CaliKat

Wearing my Lane Bryant brand of spanks under a skirt today and they are baggy! Woo hoo! Here's to milestones not visible on the scale!

I eat out 5-7 times a week and most of it is socially.... I never have an issue.
I make good choices and if needed, get creative.
Example: if i am out where i dont want people to know i have had the sleeve i get creative. I usually order a appitizer (i dont eat at the chain resturants so no.... Im not ordering cheese sticks or potato skins) and mention i want it brought out as my meal. Mmost people dont notice. I also make a joke about not knowing what to order, so i am ordering something small so i can order/try another dish.... No one ever remembers i was going to order for round #2.

I dont like the way my credit card statements look (too much shopping) but I LOOOOVE the way I look!

I never share pics that i am in with friends cause im always the fattest and so embarrassed.....
I was with some friends in Vegas over labor day and 6 out of 8 of them are skinny and mini.... With just me and another girl (who is probably 260/5'6" and who kinda looks like me anyways) being the larger ones.... I was looking at the pictures and kept mistaking myself for the larger friend!!!!
My BF had to keep reminding me it wasn't me and you know what.... I kinda looked normal and kinda HOT!

Today, 11 months, 2 days post surgery, I am at my personal goal. I am so happy I am tearing up and shaking a little bit. Lol! This is a weight I thought I would never see again. I seriously thought that I would have to live the rest of my life 200+ lbs and tried my hardest to be comfortable, "happy", and social at that weight. I don't have to live my life that way...and neither do YOU!
Yea...I could probably lose more, but I am HAPPY right here, right now! I am still curvy (still have hips, a nice lil bootay, and DD boobies) and I don't want to lose any of that. I'll probably be one of those women who used to annoy me by saying "I need to lose 5-10lbs". I promise as a former plus sized woman to never say that in the presence of another plus sized woman.
To the people considering this surgery: DO IT! Absolutely do your research and continue to browse this and other sites, but make a decision. You can't get yesterday back, so don't sit on the fence too long.
To the Newbies: Be kind and patient with yourself. You can do this. You can get to your goal. Believe in you and your relationship with God. Stalls will happen, food mourning will happen, hair loss of some type will happen, but you will get through it all. Just keep breathing. And keep asking questions.
To the Sleeve Masters: I have been stalking your profiles and lurking on your posts for over a year now. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your contribution to the site. I think of this community as an additional wl tool that I need to get me through the day. I won't go into detail about some of the things you guys helped me get through, but I want you all to know that I appreciate it immensely!
Thanks everyone for listening to my whining, venting, rambling, sarcasm, and typos - there will definitely be more of that to come. Off I go to maintenance. Wish me luck!

Lol- I wore heels out of the hospital!
They were wedges.... But still heels!
I was back to work in 5 days and was rockin my 5" Aldo's.
Go strut your stuff girl!

The one big "downside" (if you could even call it that ) was I lost about 1/2 a shoe size since surgery.... making many of my shoes kinda big. High heels that dont fit well can be floppy and downright dangerous.
I am betting by the time I hit goal, I may be a full size down. Im gonna miss my old shoes but LOVE my new ones!!!
I guess everything shrinks! Feet too!

Lol- I wore heels out of the hospital!
They were wedges.... But still heels!
I was back to work in 5 days and was rockin my 5" Aldo's.
Go strut your stuff girl!

Keep in mind that no two people are alike and I hate to burst your bubble but.....
At almost 6 months post op my stomach still gurgles, growls and emotes. It's like a freak show in itself.
It gurgles cause its empty, cause it's full or when it's working on dense Proteins or junk, when I'm standing, sittin or laying down.... Bottom line is that its LOUD AND PROUD no matter what!! Lol!

Don't miss anything-
Especially the carb comas, sugar crashes and insulin spikes or the "god I ate so much I REALLY have to puke" feeling. Not even a tiny bit!
I eat whatever the hell I want- just mini portions.
Yesterday I had a fun size kitkat and today it's been all Protein and shakes.
You probably won't miss it in the short term and probably (after a few months) will have it in the long term!

Don't miss anything-
Especially the carb comas, sugar crashes and insulin spikes or the "god I ate so much I REALLY have to puke" feeling. Not even a tiny bit!
I eat whatever the hell I want- just mini portions.
Yesterday I had a fun size kitkat and today it's been all Protein and shakes.
You probably won't miss it in the short term and probably (after a few months) will have it in the long term!

Not your daughters jeans. Flattering on a size 2 and a size 20. Order one size smaller than you regularly wear.

Giant Turkey Legs (split with skinny friend)!
Saved a BUNCH of $$$ too! Fair food is SPENDY!

If you told me that I'd be rinding my bicycle for 30 mile trips a few times a week.
I'd especially scoff at you if you would tell me that one day I would take a 55 mile ride like I did last Saturday. I could not beleive it as the miles just racked up further and further as I headed to a trail system about 3 towns south of us, the GPS trip computer I use registered 54.94 miles when I hobbled off the bike in the driveway. 2 years ago I would be wheezing and panting at a trip around the block!
If you're still undecided about a VSG I can tell you it has DRAMATICALLY changed my life. I am a totally different person than I was 2 years ago and MUCH more physically fit. I'd recommend it to anyone! Best thing I'vve EVER done for my health.

Im my experience- things kinda shrink slower than you loose... but it does shirink up.
Example- I am down 65lbs and 2 months ago I took a pic making a bicep curl and my skin was hanging so bad.... it looked like 2" of sag. This weekend took the same pic and its less than 1" of hang.
My stomach was sagging but now it seems to have shrunk in and firmed up.
I think it just takes a bit of time. I KNOW I will have some saggy elephant skin (hopefuly Spanx will do the trick) but it shouldnt be as bad as it seems. Make sure you are doing weight training to firm up and use plenty of moisturizer all over your body to keep skin elasticity.
Now my boobs on the other hand..... its game over- calling the sillicone!!

Im my experience- things kinda shrink slower than you loose... but it does shirink up.
Example- I am down 65lbs and 2 months ago I took a pic making a bicep curl and my skin was hanging so bad.... it looked like 2" of sag. This weekend took the same pic and its less than 1" of hang.
My stomach was sagging but now it seems to have shrunk in and firmed up.
I think it just takes a bit of time. I KNOW I will have some saggy elephant skin (hopefuly Spanx will do the trick) but it shouldnt be as bad as it seems. Make sure you are doing weight training to firm up and use plenty of moisturizer all over your body to keep skin elasticity.
Now my boobs on the other hand..... its game over- calling the sillicone!!

Whatever it is you decide- do yourself a favor and start living a life without regrets.
Life's too short ya know?
Best to you

Whatever it is you decide- do yourself a favor and start living a life without regrets.
Life's too short ya know?
Best to you

Two weeks out and I ran a mile today in 30 minutes . It was AWESOME, I haven't felt this alive in a long time . I am a full time nurse with 3 children and a husband so I have to find the time to exercise. I walk a mile everyday on my lunch break and 3 times a week I run 5 laps around my neighborhood which equal a mile . I've managed to go from 247 to 215 in two weeks and I'm VERY proud of it )

Well, except for allergies. Yesterday I skipped working out because my allergies were killing me.
So today I was feeling guilty because I'm still not feeling great, but better than yesterday. I managed to make it all the way until 8pm before I decided I need to work out somehow, but without leaving the house.
I just went old fashioned with 6 sets of body weight squats: 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5. http://www.acefitness.org/exerciselibrary/135/bodyweight-squat. You might be surprised at how out of breath you will get doing just simple exercises with body weight. I definitely was.
I have this rule that helps me feel guilty, but not too guilty, while keeping me on track: it is okay to skip working out for one day, but not for two. And if I do skip one day, I have to work out at least the next two days in a row.
Point is, we all make excuses for why we overeat or skip working out. And we really don't have any. It's okay to slack off and screw up some of the time, just not most of the time. Now that I did something today, I feel much better. And it only took me about 15 minutes to alleviate what would've been a few more hours of guilt before bed.

My advice? Hang in there... its gonna be boring for a while!
I ate lots of eggs... scrambled with cheese or with salsa. Lots of pureed Soups, Protein Jello & SF pudding, I even strained vegetable beef Soup and had the broth. I did lots of avocados mushed with some salt too. I love, love, loved curry paste- added it to some cottage cheese and it was delish! I also tried the ricotta bake recepie (search for it on the food forum)... it was awesome.
Emlefe is right, stick to his plan- it works. I promise it does go by fast and before you know it, you will be moving right along and onto more solid foods.

A bit of inspiration and a bit of brag....
5 months ago I tried to run a mile at the gym... wasnt happening. I quit at 1/4 mile cause I was so out of breath and frankly... just couldnt do it. A month later, I managed to run a mile, but it took me 17 minutes! Fast forward a few months and I am running a 5K three times a week at the gym in under 40 minutes and still have the energy to do a bit of weight training afterwards.
WHO KNEW A 5K COULD BE EASY! Ive been running the local 5K charity races and now the hardest part is not the running... its getting up for the 8am start time!
The take-away to this is each step you take, each minute you run, each mile you walk you move towards a healthier lifestyle and better quality of life. No matter what your fitness level is today- someday (sooner than you think) you can be crossing that finish line feeling like a Olympic champion!

A bit of inspiration and a bit of brag....
5 months ago I tried to run a mile at the gym... wasnt happening. I quit at 1/4 mile cause I was so out of breath and frankly... just couldnt do it. A month later, I managed to run a mile, but it took me 17 minutes! Fast forward a few months and I am running a 5K three times a week at the gym in under 40 minutes and still have the energy to do a bit of weight training afterwards.
WHO KNEW A 5K COULD BE EASY! Ive been running the local 5K charity races and now the hardest part is not the running... its getting up for the 8am start time!
The take-away to this is each step you take, each minute you run, each mile you walk you move towards a healthier lifestyle and better quality of life. No matter what your fitness level is today- someday (sooner than you think) you can be crossing that finish line feeling like a Olympic champion!

Good for you for taking control of your health. Wish I was in Texas to get some hair TLC and hook you up with a big tip!
Sounds like you may be someone who gets an IRS refund- money back- perhaps if you can bank $2500 by February and get a $2500 return early next year.... you can have the sleeve in 6 months!

Way to go. I'm in week 2 of C25K and I'm just starting to like it. Finding a rhythm and a comfortable pace was not easy since I've never been a runner. But I'm getting there.

Congrats on the weight loss!
But dressing in the old stuff has got to stop. Im sure you have seen people wear clothing that is WAY too tight (showed belly overflow, too much boobage, etc) and silently thought they looked rediculus right? You dressing in your old big clothes is just as insane- not to be terrible.... but im sure you look like crap all bagged out!
Letting go of your old image is hard- its a huge mental challenge and may take some time- sounds like there are a few underlying self esteem issues (issues- who doesnt have em) that you may need to talk to someone about.
Dont let who you USED to be- stop you from becoming who you are.
As a fellow professional- you arent doing yourself any favors looking schlumpy and frumpy. Even if it means hitting up Target for those essentials (pencil skirts, dress pants, wide belts, etc) do whatever you can to dress your best... slowly your head will catch up.
Hiring a stylist is a great idea- watching TLC's What Not To Wear is also a great idea. Now go on and rock the results of your sleeve and be your best self!