LilMissDiva Irene

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here. I just had to share this with you all... I went to Target today to buy a new pair of workout pants. I left the store with a size EXTRA SMALL. I wore a freakin Size 28 W pants when I first started my weight loss journey. Just so you know... it IS POSSIBLE!!! Keep your eyes on the prize, because even at 15 Months out I'm still making the magic happen. Much Love, Xoxo

Thanks y'all!!!! It's already worth all the pain... I just bought size XS workout pants at Target. Whoohooo!!!

SK, I even took that photo at work... haha So you know I must be overjoyed! CONGRATS TO ALL OF YOU!!! Keep it going! Let's make this the BEST Weight Loss forum ever!!! I'd say we are pretty neck and neck with anyone else. Whooottt!!! Thank you all so much for sharing your stats.

Hi there! Long time no see! To be honest with you I've always thought eventually I'd want a lift too. Full body, Tummy Tuck - some type of skin removal... but I just look at my skin and I really don't see enough of it where I want to go through the pain of removing it. Of course I have some, I mean I've lost over 150 Lbs. The thing about Lipo is, that apparently the more diligent you are of wearing the compression garments after the better your skin sticks back to your body. I had a lot of loose skin with all the residual fat on my legs. But when I pull them off now, the skin seems to be going back pretty good. Enough to where I think I'll be ok with whatever I'm left with. I'm not going to say I'm going to be tight like as if I've never been overweight... that's just ridiculous to think that! LOL But, it's not going to be so bad where I'm hating it every time I see it. Just something to think about. I know everyone's different and your results will vary - but if you start out with Lip, I'm hopeful yours will be good too. Take care!!! Don't be a stranger!!!

Good morning! It's been a few days since I've posted on how I'm doing. One word: GOOD! I have been raised to Good... oh thank you Lord for helping me through this!! I don't think there has been any surgery worse for pain than this one. I'm kinda just a big baby when it comes to that. I have a very high tolerance for pain, so when I say something hurts its pretty bad. I also hate for anything to hold me back. Good thing: I've been released for some light exercise. I think I'll start on my exercise bike today. Very slow, no resistance... but I just want to get my legs moving. I can tell they are ready... they've been screaming at me. I do get that weird restless leg syndrome if I go too long without workouts... haha! And no, I'm not really kidding, it's the truth. The reason I've decided to do what I'm doing is I really did have a lot of residual fat on my knees and thighs. I don't have good knees and with so much fat there it really held me back in my running workouts. I can't tell you how much I love doing that, and once I'm all healed I will be able to run like the wind. I will be complete free from anything that ever held me back before. I know 100% that I will feel outside, and most importantly on the inside that my journey has been completed. Gimme that trophy... I HAVE WON!!! I'd also like to say that it really made a difference in the way my pants fit. They'd always have a gap in my waist, the hips would fit fine but my thighs would be so tight. It made me feel I looked ugly in my clothes, even after losing all this weight. It is never been my intention to get waste away skinny. That's why at even my weight I've decided to slow it down. I know that no matter what my body will settle in where it wants, but seeing others in my family, we are either very very thin or very very thick. I just want to be normal. Is there anything wrong with that? Thank you all so much for listening to me about this. You all have been such an amazing support for me in all aspects of my journey. Even when I was doing serious research on the sleeve and praying to GOD that I wasn't making a SECOND mistake on WLS. Can you even imagine the mind games something like that plays on you? Especially when even from your very own surgeon it was always made out to be MY fault I couldn't succeed with my Band? *sigh* Well now that I'm skinny and super fit... I know that's simply not true. I'm not even planning anything else beyond what I'm doing now. My Hubby doesn't even care about any of this. He loved me at 330+ Lbs, and he still loves me now. He just has always wanted for me to see in the mirror what he sees every day. That's the hardest part I think of all of this. Loving me for ME... What I'm saying is, he loves me the way I am. Always has and always will. Now I have to love me the way I am. Anyway, next Friday is the last stop. Now that the pain is minimal and I don't look like I got run over by a Mack Truck... and even the swelling is starting to go away - I think I'm ready for it!! I don't expect the pain that I got on this past one. Besides, those areas aren't as sensitive either. I don't really have as much fat to be removed on the outter thigh and a little in my waist. I'd say they'd probably remove another 3 Liters which is more than others, but nothing like the 5 Liters + on this last removal. Wow, I must be one tough chick because if I were reading this on the other side, I'd probably need to drink some JD just to soak that in. Hahaaa!!! Blessings everyone. Make ALL your dreams come true. Because it's YOUR life... and you deserve to be completely happy. Always.

I've had both. First the Lap Band and now the Sleeve. If I only had one choice in life knowing what I know now, I wouldn't even hesitate. My choice would be the Sleeve. Look at my progress photos. My sleeve saved my life!!!

M2G I have to tell you, I was never able to do extreme low carbs with a vigorous workout schedule. I NEEDED a good amount of healthy carbs daily to continue the weight loss. As it is now I'm still losing around 1 Lb per week (average), and I'm not even trying. I did around 60g per day. I never let it go below 40g per day. Anything less for any extended period of time and my weight loss would absolutely stall. The amounts per person varies. Perhaps play around with them and see how each 10g per day affect you. Hugs!! Regardless in my eyes you look fantastic! Don't forget to measure by tape and photos too. Our bodies are a many splendored thing. As you can see from my pictures in the last few months, though I've only lost about say... 6 Lbs - it looks like more than that.

Agreed with everyone else! I learn a great deal from everyone, even some new folks. It take a community to raise child (or so they say). That is so true. I'd like to place a personal thanks though to Alex for providing this very website for without it, these thanks wouldn't be available to give. Blessings everyone!

HTH!! :smile1: This journey is really really tough! Try to remember that anything worth having or doing is never easy. Know this, this is NOT the easy way out by any means. You were given a second chance (possibly third fourth or fifth... only you know that) so take full advantage of it. You are living in the best part of the post op period where you will lose the most weight. Don't sabotage it by grazing and cheating. This is kind of a OTO deal here. Best of luck and many blessings!

WOW!!!! Congrats you look GREAT!!! OMG I'm so hoping my thighs look that great after I'm all healed up... LOL I feel ya on the whole lovin my sleeve thing too.

I've been to A LOT of different online forums ranging all over the place. I made my first discussion post around 10 years ago on a sports website. You wouldn't think so but that place would get heated quite a bit. People can be really defensive over things like that. I've seen some other discussion boards and really bad ones where at least every other thread is someone blowing their stack on others that don't share their same point of view. FWIW, this website is one of the least argumentative I've ever seen. It's quite tranquil as a matter of fact. A little friendly yet heated discussion never bothers me. It's only when one will personally attack another and frankly that's usually because the author of said personal attack really has nothing else to use.

IDK! We'll see how my levels come out once I'm all healed from my liposuctions. Hahaa!! All my excess fat was in my thighs and knees. Now that that will have been obliterated, I'll probably be 5% which is NOT good for a woman.

I just wanted to throw this out there, that with my lipo I was given a compression garment for my thighs. I had really bad skin issues pre opt, and though I'm now only a week out from my lipo in my inner thigh I can see a considerable difference as far as the skin issue is concerned. No, I'll never have super tight thighs which is fine... I'm not trying to impress anyone. I've got a great hubby that accepts me the way I am and really any issue with it is mine alone. I'm just saying, I do think compression garments help a lot. Good luck everyone!!!

Excellent post and I really couldn't have said it any better myself. (((((hugs))))) This journey is truly a tough one. Touch on the support here. Please let us know how you're holding up. Perhaps it will be helpful to know that no one is perfect. I'm sure everyone on Earth has done something they aren't particularly proud of. I'm one of them! I was never perfect in my journey, but I knew when it was time to pick back up and move along. Wishing you the best!!!

How exciting!!! Your new journey is right around the corner... WHOOOTTT!!!

OH YEAHHH!!! Rock that sleeve!!

Awweee!!! I'm SOOO happy for you Candace!! I love watching your journey, HUGE CONGRATULATIONS on hitting your mini goal and becoming a wonderful Auntie!! He is adorable.

Alexis WOW!!! You look smokin' in those jeans! CONGRATS on the Size 4's!!!! WHOOOTTT!!!

Yes, there are some of us who this does happen to. It could be argued for days whether or not this is actual dumping... but something isn't right when we eat carbs or high sugar foods. I can eat carbs though if I eat too much I do feel a little bit nauseated. However when I have too much sugar I get really really sick. I really can't eat more than 15g per sitting. That's around one cookie or 1" square of cake... stuff like that. I'm love it! I became extremely addicted to sugar with my Lap-Band so I'm glad this happens to me. It keeps me in check. Use this to your advantage. All the best to you and your journey!

These are always my *favorite* NSV stories... CONGRATS!! Now get ya some smaller clothes. :biggrinjester:

Your journey has been nothing short of incredible. :smile1: Get it girl!!!

Thank you all! Today for some reason the pain is worse than yesterday. So weird... and I'm back to work today. I'm sure that has something to do with it! LOL :smile1: Allergic to Mondays as my gf who came by to see how I was doing said. So, it's going to be a tough day for me. Today is day 6. I dressed very comfy for the occasion. I'm wearing tight yoga pants (for compression since I only have to wear the compression garment while sleeping now) underneath a long skirt to hide it and my warm and fuzzy boots. I have a long sleeve sweater on top too. It's almost like wearing PJ's because the top I'm wearing is about 2 sizes too big. Ahhhh :smile1: Have a great day everyone! I know I've been out of it for the last week and trying to catch up and help answer some questions here and there. I'd just say this whole month for me I'm going to be out of it.

Ahh thanks! I always appreciate when someone comments. I like to remember that how my body shaped up was the result of me and my hard work. Sure, the sleeve helped me accomplish something I never could before... but really the key word there was "ME". You will too, just stay strong!!! This part right now for you truly is the hardest part... save for the last 20 Lbs.. LOL

It is always better to be safe than sorry. Please seek medical attention right away. Are you on High Blood Pressure medication? It could be time for your Dr. to take you off them. When did this episode occur or what were you doing? Did you stand up too quickly? These are likely scenarios they will ask you to go over. I do hope it's nothing and is something easily remedied... but none of us are Dr's here and it is in your best interest to seek medically professional help in this situation. Hugs and Prayers!!!

I've noticed that this changes for me all the time. At first I could get full off even one sip of Water. I was extremely swollen right out of surgery. I would have to take tiny sips every 30 minutes just to make sure I was getting enough fluids. Then around 3 weeks out I'd be full off a few bites. I'd feel it in my esophagus, so I'd have to take a long time just to eat at tiny bowl of soup. Of course I'd never even really finish it actually. Today at 14 months out I judge my fullness in a completely different way. I do not get that stuffed feeling in my esophagus unless I've clearly eaten TOO MUCH. There is a difference now than full and too much. My first sign its time to stop are either a hiccup and/or burp. I know once I reach this point, and if I go further I'm going to regret doing that. Good luck! You will find your zone, just be patient and listen closely to your body.