bwade1

I am almost in Onederland!!!
Highest weight - March 267 lbs
Surgery weight - April 252 lbs
Current weight - 201 lbs

Had a very successful weekend this past week. First of all me, my husband and some friends went out of town to a steampunk festival and not only did i dress up but I entered a cosplay competition. I knew i wouldn't win but felt brave enough to go strut my stuff, something I would not have done 97lbs ago. Secondly in July me and my husband went on an alaskan cruise and bought hiking boots. We went on a hike before the trip and hiked through the rain forest in alaska (amazing!) and found that we really enjoyed it. So we went to a hiking trail yesterday. For some reason we kept thinking the trail was 3 miles. So we were hiking and hiking and hiking and saw mile markers for the first 2 miles then came to a split in the trail where there was a trail that was 8 miles and the trail we wanted to be on. So that's when we found out that the shorter trail that we thought was 3 miles was really 5.3!! By then we were pretty tired and about half way done and let me say a mile hiking was drastically different than just a mile walking on a flat surface. So we just kept at it and kept saying that we were gonna feel so accomplished at the end. Btw this trail had lots of narrow paths and steep inclines. Ugh! So it took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to hike the trail but the feeling was so rewarding! It's something i wouldn't have been able to go when i was heavier. But the hike made me think of my weight loss journey. Parts seemed miserable and to go on forever, like wanting to eat food during post op diet. And parts were thrilling, like trying on a new dress that you couldn't fit in before. But ultimately the end felt so rewarding and while I'm not at the end of my weight loss journey i can say that these past 97lbs were like that 5.3 mile hike! Cheers!
HW 362
SW342
CW265
Sleeved March 30th, 2015
1st pic: June 2014
2nd pic: last week got myself a super cute new dress
3rd pic: steampunk festival
4th pic: making that 5.3 mile trail our b!tch!

It's been two years now since my sleeve, and it's the best choice I ever made. My weight is stable +/-10 pounds or so, and it's relatively easy to take off weight that creeps up.
I can eat pretty much all kinds of foods now. I still eat relatively small amounts, eat slowly and with small bites. I don't drink with my meals except a small sip now and then. I focus on low carb and high Protein meals. I eat plenty of fats. I still eat my Protein first at every meal. I try to stay away from carbs, particularly refined carbs like breads, sugar, honey, rice, potatoes, corn, etc. I don't mean I never eat those things, but I try to limit it or I start to gain.
How much can I eat? I can eat 5-6 ounces of meat and a 1/2 cup of vegetables at a meal. Sometimes I can eat more. I can eat a fair amount of salad, as lettuce doesn't seem to take up much room.
I walk for exercise, take the stairs, and use a standing desk at work. This keeps my metabolism working better. I hate working out or gym classes. I still drink a lot of fluids and if I don't I get dehydrated very easily. I do drink alcohol, but I try to stay away from sugary cocktails with lots of fruit juice or sweet mixers.
The first six months are the hardest. The next six months are difficult, but so much easier than the first. The second year things get much easier, but this is also a danger zone for a lot of people, I think. You must always be aware of what you eat. That said, it is easy to stay on track if you follow your rules:
Eat your protein first Eat your vegetables second, and eat a good variety of them Enjoy fruit but limit it Avoid starches and sugars as much as possible (potatoes, rice, corn, bread, tortillas, Cereal, pasta) and save them for special occasions. pizza is my downfall. Keep up with your Water, Vitamins, and tests to insure you are not deficient When you want to drop some weight, do 3 days of Protein shakes. That will reset your sleeve. Then eat high protein/low carb until your excess is off. Once you are back at goal, slowly reintroduce foods back in and try to minimize those carbs to stay at goal.
I'm happy to answer questions. Good luck to you all.

Under our UHC plan we are required to have ONE (1) year of documented weight loss supervision...meaning PHC provider, nutritionist or Weight Watchers. I believe the surgeon I am interested in will do six months prior to surgery but I will have to find another alternative for the first six months. Wish I would have looked into this much sooner.

Just returned from bike week in Sturgis, (my first). It was amazing and exhausting and there's NO way I could have done it physically carrying an extra 90ish pounds! Ate what I wanted in small quantities, didn't work out for a week and a half and didn't gain an ounce! It's been almost 2 years and I still hardly recognize myself in the pictures! Life. Is. Good!

Hi guys!
Today is my one year surgiversary!!!! Hard to believe it's been a year!
I wrote a short essay about my experience that I think you all might enjoy and possibly share! The courage to write is a direct product of this surgery!
Here is the link!
http://tinyurl.com/nlbxbd2
xoxo

My stall has officially ended.... down 6.4lbs this week!

Mine wasn't related to an event, or a trigger weight, or anything like that. I was just tired of being fat. And tired of saying, "If I can't do it on my own by this time next year..."
I guess what I'm saying was that it was a slow process, rather than an event.
I think it was more outside events (e.g. getting a recommendation for a surgeon, realizing it could be done, realizing...) Keep in mind this was 2005 when the only WLS you really heard of was RNY and it was far from mainstream knowledge.

everything especially loosing 60 pounds only to put back on 80 over the next year and a half.... then when I heard about the Sleeve, I knew it was for me. A couple years of looking into bypass and not being able to do that to myself. Talked to Sleevers and researched it and was ready to go.... while waiting the 6 months for surgery a 4yr old asked, "Why are your legs so big?" that sealed the deal for me.

Hi everyone!
My name is Jamie and I am new here. I read this forum a lot prior to surgery but never registered. Thank you all for being so helpful with such a huge decision!
I am 36 and married with no children. I have a high level position with a national catering company and have been event planning for over ten years.
I had my surgery on May 11th.
I am posting all over this board today because I really want to get involved and grow a strong community of support.
I decided to start making youtube videos to document my journey.
This is my first one that explains what is happening and why I decided to get the sleeve