nowatgoal

Missed my Christmas goal by 5 pounds. The weight loss has really slowed down now that I'm getting close to goal. But I'm still happy with a 10 pound loss. Started challenge: 163 Finished challenge: 153 (Christmas day) Total loss: 10 pounds

Count me in on a Valentine's goal. I'll actually be combining it with my 45th birthday goal on Feb 8. I'd like to be 145 by then.

With 6 days left and 6 pounds to go, I will not be reaching my Christmas goal. BUT, it's hard to be upset when I feel so darn good! The weight is coming off much more slowly now, but I think that's just because I'm getting close to my overall goal and I'm at a normal BMI. I actually feel that each pound off is just like icing on the cake now. I don't worry about what I eat because I'm still only able to get in about 800-1000 calories a day, but my relationship with food is so different. I'm simply eating now to provide sustenance for my body - that's it. Happy Holidays everyone!!! Started the challenge at 163 Current weight is 154 9 more pounds gone forever Christmas goal is 148 6 pounds to xmas goal (not happening but I'm still happy)

Things definitely slowed down for me in November. I only lost 6 pounds for the month. I'm going to assume that December will be a similar month. Started the challenge at 163 the day after Halloween. My Christmas goal was 148 which required a 15 lb. loss. This may have been too ambitious. CW is 157 = - 6 lbs. Pounds to goal = 9 If I lose another 6 pounds for the month of December than that will put me at 151 on New Years and I would be happy starting my new year at that weight. I have to remind myself that this is not a race and that I will eventually get there, feeling better and better along the journey.

Today is my 3 month surgiversary and with Thanksgiving in two days I thought I'd post all the NSV's I'm thankful for at this point. I lost 30 lbs. last year before deciding to have VSG so I'm actually down a total of 74 pounds since this last Thanksgiving. I have been too embarrassed to post pics but in honor of my surgiversary, I've decided to finally post a "before" pic at my highest weight and also an "in progress" pic of me (10 lbs ago). Sorry, I don't have a more current one. I'm 3 mo. post op and I know I'll be to goal before another 3 mo. has passed I KNOW I'll lose the weight AND keep it off, instead of just hoping I will When I said goodbye to the 200's, 190's, 180's, 170's, and now 160's - I knew I was never going see those numbers again I'm wearing a size 8/10 pants, and medium tops I enjoy clothes shopping again I get to donate all my big clothes that I hid behind I buy things that are form fitting now sleep apnea is much better My knees/ankles/feet don't hurt at night My BP is great I'm not constantly out of breath it's easier to roll over in bed I can cross my legs and keep them crossed easily sex isn't filled with my wondering if he's noticing my fat rolls I no longer am resolved to the idea that I'll live a short life - I can imagine I'll grow old some day When I look in the mirror I no longer hear negative self talk, I like what I see, I feel pretty My fiance is always checking me out I'm not terrified that the holidays are coming and someone will post a pic of me on FB - posting my own pics now all the time when I meet someone I don't wonder if they are thinking about how fat I am I don't hide in my home anymore, I attend social functions or outings and enjoy myself I'm no longer embarrassed all the time, or feel like the fattest person in a room, or worry that I'll run into someone I know Eating is getting easier - haven't thrown up in several weeks (this was an issue the first 10 weeks) food doesn't have the power it used to I'm rarely hungry a restaurant meal can last me two/three days I look forward to getting on the scale I'm no longer invisible, I'm treated differently People are nicer to me I'm sure I could list another dozen if I thought about it some more. This really is a life changing experience. I knew it would be because I've lost all the weight three times before in my life but it's always come back on, plus more. The best NSV is just knowing that this is it. I never have to go through being obese again! Thank you for the wonderful support I have received along the way. This is truly and warm, caring, educational group of people and I'm so thankful for this forum because you've answered questions, lifted me up, and shared unselfishly your own journeys in order to help others.

I'm not the original poster but I just thought I'd mention that for the ones I made (almost exact same recipe) for Thanksgiving, I made using crushed Ritz crackers in place of the Panko bread crumbs. Only because it was what I had in my cupboard. Might have been a little more fattening than the bread crumbs? But, I only ate one and my tummy was full. They were really good. I lined the Cookies sheet with aluminum foil and sprayed that lightly with Pam cooking spray before baking and flipped them over half way through so that both sides crisped up. So yummy and a healthier alternative to frying in oil.

Thanks everyone. So much support!!! And TODAY I made it to a N-O-R-M-A-L BMI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From Obese to NORMAL - what a glorious feeling!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did I use enough exclamation points to show my excitement? LOL

Awww - Shea, thank you! My daughter is such a skinny minny that it was hard to stand next to her in pictures and not feel like a giant sloth... not anymore. Now I love having pictures taken to remember our times together. Did you see that I posted a youtube video two weeks ago? I was 10 weeks postop at the time. I haven't done them as often as I planned but I'm going to do another one in two weeks (one month from my last one).

Good job! Sounds like you really did well. I'm afraid I relate to the "survivor" part of this. I didn't do too well. Because I hadn't shared my surgery with most of the people at the table, I felt pressure to look and eat normally. They all knew I was dieting so I wasn't eating as much, but still, I ate too much and then had to make three trips to the bathroom to throw up. I haven't thrown up in a couple of weeks (it was a problem the first couple of months) so I was really disappointed in myself. I was finally at a point where I thought I had learned what my new stomach could consume comfortably and then I blew it by pushing the limit. I've learned my lesson and Christmas I won't care what people think about how much I'm eating. I'm going to take better care of my little tummy for the rest of the holidays.

Amazing!!! You look like a completely different person. I bet you feel like one too. Whenever I'm trying to conceptualize the weight I've lost I think about those 10 lb. bags of potatoes in the store. You are no longer carrying around 10 of those!!! OMG Congratulations!

Yummy! I made baked chicken strips with a recipe almost identical to these for appetizers on Thanksgiving and they were a huge hit. But my recipe didn't include the ranch dressing seasoning and I want to add that now. Who knew that baked instead of friend could go over so well? Thanks!

So much FUN to see these photos! I'm glad you posted. I have one pair of exercise pants that I wore at my heaviest but they were kind of stretchy so I don't think it will illustrate the difference as well as yours do. You're looking amazing!!! Way to go!

Such kind comments. It was fun to sit down yesterday morning and think about how my life has changed. Thanks so much for celebrating my 3 mo. surgiversary and NSV's with me!

Look at your tiny self! And you're just beaming with happiness. Definitely a success story with a happy ending. Congrats!

Yikes! It's been 3 weeks since I joined this challenge (on Halloween) and I've only lost 2 lbs. Things definitely slowed down for me this past month. Tomorrow is my 3 mo. surgiversary. I'm still hoping to meet my Christmas goal, but at this pace it won't happen. I'm not too worried about it though because I'm down enough that I'm feeling much more comfortable. I have 20 lbs. to go until I reach my ultimate goal and if it slow going so be it. I will get there eventually! SW--- 204 Overall GW--- 140 CW--- 161 Christmas GW--- 148 lbs to Christmas goal--- 13

The Halloween challenge was my first ever and it was fun to follow peoples' progress and it helped me to stay motivated with a mini-goal. I beat my Halloween goal by 2 pounds. So I'm very happy. I've set my Christmas goal with a 2 lbs a week weight loss in mind. I think that's reasonable and doable. It's so exciting to think that I won't mind my picture being taken this holiday season!!! SN--- Slimming Sara SW--- 204 Overall GW--- 140 CW--- 163 Christmas GW--- 148 lbs to Christmas goal--- 15

Happy Halloween everyone!!! You all have made such incredible progress and I've enjoyed following you along with this challenge. Thanks for the inspiration. I managed to beat my Halloween goal of 165 by two pounds. Whoohoo! That means I lost a little over two pounds (about 2.5) each week. I'm happy with that. I'm going to head over to the Christmas challenge page and set a new goal. Hope to see you there.

Today I reached my Halloween goal of 165! Ended up having a second stall so I wasn't sure I'd make it. Like a lot of people, I lose in stair step fashion. Feels really good to meet this goal! I'm going to treat myself to a new pair of pants that fit my smaller bum.

Started the challenge on Sept. 12th at 178. Today I'm 171. I'm happy with the -7 lb. loss because I had a two week stall. Still feel like my goal of 165 is doable. The 160's are so close! I finally went and bought some new pants a couple weeks ago. I've worn the slacks once and when I put them on today they are already loose! Can't believe I have that problem already. Not complaining though.

The day I joined this challenge I was at three weeks post-op and worried I might be facing a stall... I was right. I spent two weeks at the same weight. Finally, the scale has started to move again and I'm down 3 lbs. I still feel like I can reach my Halloween goal of 165. The best NSV yet was buying a size 12 pair of jeans yesterday. I wanted to announce it from the roof tops but I settled for just calling my honey ( who has no clue about woman's sizes) and then calling my daughter who could comprehend the gravity of this event. LOL

SN...........................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Slimming Sara.............204...................178.............165.............13 First time participating in a challenge. Fun! I'm aiming for about 2 lbs. a week. Since I'm at 3 weeks sleeved today, I'm hoping that I won't hit that dreaded stall I keep hearing about. I'm so excited to get into the 160's again!

MeMe - I'm in the same boat. But I'm 2 1/2 weeks out. I am only getting about 200 calories a day. When I eat mushies they often feel stuck in my throat and it will take hours for the feeling to go away. Plus, then I can't seem to drink the fluids that I should... How does one get fluids in and calories in, in a situation like this? My energy level is so low at this point that I'd love to be able to get the calorie count up.

My pre-op diet was 2 weeks - first week one lean, green, meal was allowed; second week, just fluids. Lost: 10 lbs.

Thank you for posting this, Kelly! My exercise routine doesn't involve much at this point (I'm exhausted by the time I walk out the door to the street) but this is all good to remember. I hope you are feeling better soon!

With the limited calories and salt intake, my blood pressure has dropped drastically and now I am very dizzy when I stand (everything goes black and I have to wait a minute till my sight clears). I usually get up very slowly and hold on to something and wait for it to pass. I have been trying to add salt to my diet here and there. There have been a few times that I have felt my knees starting to give out. I'll be curious to hear what your doctor tells you about it. Maybe you could pass the information along.