BlackBerryJuice

In my humble opinion, you don't need it. I was also briefly tempted by it, then realized it'd just fuel obsessive behaviours - which is something I've been working on curbing since my surgery.

I was also initially interested in the lap band. I was hoping to get it done here in Canada, but I would've had to fly halfway across the country and pay like 20 grand - and then find my own doc or nurse here to manage my fills. It was quite a turn-off for me. I called Dr. Aceves about the lap band, and his coordinator told me about the sleeve and said they weren't having a very good success rate with the band and the sleeve was a much better option. I mulled over it for a few days and decided it was the right choice for me. I'm very glad I had the sleeve! There were so many people having band-to-sleeve revisions in the hospital when I was there!

It's amazing when you realize how much your body literally got in the way of doing things! I always assumed I couldn't do certain yoga poses because I wasn't flexible enough....no, it was because my ass was getting in the way!

I agree with Foxbins, my appetite fluctuates from day to day. Some days I definitely overeat, other days I eat fine, and some days I eat less than I probably should. I dropped as low as 136, but I have a large frame, so that translated into as small as size 2 in some clothing, so I was actually kind of gaunt and bony yet with some fat and loose skin. I then found that maintaining 136 required a fair bit of effort - zero alcohol, zero desserts, that kind of thing - which to me wasn't worth it. I bounced back up to 140-142 and have been there consistently for like half a year now. I bounced all the way up to 145 at some point when I was out of town for 4 weeks and eating a lot of junk while exercising a lot less than I normally do - it required some focus to get back to my normal weight. So YES, you can still gain weight if you are consistently overeating and not active enough to compensate. I don't deprive myself or starve myself, I just make better choices, e.g. eggs for breakfast instead of a cinnamon bun at the coffee shop or blueberries for a snack instead of a protein bar. I actually just took some pix today in the same spot/clothes/lighting as a year ago, and while I've gained those 4-5 lbs from 136, I look better - I'm less "soft," my butt actually exists instead of just skin hanging down, and my stomach is actually leaner. My mom said I look much healthier now than when I was in the active weight loss phase.

So I got my Levi's in the mail today from Ebay and they fit great! I had measured myself according to the Levi's website guidelines and it said I was a "slight curve" - the flattest of their fits. I decided to go with my gut and ordered a "bold curve." Lo and behold, it fits like a glove!

Wow! Very impressive! Looks totally natural!

Awesome! 7 miles is a lot!

Yay! I sent my before/after pictures to Nina, and she asked if they could feature them on Dr. Aceves' website. Pretty flattered - definitely an NSV!

Don't buy goal clothes, you might not make it to that size, get past it, or just plain see changes in your body shape that may preclude these clothes from fitting properly. It's a big risk to take, and, as such, a waste of money.

I'm more overwhelmed with the fact that all these new people I meet think I've always been slim....it's quite funny.

I love Oikos! It's literally flying off the shelves at my grocery store, though - the last few times I went shopping, they were sold out!

Check out Crossfit.com

Your thread reminded me of how when I was in Japan, I went to this festival and all women were wearing kimonos - either their own or rentals. I went to rent one, and at 190 lbs, only ONE kimono in the entire store was big enough to wrap around me (of course, it was also the most boring one, as it always goes for plus size clothing).

Just did the week 4 run....Jesus. Has to stop and walk for 30 seconds during the last 5-min run, but otherwise lived to tell the story. DNO1, I do Crossfit these days.

food confessions - just had strawberries dipped in melted milk chocolate Chipits. Non-food confessions - planning to go volunteer at this one event not because of my great passion for the cause, but because this super-hot guy is going to be there AND we might even share a ride, tee hee.

Tempted to do this....I've run some 5Ks in the past, but only one of them post-sleeve. I hate running, but there's been a lot of talk about adding runs to our Crossfit workouts now that the weather is better, so I should probably start training a bit before I totally embarrass myself when the next workout starts with a 2-mile run. I think I'll start with week 4 today....

Did you ever get down to your goal weight? What are you eating? As in, every day, not just on "good" days? And even more importantly, what are you drinking? What's your exercise routine, if any?

LOL! The other day, a toddler told me she didn't like the picture on my old ID (pre-surgery).

Hm, that's a decent amount. How much did you weigh before and what/when was your lowest weight?

Sweet! I was just thinking the other day that as much as I enjoy my Zone bars, it'd be nice to have something less processed as an option.

Why twice a day? You are going to burn out.

Wow! Very nice!

You should get bloodwork done. B12and iron are my first suspects. I know you mention you take vitamins, but while most people here take B12, I don't see people taking iron as often. Also, I don't know where you live, but it could be a seasonal thing and have nothing to do with the sleeve. I am always mildly homicidal and permanently exhausted come February, until about April.

You'll have SOME, guaranteed, but it could range from very little to pretty bad. It depends on how elastic your skin is, how long you've been overweight, where the majority of your weight is, etc. Bottom line, loose skin >>>> fat.

Ha, that might have been me, except for it was my greatgrandmother. She had stomach cancer. 20 years and going strong!