kickboxlvr

Were you sleeved in December 2014? Come join us on our 1st year surgiversary cruise to the Bahamas!
Our December 2014 Sleevers Facebook group is having a 1-year surgiversary get together! We are going to do a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. Below is the information:
Departing: December 4, 2015
Returning: December 7, 2015
Departure location: Miami, FL
The cost is based on double occupancy, however you may chose to have a room of your own, but you will still be charged the double occupancy rate.
Itinerary: Miami --> Coco Keys (cruise line's private island) --> Nassau (8 hours) --> Miami
Ship: Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas
Cabin Costs: (total cost for cruise per person)
Interior - $358/pp
Porthole Ocean-view - $341/pp
Portrait Window - $348.50/pp
Jr. Suite - $641/pp
Grand Suite - $941/pp
Payments - A $50 deposit is due, per cabin, within 21 days. Another $150 is due within 120 days of cruise departure, and the final balance is due within 75 days of cruise departure. We have been assigned our own personal group agent that will send everyone a copy of the agreement with all payment due dates, etc. If you are not able to make the entire cruise payment at one time, you will have the options of making payments payments toward your final bill as you like as long as they are made by the appropriate dates. All payments are made to the travel agency organizing this cruise. No payments are made to me.
Required Documents - For this particular cruise, the documents required are Passport OR Certified copy of your birth certificate and your state ID.
We are also inviting a spouse or significant other should they have a desire to go, and it makes your participation easier. There are quite a few people in our lives that have been through quite a bit since we started our journey, and I feel strongly that their love and support should also be celebrated.
If you want to join us on this cruise, please send me a message with your name, contact information, and how many people you are bringing so that I can confirm your participation and make sure you get all the necessary information from the travel agent.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me.

@@jinxxy5
calling 1461, 1461 - are you out there?
oh there you are !!
i had a hard time seeing you
wonderful pics
hope you are not getting tired of hearing this...........
you do look amazing, beautiful, wonderful etc
what a transformation
going for the gold with all your races
now you are an official marathon runner!!!!
keep up the good work for the rest of your healthier, happier, longer life
i know you will
kathy
congrats

Hey all! I haven't posted since the very early days out...I was sleeved on 10/2/13 at 273 pounds. I reached goal in 9.5 months which was 159 pounds which would put me at a normal bmi. At about 8 months post op I started running. That was a game changer! I have since completed a triathlon, a 5k, 2 10ks, 4 half marathons, and on January 25th, 2015 I became a marathoner! I went on to lose and additional 20 pounds and I've been maintaining 20 pounds below goal ever since. From a size 22/24 to a size 2/4. I eat clean and train hard! I am really living my best life now!

There's a very good book I'm reading (I'm 2 weeks pre-op) called "It Aint Over 'til the Thin Lady Sings" by Michelle Ritchie, who is a certified substance abuse counselor and who had WLS surgery and really understands the ins and outs of compulsive eating.
I struggle with it myself. I use food to decompress, and to "anchor" myself upon arrival, i.e., when I arrive at a friend's house, or at work, or home after work. Eating for me has historically had NOTHING to do with hunger.
This book makes you do some serious soul-searching.
You know what they say, it's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you...
Anyway, I like the book, and it's important to do some serious exploration of why we overeat. Restriction is just a tool. I get so sick of hearing that and reading it, but it's true. You can build a house with a hammer, but you gotta swing it, baby!
I feel pretty sure you'll get back on track. Just don't chew your paw off, the stress will only make it worse.

I'm out 1 year 4 months and have been at goal (down 145 pounds) since 10 months out.
What has worked for me and will hopefully continue to work is measuring and logging all food consumed.
Yes, I work out 6 days/week but I think the logging has helped the most. Helps to ensure proper levels of nutrition and keep me in check with portions.

We can all relate to this even though we may not be in that stage. We all know the surgery is a tool and one day we will back on our own.
I am just beginning how to count Protein and carbs and keep a balance and I know its easy for me right now bc my stomach does stop me from overeating.
Maybe try to remember how good you felt eating good, healthy foods. That a moment of eating bad foods really isn't worth what it does to you. Exercise will occupy time and make you feel stronger, but we know that weight loss comes from the food we eat. You will never burn enough calories to lose weight. Let friends and family and activity fill your heart and your cravings and make the choice to feel better!
I know whats helped me the most is having my meals planned for work and dinners. That way there are no "choices", just a plan every week waiting to be executed.
You've come so far. Bad food isn't worth it.

I have to start this out by saying I am absolutely a success. I have lost 100lbs, weight I would have NEVER lost had I not had the VSG surgery. I do not regret for one minute making that decision. What I am regretting is where I have put myself right now. I did not use my tool to the best of it's ability early on. I used the sleeve to lose the weight for the first 10 months. I didn't even try to exercise. I was more active, yes. But I was losing and I was happy so I didn't put much effort in. My eating was under control for the most part during that time too. As time passed and weight loss slowed then stopped I did start to go to the gym. I figured I rode the sleeve as far as it would take me and now it was up to me. Except I stopped that too after a short while. I wasn't seeing many results and my schedule got in the way. Yes, I made excuses. Now I am in a horrible head space and I am trying desperately to figure out how to change it. My weight stays within a 5-7lbs zone, but that is still over 70lbs from my weight loss goal. I am still clinically obese. I have a friend who had surgery two months after mine and he is within 20lbs of his goal weight, and has lost over 200lbs! Of course there are differences in our lifestyles that attribute to that. First he is a male. He is also a gay male that does not have children. He gets up at 4am every day and goes to the gym to work out for 2.5 hours. I cannot do that, period. I have a six year old daughter that deserves time with me, not being bounced from daytime daycare to the daycare at the Y each and every day. ( and I would have to go AFTER work, not before) My friend struggles to with his eating, but his extreme exercise routine has made the difference for him.
I am feeling sort of depressed because I am coming to terms with my food addiction. I have to admit I totally shammed myself and the doctor in my psych eval pre op. I honestly didn't know the depths of my addiction until recently. I said all the right things and, at the time, believed I had a handle on it all. But if I was so truly self aware then how the HECK did I get to 316lbs?? Anyway, my eating has been off the charts of late. I eat entirely too big of portions. I eat a lot of wrong choices. I graze. All the things we learn not to do, and cannot do early after surgery, I have fallen back into. My very first inclination that I was going to have problems was hunger. Mine did not go away. Yes, for some time it seemed to have taken a back seat. I had a lot of swelling during my healing process, so my early restriction was crazy tight. I thought I had won a lottery because I never wanted anything and , if I did happen to get hungry, one or two bites and I was done. Well that all went away as soon as the swelling did. I felt hunger, real hunger. I tried to play it off as head hunger. I did all the tricks, drank more. Made myself wait to be sure I was really hungry and not just thinking so. I tried to distract myself. But it was real. I was hungry, too much. Then about two months or so out I made my first major misstep, I ate carbs. I just wanted to see if I could, what would happen. I will tell you what happened. The carbs went down very easy and created no issue. I didn't get sick. They didn't make me feel over full or bloated. What they did do though was end my ketosis phase and make my carb addiction kick right back in. I have battled now for over a year to try to stay away from those bad carbs with varying success. Some days I got it and some days they got me. Recently I have been trying to be mindful of my eating. I have connected with a group of old high school friends who have either already had WLS or are in the process. It has, at least, made me more conscience of what I am doing. Even though having this surgery is major and effects the rest of your life, it is also easy to go about living your life to the point you sort of forget you have done it. You go from the early days/ weeks/ months where it consumes your life to a place where it is in the back of your mind. Anyway, I am trying really hard to pay closer attention to my self sabotage. ( I am the QUEEN of that apparently!) Today I decided to log my intake. For those early out that probably seems obvious. But honestly I wasn't much of a logger, I didn't have the time. I just used my head, made wise choices and relied on the sleeve to keep me in line on portions. That was all well in good until it stopped working! Anyway today I have made a very conscience effort to be aware of exactly what I am putting in my mouth, and to tell you I am shocked is an understatement. After eating lunch I decided to tally things up so far. Being as honest as I could ( ok- I left off my coffee with a bit of Creamer in it but that was all) I figured up what I have put in my mouth today. At this point I have consumed 980 calories and 26.6 grams of fat, and I haven't even had dinner yet. I didn't tally carbs because I know they are high. These numbers are not through the roof or anything but....Given the fact I still have weight to lose they are too high. And the fact that I have really tried to be good today, and this is how bad I have done, it just boggles my mind. What the heck happened to me? Where is all the excitement I had early on? Why am I having such a hard time getting back to where I need to be?
As I write this I already figure some responses are that I should seek a therapist, and I really probably should. But given my finances that isn't in the cards. I am not looking for justification or anyone to say it is ok to be this way. I am just being as open and honest as I can because that is who I am. Maybe my struggle is not as uncommon as I think and maybe someone else out there can relate. I would love to hear from those folks. And if someone knows a magic switch I can flip to get my head back on right, PLEASE tell me!!!! LOL

You bet! I followed all the rules, with one exception.... I drink coffee. Other than that, it's 80-100 grams of Protein, 64-128 ounces of fluids, no starches, no sugars, carbs only from Protein shakes, green veggies and Greek yogurt, and moderate exercise – every single day! I never leave the house without a plan for what I'm going to eat and drink while I'm out, weigh myself every day, and as incentive, buy (used) clothes whenever I fit into a new size. I donated all my big clothes to the very places where I've been going to buy my clothes. And now that I've reached goal weight, I'm buying new clothes because I don't expect to grow out of them -- in either direction. I know it doesn't sound realistic, but I haven't "cheated" on my program at all. Of course, during the losing phase calories and fat don't count on my program so that makes it easier. Now that I'm entering the long-term maintenance phase, I'm working out what I can eat that will stop the weight loss without bringing the weight back. I'm sure it will take lots of experimentation, but I hope to stay on top of it. If you need more specific ideas about Protein, fluids, Snacks, or planning, please send me a message and I'll try to give you a thoughtful reply. Good luck!!!

Started at 265. Sleeved at 254. Hit my goal of 154 after 7 1/2 months. And at 9 months post-op, I just hit my stretch goal of 148 this morning. My only remaining weight-loss goal now is to "touch" 145. Don't need to stay there, but 120 pounds down is a nice round number. And then comes the biggest (and hardest) goal of all..... Remain below 150 – forever! Can I do it? I definitely know how to lose the weight, the question is, do I know how to keep it off? That remains to be seen, but I've developed some strategies that seem to be working so far. I have to say, though, that aside from the first two weeks after surgery, this entire journey has been a blast! I've loved watching the scale go down and achieving each milestone, loved how I look and feel, loved fitting into nice clothes, loved all the compliments, even loved the exercise, and especially loved that diabetes, apnea, asthma, cholesterol, blood pressure, and achy joints are no longer factors in my life. And how'd I do it? Simply by following the rules of my program to a tee. And that's my biggest recommendation for others on this path. The rules are there for a reason – follow them! I appreciate all of the support and encouragement from this Forum and others, and wish all of you nothing but success in your journey to good health!!! If you have any questions about my program, send me a message and I'll try to give you a thoughtful answer.
-Rog-

And last but not least:

12. You learn to NEVER trust a fart.

I don't get on the scale because it is too easy to get caught up in the number. I was weighed the day of surgery and will learn how much I've lost next month at my 3 month check up appointment. I measure my progress by the way my clothes fit.

My first month I lost 27lbs. On surgery day I was 252, which was just enough to qualify.
Since, however, I only weigh on the 1st of every month. I can't weigh every day or week b/c it drives me insane.

I really can't fit into my jeans, so I stole a pair of my husband's jeans yesterday, I lost 2 inches in the waist. But I'm not s buy re how much I weigh since I don't own scales.

It is awkward when people ask. (I am 7m post and 5lbs from goal.) When people ask "oh what have you been doing? Exercise and dieting?" I go with it. If I am closer to them I may tell them. I am proud of my decision and people ask my "secret" all the time. But if I feel they won't understand or I will have to go through explaining my decision, I don't bother. People are so judgey. I had gotten a hernia fixed too. So that is what I said when they asked me why I was out of work. It is personal. So ultimately its what you are comfortable in talking about. I just hate it when people say "oh don't you feel so much better!?" Aren't you happier? Urgh...

I have a lap band and had lost past my goal weight. I started having problems with the band. I found out it was too tight and always had been. I couldn't get most foods down despite following all the rules and having had the band completely unfilled. Despite a band that never functioned properly, I had lost all my weight and kept it off for 6 years. I had exercised much of that time. Eventually, I had gotten too thin and I felt tired all the time. I started eating popcorn, cheetos and other Snacks because that is what I could reliably get down. My weight stopped dropping and started to climb a bit. I retired from a very physically active job and stopped exercising due to some depression because I missed work. That is when I really started to gain some weight back. I gained back to my original goal weight and then another 40 pounds.
I had past success at weight loss but I felt I needed a jump start. I needed to get out of the house and into a new routine. I researched weight loss resorts and found the Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu. There was a sale going on so I pulled out some retirement funds and scheduled a month at the resort at $1900 per week. I lost 14 pounds during the month I was there. I think they had us on a 1600 calorie per day diet. I couldn't eat even half the food because of my band. We literally exercised all day. There was a morning hike of 5-7 miles. You dashed from one workout class to the next. They had really good classes on nutrition too. The program was great. I loved it and really benefited from it. I came home and lost an additional 30 pounds on my own. You have to keep in mind though that I went in at 172 pounds, which isn't that big, so I was able to really work hard and burn a lot of calories there. I noticed that people that were much larger had a hard time keeping up during the workouts and they had a greater tendency to skip out on classes and hide in their rooms. I think the resort was great (the Malibu location closed down in January but there is a non-BLR affiliated resort in the same spot that just opened), if you could afford it, BUT it involves extremely rigorous exercise that isn't sustainable after leaving there. I'm single and retired and I didn't manage to keep it up. I've gained back 20 pounds. I did love it though and would go back there in a heartbeat (to the new place that opened). None of the staff where I went ever criticized or even mentioned WLS. I don't remember whether I had to tell them in the medical history. I didn't tell my fellow guests.
In my opinion, somebody with a lot of weight to lose that has a job and a family to take care of just might need a more permanent solution or a combination of solutions. I can definitely see having WLS and once you find you have good mobility and can do hikes (they have varying levels of difficult including a level hike for those with injured knees) and exercise...go to a fitness resort for motivation, exercise training and fellowship. I made some good friends during my stay. It's a good option if you need a jump start, like I did. Also to add...I'm an introvert and have avoided support groups. The fact that I paid a small fortune to go to the resort made me come out of my shell and talk to the other guests and the trainers.

I used to LOVE the biggest loser! Jillian and Bob are amazing. I have their programs and they do work.... For a period of time. Sustainability is what I needed.
I just recently have been able to admit to people that I had surgery. No one knows how much research and soul searching goes in to this huge decision. We feel like failures going in but come out as "losers" (winners) , so now if they have a problem with it they can go find my lost 100pnds and suck it.

I am 6m out. 10pnds from goal. I have allowed myself to but when I do I get nauseous so its never really worth it to me. #Nutellaisthedevil

I'm almost 6 months post-op so I can eat any meat now, though I'm supposed to restrict beef. I eat beef maybe once a week, if that? I am not a fan of fish, but I love shellfish so I eat a lot of shrimp. I eat mostly chicken (obviously), but also do turkey sausage, pork, or whatever else my husband makes for dinner. He's the cook in our house and I just have whatever the Protein is from whatever meal he is making for himself. He's fond of various Indian sauces, so he'll do chicken Makhani or Rogan Josh. He makes his with rice, but I just have the chicken and sauce. He makes pork enchiladas with verde sauce and I will just have the pork and salsa without the tortilla. He does turkey kielbasa with perogies and I just have the sausage. He'll do turkey meatloaf with mashed potatoes and I'll just eat the meatloaf (with ketchup!). You get the picture.
I always do leftovers for lunch, so I typically have two meals of meat a day. Breakfast is a Protein Bar and my Snacks are cheese sticks and greek yogurt.

Yes it can drive you batty! Lmao I am almost 7m post op. I can only eat Proteins and very soft veggies. I use ramkins. I can only seem to eat 2-3 oz of any type of meat still. I went to buffalo wild wings and was stuffed to the point I thought it would come back up after 2 wings.... I still can't drink anything with my meals... If I eat raw veggies my stomach revolts even though I love them. it does depend on the type of meat.... Talk to your surgeon and nut if you are concerned... They will let you know. Good luck you are doing awesome

Yes it can drive you batty! Lmao I am almost 7m post op. I can only eat Proteins and very soft veggies. I use ramkins. I can only seem to eat 2-3 oz of any type of meat still. I went to buffalo wild wings and was stuffed to the point I thought it would come back up after 2 wings.... I still can't drink anything with my meals... If I eat raw veggies my stomach revolts even though I love them. it does depend on the type of meat.... Talk to your surgeon and nut if you are concerned... They will let you know. Good luck you are doing awesome

I used to LOVE the biggest loser! Jillian and Bob are amazing. I have their programs and they do work.... For a period of time. Sustainability is what I needed.
I just recently have been able to admit to people that I had surgery. No one knows how much research and soul searching goes in to this huge decision. We feel like failures going in but come out as "losers" (winners) , so now if they have a problem with it they can go find my lost 100pnds and suck it.

I will not miss feeling like I need a full body bra because of the jiggle and bouncing while running... @ Lexie I am down to a b cup from a d cup... Don't miss that either
I will not miss the inner legs of my jeans wearing out.

I will not miss feeling like I need a full body bra because of the jiggle and bouncing while running... @ Lexie I am down to a b cup from a d cup... Don't miss that either
I will not miss the inner legs of my jeans wearing out.

I used to LOVE the biggest loser! Jillian and Bob are amazing. I have their programs and they do work.... For a period of time. Sustainability is what I needed.
I just recently have been able to admit to people that I had surgery. No one knows how much research and soul searching goes in to this huge decision. We feel like failures going in but come out as "losers" (winners) , so now if they have a problem with it they can go find my lost 100pnds and suck it.

I will try keep this short as possible. I think everyone here can attest that we could write a book on our journey.
I've always been in shape. Part of the 290+ high PT club in the Army, basketball, softball, and weightlifting were my sports. After 3 kids I gained more weight that I wanted. After my third child, I lost 65 pounds Kickboxing (I was obsessed with it) and was 10 pounds to go I went to the doctor. I wasn't really feeling right and as active as I was I couldn't understand why I started to gain weight back. I was then diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2009. The roller coaster began. I tried every single fad diet exercise plan and anything I could do to try to lose the weight. I would lose it only to gain it back. I ultimately gave up. I figured that until I could get my thyroid under control why bother besides My primary care would say I was a fit fat mom. My blood pressure / work was fine. I could run 2 to 3 miles without stopping. I was just morbidly obese. I was tired of Fighting and I wanted a new start I wanted a do-over. I was not happy even though everyone else thought I was. I decided to do research to see if this kind of surgery was for me. I went in to a seminar and found out all the different options that were available now a days. I looked into my insurance to find what I needed to do for them to cover me and I had everything ready to go by the time I had my first consultation with my doctor. My insurance only accepts bariatric centers of excellence to perform surgery is to be covered. There was only one in my city. I chose Dr Burpee to do my vertical sleeve. It was literally 1 month between the consultation and my surgery date. I didn't even tell my husband I was looking into this until I had all the appointments and everything in order and I wouldn't change anything. I started this journey at 250 pounds I'm currently 150 pounds. I am elated and have made the decision to gain my muscle back and muscle tone . I hope to be able to one day be a personal trainer specializing in bariatric patients. I want people to know that they are not alone and that they are people out there that want to be a support that have went through it themselves.