MeAndTinyTina

Hi - I'm not quite 5'1" and age 56. I never got a goal weight, so I decided on 115. However, my personal trainer says that is way too low for someone who's working out as much as me. I looked up some articles today on body fat % and some experts say that is a more important number. I pulled this off of healthstatus.com: "For women between age 20 and 40, 19% to 26% body fat is generally good to excellent. For women age 40+ to 60+, 23% to 30% is considered good to excellent." I now weight 180 and am starting to think that 115 will look too thin. However, I'm not going to revise my goal until I'm in the 130's and then I'll see where I'm at. I have always been obese. Was 150 lbs in sixth grade and have been as high as 316, so I really have no point of reference. Ellen

That's a lot of lbs - congrats! Are you still as mindful as you were in the beginning -- tracking what you eat, limiting refined carbs, etc.? For me, at 6 months, I find myself slipping into complacency. Haven't logged my food or drinks in weeks and am struggling with grazing -- especially since the bad weather is making me work from home more with access to the refrigerator.

How much have you lost? Your profile shows 8 lbs.

Maybe for the same reason my 2 mini poodles think they are. I talk to them all the time in English, at this point they have a bigger wardrobe than me and have their hair done more often, my girl poodle has pink bows, and I cook and measure all their food, which happens to be mostly Protein and some low-carb veggies. Basically, they ARE human!

I read a lot of posts, but I have to admit that your's made me tear up. I always enjoy your posts - I love the way you express yourself. I'm thrilled for you! And you remind all of us to be thrilled for ourselves. Congrats and keep posting! Ellen

I know this isn't for everyone, but if you can afford to, try to find a gym with exercise physiologists. These are trainers who have 4-year degrees and really know their stuff. They usually work at smaller gyms that cater to older people, but where I go there are some younger ones there too. I pay $55 a week for my one-on-one training and that gives me unlimited use of the gym as well. I figure I used to eat in the work cafeteria every day for about $7, plus going out for dinner at least once of a week, take out, expensive coffees -- it all added up. Now I spend the money on my excellent trainer instead. I go usually 5X a week. My progress has been amazing. My body is re-making itself. I look like a lost a lot more than 70 lbs. I have very bad knees and they make sure that I don't hurt myself. Started going 2 weeks after surgery. I have a body composition scale at home and since the surgery I have not lost any muscle, which is unusual with rapid weight loss. In fact I have substantially increased my % of muscle and lowered my % of fat. To me, this is more significant than only dropping pounds. My balance has improved so much. I didn't know how unstable I was when I was heavier. I walked like an old lady. Not any more! Another thing I like about going to the gym is that it gets me out of the house in the evening, which is when I tend to start grazing -- not that I'm really hungry, just habit in the evenings. I'm doing more strength and flexibility than cardio. My trainer feels that with the sleeve and the restricted calories, I'll loose weight anyway. But with building muscle, I'll be better able to burn off fat even at rest, which will serve me well when I'm out of the honeymoon stage. Ellen

Welcome! I've learned a lot from this site, plus it's fun to share milestones, etc. Have a nice honeymoon - I'm still in mine, but feel like the clock is ticking down.....

Hello CT - Checking in from Branford. This bad weather has been a challenge! I'm lucky in that I can work from home on snow days, but do find it harder not to graze and wander into the kitchen when I'm not in the office. Also looks like with the snow coming, I won't make it to the gym tomorrow. But I have a plan! Bought some stretchy cords and a few weights and a yoga mat, so I have no excuses! I can do some planking, I can walk up and down the stairs, etc. Exercise has been the key to my body transformation. I haven't lost an extraordinary amount of weight, but I look very, very different and my size in clothing is going down much faster than the scale. Was in a size 22W pants on day of surgery, now just bought my first pair of size 12 petite! I think I got lucky with those pants, because my 14s still fit, but still - was so excited I burst into tears in the Dress Barn fitting room and had to call my mother! I hope you all have a nice day -- sun is still shining here! Ellen

I am 56 years old and except for a very brief try at a Curves a few years ago, had never exercised. Somehow I thought that I was different and dieting would be enough. Well, my highest weight 7 years ago was 512" and 308 lbs. At surgery I was at 252. Eleven days after the sleeve surgery I joined a small gym and started working with an exercise physiologist. Best decision I ever made. I could barely do anything! But I am doing so much more now and guess what?! I LIKE IT! I never thought I would. So, 2 weeks ago my trainer said "let's try planking." In my innocence, I said "sure - whatever you say". Of course I had no idea what it was. I did 10 of the longest seconds of my life..... last Friday I did 3 sets of 60 seconds each! In case you can't tell, I am very excited! I'm patting myself on the back, which, incidentally, I can now actually do!!! So what are you all doing that you can't believe you can now do? Ellen

@@VSGAnn2014 - are you using a tracker? I've been debating getting one. No so much because of the cost, but because I'm not sure if I want to obsess over another gadget. But, if you have one, does it motivate you to get all those steps in? BTW -- 10,000 steps with bad news is great! Ellen

@@Lani789 -- wow, that's a lot of exercise! I don't think I'll be comfortable in a bathing suite ever, without skin removal surgery, and maybe vein removal surgery too. My legs look horrendous without pants on. I think a lot of what I do at the gym is a bit like Pilates - a lot of exercises on the mat to work on my core, balance and flexibility. But you say you do a Pilates class --my gym doesn't offer that. I have been thinking of going to the local Yoga center for some classes, but now I'm wondering if I should find a Pilates instructor. What do you think? I looked up Pilates on line, and I'm intrigued.

Welcome! Spend some time ready older posts and you will see that nearly everyone is frustrated about a month or so out. Are you in a stall? Lot's of threads on that. I had my first stall from week 3 through about week 7, then again recently for about 2 weeks. But, as you can see from my profile, the weight is coming off. Or are you frustrated because you're reading about others who lost more weight than you in a similar amount of time? If so, don't compare. Your journey is your journey and will be different than anyone else's. BUT, there are lots of common experiences and this place is a great resource for finding out about lots of things. Have a great weekend! Ellen

Where do you live? Here in CT we are also expecting snow on Monday. Please don't take any chances with yourself. Sounds like you have a family that really needs you - so perhaps the ER is the place to go today. What about a primary care doctor? Do you have a relationship with one from before your surgery? My PCP has been way more helpful. As a matter of fact, my fancy Yale bariatric surgeon has never seen me since my surgery, just his staff. I use my PCP for all serious questions. Ellen

@@allyray -- Finale of Parenthood was really good! I liked that they wrapped everything up. I won't say more in case you recorded it and haven't watched yet. I'm already missing it. Ellen

Fantastic - helps to keep me on track when I see photos like yours. Ellen

A pound is s pound, WLS or not, but there can be other factors in play. For example, my trainer has been working a lot on my posture and balance. I am standing up straighter and carrying myself differently. Also, now that I am out of plus sized clothing, I'm wearing things that are cut differently. In plus size, the sleeves are cut very wide, even if you don't need all that extra fabric. So now, when I wear long sleeves, I'm filling the sleeve, but I don't have all that extra fabric bulk. As soon as I got new clothes I really saw the difference. It's killing my budget, but I am getting rid of clothing as soon as they get too loose. I'm not working this hard to hide behind an oversized wardrobe.

Wowsers! What a difference. Thanks for sharing!

@@laurenella82 I've lost abut 65 lbs and I look drastically different, as you say, the result seems disproportionate to the actual pounds lost. However, I haven't lost much in the past 2 months and I still look like I'm shrinking. All I can guess is that for the first time in my life I am seriously exercising. I'm also eating a much higher Protein diet than other plans I followed in the past, so maybe that accounts for the new me - more muscle, less fat! Ellen

Hi ! I have a teaspoon of chia seeds every day. I put it in 8 ounces of light soy milk or skim milk with one scoop of any sweet flavor unjury Protein powder. I mix it up early in the morning and usually have it late in the afternoon. They swell a little, just enough to make the shake a little thick, which I enjoy. Yes, they are still hard, but down they go. On days I don't have a Protein Drink, I put the teaspoon in Fit & Lean protein pudding. I still have constipation issues, but it is greatly improved since I started adding the chia seeds about 6 weeks ago. I've never had any problem with swelling in my stomach - but then again I have never been nauseous, never vomited, never had any pain eating since I started solid foods. Lucky me - but of course I can easily overeat, so maybe not so lucky me. NO! I take that back! Everything is good, I am lucky, and very, very happy with my sleeve and my shrinking body. Ellen

As is said over and over, only regret that I didn't do this sooner.

An hour once a week with my HOT, HOT, HOT 23-year old trainer keeps me warm and coming back 6 days a week (to impress him, mainly). Yes, I realize I sound like a crazy cougar - believe me, it's all in my head. I'm the model of appropriateness when I'm working out Ellen

In the video he calls himself a cautionary tail. He also hoped to find some meaning in his life by telling his story and helping someone else. Mission accomplished. I will not forget this sweet man and I will remember him when I get discouraged. At 5 months post sleeve surgery, I find myself eating more and more. I absolutely know that I have the potential to fail. However, I absolutely know that I also have the potential to succeed long term. Thank you Hector -- rest in peace. Ellen

Good luck and keep us posted!

I do agility training and competitions with my dogs and the other night I was at a seminar designed to help the humans with their balance, footwork etc. I wasn't sure what we would be doing or how cold the facility would be, so I wore jeans instead of workout clothes. The class ended with 20 minutes of yoga poses, which I had never done before and on one of them I felt a cold breeze "where the sun don't shine" and realized that my pants had slipped way, way down! OMG -- I bought those pants about a month ago!

I had a plateau from weeks 3-5. From what I read on this forum, a plateau at that time is very, very common. You can search this site and there are lots of threads on the subject. Good luck and don't worry.