Susan 2.0

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Hello fellow Octosleevers!! I hope everyone is doing great. Sunday is my birthday & I have a pretty great gift for myself: I'm almost overweight!! Yippee!!! Soooo, if - no, WHEN - I lose .4 more pounds I will officially hit "overweight" status!!!! And to think that this time last year I was still on the fence about the surgery & hadn't even found my surgeon yet. Now I'm 68+ pounds lighter & my self esteem is through the roof. I'm celebrating my bday ALL weekend long with friends tonight, family tomorrow, a new flirt interest on Sunday, and a day off from work on Monday to recover from it all. I'm hoping the weather is nice on Monday - I may head to the beach for the day & rock this sleeve in a new bikini :-)

My NSV today was during my 6-month checkup: they used a NORMAL adult sized blood pressure cuff on me!! Not the large one. Yippee!!!!! Aaaannnnnddddd..... I had my head down looking at my phone when doc walked in so he said hello in a normal voice, I said hello back & then looked up at him. He then said a surprised "Hey!" & "Your face is much thinner than the last time I saw you. What a difference!" We talked a bit & then when we were wrapping up I said, to my stunningly handsome doctor, "It's nice to be average looking again." He replied, "You're better than average looking." <insert sheepish grin here>. Ah, too bad he's married with a gaggle of kids. But that fact doesn't have to stop me from feeling great about myself! Yay me!

You'll do great!!

Great job!!! You look like a different person!

I am the same way. I actually look forward to going to my M-W-F boot camp classes!

Sounds like a good idea. Caffeine will make you want to snack (& grazing is a bad habit to get into, as it will sabotage your efforts).

I'm on 150 mgs of Sertraline as well (generic of Zoloft) & was told to take the pills (50 mgs each) about 30 minutes apart the day after surgery. I had no bleeding issues during or after the surgery.

Make sure you're not drinking your calories (sweet tea, sugar loaded coffee, carb-loaded drinks from Starbucks, etc) & make sure you are getting enough calories & protein. Do you track your intake on MyFitnessPal or a similar website? Are you measuring your portions? Are you drinking while eating (instead of waiting 30 minutes before & after eating)? Go back to basics to reset your way of thinking & eating. It might be wise to start back with liquids only & then progress through the stages (clear liquids with protein powder added in), then full liquids, pureeds, then soft foods. This might help to refocus your thinking about portion sizes, etc.

Happy 6-month surgiversary to my fellow 10/15/12 sleeve twins!! I hope everyone is doing wonderfully. Here's an updated before (9/2012) & after (4/13/13) for me. I'm down 63 pounds: Before: on a cruise one month before surgery. After: Me & my best-friend-since-birth @ her parents' 50th Anniv this past weekend

You have a great thought here... I need to start tracking again & see if too few calories is the issue. Thanks for the suggestion!!

Ugh! Me, too!!! Suggestions appreciated!

Here's one from this weekend (down 60lbs): Sept 2012 - Mar 2013 Cruise Vegas 20W dress XL dress

Thanks, all!! I am feeling fantastic. I was so nervous getting on the plane. I had no idea what to expect.

Yesterday was my 5 month surgiversary! 59.4 lbs down :-)

OMG! OMG! OMG!!!!!! I'm in the airplane seat & I feel TINY!!!! TINY I tell you, TINY!!! This is more than I could have ever hoped for. I am literally crying with joy right now. Simply unbelievable.

Avoiding sugar spikes

Hey Raleigh-Durham sleevers - I just found some free fitness classes on Meetup.com & thought I'd share: 1. Triangle's Active Body Challenge @ Lifestyle Body Solutions which is on Jefferson off Glenwood near Wade & Capital. 30 for 30 day fitness challenge. (Orientation is tomorrow: 3/9) 2. Triangle Health REVOLUTION with Lifestyle Body Solutions - Bootcamp with Holly. Same location as #1. FREE! 3. Get Lean for Spring in Raleigh @ Capital Strength & Conditioning, 2422 Atlantic Ave, Raleigh. Sunday afternoons 3:30-5:30? FREE! Hope to see some (all) of you there!! Please add more fitness info that you've come across or enjoyed. Susan

Wow! Who's your surgeon? I need that kind of hook-up!!

Just after eating I sometimes feel a sharp pain just under my right ribs (half-way between the breastbone & the bottom rib).

I'm in Raleigh & suggest that you check out www.meetup.com & look for the group One Step At A Time. They have many meetings during the month with different topics.