Forsythia

Honestly, I don't know what size I want to be. I've never been thin. So I don't know what would look good. Right now I'm a 14/16 on top and an 18 on the bottom. I'm 5'5". I guess I will assess that when I'm closer to goal.

Used one in the hospital from day one. Never had issues with them. My water bottle has a straw in it. I drink from it every day.

A lot of people don't keep up with their stats on here. So their profile will say some low amount when they have lost 100 lbs.

I used to say that if I were to drown in a vat of sugar I'd be okay with that death. I'm also diabetic. That said, I do not dump at all. I can, in theory, eat all the sugar. I mean, I can have the chocolate chip cookie with no issues. Having said that, I don't crave it like I used to, and even if I do have the cookies, I can only eat a small amount before the sleeve is like "girl, stahp!"

Back in the day, I used to use ankle weights with some of my Firm videos. But only on lying leg work. Never during cardio. From what I can tell the only thing that is going to prevent saggy skin is good genetics.

I love that weight loss boards are the only places on the planet where calling someone a loser is a compliment. LOL!

Scales are cruel, evil things. For awhile the scale was stuck at like 240. But I took some measurements and noticed my under bust measurement shrunk to 38. So I went to the store and fit into a 14/16 top - with room! So even though the scale was stuck, I was still shrinking. So the moral of this is when my scale sticks I like to take my measurement to gauge where I am. Usually if the scale is stuck the tape measure has gone down. So if you find yourself stuck, take weekly measurements of your bust/waist/hips/biceps/thighs to see how things have changed. Good luck!

Every week, I take a class at my gym (LA Fitness) called Body Works Plus abs. It is what I term a fast and light weight class. Fast enough that you get a cardio effect while doing it, along with high reps (as opposed to the slow and heavy stuff I do in the weight room). The class has 2.5, 5 and 7.5 lb dumbbells in it. Stronger people (usually guys and super fit broads) can go out to the floor and get heavier bells if they want. Normally I take a pair of all three. Last night, Florence, the instructor, walked by and called me out about the 2.5s! She said I was strong enough to stop using them. The high reps do exhaust me! So I took that as a challenge, because normally I do use the 2.5s on some of the shoulder work because I am weak like a kitten in the upper body. I basically only used the 5s and 7.5s for the class. I didn't die. So I guess Florence was right. If this is worst of the problems in my life, I have it pretty good.

Once I was on soft solids, I took a trip back to Indiana to see my parents. Of course at the train station there was only fast food. My best option was a beef soft taco. So I ordered one and basically ate the meat and cheese and pico. The world continued to turn. Ultimately I knew that I was never going to be a clean eater. I just don't have it in me to eat kale and quinoa. The appeal of the sleeve is that I am able to eat what I want just in small quantities. So if I want the taco I can have the taco. But only one taco. Before I would have had four or six. That is a joy of the sleeve - I can have a little bit of the food I love which makes me happy and makes me feel like I'm enjoying the food experience.

I'm at the point where I no longer sip my Water. I take a pretty normal sized drink of it. So after a few months it does get easier. You'll feel more like a normal human being rather than this freak with a water bottle attached to you. I find I can actually drink my entire 25 oz bottle during a workout if I am working super hard. But I can knock back 12 oz in significantly less than an hour. So fear not, soon the sipping will ease into drinking a normal sized drink.

I chose the sleeve because I was not interested in a plumbing re-route. I didn't like the mal-absorption issues many people have with the bypass. I was not interested in possibly dumping (though, some sleevers dump, I do not). I found that my diabetes was in check as soon as I was home from the hospital. No more medications for that. No more waking up in the middle of the night to pee because my sugar levels are high. I like that I can have everything I like, but in much smaller quantities. So if I am out and about socially I can have a sliver of cake without getting sick. I'm 4.5 months out. From my high weight I'm down over 100lbs. Since the surgery I'm down about 80lbs. I wear a size 14/16 top now, down from a 22/24. Pants are an 18 down from a 26 or 28. Whichever surgery you choose will be the right one for you. But I have zero regrets about having the sleeve at all. It was absolutely the surgery I needed for me.

In a way, weight loss surgery is like stepping off a cliff. You can take the step and not know where you are going to land. You can back away and stay on land and stick with what you know and how you are. Now if you take the step, what happens afterward. Do you like a bird, soar into the air, or like Wyle E Coyote, fall to the ground? The result is not pre-determined. You can be the bird or be the coyote. Funny thing for me, after this surgery, I grew more and more agitated with my job. I tolerated it. But I certainly did not like it. Most days I would come home and be miserable. Often times customers would make me go to the bathroom and have a cry. A few months after my surgery, I ended up putting in my notice and quitting. So now I am between jobs. But I feel so much better emotionally. That job was slowing killing me. My weight was also slowly killing me. Diabetes was out of control. Blood pressure was high. Everything hurt. I had to take the step off the cliff. I'm 100 lbs less than my highest weight. I can fit into a 14 top now. I've never been this small as an adult. But every day I wonder if I will be a success at this. The same parallel is happening to me professionally. Will I find another job? Will it be something I like? Am I going to fail at finding a job? So in a way, I've got two things happening in my life that are evoking similar feelings. All I can do is to do my very best. And I don't know if I am the roadrunner or if I am Wyle E. Coyote, but either way, I had to try.

Inches matter. It is totally the difference in between being a 14 and a 12. I've lost 10 lbs in the last month. And it has been slow, but I am so much smaller. That is a win, girl. I have never worn a 14/16 as an adult. The last time I was able to wear a size 14, I was 12 years old. 12! It was 1989, and I was able to wear my mom's clothes. I could borrow her stuff again (at least in tops, she is still smaller than me in the hips, so that's a no go. But anyhoo, you get the point). Just keep in mind the scale is just one indicator. If you are shrinking, take that win and own it. Don't let the scale dictate your happiness, Ria!

Cardio for overall loss, then do things like swim. Swimming is a great upper body workout. Push ups, triceps dips, kick backs, skull crushers all hit the triceps hard.

Nice pedi. Also, I never count afternoon weights. You've eaten. Only morning weight post bm counts. Lol

Baby food meat is gross. Bland and gross. Purees was my most hated stage. Have a Greek yogurt or refried Beans with some melted cheese. But for the love of all things holy don't do baby food meats. Ick gross Ick. There is also unflavored Protein powder you can put in stuff like soup, apple sauce, pudding.

I'm 100lbs smaller than my highest weight, but I still have about 85 more lbs. I've gone from a 44D to a 38DD. Bizarre, I know. But so far I've not lost a lot of volume in the breasts, but rather a lot of weight around the sides, so that's why I've gained a cup size. Butt wise, my ass is still hanging on. But I come from a wide hipped/big bootied family. Not sure if I will ever lose all the booty. My hips are currently keeping me in a size 18/20, even though up top I'm a 14/16.

Once I was on general diet, I found that a morning coffee took care of keeping me regular. Now even on coffee free days I usually go. But man, the first month or two... my bowels were jacked up. I didn't do well with fiber supplements - they just gave me terrible stomach pain and gas. For awhile I was taking senna or ex lax, but I didn't want to be on ex lax too long. So my suggestion is coffee if it is allowed in your plan and you are a drinker. Just remember to drink extra Water since it is a diuretic.

I think there is a post minimum for the veteran's forum. And since you only have six posts, the forum won't let you post.

Have fun!

Sometimes sugar substitutes cause interesting gastrointestinal effects. Eat some sugar free haribo gummy bears. The malitol in them causes all sorts of issues. But in your case the sugar substitute in your jello might be causing the desired effect.

Neither of the surgeons at my hospital have anyone do a liquid diet - at all. Maybe there are individuals who have special circumstances - fatty liver or something - but the average bariatric patient who uses Northwestern Memorial in Chicago do no liquid diet. And I was over 300 lbs when I started the program. I ate normal food up until the night before my surgery. For everyone here who had to do one, there are lots of us all over the place who had no such mandate.

What Bufflehead said. Once I was in the pre-op area the anesthesiologist was the first doctor in the room. I did not have the same fear of being put to sleep that you do, but it was nice to know that he was there for any of my questions. As an aside he was also easy on the eyes (what, I'm married, not dead). I'm not at my goal. I have about 85 to go. But from my high I'm down 100 lbs. Yes I have loose skin. Especially in my sides by my breasts and my inner thighs and upper arms. My stomach is last to go and not that bad. I look a lot better in clothes now. But I'm 37 and have been fat for 31 of those years. I don't know how much recovery is in the skin. We will have to see. It might shrink back a bit.

Liquid in liquid out. Keep an eye on your temperature and note if you notice any other issues like pain, rapid heartbeat, etc. I basically had liquid poo all throughput the puree stage. Once I went to soft solids, I had the opposite problem - constipation.

My hospital does not require a liquid pre-op diet (it is a bariatric center of excellence fyi). I'm pretty sure I would have been mad cranky on one. I would have followed it though. I'd already jumped through all the hoops! My diet was essentially Atkins phase one. Low carb, high protein. I followed it and cut out as many carbs as possible. Lost 18 lbs on it.