CraftyChristie

That is sooooo wonderful!!! I hope you feel as a amazing as you truly are

I was walking 30 mins by day 4 and up to 60 mins the 2nd week. I am at 4 weeks now, I walked a 5 K last weekend and did 3 hikes this weekend. I am still supposed to wait to do cardio machines and weight lifting until 6 weeks, but I'm allowed to swim when my incisions are totally closed up (I'm a slow healer so not quite there yet.) Personally I don't see how it's ok for me to hike but not be on an elliptical... but oh well dr's orders right? It's summer so I may as well be outside and not at the gym.

I see you would be sleeved by now... hope it's going well!

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has commented. I can't believe what nice and wonderful things you had to say. It's so uplifting! I hope I can bring more great results to the table soon Thank you everybody!

Lillie, I thought that too, I even said to myself I won't post them until month 2 if I don't see a difference, but I was shocked how much difference I saw. You have lost even more than me and I'm SURE you would see a difference!

That is wonderful news! It sounds like everything is just falling into place and this new lifestyle seems to be feeling very natural for you. I'm very happy for you :001_wub:

Awesome!!!! I can hardly believe what your ticker says about how much you have left to lose - in your photo you look so average already! You will be a stone cold fox whooo hooo! :001_wub:

Stalls happen and they are natural because the body needs time to adjust to the changes. I stalled out my entire 4th week but it's moving again. Just remember that STRESS makes it harder to lose weight so just try not to stress when stalls happen :001_wub: Just remember they are natural and normal, and nothing is wrong. If a stall lasts more than 2 weeks then it's time to shake things up and try to get it moving but anything up to 2 weeks just let the body do it's thing and focus your attention on something else like trying some new activities, some new recipes, etc. :thumbup:

WHOO HOOO! The camera doesn't lie, girl! You have gone through a transformation. You look wonderful :001_wub:

That's so wonderful, congrats!!! You are well on your way now and it just keeps getting better!!

What a victory! That has got to feel so amazing. I'm thrilled for you!

That's so wonderful Daisy! Hugs!

almost 70 lbs in 3 months WOW! I am so proud of you! And those daily moments... those are so so special. I am rooting for you! You'll be at goal in no time!

Whooo hooooo!!! You are doing so awesome! Did you take before pics? If so you should definitely take some comparison shots! The # on the scale is great but I actually recognized it in myself so much more when I saw the pics.

I'm so proud of you yay!

You make so many wonderful points here and I am totally feeling the same way already at one month. It has changed my life and made me feel more in control, and food is no longer controlling ME. I used to think about my next meal as I was finishing one. Now I don't think about it til I feel hungry and then I just grab something appropriate and eat it instead of dreaming and thinking WHAT will taste the BEST??

Sheryl, you are doing awesome and it's so great to hear about those improvements to your health!!! Post some pics! :001_wub:

Nicole - I appreciate it but as I don't work, work clothes aren't a necessity for me :001_wub: Thank you though!

Again if anyone needs sizes 26, 24 bottom and 3X tops please let me know before I sell them at my garage sale!

How are you doing now, Maddie?

Sorry I never checked in before the weekend. I didn't make it to my goal by Thursday, but I did 3 hikes over the weekend so I'm sure I got it in for the week! :001_wub:

Hey everyone. I am one month post op as of yesterday but had to do all my fun stuff today as we got home late last night from a trip to the mountains.

I am happy to report that at one month I have lost 37 pounds and a total of 25 inches off my body!!!

This has been an adjustment but I have to say overall it has been an easy one for me. I am happy... I am active (5 K last weekend, 3 hikes this weekend, and workouts in between!)... I am feeling well... I'm eating a lot of different things now (still nothing hard/crunchy/100% solid for a couple more weeks). I'm satisfied with my small portions and loving that I am ABLE to be satisfied. Had a Father's Day BBQ at my parents house today and had 1/2 a bratwurst, no bun, and a small cube of pineapple. Compared to previously when I would have eaten 2 bratwursts with Buns, potato chips, corn on the cob, a ton of fruit, and dessert.

I'm already a size down in my tops (lost more inches up top than I did on the bottom) and getting rid of clothes and fitting into stuff I've had stored away. I'm wearing tank tops and shorts out in public and I am happy.

I am LOVING being SLEEVED!!!!!!!!:thumbup:

Now for some pictures. Before, and 1 month, side by side in two tops - one that fit me at the start and is now really roomy, and the other was super tight at the start and now actually fits.

Do you see a difference? I do :001_wub:

Exactly! Same thing for us. I decided first and my husband followed along. At first he was just going to try to eat healthy and exercise while I was doing this but he then felt like "I've tried before... I just don't want to fail again" and gradually came around to deciding he wanted surgery too. It has been so nice doing it together. He experienced everything 2 weeks after me but just the validation of him understanding the things I felt has been awesome. Now we eat our teeny tiny little meals together, pack up a lunch box of stuff when we are going to be out all day, etc... and I don't feel like I am inconveniencing him or being a pain, because we both need it to be this way. He even said to me last week he doesn't think he could have done this on his own and he's so glad he had surgery. He's also glad he can understand me and I can understand him.

My surgeon said this about couple's doing it together... that in his experience, it will make a marriage with problems get worse and the problems seem bigger, but it will make a good strong marriage even better and stronger. Whatever you have now will be amplified. I am already seeing that we are bonding more and really connecting over this, and changing our lives together for the better!!

I really look forward to hearing how the two of you do also!

You're not alone - things in our society DO revolve around food. It's the same in many cultures (European, Asian) but our food choices here in the US are so much worse and that is a large part of why so many of us are obese.... so you are not alone in feeling this way!!

I am about 4 weeks post op and I haven't gone to a restaurant yet. I probably could at this point, but very few things I would try to eat yet. It may be hard to go out for the first 6 weeks but once you are on solid food, you can go and eat with them.

True, you have to eat a small portion and this could be awkward with people who you don't want to explain surgery too. You can always say you are watching your weight or you ate not too long ago, or your stomach isn't feeling too well... as an excuse to why you are eating very little. If you are comfortable with the people you can of course tell them the truth. I don't think there is any restaurant that you can't find something healthy to eat. Any place can make you a chicken breast and veggies, or a very lean cut of beef. Of course some day you can partake in say, 1 mozzarella stick, or a bite of dessert... it is your personal choice when and how much you splurge. For me I want to try to keep it clean while I'm in the losing phase, and bring back these much loved foods when I am in maintenance mode so I have leeway to experiment with how much is okay for me, and my metabolism will be better at burning those things off at that point.

Just as an example.. Friday's is a popular place to go out. They have lots of BAD things I love, like their mozzarella sticks, potato skins, fried green Beans, even fried mac and cheese! BUT they also have some fantastic healthy options. They have a sizzling chicken and shrimp dish which is delicious. It has a chicken breast with cheese, peppers and onions, and some seasoned shrimp. It also comes with mashed potatoes but you can ignore them or ask for veggies instead, or they also offer mashed cauliflower. They also have a black bean patty hamburger, and turkey burgers! So Friday's is a place you can get healthy things that aren't boring and typical.

You can go out, you can Celebrate. You will just always be going home with a box or doggie bag. That is OK!!! You will be full so really the experience will feel the same. I find myself wanting more with my head, but my tummy says nope sorry no more room... and when I realize I am satisfied and don't need anymore, I feel happy. I am hoping it will be like this at restaurants too.

Good luck! I know you will do great.

Everybody gets different advice... mine is the same as ouroborous. I am supposed to eat 5-6 small meals a day, around every 2-3 hours. Sometimes I'm hungry at this time and sometimes I'm not but I try to stick to it as much as possible. For me there is no differentiation of meal/snack because every time I eat it is mostly Protein. It's when you start grabbing crackers or chips as a snack that there is a problem. If you are treating each time as a meal, mostly Protein, eating the right stuff, there's no problem. Eating 5-6 meals a day keeps your metabolism going and helps you spread your calories and protein through the day to maintain energy.

You are only "over eating" if you are stuffing yourself full, or going way over your calories by eating high calorie foods or slider foods like ice cream that go right through. The frequency of every 2 hours is totally fine as long as you're having the right stuff and staying in your suggested calorie range!

Hope this helps :thumbup:

NannieG- it depends on what you mean by snacking. What you are describing as 2 hours before, 2 hours after, sounds like what I am supposed to be doing. My surgeon tells us to eat 5-6 small meals a day, averaging every 2-3 hours. If you are eating 3 meals and then these Snacks you are doing pretty much the same thing... maybe try switching to a 5-6 meal a day plan since it seems like that's what your body wants to do. Make Protein the main part of every meal though!

Totally meant to be! You were led to exactly the right choice for you. Since you were able to lose so much and exercise so well I think the sleeve will be a great option for you... the effort you put into it will be rewarded, and you will keep that restriction of your intake and hopefully not be able to regain it all. I think you will do a wonderful job with this. I know how you feel - at one time I was ALL FOR lap band or bypass and this time I just didn't want either of them so here I am! :thumbup: Sleeved!

Congrats!! My husband and I both had the surgery also, but we did ours 2 weeks apart. In our case it was better that way so we could take care of one another. I think we avoided some fights by not being cranky at the same time :thumbup: heheeh. But I'm sure you guys will do great, having a lot of support makes a huge difference. I can already tell you at 4 weeks for me and 2 weeks for hubby, we are SO glad that we BOTH did this. It makes all the adjustments so much easier.