CraftyChristie

I'm splitting my 5 Month Update into two parts because right now I don't have my progress photos or video ready, those will come tomorrow This Months Stats: Current Weight: 221 lbs (Starting Weight was 310 lbs) Weight 1 Month Ago: 230 lbs Weight Lost This Month: 9 lbs Total Weight Lost: 89 lbs Inches Lost This Month: 5 1/2" Total Inches Lost: 62" (wow) Current clothing sizes: (thought I'd add this category!) Tops: XL Bottoms: 18 Bra: 42B Beginning clothing sizes were: Tops: 3X Bottoms: 26/28 Bra: 48B My detailed measurements will soon be on myscale. Things were going down again and I got to 220.5 but then yesterday and the day before were 221-222. Whyyyyyy??? Now I know why :-P I have continued with my workouts and eating well so I knew the gain wasn't "real", but I thought maybe it was from building muscle with personal training. That may be part of it but I sure know that it is probably Water retention due to getting my period again. Sigh. At any rate, 9 lbs for the months is still awesome. It's the least I've had so far and I am definitely battling that fear that it is slowing way down now... but I am keeping my head in the game and hoping it will pick up slightly again. I am 11 pounds from losing 100 lbs, and I wanted to hit that mark by the time I hit 6 months. So my goal for this month is to meet or exceed 11 pounds lost. I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen!! Has 3 workouts already this week (Sun,Mon,Thurs) and have two more planned (Fri, Sun)soon Missed yesterday because I was so tired/cranky/down... at least now I know there was a reason. So! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be back with my progress photos and video! Now just a little more about clothes I recently started fitting into XL tops in some regular clothing departments... and actually even a few larges!! Below are some pics of a new vest I got in size XL... the shirt and two sweaters I'm wearing with it are size L!!! Can't believe it. Be back soon with this month's progress photos and video

I don't work but my hubby does (and he had the sleeve too)... I help him out by packing a lunch box for him every day. Our guidelines are to eat 5-6 small meals a day. Usually he eats once in the morning at home, I pack him 3 small meals for his work day, and he will eat twice more in the evening at home. He likes easy things in his lunch box, so I limit 'heat-up' meals to only one per day (sometimes none). Some typical meals I pack for him are... a light string cheese with turkey lil' smokies.... tuna salad or chicken salad with one wheat thins flatbread cracker (don't eat crackers or other solids til 6 weeks post op).... apple slices with peanut butter.... beef jerkey and 1 slice of cheese .... a 'cream cheese cracker' which is one flatbread cracker, cream cheese (you can buy them in these single serving packs, very convenient for the lunch box), deli turkey or ham, a slice of cheese. Pile it all on the cracker....... usually a pickle or some strawberries or blueberries but very few since he sticks to more protein..... cold grilled chicken strips (you can buy them prepackaged)...... turkey pepperoni with light string cheese..... shrimp cocktail (6 cold shrimp and some cocktail sauce).... cottage cheese with mandarin oranges or pineapple...... cold bean salad (mixture of beans in a vinaigrette)..... a hard boiled egg...... some hummus and veggies with chicken strips.... I'm sure there are more but that's all I can think of right now. Usually 1 meal a day is leftovers from easy dinners (I hate cooking).... some hormel white chicken chili..... maybe a taco mixture (ground beef with taco seasoning + seasoned black beans topped with a little shredded cheese and sour cream, with or without a tortilla)..... leftover grilled chicken.... meatballs that have been cooked in a creamy soup in the crock pot ...... sometimes I will send breakfast foods like egg beaters scrambled with ham, onion, pepper, cheese........soups (the chunkier the better, you don't want too much liquid).....PROTEIN BARS! They are a lifesaver for a quick grab or an unplanned late work day. We buy Premier Protein bars from Costco (also available online at Premier Nutrition's website)... these were suggested to us by our surgeon because they are dense/heavy/filling, and they have no bready products in them like ricecake stuff or anything like that. They are soft enough to be eaten fairly early on post-op as well. I hope this helps... I know it was long but I really wanted to give you as many ideas as I could!

For me weeks 3-4 I was pretty tired... I don't remember exactly when I picked up again but i know when I got to more solid foods at 6 weeks I started to feel a LOT better. It's a VERY low calorie diet at first and a SHOCK to your body, plus the very fast weight loss, you are going to be tired. Not only that but your body is still healing until 6-8 weeks... and our body slows us down when it is healing so that it can have the energy to heal. Sounds like everything is normal, just hang in there. When you want to nap, do so... just listen to your body. Things will pick up soon.

SO awesome!!! When I read your post what strikes me most is you get to live like a NORMAL person. Even people who don't struggle with weight may gain some on a cruise, a holiday, etc... but then it comes right back off when they go back to their regular routine... and that's exactly how it's going for you. That's awesome and what I am really hoping to have Thanks for sharing your story.

What you have accomplished is AMAZING!! Thank you so much for sharing. I showed your pics to my hubby and he just said "WOOOOWWW!!!" Neither of us can believe you did all of that in a year!

Thanks so much for all the great comments on my 5 month update!!! I'm back as promised to share my video and progress photos for this month. You can find my video on YouTube here: Now for the progress photos. This first set shows the full progression from start to 5 months 5 Months Post Op by christie.co, on Flickr 5 Months Post Op by christie.co, on Flickr 5 Months Post Op by christie.co, on Flickr This set shows this month compared to last month: 4 Months vs 5 Months by christie.co, on Flickr 4 Months vs 5 Months by christie.co, on Flickr 4 Months vs 5 Months by christie.co, on Flickr This set shows this month compared to the beginning: Start vs. 5 Months (Front) by christie.co, on Flickr Start vs. 5 Months (Side) by christie.co, on Flickr Start vs. 5 Months (Back) by christie.co, on Flickr Quick Recap.... Weight @ 5 mos 221 lbs.... Starting weight was 310 lbs.... Loss 89 lbs. Height 5'5" Thanks for checking in on me

I also agree. There are SOME nice changes, but overall the setup is completely confusing. I also hate the new notifications system. Its like I get notified of every single thing 4 different ways, yet I can't find what I WANT to find, like my subscribed threads. Everything's a mess. Bring back the old site!!!

My tastes have changed like that too, I almost never want fried foods anymore. The only ones I can handle are fried foods that are not breaded, like fries... and I only have a few. I really identified with what you said... 'waiting for the shoe of disappointment to drop'... I'm in a stall right now, and even though I know stalls are normal, I'm so afraid that this is the point where it all goes away and I gain all my weight back. I know with my MIND that it's not possible because I eat so little and exercise so much. Yet I am still afraid.

Congrats, you are doing awesome! I agree, you have to be really attentive to what your body is telling you. I pay extra attention especially when eating out to listen to my tummy and try not to overeat. I am in 18's now but only some, others are still too small... I would LOVE to take the 18's off your hands when you move down a size, if you don't know anyone else to give them to

That's what this is ALL about!!! Being able to happily enjoy life the way we want and not be held back. While it is true that losing weight is not enough to fix all your problems and make you happy - it certainly does increase your happiness level to be able to enjoy everyday life so much more. Have a GREAT summer!!!!!! I'm jealous because it's fall here and getting cold, winter is coming... and with all the weight loss I'm SO COLD!!! I hope I make it through the winter LOL!

Way to go!!!! Wow size 8 that's so amazing!!

HEHEHE... I love when you are a photo whore I always enjoy what you post. What a great costume!!! That's something I look forward to for next year is to be able to really enjoy dressing up in a costume. The last time I dressed up was in 2007, weighed about 270 lbs and went as a bee, and my hubby was a bee keeper lol. We enjoyed it but there is always that underlying sadness.. I picked the bee because it was the only thing that fit me. He got a beekeeper suit and it ripped down the butt while we were at the party... so we both felt fat. No more!!!! Next year we can dress up and enjoy it :) I'm trying to talk him into going as a starbucks barista and a frappucino :-D

FANTASTIC! I really see a ton of change in both of you. That is so wonderful!!! I did this with my hubby too and so glad we did it together. Not just for the basic things like eating the same way and exercise, but being able to really understand what each other is going through and help through the harder spots. Hubby has been a blessing to me through this, as I've been in a plateau lately and he is keeping me sane I also try to encourage him to exercise more. Being able to do this together is such a blessing! Best of luck to you guys, you are doing great!!

This is most similar to my approach as well. I haven't kept it from anyone and I posted it on Facebook, and I continue to post my monthly stats updates on Facebook as well. Many people are supportive and luckily the ones who aren't don't say much. I had a few people I felt I had to 'defend' myself too. Surprisingly, the naturally thin people have been supportive. They realize they can't understand what I'm going through. It's those who have "struggled" with weight loss (I'm talking 10-20 lbs) that feel they can have an opinion. I did this and I lost the weight, I did that and I lost the weight... you can too. Sorry but losing 20 lbs is NOT anywhere near the same as losing 150 lbs. I tell them, I've lost 40 or 50 lbs about TEN times before. Yes I can do it. But I can't maintain it long term and keep it off. My body fights me tooth and nail. I explain that I know how to have the right habits, otherwise I never could have lost 40 or 50 lbs before....so that I will be doing those things with surgery as a tool, a helper, and it's not easy or a quick fix, that I still have to put in all the work if I want to be successful long term. I politely tell them that losing more than 100 lbs is NOT something they can understand... that it isn't their fault that they can't understand, but to please realize that they don't understand. I also shared the statistics from my surgeon, that if you have more than 100 lbs to lose you have less than a 2% chance of doing it on your own with long term success, even combining nutrition, exercise, meds and psychological therapy. Sharing all of these things SEEMS to give them a new perspective. I say you don't have to agree with me, but I know this is best for me so let's just live and let live. As for the other part - post op - I still don't keep it a secret. I feel like if I say "I watch what I eat, high Protein low carb, and I exercise 5 days a week" - yes these things are true, and it would be okay to say that, BUT... what is that going to do to the other person? Most people out there do want to lose weight so that might make them think 'she lost 90 lbs like that, i should be able to do it too. I'm such a failure because I can't".... the LAST thing I would EVER want to be a part of is perpetuating this false belief that you are a failure for not being able to do it on your own. Not that I want to tell everyone else to have surgery... but I don't want them to think that I am somehow better or more successful than they are. I want to let them know I had this tool to help me. If that backfires on me and makes them think I cheated or took the easy way, that's fine... I would rather that then to make someone feel worse about themselves.

I use Photoshop I put them side by side and use guidelines at the head and feet to make sure I get them the same size. But when I do my 'real life' comparisons I just use Picnik which is an online editor. You could use that and it's much easier, but there isn't a lot of control over getting the sizes of the two images to be the same.

Thanks Angela! I am wishing you all the best in December and beyond My husband is doing very well but he's been in a plateau even longer than I have but not much new to report. He is down 68 lbs total in 4 1/2 mos and his pants size has gone from 54 to 46, tops from XXL to XL and those XL's are getting loose Big meows back to your kitties

Thank you so much ladies!! :-D You know, most of the time I do kind of FEEL like I'm glowing. I'm just a healthier and happier person with more energy these days!! It's nice to hear I am perceived that way as well Hugs.

I don't miss ANYTHING! I think if I had bypass, I would - because I'd have to avoid certain foods COMPLETELY - or may have new intolerances. I can eat anything i want as long as it's in moderation and I get my protein in. I honestly don't understand how people can MISS eating big portions - I LOVE eating little portions and being satisfied and happy. It's an amazing gift. I'm 5 months out and thrilled.

Firstly, that comment is totally rude. I can't even believe it. While I understand DJackson's comment about the servers low pay/table space etc, we all have the right to eat in a restaurant. Their job is to take good care of us while we are there. As long as we are being polite to them and not lingering there forever, they don't really have a right to be annoyed. I'm a standard 20% tipper, so the tip is still decent when hubby and I split a meal, and we eat quickly and leave. Not only that, but post ops are not the only people splitting meals. MANY people are splitting meals these days due to the economy. Or skipping ordering drinks or dessert to save money. While I know people sometimes also skimp on tipping to try to save money - and I think thats wrong - there is nothing wrong with splitting meals. Under ANY circumstance, there's no excuse for making a comment like that to a guest whether you are annoyed or not. I am happy to say no server has seemed annoyed by us splitting a meal. We haven't had any bad serving experiences yet, just funny/odd ones compared to before. Every server seems shocked that I don't want anything at all to drink - no not even Water - and they usually keep asking throughout the meal if I am still ok without a drink. I don't mind this, they are just trying to make sure I'm taken care of... but it's funny. My hubby just gets a water so they don't keep asking them, lol. I have definitely had the "was something wrong with your meal?" comments, but again they are just trying to do a good job and make sure I'm ok so that's fine! I actually had a lot more rude server experiences BEFORE surgery! Maybe, in retrospect, they were rude to me because of my size. I never thought that at the time, but I really haven't had any bad experiences like that lately. Hmm, food for thought?

So sorry to hear about your aunt~!!! BUT, I want to celebrate you for the fact that instead of turning to food, you turned to family and friends. That says so much. I know you haven't posted your newest pics, but I looked at the most recent ones you did post and you look amazing. I had seen your post about your toned arms before (so jealous!!) but was also thoroughly impressed to see your workout clothes picture from 160 lbs and how tight your abs look as well. HOW DID YOU DO IT? Hahaha. I sure hope I can do that, I have severely flabby arms, just huge compared to other people my size, and nothing I'm doing seems to be helping. I can't believe how amazingly successful you have been... you are truly an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your update.

I made two buddies at the beginning of all of this who had surgery the same week as me. I never hear from either of them anymore. I am looking for a buddy who wants to keep in touch long term as we go through this together! I enjoy keeping in touch via text, email, facebook, one or all, doesn't matter. No offense to my previous buddies but I try to check on them and I get short answers if any, or how busy they may be... I am busy too... what about me though, they don't check to ask how I am doing because they are busy. Just seems very one sided and I am looking for a two-way buddy system Would be great if you are in the same place (2 -3 months post op) but I am open to anyone. Thanks so much guys. PM me if you want me as a new buddy

This post was so interesting to me - I have been feeling this way too. Especially in restaurants when I see someone the size I used to be, pigging out the way I used to. I LONG for them to find the help and healing that I've been able to have - not only surgery, but all the work I've done in therapy through my emotional eating issues, and learning intuitive eating. What a blessing. I have even had some people in my life ask me further details about surgery... and when they hear what it's really like, and they no longer see it as a quick fix (which they need to understand it's not), they say... whoa... I think I'll just try dieting again. I smile and try to be supportive, even though I know they have less than a 2% chance of EVER being successful losing weight long term on their own. My heart aches. I have had SUCH a hard time putting this into words to anyone, without coming off sounding like I'm being judgmental. I feel like someone will think I'm saying "I'm thin now, I'm a changed person and I feel so sad for all the fat people." When A) I'm not thin yet, and I know that, and B ) that's not how I mean it... but I feel like it comes out that way. I've tried verbalizing it to one fat friend, and one thin friend, and neither of them understood. You expressed exactly what I've been feeling...... maybe it's something only a WLS patient can understand? Also so great to hear about the organization that is giving out grants!!! What a great step in the right direction!

What an outrage!!!!!! I would be LIVID. I used to belong to a gym back in the Chicago area called Xsport... when I joined I signed a year contract and it was during a "6 months free" special. Well then I was getting ready to move to Colorado toward the end of my year so I went to cancel. They told me the 6 free months get tacked onto the end of that year. So that once those 6 free months were over, I'd be out of my contract automatically. So I moved to Colorado, went about my business, and 6 months later I started getting charged again for that gym. Took me a couple months to figure it out since I had a lot of things on my credit card. Started dealing with them on the issue... took MONTHS before they stopped charging me. They gave me the same crap about sending a letter, etc etc. They just do EVERYTHING they can to get money out of you for as long as they can before you can finally get the process taken care of. Ugh!!!!

I'm almost 5 months. There's nothing I "can't" eat, or that is "intolerable"... but I do find I am more aware of how foods make my body feel now, and so I CHOOSE not to eat certain things. Fried foods or fast food make me feel heavy inside, and lethargic. They are not off limits, but I have gotten to a place where I only have the things that feel WORTH IT to me. I love mozzarella sticks so I still have those sometimes, and french fries are okay if I only have 3-4 of them. But everything else fried I say no to, most of the time... But it truly is a choice for me, because I would rather say no to it than feel that way. Many people don't seem to be as sensitive to how the foods make them feel so this doesn't bother them, or maybe they ignore it. My husband finds he feels the same way with heavy/greasy/fried foods so he tends to avoid them as well. I guess what i'm saying is nothing "upsets" my stomach, but different foods make me feel different ways and I make choices based on that. Hope this helps some!