FiremansAngel

I was lounging on my living room floor when my husband noticed how flat my stomach is and that my pelvic bones and rib cage now stick up! I am 2.4 pounds from my personal goal and have already met my surgeons Ideal weight goal. Just thought I would share my nsv from yesterday! Here is one taken the morning of my surgery for comparison too... 234 to 137, size 20 to size 4/6. Woohooo!!!!

I had someone tell me that they didn't want to say anything about my weight loss because they thought I might be sick or something. Lol
Keep on rockin' sweetie!

Hello everyone
I worked hard to get to this point and i hope this will serve as inspiration and motivation for pre and post ops. If you have any questions pls feel free to email me or send me a private msg.
Good luck to all of you.

Can't believe I have lost 60 pounds ! I am 4 1/2 months postop..., starting weight of 254, today at 194! I am now in the smallest clothes I had held onto from about 8 years ago, and really need to do some shopping as the styles are definitely dated, but I don't want to buy any until it's a smaller size! I had the lap band initially in 2007, and it never seemed to work right- think I lost 30 pounds total and was always getting "stuck" before it finally "slipped" in 2011 and was removed. The sleeve is far superior in every way, and I could not be happier!! Another big difference this time is this message board- it is so full of encouragement, so full of good information, and has kept me motivated and on the right path!! Thanks so much!! Also, I am devoted and faithful to myfitness pal - and I believe it has also been pivotal in my success and encourage anyone to try it!! You can also friend me DocAngTx12 !!

Tears of joy! Why are my emotions tied so closely to my weight??? I got on the scale today and it said 179! The last time i remember being happy with myself was almost 15 years ago when i was in the 170s. Still have 30lbs to goal but feeling so positive. I think my mom would be so proud of me!

What do you do after goal? Well here's a list
Live life
Try on cute clothes all.the.time.
Look at yourself in the mirror a lot (with disbelief)
Cut up your lane bryant credit card and tell them to F* themselves and their over priced clothes
Miss lane bryant's bras and panties, send apology and ask them to make smaller sizes.
Try out your new body. It's amazing what it can do. I have tried rowing, hooping, dance, hiking, and big music festivals.
Keep weighing yourself but use that extra daydreaming about being thin space to daydream about lotteries or promotions etc

I'm pretty at goal but I am somewhat worried about keepint it off. After all, the sleeve is just a tool, it's the choices we make. So, I am going to live day by day and not worry about what I'm going to do. This body of mine is so hot that I just want to get some enjoyment out of it. Thinking aout it doesn't help me, it just causes me anxiety.

So I was sleeved on Feb 20th and I'm down 46 lbs, and a wee bit under halfway to my ultimate goal weight.
I haven't always been overweight, but for a good part of my adult life, I've been overweight to some extent or another. Like many (most?) of you, I've done the different weight loss programs of the moment, I've been to the "diet doctors" who herd you in, give you pills, then herd you back out again. I've had successes and failures, ups and downs..... all of it.
Now I know that our sleeves are only a tool.... a very powerful one mind you, but still just a tool to help us get the weight off, and keep it off. And that tool can be misused and the weight return.
But for the first time ever, I was actually thinking to myself, when I get to goal, there's not going to be anymore picking up magazines for their weight loss articles, setting unfulfilled New Years resolutions for weight loss, buying the latest weight loss supplement, having sections in my closet for those "smaller" clothes I'll fit in when I lose weight, and so forth.....
We've all spent so much time, emotions and money on dealing with something that was a part of us (the excess weight), that once it's gone, what the heck are we going to do? LOL! Seriously, think about it!
I know we all can think of loads of better things to spend our money on and continuing our life's adventures minus the excess baggage, but I also realized that changing our old way of thinking isn't going to happen overnight.
I'm just excited to feel like I'm finally on a weight loss journey that is NOT going to end in disappointment, and that so many new adventures await the thinner, healthier me! (and you!)
Sorry for the ramble!! LOL!

They may be tight.....but darn it they are ON and zipped!! WHOO HOO! I never in a million years thought I would be able to get into them. I bought them over a year ago and gave them to my tiny sister and told her that I hoped to someday get them back. Well tonight, I casually asked what size they were and said that it would still be a while. Well, she sent them home to me and I thought "what the heck!" and low and behold they fit! When I say "happy dance" I mean...."wake up the whole freakin' house and jumping up and down" kind of dancing! LOL!

A few before's....just for the record.
me and my BFF at a concert.

Today I reached 100.4 lbs down! YAY!! I am about 11 lbs from my initial goal, I know I want to go lower but not sure where so that is yet so this is where I have set it for now. Picture is from yesterday and I wasn't quite the full 100 down but thinking that .8 isn't going to noticeable in a picture

Had my sleeve July 25, 2011. Was 417 now I'm 283! Need to loose 83 more pounds I'm so happy!

When I was 417
Now at 283

Today I'm officially one year and 5 days post op. I've so far lost 98lbs. I'm so close to that 100lb lost it's crazy. The scale has slowed down alot but my body is changing soooo much. I'm doing about 1 hour of cardio a day and 30-45 minutes of strength training 3 to 4 times a week.
I hadn't noticed how much my body had changed until I saw my surgeon today and he asked about my measurements. In the last 6 weeks my bust size went from a 38 to a 36 (I started at a 48I), and I went from a 14/16 to a 10/12. My shirt size was a 3X and now I'm in a large which is getting pretty loose. This was the best decision I could've ever made for myself. I hope that you all are doing great! Keep up with the weight loss yall!
Here are some pics of me (before and after)

So, yesterday made 7 months post-op. I just got a chance to take a couple of quick pics, in other words, don't mind the lack of hairstyle and dressier clothes. I've been exercising all along, but in the last month I have really ramped it up. I'm doing at least 30 minutes on the exercise bike per day, plus trying to work some other area of my body with weights on a daily basis. Below is my before and my today picture. I REALLY wish I had a better before picture!
Stats:
Start weight: 352
Surgery weight: 337
Current weight: 263.2
Total lost: 88.2
I've been losing VERY slowly since late January, but I'm seeing improvement in my shape and feeling more energetic every day. Patience is the key. I'm more than halfway to my goal and I know I will get there!!!

I remembered this article from my first foray into low carbing (Atkins Diet), and thought I'd share it. It's a funny, informative explanation of why we need to drink our Water, and why that damn scale can drive us nuts by not moving, while our body is getting smaller.

http://www.carbsmart.com/outout.html

Out Out Damn Scale!

By Sonya Tilley, CarbSmart Contributor


Here we go again...
How the hell does your body hold onto weight and still manage to get smaller while you are on your chosen low carb diet?!? Losing inches but not weight? You know the scenario: You are on Induction for two weeks, and you haven't cheated even once. You notice that your clothes fit better, that you are stepping a little livelier, and as far as you're concerned, all's right with the world.
But then you step on that evil construction of the Devil himself, the bathroom scale, and you instantly feel betrayed. The stupid thing insists that you have done nothing! Sometimes, it even states you have done less than nothing; it accuses you of cheating because it tells that you haven't lost any weight! Well, there area couple of simple explanations to help you get through this trying time.
First of all, if it is at all possible for you to do so, throw that insipid Monster Scale in the trash. Or at least put it up somewhere that it is really, REALLY inconvenient to get to so that you won't be tempted to ask it's opinion every single day of your life. Face it. If you are feeling better and your clothes are looser, do you really need the scale to tell you that you're on the right track? No! You don't! Why do you think you do it, then? I'll tell you why. The low fat diet demons have a tenacious hold on your brain. That's right, you've been brainwashed. All your life they have told you through doctors, dietitians, newspaper and magazine articles, surgeon generals and the like, that you give up X calories per day and you will lose a pound of fat. They even go on to tell you how much fat you should lose each week. In the process, they've made you dependent on the Monster Scale to gauge your progress!
What a big lie!
Even on the diets that "they" advocate, the Monster Scale does not often cooperate. You go back to the Diet Demons and demand to know why the scale does not reflect the torture you have put yourself through for a month. They immediately start backpedaling on the "give up X calories and lose a pound of fat" story, and start talking to you about water retention and muscle buildup. Sometimes, they even blame it on you with questions like, "Are you sure you counted the calories in everything you ate?" (This is delivered with a knowing little smile that makes you want to rip their knowing little face off.) Being the type that is given to blaming things on yourself, anyway, you cooperate with an answer like, "Well….." They pounce on this with "Ahhhh, well.." Then, they launch into one of their scoldings/lash/encouragement speeches.
So, get off their bandwagon, already!
Then, there's the competitive spirit. You hear about what other people have done on your chosen diet. Yes, Brian went on Atkins a year ago and lost over a hundred pounds. Yes, a hundred pounds in a year is over eight pounds a month, or 2 pounds a week, or .0119 pounds per hour….but, "Hello? You ain't Brian!" And, did Brian ever say that he lost .0119 pounds per hour? No! He said a hundred pounds in a year. This only proves he got on the scale twice; a year ago, and yesterday. Take a hint from Brian. Stay off the scale!
The second solution is to understand what is going on in your body in light of the current state of human affairs. Today, all a person has to have to eat every day is money and transportation to a grocery store or, better yet, a nice restaurant. However, your body's survival instincts have not matured in a million years. Your body still thinks you are a hunter-gatherer. Yes, in spite of a million years of evolution, your body still thinks you are going to have to go out and kill a mammoth to eat. The survival instincts with which you are going to have to come to terms are read-only memory. You can't overwrite them. Deal with it.
That said, let me tell you what happens when you lose a pound of fat. Your body has been saving this fat for that long hunting expedition you're going to have to go on to track, kill, dress and retrieve that huge animal. It keeps the fat in little pillows distributed throughout your body. When you start losing fat, it doesn't trust you to continue whatever insane path you have chosen that is causing the fat to dissipate. So, when the fat comes out of the pillow, it injects water as a "place holder." Sometimes that water actually replaces the weight of the fat it lost. Sometimes it replaces the volume.
Water weighs more than fat just like lead sinkers weigh more than feathers. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of feathers, you'll have a nice big pillow. If you stuff a pillow with a pound of lead sinkers, you'll have a nice (but rather hard and uncomfortable), small pillow. Now, let's say your body removes a pound of fat and replaces the weight with a pound of water. Your weight will stay the same, but you will be smaller. But, if your body decides to replace the lost fat by volume, that is a quite different story. Remember the great big feather pillow as compared to the tiny lead sinker pillow? Well, now think of a gallon of feathers and a gallon of lead sinkers. Try to pick up the gallon of feathers. Piece of (you'll pardon the expression) cake. Now, try to pick up the gallon of lead sinkers. Sucker's heavy, ain't it? So, you will be smaller, but you will have gained weight.
Eventually, your body makes the executive decision that you are not going to replace the fat you lost, and it lets go of the water. In the words of Danny Skaist: "When your body accepts the fact that they are no longer needed, the water will be expelled and the cells closed. This is known as the "whoosh."
What makes your body decide to replace by weight or replace by volume? I dunno. But I do know that it does not seem consistent to the casual observer. What makes your body decide that you are seriously not going to replace the fat you lost? I dunno. But now you know why it's so important to drink your water, huh? Loss of fat is inextricably related to water intake. It's more than a little foolish to go on a diet that facilitates the removal of fat and then refuse to give your body the tools it needs to do so.
Bottom Line: Stop getting on the scale and drink your water. If you stick to your plan and wait for the "whoosh," it will come.

So I had my official 6 wk dr visit.
I have lost 42 lbs total, 30 of that since 2-15-2012 the day of surgery.
I am feeling amazing and so excited about this journey.
My blood pressure used to run about 164/92 which is crazy high. I was not on and meds for it. Today my blood pressure was 120/84!!!
Wow I am so happy to see that change with out meds. It's almost normal and I am only 40 lbs down with about 120 left to go.
Also took my daughter out to lunch at the cracker barrel and only spent $11.92 with a tip included...lol... that was really nice!!! She got what she wanted and I got a little side of an egg and a piece of bacon and didnt even finish it all.
Also i was able to buy a dress and sweater in a 18/20 2 months ago I was in a 28-30... Woo hooo
Just had to share. I am so happy with the decision I have made to have the sleeve.

I feel great! My post op whining has subsided lol

Being a Coonass and all, lol I am going be a good captain and cook a crawfish ettoufe' right now for my crew. I will see if I can handle just the crawfish n gravy. No rice for me. I dont even want to experiment with it lol. Hopefully this will be a pallette "sp?" change. I might like it. Me n eating 5 crawfish tails haha i used to eat about 3 cups full of tails. But heres a thought. 5/8 cup, 4 grams fat no carbs and 19 protein. Not bad for a mudbug.

YES!!! I recently found Levis at Macys! They now have this new sizing with three different cuts made just for women! Maybe 4: slight curve, demi curve, bold curve, and I believe supreme curve. They go form least to most curvey. I am like you, bigger hips and thighs and very small waist. I go the bold curve. This was the FIRST pair of jeans EVER, any pair of pants actually, that I did not have to alter in the back!!! They just fit!!!!! I am so hoping they have white jeans for summer. Check them out and post what you think! Maybe other brands will now follow along!!!! Here's hoping!!!!