Autumn Riley Arnold

Strawberries taste amazing now. I never noticed how good fruit was because I was constantly pounding Peanut Butter cups and ice cream.

Im training for my first half marathon which is set for Sept 11th of this year! My 1 year post op is September 30th!
Who woulda thought that in ONE year I went from "the fat girl who couldn't run" to "100 pounds down going 13.1"
I am so excited for the challenge. I could barely walk a 27 minute mile before, now I can run almost 5 miles without having to stop. My fastest mile is 7:30 now

I began fitting into clothes I used to wear over five years ago yupeee!

nsv in real time! i'm on the crowded morning train, saw one open seat in a cluster of 4, so i had to step over 3 ppl and i fit in the seat like a boss...would have just stood months ago i'm feeling like a pro at this skinny girl stuff lmao!

I went shopping for the first time since my surgery in December 2014. As usual i picked up the biggest size of a 22 and also a size 18, because I wasn't sure what I wore anymore. To my surprise, the 18 fit perfect, and I haven't worn a size 18 since I was 12 years old.

Today was exciting for me because my son and I worked out together today, and we did exercises his football team did during practice. We RAN around their football stadium, including the bleachers. I haven't ran anywhere in 20 years. Then we lifted weights together, and his workout was challenging. Then later in the evening we ran around our neighborhood. I think I'm becoming addicted to running.

Going back to college to get my nursing degree.

Today my husband helped me recheck my measurements. We took them and recorded them in my journal two days after I started the pre-op liquid diet on November 17th, 2014 because a friend of mine had told me that she didn't take any measurements and that was one of her biggest regrets from preparation. Today, in comparison, each of my upper arms are nearly 3 inches smaller, my neck is a full inch smaller, my chest shows a five inch decrease, my waist is a full EIGHT inches smaller, and my hips are three and a half inches smaller!!!! Each thigh is three inches smaller, and each calf is an inch smaller. I am SOOOOOOOO thrilled with these results! Here's to dressing like a hobo for the first few months of 2015 as my clothes are hanging on me and i REFUSE to replace them as of yet!

I guess I should now be over on the POST gb forum, but I wanted to post this here so that people about to get the surgery know what it might be like.
I was sooo nervous and sooo emotional! I had no IDEA how much of a hold, food has over me! Since I use it to cope, I've been crying a lot lately. I really need to get some psychiatric help so that I can find a healthy outlet for my emotions instead of using food.< br />Other than that, my surgery went amazing! I was in there for 3 and a half hours. It was done laparoscopically and it took so long because I have a LOT of scar tissue in that area from previous surgeries.
I woke up in hardly any pain and never really HAD any pain at all, except for the gas. The gas is what hurt the most. So on the second day, I was up and walking the halls, doing about 4 trips around the two nursing stations and other rooms in the center in an hour.
I was released yesterday and love being home! Things are just like they used to be, except I can't pick up and hold my cat, he's too heavy. I can't vacuum and do most of the chores I used to do but I can wash the dishes and keep the kitchen looking nice. Also, I have to be up and walking every hour too! I only walk for about 5 minutes because I'm not used to exercise and it hurts my legs and back really bad. But I will build that up to 10 minutes in no time.
So all in all, it went great! Hardly any pain and no more hunger! Oh, although! When I see some commercials (and I cannot BELIEVE how many commercials there are for food!) it makes me REALLY desire them! Even though I'm not hungry, I STILL want them. And that's what scares me and what I need counseling for.
I'm still on the clear liquid diet for another 4 days and then go to full liquids which I can't wait for! Too much sweet stuff (drinks, popsicles and jello) on the clear liquid diet. lol
So I hope this has helped and was good to read for some of you! Good luck!

My sister has ways been thin while I have always been fat. Going clothes shopping together meant I would help her pick out clothes for her to try on and give her the thumbs up or thumbs down. I always shopped on lone catalogs or specialty stores like Catherine's yesterday we popped into Ross where she picked up few tops, a skirt and a pair of jeans. I picked up three tops, two shrugs, a skirt and two dresses while she gave me the thumbs up. We had so much fun shopping together and it was the first time we both bought something from the same store since we were teens and mom bought us school clothes.

I am having surgery on September 28! I can't wait. Everyone's advice is so helpful. I can't do artificial sweeteners either, and am glad to know there are others out there that are making it work! I'll have to try my DoTerra oils in my Water, too!

I guess I should now be over on the POST gb forum, but I wanted to post this here so that people about to get the surgery know what it might be like.
I was sooo nervous and sooo emotional! I had no IDEA how much of a hold, food has over me! Since I use it to cope, I've been crying a lot lately. I really need to get some psychiatric help so that I can find a healthy outlet for my emotions instead of using food.< br />Other than that, my surgery went amazing! I was in there for 3 and a half hours. It was done laparoscopically and it took so long because I have a LOT of scar tissue in that area from previous surgeries.
I woke up in hardly any pain and never really HAD any pain at all, except for the gas. The gas is what hurt the most. So on the second day, I was up and walking the halls, doing about 4 trips around the two nursing stations and other rooms in the center in an hour.
I was released yesterday and love being home! Things are just like they used to be, except I can't pick up and hold my cat, he's too heavy. I can't vacuum and do most of the chores I used to do but I can wash the dishes and keep the kitchen looking nice. Also, I have to be up and walking every hour too! I only walk for about 5 minutes because I'm not used to exercise and it hurts my legs and back really bad. But I will build that up to 10 minutes in no time.
So all in all, it went great! Hardly any pain and no more hunger! Oh, although! When I see some commercials (and I cannot BELIEVE how many commercials there are for food!) it makes me REALLY desire them! Even though I'm not hungry, I STILL want them. And that's what scares me and what I need counseling for.
I'm still on the clear liquid diet for another 4 days and then go to full liquids which I can't wait for! Too much sweet stuff (drinks, popsicles and jello) on the clear liquid diet. lol
So I hope this has helped and was good to read for some of you! Good luck!

meat of any variety: chicken, beef, pork, and even the questionable make up of cold cuts. I just can't stomach them anymore. It's not only the taste, but the texture, even the mere sight of it is a bit nauseating. I still like fish, like salmon, but I can take or leave tuna.< /p>

Name the foods that now taste differently to you since you had the surgery.
So far, for me, since I'm only 9 days out, there's this Water that I get from Aldi that has a very sugary taste. Also, milk tastes a little *off* now.
How about you?

I jogged for the very first time on the treadmill today. Jogging/running again is my number 1 dream, top of all of my WLS related goals. I seriously have dreams at night about being able to do this. I had to fight hard to hold back the tears, even now it is still pulling my strings.

I have recently rededicated myself to working out every day. It is incredible how good my body feels even in the first few days! I'm lazy and would usually always have an excuse for not exercising, but let me tell you from the first day I dedicated myself to doing it I want to do it more and more. I love the confidence it gives me in how I move my body, and the sense of accomplishment I feel knowing I started the day ahead in my goals by putting that time to exercise in. Combined with following my recommended diet, I feel absolutely empowered in a way I have not felt before. For all those struggling, do your best to commit yourself to moving more and you will 100% be rewarded for your effort.

I've been looking for warm weather clothes on clearance everywhere I go. There is just no way I'll be able to use anything I wore last summer! Today I bought three pairs of sz8 jeans, a bathing suit sz10, a medium sundress, and four sleeveless tops in small - all for less than $60! I'm feeling pretty damn happy about the bargains I found. And everything fits! I was just getting used to sz10 jeans and medium tops. I never dreamed I'd wear a sz8 and a small!!!! The medium sundress was Chaps - that brand seems to run small. :-)
I can't wait for the warm weather this year! This girl is going to wear comfortable, pretty clothes, sweat a whole lot less, and take evening swims at the beach! And hubby is going to have to take me somewhere nice when I wear that beautiful dress! :-)

I am getting my hair braided, and as all my sista's out there know I'll be here for hours. Every time I sit in a chair like this, for hours I dream of this moment of comfort, and now it is here!
My NSV is that I'm sitting in a hair salon with my legs crossed enjoying this iPad comfortably in this uncomfortable salon chair. I'm leaning to side a bit so I'm not 100% there yet, but this still so exciting!!
No one here knows how excited I am about this on the inside. I do not know the stylists here very well so I'm not gonna tell them, but I had to tell someone, so I choose you, my BariatricPal's. Yay me!

I finally broke out of the 130's - I weigh 129! I haven't seen the 120's since 1982! This is surreal. I can't believe I'm this small! When I try on clothes in the stores I hold up something and think 'No, that's too small' and grab the next size up. Which never fits! I need to wrap my head around being 'normal'. :-)

Lol! Don't know if that is really a NSV! More of a 'What Not to Wear' situation! :-D

NSV:Ok,I was wearing 3x shirts before surgery in May, have reduced to 2x for several months. Opened my Christmas gifts and wife had bought me 3 shirts size 1x. I told her a was not ready for this size. She told me to try them on, well.. I was Wrong, 1x was just right, sometimes it is hard to go down a size, just not use to it. Hope all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year

Sounds like it's gas. That's the only pain I really had and it was bad. You need to walk, walk, walk! I walked for 2 miles yesterday and now it must be completely gone because for the first time since surgery I have zero pain! =)

Dude, really? It could be so much worse! I've been on the clear liquid diet for 2 weeks and a day! Nothing but Water, Gatorade, broth, popsicles and Jello. TWO WEEKS, man!! lol

Yeah, it is some of the worst pain out there! At one point it felt like my rib was broken!
Sounds like you're doing great!! Shouldn't be too much longer, maybe one of two more days if you keep up the walking! xo

I bloody hope so it's horrible! Had a long walk today will do more tommorrow fingers crossed it passes soon. Thank you! ????
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