haven't checked in too recently..

I am just over 5 months out. I had surgery at 286 and am now 220. My all time high was last February at 341. So I've come a long way:-) I had a really hard time month 3 and 4 with terrible cravings for bread, crackers and anything carbs. I made a few mistakes but I'm not looking back. I'm doing much better. I started only being able to walk 3/4 mile and now I walk 3 miles at a time. I do this 3-4 times a week and it really helps me want to do better in every way. I had a 3 week stall at the beginning of the month but then suddenly dropped 8lbs. after that. My 48th birthday is in 2 weeks. I also have my 6 month check up and it will be the first time I have seen the surgeon since my surgery. I have had a 6 month goal of 216 for myself and I think I will make it:-) Their end goal for me is 190 but I said, heck no! I want to get down to 140, then try and maintain within 10lbs of that. Anyone else have surgery in Aug/Sept? Would love to hear how you are doing! Ty everyone for always being here and actually being supportive unlike other WL groups I have found where everyone is always trying to find the easy way and not necessarily the right way..

Congrats on your amazing progress! While it hasn't been easy, it sounds like you are doing well. Way to go!

I agree with you about the walking. If you stick with it and keep pushing yourself, it will improve your health, mentally and physically.

Let me suggest two things from my own experience. First, drink alot of fluids, like more than 100 oz. I found several months out from surgery that I needed at least that much to keep hydrated and losing weight. Second, use OH regularly to log in and accountability. It really is helpful to know that there are people out there who are cheering for you and who have been there.

Keep it up!

I am glad to see an update from you. Happy Early Birthday.

TY both. I also wanted to say that I suffer from chronic depression, anxiety and PTSD. No surprise that my anxiety has increased in some ways. I used to self medicate with food. Last year this time I was severely depressed, suicidal and dealing with horrific tummy troubles. Now I have had my depression in check for months. I am still on meds but I am on top of it. I truly feel that getting this weight off has done wonders for my mental health. Now if I could just "see" that I look different, LOL. I guess that will come in time. I work with the WLS therapist once a month and my regular therapist once a week. I don't see that changing for quite some time. I am a food addict. I have to be one step ahead of the disease.

Congratulations on your loss and overall progress in wellness, you are doing beautifully!

I had surgery aug. 7th, my highest weight was 325, I was 302 before my two week diet, I was 292 at the end right before surgery. I as of today just hit my mini goal of 230. My loss is slower than most people and I tend to have stalls of 1-2 weeks quite often. I stick to protein first and I get in if I'm lucky about 600 cals a day. My carbs tend to be around 20 - 15/day. I also have ptsd, anxiety and bipolar disorder. Since loosing weight I have noticed my depression has lessened but my anxiety and ptsd tend to remain around the same.

I do pretty good for the most part, but I still have a LOT of foods I miss so terribly much. My stomach has pretty much cornered me off to green leaf salads and chicken. Anything else and it really gives me trouble. I also drink as much as I can but I know I need to up that massively as of right now I'm only getting in about 48-60oz/day of liquid.

My husband has seen huge improvements that I don't really see. There are some things I find though.. my shoulders, my hips, and my collar bone are so prominent now. Extremely bony to, not to mention my poor bottom. Not much padding there anymore so sitting for any length of time is hard on me, even on cushioned seats. My bones feel like they creak more if that makes sense. I'll move my arms up/down and i don't know how to explain it but it feels like I can feel the skin move over my ribs/back muscles. I'm just starting to walk more and I want to get up to walking the mile + that I used to a year ago before cancer interrupted my life.

I miss a lot of foods terribly too! I work a desk job at home. I've been sitting on a yoga ball for over a year now. Try it! No pressure on the bum bones!

I had surgery 9/11. My highest weight was 265 surgery weight was 245 I am now down to 176. I had several comorbidities before surgery that included diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and more. I was off all medications (besides vitamins) a week after surgery, a few months ago I stopped using my cpap, and overall I feel so much healthier!!! My blood sugars run in the 70s and my a1c was 5.8 a few months ago! My goal is to get to a healthy weight and when I get the ok I will try to conceive my first child. I am beyond grateful to be on this journey!

I noticed your absence. Welcome back!