays fasting day...so going for it today. See my surgeon tomorrow, so maybe it's just a last-ditch effort! HA!

If I knew you in person and hadn't seen you in a while I would probably do a double-take upon seeing you now. LOL! It's amazing how much losing weight changes our face!! You look amazing, btw!

Wow, sorry about your stricture! I thought they were much more common with the bypass but I have heard of it happening with the VSG. I hope things are better now! I personally don't like massages but I know a lot of people love Massage Envy. They are everywhere and easy to make an appt. etc.

Wonderful update! So glad that you are "here", and congrats on your continued success!

YAY a bike!!! Love it! And yeah that is a bummer about having to "pad" it because you don't have any fat down there anymore...wait that should be a NSV! Haha! At least you can leave the pillow behind when you are done and not have be a permanent part of your body! I just heard something on the news today about fitbits (maybe from the Today show?) anyway they were "testing" devices and that one rated pretty high as far as "accurately" counting calories burned etc. Great job, and good luck on your upcoming surgery!

OD, sorry about the breakup. I think you are a very strong lady and I think you probably know best what is right for you and what isn't working, and if this wasn't working then I'm glad you decided to move on. Hugs to you! Okay was there something in the water here this weekend cuz MY weekend ALSO involved cupcakes. Pffft. On sat. we had a softball team party for the girls team and someone brought seriously the MOST delicious cupcakes. The woman who brought them works for a restaurant and they not only looked good they were so good! So that was Sat. and then I thought I would FAST on Sun. but yeah notsomuch. Sigh. Anyway, back on the fasting wagon today! I see my surgeon on Wed. for my 3 year visit!

Thanks Georgia for the article. It really is true, my also-sleeved-husband can definitely eat more calories than I can and seems to effortlessly maintain his loss while I'm furiously counting calories, weighing/measuring my food so I can log it in my calorie counter, etc. I also work out MORE than he does because he will often have to skip a workout due to his job/workload. But I long ago quit comparing our losses and know that it will *always* be more of a struggle for me than it ever will be for him. I'm just happy we are both healthier.

Thanks chica...

Wow incredible! I'm glad you are ok. I'm up over 100 for now. I don't have my phone in front of me (that is where I keep track) but I think it was 101.4. I will go with that for now. But remember my goal isn't 100, it's 150 which is up almost 30 miles from last month (Sept. I hit about 121 miles.)

Okay, thanks for the otter babies (WAY too cute and my daughter loves them so I will share with her.) Yep, your metabolism has been altered by having surgery and while I don't pretend to understand the science behind it, I realize that I will be eating lower calories for probably the rest of my life unless I want to gain weight. I have experimented with calories from the very beginning and my surgeon is like "why are you counting calories...just count Protein grams, that is all I care about" which I understand and appreciate. BUT most of his patients are coming from a lifetime of frustration when it comes to the word CALORIE. So they are fed up with counting calories and I think he tries to provide an easy system to help them keep track but not obsess over calories. I think part of your frustration is the way you were treated by your dr. I think that would irritate me too. Don't talk to me like I'm a 2 year old who needs a time out. BUT, on the other hand, I sense that another piece of your frustration is the fact that you aren't shedding pounds. I'm not exactly clear about why you were taken to the ER, usually as Butter said, low calorie doesn't equal a trip to the ER, your body just happily burns your excess stored fat. So you thought it was dehydration but wasn't? Usually the dehydration DOES equal a trip to the ER. Anyway, sorry if I didn't catch exactly what happened there. But after the ER you gained +10lbs and have slowly chipped away at that which brings you to the present where you are net -2lbs after the ER +10 GAIN? Mentally we ALL KNOW that we aren't going to lose weight overnight, but in all honesty who here DOESN'T want the extra pounds gone immediately? I knew going into this that it would be a journey, I knew all my extra weight wouldn't immediately disappear but that didn't stop me from wanting it too. Please give yourself time and take a breather. Your body is still in healing mode. You are not quite 3 months out from major surgery, sounds like you had a hiccup (ER complication) and now you just need to mentally and physically hit the RESET button and work from where you ARE to where you want to BE. Hang in there!