TakeCareGirl

You have lost 124 pounds! That's a cheerleader! Don't expect it to come off fast...just that it comes off. I was happy at anywhere between a 4-10 pound drop in a month...and you are doing double digits. Stop beating yourself up...and have fun with life!

80% of my stomach.

At almost 3 years post op, it is still all about choices. The difference is this, now we really are in control, at least this is my experience. The cravings I had prior to surgery, aren't there anymore. Yes, I may WANT something or something might sound really good.....but I can resist, I can make wiser choices than I use to do. Do I ALWAYS resist you ask.....No, absolutely not. Dr. Davidson said this is NOT a diet, it's a way of life. Sometimes a piece of cheesecake sounds good, and I will share a piece with my daughter or husband. There was a time in my life when we'd each get our own, and resisting was almost painful, although some times I'd make the wise choice. You understand, don't you?
Today (as I type) I am eating an entire can of Solid White Albacore tuna (that is 1/2 cup). I make it with 1 TB of Lite mayo and I added a baby dill pickle. My lunch is packed with 24 grams of Protein and 168 calories. Sometimes I eat half the can and will eat it on ten or twelve Mini Club Crackers or Special K Crackers, but today, I CHOSE not to eat the crackers because I wanted the protein!! My other option was left over roast. 3.5 oz of roast would be about 30 calories more than the tuna and 4 grams of Protein less. It would have been yummy, but I knew the fish would be healthier. I don't think it would have been a 'bad' choice, but what I'm having is better. It really, really makes ME feel in control when I make a wise choice like this! It is so much easier post op.
What are y'all having for lunch?

I had Surgery on May 17, 2012. My highest weight, about 3 months before surgery was 374. I lost 54 pounds pre- surgery. Weight on day of surgery was 320. Post op I have lost 107 pounds, for a total of 161 Pounds. I am off most of my medications and feel so much better. At my max I wore a size 32/4x. I am currently wearing size 18/2x and in some styles can almost get away with a 16. In spite of some complications which kept me feeling pretty miserable for the 1st 3 - 4 months, this is one of the best things I have ever done. I'm not sure exactly what my final goal will be, but I think I want to lose another 50 pounds.
I'd like to add before. and current pictures but haven't figured that out yet. This surgery has given me back my life and I couldn't be happier. I really appreciate all the support and information that is shared here.

Bless your heart ProudGrammy! We don't have any in the Twin Cities but expect some tonight and tomorrow. I do have a snow removal service, but I think with my weight loss I'll be able to manage next year.

Congratulations!

KimMarh welcome to the sleeve club of america!!!
you are now a proud card holding member, who in three weeks has lost 22 lbs!!!!
thats amazing, wonderful - holy moly - OMG, heavens to mergatroid, WooHoo
your weight loss is terrific - really
you are doing everything right, intake, exercise - drinking ok too i'm sure
you are eating 600 calories a day, drinking, exercising - the weight will continue to drop, I promise!!!! Would I lie to you?
22 lbs gone, gone, and gone!!!!!
WooHoo
Congrats
keep up the good job

Bless your heart ProudGrammy! We don't have any in the Twin Cities but expect some tonight and tomorrow. I do have a snow removal service, but I think with my weight loss I'll be able to manage next year.

I haven't been on these forums in so long!!! A lot of life changes/busy schedule kept me away but I have to come back to share good news with all of the amazing online friends who have been there for me throughout this entire journey.
1.5 Year Post-Op Stats:
Highest Weight: Around 360
Current Weight: 190
Biggest Size: 34 / XXXL
Current Size: 12 / L
The topic title is "Forever21" because I've never been able to shop at that store for pretty and cheap-y clothes my entire life though desperately wanting to - and now it's become a staple of my college wardrobe.
I can't believe I'm under 200 lbs. I didn't think I would be so successful since I have PCOS. I haven't had any complications from the surgery, with the exception of hair loss (which seems to be recovering) and brief bouts of acid reflux (not significant enough to be a concern).
My life? Well, I'm doing things i never dared to dream about. Shopping, traveling, dating, exploring, and enjoying. I'm still not used to the positive male attention. Sometimes I freak about that I can "fit" into places and buckle plane seatbelts and stuff. Just enjoying life and living it the way I've always longed to. I am so grateful that I did this. I beg anyone who is hesitant or has fears of doing this surgery to come to me with questions, I will answer any.
But I must be completely honest and state that I do not, in any way, believe that the surgery is entirely or even mainly responsible for my success. It truly is just a "tool." I have put in a lot of hard work into getting the results I have. It takes a lot of serious time and dedication.
Funny mini-success:
-A guy I used to know asked me out, not realizing that he knew me back when I was over 300 lbs. He would not believe that it was actually me until I showed him my ID. Man, was he embarrassed!
You don't realize how truly overweight you were until you notice that new people you meet just accept you as "one of them" and not their one super morbidly obese friend. It's weird being part of the gym crowd. It's weird dating fitness enthusiasts and realizing they wouldn't have given the old me a second look. It's weird getting comments like "oh you wouldn't understand, you're not fat." Really, really weird. Making new friends and having them never know that I was (and on the inside, still feel like) super morbidly obese. I feel like I sometimes need to "come out of the closet" and confess this to them!
I still don't recognize myself in pictures/video, but in a good way. Sometimes I feel like the world/my reflection is trying to trick me into thinking that I'm average-sized, because I can't believe that I'm no longer so overweight.
I've been thinking seriously and I believe these are the most important steps to take in order to make the best use of this surgery and to hopefully get similar or better results than I have:
-Start a simple walking regimen at least two weeks before the surgery, and keep it up afterwards.
-Weight train. I'm serious. Don't put it in your "to do later" list. Start doing it now because the strength and muscle building will seriously burn fat and make your loose skin look SO much better.
-Take good Multivitamins.
-Don't ever get back on the cycle of eating sugary/fatty foods because it will be very hard to stop.
-DON'T cheat on your pre-op diet. Prove to yourself how serious you are about this.
-Avoid smoking/alcohol.
Some concerns/negatives:
-The Hair loss (somewhat resolved) now that my weight has stabilized. No weight gain so far.
-I no longer feel the same amount of restriction. I still can barely eat a fraction of what I used to, but now I can have a small salad, a meal of 4 oz Protein + side, and a tiny dessert. Basically, I can fit in the minimum amount that a healthy eater should be having. But it's no longer just 1/2 a cup of cottage cheese!
-It is still a little uncomfortable to have fizzy drinks.
I'm so happy with my life right now. I feel like people give me more respect and listen to what I say, which can actually be frustrating at times. People treat me immensely better, and although it feels good, I feel sad that it took all this weight loss for it to happen. I'm talking giving me free stuff, opening doors, going out of their way to do things for me. Why the hell am I getting special treatment? It still feels similar to unfair treatment I got from being obese, only now it is positive. I go out of my way now to treat everyone with equal respect and courtesy.
Update: I'm looking into getting surgery to remove a lot of the excess skin that I have. Thank you for all of the support in the past few years - I hope to have more great updates in the future!

My husband was talking about how skinny I was looking today and I told him that I didn't feel that skinny. I then told him to take a picture of me so that I could compare it to pictures from my pre surgery pics. I almost cried at the difference! I still have 80 some pounds to lose, but I am am surprised about how good I look now! The before picture was taken at my highest weight of 290 and the after picture was taken today at 236.

Hey everybody on Fed 20th/2013 my 1 year Anniversary is coming. My starting weight was 255, surgery weight was 235 and my weight now is 130 :-) I'm so freaking proud of myself. My total weight loss is 125 pounds in total. Wohooooo . I just LOVE my SLEEVE!!!!!

Now think about how you would speak to someone that had lost a lot of weight. Would you just ignore the "pink elephant" in the room and not acknowledge that they look great after losing 150lbs ? No ! You would notice that they carry themselves with more confidence, their clothes are nicer and fit better. They care more about their appearance so they are fixing their hair and wearing make-up more often. Of course they look better. They feel better. Now think about the changes you have made to your appearance since losing weight. Of course people are going to tell you you look great. Because you do. You feel better. It shows. Be proud of it. Say thank you. Or do like I do and start singing 'Dontcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me. "

I'm 50 and ...
- never lived a day without God's love surrounding me (even when I didn't recognize it)
- never gave up hope that my life has purpose and meaning (even on the roughest days - and there were many)
- never stopped praying for my husband (whom I've yet to meet - well, unless I know him and don't know it yet!)
- never lived without an amazing animal in my life (right now it's Howard the cat and Riley the corgi)
- never enjoyed my body, flexibility, energy, health more than I am now
(ok, ok - I've never been waxed either)
Amy

So I was in for my monthly waxing yesterday, up on all fours when the gal rests her hand on my tush and comments that it's really firming up! We'd been talking about exercise and that I'd been back on the treadmill and had started to run so it wasn't entirely out of context but we both dissolved into fits of giggles. I still laugh when I think about it! Well, at least it's firming up, right!? =)

Yay!! That's great!!

Congrats

Woohoo!! Keep up the awesome work.

Congratulations!!!!!!

Went to the doctor today, my blood pressure was very low, my A1C was 5.5. So my primary care doctor agreed that I can go off both of them!

Went to the doctor today, my blood pressure was very low, my A1C was 5.5. So my primary care doctor agreed that I can go off both of them!

That is fabulous - you look lovely!

I will be 34 in march I havent been able to shop in the regular section of the stores since I was in highschool ! Well Ive always shopped at cato's and woman that know there is a plus size side to shop on and a regular side well i finally after all these years shopped on the other side and it felt great