mooncat

I have not posted in quite awhile. Life is busy! Sleeved 12.3.13 with no complications. I can eat proteins easily, but meats go down easier if they have some juice or gravy to help them. I lost 80 pounds, and my weight hovers between 163 and 166. I set a goal of 150, but since I typically do not exercise at all, I know I will not get there for now. I am 3 years from retiring and have convinced my husband that we need to retire internationally. I want to move to a place that is very walkable. When we were on our last vacation (Dominican Republic), I lost 4 pounds in one week at an all-inclusive resort due to the amount of walking! We are starting to plan for our dream retirement. You would be surprised how inexpensive it can be to live in another country! Next week we go to Belize, February to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and March to Panama. We are interested in these three countries and may also consider Chile or Ecuador. We have never visited any of them, so we decided it was time to get started. If you have visited any of them, please share your thoughts.

HW: 243 SW: 228 CW: 169 TPL: -74 TPG: -93 continuing to water exercise with friends which is helping to keep the weight loss going, although slowly (1 pound this week). It does seem to be changing my body though. Wish I had kept measurements all along.

So sorry! I have not been on here for a few days. It was a typo. I will NEVER weigh 107!!!! It was 170, which makes the rest of the math work out.

Hello! I live in Northern VA (Woodbridge in Prince William County) which is about 30 miles south of DC. I had my sleeve surgery 12/3/13 at Sentara in Woodbridge by Dr Halmi from Bluepoint. I am within 20 pounds of my goal now as I have lost 73 pounds. My journey has been slower than some. I set realistic goals for myself knowing that I have a very demanding and stressful job which takes at least 60 hours of my week and I spend 10-15 hours per week commuting to DC. That makes a serious exercise routine nearly impossible. I do Water exercise 2-3 times a week for an hour each time, as my community has both outdoor and indoor pools. I take the stairs some at work and I try to take at least a short walk each day. Our community also has a clubhouse with a gym which I have not used yet, but probably will have to at some point in order to reach goal and maintain. Our HOA fees include these things, so even though I would prefer to take classes at the Chin center, I can't see paying for a membership when we already pay for these. We have a gym at work which I could join for $10 a month, but some days I don't have time to go to the bathroom, so I am pretty sure I would not have time for the gym!

I am actually afraid of EVER eating ice cream again. First, I would have to say that chocolate ice cream has always been my favorite treat, even when I was previously thin. However, I developed a very bad habit of dealing with work stress by stopping at Baskin Robbins on my way home from work. This developed into an addiction as I stopped 5 times a week for over 2 years. That is the single biggest thing that caused me to gain 60+ pounds in two years and grow to 243. I am almost 8 months post sleeve and I have not had a single bite of ice cream. I am so afraid that, like an alcoholic, if I allow myself that first bite, it will start me down the path of weight gain again. The good news is that I don't crave it or even miss it. I LOVE my Protein shakes! I use unjury chocolate splendor powder in skim milk and I add about 2-3 inches of frozen banana, ice and a little powdered Peanut Butter. Blend away, and I feel like I am having a milk shake. This is better than Baskin Robbins because it tastes delicious and it is a healthy choice. Is anyone else afraid to even have a small amount of certain trigger foods?

HW 243 SW 228 (12/3/13) CW 107 TPG -93 TPL -73 Weight loss is much slower now with just one pound lost in two weeks. I WAS a stress eater, but I am proud to say that although the work stress was extreme over the last two weeks, I did not eat anything other than what was on my plan and I had no sugary sweets. The old me would have gained 5 pounds over the last two weeks!

HW 243 SW 228 CW 171 TPG -93 TPL -72 Progress is S-L-O-W at this point. I know I need to exercise more because my work is sedentary and VERY demanding (60-70 hours per week plus 2 hours per day commuting), which makes it tough. This week I started going to a water exercise class 3 times a week and I really like it. We shall see how much difference it makes.

I did not start losing hair until month 5, about the time I thought I was one of the lucky ones that was not going to experience hair loss! I am almost at the 8 month point now and the loss is slowing down. My hair stylist says my hair is super healthy from eating right and from all the Vitamins. She sees new hair growth, so we feel it will be fine. I am fortunate that I have a large quantity of individual hairs, so I have not had to resort to a wig and no one has noticed the loss. I do keep my Protein intake very high 80-100 grams per day, which I think has helped.

HW 243 SW 228 CW 172 TPL -71 TPG -93 Continuing with the increased protein to increase weight loss. Third week now with a 1 pound loss, which is an improvement. Also seems like hair loss is declining. Has it stopped for anyone? If so, during which month post surgery? Mine did not start until month 5 (just when I THOUGHT I was going to be one of the lucky ones that skipped this fun step!)

I am seven months post surgery and my weight loss had slowed down to only about 1/4 to 1/2 pound per week. I know that I am not exercising at all, which is a major factor, but I decided to try increasing my protein to see if it would make any difference. It did! I have lost 2 pounds in the last two weeks even though I am eating more calories. I think I will have to make time to exercise in order to reach my end goal, but for now this is working. HW 243 SW 228 CW 173 TPL -70 TPG -93

Great to see everyone's progress! Such losers! HW 243 SW 228 CW 174 TPL -69 TPG -93

HW 243 SW 228 CW 175 TPL -68 TPG -93 no change this week

Finally figured out how to cut and paste on here! (Duh) I was on vacation with family this week and concerned that it might result in weight gain, but I lost 3 pounds! I am very happy with that. HW 243 SW 228 CW 175 TPL -68 TPG -93

I also have a desk job, but I am the manager and the job is very stressful. I was initially given 2 weeks off and I tried to work from home the 3rd week, but I found I just did not have 8 strong hours per day. After trying to work at home for 3 days, I took another 5 days off. I had zero pain after surgery and never took any pain medication after I left the hospital. I was very weak and tired even though I am normally a high energy person. Best of luck to you!

Correction! HW 243 SW 228 CW 178 TPL -65 TPG -93 (I made an error here on last post- sorry!)

HW 243 SW 228 CW 178 TPL -65 TPG -90

HW 243 SW 228 CW 178 65 pounds lost

HW 243 SW 228 12/3/13 CW 182 Total lost 61 pounds Last two weeks weight loss was minimal, but I could see changes in my body and the way clothes fit. Others noticed and commented too. I have had other similar periods during this journey. Almost as if my body can either drop weight or adjust how it carries weight, but not both as the same time. Has anyone else experienced this?

HW 243 SW 228 (12/3/13/ CW 183 No loss this week Total loss 60 pounds.

HW 243 SW 228 12/3/13 CW 183 1 pound lost this week 60 pounds total Feeling great and loving life!

Having to give up my beloved Diet Coke was a major concern of mine before the surgery. It actually violated two rules - no caffeine and no carbonation. I was not sure I could do it, but I was committed to try. Funny thing - I am 4 months out and I don't even miss Diet Coke. I would not have one today even if they told me it was okay. I just don't want it anymore. I never drank Water before, but I have found that a little Mio or other flavoring in water totally satisfies me and is so much healthier. I think the caffeine had me on a roller coaster that made it difficult to rest well and night and then I needed the caffeine to come out of the fog the next morning. I feel so much better all day now that I would not even think of going back.

I had sleeve surgery with hiatal hernia repair but did not have any pain following surgery. I have read on here of others with a much different experience. I am sure some of them will reply.

I also weigh daily even though I am aware of the issue of normal fluctuations. I weigh each morning, after going to the bathroom and before drinking or eating anything, to try to keep to a stable comparison. When I see a bump up, but I know I have followed the program, I don't let it worry me. However, when I know I need to exercise more or I know that I did not follow the eating guidelines the previous day or two, the change on the scale serves as an affirmation to what I know and causes me to get back in the saddle. Each person has to find what works for them. This works for me.

You might want to ask if you can locate your own psychologist. My psych eval was 1-2 hours long and I think I paid $100. My surgeon gave me a list of potential psychologists to go to and I called around to get a price and appointment that suited me. I was not self-pay for my surgery, but the psych eval was not covered by my insurance.

While I am way behind you on the timeline of reaching a BMI of 29 (yeah! no longer "obese" just "over weight"!!!), I see that we had our sleeve surgery on the same day 12/3/13. By now you are likely much further along to your goal. Congratulations on your progress!