LindaS

I am slsherwood51

I haven't been working out with weights for very long, but I have already noticed a difference. I use 5 pound weights. I do bicep curls, shoulder press, back rows, side lifts and front lifts. I do reps of 15 and usually only get through two sets.

You look great! I would have guessed your current size at much lower than 16s.

I am so going to have to schedule a vacation to some place fabulous soon! You will do well. I am three months out, and I feel great. I have lots of energy, and I've lost more than 50 pounds. I have about 115 to lose total. You are going to do great!

She is adorable and already so photogenic! She looks great in all of the photos, but I love the smile and the tongue shots. Thank you so much for sharing this. I hope you and your family are doing well. Blessings!

I brought elasticized pants that I could wear to keep my rear end covered, but they still allowed the nurses and doctor to check my belly. I also brought my Kindle loaded with some audio books. I wish I would have brought earphones for it as well. My hospital's auxiliary provided a little pillow. You might want to check to see if yours does as well. If not, you will want to bring one. It is great for that extra support in your belly area. I would say to not waste your time on crappy food. I love steak, and I knew that was something I wouldn't be able to eat for a while. When we went out to eat, I would order a steak. Not every place we went were good at cooking steaks. I'd rather not have had one than had the one bad one that I did have. I also avoided fast food because it wasn't good. I'd rather have a good burger than a fast food one.

The other day, I followed a link in a post here that went to MSNBC. While there, I saw a link to a story about a personal trainer who gained 70 pounds in order to learn what it is like to be overweight. His goal is to be able to have more understanding of what his clients are going through in their weight loss journey. The guy has been deliberately gaining weight for six months. He even posted pictures on his web site, and it is like seeing our progress pictures here in reverse. He stared out with a six pack ab, and it is gone. When I looked at his photos, I was actually surprised to see how fast the abs were gone. In November, he plans to start dieting and working out to lose all of the weight again. It was interesting, but I was just saddened about what he did to his body deliberately. I hope it works out for him. As a publicity stunt, it has brought him media attention. I am also amazed (although I shouldn't be) at how fast he gained weight. He went into this thinking he would gain around 50 pounds in six months. He has gained more than 70 pounds, and it hasn't been six months yet. His website is fit2fat2fit.com. Would you hire a trainer who has gone to this length to empathize with you? Other thoughts?

It looks like a huge difference in just two months. Great job!

Like Courtines and Lissa, I woke up from surgery thinking I should back out. Of course, it was too late by then. I was nervous before the surgery, but I do not regret it at all.

I have told everyone pretty much. I blog about it. I told people who see me frequently. I also called all of my siblings to let them know before I had the surgery. That call prompted one of my sisters to ask a lot of questions, and I believe she is looking into the surgery. I am confident about my decision and my results. I didn't let anyone's negative story worry me. I also didn't listen to them. If someone started telling me a bad story, I cut them off. It was usually overweight people who did this. The other day someone who didn't know about the surgery asked me how I was losing weight. I immediately mentioned that I had WLS. I only regret that I didn't mention all of the other steps I am taking as well. The people who do know but don't see me all of the time are very interested in my diet. I went to a conference with a group of co-workers, and I rode to the conference with one of them. My limitations impacted where we ate. Her first suggestions were places high in carbs including a Pasta place. She was not negative in any way, and she was very curious and supportive. I would say overall I get the most questions about my diet. Rarely people ask me about the surgery and seemed shocked to find out the size of my stomach. I am sure that there are people talking about me. I remember early on my mother-in-law commented how I was "losing slowly." At that point, I was losing at least a pound a day. I stated that fact and mentioned it was hardly slow. My mother-in-law insisted it was compared to an aunt that had gastric by-pass a few years earlier. Maybe so. It might also be that people see what they want to see, and I can't control that. I'm not going to hide anything and think they won't talk about me.

The first time someone who wasn't in the know commented on me losing weight. By then, I had lost almost 50 pounds. It was a co-worker who I hadn't seen in a couple of weeks, and she commented specifically at how flat my belly was getting. It was great. She is someone I've always thought of as thin, and she was asking me for advice on how to slim down her belly. I confessed I'd had the surgery, but later I mentally kicked myself because I've done a lot of hard work along with the surgery, and I completely overlooked it.

I was sleeved August 9, and I turned 40 just 10 days later (August 19). I love my sleeve and this forum. Good luck at your consultation. I hope things go smoothly for you.

You had a lot of fluids pumped into you when you were in the hospital, so you probably came home weighing more than you did when you arrived. I'm not sure when your post-op weight of 237 was taken but many come out weighing more than going in because of IV fluids. It will come off. You may also be losing inches (I did) and not so much on the scale. If you haven't taken measurements yet, do so as soon as possible. Your body may also be "holding onto" fat reserves because of your limited intake. You need to show your body you don't need the reserves by making sure you are at least getting your walking in.

I am at 206, and I was 209 on Oct. 21, which means about a 3 pound loss in a week. I lost most of that in a single day and nothing since. I am hoping to see scale movement tomorrow.

Way to go! I am really looking forward to meeting this milestone myself.

You look great! I noticed the legs and those shoes! Nice!

I am absolutely enjoying all of the Halloween pics. Thanks for sharing yours and way to rock your sleeve! You look great, and I agree -- you can really see the weight loss in your face.

I had a hernia fixed during my surgery, so I had to wait until 2 months before I could do very much, but I started walking immediately. I also did some dancing. Once I passed two months, I cranked up my work outs.

You look tiny in the last two photos! I never would have accurately guessed your current weight. I would have said you were much closer (actually below) your final goal. You are doing great!

It's normal. I dislike the sweetness of a lot of the SF drinks, and Water seems too bland. I usually drink Sobe water, or I add a "shot glass" of juice to a glass of water for flavor. I like cranberry juice (I get the Diet version). I have also flavored my water with Mio, but you have to be careful because too much ends up being way too sweet. Sobe water, however, has been my saving grace. Keep in mind that at 6.5 weeks out, you are probably getting liquids in other forms as well (broth, Soup, Protein shakes) and those all count towards meeting your 64 ounces of liquids.

I received one from my doctor's office about a month after my surgery. The text is almost exactly like what Leah's shows above. It is on a business card, and it also has my surgeon's office name and contact info. My card also has my name printed on it. I don't use it. I don't mind taking leftovers home. I have four kids, and if I am dining out, it is usually with just my husband. One or more of my kids usually claims my leftovers as soon as we arrive home. The food isn't wasted. I did keep the card though because there may be a buffet meal or something someday that I will want to use it at.

I missed my goal for Halloween, but I am already signed up for the Christmas Challenge. I am hoping to be at Onderland by Thanksgiving and down 20 pounds by Christmas. I am at 206 now, and my goal was 195. It was my first challenge; I started late and overestimated what I would do. Still, I started the challenge at 215, so even though I didn't make my goal, I can't complain. I am also going to follow Meg's example and make a mini list: Onderland: 199 Normal BMI: 190 Christmas Challenge Goal: 185

Your liver sits on top of your stomach, and most doctors have you go on a special diet before your surgery to "shrink" your liver. This gets it out of the way as much as possible for your surgery. For my pre-surgery diet, I had to avoid carbs and sugars and alcohol. It was also high in Protein. Some surgeons have you do a completely liquid diet pre-op, but I was able to eat all the veggies I wanted, which was wonderful. It made the pre-op diet so much nicer.

You look fantastic! I am so impressed with your progress. I am also 3 months out (tomorrow), and I love that my belly is no longer even with my breasts. :-)