emily_0192010

Hi Willow!! Congrats on the surgery date, I found waiting for that to be the hardest part! Get ready for a thrilling and amazing emotional roller coaster as the date gets closer You are going to do great! Good plan to start on the liquids. It certainly won't hurt you Thanks for posting!

Congratulations!! You are doing so well I think putting the scale away is a GREAT idea. The times when I was motivated enough to only get on the scale once a week were the BEST because I saw larger drops in the scale... but there are times when i've been frustrated so I've weighed myself every day and it sucks because your weight fluctuates so much even day to day that you could be up one day, down the next and back up the third etc.. once a week at the same time (the morning is the best because it is generally when you are at your lowest weight) really is the best because it FEELS the best Good luck with your appointments and good job!

May I ask why you need to eat every 2 hours? At three weeks you are most likely still drinking at least 1 Protein shake. While you are out and about a Protein Shake is definitely the easiest but if you look around you should be able to find a really small cooler bag (meant for Snacks or children) that would fit in your purse or your backpack and you can keep a small thing of tuna salad/etc and some cheese and maybe a small yogurt in that or you could do what I call "roll ups" (a slice or two of deli meat with a slice or two of cheese with some mayo/condiment of your choice in between) and put that in there, that way you have it with you. It really is no big deal to eat a small snack in front of someone... I agree whipping out a teaspoon with Peanut Butter on it in the middle of a library would be considered odd, but you have so many different options that you can save that for your at home treat Good luck! You'll figure out what works for you I promise

That is amazing!!! I'm so happy for you And you are completely right, it is so much more than just the physical weight loss. Congrats to you

11 lbs is GREAT though!! I know it seems like a lot of people do at least one or two really large drops in the beginning, but you may be like me. I lost 2-3 lbs consistently from the very beginning. There have of course been a few stalls here and there, but that is normal. Also, did you stall at 3 weeks? Pretty much everyone does, but if you didn't this might just be what that was... at some point after surgery your body has to stop to readjust and that is the infamous 3 week stall. I know slow losing a the beginning is tough, because 2, 3 lbs here and there... 10 lbs overall, 15 pounds... when you are comparing it to the 100+ that most of us have to lose it seems insignificant... but I PROMISE that as it adds up and you look back, those 1 lb, 2 lbs drops will feel amazing! Also, supposedly if you lose slower supposedly you don't have as many skin issues as your skin has more time to keep up with your body. Not sure if this is true, but hey... maybe!

Good job Amy!!! I also teetered right on the edge of wonder-land (and then again at my 100 lb mark) and it was horrible.... but it felt awesome when it finally moved! You are right, stalls will happen and they will pass! Congrats on doing so well!

That's awesome!! There are quite a few people I haven't seen in a VERY long time and who do NOT know about my surgery... I can't wait to see them! That is one of the best reactions ever! Congrats Isn't it awesome!!

I'm not sure if 6 weeks is too early or not, but I know that alcohol isn't banned later on. My surgeon said I was fine to drink on my birthday (my 21st...) and that was at about 4.5 months out. I would be worried about the acidity affecting your sleeve... I would be worried that maybe your sleeve won't like it. To be safe, I would just ask your surgeon. If you can't then you can't.. there are lots of reasons why people don't drink... like medications... or you could take the wine and not really drink it.

Chin up girly I'm sorry to hear that you have a few more hoops to jump through but you'll pull through and be better because of it! ((hugs)) it will happen!

Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you I also just hit the 6 month mark so I'm right there with you! Can't wait to see where we are at the year mark! Also, way to go on the exercise!!! That is the one thing I've been lax on but plan on boosting soon

I'm really surprised to hear this!! My surgeon was completely pro-shake, for as long as you want them (as long as you aren't doing shakes on top of a full days worth of food, so i do a shake for breakfast). At 6 months out I actually still need it to help me reach my protein goal. Also, you said you live in NY.. where in NY?? I just moved to Brooklyn! I love this city because it is so easy to eat properly.. no one blinks an eye when I say "no bun" or just order a side or don't want a drink... its awesome lol!

My doctor's go to response for EVERYTHING was "if it hurts, don't do it" lol. I myself was wary about nuts because I was worried about them getting stuck in my healing staple line. You said you were at 9 weeks though so you should be pretty much healed up. I know when it comes to in general- when you are considered fully "healed" then there isn't anything that is restricted (some docs say no popcorn, coconut, etc... but my surgeon thought that was ridiculous and thought that surgeon probably was most experience with bypass which is so different).

Ohhh!!! I am SOOO happy for you!! I remember your posts from when I first started coming on here and you've always had such great advice. I do remember you saying you had a picky sleeve and I am so glad that you were able to reach your goal... that is amazing! Thank you for sharing

Double check if it is sugar free or no sugar added yogurt.. I've never been able to find sugar free because yogurt is milk based, so it has lactose in it. One of my staples is chobani plain yogurt (which you can get fat free). Then I add in some Torani sugar free syrup (totally awesome, i highly recommend it) so I still get the flavor. Congrats and good luck!

I don't know for sure, but I have heard of others still being hungry and my surgeon told me that not everybody would get that "so not ever hungry" feeling. That being said, you should get full after eating... are you still hungry after eating? If so, then it is probably head hunger It sounds like you are doing great though... keep it up and hopefully someone with more experience will offer some input.

CONGRATS!!!!!!! I'm so happy for you! Sounds like you are doing better than I was at that point lol You are doing amazing! Keep up the walking and you'll be out of there before you know it.

Oh, and just FYI... there pretty much is no "for females only" OR "for males only" lol. We are always so nosy and generally can't help ourselves. HOWEVER... NONE of the guys that i've seen in these boards would ever say something inappropriate or make you feel embarrassed... seriously go check out the mans room... some of the most interesting conversations lol.

It actually seemed to help mine, though it is most likely the weight loss and not the sleeve specifically. Supposedly when you lose weight, especially a lot of weight, all of the hormones that are stored in that fat are released and can cause your system to go out of wack (or back into wack lol). Before surgery I wasn't regular at all and had horrible PMS... after about 2 months after it is just about clockwork and my PMS is manageable. This comes up a LOT in the ladies room if you want to browse around there!

Welcome Danielle I'm so excited for you!!! This can be such an amazing journey and you sound so positive and motivated! We're glad to have you!

Not to burst your bubble too much... because your grocery bill definitely goes down... but don't forget that protein shakes and stuff can be expensive... I thought that too and ended up shooting myself in the foot a bit when budgeting lol.

A bit late, but tuna salad for me

First off, thank you so much for sharing!! I loved this part of your post because it is so true. Before my surgery I was sympathetic towards those people, but I just didn't "get it"... at 6 months post op I am kinda struggling with "seeing" and "feeling" how far I've come and for some reason what you said just resonated with me, because I truly "get it". All the hard work before, during and after the surgery... it is so worth it and I cannot wait to pull out my "before" pants and get one of those cheesy photos (i mean this in the best way, I LOVE cheesy photos) holding them out from my waist. Thanks!

Hey everybody So I am officially 6 months post-op and I have lost 100 lbs. I am thrilled, except I have hit a HUGE stall. I used to lose 2-3 lbs per week, pretty much no matter what. If I didn't lose one week than I lost more the next. At this point I have gone 3 weeks without any scale movement at all. I know my shape has changed as I've dropped some sizes, but I'm worried that my body is going to like this weight and remain there. I still have another 25 lbs until I am just at the "normal" BMI range and I have another 40ish to hit my "goal" (which is not set in stone, but I want to be firmly within the normal range if I can). I hit my Protein goals every day and I get in Water. I have trouble getting in lots of water though because I still have restriction when it comes to liquids. I can only do a few sips at a time, so between my Protein shake and my meals, I try to get in all the water I can but I generally just don't have enough time. Many nights I will stay up later just sipping at the bottle to get some more in. Any tips on this? Also, this last month I realized that I am eating a bit more than before. I'm not sure if its because I stretched it (ahhhhhh!) or if it is just normal since I hit the 6 month mark. I'm still not eating a lot, but I can finish a 5 oz yogurt in half an hour, whereas before I could do 3 oz in half an hour. Then, my final question has to do with skin (eww lol). I know I have lots of extra skin, so when I get close to my goal weight how do I know if I still have "fat" to lose or if it is just skin weight? Like do I try to stop a few pounds above my goal weight and assume its skin? I have seen many shows where people have skin removal surgery after weight loss and they always remove at least 10 lbs worth of skin, sometimes even more. Is this something I should even worry about and just assume it will even itself out? Help please! How do I beat this stall and keep going with the weight loss? Thanks

Well, I will say that I have never logged my food and I do my best to stay off the scale during the week. The only thing I keep track of is my Protein and my liquids, though I am conscious to make sure I don't overdo carbs (which really I hardly have any since I don't have room after my protein). The reason I chose not to log was because it was too much. Between the protein and the Water and the logging and the this and the that... it was too much like another diet, and how could I keep that up for the rest of my life? Instead I am careful with what I eat at each "meal" and make sure at the end of the day that I got in all my protein. It worked for me and it helped keep my nerves and stress down. I am also currently in a stall and I know I am doing everything right. I am staying off the scale for another week or else I'm going to drive myself crazy! Also, as you get further along, when you hit stalls you'll start to see patterns (like, is it that TOM) or you'll stall but then drop a size or two (which makes the stall sooo worth it) or you're tops will be looser etc. Good luck, you'll get through this before you know it!

I lost 40 lbs pre-op (and 60 after) and I am happy that I did! It made the surgery safer. Also, in my mind my surgery was not for quick weight loss but rather sustained weight loss... so anything I did before would be maintained by my sleeve. It also helped pull me through stalls as I had already lost some so it was always in the back of my mind "i'm already 40 down, i'm already 40 down". I will say that I never had a huge drop in my weight loss as some people experience, however for the most part I was consistent at 2-3 lbs per week until I hit around 5 months... hard at first but totally worth it long term.