Paola

I have been wanting one of those home gyms with weights for a long time, but while shopping for it I came across these resistance type machines that work your whole body. So now I am torn, I don't know which one I should get. Please help! What I really want is to tone up because I am so jiggly right now. This is the resistance machine http://www.walmart.com/ip/Weider-Total-Body-Works-5000/12343189 This is the home gym with weights http://www.walmart.com/ip/Weider-2980-214-lb-Stack-Home-Gym/11993386?findingMethod=rr

I had my first eating out experience this week and it was great. I got the daily special with everything since I knew I was going to have to pay the whole price anyways. The special had a mountain of rice, plantains, and meat. I ate about half the meat and everything else went to a to go box, all I kept thinking was I am not going to have to cook for my mom when I get home, she is having this box. The waitress didn't ask any questions, but even if she had asked I would have simply said I am full.

Thanks for your words! I am feeling much better today. My sister and I were joking around this morning, talking about how I was gonna cook plain meals, no more jazzing them up =P (she is trying to lose weight too).

I am back home, cooking almost every day after not cooking for 8 months. Now that I am cooking my own food I find it harder to stick to my diet plan. I tend to taste my food too much, and that is not good because I am trying to stay in ketosis. I don't know if it is because I missed my own cooking, but I keep tasting stuff, stuff like pasta, and other carbs that I want to avoid. For me eating stuff that is not low in carbs is bad, even if its just a little, because I find myself liking the carbs more and eating more of them. I also noticed that I have been eating more, I still eat too fast and I eat more than I should, and then I'll feel too full. To avoid the too full sensation I have started to really pay attention to my body, and when I feel like I am about to be full I will give my plate to my sister and tell her to eat it or throw it. It is a good thing that I don't serve myself much or I would feel guilty about giving it to my sister. I am a little disappointed in myself, and appalled that I was falling off the wagon and I wasn't even noticing, but now that I have noticed I am holding onto that wagon tighter than before.

I have been thinking about getting a daily activity tracker like fitbit, or the body bugg. I like to do aerobics and stationary bicycle rather than walking. If you have one of the ones I mentioned, or another one, why did you chose it?

Today I went through the luggage closet in my house and found a bag full of clothes from various stages in my life, all the way back when I was 16 years old. I found 7 tops that fit, some still had tags from when my family gave them to me but I could never wear them because they wouldn't fit, and now they do! I found my favorite shorts from 4 years ago, when I was 245 and they fit! I found my favorite red skirt from when I was 245, and that fits too!!! I found a dress I wore when I was 16, a dress I wore when I was 17, my prom dress, my high school graduation dress, and a dress a wore 6 years ago and they all fit!!! I feel like I went shopping and I didn't even have to use my plastic! I love my sleeve!!!

Thank you all! It was an exciting night, I literally had to get all the suitcases in that closet out, and a sandwich bed before I could get to that suitcase. It was funny, because I had such a mess around me and my mom eyes went kinda wild for a second when she saw the mess. When I was putting stuff on she stayed and watched me, and when I was done she was like, "Are you done? I was having fun watching you." It was just awesome!

I am less obsessive now than I was the last two months before surgery; I would weigh myself up to 18 times sometimes in the morning, and then take the average and plug it in a table I had on excel. After surgery, I still weigh myself every day in the mornings, but just once or twice. I have already set my mind to the fact that since I eat between 800-1000 calories a day and I exercise 4-6 times a week I am losing fat even if the scale doesn't move. It totally helps that clothes that didn't fit before are fitting, and clothes from 10 years back are fitting too.

The first week was the hardest for me, I woke up from surgery with horrible gas pain, and very nauseous, I was like that for the first 2 days. Then I only had the gas, and I was very tired. On day 8 magic happened, my doctor told me I could start taking my multi vitamins and my b12 and all the fatigue went away. My tummy is only upset when I eat too fast, or gulp water. My incisions never hurt, not even at the hospital, I was given a prescription for pain and I only used like 2 pills, I thought they might relieve the gas pain but they didn't, so I never used them again. I did have my period a few days after surgery and it was the worst period ever, but the second one was like normal.

To have a normal BMI I am supposed to be between 105-141, I can't ever remember being that weight. What I remember was that when I was 12 I was exactly 200 lbs. My surgeon didn't set a goal for me either, but I have always wanted to be 150, so that's my goal.

I have been thinking hard about wigs to cover my hair loss, but I have no clue what is good or bad. Synthetic vs human hair vs lace front, and so on. Any experts on wig here that can help me?

I cook for myself and my family, 2 different meals, and I always taste the meal for my family. Most of the time I am trying to check if its too salty, I can't seem to cook without tasting. This week I made some Pasta salad for the family and I had 2 table spoons >.<, and everytime Id open the fridge I would get 1 piece of pasta. I also drink a few sips with my meal, I am afraid that I might have swallowed without chewing well enough and that the food will get stuck in my tummy, especially when I eat chicken or pork.

It is an awesome feeling when things you think aren't going to fit, fit. I have some jeans with tags I bought a year ago that fit when I bought them, but I didn't wear them straight away and then they wouldn't go past my thighs. I put them on and they are big on me, they are baggy in my bum, and fall off my waist. Its awesome!

Back in 2008 I was on one of my diets, and I was 265 lbs, my aunt game me some clothes that were too big for her and she had hardly worn. In the bundle there was a pair of 18/20 Lane Bryant pant (95% polyester 5% spandex) that would not fit, fast forward 2011 and I am 380 lbs so I gave the pants to my grandmother. Back in the beginning of February my grandmother gave me the pants back, she said I haven't worn them but they look like they almost fit you. My grandma is a seamstress, and she had taken the pants in on the sides because they were too big for her, so I was skeptical, I thought she was looking at my behind with love and thought it would fit in those pants. Anyways, today I am looking for some business clothes and I found the pants in my drawer and I said let me see how much longer till they fit me. AND THEY WENT UP! All the way, they are super tight on me put they went up, I am guessing they are so tight because of the line of stitches running on both sides my grandma did for them to fit her. Why do I call them mystery pants? because according to my scale I am 277 and they fit, but when I was 265 back in 2008 they didn't fit! Doesn't matter what the scale says, I am a happy camper!!!!

Thank you! I was so happy when I out them on, I just couldn't believe it.

I like to sleep on my belly, so the first few weeks I had to sleep with a ton of pillows on my back and all around me so I wouldn't roll onto my stomach. I was almost sitting up in the middle of the bed. Eventually I had less pillows on my back and would almost sleep on my side, with a pillow kinda supporting my back, so I wasn't all the way sideways. Now that I am back home and I have my foam mattress again, I always wake up on my tummy and it doesn't hurt.

worst- nausea from the anesthesia best- knowing that this surgery saved my life, I know that all those obesity complication like diabetes and high blood pressure are not right around the corner anymore. I am becoming a healthier person by the minute!