Bluesea71

7/21 check in: 187.2. Down 3 pounds from last week and officially in the 180's!

I was wondering what happened to you! Congrats on your weight loss! Did you go on the ride inside the Epcot ball and view your video? I still have ours from our Disney World visit in 2008!

What I can tell you is there is no norm on what people lose in a certain amount of time. The factors already stated above influence - age, starting weight, etc. My signature below shows my weight loss the past 13 weeks. I have lost almost 50 pounds since surgery (5'7" 236 starting weight and today I weighed 187.5). I have never hit a stall, but I've consistently lost at a snail's pace. Please note it took me 7 weeks to get through the 190's!!! I started walking on the treadmill for 1-1.5 hours daily the past few weeks. While the scale isn't reporting much, my body composition is changing. Exercise makes a HUGE difference! I found that I was becoming skinny-fat. Don't just base success on what you weigh. I found I was losing a lot of muscle weight and everything was just sagging. Not anymore. Exercise plus my slow weight loss has meant I have very little sagging skin! I have learned to accept my slow weight loss. Comparing myself to others loosing 3-7 pounds per week just leaves me feeling discouraged.

Height / weight starting our wls programs: 5' 7", 236 2) Weight day of surgery: 226 3) 13 week post op weight pounds lost/gained: 1.1 pounds lost this week. The snail is still slowly moving along! Current weight 190.... Although it did go down to 189 earlier this week!!!!! Grrrrr. 4) Goal weight: 175 mini goal by end of August when I leave for my tropical vacation. 160 surgeon goal, 140 stretch goal (although this would out me at a BMI of 22. That's teeny!) 5) Your biggest success this week: Exercise makes a HUGE difference! Okay, for me not so much in what's reported on the scale but I'm looking tone! I've all but lost what I refer to as my "second butt" which was a flap of fat under each butt cheek (tmi?). My thighs and arms are looking toned and the loose skin on my inner thighs is retracting. My arms are looking tiny! The loose skin that was there has disappeared! I went to a professional baseball game last weekend. While there, I had a flashback of attending a game a few years ago and commenting how small the seats were. I remember feeling uncomfortable sitting through the game. This time I had plenty of wiggle room! 6) Your biggest struggle this week: sloooooow weight loss. It's hard not to get frustrated when people report losing 3-5 pounds per week! I have been slacking in the Protein department, so this week I will focus on eating more and see if that makes a difference. In the meantime, I will be happy if I continue losing and avoid another stall!

7/14 checkin: 190

I recently heard that the timing of hair loss post surgery was relevant. The sooner you started losing, the sooner it would end. For example, if your hair started falling out at month 3, the hair loss would only last 3 months. If hair loss started at month 8, the loss/regrowth process would last 8 months, etc. Has anyone heard this before? The information was reported from a fellow BP friend after attending the 3 month follow up class offered at the hospital where we had our surgeries. I'm attending the same class in a few weeks and will be sure to clarify! Are there any veterans out there that can share their experience? I have been shedding hair like crazy since 6 weeks post op, so I'm selfishly hoping this is true!!!

This whole hair loss thing is so confusing! I've always shed a ton of hair on a daily basis even pre-surgery. It's hard to know if what I'm experiencing is what people freak out about or there is worst to come! I have taken in at least 60-80 grams of protein since the day after surgery and take all of my supplements plus biotin. I'm loosing my weight at a snail's pace (1.5-2 pounds per week) consistently with no stalls so far. It's hard to imagine this would qualify as sending my body into shock! Oh well, it's only temporary and teasing my hair a tad at the scalp helps disguise where it's thin on top!

Hey there. I just posted a new thread about hair loss which I will copy and past below. Have you heard this before? If its true, being advanced may be a good thing! I recently heard that the timing of hair loss post surgery was relevant. The sooner you started losing, the sooner it would end. For example, if your hair started falling out at month 3, the hair loss would only last 3 months. If hair loss started at month 8, the loss/regrowth process would last 8 months, etc. Has anyone heard this before? The information was reported from a fellow BP friend after attending the 3 month follow up class offered at the hospital where we had our surgeries. I'm attending the same class in a few weeks and will be sure to clarify! Are there any veterans out there that can share their experience? I have been shedding hair like crazy since 6 weeks post op, so I'm selfishly hoping this is true!!!

Cowgirljane - have you posted a recent picture of your scars? I'm curious how they look several months later. My stomach is a mess from two pregnancies and would love it if a tummy tuck was in my future... but that hip to hip incision makes me think of Frankenstein! I've had two previous abdominal surgeries that are over 20 years old and hardly visible. The incision line for a tummy tuck just seems so much bigger! I'm also worried about the twilight sedation Dr. Sauceda uses. I had a nose job when I was 22 (don't judge!). I had similar sedation with that and I remember the whole surgery! It was painful and I still remember watching the surgeon breaking my nose with a hammer! Do you have any memory of the surgery?

I'm 189.7 today! Officially in the 180's!!!! Wooo Hooo! Sadly, 190 is what I weighed when I was 9 months pregnant with my daughter back in 1999!

The labor day challenge started this past Monday If you can't easily find it, tap on my profile and look under posts I've commented on to find the thread.

Sorry to hear about your family troubles this week. It sounds like you're doing a great job setting boundaries on how you want to be treated. I find that the older I get, the more it takes for me to get angry. I don't want any person, place or thing to impact what kind of day I'm going to have. I don't like who I am when I'm angry. It changes who I am both mentally and physically. Focus on what you have control over - YOU. We can't control other people. We can only control our feelings, our reactions and how we view a particular situation. Take accountability for your part (and make amends to anyone you may have harmed) and leave the rest.

Chin up Melodica! You can do this!

1) Height / weight starting our wls programs: 5' 7", 236 2) Weight day of surgery: 226 3) 12 week post op weight pounds lost/gained: 1.9 pounds lost this week, 45 overall and 50 pounds lighter than my heaviest of 241 in 2011. Current weight 191.1. Maybe I will take a poop and get into the 180's! 4) Goal weight: 175 mini goal by end of August when I leave for my tropical vacation. 160 surgeon goal, 140 stretch goal (although this would out me at a BMI of 22. That's teeny!) 5) Your biggest success this week: I have noticed this shift in me where I want to exercise verses viewing it as a chore. I think the main difference is I am seeing results and being successful keeps me motivated. Before I would easily give up, as I wouldn't see the scale move or see any improvement. I went for a 2.5 mile walk everyday on my vacation last week up/down huge hills in 90 plus degree heat! Another pleasant surprise is a pic my honey took of me while laying out on the beach. We tried to recreate an unflattering pic he took of me last year in the same location in my bathing suit which horrified me. I still view myself with a fat lens and it was nice to see a difference! 6) Your biggest struggle this week: my weight loss is soooooooo slow! I keep telling myself this will be the norm as I get closer to my goal weight. I do feel lucky that I haven't yet hit a stall and hopefully my skin will continue to bounce back loosing at such a snails pace. I average 1-2 pounds per week. I keep reminding myself that pre-surgery, I would have caved by now and would be munching on a super deluxe chicken burrito. Mmmmm.... Mexican food.

Happy 12 week anniversary everyone! Here's the template to check in! 1) Height / weight starting our wls programs: 2) Weight day of surgery: 3) 12 week post op weight pounds lost/gained: 4) Goal weight: 5) Your biggest success this week: 6) Your biggest struggle this week:

As time progresses, you can eat a lot more... And then you wish for those early days when you could only eat a few bites before becoming full!

Sorry for late check in. I was on vacation and didn't have access to a scale. Final weight - 192 Two pounds shy of goal!

Starting weight: 192 Goal weight for challenge: 175

Hey all - there's a new BP Labor Day challenge starting This Monday, July 7th. I participated in the 4th of July challenge and it really helped keep me in track every week! If you can't find it in the thread, click on my profile and look for recent posts I commented on. You identify a goal you would like to achieve by Labor Day and check in with your stats once a week. It's fun to see everyone's successes and read their motivating pep talks!

Thanks for taking over and doing this! I'm currently on vacation and don't have access to a scale (gasp!). I will check in on Monday!

1) Height / weight starting our wls programs: 236 2) Weight day of surgery: 226 3) 11 week post op weight pounds lost/gained: I weighed 193 yesterday, so I lost 1.8 pounds this week. Slow and steady..... No stall yet! 4) Goal weight: 160 surgeon goal, 140 stretch goal 5) Your biggest success this week: I walked on the treadmill 5 out of the seven days for over an hour each time/ 3 mile at a vigorous pace. I also started lifting wights. 6) Your biggest struggle this week: no real struggles.... Except I'm up at the cabin for 4th of July and we spend the majority of our time lounging in the lake. I weighed 45 pounds more this time last year. We go on plenty of trips where I wear a bathing suit, but for some reason I'm dreading putting on a bathing suit this year! I will do it, but so aware how much more self conscious I am! It's almost like as a fat person it's ok to have imperfections, now I'm looking at all of my skinny fat parts! Oh well, motivation to keep exercising!

Happy 11 week anniversary everyone! I'm up in the mountains for 4th of July and (gasp!) don't have a scale available! I will check in with Tuesday's weight! Here's the template to check in! 1) Height / weight starting our wls programs: 2) Weight day of surgery: 3) 11 week post op weight pounds lost/gained: 4) Goal weight: 5) Your biggest success this week: 6) Your biggest struggle this week:

6/27 check in: 193 3 pounds until goal! I will be out of town all next week, and will likely not have access to a scale or wifi (gasp!). I will check in Sunday, 7/6 with my final weight.

Welcome to the group Matt1912! We could use some testosterone around here!

Melodica - I'm sorry to hear that you are still have a bad time. Chin up, my friend! Hopefully your struggles are short-term. In the meantime, don't downplay your successes! Congrats on the scale moving in the right direction!