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Wow! Those are cool. Very motivating.

Great job! Keep it up! You look so much happier too.

Great job so far! That is awesome! For me the goal became very arbitrary. First it was 150, then 145, then 140, etc. I finally was down to about 123 at my lowest weight and I started to feel that in pictures I looked a little "too skinny" or a bit "gaunt." So I put a couple pounds back on and feel that I look and feel best around 130. Could I maintain 120-123? Of course, but it would be through very strict diet control. I feel that resting around 128-130 gives me a more normal way of life for maintenance. I just kind of figured it out based on how I looked, how I felt, and what I thought was reasonable for the long run.

Thank you. I started at 278.4 and am currently holding steady around 130. So I've lost approximately 148 pounds. I'm 2 years post-op and about 4-months post tummy tuck. :-)

You look amazing! Great work!

Awesome job! You are looking amazing.

Thank you! :-) One of the hardest things I've done in my life.....

So I am headed to Vegas next week with my hubby and I thought, you know what....I want a more-sexy, less-mom bikini for this trip. SO I went out on a limb and ordered one from Victoria's Secret that I would normally never, ever think about wearing, let alone, buy, let alone post a picture of me in it. But then today I was looking back through some old beach vacation pictures and I couldn't find one single picture of myself in a bathing suit or with my kids at all. Through 4 summers worth of pictures that I got through, I found ONE. One single picture and I'm trying desperately to hide behind my kids. It made me so incredibly sad because I remember so clearly what that was like. Can I just say, it is freaking amazing and freeing to be able to feel good in my skin and not feel the need to pull a kid in front of me when the camera is around. Here is the ONE single picture I could find, along with the quick snapshot of the new bikini for Vegas. :-) (Don't mind my scar sheets from my TT sticking out...this wasn't a picture I intended to share), as well as one snapped this summer at the beach. I also did a side-by-side comparison of myself in basically the same "at the beach with my daughter's" pose. Just thought I'd put this out there for anyone on the fence about the journey or the process. It works if you stick to it!!!!! *** PS be kind. I know that I am not perfect. I still have saggy legs and arms. It's a work in process!***

I cannot stress enough how important I think I is is to treat the underlying food issues while on this "sleeve journey." Ultimately there is a deeper reason you are filling a void with over eating. You have to figure out what that is and find healthier ways to cope or you will sabotage your success. I would highly recommend two things: (1) Read "When Food is Love" by Geneen Roth. Don't wait. Run to the bookstore right now. (2) Seek out therapy with an eating disorder therapist. Around 7-8 months post op it was like a switch flipped for me and my desire to binge eat came back. I was scared to death in that moment and immediately sought out therapy with an eating disorder therapist. I have been meeting with her every single week now for over a year and a half and it has made ALL the difference in my long term success. I know for myself for a fact that had I not taken that step I would not be nearly as successful as I've been. It's a work in progress and I still learn something about myself every single week. Good luck!

I'm sorry I'm so late weighing in this week. I was out of town for work. I am the same this week. (134.6) Boo.

Congrats on your long term success.

Unfortunately, yes.

Thank you :-)

You look awesome! I had a TT about 4 months ago, and while the recovery has been tough, I'm SO pleased with the result. Good luck to you!

That is amazing! Congrats!

Wonderful progress! Congrats!

Awesome! Congrats!

What an awesome benchmark! Congrats!

Great idea! I started a blog 2.5 years ago to document my journey & still update it a couple time a week. So glad I did it. :-)

I have struggled with disordered eating all of my life. It started with a battle with anorexia in my teenage years, then I went the complete opposite direction after having kids and struggled with binge eating disorder for most of my adult life until surgery. Let me first say that contrary to what you may now think, it is still completely possible with the sleeve to continue over eating or binge eating. It's just kind of spread out over the whole day instead of one large sitting. So, my point is, that I think it is SO smart and a good indicator of your potential success that you are already thinking about these things. I am now 2 years post op and am maintaining a 150 pounds weight loss, leaving me around 128 on a daily basis. So it is completely possible to beat this. I - like you - see an eating disorder therapist every single week. It is fundamental to my success. Something else that has helped me immensely are Geneen Roth's books, "When food is Love" and "Women, Food & God" ("God" is used loosely, so if you are not religious, it still completely applies). I can't stress enough how much I wish I had read these books before I started my journey. If you want to see more of my struggles and victories along the way, I've tried to be as honest as possible throughout this whole process in my blog. It's linked in my signature if you want to check it out. Good luck to you!!!

If your are at all a self-sabotager, I totally recommend "When food is Love" by Geneen Roth. I read it at the recommendation of my therapist when I was doing the same thing to myself right around goal. It has totally changed my perspective. You have done a lot of hard work physically with changing your eating habits and lifestyle. Sometimes you have to work at the underlying issues too. Good luck!

I think that is pretty typical from my experience and reading the experiences of others as well. Somewhere right around 6-7 months or so it seems that a lot of the internal healing has taken place and it becomes physically (and maybe mentally) easy to slip back into old habits. This is a pivotal point for you. You have to purpose whether you are going to continue with your new habits or slip back into old ways. I think it is so important that you have already identified this and started to get a handle on it. Good for you!

I do not "eat" my exercise calories. The way to lose weight in its most basic version is to create a deficit between calories consumed and calories burned.

I never ran a day in my life until after surgery. In fact I HATED being outside and the thought of RUNNING outside made me cringe. lol. So I joined a gym after surgery and when I walked in , the least intimidating thing looked like the treadmill. At least I knew how to start it. So I downloaded a couch-2-5k app on my phone while on the treadmill and started working through it. It gave me structure so I didn't have to wonder what to do. I followed it the whole way through and was indeed running a 5k by the end. I ran my first 5k last June without stopping and was on top of the world. I kept training from there using the Hal Higdon app and have since run 10Ks, an 8-miler, a 1/2 marathon and am training for my first full marathon at the moment. I know it sounds cheesy, but the day I finished my first 5k and the day I finished my first 1/2 marathon were seriously right up there as 2 of the best days of my life (aside from my kids and my wedding...lol). I was so proud of all of my hard work and the fact that I pushed my body to accomplish something I never thought was possible. Trust me on this....if I can do it, you can do it! I now actually do consider myself a "runner" and my husband has actually referred to me in conversation as "athletic" which is the craziest thing in the world. Having my family there when I completed the 1/2 marathon was just amazing. My teen daughters were so proud of me. Also the time that I have to myself in training is my only "me" time and it is kind of a meditation time in a way when I process through a lot of the stressors that I used to just "eat away". So.....I know that was long-winded, but all you have to say is "running" and I'll talk forever. lol. I say go for it!! You may find you love it, or you may find something else you fall in love with on your cross-training days. Either way it is a win! Good luck!

Nice job! Congrats! Keep up the hard work and you will be so happy with your results!