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That's awesome! Congrats!

I started out averaging about 13-15 pounds per month in the early months. I stalled big time at 7 months and lost only about 4 pounds in a month's time. Then at 8 months it picked back up. If I look just at the most recent 30 days time, I've lost 8 pounds. It's much smaller than the 15/month I lost at first, but at the same time, I've only got about 3 more pounds until goal, so it is bound to slow at some point. ETA: It's worth mentioning that during that month that I stalled and lost very little, I took a comparison pic in my workout pants and sports bra and compared it to the month before, and I could definitely tell a difference. So while I didn't lose a lot that month, I was consistent in eating and exercise and I could tell a difference in my body between the 2. Maybe I can find the pics to add....let me see..... Anyway, my point is that even if you have a smaller month number-wise on the scale, other good things could be going on too like losing inches or gaining muscle definition. Here are the pics one (the first) was from May, one (the second) from June....Only 4 pounds difference, but looking better in my opinion. So numbers aren't always the best indicator of progress

I guess (as you can tell even from these responses) that everyone is different. For me, I way at least once per day. But I do this for a couple reasons.... First it keeps me accountable. I am a denier. I got to be nearly 300 pounds in part by not stepping on a scale and being in denial. If I weigh myself daily I keep myself much more accountable. With that being said, I made a deal with myself that I won't freak out based on fluctuation. I use it more for an educational tool for myself more than anything. I can see the effects of things like eating the wrong things, not eating enough of the right things, not getting enough Water, or the positive effects of doing what I should, adding exercise, etc.

I agree with what everyone has said. Those first few weeks are really difficult both physically and emotionally. It is overwhelming to consider you will be like that the rest of your life. I can assure you (now 9 months post-op) that sooner than you realize you will be able to eat pretty much whatever you want. Just because you CAN go back to normal for most part with eating, doesn't mean you SHOULD. I was actually surprised with the types of things I can eat and not have them bother me. It's so, so important to never go back to "normal" in the sense of poor eating decisions. But yes, you will absolutely become more comfortable with your sleeve and have a new normal. :-)

That is awesome! Congrats!

I was going to suggest the same. Signing up for a race always motivates me. I am currently training for a 1/2 marathon and whenever I feel like not working out, I focus on being ready for that and it usually does the trick for me.

I chose the sleeve because it seemed less invasive to me. No malabsorption , no rerouting of intestines. I guess statistically you may lose slightly more, but at a certain point, both surgeries are just tools, and it's how hard YOU work with your tool -not which tool you chose- that will make you successful in the long run. As for me, I started at 278.4 and 9 months later I am 148 & almost at goal (3 more pounds) with the sleeve.

Great job! You are looking awesome!

So I am at 148.8 this week! I'm super excited about that. That is a 3.6 loss for the week and 3.8 away from my 4th of July goal and my ultimate GOAL! woot! Can I lose 3.8 in a week? It will be tough, but I hope so!!!

Good luck on your next adventure in life, Bea! I appreciate all the work you've done on these challenges!

This is really insightful. I think it's great that you recognize that even before surgery. That is something I definitely struggle with. I think you are going to be very successful! :-)

I had a similar experience. At about 8 months post op I really started to struggle emotionally and it was reflecting in my eating again. I began to let bad habits and emotional eating back in. I realized what you said, that I had done the physical work, but I hadn't done any emotional work. For me, I really started to dig in and try to figure out what was behind my compulsive over-eating that led me to obesity in the first place. If you are able, a therapist that deals with bariatric or eating disorder patients might be worth looking into. I started working with one, and it has been life-changing. If you are not ready to take that step, I highly recommend the book "when food is love". It helped me start to untangle the really complicated relationship between emotions and eating.

I can't say if what you are feeling is "normal" or not, but I can say that starting therapy with a therapist who specializes in eating disorders is one of the single best things I've ever done for myself. I can't recommend it enough. ETA: Get the book "When food is Love"...read it... If it resonates at all with you, therapy might be a good option. :-)

It happens. I did great, never slipping once until about 7.5 months, then I had about a month-long slip.... Luckily I didn't gain, but for me, I had to realize that it was just that....a slip.... A slip doesn't mean you have to stay down. It doesn't mean all of your bad habits have come back. It just means you had a momentary lapse. You know better now, so you can do better. Get up and keep going! :-)

Congratulations on reaching your goal! I have 4 more pounds to go and it feels like forever. I've been working with a nutritionist during this journey and my plan for maintaining is to start to add in some "safe carbs" like fruits, etc. back into my diet in small amounts and experiment with that. As for exercise, I - like you - work out about 5-6 days/week. I run and cross train a lot. Once I reach goal I plan on replacing some of that cardio with some weight training. I was kind of hesitant to do that before because muscle weighs more than fat and I didn't want to hinder my loss .....I know, it seems kind of silly...but that is how I think lol. Anyway, now that I'm just about at goal, that is something I feel good about doing.

I think one of the biggest things I've learned is that changing your diet is not enough. you have to be willing to do the hard work to figure out why you were overeating to begin with. I can reiterate all of the diet and nutrition tips that everyone else above gave, and they are all great, but if you do all of that without getting at the root problem, you will still find yourself facing your old demons. I read the book "When food Is Love" and started working with a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. That was really pivotal and important in my journey.

I have BCBS and it was 6 weight loss visits a month apart, a nutritionist visit, a psych eval, and a personal trainer visit

The surgery will work. The extent to which it works & the long term effectiveness is up to you. You just have to stick to the plan. It does work. Also if you are willing to do the tough emotional work to get to the root causes behind your unhealthy eating habits, I think you will be even that much more successful

Mainly desk job for me. I took 2 weeks off, but could have used three. I was just exhausted upon my return more than anything.

No drain for me :-)

Thanks for all the feedback!

I had a month-long stall at 8 months. I bounced back and forth between 154-155 forever it seemed. It was very frustrating. Just this morning I was super excited to have a 2 pound loss so I'm hoping that after a month at the same weight things are moving again.

I started out my journey planning to have the gastric bypass. About 4 months into my 6 month pre-op program I started having serious doubts. When I really thought about what was causing the doubts I realized it was the malabsorption part of if that scared me. So I decided to go with the surgery that would give me the same results without the malabsoption side effects or re-routing of the intestines. To me it just seemed less invasive. As for the lap band, it was never really an option I was interested in.

I agree...don't beat yourself up. I am NOT recommending it or endorsing it, but to answer your question, YES! I definitely slipped up on my pre-op diet. And way worse than cherries. I am doing awesome and at 9 months post op have lost 125 pounds and am within 7 pounds of goal. I'm not saying it will work like that for everyone, but the surgery WILL work. The extent to which it works and the long-term effectiveness is up to you. If you worry I think to some extent it shows that it matters to you and you care. Today is a new day. Refocus and go for it!!!

I agree!! It's a whole different thing!!