Reputation from thesmilos

thesmilos reacted to Dr-Patient in The Best Thing About Being Sleeved! January 14, 2015

Just sharing:
Yesterday, the UPS delivery man brought boxes to my front door. I opened the garage door for him to stack them there, and he got to see me full-length.
He said (hesitantly, but with big eyes), " Are you...the same lady who's been living here?"
(I've lived in this house for 19 years)
"Yes, it's me."
"Oh my God. You look fantastic! I would not have recognized you!" [eyes and mouth open wide in awe.]
I was actually wearing my old, oversized baggy (and raggedy) sweat pants and an old blouse (with a hole in it)--my 'cleaning the house' outfit. I held them out to show how baggy everything was, and said "I know I look a mess with this stuff on, but yea, 70 pounds gone," I said.
He said, "I can only imagine how you look with other stuff on because you look fabulous."
It was nice to hear that; and he obviously remembered me because he reminded me of some past deliveries he'd made to my home; he rememberd my line of work, etc.
'Twas a nice NSV on a rainy, foggy day.

thesmilos reacted to Justin Wiseman in 420 pounds gone forever! This is my journey... December 30, 2014

My name is Justin Wiseman. I would love to share my story with you. I have been bigger than everyone around me for as long as I can remember. I have my report card from kindergarten and there in black ink under my weight is 100 lbs. Wow, 100 lbs at 5? All the doctors my mom took me to said I would grow out of it, but the only thing I grew out of was my pants. Well actually jogging pants because that was the only thing my mother could find to fit me. food was my world, it was my everything. It made me happy and took all the pain away. By the time I was in middle school I was over 250 pounds, and when I graduated high school I was over 400 pounds. After high school I pretty much stayed home. I hated leaving my house. After everything that I had been through I never wanted to feel humiliated again. By 25 I topped the scale at a massive 600 pounds, and at the age of 26 I was given only months to live. I was suffering from severe complications of cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. As I began planning my own funeral I had the ultimate “aha” moment and finally realized exactly what I was doing to myself. Desperate for one day of complete freedom before I died I began looking for options to shed the pounds. Being too big to be operated on I was left fighting the battle on my own until I was healthy enough to be cleared for surgery. Over six months I lost 130 pounds, and was actually healthy enough to be taken off several medications. I then had gastric sleeve surgery and over the course of two years I lost a total of 420 pounds. In the midst of the battle I made what I call my “Live IT List” kind of like a bucket list but my focus was on what I wanted to live for, not do before I died. With that my “Live IT List” was born and my desire to live was unstoppable. I got my one day of freedom plus a whole lifetime more. My focus has now shifted to helping others in similar situations along with doing my best to help eradicate childhood obesity. I was a child in the 80’s and the epidemic keeps growing. My story was extreme, but there are so many out there facing an even worse fate….death. I am the perfect example of what childhood obesity actually turns in to, and I have made it my mission to put a face on the cause. We hear a lot of statistics but people tend to overlook them, but if people asctually see what it turns into the impact is so much more. I feel like everything I went through was for a reason and if I can help save someone's life it was so worth it. I spend my days helping as many people as I can find their freedom and I really hope I one day get a chance to share my story with the world and throughout the schools. If you want to hear more of my story my blog is theliveitlist.tumblr.com my public page www.facebook.com/theliveitlist my personal page is www.facebook.com/justinwiseman13 and follow me at twitter.com/theliveitlist

thesmilos reacted to joatsaint in Dealing with Setbacks - Ate 2 Donuts This Morning December 6, 2014

This post is just goes to show that even Sleeve veterans aren't perfect. The key is to look at a setback as a delay, not a permanent failure, and get back on track.
I was trying to stay low-carb till I lost about 20lbs, but I fell off the wagon this morning. Over the Thanksgiving week, I gained about 5 lbs and was up to 220 lbs in 5 days - probably from all the salt. So I went back to what's worked in the past, low-carb eating - lean Protein (pork loin) and a few vegetables (squash, cauliflower).
Low-carbing worked well, I lost the excess Water plus a few pounds. In 6 days I've lost 9.6 lbs. But the stress from work has been pretty overwhelming these past few days. And when I came into work this morning, there was a fresh hot box of donuts waiting in the kitchen. I started to limit myself to 1, but then though about how good I was going to feel when I ate them. So I got 2... Go BIG or Go HOME! and enjoyed every bite!!!!!
Will those 2 donuts affect my weight? Probably not, as long as I don't continue eating junk every day. Will it cause my weight loss to stall? I'll know soon enough, the scale will tell me tomorrow morning.
P.S. I'll be back on pork loin and cauliflower for lunch today.
Keep Pimpin' That Sleeve!!!!
Randy
UPDATE: 12/08/2014
Well, eating the donuts plus my "cheat" meal on Saturday night, I woke up on Sunday morning weighing 1.4lbs heavier.
But I got back on my diet on Sunday and Monday (today). I lost the weight and weigh the same as I did last Friday (the day before I ate the donuts). I'm back down to 210.4
Now let's see if I can finally break 200lbs.
2nd UPDATE: 12/10/2014
Hit an all time new low today, 208.2 lbs. Still sticking to my diet.
3rd UPDATE: 12/13/2014
Still low-carbing (sorta) Hit another all time low this morning - 206 lbs.
Haven't been that low since high school (38 years ago). My diet revolves around eating pork loin and Raisin Bran (I eat Raisin Bran cause they give it to us free at work) and coffee (loaded with Creamer and Splenda).
And I'm taking Puritans Pride "Green Source" whole food Vitamins made from whole food concentrates. I swear these vitamins make me feel so much better than any other Vitamin I've taken.
I take the vitamins first thing in the morning. If I take them in the evening, I have so much energy I have a hard time sleeping.< /p>
During the day, I usually eat about 2 cups of shredded pork loin and 2 Snacks - Raisin Bran (dry - I eat it straight up like trail mix in a cup - I have a 12oz cup and fill it halfway).
And 2 cups of shredded pork loin in the evening after work. (Although I did have some spaghetti I was rationing out over the week - I'd have 1 cup of pork loin and 2 cups of spaghetti).
It's Saturday, the cheat meal day. Let's see if I gain weight overnight from eating pizza.
Well, this post is getting too long, so I continue the updates in a blog post - here:
http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-33645-dealing-with-setbacks-or-climb-down-off-the-cross-build-a-bridge-with-the-wood-and-get-over-it/

thesmilos reacted to smbergie200 in Inspiration Pics - my first 5k! November 15, 2014

I am living proof that VSG is a miracle! Wherever you are on your journey don't lose hope. You will one day be posting pics just like mine. Now for the pics - First of course is my before pic - 377 pounds of misery.

180 pounds strong and fit - ready to take on my first 5k.

Thats me on the top - at 377 pounds definitely would not have made it.

Finished the 5k - got the medal - and added my first 5k to my bucket list. Looking forward to many future adventures in life with my new healthy body!

thesmilos got a reaction from NavyMom2006 in Best food for grazing ! October 26, 2014

Try PB2 (powdered Peanut Butter with 85% less fat) and celery! To change things up a bit, I like to to get the one with chocolate added. The peanut and chocolate give the perception that I am not missing out on the "good stuff" and the celery provides the crunch and fills my sleeve up nicely. Good luck!