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Wow Jim - great job on the weight loss so far! Djbryan - I would also agree with the others that the stats are off. And like most of them said, yes there is a certain degree of risk with any surgery (some more than others), there is a definite risk to living your life obese.

Man, this might as well have been a post by me 13 months ago, or even just a week ago! I have BEEN there, I think we all have at some point. I have lost 128 lbs but there are days when I feel as fat as I ever did, there are times when I look down and all I see is my big fat gut, straining against my sausage tight pants and feel like it was all a waste, how warped is that!! It is easy to get lost in the weeds, to get fixated on still being fat because, I am still fat! Both Lane Bryant and Avenue carry size 12 pants, which is what I'm currently in, so technically I am still wearing plus sizes, after 18 months and 128 effing pounds lost! I am still the biggest woman in my yoga classes, still get referred to as voluptuous and curvy (nicer words from the nicer people) and it is incredibly disheartening to see my batwings and shriveled-balloon inner thigh skin. But! I just have to remember that this drama is playing out in my head, not reality. That I have a normal healthy body that does not stand out from the crowd for its size. When I was "only" 50 pounds down - and it took me 3+ months to get there!- I was wild with impatience. 50 is a nice round high number so when we achieve it we know that "real" weight loss IS possible, that this isn't going to fail like every other diet, and it is such a high number that we suddenly realize that maybe our dreams just might come true, and it is so thrilling and delicious that we just CAN'T WAIT, and it's torture. Right around 50 lbs is when I started obsessively visiting clothing retail websites and virtually window shopping, filling my cart with size 12's. It would be another 12 months before I would actually see that size, which might have depressed me had I known that, but here I am, actually wearing a size 10 today (Gap pin stripe curvy cut trousers) and just a year and a half ago I remember the thrill of pouring myself into a pair of size 20's, which had looked miniscule to my pre-surgery eye when I was a 26. So my rambling point is this, try to achieve patience, keep your nose to the grindstone with exercise and diet and even though it will feel at times to be like trying to run through molasses, suddenly one day you will be running without breaking a sweat, and you will be wearing clothes that are snug on purpose! Chin up, boobs out - it's showtime!! =)

Can I be your friend? lol I'd love to see your progression in pics! And that's great inch loss! You mentioned some that I didn't measure but I will!

I ran into a friend I have not seen on years I said hi he had to do a double take .He said he was not sure it was me so he did not approch me first lol .. It feels weird as my brain is not caught up yet with my 94 pound loss .. I tell people I diet and work out if they ask .. If it is a very close friend they know zi had the surgery.. So far all positive comments..

Your not even suppose to worry about weight loss while your healing. You have a 4-6 wk for healing. Don't focus on your weight loss yet, it will come. Like they said above also told by my doc, you normally lose 1-2 lbs a week. Your doing great!!!

I have often felt like once I actually have my surgery, I may have an emotional moment...its like a whole new.life, and we all went through so much to get here! I totally understand breaking down, the appt you had, confirmation that you're going down the right road, and weight loss, the light at the end of the tunnel! Congrats, and a big thumbs up to hubby for being so great! You're blessed to have support like that!

Congrats! That's super exciting. I definitely felt more secure after going to the seminar. It put me in the right direction, now everything is falling into place. I have to complete my 3 months medically supervised weight loss (which in my case, is 1 class every week for 3 months). After that, i just have like 1 or 2 more things to do, and then I can send in my info for approval from my insurance..

Hi Everyone, I had my lap band more than year ago and I had my ups and downs. So far I lost 75 Pounds and I know it was not enough but that what I lost so far. After the surgery, I had some doubts about myself and how my life would be . I didn't follow any of the instructions that were given by my surgeon. It took me 3 months to commit to the process. I am very happy that I can do a lot of things that was not able to do. This December I rode a horse for the first time. I used to be 255 pounds and it was impossible to ride a horse. so, I like my life style more than my weight. 3 weeks ago the doctor removed all the Fluid from my band because I wasn't able to keep food inside. Since the doctor emptied the band, I gained 5 pounds but I manged to lose 4 of them which is GREAT. it is scary to be on my own but I am happy that happened because I feel empowered. I am so happy to be able to share this with people who actually understand where I am coming from. A lot of people in my life are judging how much weight I've lost and they are wondering why I did not lose more. It is very frustrating to deal with this kind of negative feedback. I want to give support to anyone who is facing difficulty through out their weight loss journey. Thanks Alaa

Yes, first be proud of your accomplishments. You have come a long way in a short time. You're edging in on halfway to goal and yes, every pound you've lost is one gone forever. That said, I get it. We all do! I'm at goal, I'm quite small and there are still days (particularly when I'm emotional or moody) where I feel like a fat person. Why? Because we've gotten in the habit of being mean to ourselves, we're incredibly hard on ourselves and sometimes, we have unrealistic expectations. I lost 108 pounds and yes, I hate looking in the mirror and seeing all that skin. What? Did I honestly expect to shed all the weight and still love my abused body? I'm at goal. I'm small. It's amazing what our damaged self-esteem can make us feel - I'm in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and I'm considered plus size here. I can look in the mirror and know that I'm small - but still feel BIG in comparison to the local ladies! When people stare at me here, I always feel self-conscious all over again, even though I know in my head that they're staring at me because I'm obviously not Central Asian or Russian, and because I have visible tattoos! It's weird the way our brains work and it takes a long time to get over some of these things. Hang in there. I was right where you are now in November of 2010. I was a few months out from surgery and down about 50-60 pounds. Yes, I was thrilled to be the size I was but honestly, I was stalled out for nine weeks around that time and felt like I'd never get smaller. It was right around this time that I was just starting to have people notice the loss, too, and it wasn't all the time, either. The reality here is that it really does take a lot of loss to start seeing size changes when you're plus sized. For me, I didn't lose the first pant size until about 30 pounds off - and then another after 20 more pounds. It wasn't until I was in non-plus size clothes that I could lose a pant size after dropping only 10-15 pounds. Once you start seeing a real difference both in the mirror and on your clothing tags, I'm sure you will feel a little better. As for whether or not people are considering you that large person I wouldn't be so sure. I was horribly self conscious when I was larger and always felt that anyone laughing or smiling near me was laughing at me. I hated going out in public and I felt like the fattest girl in the room every time. I was always looking around for other girls my size so I'd know how I measured up to the other women. After I shed a lot of the weight, I realized that it was all me. Nobody else had the issues with my size that I had. It was actually kind of egotistical of me to think that everyone was looking at me, anyway! I can say that if you hang in there and keep on working at losing the weight you'll recover some of yourself. You'll start to feel a bit more confident each time you see your successes and you'll hopefully shed some of the self-esteem issues. It might help you to talk to someone like a counselor, too. Take care, ~Cheri

I am 67 days post-OP and only 25 pounds down since surgery. That makes a total of 95 pounds down total, but I have a long way to go, as I was 399 when I started this weight loss journey. I'm a little discouraged by the slow pace of my post-op weight loss. I keep telling myself that slow and steady wins the race , blah, blah, blah, but I thought it would come off a lot faster. I have been following the plan, but the Easter candy is starting to look so tempting. I was told that right after surgery, you couldn't help but lose weight. That it would just drop off. Well I was losing about a pound a day for two weeks or so and then I had a two week stall. I even gained 5 pounds eating 600-700 calories a day. Some days I couldn't even get up to 600. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey everyone!! I have been keeping a blog about my journey. The only reason I made this blog is to help other people going through this surgery and all these changes. I post 1-2 times a week and I talk about everything from recipes, work out regimes, family and personal stuff, weight loss updates, etc. Check it out! http://dimandgirl.wordpress.com

Congratulations on your weight loss. Enjoy your journey! You are doing great????

I also measured before my sleeve surgery in January (I had a band for almost 4 yrs - I don't know my original measurements at my highest weight). I've lost 4.5" on my waist, 3" hips, 2.5" chest, .75" upper arm, 2" thigh. This was with a 25/lb weight loss.

I think many people have problems with their gallbladder after any significant weight loss. Some surgeons even remove the gallbladder when they put the band on. I wish mine would've, but he didn't. I am not having problems yet, and hopefully I won't. You are off to a good start. I hope your ulcer and gallbladder problems clear up soon.

Jerr-bear, I am so sorry! What a disappointing finding, and you are right: infuriating. The others have given some good advice about looking into other options (self-pay/Mexico) and also about documenting your current weight loss. Whatever happens, don’t use this as an excuse to give up on yourself. Keep up those amazing weight loss efforts – 60 lbs. is proof that you’re able to be disciplined and you’re really dedicated. Try not to look back and regret what might have been. Just look at what is and what WILL be if you keep working hard. Good luck. I am sorry you had such bad luck.

I'm so, so sorry. It sickens me how often I read this happening to people!! It would be so much better if we could receive the details of our plan from insurance companies directly, and not have to rely on second hand information (that's often inaccurate!!). I assume self pay/ Mexico aren't considerations? You've dinner great so far with pre op weight loss, maybe you can keep the momentum going?

I'm doing the same. I see my nutritionist today for the weigh in since my sleeve surgery on April 11. I have noticed my face is getting smaller too. I wish you continued success on your weight loss journey.

We were discussing this on another board, my opinion of plastic surgery is probably that the scars arent worth it but then I havent been left with sagging skin, so that makes a huge difference. If I had an apron and my thighs looked like they were melting, I would want plastic surgery, so I'm not against it in any way. But for me, I dont want to give the impression that I have this awesome body, lol, but I dont particularly look like I was once much fatter, I look like an ordinary 40 year old who has had 3 babies - the boobs are a bit saggy, my stomach is flat but not firm, and I have a bit of cellulite on my thighs. I can look great dressed and not many people see me starkers, so personally, there's no way I'd swap all that scarring - it wouldnt improve things one bit for me, it would just swap one thing for another. My boobs could use and might get a bit of work though, they're still Ecups after all this weight loss and I'd like a nice D. They need a lift also, so I very well may do that in a year or two when I finally get back into the workforce. I think PS is a godsend for people who need it, but I think the scarring is not insignificant and its major surgery and it does concern me how free and easy people are with it these days - obviously on a weight loss board there are many many people who would really benefit, I"m talking about 16 year olds having breast implants.

Hello to all, I am scheduled to have my surgery in mid january. I have been hearing about hair loss. this makes me a little scared. I have long hair, and it has always been a very big part of my life. I already have thinning hair due to thyroid disease. So the thought of losing more is freaking me out. Please if anyone has any info, please let me know. Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to give.

I have always had a problem with pictures!! And I think it's because a still moment of a person looks different from that person in motion. In the mirror you see a dozen tiny changes in your expression - your eyes, cheeks, lips are all dynamic and in motion in the mirror. A picture captures one solid frame, and the movement isn't there! I have a hard time recognizing some people from photos because of this. I have gritted my teeth and allowed some pictures because I know someday my daughter will want to know who I was before her memories defined me. My weight loss is for her health as much as mine... And I want to lose the weight before she really REMEMBERS me at my old size.

Not to just echo what others have said, but I would strongly encourage you to see a therapist that deals with eating disorders about the depression, anorexia & self-destruction. I'm also surprised about the aging. I think I've aged in reverse through my weight loss. Are you getting enough Water?

Like others have said, I encourage you to really try to get in your Protein, Vitamins, and Water. It's really very important for your health. Personally, I just had someone tell me the other day that I looked a lot younger now that I've lost weight. Keeping up with your nutritional & Fluid requirements can certainly help to avoid a gaunt, aged look, but it also seems like the rate of weight loss, the length of time that you were at your high weight, and your age at surgery can definitely affect this as well. I hadn't been at my high weight for more than a few years (though I'd been overweight/obese for essentially my entire adult life), and I'm 34, so I think I'm one of the lucky ones in that regard. I had back and hip problems prior to surgery--old dance injuries that made themselves known as I continued to gain weight and put more stress on my damaged joints. Since surgery, my pain has been reduced a lot, but I still have trouble, and for me, I don't think it will ever go away completely (I'm planning to see an orthopedic doc who specializes in dance medicine when I get to goal, so we'll see) but it is much easier to deal with now, 85 pounds lighter. As far as depression and other mental issues--please, please, please find a therapist who deals with body image, eating disorders, etc. I have struggled with depression since I was a teen (it runs in my family), and I was on an antidepressant prior to surgery. I see a therapist regularly and I go to a psychiatrist in the same practice every few months to evaluate my meds. It sounds like some of the things you are dealing with are stemming from your depression--lord knows I never feel like taking care of myself when my depression is left unchecked. You get into this cycle of being depressed, not taking care of yourself, feeling even worse about yourself because you look/feel crappy, etc. It's tough to get out of that cycle without help! Good luck!

Sunshine, I agree with you on the exercise thing. Yesterday, as I was dripping in sweat, I told my husband, "I can not believe that I am addicted to exercise" I love to feel the muscles burn and I love to sweat. Now every day when I first start out on my cardio my body goes "ugh, not this again" but once I get that first hard 5 minutes in - the rest is a piece of cake. Now, that being said, I am not seeing the weight loss that I wish I was but the inches are coming off really well. I keep trying to not be a slave to the scale, but those 30 or so years of habit are hard to break. I hope our new band buddy is doing okay after her surgery and will report back to us soon. Have a great day everyone,

I thought that was my problem with my stall too but I've cut them down to practically nothing, increased my protein from 60 gm's to 90 gm's and increased my activity and I'm still at a dang stall. What gives!! I had surgery April 8th and I'm only down 23 lbs!!! I'm so scared that my loss isn't going to happen but trying to stay focused and not on the number on the scale!! That's hard- lol. Hopefully that helps you.