LilMissDiva Irene

ROCK IT!!! Congrats, you have DONE IT!!! :Banane59:

I am so so sorry you endured that. (((hugs))) Please look inside yourself while you are going through your journey and ask yourself if you deserve to be treated that way. Because from where I'm standing that answer is NOOO!! ETA: I recognize mental abuse when I see it. My Mom was mentally abused by my step father all through my childhood. He mentally abused me too... I swore I would never allow another human being to treat me that way again. I deserve better, and those people who do things like this to others need to be floated away on a desert island. That is all. :-/

Thinking ahead kept me sane You're right on target, keep hanging in there! Drink plenty of fluids, get your rest and be sure to keep getting up and walking around. WELCOME TO THE LOSERS BENCH!!!

Thanks for sharing, you look great!!! Love the smile too

WOWWWW!!!! That totally ROCKS!!! :target:

Yayyyy!!!! EXCELLENT NEWS!!!! You got this!!! Xoxo

Yes this is dehydration, I'm so sorry you are going through that! I hope the gatorade helps, and I agree if its too much dilute it with more water. I diluted a lot of things in the early stages.

I lost my boobs, but I got em back. That said, I never lost the booty, THANK YOU BOOTY FAIRIES!! LOL

Hi Jnee, I think it's really really important for each of us to remember this is not a race, nor is it any type of competition where we should ever feel bad that we are not losing as fast as it may SEEM others have. Trust me, I said the word SEEM on purpose because in this case perception is NOT reality. Those little tickers you see at the bottom are for the user only IMO. It's fun to see that XX poster has lost YY Lbs... but that is not an exact representation of the individual story. That person likely could be adding on weight lost PRE surgery. I did, and that's fine because those are all Lbs I worked hard to lose, but it may not be immediately evident to someone viewing it from another computer screen, know what I mean? I'll use myself for example, I do try to explain in my signature that I was 272 Lbs on surgery day. I hit my first goal to be a size 8 about 6.5 months later. I was 203 lbs that day. So... it took me 6.5 months to lose 69 Lbs. That's just about 12 Lbs per month average. Is that super fast? I don't happen to think so, not really. Guess what though, you better believe I'm super happy about that and darned proud! It was so hard to do that, and every single day was a struggle for me. I'm not going to feel bad because someone else could've lost that 69 Lbs in 3 months. They aren't ME, and they're reason for losing so fast could be drastically different than mine. Here's my opinion on why I think you have stalled for three months. Yes, this is a true stall, anything more than 3 weeks long is a real stall. I think your body has become way complacent with your routine. Our bodies will do this, they will only want to burn per day what you are giving it to sustain. It is something our bodies cleverly designed over all the years of starvation prevention. Not much we can do about this except trick it once in awhile. Any weight loss expert will tell you, you're going to have to bounce your calories around once in awhile. Not so much every day, but perhaps even on a weekly basis. I've learned a lot over the last year and a half in regards to keeping our metabolisms running on full steam and now my body is a serious calorie burning machine. I don't even know if I'm sure I know how to turn it off!! Not really wanting to, I just go with it. LOL Also, our bodies do get used to the amount of exercise we do every day, and the intensity. You're going to have to bump this up every so often. Love it or hate it, this is what I've found worked miracles for me. It provides so many benefits, the best being getting fit and gaining good health. Believe me there are so many good reasons to enjoy a good workout and to keep pushing your body to do more. I hope I have helped! I know we ALL can do this! Longer, harder, faster, stronger and a little shake up from time to time will get you to goal. No matter how long it takes.

What I'm doing today to kick fat's ass: Get up early and get my workout on; Getting my daily protein in; Getting my daily water in; Getting my complex carbohydrates in; Keeping positive; Staying in touch with my supportive friends; Staying strong both physically and mentally!!! Get it!!!

Hi Lilypad! The reason we are instructed not to drink and eat at the same time is because adding Water will help break down the food in your sleeve, aiding in faster digestion. It's believed that one should not drink any fluids for about an hour after eating solid meals. This has proven true to myself. Also, if I drink any fluids too soon after eating it is simply uncomfortable for me, it makes my throat hurt. Also, I don't see you're losing too slowly. Everyone loses at their own pace and as long as you ARE losing then you're doing just fine. No worries on that part! Hang in there... time passes and pounds drop!! Hugs!! Hi Ela! I started exercising immediately post op - however it was walking only. In fact I didn't really start getting back to hardcore workouts until 4 months out. I could've started at 2 months out per my Surgeons instructions, but I felt tired a lot. Funny thing, once I did start working out like I normally would, I got all my energy back... something to think about. Don't be afraid to get back to your program, though make sure you're following your Surgeons directions too. There's a reason we need to take the time to heal! As far as fluids, just do the very best you can. I constantly keep water bottles full and near me. Even this far out I have to remind myself to drink. I can easily get far more than 64 oz in, but I still have to have my water bottles close at hand or I'll never get it in. I'll forget. I set a schedule for myself that I'll drink 20 oz during my morning workout, 32 more oz by noon, 32 more oz by time I go home from work... etc... that is how I stayed on track and sometimes I have to force myself to drink. I don't feel good if I don't though so it's worth the effort. Be VERY excited!!! You have so much to look forward to!! Xoxo

Shae, WOW LADY!!! Rock on!! I encourage anyone to modify this to fit your own needs. Just knowing what works, and having the basics in mind - you will break any stall and move forth with the ultimate goal -- and that is all of us getting healthy and HAPPY! Whoohooo!!

I think it is VERY possible for you to hit your goal in 6 months. I hit all my goals, my first one being hit in 6.5 months. It was then I decided to readjust for lower goals. Anyhow, I did do it in just over 6 months. My suggestion to you would be to make sure you're also getting in some workouts about 5 days per week. By what you've said it seems you prefer the low carb diet. I really didn't do that per se. I did keep my carbs to a minimum but I wouldn't say they were considered low at all. I was around 60g total for the day. Most stay around 30g. I also made it a point to drink plenty of Water. I was drinking about a gallon a day in my later months when I could fit it in. In the early months I would work hard to get in the 64 oz minimum. Best to you! One last thing, stay positive!! Whatever you do, do that. Forgive yourself immediately if you have a slip up. Nothing will prolong you staying off the wagon than self defeat. xoxo

I'm so happy for you!! How are you feeling?

Hi there! You have all of us here to lean on whenever you feel the need. We are open for business 24/7 and everyone here is waiting and ready to give you support at any time. There are many here from New York, here is a link to the area you might find some near you. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/19-usa-local-vsg-support/ I have met many awesome people from the weight loss internet community in real life too. Friends I will have for a lifetime. I'm always open for anything you need as well, you can always send me a message or send me a friend request on Facebook (link in signature line). You will do just fine!!!

NO worries! I felt spacey too after surgery, at least for the first 3 months. I think for me it was the fact that my calories and carbohydrates were so drastically reduced. My body has a naturally high metabolism and furthermore, I'm a very active person. I like working out, and did long before my sleeve journey. I feel sluggish when I'm not working out, so I think that had a lot to do with it too. Our bodies will take time to acclimate to its new environment. Stay strong! Know that it will pass soon.