cludgie

Catracks - I love your system, .2 of a lb would be rounded down yippee!!

Thanks folks, I am just soooo desperate to get to that marker! x

Hi folks, I'm intreagued as to how we all weigh in. Basically I am longing to get to the 6 stone loss marker, and this morning my scale is flickering between that weight, and two tenths of a pound over that weight. So I want to Celebrate, but feel a bit of a cheat. My question is do you guys A: Count the lowest weight if thr scale can't quite decide, or B: Wait until it is official and a bit more weight has dropped? Ta x

I had vsg 14 months ago, I have lost 83lb, my goal was to lose 81lb. I am 5'8, I was 235, I am now 152, I am happy here, but am considering attempting to get closer to 140 to give me a 'safety zone'.

I think most of us get that. I'm just below goal right now, and still expect to see high numbers on the scale every morning, we have had years of training in 'thinking fat', tiny tummies, and smaller waists don't re-train our minds. In fact my scale weighs in stone and lbs, and I am so used to the higher number being how many stone I am, that my mind still swaps the number round because that is the way it has always been!! You will succeed, and the great thing about the sleeve is it works weather you trust it or not!

Hey supermom, and joycelyn, my prayers are with you both. I lost my dad in 2006, and he hated me being overweight, it took me another 4 years after he died to make this journey, I regret that he never saw me succeed, and be healthier. I don't need to know either of your dads to know how much of a gift it is for them to have seen you grasping the opportunity to get healthier. Big hugs xx

I'm still pondering this after 3 months at goal, have bought lots of clothes, but can't find that special celebratory outfit yet!!

Do you get Marks and Spencer in the US? If so they do seamless lycra body suits which are AMAZING! I literally live in them.

Welcome back, I'm sure you'll do wonderfully this time around, I truly believe we know when the time is right for us x

Hey folks, I know you'll probably not believe it 100%, but at some point you will step on the scale, and like a bolt from the blue you will be at goal - I promise you! I had loads of horrid stalls, and for a long time would only lose weight 1 week in every 4 (stupid hormones!!). I never truly believed this could work for me, but even if it is slow and steady - YOU WILL WIN THIS! I think with WLS we anticipate super fast results, if you had done 2 months of weight watchers, you'd be delighted with say a 10lb loss, but because some people will lose 30/40lb in a month on these boards, we diminish our own achievements if it is less than that. Celebrate every day in which you feel healthier, every time you have to tighten a belt another notch, every time someone surprises you with a complement. If you take the time to absorb them, those things can sustain you when the scale is stubborn, and one day soon you'll; step on the scale and dance like a crazy person because of the number being so small, and you'll be sorting the laundry and wonder whose those tiny jeans are, before realising they are yours - AND THEY FIT! And you'll be clothes shopping and realise there is no point rummaging at the back of the rail, because your little size is right up by the front, and you'll do something reckless and fun without even stopping to think if your weight should stop you (like playing on the kiddie swings at the park!). And you'll realise you are 'there'! You absolutely WILL do all of these things, and most of them will happen when you are nowhere near your scale. Good luck on your journies, and celebrate every step that you can! xx

I had my surgery wednesday, came out of hospital thursday, we went sight seeing (walked miles, getting on and off trams etc) durin the day, then travelled home to the uk from europe (7 hour train ride) in the evening on the friday, was back at work and 100% fine by the monday, so had 3 working days off including op day. Good luck x

Now I feel like I am neglecting my poor sleeve.because I have assigned neither a name or gender! I'll get pondering!

Well I finally plucked up the courage to join a face to face bariatric support group yesterday, and it was great!! Most people were pre-op, so I got a few slightly puzzled looks when I walked in, but when I explained who I was and why I was there someone said to me "Thank you so much for joining us, you are what we all want to become". In my logical mind I know I am at goal, but I was so shocked to hear it. I'll definitely stick with the group, I'm hoping it will start to help me cut through some of the psychological issues! Thanks for listening x

Thanks folks, I'm hoping to have a lot more birthdays, and intend for them to just keep getting better!

Awesome nsv!

Simply fab! x

Finally figured out how to use Picasa, so have created a collage of; my 30th (pre-op, but not yet at my biggest) , my 31st (2months post op), and my 32nd last week (at goal). I'm thinking it might be true about women and fine wine getting better with age you know!

Ah, that is still my favourite NSV to date, and it takes a while to sink in too, I still think of myself as bigger than my husband even though I am over 35lb less than him now. Enjoy it, it just gets better and better! xx

Well I've been at goal +/- 3lb since mid December, and it took me 11.5 months to lose 82lbs. I feel slightly lost now that I'm not focussing on losing, and I think I am really starting on the psychological journey now. Anyway, it is all good and I have no regrets, I have gone from UK size 24, to a 10/12, and from 48-42-48 to 38-30-36 (although at least 3in of that is skin now). I may be tempted into trying to drop another 7lb or so to give me a margin of error, but things are pretty static and comfortable at the moment. Good luck in your journey, no matter how long it takes, it is totally worth it! xx

Fantastic! Well done x

Ok, so after a fairly dramatic fall down the stairs back in December (skinned knees, 1 broken toe and torn rotator cuff - ouch!), I FINALLY got my 1st physio appointment yesterday. I arrive, and to my horror the physio is like an adonis (who I have to be undressed in front of - eek!). So I'm blushing away, and he starts to run through the standard questions; ethnicity, religion, allergies, height, WEIGHT! Immediately I think, oh no, what should I round it down to (I've never answered that question without knocking at least a stone off the real answer)??? Then after a moment of hesitation, I realised I didn't have to lie. The truth is fine!!! This NSV felt quite daunting, but I loved it! x

I had this problem too, but rather than pay someone to take gold OUT of my rings, I got my husband to finally buy my eternity ring now I am at goal, and my new little ring holds the others on!

Oh, this is a tough one! I dont see the new me 90% of the time, very occasionally I see a photo of myself though, and that is when it hits me - like someone has photo,-shopped my head on another body! In fact saturday I was talking to 2 skinny friends, both of whom are shorter than me, and we ended up arguing about size because I just couldn't accept I now weigh less than 1 friend, and the same as the other, although apparently this is now the case! It probably sounds pretty bad, but I sometimes play a game with my husband called bigger/smaller/the same, where I'll identify someone I think is approx my size, and my hubby will then have to tell me if I was right - invariably I am wrong tho!

I think my favourites are; 1: (A male friend, on seeing a new profile pic of me on facebook) "Jesus, Claire - cheek bones!!". 2: (A different friend on seeing me after several months), "You look amazing, did Richard stop feeding you?" - I howeled at that one! 3: (A comment made to my hubby by a colleague) "You can't be married to her! - She is bang tidy!". And sometimes actions speak louder than words; 4: My husband now picks me up! 5: My clothes keep ending up in with my kid's because they dont look big enough for me. 6: My daughter (who is 8), now begins every card, note, or letter to me with "To my Beautiful Mummy". It still makes me cry every time! Oh,this is a great thread, and I love my sleeve!!!