Babbs

I remember feeling almost completely normal at around 5 weeks. Each week gets easier and easier. You are pretty tired and weak the first couple weeks. And not so much "real" hunger, but more head hunger while you're still on liquids. That subsides a lot as soon as you can start eating pureeds or soft food.

Stop. Breath. Get back to basics like in the beginning. Protein and veggie with every meal. Only healthy Snacks like nuts and cheese. No carbs or sugar and lots of Water to detox the crap out of your system. If you're not exercising, start. Are you taking something for your GERD? If so, maybe you need to see the doctor again and get something different to help you get it under control. You've lost 84 pounds. That's amazing! You CAN do this and get back on track!

Yup. I feel sexier, and he is reaping the benefits

Is that you front and center? I don't think you look overweight at all. I guess it's all relative. *shrug*

@@bayougirlmrsc Good looking family!

Changing things up sometimes helps. Try bumping up your calories and exercise for a few days. Lots of Water. Maybe some different high Protein foods you aren't used to eating. And sometimes, if you are in fact doing everything you are supposed to be doing, you just ride it out

@@Stevehud Good stuff. Thanks for sharing!

So much this.

You will find as you lose weight, you will be so much cooler than before. You will even get to a certain point where you're COLD all the time! I'm not going to miss the constantly sweaty summers

Here is a good video explaining sleeve stretching. He does say it depends on sleeve size and bougie etc....but he also says it may stretch a little but will never stretch too much and never to the original stomach size. Actually pretty informative! https://youtu.be/Nv8X6H_jLgY

You're right. You don't. I strictly see my PCP. She even did my 6 month blood work for me.

I enjoy my Premier Protein shake in the morning. I like drinking a shake because I can also drink my coffee at the same time with no waiting after I eat. I pretty much have to have coffee first thing or I can't function

I do admit, I'd love to run a 5k and maybe even a half marathon one of these days. :-) And you WILL

It's not vain to want to live a healthier, happier life. I did all the 5K walks, too at 235lbs, but I was far from healthy. You may feel pretty good and claim to not have serious medical issues, but let's not mince words here. Being obese is NOT healthy. It puts a constant strain on all your organs, joints and emotional health. To put it in perspective, instead of walking 5K's, I am currently training to RUN a 5K. I could not have done that at 235lbs. Don't feel guilty. Just DO it

@@AvaFern I'm going to be honest here. Your attitude scares me a little. When is losing enough weight "enough"? Are you ever going to be happy with your weight? When you hit 119 will you then want to go to 109? You said yourself that focusing on the numbers can be dangerous. It worries me that you are on kind of a slippery slope here.... Not judging just a little concerned....

I know a lot of people on here like to give themselves a "cushion" of between 5 and 10 pounds below their goal weight so they can comfortably keep themselves in check without technically going over their original goal weight. Maybe the 165 or 170 can be your cushion? Mine is 150, and if I get there, I may try for 145 just to give myself some wiggle room. But we will see

6 months seems to be kind of the magic number for a lot of us. I too noticed I could eat more around that time. I went from 1 egg to 2, 5 shrimp to 8, etc....I figure depending on what it is, I can eat as much as a half to 3/4 cup of food now. One thing I had to do once I realized my sleeve was holding a little more food was start to measure everything and just STOP when I was finished with the measured portion. Just because you can eat more, doesn't mean you should

I started eating cooked veggies around 2 months out. I only just recently started eating fruit, and when I do, I stick to the lower sugar fruit (berries). I will mix them into my yogurt, or just have a handful for a snack. As far as veggies, I probably only eat a couple bites because I follow the Protein first then veggie rule. Most of the time I'm too full from the protein to have too many veggies. I'm trying to incorporate more veggies in salads and Snacks to get more in.

Why yes you can! *Waves magic wand* POOF! You're a VIP!

I'm wondering if it has to do with the number of posts made? It seems everyone that became a VIP without paying seem to have 600 posts or more? That is my theory. Feel free to post yours. This mystery must be solved!

Yes! And so am I

Yup. What everyone else said. Back to basics for you. Try absolutely NO CARBS (or as little you can get) for a while. Just Protein and green, non starchy veggies. TONS of Water. And some might disagree with me on this, but lay off the strength training and just concentrate on cardio for a while until you are well on your way to losing again. Good luck!

How far out from surgery are you? Did they say anything about how far out you need to wait for fruit? Prunes are pretty soft, but they do have a skin and have tons of sugar. I would worry more about the skin on them. I know they didn't want me to eat grapes for quite a while because of the skin. I'd ask your surgeon. They would be great for the constipation we all seem to get after surgery, though

Awww I'm so sorry about your dad. Your baby sister is lucky to have you I've lost both my parents, and it's so hard. You've been through a lot. You've got this. I think your mom will come around once she gets some education about it. You're doing the right thing by having her go to classes with you. Not gonna lie, quitting smoking during a pre op diet is going to be hard, but can be done. My insurance required a 3 month supervised diet, and I needed to quit smoking also. I started vaping, and tapered down the nicotine until I was down to none in my vape. By the time I had surgery, I had stopped vaping altogether. And I still managed to lose weight Obviously it must have been good enough for my insurance! I'll be rooting for you because I know how hard it is to quit! Good luck with the process and keep us posted!

The best way I can explain it is it gives you that "head start" you need to keep going. At first, it kind of forces you to do the right things. After a while, you just get into the habit. It really helps when you are seeing the weight come off to stay motivated. Yes, stalls, slower weight loss, temptations and head hunger can be hard to deal with, but if you are doing what you're supposed to be doing and remain vigilant, you get through it and reap the rewards. I think you have a good understanding that this is just a tool and not a quick fix, and when it's all said and done, it's ultimately up to you to use the tool to your full advantage.