thesuse2000

You've made the decision to have surgery, so you've got a plan to deal with your weight issue. I think you should try to love and accept yourself more. Don't let your feelings about your weight color your whole life. You're going to need confidence and self-love to get through this journey - why not start now?

Hold your head high and know that you've got a lot of wonderful qualities that don't have anything to do with how much you weigh.Hope you can find a way to have fun.

I've been seeing a personal trainer and he says that I should do cardio - at least 30 mins 4 times a week - and also do strength training 2-3 days a week. I'm still getting into the rythm, and frankly my work schedule hasn't allowed for that much gym time, but I try... I've been doing strength a couple days a week usually and cardio three days - but usually do both on the same day so no more than 3-4 gym days a week.

If you do an intense leg workout (strength) you shouldn't do cardio afterwards, but if you just do upper body arms/abs, and/or just a little legwork you can do cardio right after.

holy crap - that's a lot of squats!! I did 50 on Monday (my personal trainer made me do it) and I was suffering for the next couple days. I just can't imagine doing more than that, and almost every day... but I'm sure if you can make it through it your Buns and thighs will look pretty darn good by the end!

Wishing you the best with this next surgery! I hope this resolves the issues for good.

I've been, um, stall-y, lately, so not sure what to pick as a goal... okay, going for 1.75 pounds a week...

Start weight: 189

Goal weight: 175

Too bad sleeve isn't an option. I agree with everyone who says to go with what feels right for you. The bypass feels a bit extreme to me too, and if you already have Iron issues, that's a real concern. The good thing about the band is that you may be able to revise to something different down the road if needed. Although insurance coverage for revisions is often a little harder to get. I wish you the best in choosing what's best for you.

I know there are people who love their bands, and I'm so glad for them, but so many people do eventually have issues with the band. I had complications that made it impossible for me to keep the band tight enough to have the intended effect - and after having lost 70 pounds I gained it all back. My sister got banded the same day as me and she had a completely different experience. She lost less than me initially, but kept off about 40 pounds since 2008. But recently she's now starting to have issues and can't tolerate the band being tight either. She's going back and forth with fills, but is now starting to think about revising to the sleeve as well.

The best thing about the band is that it's the least risky, and that's an important factor. But I've now had three surgeries, which has overall put me more at risk than just having done one, so in hindsight I wish I'd just done the sleeve initially. Is the sleeve an option for you? It's less risky than bypass, but may be more effective longterm than the band.

I use MFP too. I find it pretty easy - maybe it's improved since you used it? I love that I can save meals and it remembers the items I eat regularly. I find it to be super quick and easy to use - and so many foods/products are in there!

Ugh - that sounds awful! I'm glad your surgeon was able to schedule your surgery soon!

I would google the 5 day pouch test. I've seen lots of references to it, but don't have a link on hand. I think it's mostly going back to liquids for a few dats, but not sure of the details. But I've seen people say that it helped them, so worth trying!

Oh - so you are getting the sleeve - good! Hang in there, in the long run it will work out well. The sleeve is kind of awesome!

Wishing you the best peachie! Are you getting another band? Or revising to the sleeve?

It's good that you can see the positive side - that you've kept so much weight off!

Without knowing your weight/height it's hard to say for sure, but if you're really only eating 1000 calories a day and exercising regularly, there may be something else going on that's affecting your metabolism - like thyroid issues. Or - is it possible that you're letting calories sneak in?

Might be a good idea to do a couple days of liquids (or the 5 day pouch test) to reset your restriction. Maybe you can give yourself a fresh start. The beautiful thing about the sleeve vs the band is that you can eat veggies and dense Proteins without worrying about getting stuck - and they fill you up nicely.

I wish you luck in achieving your goal in time - or the peace to accept where you are, which sounds like a pretty decent place to maintain!

Hi there - I'm a band-to-sleever too. The band worked for me at first (lost 70 pounds in the first year) but then I started having night reflux issues and ended up having to leave it pretty much completely unfilled in order to avoid issues - and I gained back all the weight and then some...

So when I got sleeved I was almost like a virgin sleever since the band was unfilled and not doing anything for me anymore. That said, versus my memory of the band when it was working - I definitely love the sleeve SO much more. I like how Bearhugs described the full feeling - that's totally right. Sometimes I did feel full with the band, but often I felt stuck rather than full. With the sleeve it really is a normal full/satisfied feeling with a small meal. I think my cravings are more under control now too.

Recovery from sleeve was a little harder than the band, but for me anyway, it wasn't too bad. I took two weeks off from work, and was glad to have the time to focus on getting all my fluids and Protein in, and rest and heal, but if I really had to I could have gone back sooner.

I wish you the best!

I'm not done yet - but feeling good!

Please just follow your surgeons instructions. There are reasons for them - that are all about protecting you and preventing leaks/complications. You can make it through it!

I do occasionally eat them, but my problem with them is they don't keep me feeling full/satisfied for as long as real food does. So on days I eat them I usually end up eating more calories overall. But they're handy to keep on hand for a quick, not too unhealthy, snack when real and healthy meal options are not available.

You may have to look deep inside and find the strength that's in there. You don't need the support of your family to make better choices for yourself. If anyone gives you a hard time just let them know that you are taking steps to take care if yourself and this is what you need. You need to take back the reins of control. Again - you are worth it!!

food choices are probably more important even than the exercise. If you're gaining that means you're taking in more calories than you're burning. I think it would be good for you to track what you're eating - if only for a week or so, to get a realistic understanding of what your habits are and the impact they have. That may help you figure out what changes to make. Focusing on Protein helps me stay full longer. You may notice the same thing when you track - that you're hungrier sooner after eating a high carb meal and that leads to more calories over the day.

It sounds like you have a lot of responsibility and some limited freedoms. That's a lot of challenges! I can understand that it's hard for you to make yourself a priority - but you deserve to do that for yourself. You will be a better grandmother, teacher, wife, etc if you are making yourself stronger, healthier and happier. I think you should decide that you deserve this. You took the step of having the surgery. Now continue that investment in yourself and keep the progress going. Reaching out here was a good first step!

Yeah they really suck! I've had a couple. Just know that they are normal and inevitable and will pass!

Hi all - I'm glad to have found this thread! I'm in NYC and would love to attend the next event!

I'll look out for the next one.

I have hashimoto's and am doing well so far! Still worried about maintenance, but certainly that will be easier with the sleeve than without!

Good for you! I'm a firm believer in waiting until you're really ready rather than trying to push yourself into changes before you're really mentally prepared. It helps avoid the inevitable failures that come from less than optimal starts. For example I waited a bit after surgery to start exercising. It just was a big mental hurdle for me and I needed to mentally process the eating changes first. But now I'm so excited about my new exercise regime! I waited until I was ready to think through the best approach, and it's working for me. Good for you for taking care of yourself and planning to work on this when you're able to focus on it. Try a few different things and see what works - you'll find solutions!

Congrats! My goal is to get to a normal BMI, but it's so hard for me to imagine that actually happening - I've never been in the normal range as an adult (or teen). If I level out before that I'm okay with that too, but would be an amazing thing to experience. Congrats again! Inspiring.

Just to clarify - this challenge starts next Friday, 11/7

To those asking about rules, how it works, you just need to come post your start weight next Friday along with your goal weight for 1/2/15 (that's an 8-week time period) and then come back each Friday to post your current weight.

Susan will add you to the grid when she has a chance and then add in your start and goal weights after you post them on the 7th. The link to the grid is in her original post. She'll "like" your post to indicate that she's added you/your info.

Today's starting weight 249
Goal weight 230

Thanks for organizing this!