jlcohio

"Why did you do that? You aren't that big." I was over 100lbs overweight.

So I avoided the camera before surgery and in this picture I actually weighed more than my surgery weight. The after pic was before my 1st 5k. I have lost a few more pounds since then. I have lost 77 since I started my journey and 55 since surgery.

I bought clothes at Goodwill and Walmart at first. I buy some better items at Kohls when I need to but only on sale and with at least 20% off. You need to buy new clothes so you aren't fighting to keep on the ones you wearing. It also makes it easier to see the weight loss.

I still take Diclophenac. My surgeon says that taking NSAIDs isn't as big a deal for sleeve patients vs bypass. He said I could take it unless I started having stomach issues. Have you directly asked your surgeon about taking an anti-inflammatory given your situation? If not, do so and see what he says.

I was so exhausted those first few weeks I would try to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and either fall back to sleep sitting on the side of the bed or on the pot. I couldn't even read a book because I couldn't concentrate. It got better around 4 weeks or so and definitely after I started back on real food.

Queen P I had surgery on Dec 9, 2014 so close to you. HW: 247 SW: 221 CW: 174 I plateau at every multiplier of 10, and I was stuck just above 200 for a while. I wonder if you are getting enough calories, I know upping mine a little, even for a few days, can jump start me. Starting to walk is putting a demand on your body for a few more calories too. Exercise is a big factor in loosing. Also water is important. I can't preach about that one because it is my worst area! Getting protein is important but my surgeon says to try to limit the shakes and get it from real food. A low fat cheese stick wrapped in some low fat deli meat makes a good high protein snack. Also P3 snacks are good. They are usually near the lunch meat at the grocery. I do use protein bars and shakes for breakfast just because I am not a traditional breakfast food person. Good luck and hang in there! You can do it.

Thank you! I'm not giving up I think I'm just impatient to get the weight off. I know it is a journey and not a race.

Yesterday I saw one of my sisters-in-law who I haven't seen for a couple months. She was going on and on about how awesome I look and how jealous she was. She asked me what I weigh now and when I told her she said that I was 10 lbs less than her. I could not believe it because I have always considered her to be slim. Sure she has some more padded areas, but that's not unusual for a 50 year old mother of two. To know that I weigh less than her is incredible to me. We are very close in height so that doesn't make a big difference. At 6 months out and feeling like the scale isn't moving fast enough this was a great NSV.

I totally get this. I don't feel like I have lost weight but I have gone from a size 3x to a XXL so I know I have lost. Feels weird.

I had a rash on my belly that about drive me insane. I tried several things and finally got relief by washing with Dial soap and putting an anti fungal cream on it. Good luck.

My recent wow moment was realizing that I was sitting with my legs crossed. I hadn't been able to do that for years and I did it without realizing it. Keep up the good work!

I was running errands the other day and stopped by Sam's. I hadn't had lunch and the couple samples I picked up were enough to hold me until lunch. It's kinda nice to be able to "lunch" on a couple free samples.

@blacktee not everyone has problems with food at the same time. I am about 3 1/2 months out and hadn't had anything make me sick until last week and it was something I had eaten before. That is why people use the name Frankensleeve to describe their new stomachs. Sometimes they just aren't happy and there is just no good reason. Good luck as you move on. Just remember to go slow.

I totally agree about not buying a lot before surgery. My Nut recommends Unjury protein powder and I thought it was pretty good before surgery. I ordered more for after surgery and now I can barely get it down because my tastes have changed. I use Pure Protein bars.

I was sleeved on 12/9 and I have lost about 33 lbs. I stalled for almost a month and finally broke it by taking a weekend off. I ate basically what I wanted just in the small quantity I can. I also saw a big change when I seriously started exercising. I have bad knees so I feel for you. I have not tried the sit and be fit exercises but I hear they are great. Hang in there it will happen. Good luck with your knee surgery.

I would like to know if there is anyone out there who has tried firming creams and if there are any that really work. I am not talking about trying to slather something on my whole body to tone it, I am exercising for that. I am having trouble with my neck. Losing 60 lbs has left the skin on my neck looking saggy. It has almost like stretch marks. I don't know any good way to firm that area and wondered about firming creams.

Elode I know what you mean that is why I thought I would ask around. If I could do some sort of exercise for it I would.

Thanks Susan that gives me hope. I am probably past the age of resilient skin too. I look in the mirror and see my Mother.

My husband has been very supportive and he is proud of my weight loss. My sisters were very supportive but I was afraid to tell my brothers. I figured they would give me the "you can do it yourself" lecture. Surprisingly they were not too bad and have since become very supportive. You are doing this for you and no one else. Don't fret about what your sister thinks. If she loves and cares about you she will come around. As you loose weight and get fit you can start working out with her. Hang in there.

Great job! I did some of those things before my surgery and lost about 20 lbs before surgery. Keep up the good work and good luck with your surgery. It sounds like you'll do great.

How sweet he sounds. Have fun!

I am 11 weeks out and down 25 lbs since surgery and 50 since July when I started the process to have surgery (oh yeah I also hit onederland a could of weeks ago). So today I decided to clean out my closet thinking there were probably a couple things to get rid of. OMG my closet is now almost empty. I tried on everything and kept thinking they would still fit fine but I was swimming in them. I wasn't going to get rid of any of my summer clothes until it got warm enough to wear them but they are too big now so I guess they will still be too big in a couple months. My daughter had gastric sleeve surgery a little over a year ago and she had brought me a box of clothes at Christmas that I never tried on. They all fit so I am filling my closet back up with them. She also gave me a bunch last week to shrink into and I was shocked at how close I was to buttoning some of the pants. 65 lbs left to go, but I really feel like I have gotten somewhere already!

The first 3-4 weeks post op I was practically comatose. I think a lot of it is just getting all the anesthesia out of my system. I am about 8 weeks out and my energy level is back to normal if not a little better than it was. Hang in there.

It has for me. I was having leakage and having to go very frequently. That has all seemed to clear up for me. Good luck.

So I went to my 6 week follow up apt this morning. I was worried they would tell me I wasn't loosing enough weight, but they said I was doing great. I have lost 18 lbs since surgery and 42 since starting the pre-op weight loss program in August. I was shocked at my measurements too. I have lost way more inches than I thought. My body fat percentage dropped 5 points too. Yesterday I had my first NSV, I fit into a pair of jeans I haven't been able to wear for almost 2 years! I am starting to feel this is worth it.