suejersey

Wow, sitting here and reading this thread has my crying as I want for all the things I wish to do. My life has been so limited by size. I have weighed over 400 lbs for 30 years.
Here are some fitness goals in no order of desire and not taking into account whether my hips and knees will even be able to support me in them:
Martial arts- I have always wanted to learn
Hiking, biking, rowing, kayaking
My biggest one really, the one that has haunted my mind since I watched some documentary, when i was 19, on people who did it is to hike the entire international Appalachian trail. I'm from Canada so I feel the need to add the part that enters my home land.
My family were never outdoors people. I have never camped, never hiked, never walked more than 3 miles(and that hurt my body so bad I couldn't walk for days afterwards)
Well you asked my goals, but i gave you my dream.
For now a small goal: just bloody go outside and walk everyday while the weather is still good. Might not seem like much, but for someone who has been sedentary her entire life and spent 10 solid years as a shut-in, and the last 10 digging out from that life it is a big thing to make and keep that commitment.
Thankyou all for sharing your goals, I appreciate that others will talk about what the want for a life besides losing weight.
Many blessings,
Michelle

Short term:
Return to strength training class 2 days per week. Find a way to make it work with arthritis.
Go on a hike, not a walk. A group hike.
Long term:
Stay healthy, fit, and strong into my 70s (less than 14 years away)
As you can see, I'm not much of an exercise person, but I do it anyway because I want to stay fit and healthy.
Lynda

You will! Don't let the scale overwhelm you. Remember this is a life long journey and change in lifestyle/eating behaviors. So everything you are doing is bettering yourself for the long term! I am no "special" person, in fact I thought "I" would be the "one person" who this wouldn't work for and guess what.....it is working!
Try to enjoy life while on the journey as well, don't let the scale and the weight loss overshadow all the other wonderful things going on in your life. It helped for me to just live and start to "really live" so that I didn't put life on hold while I was losing.
Before you know it you'll be a few months out and then the clothes start getting to big and then people start noticing and then you get even more excited about getting healthy and fit and all the while you are learning new healthy habits. The sleeve is a beautiful thing and you are beautiful working your sleeve!

I do 2 days of Water aerobics and I just added 2 days of Zumba. Also trying to catch the treadmill and circuit weights at the gym when I can. If you have concerns where to start, I highly recommend water aerobics. It is a pleasure and I have not had one day where I have not felt like going. Once you get going with that, you will feel better about adding other forms of exercise.

That's what everyone says I'm just happy all the time

This is a chart I post now and then when people ask about goal weight. It takes age into consideration, it may help you. Sorry guys I have not found a male equivalent .

i'm 5'3 too.. when I started this journey.. i was being too idealistic and set my goal at 122.. right in the middle of the BMI chart.. my mom and I have pretty much the same body type, build and height.. and she weighed 180#s when i had my surgery.. she went on the liquid diet and part of the post-op diet with me for moral support.. "love her!!".. anyways.. i saw her shrink.. and at 160#s she looked awesome.. and as she went lower.. it made her look like she was sick.. so i re assessed my goal to 145 (given my age).. its slightly higher than the healthy bmi range.. (mom is currently maintaing at 162#s and feels a lot better than when she was at 156)
nothing is set in stone.. we can always evaluate our progress and update our goals depending on how we feel..

Woo-hoo!!!!! Congratulations. It's a great feeling and a GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT that YOU DID!!!

Thank you, Suejersey and JustSayMoe!

You will! Don't let the scale overwhelm you. Remember this is a life long journey and change in lifestyle/eating behaviors. So everything you are doing is bettering yourself for the long term! I am no "special" person, in fact I thought "I" would be the "one person" who this wouldn't work for and guess what.....it is working!
Try to enjoy life while on the journey as well, don't let the scale and the weight loss overshadow all the other wonderful things going on in your life. It helped for me to just live and start to "really live" so that I didn't put life on hold while I was losing.
Before you know it you'll be a few months out and then the clothes start getting to big and then people start noticing and then you get even more excited about getting healthy and fit and all the while you are learning new healthy habits. The sleeve is a beautiful thing and you are beautiful working your sleeve!

It is very refreshing to read all these posts. I am 5 weeks out, down 24 lbs. so far, but have not lost any weight for 10 days. It will go up or down by a few ounces every day, but no significant change. I was getting very freaked out by this! I know I am following the plan set by my doctor/nutritionist and getting enough Protein in every day, so I couldn't figure out what was going on. Hopefully I'll get back on track soon, and I wish the same for you!

Thank you for your suggestions and empowerment!

Sometimes the body just needs time to catch up. And I find that I may not lose one week and the next week lost 3 or 4. So don't despair. Make sure you are getting ENOUGH calories, too!
Some good things to bring with you for snacks/lunch:
cheese sticks
Dry roast edamame
Greek Yogurt
lunch meat
babybel cheese
Flatbread or tortilla (low carb/calorie) with 1 or 2 tablespoons Peanut Butter
Protein powder (shaker bottle)
cottage cheese
beef Jerky (I love Jerky hut jerky - 90 calories 14 grams of Protein (I think) for 1 ounce - very filling but very meaty)
Try to start walking just to build up your stamina and then add to it as you feel stronger. I really didn't exercise (other than walking) until I was about 7 months out. I started at the gym when I was 200 pounds (started at 278) before that I really don't think I would have been able to handle it. So walking (like walking the dog pace) a few days a week was all I got up to that point and I still lost. Not saying that is the best way to do it, but for me I focused on getting the nutrition and losing enough that I felt I could handle more intense exercise. (I also, because of my job sit at my desk typing for 8 - 10 hours a day 6 days a week -so I was VERY, VERY out of shape). I am now doing zumba, body pump, Warrior Workout, HIIT classes. So you will improve your fitness very quickly (4 months for me going from 30 minutes on the treadmill to the above)
Good luck and you can do it. Keep working at it and make it a lifestyle and you will see the results.
My new favorite saying is: Fit is hard. Fat is hard. Pick your hard.
(Not my quote - but I love it!) Work hard....see results!

Sometimes the body just needs time to catch up. And I find that I may not lose one week and the next week lost 3 or 4. So don't despair. Make sure you are getting ENOUGH calories, too!
Some good things to bring with you for snacks/lunch:
cheese sticks
Dry roast edamame
Greek Yogurt
lunch meat
babybel cheese
Flatbread or tortilla (low carb/calorie) with 1 or 2 tablespoons Peanut Butter
Protein powder (shaker bottle)
cottage cheese
beef Jerky (I love Jerky hut jerky - 90 calories 14 grams of Protein (I think) for 1 ounce - very filling but very meaty)
Try to start walking just to build up your stamina and then add to it as you feel stronger. I really didn't exercise (other than walking) until I was about 7 months out. I started at the gym when I was 200 pounds (started at 278) before that I really don't think I would have been able to handle it. So walking (like walking the dog pace) a few days a week was all I got up to that point and I still lost. Not saying that is the best way to do it, but for me I focused on getting the nutrition and losing enough that I felt I could handle more intense exercise. (I also, because of my job sit at my desk typing for 8 - 10 hours a day 6 days a week -so I was VERY, VERY out of shape). I am now doing zumba, body pump, Warrior Workout, HIIT classes. So you will improve your fitness very quickly (4 months for me going from 30 minutes on the treadmill to the above)
Good luck and you can do it. Keep working at it and make it a lifestyle and you will see the results.
My new favorite saying is: Fit is hard. Fat is hard. Pick your hard.
(Not my quote - but I love it!) Work hard....see results!

Not sure if this is the right place for this... didn't really want to post in the 'success' thread cos I am saving my goal post for their!
Anyhoo... yep! It's just over three years since I had my sleeve and it really has been a roller coaster ride.
Just a little pre sleeve background; fat kid - mother was and still is to a degree a 'feeder'! Nothing sinister in it, she just loves to see people enjoy food and goodies! As a teenager. although looking back I wasn't really that big, I had a really twisted sense of self image and thought I was disgusting. At 16 I started dieting and basically cut back drastically on calories with little affect! Just made me tired. Still unhappy with my body I joined different slimming clubs and over the next 10 years spent a lot of money with no results. In this time however, I was fit. I used to do a lot of sport; swimming, aerobics, steps, gym, a little running, squash, tennis... the list goes on and I loved it. Looking back I was not big and I was not fat... I was just young and very naive; wanting to look like my skinny friends who were 5-6 inches taller than me and completely different body shape!
At 28 I was preggas with my first - my beautiful daughter (we share the same birthday!) who is now 15. Gained a lot of weight and didn't lose any of it. 2 years later preggas again with my beautiful son who is now 13; same story, gained and never lost. So there I was 30 and morbidly obese I can't even describe how unhappy I was and how much I hated myself. I tried all the slimming clubs again, and had no success which really did get me to a real low place. Throughout this time, I focused on being mam. It seemed the only way to get through the feeling of self loathing was to focus on these two precious people and it worked to a degree. However, the down side was that I lost all sense of me.
Fast forward to 2009, I started researching WLS because I knew it was the only way that I would get healthy and fit again. I knew I had to pay for it because to get it on the NHS (here in the UK) it was virtually impossible at the time. Once my job became permanent, I knew I could get a loan and get the surgery. I attended a few WLS seminars and learnt about the sleeve (I originally wanted the band) and knew it was the one for me. I wanted something permanent, like I was giving myself a new commitment.
Weighing 238lbs I was admitted, signed all the papers and was prepped for the surgery the following morning, that was Friday 2nd July 2010. I wasn't nervous, I wasn't scared. I just wanted to start my new life and get 'me' back. The op went well and I stayed in for 5 days - the surgeon wanted clear drains. I am glad I did too, because the first 48 hours were long and a little painful.
The first 6mths I had a steady weight loss, with many stalls. But I was making good progress and generally pleased. I started exercising and feeling good about myself; I was getting stronger and started to like what I saw. My weight loss slowed down considerable and I went down the route of comparing myself to other sleevers in the same time frame - mistake! (Newbie alert - do not do this - it is a pointless exercise as we are all very different and our body reacts differently!) I found my self in a really dark place that was similar to the one I used to go to when I was a young girl. I did continue to lose weight, albeit slowly until Oct 2011! The it all stopped and I have been bouncing around the same weight since then.
I set myself loads of mini goals and targets and never made any of them! That was a kick in the d**k too! I had this image that on my 40th birthday I would be this beautiful slim woman, wearing a killer black dress and knock out heels - nah! I was still obese! And I was gutted.
I would read posts on here that said ' I farted and lost 100lbs' (ok, slight exaggeration, but you get my drift) and think to myself, I wish I could fart that hard! But I couldn't, so I didn't and I just kept plodding along.
My problem was that I had entered early menopause - confirmed when I was 39 and I had started taking HRT. That did one on my system and completely halted my weight loss. I stopped and started different types and didn't get on with any of them. Currently I am not on any medication and I am pretty much 'playing it by ear'!
After the 8mth mark I really upped my exercise and I started going to my son's boxing gym... my goodness me! What a fantastic work out and I really did reap the rewards; not through the scales but physically and mentally. I loved it. I went religiously for a long time - until I had a back injury that stopped me in my tracks. I went to physio and slowly it got better. However, I never really went back to exercising at the same capacity because I was scared that my back would go again. I didn't want to relive that kind of pain and I couldn't afford time off work. I took to walking and some light jogging instead.
Fast forward to today... I still haven't got to my surgeon's goal; I am just 9lbs away and I am I am 24 lbs away from my personal goal (BMI of 24 - not sure that will ever happen). However, I have not experienced a regain and I've maintained this weight since Oct 2011 (with a 2-4 lb 'bounce) - in that time I have dropped two dress sizes - funny how the body works eh? I honeslty believe that I have not regained because I never met goal and this has kept me on my toes and I remain accountable. I never take my sleeve for granted and I am very aware of what, when and why I eat. That doesn't mean I don't eat junk! I do, but rarely. Nothing is 'off limits' to me, I just make choices. The only thing I can't really tolerate is fizzy pop - I can physically drink it, but I hate the gassy feeling and the bloated feeling it gives me, so I stay away.
I am now 3 mths post TT and with the apron gone and some minor muscle repair and I am starting to feel good about myself and this body that holds me. I have started going to Curves and am I feeling the benefit - this is my way back to the boxing gym. My aim is to, with my TT surgeon's permission, get there by Sept/Oct this year. I am also following the 5:2 diet and it seems to be working as I have broken my 'set point' of 164 lbs and am currently sat at 163! Ok, it is only a pound, but after so long of not seeing any movement I feel like a new woman...lol! I am hopefully that I can at least get to my surgeon's goal and possibly even break through that?
Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to put the whole picture out there - although, I am sure I have missed a lot!
I suppose the main thing I wanted to get across is that it doesn't really matter what the scale reads! Even today I am medically obese - and although I hate that label it doesn't drive me mad anymore. I am fit and healthy and that is way more important. I have turned my life around and added 20 years to it; 20 quality years at that. I have started to accept 'me' and for the first time in a long time I quite like Coops; she's alright!
I will continue my Quest to get to goal... I refuse to give up on myself and I now realise that I am worth the effort! As cliched as it sounds but it really is a journey. And one that will never really end...
I will find some before and after pics and update them later!

I think we all struggle with some of the same things you mentioned, BTB. We somehow make ourselves believe that once we "hit" the mark that magically, we are going to stay there without work when in reality, nobody really can do that.
Normal, non-sleevers, have to work to maintain or else all these gajillion gyms and diet centers wouldn't be around!
The hardest for me is knowing that I can MAYBE have a few special things at special times like BDs, parties, but I'm going to have to REALLY work to get back in line. Truly, one weekend of snacking/junk food can add back 3+ pounds quickly.
Maybe it's that as "foodies" we still have that mentality and think we "deserve" to eat again?? I know in my past life (before VSG) once I hit a goal on a "diet" I would tend to then immediately let up and slowly or quickly depending on my mindset regain what was lost!
Like your signature says, "You don't have your patience removed during surgery."

Sometimes the body just needs time to catch up. And I find that I may not lose one week and the next week lost 3 or 4. So don't despair. Make sure you are getting ENOUGH calories, too!
Some good things to bring with you for snacks/lunch:
cheese sticks
Dry roast edamame
Greek Yogurt
lunch meat
babybel cheese
Flatbread or tortilla (low carb/calorie) with 1 or 2 tablespoons Peanut Butter
Protein powder (shaker bottle)
cottage cheese
beef Jerky (I love Jerky hut jerky - 90 calories 14 grams of Protein (I think) for 1 ounce - very filling but very meaty)
Try to start walking just to build up your stamina and then add to it as you feel stronger. I really didn't exercise (other than walking) until I was about 7 months out. I started at the gym when I was 200 pounds (started at 278) before that I really don't think I would have been able to handle it. So walking (like walking the dog pace) a few days a week was all I got up to that point and I still lost. Not saying that is the best way to do it, but for me I focused on getting the nutrition and losing enough that I felt I could handle more intense exercise. (I also, because of my job sit at my desk typing for 8 - 10 hours a day 6 days a week -so I was VERY, VERY out of shape). I am now doing zumba, body pump, Warrior Workout, HIIT classes. So you will improve your fitness very quickly (4 months for me going from 30 minutes on the treadmill to the above)
Good luck and you can do it. Keep working at it and make it a lifestyle and you will see the results.
My new favorite saying is: Fit is hard. Fat is hard. Pick your hard.
(Not my quote - but I love it!) Work hard....see results!

The whole time I was losing, I never gave 2 thoughts to maintenance. I figured the body would find a happy weight and just stay there. Well, it kinda has. But my mind isn't coming along for the ride. Maintenance is hard for me because it's emotionally taxing. It's like there is this constant, permanent low grade stress that I can't shake. Losing weight was great. I was getting somewhere. Maintenance is like standing still.....and standing still is too close to backing up. Its disconcerting.
In my old life, if I worried about my weight, I'd have that same low grade stress all the time, always worried about my health. But back then I was able to shroud myself in denial for periods of time and forget about it. Of course, when I did that, I always gained weight. I think that's my fear now. If I relax....if I forget about what I need to do....I'll gain. And I will, I've already done it. The couple of times I've thrown caution to the wind, I gained back a few pounds very quickly. Those new habits aren't as ingrained as I'd like them to be. They still take a certain amount of effort and diligence. Perhaps they always will.
I often hear people say they didn't have this surgery to be on a diet for the rest of their lives. Well, what is a diet if not being diligent about what you eat? If that's a diet, then I'm on one and I'll have to stay on one forever. So be it. Better that than regain the weight.
It's hard yes, but worth it.
What's hard about it for you guys?

I love Quest bars, perhaps too much! I have one a day (sometimes 2 - snack or meal). I am about 9 1/2 months out and can finish one and feel very satisfied, almost to full.

Mine definitely was. It was literally five minutes of rather irrelevant questioning. Luckily I'm of sound mind and I did my research, among other things.

I have a feeling when Disco was VENTING that she may have EXAGGERATED that she didn't know about any of these things to expect. You know when you are frustrated or upset or scared it is easy to exaggerate to all or nothing. If you take the vent in that light of exaggeration then you see it for what it is, a VENT, frustration, fear, disappointment, regret. And many, many people have that after the surgery.

I can totally relate! Mine look the same!
And I loved the comment of "roll them up and tuck them in" ROFLOL!

I remember at the beginning feeling like I wish things were moving faster, that my clothes were looser, that I looked different. At 50 pounds I still wasn't even getting many comments and I could still fit in some of the clothes I had. But after the 50 pound mark it just seemed like things really picked up. Those 50 pounds took probably 4 months and now I have lost another 50 in 5 months, but those are the 50 that people really noticed. So don't be discouraged,go about your life, eat right, exercise and you will begin to see the difference and before you know it you will be nine months out and super happy with your progress!
And I love that I can go out to eat and get 2, 3, 4 meals out of one meal! (I am a couponer so I love a good deal LOL!)

Totally agree with the don't drink and eat together!!
I also agree that you will be able to eat more, depending on what it is. I am 9 months out and I have 5 or 6 small meals a day. A snack is probably 1 or 2 ounces a meal is probably 3 or 4 ounces. For dinner I can eat about 3 ounces of chicken and probably 3 or 4 bites of veggie, as an example.
I can eat a Quest Protein bar as a snack or lunch. I can eat 2 ounces of lunch meat with some lettuce as bread for lunch.
So you will be able to eat more. But sometimes when it tastes so good and you just want to have more you just will not be able to. It will be too uncomfortable to continue and it makes it very easy not to over indulge. I try very hard to listen to my body and stop before over indulging even if "but it tastes so good."