chasingadream

Valentine's Day is all about LOVE….
I LOVE snuggling with my kids…..
I LOVE getting them a sweet valentine treat and knowing that I don't need/want it.
I LOVE wearing my new boots that make my husband turn and look at me twice.
I LOVE looking in the mirror now and just LOVING ME!

Thanks for that article….im 6 months out so technically in the honeymoon phase…and enjoying every minute of it….but I will keep this article as time moves forward...
Thanks @@BariatricGirl !!!!

I'm definitely not who you are seeking advice from but I wanted to say....CONGRATULATIONS AND WAY TO GO!
Looking forward to the responses because I WILL be there one day too!
NICE JOB!

I'm definitely not who you are seeking advice from but I wanted to say....CONGRATULATIONS AND WAY TO GO!
Looking forward to the responses because I WILL be there one day too!
NICE JOB!

I don't do any Protein shakes. I am eating solids for 3 meals and one snack a day.
Breakfast can be Cereal (high protein) and milk, or hot Cereal (high protein), or weight watchers smart ones Breakfast sandwich, or egg beaters omelet.
lunch is usually egg, chicken or tuna salad with crackers (wheat thins, melba toast, pita chips). Sometimes I'll have leftover Protein from dinner the night before.
Snack between lunch and dinner (usually 3) is laughing cow baby bell cheese or 100 calorie blue diamond almonds or cottage cheese.< /p>
Dinner is 3-4 oz of protein (93% ground beef, chicken parts or cutlets, pork chops or tenderloin etc) with a veggie and a little carbs. We eat in way more than we eat out.
If Im running and need a quick "meal" on the go I always have a Pure Protein Chewy chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter bar...20 grams of protein for one...low in sugar too.
No eating occurs after dinner...not hungry and not really looking for anything.
Thats what I'm eating these days and it is working for me and I am enjoying what I'm consuming and feeling good!
Hope that helps.

This just made me smile. You're doing fantastic! Your post just made me remember all of those "first" feelings It's great isn't it. Just think, it only gets better!!!!!! Thanks for the reminder and for the smile. This was great!

I was banded in Mississauga (Toronto) on December 18th, 2014. I am 11 weeks post-op and down 37 pounds.
It may not be a ton of weight lost, but its all gone, gone gone forever, and I am losing slow and steady. As I lay in bed last night, I touched my ribs (I have ribs?!) and reflected on how things have changed for me since being banded two and a half months ago.
I realized last night that I am totally, completely, madly in love with my band. Here's why:
My size 22 pants fall down to my ankles if I don't wear a belt. Even when I do wear a belt, my size 22 pants look like I'm wearing a parachute. I can put on my "old" jeans without unzipping/unbuttoning the fly. My tummy scars are a proud (and only slightly scary) red/purple, and serve to remind me every day of the commitment I've made to myself. My College students talk about me when they think I have my back turned/can't hear them and say things like "Damn, she's looking GOOD". I no longer have to use a "bath sheet" sized towel. A regular sized one wraps around my bod, thanks very much. I am no longer winded when I climb a set of stairs. People at work tell me hair looks AMAZING. What they are actually saying doing is choosing my hair as the way to give me a "YOU LOOK AMAZING!" compliment without verbalizing my obvious weight loss. This gives me JOY. I can no longer feel my thighs pressing against the sides of my office chair. Truth: In the shower, I no longer have to lift stuff up to wash other stuff. Seriously. When I get up to pee in the middle of the night there is no pain in my body. Anywhere. The aches are gone. My favourite LL Bean down jacket from before I chubbed out FITS ME and I can zip it up easily. I proctored an exam the other day sitting cross-legged on a desk. My herniated disc (due to obesity) has resolved. I can now roll over in bed pain-free. I can sleep on my stomach again. This is also something that gives me JOY. I sat on the floor with a group of students the other day, and realized I had gotten up again with absolutely NO EFFORT. I can chug water! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do this after being banded. (It's the little things...) I have been watching my cheekbones emerge. Wow. Our grocery bill has gone down dramatically. I eat 1/3 (if that) of what I used to eat. My husband says with the grocery money saved since being banded we could buy a cottage in Muskoka. (lol!) Speaking of my husband, I weigh less than him for the first time in a decade. And more about my husband: I've noticed him touching my bum. A lot. And smooching me up. And hugging me close. He's proud, I can tell. My band gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) reminds me to slow down when I eat. Thank you, dear band. I have learned what freedom from the hunger monster feels like, and MAN OH MAN is that ever sa-weet. I have a constant backdrop of satiety. I no longer think about, or worry about, my next meal. Love those band adjustments! I am looking forward to getting into my MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op - the Canadian version of "REI") 'Rad Pants' I've kept from 1994. They are red, they are a size 10. The summer is almost here and with it comes a canoe-trip. I will be wearing those pants. I feel like a I have a new lease on life. Woo hoo! It's okay to stall. It's ok to have the occasional chocolate banana fritter. (Whoops - damn it was good). I am in a love affair with my band, but more importantly, with myself.
THIS is why I am in love with my band.
Happy happy!

I love my fit bit too. It keeps me moving

My surgery was Jan 19 and my 50th birthday was on Jan 12, so my mom got me one to get motivated. I do love it and like the other poster only take it off in the shower. Mine is a FitBit Charge. It may be a little more than I needed - it tells me who's calling on my cellphone and how long I slept. That might be a little too familiar for an inanimate object.
I'm curious if any FitBit users have gotten the Aria scale and what they think.

They're great! I also got my fitbit pre-surgery when I first started trying to walk a bit more, and it's been great motivation and encouragement. I"m another who clips mine to my bra, and several people have gotten them where I work because of my rave over it. Got one for my husband too, only he's sort of less into it, but he still loves it when he's working his plan!
You can 'friend' people too, and see how your steps match up with theirs - also encourage each other that way.

i love my Fitbit flex. It does keep you motivated and tracks everything. Well only exercises associated with steps. I am in the pre-op stage. My surgery is not till June. I wanted to try the pre-op diet for a while and use a time where I wouldn't miss much work.

I love my fitbit flex, it's keeps me motivated!
I will be having gastric bypass on March 23th... I can not wait for it.
Good luck!

Definitely going to get this!!!

I love my Fit Bit! I am kind of hoping for an April 1st surgery date myself. Thinking I will get a date next week when I see the surgeon for the first time!

I just got myself the fitbit one (clip it on my bra and i forget that its there). I love that I can sync it with my fitness pal and it logs my calories and liquid intake on the fitbit dashboard.
Definitely keeps me motivated and on track.
Good luck with your surgery. April 1st….what a way to start the beginning of Spring….after all spring is about renewal……I think that goes great with weight loss surgery….this will be your renewal!

You should definitely show off, brag and flaunt it.
You look amazing! And that didn't happen overnight with just good wishes!
Im sure there was some hard work and sweat in there too!
Thanks for sharing ….love to see before and afters!

Good to share your experience with others on this topic. Even married people like myself can relate to feeling self-conscious about our bodies with our partner/husband. I've been all over the place on the scale with my weight and have often wondered what my husband thinks when we're alone. I've come to the same conclusion you have; those imperfections we focus on fade away and don't seem to matter as much as we think they do. I'm not naive enough to think that there isn't a big portion of the population where it would matter, but not with all men. If only perfect people made love or fell in love, there would be a lot less love goin' on.

In 2010/2011 I lost 90 pounds "on my own" and I hated my loose skin and empty breasts. My husband didn't mind one bit. H loved me 100% and always made me feel sexy and wanted, from when I was 270 pounds down to 180 with all the skin. I opted to have plastic surgery, but it was 100% for me, just like I ultimately had WLS for me when I ultimately regained 80 of those 90 pounds I'd lost. You can only do these things for yourself. You are the one who has to live with them for the rest of your life. I'm glad you are realizing that and I hope you ultimately reach a decision regarding PS that will result in the greatest amount of happiness for yourself.
Good luck in your blossoming relationship!

As I am still waiting for Alex to create a 'dating' area on this site, I decided to post this in the general WLS forum. As many of you know, I share alot because I truly feel that if I'm going through something, so are others and I wanted to post both the good, bad, and everything in between. So...this is a good thing. I'm seeing a new man and we've had a few dates. He's not very talkative but when he is, he's funny and sardonic and what you see is what you get with this guy. I know I'm attracted to him...and he is to me. But I'm not ready to be intimate with him just yet (if ever).
I let him up to my apartment last night after dinner and sure enough, he started in right away. He never made me feel nervous...I just know that he was hoping I'd give in. I didn't. But....I was super aware that I had not yet told him about the WLS and I knew he didn't know about the loose skin, the port that sticks out, and all my issues surrounding body image. Well...turns out that a horny guy doesn't care about 'shrinkles', ports that stick out, or all the other imperfections we ladies (and men) fixate on.
Doesn't mean I still won't think about plastic surgery, but at least I learned that if I do it, it will be for me and not for a partner. He didn't care that my breasts were little loose hanging pockets of flesh. He just wanted at them. And at first I tried to keep his hand away from the port area so as not to have to explain it at such a 'critical' time but I soon realized he was running his hand over it as he was touching me all over my mid section...and either didn't feel it, or didn't care.
This was a good lesson for me to learn. I'm going to really try not to fixate so much on my flaws. I know I look good in clothes so what I have to work on is knowing I'm not disgusting out of them...and not feel the need to explain or apologize for what my body looks like.
Will discuss this with the therapist on Tuesday but glad I can also post here and let you all know what's on my mind.

Every day we face new challenges, what makes or breaks us is how we handle them! Pick yourself up and carry on, today is a new day and can be a start to a new life, do you really want to wait until tomorrow???

4 years in and still going strong without a single problem....

5 months and 50lbs later!

I agree with @@Bandista ….get back to your surgeon and nutritionist and maybe even the psychologist (if one is available) to help you figure out exactly what happened and why.
In my opinion, the fact that you are posting here means you want some help….kudos to you! We can only give you some moral support here…you must pick yourself up, stop beating yourself up and move forward.
Tomorrow is a new day….its the first day to the rest of your life…make it a good one and make that call!
Wishing you all the best! Keep us posted!

Keep posting those pictures. You worked hard to make the changes we see in those photos so be proud of your achievements. Besides...I look at my before/after pics all the time. It helps me to see the new me because I still struggle with being the fat girl. Great job and keep it up!! Long term WLS success stories is what inspires me.

Everyone loves bacon.. that is why I chose that as a handle. No one gets mad at bacon..