thesuse2000

Let me start off by saying I don't keep pictures of my old "self" so when my mom sent me this picture from thanksgiving I was shocked at how much my face has actually changed in this process. I knew it would but when you do a side by side it's pretty inspiring to keep up the motivation! 60 more lbs to go!!!

Every day we face new challenges, what makes or breaks us is how we handle them! Pick yourself up and carry on, today is a new day and can be a start to a new life, do you really want to wait until tomorrow???

Thank you for posting!
I think another take away is even if your BMI is over 25...an active lifestyle is so important!
I love being trim...many reasons...but after a lifetime of obesity the thing I value the most is good enough health and fitness to be able to live this way. Its GREAT to be able to have the energy and ability to DO. Way more important than number on the scale.

Yes - wishing you the best for a good recovery and fantastic results! Looking forward to seeing pics. Thinking more and more about doing this myself in a year or so...

Very cool - thanks for posting! Between the physical changes of the surgery, and the ability for exercise to change me on a molecular level, it really reaffirms that I now have the opportunity to change my life's trajectory and become a healthier person who will be able to maintain a healthy weight long-term. As someone who's been overweight my whole life that's a concept that's hard for me to get my head around. Thanks - this is very inspiring.

Very cool - thanks for posting! Between the physical changes of the surgery, and the ability for exercise to change me on a molecular level, it really reaffirms that I now have the opportunity to change my life's trajectory and become a healthier person who will be able to maintain a healthy weight long-term. As someone who's been overweight my whole life that's a concept that's hard for me to get my head around. Thanks - this is very inspiring.

Very cool - thanks for posting! Between the physical changes of the surgery, and the ability for exercise to change me on a molecular level, it really reaffirms that I now have the opportunity to change my life's trajectory and become a healthier person who will be able to maintain a healthy weight long-term. As someone who's been overweight my whole life that's a concept that's hard for me to get my head around. Thanks - this is very inspiring.

So Friday Feb 20th, 2015 I will be having a TT, BL/BA and Lipo in Mexico. I am beyond excited and have really appreciated all who have shown pictures and shared experiences, and look forward to being able to share mine!

Did anyone else see this?
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com//2014/12/17/how-exercise-changes-our-dna/
Thoughts? Comments?

It's a perfectly valid question for you to ask. If your surgeon uses a size that's different from what you hoped for, you can ask for their reasons. I too was hoping for a smaller size, but when I asked my surgeon about it she explained why she would use a 40 or 42 for me - a little larger than she usually uses (I think in the 34-38 range) because I was a revision from band and she was concerned about scar tissue.
I agreed that avoiding complications was more important than a smaller sleeve - and she reassured me that the differences were really very small, and that I'd be able to be perfectly successful - and at 98 pounds down so far I feel good about it! I think I can eat more than some, but I'm good with that, and am still doing well.

This is a great thread - thanks all for sharing!
My achilles heel is sweets and I've been overindulging too much lately. This is a good reminder to reign that in.
I follow these rules:
Daily tracking of everything i eat Avoid carbs as much as poss - focus on Protein and veggies for the most part and try to do complex carbs when i eat them I had started with a 100-calorie limit for sweets - and only eat them after a protein-filled meal. I've been going over that lately, so again, need to reign it in I don't graze, but I do sometimes snack - mostly before and after the gym I don't have set rules about exercise, but I go as often as I can - usually about 3x a week (combo of strength and cardio) plus I walk a lot. At this point I crave the gym - I worked till 8pm last night and went afterwards because I really needed the stress release, so this has become a part of my life I avoid drinking 30 mins after a meal - but not always before... Don't use straws or drink anything carbonated Get at least 60 grams of Protein a day - I'm eating more now, so it's usually over 100 Drink at least 64oz of Water a day Don't always eat mindfully, but try to! I am "mindful" in my food choices - I try to stay in touch with what my body is wanting; the challenge is differentiating the body need from the head/sugar addict craving... So far this is working for me, but need to stay on track with sugar if I'm going to make it to goal...

This is a great thread - thanks all for sharing!
My achilles heel is sweets and I've been overindulging too much lately. This is a good reminder to reign that in.
I follow these rules:
Daily tracking of everything i eat Avoid carbs as much as poss - focus on Protein and veggies for the most part and try to do complex carbs when i eat them I had started with a 100-calorie limit for sweets - and only eat them after a protein-filled meal. I've been going over that lately, so again, need to reign it in I don't graze, but I do sometimes snack - mostly before and after the gym I don't have set rules about exercise, but I go as often as I can - usually about 3x a week (combo of strength and cardio) plus I walk a lot. At this point I crave the gym - I worked till 8pm last night and went afterwards because I really needed the stress release, so this has become a part of my life I avoid drinking 30 mins after a meal - but not always before... Don't use straws or drink anything carbonated Get at least 60 grams of Protein a day - I'm eating more now, so it's usually over 100 Drink at least 64oz of Water a day Don't always eat mindfully, but try to! I am "mindful" in my food choices - I try to stay in touch with what my body is wanting; the challenge is differentiating the body need from the head/sugar addict craving... So far this is working for me, but need to stay on track with sugar if I'm going to make it to goal...

Well this morning I finally made it to goal! It took me exactly 7 1/2 months to get here and I'm totally thrilled with the entire journey! For those wondering how it happened so quickly, I can only say that I followed all the rules meticulously: 80-100 grams of Protein, no starches/sugars, some veggies, no booze/soda, and 64-120 ounces of Water every...single...day, plus daily walking and once a week workouts. I always had a plan for what I was going to eat, even at parties and restaurants, and if I deviated from the plan, it was always protein-based, like cheese, nuts and beef/turkey Jerky. So... going in, was I worried about missing out on food? Yes. Did I feel deprived during my journey? Nope, as my tag-line says, "Nothing tastes as good as slender feels!" What's next? Lose 4-5 more pounds so I can have a little wiggle-room and still stay at or below my goal weight. Will I go crazy now and eat all the stuff I've missed? I don't think so because I've tried to get my head straight about this being a lifelong effort. Can you do it too? Absolutely!!! Thank you to all who have given me support and guidance along the way. I hope I was able to help you too. And my plan is to keep coming here and posting my message about The Dreaded Week-3 Stall, because it almost broke me at the beginning of my journey. I wish everyone who reads this a world of success!!! If you want to ask questions or get tips on how I worked my program, send me a message and I'll try to give you a thoughtful answer. Okay, here are some embarrassing photos and some slightly less embarrassing photos.....

Here is my most recent side x side. 4 years banded today !

I just had my surgery at nyu last week Tuesday by dr. Fielding... it want ok

Welcome to the new folks! I've had an overall positive experience at nyu. Wishing you both the best.

Welcome to the new folks! I've had an overall positive experience at nyu. Wishing you both the best.

6 months out and 100 pounds down.
Sw 275
Cw175

I did start incorporating solids at 3 weeks - but soft solids like fish, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, soft-cooked veggies, etc. Each new food I introduced, I just took it slow - took one bite and waited a little to see how I felt. I actually never had any issues with any foods, but I was nervous early on, so I agree it's good to be cautious. I received detailed instructions - I think I was told to wait 3 months to eat salads and raw veggies and maybe 6 weeks or so for beef.

eorge Clinton was funkadelic

I have gotten hot , sexy , live wire, gorgeous and my personal favorite. ..skinny bitch (from dear friend. .totally a compliment ) yes it's shallow but it's my turn to enjoy it damnit!
I actually have changed since losing weight so I can't fault people on that one. My tolerance for bull is low my drive for positive, grab life by the horns stuff is high. Yeah..I changed

I am genuinely not following the point. the web is full of weird stuff, good stuff, dumb stuff, helpful stuff, hateful stuff, inaccurate stuff... I could go on and on.
One observation from the photos is that I am fairly fit, but when I look at those photos, i think my body appearance more closely matches the "average" with a little influence of atheletic as I have well defined shoulders and calves. Maybe it is due to my age and obesity history - but i don't think I would ever look like the "fit" or "athletic" photo no matter how hard i trained.
Oh, and on the guys - my personal tastes would run halfway between "othermode" and "athletic". see - now we are talking!

Oh, and I'd happily lick cheesecake off Ottermode or Builtfat.

od created the heavens and the earth?

My US surgeon told me (when I asked) that he uses 36s on most patients. That's what I got. I think I'm doing great.
The research I've read says there's virtually no difference long-term in the amount of weight lost (in terms of BMI changes) or the maintenance record of those with different bougie sizes 32 - 40.
So yes -- broach the subject to understand more about bougie size options and outcomes. And yes, let the surgeon make a bougie size recommendation / decision because your surgeon has (we hope) done hundreds / thousands of these surgeries and knows a lot more issues related to bougie size than you or I do (at least at this point).
Don't worry. Be happy.