YeaMe

So inspiring - congratulations on your victory!!!

Definitely sugar-free chocolate pudding. Applesauce doesn't do much to hide the taste.

You will also find that each individual processes the intake of food differently, so you have to tweak it to find your sweet spot. My dietician wanted me on 600-700 calories a day for the first 6 months. I hadn't lost any weight for 3 weeks so I upped my calories to 850-900, and the weight started falling off the next day. I also eat a lot of carbs, where most people keep them low. I don't eat bread or potatoes, but I drink a lot of milk, and eat fruit. I have to have them to be able to work out or I just stand there due to lack of energy which is pointless. Our drs./dieticians all have their "plan" which honestly, doesn't necessarily work across the board.

The endoscopy is how they detect it. My previous doctor never mentioned it to me but when I got a copy of the report, it was there.

That's a hard call. You are the only one that can decide whether surgery is right for you. If you feel it is the right call, they will have you do a gastroscopy (scope your esophagus) to see if you have a hiatal hernia. Just because you do, surgery might not be recommended. Also, if it is big enough to have surgery, you will probably still have to pay some out-of-pocket as your insurance company will only pay a portion of the hospital/surgeon fees. Of course, it depends on the insurance, but my insurance paid about 70% of all the bills. I find that doctor's scales always put me 5-8 lbs heavier than any of my home scales ever had. I hate to say this, but I would put on the few pounds and make a late afternoon appointment! I

One thing you can inquire about is whether you have a hiatal hernia. Most overweight people do. I was in the same boat - fat but healthy. I had my hiatal hernia repaired at the same time and the insurance picked up a lot of the hospital, 2/3rds of the anesthesiologist, and part of the surgeon's fee. Instead of paying $15,500 out of pocket, I paid $5,500.

I never took a pain pill when I got home. I did though have nausea for a week and was dehydrated to the point of being too dizzy to stand for more than a few minutes at a time, which lasted 10 days. It is impossible to predict how you will feel after the surgery. I would say opt with not going, and if you feel okay by then, then go. As a mom, I totally understand your guilt for missing an event in your child's life. What you have to look at, in this moment, is that you are doing something for you, which is not selfish. The most important thing for you to do is to make sure you take care of yourself after surgery so that you can go to all her other events in the future. You don't need the additional stress of worrying about missing the event or pushing your body to do something it is not ready to do. Your child will understand.

Don't fret. You are losing according to how most people lose. I have stalled for 3 weeks, and then overnight 5 lbs come off. I am 3 months out and have had 2 big stalls. You are 6 weeks out and have lost 26.2lbs. You are doing great. Keep with the plan and it will come off.

I am 1 week short of being sleeved 3 months now. Oddly, I am being able to eat less and less dense protein. At one point I was up to over 4 ounces and now I am lucky to get in 2 ounces at a time. This makes it nearly impossible to get in the required protein/calories, as I work out every day too. I've been hitting maximum 800 calories and usually more like 600. I've just started recently drinking lattes a couple of times a day to get in some liquid protein. I am totally burned out on protein shakes so trying something different. Has anyone else gone through this and have any advice? I've tried eating more often, but that makes it almost impossible to get in enough water. I literally eat NOTHING but protein - no bread/pasta, fruit or even veggies. Thanks

I've tried deli meat, it just seems to leave a film in my mouth. Maybe I need to try a higher end lunch meat, like Boars Head.

I am eating canned tuna and chicken; crockpot chicken that just has some broth and seasoning; eggs and ground beef I can only get 2 bites down; grilled steak; grilled fish. Oddly, I can get more steak and fish down than anything. I've only though had that a couple of times because I know it is really hard to digest and don't want to over do it. The proteins are all moist.

I think what I love most about the pictures is that the one on the left is inside, while the one on the right is you outside, comfortable baring it all. Congratulations!!!

I tried a lot - and the best I found are Premier Protein. They also are readily available in most stores.

Congratulations - I just went through that too. Warning, don't buy your vacation clothes too far off. I bought mine a month out and had to take them all back for a smaller size - so leave the tags on and keep the receipts until you are ready to go. Have fun!

I have the 100 calorie Almond packs; Quest bars.

I really think it is different for everyone. Some have them, some don't. I work out really hard 4-5 times a week so thought the weight should be flying off - not. I was able to get out of my 3 1/2 week stall by eating more calories. My surgeon stated he wanted me to stay below 650 calories. I upped them to 850 and the weight started coming off again. I do though track EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth to make sure I am getting enough protein, and not overdoing it on carbs, and have an accurate count of calories. I plan on dropping back down to 650 calories for a week and see what happens. I go for my 3 month check up in 2 weeks and will speak with the nutritionist then about calories from this point forward. Water also is a big key to success. I've started using Crystal Light Lemonade and can get down twice the amount of water I was drinking previously.

My doctor told me I could take my Celebrex 2x a week and it is a nsaid. Just to remove it from it's capsule and mix in some applesauce. It's not pleasant, but have to have it for my ankles to be able to walk. It really is up to the particular surgeon you have.

I was self-pay in the states. I went in for a consultation on Feb. 1 and had surgery 2 weeks later. I had to have a psych examine, meet with a nutritionist, get scoped (because I have esophageal issues) and then I was ready. Did though have a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time and insurance approved that in a week.

As of the day of surgery (2/15/17), I had a BMI of 35 - weighing in at 232 - considered obese. Since that date, I have lost 39 lbs. with a BMI of 29, and now considered overweight. Weight loss will be slower than those with higher BMI's and more to lose. I'm very pleased with the 39 lbs, as I only now have 38 lbs to lose to get to goal. I hope to reach that goal within the next 6-9 months, as I know my weight loss will slow down significantly as I get closer to goal. I have had to figure out my caloric intake so I lose steadily. My doctor wants me at 650 calories a day, but I didn't seem to lose. Once I raised the calories to 850-950 a day, I started losing again. I too was self pay though had a hiatal hernia fixed at the same time so I only really had to pay the surgeon his $5,200 fee. Totally worth it, so far.

Congratulations on your surgery!

You can search "stall" and most everyone has been through it. No need to panic. Just keep on track and it will start coming off again. It can last from a few days to weeks. 3 things you need to do - get in your water, your protein and your vitamins.

My body weight finally starts with a "1". It's been a long, long time since I have seen that. My weight for so long has kept me from doing the things I have wanted to do, but NO more! This week already - I went on a shopping spree and bought "regular" sizes; I booked a trip to St. Lucia with a girlfriend for next month; I booked a trip to the Galapagos with my daughter and her husband over Thanksgiving! Also, I am now very comfortable going to the gym. I used to be so self-aware of the fact that I was the biggest person there. I'm not now, but I don't even care about it anymore - it just feels good to go. It's amazing how freeing losing weight can be!

The dizziness is from lack of fluids and potassium. I still get dizzy (9 weeks out), though not as often) and that's my signal that I need to drink water. I go to the gym everyday so I lose a lot of fluid there. I now literally walk around with water in my hand at all times and it's still hard to get enough in. As far as protein, you need to do whatever it takes to get it in. I have a skinny latte every day and either a protein shake or make my Quest protein bars into cookies so I can get it down. I still can only eat about 2 oz of chicken/eggs/fish/beef at a time and average about 80 grams a day.

Before surgery I was walking 3 miles - 5 times a week. The 2 weeks after surgery, I was lucky if I could walk a block. I was totally exhausted and weak. I decided I needed time to heal and did the best I could. At 8 weeks I was back to walking the 3 miles.

I used a child's sippy cup - seriously. I too was severely dehydrated and became so dizzy I could hardly walk. It took a good 2 weeks to be able to start getting any amount of water down.