Butterthebean

LOLOLOL. I completely understand. At times it's gonna seem like forever but it will be over eventually and you'll be left with an all new you.

Realistically....you should not expect any certain number. It will vary from week to week. You will have stalls and you will lose slower than others if you are already under 200lbs. But for sure you will be disappointed if have expectations of the scale...expectations that you cannot control. Focus on the fact that you are getting healthier every week. And a year from now you will be a whole new healthy person. Really? Wait for a stall? Why? Losing weight makes the scale go down...nothing else. Exercise extends your life and improves the quality of it.

Wow...good luck to both of you. Yes the old love affair with food. We loved it...it never loved us back. Best of luck guys.

Hi Kitydon. I'm 19 months post op and yes...the sweet tooth for me has come back hard. I've been doing alot of soul searching trying to figure out why. If there is some emotional trigger. For me I think it's stress. Stress over the holidays. Over the fear of failure and relapse. Over family. Work....everything. Whenever I get stressed, I'm reaching for something sweet. I do not want to slip back to where I was, and it most certainly is possible. Anyone who's a year or more out knows it can all come back if you let it. I suggest you look for reasons why you might be slipping. Triggers that might be pushing you to have those cravings. Whats more, understand that the more you give in, the harder it is to resist the next time....both mentally but also physiologically. Sugars produce cravings for more sugars. So while you're looking for your triggers, dig down deep and find your inner strength. The same strength you used to decide to have surgery to begin with. Double down on your committment until you get back on the right path. Good luck.

See?? I said it was lack of carbs that were responsible for bad things! Except that my ass is smaller, which is a good thing. Sigh. Why does the world have to be filled with such difficult choices? You have to get your priorities straight...anyone can fake intellegence (look at me). But you can't fake skinny.

Alisa....the stall usually starts around the 3rd week...give or take. The time it lasts is totally arbitrary. It may last a week or 6 weeks. The important thing to remember is it takes time. Calorie math does not work like we think it works. Give your body a chance to kick in it's fat burning engines. If you're like the rest of us, they haven't been used in a while. They will fire up soon and the weight will come off. In the mean time, put less emphasis on the scale and more emphasis on how your body feels. Good job on logging your food. Really focus on getting in your Water. That should be priority number one.

Haha...it hurts getting the body back into motion. Especially after a break. Before you know it you'll be in beast mode again. RAAAWWRRRR

It's all that nekkid planking you've been doing. Thank goodness you don't shovel snow in the same outfit. Or do you?

I had one surgeon suggest the belt lipectomy with the fleur de lis incision going from my navel to my sternum. The surgeon I ultimately chose recommended I just get the standard TT, telling me that in my case the extra benefit would not be worth the extra cost and recovery time. Now that I'm all healed up I believe he was right. I do have some minor areas in the back that would have been improved by the belt lipectomy but they don't bother me at all. Scout, how are you liking that compression garment? Pure torture aren't they? It will be your new best friend for a while. I believe it's the compression garments that make the drains seem not so bad.

Nice going Lynda. Sometimes we can put the ship on automatic pilot. Other times we really have to focus. Weighing yourself regularly and giving yourself a bounce limit keeps you accountable. It also demonstrates that it's never over. Diligence is our new lifelong companion.

Ok....you had me cheering right up until the nap part.

And built muscles!!!

Probably cheaper than a sleeve surgery. Less chance of a leak. But someone would find a way to eat around it.....I think I could stick donuts in my vitamix and drink them through a straw.

That sounds like me. If I stick with solid protein, my restriction works wonderfully. If I start up with the sugar and flour based products, it's like I was never sleeved. I can really put away alot of donuts holes.

That's exactly why I started swimming 2 weeks ago. I want to do a tri this spring. I'd be happy if I could work up to a Olympic distance tri....the run and bike ride would be no problem, but the swim...well I'm a long way away. I just keep reminding myself that when I started running, after 2 weeks I was still pathetic. But by 6 months I was doing my first half marathon. Which MS150 rides have you done? I've done the Houston to Austin 3 times and the Valero: Ride the River 1-1/2 times. I say 1-1/2 because last time I did it, day 2 got flooded out. Ironically, all of those rides were before my WLS. Since I started running, I've focused more on that than cycling. As far as tips? I'd download the C25K app and follow it. Best thing I ever did. Also, check out www.chi-running.com His books and dvds teach excellent running form for preventing injuries. I have 2 bad knees and that was the only way I could run without pain. I also am a big believer in running in minimalist shoes....also to prevent injury. Whenever I run in thick cushioned shoes, my feet feel good but my knees start to hurt. I go back to my vibrams, and I have to be careful of my feet but my knees are rewarded with a much softer stride. Those combined with the chi running form and C25K are the keys that made it possible for me. Last thing I would say is run slower than you want to run. Much slower. Everyone starts out too fast. Start out too slow, then build speed once you've built your base.

You do 1 and hold for the amount of seconds required for that day. If it's too easy, move ahead.

Very nice. You look terrific...you're going to be the toast of the party.

Yeah, you beat me to it. They have those humane shock collars now that, instead of sending electrical currents, spray you in the face with the scent of skunk ass. That would surely kill a person's need to graze...at least temporarily.

Does he like nature? The beach? My favorite place in the world is the Oregon coast. It doesn't get much prettier. Maybe not a childs cup of tea unless he likes the beach...and what kid doesn't?

Here's a pic from a few weeks ago. You can mostly see the scar.

That's alot of working out. Nice goals. I had a nice 7.5 mile run today putting me up to 30.8 MTD. And I added a pawltry 20 lunges to my total..bringing that to 140. I'm barely on pace to reach my running goal. Way ahead of pace to reach my swimming goal...I may shoot for 10,000 meters....but I'm way behind on my lunges goal. I'm telling you, those lunges suck. They are cruel and unusual punishment. I'm almost on pace to reach my running

Please read this. This is what's going on. There's nothing you need to do except stick with the program and keep faith that this is part of the process. " Weight Loss Stall or Plateau A weight loss stall or plateau is an extended period of time during reducing efforts where is there is no weight loss according to the scale and no loss of inches according to the tape measure. This is why it is so important to take your body measurements before surgery, so you'll have a reference as your weight loss progresses post-op. We suggest you take measurements of your chest, waist and hip, neck, upper arm, thigh and calf. Be aware it is very common for your weight loss to "stall" shortly after surgery. Diana explains the reason for this below. The Inevitable Stall By Diana C. A "stall" a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Breathe, and fuggedaboudit for a few days. What You Can Do About a Stall or Plateau If you are experiencing a post-op weight loss stall or plateau further out there are a few possible causes. First, check that are you really in a stall. If the scale has stopped moving you may be losing inches, so check your measurements. Too Many Carbs? Carbohydrates can start sneaking into your foods without you being aware of how quickly they are adding up. For more information on carbs, see our section on Carbohydrates. If you are struggling with your weight loss you may want to examine your daily carb count. You can try to keep your carbs under 50g a day and see if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Do not eat carbs before bedtime as it triggers insulin and initiates fat storage. There are some great web site resources you can use to keep track of what you are eating. Fit Day Spark People - If you join Spark People also join the DS group. The Daily Plate Calorie King For more tips on keeping a food journal see the Personal Nutrition Guide. Eating Enough? If you are under-eating or go more than 4-5 hours without eating, your body will shift into fasting mode, slow your metabolism and conserve your stored energy (fat). This can contribute to a weight loss stall or plateau. Make sure you are eating small meals or small Snacks throughout the day and also ensure you meet your daily protein requirements. Try eating some protein with every meal or snack. For more information on protein requirements see our section on Protein. Drinking Enough? An adequate level of water in your body aids in the effective breakdown of fat. The daily minimum recommendation is 64 Fluid oz of water a day. If you are in ketosis you will need to drink even more water to ensure the ketones are flushed out of your system. You may also need more than the minimum amount of water if you are exercising or live in a warmer or dry environment. Exercising? Exercise can increase your metabolism and burn fat. Strength training will build muscles and will boost fat burning. In a stall you can try increasing your volume of exercise or changing up your routine to overcome a weight loss stall or plateau. If you have been doing mainly aerobic activity, try doing a bit of strength training, and if you have been doing mainly strength training, try an aerobic work-out. The High Fat - High Calorie Stall Buster Many DSers swear by the fat/calorie shock as an effective weight loss stall or plateau buster. Having a day of higher fat and calorie eating followed by a returning to consistent low carb eating can sometimes "shock" your body back into weight loss mode."

Congrats on getting it done. You're doing fine. Really stay on top of your stool softeners. I promise you "pushing" will be the worst pain imaginable. You want everything free flowing for a while.

Globe....I know you have really struggled with your weight for a while. I'm sure you're already on top of this but I'm gonna ask anyway. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? Cause it almost seems like you've got something going on keeping you from loosing.

How is the TT scar looking now? The scar is no problem. It is below my belt line so it cannot be seen normally. Even so....it just looks like a thin pink line.