Shanny

5 months out, and 80 pounds gone forever! I'm pretty stoked! Loving my sleeve!!!!!!

about 2.5 to 3 hours. It usually depends on how fast I walk. I discovered, though, walking is the one exercise that I really enjoy. It clears my mind. Plus when I don't walk my hips hurt really bad, I normally walk to open them up. After I have a long walk, then I can do other exercises. I love it.

I'm the opposite. I notice I lose the most when I'm walking. I walk about 8-10 miles at least 3 times a week. The weight melts off, and I feel amazing. I think I get that "walker's high". When I Zumba and go dancing, I have fun, but it's only ounces I lose.

I know my numbers now. If I make this one I'll be at my final goal! SN......................Starting............................Current......................Goal............................Lbs to Goal Shanny...............168.6............................168.6........................145....................................23.6

I didn't make this challenge either. Damn 3.6 pounds...oh well, I'm still closer this time than I was last time. Ready to start the next challenge tomorrow. I'm off of vacation tomorrow so no more eating crap. Being at work puts me on a nice schedule. Still losing inches though, so it's not so bad, plus I've upped my exercise routine. Walking 8-10 miles has become a regular habit now! I still lost 22 pounds this challenge so I'm uber stoked! SN.......................Starting...................Current........................Goal........................Lbs to Goal Shanny..................191.........................168.6...........................165...........................3.6

I've tried everything. Squats, walking uphill, stepper, eliptical, butt exercises, swimming.... Everything I try just makes my butt smaller. The fat wants out - I'm trying to keep it in!

I'm in! I don't know if I can lose the 3 more pounds to make my July 4th challenge. But, if I make this one, I'm at my final GOAL!!!! SN..................Starting wt.......................Current wt..........................Goal.......................lbs to Goal Shanny.............????..............................????....................................145..........................???

SN.........................start.....................current....................goal......................lbs to goal Shanny................191........................168.6......................165.....................3.6

My hair started coming out in the beginning. I think it's because we don't get the same amount of nutrients that we used to. I was already natural before my surgery. I'm sure my hair loss would have been worse if I was still getting it permed.

I'm Shanny, from Baltimore. I'm a 35 year old mother. I grew up in Northwood - I've lived in Essex for about 5 years, and now I live in Hamilton for the last 6 years. I had my sleeve done in February and I've lost 78 pounds so far. My surgery was done at GBMC by Dr. Liao. It is by far the best decision I've ever made. In the beginning I regreted it because I couldn't eat anything and the feeling of my restriction was HORRIBLE. But, then it got better. Now, it's just normal to me. I do miss ground beef, pork and fried foods. I miss crabs (I dont' know why but Old Bay seasoning makes me so sick now and gives me horrible heartburn, and foaming). This is a life change, but I didn't expect it to hit me so bad in the summer. This is worse than staying away from cake and Cookies during the winter holidays. Wishing all of Baltimorians good luck on their journey!

Hi everyone! I'm so glad this forum is here because I think we have some issues that other sleevers won't understand. I want to formally introduce myself. I'm Shanny, 35 from Baltimore. I started at 5'2" and 247 pounds. Now, I'm 169.4 pounds, and my goal is 145. I'm less than 30 pounds from my goal and boy is it getting harder to stay on track! Between all the cookouts and now I have 2 family reunions this summer...how long am I supposed to resist homemade barbeque? This is so hard! Most of my people don't know that I had surgery. They just think I started dieting and exercising. I told them a year ago that I had to get in shape, so to them I've been on track for a year and they can see the results. On the same token, my peoples get offended if you don't eat. The last cookout I went to I didn't eat anything. My girl's aunt was like, "What's wrong with you? You can't eat our food now?" I didn't mean to offend anyone, it's just that there was NOTHING there I could eat. I can only digest chicken , and the only kind they had was fried. I can't eat fried foods. Grease makes me throw up and breading gives me horrible indigestion. So, to make everyone happy, I got a small plate and picked off of it. I felt like crap afterward because it didn't agree with me. I dont' want to hurt anyone's feelings but I'm trying to do the right thing. Another thing that's bothering me is the fact that I'm losing my shape. My butt is GONE! It's still there, but it's so much lower. It's only round at the bottom. My hips are so much smaller, too. I have great waist definition and my boobs are still there (although I went down a cup size). I'm not liking my lower half anymore. ONe of my white friends who I hadn't seen in awhile said to me, "OMG, my butt is bigger than yours. You look great!" I had to remind her that I'm black and that's in insult. If anyone has some suggestions to get my butt back besides eating grits and mashed potatoes, I"m game. I've been doing butt exercises and I walk constantly but everything I do is just making it smaller. Of course my people, most of which are big boned, keep telling me I'm getting too skinny. Lord, it's not easy. I'm just trying to make myself happy and healthy. I wish I could tell my body where to take the fat from, but it doesn't work that way. Okay, I've talked enough. Just wanted to get that out.

I posted before that I was thinking about changing my goal. I decided that at 145 I'll be happy. I'll never be 110, which is what the stupid chart says that I will be considered "healthy". I think one of my leg bones weighs that much alone. Plus, I like my curves and I like being "thick". I don't want to be skinny, just healthy. So, that brings me to the final stretch... Lord it's hard. I find the closer I'm getting to my goal the more crap I'm eating. I don't even know why. I've been able to eat what I want for a few months now, But lately all I want is stuff I'm not supposed to have. I still eat small portions, but my choices need some serious reevaluation. I think it's the summer. It's hot and those frozen strawberry lemonade things from McDonalds are delicious. I only drink about 25% of a small one, but I shouldn't have any. Plus there are cookouts and all this crap is around. I find myself "tasting" some things that I don't eat at home. Maybe I should just stay at home and then I won't eat them. But, I've taken to walking and exercising like a fiend. It seems that no matter what unhealthy stuff I'm eating, as long as I get in my 2 hour a day walk, 2 hours of Zumba a week, and 1 hour of Water aerobics I'm still losing. Granted it's not as fast as when I was eating healthier but it's still coming off and I'm toning up nicely. Another thing I've noticed? If I skip a couple of days of exercise I feel bad. Like my muscles get sore and I ache. Especially in my hips. The only way to open them up is to stretch really well and work out. Even though I don't always feel like it mentally, I have to do it to feel well physically. I wish all of us <30 good luck and a healthy future!

Less than 5 pounds and I will actually make this challenge! SN.......................Starting.............................Current........................Goal................................lbs to goal Shanny................191................................169.4.............................165...............................4.4

I was sleeved over 4 months ago, and I've lost 76 pounds so far. My arms are a little flabby, but I don't have any hanging skin. Before my surgery I was 34, 5'2" and 247 pounds. I'm now 35 and 170. I have a little bit of flab on my thighs, but it's nothing like the pictures I've seen of some people post op. I lift weights and walk religiously to help firm up the skin. I find that the stretch marks are WAY worse than any loose skin I do have. Hope this helps!!

It's great to have a place to talk to about things that, as I black woman, I'm facing. Everything from body type to what is considered attractive in the community... Great idea!

So, when I started this whole process I was 247 pounds and 5'2". When I talked to my doctor he told me not to pay attention to the BMI chart because with my bone structure, if I was between 98-110 pounds I would look horribly sick. I have thick bones - I'm short but not a thin body structure. I was fine with that. We settled on 135-140. Well, at 170, I'm pretty happy with the way I look now.If I change my goal, I'm only 20 pounds away from it. I want to see what my surgeon thinks. At our last visit he said he wasn't going to hold me too strictly to the goal we set way back when because it's about what I'm comfortable with and my body will start to slow down when I'm around my natural weight. I think I'm close to it because getting to the 170s was a breeze, getting out of them has been a struggle. I would love to lose 20 more pounds - get my stomach flatter. I think I'm probably going to have to have a tummy tuck because after a C-section, 4 GYN surgeries, and a hystertectomy, all done between my navel and waist, I'm pretty sure my internal gurdle is shot to pieces. I have NO muscle tone in the bottom portion of my stomach; it's all above the navel. But even if it never gets flat, I can live with that. I can love 150. It's not 247! I don't go back to the doctor until July, but I seriously want to talk about reevalutating my ulimate goal.Granted at 150, I'd still be considered overweight, but I really don't care what the chart says. I feel fantastic! My clothes fit. I'm between a 10 and 12 now (I'd love to be an 8 - in about 15 more pounds I will be). Besides my butt disappearing, I'm very comfortable with the way I look and feel. I don't look like a freak to the point where people can tell I had surgery (like Starr Jones). It looks natural. It's about the size I was when I got pregnant 14 years ago. As far as my health goes, all of doctors agree that the only health issue I have is smoking. The rest is perfect, so I'm not continuing to lose for health reasons. If I went down to 135 that's just vanity. Hell 135 is still over what the chart says I'm supposed to weigh for my height. My surgery is a success - I've lost 75 pounds, I feel great, I have no health issues, I enjoy shopping again, my self esteem has increased - what more could I ask for? I've never wanted to be "skinny", just on the slimmer side. If I'm being completely honest I love being thick. It's what's considered attractive in the black culture. I just don't want to seem like I'm giving up so close to the 135 goal. I'm not. But, somedays I feel like I'm getting too small and I'm not liking the way it looks. I hate that my legs are getting so skinny. I hate having such a small butt now. If I lost 36 more pounds will I go from happy to miserable because I hate the way the new "skinny" me looks? Advice?

You look absolutely fantastic! Rock that sleeve, girl!

I actually might make this one! SN........................Starting Wt......................Current..........................Goal...................Lbs to Goal Shanny...................191.............................171.6...............................165.......................6.6

If you can have blended soup/full liquids, then you should be able to blend everything in the Progresso soup and eat it. When I was on full liquids I would liquify my Campbell's Chunky soup and add a little Water so it was more liquid. by the time I got to mushies, I moved the blender down to puree so it was just a bit thicker. Plus I moved to each stage a few days ahead of what I was supposed to. If I went too quickly my sleeve would let me know, so I would go back to the previous stage. Try blending a broth-based soup to where you can drink it. It's still liquid - there's no big pieces and you don't really have to chew it. Your stomach doesn't really have to digest it, it kinda passes through you. It should fill you up a little more and give you a little more energy.

I can dig it. I miss socializing. I have a hard enough time in my house trying to stay away from the stuff that my son and my girl eat. I don't trust myself going to cookouts or the like. It's not fun. On Memorial Day I went to a cookout. Everyone there was drinking (I don't drink, but I did want a beer that day) and eating delicious looking food that smelled wonderful. I had just eaten 3 oz of tuna before I got there. Now tuna is no substitute for homemade pork bbq! Only I couldn't have it. Instead, I stayed outside, away from the food and played cards. Man, I wanted to be socializing with everyone else, but I was in a bad mood because they were having fun, and although I wasn't hungry my mind was STARVING!!!! I feel your pain, but I love my sleeve and the 74 pounds I've lost. I still have my slip ups. The closer I get to my goal the more I slip. But, I'm making it up in exercise and moderation. It's definitely a mental thing, but it's worth it. Good luck to you!

SN.............................starting wt...................current wt......................goal..........................pounds to goal Shanny......................191.................................173.............................165..................................8 Only 8 pounds to go! I can do this!

So today I set a goal for myself to walk 10 miles. I left my house at 7 and returned at 10. I did it. I walked the 10 miles. Along the way I discovered something awesome. My thighs don't rub together anymore. For a while they would just be stuck together and my legs would move when I walked. Over the last few months as I've been losing weight they started to rub. Now, both my legs move independently of each other. No more rubbing. The dark chaiffing that I've had for ever is finally starting to fade, too! On another note, I'm noticing the closer I get to my goal the harder it is for me to stay away from crap I know I shouldn't eat. But, I'm going to keep pushing on and take each craving one at a time. I love my sleeve!

Labor Day. Why not do em in order. The one after that should be Halloween.

I live in Baltimore City!

I told my job ulcer surgery. They still don't know and it's none of their damn buisness!