TammyDTM

Pre-surgery pic 180 lbs. Size 16p
Post & goal pic 125 lbs. Size 0-2p
I weigh 122 now.

... your kids are stressing you out, so you jump on the elliptical for 35 minutes
... you are having trouble waking up in the morning and instead of reaching for the coffee, you go work out.
I used to HATE to exercise. (When we were younger my mom would punish us by making us exercise). I just had these revelations this past weekend when casually mentioning how funny this was to my sister, that I was loving exercising so much and using it to replace my bad eating habits and she made the comment, "That's when you know you really have made a lifestyle change!" SO it got me thinking, what other things have you all noticed where you thought the same things?

Congratulations on making such great choices and NOTICING that you have. That is so important. Even though we were told by our nutritionist not to go to restaurants for the first six months- um I have..and it was not a good thing. all the smells and its all looking great. Then they bring out your food. and you see just HOW big the portions are. and you know there is no way you are even going to get more than three bites of that food down. And that is ok. I take mine home and have lunches for days ha. but I have noticed that I used to eat so much. some people might say um yeah duh. but it was such a habit. I am so glad I cant do that. And I don"t want to. Hopefully that makes sense. I find I am drinking more fluids when I get mind hunger. And I am doing more art when I am bored. It is like what else is there to me than eating. well a lot!! thank you for sharing this great post!! Keep up the great work.

Feeling like fire. I must say it is a great feeling to be in Onederland. 4 months out from surgery 60lbs down. Loving life.

Hello everyone, hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving, I haven't been in here in a while, but today I come with exciting news, I got approved and my surgery date is January 11th, 2016; I'm excited and anxious. I start my pre op diet on the 28th of this month, I'm not looking forward to it, but I know it will be worth it.

I'm four days preop, and I've been thinking about non-scale victories (NSVs) that I'm looking forward to. Here's my top 10 list. I'll come back and update the list as I accomplish each one. What's on your NSV wish list?
1. Shop for clothes in the "misses" or "juniors" part of the store
2. Cross my legs when sitting in a chair
3. Go at least two hours without thinking about food at all
4. Make exercise a daily habit
5. Get rid of every scrap of clothing over a size 12 in my closet
6. Climb stairs without losing my breath
7. Buy sexy underwear
8. Wear sexy underwear in front of my husband
9. Go indoor rock climbing
10. Go indoor skydiving (Yes, I'm a wimp!)

I have one pair of "fat calf" boots I can wear. I bought a different pair online some time ago and I couldn't zip them all the way. I tried them on this weekend during The Great Wardrobe Cleanout, and now they zip all the way, and there is room to spare!
Also, I noticed there is room on either side of me in my recliner, which has never happened!

My first NSV happened this past weekend. I was at my grandparents house and sat down in their dining room table chairs and where normally my butt would have spilled over on both sides, I had a good 2 inches to spare. I audibly said, "omg wow!" haha I wasn't expecting it, and it was great.

I just had to give myself a little pat on the back today. 200 days of logging into MFP in a row. ???? I am so grateful I did this surgery, but the logging on MFP is more about accountability on my part and reminds me that it is up to me to make this a success.

Weight on December 14th is 203.6. Thanks!

My weight on December 7th was 204.0. Thanks!

@@Awjones28 All I can say is low manipulation and prayer! I am a little over 9 months and my hair has finally stopped falling out. I am natural also and only use oils, homemade butter and co-wash with natural conditioners. Hopefully your hair will start to come back soon! Good luck!

Stop talking to them about it. If they mention it, change the subject. It's not worth wasting energy trying to convince them. Save that energy for making your surgery preparations.

@@Awjones28 All I can say is low manipulation and prayer! I am a little over 9 months and my hair has finally stopped falling out. I am natural also and only use oils, homemade butter and co-wash with natural conditioners. Hopefully your hair will start to come back soon! Good luck!

I am intrigued that"falls off" was the term they used. Explains the many disappointed people are who post tales of woe losing" only X number of pounds.if this is a commonly used term....it is disappointing.
I asked what I could expect. My NUT laid out a normal range of percentage of excess weight lost by a certain timeframe. So, if you have 100# to lose (based on charts) and it is normal to lose 40-60 percent by a certain timeframe, you know you are on track or not.
I wish more people would realize how epic it is to consistently lose and it doesn't need to be 6# a week to be successful! The only reason I even remember is because I kept good records. Down the road what matters is that I did it and am maintaining.

Having spent so much time at WLS online forums pre-op, I knew (from looking at so many monthly weight loss charts / tables people had posted online) that the 30-pounds-a-month losers tended to be people who were much heavier than me, men, and younger people.
The first 4 months I averaged 10 pounds a month. Then the next 4 months closer to 5-6 pounds a month. Then the next 6 months 2 pounds a month.
It never mattered to me how fast I lost -- only that I could eventually lose all my excess weight. And I have. And am maintaining easily.
And for the rest of your life that is really, truly all that you will care about.

I remember hearing one of the practitioners on my team saying that, the weight would just " fall off" and that was exactly what I was looking for, imagine my disappointment when it didn't. I quantified "falling off" to mean upwards of 6#s a week. And there were a few golden weeks that I experienced such a big loss, but mostly not. And not a single pound was lost without effort...eating right, staying Protein focused and exercising. So I say bag humbug to the "it falls right off" line. It comes off consistently, with points of bigger losses....but falling off implies no effort and this takes effort every moment of every day.

I went today for my 6 month check up! Labs look great! I have lost 87% of my excess fat! He said the expectation at 6 months is 50% so I think I am doing pretty good! Weight at surgery 204.7 and today at their office I was 138.4, but 136 this week. Beat my nutritionist set goal of 140 for 6 months!!! Very close to my ultimate goal of 129! Great day!

Just had my surgery on November 2nd and I hit 50lbs today!!

Small success: I bought a hoodie and coat from Express. I've NEVER been able to shop there. So this is definitely a victory!

203.6 Thanks!

@@brandnewme2015 AMEN. I have struggled with my weight all my life. I havent been under 200 pounds since 9th grade. It feels so good to be dropping weight and learning how to eat healthy since my family never learned or even knew what that was I was always eating just because it was there. My mama was old school and cooked for an army at every meal. LOL but I am so grateful for my sleeve and although I am just shy of 4 weeks out I know that this is the start of the rest of my life. Blessings to anyone reading this thats considering the surgery. It will definitely change your life. Blessings to you all.

It's so nice to read about all of us wonderful women of color taking charge of our weight in a way that is not the "norm" in the black community. I have many relatives, predominantly in the south, who are proud of being a BBBW, but at the expense of many health problems like diabetes, high cholesterol, high bp. It's NOT ok to stress your heart, your bones, and your joints like that and we should NOT accept the excuse of "it's in our genes". I've stopped over-indulging in fried foods, big pieces of cobbler with 3 scoops of ice cream, and mashed potatoes bathed in gravy, and my heart and body thank me for it! I may not have any junk in my trunk anymore, or ample bosoms like I used to, but I'm healthier and have accepted my new body and my new life ❤ Good luck to all you ladies and God Bless!

Forgive yourself. And learn from that experience. That's what everyone who succeeds does.

Thanks. I feel aweful. Like I betrayed myself. Can not do that after all I have been thru. I need to stay strong in my commitment to my health