jbgirl5856

Hey everyone! I had my surgery August 22nd, 2012 so I'm about 15 months post op. I've lost a total of 101 pounds and I feel great I started at 231 lbs. and now weigh 130 lbs. At 23 years old, I feel like life can't get any better I've been maintaining for about 7-8 months. I feel so much healthier and more confident. I continue to exercise and make healthy choices to motivate myself to be the healthiest me that I can be. This journey has been one of the most humbling and challenging experiences of my life. I've surrounded myself with positive people who have supported me throughout this whole process. I'm now participating in the "Bari-Buddy" system at the hospital I had my surgery at - getting paired with people who just had the surgery to be a support to them. It's been a great experience - both rewarding and inspiring to help support other people who are in the same position I was in 15 months ago. Since the summer, I've graduated college and started a new job. I'm now an occupational therapist working in a pediatric setting. This is something I always wanted to do but I was always too intimidated to work with kids - because let's be honest...kids are a little too honest!! I am so grateful that I now have the confidence (and the energy!!) to help these kids achieve all of their goals. I hope everyone is having lots of success and happiness Here are some before and after pictures!

Holy Cow - It's been 7 months! My weight has pretty much stayed the same this last month and I'm quite okay with it I started at 231 lbs. and 'm holding steady at 143 lbs. Ideally, I'd like to lose 10 more pounds and I am working towards it. It will happen! I was just in my friend's wedding this past weekend and it was so nice not to dread a formal event!! Last time this year, I dreaded stuff like this for weeks due to knowing I wouldn't have anything to wear and that there would be tons of pictures. My friend looked beautiful and I was able to focus on her wonderful day rather than being insecure and concerned about how I looked. As you will see in the pictures below, my friends are super tiny...like 95-100 pounds tiny! They have been my friends since I was 5 and I had always felt insecure taking pictures with them...no one wants to be the fat friend! With that said, they have been extremely supportive. They have never made me feel bad about myself and when I told them I was having the surgery they were 100% supportive. They are so proud of me and I love them for it. I didn't tell every person I know that I had surgery, but I did tell my close friends and it was one of the best things I could have done. To me, the surgery was something to Celebrate and something to be proud of. I'm proud of my decision and how hard I've worked to lose the weight....I hope everyone else feels that same sense of pride! You are taking control of your life and it should be celebrated. Thank you to the people who read my posts every month. You guys leave the nicest comments and I'm thankful for the support this forum has provided me with. Wishing everyone happiness and success with their surgery! Jordyn The pictures of me in the black dress is from a wedding last May...the pictures with the purple dress is from the wedding this past weekend with my beautiful friends

I really had zero problems with my surgery. 12 hours after my surgery I was up walking and feeling just fine. I had one meltdown 3 days post op when it hit me that I really could not eat! I did not have any tough things that were health related once I had my surgery. I mostly had emotional battles with myself. I had to let go of my addiction with food and find healthier ways to fill my day. I took up makeup as a hobby about 1 month out of surgery and focused my energy on that in my spare time. I also took exercising very seriously and worked out often. Once I realized that food did not have to control my life, everything else fell into place. As far as what I experienced my first few days post op - BOREDOM! haha You don't realize how much time food takes up until you are drinking liquids for 1 month. The pre-op diet was very hard for me, but I stuck to it and did not sway. Do not cheat on your pre-op diet - I really feel like it sets the standard for how you are going to approach your diet after you have the surgery. Good luck!

No I haven't had plastics. I did work out a lot throughout the last year and had a "core routine" Thanks!

Hello All! The first 7 months I made monthly updates on this forum. I've pretty much just been maintaining the last couple months, but I thought I would post an update. I'm 23 years old and had my surgery August 22nd last year so I am between 9-10 months post op right now. I started at 231 and am currently 139. Yahooo! I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this summer!! Last year I honestly had one ugly pair of capris and two "nice" tops. Whenever I had to get dressed to go somewhere, I would choose between those two tops. I never felt confident. I hardly have any pictures because I avoided them. Most days I would just wear baggy sweats and my boyfriend's t-shirts...how attractive!! I was also hot ALLLLL the time. I was getting dressed this morning and thinking about how different this summer will be. This morning I woke up and went for a 3 mile jog. I came home, showered, and put on a pair of jean shorts and a cute tank top (I now have lots of clothes to choose from!) I did my make up and hair-without sweating from the heat of the blow dryer lol When I finished I felt confident. This weekend I'm going to the beach with my friends (which requires a bathing suit) and I'm also running the 5k mud run on Saturday! This is a whole new life!! haha Thank God!! I was real hesitant to post a picture of myself in a bathing suit; however, that is the biggest question I get asked. "WELLLLL, do you have loose skin???" People are so curious. Some people have a big stigma with the weight loss surgery - like since I had weight loss surgery I must have awful skin underneath my clothes. This is not the case. Don't let anyone tell you this is the easy way out. I've worked my butt off this past year. I work out a ton and make healthy eating choices. At 10 months out, I feel hungry just like anyone else! I'm able to eat junk food. Gaining back weight is not impossible However, I make good, healthy choices. The surgery is a fantastic TOOL, but its not a miracle. So I thought I would post this picture to show it's possible to lose over 90 pounds and not have a bunch of skin! Seeing these types of pictures motivated me to get my butt to the gym I wish everyone lots of success and happiness!! Picture 1: As you can see, I had serious stretch marks before. They have turned to white, but those are forever. However, I feel okay in a bikini. Beats the giant t-shirt I wore to the pool last year! Picture 2: I'm able to wear sundresses this summer! Yay! Picture 3: I have 3 beautiful younger sisters. I always felt like the "fat, ugly" sister. I feel like I am now the fun, older sister that I always wanted to be. The after picture is with my youngest sister before she goes off to prom! She looked beautiful. If you want to read any of my other posts, some links are below: http://www.verticals...eafter-picture/ http://www.verticals...es/#entry712587

I say rock it lol

haha I had just made a post and then saw this!! Before surgery I really wanted to see what people's stomachs looked like and I could not find anything. Thanks for being brave and posting yours. I'll add mine onto here too. You look awesome!! Very inspiring Congrats and Happy Summer!!! Excuse the horrible stretch marks from the "before" pictures - I just find the before pictures give people a good idea of the progress possible!!

haha I am sure you look fabulous!!!!! Congrats on your weight loss :)

I'm obviously on team sleeve! lol I just haven't heard great things about the Lapband. You have to choose what's important to you. I can order something and eat an okay amount right now. I eat much slower than everyone and don't eat a ton. But if I go out, I'll get a small salad or a Soup or something like that. I was scared of this too...but in the end loosing weight was more important than all of those things. I just figured it all out after my surgery! I'm still able to enjoy a beer if I want one...I am only 23 after all

I'm 5'3" lol Thanks!

Thanks for the nice compliment. I can't believe all the support this forum has brought me. it means so much to me that some of you see me as an inspiration....I share my stories in hopes of motivating people who are going through the same things I went through. HANG IN THERE!! Remember why you had the surgery in the first place. Find a person who will support you through this process. You can do it

Good for you! Glad to hear you've been so dedicated to exercising. I won't lie...I still weigh myself often. I don't freak out over it, but I do probably hop on the scale every morning just as part of my routine. It keeps me on track and motivated. That's just what works for me The clothes I've bought have been 5/6 pants and small or medium top depending on the style

YAY! way to go Congrats!

60 lbs in 3 months! yay! That's awesome. Congratulations I'm sure you are feeling great. I'm glad you have enjoyed my posts so much. It's truly humbling! Am I scared of gaining weight back? UM YES! haha Do I think about it all the time? Absolutely not. Look...if you had simply had the surgery, not followed the diet, not changed your lifestyle, not exercised at all, then yeah maybe you should feel more nervous about gaining the weight back. But that is so not the case. I don't know about you, but I have DRASTICALLY changed my lifestyle. I work at keeping this weight off every day. I have people in my life who motivate me to stay on track. Do I have off days where I eat unhealthy? Of course I do. That's life. Do I have weeks where I eat unhealthy....no! Because that would be falling back in my old ways. I read my posts from before the surgery. I think about how I felt before I had the surgery. I don't want to get back to that. I know that if I work hard and continue with the lifestyle I am living, the weight is going to stay off. Find something that motivates you. Figure out ways to "catch yourself" from falling back into old habits. My favorite quote is "Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret" Corny, but so true! Most importantly though...just enjoy your weight loss. You didn't have the surgery to be stressed out about gaining weight back all the time. Enjoy yourself and feel proud of your accomplishments. And yes...make some monthly posts! It's motivating and it's fun to look back on! Pretty sure I'm at no less than 1,000

Hope you are getting through your meltdown! 3 days post op I had a meltdown and just started crying for no reason...I totally freaked out and couldn't believe I had done this to myself. My mom and boyfriend thought I went off the deep end lol They calmed me down and I got over it. I was truly addicted to food and I had to mourn it. You won't regret it....sounds like you are already having fabulous success!! So glad you enjoyed my post Thanks for commenting!

Hey Everyone! I had my 6 month appointment on Thursday and cannot even believe how much has changed in 6 months. I am now 88 pounds down. I couldn't be happier! I'm feeling like a new person. I thought it would be good for me to reflect back a bit on how far I've come. I had started a website/blog when I started thinking about having surgery. Here is an excerpt from a post I wrote in July when I was awaiting my consultation appointment. "I wake up every morning feeling completely disgusted with my body and my behavior. I avoid the mirror when getting into the shower. I can hardly look at myself when I have a towel around me and have to put on a baggy shirt to blow dry my hair. I struggle to get dressed knowing that my clothes are too tight for me. Every activity is filled with anxiety for me. Eating meals is like experiencing an out of body experience. It's as though I have no control, yet the whole time I am beating myself up over what I am eating. I am embarrassed to go anywhere knowing that I am overweight and people have probably noticed that I've gained even more weight. I look at my friends as they talk about "feeling fat" or "needing to exercise more" and know that I would die to look like them. Every time I sit down I want to cover my stomach up with something. Every time I walk I have to adjust my pants, bra, underwear, shirt, tanktop to make sure that I am 100% covered. I feel a depression at night - an overwhelming guilt. I lay in bed thinking how tomorrow needs to be a new day...how tomorrow I am going to be different. I will stay up for hours in bed thinking about it." When I read this, I feel sad for the girl who wrote it. I think it is important for me to look back at how I felt during that time to continue to motivate myself to do well. I am to the point where I can eat more and I have to work harder for the weight to come off. I never want to feel like girl in that paragraph again. I wake up every morning looking forward to the day, excited to pick out an outfit, feeling happy about the decisions I make, and overall just taking pride in being healthy. This was the best decision I could have made. For those of you interested in the website/blog, the link is below. It is a personal site, but it does give detailed information on my pre-op process. I haven't posted since September since I started writing on this forum. Surgery Date: August 22, 2012 Starting weight: 231 Current weight: 143 Height: 5'3 Age: 23 website: weightonmyshoulders.weebly.com Picture 1: Day before Surgery Picture 2: The before/after picture Dr. Zeni's office gave me on Thursday Picture 3: Me in the jeans I wore at my consultation Picture 4: Same as picture 3 Picture 5: Getting my bridesmaids dress taken in! Picture 6: Standing with my best friend for her bachelorette party last night!

Awesome! He's great and so is the staff! Hope you are having a good experience too!

That's the worst part!! I was an anxious crazy mess when I was waiting for insurance approval! thanks a lot wishing you lots of success!

Thanks so much If you don't mind looking back at some of my old posts, I go into pretty in depth detail as to what I was eating and what I was doing for exercise. I will try to link some posts. For a short answer, right now I'm exercising 3-5 times a week for about an hour. I'll run 2-3 miles, 20 minutes of core, and then arms or legs depending on the day. I have oatmeal or eggs every morning, usually a salad or hummus/veggies plus some Snacks for lunch, and then just normal basic dinners based around Protein. I don't track everyday, and if I'm craving something I will have a bite of it. I also drink lots and lots of water! I feel like I really have broken my food addiction....I just think about what I am eating and try to make healthy choices. I will say for 4-5 months I was extremely strict with what I ate which I recommend because that's when you are losing the most weight! Dean...too funny! haha "Hot" has never been a word I would ever use to describe myself, but hey I will take it. I'm lucky to have great friends....especially since they have never been able to relate to any weight issues. They've been size 0's for as long as I can remember haha Glad you commented1 haha I do the same thing sometimes...read all the posts, but don't always comment! I need to get better at that. Hope you are doing well THANKS EVERYONE! You all are too kind

Thank you. No plastic surgery and no plans for any. I had worked out since being two weeks post op and don't really have loose skin. But I am feeling good

Glad you look forward to my posts It's nice to know people actually read what I write, even though just writing it out is therapeutic in itself Awesome question!! When I was thinking about having the surgery, this was one of the biggest things I was worried about. I am a very social person and I enjoy going out with my friends - what can I say..I'm only 23 My good friends and my boyfriend (we've been together for 5 years and live together) know that I have had the surgery, so going out with them is not too difficult. They will offer to just order appetizers for the table and share...that way I fit in and don't look like a bird picking at my food! When I go out with people who don't know, I always go for the soup!!! I always have the excuse, "Hey...I'm a broke college student." As far as drinking...I wish I could say I just never drink but I would totally be lying haha I loved trying different beers before the surgery and was terrified I would never be able to have a beer again!! I did not have one sip of alcohol for the first 4 months after surgery. Now when I go out (It's not all that often-maybe twice a month?), I will order a beer or a glass of wine and it's fine. I get tipsy quite fast, so usually one is good for me. Beer gets filling and I have a hard time finishing one. I've had one night where we "got drunk" and were at the bars all night and I had 2 shots. Yes, probably not the best decision but I honestly eat healthy 95% of the time and I work out a lot for this reason. I don't want to be so restrictive that I can't have fun with my friends. Hope that answers your questions. Feel free to ask whatever - I'm a pretty open book Overall, I've been lucky - I have a great support system. My friends and boyfriend have been awesome. We like to joke and say "through thick and thin"

Yup I work out quite a bit. 4-5 times a week...consisting of running 2-3 miles plus 30 minutes of core and then some arms and legs depending on the day.

Thanks everyone And to those of you awaiting your surgery date good luck!