CrazyJaney

Oh how I love this! I'm using this quote here on out!

Thank you! I feel great! Wish I had done this years ago. You'll be enjoying the new norm soon! Good luck!

5'6. My goal is 175. I keep adjusting it though. Not sure where I'll settle in yet. I'm very pear shaped. Harder to lose on bottom.

Happy Sleeversary Month to all! 1 year coming up for me on the 13th. I'm sitting right at 200-201. Really wanting to be in Onederland but still happy where I've gotten to. It's been a great year! Keep up the hard work yall!

This might be my most favorite post I've EVER READ! So true!

Gorgeous!!! I'm almost a year post and down 122 pounds. It's so slow now and my BMI is still 32. Not sure I'll ever see 25. I think I'll be ok with that. Im not done yet but can't quite imagine another 50 coming off. Maybe in time? I don't know. But you define health, fitness and fab right where you are. Gorgeous!!!!

So perfectly said. ????

Every little victory is awesome but I really, honestly, (swear to God HONESTLY) get sick of the shock and awe. Just be happy for me, say I look nice and MOVE ON! It's more about how I feel than how I look (most days anyway). On a side note.... NSV of the day: wearing a pair of trouser pants to work that I knew were lose but having to use some stockingnet (I work in medical field - this is the sleeve that goes under a cast) to rig up a belt because my pants were literally falling down. About to say goodbye to size 16 I hope!

Mine looked the same way. It's my first Thanksgiving too. Strange not to have seconds and even stranger was that I was so stuffed with so little. Happy Day!

Gosh - I don't think my journey is all that different than most of the successful people here. If I sit and reflect on it, probably the NUMBER ONE thing that has made a difference is I surrendered my ego about food and my ability to control it without "help". I don't go to OA and have not worked with a couselor BUT I have done a ton of reading and soul searching and spent a TON of time on this webstie preop and post op. The only way to go into this successfully (in my opinion) to to be "all in". The emotional side matters. Like everyone else, I have had some success with diets but not long standing. I could minimize my obesity with all kinds of rationales. It took some life changing events in my marriage and my own deterioration of my health at 45 to take this head on. Failure at 45 is not an option. I have a disabled husband and two kids (16 and 9 years old). I have NO OTHER option but success. SO, in knowing that, I invested my everything into this. I looked at how others were successful and followed suit. I am NOT perfect but I am consistent and accountable. The way to win this: 1) Track everything - even on bad days. This is my #1. Without it, I fail. I also weight EVERY DAY. You will see some very succesful people being against this. It is data/feedback that I need to know where I am. It's like checking in with myself. The stalls are tough when you weigh every day. But the succes is SWEET! I know what I am doing every day works. I have emotionally embraced the stalls - to understand that they are normal and a way for your body to adjust. I didn't get to that place emotionally until recently but I think I am fnally at peace with knowing the scale won't always move. 2) Protein first, every meal. Total of 60-80 grams a protein every day. It's all about choices. 3) Carbs. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I have surrendered my powerlessness over pizza. Truly it is a trigger food. I have fallen off the wagon post op with pizza. But I have identified it and turned it around - in part because of tracking. Try to average about 50 carbs or less a day. There are different schools of thought on carbs. At least once a week I DONT track or care about carbs and I think it help reset me metabolism. By carbs - I don't mean sugar. Sugar is reserved for small BITES (and I mean only bites) of Desserts on special occassions. CARBS are my downfall and I have to respect that weakness. 4) Portion control is hugely important. I meansured and weighed everything in the beginning. Still do to some degree. Tracking and portion control are RETRAINING tools - your brain HAS got to learn what real portion sizes are. 300 pound brains DO NOT understand portions - we just don't. Brain has got to be retrained. IT's not as hard as it sounds. The sleeve makes portion size much easier to handle. 5) Stay active. Like anyone who has been obese most of their life, my body had been abused. It's HARD to become addicted to exercise. I am not there yet. My body feels great, until my joints start to remind me that I have abused the hell out of them. But - and I highly recommend - Water aerobics helped me lose weight pre op and in the first few months post op. I have graduated to speed walking and machine weights and I am struglling with an ankle injury now. BUT - at 222.0 pounds, activites of daily living are monumentally easier, thus I stay active. For example, I park farther away in parking lots, I don't avoid walking, I can manage a full day of activity without exhaustion. I have a teenager in marching band - we travel for contests and go to all the football games. I was miserable last fall at 300+ pounds trying to keep up with all that. This year, I have been sooooo involved and active and right in the middle of it - Activity is the way you keep this off - even the little stuff matters. I use a Fitbit. It's also important "data" that keeps me honest. 6) Keep calories low. I didn't believe I could live on 800-1200 calories a day. But I do. Average about 1000 calories a day now but some days are 800. I am very satiated if I eat well. I rarely ever feel like I am sacrificing or being restricted. I eat a little of everything with protein at every meal. I guess those are my keys to success. IT's DATA that keeps me focused and honest. Much like others who post on here - data keeps them focused and honest. I stay involved with this community to keep myself reminded that this is a long term, "forever" fight and does not just end at a goal. Recently, at almost 6 months post, I went home to MI for a family event. I didn't track. I ate carbs of all kinds. I gained 6 pounds in a week. Granted some of that was because I was about to have my first period in 5 months - but - it was a huge wake up call for how "new normal" works. New normal means I can't look away from this. The good news is, I had a period, I immediately identified the cause, I started tracking every morsel, and it fell off in a few days. I have the tools to be successful. I can eat ANYTHING I want but how much is up to me. My BMI is about 35-36 right now. I still have 50-60 pounds to be at a "goal" of 155-165. I am very pear shaped so my upper body looks "goalish" right now but my legs have a way to go. I have lymphedema of both legs so I have swelling that is tricky to get rid of. My legs will never be normal. Even at goal. So I don't really know where this ends. It doesn't end in me in a bikini at 47 - I do know that. I know the end will definitly involve an appointment in a plastic surgeons office - I hope! Regardless, I am certainly on track to better health. Good luck to you! I appleciate the opportunity to reflect. Every few months I have to sit down and process this. I feel so incredibly blessed to do so!

I'm 5'6 and started out at 325 (297 day if surgery). I am 6 months out and have lost a total of 101. I wrote all this down so I went back and looked. I did my first closet purge about 3 months post op and 55 gone. Things were rapidly falling off. I could get into an 18 but it wasn't exactly pretty. All my clothes were falling off. I purged clothes again at about 80 pounds and 95 pounds. I'm very pear shaped so I'm much smaller in top. It's hard to predict. I lost inches even when I was stalled. Go to Target/kohls. I bought a couple maxi sundresses that fit no matter what size I am which I wear when I'm transitioning from one size to next. Good luck and have fun!!

I'd say a shake in 45 min at 2 weeks is normal. You might not feel restriction yet because if fluids but also because the areas healing in stomach may still be numb. Don't push it. Sip and aim for fluid goals and as much protein as you can. The first time you eat refried beans of mushy/puréed, you'll probably feel some discomfort. Sounds about right though.

Camaro I hit my 100 pound lost this week too! Whoop!

I regret many, many things in my life. High school boyfriend. College boyfriend. Not going to Europe when I was in college. The horrible female mullet with big bangs haircut in 1990. But I don't regret having lost 90 pounds in the last year. I don't regret that I still have 70 to go and it's getting harder. I would greatly regret still weighing 325 pounds and being flat out miserable. I know the surgery isn't for everyone. It is work. But to image going back and the struggle it was to lose just 20 pounds back then - I can't even fathom it. There is work, no doubt, but regret for me would be never having done it. To those of you searching threads on "regret", think about how you feel NOW, last year, last time you wanted to do something and couldn't. That is regret EVERYDAY. Research every option and educate yourself thoroughly. Don't let any ONE experience (good or bad) influence you. It is a huge decision that you can't turn away from but this is not a one size fits all.

I'll be 5 months post op on Aug 13th. 85-ish gone but sooooo far to go. Struggling with the fact that I have done well but it's not as easy as it was. I'm headed home from the beach with my girlfriends. Had a great time despite my first experience with dumping (note to self: Bushwhackers are made with ice cream and will make you feel horrible, even if you ALWYS have one at the beach - no more). I look at the pictures and I'm so far from being happy where I am right now. I guess that is motivation to keep going. A year ago I was 325 pounds. This is better but it's not enough. This trip (and the photographic evidence) has been hard on my brain. People telling me I look great, me seeing pics and just wanting more. It's like I see every flaw now. Keep me in your prayers this week. It's also my 46th birthday and just not feeling the self worth I should have. ????

First time out shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding. Is it too much to ask for a summer dress with sleeves??? I have a long way to go but dropped a size, maybe 2 on top, so overall pretty excited. But I couldn't find anything with some sleeves! Any suggestions? Anyone been out shopping lately? Shawls are an option but my arm wings can't be hid as well as I'd like!

At what point did it become harder? I've lost 86 (28 of that was preop). Starting weight 325. Surgery was 3/13/14 so I know I've done great in 4.5 months but I'm starting to have to work a lot harder. I've been at 238-240 for what seems like forever (only 2 weeks but feels like forever). I'm increasing my exercise. What "levels" did you start to have to do extra work?

Andrea K my friend! You are gonna do fantastic! Have faith and go with it. I know the fears. You were there for me when I was stressed preop. You got this! So many good things lie ahead. I won't lie, the first week, not so good. But you get through it. So excited for you!

I had water nausea for months. Day 5 I thought I might die after feeling good on day 4. Day 6 I turned a corner and decided I would live. 4 months later, I've lost 83 pounds. I can eat small amounts of anything. I discovered Diet Green Tea doesn't make me nauseous (try Diet Arizona Green Tea). Life is good. You WILL get there. The first month sucks but hang in there. I feel ya.

How's everyone??? How's everyone's labs? I started taking iron. It's awful. Didn't think constipation could get worse. I'm up to a total of 83 but still have 70+ to go. Exercising going much better. Hair loss in full swing.

There are many of the NSV (non scale victory) that make all the hard work worth it! It's an awesome feeling! Sometimes I just do a little jig for the sake of being happy!

I'm one of the unfortunate women who've had to deal with facial hair for all of my post-puberty life. I've been plucking since I was 14 or 15. I realize plucking makes the follicle bigger but shaving causes ingrown hairs and I just can't bring myself to shaving. It's always grown faster during PMS times. So I'm suspecting this is hormone related. But 2 months out, my hair is thinning ( not too badly) but seems to be growing thicker on my face. And I'm getting a fine, light colored beard on my cheeks???? I had a consultation with an electrolosis person a few years ago and had planned to do it but I have a lot of light colored hair that they say it doesn't work well on anything but dark hair. At the time, I didn't want to spend money for it not to work. It's like I have Miracle Grow on my chin. Those of you farther out than me.... Is this the new normal? Does it get better? And for anyone who has done it, what are your results and thought from electrolosis???? Signed, The Bearded Woman