Commander

My BMI is 36, I am 36 years old, and I am scheduled for surgery March 24th. I cannot wait! I am not telling anyone other than my fiancée, at least not until after surgery. I fear people at work will notice the quick weight loss, and depending on what foods I'm on when I return to work... Since I plan on only taking 2 weeks off. I'm a RN and work 13hour night shifts, so we eat when we can at the nurses station (shhh don't tell The joint commission!)... I am hoping not to have too much loose skin afterwards, but honestly I'd trade this chub for loose skin any day!

I have tried c25k a few times and never made it past the 20min run... Once I'm cleared for exercise I plan to try again, and take much of your advice.... Shoes being #1. I also always have trouble with my knees... Thanks for this information!!

Grammar nerds unite! ????

As an added feature, how about an explanation of the difference between "lose" and "loose?"

NSVs have been my motivating force the last few weeks! Here are some of mine:
1. I was able to comfortably cross my legs at church yesterday!!!!! YAY!
2. I was able to wear my wedding rings for the first time in 2 yrs.
3. I actually went to a work out class today at a local gym and didn't die! lol
4. I actually look forward to doing things more physical or being outside whereas before my surgery I would stay on my couch.
Celebrating these victories is so important! Congrats to all you!

I'm 19.5 months post-op (sleeve surgery). I am a woman and a social drinker, defined (for women) as having no more than one alcoholic drink (1.5 ounces of spirits or 5 ounces of wine) a day and no more than 7 drinks in a week. I have one drink most days, but not every day.
Earlier this week, I brought up the subject of social drinking to my psychologist whom I've been seeing for the last 24 months. Like the OP, he has a Ph.D. in psychology. Although he has a general practice, his practice includes many bariatric patients and others who have medical conditions and need to improve their self-care. He also delivers day-long pre-op bariatric surgery orientation and educational classes, so he's very well versed in the latest research re WLS patients' nutritional challenges (which vary considerably according to the specific WLS they undergo), emotional challenges, medical complications, the potential for transfer addictions and pre-conditions and correlates related to those transfer addictions, and anything else you'd expect someone who teaches that class and consults with bariatric patients to know.
I raised the subject of social drinking with my psychologist to invite his perspective about my current use of alcohol because a few months ago my husband's cancer reappeared after being in remission for less than a year. In addition to being my husband's primary care giver, I don't want to do anything to jeopardize my own self-care as a recovering obese person.
Specifically, I asked him if he thought I should be drinking at this time, if he thought I was drinking too much, and what red flags around alcohol could appear in circumstances like mine. We had a great discussion. He repeated several things which I had learned from studying research studies available online as well, including:
1. Transfer addictions with alcohol do happen, but not to the extent that this topic is discussed in the lay literature. He said that most people who have trouble with alcohol post-op had trouble with alcohol pre-op.
2. He said that there is a smaller percentage (5% or 6%) of WLS patients who did NOT have alcohol issues pre-op who do develop problems with alcohol post-op.
3. He said that my continuing social drinking is something I should keep a mindful awareness of -- about not only how much I'm drinking but why I'm drinking and what benefits I derive from it. He asked why I drink, and I answered that I enjoy the ritual of it and the tastes of it -- either a scotch before dinner or a glass of wine paired with the meal. He asked if I ever drank to inebriation, and I said no, that's not why I drink.
4. He said he would be concerned if I were to use alcohol to medicate or manage my emotions in times of stress. I'm not doing that -- even now. Alcohol has never been my go-to drug to medicate my feelings.
I'm in the camp of @@CowgirlJane and others here in that of all the things I worry about wasting calories on, the 100-135 calories spent on a pre-dinner single malt scotch or a glass of wine with dinner is the least of my worries. (My current maintenance calorie budget is 1,800/day.)
However, the substance I do struggle with in terms of portion-creep that challenges my discipline is chocolate -- specifically, dark chocolate with sea salt. About six weeks ago I had to declare a moratorium on that stuff. Over a period of three months, I'd edged up from one square of chocolate after dinner to two squares to four squares to (gulp!) six squares ... every damn night! I seriously doubt that dark chocolate is a toxin, but it was sure about to make me its b***h!
So for me, mindfulness, moderation and common sense will be the keys to my maintenance success. But total abstinence and perfection -- not so much.
EDIT: P.S. I've lost 100 pounds and now weigh 135 pounds. I reached my initial weight loss goal (150 pounds) 8.5 months post-op. I've weighed at or below that weight for the last year.

@@Commander
I had never made it past the 20 minute run either until Monday night. I will admit that last night's run sucked. I dont' think I did enough to aid my recovery in between. I usually take a bath in epsom salts after my longer workouts, especially if they are back to back. I try not to go back to back, but sometimes its the only way to get it into my schedule. I didn't take a bath and I went to the chiropractor on Tuesday morning so I was a hurting unit when it came time to run last night. I feel much better today so I am confident that tomorrow's workout will be much better.
pam

I have posted several times in the past about Couch to 5k and the fact that I am now training for a half marathon. Throughout those threads, I have received several requests to put together a complete guide to running for those of us starting out as obese. If you are reading this, I am going to assume that you are a.) interested in running and b.) have been or currently are obese. There are a lot of things that heavier people need to take into consideration when they begin running and, while programs like Couch to 5k are great for inactive people, they aren't necessarily targeted at people who are carrying around an extra 80, 100, or more pounds. So I will try to break this post up into logical and manageable chunks and I hope it proves useful to any of you who are aspiring runners.
My History
Like most people on this site, I have struggled with my weight my entire life. And while I had dieted and lost a little weight here and there in the past, my most successful pre-WLS attempt began in Nov. 2009 after the death of my sister-in-law. She died from a pulmonary embolism, most likely due to her obesity, and it really motivated me to try to get my butt in gear to spare my family another major loss. At the time I was 270 pounds. I ultimately managed to lose 90 pounds over the course of a year, thanks in part to a lot of exercise, including Couch to 5k.
I had never been a runner, but always watched marathons and triathlons on TV in awe of people who ran. My dad was a runner when I was little and I always loved going to races and cheering him on. But I had never managed to even run a full mile in my entire life. My first attempts at running ended abruptly when I developed Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, better known as "runner's knee" in both knees. Turns out, I had been walking and carrying my weight incorrectly my whole life. I ended up going to physical therapy, learning the proper way to walk and stand, learning some great stretches and strength training exercises, and learning about proper equipment. I will share my findings with you in the sections below.
After losing the 90 pounds, relearning how to walk and run, and participating in several 5k races in the summer of 2011, I decided to have plastic surgery. Complications from my Tummy Tuck caused soft tissue swelling in my lower back that rendered me pretty much immobile for months. Needless to say, I fell off the fitness bandwagon. Once I was recovered, I redid Couch to 5k and participated in another 5k race in July of 2012. Then it was off and on the fitness train over and over as I gained and lost and gained and lost weight all the way up until the time I had my VSG in Sept, 2014.
Once I was recovered from my VSG and cleared for intense exercise, I completed Couch to 5k yet again and participated in several 5k races last summer. Now I am training for a half marathon on April 24th. I plan to participate in several 10K races this summer and finish out the running season with another half marathon on September 18.
Equipment
As I mentioned in the previous section, I have learned some valuable lessons through my attempts at running over the past 6 years. It might be tempting to throw on your cotton socks and your Payless tennis shoes and try to run. That's what I did when I started! I quickly learned the error of my ways in the form of blisters and injuries. So let me save you the trouble and offer a little advice. You can learn from my mistakes!
Shoes - Obviously this is a critical area. I don't know why I didn't realize how big a deal it would be to wear terrible shoes, but if you do, you are looking at blisters, arch pain, knee injuries, hip injuries, etc. DO NOT SKIMP on your shoes. Ideally you should go to a store that specializes in running and be properly fitted for proper running shoes. Make sure the sales assistant knows that you will be both walking and running in these shoes, because some shoes are made for just walking, some for just running, and some for both. As a beginner, you aren't going to need the super light-weight shoes designed for speed and distance running. You will want something a little heavier that offers proper arch support and cushioning. Be prepared to spend upward of $100 for a good pair of shoes. It might seem like a lot, but it will save you so much trouble down the road that it will be well worth it.
Inserts - Turns out that the factory installed inserts are just flimsy pieces of cheap foam. Even if you buy those expensive $100+ running shoes. They aren't meant to actually be used. They are just place-holders for the REAL inserts that you need to buy separately. When I learned about this, it was from my physical therapist and she recommended SuperFeet inserts. I used them for a while, but ultimately switched to Dr. Scholl's Active Series and they have worked just fine for me, even through this half marathon training where I'm running 10+ miles at a time. Note: you should replace your inserts every six months.
Socks - So it turns out cotton is not your friend when it comes to running. This goes for bras, shirts, pants, and ESPECIALLY socks. I began running in my white cotton socks and quickly developed blisters on my heels. What you need are some sports socks. They don't have to be anything fancy. I bought a 6-pack of Danskin Now socks from Walmart at first and I still have some of them 6 years and thousands of miles later. I've had to supplement with some newer packs, but they last a good long time. I recommend something low cut and with extra elastic around the arch, like these fruit of the Loom socks.
Bras - This one is for the ladies. If you are obese and just starting out running, you will likely struggle mightily with the issues of bouncing and chafing in the boob department. For me, the easiest solution has been to double up on cheap, seamless sports bras. I have invested in a couple more expensive bras from Moving Comfort and Under Armor, but honestly, for my shorter runs I will wear one of these cotton Fruit of the Loom bras on bottom with one of these seamless Danskin Now bras on top. This strategy doesn't seem to work as well for my long runs during my half marathon training where the chafing potential of cotton is realized, so for those I've just been doubling up on the seamless Danskin Now bras and putting band-aids over my nipples.
Underwear - For my short runs, I wear my usual cotton underwear. But for biking and long runs, chafing has been rearing it's ugly head again, so I recently discovered Saucony's Runderpants and I love them. But they are pricey, so I only bought a couple pairs and wear them only on my long runs and bike rides. They only go up to an extra large, though, so might not be an option for women starting at a higher weight.
Compression Wear - Let's face it, large people have jiggly bits. And as we lose weight, we have loose skin. The best way to keep everything tight and tucked and to avoid chafing is to wear compression wear, like Under Armor. This is an area where you are really going to have to find what works best for you. If you are running on a treadmill in the comfort of your home, like I do most of the time, you can probably get by with just wearing some compression leggings and sports bras. But if you are at the gym or running outside, you are going to have to layer. So a tight compression legging or short with a looser running short over in might be a bit more modest. And sports bras with a compression t-shirt over them and then a loose t-shirt or tank over that? You'll have to figure out what you can tolerate and what you really need to control your own unique jiggly bits.
Moleskin - In the event that you do develop some blisters or calluses, I highly recommend moleskin as way to cover them and keep on going with little to no down time for healing. If you get a blister on your heel or toe, slap a square of moleskin on it, leave it there for a few days, and continue running as normal. It's pretty awesome, but it does mean no excuses to skip runs.... PS: Don't get the foam kind. It might sound nice, but it doesn't stay in place well. Get just the thin, fabric-y kind.
Tape - If you are like me and have issues with your arches and plantar fasciitis once you start running, watch this video on how to tape up your feet before a run. It helped me SOOOOOO much back when I had trouble with my arches. Luckily they got better as I lost weight and I no longer have to tape my feet up like this for every run. Proper Form
As I began running, I almost immediately started experiencing issues with my knees. Obviously running while carrying around so much extra weight is going to put a lot of strain on the knees. But there are several things you can do to lessen that, including carrying yourself with proper posture. Not just while running, but while walking and standing as well. Turns out that for the first 30 years of my life, I was walking wrong. I carried myself with too much Anterior Pelvic Tilt, which basically means I walked with my butt stuck out and my knees hyper extended. I learned that I needed to pull my butt under me and keep my knees slightly bent. That was easier said than done. For a couple of months I had to consciously think about every step I took and I had sore muscles where I didn't even know I had muscles, but I eventually got the hang of it and it's just second nature to me. If you think you might be walking improperly or start experiencing any lingering knee pain once you begin running, I highly recommend seeing your PCP for a referral to a physical therapist who can evaluate your posture and stride and recommend ways of correcting the issues.
Speaking of stride, another important factor in running is the way your foot strikes the ground. I am a heavy heel-striker, which is ultimately bad for my heels, knees, and hips. It causes more impact than is actually necessary for running. So as I began doing Couch to 5K I started to mentally focus on trying to land on the balls of my feet more. Ideally you want to be landing on your toes almost, that's what those stupid toe shoes some runners wear are for. I never really mastered it that much. But I have gotten better at at least landing more on the middle to front of my foot while running. Still terrible about it while walking though! One thing that kind of helped me mentally while running was to imagine I'm falling forward and kind of catching myself with the front of my foot.
Stretching
My time in physical therapy really taught me the value of proper stretching, which I really had NO CLUE about before. When you are doing any kind of cardio, you need to start with a warm-up, NOT stretching. Stretching is for AFTER you work out and your muscles are already warm. Cold muscles need to be warmed up and the easiest way to do that is by doing a slower or simpler version of the main workout. So in the case of running, simply walking is the best way to warm up. I always start any run with a 5-minute warm-up walk. I try to walk at a comfortably brisk pace, pushing a little faster than my normal leisurely walk (imagine the pace at which you walk from your car into a store from the parking lot), but not so fast that I am uncomfortable in my stride.
Similarly, you want to cool-down with a walk as well. I usually do about 5 minutes at the same pace as my warm-up and then 2-3 minutes even slower than that... like really slow... as slow as I can be and still be "walking".
Immediately after that cool-down walk I do a series of stretches that I learned from my physical therapist.
Standing Quad Stretch - Okay, this one you have probably seen people do a lot. One thing my physical therapist advised is that you should hold your ankle with your OPPOSITE hand. If you use the hand on the same side of your body, you are more prone to twist you hip out to the side and not get a proper stretch. If you are like me when I started, you are too fat to actually do this stretch. The trick there is to use a strap or a resistance band or something and wrap that around your foot and lift the end of it up, instead of actually grabbing your foot/ankle with your hand. Also, I still to this day have to hold onto something while I do this, because my balance sucks. I hold this stretch for 5 seconds each leg and repeat 5 times. Calf Stretch - Okay, this is likely one you've seen before too. My physical therapist has me do it this traditional way first, but then bend my back knee at about a 45 degree angle and hold that as well, which really stretches out the ankle. So I hold this the normal way for 30 seconds, then down into the second bent-knee position for 30 seconds. I do that on each side then repeat again for 30 seconds in each position on each side. IT Band Stretch - During one of my forays into running I developed pain on the outside of my left knee. It turned out to be IT Band Syndrome, which is inflammation of the tendon that connects the outside of your knee and hip. This stretch helped alleviate that. I hold for 30 seconds on each side. Sumo Squat - This one is pretty self explanatory. I hold this for 30 seconds total. That's it! Those are the only stretches I do and I have honed them after various injuries and random pain. After I am all done with those, I change into my pajamas and I elevate and ice my knees for 15-20 minutes. I don't know if I really NEED to ice my knees at this point. I haven't been struggling with any knee pain lately. But I figure it can't hurt! And there was definitely a time when I needed to ice my knees after every run to stave off inflammation.
You will, of course, have to hone your own stretching routine once aches and pains start to develop and focus on your specific problem areas, but this will at least give you a baseline. And I would recommend going ahead and getting into the habit of elevating and icing your knees as well.
Strength Training
Running shouldn't be your only method of strengthening your legs. If you do regular lower body strength training on your cardio rest days, you can strengthen your muscles and tendons and ultimately make running easier. I do lower body strength training twice a week. For a little while, when I was in physical therapy, I did it every day! But 2-3 times a week should be sufficient if you aren't already injured. Here's my routine:
Balance on One Leg - This is exactly what it sounds like. My physical therapist had me start by just balancing on one leg for 10 seconds at a time. She then had me start balancing on one leg with my eyes closed. She THEN had me start balancing on one leg with my eyes closed while standing on a pillow! I'm now to the point where I balance one leg, with my eyes closed, standing on a pillow for 30 seconds. I do this twice for each leg. Single Leg Squats - These are very shallow "squats". I don't get all the way down into a squat position. Just more of a "dip" really. I do 10 of these on each side with my free foot sliding out in front of me, then 10 on each side with my free foot sliding out to the side. I am even to the point where I now do these while balancing on a pillow! My physical therapist says you can always make balancing exercises harder by standing on a pillow. She's right! Single Leg Raises - These are pretty straight forward. Lay on your back with one knee bent and one knee straight (physical therapist said this is the only time allowed to fully extend my knee). Lift your straight leg up off the ground as high as you can and then lower it back down. I do two sets of 15 of these on each side. Lying Abduction - I like to think of these next two exercises as my "Jane Fonda Workout". They are straight out of an 80's fitness video. But they still work! You lie on your side and raise the top leg up to a 45 degree or greater angle and lower it back down. I do two sets of 15 reps of these on each side. Lying Adduction - Just like the last one, straight out of the 80's. This time you have to bend the knee of your top leg and brace yourself on the floor with your foot, then raise and lower your bottom leg. Two sets of 15 on each side here as well. Bridges - This one is super sexy. Made even sexier by the fact that my physical therapist told me to hold a pillow in between my knees while I do them! For this one I hold the bridge position at the top for a 5-count, then lower my butt back down. I do two sets of 15 of these as well. Stretching - I usually do a shortened version of my post-run stretching after my strength training. Training Programs & Strategies
As I've already mentioned about 15 times, I'm a fan of Couch to 5k and have completed it several times. Because of my excess weight and my terrible level of conditioning, I had to make some modifications in order to make the program feasible. Here are a few tips that might make the program more manageable for you:
Don't start with Week 1 - The first workout of Week 1 has you running for 1 minute, followed by 90 seconds of walking. If you are like me, starting out with 100+ excess pounds and NO physical conditioning, this will be too much. When I started out, I would run for 1 minute and then walk for FOUR minutes. I repeated that 5-minute cycle 5 or 6 times. Once I was comfortable with that, I finally officially started C25k. The point here is, if you need to ramp up to Week 1 Day 1, then ramp up to it. There's no shame in that. It's better to take it slow and work your way up to it than to get injured right away and stop altogether. Repeat workouts as needed - Couch to 5K is structured to take 9 weeks. Each "week" has three workouts. If you are struggling with completing a workout, then don't just advance to the next workout. Repeat the current workout until you have it down, or even revert to the previous workout if necessary. While part of the beauty of Couch to 5K is that it pushes you to do things you didn't think you were capable of, it can also push you TOO far. So, listen to your body. It's good to test your limits and push yourself that little bit further. But again, an injury is only going to set you back. Stretch Weeks 5 & 6 into two full weeks each - If you look at the schedule for C25K, you will see that in Weeks 5 & 6, each day is a different workout with one "long" run on the final day of the week. For me this was just TOO MUCH. So what I did was repeat Week 5, Day 1 three times (making it it's own whole week). Then I repeated Week 5, Day 2 three times. THEN I did the Week 5 long run once. Then I advanced to Week 6 where I did the same thing. Week 6, Day 1 became it's own whole week. Then Week 6, Day 2 three times. THEN finally the long run of Week 6. After that it's all just progressively longer runs. Most running programs are only going to have you running 3 days a week. You should use the remaining days for cross training and/or strength training. It is VERY important to give your muscles a chance to rest. So don't try to do the same exercise multiple days in a row. Cross training will give you a chance to continue burning calories on your non-running days. Strength training will allow you to build muscle which will burn calories all day long. My current plan is:
Sunday: strength training/cardio rest day
Monday: run
Tuesday: bike
Wednesday: run
Thursday: strength training/cardio rest
Friday: bike
Saturday: long run
In the past I have incorporated some chunk of strength training on cardio days and taken true rest days. Like Monday might be running AND upper body strength training. Tuesday might be bike and core... Wednesday run and lower body... you get the idea. For me, with my current schedule, it's easiest for me to do ALL of my strength training together on my cardio rest days. Which, unfortunately means I don't get any true REST days from working out. Oh well!
If you are crazy like me and want to work on training for longer distances once you have completed Couch to 5K, here is the training program I'm currently using for my half marathon: http://www.walkjogrun.net/training/half-marathon/training-plan.cfm?planId=half-beg-rw
Conclusion
Whew! That got long! I hope this proves useful to some of you. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have about anything here or anything I might have left out. Happy running!

Tomorrow morning is my surgery..... It still hasn't really hit me!!!

Tomorrow morning is my surgery..... It still hasn't really hit me!!!

More active years with my little girl
More active nights in bed with my wife
More times not feeling scared of booths, shopping malls, shoes coming untied
More opportunities to be included with friends and co workers
Packing for a two day trip in only a carry on
Swimming without a tshirt
Breathing while climbing stairs
In short, living on the outside, the way I feel on the inside.

@@gettinMeBack,
You've got some great advice. Here are a few more tips to help on your journey.,
Don't just give something up. Replace it. Want to stop snacking at night? Start a new routine instead. For me, I like to apply a flavored lip gloss, rub in some scented hand lotion, and drink a cup of Sleepy Time Tea, sweetened with Splenda.
You can't hate yourself thin. Think of what you would tell your best friend in this situation. That's what you tell yourself. Repeat. Repeat.
Instead of dwelling on why X food is bad for you, dwell on why you like Y food and how great it makes you feel. I recently read a study that says focusing on why you like good foods is better for weight loss than focusing on why you shouldn't eat unhealthy foods.
Consider eating a diet high in pro-biotics and pre-biotics for a few weeks. I really think for many of us, weight issues are related to gut bacteria. Lynda

Pre-op liquid diet sucks.....no way around it.
Lot's of benefits of it, though. You'll feel a sense of pride and gain some self confidence as you get into it.....becoming your own cheerleader sort of thing. "I got this". "Hell yes....I own this".
It'll get you rolling along and after the first week.......bigtime scale victory will be noted.
Mine fell over a period of 13-14 hour workdays and days off. By far.....by a tremendous margin....the work days were the easiest. I was not distracted and thinking about it.....just spaced out my shakes and drank 57 gallons of Water in between. lol.
Don't sweat it unduly. It's just a brief period of time that you'll back o with pride knowing you did something that took you closer to your improved health and better ensured a safe surgery.
It's really not so bad.

I also have thin hair and I'm pretty concerned about Hair loss. My surgery is March 24th, and I started taking Biotin a couple days ago.. I am getting married in October, so I hope I won't be bald by then! The good news(?) is that I have short (bleached) blonde hair. I see many people are saying they're cutting their hair shorter to "hide" their hair loss... So maybe my already short hair will make it less noticeable... Hopefully...

I'm a nurse. I was just going to tell them I am doing Optifast diet. Nothing more. I am very private with stuff like that. Good luck! I got my date today...March 29th!
Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

I'd just tell people you have to have abdominal surgery to correct an issue. If they press you, tell them that you're not comfortable discussing the details and change the subject:
Coworker: So what is the surgery for?
You: Oh, it's just fixing a long standing issue. So how is your daughter doing in school?
If they insist on redirecting the convo back, then tell them you're not comfortable discussing the details and excuse yourself. You don't owe anyone more information just because they asked. They are in the wrong if they ignore your boundary. Don't feel bad about (politely) shutting them down:
Coworker: Talking all about daughter... But no really, what is the issue you're getting fixed?
You: Coworker, I know you mean well, but I really don't feel comfortable talking about my medical issues at work. Thank you for understanding.

Yeah, well...
Keep it up!!
And yes, I did go and have another look at the first post...
Ok two looks...
The first look was fine...
The second was a little creepy...
But fear not...
I've now told myself off and will not do it again...
To you...
In this thread...
Today...
Yeah...
Out...

So this person followed me on Instagram. I found it quite funny, thought people in this forum would appreciate it.

If you have a funny (or even serious) weight related picture, post it for everyone to enjoy.
I was always told that vertical stripes makes you look thinner; here's the proof:

(I wish it was that easy)

There is a serving size? Who knew!

Maybe they could come up with Girl Scout-branded Protein shakes!

I just saw a pic on Facebook. "I was clean for a year, and I saw my dealer" it has boxes of girl scout Cookies. Love it!!

I have everyone at my office selling Cookies for their daughters. They look at you if you say no...but now I have come up with a fool proof way to nicely say no.
I tell them I can only buy them if I see a girl scout in uniform come to the office with pen in hand to take my order. They don't want to bring their kids to the office and I don't want to buy their cookies!
Sorry I was a girl scout...all the way through to cadet and you know my Mother and Father never sold my cookie quota for me. Nope I had to go out there and earn it. I know it's not the same today where you can go ring a door bell...but really these kids are so internet savvy...they can do it.
Besides it gets me off the hook nicely and when the other co-workers bring in their boxes because they don't want to eat them all...I make sure that they put them in front of the "sellers" office and not mine. Do I sound terribly mean??

Who is the admin for the March 2016 Sleevers fb group? I want to join.... But currently the group is not secret... I don't want my friends and coworkers to know anything about my surgery...

I just made my 3 month from surgery and am down 32. I was thrilled (because I am REALLY TRYING not to compare myself to others...always so hard!) I am so happy for you.