Hi Kiark -

Thanks for your post. I have badly slipped off track and regained most my lost weight so I appreciate your thoughts/guidance. I especially like your menu plan sharing. Do you post on what are you eating today ever? I'm not crazy about yogurt but know it's an excellent and easy source of healthy protein...If I can plan what to eat the day before I do a lot better than if I try to "wing it"...

 Fawn!!! You're beautiful!!!!
Enjoy your oh-so-sexy self!@!!!!!
xo

 OMGoodness:
Too much emotion from me just now, so I'll a,b,c it.

A) You are HOT HOT HOT! 
B) I can tell (I think), by the looks on both of your faces, that you and he were in love no matter if you're you now or 145lbs ago...
C) Thank you for being a consistent sharer of your journey and success. This alone is hugely inspirational for so many (including me!)
xoxo
Have fun!!

Wow! Girly! You are really rocking your sleeve!!!! You look fanTAStic and must feel great too! Be proud and keep up the great work!!! Yay for you!!!

P.S. Oh...and not just your arms...
you look FANTASTIC! (all of you!)

I quite like Shelly's "cakes" for an on the go bfast item. Put sf jam on it (or even almond butter and jam) and go.
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2010/04/that-takes-cake.html
good luck!

I'm hoping some of the people who have experienced this can chime in to correct me and/or add detail, but to me, the fatigue is a separate question than the one about the shakes.

I know there are some VSGers who made diligent efforts to get lots and lots of protein in (75-120 grams/day) via food only (vs. shakes) and have found that they are still terribly low in their labs. The conclusion seems to have been that some of us can actually malabsorb (protein from food sources) after VSG and do absolutely require shakes as a supplemental protein source (easiest form of protein to digest/absorb).

(Any of you peeps out there?)

BUT...even with those folks, I do not recall extreme fatigue being a symptom past the first month or two post-op. I believe most folks feel energized from the weight loss and require less sleep and/or "couch" time very quickly out. - even if they have a newly developed protein deficiency. I think that would begin to zap energy down the road a bit...

There are a LOT of really savvy folks re: labs on the main board. I'd find out what your nut/surgeon say based on your labs and post the results there for feedback. They are awesome and will really try to help you figure things out. Good luck!

 Mo-
Thanks a million for coming back to check in from time to time.
We (I) LOVE it!
You are stunning inside and out...and even tho you're a liteweight and I'm a hvyweight...I really enjoy hearing about your journey!!!
Congrats on being excited about your son's upcoming wedding. I am so excited to not HATE...and I mean HATE -- absolutely every picture I was ever in. I'm "happy" to be "okay" with it...and can't wait until I might (MIGHT) love my own image.
Anyway.,..Many many congrats again...and never (PLEASE NEVER) stop coming here. NEVER.
xoxoxox
MWAH
Suzie

It is my understanding that NSAIDs are fine for VSGers. I use naproxin regularly for my periods.
Has your surgeon said to stay away from nsaids?

 I lost 54 lbs. in the first three months. I lost 21 in my pre-op diet, for a total of 75lbs. Good luck!

Don't have my plan down...so far I've had a protein coffee and turkey, guac, cheese and bacon wrapped in lettuce. Not sure about dinner...but just wanted to send a shout out to the wonderful Ms. Shell!

Hope all is well with you!

Laurie -

Thanks so much! I like when I get into a zen mode about this stuff rather than freak every time I step on the scale! lol

YOU are doing AWESOME!!! I Love your avatar, too! You are so happy!!! I love it!!!

Congrats on rocking your sleeve!

Hi All-
So I consider myself a "slow-ish loser" for a heavyweight. I've seen people hit the 100 lb mark in 6 months which is incredible to me!

Me? Well I've just hit 101 lbs in 11 months (122 total including pre-op diet) which is an average of right around 9lbs a month (vs. 16 or 17 average/month for many heavyweights). Here are the stats:

HW-296 - 161 lbs to lose to get to goal (135).
SW-275 (21lbs lost pre-op diet)
Month 1 -25lbs
Month 2 -14lbs
Month 3 -15lbs
Month 4 - 3lbs
Month 5 -7lbs
Month 6 -12lbs
Month 7 -9lbs
Month 8 -5lbs
Month 9 -6lbs
Month 10 - 0lbs (that's right. BIG GOOSE EGG!!! Gah!)
Month 11 -5lbs (but today I was up again by 4. Yes TOM right around the corner and salty chicken wings...but still!)

In 11.5 months I have lost 122 lbs and 76% excess body weight. I am now "overweight" vs. obese (or I was on the 23rd, before I went back up 4lbs.) and I have (did have) 39 lbs to go to get to goal.  

I'm shooting to be ready for plastics in 29 more lbs (if I can find a way to afford it!), and expect I will only reach 135lbs after plastics. But I'm not sure exactly...

Since I'm now losing only about 5lbs/month (if lucky), I fully expect it will take me 6-8 more months to get to goal. That is fine with me.  However, I am not one who will be happy "where I am at if I never lose another pound". I must make goal.

I find it really odd and fascinating, this journey (and marvelous, of course!).

I began gaining weight very steadily from the time I was six years old. I remember in 5th grade Levis being all the rage for girls. Well my hips and butt were already so big I had to wear a 36w and of course, the Levis state right on there what your waist is. Nice.

I have no recollection of what I weighed EVER (growing up****pt my head firmly planted in the sand as much as possible.

For me, it was always about clothes and how I could not ever fit into anything cute or fashionable. I always felt like a freak. I remember wearing a "maxi-dress" my grandma had made for me practically everyday in 5th grade.

For my parents, I was enrolled into weigh****chers and every other diet program (me kicking and screaming the whole way) since I was in 4th grade until I got rebellious enough that they didn't fight me anymore. Again, going to these meetings and having to diet only served to make me feel like a freak. All the skinny girls could eat french fries...WTH?

Ironically eating the french fries made me "feel" normal (unfreakish) while they actually kept making me more and more "unnormal"/freakish!

In my adult life, I have NEVER weighed less than I do now. I think my body is really fighting me now...resisting going below it's adult lowest set-point or something. Clearly that's not a scientific analysis....lol

In 1987 I got down to where I am now, gained it all back plus 25 and and then again I lost it in 1997/8.

At this point I decided that this weight was "good enough" and I would never EVER gain weight again. I went for a tummy tuck to get rid of my "low rider" (as my then bf called my panni-lol) with the amazing Dr. Ordon (of "The Doctors") and kept the weight off longer than ever before - only creeping up to 205 (+30lbs) over a 3-year period.

Then came my pregnancy...went up to 258 while pregnant, went back down to 205-210 while breast feeding. Then WHAMMO! I packed back on the pregnancy weight and 41 more pounds in about 16 months once I weened my son. Yep. 80lbs in 16 months.

Then came the co-morbidities. And spending all my time lamenting that I didn't have energy to go on bike rides or just be active with my son. Avoiding people/amusement parks/carnivals/activities and basically EVERYTHING while I struggled with one diet after another.

Finally my wonderful VSG. Finally. How I got to this point (VSG) is a whole'nuther story which will thankfully wait. LOL.

But I think part of my point is that this journey is sooo very different for each and everyone of us.

Someone who has only been overweight for 10 years will lose differently than someone who has been overweight 40 years. Someone who was once an athlete will lose differently than someone who was never athletic. Man vs. woman. Young woman vs. older women. Pre-menopausal vs. post. And on and on. 

I hope this helps newbies and others on the journey. You will see that there ARE stalls (month 4 for me was bad - and I was being religiously perfectly perfect at that point!) and peaks and valleys - it's all part of the journey. Month 10 is my worst, for sure (and I hope not another month like that until maintenance!).
Okay..enough of my blathering...