fatsolovescandy

@@fatsolovescandy Ha! Well yay!

Such an incredible day yesterday--I can't believe how much energy I have! Today marks 3 weeks. I went paddle boating yesterday, washed my car (by hand!), went to Best Buy and even dared to deal with costco crowds! Then I did laundry and school work. Honestly, you guys, I can't remember the last time I felt so good and energized, and not just since my surgery, but for probably a couple years! And who's already seeing other benefits in the bedroom?!?? This girl!!!

Today is FINALLY my day. July 29, 2015, at high noon, I'm having my surgery!
Wow, what a head rush and surreal experience, all wrapped into one. It took an entire year, but it has definitely been the most life changing journey I've ever embarked upon. I will never forget the struggle that brought me here, the friends I've made, or the health and happiness I hope to achieve.
I chose my screen name, The Candidate, because in all my research the most reoccurring phrase was "You might be a candidate for weight loss surgery if..." Not sure what to identify myself with after surgery. Is "The Post Op" taken? ????
This is "The Candidate" (but not for much longer), signing off, and heading to the hospital.
Thank you all, and I'll be seeing you on the other side. ❤️

Trust your doctor. Trust your nutritionist. Trust the process. Never trust a fart. Never.

So as difficult as this journey has been looking back it was one of the best decisions I've ever made HW 330lbs SW 310lbs CW 210lbs

This was at 5 months

Congratulations to all of us 'Julyer's' who have had the surgery and starting our journey to better health.
Also congratulations to those who are about to embark on surgery and speedy recovery! I am now 5 days out and feeling good.
Only thing is I am very tired and sleep a lot, so apologies if I have missed someones surgery recently. I am sure I will be more 'with it' in a few days and will make p for it then! lol
Gentle Hugs
Kate

Sweating less.
Weighing less than my husband.
Saying "yes" to activities I wouldn't (or couldn't) do while heavy--and actually being excited.
Not having a near-panic attack whenever I dress up for a night out. And enjoying dressing up for a night out!
Walking my dogs more. Wanting to walk more and being able to.
The backs of my legs not falling asleep when sitting at my desk.
Feeling more in control of my body and, subsequently, my life.
Less hip/knee/back pain.
No more swollen ankles!!!
Not being the biggest/heaviest/fattest person in the room.
Being able to be sartorially creative, to wear interesting outfits as opposed to whatever fits or hides my rolls.
Wearing a bra correctly and comfortably, as opposed to wearing it between my back fat rolls!
Sex without leg cramps. And without my belly getting in the way.
Less wobbly bits and worry overall and more excitement and enjoyment!!!

The last one is at my highest weight. And the ithers are my progress shots. I need to update them soon but its been slow going this month. However my body has changed a lot even without much weight loss. Woo hoo! Started at shirt 2XL and pants 26/28. Im now at an 18/20 shirt and 22 pants are getting baggy.

The minute I made the decision to have the surgery, all of my habits went away. It was weird. I am a person that LOVES coke/pepsi & fast food. But now? I still love fast food, but I am 4 weeks out of the carbonation beverages. I been drinking unsweet tea, Water, lemonade, & juice. I find myself looking at the nutrition label & making sure it has Protein & not much sugar or 0 sugar.
I sitll eat too fast, but I decided since I gave up caffeine, now I will give up fast food. Then I will make sure my portions are smaller..
I think something 'clicked' inside of my brain & I am happy that I am making better choices.
I know how you feel though. Every time I made better choices, guess what? I went backwards b/c I wanted coke with the biggest burger at the fast food place. Then I would eat when I got home. My eating was out of control. In a way, it is still out of control. But I find myself telling myself out loud, NO. Whenever I want to cheat or do wrong, I just say outloud, NO. I find that is helping a lot.
I think you should tell your therapist how you feel. Don't keep your feelings inside.
Here if you ever need a ear.
Prayers for you & your struggles.

Already have reached half of my goals after 3 months post op. My biggest achievement was playing on the playground with the kids (all the kids) while other parents watched from the benches and going down the sliding board My daughter (oldest) says "why didn't you ever do that with me?" Broke my heart but I'm doing it now and that's all that matters. I'm willing to be in front of the camera instead of behind the camera now. I can come home from work and have enough energy to roll around on the floor with the kids AND make dinner. I love this person I've become. I hugged the crap out of my surgeon on Friday!

Sweating less.
Weighing less than my husband.
Saying "yes" to activities I wouldn't (or couldn't) do while heavy--and actually being excited.
Not having a near-panic attack whenever I dress up for a night out. And enjoying dressing up for a night out!
Walking my dogs more. Wanting to walk more and being able to.
The backs of my legs not falling asleep when sitting at my desk.
Feeling more in control of my body and, subsequently, my life.
Less hip/knee/back pain.
No more swollen ankles!!!
Not being the biggest/heaviest/fattest person in the room.
Being able to be sartorially creative, to wear interesting outfits as opposed to whatever fits or hides my rolls.
Wearing a bra correctly and comfortably, as opposed to wearing it between my back fat rolls!
Sex without leg cramps. And without my belly getting in the way.
Less wobbly bits and worry overall and more excitement and enjoyment!!!

Sweating less.
Weighing less than my husband.
Saying "yes" to activities I wouldn't (or couldn't) do while heavy--and actually being excited.
Not having a near-panic attack whenever I dress up for a night out. And enjoying dressing up for a night out!
Walking my dogs more. Wanting to walk more and being able to.
The backs of my legs not falling asleep when sitting at my desk.
Feeling more in control of my body and, subsequently, my life.
Less hip/knee/back pain.
No more swollen ankles!!!
Not being the biggest/heaviest/fattest person in the room.
Being able to be sartorially creative, to wear interesting outfits as opposed to whatever fits or hides my rolls.
Wearing a bra correctly and comfortably, as opposed to wearing it between my back fat rolls!
Sex without leg cramps. And without my belly getting in the way.
Less wobbly bits and worry overall and more excitement and enjoyment!!!

Sweating less.
Weighing less than my husband.
Saying "yes" to activities I wouldn't (or couldn't) do while heavy--and actually being excited.
Not having a near-panic attack whenever I dress up for a night out. And enjoying dressing up for a night out!
Walking my dogs more. Wanting to walk more and being able to.
The backs of my legs not falling asleep when sitting at my desk.
Feeling more in control of my body and, subsequently, my life.
Less hip/knee/back pain.
No more swollen ankles!!!
Not being the biggest/heaviest/fattest person in the room.
Being able to be sartorially creative, to wear interesting outfits as opposed to whatever fits or hides my rolls.
Wearing a bra correctly and comfortably, as opposed to wearing it between my back fat rolls!
Sex without leg cramps. And without my belly getting in the way.
Less wobbly bits and worry overall and more excitement and enjoyment!!!

Sweating less.
Weighing less than my husband.
Saying "yes" to activities I wouldn't (or couldn't) do while heavy--and actually being excited.
Not having a near-panic attack whenever I dress up for a night out. And enjoying dressing up for a night out!
Walking my dogs more. Wanting to walk more and being able to.
The backs of my legs not falling asleep when sitting at my desk.
Feeling more in control of my body and, subsequently, my life.
Less hip/knee/back pain.
No more swollen ankles!!!
Not being the biggest/heaviest/fattest person in the room.
Being able to be sartorially creative, to wear interesting outfits as opposed to whatever fits or hides my rolls.
Wearing a bra correctly and comfortably, as opposed to wearing it between my back fat rolls!
Sex without leg cramps. And without my belly getting in the way.
Less wobbly bits and worry overall and more excitement and enjoyment!!!

This is the test of your new life. We have to make healthy food choices and watch what we put into our mouths. Good luck and godspeed lol

Half of my family have weight issues like I do, and the other half are thin with perfect figures. Whenever I mention the surgery to the family members who have weight issues, they always tell me how excited they are for me to be taking this step in my life. Whenever I mention it to the thin half they always say things like, oh you don't need the surgery, do it on your own, and that its the easy way out. People who have never been overweight do not understand the struggle we go through everyday and how hard it is to lose weight. If I could do this on my own, dont you think I would have by now? Its frustrating but I am doing this because it is what I want, and what I need. Focus on the ones who support you, because anyone in our shoes would take this opportunity if they had it.

Sadly I haven't even told my family. All my co-workers know and they Celebrate every pound with me. My family is out of state so they will see me at Christmas, their jaws will drop and I will only say that I am on a high Protein and low carb lifestyle. That is all they need to know.
I am sorry that you don't have great support. Find a support group in your area and share. I go to one every month even though I have the support of my co-workers and my husband. It is nice to talk to people who are having the same issues. Maybe you can also be support for someone who has none.

Being able to not worry that I'll be the heaviest person in the room, where ever I go.
Not having the feeling that I want to avoid seeing people, because they'll know how heavy I've gotten.
Enjoy the flexibilty of my body in yoga-type activities,
Being the one in control instead of food controlling me,
Not having the fear that I won't be able to buckle the airplane seatbelt,
Dressing in more attractive clothes and colors instead of choosing colors and styles that don't draw attention to myself,
Being at peace with myself

Kevbear--I too was sleeved 7/13 and feel so much better than I did even three days ago. It's truly amazing how quickly everything changes.
Now, that's not to say it isn't difficult, because it is! Every sip takes mindfulness and patience, otherwise a sharp pain radiates across my abdomen and I have to get up and walk laps in my house to feel normal again (well, my new normal).
I'm hungry but I'm not hungry. My sleeve wants something in it--a sip of Protein, some Water. My head wants to chew on the tacos my husband made for dinner (why can't everyone also not eat?! Haha.).
I'm losing weight and feeling not-too-bad, but I'm sleepy and sometimes moody. My body is coming to terms with a hard stop to a three decades long bad habit. My mind too--that's the real culprit.
Sometimes I have to stop and breathe mindfully to a count of five or ten to regain my composure. The need/desire/craving for food can hit me in a wave not unlike a panic attack. But that has only happened once or twice and I have righted myself quickly.
Right now, my main challenge is that I am in grad school and can't quite get my mind to 'turn on'. I'm behind already and losing more ground daily. It's so hard to focus on other things besides how I'm feeling, what I'm eating/drinking. And it is just plain hard to focus period.
I'm so amazed at all of you who have done this with children, or demanding jobs!
Anyway, all you other July Sleevers--we got this!!!

Eventually; if you want to, it agrees with you, you have room for it, and you track it. Sure.

Large chick fila milkshakes, with a large fry, and a chicken sandwich with cheese.. and maybe an extra large fry to go with it..

He's my precious little fur baby! He's fully grown (3) I put him on a diet, he may look small but he's 19lbs and he's only suppose to be 9-12 lbs. he's a wide butt but that face just demands treats....

@@MissRobin Yes, he's a shorty Irish jack Russell almost the same just built shorter.

Well I say embarrassing but not really. I'm pretty proud of the 90 yr old woman looking belly!! I've been asked a lot about how the stomach looks after losing so much weight....well here's mine. It's not perfect, I never expected it to be so I guess that's why it doesn't bother me to show it. I'm 34, I've had 3 c-sections and 5 wonderful VSG stabbings so to say my body/stomach has been through some trauma is an understatement. It's ok though, when the time comes if I feel I want it fixed then so be it but until then I'm not hiding her from the world anymore. Set goals, strive for excellence but remain realistic and you won't be disappointed. Be proud of what you have/are accomplishing. We can be our own worst critics! PS: There is a C-section roll hiding under those pants, don't be fooled!! My pup pup in the background is not impressed but I put him on a diet so......