Dashofpixiedust8

@DownsizingDonnathank you. I have been going to my monthly support groups at my surgeon. Most of them are for those who had surgery and who haven't had surgery. They only have the ones for veterans (6 months out+) every other month at the location I go to. There are other locations but they are harder for me to get to. @kristin_pasley Thank you so much! I get/got those comments too. I still get the whole "you are tall and carry weight well" I am 5'10. Even though I'm 245 pounds I wear a size 14/16 bottom and 12 top. Also, even though I have lost almost 300 pounds some people in my family who have sharp tongues still say things like 1'you have such a pretty face, your body will catch up". It's frustrating. I don't know what my weight goal should be anymore. i'm glad I could inspire you. Good luck with your surgery! I can't wait to see your before and afters. @melissa39437Thank you! I'm trying to make myself believe that! @spowellAww thanks!! @sleevebabeAww! Thank you so much! Fear is a terrible thing! It is so hard to change the fat mentality. I am struggling with it a lot. @Brittany1225 Thank you! I can't wait to see your before and afters! I am glad I could inspire you. @HB76356 WOW! You have done amazing! Good luck on your journey with the sleeve! It's true that now I'm meeting people who didn't know me when I was 540 and they only know me now. Honestly I find it harder to deal with people who DID know me before I lost the weight because I feel they ALSO have the fat mentality with me. When I was 540 I couldn't do a lot of active or even hardly active activities. Now I can do SOOO much and my friends still treat me as if I am unable to do these things. They do all these active things that I would have WANTED to do and they don't invite me because they still have the mentality that I CAN'T! It's not helping much... @reallyrosy they mental process is definitely harder than the physical one. @WhtWdUGive620Aww thank you! Honestly, your message made me tear up. I'm so glad I could be an inspiration for you and my venting could help you! Good luck in getting back on track! We can do this! @GotProlactinoma Aww! Thanks! It really did. I needed to just get out my feelings and thoughts. I'm glad my venting was able to inspire others though.

@Nhope Thank you so much! I'm glad I'm not the only one with these feelings. @Jessilou Aww thank you. I'm glad I could inspire you! @DeltaDi Thanks!! @landoflaura It is REALLY hard to remove the mental fat. Especially since I have been used to being fat my entire life. @fastfoodaddictnomore Thank you! I agree it's important to let the past go and focus on the present in order to have a better future. I try and remind myself when I give into cravings that I can't change what I already ate but I can make a better choice when I eat next. @frumpy69 Thank you so much! I am trying to turn it back around. I was able to lose 4 pounds this week which was nice! @GezzraAww thank you!! Self sabotage is really really hard to overcome. I've been working on it for a long time. Sometimes I do better with it than others. @Zoune Thank you!! @reallyrosyYou have done amazing! I know you have slipped backwards some but you are no where near where you started! I know how hard it is. Self sabotage is so hard. Usually my therapist talks me through it when I am self sabotaging. Helping me realize that's what I'm doing. When I'm at the point that I realize that is what I'm doing I'm usually at the point of being ready to stop and turn it back around.

@Geri Marie Thank you so much! It is hard to be noticed sometimes but most of the time I'm enjoying it. Good luck with your upcoming surgery! I can't wait to see your before and afters! @smb123 Thank you!

My weigh in this week is 245.8! I'm happy with it! Down almost 4 pounds this week!

@DedicatedLady You are 1 pound from your challenge goal! @tinytummy17 and @doingit4me2017 You both are so close to ONEDERLAND! I'm hoping you guys get it next week!

@Missy161 Thanks! @kurigotmoxie I'm so glad! @Apple1 No problem!

@Entrise It's good to be ambitious as long as it doesn't set you back! @jimp444 You are so close! @naty Congrats on meeting your challenge goal!! Did you want to set a new one for next week or just let it stay the same? @Missy161 You are doing great!!

@FabNFit@40 Aww! Thank you so much! It is really hard, we will get through it!

First of all, congrats on your success! Also, I agree about the elastic pants. I refuse to wear stretchy pants or t-shirts because thats what my only option was for soooo many years! I agree with @Sosewsue61 though. Dresses are much more forgiving than actual pants/shorts. It would really depend on your frame and goal weight what size you would need. Are you near your goal? For me my goal is a size 10, but I am 5'10 and have broad shoulders.

@sleevedshereenAww thanks. I know, change can be scary. Some days I feel so confident and pretty and other days I feel like the girl who was 540 pounds. Anytime I think about my weight I automatically put a 4 at the front instead of a 2. I have to correct myself EVERY time. I don't know why. I do need to work on self love, we are our own worst critics.

@jvleeuw Thank you! I am not really beating myself up too much about it, especially since I didn't really gain. I'm just going to move on. I just wonder if anyone else can relate to my fear. @heycrystal2052 Thank you so much! I'm just in general therapy. I have been seeing my current therapist for 14 years, I have depression and bipolar. I have a lot going on right now but lately in sessions we have been working on my body image issues and at my most recent visit, my self sabotaging behavior.

Congrats on your success!! Good luck with surgery!

I'm not as far out as many of your but I am 14 months out! I am so thankful for this sleeve!

I save time by planning what I'm going to eat for the whole day and tracking it all in the morning. I can adjust at the end of the day if I added anything or didn't eat something. I use my fitness pal though I've heard not everything is completely accurate on it, I still find it to be the best for me.

@DedicatedLady I have updated the sheet for you!

It's so true. The number on the scale is not the end all be all of weight. You can lose inches while you aren't losing pounds. It's very important to not just focus on the numbers, I know it can be hard but if you only focus on the scale you will not be happy.

I am so sorry to hear of all that you are going through. First off, I need you to do the most important thing, forgive yourself and move on. If you feel like you are a failure you will be more likely to wallow and graze more. You have to just stand up, accept the bad eating and grazing of the past, dust yourself off and start again. I have had to do this many times. I was sleeved on 5/29/16 and am down 260 since surgery and 291 overall. I just had a bout of a few weeks after having my panniculectomy surgery and some stressful times where I was eating really bad. I was giving in to my cravings and not counting my calories. Maybe not everyone will slip but many people do. I feel the difference between those who regain their focus and those who don't is forgiving themselves. I came to the realization that I was self sabotaging myself, and even though I gained less than a pound I was on the path of regain. I just had to sit down with myself and say, I am not going back. I have come too far to ruin this now. I will never be that person again. Then I did some meal planning. I started weighing everything again and have tracked everything that goes in my mouth. I am keeping to a 1,200 calorie a day limit because that is what my surgeon recommends. I know this is hard, and you have had a lot of stressors in your life that would test even the strongest will power. You can come back from this, just take it one day at a time. If that's too much just one meal at a time. You can't change the past but you control the future. We are all here if you need us to vent to people who would understand or if you are looking for suggestions!

@jimp444 I have updated the sheet!

i feel like some people don't know if it's okay to mention it. For me, it wasn't really that noticeable until I was down over 150 pounds since I started so high. Not everyone would mention it. I was on the fence about whether I even wanted them to say anything. Now that I'm down 292 pounds...it is VERY noticeable and I really WANT the attention. Not everyone gives it still but MANY people do. I really think it depends on how well that person knows you whether they feel they have a right to comment on it. Everyone is different and maybe they feel it would be insulting to say something. I know it's very hard but try not to focus on any one else's reactions to you but focus on your own reactions and abilities you didn't have before. Also, I'm not saying you are but if you depend on other people's reactions to validate your choice of having surgery it may affect your commitment to continue. Only you can make you happy. I struggle with the physical validation from others a lot. I'm trying to focus on the fact that before, I was a shell of a human in a round squishy cell. Now I am free and I am active and I am who I always wanted and knew I could be but always stopped myself from becoming. This is both a physically and emotionally draining experience and I'm sure there is a difference, others just may not know what to say about it. But you can tell yourself, damn, I look good! Sorry for the long post...I think I wrote some of this to remind myself as much as I want to tell you!

My weigh in this week was 249.6...up again. This is because I've been eating like crap and I got an unexpected monthly visitor for the SECOND time this month I am going back to basics and focusing on protein and calorie counting again. I CAN NOT sabotage myself. I have come TOO FAR. Mr surgeon wants me to lose 30-35 more pounds and I was to lose 50. It is so close I can see it and I'm just getting in my own way. NOT ANYMORE!! I can do this and I will do this...

@kurigotmoxie It's really hard when you travel and don't have your own kitchen. All you can do is accept it for what it is and do what you need to do to get back on track! @DedicatedLady you have BEAT your challenge goal! would you like to adjust your goal for the last 2 weeks?

@doingit4me2017 You are getting so close!! @klette0147 You did better than maintain, you lost a pound!

@braydens.momma Congratulations!! You made it to ONEDERLAND!!! That's so exciting!! @Torriluv87 I feel your pain! I wasn't even expecting my monthly visitor since I just had it 2 1/2 weeks ago! Grrr! @Mandi4417 That's awesome! I hope you are feeling good! @rubia72YAY!!! Congratulations!! You are in ONEDERLAND!!! You don't know how big of a smile popped on my face when I read your entry! I told you it would happen!

@Apple1 It will start to move again! @katieroybal You kicked that stall's butt! Way to go! @chrys129 I know how frustrating that can be. We just have to stay motivated and the scale will start to move again. It is important to also focus on how clothes feel and our measurements because sometimes the scale doesn't move but we shrink anyway!

@jimp444You have BEAT your challenge goal of 210!! Congrats! Would you like to adjust your goal for the last 2 weeks? @dede0314 I know how frustrating that is! We just have to stay the course! @thisisthenewme YAY! That's great! You have also BEATEN your challenge goal! Would you like to adjust your goal for the last 2 weeks? @tinytummy17 You are so close to ONEDERLAND!!