The basics

Height: 5"1

Highest Weight Tracked: 241 pounds

Largest Size: 18/20, XXL, 40D

Surgery Date: 4/19/12

Original Goal: 140 pounds

Revised Goal: 125 pounds

Currently:

Weight: 128 pounds

Size: 4, S/M, 34C/34D

Pictures!

Before (left) (right was first 40 pounds gone)

Current!

Current!

I am so excited with life right now, it's hard to believe. Part of me is always waiting for the other shoe to drop but so far it hasn't. Trust me for anyone who thinks they wouldn't be successful... if I can do it, anyone can

What is your main advise. You look great

Congratulations you look amazing! Keep upthe positive energy you are spreading :-)

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Wow. You look much younger and totally different! good job.

in for advise or any tips you can give. Whats your diet and exercise look like. How much carbs, Protein and calories are you taking in daily.

you look great.... awesome inspiration.

That's AMAZING! Congratulations!

Thank you everyone!!! I will reply to the individual questions shortly, I just fell off the grid for a bit with life drama! I appreciate all the compliments and support. It's also worth mentioning that I went down an entire shoe size, from 8 to 7. Apparently even my feet were overweight

in for advise or any tips you can give. Whats your diet and exercise look like. How much carbs, Protein and calories are you taking in daily.

you look great.... awesome inspiration.

So maybe I'm a terrible role model, I'm not sure. But I don't track any of that stuff in any formal way. I go based on how I'm feeling and what I know I've eaten during the day. When I don't get enough protein, I can FEEL it. I also don't keep track of carbs, but I do try to limit myself to fruit/vegetable carbs and a small amount of "dry" carbs as I call them, or things like crackers/tortilla chips, etc... (edited to add: I don't cut out carbs such as rice/pasta/bread etc.. because of any diet plan, per se, but because I just don't like how my stomach and body feel after I eat a lot of those foods. It just doesn't sit well like it used to. Very uncomfortable as opposed to pre-surgery when it felt soooo good to eat a big bowl of pasta!!)

As far as calories go, I'm at about 900-1100 per day. I work in an large call center as a supervisor so I'm not in a role people would consider "active" but I do get plenty of walking in, and when the weather permits I do at least a mile walk each day during my lunch hour. I also do regular cardio in the gym, probably 4x weekly on average. Nothing crazy though, which is probably why I haven't toned as well as I'd like to. The weight is gone but the lack of muscle and loose skin serves as a reminder

My best advice is to take it easy and be forgiving. If you stress you will only delay the process of letting your body do what it wants to do. Live and learn from days when you mess up. Also, don't compare yourself to me or anyone else. That was one huge mistake I made in the beginning, having unrealistic expectations. Now, I lost 113 pounds in 10 months and I didn't start out as high as some. I think I am in the minority, though. I'm young(ish) and other than being fat, I had no other health issues. When I look at myself now, and before I had kids, it was clear to me that my body never wanted to carry the excess weight. For some, it just hangs on. Maybe due to age, genetics, other health concerns, etc... but for me, it was just the right combination of things to get the weight off SO quickly.

BUT - I digress. I give most of the credit to taking a no-stress approach. There were weeks when I gained 4lbs and I was on the brink of breaking down -- how do you gain with what we've had done? In one week? But then it came back off just as quickly, and I realized that it did me no good to worry about it. I can only control so much, and if that is what I do, consistently, then there's nothing else to it. I also don't deprive myself of what I want. Some nights all I want before bed are a couple girl scout Cookies. At 10 pm. With a glass of milk. And you know what? That's exactly what I have. And I don't spend a single minute after that worrying about what the scale is going to say. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I know that I make the right choices 80-85% of the time. I'm not going to apologize to myself or anyone else for caving every once in a while. It does me no good and only will make me resentful of the process. I went into this promising myself that I would never diet again - I always failed and ALWAYS felt awful about myself. Now I feel great and so so so much more confident in myself. I guess that's all we can really hope for!

Sorry, I know that's probably not any answer you were looking for, but I hope it gives some direction and insight nonetheless

What is your main advise. You look great

I posted a much bigger response in another reply but THANK YOU! And my biggest advice is to relax and trust the process Also, please be forgiving and allow yourself to eat what you want, when you want, sometimes. My choices consist of about 80-85% discipline and 15-20% what I want, when I want it. I eat ice cream, Cookies, pizza, etc... sometimes. I won't apologize for that. Dieting all my life got me nowhere but obese and extremely depressed and disappointed in myself. A vicious cycle of failure. I wanted a tool to help me control my portions and get me back on track so that I could maintain from a "fresh start". That's exactly what I got. I am committed to my health and my body, but I also can't deprive myself. I don't worry about the scale. Most of the time I weigh myself daily, but I travel a lot for work and will sometimes go weeks without weighing in and I don't lose a moment's sleep over it. You know what the right choices are and you've got tons of resources available for any help you need. What no one can help you with is being GOOD with who you are and what you bring to the table for yourself and others. It's really all about the mindset. I am a firm believer that the sooner you can come to peace with this whole process, the quicker you will see results. There's also a lot of uncontrollables at stake, such as age/genetics etc... but stress to me, was #1. I hope that helps in some small way

Sarah, thank you for your words of wisdom. I agree that stress is detrimental to the process. We all see post after post of phenominal loses including yours. Great job, you look gorgeous! I hope to get down to your size and to do that I have to trust the process. Again, great job and I can't wait to see when you reach your new goal.

Sarah, thank you for your words of wisdom. I agree that stress is detrimental to the process. We all see post after post of phenominal loses including yours. Great job, you look gorgeous! I hope to get down to your size and to do that I have to trust the process. Again, great job and I can't wait to see when you reach your new goal.

Thank you!! I am about 3 pounds away and I suppose I should stop watching food network while eating chicken wings if I want to get those gone