HillaryA

You look amazing and so, so happy. You'll be in the 200's before you know it. Congrats!

Congrats on your awesome progress so far! I think I was pretty much in ketosis for my first year with no problems. I focused on Protein and had no problem getting over 100 grams a day. I wasn’t paying any attention to fat, but did keep my carbs low – I’d say 60 grams a day max. I lost 200 lbs exactly at my one year anniversary (1/15/16). My bloodwork did show the signs of too much protein but I was told by a nurse “well, if you’re eating high-protein then that’s okay.” Well, really, I don’t think that it is! Not long term anyway. After the one year, I entered a stall. To try to break it I exercised more, exercised less, ate more, ate less… It was when I decided to add back more carbs (as some people find that helpful) that I gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks eating at a 1000 calorie deficit a day AND still keeping carbs at 100 or less. I was ticked off! I researched and figured out that I am just really, really carb sensitive. As soon as I cut the carbs again, that 10 lbs fell back off. In June I switched to Low Carb, High (Healthy) Fat and it’s been awesome. I get moderate protein, around 70-85 grams a day and lots of fat. On MyFitnessPal, I have my daily breakdown at 65% fat, 25% protein, and 10% carbs – typically around 30 grams carb, 81 gram protein, and 94 grams fat. From January 15 to June 4, I lost 13 lbs. From June 4 to September 16, I’ve lost 22. I didn’t change my exercise patterns at all; it’s from cutting back out the carbs. Physically I feel great, I have more energy, I have better mental clarity, my mood has evened out, and the hormonal “female” problems I had are not a problem any longer. If I do eat something high in sugar I feel sick – physically poisoned. The only adverse affect is what another post said – constipation. But I can deal with that. Like I say to everyone who asks me how I’m losing – this is what works for ME. I get bloodwork drawn next week so we’ll see how 3.5 months of high-fat eating has affected it and maybe I’ll adjust at that point, but so far – so good!

I had second thoughts (panic attacks, really) up to when I was in the hospital gown waiting to be taken into the OR. I kept reassuring myself that this was going to be the best thing for me and reminding myself of why I was getting it - 460 pounds and 36 years old and not getting any younger... And it really was the best decision I ever made. I was petrified to give up my one comfort in life and thought I'd never be able to eat normally again. The reality is that I enjoy food and eating more now than I ever did before - it was always about stuffing my face as fast as possible and then wondering what I could eat next. I don't miss all the junk, I really don't. My health and quality of life has improved beyond measure. The 2 week pre-op diet was really hard, but after about 3 days I settled into an apathetic acceptance and after the first week I actually was happy that I was doing it because it showed me that I could actually go without food if I had to - losing 25+ lbs in that two weeks helped, too. You've got this. Good luck!

I started out at 463 and at 19 months out I’m currently at 232. I lost exactly 200 pounds at my one year anniversary and then hit a major, months-long stall. Which completely sucked, as you can imagine. Doing everything right and not losing weight or inches was so frustrating, but a part of it unfortunately. It finally broke and I went back to steadily losing again, although much slower. I’d like to lose another 30-40 pounds (and then start in on plastic surgery), but honestly, if I didn’t lose another pound I would consider myself content. There really is no way to describe how different my life is. Every aspect has improved – personal relationships, work, putting on shoes, driving my car… I wanted to dance with glee the first time I slid into a booth seat at a restaurant and fit properly (because in the past I didn’t fit and my stomach would bulge over the table top). In the past I’ve suffered with mild depression and anxiety. Even though they’re still there, I now feel such a sense of hope that things can actually change and this is a way of life I can maintain. I was very nervous about having the surgery as well. Not only had nothing ever worked for me in the past but I have a cousin who had the band, then the sleeve, and then after a few years regained half of the weight that she’d lost and was very discouraged and really struggling to take it off again. This showed me, more than anything, that this isn’t an easy fix-all. It really takes work. I’ve had to relearn an entirely new way of eating and now have a much better relationship with food. Everyone above has already posted some amazing tips for you; I won’t repeat what they’ve already said. Just know that, yes – it can work for you, but you have to be willing to put in the effort and make some changes. Good luck!

I'm very sorry for the loss of your friend. I'm an emotional eater that turns to food as comfort as well. It's so easy to let the bad habits start snowballing, especially if one has a food/sugar addiction. I know it's tough but going to back to Protein shakes for a week, sometimes with a very small meal for dinner, really helps me break those carb/fast food addictions when I slip. Once I get past a week or two the cravings for sugary stuff disappears and I feel so much better. Also, I find eating higher fat foods helps me to feel more full and satisfied - good, fatty cheese like Gouda, olives, avocados, almonds, fish. I know a lot of folk watch fat intake as well as carbs but I don't succeed on low carb/low fat. As far as the exercising goes, I literally feel your pain. It's only been in the last month or two that I can walk/jog on my treadmill without the extra skin pulling painfully - stomach, thighs, butt - it was so uncomfortable and made me hate doing it. Have you tried wearing a shape wear-type garment? That really helped keep everything around the middle compressed and eased a bit of the discomfort. Good luck to you

Congratulations! You look awesome but even more than that I know you must feel so much better. Truly amazing what a difference a year can make. I had to smile as I recognize the bathroom decor in your after pic - I had Dr. Hoehn for my surgery.

I started at 463 and am at 256 now. I hit 200 lbs gone on my 1 year anniversary of the sleeve (1/15) and am now at -207. I seem to be slowing down and keep stalling, but I am sticking with my eating and exercising plan and keeping up with measurements as they are still going down even if the scale doesn't move. I'd like to lose another 60 lbs but I am fully accepting of the fact that it's not coming off as quickly. I agree that either the sleeve or bypass can be successful as long as you stick to the plan. Good luck!

Highest weight was 463. I am just barely over a year out and have lost 201 lbs. It's definitely do-able as long as you stick to the plan. So happy with my decision - my life has improved in so many ways.

I had a very similar experience with my clothes. The thing is, I'm pretty sure the clothes I was wearing at 463 were actually fitting very tight on me and I was willfully ignoring it. I continued to wear those same clothes through the first 80-100 pounds lost, I think, until they were so baggy I couldn't stand it. What helped a lot for me was taking pictures, even if it was just my face. Just looking at my body in a mirror didn't encourage me at all. The scale dropping and watching my face slowly get slimmer is what gave me the biggest boost. Try not to get discouraged - you'll be dropping those old clothes off at Goodwill before you know it!

HW was 463, SW was 445 on 1/15/15. As of this morning, 9 months later, I'm 294 (down 170 pounds) and my life has already changed so much. I plan to hit my goal of 200 gone by my one year checkup. I have had only 1 stall in all this time and lose 2-3.5 lbs a week (although I know that won't last). Even though I'm still very overweight, I feel better now than I ever have in my life. The only problem now is I'm running out of clothes and live in a rural area and don't have easy access to a Goodwill. I'm following my eating plan and exercising regarly. A goal of mine is to do a 5K this spring and be able to jog most of it. I chose the sleeve mostly because I was afraid of malnutrition issues. With the sleeve I had problems with exhaustion in the beginning that went away when I was able to up my calories a bit. I think that a person can succeed with either option as long as you've researched the procedure, know the pros/cons and are prepared for the work that goes into it! Good luck!

That is so amazing! Congratulations!

Congrats! That is amazing and I am so happy for you!

I'm just a lurker here but wanted to share as I know the frustration of not seeing a lot of people on here that started out at higher BMIs. First off, I'm not at goal, only about 1/2 way there. I started out at way more than most of you, my highest recorded weight was 463, and honestly I'm sure it was higher than that at some point. As of today I'm at 330. Altogether I've lost 133 lbs in 6 months. I've went from a (tight) size 38 in jeans to a 26. I really, really hope to be at goal by next July which will mean 273 lbs lost (seems impossible!). The changes to my life have been staggering. I'm 35 and at my lowest weight in at least 10 years. I still have a lot of doubts about making it to goal but I just keep to the plan. At 6 months out I get in around 1200 calories and have no trouble sticking to that. A lot of people talk about the "head hunger," I never really had that. It was almost like after stuffing myself silly for YEARS I am ready to not really care about food. I still enjoy things that taste good but when people bring cake or doughnuts to work I don't have any problem passing them up. I follow a ketogenic diet (high good fats, moderate Protein, low carb) and it works for me. My body does not process carbs well at all. I exercise 5-6 days a week, mix of cardio and strength training, and I feel so amazing and healthy. I don't gasp for air after climbing 10 steps, my joint and back pain has disappeared, and my high blood pressure has gone back to normal. I'm not going to post any pictures - mostly because I don't have any saved to the computer, but I also still sort of hate pics of myself. I do take a new pic each month and when I need motivation I go back through them all and see all the changes and it helps keep me going. I wish you all the best of luck! It's been a big adjustment but there's not a day that goes by that I regret it. 463 - 1/2/15 Start of pre-op diet 445 - 1/15/15 Day of surgery 330 - 7/5/15 Current weight