MichiganGirl

What kept me going was that I didn't want me to get thrown out after working so hard to get that date. I was "on mission" at that point. It was after the surgery that was hard to stay on the Protein shakes/soups. SO tired of sweet drinks!
You can do this. Plus you are allowed green veggies. Mix them up. Hang tough!

180 is my "goal weight"... LOL I hope all goes well for you, throughout the entire process!

Congrats on your success. Unfortunately, I think your contagious! Now I"M obsessing about your collarbones! Please post more pics to keep me updated on your collarbones.

A couple slices of thin sliced deli smoked turkey and a couple small slices of Mozerella cheese. That is my main goto snack. I bought a food scale and that equals to about 2.5 oz a snack. I try to avoid the Protein bars due to all the carbs. I go for the natural Protein, mostly meat and Beans. I am at a plateu right now and not much exercise due to knee surgery 2 weeks ago so I am defiantely trying to eat right, but dang it is hard! Especially this time of year.

I'm fancy, too. And sparkly.

Great list; looks very similar to my own at this point! I love to take peel and eat shrimp with a little cocktail sauce to work for lunch. My co-workers think I'm fancy. Which I am.

Ready2B, you're awesome ! Great comeback ! You win !!!! ( Can you imagine if you talked back to them the same way they talked to you ? " Hey, your boobs are looking a little saggy there Sue ! Going to get a boob job soon ?, or Hi Bill, I see your stomach is starting to hang over your little private parts there !! Geesh ! No wonder the ladies are'nt interested in you !!.............. Oooooooops !!!! Did I say thaaaaaaaaatttttt ??? (Steve Urkel ,TV show)

I had lost a lot of weight in the past (though gained it all back quickly & more) so I had to deal with a lot of very inappropriate comments about my weight loss and it always unsettled me. I hated my weight loss (and regain) always being the topic of the day wherever I went! So, this time, in doing the emotional prep work for this surgery, I've already come up with a response that I think will defuse some of the unsolicited & unwanted comments. If anyone goes beyond a nice simple, "wow, you look great". and starts in asking things like "how much has you lost?", or commenting on how fat I was before, etc, I will just smile sweetly and say "I am bored talking about my body, let's talk about yours now!" I figure that will stop things pretty fast. :-)

I agree. Fat people are scrutinized and talked about.
So are skinny people. And ugly people. And people who dress younger than their age. And people who wear too much makeup, talk too loud, drive a flashy car, have boob jobs, have bad breath, chew with their mouths open...
People talk about other people. They pick a "thing" and then pick it apart. If people are talking about you when you're fast, they are going to talk about you when you lose the weight. That's just how people are.

That sounds like the kind of compliment a kid who doesn't know any better would give. It did remind me I now have more of a lap as my stomach no longer sits on my legs, but I wouldn't want someone else to say so.

I have used the Eat Slower app on my phone. You can change the time intervals to your liking. It really helps me! (I have a tendency to eat waaay too fast)

I have used the Eat Slower app on my phone. You can change the time intervals to your liking. It really helps me! (I have a tendency to eat waaay too fast)

I have used the Eat Slower app on my phone. You can change the time intervals to your liking. It really helps me! (I have a tendency to eat waaay too fast)

It's been strange for me too. Was a (tight) 24 to start - have lost 75 pounds and STILL am in my 24's... they are a little lose - but still comfortable in the waist. SO weird. I can fit into a few of my 22's that I've pulled back out. But 75 pounds and still wearing the same size?? I'm definitely losing from the top down. lol

It's been strange for me too. Was a (tight) 24 to start - have lost 75 pounds and STILL am in my 24's... they are a little lose - but still comfortable in the waist. SO weird. I can fit into a few of my 22's that I've pulled back out. But 75 pounds and still wearing the same size?? I'm definitely losing from the top down. lol

As the tortoise stated "slow and steady wins the race"...
Think about the last time you lost weight at that rate and it may help you appreciate what you have accomplished!
I waited and waited to get new clothes, as I hate to shop... until my pants practically fell off my hips! ...I HAVE to wear a belt now LOL...never thought I'd do that...much less find one that fit me...
Today I noticed my jeans will slide down over my hips without unzipping again... they don't feel too big, but I guess they are... so I'll have to find some smaller ones...

Goodwill, here I come again!

(grinning)
urdoinitrite.

Sorry... I can't see what I type on new threads started on my kindle...So have to reply to my own post to actually share anything!
I am an outgoing person...will talk to anyone anywhere kinda woman . I dont mean to brag, but I have received very positive feedback about my looks since losing weight from both men and other women. So.... I keep wondering why nobody asks me out..Haha. seriously I have been thinking about this and one major factor is that I suck at flirting and tend to not even recognize when a man is flirting with me. I can come up with several examples of a complete stranger talking to me about my horse, my truck or my car or something...and 3 days later, I think to myself..."hey, I wonder if he was interested in ME?" many missed opportunities to perhaps get a date or at least an ego boost

I am sure this is a self defense mechanism from a lifetime of obesity.
So today...drumroll please...I didn't suck! I went on a long ride with friends and two of us met for a late lunch/early dinner afterwards. We park our truck and trailer with horses inside while we eat. As I returned to my rig, I walked by a guy with a boat hitched to his truck and he said "is that your horse?" The cowboy boots might have been a clue. I nodded and he went on to say, I hope you dont mind I peeked in on her...beautful palomino (a horse color term). I thanked him for the compliment and was walking away when he talked about his ex girlfriend being into horses and that he wasn't into them but respected the hobby. He then started telling me about his passions, talked about my truck etc....and the wheels started turning...maybe he wants to talk to me. So, I engaged in a great conversation about many subjects. I can turn on the charm...
He then told me his friend helped him pull the boat out of moorage for the summer and was inside buying bandages for a slight injury....friend shows up and he's a real firecracker.... He got into the truck to bandage his wounds and made the occasional funny remark like.. "Did K mention he owns an airplane?" A minute later he says... "and he has a barn...but sadly no horses in it" . Oh and later he says "k is actually single too". He was being funny but it definitely helped the clueless (me) get a hint.
So a few minutes later it was feeling like our conversation was wrapping up...normally I would have wished him a good evening and drove off....but instead I said "I'd like to talk to you more". So he asked for my number!
Now the important part is not whether he calls or not..important thing is that I read the signs and gave him an opening! I usually put up a polite wall and it is no wonder nobody asks for my number or asks me out. This is major skill development for me. I have been practicing that sort of social e engagement with other women and have made some new friends but this is the first time I have successfully expressed interest in a complete stranger. Woohoo!

@CowgirlJane - I SO appreciate your reply. You are the voice of so much reason on these boards. And yes, for sure - I needed to vent about this and to diminish some of my fear by expressing it.
1. I could NOT have done this without the sleeve. I have no regrets about that.
2. If I didn't lose any more weight - that would still be OK given how much healthier I am. (I was most assuredly on my way to 300 lbs)
3. I am exactly in that place you describe: lots of compliments, came a long way, have a new wardrobe, feeling pretty good - but also feeling a bit stuck - weight loss down to about 4 lbs/month.
4. YES - afraid to get all the way down to a normal weight (gasp, skinny even??). In fact, losing another 10 lbs would put me at my lowest weight in 15 years. Yikes - terrifying.
5. The bratty, lazy un-grownup part of me wants this to be easier than it is and is definitely staging a rebellion.
But no, it is not over - and I can refocus and rein in my mis-behaviors. I am just now going through the mental and physical process of really deciding to this - to get hardcore as you say.
Am I worth it? Can I take the final step and face the risks that go along with doing that? Am I strong enough? Do I have the support I need? These are the things I am consciously and unconsciously working through.
Thank you for your caring reply!!

I am going to challenge you.. not to in any way invalidate your feelings or experiences, but rather to give you "food for thought".. so please take it in the way intended.
Can you really eat as much as you used to? Are you really as hungry as you used to be? Do you think that you can continue to lose weight (and more importantly maintain your losses!)? Could you have accomplished any of this without the sleeve?
I have lost over 160#. I started at 308... and my dream, my measure of success was to get under 200# and actually maintain it. At 5'5"; still obese. I got to about 190 and sure enough... my weight loss slowed to a crawl. At about 8-9 months post op, I was losing around 2# a MONTH!
I met with my nutritionalist and she pointed out the single worst thing I was doing food wise that created my problem.. i was eating Protein bars like candy. crap. One more thing got banned from the house. Essentially, Protein Bars had become my new junk food and they are really high carb!
I also faced my own inner feelings. I had lost about 120-125# and people gave me so many compliments, I felt so good, I could physically do things so much easier... but I still had a nice comfy protective layer of fat. I frankly looked matronly, in spite of my friends saying how good I looked, i looked like a typical overweight middle age woman. hmmm. Did I really really want to lose more? Was this good enough? Was I fearful of trying to get all the way to a normal /slim weight?
I had to face my own inner decision - much like the original decision to get WLS. What do i want to make of this? How can I leverage this tool to the fullest?
I got hardcore again. I went back to basics and pushed pushed pushed, Water, Vitamins, ate low carb again, worked out... etc. Frankly, that first about 14 months post op (except for the little Detour I just talked about) I didn't do alot of fun stuff like vacations, dinner parties and cocktail hours. I focused on losing weight.
Guess what, when I refoced, reduced carbs, my hunger decreased and my weight loss accelerated back to the 9-12# a month until I got to my ultimate goal in Feb 2013.
I am now maintaining under my goal weight and it is still work. (it is easier than staying under 300# was for me preop, but it is still work). It is my lot in life. Guess what, it is the struggle most women over 40 engage in to stay trim. It sucks. My best friend packed on about 35# over the last year or two and she is hungry all the time.. just to lose a pound a week she has to really work it.
Anyway, in truth, i would have been okay if I had maintained at 190.. beats the crap out of 300+ and gaining.. but I am very glad that I took the plunge and continued on as I love my body and health at a normal BMI, but the reality of the WLS situation is that it is not a guaranteed easy ride to skinny-ville.

Not to minimize your confession but reading your journey made me feel optimistic and alleviated some of my own fears! I'm glad you feel normal after 9 months! I'm glad you have a normal appetite and can enjoy foods again. Most of all I'm glad you lost a hundred pounds and your health is better!
Think of it like you have already done the hard part. You have a lot less to lose now, and you can do it the " normal" way! You have power over your fears! You demonstrated that.. Just keep going! Simply read your post again, skip your last paragraph and give your God a hand!

Surgery was Feb 4th, 2014. I've lost 103 lbs. I am still "Obese." I've gone from a 24W to a 14P (sometimes 12) in dress size so far. I came off High Blood Pressure medication. My resting pulse rate went from 100 to 70 on average. I fit in seats everywhere I go. I walk and bike ride quite a bit, usually 4x per week. I have a lot of energy. I see a therapist. I try to stay positive.
And...
I still feel like I am batting the daily demons. You know the ones: the demons that enjoy grazing, that don't drink 64 oz of Water every day, that enjoy carbs and occassional sweets, that track daily intake a little too sporadically, that constantly suggest, "Go ahead, you can get away with eating that."
I hate these demons. These are the same creatures I battled before surgery. Somehow I hoped it would be different or that the magic honeymoon period would have lasted longer. There are days I feel like I really haven't had surgery at all.
It's funny, because I remember doing my pre-op research and really focusing on the enormity of my decision. All the literature which said, "Gastric Sleeve is forever, completely irreversible, a major decision." No one EVER said, "Oh, by the way, despite having 75% of your stomach removed - 9 months from now you will feel extraordinarily normal and your appetite will return in similar force to what it always was and you will be able to eat quite a bit of most everything and you will have to engage in the daily battle to maintain a lifestyle diet, and you will have to restrict yourself with will power and a hundred mental tricks EVERY DAY."
Sigh.
I am switching into sleever veteran status and I am very afraid. I am afraid that I will not be able to lose to a point where I am no longer listed as "Obese." I am afraid that I am back-sliding with my habits. I am afraid that I don't really have it in me to do the very difficult ongoing forever work that is now required of me. I'm afraid that my "tool" will lose it's effectiveness. And ultimately, I am afraid of failure.
And that is my confession.

Miss Tummy gives it back.

I used http://obesitycoverage.com/your-new-weight-calculator/ to see what my weight would be based on each surgery. FOR ME there was only a 27 pound difference between bypass and sleeve. I decided FOR ME that 27 pounds wasn't worth the added complications and dumping syndrome. That's FOR ME of course :-)
Good luck on your decision

Been awhile since anyone posted here. I also participated in the Sparrow Weight Management program. I also did three tours of Optifast through them - lost 50-70 lbs each time only to regain it all and more back.
This time I looked into the bariatric program thinking there was no way I would follow through. However, I'm SO glad I did!!! Best thing I've ever done for myself. Did some research into Dr. Mindy Lane and the results came back very favorably. She was head-hunted to become the director of the program for Sparrow hospital and had glowing reviews. So imagine my disappointment when I was assigned to the other surgeon on staff for bariatric?
However, I couldn't be more thrilled with my surgeon. His name is Dr. Kosisochi Obinwanne. He's got great bedside manner. Made me feel I wasn't just a number or that next patient on the list. He was funny, approachable and listened to my questions. Just wanted to throw that out there for anyone considering Sparrow. So far, my experience over the years has been one to recommend.