Welcome new Members!!!

[feedyoureye 3,087]

Got on the scale this morning and today I am 30 lbs. to goal--or some sort of goal. I am 5'8" and was around 150-155 for most of my 30's and felt and looked good. Now 20 years later I don't know if 150 is realistic but I guess I'll see. My surgery weight was 232, so I have lost 52 lbs since January 13. I was wearing size 22 and 1X tops before surgery and now I am shopping in my closet and wearing some loose 16's and tight 14's in pants and L in tops; it's always a surprise to me that something that looks too small fits me now.

I am hoping to reach 150 lbs. by November 1, 9 1/2 months after surgery.

When I get to goal I am hiring a personal shopper/stylist and buying a new wardrobe. I have no eye for fashion and need help!

What a great reward!

[MICHELLE LEE 19]

Hi all! My name is Michelle. I started this journey at 252 lbs. Surgery day was 240. I currently weigh 185 lbs. Doctor wants to see me around 135-140. My goal is 155 lbs.

I'm noticing lately that I have strayed from healthy eating habits. Too much night time snacking, and way too many carbs. While I am seldom physically hungry, I have constant head hunger. Thought I had dealt with it, but guess not!

I WILL BE AT GOAL BY THE END OF THIS YEAR! I am determined. So let's do this!!!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Hi Foxbins!! Welcome, and I can't wait to see you reach your goal!!

Michelle, welcome as well - work it!!! This is going to be a great group!!

[myrori 55]

I joined because I am at 18 pounds left and despite working out I am not seeing the scale move out of the 160's! ARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHH! Over all I am pretty happy with my body now compared to where I started but DAMN the extra skin! I am starting to wonder if this is where my body levels off at???? I also wonder if I had the extra skin off of my stomach removed how much that weighs? I feel my bones everywhere! Ribs, arms, legs, BUTT, how ever the tummy leaves me disgusted.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

I joined because I am at 18 pounds left and despite working out I am not seeing the scale move out of the 160's! ARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHH! Over all I am pretty happy with my body now compared to where I started but DAMN the extra skin! I am starting to wonder if this is where my body levels off at???? I also wonder if I had the extra skin off of my stomach removed how much that weighs? I feel my bones everywhere! Ribs, arms, legs, BUTT, how ever the tummy leaves me disgusted.

Myrori, 107 pounds is a tremendous loss! Congrats. I am hoping to get down to the 160's. I have some spots that don't want to budge too... the stomach is smaller, but in all honesty, it has never been flat...even when I weighed less than I do now...so I am not holding out for it being flat this time. I do have better core muscles though, and that helps with part of the definition.

[NJMOMof2 17]

HI Everyone,

Thanks to Irene for starting this group. Good to hear stories from people who are where I am in my journey.

I had the LapBand in July 09, and after a full slip in October 09, SWORE I was done with surgery. The 50 pounds I lost came back on.

My new life began on January 3, 2011. I weighed 245 (highest 252), I wore a size 18/20 and had horrendous heel spurs. My bra size was a 42DD!!

Here I am now almost 6 months later...81 pounds off, wearing a size 10/12 pants and a small/medium shirt. Got a new bra from VS and it was a 36D!! I have 2 deflated balloons now but that's okay LOL

Most important is that I am spinning and working out as much as I can. I am in great physical shape and I feel so healthy.

I am so happy with my decision. I am alive for the first time in many many years.

Nina

[feedyoureye 3,087]

HI Everyone,

Thanks to Irene for starting this group. Good to hear stories from people who are where I am in my journey.

I had the LapBand in July 09, and after a full slip in October 09, SWORE I was done with surgery. The 50 pounds I lost came back on.

My new life began on January 3, 2011. I weighed 245 (highest 252), I wore a size 18/20 and had horrendous heel spurs. My bra size was a 42DD!!

Here I am now almost 6 months later...81 pounds off, wearing a size 10/12 pants and a small/medium shirt. Got a new bra from VS and it was a 36D!! I have 2 deflated balloons now but that's okay LOL

Most important is that I am spinning and working out as much as I can. I am in great physical shape and I feel so healthy.

I am so happy with my decision. I am alive for the first time in many many years.

Nina

Fantastic!

[cludgie 81]

Thats brilliant, welcome aboard!!!

[feedyoureye 3,087]

I have lost 4 pounds from the time I saw this post( I saw it on June 14th- 12 days ago). I have dialed down the cals a couple of days a week, stepped up the exercise (dusted of my bike) and start the day with an extra glass of water... JUST A FEW LITTLE CHANGES... and things are moving.! Mostly I have changed my Snacks a little... less junkie and more Protein and veg combos. We can do this people!

[leeblewb 9]

Hi guys. I am so excited that I can join this group. I had my surgery January 17, 2011. I was when I started the pre-op diet, today I am 196. That is a 72 pound loss in a little under six months. I have 26 pounds to get to goal. I may adjust that goal down. I am 5'8" and looked good at 170. The BMI charts still call that overweight, but I won't know until I get this. I am already at the lowest weight I have been since the age of about 22. So, just not sure about this picking a goal weight thing.

Thanks for letting me join your group and for the support. Congratulations to you all for working so hard and getting so close to your goals.

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

My name is Sharon. My highest weight ever (last year in September) was around 263. I was 253 when I scheduled my surgery with Dr. Nick and 241 when I had surgery. I am 168-170 now. My goal weight (I think) is 135 - but I may decide to stop at 140 - depends on how I look and feel and at what weight I can maintain without living in the gym 6 days a week. I have been waiting to start participating in this forum until I got this close to goal. I need a push to persevere the rest of the way.

So I have lost approximatly 83-85 pounds in 6 1/2 months (including the 2 week preop). I started out in 24W's and had just moved into 3X tops. A guys 2XL T shirt was tight on me. Now, I wear mostly 14P pants and XL or L tops. My waist is still proportinately too big compared to my hips, or I would be wearing 12P pants. I am broad shouldered - not big bosomed (I am a B+cup size - I was only a D 80 pounds ago). At goal I will probably be in 10's - maybe some 8's - depending on how small I get my waist. My body is such that I don't think my skeleton would wear a size 4.

Unlike most of you on this thread - I have not been a faithful hard exerciser these last six months. I was enjoying Zumba classes, and working out on my elliptical - then I sprained my ankle cleaning fat clothes out of my spare closet. I haven't done anything but streching for 3 weeks while I have been wearing my boot cast. One more week and I will be out of it (fingers crossed).

My plan (post boot) is to exercise for 45 minutes-1 hour a minimum of 3 days a week. Zumba, cardio and body weight exercises (squats, lunges, and core exercises) and maybe incorporate some light weights.

My time frame is this - I want lose 15 pounds by October 15th, then the next 15 pounds by January 1st. At that point I will set my final goal.

This is a great sub forum - I really appreciate the support it (and all of you all) offers.

Thanks a bunch!

[ldydrgnkpr 49]

Hi everyone! My name is Debbie. My starting weight was 233. I have lost 65 pounds since my surgery in March. I'm 6 months out and I think I'm on target with the loss. In order for me to weigh 135 that I would love to see, I have 33 more pounds left to lose. However, if I push myself to go down to 130 that would be 38 more pounds. I will play this by ear to see where I land and feel comfortable. I know that bcp can hamper the weight loss. I decided to go back on them for hormonal reasons per my doctor. I don't know how much that will play in my overall loss month to month. Will keep everyone posted. (right now I am on vacation hubby will not let me around a scale until we are home. LOL.......)

Deb

[Georgia 2,908]

Well, I joined thinking I had read "<30 OR goal"! I am Georgia, 57 years old, started at 250, 5'8" and now 15 months later at 150-55. (goal was 150)

Really wanted a smaller group to "stick to" for encouragement and sharing of similar experiences, goals and issues. Hopefully, ya'll will let me stay!

I want to be ACCOUNTABLE, too, Dawn! Finding it much easier and easier to snack and put on a few pounds (and then back off and re-lose them). So hopefully, this will help me stay true to myself and my lifetime goal.

Even though we can eat a whole lot less than we did before VSG, it is very true that you can REGAIN quickly if you eat the wrong things!

Thanks !

[MegInNOLA 531]

Hi everyone:

I am so excited to finally be able to join this group! I've been "lurking" here until I officially qualified. LOL.

I'm 6'2" and had a highest weight of 337 summer 2010 (BMI 42). I lost 31 pounds on my own through extremely strict diet and exercise; for my surgery, I actually had to gain a couple of pounds to reach a BMI of 40 to qualify. I was sleeved in April of 2011 and have since lost 87 pounds. Total weight loss as of right now is 118 pounds. I started in tight 26/28s and 3X/4Xs and now wear 16/18 and XL. My surgeon didn't set a goal for me, so my self-determined goal weight is 190, which is on the top end of the normal BMI scale for my height and bone structure (which is actually small--long, but small).

I'm still losing at a rate of around 10-12 pounds per month and am feeling pretty good about making goal by Christmas.

I have an issue that I need your support on, though, and that is exercise. I don't do it. I mean, I don't exercise at all. I'm a teacher (choral conductor), so my job is pretty physical, and I have several hours 4 days a week where I'm up on my feet, working, energetic, deep breathing, lots of upper body exercise, etc., but I don't exercise outside of teaching. Why don't I exercise? Basically, it's because I'm pretty lazy. No other reason. I don't like to get sweaty; we live in south Louisiana, and it's HOT down here. One of the great parts of losing so much weight has been that I no longer sweat while I'm teaching--yay!--and I feel better about not looking like the "sweaty fat woman." I also have exercise-induced asthma, and I really, really hate to feel out of breath. So I don't like exercise, and I use the excuse that I don't have time for it--I have an hour and a half commute every day that I teach, but there are days when I don't teach, and I definitely DO have time for exercise--really, who doesn't, if one makes it a priority.....

In high school, college, and early adulthood, I was an athlete--swam, Water safety instructor, played softball, volleyball, biked, etc. As I started working, I lost the habit of daily exercise and have never gotten it back.

SO, sleeve sisters and brothers, I want to be held accountable for exercise, even if all I do is get up off my butt and walk. I even own walking shoes. Summer 2010, I joined our local YMCA and was able to do an hour of exercise a day (even though I hated every single second of it--walking, weight training, Zumba--worst ever). I have exercise videos for yoga, Callanetics, and Tai Chi, all of which I have thought about in the past, but none of these videos have even been opened yet. We own a Wii, which I never play.....

See, it's just something mental for me, I think. I can easily achieve my goal weight without exercise, but that's not really all I want. I want to be healthy, and I know with my head that I need to exercise and get into the habit of physically moving in order to be healthy, but for whatever reason, I have resisted that with no outward penalty--as in, I'm still losing weight, despite not moving my butt. I know I could be healthier with exercise.

I am hereby setting a very public goal of getting to my doc to get my asthma medicated. I'm also determined to meet the goal of walking for 30 minutes 5 times a week. I think that is the very least I can do--and maybe just getting into the habit will get something started. I'm planning to check in here every Sunday to post whether or not I've met my exercise goal. Thanks for reading and for your support in advance!!

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Welcome Ladies!!! Hang in there! The last 30 Lbs can be tough but really are doable. I believe in all of us. I'm positive you all will be there much sooner rather than later.