ElectricBoogaloo

Ok I'ma answer this one for myself and hopefully everyone else will as well.
I know in the early days there wasn't much livin going on. I was isolating, felt bad (terrible), slept bad, and it was an all or nothing focus to eat as nutritionally dense and calorically light as I could. No cheating, no booze, no party of any kind. We just worked, ate, slept and watched a lot of tv. I wasn't even exercising at that point! I had very few clothes that fit, very few shoes, and didn't want to be around people cuz I felt like I was under scrutiny all the time--especially eating out in restaurants. And we never really got into fast food that much cuz of Mr. F's allergies.
But now we had many social invitations/obligations and business networking things and I have my new thrift shop wardrobe and I feel good in my skin/clothes. I feel like Mr. F. is proud to be seen with me and like I've turned the clock back about 20 years. And I'm happy and am feeling SO much better physically and sleeping quite a bit better too. And so I don't want to just sit home and watch tv and isolate--especially towards the weekend! I can do S-W, but Th-Fri-Sat, I start to get itchy feet!
And I know it's not so practical at Christmas to change this up again and revert to the old isolation-straight-and-narrow gig, but I CAN go back to the menus that made me lose. And start eating some of them again! At least from S-W and maybe even Thursday! I CAN negotiate new rules of engagement for being out and about on Fri-Sat. Rules that don't ruin the rest of the week.
My goal to get back on track is to shake things up again! I'm still gonna do some IF, maybe even ADF with calorie restriction, but mainly go back to the menus that worked. I will also try to get back down to my ticker weight by Christmas. I think that's do-able. I will take the big holidays "off" but not in between. I'm gonna go post this as my reminder over on the challenge thread too. LOL.

Wear your LBD to your kitchen for Breakfast. Just sit, smile at your hubby and wait for his reaction.

I have this weird, vengeful satisfaction around the fact that I got all my promotions and kudos at my company while hovering around 300lbs. It’s part of what’s made my weight loss transition different this time - it feels like rather than changing my body to society’s expectations so I can progress at work, I got there by merit alone and can now do whatever the hell I want, which happens to be dressing and behaving like Rene Russo out of The Thomas Crown Affair.
I also think that’s why I haven’t hit a dieting slump yet - I’ve been less focused on the numbers on the scale or tracked food and far more focused on what sorts of clothes I can buy, what sort of shoes I can wear, how I impact a boardroom when I walk in. I get a new audience for that stuff every time, so the thrill isn’t wearing off. Food has been relegated to such a bottom-tier priority that I’m still using it as a fuel source rather than struggling with it (don’t worry, I’m sure that will roar back at some point, especially if I hit a depressive lull)
Come back to me in 3 months when the new apartment has settled in, the clothing budget has run out and the focus on food reasserts itself.

Body lift, Tummy Tuck, neck, arms and legs. Would be wonderful. I'm envious.
Companies value healthy and attractive to represent them. I was promoted over very qualified and senior staff. Later I was told the reason why. It was to represent the company but, also to manipulate men that we were doing business with. It was not such a compliment to hear from staff that the only reason I was promoted was because I had big boobs.

Ugh, that blows!
I had a former manager who could not mention me without going on and on about me being a woman, the first woman in role, him patting himself on the back about making the team more diverse. Ugh, I cringed every time. It was the only qualification for my position he ever mentioned.

Yes, and our metabolism!
I was with a colleague last week who is tall, model gorgeous and THIN. She kept talking about how much she loved to eat, how the gym is some form of torture, and her whole goal in life is to find the next place to sit. I was like "aint life a b*tch!"

If that's not goal, what is ?!?!?
CONGRATS 🎈

You look fantastic!!! Now spill your guts...where'd you get the turtleneck? Inquiring minds and all!

Not quite at goal, but I'm beginning to think this is where I need to be. Total of 72 lbs lost in 8 months. I feel incredible inside and out. Finally broke down and bought much needed clothes.

Maybe Big Viffer, 51 is the new 25! I do agree that she is sure smokin' 🔥Hot!

Sorry, gonna have to call you out as a terrible liar. No way in hell is that kid in the picture 51!

Sent from my phone. Please forgive brevity and spelling.

Hi everyone!

it's been a while since I've posted before and after pictures, so here goes. I am 19 months post-op (VSG) and am blessed to have such great results!

I am 51, 5'8" and while the weight loss is awesome, I most proud of what I have accomplished in my general fitness (thanks to great fitness training with an emphasis on strength training!)
Here's to success for each and every person on this board and on this journey - IT CAN BE DONE and YOU CAN DO IT.

Just over 7 months post op today feeling AMAZING! Old picture of me around 295ish and me today at 180 in a size LARGE shirt from the loft :)

4-Year Veterans Addy & Joe... see our other pages for stats...
www.youtube.com/c/AddyJoeTVGastricCouple

How could I forget this one...
We were driving home from the hospital and stopped once so I could walk around in a restaurant parking lot. After opening the door, I felt like I had to vomit and try to clear something from my throat...turns out it was my uvula!!! There was so much inflammation from being intubated that it was hanging down my throat. Every time I swallowed, it felt like I swallowed my tonsil. It was a truly horrible situation for about a week. As Mr. ElectricBoogaloo took a picture of it so that I could see, he said it is kind of shaped like a penis...at the grocery store...to which I responded a little louder than I should have (read:wailed), "I don't want to continually swallow a P***S!😂

I just can't reiterate enough on how glad I am that I decided to have surgery!!! My journey started in June of 2017, that's when I decided to go with the gastric bypass. I had to wait for a whole year before I actually had surgery, due to not being able to keep my weight down🤷🏾‍♀️. I finally had surgery in June 2018 and it has been the best decision I could have made to regain control of my body and my life. I thought it would take close to a year, to get near my goal weight. However, to my amazement i'm only 19 lbs., away from my goal weight now‍♀️!!! Since my journey began up until now, I have lost 113 lbs.! I have noticed that my metabolism has sped up and I now have to have about 5 small meals through the day. My food digest's really fast now and i'm okay with that. I'm so happy that I can be active and do things that I haven't done in many years. It feels awesome to go shopping and not‍♀️ have to go in the plus sized(goodbye size 26) section anymore
(Hello size 10)!!!
RNYGB: 6/25/2018
HW: 297 LBS.
SW: 246 LBS.
CW: 184 LBS.
GW: 165 LBS.

Oh no! Do tell...(not phrased as a question!😆)!

Oh no! Do tell...(not phrased as a question!😆)!

Ok here's mine...mind you--it pales next to the things you guys are dealing with but...
I have a beak for a mouth.
There.
I said it.
(And I ate 1 chocolate chip cookie that I stood and baked today for a party...didn't touch the oatmeal raisins though--my gran's recipe--#ballsofsteel...so far no hurling but I'm a little afraid...)

So I guess that's the next topic:
Break through medical issues not necessarily caused/resolved by surgery. WTF and how are y'all handling it? Because I'm pretending every little thing gonna be alright...

I'm so excited for you!!!!! Congrats and what great inspiration and "thinspiration"!!! So happy to have been a witness to your transformation. Couldn't happen to a nicer girlie!!!! Woohooooo!!! Goal baby! Yeah! Happy 1 year anniversary!!! And just look at it this way...when people say, "You've lost too much..." You can say that you haven't lost too much at all, you've really only gained an empty pant leg! Wooohoooo!
🍾🎉🎉

This time a year ago, I was lying in hospital having had open surgery. I had my gastric band removed, including the port which had been replaced using mesh which had rolled up and caused a few issues including abscesses and infections on and around my liver.
I had the band removed, and a ‘fobi pouch’ variety of the RNY - with a slightly longer but narrower stomach than is usual, with a small silastic ring sutured loosely around its middle - no stomach stretching for me!
Initially I made my weight goal the same as my gastric band low - 80kg (176lbs) and then as the weight dropped, reset it at the top of the ‘not overweight bmi’ range for my height 70kg (156lbs) - this seemed wildly optimistic to me.
I dropped just below that at my 6 month mark - remember, though, I was a ‘lightweight’ at the start at 106kg (234lbs) pre surgery, down from my 260 top weight pre the gastric band 10 years ago.
I dropped another few kilos when I got gallstones, bringing me down to about 145lbs or so, and all together pretty healthy and happy. But getting OFF my weighloss treadmill (metaphorical) was a challenge. Changing to maintenance eating was harder than I imagined, and giving away that desire to see the scales drop a small bit every morning was very hard indeed. I could see how eating disorders could take root at that point!
Anyway, in July I decided that if I was going to have a successful maintenance, exercise needed to be a regular feature in my life. I started the Couch 2 5k programme using an app, and from not being able to run for one full minute at the beginning, I now run 5-8km (3-4 miles) three times a week, and do weights at the gym the other four days. And I am loving LOVING the new me! Being mid 50s and starting running is a bit unusual, but building muscles long since forgotten is a new challenge and I love seeing the gains. Running a bit faster has replace being a bit lighter. Lifting a bit heavier has the added bonus of toning and making that lose skin a bit less bothersome!
I eat 1200 calories a day, including 70-80g Protein at least. I have three meals a day, with one healthy snack - necessary to get the calories up - I really needed to stop losing weight as I got down to 130lbs briefly and it felt TOO light - 135-137 is a good range for me, mostly psychologically! I try to limit useless carbs - if I eat sweet rubbish (even sweetener instead of sugar) the sweet cravings return with a vengeance. I suspect this is addiction-like and I will have to guard against backsliding in this area for a long long time.
The worst part of the journey? - dealing with people constantly asking when I will stop losing weight, telling me I am too thin, telling me I am taking it too far etc. Only women, by the way - blokes have been uniformly complimentary. Most women too - I love being told I look strong. People comment on how much more energy I have, how strong I seem. People literally don’t recognise me in the street. I see them thinking ‘I think I know this person’ and then jolting in surprise.
I have not one, single bad word to say about this whole experience - but, I utterly, religiously and with the help of many here, stuck to my programme. No excuses. Some slips - but straight back in the saddle (after a ‘penance’ session on the hated elliptical!)
THIS WORKS.

I started this journey @ 470lbs. I'm 8 1/2 weeks post op and today I weighed in at 399lbs!

This word is for all the pre-op/recent surgery folks. Stick with it...Follow the steps. It's more than worth it.
Good luck and God bless us all on this journey!

I have to pack up my current apartment to move to my new apartment. I am not looking forward to this. Part of it is going to be donating 95% of my closet, which I already know is going to give me the vapors because of course I still wonder if I'll need them a year or two down the line... I also know by midweek I'll just be chucking things into boxes at panicky random. Bleh.
I also have a friend who's recovering from a coma and stroke, and I've promised her that next time I see her I'll have some scandalous stories to share, so I have to brainstorm some seriously naughty and debauched things to do before the end of the month. She can't react much, but I told her about a recent one-night stand and her eyes went REALLY WIDE and she inclined her entire body towards me, so pretty big incentive to provide something similarly shocking. The family that's taking care of her is pretty religious in perspective so I try to balance things out by being wholly indecent (don't worry, she would appreciate this and I could recount stories she told me that would set the nursing home curtains on fire).

My youngest graduates from college tomorrow!!! Yippee!!!