CheleLynn45

214 today, but I had hernia removal surgery on Friday so I'm thinking I am still holding fluid. Hopefully next week will show my loss.

I dislike immensely being uncomfortable or in pain so that was enough for me to stick to my portions. Even today at 7 months out I still am very conscious of my portions. It's a new way of life so I have to be. When we go out I either share a meal with my hubby or daughter, or if I order my own meal I make sure it is something that will reheat well so I can eat the leftovers the next couple days. Like others have said I don't like to waste food, but I would rather it out than make myself sick trying to finish it. Good luck with your journey!!

Thanks so much everyone for your kind words. I wore my new shoes all day while out bumming and shopping and I felt great.

The journal I keep with my weight loss is from my home scale, I weigh every morning butt naked right after I get up. On the days I have my check ups with the doc I weigh myself once I am dressed again on my scale then when I get on their scale it usually pretty close within .5-.8 of mine at home fully dressed. Doesn't bother me one bit what the doc scales say cause I go by mine. I know all scales will be different. Hang in there as long as they are going down that I what matters!!

my starting weight is 216, my goal weight will be 209.

On vacation no scale....pit me down for the same I guess.

I had my sleeve, surgery on October 27, 2014. Starting weight 314.8, today I am 218.

Congrats on your progress so far!! I'm not sure if you would consider 7 days a stall but that is the longest I have gone without losing since I have started this journey. Just this past week I went Monday to Monday with no loss, got up this morning.....BOOM two pounds. I was so happy!! I have no giant word of wisdom, I just keep doing what I have been doing. After my 6 month check up doc told me that my weight loss would slow down, so I have accepted that. I have my ventral hernia surgery scheduled for June 5th and I am hoping when they remove Herman he ends up weighing about ten pounds. LOL OK I know he doesn't but it would be nice.

I started Vitamins two weeks after surgery. I started with the Bariatric Advantage ones and still take them twice a day. In the beginning I found I had to take them earlier in the day rather than later. Now it doesn't matter much when I take them. There was no way I could do chewables, just thinking about them makes my tummy upset. I hope you find something that works for you, especially since it is something you have to take the rest of your life.

I just bought a case of 15 of these at my local costco for 15.89. They are 18oz drinks with two servings per bottle, 5 calories per serving and 1 gram of sugar per serving. The flavors in my case were, blueberry, coconut, clementine, dragonfruit and pomegranate. The lady that was giving out the samples let me and my daughter try each flavor before we bought them. Has anyone else had these?? They were so yummy, and NO icky aftertaste which for me is fantastic. I am a little over 6 months out and use decaf tea (hot and iced) and Water to get in my liquids. It will be so nice to have some other flavors to choose from. Let me know if anyone else has tried these and what you think. They carry them at Walgreens, Target, some grocery stores. They were the cheapest at Costco because they were running a special with a $4 off instant coupon.

@TEXASLADY52 I also use the GENEPRO and have since day one. I use it in my 32oz of decaf tea every morning to give me a jumpstart for the day for my Protein intake and liquid. I have no problems getting all my protein or liquid in, but these drinks just give me a yummy alternative to just decaf tea and Water. I cannot do the crystal light or liquid enhancers, I cannot stand the aftertaste and how I feel even after 1 sip. @Kindle I didn't see the caffeine in them, but that doesn't bother me at all. I drink the decaf tea now because my surgeon said it was better for me. I am just so excited to have other options that are not full of calories and sugar!!

220 again today stupid TOM!!

WOW.....I am so sorry to read these posts. My surgeon is great, but he is after all a surgeon so he is pretty much straight to the point and no sugar coating. He has always answered my questions and I have never felt rushed. Now the office staff, coordinators and NP's I really really like. We also have a woman named Gayle who teaches the 2 hr+ post op class. She is fantastic and has had the sleeve surgery herself. For most of my follow ups I have seen the NP, Deb, and I really like her. She takes all the time you want, really goes over everything and has been available to answer my questions. I am now in the process of having my ventral hernia removed by my bariatric surgeon and am dealing other staff member for scheduling and processing. Even these ladies have been great, especially with helping me fill out my paperwork for my LOA from work. @majorsmama I hope you get your approval and scheduled soon! Good luck!!

I use splenda, but only in my morning deaf tea!

I was 6 months out on April 27th and was down 92lbs and today I am down 94lbs.

Good luck with you journey!! I didn't have to do a two week liquid diet either. I only had to do two shakes a day and I could have a small meal every night. Looking forward to that got me thru it. I only had to do that for five days though. Keep focusing on how much better you will feel once the weight starts dropping off. How much easier it will be to move around. Any good habits you can implement now will only help you down the road after surgery!! Keep reading and posting on here, there is a wealth of great information and support!!!

You can completely do this. Just don't beat yourself up to bad. Recognize what you did incorrectly and move on!! I like this saying "when you know better, you can do better!" As far as next years vacation I can guarantee it will be a whole different story. We went to Disney in March 2015, I was sleeved in Oct 2014. I was a tad nervous about going but once I was there it was great. I fit on everything, we logged 18000-22000 steps each of the days we were there. I brought my Protein powder with me for Breakfast, took a Quest bar with me each day to make sure I got in my protein, and tried to make good food choices. But I still did get things I wanted and even if it was just a few bites it was still yummy and I didn't feel deprived. I also have so many pic of all of us and I am not hiding behind my daughter. I even wore matching shirts with the family one day and my daughter another day. It was great. I came home and had lost two pounds!! Never in my life have I lost weight after a vacation!! LOL So you keep your head up and know you can do this. My main motivation besides a few health issues I was having, was to be an ACTIVE participant in my life again. No more sitting on the sidelines for me!! You can have that too!! Good Luck with your journey and Keep posting and reading. These forums are amazing!! I still try to get on them at least once a day. I am 6 months out and my weight loss has slowed but has not stopped. I thought 6 mnths seemed so far away but it was here before I knew it!!! I am going to post a pic or two from vaca for you to see!! We really had a great time. We are heading to FL on May 22nd and I got me a new bathing suit. Grant it I am no bikini model but I am happy with how I look right now. And that is a hug accomplishment for me!! I can't wait to hear how your surgery and recovery and new life goes!!!

220 today!! YEAH!!

@kathico Hi.....My journey is going pretty well. I was 6months out on April 27th. My recovery from surgery went way better than I anticipated. I am a big baby so I thought it would be horrible and it wasn't. My new tummy really tolerated almost anything I put in it. I did follow my docs orders to a T for the first 5 months I would say. I really wanted to utilize this tool I was given for all it was worth. I have vacationed in March and did great, came home I was down two pounds!! Was really happy about that. Even though my tummy will tolerate just about everything, I still try to put only good in it. I'm not always 100% there but I would say I am about 90% good now. Besides my restriction I feel pretty normal. This is just my new way of life. I try to get to the gym or do something 3-4 times a week, and if that doesn't happen I don't beat myself up about it. I do get between 65-80grams of Protein in a day and most days I have about 72oz of liquid. I still log, track and weigh my food. Logging in my written journal is a must to keep me on track. As of today I am down 94lbs. I really really wanted to be at 100lbs lost at 6 months but I am still pretty proud of myself. I have a gorgeous pair of black wedges that we bought for when I hit my 100lb loss. They are just sitting in the box taunting me, waiting to be worn. We are going on vaca May 22nd and I was hoping to be able to take them with me, but I am not sure if that will happen. My husband and 16yr old daughter are holding them hostage. LOL I hope you are doing well with your journey. Good luck with everything, and I am usually on here daily at one time or another!! Keep posting and reading this is a great website!!!

Hi.....hope you are doing well after your surgery! I had my sleeve done Oct 27th 2014. I am originally from Hamburg NY but currently live in Tucson AZ.

I have hair loss that I can notice, but not anyone else. Mine started coming out more around month 4. After I would comb thru it from getting out of the shower I will take my hands and run them down my hair and strands will come out very easily. I have shoulder length hair. I can feel a difference when I put my hair up in a ponytail, but you cannot notice any hair loss when looking at my hair. Thank God!! I never took any extra stuff for it, but I do get all my Vitamins and Protein in and have since day one. For me the most annoying part is cleaning it up in the bathroom, it's everywhere!!! And because it's long its more aggravating!! It seems to be slowing down a bit so I am hoping now that I am 6 months out it will stop soon!!

I seriously followed my docs orders as to how long to do each stage. Even when I was eating regular foods and wanted to do one shake and two meals a day, he wanted me on two shakes and one meal, that is what I did. I was so worried about not feeling good by not eating the correct stuff, I didn't try to push it faster than I should have. He also had me not eating any Snacks throughout the day. But that didn't bother me really, it was weird I thought that it didn't. I wanted to maximize my weight loss in the first 6 months, utilize this tool for all it is worth, get the best bang for my buck.....ok I will stop, you get the picture!! LOL Good luck with your journey!!

Thanks again Everyone! Just to not be dreading putting on a swimsuit is an amazing feeling. I got the top at Target!! They had quite a few cute ones. I was so surprised it had enough support in the top. I had been looking at Lane Bryant swim tops cause a lot of them come with a built in bra to help hold my ladies up. But I was so happy to be able to get this one at Target since I splurged and got the bottoms at Lands End. Kept my bathing suit purchase under $100!! Woo Hoo!! Which is great since it won't fit me next year!

We are heading to FL in May to visit family and when we are there we live outside by their pool or at the beach. So I knew I needed a new bathing suit. So I started shopping in April. Ordering a bunch off of Lane Bryant, Avenue and Lands End. I also bought one top at Target. Well I found a top and bottom and that will work for me. The top I got at Target and is a size 20, and the bottoms (my favorite part) is a size 18 and has an extra piece that goes up to right below my bustline to help hold in my tummy area is from Lands End. I feel pretty good in it and I really like the way it feels. Covers what needs to be covered (my belly and upper thighs) but still looks cute. I have a lot of returning to do but I am just glad to have found a suit!! I don't think I look fantastic but I feel comfortable and for the size I am now I'm pretty happy with how it looks!!

222 today!!