coops

so if we are all swimming in the sea, it sounds like perfect opportunity to meet up... I'll catch you all half way 'across the pond'! But seriously, we are all swimming together, and that is so important... well, it is to me anyways! xx

Yey! Happy Birthday to FYE and Laura or in welsh it would be penblwydd hapus i Laura and FYE!! ... hope you both have fantastic days! And yea, enjoy whatever, whenever! x

at the end of my second fast day... not too bad, had my frozen fruit as planned but I needed something 'warm' ... so I had a cuppa soup! Not very primal but it did the trick, too me over though, about 600 cals, so I ain't gonna sweat it!

Nannie G... 7lb in just over a week is bloody amaze-balls! That is soooo impressive! I wanna be like you! lol Funny thing about food reactions; I had pasta in work yesterday - just a small portion of pasta bake. Now, I can't remember the last time I ate the stuff, but unfortunately it was that or bread... and I know how much I love bread and once I start I can't stop so the pasta choice seemed like damage limitation. Well, my friends, that was a mistake! I felt sick as a dog all afternoon and evening... had really bad heart burn, gas - proper man belches! I won't be worrying about pasta again! YUK!

half way through my second fast day.. good and bad! Working from home today (exam marking) and I haven't got enough water in as I did on Tuesday... I have worked out that if I reduced my brown sugar to half and add skimmed milk I can have more cups of tea/coffee... currently on my fourth. That is the bad. The good is that I didn't have my porridge until 1.30pm (evening meal was 7.30 last night), so that was a good time span and I intend on having my frozen fruit and yogurt about 7.30 tonight. Scale back down to mid bounce range, now gotta get it to bottom of bounce range and then, hopefully, lower again, Not been hunger yet, but it is definitely harder today... prob cos I've had more tea and less water?

Well, I go to bed, off to work and come home to see that all hell has broke loose! Everyone is entitled to their opinions... this is simply a group of ole timers trying to get to goal! I don't usually reply to negative comments, but I feel the need here... I don't like the accusation of trying to persuade anyone to do anything they don't want to. I don't like it at all. I am nearly three years out in a couple of weeks, and I have been posting on this site for most of that time - I read a lot on here before I joined. In that time, I have read many things that I didn't agree with, or things that I felt uncomfortable with, but I didn't respond because I felt that it was none of my business and that my negative opinions wouldn't be helpful to the original poster, or those who were involved in the discussion. That has been my choice over the years, and I feel that by having a more positive attitude towards forums, such as this one, has helped me gain trust and respect from my friends on here. We are all individuals here, grown women who can make up their own minds. The purpose of this thread, which is long standing, is to support and help others in the same boat to try and get to goal, if that happens, then to maintain that goal - whatever it is. I don't mean to come across as a know it all, or being a tad snotty, cos I am neither... I just feel that if you are going to support us, please feel free to join in... if you are on a different page, and that is completely fine too. No offence meant here, just want to maintain a positive atmosphere.

Oh and I've saved my last cuppa for about 9pm tonight, so that means I won't eat until the min of 11am tomo, another 12 hr gap without eating, but I will probably have a morning coffee before then! I like the thought of the 12 hours whilst I sleep!

So, it is 8.20 pm and I've just had my evening meal! Logging in at 505 cals, not too shoddy! I've allowed myself 4 cups of tea/coffee with semi skimmed milk and 1 small brown sugar. I had porridge with S/S milk at lunch at 1.15pm For my evening meal, I had frozen berries and (115g) and low fat pro biotic yogurt (100g). I have also drunk 1 1/2 liters of Water so far, which for me is a miracle! But I just kept sipping throughout the day. I have to admit, it wasn't too bad and is certainly manageable, just gotta be organised and make the right food choices! I went to Curves straight from work... and glad that I did cos I've had a really crappy day and if I had come home, I know I would have gone straight to the cupboard and got a handful of nuts! Gotta say, I am sooo pleased that we are doing this together, it is a great feeling to know that there is someone there 'on the other side' waiting for the updates! Thanks girls...

SO, I'm psyched and organised for my first fast day tomorrow, I will skip breakfast (I usually do) and instead of my cuppa I will just drink water and make sure I take a bottle to work with me too... in a weird way I am looking forward to getting some control back - it's a mental thing as well as physical with me! I've just downloaded the book for my kindle - in some of the reviews it said that you could fast 3 days a week? But for now, I will stick to the 5:2 and get into it. Sadly I am at the top of my bounce range - and although my eating habits haven't changed dramatically, there have been a few naughty (bad me for using that word) days where I have snacked on the wrong foods; mainly carbs! it is my daughter's fault... she had a cooking assessment and came home with some delicious treats! How could I resist? The only problem, is that one day has lead to more - which, is unusual for me -M2G, I wonder if this is related to the sugar thing? So, tomorrow is the day I take back control and, even if the scale doesn't move... at least I will feel better for making the right moves.

Tuesday and Thursday it is then! Yea, I'm in the UK - S. Wales (not England...lol) I'm rubbish with working out the time zones.... I'm sure there must be an app for it though! Actually, where are we all from... just out of curiosity! x

It is Sunday here today... Monday tomorrow...lol! Still gonna do Tues or shall I synch with you and do the fast day tomo?

Nannie G has started a revolution.... good luck one and all, keep us posted!

I have had a goo scoot around and I am gonna try it next week - Tuesday and Thursday will be my fasting days. The other days, I will just stick to eating 3 meals a day, with one possible snack and try to maintain the primal blueprint idea of natural good foods... See what happens. Feed your eye has put a link on the other thread that pretty much sums in it... really good. I'm at the stage now, where I am thinking that if I mess up, then that is history and move on. For example, yesterday my daughter had a cookery assessment in school; she made a range of tasty 'treats' and brought a lot of them home... so I ate some of them. The jam tarts and sausage rolls were fantastic! I don't feel bad about it and today I have reeled myself back in and I'm back on track. Wish me luck and let me know if you are gonna have a go.

Great link FYI... kinda sums it all up. For the record not all Brits sound like him...lol!! x

Right, I'm in! Gonna try the 5:2 for a few weeks and see what happens... got nothing to lose...hahahaa My fast days to start with will be Tuesday and Thursday - gonna follow Nannies lead with the oats/porridege and a piece of lean meat with roast veggies for tea - shooting for two 250 cal meals a day. I'm gonna ditch my tea and coffee for those days too and try to increase my Water. As a side note... do any of you 'believe' that drinking a lot of water helps weight loss. I was really good at this in the first 6-8mths of my sleeve, then as my volume of food increased, my abililty to drink more water decreased and I have never gotten back to it. I have fits and fads of drinking more, but can't seem to do it for a long space of time... Thoughts?

I've had a little look at the links that she posted ... I am getting my head around it and might give it a shot! I reckon on the 500 cal days, you fill up on fruit, veggies and lean white meat... could be doable, especially with our little tummies. And because it is only twice a week, if you space the two days out you shouldn't feel too deprived. Have to be honest, I am seriously thinking about giving it a go... can't do any harm and I've tried other things. What are your thoughts... Nannie is in the same boat as us... stuck with the same numbers, but it is working for her at the mo, like you said...

I agree with Laura, 81 pounds off is excellent and you've kept it off and you've dropped dress sizes... well done you! In fact, I could of written the same post... I stopped losing weight a long time ago but continued to get smaller with the help of exercise. To be honest, I really don't know what the answer is... I long to get to goal! I will be 3 years out next month and would love to see the scale move again before that time... but I really don't think it will. I would appear that even though my body likes this weight, my head doesn't!

I'm loving the baby comparison thing and yea, it makes sense. I knew about the swelling... I just wasn't prepared for it to be like this! You all know I'm, peri menopausal and before surgery it was many many months since I last had a 'show' and it was literally just that! Well in the last 3 mths since the TT I have had one 'show' and one proper period (duration and content - sorry if TMI) and today, I feel as if I am on run up - which coincides with the mood at the beginning of the week! And I've had the carb monster cravings which I gave into today in work - school chips! They looked lovely but tasted like **** and it is fair to say that I picked at them and didn't enjoy them one bit - boooo! I suppose it was like imagining having sex with my idol and then if it ever happens he was crap! What a let down. I won't be eating chips in school again ( or shagging my idol in the near future!)

Nannie, a few of my friends have tried this with a bit of success and the feed back was similar to yours, they did get hungry too but of course, they haven't got the portion control tool we have. I'm with GT... I might give this a go and see what happens... Like you, I'd be happy to shed a few and maintain... I would ideally like to get to 154 which is about 10 lbs from where I am sat now! Gotta tell ya though, my weight is going up and up and not down so much... I am hoping that it is swelling from the TT and not actually fat because I am as swollen as a very swollen person... my tummy feels like it will pop! What is strangest thing though, is that I have put on a few pounds, I feel swollen and bloated yet I've been wearing a size UK 12 trouser and top all day in work no problem, not too tight or uncomfortable! Just doesn't make sense, which is why I am hoping the few pounds extra is swelling! Anyway, let us know what happens over the next few days, how the fastdiet works out and in the mean time I will have another google on it! Thanks for letting us know! x

I try to look at each new day as just that, a new day... whatever happened yesterday is now history and cannot be undone. I too feel frustrated at the lack of progress - even having the TT I can just see imperfections... at Curves I was told that I had a 36% body fat ration and that freaked me out knowing that my body is unwilling to lose more weight... I don't like that! And, depending on what day, my BMI bounces between obese and overweight - again, that is not a label that I am comfortable with. BUT ... I am smaller, healthier and fitter than I have been in 20 years! I hang on to that fact each and every day I don't see the numbers that I wan to see - it gives me some hope. I feel that I am on the fringe of saying shi*t to it! And just focus on maintaining where I am and concentrate on getting fitter, but I find this really hard. Hard to let go of my goal weight - what will I strive for then? Those precious and seemingly un-achievable numbers are what has kept me going for nearly 3 years! If I don't have that goal will I just dive head first into all the foods that I used to eat. At nearly three years out I can honestly say that the only regain I have had is about 5lbs... that is 'normal' for a 'normal weighted person, isn't it?! Perhaps NOT being at goal has helped me, in a weird and almost perverted way... I dunno!

OH Girls... I am having a 'fat - don't piss me off' day today! No real reasoning behind this... no purging on bad food, no real reason! Woke up with a swollen tummy (swelling is normal post TT) and I think this started me off on the wrong foot! Just felt like I've wanted to smash someone today! *sighs* On the up though, I've joined up to Curves to get myself back into exercise mode. The woman reckons I can lose 14 (my Curves goal) and lots of inches in 6-8 weeks... it is gonna be fun proving them wrong. But if she is right I will be soooo happy. I'm also wearing a UK 12 trouser and top with no problem today, so why do I feel FAT??? God, this is driving me nuts... why won't the scale move for me.... Hope you are all ok...

Now, warning.. this might sound stupid! What is the difference between a piece of clothing that fits and a piece of clothing that is too tight? I'm confused. See, for the past 20 odd years, I have always worn baggy clothes, to hide my weight and when the weight had gone, to hide the lumps and bumps! And probably to hid the weight loss so I don't have any attention... I don't really enjoy too many comments about how I look, I still get embarrassed! So now I have had the apron removed, obviously my waist is smaller (although still swelling like made at 7 weeks post op, but that is to be expected and will, eventually go) and I need to get some new clothes, especially jeans and trousers. I am trying on different styles to see which will suit me the best and I can't make up my mind as to whether they are a tad too small or whether this is how they should look; I'm not used to wearing fitted clothes and I don't know how they should look or feel on me! I know how they should look on someone else! It is such a strange feeling - I'm just not used to showing my body shape in clothes at all! Like I said, it sounds stupid. I still think that my mind is way behind my body, even at this stage... I'm finding it hard not to be too hard on myself - again - still! My hubby continues to tell me that I look great, amazing even and that I should stop being so self critical! I know he is right, I just want to be the best I can be... this applies to all areas of my life, not just physically. Ok - breath, take a chill pill and stop stressing the small stuff - right? When will roller coaster stop!? Anyone else feel like this?

Hello fellow sleevers, I am now just over 6 weeks post TT and uplift and I can't tell you how happy I am that I have turned the corner. I ain't gonna lie, it has been a tough 6 weeks, not physically but mentally and emotionally but that is for another post... Anyhoo, today is the first day that I have been able to wear my post op jeans (my original size goal; UK 14) - before now the swelling was sooo bad, even with compression garments and control pants on that they wouldn't do up and were tight on the legs... booo! I wore them today and they were big... yes big! So, as we were shopping I picked up a new pair, one size smaller as an incentive and a 'work in progress' pair. I couldn't wait to try them on and when I did... drum roll please... they only bloody fit! Yes, I could do them up, all the way and I could sit in them. Ok, so they were a little tight but not too tight that I felt like I was about to turn blue and pass out...lol. As a foot note, I am the same weight now as I was pre TT even though the surgeon removed nearly 3 1/2 lb of skin (that is one mighty apron, apparently the 'normal' or average amount of skin removed weighs around a pound!) So, perhaps when all the swelling has gone away they will be my new 'comfy' jeans! I have not been able to fit in a size UK 12 (US 8-10?) for over twenty years... I can't put in to words how happy, proud and well, chuffed to Beans I am! Did I say I was happy? lol Oh, when I saw my PS he cleared me for light exercise and light ab work... so today i did 100 squats - easy peasy - 20 push ups of the table x 2 and 20 pelvic curls with 20 upper curls... so, that is another NSV!! I think that I might be getting my mo jo back...lol!

Hiya Kris, Good luck with your uplift/reduction - I found that surgery ok post op - I don't know whether it was because all of my attention was on the TT? I am happy with my results - I didn't want big boobs, hence the no implants, I just wanted a nice natural shape, which is what I have... my surgeon really is very good - especially when I think about what he had to work with in the first instance! I had the usual TT, not the FDL - he said that the top of my tummy was ok; skin was in good order as were the muscles underneath, but the lower part was shocking! In saying that I do have a muffin top now, I'm not sure but I think the FDL will correct that for you. My scar is beautifully low, easily hidden with knickers and it is fading lovely. I'm not worried in the slightest about scarring as no one will ever see them! It is a long ole recovery but so worth it - I really feel as if I am coming out of the post op funk now and getting to where I want to be. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Let us know how you get on... x

thanks for all your positive comments, they really do help! At 11 wks post TT I'm feeling so much better and pretty much back to normal now, say 90%! Oh, and I wore the size (UK) 12 jeans out - yes, you read that right OUT! Ok, so it was only to a friends house, but I sat in them all day and I had problems. Gotta address the muffin top now though, it has always been there but with a pretty flat lower belly the upper one is more obvious. I think with exercise and continuing my good dietary habits I will see a difference in a few months - I hope so! Starting to feel good in my skin - I haven't felt like this in over 20 years!