Newme17

You can do this! And you've caught yourself before you did any damage. Awesome!

Car debt is the bane of my existence. Wont do it. And I love Toyota...I drive (and LOVE) my 2015 Camry...so I know how hard that was. Absolutely awesome you're getting the walking in, instead. Love that so much! Also teaches good habits to the kiddo....which is brilliant.

Speaking of kiddo and cars..I've spent the last three months combing the web for a used car for my daughter. She has a summer job lined up here and needs a car to get to various labs and sample sites....and I won't let her go into more debt. (she has minimal student loans and will graduate next year with her microbiology degree)

I found her a 2008 Malibu from Tennessee, clean inside and out...with just barely 100K on it...and I'm feeling incredibly accomplished. $3000, we paid cash CarFax is clean, mechanic said it was in great shape and she should get a few years out of it yet. Very common car with cheap parts if repairs are needed in the future. Previous owner did a valve job and replaced timing chain, and all maintenance was done at dealership. Brand new tires and brakes.

It's parked in our driveway as we speak. Runs and sounds like brand new.

I can't wait to see her face:)

Well that's awesome! Keep up the good, positive work. :-)

Lol. Cute...I like that “awesome sauce!” @Sleeve1stFitNext!

@FluffyChix there’s so much that I probably wouldn’t have done if I didn’t have this surgery! I’m still so glad I did too. I seem to work better when being “forced” in to situations. Lol

@Creekimp13, we’re Toyota lovers here. A former Avalon, and two former Tundras...currently on our third Tundra...and have always had a car payment! Ugh! We’re doing this Dave Ramsey program that’s making a lot of sense to us and so there went the Avalon. Also in the process of maybe getting a cash car...speaking of which, you were hugely blessed for what you found! Wow! That’s the kind of deal I want. I told the hubby not to buy one yet though, I’m enjoying the walks and the time with my kids walking. Definitely good habits being taught. 😊

@Mattymatt thanks hon! Its hard to be in the dumps when there’s a win on both sides! Yay!!!

Welcome back! Uggh finances. Don't speak of them!

NM the newbies, give us your deets girlie. Don't forget before/afters too. You know how we sparkleheart pics!!

And btw? Post often!!

Thanks @FluffyChix . I’ll do my best to get back on more often, and definitely give an update with numbers and pics. I’ll have to get my husband to take some. I’m quite tired of my closet mirror and my phone in my hand. I want a decent pic and by golly, I’ll get one!

Glad to see you are still doing well. Keep it up!! It is great to show people all aspects of this journey by having people who took the same main road but when down different side roads and stayed determined.

I cannot wait for an updated photo.

not sure about the sheets story. what is going on? think i'll take a nap while laughing myself to sleep.

Apparently there's an influx of spam accounts!

Apparently so...

@nursejackie, I know about the night eating...it's a habit I have too (I still struggle with wanting to eat right before bed). With the IF, I fast from 7pm to11am. Lots of water gets me through during the hours I'm awake during the fast, but, as time goes on, it gets easier to do and I meet my water goal. The first three days are hardest, at least for me. Since I wake up most mornings at 6am...I tie my fast over with a cup of coffee and about 35 calories of creamer in it which isn't enough to actually break my fast. Currently, I'm doing a moderate workout (bike, elliptical) for about 45 mins in the mornings before I break the fast. (I brought a banana with me the first few days, just in case my body couldn't handle it, but I was fine without it). The hardest part is trying to eat all my food in the 8 hour window. I felt too full the first day. Scaled back on some and felt better the next. Then I decided I'm not going to worry about it and just make sure I eat when I'm hungry. I do always try to eat something right before I start the fast again though. So far, it's been going well.

I'll try my best to update every so often.

Good luck girlie!!! You can do it!!!

Thanks hon . @FluffyChix

@Sleeve1stFitNext Definitely won't be complaining about location/time anymore!!!! 1-1.5 hours!? Eeee! Thank you hon.

I took the scenic route, which is along the ocean/bay...where all the million dollar homes are. It was so beautiful, so I will continue to embrace the (little) journey. haha

@Newme17 Yeah, I have become a gym rat. I am really cool with the trainers, the people that work out their and Vinny the cleaning guy. It is what makes you want to go. I enjoy my gym. I enjoy my trainer and enjoy seeing people making gains.

@Sleeve1stFitNextonce upon a time i was the rat...and very healthy one. I knew the trainers, etc...was single too! Now, it's totally different. I make friends with other moms and the gym daycare worker. LOL I do know the cleaning lady as well. Times change, but the want to workout has always been there. I hope it'll always be so with you...now that you're the rat! Enjoy!

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@Sleeve1stFitNext, thanks hon. Update, our friend is pulling through. He's the pastor of that little home church. I was even more angry to find out that the suspect did it in front of his young children too! Imagine the horrors they saw and are thinking? SMH. Still reeling over this, but all will be well, thankfully. Now, we'll be praying for the family of the guy who did die. So sad.

@Newme17That is awesome that he is going to pull through. I feel bad for the children. That is going to be hard to get over. They will need a lot a therapy to get better. I hope that they also can come out of this stronger. It will be hard and they will have nightmares but with the right help, they can overcome this horrific hurdle.

Sending you such big hugs.

Yes you better work those plant-fueled muscles! LOL Glad you had such a beastmode workout!

Thank you all.

Hi @Apple1 great to see you logged in!!! Haha. I’ve been trying to come back a little more, still not the same as I’ve mentioned before, but it’s something else for me to do since I’ve got a lot of time on my hands now. 😊

Yes and I was happy to see your update!Trying to check in more. We all need to to keep the support going!

@FluffyChix thank you hon! 😊 I hope you are well yourself.

Congrats!!! I am sooo glad to hear that you are back in the gym. I cannot wait to see your progress.

I am starting my taxes, I have claimed over $5,000 in medical expenses. Between, compression garments, protein shakes, payments on hospital stay, co-pays and therapy for my ankle which is still ongoing. I did not realize I spent much. I also wear glasses and contacts and have other medical needs. I believe it is anything that exceeds 10% of you annual income.

Thank you @Sleeve1stFitNext!! I do believe you are very correct about the percentage. I’m not sure if I’ll meet that now, since I worked for all of 2017. Oh well...still going to see what it amounts to

Nevermind! Found it...

Wonderful!

That is so awesome!!! It is beautiful!!

@Thejeweledsleeve, I am not consistent as much as I should be. I try to stretch but it ends up hurting worse. I applied some Deep Blue essential oil blend and cream for a couple of days and it felt pretty good. I’m going to have to continue that and rest my foot as much as possible. Besides cardio, I should have my butt back in the gym doing weights at least. Gotta get back to routine...that’s the hardest part of all this.

@Newme17 I know how you feel. I use a rolling massage ball for my foot and ankle in the morning and before bed. I then stretch it while laying in bed. It seems to help loosen it up from a night of being inactive. You will get back into the routine. We all fall off at some point. The point is, to get back on track eventually.

@ThejeweledsleeveAbsolutely. I need Christmas parties, trips, broken bones, surgeries, sicknesses, spending, and everything else off the table right now!!!! I think I’ll get down and stretch now too. Take some deep breaths. Lol. Thanks hon.

Thanks y’all. I’ve never thought of him as a “keeper”...it wouldn’t have crossed my mind whether to keep him or not. Hahaha. I’m just stuck with him, that’s all, but it’s a happy and blessed stuck that I’m very grateful for. Indeed, he’s a keeper. Ha!

What a nice hubby

Awesome what a nice hubby you got .Mine let me do the same it makes you feel good about yourself .:)

@Apple1 I thought that was just me....only eat a couple of ounces, if that, and I feel like I'm stuffed. Guess it's part of the process. I don't mind not eating much, but it did kind of alarm me a little. Trying to stay calm during all these changes and make mental notes that this is normal and easy stuff to correct, if needed.

I think I have read some posts on here where people have said that if you have a day where you eat softer less dense foods your sleeve may seem smaller when you try to eat denser foods again. Maybe that is what is happening? I love my salads, but they are like slider food for me. I think this may be my problem because then if I try to eat some beans or a curry I get full after like 3-4 bites.

@Apple1 makes sense to me. Maybe that is the culprit...cause I do like to eat a lot of kale and I'm grateful I can eat somewhat normal with it, but like you, beans and rice and pasta, makes me way too full. So, a few bites is all I get in. Reminds me...I need to make my kale salad now.

@biginjapan thank you hon! How have you've been? Haven't heard from you in a while. I remember you took a trip though...

@Newme17 I'm doing good I guess. Haven't been so good with food (not that I'm eating badly, I've just added things that probably aren't helping me much) so weight loss has been stalled for the last month (but at least I'm not gaining). I was busy travelling and then getting ready to head back to school. Now that things are back into a routine, I hope to get back on track (that includes being here more regularly too!).

@biginjapan routine is good for the most part. It's nice to have a change here and there but when we're focused on our health, it's hard. I totally get ya. I lost about 5 or 6 lbs this past month. I don't mind, it's a loss, but circumstances in my life went haywire for a few weeks. Like you, I'm back to routine and so I expect things to be a bit better than the last month. Glad you're back!

Maybe I'll update my status to say "In the groove" and just leave it at that until my next big update.

lol 😂 I laugher out loud when I read your update.

It's my understanding that we get too much protein (in the western diet). I am eating my complex carbs and still building my muscle. I just flexed to feel it. LOL My husband has also let go of all the animal protein and he's body building and noticeably getting larger. So, the whole notion about having to have so much protein to keep muscle isn't true in my opinion. I do weights three times a week and eat my plant based diet and I'm still building.

There will always be blogs/articles out there to support whatever diet someone chooses. It's our duty to pick it apart and ask questions. Most all of them will be cherry picked for obvious reasons. The book I'm reading, the bariatric doctor emphasizes on really learning to distinguish what's in a report, and too many of them are written by journalists, not real scientists (they don't have time to blog); thus we all believe them to be true. I was given a website by a fellow BP member to look at. This website is fact/science based. It's not an opinion. There are many videos that explain in depth how the body works...how it breaks down animal proteins, plant proteins, etc. There are so many topics discussed on this website that we could all learn from. nutritionfacts.org Sure, the author/doctor of the website (he has a book too-HOW NOT TO DIE) advocates a whole foods plant based diet, but he doesn't just state it, he shows the science behind it all; all the health benefits from it, just like bariatric Dr Garth Davis in his book Proteinaholic. It's fascinating stuff.

All scientific sources are cited as well.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-bodybuilding/

Just one last comment before we agree to disagree.

You just had wls, you are not getting enough food to build at this point. At best, you are preserving muscles, which is great. https://www.muscleforlife.com/build-muscle-lose-fat/

This was just the first link, I can site a ton more. This one is interesting though.

Back in 2011-2012 I lost 67 lbs in a year, I also gained about 15 lbs of muscles. I worked out 6 days a week, but up to 12 times. I eat low carb. I lifted weights 4-5 times, and we are talking like 225 deadlifts, 160 lbs squats etc, with a trainer. I also ran (training for a half marathon), biked and swam, (training for a triathlon).

From what I understand (I could be mistaken), these changes you have made are fairly recent, meaning, there is not enough time to see if you have gained muscles (and as mentioned above, highly doubtful). You are loosing fat, meaning your muscles are becoming more prominent, it doesn't mean that you have built.

Last, a great link in general, nothing to do with this is better than that.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

He has 14 articles just discussing protein, all based on research. And he talks about all different kinds. I haven't read them all, and I can't say which he favors, but it is so interesting. He is siting a lot of research under each article. I though you might enjoy it.

Agree to disagree! 😊 In my benefit I lifted for the last two years. I haven't lost my muscle, but still retaining despite my diet. 💪🏽

Sweet! Congratulations!

Thank you all. For good measure I decided to try on some shirts that I've kept and they fit now. I've made a note to wear them before I can't.

I've had this "problem" as well - one week (or so it seems) the small pants are too small, and then when I try them on again they're too big! Unfortunately now I do not have a single pair of pants that fit me - the smaller 16s are just that little bit too tight (like, if I bend over, either they, or I, will split) to wear at all. So now I'm stuck with one skirt (luckily it's a jean skirt, so it's pretty sturdy) for the next week until I get to Hong Kong where maybe I can find something that fits me!

They do. My mother is one and she will say so herself too. She's slowly changing up some things, not much, but I can see the struggles..so I have to have some amount of compassion, but also enough is enough mentality too. Hard to treat...but totally treatable if the person is open to it.

We have a society that encourages gluttony though, so that makes it even harder

Honestly, it is over eating that causes the GERD in my opinion. My GERD is a foamy, hot pressure in my stomach and throat. This only happens when I accidentally overeat something or something that I put a little too much spice in. However, I am soo happy that you have not had any heartburn. It is a huge relief.

I know people are iffy on eggs, but they are such a good reset food. Lots of protein, lower calorie... I feel bad for folks whose sleeves don't agree with eggs because they are such a good food source.

and they taste pretty good too!

I drink water.

I refused to eat before bed time.

Aww, that's the best! Your schedule sounds so busy, but it's great that you still take time out for yourself

Aww congrats!!! Its the best feeling when someone you love notices the hard work and changes. It makes you feel amazing inside.

Thank you! It does feel great, especially from my love 😍

That's funny - I just came to that realisation as well! I did some research last night and found out that Gold's Gym here in Japan is now open 24 hours - which means I can go in for early morning workouts before work! I'm so excited, but I won't join until September as I'll be away for most of August.

That's great @biginjapan! Great to hear from you too!!! My gym is 24 hours too, but there's no way I'd go before work...lol Tried that and it doesn't work for me. I have from time to time gone at 9 or 10 in the evening...usually weekends. The 24 hours are very convenient. I'm happy you get to utilize it soon!

Thanks @Newme17! I usually wake up at 4:30 every morning (well, weekdays), so it makes more sense for me to do it then, rather than in the evening when I am tired and spent after a 12-hour day at work.

I went to a running store a few years ago and had a fitting and walk testing as well. Hated the shoes I ended up with. They were expensive and gave me worse pain than I started with.

Getting fitted is a good idea in theory, but who knows how accurate of an analysis they're doing. I later went to a sports medicine Dr and got Rx insoles which helped tremendously. I even had a pain at the top of my knee that went away. I really feel a person should get both good shoes and a Dr to check you, but I understand not everyone is able to do so.

Sounds like my ordeal! I did go see a podiatrist...she recommended me to a few stores around her for a fitting. I'll look into Rx insoles if my store dept shoes end up making them worse too. Thanks for that...didn't know you can get prescribed insoles!

Yes, and my insurance covered them too!