EricaVSGJourney

Sleeved in April-2012
I confess that despite being 5.5 years post-op, I still expect others to see me as the fat and/or unattractive girl.
I also confess that I have a greater need for approval/validation and attention than I "should" at my age (41).
I confess that I STILL don't know what the capacity of my stomach is (it's small!) - my family jokes about whether it's a "3 or 4 bite meal". It's amazing to me that when my body needs food, my brain has an image of how much food I should want/need. It's never what I can actually consume... unless it's ice cream!
I confess that I feel as though I hold greater worth as a fit person; but it makes me sad to think that less body fat on my frame makes me feel as though I can command "a place at the table". That's not where worth comes from. It comes from character and values.
I confess that I am relieved that I can finally eat in public and not worry whether people are judging me for what (or how much) I'm eating.
I confess that after all these years, I don't take the time to stop and reflect and be grateful for my weight loss like I used to, and that I wish I could/would give back to the Bariatric community - the newbies could probably use a little support and guidance.
I confess that getting sleeved saved my life - maybe not in a literal sense, but it freed me to truly be me.

Sleeved in April-2012
I confess that despite being 5.5 years post-op, I still expect others to see me as the fat and/or unattractive girl.
I also confess that I have a greater need for approval/validation and attention than I "should" at my age (41).
I confess that I STILL don't know what the capacity of my stomach is (it's small!) - my family jokes about whether it's a "3 or 4 bite meal". It's amazing to me that when my body needs food, my brain has an image of how much food I should want/need. It's never what I can actually consume... unless it's ice cream!
I confess that I feel as though I hold greater worth as a fit person; but it makes me sad to think that less body fat on my frame makes me feel as though I can command "a place at the table". That's not where worth comes from. It comes from character and values.
I confess that I am relieved that I can finally eat in public and not worry whether people are judging me for what (or how much) I'm eating.
I confess that after all these years, I don't take the time to stop and reflect and be grateful for my weight loss like I used to, and that I wish I could/would give back to the Bariatric community - the newbies could probably use a little support and guidance.
I confess that getting sleeved saved my life - maybe not in a literal sense, but it freed me to truly be me.

Sleeved in April-2012
I confess that despite being 5.5 years post-op, I still expect others to see me as the fat and/or unattractive girl.
I also confess that I have a greater need for approval/validation and attention than I "should" at my age (41).
I confess that I STILL don't know what the capacity of my stomach is (it's small!) - my family jokes about whether it's a "3 or 4 bite meal". It's amazing to me that when my body needs food, my brain has an image of how much food I should want/need. It's never what I can actually consume... unless it's ice cream!
I confess that I feel as though I hold greater worth as a fit person; but it makes me sad to think that less body fat on my frame makes me feel as though I can command "a place at the table". That's not where worth comes from. It comes from character and values.
I confess that I am relieved that I can finally eat in public and not worry whether people are judging me for what (or how much) I'm eating.
I confess that after all these years, I don't take the time to stop and reflect and be grateful for my weight loss like I used to, and that I wish I could/would give back to the Bariatric community - the newbies could probably use a little support and guidance.
I confess that getting sleeved saved my life - maybe not in a literal sense, but it freed me to truly be me.

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

I bought a ton of these types pre-op and ended up using less than 5. I read somewhere that the protein in these is inferior to typical high-grade Protein powder. Wish I had the article to site, but it was last summer when I read up on this. Might be worth looking into.. This is the building block of our nutrition after all :-)

I bought a ton of these types pre-op and ended up using less than 5. I read somewhere that the protein in these is inferior to typical high-grade Protein powder. Wish I had the article to site, but it was last summer when I read up on this. Might be worth looking into.. This is the building block of our nutrition after all :-)

I bought a ton of these types pre-op and ended up using less than 5. I read somewhere that the protein in these is inferior to typical high-grade Protein powder. Wish I had the article to site, but it was last summer when I read up on this. Might be worth looking into.. This is the building block of our nutrition after all :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Great that you're thinking about this! Way to go!!
First thing - try to select a gym routine that you can commit to in the long term. If you go from little/moderate working out to the regular gym rat, you might burn out. I know I would!! I incrementally increased my workouts. I started swimming with a Master's swim team about 2 months post-op, and did 3 workouts a week for about 9-10 months. I got bored, so I switched to spin classes at the gym. LOVE spin! Even got certified as a spin instructor.
All that said... I lost about 7-10 lbs of muscle mass out of the 90 lbs I have lost in total. At 5'3" and about 140 lbs @ 21-21.5% body fat, that's okay. I kept my Protein intake anywhere from 90-130 gms per day (although I haven't officially tracked in a long time).
Focus on how you feel. What makes you feel strong? What energizes you and connects you to you body? If you get the Protein in and do the exercises that make your body feel good, everything will fall into place healthfully.
Many hugs and well wishes to you!!

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Aww thanks so much!! I'm 5'3" and I'm anywhere from a size 4 to an 8. Usually a size 6 (just as a frame of reference)
best of luck - it's a wonderful journey :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Thanks you SO much for all the kind comments. What a way to start a Wed and read all that! Big smiles!
Also, not to self-promote too much, but I have a YouTube channel documenting my journey (haven't recorded in a long time)... EricaVSGJourney. I always found other people's stories helpful. :-)
Much love to everyone...

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)

Here are some photos of me at my highest around 225-228lbs in Mar 2012, and then some in the range of 135-140lbs around Feb-June 2013. These are so fun!! :-)