Chelenka

Wow! You look great! Congratulations!

Ugh! That sounds aweful! Hope you feel better soon!

Wow! Everyone is doing great and ya'll look AMAZING! Looking forward to my own surgiversairy next Friday and posting some pics too!

Congratulations! You look great and very healthy!

Please call your Dr. This is not normal. Do your best to stay hydrated. Suck on ice cubes. That's more important than eating at this stage.

Hang in there Jerziegirl and thanks for sharing your journey. One of my friends had her surgery at Jefferson in 2012 and she is doing great. Sounds like you are too. The pre-op diet is a pain but it gets easier as you go along. I was never truly hungry but had massive sugar withdrawal which caused a bit of a melt down. Once I got past that stage I was fine. You've done this before I assume since you're having revision surgery. All the best and will send prayers for strength and a successful, uncomplicated outcome!

230.6 this morning. Goal weight for this challenge is 225. Thanks Bea!

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I know a woman your age approx who also had the sleeve surgery last summer. She is doing great and you are too!

My shoe width went from wide to medium but the length hasn't changed. Had to buy some new belts size XL and toss all my 3Xs! Yayeeee!

How far post-op are you?

Count me in for this one too!

Thanks Georgia for the sweet compliment! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one struggling with hunger issues. Part of the reason I chose the sleeve over RNY was that I was told that I wouldn't be hungry because they remove the upper part of your stomach that produces the grehlin. Apparently that has not been the case for me. Regardless, I still wouldn't want the RNY because of the whole dumping syndrome. I know it's an addiction for me but if I couldn't eat a sweet treat once in a while I think I might become evil and mean!

Dear Lyndsey: thank you for posting an update. I can only imagine the pain that you and your family are enduring. Grief has no time line and doesn't go in a straight line. You are handling everything so incredibly well. I will continue to send up prayers for you and your family for continuing healing and peace. Your honesty and courage is an inspiration to many here on the forum.

Weighed in this morning at 230 exactly. Up .2 since last week . My starting weight was 234.8 so I lost almost 5 lbs over the 6 weeks of the challenge. Sooooooo slow! But I'll take it. Better than gaining 5 lbs that's for sure! Awesome job everyone and thank you Bea for everything! I will participate in the St. Patty's day challenge but I'm going to amend my goal to be more realistic since I lose so slowly.

Thanks to all you wonderful vets for this thread. I'm almost 1 year post op and have been struggling with hunger for the past 2-3 months. I'm 10 lbs shy of my goal weight and really struggling to get there. I keep saying I'm going to try the 5:2 diet but can't seem to make myself actually do it. Shades of pre-sleeve behavior! (Cue scary music). The thing is I'm quite comfortable where I am now, compared to how I used to feel and that scares me a bit. Also my capacity to eat has increased a lot and it seems like I don't feel satisfied with what I've eaten for very long. I've tried different foods and while protein and good fats seem to keep me happier a little longer it's not much difference, regardless I'm starting to feel hungry again after 2-3 hours. I've tried eating healthy snacks i.e. nuts and jerky but they just slide down. Maybe I just need to eat a hunk of meat instead? Not sure what the right balance is for me yet. I guess I'll have to keep trying different foods to figure out what gives me the best sense of satisfaction. I am aware that some of this is psychological but also, I feel there is a physiological, hard-wired to eat, aspect of my struggle. BTW, I'm 6' 1&3/4" tall and my goal weight is 220lbs. Seems high to all you sweet petities probably and for some of you perhaps your pre-surgery weight. I feel it is important to be realistic in my goal setting about what I can maintain, long-term, and also at my age 54. My surgeon never gave me a goal weight and when I told him he thought it was fine. When I get to 220 then I might decide to go a little lower and have some wiggle room. Ironically, I'm having more difficulty finding cloths that fit me properly at size XL on top and 16w on bottom (big butt!) that when I was a 24/26w. It's partly my height but also I am overwhelmed sometimes by having so many more choices which is a happy problem.

229.8 this morning. Going in the right direction at least.

Just stir it back in it's the whey separating and it's good for you. If it doesn't separate then it's full of chemicals. You can also just pour it off the top.

I'm in PA and it sucks here. Totally jealous.

Agreed before and after pics is a great idea. My surgery was on 2/28/13 so I won't post my pics til the end of the month. Have to say though that I'm having a tough time losing my last 10 lbs to get to goal. I can eat a lot more now and struggling with hunger. Anyone else having this issue? I'm really scared I'll gain it all back unless I stay very vigilant.

Sorry I'm posting late. I was 230.6 yesterday. Up two lbs. sigh.

The time has flown! I started last year at 325 this morning I was 230. My surgery date was 2/28. I hope to get to 220 before my one year surgiversary but it's been really slow going the past couple of months. Love your new profile pic Evolving! Congrats on your amazing success!

Hi Dee and welcome. I can understand your feelings about going thru another surgery but it sounds like it's your best option unless you just have the band removed and see how you do, but that's still another surgery. I don't think your age isn't really an issue as long as you are overall in good health. I was 53 when I had my surgery. Otherwise, I would hope your surgeon wouldn't suggest it. However, I had a lot of reflux (which I had pre-surgery) for the first 3-4 months. It's much less now but sometimes acts up. I was told if it didn't get better the fix was a sleeve to RNY revision surgery. I wouldn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary. So I think you might want to research a bit more about the best option for yourself in terms of dealing with the reflux issue. All the best to you.

I agee w/ sun devil fan. But also I suggest looking for a physical activity you enjoy, maybe dancing to your favorite music in you living room. You might find that since you are so much lighter you will enjoy physical activity much more as it isn't so difficult as before. For me, when the weather is nice, I really love riding my bicycle on a nature trail, or just taking a walk. I don't love going to the gym but find listening to music helps make my time there less of a chore and also you get to know people after a while and it's nice to chit chat. Exercise isn't just important for weight loss and maintenance it is just good for you. Skinny people who don't exercise are at just as much risk for heart disease and even diabetes as heavy people, or so I've read.

Believe me, if your tooth hurts enough you'll want to have it extracted!

I've been plateaued too but suddenly am down 4 lbs this morning! The main change I made this week was finally getting some exercise after having been sick for a month. I have the snow storm to thank (shoveling) but also went to the gym yesterday. Just hang in there, our bodies are still adjusting to this big change and lots of things beyond our control can affect our progress. I think being sick and on an antibiotic was part of the issue for me. It kept me from exercising but also just messed with my digestive system. I've also been working on changing some of my behaviors such as not eating anything after 8pm, and turning off the TV when I am eating, weighing myself everyday so I see all the fluctuations and just see it as information without judgement. I can eat a lot more now than I could 2 or 3 months ago and find myself struggling with feeling hungry too. Sometimes it's head-hunger but a lot of the time it's the real thing. I think my brain has a glitch when it comes to food and hunger.