Spinoza

How lovely to hear you had such a positive experience. I hope that some of the people who were asking about WLS got the courage to move forward with it. Not the right thing for everyone, as you say, but when it is it really is.

Oh I went looking for our thread and I can't believe it was on PAGE 3!!! Outrageous! Updates please? I'm doing well - have hit a bit of a stall for the last two weeks but I had one coming. Hoping to see the scales move again soon - I have more to lose! Feeling great, walking really fast these days for exercise and actually broke into a trot a few times recently - do you think I could run again? I would SO love that - I told my surgeon that when he asked what my main goal for WLS was. Edited to add - and it sounded completely ridiculous then, but not so much now...

Fantastic to hear you are doing so well and feeling so good!

Aw that's such bad luck to hit a totally unrelated setback when you were doing so well! You're absolutely entitled to a bit of a wallow. You know this isn't the end though, just a blip. Upper body workouts for the next couple of weeks? I hope you recover really soon.

I asked my dietician about alcohol and she said a glass or two of champagne during the winter holidays was fine - I was 5.5 weeks post op by then. It did hit me harder and wear off quicker than before. I've had wine most weekends since then - one or two glasses. I'm certain it must have slowed my weight loss because there are calories in it, but I accept that because I really like wine. I hope you got some answers that were helpful OP!

I'm 5.5 months post op and still don't have room for carbs once I've had my protein. I do eat plenty of veggies - e.g. had a one egg omelette for dinner with onion, red pepper, mushroom - and I do have some berries with breakfast. I eat very little in the way of refined carbs now - the occasional potato chip is about it! I would be happy to eat like this forever. Processed food and refined carbs are what made me obese.

Brilliant start! It's so motivating when you see the weight come off, isn't it? Hope your surgery goes smoothly liveaboard.

I was never asked to quit caffeine either. I would have found that almost impossible.

Huge chocolate bars. I ate them every day in the before times. I am a bone fide, dyed-in-the-wool chocaholic, currently abstinent. I do have the occasional square of 100% cocoa bar (no sugar) but honestly I can't believe how little I am interested these days. Just not worth the space in my stomach at the minute. I hope it stays like that for a looooong time too.

Oh, interesting video, thank you! I drink carbonated drinks most weekends and they don't seem to bother my sleeve at all. I do stir or pour a good bit of the fizz out of them first, but they still sparkle enough to give me that refreshing fizzy mouth feel that I like.

Hi Capri. I took my partner and children along with me on this journey. They are my support. If I was single I think I would have just done it alone though. None of my extended family would understand why I needed to do it, and it's not up to me to get them there. Some of my siblings have struggled with weight, some haven't. None has been morbidly obese as I have, or spent their entire adult life either gaining or losing weight - basically starving or binging. So of course they won't understand. We do here, as lots of us have had the same experience as you. Hopefully as your sister sees you getting lighter and healthier then she will be happy for you. But you can't make that happen for her. Kudos to you for taking that first step to make YOUR life better.

I'm still like this almost 5 months after my sleeve and it's protein that does it. To the degree that I can only eat lightly during my working day - soup, fruit and yoghurt, etc. I have to eat the majority of my protein after I finish work, and just accept that I am super-sleepy afterwards. So I have a fully protein dinner, get my veg/fruit earlier in the day, and a big protein snack at bedtime. I have always had to eat at bedtime anyway - can't sleep if I'm hungry!

I stuck to my 2 week 800 calorie a day pre-op diet religiously, only to have my surgery cancelled the day, no *the night* before, on the most spurious of pretexts. After that I was waiting for the results of various tests and thinking I might get the call any time, so I stuck to the diet until I got a second definite date, which was a full 2 months after my original date. Then it was right in to the 2 week proper pre-op diet again. I ended up losing 25lbs in those 2 months and boy am I glad that I don't have those still ahead of me. So - I wouldn't change a thing. But you do you! We all approach WLS differently. Just don't do anything you'll regret. Once you're on the pre-op diet, do that.

Anyway, I actually came to post my NSV - ran for 300 steps in a row today. I haven't done that for about 12 years. I really want to get back to running - I used to love it.

4.5 months after my sleeve and I am officially overweight. It's the best thing I have ever done. I cannot believe the speed with which I have lost all that weight. I know that I want to lose another 40 pounds or so and I can only hope that I do, but honestly if I stopped losing weight in the morning I would be happy with what I have achieved right now. Best of luck to those of you starting out on your journey - it's a wild ride.

OMG I cannot wait for this to happen for me. I have never been the same weight two days in a row (never mind two years in a row) for my entire adult life. I have either been gaining or losing forever. Cannot wait to not have to check every day which one is happening *TO ME*.

I stayed 1 night after my sleeve (afternoon operation) and I am glad I did. I probably could have managed at home but I was groggy after the anaesthetic and pretty sore.

I should say too that 600 calories a day sounds really little to me - is that until you get where you want to be or just for the first few weeks?

There are calculators but your body won't know that Kelly! They're based on averages and most people don't stick to those. If you're looking for a ballpark my surgeon said that people lose an average of 60-70% of their *excess* body weight in two years. That's not to say all people though - some do (much) better some do (much) worse. I'm a bit control freaky too so I have had a hard time not being able to predict what will happen from one week or month to the next. But I have learned to trust my sleeve - it's working really well for me. Your body will already have a new set point in mind and once you get there that's it - I believe we either accept that or we fight tooth and nail to lose more to get to OUR ideal (not our BODY'S new ideal) and then fight forever to stay there. And most of us have spent a good part of our lives fighting the same fight and losing. I hope you do really well with your sleeve - you're already doing brilliantly. Stick to the rules and you will lose, there's no way on this earth that you won't. And if you stick to the rules for a long time you will get to your new set weight. How much you will lose and how fast is, unfortunately for you and me, pretty much impossible to say.

Just updating to say I entered onederland today and it's every bit as good as I remember. I hope I never leave. Onwards and downwards!!

Mine too - is that not how the liver gets shrunk? I was on 800 calories a day for 2 weeks pre-op. OP I hope you can get back on the horse and not slip again - it would be awful if your operation didn't go ahead. It is super hard though. Good luck.

I'm a very private person generally so I have told my partner and children and nobody else, and I don't think I ever will. Totally my business and my choice. I won't tell a lie if asked outright but I will deflect - 'wow - what makes you think that?' etc. It would take a very determined and persistent questioner to get past me My life, and nobody else's opinions are necessary to validate my decisions thank you very much.

Really helpful - thank you!

Just scarily well organised

OMG this looks amazing! Thank you for the recipe.