197-198...I'll take it. Ate bad this week, but I did a lot of physical work (pruning, mowing, raking, walking)...

I am down a little over a pound from last week. I usually round up or down to the nearest whole number, since at my weight half or quarter pounds can be gained or lost in minutes and are essentially insignificant. I was down as low as 276 1/2 just before Thanksgiving, swelled up to 279 during the week, and hit 276 3/4 this morning. I am happy with all that, especially since I was less than discreet during the day itself. And all that fluctuation is normal for me, so I was expecting it.

HW 481

CW 277

Goal Weight 300

I guess I should say something about my goal. I set my goals based on numbers my surgeon gave me for average weight loss. Average for me with the sleeve would have put me around 350. I set my first goal at 325. I blew through that and set a second goal of 300. I blew through that. Now I am 23 lbs below that. There isn't a lot left to lose, but I am just going to keep on what I am doing and see how far it gets.

I am very heavy on protein - 120 grams or more a day - to help prevent muscle mass loss. So far so good. I've lost some just from not hauling around all the extra weight, but the ones I use regularly for work and working out are doing very well.

Howdy from E. TX!

1. Clothing sizes drop quickly. I went from 52/54's to 34/36's. XXL - Med/Lrg. Depending on the fit. Unfortunately seeing some regain making things snug.

2. Excess skin is the trade off for better health. It can be hidden with the help with compression garments but otherwise plastics are only true option. Personally I "deflated well" according to one plastic surgeon I consulted with so I just live with it.

3. Sex life for the majority improves but can go other way too. Can get so horny at times a knot hole in a fence is tempting. You are spot on about the more exposure thing. Like to use analogy of a fence post in ground and pulling the dirt back exposing more wood/steel. As to your partner s/he, you did not specify, may notice you are "going where no one has gone before".

4. Biotin, OTC at store, helps with hair, nails and skin quality and to some degree quantity. You'll notice some thinning but more protein in diet and the biotin slows the loss.

Get ready for one HELL of a ride! Not are you going through changes physically but psychologically and emotionally as well. It can, and likely will be, a MAJOR head ******o shame in your game to get professional help if it gets to be too much. My best advise for a newbie is in my signature line!

James, I will number my answers to correspond to your questions. I am almost 14 months post op, and have lost 204 lbs so far.

1) Clothes. I am sort of blue collar, in that I run my own business building stuff. I had a stack of old clothes I outgrew and thought they would last me through the winter last year. They did not. I went through quite a few sizes, from a 60 in pants down to currently 42. To solve the problem, I bought two pair of pants and did more laundry. Well, someone did more laundry. I will address that in another answer.

2) Depending on how much weight you lose and where it comes off, you are going to have excess skin. For me it was not real bad, and I am 59, so a little wrinkly isn't unexpected anyway. But excess skin is a fact of life. Skin removal surgery is available to some eventually, but it is a lot of work and a lot of money from everything I read.

3) Sex drive is even better, and it was good before. Some things are easier. We will be married 34 years in a couple months, and have a very good relationship, so there were no problems in that area at all. Each couple is different though. I am not sure how someone would not like it, unless she is afraid you are going to start fooling around on the side. That is a different issue though.

4) I already lost most of my hair off my head. I have not experienced any other hair loss anywhere else, although my beard seems to grow more slowly these days. That might be from old age creeping up on me too. I don't know. Everyone is different. I don't think you are going to lose the hair on your back though, if that is what you are hoping.

Overall, the results have been way more positive than negative. I have lots more energy, I get lots more done (most of the time) and the negatives have been very few. Probably the biggest one for me is being cold more often.

Oh yeah, the laundry thing. We have been married a long time, and my wife is extremely supportive of this, so much so that she has modified her own diet substantially to match up with mine in many ways. She still eats a few things I can't or won't, but I do not begrudge her that in the slightest. She was willing to do more laundry (i.e. more frequently) in order to not have to spend extra money on clothes I would not be wearing for a long time.

Every time I hit a new pants size, we would go buy two more pair of pants. I do not know where you are physically or philosophically, but one of the things that really helped me extend the life of a pair of pants was this. I carry a sidearm everywhere it is legal. When I started with a new waist size, I would use my outside the waistband holster. As the pants got looser, I would switch to inside the waistband, first with a single stack and then with a double stack .45 ACP. Some folks are fine with that, and some think it is horrible. I don't give a rat's rear end. It worked great, and continues to work great.

Shirts are a little easier to make last longer, depending on how tight you need or want your collar to be. If you wear a tie all the time, it may be an issue for you depending on how much weight you lose around your neck. We also bought less expensive but still new clothing, since it did not have to last as long. Finding my size in a lot of things is still problematic. I am down to almost no weight left to lose, and still weigh 277 lbs. I am about 280 in the picture below.

Ahh...No fair!! Two times (during this Thanksgiving week) I have been offered cheesecake!! Needless to say I had it both times, but let's get real. Apple or pumpkin pie (without the topping) can work fine...But Costco Cheesecake!! They are not fighting fair...!!!