BKLYNgal87

I always wondered how many of those contestants succeeded in keeping the weight off after a few years. If the author's interviews showed around 85-90% of the contestants regained some or all of their excess weight then that seems to be totally in line with the other weight loss (without surgical intervention) studies. Guess the echo of Jillian Michaels shouting in your ear fades over time... If only it were that simple

At 8 weeks out any grains or simple carbs felt like bombs in my stomach. What has your caloric intake been like? Your Protein? A stall is to be expected with your time frame. What I did to beat it was to keep tracking the food, upping the protein and eating less carbs, and exercising and within a week I was losing again. You'll get past this!

No offense but your post is pure, unadulterated nuttery. What studies can you point to that corroberate anything you said? Quack Science journal doesn't count as a source. I work in clinical science and know nonsense when I see it. H Pylori requires antibiotic treatment. Period. Yes Metronidazole sucks majorly as a drug - has horrible side effects - but the alternative is development of ulcers which are way worse than 2 weeks of nausea brought on by drug treatment.

H. Pylori is not uncommon. Good thing they found it and now you'll get the treatment you need. H. Pylori is what causes ulcers, and those you don't want while healing from surgery!

Congrats! I went to Six Flags about a month and a half ago and was still kind of freaking out about being too heavy - but I wasn't and I had a great time! You look lovely BTW. Keep up the awesome work!

Sounds like you are the sort of lady who has always cared for everyone else but yourself. I applaud you for taking steps to improve your life, and wish you continued success in your journey. But, as others have suggested, you are being way too hard on yourself. Self-love is a critical part of this process. Obesity isn't simply about lack of willpower or lack of desire for health. If it was that simple, we wouldn't need WLS. In varying degrees we are all fighting a battle against hormones and genetics. It's a very difficult battle but the odds become less insurmountable with tools such as VSG.

I'm a big fan of ordering off the appetizers menu nowadays. But I agree that restaurants are overfeeding us with fat, sugar and salt because that's how they keep customers coming. It's an addictive combination and they know it.

15 lbs in 3 weeks is great. Don't doubt yourself. You are still healing so be prepared for the weight to fluctuate a little while longer. What may help also is to not weigh yourself more than once a week!

Lipstick - I tip my hat to you. Stupendous work! I am in awe and very inspired!

I would say since my sleeve surgery I have desired snacking more than before. I guess it's because I can't eat much at one time as I used to. I try my best to log every calorie I eat because it keeps me on track and aware, which keeps me in control.

Since I am approaching the halfway point to goal it's been hard to let go of the clothes, especially the more expensive clothes. Not gonna lie I sent 3 of my suit pants to be altered rather than buy a bunch of new ones because it was cheaper. Some of the shirts I tapered myself. If I wasn't living paycheck to paycheck maybe I'd spring for more at this point now that I am down more than 4 sizes. But my plan is to start buying things when I'm down to non-plus sizes (I'm a 12/14 now so almost there)! Think of the old clothes as flotsam or jetsam. This time your weight loss journey will be a successful one so no need to continue to carry the needless baggage.

Sounds like the handiwork of a lazy employee. On the whole, surgeon's offices thrive on processing more patients more quickly because it's more $$$. That's what it's all about at the end of the day. So unless the coordinator has legitimate reasons for holding up your paperwork (ie: test results or insurance approval pending), by all means be that "annoying guy" and call until you get some answers. You are a patient, yes, but health care is still a business at heart.

The only time I ate something that sent me running to the bathroom so far is oily, greasy food. Unfortunately I've had tastes of baked goods and frozen yogurt since being sleeved and I tolerate them just fine. I am willing to bet chewable vitamins will be fine. Think of it this way - most brands have less sugar in them than a piece of fruit.

Wow!!! You look so amazing. Thanks for the inspiration congrats on your upcoming nuptials!

I don't know if this will make you feel better but awareness (consciousness) during general anesthesia is so rare these days in modern OR's it's practically impossible. The anesthetic cocktail they give you has drugs that put you to sleep and drugs that keep you asleep and wipe out short term memory. The anesthesiologist monitors your vitals and brain activity throughout the operation and adjust the IV's accordingly. The odds are astronomical that you'd wake up while in surgery, but even if you did, you wouldn't form a memory of it anyway. Given all of this, I have my doubts about people who claim they remember being conscious during surgery. Especially those who seek fame on TV shows. As for friends and family shutting down as your date approaches, maybe it's worry - maybe it's compassion fatigue, hard to say. But once they see how well you will do they will sing it's praises. One of my close work friends who lost weight on her own and mostly kept it off was very unsupportive of my decision pre-op, but now I am down 52 lbs in less than 3 months and every time she sees me she's in awe. At the end of the day, you are doing this for yourself and undoubtedly once you start to really recover you will feel it's the best choice you could have made. You'll be confident and others will take notice.

How far out post-op are you? In an ideal world, none. But in the real world, in my mind, it's okay to have a treat every once in a while. I've had a fair share. But as a matter of daily practice breaded meat isn't a wise option for a high protein/low carb diet.

I assume you are pre-op. As Arts said you can wean yourself off of it slowly. Tea, coffee, crystal light, diet snapple and water enhancers are all good options. I used to be a diet coke-a-holic and quit cold turkey. I am nearly 3 months post-op and don't miss it at all.

My thoughts and prayers with you and your husband. Hugs!

Look at you giving Beyonce a run for her money in that dress! You look awesome! Enjoy it!

Wow congratulations on your immense success! You look amazing!

If you have a smart phone and you can download my fitness pal, right before you eat a meal type it out on the screen. It takes 30 seconds. It may seem like a hassle in the beginning but you get used to it and you'll see that tracking especially food will be so beneficial to your long term success. The sleeve, as far as I can tell, only prevents binge eating or eating too much at one time. It does nothing to stop you from snacking here and there all day, which won't help you lose any weight! Only you can prevent that!

Congratulations! Keep up the great work!

Life is full of choices. Sounds like you made the right one for yourself! It does feel nice when people notice though

Yesterday an old colleague of mine (who retired a few months ago) came by the office to visit (she's an odd bird ) and noticed my weight loss immediately. She then proceeded to start prying as to what I was doing. Since she was more a frenemy than a friend I was adamant that "I eat a lot less and I exercise". Which, honestly, nothing could be further from the truth! She said "Yeah but everyone does that. What are you doing differently?" All I could think to say was "I dunno... succeeding?" Lol.