MINI-Me

Tiff - I so hear you. Hormones can be the devil - can't they?

Do you work for a company that qualitifies you for FMLA? If so, they cannot legally let you go for missing work for qualified medical time. Best of luck on your investigation and research. I was one of those who really thought "I'll be the failure", but here I am at goal wearing 4's and 6's in less than a year. WOW!

BigDawg, So excited for you. You are at the threshold of changing your life. Don't be surprised if the first week or so is a little harder than you expected. It may be fairly easy or it may be hard (I was one of the unfortunate ones that had a rough 1st week.) But, know that around day 4 or 5 things change for the better. Keep us posted on your surgical progress and how you are doing. Welcome to the Loser's Bench!!!!! MINI

I got dropped somehow, so I'm adding me back in ... SN................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.....Lbs to Goal Avilda...................275.................187..............177..............10 Cherice95405.......248...............177............164...............13 Coops ...............238................191.............177................14 Cwalker...............250.................180..............170..............10 Daisy....................237...................138.............130...............8 DJackson.............229.................229..............215.............14 HollyW.................259..................233............215..............18 Ibejjo...................249..................249............229................20 Juliarh...................230..................230..............215...........15 Kimmes................239..................222..............200............22 Kgremmy.............225.................210..............199..............11 Laylasmojo.........242.................180...............170..............10 LeslieH..................212..................212.............199..............13 LilMissDiva...........235..................234.............220..............14 Meriteri................240...................187.............170...............17 MichelleLee..........252..................225................199..............26 MINI-Me...............203..................124.6............125..............0 & holding! Mommy2Girls.......275.................240..............228..............12 Moniluv.................190.................190..............178..............12 MRSKOUBIK........317..................283.............267..............16 pattimomof3nj......203.4..............167.1..........155...........12.1 Sailorgirl.................240.................220..............200..........20 Secret Surgery34..........205.........179............165...........14 Sleeve 4 me.........166..................166.............156..............10 Sweatinitout..........245................170..............160...............10 Yolanda240...........236.................203..............170..............33

That is awesome news!!!! I just finished packing up the last two bags of old clothes over the holidays. Hubby bought me tons of new clothes ... I left the tags on them & hung them in the closet. Now, it feels like I'm shopping everytime I get dressed. I know it's silly, but I just love trying on my new clothes. I love size 4 and 6. Who would have believed a year ago I would wear these sizes - I was hoping for a 10. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine and 4 or 6!!!!!! No more roller coasters for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree ... myfitnesspal.com is great. And, they do have an android app - haven't tried it, but imagine it works pretty well.

That does seem crazy!!!!! Definitely verify ... if they work like that, it's probably a good sign to find another surgeon.

I soooo know what you mean chilo!

I had a $500 non-refundable fee, but it was applied to my final payment (if insurance had covered it, it would have been part of my copay). Or, if I had cancelled the surgery after reserving my surgical date, they would keep the money. I thought that was fair. Are you sure you are understanding the upfront fee correctly?

OK ... I need to be true to my promise (to my husband and myself) and not try to lose any more weight. I promised that I would stop at 125 or what I weighed on 1-1-11. Well, happens to be the same number. A few weeks ago, I had an unexplained gain of almost 6 pounds - I was almost up to 132 ... and then 7 pounds dropped off in the last two weeks. Like I said at the time, I have no idea why I was gaining. I didn't do anything differently - meals were the same, etc. Did I change anything to drop 7 pounds? Well, honestly, I've been eating like crazy! See a cookie? Eat it if I wanted to. Wine? Drank whenever I wanted, Now, do I approve of this or recommend it to anyone? NO! But, the weight did drop off. I start back to work tomorrow & have already packed my food for the day - back on track! I have an appointment with a WLS Nutritionist on the 18th. I'm hopeful that I get some sound advice for maintance and have some target numbers to shoot for. I promise to share anything I learn. I just hope I don't have a crazy nut visit like many people have talked about. Ugh! I really want to figure out the maintenance part - the part I've always failed in the past. More later!

Congratulations on your decision and looking forward to following your progress. You are going to be a LOSER very soon!

:D I DID IT, I DID IT, I DID IT!!!! As of this morning, I am 124.6. I am below my "ultimate" goal of 125. Now ... to stay there! SN............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.........Lbs to Goal Avilda..............275.................187..............177..............10 Coops ...............238................191.............177................14 Cwalker..........250.................180..............170..............10 DJackson..................229.................229..............215......14 Ibejjo...............249..................249............229................20 Juliarh.............230..................230..............215...........15 Kimmes............239..................222..............200............22 Kgremmy.........225.................210..............199..............11 LeslieH...........212..................212.............199..............13 LilMissDiva.......235..................234.............220..............14 MINI-Me............203...................124.6..........125..............0 & holding Mommy2Girls....275.................240..............228..............12 Moni luv..........190.................190..............178..............12 MRSKOUBIK....317..................283.............267..............16 pattimomof3nj..203.4..............167.1..........155...............12.1 Sailorgirl...........240.................220..............200..............20 Secret Surgery34..........205........179.......165.........14 Sleeve 4 me...166..................166.............156..............10 Yolanda240.....236.................203..............170..............33 Sweatinitout....245................170..............160...............10

Love it, love it, love it ... congrats on your decision and your new date. You are going to do GREAT!

OK ... Maybe this is going to sound really small of me, but people are annoying me. 6 months ago, clerks were not friendly ... they took care of my purchases, etc and sent me on my way. Now, that I am a "normal" weight, I find people trying to strike up conversations, giving me an extra few minutes in line, etc. Take this morning for instance. My car needed gas, so I stopped by the Quik-Mart for gas. I decided to run in for a drink while the car was filling up. I walk in the door and get greeted with a "Good Morning. How are you today?" from the clerk. I respond and go over to pick out my drink. I try to check out (with 3 people behind me) and he starts chatting about the day. My total was $2.16 and I gave him a $5.00 bill. He made a big production of counting back my money, taking a penny out of the Penny Jar and giving me back $2.85 instead of $2.84. I don't remember a clerk EVER voluntarily taking a penny out for me before. What gives? Like I said, I know I seem small in this, but it's really bothering me ... Why should I be treated differently now? I'm still the same person - same thoughts, feelings, and day to day routine (minus all the meal time). Does a thin person deserve less pennies in their wallet than a fat person?!?!?!?!?!

I like the Vegas idea ... cheap fares & lots to do!

2011 for me is all about MAINTENANCE. Something that has always alluded me. So, while I still want to see 125.0 (125.8 today) ... I plan on getting there and staying there. So, my Valentine's Goal is to get to 125 and stay there! I have a nutritionist appointment on the 18th with a nut who specializes in WLS. I have heard mixed feedback on here about nuts (I only had the 1 appt prior to my surgery) so not really sure what to expect. But, we'll see. I will share what I learn ... SN............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.........Lbs to Goal Avilda..............275.................187..............177..............10 Brendasgonnalose..335.....236.............225...............16 Cwalker..........250.................180..............170..............10 Drysdale .........202.................186..............174...............12 Ibejjo...............249..................249............229................20 Juliarh.............230..................230..............215...........15 Kimmes............239..................222..............200............22 Kgremmy.........225.................210..............199..............11 LeslieH...........212..................212.............199..............13 LilMissDiva.......235..................235.............220..............15 MINI-Me...........203..................125.8...........125.............0.8 & holding Mommy2Girls....275.................240..............228..............12 Moni luv..........190.................190..............178..............12 MRSKOUBIK....317..................283.............267..............16 PamelaAM . . . .250. . . . . . . . 200. . . . . . .190. . . . . . . .10 pattimomof3nj..203.4..............167.1..........155...............12.1 Sailorgirl...........240.................220..............200..............20 Sleeve 4 me...166..................166.............156................10 Yolanda240.....236.................203..............170..............33 Do we have everyone listed? I think we may have lost some people in the various posts of copy/paste.

Sorry to hear that you had a bad day. Hugs to you!

Well, I almost made it ... 125.8 today. Guess I'll keep 125 for the Valentine's challenge & try to keep it at 125 for maintenance.

I have a brand new netbook, a fast internet speed ... no problems with other websites ... except Vertical Sleeve Talk. It's very irritating to try to read and/or answer someone's post. Load times for pages can take around a minute. When you finally do get to a thread, you have to jump through hoops to get back to the most recent topics (there doesn't seem to be enough room for the link at the top due to all the advertisements)! I totally understand the need for advertisements to finance the site ... however, when there are so many pictures and movement that it detracts from the purpose of the site - communication and information about surgery - there is a problem. All this is being said to let you know that I am not avoiding you or ignoring the questions . I've been trying to read and keep up, but I simply do not have hours a day to wait on the pages to update. Is there something that can be done to find a happy medium???

I would be interested. Maybe a 3 day weekend. As long as it is continental US, I don't mind traveling.

That is really awesome. Good to hear that you are shopping Goodwill. Don't get too attached to those new clothes - my bet is that they will be hanging on you in another 5 weeks.

Welcome! Look forward to hearing more about your journey.

Coops has great advice! I know that for me, my best tool (besides the sleeve!) was tracking my food. That way, I made sure I got in all my Protein (plus some) and stayed below a certain calorie limit. If you are like me, a little past 6 months, I found I could eat more. So, I upped my daily calories to 1200. And guess what? Not only was I satisfied longer, I lost more weight. Everyone has their favorite sites, but for me, it's www.myfitnesspal.com - seems to have all the foods I need & I love the recipe converter. I put all my family favorites there & it's been really easy to count dinner (& usually lunch the next day!) If you need a buddy or someone to talk to, feel free to send me a message. I know what you mean about husbands who "just don't get it". My husband is 6'5" and hasn't had a weight problem his entire life - no matter what he eats. He tries hard to understand, but just can't relate. Good luck - your goals are within reach! Go for it!

You have done an AWESOME JOB. It's a good thing you aren't the "real" Mrs. Santa ... otherwise, Santa might forget to take his journey around the world every December 24th. Congratulations on a new life and new outlook on life.