iwillbeachitagain

Done! Just consigned a bunch of size 20 / 2x! And the rest are being donated to a good cause. Yay!

Done! Just consigned a bunch of size 20 / 2x! And the rest are being donated to a good cause. Yay!

I am officially down 50 pounds and out of my size 20s and 2x clothes. I really want to give them away and try to sell the good stuff on consignment - but should I? Is this weight loss really for life? I feel like I'm in a dream I don't want to wake up from!

It really is for life.
I recommend keeping one "before" item so you have something tangible to show as a reminder of where you came from and get rid of the rest.

Like @@Inner Surfer Girl said, I kept one pair of pants and one shirt from my highest weight, just as a reminder of where the journey started. But everything else had to go! I know some people keep their old wardrobe, or get some things altered to fit their changing sizes, but it was pretty therapeutic for me to get rid of those things. Now between clothing exchanges and thrift/consignment shops, I've gotten a whole "new" wardrobe and it hasn't cost me more than $100.

Get rid of it! I have already started that too. The only reason to keep it would be because you don't plan on succeeding and after having 80 percent of my stomach removed for 20K, I intend to win this fight.

Yep .. I'm with the other posters ... say good bye to the clothes that no longer and WILL NEVER fit again!
In my opinion ... keeping the clothes is a license to allow yourself to get back to where you started ...
Because ... Hey! You've got clothes that will fit!
So I was only toooooo happy to say good bye to the ugly fat clothes that kept me covered for YEARS !!
Now, I wear clothes that FIT me ... shape me ... and help me become the curvy woman I was meant to be

Definitely get that stuff out of your house! You don't need a safety net to fall back on. Plus you are going to need the space for all your smaller, more stylish clothes!

Yes! What everyone else said. Get rid of it all except for the one "fat suit" that will help you (later) remember how far you have come and inspire you to stay healthy.
I've lost 100 pounds and now weigh 135. This is the first time in my life I've burned my bridges behind me (given away all my fat clothes). It was so emotionally freeing that it's hard to describe. You just have to do it to feel it.

@@iwillbeachitagain
yes!!!
if you hold on to your bigger clothes, you'll have a "safety net"
if you start to fall (gain weight)
there is always something you could wear!
NOT the way to think about things
I DO suggest YOU keep one big article of clothing
about one year after goal
i went to Kohl's, the place i always shop
a magnet had been placed in my body years ago
it drew my body to all PLUS SIZE clothing
my hand took me to "those" elastic stretched 2X blue jeans
i took the pair to the changing room
put in on over my size 6 jeans
i stared at myself, tearing STRONGLY
this is a good/bad memory i won't forget
after a few minutes i bought the jeans
they sit in the back of my closet
you have lost 50 lbs!!!??
keep up the good work
you are aces
congrats
kathy

I am in the process of bagging up my things now!

What a joy!! Look how far you've come!! Great job

The way you're feeling is normal ... what I've read on here and gone through myself ... basically mirrors yourself. There are hormones going crazy inside your body because of the surgery and being released from the stored fat ... So you'll feel a little out of whack for a few weeks ... but I PROMISE ... it does get better ... and it's 1000% worth it!!!
You said a lot of positive things in your post ... so I'm pretty confident you're on the right path ... both mentally and physically ...
You got this!!
Be Blessed

I am officially down 50 pounds and out of my size 20s and 2x clothes. I really want to give them away and try to sell the good stuff on consignment - but should I? Is this weight loss really for life? I feel like I'm in a dream I don't want to wake up from!

I am officially down 50 pounds and out of my size 20s and 2x clothes. I really want to give them away and try to sell the good stuff on consignment - but should I? Is this weight loss really for life? I feel like I'm in a dream I don't want to wake up from!

This is your second post worrying about the fact that your weight loss has slowed down/stalled and you sound like you're panicking about things. If your doc told you to eat a certain way for X amount of time, and you bumped it up a few days and didn't hurt yourself or make yourself sick, you're fine as long as you're hitting the protein/water goals.
Later down the road, you should focus on eating Protein first, then healthy veggies, and complex carbs in moderation (always making sure you drink your water/liquids). Once you're cleared for "all food" the only things to add to that first part is to make sure you watch your calories and keep the carbs moderate. It really is pretty simple.
Did you read the "embrace the stall" post by Inner Surfer Girl?
Stalls are normal and rapid weight loss is not going to happen all the time (and might not ever for some), and the entire process of losing weight will not be a fast or steady ride. You will stall frequently, sometimes it might be a week or 2 or 3 weeks before you see the scale move again.
This is NORMAL. Your body will do what it needs to do as long as you are eat enough Protein, watch your carbs, drink your Water and getting a decent amount (not too little, not too much) of calories each day.
Stalls are healthy and vital. You would not be able to go without sleep for a month right? Think of a stall like your body taking a rest break and getting a good nap in. It needs to pause to rest, and then once it's ready, you'll start losing weight again. You can't force it to do things on a set schedule just because you're upset about the pause. Give your body (and yourself) a break and focus on eating healthy foods, getting your protein and Water and exercising.
And if you're not doing this already, take measurements of things like arms, chest, waist and hips. Sometimes the stalls are actually when your body is exchanging fat for muscle. A pound of fat is much bulkier than a pound of muscle, and you won't see the change on the scale, but your clothes will start to feel loser and the tape measure will show the progress - and this is just as important as seeing numbers dropping on the scale! I actually think it's even more important because building muscle and losing fat is a GREAT thing!
But really, calm down, give yourself permission to stop focusing on the weight loss and just work on eating healthy and drinking and getting more active. The rest will take care of itself.

Thank you for these suggestions! I purchased the big book and eat it up -

I would like to purchase a book that addresses any and all questions a post VSG patient would want to know. Also, it would be great to find a book that has tasty high Protein recipes. Which books can you recommend?

I was this person just over a year ago. I joined gyms and would stop going after a month or two. I'd buy equipment and use it maybe once or twice a month if that. I hated sweating, I hated the trying and seeing absolutely nothing for my efforts.
But after the sleeve and getting used to eating better and dropping weight regularly, I realized I was feeling a bit better and started having a tiny bit more energy. That coincided with my neighborhood pool opening and I remembered how much I loved swimming, so I started going when I could. I'd drive there, go splash and dive and float and end up exercising without even meaning to because it was fun. I started going regularly throughout the summer, and eventually worked up to riding my bike there and back instead of driving (it is just over a mile round trip). Because I also remembered when I was a kid, how much I loved riding a bike. And it was also fun!
And the really amazing part is that I started seeing real progress - I wasn't huffing and puffing riding a half mile or swimming the length of the pool. I noticed muscle definition in my arms and legs. I was measuring each month, and I would see definite inches lost in addition to seeing the scale slowly moving downwards. It was never smooth steady progress, but it was happening pretty often and I was even more encouraged to keep going, push myself a little more and enjoyed it even more knowing I was going to get actual, visual/measurable benefits.
If you hate gym exercises, don't force yourself to do them. There are hundreds of other things you could be doing that you'd actually look forward to.
The point being, you have to give yourself time to adjust to seeing real actual progress for one thing, and you also have to find something that won't seem like exercise because you enjoy doing it just for fun.
Think back to when you were a kid - did you love riding your bike all over the neighborhood? Playing frisbee or catch or some sport in the park? Swimming? Climbing or hiking out in the woods? Or maybe just walking through a pretty park and bird watching (or people watching)? Even stuff like bowling is going to be fun but still gets you up and down, lifting weights, swinging your arms and concentrating on moving correctly and could be a gateway activity that might lead to others that will push you further along (as long as you're not eating the bowling alley food!)
Open your mind to the possibilities and you'll never feel mad or stressed about exercise again... because it will just be you out having fun and moving your body!
You should be able to find something that you used to love and it can be picked back up and re-purposed into regular exercise. Or at least find something now as an adult that you can grow to enjoy. Good luck!!

I just found out today my surgery will be February 16!

Let's rally!!!

I have a tentative date of Feb 17. Waiting on insurance pre-auth. Looking for a buddy as well... It would be good to compare notes on our journey.

Close Feb 16

I'm so glad everything went well for you. My surgery is this Tuesday. I hope and pray I will have a recovery similar to yours. Hugs!

Sweet! Great to know! Seems like perfect post op food!