Kris

I'm a bit over a year out (like Foxbins, who BTW has done an AMAZING job with her sleeve!!!). I can eat about 1 cup of food per meal now -- each meal is usally a mix of Protein and carbs. I don't think I could eat an entire 8-10 oz. of dense protein at one sitting (I've never tried), but I probably could eat more than 10 oz of carbs if they are slider foods that chew down to tiny bits, like Cereal. Which brings me to cautionary tale that the thing you really need to worry about more than your sleeve stretching is watching what you put into it. I started snacking/grazing again on carby "healthy" (LOL) Snacks (like rice chips or pretzel crisps) several months ago, and that has really kept me from getting to goal, so I'm trying to cut it out completely. You can easily eat several hundred calories a day of slider foods if you don't watch out -- rice chips, pretzel crisps, or chex mix chew down to almost nothing, and it is frightening how much you can eat if you don't watch yourself. Ask me how I know this.

Dorrie & Escape -- thanks for the recommendations about the Quest bars -- I'll swing by my nearest VitaminShoppe this weekend and buy some. I checked out their website and some of the flavors look delish (cinnamon roll and chocolate brownie and lemon cream pie, woot?!). I ate a Premier double chocolate Protein bar for Breakfast today in lieu of my normal steak strips ... meh, it was OK. I missed my steak strips. I have become strangely addicted to them. I go through a 12 oz. bag in 3 - 4 days. Ounce for ounce they give me more protein and less carbs and fat than protein bars; the only bad thing is the sodium, and I know that is causing me to retain Water. Got in a good workout this morning w/Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 DVD and am going to treat myself to a yummy Wendy's apple pecan chicken 1/2 size salad for lunch (awesomely good salad if you haven't had one before, and about 300 calories I believe -- I take out all of the cheese -- one of the few fattening things I don't like, LOL).

Coops, I echo Escape -- you ARE an inspiration! You know you look fantastic too! When I get down on myself I just think about where I was before surgery and it always makes me realize how far I've come. Your workouts are making you stronger every day! Lila -- wow, that is impressive you can do a 4 mile run! You are a fitness goddess! Escape -- glad to have a "neighbor" here ... you are doing amazing on your weight loss! You'll be to goal before you know it!

Hi ladies, and thanks for the warm welcome and encouragement! I started off the day right today ... got in a hard 30 minute workout (mostly kettlebell/cardio with some abs thrown in) before getting ready for work. Breakfast (not the healthiest thing ever but I LOVE it) was Costco's Kirkland Signature Steak Strips (each serving has 60 calories, 9g Protein, 5g carbohydrate, .5g fat, don't even ask me about the sodium though, LOL! Well OK, it's 330mg of sodium if you must know.). I had to swing by the local doughnut shop for a coworker who asked me to bring them into the office and am proud to say I didn't partake of any of them, even though they looked fantastic. Little NSV for me! For snack today I will have a mandarin orange. lunch is leftover homemade chicken gumbo (pretty healthy -- lots of veggies and shredded boiled chicken and spices) w/only a little rice (like 1/8 cup or something) mixed in. Afternoon snack will be more steak strips. dinner is stir fry. I've got my meals all planned out and that definitely helps keep me from snacking. Big NSV yesterday -- I had a stash of snacking foods in a drawer at work and would nosh them regularly. I took all the Snacks out and put them in the common area in the office. Yay, me! It's all gone now (eaten by my always-hungry coworkers), and so even if I am tempted to have a carby snack, the carbs are all gone! I will NOT keep snacks in my drawer at work anymore ... too easy to eat and that can add up to hundreds of extra calories a day. I am sorry to admit I even had that stash; but there you go. It was what it was. It's over now. Fresh start is underway! Have a great day everyone and I love seeing your updates!

I've seen many women here who have lost 100% (or more) of their excess weight, so it's definitely possible to do. I've lost nearly 90% of my excess weight in the past 13 months, but I still have 12 lbs. to get to my end goal. I've really slacked off on my eating since the holidays, and I've only lost 1 lb. in the past six weeks, so to get the final pounds off is going to be a challenge, but I'm going for it. I do think it is critically important to stay with a support group (online, in person, whatever) while you're losing. I know during the past six weeks I stopped checking in here regularly, and that's part of what kept me off track. So no matter what, stay with your support group!

Hi all, I hope you don't mind me crashing this party! I am in serious need of sleever support. I haven't lost weight since the beginning of the year, and to be really honest, my eating has been BAD, and it's really a miracle I haven't gained weight. I'm still 12 lbs. from goal, so I have been completely sabotaging myself. So, as of today I am back to eating 1,200 calories a day, cutting out all the junk carbs (of which I have been liberally partaking -- I've slid back into some nasty snacking habits I had pre-surgery), and upping the exercising until I get to goal. For weeks now I just let it all hang out, hoping the scale would drop even though I was eating crap and not tracking calories. I know I can do it if I just focus and not let mindless snacking do me in. I've read every single post on this thread and am so inspired by you all! Seeing your honesty and your daily struggles has helped me tremendously, and hopefully I can begin helping myself again too.

There's a very interesting article in today's Washington Post regarding black women's body images compared to white women's body images. I think the article makes some great points and I really enjoyed it. Speaking from my own experience and friendships with black and white women, I think it captures the big differences between how black women think of their bodies compared to white women. What do you think? http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/black-women-heavier-and-happier-with-their-bodies-than-white-women-poll-finds/2012/02/22/gIQAPmcHeR_story.html?hpid=z5

I found through unpleasant experience that when I eat and drink at the same time, I get very nauseous. So, I avoid it at all costs. I thought it would be difficult to not drink when I eat, but it's really not. You will adapt quickly. Try practicing it before you get sleeved so it won't weird you out so much once you're through your surgery.

OK, you guys, I need some help. I am 13 months out from surgery and am close to my end goal. But I am so, so disappointed in my thighs... they are hideous. I am 44 and have seen better looking legs on 70 year old grandmothers. It's not only loose skin, but cellulite. And some of my loose skin is kind of drooping over my knees, so there is no way I am going to wear knee-length skirts or dresses or shorts. I am very grateful to live in a cool-ish climate where jackets and long pants are the norm 9 months of the year, which helps me pretend like my legs aren't as bad as they are. I have some batwing action going on in my arms, but overall my arms are shaping up much better than my legs. I exercise 5 days a week (and have been for many months) and my thighs get plenty of work during my workouts. I think it's just a matter of too much loose skin with nowhere to go. Can anyone who is further out tell me if this will get better over time? Or is it something I'm just going to have to get used to?

Thanks you guys ... I have a feeling this is the "new me" unless I get surgery (though I've heard surgery on the legs and arms leaves horrible scarring, so that's really not something I'd probably pursue). I can live with the arms being a little flabby (kettlebell workouts are really helping to tone my arms), and of course I have a flabby tummy and saggy breasts, but the legs are the worst IMO because they are the most visible outside the face and arms, and are in so much worse shape than I would've imagined. I do tons of squats, lunges, and kettlebell swings so I know my legs are getting as hard a workout as my arms -- they just aren't responding as well as my arms. I do plan to have some plastic surgery within the next year -- a neck lift to remove my wattle, and a breast lift/tummy tuck procedure to firm up the midsection. I have a dear friend who is also about my age and she is considering weight loss surgery, but she sees the loose skin on me and is turned off by it. I just keep telling her it's worth it to me to be so much lighter and healthier now than I was (not to mention happier and more self-confident). I have a friend who is a trainer and that's a good idea to consult with her. Maybe I need to spend more energy on toning my legs than I have been.

I should have said that this is definitely not a DVD for beginners (unless you really want to torture yourself). She says throughout that she has 300 or 400 lb. people on The Biggest Loser doing the exercises, but I just can't imagine I'd be able to do even the Week 1 workout w/o already having been moderately fit. For beginners I really like the Leslie Sansone or Shapely Girl workout DVDs, which are low impact and not as stressful on the body.

Let me tell you about the video that is helping me have an awesome pulse rate (51 -- woot?!). My girl Jillian Michaels of Biggest Loser fame has a bunch of fitness workout DVDs out, but this is the first one of hers I've ever purchased or used (note: the title of the DVD is actually Ripped in 30, not 30 Day Shred). I picked it up at costco in early January for the low low price of $7.99 or something like that. I have definitely gotten my money's worth from the video, as I've used it at least 15 times the past couple of months. So, now that I've gotten through all the workouts, I thought I would tell you about it. The DVD contains a 4-week workout program with a different 30 minute workout each week. Each workout starts with a warmup, ends with a cool-down/stretch, and has 20 minutes or so of full body workout, with a "3/2/1" system -- 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs -- there are 3 circuits of the 3/2/1 system. Each week gets progressively harder, and of course, each week there is a different colored ensemble for Jillian and her crew (which, maybe it is a girl thing, but this really matters to me. I like workout fashion, apparently!). You can advance at your own pace, so if you are really fit you will probably not spend that much time on the Week 1 workout and might skip to weeks 2, 3, or 4. I consider myself to be moderately fit and I stayed with the Week 1 workout for over a month because I found it quite challenging. I've done the Week 2 workout several times, absolutely hated the Week 3 workout, and just got through the 4th week workout last week, which makes me still cringe a little when I think about, because it was so hard. I mean really, really hard. The kind of hard that, when you are trying to do the last set of abs, you are making noises you didn't think your body was capable of making. Moan-groans. Like oooghhhdrshhgoooocslllldsss. Like that. To do any of the 4 workouts you will need a couple of sets of hand weights (probably a 3 lb. set and a 5 lb. set), and a yoga mat, and a bit of floor space to do the exercises. Jillian has two cast members with her; one does the modified version of the exercises and one does the "badass" version of the exercises. I tried to do the "badass" version as much as possible but there were some moves that honestly I just couldn't do the full badass version on. Mostly the pushups, which I find to be very hard (even though the strength training with the weights was the easiest part of the workouts to me ... go figure). Both of Jillian's crew are women with amazing hard bodies. They definitely help motivate you to stick with the program in the faint hope of getting a body like theirs (of course, in reality, I am sure these women spend at least a couple of hours each day in the gym, and probably eat one of those insanely spartan low-Protein bodybuilder diets -- I am sure that Oreos and potato chips never pass their lips). Speaking of bodies -- you know, I never really thought much about Jillian's sexual orientation until I saw this video. One of the cast members, Shelly, has a really perfectly sculpted body, and big boobs too (meow! Yes, I am being catty! It's pure jealousy, I assure you -- I am not ashamed to admit it). Anyway, I think Jillian really had the hots for Shelly, and a couple of points in the Week 2 workout I was a bit creeped out by the attention she was giving Shelly -- slapping her butt and making little comments like "Ooh, I want to bite it!" (Shelly's butt, that is). It was kind of icky. I am very much live & let live as far as relationships goes, but if I am watching a workout video I don't like to see the trainer hitting on the crew. Maybe it's me, but I got the vibe that Shelly was a bit icked out, too. It was only in the Week 2 workout, though. She also seemed to like the other gal in the week 2 workout (Natalie, I think), who also had this amazing hard body and was also attractive. But weeks 1, 3, and 4 were fine -- I didn't have an ick factor in those workouts. If you've used this video please share your comments and correct me if you think I am off-base about this. Maybe I am more of a prude than I thought I was! So, to summarize, if you want a tough full body workout in only 30 minutes, this is a great DVD. I usually do the workouts 2 or 3 times a week and do other videos or my own routines the other days. I have definitely noticed progress in my strength and endurance since starting to use this video and will keep using it for another month or two at least. Until the next Jillian killer DVD comes out, probably!

I belonged to Curves a few years ago (pre-op). I liked it but it does have its limitations. The various machines work different parts of your body, and you are constantly moving from one station to another. Our Curves used to change the machines around every few weeks so it would disrupt the routine and make it feel a little different (even though it was the same machines). One thing I really liked about Curves was the music selection they used. There was always some good fast-beat workout music that kept things going at a good clip. It made the time pass quickly. I also had a fairly steady routine and got to know several of the other women who were regulars. We'd chat while working out. As I was very heavy and very self-conscious about my weight, I liked that it was a small gym and only women (several of whom were also overweight, so I didn't feel so out of place). It was a nice convivial environment. I stuck with it for 6 or 7 months and lost some weight, but then got distracted and stopped going, and a few months later the Curves closed down w/o much advance notice. About a year later a new fitness center opened up in the same shopping center, and it was a full-service fitness center with tons of machines and classes and trainers, etc., for the same price as Curves had been -- which made me think that Curves was really over-priced for what you get. Also, I believe Curves does allow a trial period before you join. You should definitely ask for that before you sign a contract. If you have a choice in fitness centers, before you join Curves you should check out the alternatives. You'll probably find a better deal elsewhere, and, like others have said, I think Curves have a tendency to disappear in the dark of night, which could be a nasty surprise if you pre-paid your membership.

I fell short of my Christmas goal but still lost over 6 lbs. for the month of December, which I am very happy with considering how slow my weight loss has been the last several months. In 2012 I will definitely hit my final goal weight, and by Valentine's Day I should be within striking distance of that goal! I have to admit how amazed I am by these numbers that y'all have been putting up -- by comparison I am a slow loser (though I try not to focus on that and instead focus on how far I've come). Surgery weight: 224.5 (1/7/11) Current weight: 146.4 Valentines goal weight: 139 Final goal weight: 132

I am really into kettlebells now. I'm using a 15 lb. kettlebell to do my daily workouts (I alternate low impact aerobics w/kettlebell exercises -- 30 minutes altogether, 1/2 is aerobics and 1/2 is kettlebell which combines aerobics with strength training). By February I want to be able to comfortably use a 20 lb. kettlebell (I have one and have tried it a time or two, but it really is a bit too much for me to handle w/o tweaking my lower back). I started out with a 10 lb. kettlebell in November so I am definitely making progress, and this is an achievable goal for me!

Gosh, there have been some major positive changes in my life since being sleeved nearly a year ago. My health is so much better -- no more high blood pressure, no more worries about being borderline diabetic, no more horrible acid reflux problems. I had pretty bad (untreated) sleep apnea before surgery and was tired all the time. Now I don't snore at all, and I sleep through the night, and I wake up feeling rested and ready to tackle the day. I would avoid any kind of physical exertion before surgery ... my husband remarked how I would almost never walk up the stairs unless it was a dire situation, and now I run up the stairs lickety split without hesitation. I used to rarely exercise, now I exercise 6 days a week and love it -- really love it, not just saying that. I love to be active and move now, which is the complete opposite of how I used to be. Before surgery, I wouldn't try new activities because I was too self conscious about my weight. Since surgery I've gone swimming & snorkeling in the ocean, gone inner tubing down a river, and gone on a 7 mile hike up a mountain -- none of these things are things I would ever have considered seriously before surgery. Clothes shopping used to be a necessary evil -- I would certainly never go clothes shopping "for fun" before surgery -- now it is a lot of fun to shop for clothes, and not a depressing sight to see myself in the changing room mirror (with clothes on ... w/o clothes I'm still v. much a work in progress, LOL). Those are just some of the highlights. I feel so much happier and self confident now than I did, too. In every way I can think of, my life has improved since having surgery. Negatives -- there are a couple of negatives, but in my mind they are totally outweighed by the positives. My skin has not done well since surgery; I have lots of loose skin everywhere (from the chin down to the knees). I am still very appalled by how I look naked. I have an ugly turkey neck and will probably need a neck lift once I hit goal and am seriously thinking of getting a breast lift and tummy tuck too, once I hit goal and stabilize there for a year or so. Sometimes I do really miss not being able to eat more ... like when I am eating a fabulous meal out, and I hit my limit faster than I want ... but I have to admit, I really don't feel deprived. I used to be a major volume eater, so the transition from volume eater to sleeve capacity eater has been a big life change. Really those are the only negatives, and in the big scheme of things they aren't much to complain about! I love my sleeve and think that getting sleeved was one of the best things I ever did for myself in my life.

Hey Chris! Nice to meet you! I just checked out your blog -- I like it! I hope you like the Costco jerky -- I'm going back there this weekend to stock up on a couple more bags.

I missed the Halloween goal by a couple of lbs. My weight loss has been slow for the past 3 months -- I lost 6.5 lbs. this past month (which was my best month since July) and that was with some really hard working out (I only missed working out on 4 days out of 31). I am setting what for me is a realistic but challenging goal, which is to lose slightly over 10 lbs before Christmas. If I hit this goal, I will start 2012 off being less than 10 lbs. to my ultimate goal weight, which will be SO COOL! I have to say these challenges really to help me stay motivated with my weight loss! Even though I have always fallen short of my challenge goals, I've always come close and it's very satisfying to see my progress over time. SN: Kris CW: 151.2 GW: 141

I have this theory, and maybe I am wrong, but my theory is that there are certain personality types that are more prone to obesity and weight loss surgery than other types. My theory is that people who have a strong preference for "intuition," "feeling," and "perception" per the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (that would be the N, F, and P) are more likely to need WLS than people who have a strong preference for "sensing," "thinking," and "judging" (the S, T, and J). Not sure whether introversion vs. extraversion matter ... I am curious to find out! So anyway, if you know your MBTI type, please answer the poll and help me see if my theory is right. (By the way, I am an INFJ with a very slight preference for J ... most of my life I have been an INFP but since becoming a supervisor at work I have changed a bit). If you don't know what your MBTI type is, you can take a free, anonymous online test (not the actual test but a variation of it that is pretty close to the real thing) here: http://www.humanmetr...win/jtypes2.asp Thanks for sharing! Kris

I have been in an exercise rut -- mostly walking-jogging, with a weekly zumba class thrown in -- so basically my exercising has been all cardio and no strength training. I have known for while I need to be doing strength training but kept putting it off. I finally ordered Kettlenetics from amazon.com to switch up my workouts and build in some strength training along with cardio. It is a 2 pack DVD set with a 4 lb. kettlebell. The workout is amazing. The first workout I did was just the introductory moves, which I did after doing a different cardio workout. At the time I thought it was a good workout but nothing to break a sweat over, but the next morning when I woke up my inner thighs were SORE and I felt a lot of muscles I hadn't felt in a long time. I did the full 40 minute cardio workout today and was DRENCHED with sweat. I am feeling it in my muscles already which means tomorrow I will probably be walking around like my 99 year old grandma. I also had a very surprising and gratifying 3.6 lb. weight loss this week. I am sure at least part of it is due to this video. I am 9 months out so my sleeve and incision sites have been long healed; I would not advise anyone who is newly sleeved (probably less than 3 months out) to try this video because some of the moves may stress your incision sites. But if you are looking for a new exercise routine to make you feel your muscles, and you don't like going to a gym to hit the weight machines, I highly recommend this workout. Now if I could only look like the instructor (this teensy little lady named Michelle Khai who has the most amazing body EVAH) ... not gonna happen, but just watching her is inspiring.

I have a bunch of her DVDs and overall I like them. Some are definitely better than others -- check the reviews on Amazon.com to get a flavor for what people like and don't like. I just got her "5 Really Big Miles" DVD (with resistance band) and like it best of all (it's got better music than usual). I didn't particularly like the "Five Mile Fat Burning Walk" one but have it in occasional rotation. The steps are easy to follow, she is lively, she usually has a fun cast, and the time seems to go fast. I think she is a very likeable person and that definitely helps. I've done her videos so many times that I decided it couldn't be that hard to devise my own step routines to do while listening to my ipod ... LOL I was wrong! I didn't appreciate her skill as an instructor until I tried to make up my own routines.

Sara Ann, I feel you girl!!! Carbs really are the DEVIL for me. It is a pity too because I love them SO much, but when I start eating them I just want more and more -- it is a totally vicious cycle. I especially crave them in the afternoon and in the evening (around 8 pm). I ate too many carbs yesterday so today is a more protein-heavy day for me. Breakfast was 1/2 premier Protein bar, lunch is 3 Aidell's chicken teriyaki pineapple meatballs drizzled w/ a little teriyaki sauce, snack is another 3 Aidell's meatballs, and dinner will be stir fry (only a little bit of rice). I'd guesstimate my protein/carb ratio for today is going to be 60/40. Yesterday it was probably reversed -- 40/60. If I keep the protein/carbs mix to 50/50 with no more than half of my calories coming form carbs, I usually do fine. My worst problem is when I cave and eat a really carby snack in the afternoon ... that usually can end up wrecking my day because I will want to keep eating carbs the rest of the day. I am one of those people who hates to plan meals but I know that if I don't that is when I really go off track. Nine months out from surgery, and I am *still* learning how to eat like a normal person. It is hard. Nearly 20 years of carb addiction is a very tough habit to kick.

I am really amazed by the results so far ... wow, there are a lot of INTJs here. That is so interesting! That is not what I anticipated. There is another personality related theory that is somewhat derived from the MBTI called "temperament theory" (David Kiersey) and he groups the 16 MBTI types into four "temperaments" -- "Artisan" SP (sensing perceiver), "Guardian" SJ (sensing judger), "Idealist" NF (intuitive feeler), and "Rational" NT (intuitive thinker). So far, based on those who have submitted results, it appears that "Idealist" NF and "Rational" NT temperaments are far more represented here than in the overall population and the "SP" and "SJ" types are under-represented. Keep those votes coming! Thank you!

I go to a Zumba class once a week and really enjoy it, but it is true that the class routines are different than the DVDs (my Zumba instructor confirmed this). So, while the class can give you the general flavor for what is on a DVD, don't expect that the routines will be the same at all. I've seen the infomercial for the latest Zumba DVD pack and it does look fun, but also some of the moves are way beyond my skill set (to put it bluntly, I am NOT coordinated!). If you really love to dance and like world music, it's a really fun workout. Tiffykins' suggestion to buy one DVD off eBay is a great idea, before you splurge and pay $50 - $100+ for a DVD set. I do love the Zumba music, and I will enjoy almost any kind of exercise as long as the music has a good, fast beat and makes me want to boogie. I have downloaded my fave songs from various Zumba albums from itunes onto my ipod and that way I can have Zumba music but do other types of exercising between Zumba classes.

MrBear78, first of all, I want to saw WOW, you are doing an AMAZING job with your weight loss! You should be very proud of what you have already accomplished! I think what you are going through is pretty normal. Your sleeve capacity definitely does increase over time ... I am 9 months out and can eat about twice as much food now as I could in the first 3 months post-op. So, that happens whether you are exercising or not. I believe my sleeve is pretty much at full capacity now, which is to say, still not very much! I don't know how many calories you are eating but maybe that is something to address with your surgeon and see whether you should be increasing them a bit now. My weight loss began slowing down big time after six months, and that was when I increased the time & vigor of my exercising. Definitely when I work my muscles hard I will feel weak later. Again, I think this is pretty normal ... however, to be on the safe side you should discuss it with your doctor. Not sure if you had any heart problems pre-op, and if so you might want to get that checked out. It's probably normal but if you are worried it's bettter to be safe than sorry. I am also one of those sleevers who never lost hunger ... I have had hunger since about a week after post-op. My surgeon told me to only eat 3 times a day and not to snack, but that totally wasn't cutting it for my hungry sleeve. I now eat about 6 times a day, small meals ... each one 150-250 calories or so (if I have a larger meal I will cut back on one or more of the othe rmini meals to stay within a decent calorie range). The advice to eat Protein soon after working out is good. Also, be sure you are drinking enough Water (something I am pretty guilty of, myself!). If you are working out hard, maybe drink gatorade or another drink to replenish electrolytes/minerals. You are doing really great! Best, Kris