Shells_Almost_There

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I love your chart, as it's very realistic - the slow down is real, BUT we keep losing! It can be so easy to stall out and lose motivation. Thanks for sharing!

I have kept my surgery a secret from almost everyone, and I'm glad I did. I've mentioned this in other posts - those who know are the only ones who comment about my clothes, my weight loss, and feel ok to criticize what I have on my plate. It gets really annoying. Everyone else is thankfully oblivious. My surgery was the best decision for ME that I've ever made, and it's no one else's business. My attitude has been that it's my personal business and only those who I actually want to know are allowed to know. I say the above with conviction, because it was the right way to go for me - but each person has to make his/her own decision about this, and come to terms with our feelings when we realize we are lying by omission. Personally I'm ok with that to preserve my privacy. But that's just one person's take on the situation.

Congrats! It's going to be great -- you will wake up to your new journey. Good luck

I just did my taxes and did the math for my surgery - everything (except shakes and vitamins) cost $2800 out of pocket - insurance covered all the rest. Not too bad for the best decision I've ever made!

I had some wine at 4 weeks out - it was my birthday - and the nutritionist said it was fine. I drank very little because I wasn't sure how it would affect me. Now that I'm at 5 months post-op, I have wine occasionally - only half pours if I'm tasting, which I don't finish, or 2 or 3 sips if I splurge and order an actual glass. With the very tiny amounts I'm having, I am not experiencing any negative effects - it doesn't make me tipsy or anything, but I still weigh a lot with many more pounds still to lose. Before surgery I was a social drinker and mimosas were my absolute favorite - I miss them so much! My friends and I did a lot of wine tasting and I have 3 wine racks because I used to keep so much wine on hand. The racks are a little sad now, I think I have 1 bottle still left from last summer. But I'd rather lose weight than keep drinking, so it's all about perspective.

I am sad to say that I experienced 2 UTIs post-op, with about a 2 week break in between. Very annoying! I was worried it was going to become chronic after surgery, but so far it seems that the medicine they gave me the 2nd time has worked. I chalked it up to dehydration and the complete change in my diet.

Sorry to hear about your struggle. I don't have answers but wanted to send some encouragement your way. I hit a stall early on and I broke it by increasing my calories - I wasn't hungry or eating much at the time, and I think my body was hanging on to all the calories it could. Since then I tend to lose a pound (sometimes less) per week - it can be amazingly frustrating, so I can imagine your pain. I have to hold back jealousy and a little irritation towards those people who sound like they're complaining that post-op they "only lose 2-3 pounds a week!" Seriously? Wow. I would love to lose that much each week. So, I guess it's all about perspective... Anyway, do you use MFP to record your daily intakes? A nutritionist (or some of the vets here) could probably take a look to see areas to tweak your intakes to see if you can get the scale to move. Hang in there!!!

Wow, amazing progress - congrats on your journey!

I made the conscious choice to not tell anyone, based on the advice of the psych doctor when I went to that appointment. He said (and he was right) that those who know will constantly watch what you eat, comment on your weight loss, and also feel free to criticize your weight loss. Approximately 10 people know I had surgery, and only 3 of those are at work -- 1 is constantly commenting on how great I look in my "new" outfits (my old clothes that fit now), 1 looks me up and down whenever I see him (drives me bananas), and the other has told me not to eat certain foods when we are out together. It is annoying but I have to laugh because that psych doc was so right! Anyway, this decision was my personal medical business and no one needs to know unless I choose to share the news. Of course this is my experience and everyone should always make their own choices. In my immediate family, only my mother knows and she was a complete spazz before surgery ("Now tell me again what they're going to do to you") and after surgery ("Should you be eating that?" over and over) - for weeks. She has finally calmed down Also, now that I've lost a bit more weight, people have really started commenting. I tend to tell them that I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal, and then we talk about high-Protein diets. That always distracts them!

Yes to the good oils and lotions but also try to drink more water! The dehydration can be a killer. My lips are chapped all the time, which is my reminder to drink more liquids. For my dry hands and feet, I just found a product at the local co-op called Booda Butter (truly a goofy name), it's shea butter, cocoa butter and oils - it is amazing and smells edible. The company is out of Bellingham, Washington and I highly recommend it for the dry skin.

Yes, but mine is to the left of the larger incision. My doc says they are "surgical ridges" that will eventually go away. It freaks me out, but I guess this is normal. I wasn't told to massage mine, so I just leave it alone.

Love it! Awesome job

Try Premier - they have chocolate, vanilla and strawberry that don't taste quite as bad as the powders. I still drink 1 chocolate Premier everyday to help me get in my daily Protein. They are found at BJ's, costco, Sam's Club and online at Amazon.

Best of luck tomorrow, as you join us on the loser's bench of sleeved awesomeness! LOL

The 3rd week is notorious for stalls. The good news is you will still be losing inches and eventually the stall will end. Stick to your surgeon/NUT's dietary plan and it will all work out - although it will be frustrating. Try to not cheat ahead on foods that you shouldn't be eating yet - definitely no sliders - if you need inspiration during the frustrating times, record your measurements today, then measure in a week. You will keep shrinking, even if the darn scale won't cooperate!

Exercise. *sigh* I really do need to do more than I'm doing!

I am a slow loser compared to many, but I also attribute some of the differences to my age and my height. I've noticed that younger and taller lose much faster than I do. So, I work pretty hard to not compare myself. And to be honest, I'm happy that I'm losing ANY weight, so I try not to be too negative about my 1 pound per week (sometimes less if I'm stalled out), and stay happy in the fact that I weigh less than I have in like 8 years, and that I'm fitting into much smaller clothes already. I just started my 5th month post op, and I've basically lost 1/3 of the weight I want to lose in the long term. My plan is to keep on keepin' on, and kick the old me to the curb. Oh and keep saving for the plastics that I already know I'm gonna need!!! ETA: I also try to keep in mind that it took me 20 years to gain this weight and if it only takes me 2 years to lose it all, I'll be super happy! And, although I am losing pounds on the scale slowly, I am still losing inches pretty steadily. It's an exciting time even if I sometimes want to just scream at my scale in frustration.

As you go to solid foods, it can become uncomfortable - and you don't want to overfill yourself with the "I think I can fit just one more bite" thing. I have heard there is an app that beeps every couple of minutes so that you slow down the frequency of your bites. Sorry but I don't remember the name of it but I've read about a number of people here who use it. Another thing I would suggest is to take even smaller bites than you are, and chew at least 30 seconds more. Then wait a couple of minutes before the next bite. When I was 6 weeks out it took almost 10 minutes for my new stomach to tell my brain I was full - so I'd end up with a couple extra bites and then was in pain for 30 or 40 minutes, recovering from those extra bites that I didn't know I'd taken. Plus a lot of food would land in my stomach and just sit there like a rock - very uncomfortable. Eventually, my brain and stomach synched back up and the issue abated. I still have the rock issue from time to time, but it isn't nearly as painful as it was in the beginning. Anyway, just some ideas - good luck!

I'm lucky if it's every other day, but it generally runs 3 to 5 days. I take fiber gummies daily and have Milk of Magnesia on hand (I hate that stuff but if you don't want to get impacted...). I sure wish it was more often, but with all this Protein, it's a challenge.

Perfectly said, Gman!!!

I begin a series of weird burping to indicate I've eaten too much. They are not like usual belches - they are these weird "swallow" burps that seem to happen internally. It's really weird. I can tell you that food can sit like a rock in your stomach if it's not agreeing with you and if you overfill yourself by the "eyes were bigger than the stomach" thing, and it can be very painful. I've had to stand up suddenly from a meal and pretend to look at pictures on the wall so as to not yelp in pain. For me stretching upwards or standing helps if I accidentally overeat. My friends don't know I had surgery, so that's why the whole "wow is this a new picture?" cover story. LOL. Anyway, once you start eating more solid foods you will find your "full" point or the quirk like the burping or sneezing that signals you.

Here's a rundown for me: My first visit included: a blood draw (full panel w/ fasting), EKG, meeting with the exercise guy, meeting with nutritionist, got my required sleep study equipment (for a home sleep study) and I met the surgeon's PA. Next appointment, I had to do the psychological testing at a nearby clinic, then a week or so later went back to meet with the psychologist and go over my results. From the sleep study, I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea so I had to meet a few times at the sleep clinic to get the CPAP machine and get a few different masks, as I had trouble adjusting. My insurance required a 5% weight loss within a 6 month period in order to qualify for surgery, so I went back to the surgeon's office twice to weigh in, so that I would meet my weight goal. Finally, I met with the surgeon and the PA once again, as I was just a few pounds from my goal weight for surgery. Once I met the goal weight required by the insurance, the surgeon's office got approval for surgery. I could have had surgery the very next week, but I opted for 2 weeks so that I could mentally prepare and get my life in order. By the way, I started this process in June and had surgery in September. Since surgery I have had a follow up with the surgeon and the PA, 2 follow up phone appointments with the NUT, and a meeting with the metabolic specialist. He ordered a full blood panel again and metabolic testing. I just did that testing today, Seems like time is flying!

Very well said. I have some of the same issues with my head getting in the way - I have lost enough weight now that I'm feeling "skinny" - which is my brain not actual fact! I fit into smaller clothes and people have started to really notice the weight loss (virtually no one knows I had surgery), BUT then I have to remind myself that I still have 80 pounds to lose. That's no small matter or easy feat. Here's what happens to me: 1. I lose weight (yay!) 2. I self congratulate with a cookie or 5. 3. I feel guilty about cheating. 4. Someone compliments me on my weight loss. 5. I have another cookie to Celebrate. 6. I self sabotage, feel guilty, and keep having Cookies. Then potato chips, etc etc. You get the picture. I mean, what is that? This has been my pattern forever. It's just so depressing - especially that I can lay it out there like that but still feel helpless to stop it. Anyway, it's time to break that pattern and get rid of the sugar addiction, the guilt, and the self sabotage. Wish me luck (I'm gonna need it!).

Huge Congrats!!! My dream is to be at 199 - it's my goal weight, although I want to try for more once I get there. I just can't wait.