Five Months Post-Op, and Feeling Fatter then EVER! ...Am I CRAZY??

Hello Shannon, Thank you for your brilliant feedback! The more replies I get, the MORE I realize, "we are all THE SAME!" 1. We all lost about the same amount of weight 2. We all lost the same amount of inches 3. We all are very glad we had the surgery 4. We all feel FAT (or flabby, etc..) 5. We all care enough about each other -to- answer someone who is worried, or has a pertinent question on our anniversary board. With support like that, I think we are truly blessed! Peace to you and Yours, pete

I'M 5 months out, lost over 70lbs since surgery, total of 111 since I started this journey, down from a 26/28 to 18/16. Remember, your journey is still on going and will not slow down or end anytime soon, at least a year or so from now. Make sure you are following your protocol. Be proud of the fact that you have lost 70lbs. Thats alot of weight & its hard to loose. Pat your self on the back and say I did it. You're not fat, you're getting healthier. Time is on your side and the only thing you really have to loose is weight. Be proud of yourself, I know we are proud of you. We know how hard it is and when most people say this journey is an easy way out, no its not, you've change your way of eating, drinking, exercising, etc. But it is so worth it. You are loved & we on this end have faith in you to continue your journey. Stop and remember before you began your journey & all the diets you tried. If someone told you that you would be on the loosing side before you started your journey, I know you would probably say yea! right! I know I have & still do not believe I have come this far. Look where you have been & where you are now, it does get better my friend; it does! Take care, in my prayers! :

Thank You Karen for such taking the time to answer my post.. Yours is the most thoughtful (so far) and gave me a closer look at the things we (I) took for granted. (*past diets, long journey, where I would be today -without- my surgery.) Probably "staring at the ceiling in my darkended bedroom, praying for the guts to end it all! But today, I am frustrated with newer, and more complicated issues., such as.. How to answer such loving letters of encouragement, (when) I haven't spoken more the fifty words to any strangers in more then ten years! Excuse me if my "People Skills are Lacking." But I have tried to be honest, and the honesty I hear, and the gratitude in your letters. Everyone of you have been supportative, and truly caring. And boy, is that something I haven't had for YEARS from ANYONE! Thank you from the top of my stitches, to the bottom of my drainage plug hole stitches. God Bless you all. and I hope we stay closer as the time goes by. PLEASE.. I don't know about you guys, but I lost all my DEAR FRIENDS, shortly after I tipped the 2oo lb mark on my scale about nine (9)years ago keep in touch Karen, and the rest of our family of guardian angels All my love and Blessings,] Pete from Miami Beach

Hi! Sorry for now answering sooner, been helping my nieces husband find a job. I will stay in touch with you as long as you do me. You have come a long way and we WLS members are proud of what you have accomplished. Thing to remember is try to be positive and ignore the negative feelings. As long as you look at things in a different light; things will start changing in a positive way for you. I know, I use to say I was always a day late and a day short; I finally realized that I was always claming bad things to happen to me and once I started claiming and truly believing that you can get through anything and its gets better every day, it will!

I know exactly what you mean by not feeling fat before. I think we feel fat when we gained the first 20-40 #'s and then we felt it all go down hill after that. I think I never looked in the mirror after a while and so I remembered(in a mind set) the way I used to be and didn't put too much attention on my looks. It was a way to survive. But we were aware of our wt., cause we isolated ourselves and stayed out of the public eye. (I did and I think you did too?) So, noone told us different. I put wt. on the back burner and developed other problems to cover the wt., such as, depression, pain.... I too have Degn. Disc Dx. and arthitis... i was depressed and on high blood pressure pills and heart pills. I was a thin person up till I hurt my back the first time and gained from 130-300#'s in 10 years. I feel great!!!!! I can sit and walk and drive and cross my legs and so on!!!!! I don't see the person in the mirror and don't think I will for awhile,cause I trained myself not to look at that person. So I am going on my body fells so good! My fingers don't swell, my feet can take me places and shop!... Feel yourself inside and out and enjoy!!! I think the mirror will look back in time. God Bless you and your sweet whippet, Janee Cain

WOW, Janie, You sound like my CLONE! *as do most of our brothers and sisters who have been kind enough to take the time to answer my post. You all have made me feel so much better. Now I realize that being alone was the worst part, and I am not going to do that anymore. I check this page everyday, and If I get the guts, who knows I may even try to post again sometime. God knows you all know as much (or more) about what I am going through! Your blessings and support are a great comfort to me as well. Peace and Love, And thanks again Janie.. May God Bless you and yours.. Pete and Krypto

well peter, I suppose I will chime in here as well, I am now down 92 pounds give or take a few depending on the day. I started at 378 and because I am 6'3 and big bones I never really had any health problems to speak of, not did I actually think of myself as obese well not until passing 350 that is. Now I am down to 287 and I still see a fat much more flabby man than I was before. when I was at my full weight I really had no sag like I do now. I am down about 10 inchs in pants, and ohter than actually intellectually knowing I am smaller I dont feel all that different. People always say dont you feel more energy now? honestly I dont. I figure it is because I had plenty of energy to go around before surgery living as I did on sugar and caffien. when I hd to stop my sugar and caffien intake my energy levels plummeted and are just now getting back to pre surgery levels. but it doesnt seem like I am bursting with more energy , just getting back to a level I was at before. I thnk the hardest and most eye opening thing to do thoughbis to look at my day before surgery pictures and compare them to myself today... it is for sure that losing weight fast makes us seem like we have aged 20 years in 5 months. my only regret is that I did not have this surgery when I was 25 and not 49. All in all the trade off on gettting thinner but giving up enjoying food like I used to is a worthwhile trade off. I have no regrets at all on having had the surgery. have a great day!

Thanks Joe, I appreciate your feedback, and thanks for making it unanimous! Men and Women alike, we all are the same, at least at THIS stage of our weight loss process. Just one thing different about you and I.. Joe.. I drink coffee all the time! (I didn't know I wasn't supposed too?) They gave me decaf in the hospital.. YUCH! Soon as I got home, I started drinking coffee, and haven't stopped! I don't use sugar, (I use that substitute that tastes like sugar..SUPRA?) (And I use Lactaid milk, which is like flavored water.. !) Hmmm.. Now you got me worried, Is there a reason not to drink coffee? Peace to you from Miami Beach, Joe.. Pete

You are so not crazy! I will be 6 months post op on April 6 and have lost 101 lbs and I still don't really see a difference. My pre op weight was 298 and I am currently 198, a size 26 to a 14 and still see me as the big girl. People at work tell me all the time how good I look and I can tell I feel much better but I still see the big me. I hope this is just a phase I am going through.

Hello Laura, I don't know if you read some of the responses I received.. But if you didn't, let me tell you -that- YOU, (and I) are NOT alone! It is absolutely Unanimous.. everyone feels the same! We all still feel FAT (flabby, BIG, etc.) At least at this stage of our weight loss journey! So, if it is a "Phase?".. we ALL seem to be going through it! Thank you for taking the time to answer my post Laura, Peace to you from Miami Beach, Florida pete