LilMissDiva Irene

Awee!! *blush* And you will, just keep strong. If you ever need to talk, I'm always close by.

Thanks ladies! Thats right, I'm down 24 hours now.

Hello Casey! Welcome to VST! I'm always glad to see new faces and stories. Check in often to let us know how you're doing.

Hi Aoa, It is so easy to fall back into very bad habits once we hit goal. The trick is to not over do them. AND if you can't control your portions with them, then sadly it's best to not eat them at all. Triggers is something I'm going to have to learn to live without!! Dorrie is so right, and that 60 Minutes hit on Sugar Toxicity is true. I've always known this and I'm very addicted to it. I'm working to break my habit as we speak. I haven't eaten a solid meal since 5 PM last night. I won't again until 8 AM Friday morning. I'm doing all liquids in between. I'm doing unjury chicken Soup 3x per day, Atkins Advantage 3x per day and some G2 to help with the sugar crashing. I space out 8 Oz servings 4x per day throughout. It helps a lot. You didn't mention exactly how much you've gained. I haven't gained weight per se, but I have noticed I'm gaining inches in areas I'm not wanting! I'm also going to start the Insanity! Challenge on Monday so I want to be in a good place come that day. Fact is you're just going to have to dig deep and stop the gaining in it's tracks. Do a few days of super low carbs to break the Sugar Demon then get back to sleever basics which is Protein first and whatever room you have left eat healthy carbs. Veggies, Fruits, whole grains, legumes... whatever. As for which workouts are best, I personally prefer cardio. I don't do a lot of weight training and I really don't want to. I gain muscular physique naturally and the muscles I do have I feel are adequate. I like the leaner (perhaps borderline skinny if you will), more toned look myself. So, it just depends what look you're going after, as long as its healthy. Good luck to you!!

I do believe lots of folks get good results with them. I'd say keep working them for at least a few weeks and see. If it does and it starts getting too easy it's time to either bump up the weight or walk faster. Good luck!

LOL :-) Well I'm glad everything turned out okay for Lyra.

...and it is a first step in the right direction! We all have to start somewhere, but the important thing is continuing on this journey and seeing it through. I do understand the guilt that goes along with leaving the guys as I'm in a similar situation at work. I'm heavily relied upon and I do feel bad if I take too much time off. Well, perhaps that or I just hate coming back to several hundred emails... ha! Anyhow, many blessings to you as you begin the first step to the rest of your life. I took that step a few years ago and I don't regret a single one along the way - even the missteps!! *hugs*

One week until your big day!! Wishing you well, and I do hope you're all stocked up with everything you will need for your first few weeks post op. Likely you won't be up to shopping. Remember to rest, sip, walk and keep repeating. Every day will get better and this time next year, you won't even recognize yourself in the mirrror!!!

What a great first week!! Congrats, you're well on your way! I'd like to give kudos too for not become a scale slave. I'm sure your journey will be a lot less stressful for it.

You're doing just fine, keep up the great work!!!

I'm so glad you've checked in to share with us all your successes and great news! I'm sure you were riding high wearing a slinky hot little black dress. I agree it is so much fun watching our families reactions, especially Hubby. Congrats!!!

It is unfortunate but number one, it is mostly genetics as to how your results will turn out. Second would be how much weight you need to lose and third will be the workout factor. Last but not least patience and time will help a lot too, as I've been noticing my batwings on my arms are slowly disappearing! I have really good skin and thankfully my arms came out pretty good. I am not a strength trainer at all. The only form of workout I do on my arms are with my elliptical, a little bit of Pilates type body resistance movements and using a 10 Lb Kettlebell. Yet my arms came out really nice.

If you are pondering wether or not to workout today, consider this: How many MORE calories will you get out of your body by doing it! Think of them in Oz... It takes 3,500 calories burnt to equal 1 Lb. ;o) Yeah, sounds good now doesn't it? If I burn an additional 500 calories today by workouts alone, then I've burned off an additional 1/7 of a Lb of fat that I wouldn't have otherwise.

Nicely done. Having a schedule has always been my best buddy in all of this. Without a plan there is no attack! And, thank you for bringing up the sleep - I don't think most of us get enough. I do my best to, but sometimes it doesn't always happen that way. It absolutely can adversely affect moods, weight loss and mental function!

Maintenance has taken its toll on me mentally, so I had to let that term go. Now I just live my life pretty much. I haven't lost nor gained any weight since August of 2011. I know I could if I really tried, but my concern at this time is just maintaining good health and working on my physical fitness. If that ends up resulting in more losses on the scale then I'm perfectly OK with that. If you are comfortable where you are then that's wonderful! Everyone's body is their own and I won't tell you where to go from here, the only time I ever show concern is if one is not healthy. If you're happy and healthy then do what you want! Just keep in mind that eating healthy meals and getting some form of physical activity should go on for the rest of your life. As for suggestions on how to stop weight loss, I really don't have any. I've left that up to my body, my mind just forages on with my new lifestyle.

You can also squeeze a little bit of fresh lemons in your Water, and maybe a packet of Truvia? Most flavored drinks have artificial sweeteners if you don't want sugar, so I don't really have any suggestions other than just water. I love water, so this isn't really a problem for me. When I do want some flavor I will drink G2, which is light sugar or Propel regular which also has a very small amount of sugar. I do Crystal Light once in awhile, but I'll only use half a serving because full blast is just way over powering for me. For now while your stomach is still healing, perhaps always have 4 - 16 oz bottle filled every morning. Space it out, and get down one bottle every 3 hours. I time myself when I'm working on ensuring a flush. I'll have a bottle by 9 am, then by 12pm, then by 3pm and a last one by 6 pm. HTH!!

Lissa, I check my body fat percentage by using a Body Fat Caliper. I bought one off ebay for $6, but then also received one in my Insanity package that seems like a little better quality. If you do a google search for Body Fat Caliper there are several websites you can input what your Caliper mm says and it will formulate your body fat% for you. I've also done the BodPod, which you would have to find one in your area. The closest one to me is about a 45 minute drive at a Gold's Gym. I've found that the Caliper test came within .5% of what the BodPod resulted with, so I'm trusting the Caliper to work for me. Much less expensive! Sorry I don't remember the thread I had out there but I know all the answers are on google because that's where I found them.

Me personally it took 4 months to get over the fatigue post surgery. I do believe a lot has to do with the drastically reduced caloric intake, as well as the very tiny amount of carbohydrates/sugars we are able to get in. However, please note that I am now hi intensity and very full of energy. I can be annoying sometimes with it but oh well!!! I love the new me, and every chance I can burn some calories I'm doing it. Early morning, late mornings, evenings... I'm thinking of ways to move my body.

Yecats, what a wonderful thing to happen!! Big hugs lady, you must be doing something right! Have fun with whatever you choose for your sons wedding!

Afro_Cyster it is my belief that God gave us our bodies as vessels. We are the keepers of them however, and it is our duty to do whatever is necessary to keep them healthy. I had Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy to remove most of my stomach because I had to try to save my life. God supplied the means to have it done, all I needed to do was accept it and go forth by my Faith that God will see me through. His Promise to always provide is still True today. Please understand that not having your gallbladder removed can be as serious as being fatal. Do what you have to, to save your life. You have the means. I'm praying for you, both that God will see you through this, as well as doing what you have to, to maintain a healthy body.