LilMissDiva Irene

Thanks lady!

So I'm back at it folks!! I have tacked on 29.9 Lbs of FAT loss and undertaken a great feat. I'm trying to get my body fat to 29% which will place me in the "moderately lean" category. I do believe that will finally be it for me. I did this to get myself as healthy as I can, while still looking good. I think that will be the exact place. It will get me down to about 151 Lbs. *Whew* this is going to be rough. I'd like to get there in six months!! Before my next Bod Pod Body Fat % Test. I'll need to incorporate some weight training which I really don't like doing because I gain muscle so fast. I only plan to do 2 days per week and really only upper body for now. My legs will look like Ahhhnold's if I work em!!! Auughhhhhghghgghhhhh!!!!!!!

Hi Rev, Hows it going now? The closer you are to goal the harder it to lose for sure!!!! Wishing you well!!!

Becca welcome to the final stretch!! Sorry I didn't see this sooner, I haven't checked this forum in awhile. It's so nice to have you here though! I see you wrote this a few weeks ago. How's it goin?

Awesome for being so close to goal!!! You're definitely going to make it now. And score on all the clothes! You shoulda played the lottory that day, if you have one in your area!

Hey y'all, doing fantastic!! I'm thinking I might continue to join in on the challenges, at least these ones. It does keep me on track and now that I'm needing to lose about 20-30 more I could use the extra motivation. Besides I am only 2 Lbs away from hitting my Labor Day Goal!!!

Oh the boobie thread has resurfaced! Good, so now you all know I'm getting my breast re-inflated Thursday. Hoorraayyy!!!

Excellent everyone!! Keep remembering how far you've come. Every bit of it deserves to be recognized!! CHEERS SLEEVERS!!!

So I FINALLY made my way to the Bod Pod. Work has settled down and after working nearly an entire month on my Fridays off I got one to myself. Yahhh!!! Anyway, I met some amazing outstanding folks at the Vacaville Golds Gym. They made me feel so welcomed, and geesh if I lived there that would definitely be my workout spot. More on that later, here are my results: Fat: 35.3% 64.0 Lbs. Lean: 64.7% 117.3 Lbs. Total: 100% 181.3 Lbs. (I lost some weight yay!!) How I measure up (per Bod Pod Composition Test Results Page): Risky (High Body Fat) >30% Men >40% Women Explanation: Too much body fat can pose serious health risks. Ask your health care professional about how to safely modify your body composition. Excess Fat (I'm smack in the middle of this!!) 21-30% Men 31-40% Women Explanation: Indicates an excess accumulation of fat over time. Moderately Lean (29% will be my first goal!!) 13-20% Men 23-30% Women Explanation: Fat level is acceptable for good health. Lean (Will be my Ultimate Goal <22%>) 9-12% Men 19-22% Women Explanation: Lower body fat levels than many people. This range is excellent for health and longevity. (Sounds like exactly the place for me!!) Ultra Lean (A bit too much for me) 5-8% Men 15-18% Women Explanation: Fat Levels sometimes found in elite athletes. Risky (Low Body Fat) <5% Men <15% Women Explanation: Too little body fat can present health risks, especially for women. If in doubt, check with your health care professional. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My next goal is to get my total Body Fat to 29%. I am quite pleased by my results! I have come a long long way and to just be deemed as having excess fat now is quite the achievement. However I'm also glad I finally got myself to this appointment so now I know for sure I still have some work to do, and well that's exactly what I'm going to do. The trainer who helped me, Michele was so nice! We went over a few things as soon as my tests were complete. I asked her what she thought I could do to reduce the body fat while trying not to lose so much lean tissue. Wow!! And I have to say I'm quite impressed with how heavy my lean tissue is! So my thoughts were correct that I am a "heavy girl". 117 Lbs of me is all muscle, bones and organs. Not sure how I compare to anyone else who is 5'7 but I really thought it could be more around 100 Lbs of lean tissues. Not only that, per their scale (which was midday almost at that) weighed me in at more than 1.5 Lbs less!! Yippeee!!! Anyway, we were talking and I was describing my workout routines for her. Her eyes literally bugged out of her skull and she exclaimed that I do far more than most. That's funny because I always feel like I can do more. She said my workout routine is excellent. The only things she suggested I can do is do at least a little bit of weight training 2x per week. She said that is quite enough, and if I'm up to it, perhaps taking some swimming lessons. She said that burns enormous amounts of fat and will get me lean, no problem. Then we met with the Swim trainer, who has had RnY by the way 4 years ago. She was incredibly nice! Once I'm healed from my procedures I plan to have a few swimming lessons with her to get me to learn it properly. So with that, I move onward and downward. I imagine a lot of fat is going to be removed with my liposuctions. I hope 6% worth!! :lol: Source: The BOD POD

<br><br>excellent!! It is very interesting and for me has brought me out of the dark. I wasn't sure if I was trying to lose too much or what, and this really answered the question.<br>

Thanks for the added suggestion SK!!! I would like to encourage all the experienced sleevers to add their suggestions. I will add them to the original post! The more ideas the better.

Hi Sassy... when I said inaccurate I was talking about the BMI (Body Mass Index). It doesn't take into account lots of factors such as athletic builds, etc. Muscle is much more dense and weighs a lot more than fat. Not to mention our skeletons can be larger than the next person and live organs/tissue. Anyway, the BMI scale is not for everyone. If you're health care professionals are using a "machine" which is what I used to have my body fat % checked then that is what you should do. I used the Bod Pod and it gave me a reading. From the results I naturally AM heavier than others my height and should either be pegged at the very top of the BMI scale or even a little higher (not much though). WLS patients also have to remember, we have some loose skin. There's really no getting around this, all of us will have some - some more than others. This is attached to quite a bit of residual fat. This will never go away without some kind of surgical intervention, whether it be liposuction or lifts or removal of excess skin. Fat cells do multiply but never go away completely. They simply lose it's "fullness". Good luck!!

<br><br>Hi Amanda <img src="http://cdn.verticalsleevetalk.com/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif" class="bbc_emoticon" alt=""><br><br> Yep the charge was only $25 however, the prices may vary.. that's just the charge Gold's Gym that I went to had. The process is pretty easy and fast. They have you wear tight underwear, preferably of the swimsuit type. They also had me wear a swim cap type thing on my head. She first weighs me in then has me sit in the pod. She closes the door and the bod pod starts talking to you, telling you to breath normal, sit still with your arms on your lap and no movement. It does three series of tests, each one lasting about 30 seconds each. You'll hear some movement and clicking while you're inside. It's pretty neat!<br> <br> I felt a little claustrophic, but it wasn't too bad. I'm not usually that way either, its just a little weird.<br> <br> Good luck!!! <br><br>

Thanks for the tip! I probably won't try any extra supplements to bulk me up though at this time, I do feel my muscle tone is pretty good. I just wish there was a way to lose fat only... but I know with more weight loss comes some muscle loss too. I think my plan right now is to continue to lose weight (going for 20 Lbs) then get re-tested. I know you want to go back too, so maybe March next year? I should be all healed up and hopefully have lost 20 Lbs by then. It will be interesting to see the difference!!! If I feel like I'm losing too much muscle vs. fat then I'll definitely give the creatine a try!!

:bananahuge: :bananahuge: :bananahuge: :bananahuge: Sorry... one giant dancing banana just isn't enough!! CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!

So here I am… over 11 months post op now. My Sleeversary is on the 15th of every month, and my next one will be ONE FULL YEAR!! When I decided to get revised from Lap Band to sleeve, I had gone from my low of 227 Lbs all the way back up to 281 Lbs. I was only 2 Lbs. away from reaching my Lap Band surgery day weight of 283. That was not a good time for me. I was quite literally depressed. It’s not easy making a decision like this… let alone a second one. How was I ever going to get myself back on track to get to where I’d wanted to find myself? One thing I needed to ask myself was – is my heart in it? Yes, no doubt about that. I have a lot of friends who still follow me from my Lap Band days, and they’ve seen me struggle like no others. They would tell you, I was always fighting, trying, starting over, crying, rejoicing and everything else that goes along with a lot of weight loss and gains over the long years of obesity struggles. So, my Lap Band and I just didn’t get along. We were enemies before we even met. We were never destined to get to the Promised Land together. It is what it is though, no need crying over spilled milk. All we can do is go our separate ways and in my Quest to find happiness, like so many other failed relationships out there, continue my search for “the one”. Well, here I am today, not even a year later after finding “the one” and I’ve hit all of my major goals already. Some I never ever dreamed of hitting, and one in particular was one that I just placed on myself to see if I could do it… and I did. My major goals were first and foremost getting lower than my Lap Band weight. That was such an awesome day for me. I’d prayed and prayed so many times to do this with my band and that elusive 227 Lbs forever haunted me. I felt really good at that weight, and look at me now!! That was nearly 50 Lbs ago now!! It’s still hard to imagine as I look back and reflect. I’m far beyond that at this point, and really seems like a dream come true. My second major goal was to weigh less than my darling husband. Wow, what an excellent day that was for me to yell at him with joy and dance around saying I finally did it… he’s finally the man of the house!! LOL I’m not really sure if most understand this, but in my world, I should never weigh more than him. I felt so unladylike and especially out doing him by more than 120 Lbs even. Granted he’s not a really big guy. We are about the same height but still… he IS a man. He SHOULD weigh more than me… and now he does. In fact we have a good 25 Lbs between us now. Oh happy happy joy joy!! My third and ULTIMATE goal I’d set for myself was to fit into some cute Size 8 Levi’s that I had. I bought them right around the time I had my surgery, or not long after. I had this particular cut and brand jeans that I just love and I’d often as a larger woman still wearing Women’s Sizes often go over and look at them… daydreaming. They looked so itty bitty to me then, and I never dreamed I could actually make it there. When I bought them I felt a little embarrassed because I knew the clerk would see the size and I also knew the clerk would probably laugh at me buying such a small size. Well, I went to a guy clerk after imagining this in hopes for the chance they wouldn’t notice. I’m not sure if he did or not, I just bought them and ran out!! Hahaa!! I’m so glad I did though!! I kept them hanging up on my wall, looking at them and imagining myself in them someday. Well right around 205-208 Lbs, I was finally able to squeeze into those suckers!!! I was in total amazement, and yes I even cried a little bit. It was such an awesome time for me! It was truly truly a spectacular moment. One I will NEVER FORGET!!!! Ok, so imagine my surprise at being able to get them on and not even having reached Onederland yet. I figured I’d fit them around 190… and that was even wishful thinking. So, since I’d really only had several actual real scale related goals and the most major one being Onederland I had to keep pushing forward. I decided then to make my new goal Size 4 Levi’s of the same cut and style. Wow, when I bought those jeans I about died. They look so small I can’t even describe the angst I felt. I really hate making myself goals that I don’t feel confident I’ll make. The reason is simple… if I don’t make it, I will be left feeling like a failure. I’m a super strict perfectionist. I’m really tough on myself if I don’t end in success, and I think that has a lot to do with my weight issues…stemmed from the past. Anyway, I kept pressing on. I think it was about a few weeks later that I hit my most favorite goal to date. ONEDERLAND!!! OMG I can’t express to you how amazing this goal was for me. I haven’t seen the One’s prior to this for over 20 years. I fought so hard for it too. My scale was going to C-block me (sorry for the language folks but it’s true!!) as much as it could before letting me get there. My scale has always hated me. It still does. It will NEVER let me have what I want when I want it. I’ll also never ever be 125 Lbs. There’s just no way in the world… that said… it was nice to me for that split second. I was happy. Case closed… LOL At this point I’m beginning to believe that my journey though not complete yet, is a total success. It was around that time that I started to enjoy my weight loss journey, and started to recognize my fluctuations and just going with them and being patient about them. It was also around this time that a few others of my notable goals were met. I’d finally run an entire 5K event, and did quite well. Now I can run a 5K without issue and really go for 3.5-5 Miles 4-5 days per week without fail. I’ve also gotten my waist size to less than 32”, which according the the Health World is ideal for a Woman to have, as anything more we are predisposed to diseases such as Diabetes, etc. My panels are all excellent, save for my Iron, which is not out of the norm for me. My blood pressure is completely controlled and I never have any problems with it anymore and do not need additional medications for it. There are countless others, but these are my most notable. Oh, and did I mention I was able to get those Size 4’s on? Yeah, I did. There’s a picture of me wearing them in my Signature line. Yayyy!!! So… where do I go from here? Well, I can tell you this, I’ve never had any kind of real actual Scale goal to reach. I have no idea where I want to land at. I can tell you this though; I’m completely satisfied with me right now. Size 4 is pretty small. I’m getting my breasts augmented next Thursday. Ladies, I can honestly tell you, a lot of us (not all!! Everyone’s different) are going to lose the boobs. I held mine really good (Full D Cup) all the way up until I hit Onederland. It was about overnight that they just deflated, like as if you would poke a tiny hole in a large balloon. *Whoosh!!* Gone… so I’m having them “re-instated” so to speak, heehee I will likely come out a full DD or maybe even a DDD. Wow… LMAO!! Like I said, go BIG or go home!! I’m also getting liposuction on my thighs and knee areas. I find that normal size clothing doesn’t give extra room for those of us with thicker thighs. I’m always stuck having to wear a larger size than I need to compensate and left with a baggy bum and waist area. It’s really frustrating. So, I’m going to get those areas addressed. Not only that, it will really accelerate my running with more comfort. In closing, I just want to say that in reality I am at goal. My brain still needs to catch up however. I’m going through a full fledged surgery and a few other procedures, so my brain is on overload right now. I’m not going to deal with the struggles of “maintenance” until I’m completely healed up and fully back onto some kind of workout routine. I think it would be foolish of me to try to up my carbs and calories right now, especially not being able to compensate by any type of calorie burn. This was really weighing (no pun intended) heavily on me and making me feel out of control. Oh, did I mention I’m a control freak too??? Hahaa!! Anyway, if you’re still with me, as I know this is in an incredibly long read, I want to just say that I don’t regret one moment of my sleeve experience. I did right after as the first month is quite hellish, but now? NO WAY!!! It truly has saved my life, and has given me what I’ve dreamed to have for so many years. Also, no pictures in this update... I want this to be about my long journey more than anything else. Be blessed!!!!

Thanks again everyone!!! Xoxo @OregonDaisy, I feel exactly the same. Though I would've loved to have Dr. Cirangle do my sleeve it just wasn't in the cards for me. I wouldn't even say I took second best - as Dr. Aceves is just as skilled and wonderful. @coops, Big Hugs!!!! From accross the pond of course...

So I FINALLY made my way to the Bod Pod. Work has settled down and after working nearly an entire month on my Fridays off I got one to myself. Yahhh!!! Anyway, I met some amazing outstanding folks at the Vacaville Golds Gym. They made me feel so welcomed, and geesh if I lived there that would definitely be my workout spot. More on that later, here are my results: Fat: 35.3% 64.0 Lbs. Lean: 64.7% 117.3 Lbs. Total: 100% 181.3 Lbs. (I lost some weight yay!!) How I measure up (per Bod Pod Composition Test Results Page): Risky (High Body Fat) >30% Men >40% Women Explanation: Too much body fat can pose serious health risks. Ask your health care professional about how to safely modify your body composition. Excess Fat (I'm smack in the middle of this!!) 21-30% Men 31-40% Women Explanation: Indicates an excess accumulation of fat over time. Moderately Lean (29% will be my first goal!!) 13-20% Men 23-30% Women Explanation: Fat level is acceptable for good health. Lean (Will be my Ultimate Goal <22%>) 9-12% Men 19-22% Women Explanation: Lower body fat levels than many people. This range is excellent for health and longevity. (Sounds like exactly the place for me!!) Ultra Lean (A bit too much for me) 5-8% Men 15-18% Women Explanation: Fat Levels sometimes found in elite athletes. Risky (Low Body Fat) <5% Men <15% Women Explanation: Too little body fat can present health risks, especially for women. If in doubt, check with your health care professional. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My next goal is to get my total Body Fat to 29%. I am quite pleased by my results! I have come a long long way and to just be deemed as having excess fat now is quite the achievement. However I'm also glad I finally got myself to this appointment so now I know for sure I still have some work to do, and well that's exactly what I'm going to do. The trainer who helped me, Michele was so nice! We went over a few things as soon as my tests were complete. I asked her what she thought I could do to reduce the body fat while trying not to lose so much lean tissue. Wow!! And I have to say I'm quite impressed with how heavy my lean tissue is! So my thoughts were correct that I am a "heavy girl". 117 Lbs of me is all muscle, bones and organs. Not sure how I compare to anyone else who is 5'7 but I really thought it could be more around 100 Lbs of lean tissues. Not only that, per their scale (which was midday almost at that) weighed me in at more than 1.5 Lbs less!! Yippeee!!! Anyway, we were talking and I was describing my workout routines for her. Her eyes literally bugged out of her skull and she exclaimed that I do far more than most. That's funny because I always feel like I can do more. She said my workout routine is excellent. The only things she suggested I can do is do at least a little bit of weight training 2x per week. She said that is quite enough, and if I'm up to it, perhaps taking some swimming lessons. She said that burns enormous amounts of fat and will get me lean, no problem. Then we met with the Swim trainer, who has had RnY by the way 4 years ago. She was incredibly nice! Once I'm healed from my procedures I plan to have a few swimming lessons with her to get me to learn it properly. So with that, I move onward and downward. I imagine a lot of fat is going to be removed with my liposuctions. I hope 6% worth!! :lol:

This deserves a repeat!! Thanks girlie!!

Excellent!! I'm glad to hear everything went smooth. And, not to mention a big CONGRATS on getting back to your lowest Lap Band weight before surgery... WOW!!! That is a huge accomplishment! Very noteworthy, and with that I KNOW you're going to really kick butt with your sleeve. Please continue to update us on how its going!