BamaXpress78

Congrats and thank you for sharing, very inspirational!

You're doing great Rico! I'm sure you feel so much better and able to do things you either couldn't and didn't think you could before. Thanks for sharing.

160 lbs since November 2011.

You look great, good job!

Hi UTGal! The only regret I had was just detoxing from my addiction to food a few weeks after the surgery. When I hit my week 3 stall where I didn't lose anything and was still on liquid mush and couldn't eat anything with texture there was a moment where I questioned it all. In past diet attempts, this is when I would give in to the food addiction but with the surgery and following surgeon orders that was not an option. By the next week I lost 5 lbs, was feeling so much better and since then I've had zero regrets. Just enjoy the process, every time you feel challenged just use it as motivation. There will be ups and downs but the journey is full of rewards. Good luck!

Here are my before and after photos from surgeon's office at 6 month followup. This was back in May so I'm actually down another 25 lbs from the last picture. I knew I felt a lot better but for some reason it really didn't resonate fully until I saw these pictures tonight. I don't even recognize that person from the before picture. I can't wait to get this last 67 lbs off to hit goal.

lol Dooter, you're right! I just hate taking pictures but I do have one from our recent cruise I can share. I am 15-20 lbs heavier in the pic than I am now but you can see the difference. Thanks everyone!

Thanks StormWarning! Natty76 - I remember reading the boards prior to my surgery and that phrase caught my attention. Also on the first post-op my surgeon used the phrase as well and basically told me that you are going to do good during the first 6 months almost no matter what because you have lots of restriction. However, the difference between doing good and great is being disciplined to eat your lean Protein first, limit starches/carbs/sugars, add in some form of moderate exercise, and don't start back the old habit of mindless snacking. Hopefully that all makes sense but let me know if you have any questions. Good luck and thank you!

I had my surgery back in November so its been a little over 7 months and I am officially down 151 lbs. Things have slowed down the past 4-6 weeks but it is still coming off. I definitely understand what everyone means by the "honeymoon" phase now and it really helps to lose as much as you can during that period. I've got 69 lbs to goal and I will have lost half my initial weight.

I had my 6 month followup with surgeon last Thursday and counting what I lost over the weekend I am now down 136 lbs total since I started my pre-op a week before surgery back in November. I have another 84 lbs to go to reach my goal. The surgeon was very please with my progress, said he was going to be happy and say "good job" if I had reached 100 lb loss so he was very happy with my progress. The wife and I took a cruise week before last and were gone for 9 days total so it was a big adjustment eating away from home and making time to exercise but I did it. Even though I only lost 1 lb during that time, I went to the gym and worked out several days on the cruise and went to the walking track on the top deck daily. I tried to make smart choices and ate lean Proteins and vegetables but I did splurge a little one night for a special dessert that is our favorite. Otherwise, I ordered the sugar free dessert and just took a bite or two, never finishing the small serving they provided. I wanted to lose a few more but honestly I'm positive it was the first time in my life I have went on vacation and lost even a pound instead of gaining 5 or 10 so that is a win to me. I am going to be joining a gym this week mainly for the access to strength training equipment. I do plenty of cardio at home but after going to the gym on the cruise I realized that my strength has suffered since my surgery. Now I'm not saying it is a result of the surgery, I think anytime in the past that I didn't maintain some level of strength training, I lose what I had previously built up to so I guess its time to get the old muscles built back up. For any of you that are further along than I am, how long did you wait to start strength training and did you see any slow down in weight loss once you started? I think that has been my biggest fear is that the scale will stop moving as it has in the past when I started working out and yes I know I will still lose inches but I still have a good amount of weight to lose so I don't want to start this process too soon and drag it out longer than necessary. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I wouldn't say that I actually felt "regret" but I did question things early on. I found myself mentally at the same place I would typically get when trying to diet on my own. You get tired of the new routine and you want to go back to the comfort of your old habits. Fortunately, the sleeve and the fear of messing up after surgery give most of us the push we needed to get past that phase and stick with it. As your stomach heals you'll begin to introduce a greater variety of flavors and textures and as you see the weight falling off consistently then you know it was the right decision. At least this was my experience and what I have heard from others who have been successfull. I'm down 127 lbs in just under 6 months and now regret is not even in my vocabulary. Good luck!

I was a little worried about the injections myself but it really was no where near as bad as blood withdrawal or even steroid shot. Luckily for me, my wife had just started nursing school and she was excited to have a guinea pig to inject for two weeks. Good luck, hopefully the time will fly by.

Congratulations! I hit halfway myself last week so I know what an awesome feeling it is. Keep up the great work.