KristenVSG2014

How far out are you? I allow myself one taco with a corn tortilla about once a week. It keeps me sane. ????

My average loss was 1.76 a week. I'm almost a year post-op.

While mine wasn't as serious I definitely had some issues from low calories. My doctor suggested I add more carb to my diet so I eat a few bananas a week and it seemed to help a lot. Not all deficiencies show up either. I have a magnesium and vitamin D deficiency that I have to stay on top of. My chiropractor also told me I have an iodine deficiency but I haven't ordered any yet because I'm more nervous about taking iodine.

The scale finally moved a little! I'm down to 166.2. At this point I've lost 94% of my excess weight. My one year surgiversary is in less than a month. I'm very happy with my results. I'll give myself the next year to figure out where I'm going to end up. I'm meeting with my primary Doctor on 11/2. I can't wait to see what he says. My pants are a very comfortable size 10. Dresses are 12/14 depending on if it's stretchy (big boobs). Shirts are medium or large depending on stretchiness. I'm so excited about planning for plastic surgery. My stomach is a wrinkly mess. Thighs I can live with. Arms look pretty dang good.

do u mean 2014 lol and awesome, congratulations on your progressLOL, yes! I'm so excited about my one year surgiversary I put that date. I edited the original to not confuse.

Tuna, Mahi and Red Snapper

HW: 290 SW: 261 CW: 166 Surgery was on November 3, 2014

I'm nearly a year post-op and I have found my tastes getting pickier and picker each month. I have NEVER been a picky eater...heck, I have eaten things some people might turn their nose up to. But now it seems if something doesn't taste great then I don't eat it. Unfortunately I've developed somewhat of an aversion to certain meats, mostly ground turkey, some fish and some chicken depending on how it is prepared. It's especially bad if I cook the meal myself because I smell the raw meat and it completely takes my appetite away. The only meats that don't completely gross me out to cook with are pork and beef. In fact I made a huge pot of my ground turkey chili for dinner tonight and I had to take it outside because the smell was making my stomach turn. Not eating ground turkey anymore... Now don't get me wrong. Although I have many friends who are vegetarian I am not looking to become one. I still love most meat, especially if I don't cook it myself. Yesterday I had some raw tuna wrapped in cucumber along with chicken and shrimp cooked on a hibachi grill. Yum! My diet could be considered mostly Paleo. But I've never really had this issue before and was curious if anyone else has?

Carbs hold a lot of water. For every one gram of carb you eat your body is able to hold onto 3 grams of water. When we dramatically reduce the amount of food and carbs we eat then our body can't use its reserve. It's empty. So we have to constantly be drinking water throughout the day so the body can function.

I'm almost a year out and my sleeve has meals where I can eat a lot and meals where I take 3-4 bites and I'm done. I'm used to it now. She's the boss.

I too always kept an eye on my salt intake. After surgery I don't worry about it and my blood pressure has gone down dramatically.

Yes! I try to tuck one knee behind the other. I've tried one of those pillows in between my knees but I toss and turn too much to keep it there.

Totally normal! Keep in mind you also have a LOT of hormone changes going on right now that can also contribute to depression. I had it for quite a few months. Maybe you and hubby could go for a walk or bowling or mini golf so you're spending time together without food being the focus? Of course only do those things if you are cleared by your surgeon. We wouldn't want you hurting yourself!

Yes! I've noticed the armpit dilemma myself. My armpits used to be even and smooth. Two, three swipes and I was hairless. Now I have to kind of pull my skin with one hand and shave with the other and they are never smooth. I'm putting way too much time and thought into shaving my armpits in the morning. I also have the painfully boney butt. Thankfully I have a standup desk so I don't spend much time sitting down. Another thing I've noticed - Biotin makes all the hair on my body grow really fast, except the hair on my head. So now I have fine, thin hair on my head and constant stubble on my legs and armpits. Dammit. At least it's fall and time for pants and long sleeves. I may join you for No Shave November. ????

You might get more responses if you give the option of entering weight and height as lbs and inches rather than kg and cm. I'm too lazy to convert it myself for a voluntary survey. I haven't had my coffee yet...

Wonderful!! What a great victory!

Regret is normal when you are this soon post op, especially if you've experienced complications, and not having the desire to eat or drink is also normal. But you have to make yourself at least get in fluids and try to get in Protein. It will get better. You will begin to see the weight come off and you'll realize why you had this surgery to begin with. But you need to put your health first from now on. You won't be hungry so plan your meals and fluids. Set a timer. If you don't you will cause more complications down the road. Try to stay positive. Go for a walk. Drink some herbal tea. There's no going back. The only way is forward so make the most of it and give yourself the best shot you have at success.

There IS something more than the surgery simply reducing the size of the stomach. There are hormonal changes that help us lose weight rapidly. Doctors aren't 100% sure what causes it, but the surgery seems so reset our body's "weight set point". This explains why I've spent so many years dieting "the right way" and exercising to only lose a few pounds. Or after a month of dieting and exercising I eat one meal off plan and gain 5 pounds. I was nervous surgery wouldn't work for me since I had PCOS and insulin resistance which made losing weight close to impossible. But it's come off relatively easy. I'm interested to know how the surgery resets the body's set point but it obviously has in my case since I was never successful losing.

When I got to my heaviest weight of 290 I had to stop my seasonal job of catering at football games because of back problems. My boss was very sad and begged me not to quit because I had done it for four years and was a reliable, hard worker. Fast forward seven years and I told her I was ready to work again now that I'm 122 pounds lighter. Last Saturday she said she needed someone who could get from one side of the stadium to the other as fast as possible carrying a 20 pound box. Out of four young, fit women in our kitchen she picked me. Damn my arms are sore still...but she picked me. I grew up overweight and was always one of the last ones to be picked for anything physical. Now I'm much smaller. And much faster. ????

No, I haven't had one but I'm going to start shopping next year.

I'm almost a year out. The only thing I miss are NSAIDs. Aside from that I'm happy with and can live with the rules.

Well I was going to comment but @@VSGAnn2014 and @@Djmohr covered every point I thought of. Awesome work, ladies!

Hello fellow November sleevers! I see weight loss has slowed down for many. It has for me as well. Have any of you checked with your nut or surgeon about changing anything? (I can't since I went to Mexico). I've noticed when I focus really hard and follow the rules I stall out. As soon as I have a day or a few days where I eat more I start to lose again. I've started tracking in MFP again. I noticed when I was focusing and following the rules I tend to eat only around 800 calories a day. Now I'm working on eating 1,000-1,200 a day. I've also purchased a FitBit and while I'm trying to figure out how in the world people consistently hit 10,000 steps a day I have increased my motion. I tend to stall the more I exercise so I'm trying to be patient. I had two goal weights. The first goal weight was 180. I said if I meet this weight I will consider my surgery a success. The second goal weight was my ultimate goal weight of 160. I said if I meet this goal I will look like a dang supermodel (LOL, I never expected to meet this). Well I blew past 180, got to 170 and have stayed there forever. I've managed to get to 168.6 so it's finally moving again but I'm fighting for every ounce now. However, now that I'm so close to my ultimate goal weight I'm considering changing it to 150. I have some loose skin but maybe only a few pounds. I want to have a tummy tuck and breast lift next year but I have to figure out financing.

This happened to me during pre-op diet too. It was really scary! At least your surgery is really soon. I had to do clear liquids only for three days before. I thought I would lose my mind. I had zero energy. Hang in there. You'll be on the other side soon!!!

It fell out for me starting around 3-4 months after surgery. It finally stopped falling out at 6 months.