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@BlueParis I think the hardest part about this process is accepting that the weight loss happens over a full year, or sometimes even more! The stalls make it feel like it will never happen, even though it will. Just not as fast as we want. But you'll get where you want to be eventually if you keep doing the right things. I've been thinking about it and one of the things I think makes it hard for me right now is that part of my brain never really accepted or acknowledged the size I was when I reached my highest weight. I look at myself in the mirror now and even though I haven't been this weight in 25 years and the last time I was close to it was 7 years ago, in my head, this is what I looked like all along, so I don't see the difference. I'll admit, I saw a photo of myself from last summer and was shocked at my size. Did I really look like that? But I look at myself now and all I feel is the frustration I had in my mid-20s of "when will I lose this weight" because it feels like the last 50 lbs never even happened. I'm just back to a place where I recognize what I'm seeing in the mirror instead of pretending it's not there. @RonHall908 I'm also struggling with sleep. I started tracking with my Fitbit and I don't get what I thought I did. I go to bed around 10:30 and I don't have to be up until 7:00, so I always thought I was getting plenty, at least 7 hours and close to 8, but in reality, I wake up at 5:00 this time of year because of the sun coming up. In the past 3 weeks since I started tracking, I've averaged 6h7m and only hit 7h twice. For comparison, my tracker says I've had an average of 1h9m of REM and 1h13m deep sleep, with 45m awake and 3h44m light sleep. For the most part, I'm energetic. I get over an hour of walking in almost every day, with 38m in the moderate zone according to my tracker. I don't drink any caffeine. But I do have about 30 minutes between 2:30 and 3:00pm when I can barely keep my eyes open. After that, I tend to have a second wind and am wide awake by the time 9pm rolls around so going to bed earlier isn't a great option. I try to relax and read, but I still don't fall asleep until close to 11pm, and I can easily stay up until after midnight if I don't stop myself. Maybe this is just what my body wants?

My goal at 250 was to ensure I could get both my knees replaced. However, I am already able to get them replaced, but holding out as long as I can. Your goal is "YOUR" goal. I am hopeful I will drop below 250 and it is still looking promising, I haven't had a stall week yet in 9.5 months. I also know I have loose skin which I will look into removing once I hit the 18-24 month mark from surgery, and that could add another 40 pounds of weight. Just get an obtainable goal and go from there, adjust as needed.

I am SO bummed. Tomorrow I will be 1 week post-op and I've lost 0 pounds. I finally made it back to my pre-surgery weight today.

I see your point, but I think the psych eval is necessary. Weight loss surgery outcomes are much better when used along side pysch evals, dietician visits etc. This is all documented and confirmed by the medical community. I think if I was an insurance company, I would prefer to pay out for a surgery that it likely to be successful because the patient is using all the tools in their tool belt and is more likely to be successful. I would also think that more than one appointment with a psychologist should be the norm. You can sometimes do more harm than good with only one therapy session. I don't see it as discrimination because ultimately, it's an elective surgery. We can live (albeit less well) if we are overweight. There are also other surgeries that require psychiatric evaluation too, for example gender surgeries. It's not really discriminatory to require that the person getting certain surgery is likely to have a successful outcome because the require life changes to be successful. However, I definitely agree that it shouldn't be down to the insurance companies to determine the requirements, it should be medial professionals. Insurers should never get the final say in what procedures a patient can or can't get if the doctor disagrees with the insurance company. I also don't think a tick box appointment should be enough to get approved for a major surgery which is what insurance requires.

I did feel anxiety and something that's grief-like in my early days post-op. I never did the liquid diet and was overwhelmed with how many things I thought I couldn't have. I have always enjoyed working out and always thought that not being to eat adequately will not allow me to workout intensely again. Those days are far behind me now. I eat everything and that includes sushi, burgers, tacos, rice, noodles and even dessert. I have been traveling to Europe for 2 weeks and I had gelato, pizza, pasta and bread every single day. I came back having lost weight. I walked 15k+ steps a day and enjoyed everything in moderation, I didn't eat big portions of anything, I rarely finished a whole scoop of gelato but I tasted everything and ate to satisfaction. I eat well 90-95% of the time, but I definitely don't deprive myself of anything. I eat out on weekends and I love trying new restaurants and cafes, it really doesn't have to be like that. It really comes down to how much you eat. Use your restriction to know how much to eat and when to stop. Of course I understand that the above might not be suitable for everyone, but the "all or nothing" mindset was something I struggled with pre WLS, but I find that adopting the "everything in moderation" OR "do I really want to eat that?" mindset now is really freeing and doesn't limit how I live my life. I love travel, I love food, I love culinary experiences and I am adamant to not let WLS get in the way of it. It is a tool that should be used to build good habits, which include portion control, daily movement and workouts but also freeing your mind of food fear and anxiety.

Looking preferably for someone in the DFW area, but will travel farther if I need to (i.e. Austin or Houston). Looking for surgery on upper arms, a breast lift Unsure if I want anything inserted into my breasts like implants but also not sure if a lift will look good without putting something back into the deflated balloons that are my chest now. My upper arms and chest (and all the loose skin that flows out from under my bra, from the sides of any bra I've tried, etc.) are the things that bother me the most. I've always thought I probably couldn't handle (pain-wise) getting my abdominal area done but obviously there is PLENTY of loose skin there and I wouldn't mind having my mons...looking better. I just need some names/referrals so I can start shopping and I don't know if my priorities might change based on costs and whichever doctor I end up selecting. I've tried just general Google searches but honestly I don't trust them and asking on local Facebook groups is not the same as talking with people who may have used doctors somewhere I can get to...and you have all been on the journey of losing a large amount of weight and the issues that came with that so I would prefer to have a surgeon who has a lot of experience with operating on people who have lost a great deal of weight which is the main reason behind their quest for surgery. Ugh..just got diagnosed with COVID so apologies in advance if I didn't string together coherent questions....

Today I graduated with my Bachelors Degree! I have worked my arse off with working full time and raising 3 kids along with my supportive boyfriend. It was a great Mother’s Day present to myself. I decided to do a side by side and I noticed that even my guy lost weight. Not only that I feel like this year is a year for me to take control of my life. This is just the beginning!

Did another closet purge over the weekend and cleared out 5 huge bags of clothes. It's a nice feeling to let the old stuff go, and happily, thanks to a few shopping trips, a bin of smaller clothing I had saved from a few years ago, and some hand me downs from a friend, I have plenty to get me through the warm weather. Once winter arrives, I will definitely need to buy clothing because I've gotten rid of about 90% of my long sleeve clothes and sweaters! Is anyone noticing what you prefer to wear is changing? I was really favoring loose, flowing items that hid my extra weight before. Especially those wraps or kimonos you can find so many places that you wear over a tunic, partly because they are one-size so I could buy them even when the store didn't carry my size in anything else. But the other day, I actually tucked a t-shirt into the waistband of a denim skirt and wore it out with nothing over it! And I'm loving sundresses with a belted waist. Obviously right now I'm not spending too much and trying to stick with basics just to get me through, but I'm really curious what I'll end up buying when I get to my final weight. If I could reach a US size 12, I can't even imagine how it would feel. Right now, I'm wearing between a 16 to 18, depending where it's from and the cut. That's down from probably a size 22. I say probably because I started going for stretchy stuff and would buy a 2x or 3x so I didn't have a lot of stuff that was an actual numerical size.

My program is counting from the preop appt weight, 3 weeks before surgery, I had already lost 25 lbs at that point.

II could have written this word for word. I'm at 66 days post op and I'm down 36lbs since surgery or 18% of my starting weight in just over 2 months. I'm 10.5lbs from being on the healthy weight range for my height (BMI) even though I do best with my leg and balance issues at a much lower BMI (BMI20) So I'm about half of the way to where I want to be ... even though I know that timescale woze the weight will start to come off slower soon. All that is positive but .... I could have written this word for word.... I'm also just so cold and tired the whole time. I'm eating the best I can quantity and quality wize but I'm just exhausted...

I find the calculator on the Mexico site to be rather inaccurate for me, but everyone varies. Age and surgery type, as well as co-morbidities all impact weight loss rate. It thinks I should be at 212lbs at 6 months but I'm at 240 with 6 days to go. Not gonna happen. It also thinks I should be at 170 by 12 months, but that's not very likely either. I've always used the following one as it takes into account the different surgeries and looks just like the one my surgeon uses. They calculate from the highest weight, it is important to include that because if you have a lot of weight loss before surgery your percentages may track differently and your post op weight loss may be slower. I've seen this happen to several people with surgeons calculating it improperly, or applying the bypass trajectory to a DS patient, which is a disaster and very stressful for the patient! This one takes into account much more like your age, ethnicity, and pre-existing conditions: https://riskcalculator.facs.org/bariatric/?_ga=2.112690692.1282950073.1698781773-393992475.1698781773 According to this one I should be at 78 lbs down for my DS surgery at 6 months. I'm at 80 lbs down. My weight loss has tracked along with this thing pretty steadily, give or take 15 lbs, since surgery, except for my 6 week stall. It puts me at 202 by 12 months out, but DS patients lose for 18-24 months post op, so I should be at 170 sometime in that 12-24 month period! In the end these are all just estimation tools. Our bodies do what they will and we make the most of it. Still, it is nice to have a loose guideline to follow.

WarrenInEC, I saw the bariatric revision surgeon. He doesn't think it is dumping and said that the upper and lower GI done would not have taken an image of the inside of my pouch so there could potentially be an internal hernia. He suggested possible laparoscopic investigatory surgery in a couple of weeks. He said a revision to tighten the opening wouldn't necessarily force me to lose more weight, which is perplexing to me but I'm not looking at it as a solution to lose weight, I just thought that would come with the "package". I'm assuming the reason I still feel restriction when I eat is simply because of the 'pouch' then. I thought I understood all of this 5 years ago when I had the surgery, but I obviously did not comprehend everything. Well, we'll see what the next few weeks brings... I assume you had a revision then as that is a big difference in the opening size..lol. If so, what was it like?

@LisaCaryl How's your knee? Did you see a doc at the clinic? Re wardrobe, I had a clear out and gave a lot of things to my cleaning lady and have just been going down to my cellar to get old clothes out. I have bought a few new dresses, but I but far too many clothes anyway... I'm a french size 38/40 now and hope to be a 36 by the end of the summer which will allow me to fit into most of my old clothes .... but unfortunately not my fave dress which is a 34.... that still seems like pipe dream right now. My posture is getting better and I have less pain in my legs which is nice. 2 days until I'm back home and can weight myself to see if I've broken my stall.

I did it for years too. It was focussed on breathing and stretching & included the flow routines so it sounds like what you will be doing. It did have a fancy yoga name which I can’t remember now. I loved it which is why I incorporated the stretches in the routines I do at home now. Hope you enjoy it too. It likely wouldn’t be considered strength training but many of the stretches and poses use your body weight so will it help build strength? Yes. You’ll also find that it slowly improves your general fitness too because of the broth work. I remember noticing the improvement when going to the camp we took our year 6 classes to every year. There was this big hill I’d always struggle to climb but a year after starting yoga I didn’t have an issue at all. Actually lead the way up the hill. I only wore slim legged track pants and a t shirt or fitted singlet top. Your bike shorts will be fine and I top you’ll feel comfortable in and bare feet are fine. Sure there will be people in the latest trendy yoga gear but it’s not necessary. I found a thick foam exercise mat at Kmart (here in Australia) which helped with my bony bits when I do my stretches now. See how you go with your yoga mat and look for a thicker mat if you need it. My yoga instructor used to provide latex bands to use for some of the stretches and we all just bought a towel which we rolled up to use if we needed extra support. Honestly you can end up spending a fortune on clothing and equipment so I’d hold off first to see how much you really love it and what you actually need. If you’re worried about your personal belongings, keep your keys, wallet, phone & whatever else in a bag and set it beside you with your water bottle. You could pop in your shoes & jacket (for when you start to feel the cold) too so you have all your belongings with you.

I don't know how to feel about this. Not because she's taking weight loss medications, but because she's taking these 2 together. I've done about 4 hours of research and 95% of what I read says NOT to take these 2 meds together. The other 5% is from people who take them together and have had excellent results. She gets the phentermine from her doctor and the Tirzepatide from a compounding pharmacy (they mix it with sterile saline and not B12 or niacinamide). I don't think she's told either provider that she's taking them together, and I can't help feeling like there's a reason she's hiding it. I'm on here partly to vent because I've shown her the research and expressed my concerns and she isn't listening, but also because I'm wondering if anyone here has combined phentermine with either tirzepatide, Zepbound, or Monjauro, and if so, how did it go?

First of all, can I just tell you that you're beautiful!!! I don't mean anything awkward or inappropriate with that, but I just felt like I wanted to tell you that you are a very beautiful woman To answer your questions: 1. What was the best part of surgery for you? Getting off blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and anti-inflammatory meds, losing the weight, and gaining mobility back 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? I had several complications from the sleeve and had to have a revision a year later 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? not during the surgery but about 7-8 months later, complications started showing up. 4 endoscopies, 1 colonoscopy, and massive amounts of PPIs later, had to have the revision 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? it's been hard sometimes, but overall, so worth it and rewarding and a huge blessing 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? If you stick to the plan, it's a gradual process. By 6-8 weeks, I was nervous but ready to eat food and just made sure to go slow. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? pasta, rice, potatoes, bread (a year or 2 out, some can eat it in small amounts every once in a while, but I'm so sensitive to carbs that I stay far away...but there's alternatives that allow me to not feel like I'm deprived so it's completely ok) 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? dumping really only happens with the bypass, not the sleeve. Never had vomiting and very little nausea (in the beginning). Once I had my revision to bypass, I had dumping twice and learned my lesson lol I follow the rules and I'm careful, so I haven't had it again. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? about 4 weeks after the sleeve, about a week to 10 days after the revision to bypass (much easier surgery to recover from, for some reason) 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? not right away. I was beyond exhausted the first 2 weeks. Weeks 3 and 4 it started to get better. By week 6, I felt normal, and by 3 months out I had lost a good amount of weight and my energy levels really started to pick up. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? not in any kind of negative way until I started having the complications. Once I had the revision, every complication went away and I've been beyond happy and thrilled. The only real issue I have now is body dysmorphia sometimes. I have moments where I look in the mirror and still see 421 pound me and not 195 pound me. I'll look in my closet and think someone stole my clothes and replaced them with someone else's (I use to be a size 30/5X and now I'm a size 14/XL). 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I absolutely do not regret it. The only thing I would go back and change is I would just have the bypass to begin with and skip the sleeve altogether. Now, there are a lot of people really happy with the sleeve. They have zero regrets. I was one of them, until I wasn't. Many of us sleevers have to get a revision to bypass for one reason or another, but just as many, if not more, have the sleeve and never have any issues and love it.

I've seen a lot of posts with questions about how to dress and buy clothes during and after significant weight loss. I'm by no means an expert, but there are some things I wish I had realized earlier along the way of my 200-pound weight loss that might be helpful to others. I spent my entire adult life up to age 39 as morbidly obese. At my heaviest, I wore size 28, and it's difficult to find ANY clothing that size (even stores that say they carry plus sizes often only go up to 24), let alone flattering or stylish clothing. I sought out black and other dark colors because it's slimming, you know? I just wanted clothes that would (a) fit on my body and (b) hide my size as much as possible. Now, I wear size 6-8 in most brands, and I can shop anywhere... Which is nice, but also overwhelming. Here are some things that helped me: Color analysis - I wish I had done this a long time ago because wearing the most flattering colors helps no matter what size you are. I don't want to endorse any particular company because there are a lot of people who offer this service, but I got mine from a House of Colour consultant after seeing a very informative YouTube video by Sierra Schultzzie about her color analysis. Spoiler alert: black is only recommended for those with a "winter" season. Style analysis (or "clothing personality") - This was life-changing, and I think it was particularly helpful for me after I lost 200 pounds because my body is so different from what it used to be. For example, I used to be a big-busted lady and now I am not, and I used to worry about how big my butt looked and now it's undesirably flat. Again, there are various systems (I think the most popular is the Kibbe body type), but I went back to House of Colour with the same consultant who did my color analysis. I got a ton of information on how to dress to flatter my body based on my proportions and shape, including things like necklines, rise of pants, length of skirts/dresses, fabrics, embellishments to seek or avoid, pattern shapes and scales, jewelry shapes and sizes, accessory shapes and sizes, and more. This was incredibly useful information, especially after my body changed so significantly. A lot of the recommendations were completely at odds with the way I've dressed for most of my life, and once I started wearing clothing that suited my colors and clothing personality, I started to look stylish. I frequently get compliments on my clothes, which, until recently, I didn't even know actually happens in real life. It almost feels like cheating -- as though I am impersonating a stylish person. Clothing rental - Do it! I wish I had started this while I was losing weight. It would be incredibly useful to someone who is rapidly changing sizes, since you can change sizes every time you exchange the clothing. Again, there are a lot of services available, but I went with Rent the Runway and I'm pretty happy with it. I didn't start using it until my weight stabilized, but I've found that they are really good at recommending the right size (since sizing can vary a lot between different designers/brands). It's also a great way to try out clothing that fits into my color season and clothing personality since I can just exchange it if I don't like it (but there's an option to purchase it at a discounted price if I want to keep something). They have some pretty high-end clothing, and I get compliments left and right when I wear my Rent the Runway items. Loose skin - I have a confession: it enrages me when people who haven't even lost any weight are freaking out about the possibility of loose skin. Talk about putting the cart before the horse -- you have to earn loose skin. I literally worked my a$$ off to achieve my saggy butt. I have nothing against anyone who chooses to get plastic surgery to remove the loose skin, but as someone who has lost 200 pounds, I have quite a bit of loose skin and no plans to get plastic surgery. I've accepted that I'll never have a bikini body (and honestly, even with a lot of plastic surgery, I doubt that would be a possibility), but with a combination of shapewear (I swear by shaping camis to smooth my abdominal region and hold everything in place) and well-fitting clothes, I don't think my loose skin is evident under normal circumstances. I think if you saw me on the street, you would probably consider me to look like an average middle-aged lady -- but a semi-stylish one! I hope some of this is helpful to those of you in the process of figuring out how to dress your new bodies. I've come a long way, but I'm still a work in progress, so I'd love to hear other people's experiences and tips as well!

I totally understand the anxious mind, trust me. That’s awesome your weight loss. A great start to this truly amazing journey. I am a little over three weeks post op. Not sure I if I said that before but I have a friend of a friend that had her surgery like a year ago. I touched base with her today and told her how excited I am that I ordered pants that are a size smaller and they come today and they already Fit!! Also I ordered new walking shoes and my friend and I are planning to walk at the same time everyday and chat on the phone since we live over an hour apart. We are starting tomorrow. The goal is 30 minutes but I am going to just do loops around my block the first time so I’m not far from home if it’s too much. She replied and said that she has been biking several miles and that I will soon need to get myself a bike so I can join her. I was like no way. I’m wondering if I can do a half hour walk between the heat and my knees. She was like I started with 15 minutes walking and worked my way up. She said this surgery is Life Changing. She said she has SO much energy now and she feels amazing. She has lost well over100 pounds and has only 8 more to get to her goal. I Just thought I would share a positive story that you can take and try ti picture what your version of amazing looks like. Then you can use that when the anxiety starts to creep in. Seriously. I’m telling you. One step at a time. You’ve got this. ❤️

First, a long stall between 3 to 6 months is totally normal and the type of thing doctors should tell us to expect. But weight loss surgery is a game changer. This is no longer about calorie restriction to force your body to shed some weight, and if you think about it logically, it's impossible that your body is carrying out all its bodily functions on less than 1000 calories per day. It's burning fat, and also shifting fluids which account for a lot of what the scale reports to you as weight. If someone who had not had surgery said I will only 800 calories, you would be concerned for their health. I say this as someone who is in a similar place mentally and emotionally as you are after stalling again for 9 days: you have to stop the dieting mentality. Calorie restriction got you nowhere before and it will do nothing but hinder you now. Stop counting calories, especially if your team does not require it. Stop weighing yourself. Focus on eating protein, veggies, fruit, beans, nuts, and seeds. Focus on avoiding artificial sweeteners, processed foods, and simple carbs. Focus on creating sustainable habits and getting the right balance of foods every time you eat. Weigh yourself in a week. Or a month. This isn't about the scale or what you lose from day to day. It's about getting healthy for the rest of your life. It'll happen but you need to step back and not drive yourself crazy over it.

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(I love your username!) I feel like the majority of us turned to WLS as a last resort after many other WL-options didn't work out for us. I've done WW, Dr Bernstein, raw diets, different drugs, intermittent fasting, all sorts of fad diets / cleanses, etc. I feel you. This is different. This is a diet not as a noun, but as a verb -- a healthy way of eating for life. This resets our hormonal responses to food. It gives us a blank slate to re-learn those healthy habits of portion control, of prioritizing nutrients, etc. It gives us the opportunity to look at our old habits and realize we don't need them anymore. It gives us a jumpstart into weight loss so we start off with great momentum / kicking ass. Good luck to you -- but you don't need it. Good mindset is all you need.

I pushed the plus sign. But ended up clicking quote because I don't see how to reply without the quote. Hmm.. I promise I'll get all this down! I need to be here! Just wanted to say thank you for trying to show me how these things work. I tried responding from my phone earlier and it wasn't doing right so I came to my laptop when I got home. Also I wasn't able to fill out my starting weight etc. So going to try to do that from my laptop too. And I realize I should have made a post to introduce myself, right? I said most everything on this responding to Amber though. LOL!! And it's nice to meet all of you for real! Thanks for all advice! Have a nice weekend! But when I have time I'll be popping in here. Super busy lately with work and still moving in. We moved last month and lots of pics aren't hung and all that. And I'm a Realtor and have been busier than normal! But that's good! I also am a personal assistant for 3 separate clients during the week. And I am home now, doing laundry and swept my whole house. LOL! Always something, right? I recently joined the Philatelic Society as I am a stamp collector and our annual show is this weekend so I'm excited to go and meet some members who will be at our monthly meetings and also experience a stamp show for the first time. Yay! (yes. I'm super nerdy and I love books and history, etc. LOL!) I was reading all of your little details of where you are now, what type of surgery, etc. I am going now to try to add mine. Thanks for having me. I have friends and family who are supporting me in this but they've not gone through it. Some cousins did. And they did ok. But I don't live near them and they did their's years ago. Just don't want to bug them I guess. So thanks again!!

It’s been a strange kind of week. I haven’t gone wildly off plan but I have definitely struggled with focus. Nothing has gone wrong, I’m not upset about anything or fed up. I just think that having the dietitian appointment and everything going OK with that sort of had me taking my foot off the accelerator a little. Then the shock of getting my appointment with the surgeon has played with my head somewhat? “I honestly don’t know” is the answer right now. I think, as others have pointed out, that this whole WLS journey became very real this week and there’s a bit of panic going on. Me and hubby have had lots of conversations this week too, about how the future may look what with the LRD to come, immediate post-surgery things to deal with and then long term. Hubby admitted that he knows he’s going to find how little I will be able to eat a struggle but takes comfort in the fact that others have done, and continue to do, the exact same thing and survive plus the Bariatric team at our hospital seem really switched on so he knows I’m in good hands. It’s a learning curve for him too, with more lessons to come! Thankfully the hospital team does welcome questions from family members because they know it can be difficult for them too. I’m not worried about anything specific, just more a case of the practicalities of things. I always do better when I have planned things, even if it’s just in my head, because it’s feeling like I have some control! I’ve ordered a mini food processor to hel with the purée part of the journey to come, so that should be here by the end of the week. Hubby has been looking at different sized ice cube trays for freezing individual portions of purée plus looking at recipes etc. I think he feels a bit ‘in limbo’ at the moment, which I do understand. Anyway, went to see Fatboy Slim on Saturday. I felt good in what I was wearing: Size smaller sparkly black jeans (with lots of stretch, obviously 😉) It was a nice confidence boost anyway! However, the gig was outside and it was freezing cold - that a UK summer for you 🙄 I had a blanket plus a wrap but it got too cold and my hips and knees just had enough, especially with being locked in one position while sitting on the scooter. We left before the end because I honestly couldn’t handle the cold anymore. Disappointing, yes but it happens. On the drive home the heavens opened and it rained so I didn’t feel too bad after that. It took me ages to get warm though. Had a hot shower, extra blanket on the bed, plus pyjamas but I couldn’t warm up. Hubby eventually made me a hot water bottle and I managed to slowly thaw out. We’ve said no more outdoor things for now, especially as the weather is so unpredictable here. Nothing else to report. I will knuckle back down and re-focus. I’ve had a weekend of pizza and alcohol so that’s my wander off-plan done with! Oh, my new weighing scales are in agreement with the dietitian’s scales, which surprised me! The dietitian suggested that I took a photo of her printout from when she had weighed me. I have no idea what everything means but she did underline a couple of things like the visceral fat number, metabolic age etc etc and my new scales match those numbers exactly 😮 So thank you @FifiLux for your suggestion 🥰 I just need to make sure that the weight numbers on the new, shiny scales start reducing again… Wishing everyone a successful, happy week regardless of where you are on your weight loss journey 😎 Onwards and downwards everybody!

This one took a little more math since they give you pounds lost instead of what weight you will be, but I liked that I could see it month my month. The funny thing is the risk calculator one is more aggressive/optimistic in terms of my weight loss. The Mexico one says I'll be 195 at 3 months but the Risk one says 5lbs lower. Oh well, as everyone says, this is just an average, no matter which calculator you look at. But I do find it helpful to have an idea of what to expect. It keeps me realistic.

Hi Sarah! I did not have that fear at first, but I can tell you that if you do not meet your fluid and protein goals you will run yourself into the ground. Trust me! I am 6 weeks post op, and after 2 weeks, I didn't drink my fluids or have my protein. When I took a shower one night, I came VERY close to passing out. The plan is so important (and sometimes really annoying) to follow, but it is for your safety, health, and to achieve the weight loss that you desire. Drinking fluids (all 64 ounces +) will really help your weight loss. I worry about stretching my stomach out later on. Like, if I succumb to mental hunger and have something that I should not have, and I just keep eating it because it tastes good - but I am told it will take a LOT to get it stretched out. I know it will eventually stretch out some, but nothing like it was. Good luck on your journey! I hope the worrying subsides and you are able to heal and start seeing the good things. My first non-scale victory was putting on a pair of jeans I hadn't worn in years and they fit...comfortably. Those are the kinds of things that keep you going. I'm down 38lbs since 4/10 (pre-op diet) and 23lbs since my surgery. I haven't weighed in a bit, so hoping it's more like 25-30lbs since surgery, but as long as it keeps going down, I'm good.