mnbsleeve

Alexander! WOW! What incredible perserverance!!!! My hat off to you for going after something you knew was right for you!!!! Congratulations on everything you have accomplished, including the amazing weightloss so far. I will check out your youtube videos. Looking forward to following your progress!!!!!

Hang in there fabuless! Some of stall constantly throughout the entire process! It does seem to start up again. You're not "doing anything wrong!" It's just really hard when it's happening. I think in the beginning, pretty much everyone seems to stall shortly after surgery. At least that's my sense from what I've been reading these last few months. I can just say, hang tight! It WILL come off and it WILL be great! :-) Rooting for you!

Welcome Dom! Congratulations on your surgery. This has been an incredible journey for me and I would do it again in a heart beat! Sending lots of good thoughts your way and looking forward to reading about your progress!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Skinny! Congratulations on all you have accomplished. Thank you for this update. I'm always so inspired watching people's incredible progress. You look GREAT Nicole!!! Just beautiful!!!

Meggie wow!!!!! What an amazing transformation!!!! You look GREAT!!!! and very happy too! congratulations!!!!!!!

Wow Meg!!!! You look fantastic!!!!!! I love what you said: " my 'fat suit' is never coming back!" I've often felt like I've been trapped in this fat suit!!!! How great it's coming off for all of us!!! Thank you for the uplifting and inspiring post. You'll get those last few pounds you want to loose. You look AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations Warrior!!!! You'll get those last 25lbs!!!! Sounds like you are rockin' that sleeve! I recently bougth a size L pea coat! I kept grabbing the XL (already down from the 1x and 2x I've been wearing) and my husband kept saying, that's too big! You need smaller! Sure enough! The medium fit better than the large, but I was kinda freaked out and got the large. But if my husband had not been with me, my brain would not have adjusted. I wouldn't have even tried on the Large, or the medium! So weird!!!! :-) in a good way!!! :-)

Congratulatoins CT!!! What a great update!!! I struggle a bit with that whole eating thing too. I just keep giving myself reality checks and reminding myself of the total calories I am consuming and burning. Like others have said, it should level off for us as we become more accostomed to our new bodies and new way of being. Sometimes I just can't believe the changes I am making!!!! It's scary to think it may go away. I guess it's a normal response to an abnormal situation! Congrats again!!!!!! Enjoy the new you!!!!

That's great Julie. Just keep up the good nutrition!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!

Trixie, thank you for posting such personal story. My sincerest condolences! Sounds like your mother really wanted this for you and knew what it meant only in a way a mother knows. I'm sure she will be close to your heart as you go through this journey. She will be smiling big wherever she is knowing you will be getting healthier and stonger. Sending lots of good thoughts your way for a great surgery and a super speedy recovery. Like others here, I am available to answer any questions or lend support as you move througth the steps. Feel free to contact me anytime! I look forward to reading about your progress. Be well! Stay strong!

Hi copchick! Just wanted to send you good thoughts for a fast, positive resolution. I'm sorry we all have to go through such ridiculous hassles!!! Hang in there. Fingers crossed for you.Glad you posted!!!! :-)

Wes, a big CONGRATUATIONS to you as well!!!! What great accomplishment. Way to go on the gym workouts too!!!!!!!

Kimberlina!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Girl, you don't sound conceited or anything of the sort! You sound happy, joyful, and totaly alive!!! I'm loving your energy. You sound young and vibrant. You go girl!!!! Enjoy your life, the new you!!!!! just grab life by the collar and go for it!!!!

I loose an average of about 1 to 2 pounds per week. I know others loose a little faster but FOR ME it's record loss!!! I use to work much harder and always felt miserable and I was lucky to loose a couple of pounds in a month!!! Now, I feel really great, I'm not always hungry, I work out less than I use to (although I would like to increase it) and I'm STILL loosing weight. I basically go about my life so time just flies! And even though I have stalls, I loose overall. So, I know I don't loose as fast, I NEVER DID, but I'm a happy camper!!!!! :-)

Oh my gosh! You look great!!! A see a big difference. For starters you look so MUCH younger. You're beautiful!!!! Congratulations!!!!!

Woo Hoo!!!! Congratulations Kristy!!!! LilMissDiva gave me huge dancing banana when I hit wonderland! So, here's one for you :-) Sorry. I cant make it big like she did, so here's a bunch of them instead... :Banane55: :Banane55: :Banane55: :Banane55: :Banane55: :Banane55: :Banane55:

Awesome! Congratulations! Enjoy the new you!

Great responses! I don't get too much of this particular thing yet. But my philosopy has always been and continues to be that what other people think of me is none of my business!!! They will think what they will think. Personally, I have bigger fish to fry... pardon the food reference! :-)

You look amazing!!! You've really rocked that sleeve!!!!!! and it's paid off girl! Looking good!!! By the way, I think your arms look fine! Besides, you're leggs are so hot, I bet no one's looking at your arms! :-)

That is so great! I love it! What an awesome surprise to get!!!!

Welcome Goldenraisin! I lurked for a while too before posting. This board is great. Lots of information and wonderful, informative and supportive people. Feeling nervous and doubtful is super common. You will read lots of posts about that. For me, this has been an incredible journey. I have a ways to go, but I am feeling so well and so happy! Best of luck on your journey! I look foward to reading about your progress!!!!!

I also think age plays a big role in metabolism and loose skin. I think our bodies respond differently in our twenties vs. our fifties (hormone changes don't help!). In my 20's & 30's I could eat whatever I wanted and wasn't overweight at all. But once I hit my forties I started to balloon out and even as I cut my calories and moved more I was unable to keep up. I could never maintain the much lower consumption of food my body now needed because I would feel so hungry and after a while I would start eating more again. Now, I'm at around 800 calories per day, sometimes 900 to 1000 if I am working out hard (i.e., cycling) and I am loosing an average of 1 to 2 lbs. per week. (I actually stall and drop, stall and drop, but that's my average). I could never achieve that before even on 1200 calories and hard excercise. So for me (will be 49 this month) the lower calories is the magic!!!! and my energy is super duper! My exercise seems to pay off more too! I have serious hairloss but that seems to really have slowed down. I figured at least 2 to 3 pounds of my weight loss came from my hair LOL

I don't eat much dairy but when I do I tend to use 1% or 2%, on occasion I will get FF yogurt. But I found that the FF has more sugars/carbs to compensate for the lower fat. So screw that! I'll take the tiny bit of fat and burn it off. Carbs and sugars tend to make me more hungry and sabotage my weight loss. Like others have already said, we eat such small amounts anyway. Like Soon2B above said, if you're not eating all day long a lot of junky food, it should be okay. I generally stick to three meals. I never was a snacker anyway (just one big, gigantic meal from hell!). So it's still hard for me to make myself eat - especially since I'm not hungry. And most of the time a few bites and I'm full. So, I don't think that if I ate full fat it would affect me so much. I just keep the lower fat stuff also because of my husband and family. They need to eat well too! As far as sugar substitutes, I don't use much of those either since I'm not a sweet person per se. On occasion I'll have crystal light but I don't really like the flavor so much. I have a friend who cut out sugar substitutes completely, especially splenda, because of the havic it was reaking on her body. Two weeks after she got back mobility on her joints and was pain free. She swears it's toxic!!!

Thanks Becca for starting this thread and thank you all for the great suggestions!!! I am under 5 & 1/2 months out and this will be my first Thanksgiving. I will be cooking and hosting so I got something out of every post! The topic caught my eye because it was on my mind. Thanks guys!!!!

Wow Flor! So glad you are doing well and that your Dr. discovered that tumor!!!! WIshing you a super speedy recovery on your surgery! Congratulations on all your progress!