SKCUNNINGHAM

Congratulations! There is a thread on the site that has a great discussion of looking like you weigh less than you do. It is all about the ratio of fat to muscle individuals carry.
I agree with you - better to weigh more and look good, than less and look bad.

I was in a week long class this week, with people from all over the country. No one had seen me in person before, only had worked with me remotely.
I have a bum ankle/foot - which precludes me from wearing normal dress shoes. I wear orthotic inserts, a metal plate under one insert, and usually an ankle brace of some sort. To fit all this gear in, I wear Chuck Taylor's Converse All Star Tennis shoes with my work attire. I indulge my love of pretty shoes by having an assortment (20 pair0 of Chucks (lots of high tops) that match any business outfit I have.
One of the woman at the class was complimenting my shoes on Friday. I explained why I wore Chucks - and mentioned to her I had to decide whether to something like them or bite the bullit and wear orthotic / nursing shoes.
She said - "Oh, you are way to young to wear orthotic shoes. You are so beautiful thin, the Chuck's look really cute on you. They make a statement - you are young, with a edge. They are just part of your "brand."". I was so pleased, I laughed aloud. I can't imagine she would have said the same thing to me 9 months and 100 pounds ago.
Her comments startled me - being considered young - as I will be 55 this Christmas - and meing caled beautiful thin and cute also took my breath away.
This might me the nicest thing anyone has said to me since my surgery.

I was in a week long class this week, with people from all over the country. No one had seen me in person before, only had worked with me remotely.
I have a bum ankle/foot - which precludes me from wearing normal dress shoes. I wear orthotic inserts, a metal plate under one insert, and usually an ankle brace of some sort. To fit all this gear in, I wear Chuck Taylor's Converse All Star Tennis shoes with my work attire. I indulge my love of pretty shoes by having an assortment (20 pair0 of Chucks (lots of high tops) that match any business outfit I have.
One of the woman at the class was complimenting my shoes on Friday. I explained why I wore Chucks - and mentioned to her I had to decide whether to something like them or bite the bullit and wear orthotic / nursing shoes.
She said - "Oh, you are way to young to wear orthotic shoes. You are so beautiful thin, the Chuck's look really cute on you. They make a statement - you are young, with a edge. They are just part of your "brand."". I was so pleased, I laughed aloud. I can't imagine she would have said the same thing to me 9 months and 100 pounds ago.
Her comments startled me - being considered young - as I will be 55 this Christmas - and meing caled beautiful thin and cute also took my breath away.
This might me the nicest thing anyone has said to me since my surgery.

Wow! You are proof that dedication and diligence to your goals can get you the results you want! You are an amazing, beautiful woman. I admire you and am pleased for you.
Sharon

Wow - I am SO IMPRESSED with you and your results. You are such a hard worker and your focus is amazing - you deserve all of the good things that are coming your way.
Take care of yourself - can't wait to see the pictures of your legs!
Sharon

I have lost a total of 117" - but I measure EVERYWHERE there is to measure - and I started out right from the first and took my baseline measurements.
Here are some highlights
3" from my neck
1" from each wrist and ankle
5 1/2" from each upper arm (still LOTS to go here)
2 1/2" from each calf
5 1/2" from above each knee
7 1/4" from each thigh
11 1/2" from my hips and also from my belly
13" from my waist
11" from the fullest part of my bust
That's about 93" - the other 14" come from other spots that I haven't listed.
I agree with you - Diva - sometimes looking at the measuring tape results is more fun that watching the scales. As you build muscle - even though you get heavier - you get smaller. Since muscle has a more dense molecular structure, it takes up less volume.
By the way, Diva - you are looking spectacular. I love the look on your face in your latest profile picture - you are glowing with happiness.

My suggestions are in two separate areas - 1) work on finding out why you are sabatoging yourself, and 2) external controls you can use until you get your "internal" controls back in order.
On finding out why you are sabatoging yourself - have you considered talking to a counselor experienced with weight loss patients? If you can't find one with that experience, one who is used to working with other addictions (other than food)? If you are against talking to a counselor - You are going to have to be a dective and find out what are your triggers that are causing you to go out of control. Keep a food diary that talks about what you were feeling each time you ate something - what at that time was motivating you to put food in your mouth. Also, note the times. If you do this diligently for two weeks, you will have enough data to discern the patterns. Once you know what the triggers are, then you can figure out ways to address them.
For the external controls - where are you getting all of these foods you shouldn't be eating? Beer, ice cream, chips, etc? In your house? If so - get rid of them. Don't buy them. If you don't have the strength to get rid of them-have a friend come over and get rid of them for you. Newly "dry" alcoholics do not live in a house with alcohol. And you should have a plan each day of what you are going to eat and when that you try to stick to.
If you want to PM me, feel free to. I wish you the best of luck getting in control.

My suggestions are in two separate areas - 1) work on finding out why you are sabatoging yourself, and 2) external controls you can use until you get your "internal" controls back in order.
On finding out why you are sabatoging yourself - have you considered talking to a counselor experienced with weight loss patients? If you can't find one with that experience, one who is used to working with other addictions (other than food)? If you are against talking to a counselor - You are going to have to be a dective and find out what are your triggers that are causing you to go out of control. Keep a food diary that talks about what you were feeling each time you ate something - what at that time was motivating you to put food in your mouth. Also, note the times. If you do this diligently for two weeks, you will have enough data to discern the patterns. Once you know what the triggers are, then you can figure out ways to address them.
For the external controls - where are you getting all of these foods you shouldn't be eating? Beer, ice cream, chips, etc? In your house? If so - get rid of them. Don't buy them. If you don't have the strength to get rid of them-have a friend come over and get rid of them for you. Newly "dry" alcoholics do not live in a house with alcohol. And you should have a plan each day of what you are going to eat and when that you try to stick to.
If you want to PM me, feel free to. I wish you the best of luck getting in control.

I did the insurance two step for a year, and my approval came last December 29th - on my birthday. Maybe you will have the same year end surprise. This time next year you could be a 100 pounds lighter - like I am.
Good luck!

An easy way to make homemade chicken broth is to get a roasted chicken from the store. Put the whole thing (skin, bones, drippings from the container) into a stock pot with a couple of ribs of celery, a couple of green onions and some spices (depending on how spicy the roasted chicken is you may not need much seasoning). Add Water to cover the chicken by about 3". Cook - bring the Water to a rolling boil uncovered then lower to a simmer. Once it is barely simmering, cover and cook for 30 minutes to an hour or longer. Put a colander into another stock pot and pour everything from the first pot into the second one. Remove the colander of chicken and veg, and in the first pot you will have broth.
I would recover the chicken from the 1st colander - separate the white from the dark and freeze in ziplocks for later use when you can eat chicken - you can even freeze it in 1 ounce servings if you really want to be prepared.
With the broth - cool it, put it in the fridge and let the fat rise. When the fat rises to the top, I strain it. I put it back on the stove, heat it and adjust the seasoning. I always put a little soy sauce in my chicken broth - but that's just me.
I would put a couple of day's worth of broth in the fridge - the rest I freeze. It is easy to freeze broth in a cupcake tin - spray the pan with a oil substitute spray (PAM) before you fill the indentations. Place in freezer and freeze hard. Once you have them frozen, remove pan from freezer and remove the frozen broth servings. Place in a gallon ziplock and you have indivdual servings easy to defrost.
Good luck after surgery. Broth was my go to drink the first month.

I agree with Foxbins - when I am truly hungry (need food for nourishment) I feel light-headed and empty. That usually happens for me at about 4 hours after eating Protein last. If I go much past four hours without Protein, I get cranky.
Head hunger is anything other than the above. Example #1: The feeling I get when I am eating something I enjoy and I am full (the point I like to stop). Head hunger will say "gosh, this food is tasing great, I want another bite!". Sometimes head hunger is driven by tastse - other times it can be driven by boredom, or in response to a TV commercial or program, or a smell of food, or numerous other triggers. I had a complicated relationship with food prior to my sleeve surgery - eating was my go to response for dam near any situation. I am working every day to change that.
One thing I do to see if it is head hunger or I really need to eat - I look at how long it has been since I have eaten. If it is less than four hours, I drink 16 -24 ounces of Fluid. Of course I can't drink that much Fluid all at once - so I tell myself NO POSSIBLITY OF EATING UNTIL THE DRINK IS ALL GONE. (I have to be stern with myself). Then, after I finish drinking the designated amount, I re-evaluate the situation. I am always full after the liquid is done, so I will re-check in about a half an hour. Then, if my body is telling me it wants food, I will eat something (snack or meal, depending on what time it is and what the plans for the rest of the day are).
Good luck.

You look wonderful!

As of yesterday, I have lost 100 pounds. YEA! (cue happy music to start playing loudly) Now, to lose the last 18 pounds. My target is to be done in January of 2012.
I started my preop diet on February 9th of this year, and had surgery February 22nd with Dr. Nicholson in Dallas, TX. My surgery went extremely well. I had no complications and went home after one night in the hospital. My recovery went smoothly. I had no trouble drinking fluids or finding a Protein I could tolerate. Didn't have any vomiting once I got home. Didn't need much pain medicine at all - took a total of two or three pills after I left the hospital. Went back to work three weeks after surgery - I had to wait for my three weeks check-up before I could get my doctor's clearance. I have a two hour drive to the office, and the doctor was concerned about me being in a car for that long that soon. I had to stop and walk around for 5 minutes or so after an hour - to help prevent the possibility of clots. Working a twelve hour day (8 hours work, 4 hours driving) was too long at first, so I would stay in a hotel close to the office for three nights a week until I was ready for the 12 hour days.
This journey so far has been a major learning experience for me. I am a very organized (obsessive?) person. I had everything mapped out for each day - what I would eat. I tracked calories, protein, carbs and ounces of Fluid. In all my dieting history I had never tracked the grams of protein or carbs in my food - so this was brand new.
The other major learning experience was how to deal with life without my old "frenemy" FOOD as my coping mechanism. There are addicts in my family tree (alcohol, recreational pharmaceuticals) and that tendency is within me. Not for drugs or alcohol - why go there when there was food available? (Cocaine couldn't be any more satisfying than brownies.) So I am having to build an entire new relationship with food, and build totally different coping skills for all of the triggers that previously resulted in me choosing to use food inappropriately. I am pleased to report that this effort is going well. But it really is "one day at a time" as the AA folks say. I have to stay 100% conscious of what I am doing.
On a lighter note - I have had a blast rediscovering smaller clothes. I am now in 12's and some 14's - and they are petites! Still sounds strange to even say that! I started out is 24 Womens and 3X's. I say "thank God for clothes" as it hides all the sagging wrinkled skin from the weight loss.
I am also WAY HEALTHIER than I was. My PCP was talking to me prior to me starting the 6 month preop (which actually took a year for me - insurance issues) about WHEN I would have a heart attack, not IF. My father dropped dead of a massive heart attack when he was about the age I was when I started my preop diet. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea (I hated my CPAP machine and wouldn't use it). My joints ached all the time. Now, I am off all blood pressure meds, all cholesterol meds and I no longer have sleep apnea. My last labs looked good - except for borderline anemia (even with iron). That doesn't have anything to do with the sleeve, I have been that way most of my life. The only meds I take now are Vitamins and minerals, acid reducing meds, and hormones.
Didn't mean to natter on for so long. Thank all of you on this site for being such a wonderful support for me. You guys are my "AA" - and, believe me, I come here every day to help me stay focused. If I can be of help to anyone here, feel free to PM me - I am happy to return to favor.
I posted some before and recent pictures. The picture with the giant guitar is at the Hard Rock in Albuquerque. That was last Thursday - I was on vacation with my 86 year old energizer-bunny mother and my two sisters.

As of yesterday, I have lost 100 pounds. YEA! (cue happy music to start playing loudly) Now, to lose the last 18 pounds. My target is to be done in January of 2012.
I started my preop diet on February 9th of this year, and had surgery February 22nd with Dr. Nicholson in Dallas, TX. My surgery went extremely well. I had no complications and went home after one night in the hospital. My recovery went smoothly. I had no trouble drinking fluids or finding a Protein I could tolerate. Didn't have any vomiting once I got home. Didn't need much pain medicine at all - took a total of two or three pills after I left the hospital. Went back to work three weeks after surgery - I had to wait for my three weeks check-up before I could get my doctor's clearance. I have a two hour drive to the office, and the doctor was concerned about me being in a car for that long that soon. I had to stop and walk around for 5 minutes or so after an hour - to help prevent the possibility of clots. Working a twelve hour day (8 hours work, 4 hours driving) was too long at first, so I would stay in a hotel close to the office for three nights a week until I was ready for the 12 hour days.
This journey so far has been a major learning experience for me. I am a very organized (obsessive?) person. I had everything mapped out for each day - what I would eat. I tracked calories, protein, carbs and ounces of Fluid. In all my dieting history I had never tracked the grams of protein or carbs in my food - so this was brand new.
The other major learning experience was how to deal with life without my old "frenemy" FOOD as my coping mechanism. There are addicts in my family tree (alcohol, recreational pharmaceuticals) and that tendency is within me. Not for drugs or alcohol - why go there when there was food available? (Cocaine couldn't be any more satisfying than brownies.) So I am having to build an entire new relationship with food, and build totally different coping skills for all of the triggers that previously resulted in me choosing to use food inappropriately. I am pleased to report that this effort is going well. But it really is "one day at a time" as the AA folks say. I have to stay 100% conscious of what I am doing.
On a lighter note - I have had a blast rediscovering smaller clothes. I am now in 12's and some 14's - and they are petites! Still sounds strange to even say that! I started out is 24 Womens and 3X's. I say "thank God for clothes" as it hides all the sagging wrinkled skin from the weight loss.
I am also WAY HEALTHIER than I was. My PCP was talking to me prior to me starting the 6 month preop (which actually took a year for me - insurance issues) about WHEN I would have a heart attack, not IF. My father dropped dead of a massive heart attack when he was about the age I was when I started my preop diet. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea (I hated my CPAP machine and wouldn't use it). My joints ached all the time. Now, I am off all blood pressure meds, all cholesterol meds and I no longer have sleep apnea. My last labs looked good - except for borderline anemia (even with iron). That doesn't have anything to do with the sleeve, I have been that way most of my life. The only meds I take now are Vitamins and minerals, acid reducing meds, and hormones.
Didn't mean to natter on for so long. Thank all of you on this site for being such a wonderful support for me. You guys are my "AA" - and, believe me, I come here every day to help me stay focused. If I can be of help to anyone here, feel free to PM me - I am happy to return to favor.
I posted some before and recent pictures. The picture with the giant guitar is at the Hard Rock in Albuquerque. That was last Thursday - I was on vacation with my 86 year old energizer-bunny mother and my two sisters.

I used Dr. Nick Nicholson in Plano. He is the head of the bariatric center at Baylor Plano, and is also associated with the Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas. He does surgeries at both places. I was employed by four different businesses in 2010 while I was on my Quest to get certified by WLS (sold twice, layed off once). Dr. Nick was considered a "CENTER OF EXCELLENCE" provider by all of the insurance plans I was working with. My surgery was as Forest Park. I can't say enough positive things about Dr Nick, his staff, or the people and facilities at Forest Park. Dr. Nick does regular information sessions about WLS, you may want to go give him a listen. He doesn't do a strong sales pitch - just lays out information and lets you make your decision.

We had really high winds yesterday in Dallas. I stepped out of my car and a big gust of wind caught me. It made be back up two steps! Now, a gust of wind can't really blow a 154 pound person "away", but it moved me back some. That would have never happened 99 pounds ago!
Also, I have jury duty on Monday. They don't have enough chairs there, and my husband told me to take one our our folding "chairs in a bag" to sit on. I smiled when he said it, and he asked what I was smiling for. I told him I realized I could sit in one of those "chairs in a bag" and not worry about having it collapse under me. He gave me a big hug - we both celebrated it.
And, today, I went to my PCP. She took me off the last of my blood pressure meds! NO MORE BLOOD PRESSURE PILLS!

You are doing great! My surgery date was 2/22 so I am almost 8 months out. I have lost 99 pounds as of today - but that includes the 12 pounds I lost on the 2 week preop diet. We all lose at different rates, so don't drive yourself crazy comparing yourself to others. Focus on all the good stuff that has happened to you. Continue to practice the good habits that got you to where you are: eating sufficient Protein, eating Protein first, drinking your fluids, not drinking when you eat, exercising, and staying away from slider foods.
This isn't a race to see who loses weight the fastest - if this WERE a contest - the race I would want to win is who stays at goal weight the LONGEST. I know it's going to take a while to get to goal - but as long as I am moving in that direction - I am OK with the pace.
Be good to yourself - and good luck with the rest of the journey.

An easy way to make homemade chicken broth is to get a roasted chicken from the store. Put the whole thing (skin, bones, drippings from the container) into a stock pot with a couple of ribs of celery, a couple of green onions and some spices (depending on how spicy the roasted chicken is you may not need much seasoning). Add Water to cover the chicken by about 3". Cook - bring the Water to a rolling boil uncovered then lower to a simmer. Once it is barely simmering, cover and cook for 30 minutes to an hour or longer. Put a colander into another stock pot and pour everything from the first pot into the second one. Remove the colander of chicken and veg, and in the first pot you will have broth.
I would recover the chicken from the 1st colander - separate the white from the dark and freeze in ziplocks for later use when you can eat chicken - you can even freeze it in 1 ounce servings if you really want to be prepared.
With the broth - cool it, put it in the fridge and let the fat rise. When the fat rises to the top, I strain it. I put it back on the stove, heat it and adjust the seasoning. I always put a little soy sauce in my chicken broth - but that's just me.
I would put a couple of day's worth of broth in the fridge - the rest I freeze. It is easy to freeze broth in a cupcake tin - spray the pan with a oil substitute spray (PAM) before you fill the indentations. Place in freezer and freeze hard. Once you have them frozen, remove pan from freezer and remove the frozen broth servings. Place in a gallon ziplock and you have indivdual servings easy to defrost.
Good luck after surgery. Broth was my go to drink the first month.

Asking me to pretend to have surgery would have been just as successful for me as abstinence as a form of birth control. I could be successful for short stints, but not the rest of my life.
(that, of course, applied when I was young and had to worry about birth control - happily that worry is LONG past).

One year through the trials of hell
I started off at size 54 jeans and 6XL shirt. They were tight. I didn't wear them much because I mostly sat at the house, sans the occasional Walmart run to gather 10 2-liter Cokes for my many nights of playing World of Warcraft. Every Saturday night, I ordered an extra large Papa John's pizza with a large breadsticks and ate only that for all day Sunday watching football and playing video games. I had no girlfriend, no real friends, just the random online people I chatted with. And no computer vid cam because I never wanted anyone to see me. People on the internet are harsh, cruel and unyielding.
My doctor had prescribed 3 blood pressure and 2 cholesterol medications. He told me basically that I was going to die if I kept my weight up. I was approaching 400lbs with no end in sight. Dieting had never worked for me, since I always gained the weight back. And bulletin boards were no help, since most of the people there gained it back too. I hadn't exercised in 4 years, what was I supposed to do?
He recommended the sleeve, but it would take 6 months to get approved. I was too impatient for that, so I continued my binge. The solution it seemed was to get a girlfriend! I posted my profile online, hit up every girl on the sites and got several dates. Nobody wanted a second date however after they looked at my fatness, bad attitude and social irregularities. I became even more depressed, scored more terrible dates and spiraled into a cycle of self hatred. The movie "50 First Dates" is a comedy, however in real life it's not all that funny. I actually had one girl see me from a distance, get repulsed and leave on our first encounter. She was my 50th date, and had successfully crushed what little self esteem I had left. I went home and repeatedly hit myself in the head until I was almost unconscious. Here I am, a highly educated man abusing myself because of my miserable life.
As I laid there hurting.
I decided to change.
I started the surgery approval process, and threw away every piece of fattening food in the house. The surgeon's office had these huge chairs geared for morbidly obese people like me. It was weird to know that many other people had been on this journey, but comforting at the same time. In only three months I'd be under his knife, so it was time to get busy.
I joined a local gym who's owner was a pure b***h. She was mean to me, saying I was too fat for most of the machines. As I took my first step onto the elliptical, it started cracking. Maybe that wench was right, I WILL break her equipment! After ten minutes at level 1, I thought I would pass out. So I sat on the floor hyperventilating as she ran over and started yelling at me for being on the floor. I hated her.
Fueled by hatred, frustration, with vivid memories of all the bad dates in my head and the gym owner's voice still ringing in my ear, I suffered through. The next day I did 10 minutes, then 20 and finally a full hour at level 1.
I started on Atkins figuring I could lose a few pounds before surgery to get a healthy start. Then focusing my rage, I jacked the machine over the next few months to 3, 5, 7 and finally level 20 for a full hour. If you've never done level 20 on an elliptical, you can see your life flash before your eyes after a few minutes. Nobody else at the gym wanted any part of it as I poured sweat, breathed like a workhorse and suffered through. Not one person talked to me at the gym. Ever. Because if I wasn't near death when leaving, I didn't consider that a valid workout.
Then came this happy HerbaLife guy named Lynn. He was very friendly, inviting me over to his weight loss challenge and encouraged me every few days. This was the first person in years that didn't look away, didn't ignore me and actually was fun to talk to. I dropped 13 lbs before this weight loss challenge began, and started my pre-op diet after few weeks in. And even had surgery on one of those Mondays so I missed that meeting. The VSG board said to walk after surgery so I did, even though it hurt like hell. I walked an hour the day of surgery, the day after and every day out of the hospital. My doctor said to not exercise for a month, but I didn't really care. I wanted the weight off. In my head, all I saw was that extra large pizza barely fitting into my refrigerator, the sickly smell of those breadsticks that weren't cooked properly half the time.
So I married the treadmill and the elliptical in a ceremony of pain, sweat and anguish. I probably injured myself a couple of times during this process, but never reported it. I threw all my medications into the trash, drop kicking the empty bottles into the wall. And put my doctor's phone number on call blocking and didn't attend the follow-ups.
It's me.
And the gym.
If we die together, so be it.
After a couple months I had upped my exercise to 2 hours a day. When football was on, I'd watch a whole game from the treadmill for 3 hours. And then there was Lynn and his weight loss challenge. At the end of their 12 weeks, I had dropped 47 lbs + the 13 before for a grand total of 60lbs. I obliterated everyone. There was no second place. But in the process I had stumbled upon what fires me up - a challenge. Competing with other people, and being accountable made me lose faster, and keep it off. If you've ever attended one of these events, it's a huge Herbalife advertisement spam. But - the challenge aspect is what hooked me.
I remember during this process the day that I stopped caring what people thought about me. It was a weird day, one where I decided to wear house shoes to workout. Working on my self-esteem, people skills and removing all the negativity from my life during this process freed me a lifelong burden. One where I constantly worried when someone didn't like me, or wouldn't make eye contact as I passed by. If you ever reach this point, your life will change dramatically.
Society is filled with social pressure towards food. Every time I'm out with other people, we eat. But I drink an Atkins shake before I leave the house and normally don't eat anything. Other people try to shun you, ask why, etc. We had these little Herbalife pies in class the other day, and people were trying to guilt me into having a piece. Seriously? What a joke. I'm not hungry, and that little pie is a stumbling block towards my goal of LIVING MY LIFE THE WAY I WANT. As a populous, we've descended into food social pressure, so the other people can feel better about themselves by making you eat more.
I signed up for another challenge, and am losing 7 lbs a week. I play Tetris on my phone during the videos, because I've seen them all before (sorry Lynn). At a social event last week, I had 3 women who were just fascinated by me and were all smiles and laughs. They actually liked me, which was strange from so many years ago. I've had several comment on my positive energy and great smile that I have all the time. NOT from losing weight alone, but working on fixing myself, my attitude, outlook on life, ridding myself of worry and fear. Sure the weight helps, but you can still be miserable while thin. The sleeve is not a panacea.
I've gone from a 54 to 42 pants, soon to be at my goal weight.
I'm off all medications.
I shop at Old Navy instead of the fat store.
I meditate an hour per day.
I look in the mirror and see a sexy beast.
Instead of the fat pig blood pressure velcro sleeve, I now can fit into the regular one.
The doctor can find a vein in my arm now, instead of taking blood from my hand.
And I'm under 300lbs for the first time since the 90's
I feel fantastic all the time. Why? Because I'm living the life I want and deserve.
Join me, find what FIRES YOU UP. Channel it into your diet and exercise, whatever it takes for you to reach your own personal goals and aspirations. Steve Jobs recently died at such a young age. Life is so short. If you get hit by a bus tomorrow, what will you see as your life passes before you? A miserable existence where other people AND FOOD control your happiness, or a life filled with self-love, joy and happiness? It's only food, guys. It was designed to keep you from being hungry for a few hours, not to reign control over your destiny.
You are in control. Find your motivator. And live it.
I saw a commercial for Papa John's pizza last weekend, and threw something at the tv. That vice is no longer a part of my journey.

Hello All, I had my vsg done on 01-17-11 so a mere 9 months ago and my new years resolution at the beginning of this year was to complete a half marathon. Yes running 13.1 miles on purpose is my goal for 2011. Well its official i finish my first half marathon today in Long Beach California. My official time was 2:25:35 which is a 11:07 average minute mile. My goal was to be under 2:30 and I made it with over 4 minutes to spare. I have always been envious of runners and my entire life I have wanted to be one. Never in my wildest bdream would I ever imagine that I would be running marathons (or should I say half marathons). I have never been this proud of my self ever and now I know that I am unstoppable once I put my mind to something. My next goal is getting to my personal goal weight which is 149 which is only about 11-12 pounds away, I am hoping to hit before my 1 year anniversary on January 17th. After that I want to conquer a full marathon which is 26.2 miles, I am thinking of Maui Hawaii in September 2012. If I believe it and I can see it then I can do it. I attached a couple of pictures from today.
Thanks,
Jenn

Today I am 1 year post op. I haven't been on the forums in a while, but will probably be around more. I have a few recent pictures, but need to get some more! I will share those once I get some more pictures with my hair down, and makeup on!
Today has kind of been an emotional day for me. Thinking back this time last year, I was all kinds of nervous. The pain after surgery was pretty bad, I won't lie, but I would do it all over again. This surgery really did save my life!!! I was on 3 blood pressure medications before surgery, today I am on NONE! My blood pressure was PERFECT the other day at the doctor. He said I am doing great. My labs are all perfect except my cholesterol. It was 202, which isn't horrible. I am not even sure what it was before surgery, so it has probably come down. I have a family history of high cholesterol, so it might just be something I have to deal with, no matter what my weight. But I will keep any eye on it, and have it rechecked once I lose more weight.
I am at 236 pounds today. I was hoping for it to be lower, but I can't complain. I have lost 133 pounds!!! I look back on my pictures and can't believe I was that big, and I did not look well. People comment now how great my skin looks and how healthy I look. I get embarassed by the nice comments, but it feels good at the same time, if that makes sense. It's still hard for me to see myself how I really look now. I catch my reflection in the mirror and have to stare sometimes because I don't believe its me. I am guessing I will be that way for a while.
Last year at this time, I could not even walk to my mailbox and back, without getting out of breath. I would shower, and not even be able to get dressed. I would have to lay in bed because I couldn't breath and I was exhuasted. Very, very sad for a woman in her early 30's. My mailbox is maybe 30 feet away. I would walk to get the mail, and back in the house, and have to bend over the kitchen counter to catch my breath. THATS SCARY!!! I have no problem now, and walk as much as 4 miles! I feel great. I wouldn't even grocery shop, because I couldn't make it around the store, even leaning on a cart. I eventually just drove thru drivethru's, which just added more weight. I love shopping now!
The only issue I am having now is my knees. Its weird because they never hurt before, even at 369 pounds. The doctor thinks its arthritis, but I am going to the ortho to make sure. It is probably all the years of being overweight, and playing sports when I was younger, catching up with me. I am sure they would be a lot more painful now if I had that 133 pounds on them.
I am also still losing hair, but I have kinda gotten over it. It will come back eventually!
I still want to lose more weight, maybe get down to 175ish. My original goal was 165, but that may be too thin. I just can't wait to be under 200. The weight loss has slowed way down, but thats okay. I have come to accept that. As long as I am not gaining, I am good!!! I eat pretty much anything now, but try every day to stick to a plan. Its hard! People tell me not to lose any more weight, but I probably do look thin or healthy to them compared to what I was.
I am in a size 18 misses, sometime even a 16!!!! I started at a size 30/32W!!!
I have days where I am still down, mostly about my skin, but its much better to see all the hanging skin, than to see all the fat that was there. I eventually want to have plastic surgery, once I am at goal and have the $$$$
If anyone out there is thinking about VSG, DO IT!!! I can't emphasize how much I LOVE my sleeve! My aunt is a nurse at the hospital where I had the surgery, and she tells all her VSG patients about me
And for those of you out there that think that you are a slow loser, WHO CARES!!! YOU ARE STILL LOSING! DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS! I was caught in that "comparing myself to others who had this surgery" and it gets you no where, except feeling like CRAP about yourself. Just focus on your own weight loss and exercise plan and your sleeve will do what its suppose to do.
Here is a slideshow I made, that shows my journey over this past year, in pictures. I hope you enjoy!!!
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d6a63774d6a67784f44553d0d0a&blogview=true

I am still surprised at how eating less food than I have ever in my life has made me appreciate the tastes of food so accutely. My husband made me one of the best meals I ever eaten tonight - it was amazing. Simple - a perfectly prepared omelet and some absolutely ripe sliced garden (REAL) tomatoes. The food tastes exploded in my mouth like I was eating pop-rocks. I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the experience of eating.
I used to eat until I was numb and the food didn't even taste good at the point I would stop - I was full to the point was miserable and about to gag. The sleeve surgery has given me back the gift of enjoying food. I don't care if I ever eat a white carb again if I can keep this appreciation of a well prepared meal.

I am not a coffee drinker, so I have no advice there.
I did enjoy alcohol pre-sleeve - usually tequila sipped like cognac or irish whiskey the same way. Occasionally I would drink a mixed drink, glass of wine and rarely a beer. I have tried alcohol twice since the sleeve to see what happened / how I tolerated it. I really have no interest in drinking until I hit goal, because alcohol is worse than carbs from a calorie standpoint and turns to pure sugar once you drink it. It is 7 calories per gram (Protein and carb are 4).
The first time I tried tequila, 2 mouthfuls and I had a buzz. These were after I had eaten food, and spaced a little apart. I had the same reaction after drinking about 2-4 oz. of beer. If I am that sensitive to alcohol's effects with food in my stomach, I cringe to think what it would be on an empty stomach. So to me - booze is out until I am maintaining after hitting goal.
When I have had to be in a social setting where people were drinking alcohol, I drink a glass of bloody mary mix with a lime wedge. No carbonation like sparkling Water would have. Or, you could tell your friends you are watching your weight, and are skipping the added calories of alcohol while you are in the losing phase.
Good luck.

I picked up an issue of Oprah’s magazine in my doctor’s office, and saw the article on the inside back page, titled “This I know for Sure”. The title captured my attention more than the content – because it rang true for me. In life there are things we know and believe to our very core – items which we are sure of in every Fiber of our being.
Here are some of my items that I know for sure . . .

VSG was the right decision for me to make positive change in my life I will never go back to the way I was pre-VSG. This is a forever commitment I have made. I will not hold perfection up as a goal for myself – I will strive for making sane, healthy choices. Nothing that I have lost, left behind or can no longer indulge in is important to me in the grand scheme of things. There is nothing in my cabinets or fridge I need to fill my life with. I will fill my life with LIFE.