Lisa :)

I just did my first 3 triathlons this past summer! Now that my season is over, I am hiking/running hills for 75 minutes 4 days a week, cycling 20-40 miles one day a week and swimming 1-2 miles one day a week. In February, I will resume training and focus on all three disciplines. For now, I am trying to focus on my weight loss and getting the last 40 lbs off. I can say that if it weren't for triathlons, I'm not sure I would have stayed as focused as I have been. I truly believe that the best way to stay on track with exercise is to have a goal (such as a race) to keep you focused and motivated!!

Well, I did it!!! I finished my first triathlon in 2:15:09. I was super slow on the bike and run but I didn't come in last!!! I loved the ocean swim and I was 20/57 in my wave!!! I'm already signed up for another one in September and hope that I can drop a little more weight by then. My weight loss has slowed to about 4-5 pounds a month so it probably won't be until next year when I'm able to really improve my times considering I won't be carrying the extra weight. I have a question for those of you that have done/are doing triathlons: my back aches on the bike and run after some distance and I'm wondering if that is weight related or just core weakness???

Thanks for the info!!...I've since done two more tris and during training I worked more core training in. I also put a lot more time in on the bike and I improved my running fitness dramatically!! My last race of the season was last weekend and I bettered my time in all three sports and beat my first race time by 25 minutes!!! In hindsight, I think my first training plan was just too easy for me. I can't wait for next season!!!

I also forgot to mention that I swear by Fit Flops!!! They were recommended to me by the Dr that made my orthotics and I never had pain when I wore them!! I started out with the clog style and then purchased the flip flop style once I lost about 70 lbs. I still wear them even though my PF seams to be gone....they are so comfortable!!!

I HAD horrible PF for years!!! I am happy to report that, 10 months after surgery, mine has pretty much disappeared! I started walking hills (daily) about a month before surgery even though the pain was unbearable at times. As I've lost weight, the pain has gradually disappeared and I'm now doing triathlons!! The sleeve was THE BEST thing I've ever done!!! The one thing I would say is so important with PF is to ice it as much as possible. Get some Dixie cups, fill them with Water and freeze them. Then tear half the cup off and use it to do ice massage on your foot.

You didn't gain actual weight....as stated above, it's all fluid and it takes some time to lose it. I was 8 pounds heavier when I came home from the hospital and within a few days it was gone plus more. Remember, this is a journey. You will not lose all the weight you want over night. Be patient and kind to yourself and "live in the process" because it's an incredible journey!!!

I was sleeved on 11/9/11 and was asked by my surgeon to give it up for 6 months. I just starting drinking it again about 2 months ago. I only drink one very weak cup of coffee each day now as opposed to the 3 or 4 cups I used to drink.

I was 8 lbs heavier the day I cam home from the hospital.....the 8 lbs + more was gone 3 days later. Hang in there!!!

I hit the 9 month mark last week and a friend sent me a picture she took of me after our morning run. It was so weird...I kept looking at the picture, thinking, "I almost look normal!!!" This journey has been so amazing!! It hasn't been easy but it's been totally worth it!!! For more than 10 years I pondered the idea of WLS. I told myself over and over again that I "should be able to take the weight off on my own". I was one of those people that thought having surgery would be a cop out. I could not have been more wrong!! The initial stages of post op were torturous for me. I remember feeling like I was going crazy at about the 3 week mark. I just wanted to chew something and I wanted to kill my family!! LOL!! I had to mourn my love affair with food...probably the hardest thing ever. Now that I'm past all that, I am here to say that my life is 1000 times improved and the NSV's are endless!! I can fit into a booth at any restaurant now!! I've stopped snoring and no longer have to wear a mouth guard in order for my partner to sleep!! I've completed a triathlon and am doing 2 more in the next 3 weeks!! My plantar faciitis is gone!! I can walk up a flight of stairs and I like it!! Shopping for clothes is fun again!! But the biggest NSV is that I finally feel like I have a "normal" relationship with food!! It no longer controls my life...I no longer live to eat, I eat to live. So, here are my pics. The first one is from a cruise I went on in Nov 2010...I was at my heaviest weight and I was so uncomfortable!! In November of this year I'll be going on another cruise and I'll be exactly 1 year post op. I'm looking forward to taking the same picture!!

I had buyers remorse in the initial stages post op but I would do it all again in a heartbeat!!! There are also certain foods that I just don't tolerate very well (like salad) and I really miss them at times!! But the payoff is worth it and I just have to remind myself that I don't need to be emotionally attached to food.

I workout/train (for triathlon) 6 days a week. I swim, bike and run 2 times each week and then I do strength and core workouts 3 days a week. So, a typical week would look like this: Monday: Bike 60-90 minutes (@ 18 mph) Tuesday: Run 3 miles + strength/core Wednesday: Swim 45 minutes (about a mile) Thursday: hike/run on hills + strength/core Friday: OFF Saturday: Brick workout - Bike 60 minutes then run 2 miles Sunday: Open Water swim in ocean or bay (about a mile) + strength/core Now, it took me months to get to these workouts. I started with just doing a walk/run and only biking about 20 minutes. I've always been a very strong swimmer so that part has been pretty easy. I love triathlon training because it gives me variety in my workouts and I'm less likely to get injured (which would make me stop) because I'm using different parts of my body each day.

I've lost 110 and I want to lose 40-50 more (I think). I will definitely want a tummy tuck once I'm at goal for a while. I also have some excess skin under the arms but I'm going to wait and see how all my training and working out effects that!!

Thank you so much everyone!!!!!

Slider foods are those foods that you can eat larger quantities than normal post sleeve. For example: I can usually only eat about 3/4 C. of food at a time but with "slider foods" like popcorn (and chips), I can eat the whole bag!!!

I am 9 months out and eat it about once a week. I have to be careful with it though as it's a slider food.

I'm 9 months out, down 108 pounds with about 50 to go. My weight loss is slow...about a pound a week but I'm still losing!! I'm super active because I've been doing triathlons and I train a lot. I currently take in anywhere between 1400 and 2000 calories a day. I know that when I don't get a least the 1400, I stall. The body is like an engine....you have to feed it fuel in order for it to burn!!!!

Syntrax Nectar Cappunccino is my favorite....I drink it twice a day every day....I pour it over ice and it's just like having an iced coffee. It's yummy!!

I don't know that I "eat what I want" because if that were the case, I'd be eating Big Macs and Burrito Supremes LOL!! But when I feel like I need some chocolate, I eat a little chocolate. When I feel like I want Cheez-Itz, I go and buy a small bag of Cheez-Itz...I don't deprive myself of anything because I don't want to live on a "diet" for the rest of my life. Plus, my sleeve just won't tolerate a binge...Thank god!! I actually feel like my relationship with food is more "normal" than it's ever been! I do notice that when my carb intake is up, I lose less. Like you, my weight loss has slowed down at almost 9 months out...but I'm okay with it!! I absolutely LOVE my life now!! I'm doing triathlons (which accounts for my carb cravings much of the time) and I feel great!! I sometimes have to remind myself that I didn't have surgery to lose a certain amount of weight. I had surgery to feel better and to be able to do the things I wanted to do....My goal has already been accomplished!!!

Regrets?......YES, but just one. I regret not doing it sooner!!! My life is 500 gazillion times better because of my sleeve!!!!! Every part of pre-op and post-op nutrition is difficult....but totally worth it!! Just remember that the difficulty is only temporary but benefits of surgery are not!!!! Good Luck!!

I've been training for my first triathlon. Triathletes are very prone to chaffing. You can use an anti-chaffing product such as Body Glide. It comes in a stick like deodorant and you but it wherever you need it!!!....and it works GREAT!!!!

I had to wait 3 weeks.

NEVER say NEVER!! You'd be surprised by what you can accomplish when you tell yourself that you can do ANYTHING!!!

Yeah, I'm not sure they'd let you race SheROX!! LOL! I'm understanding how the triathlon addiction sets in!! And it has the potential to get me in lots of trouble when packages are constantly showing up via UPS and FedEx and my spouse works from home!! I'm thinking it'll be YEARS before I'm "allowed" to buy a tri bike

I'm doing Breath of Life Ventura (which is organized by the family of the owner of the company I work for) on the 24th, Long Beach in Septembet and then SheROX San Diego in October.