*Lexie*

Congratulations! You are over halfway to goal.

This week, 173!

Great article, thanks for sharing!

A Tummy Tuck will definitely set you back a bit on fitness. It's a pretty intensive surgery (getting cut open from hip to hip), the toughest I've gone through. Is it vain? Oh probably. We can't trade our bodies in for a newer model like we do cars so we have to make the best with what we have. Did I feel guilty about spending money on an elective surgery that would make me look better? Hells to the no! My abs look fabulous. Talk to a lot of people, surgeon's, doctors and consider the price and downtime for healing and that should help you make a decision.

All exercise is boring at first. Walking is the easiest thing to start with. It's nice out, go out and enjoy the scenery.

My MD didn't give me a number to stay under. I try to keep mine under 30. If I do that, I lose pretty steadily. Of course I have days where I go over that but it's all about balance.

I'm from Indy and got my surgery through Community South. I have Anthem BCBS and they covered my surgery. From my research, I found that Anthem does cover the surgery but some employers will opt out of the coverage for lower rates. You must have one of those employers. I don't know anything about Evenson or Mexico for that matter, just know that it's about 1/3 of the cost to go to Mexico. If you can afford to do private pay here, I would go for it. I love having the support of my surgeon's office after my surgery. Find it to be very beneficial. The only recommendation I have is to stay on these boards at least during the first few months. The information was very valuable to me. I stay on them now to keep myself motivated.

@@proudgrammy @TheRealMeIsHere! I fixed it, sorry about that. The feature for attaching images could be better.

I finally got brave enough to take photos after surgery. I had my 9 month appointment yesterday and the surgeon was very happy with my progress. I still have close to 30lbs to lose to hit my goal.

179.0

A quick google search will tell you everything you need to know about this type of diet. It's very similar to what most bariatric surgeons recommend after surgery. Atkins is considered a keto diet. It doesn't automatically equal high fat. The basics of it are meat, dairy and vegetables.

I wasn't told that I had to follow Atkins but the plan I was given was very similar. I try to stick to Atkins most of the time, definitely helps me lose faster. As soon as I start eating too many carbs, my weight loss slows way down or stops.

I'm almost 9 months out. I do get hungry but the feeling is more dull than it was pre-op, if that makes sense. It still takes a lot less food to fill me up and I stay full longer than before. I think there's a band to sleeve forum, some people that have had both may be a good resource for this question.

Very real. I stalled for a total of 3 weeks. But you will start losing again and soon that stall will be a distant memory.

177.0 this morning

I've wavered back and forth on whether I wish I would have had bypass. Mostly because I'm a slow loser and an impatient person (not a good combination). Keep in mind, you can still get dumping syndrome with the sleeve. I have issues with fried foods, spicy foods, dairy and anything too rich (sweet) or if I eat too fast or a bite too much. The sleeve does not necessarily equal the easy way vs the bypass. I know people with the bypass with a lot less issues than I've had. While the sweets can be a factor, it should not be the only factor you use when deciding on which surgery is best for you. I encourage you to go to the bypass forums and ask them questions too. Of course in the sleeve forums, we're going to all say how fabulous it is. That being said, I'm glad I got the sleeve. I'm 8 months out and I've lost 80lbs. I have around 30 to go. I do think you can lose this weight. It felt impossible for all of us in the beginning. But if you put your head down and focus on 10lbs at a time, you'll be amazed at how far you've come at 6 months, 9 months, etc.

@@AvaFern You're the first person I've come across that seems to have the same issue that I do. I throw up if I eat too much or too fast. And I mean, I will keep throwing up until it my stomach is empty. I also have issues with several different food types making me throw up. For example, I can't eat anything spicy or I get sick right away (so sad because I love spicy food). I have a question for you. How far out from surgery are you? Has it eased up at all or is it still the same as when you were early out from surgery? I'm 8 months out. My doctor says that this should go away eventually but so far it hasn't. The bright side is, it keeps me on track.

That sleeve won't slip! Congrats!

Here are a few things I was looking forward to and can now do: cross my legs comfortably, go running, wear my wedding ring. Things I'm still looking forward to: running a marathon, going zip lining, wearing single digit sized clothes, have a normal BMI.

That is so cool! Are you going to do it?

Boys are dumb!

Those unsupportive people will come around. The good news is, it's much easier to get back on track now. Not like you can go eat a whole pizza or anything. Go back to the list of foods your doctor gave you to eat at this stage along with the frequency in which they told you to eat. I believe you can eat out at this stage with a little planning. Most places have Soup. One yummy item I would have was Taco Bell pinto's and cheese with a scoop of ground beef. That was 2 or 3 meals for me but it tasted like Taco Bell goodness and it was high in Protein. For me, I'm trying to teach myself that I'm no longer "on a diet" or "off a diet". I'm changing the way I eat. And the way I eat now is structured meals, protein first, healthy 90% of the time. But I do allow for the occasional treat. That's part of life, not realistic to think you'll never go out and order something at a restaurant that you love.

My doctor said that studies show that post op patients that exercise regularly lose 10% more of their excess weight than those that don't exercise. I have not seen these studies. But I would like to have that extra 10% so I'm exercising regularly. So far I've lost 71% of my excess weight.

@@Babbs Good for you!! I did a 5K a few weeks ago and what a rewarding feeling to cross that finish line. It's addictive!

Interesting article.