southernsoul

I think my biggest challenge is shying away from change. I do OK with change for the most part, but I don't actively seek it out as much as I probably should. Comfort & complacency is just too damn easy to burrow down into. Changing things up keeps us on our toes & I need to work on embracing it more.

I can't even tell that's a wig!! I would have never guessed if I hadn't already known. Last year my hubs & I dressed up as Paula Deen & Guy Fieri. I bought a Paula Deen-ish wig from this place called Paula Young, which got me on their mailing list. I have been just throwing the catalogs away when they come, but I'll admit I do so much more slowly now. I'm losing a bunch of hair, but wearing it in its natural curly state helps to keep it looking full enough for right now. I think your wig choice is great, though...it looks great & makes you feel better. What's not to like about that?

You're telling me I can't just roll over in bed and try it on the soft soft mattress? Dang! Sure you can...you just have to warn R that you're only interested in planking.

I plank barefooted at home, but my feet have to be on the bare floor...if they're on a rug, they slip. Also, when I first started last month, I was keeping my feet too far apart. I asked my trainer to check my form one day & he said to keep my feet as close together as I can...which of course makes it harder, but more effective.

I have some sag & weird jiggles, too, but I'm trying to accept that as my "dues", I guess. My body has carried me through a lot in the past & it continues to carry me now. I feel so much better & I'm so happy that I can walk & move without pain. I'm working out & getting stronger, too. I'm 49, so I knew going in that my skin would likely not bounce back very well, but I sure do feel better now.

I'm sorry you're having a hard time. I wonder if you could be building lots of muscle & that's why the scale is moving slow? Have you lost inches & sizes? I've had 2-3 week periods where the scale only moves a half pound or so, but I lose inches. But no matter what, 46 lbs is GONE & that's gotta feel good!! Hang in there & try to focus on how much healthier & stronger you are.

Haha, I know exactly what you mean. Take a deep breath (or a few!) and trust that everything will work itself out.

That's awesome! I can't wait til I have only one.

Yep, I did. I scheduled my surgery on a 5 day break between my 1st & 2nd summer classes. Most of my classes are in person, but that 2nd summer class was online, so I knew I could work it out. My teacher was aware of the surgery & told me if I needed an extra couple of days before starting it would be OK, but I didn't need it. The first week is usually pretty light anyway. I knew that as long as I could sit up & type out what I needed to, then I would be just fine. By the 2nd week, I was back up to speed. Good luck to you!

To be vulnerable takes courage. It doesn't matter whether it's face-to-face or over the internet with a group of folks we will likely never meet in person. Vulnerability is not for the faint-hearted wusses. What this thread has shown me is strength and self-awareness and determination and bravery. Surviving is one thing, thriving is another. Let's shoot to thrive.

Once I was on full liquids, I felt like I could get more & different flavors in. I heated up some tomato soup with a bunch of fresh basil. Once it was hot, I threw out the basil & stirred in a little goat cheese. It was fabulous. The other soup I enjoyed was cream of asparagus blended with some potted meat product (I know...gross, but I wanted some ham flavor & the protein). Once it was perfectly smooth, I heated it & thinned it with a little chicken broth, added a splash of Tabasco, & stirred in a little grated Parmesan. It was delicious & felt like "real" food to me. Good luck...the first part can be rough, but you'll get through it!

Hooray & good for you!! So glad to hear everything is going so well. I had to laugh a little about the yoga pants....I was thrilled to get INTO size 2X Old Navy yoga pants a few weeks ago!! Now they are just starting to get a bit loose, but I don't expect to be in XL for another month or so. I look at my size 18 jeans when I'm folding laundry & still feel slightly amazed that my ass fits in there. LMAO....it's all about the perspective, isn't it?

I have used a Water bottle with a bite valve from the day I got home from the hospital. It's not exactly the same as a straw, but it's similar. I've used a drinking straw in restaurants several times with no ill effects...and my surgeon doesn't forbid their use after about 3 months. I'm 5.5 months out & just had a little popcorn last weekend at the movies. I ate maybe half a cup, with no problems....except that it was yummy & I wanted more.

My preop diet was not an all-liquid diet but I was required to stay under 20g of carbs per day....which is basically no carbs. Given your diabetes, I would definitely check with your regular doctor, as well as the surgeon's office, about the safest way for you to get through the next week. Good luck!

Wow, wow, wow....you look simply amazing!!

Hooray!!!! Rock on, woman!!

I seem to follow a pattern of losing for 2 weeks & then "pausing" for about 2 weeks. I don't even like to think of it as a stall, because for me that implies that it might not start up again. In my mind, a pause is just a pause & is a temporary breather that my body seems to need. I'm about 5 1/2 months out & down 84 lbs (64 from surgery date), so clearly the pauses are not preventing me from losing. I feel like I'm asking a lot of my body in this weight loss process (& I asked a lot of it before, too, when it had to carry all that excess around!), so if this is the pattern it needs to follow, so be it.

My stepsister suggested that we do an ab challenge together this month. It's a little different from the one you posted, but I'll still check in here with my progress. Here's what we're doing:

One change I noticed last month while I was planking is that my waist feels less squishy than it did before. The muscles around the side & back part of my waist feel firmer. Now, whether this is from planking or just losing some of the fat I can't tell. But it's a change that I can feel & one that makes me pretty happy!

Thank you for starting this thread, Rev. I've also been thinking a lot about the food messages I received growing up. My grandmother fed the people she loved copious amounts of food, but she spent her entire life gaining and losing the same 20 lbs. My mother is a pretty terrible cook, so my sister & I were fed a continuous stream of packaged, heavily processed crap food from my mom & heaping helpings of southern-fried deliciousness from my grandmother. Neither way of eating was an example of a healthy (or even a moderately OK) diet. My first husband was a seriously talented cook & he made incredible meals every night. His food was rich and delicious, and he never made healthy or lighter alternatives. In fact, when I would try to lose weight, he complained that he didn't see why he should compromise the quality of his food just because I had a weight problem (he has always been very lean). I never learned anything about proper portion size, and I took a daily medication with a side effect of increased appetite. Naturally, my weight ballooned. Now, I feel like I am gradually getting a better handle on my eating. It's taking some time & it's definitely a process. I'm trying to keep myself prepared to make changes when something stops working, since I've heard so many vets say they found they had to make more changes as they got further out. I enjoy the NSV's, markers, and milestones of my weight loss, but I'm trying to keep most of my focus on the long term changes rather than the short term "woo hoo" moments.

This semester I'm taking sexuality counseling, research methods, & psychopathological diagnosis. I just spent 3 days writing a paper on internet porn addiction & how it can impact a relationship. My masters classes will be finished this summer & then all I have is internship in a counseling practice. Somehow I managed to lose 2 lbs this week, even with Thanksgiving, so I'm stoked about that. I haven't been to the gym since last Monday & I really need to get back on it.

And congrats, Redbean!! Like you, I was so totally excited to reach a size 20. It had seemed just out of reach for so long, it was great to finally get there. Enjoy the 20 while it lasts...for soon you will be in an 18, and then 16, and then...

But...I is a heathen. Now, honey...y'all know you're in good company in your heathenness. I is a heathen, too!