rickyswife

awww....geez....and I was just going to post that I've only lost 75 pounds in the last 5 months.
Oh wait...that's 75 divided by 5 = 15 pounds per month...hmmm...that's like 1/2 a pound per day...hmmmm
You're right...doing the math does help.
Great post Cheri!!! I couldn't agree with you more.

Couldnt agree more. Luckily I never let my slower losses bother me. I make it a point to take measurements every month and I get more satisfaction with losing inches than I do the scale moving. I know Im losing, if I wasnt then my clothes wouldnt be falling off me. Im super happy to lose a pound a week, sometimes it takes 2 weeks but as long as I keep fighting the good fight, itll all be fine.

As always Cheri good advice. You write so clearly and eloquently, it is a real breath of fresh air.

Exceptional points, Ma Cheri! Print and post on our scales!!!

It is not just the loss of weight that is the goal...But how you feel...Do you feel better with some weight off? Are you able to do more things? Are you sleeping better and happier with your life in general?
These are amazing goals and worth it all in my books.....No other diet or program has ever given me this much energy or spunk.....If it takes me 2 years..FINE..that is the way it is..Took me almost 3 decades to get as big as I was..Through every diet I could think of....
Now for the first time I know I am succeeding. I look at things differently now.....There is no panic....I use my tool and my body will respond!

Excellent points! So grateful for my sleeve and this community!

Thank you for posting this! I totally agree!!

Please stop and do the math.
People get completely freaked out by what I feel are unreasonable expectations. They fly into a panic. They assume that the first time they don't lose on the scale that their loss is done. They think that two weeks at one weight is a massive stall. They look at other people's large losses and forget that we don't all lose at the same rate.
First - if you did a pre-op diet you are not going to have the same loss your first month as someone who didn't do one. Your pre-op loss should get counted into your loss calculation if you did a pre-op diet.
Second - a stall is three weeks or more at the same weight with no fluctuation. Are you panicked after that? Well, my friend coops once spent twenty one MONTHS at the same weight. She finally broke through and never regained during that time, and even lost two sizes while not budging on the scale. Is it the miracle cure you may have been hoping for on the scale? No. But stalls are not the end of the world. They are certainly more normal that flying to goal in six weeks, I promise you.
Third - losing anything more than a pound a week is good. Are you eating less than ever before? Yes. Does that guarantee you'll lose faster than ever before? No. I had two nine week stalls - no movement except upwards for my monthly cycle. I had months where I lost but only in the tenths of a pound. It's not normal to expect a big loss every time you step on the scale. It's setting yourself up for disappointment.
Fourth - your pattern is your pattern. You can compare yourself to other people sleeved the same day or with the same stats but it doesn't matter. So much of this is individual. So if you're constantly seeking out other people and comparing your losses to theirs, you are eventually going to discourage and frustrate yourself.
Fifth - are you closing in on goal? We all lose even more slowly the less weight we have to lose. So if you only have sixty pounds to lose but shed thirty in your first three months, please don't be hysterical because you're "only" losing a pound a week now that you're past the halfway point. It's normal.
Stop. Breathe. Do the math. Adjust your expectations. This is not a race. You do not get a special award for reaching goal more quickly. Your surgery was not pointless or worthless if you manage to get to goal in two years instead of six months. The real goal is not losing the weight. It's keeping the weight off. That's real success - that's what we're here to do. It does not matter if you hit goal in nine months or two years - the real challenge and the real journey begins with maintenance. How quickly or slowly you lost does nothing to change the challenges you'll encounter there.
I am not ranting at anyone in particular. I just feel that this is an issue that comes up constantly and it's actually pretty silly for people to fly into such a panic without really thinking. I've seen folks upset when they're logging losses of upwards of four pounds a week. Point to the diet that helped you accomplish that and was easy to maintain prior to surgery.
~Cheri

My main incision was right over my belly button. Looks like you came through it like a champ. I was too morphined out to bother with paparazzi.
You have a sweet smile.

Hey y'all!! Sorry I've been out of pocket!!!
I have finally put my book together and it's AMAZING! I need to edit it so it can be generic, because it's completely tailored to me! I want to put it in PDF format that will be easy to print.
I'm a teacher getting ready for school, but I promise I'll get it done soon! Those of you who have posted in this thread, I'm going to EMAIL you a copy. But I've learned that there are dozens of other people from my support group who want it and my NUT wants to sell them! So I'm going to sell them!! But y'all get it for free!

wow! id definitely buy one as well! great job!!!!!

Please count me in for one. The apps on my phone are just not working for me. I think see it on paper might. I would be glad to purchase it.

Me 2... I have to see and touch on paper

I'm going to get it bound sometime next week and will update with pictures! I'm including enough logs for 6 months, until these food choices are just 2nd nature to me.
I have it set up for 7 days of food logs (including exercise and Fluid intake), then a weekly summary page with reflections, patterns, emotional aspects, scale movement, revelations, and goals for the following week. Then, at the end of the month, there is a Monthly Measurement page to review inches lost over the month, as well as weight loss, and BMI. That sequence goes on for 6 months. In the front of the book are some helpful guidelines... A "cheat sheet" per say, of the guidelines given by my doctor and NUT. I also have a few helpful food portion charts, hunger scale, my depressing before pictures, and some inspirational quotes/pictures, etc.
If anyone is interested after you see the final product, I don't mind uploading the PDF document so you can make your own. No sense in recreating the wheel, right?

This is awesome. As someone new, thank you for the great information.

+1 on the sodium intake. It gets overlooked by a lot of people when tracking. Sodium is a key source of Water retention and causes weightloss to slow way down. Plus it is just too unhealthy. There's a lot of sodium in processed foods such as Soups and deli meats. Both are highly recommended by nutritionists and WLS Drs. So it pays to watch and track the sodium intake. I also agree that tracking sugars are unnecessary if you are tracking carbs. I would also caution you against going all on with sugar free everything. There's WAY to many nasty chemicals in sugar free products and studies have show that sugar free replacements are actually more harmful and more addictive than sugar itself. If you must have a sweet try to use natural sugars such as raw unprocessed cane sugar, agave or stevia.

I also track my Water and exercise. Those can both affect my weight loss.

I understand! I kept a food calendar for the 1st 4 weeks then went exclusively to MFP.
I found it easier as I was adding more foods into my meal plan and could see the sodium levels even though I wasn't keeping track of it. Went a bit overboard with chicken broth for a few days there

Yes, I do! I plan on using it when this new lifestyle becomes a HABIT! For now, I need the hard, detailed copy that is tailored to me!

I'm this our -70...fitting on every roller coaster at hersheypark instead of doing the walk of shame last year and getting off the ride on front of everyone...that was my turning point
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awww Kathy, couldn't you still go and not do the clambake itself (expensive when you don't eat much!) and enjoy everyone's company?

Oh yes, I have a pair of white capris at the dry cleaners as we speak.... good NSV!