KristenLe

Yeah I'm proud of myself and thank to you guys I didn't give in! Im trying to move around n dance now :-) trying to escape the reality of my dreadful assignment!
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The curves are so much hotter than skin & bones! You look great! Your posts always make me laugh too - great sense of humor! I am still laughing about your crotch swelling comments.

awesome! Your tummy is so flat, I am debating doing tuck once I get these last 20 lbs off. Went from 296 to now 151. Trying to concentrate on weights in gym to tightened as much so I can truly see what if anything I need to do to my tummy. Boobs no hope will have to do something there. Only thing keeping them up is bra, lol

I have reached a lot of NSV that I never thought about before. Sitting curled up, fitting in the middle seat of the car, comfortably fitting in benches and chairs when out with hubby, crossing legs, sitting with knees to chest, painting toes, wearing "regular" clothes, buying a form fitted dress, wearing heels without feeling like my feet will fall off,
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Big doings in June. Taking a family cruise from NY to Maine and Canada. The itinerary is not what's important. It's that all but one niece will be there. My sons, wives and their children. My folks, siblings and their families. Twelve in all. That's what I'm looking forward to!

I won't be having surgery until Sept/Oct. :-( This July we are spending a week at Lake Winnipesaukee NH. We spend time there every Summer (my boyfriend's family has a house there) but this year we are renting a house with my parents and hopefully other family. I'm also taking the week of Memorial Day off to do some gardening and planting flowers and to just have a staycation at home.

If it turns out any thing close to this I will be thrilled. See belly dancer! I wasn't kidding when I said that. I LOVE that curvy body shape!! I think it's so womanly and beautiful. Is it weird that I don't want to be "skinny" even after all of this. When everyone is like "make me as flat as you can, suck all the fat off " I'm over here saying NO! I want curves don't you dare take all that off!! I guess it's all in what you find attractive.

Update tiiiime! So here's my scar line! Things to remember...I'm only 9 days post op. I'm still super swollen. Oh, and while we're on the swelling hell topic here's a tiny bit of information they don't tell you....your crotch will swell too!!! I'm serious like swollen and gross looking, it's freaky!! I'm not being gross I'm just being honest. Things like that can really freak a girl out! I was like "ummm oh ,no, nope that's not my crotch what is that!!!" Then I looked it up and yep normal. It goes away and comes back blah blah blah. So there's that. Also a lot of those lines are from my compression outfit. They aren't part of my stomach. My BB is red and aggravated right now because the stitches just got pulled out yesterday so I will get a better close up when it's not so scary looking. I love the scar. It's low and it's pretty even from side to side and curves downward on the ends and not up like a lot I've seen. I'm excited for this thing to heal so I can start the "scar therapy" part. Right now it has to be left alone to completely heal up. Overall I'm thrilled and look forward to the next day since it keeps changing for the better. FYI I don't normally pose like that my daughter just thought it was funny so we used it! Sexxxxxay scar picture first thing in the morning! Who doesn't want one??! Especially after I just told you about the crotch swell up! You're welcome!!!!

April 15 11:20 AM: got a phone call this moring from surgeon office..the insurance referral came in!! Whoo hoo.
Now I can start the pre op diet...

IMO no. It doesn't get better. It flat out sucks.
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So yesterday at work, we had a staff meeting and sitting on the conference room table were two boxes of Dunkin Donuts. No one wanted to take one but I knew everyone was eyeing them. I went into the kitchen and brought back a bunch of knives and said these were for those interested in half a donut..or a quarter. I then proceeded to start to cut away a piece for myself and one of my colleagues said the following: 'Sure, just eat a little piece...spoken just like the size 2 that she is'. She meant it in a lighthearted way...not nasty at all and as this woman was a recent hire, she did not know me at any other size (btw...I'm not a 2) and just presumed I was a dainty eater and wouldn't have a problem with a piece of donut rather than the whole thing.
Like I said in the topic title, this is the payoff for me. I want people to know me as I am now, and not as I was. The obese person I was before is hopefully dead and buried. I like this version of me so much more. It's not just that I look better...it's that I feel better, I'm more positive, more outgoing, more comfortable in my skin, etc, etc.
No...life is not perfect. Weight loss has made my life easier but I still have issues, worries, concerns. It's just easier to deal with this stuff when my size is no longer a factor.
This exchange yesterday gave me the hope that the size I am now will be forever, my new normal.

@@kranky813 Prayers that the breast lumps aren't anything serious! Good luck with your surgery!

I won't be having surgery until Sept/Oct. :-( This July we are spending a week at Lake Winnipesaukee NH. We spend time there every Summer (my boyfriend's family has a house there) but this year we are renting a house with my parents and hopefully other family. I'm also taking the week of Memorial Day off to do some gardening and planting flowers and to just have a staycation at home.

I haven't had surgery yet but feel that not telling obese friends is doing them a disservice. If it weren't for a woman at work being open about her journey I may not have even looked into surgery. We know how hard it is to do this on our own and when we don't tell them about the most helpful tool we've had to lose - they must feel like failures. I'm not shouting it on the roof tops but if asked, I'm going to tell friends, family and coworkers. Congrats on your success, Cape! Well done and something to be proud of!

We just got back Monday from a three week vacation in San Diego! During that trip we also spent 4 days in Las Vegas. We did SO much - the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, the Birch aquarium, at least ten different beaches, artist markets, lots of eating out, exploring the desert and mountains at Red Rock Canyon outside Vegas, swimming and hot tubbing, and a ton more. It was just a whirlwind of amazing, fun, and beautiful experiences. And now I'm back in cold, rainy Rochester NY. :'( Still, it's been an amazing three weeks. San Diego, particularly Ocean Beach/Newport, is my favorite place in the world. I have family there and I plan on moving there when I finish school.
Edit: also, I suspect this is because of all the walking we did, but I somehow managed to lose 9 pounds on vacation, despite eating a LOT of cheat foods and generally relaxing, officially cementing this past month as the best month ever.

I met my husband in 2002, I was around 260 then. We moved in together before we got married and we both started to gain weight together. He was a very healthy weight when we met so his weight gain was about 30-40lbs over the course of 8yrs, my weight gain was 100lbs to 370 by 2013. At a yearly check up with a new PCP she looked at me astounded that all of my blood work was fine, no hyperglycemia, I was still very mobile, only a slightly high BP. She behooved us to try the DASH diet for weight loss telling me my good numbers would not last. So my husband and I did and very successfully lost weight with diet and exercise. My husband lost down to a BMI of 25 and I lost 93lbs to 277. Then last summer we planned a Caribbean getaway and fell off the wagon starting in June. It was slow, but I did start gaining back and by November had gained back 25lbs. I tried again the reset method from the DASH diet of no carbs/sugars for two weeks and only lost 4lbs... Discouraged I went to a seminar with a coworker who was loud and proud about having it done. I was always a naysayer about WLS thinking if you can eat like that after surgery why can't you do it now? I was uneducated!! My husband is very supportive of me and has loved me unconditionally at all sizes that I've been. I decided to make this change so I can travel comfortably in an airplane seat and see the world. My kids are grown and my main focus can be me for a change. My husband was scared about surgery and he, in a moment of complete honesty, said he was happy right now with the way things were which included planning a place to eat out on the days we were off together. I told him it was the simple things he takes for granted, like running into Walmart and buying a cheap Tshirt (I know Walmart has plus size, but plus size belly shirts, they're so short!), not thinking twice about a booth in a restaurant hoping the table wasn't bolted to the floor, not worrying not having your elderly dad say "sit in that chair right there, I think it will hold you"....Those things!

Be honest. They are only there to help.

That is probably the cause. You need to speak with your Surgeon about the nausea and be sure to get in your fluids and Protein.

@@BigDaddyJG Check out @@Smye 's bariatric friendly pizza recipe. I made it this evening. Yummy. If you haven't already, check out his blog. Here's the link: http://barideliciousfood.blogspot.com
I'll try to add a picture of my results.

They will ask about depression and anxiety but it is absolutely okay for you to be on meds as long as it's "controlled". They'll ask about hospitalizations for mental health reasons. They will want to know how you handle stress and emotional challenges particularly your eating during these times. Please be honest - they are there to make sure you are ready and can be successful. If they have concerns, they'll probably refer you to counseling but we all could use a little therapy anyway. Good luck and I'm very sorry about your Dad.

Here are my stats:
Highest weight: 294
Surgery weight: 252 (10/19/15)
Current weight: 182
February 27, 2016---199.8 onderland
March 16, 2016---100.6 total lost
Progress:
October (252) - November (232): -20
November (232) - December (222): -10
December (222) - January (214): -8
January (214) - February (203): -11
February (203) - March (191): -12
March (191) - April ( ): current month

Struggling to wipe. Sorry if TMI.
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I know it's disappointing but be thankful that you have a good medical team looking out for your best interests. The complications could have been deadly. Stay strong and feel better soon!

My guess would be that you have 2+lbs of pooping to do. Concentrate on Water intake, Protein and pooping! Good luck!

I am using it to try and change my eating habits. This includes not only what I eat and how much but when I eat (emotionally). I'm learning everything I can about living after surgery and successfully losing and keeping weight off. I'm going to see a psychologist for some tips and counseling around emotional eating. I don't really eat or drink anything that I may potentially have to stop after surgery (soda, sweets) but if I did I'd use this time to kick the habit as much as possible. I'm disappointed I have to wait but I'm turning it into a positive.