BigTink2LilTink

Yo @BigTink2LilTink! Where you at?! How goes the lifts?

I found this picture on a Facebook flashback and thought it was a perfect reason to update my Before/After shots.

No idea what I weighed, but it was a lot. Easily 330. As you can empathize, I didn't really step on a scale back then.

This is from Fridays form check video I submit to my coach. I actually like the fact that my excess skin causes a "muffin top" above my belt. It's a constant reminder that no matter how much I train, there is nothing I can do about that skin. It's not going away unless I have plastic surgery. Makes it impossible for me to forget where I came from.

This is a different angle I used to check my back angle on the dead lift. I chose this picture because even though I looked leaner last year at this time, I am far stronger. and I think I still look good enough. Even relaxed I look pretty fit.
Every day that I lift there is a small part of me that wishes I could lift more, but I quickly remind myself that 2.5 years ago I couldn't lift my left leg or tie my shoe much less put 200lbs on my back or pick up 250lbs off the floor. Remember who you are and how far you've come to maintain your perspective!

I am 20 months out and feel awesome. Starting weight was 387 I never thought I would see 1?? Anything ever appear on my scale. I look at my pics now and sometimes shead tears on how much of life I missed out on because I didn't feel like doing much because of the weight. It takes work but you can do anything you put your mind to. Hope this inspires someone that is struggling right now it gets better you just have to learn how to use your tool correctly. Top left pic was my start and some pics in between bottom middle is my most current pic (pink pants) I would have never! 😂

This was my last comparisons pictures from about 5 weeks ago. Pic to the right was about 6/7 years ago maybe 10 to 15lbs away from 600lbs. I was at or near my heaviest weight back then. And I'm now here in the 240-250's weight range. That what my sleeve has helped me achieve so far.

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Took some progress photos this am and realized that between today's photos and my "starting" photo I've lost 50 lbs exactly!
I say "starting" photo because I've actually lost about 70 lbs overall but don't have a pic of myself in my undies at my highest weight.
So here I am on January first weighing in at 207 lbs (after already losing 20 lbs), and here I am today, July 8th, at 157 lbs. I had sleeve surgery on March 22nd and have lost 39 lbs since my surgery day weigh-in. Without makeup or my hair done or striking a pose these aren't the most flattering pics but I love them as a straightforward comparison so I'm taking the plunge and sharing them here.
No matter what, I'm feeling amazing!
Strange how sometimes I look at myself and don't think I look different at all, and other days I barely recognize myself!
This is my reminder to you all... TAKE PROGRESS PICS!!!! I know it can be hard to look at a straight on photo of yourself in your underwear, especially at your highest weight, but I promise they will be priceless tools for you to measure your success as time goes on! I only wish I had a pic of myself at my highest to compare to, so I could really see how far I've come!
  

Sweet Baby Jesus................Dat waist, them hips......Sorry #NotSorry4YourAreSmokingHot

2 months??? Damn!!! Go man go!!!

Surgery date was May 2nd! Feeling great! 30 left to go! 😁

I started off at 197 and I am currently 150! Surgery was 3/22. I LOVE MY SLEEVE!

today I had a local election the lady almost didn't let me vote because my license didn't look like me. I have lost 150+ pounds and have maybe 20 to go. Man these last 20 are hard!

HW: 301
Day of Surgery: 271
Current: 192
This before picture was about a month before my surgery, not my highest weight but right around 275.
I cannot get over how amazing I feel, no regrets at all!

Surgery date: May 2nd
Feeling great! 30 more to go till goal!

Whew it's been a hot minute since I've been on this site. I'm 1 year and 7 months post op of gastric sleeve, 177lbs down. Starting weight was 470lbs so I still have a little ways to go but MAN I feel damn good. Lost a lot of weight, a lot of hair and gained a lot of happiness. Also some weirdness but whatever. Anyways, on to what everyone wants to see, some before and afters! (FYI - I'm 5'10" if that helps put things in perspective)      

Sorry, but I can't stop sharing this ****. Every time I look at it, I am like WOW, I'm actually doing this ****. I am actually changing who the hell I am.

Let's see if this works..... surgery weight was 224... this is one of my heaviest weights, after having my second baby:
Surgery date 9/26/16, weight 224. GW 140, height 5'2" CW 153

And then a side-by-side, one week pre-op and last month:

At my niece's wedding in May:

My work badge photos. First one was November 2010, second one last month:

People that say that ish are just haters.
I went from an apple to an hourglass. I walk and do yoga. I do weights some of the time but not really. I have way more muscle mass than a person who was never obese because I was obese and my body had to adapt to carry it. I don't have to add muscle just maintain what I already have.
The people that look like who did it and what for post-op either were bad bodied from jump and nothing was going to save them, or they ate the bare minimum Protein and it shows. You can always see it all in their face.
If you have a figure you will still have a figure. I had a big stomach that overshadowed my breasts, hips and butt. When I lost the stomach all of that was able to shine. And yes I lost all over, but I still am shapely. People can still be shapely and be smaller. All you have to do is be proportionate.
None of this is to discourage you from working out or adding weights etc but losing weight should not equate a fear of losing your figure.
Those are just things that people tell you to hold you back, project their own feelings on you, usually because they are afraid you will be smaller and more attractive than them.
I am all for being body positive but this idea that obesity is curves is lunacy.

They're right - a good workout strength training regimen will be helpful to mold the body while you're in the accelerated weight loss phase.
I personally can't wait for clearance to get back to my boot camp style training after my 6 week checkup. For now - I am allowed moderate/low incline walking on treadmill or outdoors.

Surgery June 27th, one month post op

YOU LOOK ABSOLUTELY AMAZING WELL DONE LOOK AT THAT CONFEDENCE TOTAL INSPIRATION

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almost 2 years out, still want to lose another 30lbs, but I'm slowly getting there!!!

Currently I am 13mo out and 220 something pounds down
Use your tool wisely and it will work wonders ♡
Best decision of my life.

looking good, great motivating picture!

Just wanted to update the thread. Still hitting the gym like I should be. Still not at goal like I wanted to be. Yet, even with that said I'm still enjoying the ride.  

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I would say for now stick to either using beef/chicken broths, and Protein powders and mixes. I wouldn't even chance trying to eat and/or drink pureed beef/pork anything. You may feel fine, but your body is still healing from you removing something out of it. That takes times, even if you feel like you are fine and okay, your body is still in recovery and will be for at least the first 6 to 8 months. Don't skip by your plan, and don't cheat it. Because if you do, it may come back and bite you in the rear in a lot harder than what you expected.

For me getting those 80g of protein in consisted of me not only using Isopure unflavored and flavored protein mix, I was also doing Pure Protein coconut Water (had about 8g of protein per 12oz), and Swanson's chicken broth (10g per 10oz). Then there was just some days that I didn't meet the goal. Not everyday are you going to meet that protein goal. And that should be expected especially only being like 10/15 days post surgery. But try very hard to get as close as you can to goal as often as you can. The sooner that you meet your protein goals I feel the quicker you will heal your body.

So last night after almost two years post surgery, I finally cleaned out my closet of all the old clothes,     I seriously can no longer wear. A friend of mines in need of clothing, as he's going through some hard times, gladly took my old clothes off my hands. Over 15 pairs of pants and at least 20 to 25 shirts ranging from polos to dress shirts. He even got my old business suit.
So before I let those things go, my girlfriend helped me take some goodbye photos of my old closet clothes. For they've found a new home.
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