KristenVSG2014

I had surgery in Mexico and never spoke to my surgeon again and I've been successful. My PCP is a straight shooter. Last checkup I was complaining of low back pain and he asked how often I was working out. I said, "I have a stand up desk at work..." and he said, "Get your butt back in the gym. Walk on the treadmill and get back to full-body weights." So I did. Guess what? My back pain is 90% resolved. I love him. I'm 100% honest with him and he's honest with me. I love massages too ????

You have to take what personal trainers, even nutritionists, say with a grain of salt. As bariatric patients we have special needs. A personal trainer has not had training in what a bariatric patient needs. He can tell you how to work out and use good form using weights, that's about it. He cannot and should not give you nutritional advice unless he's been trained to deal specifically with bariatric patients. Unless a nutritionist specializes in bariatrics, they will tell you to focus more on veggies and grains than protein. Wrong. We have a lot less room and NEED protein. Also, my weight stalls when I don't eat enough calories. Thankfully my primary doctor is smart and told me at a year out for my height I should be eating at least1,200 calories a day. I was still eating 800-1,000. I increased calories and weight started coming off again. I know your doctor was a jerk and your personal trainer sounds like he knows what he's talking about (he doesn't) but all you have to do is the basic rules we were given from day 1. Have you been tracking calories and macros? I suggest getting MyFitnessPal and seeing exactly how many calories you are eating so you can see if you need to increase them.

So you lost 80 pounds in less than a year and he isn't thrilled? What a jerk. You don't need that negativity in your life. Put on your hater blockers and go on with your bad self. ????

I agree with @@winklie about getting a FitBit. I was surprised how few steps I take. On weekday non-gym days I average about 3,500 steps. On the weekend it is like 1,500. So I've been working on ramping up my steps. Park farther away, take a few more laps around the grocery store...it all adds up. That being said, I had a TERRIBLE time with fatigue and exhaustion for a long time. It wasn't until I was consistently getting enough calories that I actually had energy. You are still early out and will find what works best for your situation.

Congratulations on your weight loss and maintaining! I'm sending you a virtual hug. I too struggle with depression and it is a constant battle. I definitely get a "high" from my job. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and I thrive on a routine. Just remember, this too shall pass. Here is one of my favorite quotes from Victor Hugo: "Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise."

I remember feeling that way. I wanted to fast forward a year! It will happen. Just hang in there! P.S. I'm 5'7, HW 290 wore a 24, CW 163 wear a 10. I'm quite muscular and evenly distributed.

My longest stall was 7 weeks. Almost two months. When I increased my exercise and tightened up my diet it kick started weight loss again. Just be patient, follow the rules and it will resume!

I was 29, 5'7 and my highest weight was 290. I'm 163 now and I have loose skin but it has been tightening quite a bit over the last few months. I'll still need a tummy tuck and breast lift down the road though. Shopping in regular stores and being able to be on my feet all day with zero pain at the end of the day is worth the loose skin. No one can tell I have it with clothes on. Advice: drink LOTS of Water and give it time. It will look like a wrinkly mess but tightens some with time. Be realistic though that you will have it.

Making mine shower.... I smelled a funnel cake from two blocks away. I'm over a year out and was standing in the dining room at my parent's last night and said, "I smell marshmallows." My mom looked at me in disbelief and said she opened a cabinet in the kitchen to put something away and there is a giant bag of marshmallows in there. LOL! I've still got it. Mom said I'm a "super smeller". Unfortunately perfumes, body odor and cigarettes makes me physically ill now. Having a keen sense of smell and working with the public is not a good combination.

Yes, this happened to me. I've always been sensitive to smells but for a month after being sleeved it was overwhelmingly strong. I made my husband take the trash out almost every day because I could smell it from across the house.

What she said ???????? If I eat within 2 hours of bedtime this happens. Also, I always try to end my day with a 20 oz cup of hot tea (obviously wait an hour after eating). This seems to flush all food out of my sleeve and I sleep with no incident.

There is hope! I already had fine, thin hair and lost a ton. I'm 13+ months out and all my new growth is about 4 inches long. It looked hilarious so my sister blended it all in. I am keeping it short until my new growth catches up.

I'm in Florida and will begin shopping for a plastic surgeon later next year when my weight has been stable for six months. Please share. I've been leaning towards Dr. Bruce Mast at UF in Gainesville. He's the chief plastic surgeon and specializes in EWL patients.

New low weight today! 165.6. I guess working out was the jump/push I needed to get the scale moving today. Also, I lost a LOT of hair and it is finally coming back. Thankfully my sister is a cosmetologist so she is helping me blend the new hairs in. Here is a pic of me celebrating my new low weight, first pair of knee-high boots and haircut.

I started working out again a few weeks ago. Last night I was running on the treadmill and was amazed at how much easier it is at this size. Also, my legs don't have that horrible heavy aching feeling with days and days of soreness afterwards. I feel tired, accomplished and refreshed when I'm done. I signed up for a 5K in March. My goal is to run it in 30 min or less. Right now I'm at 45-47 min. At this time success is not just about weighing less. It's about being healthy and fit. ????????

Monthly update! I'm still going to the gym. In fact, I have my gym clothes on now and about to hit the treadmill and weights. I had to go to my chiropractor yesterday because of course my SI joint slipped out last week and refused to go back in. When I was about to leave I had a sharp pain shoot across the left side of my chest. He said I had a rib subluxation. Geez. I can't even leave his office before hurting myself. I informed him I will be going to the gym and most likely going to see him weekly until my muscles are strong enough to hold everything in place again. Meanwhile, I'm now 6+ weeks into a stall. My weight has been bouncing from 166-168. I'm trying to be patient and ride it out. I've also been tracking to make sure I'm hitting Protein goals and have been pounding the Water as well. I know the last 10 pounds are the hardest so hoping it doesn't last too long.

I constantly have to work on what I consider a success because I am a perfectionist and set the bar very high. This has been a blessing and a curse my entire life. I work circles around others but at my own expense. If I don't reach the goal I set for myself I feel like a failure. I've been working on correcting this "all-or-nothing" mentality for the past year. My first reaction to your question is, "Hitting your goal weight and maintaining forever!" However, I know that is not realistic for everyone. I'm still 6 pounds from goal and my doctor wants me to lower my goal weight another 5 pounds giving me a total of 11 pounds to lose. I've been stuck on a stall and fighting to not give in to the "nothing" mentality. I'm still going to fight until I hit my goal. But I know I need to see the other successes along the way. It's not all or nothing.

I am 6 pounds away from my goal weight but my doctor wants me to lower it by 5 pounds so now I have 11 pounds to lose. Wow has it been SLOOOOOW. I actually just entered my sixth week of a stall that I'm patiently waiting out. I recently increased my exercise and I'm tracking food to make sure I'm getting the right amount of calories. Hoping to see that scale start to move down again.

I went to the gym Monday and did an hour of Zumba and 1.5 miles on the treadmill. I felt pretty good. Then I went again last night and did 2 miles on the treadmill and weights. Treadmill was easy peasy. The weights however...not so much. I have lost SO much muscle. I did 5 lb hand weights with normal arm workouts (curls, lateral lifts, tricep extension, etc) and struggled. I was sad because I could see my excess arm skin hanging in the mirror. Then I felt like all the fit muscly people around me were looking and judging, especially that girl who obviously works very hard for those rock-hard thighs and perfect butt because those tights left nothing to the imagination. I know they weren't...but I might as well have been 290 again because that's how I felt. I thought I had gotten past caring what people thought. Looking at my arms in the mirror I thought, "I should get a shirt that says 'I've lost 125 lbs' to explain my loose skin." I did the same thing last week when I got a massage. I felt guilty about feeling like pizza dough and felt the urge to apologize or explain why I look this way. ???? Why??? I should be proud. I am...But I guess I still have work to do on not feeling guilty about not being perfect. I actually had a mini-meltdown on the way home.

Thank you for posting these. I've been struggling with watching my husband eat himself to death despite warnings from multiple doctors. We share a primary doctor who told me my husband would be dead within ten years if he didn't change drastically. He has diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic pancreatitis and gout. So I'll be a widow by the time I'm 40 years old. I've somewhat accepted that sad reality. What I haven't accepted is the in-between. I am in no way, shape or form a caretaker. I don't want to see or experience how diabetes slowly kills. When he has to have his limbs removed or go to dialysis I don't see myself being able to emotionally handle it. We tried counseling. It didn't get very far. I've stopped trying to discuss the subject because it is a very sensitive one and he gets very angry and defensive if I bring it up. I'm a planner, always thinking and planning for what is ahead. He very much lives in the moment. I feel all I can do is keep praying and trying to set an example and be there when he finally reaches the conclusion he needs to. Or he will stay on the same path and I can only hope he doesn't suffer too long.

My sister went through the same thing when she bought her house. She went from a perfect 130 pounds to 115 in a short time and started to look gaunt. They finally got it fixed up and she got back to a healthy weight after her schedule normalized. Anyway, my suggestion: Peanut Butter. Pretty much 100 calories per tablespoon. Add it to a banana or apple for a snack and you've added 300 calories to your diet. Or eat with celery if you want to stay at 200 calories. Heck, put it on half a piece of English muffin or toast! You need those calories!

Forgot to post pic ????

I wanted to pop in and say hello to everyone. Look at these super cute Ann Taylor pants I found at Goodwill! They scream fall, don't you think? Well, the print, not the cut. November is over halfway done and it is still warm in Florida. I'm not complaining! I still haven't found any knee-high boots I love.

I'm rejoining my gym! I had to cancel my membership last year when my husband lost his job. Income is finally more stable, much less, but somewhat stable, so I'm going for it. Now I need to figure out my new routine. My male coworkers go lift on their lunch break so I'm considering doing that since I wouldn't need to change. Then I might do cardio Mon/Wed/Fri or Sat. I used to wake up at 4:45 and go for an hour but I really need to work on meeting my sleep goals. I'm getting 6-7 each night when I really need 8-9. Goals!

Keep in mind, @Cujocuyo that the first year or so is considered the "honeymoon period" where the majority of weight lost is hormonal. Once that period is over the majority of weight loss (or maintenance) is up to you.