AvaFern

Your post doesn't have your weight, so it's hard to imagine where you are right now. Crossfit is good in conjunction with cardio. If you've been largely sedentary, Crossfit is going to be horrible initially, which is not a bad thing, but if you supplement it with walking, light jogging, biking or use of the elliptical, you can work on building muscle with CF, but also getting leaner with cardio. I don't tend to think that only doing Crossfit is the best option, but it can give you a great community to be part of, and social experiences when working out are a lot more likely to contribute to you being consistent with exercising than is the case of being stuck doing something entirely on your own. Good luck!

Happy Surgiversary! Mine was yesterday, so we can Celebrate together and eat some vegetables or something, lol. I also have been stuck at a few weights, so I appreciate how frustrating it can be. I would agree with your nurtitionist that going back to the basics is probably the best bet. Good luck and try to enjoy today- you made it a year!

Exactly one year ago today I had my sleeve surgery and it has been a truly wonderful year! In the past I have dieted down to 120 and then ate my way back up to 200 at least 10 times, however I started 2013 weighing 197 and then I found myself at 237 by August. I simply couldn’t control my eating and I had gotten to a point where I wasn’t able to exercise a whole lot because my feet would swell up when I ran and I was a slug in the classes I took at the gym. Worst of all, my siblings had come to visit me in the summer of 2013 and the last time they had seen me I was around 130, so much as they assured me I looked great, I could see that they were shocked at my size. It was humiliating. The third week of August I decided to go to the bariatric surgery seminar that the hospital in my city held once a month. The next day I had scheduled a consultation with the surgeon, and a week later we had my surgery date set for 9/9/13. Since I am a super impatient person, I had no interest in waiting around for my insurance company to possibly deny me six months down the road, so I was blessed in that I was able to go with the self-pay option. I was SO worried a year ago that I was possibly destroying my life. I read all of the horror stories about people who had the surgery and experienced leaks or other complications and I had generally worked myself into a hot mess. Fortunately, when you shell out 20 grand, you minimize your chance of chickening out and a year ago today, around this time I was just waking up enough to be somewhat cognizant of the fact that I was in a hospital. I chose to tell no one about the surgery at the time, although since that point I have told my three best friends and they have been a great support system. I spent the first three days so ungodly sick I was positive that everything I had worried would come true. Fortunately, once I was off the IV narcotics and finally at home I started to feel a bit better. The effects of the anesthesia and drugs didn’t really start fully wearing off until week two, however I worked from home starting four days after surgery and I returned to full-time office work a week after surgery. I think the worst part about the first few weeks was not being able to comfort myself with food. I felt rotten, I was terrified I was going to spring a leak and die, and I could not eat Cookies to feel better! Fortunately, I had an excellent surgeon who, while not a really nice person, was exceptional at his job, and I have never had any complications. Also, apparently when you’re self-pay, no one ever follows up with you to make sure you didn’t die, so I would totally advise if you go this route to find a doctor that has a great surgical skill set, but also one who is invested in your success outside of simply whether or not you live to leave his operating room. By last Christmas I was in the 190’s, where I stayed for awhile because I enjoyed some Christmas chocolate, but by January after all of the junk was cut out again I started to drop. The 190’s and 180’s flew by, but getting out of the 170’s and under 160 took forever. I was stuck at the same weight for months, so for those of you who plateau, all I can say is, look at what you’re eating and how you’re working out, adapt, and keep going! I finally kicked the plateau and as of this morning I am 145. Three weeks ago I had my first set of plastic surgeries, which included a breast lift and augmentation, an abdominoplasty, and lipo to my inner and outer thighs and lower back. I don’t notice a huge difference with the lipo, but I can see a huge difference with the rest of the procedures. There is a reason people love plastic surgery! I will admit I tend to prance around in front of my bathroom mirror, naked, checking out my new figure and maybe at some point I will be able to do that in front of a man again instead of locked alone in my bathroom, lol. I have a groin incision thigh lift scheduled for the last week of November, but after that, I’m done with the worst part, and I don’t imagine I will have any major procedures done again anytime soon. I also lucked out and got a massively talented plastic surgeon who also has fantastic bedside manner. If you’re in Florida and you’re looking for an awesome practice- message me! My PS is awesome! I’d still like to lose about 20 pounds, but I don’t feel worthless anymore. I’ve wanted juvederm and botox in my face for years, but I was always of the opinion that spending money to make my face better when the rest of me was fatzilla was just an expensive waste of time and cash. I have an appointment next week for both and I am excited, instead of sick with guilt and shame. Now, I don’t feel guilty about spending money on clothes or cosmetic things because I feel like I worked hard to get to this point, I look decent, and I deserve it. I can enjoy getting dressed up to go out and even though I catch myself occasionally still feeling like the fat girl, no one ever treats me like one anymore. There is such a night and day difference between the way people treat you when you are large and when you are regular sized, and it is nice to not feel instantly judged anymore (especially since I’m sure half the time no one was even looking at me me and it was all in my head!). Overall, I can certainly say that the only thing I regret about the surgery is not having done it sooner. Sure, I have to be careful when I’m out to dinner because I tend to get instantly sick if I eat a few too many bites of the wrong thing and yes, there are times I wish I could bury my bad day in a bag of oreos, but I can still enjoy all of the food I love, I just do so in very small portions. I love my sleeve, I love the life that it has allowed me to have, and I look forward to continuing to log onto here and read everyone else’s stories!

Thank-you for the warm thoughts! That is so funny that our stats are almost exactly the same! You've done an awesome job- congrats on hitting goal! I cannot wait for that day. I have three big things that I wanted to post about when I first had the surgery. The one year surgiversary, the day I lost 100 pounds, and the day I hit goal...so far I've hit one of the three, but hopefully the next two are coming soon. Best wishes to you!

Sounds like you need a new pcp! It's possibly she didn't lie...it seems more likely she just isn't educated in the procedure. A lot of people who haven't researched the process think going to Mexico is shady, when in reality they probably do more surgeries than we do in America and their success rate is the same!

1. I'm worried that I'll have very low energy. I have kids and an incredibly busy schedule (don't we all). Is there something to counteract this? Vitamins, etc? The first 2-3 weeks I was really exhausted, but after losing weight you will have 10 times the energy you have now, so I would totally not see that as a reason not to get the surgery. 2. I'm also worried about depression. I tend to be a little low anyway and I've seen a few people who experience this following surgery. Why is this? Is it a hormonal issue or regret or what? This is the biggest of my worries. The first month I was convinced I had ruined my life. I felt crummy, I was still fat, and you can't really eat anything so that makes things worse. Since that point, I have consistenly improved in mood and now while I still have my bad days, there are far more good than bad. 3. Is there any food I could never ever eat again? I will I eventually be able to eat most anything in moderation? I don't like the idea of life without chocolate. I can eat absolutely anything I want to. Granted, I can only have a few bites of some things or I get super sick, but this is more than enough for me to be happy. I was eating chocolate by month 3 (around Christmas) and I cut it out in January of this year. I don't really crave sweets anymore, but when I want some, I have a few bites and I am more than satisfied. All of these things are valid concerns, but none that I feel would keep me from getting the surgery, particularly now that I have the hindsight of knowing how well it all works out in the end. Good luck to you!

Did you eat one of those Fiber One bars? OMG. They taste great, but they tear up my stomach as well. They used to make me sick even before surgery, but now I stay away from them. Hope you feel better soon!

The first couple times I lost 50-80 pounds in my early 20's, I don't feel like I noticed the loose skin as much as I did after this weight loss cycle when I am now 30. In hindsight though I can look at old pictures and see that there was still some there. I just gave in and got plastic surgery and for the first time in my entire life I can look in the mirror and feel like I look like a normal person looks! I was very worried it would not be worth the expense, but it certainly has been.

If it makes you feel better, I love agility and hate strength training. I have no problem moving reasonably quickly, but make me carry heavy stuff and it's game over. To be fair though when I was younger, I hated agility as well until I was forced to do it in soccer and basketball. Ever since then, I still hate it, but when it's over I feel strong unlike after a lifting session when I feel like weak, wussy, spaghetti. Also, everyone wants to puke when they think about doing suicides- they're not meant to be fun. Good luck in your next training session- you might not hate it as much as you think!

I was sleeved almost a year ago, so I'm not at the same time span as you. Something that really works well for me though is turkey chili. I only started making my own when Panera stopped serving it for the summer, but about once every 2 weeks I make a giant vat of turkey chili, I scoop one big scoop into a quart freezer bag, and I make about 15 meals, which I keep in my freezer. When it's time to cook it, I pull a bag out of the freezer the night before, and by lunchtime it's defrosted. I heat it for about 4 minutes, and it's quite yummy. With the turkey and Beans, it has a ton of Protein, and a serving size is about 150 calories. If you want to feel like you're eating more than you are and you want it to be a little bit fresher than from the freezer, pour a little bit of V8 into the bowl before you microwave it. I eat this almost everyday.

Congrats! My surgery was on 9/9/13 and the last year has gone wonderfully. Hopefully the day is lucky for you too!

I was prescribed atenolol once for migraines and a slightly elevated bp. The dose was tiny, but just enough to keep my bp stable and to ideally make my constant headache go away. The doctor probably prescribed a very small dose that will ensure that your bp stays stable during the surgery. I don't see this as being a great practice, but it's not going to hurt you. Ultimately, it's just a beta blocker, so it's not really for a heart condition as for hypertension and beta blockers are often taken by snipers, surgeons, or other professions for the off-box use of lowering their bp, which tends to make you less jittery. You will be getting far more dangerous drugs after surgery in the form of heavy narcotics and during surgery to knock you out...atenolol is the least of your concerns. Call your doctor back and tell him that if you not given a full explanation for the reason that the drug was prescribed without requiring any form of expensive appointment you will file a complaint and post a few dozen negative reviews about his practice online. People tend to respond better to honey, but if you've used up all the honey, vinegar can work just as well.

I was on normal food by 3 weeks out, I just had to be very careful I chewed it into mush before thinking about swallowing it. Every surgeon has their own preferences and yours just seems to be overly cautious. I've worked in the medical field for a long time, so I'm not the most compliant patient, particularly when I feel like research supports my breaking of the rules. For example, I had my surgery in Sept and I totally ate chocolate and junk food the entire week of Christmas. In January, I cut it all out and I rarely eat anything bad now, but I'm going to do the same thing again next Christmas (mmm Peanut Butter cups). You really have to decide at what point you think you want to take your health into your own hands, research the decision, tell your doctor you're going to do it (they will generally work with you), and then go for it.

You won't have to eat like you're eating now for the rest of your life. I still enjoy any type of food I want, I just eat it in very small portions. I am fortunate that if I eat more than a few bites of junk food I'm pretty much instantly puking, so I know now that if I want some cake, I can have a few bites, really enjoy it, and then stop eating. I do tend to stay away from pastas because I don't like them enough to justify the massive sickness that ensues when I eat them, but I do occassionally eat desert and the majority of my diet is just like most healthy people, except I eat a lot less of it. Your life really will be normal again and you'll get to be thin and still be able to enjoy food.

I had several major stalls during my weight loss efforts and I'm sure I will have 1-2 more before I hit goal. When I realized I was massively stuck, I took a look at what I was eating and if I was working out enough. Everytime I broke a stall it was because I paid more attention to my food and started working out more. If your calories in/ calories out is where it's supposed to be, eventually your body has no choice but to stop holding the weight and the scale will move!

@@finediva Hey! I didn't see your post before, let me try to answer your questions. I did stall a lot and I'm still not quite at goal. I started at 237 and my first big stall was at 196, which was around Christmas-time. When New Year came around I cleaned up my diet a lot and started dropping again. My next big stall which lasted like almost 2.5 months was at 166-169. I stayed here from the end of April until the begining of June. In June I really kicked up my workouts again and then joy, stalled again at 156 for several weeks. I finally broke that stall the week before I had plastic surgery and I went into surgery on 8/20 at 153. I came out of surgery at 161, and within a few days had dropped back to 153 after all the Fluid was gone. I'm now two weeks out and this morning I was 146. So..there are a lot of stalls that tend to come up, you just have to take a look at what you're doing and revise it. To break 166, I had to commit to running 3-5 miles everyday, and I did 2-3 hours of hard cardio classes at my boxing gym. Once you break through the plateau, I haven't really tended to gain it back, it's just a matter of sticking to the diet and working out and eventually the scale starts to move again. Good luck!

I also have a desire to eat food that I shouldn't (lately this would be cheddar chex mix, white cheddar cheez-its, and nutter butters), and there are plenty of days where I eat a few handfulls of all three. The trick is to limit yourself to how much you eat, not to never eat anything bad for you. For example, I recently had some plastic surgery work done and the first week was long and boring, so I tended to snack more than I usually do. I would have one of the to-go cups of cheezits and one to-go cup of nutter butters throughout the day (which is, yes, 900 calories), but I had no real interest in anything else, so I just had a few days of eating my calories in junk instead of healthier stuff. Now that I'm a little more past that point, I just don't keep the junk in my house and then I can't eat it. Fortunately, I also tend to get pretty much instantly sick if I eat anything more than I should, so that helps things a bit too. Another example, last night at dinner, I had maybe half of one of those soft pretzel things (125 calories-ish), a bite of a sandwich (maybe 25 calories), and a few chips with salsa. My overall calories for the day was only about 900, but I don't ever feel deprived. If I eat healthily 90% of the time, I can enjoy the times I eat a little unhealthily and the sleeve keeps me from overdoing it. My best advice would be to keep junk food out of your house, but also enjoy it occassionally and in limited portions. Your sleeve should make you sick if you eat too much, which will discourage repeating that in the future, and it will help you learn to enjoy a few bites of something instead of the entire plate. That, for me, has been the greatest thing ever, because I was never a one oreo girl...I would eat the whole package in one night! Being able to have a few bites of something and being done with it has been the real blessing of the sleeve for me- not having to live a life where all I ever eat is chicken and veggies. Good luck to you!

There should be no reason you can't take regular bc- it's generally only a concern immediately before and after surgery because sometimes it can contribute to blood clots. Since you are quite a bit out at this point, you should be fine. And p.s.....it's totally ok to get some action and make that pill do it's birth controlling job. Enjoy your new body and maybe let someone else enjoy it too!

I was also extremely nervous about surgery before I had it. I am one week away from being one year post-op and I do not regret the surgery for a second. Sure, there are times where I ended up sick, because I ate the wrong thing, and I've felt awkward at dinners, but overall, the sleeve has proven to be a wonderful tool that continues to make my life easier and better. I wish I had the benefit of hindsight this time last year- I would have been SO much less stressed out! Good luck to you!

Gas trapped from the surgery can produce referred pain to the shoulder. Less than two weeks after surgery, that may very likely be the cause. Walking, miserable as it may be, is really what will make you feel better. Have you tried gas-x strips? Those were wonderful for me. Listen to your gut though...if you think it's something else, no harm in confirming that it isn't.

At a year post-op, I feel exactly the same as I did my whole life, except now I eat a few bites of oatmeal for Breakfast instead of an entire plate of food, lol. Immediately after surgery, the only thing I noticed was that my largest incision was a little sore and I couldn't just sit up in bed for the first week or two, I had to roll over onto my side and swing my feet out. I was in the hospital for 3 days, during which time they kept me so drugged up I don't remember feeling anything other than nauseous, but once I got home and off the drugs, I just felt a little more tired than usual for about a week. Sometimes you twist your abdomen a little too far the wrong way, and you feel it the first week or so, but past that, after a few weeks you will wake up feeling the same way you do now, just skinnier.

Awesome job! My surgery was 9/9/13. I am so far down 89 pounds. The loss does slow down quite a bit near the end, especially when you can't workout. I also do not have a single regret about the surgery and I can look back on how stressed out I was about it this time last year and be grateful that I decided to go for it. Congrats on how well you have done!

This won't be a problem for you in the future! Last summer, prior to my surgery my sister and I went to see a concert. She and I were both quite large at the time, although she is a bit bigger. Of course she would have been given the chair with a defect. We were in the front row during a very quiet part of music when the stupid chair broke and made this giant cracking sound. Fortunately, there was an extra seat next to me, so we both just slid over, but UGH, I hear you on the chair issue!

I took a week off and it ended up being just fine. I was also in an office job that mostly involved sitting with occassional up and down movement. It wasn't so much being sore, as just being tired, particularly since you can't really eat anything to increase your energy like you would after a type of surgery that doesn't include diet restrictions. With a 4 year old, if you have the time to take off for two weeks, why not go for it and if you feel better early, you can always go back. Either way you're covered. Good luck with surgery!

I change bra size twice...I went from a 38D to a 34DD during the weight loss phase, and I stayed, oddly enough, in the same size sports bra the entire time. I just had an augmentation and lift, and quite amusingly I am at the moment still in exactly the same size bra I was before surgery, just with a much better look. When I look back at pictures, it seems like I would have changed sizes substantially more than I actually did because the girls were quite large at the begining and quite deflated until my recent surgery, but I suppose it's just how everything is distributed that makes it less of a change that I'd imagine.