Candace76

Sending hugs, and I'm very sorry to hear of the loss of your mother. Thank you for sharing your experience with weight gain after surgery. I think it is a fear that many of us have & it is unfortunate how easily the weight can come back. I hope getting the help you believe you need gets you back to where you want to be. I wish you well, and know you can do it. 😊🍀

Congratulations 👏, I am so happy for you. It is a major milestone. Enjoy the pedi! Wishing you continued success in getting where you want to be.

Congratulations on losing 20 pounds. 16 to go is so close! From what I read and what my doctor's office said, the first 6 months of weight loss is the biggest & then it starts slowing down, especially as you get closer to goal/healthier weight. People can lose beyond that first year, but it seems to be harder. I'm sure gaining it back is easy to do if old habits return. I have been adding genepro (unflavored protein powder) to my yogurt or to iced coffee to help reach my daily protein goals. I understand it can be hard to get it all in. I think your idea of adding it to your soup & yogurt is a great way to get protein in if you are having difficulty. Maybe start with 1/2 serving added to a beverage or liquid/mushy food (soup & yogurt, as you said)? (I mix it with a little room temp water before adding it to hot or cold beverages & then slowly incorporate it) The hairloss gets better. Mine is coming back in, so I have all these shorter hairs mixed in with my long ones. Wishing you luck in losing the 16 pounds & maintaining your loss.

Congratulations on reaching your goal and surpassing it! You should be proud of yourself. I am so happy for you. Your friends & family may just need time to get used to seeing you at this weight, don't let them get you down. You think feel good & look good, how you feel about yourself is more important! I bet you look amazing! Wishing you success in maintaining your weight loss.

Hey July 2021 Surgery People! It has been a while since we've had any updates on everyone's progress. I reached a BIG milestone today & am excited to say that I am 100 pounds down. Overall, things have been going well. Have I been perfect? No. Could I possibly have lost faster? Probably. Some of the things that I have struggled with are getting enough protein & water/fluids in. I also recently noticed some grazing was returning when I would prepare my kids' snack. I also feel that I need to exercise more. When I started I was so strict about following the plan as best I could. I know I don't need to be perfectly following everything to a T, but know I don't want to let old habits return or lose out on this weight loss window. I started trying to focus & proteins & fluids again. I want to start habit tracking again to try my best to follow my food & activity plans. I also want to increase fruits & veggies. (I recently read 2 of Dr. Matthew Weiner's books and realize I need to try to incorporate those foods more) Some of my "go-to" foods and drinks currently are: yogurt (light & fit greek), nuts, cheese, fruits, craisins/raisins, salads, chicken, shrimp, crackers, unsweetened iced tea, hot coffee, & iced coffee. I sometimes add unflavored protein powder to yogurt & coffee. I still have at least 20 pounds that I want to lose. I am also realizing that maintaining the loss will probably be hard work, as that is obviously something that I was never able to do before. When I get to where I want to be, I know this is when I will need the most support. So, I'm just wondering how everyone else is doing? How much have you lost? Are you at goal? How much to go? What are you struggling with? What works for you? What are your go-to's? Favorite exercises or activities? Products, advice or tips to share? Fears? Wishing everyone well, hoping you are feeling good, & are at or closer to where you want to be.😁🍀👍

I have finally returned to ONEderland!!! I have not been here since the year 2000! I am so happy that I have made it back, now on toward the next milestone...maybe size 14 or 160 pounds? I am so grateful that this surgery has helped me get on a healthier path. It hasn't been perfect or easy, but it is working. Wishing all a Happy New Year & successful weightloss or maintenance goals!😁

New milestone!!!😁 Officially 100 pounds down!! It feels so good to have reached this weight, a year ago I couldn't have even imagined being here again. I still want to lose at least 20 pounds, and see that the weight loss is definitely slowing down now that I am further out from surgery & getting closer to my goal. It is time for me to make sure I am staying on track with the positive changes and habits & not losing focus. Wishing everyone well on reaching their own milestones & goals. 🤗🍀

Glad you're so close to it! Wishing you luck!

Congratulations on reaching your goal & good luck with maintaining your healthier lifestyle. You look terrific!

Smart Crust from Foster Farms. I got it at Shoprite.

Oh yeah, and congrats on losing the 58 pounds! I'm so glad your surgery has been successful.🥳

Hi Amy, Since the surgery, I have found that I like to have easy meals ready to grab. I do enjoy cooking, though, too. For breakfast, I often have a protein shake or yogurt with protein (oikos triple zero or light & fit). Sometimes, I may have oatmeal (can add protein powder, there are some brand that have it added), frozen lower carb or keto waffles with protein & sugar-free syrup, or low carb/keto bread with cheese or egg. You can find cooked hard boiled eggs in dairy section. There are also those "just crack an egg" microwave meals (I haven't tried them). For easy lunches I often have yogurt, Oscar Mayer P3 snacks or Sargento Balanced breaks, 1/2 sandwich with low carb bread turkey & low fat cheese. (I don't know if you are ready to eat nuts, yet, I know they need to be chewed well & controlled portion sizes) An easy dinner I found was a frozen pizza made with a chicken based crust. There are some frozen keto meals i have seen, but haven't tried. Other easy items are: frozen cooked shrimp, cooked grilled chicken from supermarkets deli, & microwave riced cauliflower. I hope you get some ideas. I am always looking for new foods to incorporate into my routine, too.

Wow, that's great that you are in the green for BMI! You are doing so well, and I am so happy for you. I have read some of the veterans responses in the forum saying that the closer you are to your goal, the harder & slower weightloss can be. Stalls also seem to occur throughout the weightloss phase, so you may just be in a long stall. I hear you on the excecise, I also need to step it up! I think it will be helpful for me to increase my muscle tone & firm up. Right now, I have mostly been walking for my exercise. I asked my husband for a vibration plate for Christmas, hopefully that will be something I will enjoy using. Until I get one, I think I would like to try beginner yoga videos. Good luck & keep us posted. 😁

I'm so sorry that you're having difficulty losing weight after the surgery. There must be others that have had difficulty losing after surgery. I hope your doctor or nutritionist can give you more guidance in trying to figure out a way to help your progress.

Since finishing the soft food phase, I have not wanted any tuna or avocados, but I think I'll like them again. I have also not wanted eggs for the past 2 weeks. Like eholmes89 & Tony B - NJ, I seem to prefer fish & shrimp at this point. Most bread is difficult to eat, I have tried low carb, high protein breads that are ok, but not the same as the bread I used to eat. Multi- grain crackers seem to go down easier. Before the surgery I loved my coffee, but it just does not taste the same to me or feel good going down. It also uses to be more enjoyable when it was paired with my breakfast or desserts. I do miss drinking with my meals, but I'm getting used to it. I have started to have hot chocolate in the evening & I add some protein power to it. Hoping you all are doing well.

I know I just posted recently, but I had another NSV today! I was at the gas station & didn't need to open my door to reach down to open the fuel door. I read this NSV on here from other posters before & remembered knowing exactly what they meant. It is so nice to be noticing all these little things now.

Hi Tapioca! First, congratulations on your successful weightloss! 👏 It must feel incredible to be so close to your goal, but frustrating that you are struggling to get where you want to be. I'm only about 3 months out and far from goal, so I am sure some veterans will have better advice or experiences to share. Have you been able to speak to your nutritionist or doctor about your progress? I have seen suggestions to go back to tracking food, making sure to get protein & water anytime you get off track or hit stalls. Have you tried to go back to 3 meals & only 2 protein rich snacks? I can easily see how snacking can creep back into the routine after WLS. There are also "pouch reset diets" that may be helpful to "reset" and get those last 10 pounds off. I hope you get to where you want to be & find ways to get the snacking in check.🤗

Congratulations on your success & thank you for sharing it, as well as your tips. I have been really trying to focus in being mindful when I eat by "listening" to my sleeve & paying attention to when I have had enough. If I drink even a few minutes too soon after a meal, my stomach let's me know!

You Are My Sunshine- Thank you for sharing this post. I am sure there are many people on here that are considering this surgery that may also be apprehensive & have similar fears of going through with the surgery. It is a life changing decision, and I think it is better to hold off until you are sure that you are ready to proceed. Perhaps going into it so unsure may have given you a more challenging recovery, in that you might have more buyer's remorse & have more difficulty tolerating the challenges you might face during the healing process. A year ago, I don't think I would have been ready for this surgery. I had been offended when doctors suggested it in the past. I needed to be in the right place & ready for it. Once I finally decided that I needed the surgery for me to have a successful weight loss journey, I had a peaceful & hopeful feeling about it. I still had some slight fears of complications, but nothing that would have stopped my plans. I think the suggestion from ShoppGirl to see a bariatric therapist is a great idea. Give yourself time to discover whether this is right for you, or maybe it something that should be reconsidered down the road. Good luck, and know that you did the right thing for you at this time. 🤗

I have a few NSV's to share!😁 Yesterday, I went to a restaurant that I went to before surgery. We sat outside in patio chairs, and I had no problem sitting in the chair, the arms of the chair were not cutting into the sides of my thighs. (I still don't trust those plastic white ones, though.) Also, yesterday, a neighbor asked if I lost weight & said I looked great. It was surprising to hear from someone who doesn't know about my surgery. It was also the first time I heard anything from someone who didn't know. Today, I tried on the bridesmaid dress I will be wearing for my brother's wedding in April. At the end of September, I ordered a size 16 even though I couldn't quite zip it, hoping that by April it would fit, or possibly need to be taken in. Well, it zipped with a little room! Another NSV is my shirts are getting very baggy on me. I am trying to hold off on buying lots of clothes in between sizes, but every time I wear something lately, I feel like it may be the last time. (Although, I guess this isn't really a weird NSV🤷‍♀️) BTW- I love reading everyone's NSV's and can relate to so many of them. It is so nice to hear about other's progress & really start seeing some of my own. 🤗

Wow, you're doing great with the weight loss, I hope the pain gets better! Glad you are loving it. Wishing you continued success!

Hey July Surgery People! This thread has been very quiet lately. I think we need another status check & update now that we are all at least 3 months post op. I'd love to hear how everyone is doing. Hoping you're getting closer to where you want to be and seeing results! Getting a little bored with the foods I've been eating lately. I switched from Oikos triple zero yogurt to light & fit's higher protein yogurt, as I needed some new flavors. Often have P3 snacks for lunch or protein shake. Enjoying salads again. Most foods go down easily. Share your favorite foods, tips, or advice! ------- Surgery Status: Post Op (a little over 3 months) Phase: modified regular diet Highest known weight: 291 Starting weight: 280 Current Weight: 221 (-59) Inch loss: (have to measure & calculate) NSV: finally needing new clothes & fitting into sizes that I haven't for a long time. I had some clothes that I never wore, because they say a certain size, but must be smaller (Looking at you Gap & Levi's!!, unless it is just my shape)😄, and they finally fit. Current Favorite foods: cashews, almonds, P3, light & fit yogurt, chicken, protein waffles, oatmeal, farina, turkey, shrimp, fish, salad

Not being scared of having my picture taken or looking in the mirror. 😱😖 We actually just had a family photo shoot for our Christmas cards, and I wasn't horrified by most of them (a few bad angles or positions😝). 😄😂

It is normal to feel nervous, surgery is a big step. I'm sure your likely to be experiencing many different feelings. Hope, excitement, fears, etc. This surgery can help you reach your weight loss goals & get you on a path to a healthier lifestyle. I was nervous about the surgery also, especially since I have two young children. The morning of surgery I was mostly excited & hopeful more than any other feelings. My surgery was smooth & recovery was fairly easy. I was mostly tired, in fact, very tired for the first 2 days. I had mild soreness & it was an adjustment learning to sip fluid slowly. Things continue to get easier, and I have lost close to 60 pounds since I started my pre-op diet about 3 months ago. There may be some challenges along the way, but for me, it has been totally worth it. Hopefully, you will soon be on the other side of your surgery & starting to see the weight come off. I wish you a successful surgery, speedy recovery, & amazing results. You got this! Cheryl O- I hope everything went well, wishing you well on your weight loss goals.

Congratulations on your maintaining your weightloss & thank you for sharing your experience. It is great to hear from people who have been successful and are honest about the challenges that occur especially at through beginning of this process. The reassurance & encouragement are always great to hear. Wishing you continued happiness & success. 🏆🤗