melodyssss

Hi guys I hit goal last month. I hope everyone else is doing well!
HW: 330
SW: 323
CW: 158
(My doctors goal weight for me was 163)

No regrets! Wish i would have done it sooner!!

No regrets! Wish i would have done it sooner!!

Hi Everyone! Can't believe its almost been a year for all of us! Sounds like you all have done wonderfully! My surgi-versary is Nov. 18th. I have lost 110 pounds. Would like to lose at least another 10 by my anniversary date.. but its definitely gotten ALOT harder! I would still like to love 50 more pounds total.. uggh.. we shall see! Congrats everyone! :-)

Hi Everyone! Can't believe its almost been a year for all of us! Sounds like you all have done wonderfully! My surgi-versary is Nov. 18th. I have lost 110 pounds. Would like to lose at least another 10 by my anniversary date.. but its definitely gotten ALOT harder! I would still like to love 50 more pounds total.. uggh.. we shall see! Congrats everyone! :-)

So I am headed to Vegas next week with my hubby and I thought, you know what....I want a more-sexy, less-mom bikini for this trip. SO I went out on a limb and ordered one from Victoria's Secret that I would normally never, ever think about wearing, let alone, buy, let alone post a picture of me in it.
But then today I was looking back through some old beach vacation pictures and I couldn't find one single picture of myself in a bathing suit or with my kids at all. Through 4 summers worth of pictures that I got through, I found ONE. One single picture and I'm trying desperately to hide behind my kids. It made me so incredibly sad because I remember so clearly what that was like. Can I just say, it is freaking amazing and freeing to be able to feel good in my skin and not feel the need to pull a kid in front of me when the camera is around.
Here is the ONE single picture I could find, along with the quick snapshot of the new bikini for Vegas. :-) (Don't mind my scar sheets from my TT sticking out...this wasn't a picture I intended to share), as well as one snapped this summer at the beach. I also did a side-by-side comparison of myself in basically the same "at the beach with my daughter's" pose. Just thought I'd put this out there for anyone on the fence about the journey or the process. It works if you stick to it!!!!!
*** PS be kind. I know that I am not perfect. I still have saggy legs and arms. It's a work in process!***

Hello Everyone!!!! Today is my Big Day !! This time last year I changed my life. I had VSG. If you followed me in the beginning you would know that i had a lot of problems. I was sick for about 4-5 months after having the surgery and I had a lot of regret because people were having more success than me... After a while and some tweeks in Vitamins things started to turn around... By my 6 months I had lost 100lbs.. this was revealed on Christmas Day.. Then I met my weight loss goal of 160lbs on Feb 27th.. I have been maintaining since then between 153-160.. Today I weighed in at 152lbs. I am not going to say that my journey has been easy because it hasn't .. It took me a long time to come around.. I had a love hate relationship with food for a long time... There are still foods that i cant or don't eat and I don't push it.. I just let it be.. I so not do Pasta, rice or breads.. I will so sliced bread every now and then. I work out 5-7 days a week. I workout with a personal trainer 2 days a week, I walk, I'm running now.. The longest was 3.5 miles this pass weekend. I have done 3 5k's and i have one scheduled for next Sat which ill be my 4th and my 2nd obstacle run... I box, lift weights, hula hoop and I can walk up hills and stairs like its nothing. I eat 3 meals a day with 1-2 snacks.. I still measure my food. I don't drink with my food, nor do I drink alcohol. I do use a straw and i have been using one since 3-4 weeks after surgery per my docs approval. I pretty much follow the rules 85-90% of the time.. but I will say I love dark chocolate and I do partake, lol. No cakes or Cookies and no other candies, just chocolate.. I love my new life now... I learning to love the new me everyday!!! I have let go of a lot of pain that got me to my point of unhappiness and over weight.. I have forgiving a lot of people and I have told a lot of folks where can go to... I surround my self with positive folks and My Husband has been my Number 1 Supporter. In this last year, I have been to multiple concerts, 4 weddings, zip-lined indoor sky dived.. danced the night away in 4 inch heels and I have even been in a size 2... My beginning wt was 273.6, I am now in small tops and dress. size 4-6 pants, my feet even got smaller I went from a 10 to a 8.5. I have had my wedding ring re-sized twice and it needs it again. Links have been taking out of my watch.. I just have so much energy.. and my favorite thing to do is to cross my legs... I am off all meds, cpap, and pain management. I have gone from seeing my docks every other week to once a year now!!! There are so many NVS I cant count but I'm sure you get the just of it... and along the way I have meet some awesome people in the weight loss community!! I'm super excited about today!!!

Yep, I'm closing in on the two-year mark since my sleeve procedure, and the scale reads 147 pounds this morning. At 5'10", that brings my BMI down to 21.1, and that's a number I could NEVER have imagined after life as a size 5X, tipping the scales at 378 pounds! I'll be 56 years old in April, and I can honestly say that the last time I weighed less than 200lbs was in junior high school. I'm still coming to grips with the ridiculous amount of weight I had carried around all those years, all the abuse my poor body endured...it really is amazing that I am even here to share this experience! So, if any of you readers out there are still hesitant about "taking the plunge", all I can say is DO IT...Do it and don't look back!

Happy Surgiversary! Glad you are feeling so great, and congrats on that 100+ lb loss!

Today marks my one year mark from my gastric sleeve surgery. I cannot believe how fast this year has gone. So many things have changed for the better for me and my family. I am a happy participant in my life now, no more standing on the side lines watching life pass me by. All my labs are in the perfect zone, and oh I have lost some weight along the way.
I still have 25lbs to go to reach my first goal of 175 and I hope to do that by my birthday which is May 5th. I was hoping to get below 200 by today, but I will take 200.4 and keep moving forward.
This tool that I have been blessed with is such a god send for me. I am glad to still have restriction, so I am using this tool for all it is worth. I am confident I will reach my next goal.

I remember being pre-op and my favorite thing to do was look at progress photos and dream
I am 6 months, 10 days post op and I am down 128 pounds total. This isnt a very great pic since I have been sick, but i still took it because anything is better than my before!!

I am 9 Months out (surgery date was 11/18/2015)
Started at 339 lbs
Current Weight 229
Height : 5'5"
Total 110 pounds lost so far.
Having a rough time lately losing. Its not coming off as fast as before, but i have let carbs slip back in and need to work on cutting them back out!

I was sleeved November 6th. I'm down from 308 to 195. Weight loss has slowed last few months I am averaging about 3 to 4 lbs a month, that is it. I do need to work out more and have let some carbs sneak in. But in do watch my calories. I find if I want some toast or something, nature's own has 40 calorie a slice wheat bread and is very good. I still practice Protein first. I do see I can eat a lot more now than I ever could after surgery. I know if I ate unhealthy high calorie items now, I could eat enough volume to gain weight. For a bit I started to wash down food with some crystal light when eating. But that flushes the food out the stomach which makes you hungry again. So I have stopped drinking while eating. So now is when we need to be most careful and make eating healthy a lifestyle change. This tool we had, VSG, is almost used up, it's now up to us to have learned to eat better these past 9 months. Good luck all.. Stay the course.

Look up the 5 day pouch test...I'm in the process of doing it now. It may help you get back on track and help control the carb urges!

I am 9 Months out (surgery date was 11/18/2015)
Started at 339 lbs
Current Weight 229
Height : 5'5"
Total 110 pounds lost so far.
Having a rough time lately losing. Its not coming off as fast as before, but i have let carbs slip back in and need to work on cutting them back out!

I am 9 Months out (surgery date was 11/18/2015)
Started at 339 lbs
Current Weight 229
Height : 5'5"
Total 110 pounds lost so far.
Having a rough time lately losing. Its not coming off as fast as before, but i have let carbs slip back in and need to work on cutting them back out!

I started at 250 and am now at 128. I'm 5'6, 35 years old.
   

Hello...I was sleeved on 11/20/14 and I am down 132 lbs (373 to 241). The weight loss is starting to slow down, but I am ok with it. Hoping to lose another 40-45 lbs.

How's everybody doing???? I have recently fallen off track. I stopped journaling and started eating unneccessary carbs, grazing, and drinking booze again. My weight lost had stopped. I haven't gained any but haven't lost any either. I do still work out pretty hard 5-6 days a week. My body is still changing as I gain muscle but the scale is not moving. I have been close to the same weight for 2-3 months. This week I went back to basics. The first two days I did liquids only. I'm now progressing to more solid Protein type foods. I've journaled everything. I eat 6 times a day in which two of those are drinking low carb protien shakes. I'm starting to feel better and like im back on track. I'm down 5 lbs already so I'm hopeful my weight loss will begin again. Maybe not how it was in the beginning but at least 5-10 lbs a month. I wanna know how others are doing who were sleeved in November?? Started at 350lbs and am now 235lbs.

I have to start this out by saying I am absolutely a success. I have lost 100lbs, weight I would have NEVER lost had I not had the VSG surgery. I do not regret for one minute making that decision. What I am regretting is where I have put myself right now. I did not use my tool to the best of it's ability early on. I used the sleeve to lose the weight for the first 10 months. I didn't even try to exercise. I was more active, yes. But I was losing and I was happy so I didn't put much effort in. My eating was under control for the most part during that time too. As time passed and weight loss slowed then stopped I did start to go to the gym. I figured I rode the sleeve as far as it would take me and now it was up to me. Except I stopped that too after a short while. I wasn't seeing many results and my schedule got in the way. Yes, I made excuses. Now I am in a horrible head space and I am trying desperately to figure out how to change it. My weight stays within a 5-7lbs zone, but that is still over 70lbs from my weight loss goal. I am still clinically obese. I have a friend who had surgery two months after mine and he is within 20lbs of his goal weight, and has lost over 200lbs! Of course there are differences in our lifestyles that attribute to that. First he is a male. He is also a gay male that does not have children. He gets up at 4am every day and goes to the gym to work out for 2.5 hours. I cannot do that, period. I have a six year old daughter that deserves time with me, not being bounced from daytime daycare to the daycare at the Y each and every day. ( and I would have to go AFTER work, not before) My friend struggles to with his eating, but his extreme exercise routine has made the difference for him.
I am feeling sort of depressed because I am coming to terms with my food addiction. I have to admit I totally shammed myself and the doctor in my psych eval pre op. I honestly didn't know the depths of my addiction until recently. I said all the right things and, at the time, believed I had a handle on it all. But if I was so truly self aware then how the HECK did I get to 316lbs?? Anyway, my eating has been off the charts of late. I eat entirely too big of portions. I eat a lot of wrong choices. I graze. All the things we learn not to do, and cannot do early after surgery, I have fallen back into. My very first inclination that I was going to have problems was hunger. Mine did not go away. Yes, for some time it seemed to have taken a back seat. I had a lot of swelling during my healing process, so my early restriction was crazy tight. I thought I had won a lottery because I never wanted anything and , if I did happen to get hungry, one or two bites and I was done. Well that all went away as soon as the swelling did. I felt hunger, real hunger. I tried to play it off as head hunger. I did all the tricks, drank more. Made myself wait to be sure I was really hungry and not just thinking so. I tried to distract myself. But it was real. I was hungry, too much. Then about two months or so out I made my first major misstep, I ate carbs. I just wanted to see if I could, what would happen. I will tell you what happened. The carbs went down very easy and created no issue. I didn't get sick. They didn't make me feel over full or bloated. What they did do though was end my ketosis phase and make my carb addiction kick right back in. I have battled now for over a year to try to stay away from those bad carbs with varying success. Some days I got it and some days they got me. Recently I have been trying to be mindful of my eating. I have connected with a group of old high school friends who have either already had WLS or are in the process. It has, at least, made me more conscience of what I am doing. Even though having this surgery is major and effects the rest of your life, it is also easy to go about living your life to the point you sort of forget you have done it. You go from the early days/ weeks/ months where it consumes your life to a place where it is in the back of your mind. Anyway, I am trying really hard to pay closer attention to my self sabotage. ( I am the QUEEN of that apparently!) Today I decided to log my intake. For those early out that probably seems obvious. But honestly I wasn't much of a logger, I didn't have the time. I just used my head, made wise choices and relied on the sleeve to keep me in line on portions. That was all well in good until it stopped working! Anyway today I have made a very conscience effort to be aware of exactly what I am putting in my mouth, and to tell you I am shocked is an understatement. After eating lunch I decided to tally things up so far. Being as honest as I could ( ok- I left off my coffee with a bit of Creamer in it but that was all) I figured up what I have put in my mouth today. At this point I have consumed 980 calories and 26.6 grams of fat, and I haven't even had dinner yet. I didn't tally carbs because I know they are high. These numbers are not through the roof or anything but....Given the fact I still have weight to lose they are too high. And the fact that I have really tried to be good today, and this is how bad I have done, it just boggles my mind. What the heck happened to me? Where is all the excitement I had early on? Why am I having such a hard time getting back to where I need to be?
As I write this I already figure some responses are that I should seek a therapist, and I really probably should. But given my finances that isn't in the cards. I am not looking for justification or anyone to say it is ok to be this way. I am just being as open and honest as I can because that is who I am. Maybe my struggle is not as uncommon as I think and maybe someone else out there can relate. I would love to hear from those folks. And if someone knows a magic switch I can flip to get my head back on right, PLEASE tell me!!!! LOL

What you are feeling is totally normal. I went through the same emotions.. even up to the time i was on the gurney getting ready for surgery. For me, I prayed about the surgery from the beginning of the process and asked God to close the door if the surgery wasn't for me. He opened every door from the insurance approval to the actual surgery itself. So deep down i knew that this was something i needed to do for my health. I am 2 1/2 months out and i don't regret it at all. I still go out to eat with my family. I just eat alot less and pay attention to getting the Protein in first. The good thing is, i can just eat off their plates or i just order a Soup so you get off cheaper. LOL. Before surgery i couldn't walk to the end of my street without being totally wiped out. Now i either walk 3-4 times around my block or walk on the treadmill for 30-45 minutes and i am feeling great. So, just to reassure you what you are feeling is normal. And yes, this is a big change, but once you start dropping the pounds it gets kind of exciting. I urge you to pray about it and go with your gut. :-)

Congrats! I had BCBS of Illionis and they approved me quickly too! How exciting! Best of luck to you. Keep us posted when you get a surgery date!

13 weeks out 108 lbs down couldn't be happier with this decision

So sorry to hear all you have been through. Praying this is a better year for you. Welcome to the forum. There is alot of great support on here, you are in the right place. God Bless!

You are all so wonderful. Thank you for your opinions it's exactly what I needed. I will keep you posted.