DonnaGS

Stalls happen. I would stall out for 2-4 weeks. Since Nov, I've only lost 4 pounds (but I'm on steroids, so lucky to lose any!) Just stick with the program and like someone said, trust the process. Don't weight yourself as often. Mindful eating. You got this!

So your plan must allow you to eat regular food son after the surgery? I know everyone's plan is different. We had to do protein drinks until you were starving, then added easily digested food like cottage cheese. I lose very slowly but staying on the liquid protein drink for 3 weeks allowed me to drop 15 pounds the first 3 weeks. I think psychologically it helped more than anything! I think you are doing the right thing by adding protein, stick with the 4 ounces, add some vegs, we were told carbs twice a week. I like that you can have them, just not everyday. If I'm told I can't have something at all, I rebel and want it twice as bad. I was amazed at how much I could eat after surgery. Once I was able to add popcorn, which was months down the road, I could eat 3/4 to a full bag! At the same time I'm, reading about people who were 6 months out and couldn't barely take 3 bites and wanted to throw up! I remember thinking mine must be a failure. But I'm a year out, had surgery 2/23/22 and have lost 60 pounds. Stick with it, keep the carbs low or out of there and it will happen. I know sometimes I question if I'm always over eating because like you said, you take one extra bite and you do feel over full. What works for me is meditation, if I can do it everyday the practice of mindful eating is easier to do. I try to always leave something on the plate and stop eating before I'm to full. I suspect this will be a lifetime battle. Hang in there! Your body is still adjusting after surgery and going thru a lot of changes. You may drop several pounds at a time, then stall out, then drop some more. Thats what my weird body did.

Hi mammawdd, I am 64, ok 65 in a couple of days! I had the sleeve done a year ago. On Feb 23rd. Stayed in the hospital 2 days, had b/p problems. My neck, which has arthritis and bone spurs was the most painful part of the surgery. from the intubation I had a severe headache for days after. After I got home my dog was dropped off from his boarder, his legs went bad and was in severe pain a few days after I got home. My poor German Sheppard couldn't walk with his back legs. I was recovering from surgery, drinking my protein drinks, running back and forth to the doggie neurologist. We ended up euthanizing him 3 weeks later, his pain was intractable. What a whirl wind! I'm only now, one year later reliving all that I went thru after recovery. It kept my mind off of not eating. So, One year later, I'm down 59 pounds, labs are normal, fatty liver is gone! I'm trying to lose 11 more pounds, It would put me withing normal weiht for my height, although it would be at the top end. At 65 I'm, happy to be where I am. Good luck with your journey. We didn't do the puree stage. My surgeon went from liquid to soft food, Easy stuff like soup, cottage cheese, yogurt.

As for vitamins, we are told to take a multivitamin daily for life, Vit B12, calcium and Bit D. I was giving myself B12 injections, prefer that because you only do it once a month and done. But getting the RX had been difficult. So I’m wearing B12 pads, take chewy Vit D and multivitamin. Calcium chews also. My Vit D was low for awhile so I really keep up on that. I have days where I skip the vits, for the most part take them about 5 days a week. my Vit E was low on the last panel I had done.even though I have E tabs I take two a day for fatty liver ( which is no longer!) so I’m surprised it was low.

Hi, I’m a year out from the Sleeve. Had it feb 23 rd 2022. I’m down almost 69 pounds, would like to lose another 11, that puts me back within normal weight range ( although at the top of the range) I’ve had to work for every pound that came off. My appetite is back to normal now I believe, so trying not to put any weight back on. I eat a lot healthier than I used to. Still have a sweet tooth but try to keep protein cookies around instead of regular ones. I don’t crave the super high fat foods I used to eat. Good luck to all just beginning their adventure! Nothing better than seeing pounds fall off!

Great for you! That’s wonderful, I love the bariatric store, it had wonderful cookies that are all protein and fiber. They are pricey though, but worth it! I’m exactly one year out and still losing, though it had slowed considerably. I have 11 pounds to go, then will be within normal weight range. Will be at the top, but at my age, I’m not necessarily trying to get back to 120-130. If I get there, great. If not, I’m a lot healthier than I was before.

Hi Singles, I'm still on my weight loss journey. I would like to lose another 15 pounds. I wasn't sure when I started this journey what the end weight would be. Just lnew I had to get healthy, get off my b/p meds, stay away from diabtetes, etc. I feel more confident after losing 55 pounds, but I still can't imagine going on a dating site and putting myself out there. I've been on dating sites before, here and there, theres positive things that happen, weird things (scammers) and it takes a lot of energy. Of course, like most people I would rather meet someone "organically." Is there anyone out there that has any advice or words of wisdom that is experiencing dating in the mid 60s?

Hi, thanks for the advice. And of course I have thought of that and belong to many different groups. The problem is I’m physically limited as to what I can do. I used to hike a lot, very good wsy yo meet men, can’t do that anymore. Some groups I can still do, like bookclub is all female. I used to sail a lot, but can’t do that right now until I get my shoulder fixed I do get to the dog park everyday! Even gentle yoga I belong to is all female. I used to live at the gym, but again I’m so limited on what I can do, mentally I’m better off exercising at home and walking my dog.

Thank You Rolawre, I'm not complaining!

Hi, I had the sleeve done 11 months ago. Its been a slow journey, I had to get thru insulin resistance and I'm physically only able to walk or exercise so much due to an old injury. I do walk my dog 2-3 miles a day but cant do too much more. I used to exercise a lot! I try not to compare myself to any others. I do what I can, have lost 57 pounds and hope to lose another 13, that puts me within the normal range for my height, but the high end. At this age, I'll take it! Good luck to you, wish you the best on your journey.

Hi everyone, happy Holidays to all! I'm sending this out because I need accountability here. I've been slowly losing, but at least the scale is heading in the right direction. I was doing great on my life style eating plan, until I baked a couple of batches of sugar cookies for the Grandkids to decorate. They stayed in my freezer for one week. I would grab one here and there. Plus, I baked some brownies for a Christmas function and the left overs are in my freezer! I fell back into old eating patterns, right now I'm under massive stress, aside from the holidays, travel, etc. I went back into stress eating, the more physical pain I was having, the more brownies I crammed into my mouth! I have now either given away or threw away all cookies, brownies, frosting, etc. If it ain't around, I can't eat it. Back to my program I go. I don't think I regained any weight, just slowed down the process.

Thanks for the wonderful replies! I'm now at the end of Jan, managed to lose 2 pounds, I'm a slow loser. There are no more cookies, chocolate or any junk left in my house. I had to retrain my brain to increase the protein and vegs and skip the Carbs for awhile. I feel much better, but amazed at how fast that sweet tooth came back. I'm under massive stress right now, I'm limited physically how much I can walk so meditation is my best freind right now. If I can meditate every other day, life stays under control. I love that there are so many sugar alternatives we can use for baking to fake out the sweet tooth! Best wishes to all and Happy New Year.

Its hard to deal with. My hair is very sensitive to whatever is going on with my life, helth, body, stress level. When I'm under tremendous stress, I have lost a bald spot, as in one circle on the back of my head that was about 2-3 in circle and it took months to grow it back. So, I was concerned that might happen after this surgery. It did not! So for that I'm happy, I did however lose handful of hair everytine I brush or wash. I always had a shoulder full of hair that fell out. The hait lose started at 3 months post op, I'm now at almost a year and its finally slowed down and I'm working on growing back all those hairs that have broken off. I'm almost 65 yrs old, so my experience will be different from others. I do take a vitamin for skin and hair, not sure if it really helps. I had a shampoo in my cabinet already that helps with hiar loss, I mix it with my regular shampo becuse it otherwise dries out my hair too much. I think it helped a little. Didn't stop it though! I did the opposite of ,ost people. I rew my hair out down to my shoulders to make me feel like I have more hair! I usually wear it in a short chin length bob. I'll admit there was laziness involved, my hairdresser double her prices after Covid and I didn't want to pay that much so kept putting it off. During that time I got used to shoulder length hair and now keep it that way.

What an inspiring post! Thanks so much for sharing and giving us hope and encouragment. It is true, our bodies change, our medical history changes, we all gain and lose according to what stressors are going on at the time. I'm donw 55 pounds, would like to lose 15 more pounds, I'm almost 1 year out from sleeve surgery. I know my doctor said to lose as much in the first year during the Honeymoon phase. But I had to get thru insulin resistance, I'm 64 and have limited mobility. Would love to get back down to 120 pounds, but I'm happy if I can get in the 150's. You have to adjust to what stage of life you are in, like you said. Great for you, I'm happy and proud of your courageous approach.

Its frustrating! especially if you are doing everything right. Stick with it, your time is coming.

Forgot to add that slight mood swings started around 3 months, hair loss between 3-6 months, my hair has always been sensitive to my stress level.

Congrats! wish you the best. My weight loss did slow once I added food and stopped the complete protein drinks. Having said that, I'm 64, have restricted movement and had insulin resistance. So, I had a lot of thigs to work against. Still losing, but its abut 5 pounds a month.

Good luck to you! I'm 64, really glad I did the surgery, even considerding I'm a slow loser! A couple years back, I was already fluffy at 185 pounds, had to go on streoids for about 2 years and put on 40 pounds, All my labs went up! HGA1C was so high I was one pound away from being diabetic. I'm now normal blood sugar, cholestrol normal, off blood pressure meds, down 46 pounds. But at 9 months out I still need to lose another 20-30 pounds. I'd like to get down in the low 150s. This is not about looking good in a bikini but getting health again. I do not regret having the surgery at all. I wish I had done it sooner, but it does have to be the right time to put the time and energy into it. I do worry about the 15-20 pounds they say is normal to regain right after you hit the bottom weight. The hair loss that started at 3-4 months post op is slowing down, good thing becuase I only have so much hair.

I think increase good quality protein, less carbs (at least for my body that slows me down) increase vegs, more water daily. I have had to replace any snacks with a protein drink. Good luck to you. remember, like you said, carbs make you crave more carbs! It is similar to falling off the wagon from drinking. I have had to go back to writting or I should say logging all the food I eat in the app. As soon as I did that, I realized my fat and carb intake were way up.

Congrats! That is wonderful, I don't think I'm going to get to 100 pounds. I'm 9 months out, down 46 pounds and still working on 1-2 pounds at a time. If I could do the protein shakes for 3 weeks I could probably dump a huge amount of weight at one time. But thats keto and hard to stick to! Some people can do it, I get to low energy. I'm trying one day a week do just protein drinks all day! I'm encouraged by all of you!

These are great videos! Thanks for sharing. I'm still 9 months out and trying to hit the 50 pound loss! I was down 47 pounds, was able to eat a few more carbs, but apparently ate way too many carbs and back up 2 pounds. I would love to lose another 25 pounds. For myself, I've had to re adjust my mind, get back to daily mediatation, I cant increase workouts from injuries, so I just keep doing what I'm doing there. I will cut back on carbs, increase my protein and go back to using the app to keep track of what I'm eating. Its so easy to fall off the wagon! Plus, my appetite is slowly coming back. Some days I'm eating 3 meals plus a snack. trying to have more salads and healthy soups. I don't think there is any easy way out, its always the same old thing, eat healthy proteins and low carbs, lots of vegtables. No processed foods. Easier said than done. It feels so overwhelming sometimes when I think about, what can I eat, what can't I eat, but it always comes back to the same thing. I wish you the best in your juorney to lose these extra pounds!

I live alone, my daughter picked me up from the hospital. I have friends that are supportive but no one to really talk to on a daily basis about weight loss. I was just fine. My biggest problem post op was my neck was so painful from being in the position they put your head in to intubate. Have bad arthritis in the neck, so I wasn't surprised. To be honest, my neck and the headache it gave me were worse than any abdominal discomfort. 4 days after I got home my German Sheppard was dropped off to me, his legs had gone from bad to worse. Poor guy was in so much pain and long story short was euthanized 3 weeks later. I was so busy caring for my baby that I just went into auto pilot mode. If it had been a difficult surgery, I don't know what I would have done. The abdominal pain was minimal. Had no problem walking or getting around. Good luck to you, you've got this!

Mine has finally started to level off, I knew I would be a "loser." My hair has always been very sensitive to major stress or changes. When I was going thru a divorce, I had a big bald spot near the back of my head. So this time, somewhere around 3-4th month I started losing like a handful of hair every time I brushed. There was always hair on my shoulder. I don't have an overabundance to start with! So now its really slowed down and ready to grow some back.

May you have many more victories along the way! Congrats.

You look great! What an inspiration. Good job.