southernsoul

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!

I did this last month with GG, and while I definitely saw improvement, I never got beyond about 95 seconds. However...to go from barely holding 20 secs to 95 secs in about 3 weeks was still a great achievement, at least in my opinion. I'm doing a different ab challenge this month, but will continue to plank in solidarity with y'all. Plank on, you sexy plankers!!

Good luck!

You & I have very similar numbers & we're both about 5 months out. Your transformation so far is really impressive & you look great!

We have 2 Thanksgiving dinners to go to, one at 1:00 & one at 5:00, with a lot of driving all day. I've made the same acorn squash dish for both meals, so I know there's a side item that's OK for me. I plan to have turkey & my squash & a green veg. After that, if I manage a bite of dessert or bread, I will...but that has to come after the stuff I need.

I agree, Tink. I think part of the issue is that we used to automatically be able to see the chat window & the convo going on, so a lot of folks probably jumped in when they saw a topic being discussed that interested them. Now you have to actually 'enter' the chat room to see who's there & what's being discussed. I think the old way generated more activity in chat. However, I think they may still be tweaking the chat function, so perhaps they will take that into account. I will try to do better about joining in, since I know I haven't been as present lately.

I think it's more than just OK. Of my 3 goals, I have achieved 1 (adding 10 lbs to my weights), but I missed going to the gym 3 times this week...I went only twice. And as far as planking, I have made it to 100 seconds but not beyond that. I am continuing to plank most days, but just can't achieve the time frames listed on the challenge. However, I still think I have a win this month. For the first time in my life, I set fitness goals & seriously applied myself to meeting them. I can do more now than I could at the beginning of the month....and the month isn't over yet. Plus, I have already identified my challenge for next month & that is not something the old me would have done. We are changing our mindsets & that's a huge win that deserves to be celebrated!

Congrats!!