Luvin_Life125

I recently picked up 2 maxi skirts from Target. Buy one get one 50% off. I figure they are forgiving and should fit for awhile. I can sew a little so I figure I can always take it in and hem it if necessary. I picked up a couple of fancy Vneck tshirts that had lace around the V at Walmart to go with the skirts.
Boscov's tend to be decent on prices. I bought a few shirts to shrink into from Deb Shop when they were going out of business. Forever 21 is a similar store and frequently has some inexpensive stuff on sale.
Goodwill can be a good place to find stuff but go in when you have time and patience. I don't know who thought arranging things by color instead of size was a good idea. Having to pick through the entire rack to find my size is a pain in the butt.

@@Luvin_Life125
We have a KOH'LS!!!!!! I'm going to check this out next time I go, and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! And a Blessed Easter to you!

don't have date yet though

Anyone who is an apple shape needs to check out the Levi 590 jeans! They are made for us girls with a larger waist compared to our butts and legs. My problem with jeans has always been my wide waist. When the jeans fit my waist, they are usually huge on my non-existant butt and thighs. The Levi 590 changed my opinion of jeans forever. I finally understand why people find jeans comfortable when they always felt like they were cutting me in half. The best price I have ever found on them is by shopping through Kohls when they have sales and coupons. I was able to get them for under $25 and practically lived in them until I shrunk out of them. I hope this helps someone else.

@@LipstickLady It puts a smile on my face everytime I see a recent picture of you. It gives me real hope that I will one day actually see my goal weight. Although I am just shy of 4 months post op, I'm finally starting to see the difference in my weight loss. Pictures are a wonderful thing.
Thanks for everything you do, and the wonderful person you are. You are and will continue to be my motivation. Love you to LIFE, J!

Congratulations! You look fantastic!
I too find myself stopping when I pass a mirror and saying Is this really me?
I hopped on the scale this morning and wow, I am down 90lbs in six months! I have another 56 to go to hit goal.

My surgery was almost two years ago and I've been "at goal" for over a year. I am still amazed when I see pictures of myself not fat.
The kid in this picture is a size 2. I am not. Ha!

Anyone who is an apple shape needs to check out the Levi 590 jeans! They are made for us girls with a larger waist compared to our butts and legs. My problem with jeans has always been my wide waist. When the jeans fit my waist, they are usually huge on my non-existant butt and thighs. The Levi 590 changed my opinion of jeans forever. I finally understand why people find jeans comfortable when they always felt like they were cutting me in half. The best price I have ever found on them is by shopping through Kohls when they have sales and coupons. I was able to get them for under $25 and practically lived in them until I shrunk out of them. I hope this helps someone else.

I am so sorry you are in such a bad place and your surgeon is a jerk. You can't do Protein shakes so let's figure out another way to get your Protein in that doesn't make you gag. These are my suggestions to start with. If you want to try some of these, check out Nashua Nutrition's website to order single serving sizes of any of the protein they sell.
-Have you tried the different flavors of Syntrax nectar? They are more fruit/ koolaid type of protein instead of the milk based drinks.
- what about making a fruit smoothie that doesn't have protein powder in it? Try using Greek yogurt, the Torani sugar free Syrup, frozen fruit, maybe ground flax seed if you like it.
- how about getting your protein entirely from food sources and cut out the protein powder completely? The World According to Eggface blog has a ton of great recipes using real food. It may take a little while of trailing food to see what works for both your taste preferences and your sleeve.
-Quest Protein Bars? I love the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor and it has easily become one of my favorite foods. You can buy single Quest bars in different flavors at GNC to try and see if you like them.
- there is a liquid gel concentrate made by the brand Proti Diet that tastes very much like crystal light or sugar free koolaid and it isn't a powder. I have tried both the pink lemonade and the grape flavors and I really enjoy them. The packets are liquid and mix easily without any clumping or grit.
Please hang in there. Let us help you find a way to establish a truce between you and your sleeve. Unfortunately, the surgery is a permanent change. I hope you feel better about this decision soon. Please try to find a more supportive surgeon who is willing to take over your care. It is an important relationship and needs to be comfortable for you.

Anyone who is an apple shape needs to check out the Levi 590 jeans! They are made for us girls with a larger waist compared to our butts and legs. My problem with jeans has always been my wide waist. When the jeans fit my waist, they are usually huge on my non-existant butt and thighs. The Levi 590 changed my opinion of jeans forever. I finally understand why people find jeans comfortable when they always felt like they were cutting me in half. The best price I have ever found on them is by shopping through Kohls when they have sales and coupons. I was able to get them for under $25 and practically lived in them until I shrunk out of them. I hope this helps someone else.

I went on a Goodwill crawl with my daughter today. Five stores in five hours. I came home with eleven tops. Most were four dollars and a few were five dollars. Then we went to Payless and I actually found and bought a pair of cute heels that feel good on my feet.
People, I am wearing a dress tomorrow. It's an Easter miracle.

CanyonBaby, I too am super apple-shaped, so let me tell you what works for me: the empire waist.
Look for high-waisted flowy tops and high-waisted dresses. If you are like me, the narrowest part of your torso is the bra-band area, so if the waist of your clothes hits there and flows to a full skirt underneath, it is very flattering and comfortable. Plus this style is supposed to fit loose, so you can wear it for several sizes before it looks too clownishly large on you.

@@CowgirlJane
Ok. I did it. I ordered my first dress! I feel like a kid who got caught in the cookie jar! Do I dare put it on when it gets here? I chose the size that I have worn in this particular brand (Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren) before, so hopefully it will work. It is a style that I can wear year-round, with tights and boots in the winter. I have to say this scares me a bit! I thank you again for the suggestion, and I'll let you know how it looks!

@@CanyonBaby Lol yes the NYDJ brand is all higher waist jeans hints the name "Not Your Daughters Jeans" they are my favorite because I have a smaller waist and a big ol butt so my butt doesn't work in the low waist jeans...I HATE Them! Only half of my butt fits and the other half is proudly out on display for the public OR a big butt muffin top if covered by a shirt. I like to be kind to my behind and cover it completely.

I'm not sure what to tell you about sizes. I didn't read all the other replies, so I don't know if anybody suggested thrift store shopping. I started shopping at thrift stores when I got the band and most of my clothes (except for under things) still come from thrift stores. You can get some good clothes as you're losing weight and you're not spending a lot of money. Go in and find things in the area of the sizes you're in and just try everything on. You'll find some things that work!

In my experience, dresses are easier to fit during transition over pants. Dresses are just more forgiving, and you can wear with thermal tights or jeggings or whatever to keep warm. If a dress fits your shoulder/bust the rest can drape very pretty. The reason I didn't wear dresses when I was obese is because pretty shoes just killed my feet. These days, boots, flats and many other shoe options are quite acceptable!
Choose styles with a flattering neckline, colors that make your face beatiful. When I first hit goal, I had so much extra skin that I was still learning to "manage" that dresses were my "go to" clothing.
Now, I love my skinny jeans and tops but those are much trickier to fit just right.
oh, Ross Dress for Less is my source for cheapo dresses too - it is a big day if I spend more than 15 bucks on a really cute dress there! You just need to try on a zillion of them and they do carry plus sizes. Don't get hung up on size - sometimes I need a large on top even though i am a healthy weight... oh well, the price you pay for boobs!

Goodwill all the way.

I think this is an excellent idea and I sm going to start rewarding myself thank you everyone for sharing .

I'm gonna tell you something the PA told me at my pre-op appt. and it has saved my life getting through this process. I had surgery 3/16 and I have been crazy trying to get my head around 4 weeks (2 wks pre surgery and 2 wks post) of liquids. She said chew sugar free gum. JUST DONT SWALLOW IT!!!!! ( it could cause a blockage). I am very careful but it truly has saved me from going completely bananas!!! And it's a sweet treat. My favorite is Juicy fruit. Hope this helps!

You are in a very hard period of recovery and your emotions completely normal! Not only are you making big changes, you lost your emotional crutch ( food), and as you burn fat estrogen is being released in mass quantities. It is a triple whammy. You have to find your way of coping now. It can be walking, meditating, indoor exercise bike, dancing, journaling, etc.
Are you currently on an antidepressant? If so, talk to the provider who prescribes it for you to see if you may need an adjustment to the dosage until you get to a better place. If you don't take one, it might be worth talking to your doc and see if one might be appropriate right now.
Is there a counselor or psychiatrist available to talk to with your bariatric program? That might be another resource to consider.
You are doing great and are in one of the hardest phases post op. Please feel free to talk to us here also. We have all been there and understand how you feel. I hope you feel better soon!

One of my favorite NSV thus far at only a few weeks out is that I can sit in the recliner and my 2 yo can sit next to me! Usually I would just have to hold him (and obviously I love to do!) but he climbed up right next to me and we both fit. I almost cried!
Also, all my clothes that I have t worn in 2 years before I had by son now fit! It was fun going through all my clothes and trying some things on. Some were too small still but that's okay, I will get there! Then I will get to buy more!

How about this? Pulling up the car seat so much that my 185lb husband has to push it back just to get in!!! Or, having to re-lace up all my lace-up shoes because my FAT FEET are no longer FAT!!! Or being able to slide between the cars in the garage WITHOUT getting a dirty a** in the process!!! Minor things, yes, but it is AWESOME that I can now do those things!
GREAT POST!

Awesome post kindle! I will be a year out from surgery on April 16th. My biggest regret over the past year is that I focused too much on what the scale reported versus how my body look or more importantly, downplayed the things my body now allows me to do that I couldn't do before! I didn't exercise much this past year because I noticed every time I did, my weight loss would slow down on the scale. I'm now paying the price as I think I've lost a lot of muscle mass the past year. I'm now focused on toning and that may just add some weight on the scale and I'm okay with that. My goal is to look good naked at this point!
I agree that the endless posts about stalls on this site do become kind of annoying to read. They happen people!!! It's part of the process! I think all of us come in to this process with such a huge fear that we will fail like we have so many times before and then it becomes an obsession. The weight WILL come off! Just follow your doctor's plan. Heck, rebel a bit and the weight will still come off! So here are some of my NSV this week: 1) I continue to steal clothes out of my teenage daughter's closet daily (size 6/8) AND she has now started stealing my clothes. If anyone knows how picky teenagers are, this a huge compliment! 2) I wore my daughter's size 6 lululemon leggings to jog and considered NOT covering my a** for the first time ever because it looked kinda hot for a middle aged woman (lol, I crack myself up but I will post a picture below to prove I have no shame! ????) 3) I ran farther than I ever did before and actually enjoyed it!

I see so many posts on here from people stressing over the numbers on the scale...."I'm stalled", "I'm a failure" , "what am I doing wrong?" "How much did everyone lose at X months out?" "Disappointed" "only down X number of pounds" etc etc. Seems like a lot of unnessecary, made up unhappiness over a stupid number. The scale has become the transfer addiction for so many.
So for those of you obsessing over, and making yourself unhappy because of what the scale says, I challenge you to STAY OFF THE SCALE FOR A MONTH! Check in on this thread once/week, just like the other CHALLENGES on this forum, but instead of a number, report your latest NSV.'s Whether it's an improvement in your health, a drop in Meds, a smaller clothing size, an activity you couldn't do before, a nice compliment, a new, healthy food choice, whatever. Tell us something that made you feel good about your decision to have WLS. Something that has nothing to do with the scale. After all, these are the things that matter.
At the end of the month, go ahead and weigh. Hopefully you can see how much easier this journey is when you Celebrate the NSVs rather than fretting over numbers.
I've had SO many NSV's in the last year, but since I just went on my first couple horseback rides of the season this last week I'll start there... I can hop up into the saddle without needing to find a stepping log or rock. And I LOVE the new saddle I had to buy last summer because my butt was way too small for my old saddle. And I had to tighten the thigh straps on my chaps at least 3 inches for them to fit.
Comon...let's hear what made your week!
Oh yeah, and this isn't meant to be just an NSV thread, it's meant to be a stay off the scale and celebrate your NSVs thread.....No weighing for a month!!!!

I am so sorry you are in such a bad place and your surgeon is a jerk. You can't do Protein shakes so let's figure out another way to get your Protein in that doesn't make you gag. These are my suggestions to start with. If you want to try some of these, check out Nashua Nutrition's website to order single serving sizes of any of the protein they sell.
-Have you tried the different flavors of Syntrax nectar? They are more fruit/ koolaid type of protein instead of the milk based drinks.
- what about making a fruit smoothie that doesn't have protein powder in it? Try using Greek yogurt, the Torani sugar free Syrup, frozen fruit, maybe ground flax seed if you like it.
- how about getting your protein entirely from food sources and cut out the protein powder completely? The World According to Eggface blog has a ton of great recipes using real food. It may take a little while of trailing food to see what works for both your taste preferences and your sleeve.
-Quest Protein Bars? I love the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor and it has easily become one of my favorite foods. You can buy single Quest bars in different flavors at GNC to try and see if you like them.
- there is a liquid gel concentrate made by the brand Proti Diet that tastes very much like crystal light or sugar free koolaid and it isn't a powder. I have tried both the pink lemonade and the grape flavors and I really enjoy them. The packets are liquid and mix easily without any clumping or grit.
Please hang in there. Let us help you find a way to establish a truce between you and your sleeve. Unfortunately, the surgery is a permanent change. I hope you feel better about this decision soon. Please try to find a more supportive surgeon who is willing to take over your care. It is an important relationship and needs to be comfortable for you.