*Lexie*

I lose slowly too and I've tried various things to pick things up when I stop losing. The most effective was that I went back on my pre-op diet for a few days. If you can stand it for longer than that, then I'm sure it would be even more effective. My pre-op diet was 2 Protein shakes and a healthy meal. If I do that for a few days, I'll usually lose a few pounds that week. You can take shakes when you travel and that could help keep your calories low when you have all your meals at restaurants.

Final weight - 202

I did for the first 3 weeks or so after surgery.

Mine was the opposite. I had one C-section and it was a cake walk. Recovery was easy, never took anything but ibuprofen. VSG took me a little longer to recover and I took pain meds for a day or two. Even though I'm ranking it worse, I still thought it was pretty easy.

200.0 today. 1 pound to goal!

@VSGAnn2014 Your posts are always so motivating. Love your attitude. @Rosie77 I do think attitude and approach make all the difference. I come to this site to stay engaged and focused on my goals. I go to support group meetings and advanced skills classes offered by my surgeon. These things keep me focused. I truly believe that if I just got the surgery and stopped there, I would maybe lose half of my excess weight like the stats show. But I have learned that the people that stay engaged in their goals are more successful. Everyone on this site who has hit and maintained their goals could have walked away long ago. But I believe being here keeps them successful. Don't be discouraged by stats, be determined to make the most of the opportunity. P.S. Confession - I had to use a calculator to convert kg to lbs.

What a great story. You look fit and amazing. I've started running again and I'm starting with a 5K in May. Feels good to be able to move. Just amazing how quickly you got to goal. It's probably going to take me a little longer but I'm pushing ahead regardless. So excited to get to where you are at. Good luck on your half. Make sure to let us know how it goes.

Hi, I'm 4 months out and I still have a lot of issues with throwing up. Sometimes it's because I didn't chew well enough, sometimes because I didn't eat slow enough, sometimes because of the food I am eating and sometimes just because my sleeve has a wicked sense of humor. I definitely feel your pain. It's sad to say but getting sick doesn't bother me as much as it did early on. I actually started tracking it because I want to be able to tell if it starts happening less and less.

You are averaging around 7lb loss per month. My Dr's goal is 5-6 lb loss per month with the sleeve in the first year. So technically you are losing above that. It's discouraging to lose slow (I lose slowly too) but maybe give it some time and those few pounds do add up over time. I agree with @@sjules, if you get to 18 months and still struggling, then definitely look into it.

@susieq321 Wow, that's not cool. I would be on anti-depressants if I gained weight on 600 calories per day. I hope they get your medication worked out.

So hard for me to remember that Monday is weigh in day. Forgot to report. My weight on Monday was 205.0

Mine settled down about a month post op. I burped a lot too and that has gone away too.

Yep, you're crazy. Just kidding. I think it's normal. I heard 2 stats before my surgery that gave me some peace of mind. First one was that someone's doctor told them that they have a greater chance of dying on the way to the hospital in a car accident than during surgery. Not sure if that is an official stat but it made me realize that I don't freak out every time I get behind the wheel of the car even though each time is technically a risk. Second, my surgeon said that mortality rates for WLS were lower than knee surgery. That made me feel better too. I hope this helped and if it didn't, just know that as soon as surgery is over, you won't be worried about it anymore. Hang in there!

This is a good thread with a lot of good advice. I hit 4 months recently and felt the tick-tock of that honeymoon clock. @@CowgirlJane is right, I have to stay focused on this first year. Great advice. But I clearly did not get surgery on my brain because my brain is still very messed up. It still wants carbs and junk. @@VSGAnn2014 said something about consistency and I'm hoping with time and consistency that my brain will start to change. But I do stumble (sometimes into a piece of chocolate) and I get up, brush myself off and keep at it. I am stumbling a little less than before so that's positive. To the OP, you came back from vacation and posted on here for advice. That clearly shows you are ready to get back on track so good for you for brushing yourself off and getting back at it. I have a vacation planned in September (right around my 1 year mark) and am going to an all-inclusive resort (unlimited food and alcohol) so the advice provided in this post is very helpful for me. I don't love alcohol unless it's sugary so I need to plan on not drinking. I need to stick with my meals and not graze.

Hi Jamie - I just started 5K training and right now I'm only running for 30 minutes but on off days I do Zumba for 60 minutes. I haven't had any issues with fatigue like you are having. I am usually around 1000 calories per day. Maybe you just need an extra 100 calories or so in your day. And just a side note. Don't eat before running. I had dinner one evening about an hour before going to the gym and it felt like my food was in my throat for the whole run. Ugh, guess that tiny sleeve needs more time between eating and intense exercise than our old, bigger stomachs. I signed up for my first post surgery 5K for this May. Excited to get back to running! Good luck with your running program.

My taste buds didn't change and I often still want to eat the same bad things. For me, it's still work to make healthy choices. But I do feel like I'm baby stepping my way to a healthier lifestyle.

Wow, so happy for you. And so motivating to me. We had the same starting weight. I sure hope I can hit 150. I'd be more than happy with that.

@TeacherMommy I definitely have moments where I do the same thing. I was a grazer before and want to be a grazer now. I'll do good for a few days and then the Snacks start creeping in. Definitely not an easy battle we are fighting. So glad you posted this since I am very interested in tips to change this behavior. @JamieLogical Love that commercial. And yes, that's me. I hope that I stop wanting to eat these things. @joatsaint Love this idea and since you have lost 100+ pounds, I'm betting you know what you're talking about. I'm going to try this. I think I keep focusing on trying to stick with 3 meals a day and no more and when I get weak and want to eat, I eat something I shouldn't. I'll try replacing that with Protein and keeping things with me so I'm armed and ready.

Yay, congrats! Wait for me, I'll be there soon!

Could not resist reading this post after seeing the catchy title. I will be sure to take my Probiotics much more regularly from now on.

Wow, you look so much younger now. Congrats on your success!

From reading your post, it sounds like the band and sleeve feel very similar. I doubt you'll be surprised by the difference. Hopefully someone that converted from a band to sleeve will post a response comparing the differences. I am wondering what the sleeve feels like on a daily basis? What do you feel when you eat? Once healed, I don't feel my sleeve unless I'm eating. I can drink normally now and don't need to sip anymore. When I eat, it feels normal as long as I take tiny bites and chew a lot. I get full pretty quickly but I usually stop before that point because feeling full doesn't feel good anymore. It's more uncomfortable. I like what another poster said about liking to feel full before surgery. I used to like the full feeling. I compare this full to those rare times pre-op when you kept eating long after feeling full and pushed yourself to a painful full. What do you feel that makes you stop eating? I try to measure my food so I don't have to wait for that feeling. Once or twice I have eaten very slowly and chewed very well and was able to eat until I got to a comfortable satisfied feeling. I could probably do that more if I was more patient. What happens if you eat after you get that feeling? I throw up. And I won't be able to eat or drink anything for a while. Last night I had my small dinner and did everything right. Except I went for a run about 45 minutes later and I could feel my dinner in my throat the whole time. Afterwards, I promptly threw up. Guess now I need to wait longer before working out or eat after. I'm still learning. Do you get “stuck” and throw up? This happens to me more often than I would like. I have been trying hard to eat slow but it still seems to happen every few days. The stuck feeling sounds the same, chest pain and pressure and for me, I either have to suffer through it for 2+ hours or throw up to get relief. In your own words, not the informative website words, how does the sleeve work and how does it feel? I don't feel anything unless I'm eating. No issues with any type of fluids or the amount I drink, that feels like it did before surgery. Other than getting full faster and issues with food getting stuck or not being able to tolerate something (which feels the same as food getting stuck) I don't feel any different. Once I got past the first month, my energy levels are fine. I think the sleeve definitely works to restrict the amount of food I eat. I also think it restricts my food choices a bit because of things getting stuck. I'm much more careful about what I choose to eat and how much. Even if I'm not motivated and want to eat bad, the negative side effects help me make the choice not to eat something. I have made that wrong choice a time or two and a few bites in, I get sick and I learn to stop being a dummy. I hope this helps you out. Best of luck with the switch to the sleeve.

206.8 today

Today's weight - 206.8

Today's weight - 206.8