I've been finding alot of people's stories that are exactly like yours...and I am one of them. I had my surgery on March 15, 2007. I lost about 108 lbs by around seven months out. I haven't lost any more...I have lost some inches and visiablly slimed some though. I don't eat perfect and I don't exercise. When I start to feel like I should be smaller I just look at my old pictures and realise how very far I have come. I've gone from being considered morbidly obese to being overweight. Most people in the US are overweight...I can handle that! I've gone from a tight size 28 to 18s...I can shop in the normal section of stores!!! I don't have to buy the plus size anythings anymore. I can wear my husbands t-shirts. Try and find some of the positive things that are happening and bring out an old picture and put a new picture beside it to see the differences. When I look in the mirror I don't see a big difference...but those pictures sure do tell a tale! I don't take my vitamins either....shame shame shame on us. It's hard for me to develop the habit is really my only problem. I do eat alot of other foods that are high in vitamins so I think that's why my blood work is just fine...I make sure to get it checked regularly. I really like the fruit flavored calcium supplements that are really for antacid...they taste like candy to me. I don't like the chewable vitamins so I just take small multi-vitamins with iron from the dollar store. They are cheap and tiny so they are easy to swallow. As long as I don't take the calcium supplements at the same time as the multi-vitamins there is no problem. You can also go to the doctor and get b-12 vitamin shots...it's once a month and that will at least take care of that issue. A 5 week stall isn't that bad at all. Your body has to get used to changes and your body will shut off weight loss if your not getting in enough water, protein, or calories. Your body will also shut down if you start exercising like crazy. Your doctors should be very supportive of you. My surgeon has never had a goal weight for me...it was just to lose some weight and keep it off. Other docs would say I need to lose quite a bit more weight...but mine is realistic. I'm in the overweight cateogry which is much better than morbidly obese or obese. His goal for me is to stay around the same weight I am right now. What should I be eating and exercising? He says I should try and eat good and exercise more...but whatever I'm doing to keep the weight I am at is good by him. I really like this sort of outlook...he isn't pressuring me to be perfect which would just put me under stress and prep me for failure. Your doing great. Good luck getting to a place where you are happy.

Hey Shirley. I posted that I have been doing all the right stuff since I posted and my weight has gone up 2 lbs. I don't get it. I guess for me drinking the protein and stuff makes me gain weight??? Oh well, at least I am giving it my best shot. At least you are going to the gym. Your doc should be happy that you are doing that. I can't afford it and I just don't have any time in my schedule right now to do it. They make our appts for us so that we can't say we forgot and it has to be within so many days of the surgery anniversary for insurance to consider it as part of my follow up. It was like that with the 6 month and the other check ups. I hope things get better for you. I know they will. Just keep chugging along and we can all be here for each other. Jenifer

Hey Karen. I had the bypass so that is why I have lost more than you have. It sounds like you have worked really hard and that will pay off in the end. It is great that you have been motivated. We can definitely stay in touch. I am going in to accept your friends request. Thank you for the encouragement. I hope that things start to pick up for you again soon. Jenifer

Thank you so much Wendy. Those are awesome suggestions and I have decided that I will definitely keep the appointment. I have done a little better with a lot of different things that I posted about every since I made the post. I guess I just needed to see it "on paper" for the hundreth time. I have posted about it and blogged about it until I am blue in the fingers (haha) and just didn't change but I can see the progress in the right direction. Thank you for taking time to respond to my post. Jenifer

I have my one year post op on March 21st (surgery date was 03/20/07). I have lost 91 lbs if my scale is right compared to my surgeons. I know that is no where near what I should have lost by now. I have not made a commitment to exercise and old eating habits are a constant battle for me. I also struggle to follow a regular routine of protein and supplements. It almost seems as if I constantly sabatoge my success without doing it purposely. I am dreading going in for my post op. At my 6 month they told me I was losing slow and so I can just imagine what they will say when I go back. Honestly I have even thought of canceling the appointment and not worrying about it. I was curious if I am the only one experiencing this. I know that I have lost a lot and some have lost less than me and are at their goal weight because they had a lot less to lose. I know I shouldn't be comparing myself to anyone else for that reason. For some to lose 91 lbs would put them well under goal. Someone close to me had surgery a month before I did. She started at 191 and is down to 111 and wearing a size 4 which is too big for her sometimes. A friend of hers had surgery about 6 months ago and started at about the same weight she did and is down to a size 8 already. My stomach is really big and that keeps me out of the smaller sizes so I have yet to be completely comfortable in all size 18's. Granted, I started at 26/28 so I have made progress, but I am not where I expected to be at a year out. I thought I would be in a much smaller size by now. I know I need to made a strong commitment to changing completely and that is so much easier said than done. Sometimes I feel like this is just one more failed attempt and that I will never see the single digit sizes. I also know that I don't have very long before my appointment to get much closer to where I should be by now. Sorry to go on so long. I just had to get it out for a minute. Thanks for listening. Jenifer