PhotoLover8

Thanks a lot!

I'm 7 weeks post op and down 36 lbs! I can't wait to see myself at 6 months and a year! For now, I am proud of getting to Onederland!

Yay! Celebrating with you!

I stalled for 2 1/2 weeks about the same time and then the scale started moving again. Hang in there! Your body is trying to get used to all of these changes and it needs time to adjust. Stay on track and the weight will start coming off again!

You are definitely moving in the right direction! Stay on track! Your stall will pass. =)

Thank you!!

Good job staying focused on why you are doing this! It's going to be really difficult sometimes but just remember why you are doing this and why it is so important for you and your health! As a bonus you'll be able to start checking things off this list and it will affect your family in such a positive way! Congratulations on your upcoming surgery and I pray it goes off without a hitch!

I'm so excited this morning!! I just want to share it with everyone! I have been in a 2 1/2 week stall and just patiently waiting. I read many blogs and forums of people sharing the fact that stalls happen and you just gotta keep going so that's what I was doing. I have been at 201 this whole time just waiting to get to Onederland. I had not weighed myself since Monday because I honestly didn't want to keep seeing the same thing again. This morning my husband asked me if I had weighed myself and I said no. I thought, I'll just see where I stand today. And to my VERY pleasant surprise I weighed in at 198! I'm so happy to be in Onederland!!! I also went into my closet and found some brand new jeans that I had bought 7 years ago but never wore because I gained too much weight and was able to put them on! Plus today is Friday, and payday and I'm taking portraits of a beautiful bride to be this afternoon! Today is just an awesome day! I hope everyone is doing just as awesome!

Today I am 3 weeks post op and I tell you what, many things have happened in the past 3 weeks. I am going to tell you about the positives things because those are the ones that matter and are worth remembering! I’ll start with the fact that I have lost 31 lbs so far! I am 2 pounds away from being in Onederland! At this point I have mostly figured out how much I am able to eat. I sometimes eat a little fast or a little too much and feel uncomfortable for about 30 minutes but then it passes. The only thing my stomach hasn't really liked was some creamed corn I ate from Rudy’s BBQ. Other than that I have been able to keep everything down…ground beef, fish, chicken, turkey, rice, beans, etc. I have not had the problems others have had with eating bread. I can eat pretty much anything, just not a lot. For example, we took our youngest daughter out to eat for her birthday yesterday and my husband and I split a plate. I basically took enough food for about 8 bites and he ate the rest. My girls both ate and the whole thing was just $32 with tip for all 4 of us. That’s another great thing…saving money when we go out! Something else I love is that many of my clothes are very loose and you can tell I have lost weight which is cool. I had to go digging in my closet for some smaller jeans that I haven’t worn in a while and they fit perfectly. I also wore a dress that I haven’t fit into since my husband and I were engaged over 5 years ago. That was a nice feeling! I am excited about fitting into other things that have been just sitting in my closet waiting to be used! Now to get a little more personal, a difficult but great thing happened to me last week. I was dealing with some emotional issues that made me cry a lot. I walked home from where I was and on the way there I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to go stuff my face. I got home, opened the fridge and just imagined myself getting sick if I did it. I couldn’t do it. In that moment I was forced to deal with my emotions a different way. I cried some more and then talk to God about it. About 30 minutes after that I talk to my husband about it too. It was such a big moment for me. To realize that I can walk away from the food that will do nothing but make me sick in that moment and over time and rely on a God that loves me unconditionally. It came to the surface…what I already knew….that I wasn’t giving Him all of me. Now I am surrendering the rest of me…slowly but surely. He deserves it all, not just the parts I am comfortable giving. What a wonderful experience! Such a moment of growth! I am grateful for all the special moments I have had so far and I can’t wait to see what new adventures await me!

Elisa, Annie...sorry I forgot to come back and tell you about my visit with the doctor. He says that in all the conferences he attended the most successful results came from people that had the 38 to 40 size bougie used to measure their stomachs. If a smaller size bougie is used (when your stomach stretches over time) you can sometimes eat 60 to 70 percent of what you used to eat. This will happen several years down the road. If your stomach starts out as small as mine, I will not stretch to be that big. It's been a big adjustment but I haven't really had a lot problems. He used the 40 size bougie for my surgery.

I am 3 weeks post op today and I am having the same problem you are. I also got my visitor and I've been stuck at the same weight pretty much since Sunday. I am not letting that get me down. I see the changes in the way I look and feel. That is something to be proud of and excited about! This is just part of being a woman. Not fun or easy but it's something that will pass. Just keep doing the right things and your body will reward you!

That's fabulous! Glad you are feeling so good and that it is affecting you in such a positive way!

I started out at almost the exact weight you did...232. In just over 1 month, between the liquid diet before and after the surgery, and of course the surgery itself, I am already at 206. Tomorrow I will be a week post op. You will definitely reach your goal by the end of the year...and I think much more! Congratulations on what you have accomplished so far and blessings going forward!

Dr. Urmil Shukla was my surgeon and he was really great!