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Scout... What Dr did u use in Baltimore? I was insurance approved for panni and am scheduled for surgery in March. I was considering getting another consult before then.... I've lost 25+ pounds since my last office visit.

The first year after surgery (mine was Aug 2012) went by like a tornado....FAST, Fierce, exciting, scary...there was no time to stop & smell the roses... Im finding year 2 to be quite different....although just as scary....When to stop losing, How to stop losing, what is my comfort weight range....staying on exercise track....planned panniculectomy.....somewhat overwhelming...Im really looking forward to year 3 because it seems like then MAYBE I can finally relaxe

just checking in and saying hi to fellow "vets"

at 298 pounds starting weight, you can be losing massive amounts but its up to you to step up the game....the calender doesnt control your weightloss....

I need to cut back on the sugar.... I havent seen any weight gain from it yet but I find mysekf reaching for it a LOT mor often than I had been.... I never really limited the other carbs as long as I ate Proteins first... I recently had hysterectomy and studies show the aveerage weight gain 1 year out is 20 pounds...THAT CANNOT HAPPEN FOR ME so I need to monitor my habits....

been a while since I've posted.... last I was around, I was preparing to have gall bladder removed...turns out that wasn't the problem... no gastro problems of recent... I am 16 months post op... got to normal BMI at 10 months... am now actually under my goal... wear size 4...21 BMI...25% BF was APPROVED for panniculectomy on first submission to AETNA and was supposed to have that surgery 2 weeks ago however, GYN issue became emergent and I ended up with hysterectomy that day instead... approval good for 6 months so hopefully I will get it in the Spring... Dr says I can get it as soon as 6 weeks post-hysterectomy however I am only 2 weeks out and in a LOT of pain still so that's definitely not happening...besides I need to go back to work for about 2 or 3 months to build up some FMLA time. I have always followed my own eating/exercise path post-VSG...glad to say its still working... I eat plenty of carbs, always start with Protein...plenty of Water.... take my vits & Probiotics.... I haven't really exercised in nearly 2 months and I maintained weight during that time, even managed to get down another 3 or 4 pounds....Plastic Surgeon says for me to expect another 5 pound loss once my extra skin is removed.... I cannot believe at that point I will be struggling NOT to lose weight... MIND BLOWING!!

I agree with the rule although now that means me being 16 months post-op, at normal BMI for 6 motnhs, under goal currently, etc...I will not qualify to lurk or post here because I do not have 200 posts

http://www.amazon.com/Recipes-Calorie-Intermittent-Fasting-ebook/dp/B00FNGR5O0/ref=zg_bs_156154011_f_37 Grab it while ya can, may not be free for long

its currently FREE on AMazon ( Kindle version) http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/96519-free-kindle-book-52-diet-recipes/

lucky you.... I look like a 12 year old boy... Even when I was younger & 130 pounds, I've never had much in the boob area...but I had ass for days!! and a tiny waist ....it was my best ASSet! then I gained weight and my butt grew with me... it was HUGE but loveable... now that I have lost the weight, my butt is GONE! ALL GONE!! I have a tiny waist again but no butt.... NONE Ive been lifting weights & doing squats but so far it is not helping... today I had on size 6 skinny jeans from Aeropostale... even when I was a size 6 in the past I couldnt wear this brand because of my big butt... Im not ecstatic about that but at least Im not a size 22 anymore....

same boat... I had a HARD time letting go... doesnt help that I was a shop-a-holic... so though I am a year out, I am still finding clothes in other closets & storage areas in my house... whats even worse is I ad a shoe collection that could put Imelda Marcos to shame... I have since gone down to size 8.5/9 from a size 10/10.5....I literally have given away over 200 pairs of shoes... and still have more to get ride of...emotionally I cant seem to let some go even though they flop off my feet.... baby steps... I suspect that body dysmorphic issues come in to play & as soon as the mind catches up as far as body image, letting go of shoes & clothes will be easier

I am wondering how the African American and other folks of color are doing post-op as far as scarring and/or keloids?? I look at pics posted by some of our caucasion counterparts and amazed how well some of their skin heals....can hardly even tell some had incisions... I have always scarred bad... I have 5 incisions from VSG and 2 look really bad...one has a small keloid, all of my incisions are very dark even a year post-op ( I am kinda light-brown skinned....about Jada Pinkett's or Kelis' complexion) I plan on getting chemical peels or something to help remove the hyper pigmentation because I surely do not want to remain like this... Anyone else have this problem?

Stop whining about so-called stalls.... Did you know Diana Nyad eats up to 9000 calories per DAY!!! now admittedly, Diana is an extreme example, however, the formula remains the same.... If you are working out 2 active hours in the gym as some claim, you are doing your health a MAJOR disservice by trying to survive on 600, 800 or even 1000 calories. Stop worrying about a so-called Stall..you WILL lose if you properly hydrate & fuel your body. It isnt actually a STALL, your body is holding on to Water & glycogen for its dear life.... EAT THE food, MOVE YOUR BUTT and you WILL lose! ( which is why when some folks add in good fats that so-called stall is broken) By design, most VSG patients, let alone most non-surgical patients do not have the physical capacity to eat that much a day... you have to be SMART about your high caloric intake... Protein FIRST BUT CARBS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY!! ( and I am SURE some folks will come reply or start a new thread indicating that because you are a VSG patient, you are some kind of special snowflake & this doesnt apply to you) Quotes to think about: It's probably true that inactive people don't require much in the way of carbs. But inactive humans simply aren't metabolically normal, so the correct solution isn't to go low-carb, it's to increase your activity level to the point that you rquire carbs. Don't fear eating carbs, fear not moving enough to not need them. (Melkor) - you do not need to train to swim to break Nyad's records...nor even train to participate in triathlons, duathlons. etc.... BUT YOU NEED TO MOVE, IN A MAJOR WAY!! I lost 100% EWL in 10 months.... I was 280 pounds pre-op. I am 153 pounds today... From size 22 down to size 6... basically 1 year post-op. the first 3 months were HELL... I was used to drinking most of my calories in a sugary way... I had trouble staying hydrated or eating enough food... I was re-hospitalized twice....Once I gave myself time to properly heal, it was ON!! I moved my body... and I ate the food required to do so... your needs will change as your weight and exercise changes.... At about 6 months, I was eating/drinking 1400 calories PLUS exercising 2 hours per day, 6 days per week.... 3 days of HEAVY weight lifting, 3 days of swimming, 3 days of running, 3 days of biking.... I eat fat, carbs and even sugar at times... My daily staples include chicken salad made with real mayo and cole slaw ( because Id rather eat the slaw and have regular bowel movements then to need laxatives to get & keep things moving) Despite all of that, on the weeks I did not make my caloric and protein & hydration goals, I did not lose....and by not meet, I mean, the weeks I ate LESS than 1300 calories.. Most of 2013 I was in training for triathlon...I stopped training in July when I was prepping for 2 surgeries... both have since been postponed/cancelled so Im back in train mode trying to get a race or 2 in before it gets cold on the East Coast.. Now that I am in maintanence, I eat 1600 calories a day when I do NOT exercise, more if I do....I cut back on training in prep for a surgery that has since been cancelled... I plan to bulk this winter so for next 8 weeks I will cut back to 1300 calories per day to get down 10 pounds... Once in Bulk Mode, hopefully before Thanksgiving, I will go to ~2400 calories ( adding in 100 calories per week) then only workout once per day, 6 days per week.... 3 days heavy lifting and 3 days cardio til I get to my new goal ( which is a size, shape goal rather than a numerical goal)...I currently wear a size 6.... too skinny for my liking....I want to be more muscular.... My plan will likely require some tweaking to get there.... More info on Diana Nyad, my Shero of the week: http://espn.go.com/espnw/features/article/6783740/how-diana-nyad-fuels-body this article is 2 years old and her needs have probably been adjusted some by now... another article: https://healthylivingmagazine.us/Articles/150/ Every hour and a half (or up to an hour and 45 minutes if Nyad keeps swimming until the second "come in now" whistle is blown) the boat idles and Nyad swims over. Bonnie Stoll, Nyad's best friend, business partner and "head handler," gives her the tube from a hydration pack filled with a carefully calibrated mix of water, sports drink, electrolytes and "predigested protein." Done with the fluids, Stoll hands over a tube of energy gel, then a single Clif Shot Blok. Then, a spoon with a bite of banana slathered in Peanut Butter is passed to the swimmer, who would invalidate the record she's hoping to set if she touched the boat. The bite doesn't provide much nutrition, Nyad explains, but even this small bit of solid food helps to coat her stomach when so much of her nourishment is coming from energy-compressed liquids and gels. But staying hydrated -- and properly fueled -- will be of the utmost importance ... Luckily, we know a lot more now than we did in the 70s. "You see pictures of when Diana did this 30 years ago and she'd stop and drink a Coke and eat a piece of cake," said Mark Sollinger, one of Nyad's drivers. "It's come a long way." Finding the right formula still took trial and error. What works for a marathon runner or cyclist doesn't necessarily work for Nyad. First of all, she's spending five, 10, 20 and eventually 60 hours in a prone position. Speaking of Snacks, her daily calorie count during training is 9,000 for non-swimming days and 3,500 when in the tank. Think it’s fun to be able to eat to one’s heart’s content? Think again. “It’s just too much food,” she tells a reporter. “Your stomach doesn’t want to take it in. I try to do some of it in Protein shakes and large three or four servings of Pasta for dinner.”

I had dumping...but only when I ate something I wasnt supposed to...SUGAR! I had dumping when I consumed something I wasnt supposed to..SUGAR!! that early out, it shouldnt even be considered...

Im going thru it too.... you know how when you sit in a chair & your thighs flatten out?? ughhh it drives me CRAZY and help me see nothing but me at 280 pounds... Im 45... and I think the thin face is aging me... no one else has said anything, but Im starting to avoid looking at myself in the mirror.... I now have a 4 pack...would be a 6 pack if not for this pannus...but because of the pannus and the hyperpigmented surgical scars I have, I LOATHE my middle area despite being told I look good in a bikini... Im attempting some body recompositioning... plan is to lose another 10 pounds, then a controlled bulk... hopefully to thicken in desired areas but maintain my thinness in others... Will it help?? who knows..... but Im going to be grateful for the cover of winter clothes as I expepriment

when I was updating my ticker, I realized I have my HW incorrectly... the most I weighed in earlyer 2012 was 284.... I had surgery in Aug 2012...here it is Aug 2013 and I am a size 6!! HOT DAMMIT!! 152 pounds.... 5'7.5"...SIZE 6 I was about 160 when I was in a size 8 I had no co-morbs.... the reason for my surgery was pure & simply vanity.... and dammit I made it!! I look good...I feel good and I am happy! now I do NOT want to be a size 4 or 2 or 0.... there are just not that many women in my culture who want to be that thin...size 6 is pressing it...

I made normal BMI in 10 months... that is 100% EWL.... I ate and continue to eat well over 800 calories a day... because I exercise a LOT... FOOD=FUEL, not FOOD= REWARD... the more active you are, the more fuel you will need... but the faster your metabolism will be...you WILL burn it off if you MOVE!! I am 5'7.5" and 152.8 according to the scale last night...I wear a size 6... I do NOT want to get skinnier but I will lose a few more pounds only to REGAIN them during BULKING.... I would like my legs & butt to get a lil thicker, so weight training focusing on that will cause me to regain some weight in the right places Doctors give CONSERVATIVE estimates on what you can expect to lose simply because they cannot count you as a success story otherwise.... if they tell you it only tkes 60% EWL to be a sucess..and all of their patients lose 60% then the doctor has a 100% success rate!! get it??? I, for one, would NEVER have settled on 60% EWL...in fact, no way would I even had gotten the majority of my stomach cut out just to only lose 60% of my EWL....60% of MY EWL was like 50 pounds.... had I been vigilant, I could've lost 50 pounds without surgery.... so for ME, it was ALL or nothing....

everytime I have something with over a few gramsd of sugar, Im in the bathroom with the runs within 10 minutes.... Call it dumping or whatever you want, it is NOT pleasant.... at first I thought it was just too soon post-op so I avoided sugar for a while, but I had 2 Cookies a few days ago ( Im days short of one year post-op) and low & below, to the porcelein god I was shackled...

look to YOURSELF for motivation.... did you get half your stomach cut out for NOTHING?? Do you want to remain FAT & UNHEALTHY?? Look at yourself in the mirror...NAKED?? Do you want to remain like that?? Run up a flight of stairs... DO you want to be able to not HUFF & PUFF when you are done?? you are your own worst enemy...but you should be your own BFF.... shake it off, stop saying what you CAN'T do and just DO IT! Mind over matter...Drink the shakes...eat the salad...EXERCISE.... drink the water....NO EXCUSES!

I drink fizzy drinks all the time, though I did not start as early as you..6 weeks is too soon I put crystal lite or similar in with sodium free seltzer Water over crushed ice... got me over my cravings for Slushies this summer

Move around...10-15 minutes every hour to prevent clotting.... empty drains more than 2 times a day if they fill up fast... CONGRATS!!! happy healing vibes to you

xxxx

I lost 100% Excess weight ( got to normal BMI) in 10 months, 1 week...HOWEVER that was not my goal, as I thought I still wanted to lose an additional 20 pounds....

stop being dramatic...no one ever got water poisoning from a mere 64 ounces... if you do not want to drink any water at all, its your choice but it is not BS.... your life, your journey....does not change the fact that drinking 64 ounces of water a day ( or even more) is good for most everyone, especially those with compromosed digestive systems ( bariatric surgery patients included).... water is good for bodily funtions.... when something malfunctions ( and some take a LONG time to show evidence of malfunction) consider this....

congrats... hard to tell from the pics but I was wondering is the incision a lil higher than most?? Would your panties cover it??