jensjoy28

I'm sorry. I know it's hard. a big part of this surgery is to learn to eat to live rather than living to eat. food is meant to be a fuel to us, instead for many of us it's become a driving force in life. It'll take time but you'll learn to change that way of thinking. Good luck to you!!

Found this SUPER cute and healthy Halloween treat on Facebook!! Would definitely be great to bring to a party.

Girl, those not only fit perfectly, but if I was a betting woman, I would guess that you will be in 18s before you know it. They look awesome!!

I just thought i'd post because I had a total NSV today, I went shopping and found a cute pair of jeans that only had a size 20 left. It was one of those "lets see how much further I have to go" type moments and I put them on and they buttoned and fit PERFECTLY. I was jumping for joy. it's amazing how far ive come in such a short time and I want to thank everyone on here for your inspiration and encouragement. this surgery was definitely a blessing in disguise. I attached a picture of me wearing a size 30 and a picture I took in those jeans in the dressing room today

I can remember waiting for something to be loose around my waist,and it not happening. Then I began wondering why the sleeves were so long. Soon after that, I had the same experience with pants, they were still snug around the middle but suddenly I was stepping on the hems.
I had not realised I was losing weight and changing shape in unexpected places; shoulders, butt shelf, upper arms, etc. I was looking to the obvious places but in fact the changes in shape were going on elsewhere. The same places where I had gained weight without ever realising it.
Time. Give it time.

Surgery date January 7 2013. Weight 392 at surgery in grey shirt. Weight as of today 252lbs. Total weight loss is 140lbs.
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had surgery last Sept 6th 2012. cant believe its been a year, got more to go but hey I feel so good ~~

As soon as they are comfortable!

Ok, first side-by-side pic was May 1/June 1 and shows 32 pound loss...really subtle change.
Dates are on the second one, but that is 4 mo. Pic at 70 pounds


I know you are frustrated, and it is hard to trust the process, but I PROMISE that in no time YOU will be the one trying to reassure new post-ops that it will work itself out

I was a cash pay and was able to get a personal, unsecured loan through my credit union for less then the interest rates offered through the medical financing options.

As someone else mentioned, you may be losing the fat around your organs. It took a while for me to start actually losing inches around my waist, but I noticed I was getting "squishy" around my middle. Eventually the inches did start to move and I'm down almost 4 inches around my waist now, and I'm down to a size 20 from a snuggish size 24. It was certainly frustrating at first, though!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

For what it's worth, I'm a daily weigher. However, it's more about me being curious about patterns in my weight loss plus keeping myself focused and accountable. Up a pound or two doesn't upset me in the least, as long as the overall average trend for the last four weeks is downward. I would start paying more attention if I kept creeping up or didn't start downward within a couple of weeks, though.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

Slapping body parts sound better when it's not your own body parts slapping!!!

I would like to add that being a good mom has nothing to do with eating birthday cake... and it's not like you can never have birthday cake ever again, you just aren't ever likely to have a large hunk of cake like we usually cut (the average person cuts cake pieces about 2-3 times bigger than a serving). You should discuss your boyfriends comments with him, however. Remind him that "reminding" you of all the things you "can't" have or do is really not helpful and only makes things harder on you.
Keep reminding yourself about all the days in the park, field trips, amusement park rides, hikes in the wilderness, swims in lakes, and anything else you can think of that you have in front of you to spend really quality time with your kids. Those experiences are going to be way more important to them than a stupid piece of cake at a single birthday party!
Congratulations on your work so far! You have so many great victories ahead!

You look great! Maybe this is the weight your body wants to be at.

I've vowed to never be a slave to the scale again. I lived a life where my career and how people viewed me was based on my weight height and body fat. I'm three months out and have yet to step on a scale.
BTW...You've raised a great young man

Thank you! He's 23 now, but this is the same kid that at 14 forced me to start dating again. I told him I wasn't missing anything in my life and he said "I think dating is about finding someone who can ADD something to your life, not to fill a gap." How can you disagree? I had no choice but to start dating

My son called for his daily chat, a time I really look forward to. He says, "How was your day?"
Well I've had a lovely day. I got to go into the office, work with a team of 6 very smart people, we all got some great thinking and work done. I was able to join them in the lunch I ordered for us, and I've extremely been productive all day. What were the first words out of my mouth in response to my son's question?
"Well, I'm still stalled."
WTH?? That's all I can think of to tell him about my day?? So he's a very insightful smarty-pants and he says to me, "Mom it was one thing to rely on the scale when you could say 'oh maybe I should cut down a bit tomorrow' and use the scale to monitor and adjust your eating habits. But really, what role does the scale play in your life now??"
For a change, I was speechless. Well he wasn't about to stop there. He carries on saying,
"Maybe you should ask yourself if it's healthy to let what you see on a scale determine your feelings of success for the day? After all you're doing what you need to, and you told me you were going to focus on process vs. the outcome. Would anything change in your process if you just threw away the scale for 3 months?"
No of course it wouldn't but can i throw away the scale for 3 months? I cannot. Why? Because maybe I'm sick in the head and I associate my self-worth with success or failure at pounds lost. Not what I do to succeed, but whether the scale says I've lost weight today.
Unlike a lot of people here, over the last few years i could NOT lose weight. I could control my calories, my cardio-vascular health, what I put in my mouth, but I couldn't control my weight. Yet I continued to judge myself by my ability to lose weight. Not by my ability to do what was healthy, but whether or not I could lose weight. I may have been sleeved, but apparently that way of judging myself still persists.
So really, I ask all of you.... if we are eating our Protein, drinking our Water, and exercising to the degree that we can, what role does or should the scale play in our lives when we're trying to lose weight? Should we not focus on the process, monitor the crap out of the Protein and Water and calories, and let the scale go off on a long hike to TImbuktoo? And can you do that? Why not?
what do you think?
(Note, I'm in the dreaded 3-week stall, I know this, I accept it, so it's not about the stall. It's about how we judge ourselves by using criteria or outcomes that are outside of our control).

My latest NSV was when I realized that I have gone into the fabulous little bakery that is at my office complex to get my daily non-fat latte and breathed in the great-smelling (and tasting!) pastries and not purchased one over the last 4 months since surgery. Have been some days where I was tempted, but wasn't (too) difficult to tell myself "no". Nice to be making mindful choices that support a healthy lifestyle

I wanted to just throw this out there and hope that someone who is on the fence or too scared to take the plunge for vsg or who is struggling post op sees this!
I had my vsg jan 29 2013 I was 330 pounds and miserable I couldnt even play with my then 1 year old the way she should have been played with. I was severly dependenet on my fiance to help care for not only me but taking the brunt of our 1 year olds care. I had tried and stuggled my entire life, I am 23 and had high blood pressure and was in pain constantly and just the simplest tasks exhausted me. I did not want to live this way any more, its not really living.
I had my surgery and bam I lost nothing for about 2 months, I joined a gym and said to heck with it I will be fit and healthy regardless of what my scale says. So I ate right and began running, I saw a whole new me come out. The better version of me that was being smothered by my fat insecure unhappy self. I found myself at 23 and as of today 114 pounds down. I regret nothing.
My now 2 year old and I play, and run to the park a mile away. She laughs and runs and I can catch her and toss her in the air til she giggles uncontrolably, I can carry her through the whole mall without putting her down. I can love and
play with her and be here for the long term now.
I am in no way perfect, and yes I am struggling now but I know I will get to my goal of 175, I am 212 now so it will happen. I am going to enjoy my size 16 butt cause the alternative was a size 26! Dont give up it is worth it, for a better future and a chance to live.

You are doing fine. Stay away from the scales for a while. Everyone stalls. Women with Water weight / cycle issues have it harder.
Remember, you were not in a rush to gain weight, right? You'll lose as fast as you can, and your stomach will NOT grow back. Just press on!

Had my 2-week post-op appointment today, and I'm feeling great! Still sore at my two major incision sites (man, I miss sleeping on my stomach!) but besides that, I'm taking multiple-mile walks a day and following the diet prescribed by my surgeon.
He was SUPER impressed with the fact that I've lost 5% of my BMI since the start of this process, woo hoo! I took a new photo of me (and my happy, I've-lost-34-lbs-since-July-26 smile) and loved how much my face has changed since the start of my pre-op diet.
Just wanted to share this small victory, and encourage everyone to follow their surgeon's plan, get plenty of exercise, and remember to stop and enjoy the little victories along the way!
Have a great Labor Day, everyone!