LumpySpacePrincess

I had the same frustrations as you. I didn't really start losing sizes until I'd lost about 60 pounds, then not again until I hit almost 100 pounds gone. Because plus sizes are more amply sized than non-plus, it takes longer to shrink out of them.

I told my 8 year old son I was having most of my stomach removed because it causes me problems and how I would be smaller and healthier for it. It actually made me momentarily sad because he rested his head on my belly and said "You can't get small...you make a great pillow!" He's my biggest coach, actually. When I exercise at home he always says "No mom, you have to use the heavy weight now. The green one is too easy!" haha

Thanks, RJ! I actually manage to get in quite a bit of protein on low calories, and my NUT is totally fine with where I'm at in terms of intake.

I only dropped my calories by about 150 per day, dropped from 800 to 650. If I was working out more regularly I'd probably be able to keep them a bit higher.

My NUT and surgeon insisted on no gummies for the multi-Vitamins because they don't contain essential minerals. They told me two Flintstone's chewables per day is more than enough. They did say gummy Calcium was OK, though. If anyone is looking for a really good calcium, I do recommend the BlueBonnet brand of liquid calcium. It actually tastes really fantastic and you can mix it into your shakes post-op to make sure you're getting it in.

I don't know what you weigh now, but when I'd lost around that much my body really slowed the losses way down. Your body requires much less now to run and so there is going to be a smaller calorie deficit per day than you are used to. It seems to happen so suddenly for a lot of us. Cut your calories and/or increase activity and you'll probably start seeing losses again.

I totally know how you feel. I went home last year to Seattle for the first time in three years to see my family. All my dad wanted to do was go on a hike with me (he has terminal cancer but is doing OK so far and wanted to get it in before he gets more sick) and I just couldn't even get more than a quarter mile in before I felt like I was going to die and we had to go home. It was so upsetting! My mom took me to the ocean and wanted to walk around a lot and collect shells, etc and I was constantly needing to sit down. I felt like I ruined the trip for everyone and looking at the photos of me from then is shocking and horrendous. The only thing that kept me going during that vacation was knowing I was going to have surgery in the fall. I'd already met with my surgeon before the trip and it was just a matter of a few pre-op tests and insurance approval, but man was I anxious to get it done. You'll be amazed at how good you'll feel a year from now. Hang in there!

Sure, Cherry! This is one I manage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nynjsleevers/ And here are a couple more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/100838489985373/ (Gastric Sleeve: My Weight Loss Group) https://www.facebook.com/groups/gastricsleevethenewme/ November 2013 sleevers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/baabaasleevesheep/ (By the way, Go Huskies!! haha I'm from Seattle originally!)

I lost 31 pounds, but I was voluntarily on mine for about two months before surgery. My surgeon wanted me to lose 10% of my body weight before surgery and I hit that number on the head!

Hi, Cherry I am a member of several Facebook bariatric support groups. Would you mind if I posted your survey there as well?

I don't know what your pre-op looks like, but if its a relatively low-carb plan then you might be in ketosis (fat burning mode) which causes your body to shed a LOT of Water. This is a very good thing, so pee away!!

I haven't had those, but my favorite health food snack is Nut Thins by Blue Diamond.

My nutritionist said she wanted us to work up to 30 minutes of walking with an elevated heart rate by one month. Do what you can and gradually work up. I'm sure you'll be fine.

I think the bigger question is, will you be able to stop after just a little bit of the foods you think are "normal"? Or will you start to want it more and more after you've gone out and continue to eat it in the following days? You say you've been on multiple failed diets, and we all have. The reason the vast majority of us were big enough to need surgery is because we can't stop at just one of anything. The surgery only works by limiting your food intake, it will not fix the psychological connections and memories you have surrounding food that drive you to eat. My suggestion when going out is to focus less on food and more on your friends and your social atmosphere. I know this might sound harsh, but if you need food to enjoy yourself when you go out then you have just as much of a problem as someone who needs to drink alcohol to enjoy themselves when they go out. I used to be like you, too. Every time I went out it was an opportunity to get food. I totally understand how you see everyone else eating and feel like you should be able to eat that, too. Its not that you don't deserve to eat what you want, but you deserve to be healthy next week more than you need that french fry right now. Don't sacrifice what you need tomorrow for what you want in the moment. If you can honestly (and be really, really honest with yourself here) stop after just a few bites and not let it carry over into the next day, and if you can fit those few bites into your budget of calories for the day without going over, and if you have already finished your protein serving for the meal and still have room, then and only then would I recommend trying to eat something you call "normal". Protein and produce before carbs and crap is what my surgeon said in our seminar and its a mantra I repeat to myself every day. And honestly, the less you eat of the things you did before surgery the easier it gets to stay away from them.

From what I understand, you'd have to take a ton of Protein pills to get even a quarter of your daily requirements, so its really not a great option financially or health-wise. If you don't like doing shakes, I'd recommend getting a flavorless Protein powder and adding it to whatever you're making like Soups, salad dressings, stir it into casseroles, etc. Getting in enough protein isn't that hard if you know what to eat. A 6 ounces plain fat free greek yogurt has 18g of protein, so that's almost 1/3 of the recommended minimum. Tuna also has 13g of protein for 2 ounces, and skinless chicken breast has 18g per 2 ounces. A 2 ounces serving at your time out of any meat is more than reasonable and doable. Even if all you ate the entire day was tuna, chicken, and yogurt you'd definitely get enough protein for the day and still keep your calories fairly low. Add in whatever Snacks you're eating and you'll be just fine.

Some employers have an option for you to purchase additional coverage on your plan, but I'm not sure how common it is. You can also call the insurance company directly and ask them about how much more per month it would cost for an add-on plan that might cover bariatrics. When I started looking into it, my former plan didn't cover any sort of weight loss help, even therapy. I opted to buy a plan for six months and pay the premium out of pocket. It was expensive ($900 per month because of my health issues), but it allowed me to have a plan that covered my surgery, all my pre-op work, and aftercare for three months. It was expensive, but completely worth it.

I'm having a weird issue I'm hoping to get some advice on. I'll start with some background info. 9 years ago August I had an emergency c-section that required spinal anaesthesia to numb me from the chest down. Ever since then, the biceps femoris muscle in my left leg has given me some really awful problems. It aches in the cold deep down under the skin, but the layers of fat and skin on top of it are completely numb. I can poke my skin along the muscle line with a needle and I feel absolutely nothing, but if the area of the muscle is compressed it has a dual ache/soothing feeling. Over the years I have found it quite strange that I can't seem to lose fat on that part of my left leg. Right leg I can lose fat just fine, but the left is bulkier. If I grab the tops of both legs you can tell there is way more fat on the left than the right and the right is more muscular. I love cycling, but I can always tell that my left leg is weaker and needs to work harder. I have done more squats and lunges and all sorts of funky leg exercises to build the muscle in this leg, but it almost seems dead, yet its not. I have asked several doctors about what's going on, and all of them said it was probably a result of the spinal during my c-section. One went so far as to suggest the spinal in combination with my former high weight may have led to a compressed nerve somewhere, but the tests to find it and remedy it would be really expensive. So here's my question: how do I lose fat on that leg? Right now I'm dealing with the problem of having one skinny leg and one fat leg and its gotten to the point that I try not to work my right leg anymore because the difference is becoming too noticeable. Any suggestions??

I thought I'd be way more excited to see 199 on the scale, but to be quite honest I just looked at it and went "Oh, ok. " I used to get excited or feel motivated when I went down a few pounds on previous WL attempts, but this time is different somehow. Mind you, you'd think I'd be jumping for joy considering 8 months ago I was 315 pounds and this is the lightest I've been in 12 years. Anyone else not really excited as others to see 199?

At about 3 months I started chewing less and taking bigger bites and it does help you feel full longer. When I eat that way with a dense Protein like chicken I usually have to wait almost an hour before I feel like I'm not full anymore.

I think its great you are looking for alternatives, but just be aware that coconut sugar contains the same amount of fructose as table sugar gram for gram. Regular sugar is 50% fructose and 50% glucose, while coconut sugar is 70-80% sucrose and 20-30% fructose...BUT sucrose is chemically 50% fructose, so you're still consuming the same amount of fructose, essentially. Many people claim coconut sugar is safe for diabetics, but the diabetics I know report blood sugar spikes similar or greater than table sugar or HFCS after eating coconut sugar. If you don't like artificial sweetner, that's fine. But if you're looking for long term success with your surgery, you'll most likely have to drop the coconut sugar for a long time as well.

Table sugar is also a chemical. By the time you get it in a bag it is nowhere near its natural state. Plus sugar is what makes you fat because it tells the body to release insulin and insulin is responsible for lowering your blood sugar by storing it in fat cells to be used later for energy. The problem is, most of us who are severely overweight have insulin insensitivity which means we need a ton more insulin to lower our blood sugar which in turn stores more sugar in fat cells and the body can't pull the stored sugar out of the fat cells for energy.

My NUT and surgeon told me 40 net carbs max for the entire day, out of which I can have one serving of crackers or starchy veg per day. The rest has to be made up of non-starchy produce or dairy. For the first three months post-op, I averaged about 10 net carbs per day. Now at almost 7 months out, I average about 30 because I don't always have the serving of crackers; in fact I try to only do that once or twice per week. It is hard at first. I did Atkins and Protein Power for years before surgery. I think the major difference in being able to handle it, though, was the fact that even when I was very low carb before, the weight didn't come off so it seemed harder to stick to. This time around, the pounds are slipping off so I don't even really care about the carbs anymore.

Its really soft so it passes through pretty quick. Just try to be more mindful of your eating in the future. Once you start on solids absent-minded eating will become (literally) painfully apparent and you don't want that.

I went two days after surgery. Just be careful with stimulant laxatives which can become physically and emotionally addicting after surgery. Also beware of Fiber capsules as they can expand in the stomach. Miralax this early out is your best bet, but it will take a few days to work. You will probably also go less frequently than before for awhile because you aren't eating enough volume to really prompt your body to eliminate it as often. I used to poop twice a day now I poop about once or twice per week.

Its possible he wants you to keep cooking dinner (even if you don't eat it) because he feels food was one of the stronger bonds between the two of you and he might be afraid that will go away. I say still cook him dinner, just cook healthier versions of what you normally would. It will give you good practice for cooking healthy when you can eat fairly normal again, and he might even decide he likes some of the healthier options. I think its equally important for us to support our significant others as it is for them to support us. We often forget they are going through some massive changes too, and our relationships will be more likely to last if issues are addressed on both sides.