breezy

I have reached a major goal and have to share. The scale read 169 lbs yesterday. My surgery was on April 13, amost 8 months ago. That's 71 lbs LOST!!!!! I feel younger and even sexy, now! (Sexy as a grandmother CAN feel!) I'm wearing size 14/16; used to wear 3x. Yeah, I have some saggy skin, but it's not that bad. It seems to be getting tighter and I'm sure exercise helps. My health has been great. I was one of the lucky ones with no real problems with the gastric sleeve surgery. I feel more confident and love being able to shop for clothes that still look like they'd NEVER fit me...but DO! My mental image of myself has not caught up with my new body size. I'm still amazed when I catch my reflection in a mirror, or feel my rib or hip bones! I'm physically able to do work as hard as I did 15 years ago. My lower back hasn't gone out since surgery, I'm off my CPAP machine, and I sleep better at night. I do happy dances all the time now! I'm within 30 lbs of being at a weight that I think will be ideal for me. 30 lbs!!!!!! That seems like child's play to lose now! And I know I can keep it off. The greatest benefit for me has been the utter lack of hunger pangs. I do have to deal with "appetite", but I put effort into curbing that and try to exercise to counter the bad calories I do eat. Anyway, fellow sleevers, LIFE IS GOOD!

Hi Mary! I know what you mean. I was never impatient or discouraged with my weight loss because it was steadily downhill. I'm one of the ones that weigh every morning without a stitch on. I got used to the little fluctuations of a pound up, then down. I would focus on the lowest weight I reached, exercised, ate right, and watched the scale until I maintained that weight for several days, then I would Celebrate that pound lost! I let myself get complacent when I broke the 70 lbs lost goal, but now I'm ready to reach for 80 lbs lost. My daughter-in-law mentioned to me yesterday that she noticed that I've made a mental change....I no longer focus on food as a "main activity". That is totally the sleeve. I still love to taste dishes, but I'm satisfied with such tiny portions. I don't even miss being able to gorge. At least that's the way I think of it when I see other people eat "normal" portions. They look HUGE to me now and I find myself saying to myself, "Don't they realize how many calories is in all that?" How funny is that? It's also funny when I realize that my granddaughters eat more than I do!

Thanks! I miss the old format. I didn't even see your reply until today. Probably need to check my options (which I just found last week!). The grandchildren are another plus to this weight loss. I have more "lap" that they can sit on, I can run with them and get down on the floor easier; I can get UP off the floor easier , and I'm not entirely exhausted when they go home!!!! I'm teaching them to find their own personal happy dances, too. I think when I'm a size 12 I'll be pretty close to where I need to be. Thanks for the hugs!

I'd be mad, too! I'm glad you put the truth in front of your daughter but I agree that you need to have a sit down with DH. You need to clear the air. Lack of trust in a relationship is a slow death. Sorry to hear you're sick, but congratulations on the weight loss. You rock.

Hi Lucy! I found my measurements from my highest weight and compared it to current about 2 mos ago. I was amazed at the loss, but I'm going to do it again soon to compare. I mostly watch my scale and clothing size to measure my progress.. But now you've made me curious so I'll have to find those notes and re-measure myself!

Thank you one and all for your replies, congratulations and cheerleading!!!!! We are sharing a road to a better life and I'm grateful to have found this forum. It's funny that the fact that I'm "prettier" now is not the most important part of my weight loss. It's cool when guys give me the "eye" when I'm out in public, but I always remember that I've found the perfect man, my hubby, and I wouldn't trade him for anyone on earth .... not even George Clooney! The health benefit is the best part, second only to my increased self-confidence. Those closest to me say that I'm happier now, too. I wish I would have been able to do this when I was in my 20's! But better late than never.

This is an interesting video from the TED website. If you haven't visited this website, you may want to check it out. Very credible sources and interesting topics.

Thanks, Lucy. That was a good pep talk! I called my girlfriend to meet for aerobics the very next day. Unfortunately, she had to work late and couldn't make it, so I went to Goodwill and found a couple of shirts and pants that weren't baggy on me. I'm in a size 14 now. And to think I was a size 3X just 6 months ago! It sounds like you have your hands full with the family, too. I know what you mean about there being complaints when you first started taking time for yourself. I belonged to a support group in my 30's that was for people who were raised in a dysfunctional family (who wasn't?). That's when I first became aware that I needed to set boundaries. I'm much better at it now, but I still wrestle with just the sheer amount of work/tasks that I want to accomplish vs the energy and time available to do them! I'm not feeling so anxious now, but I wish I were like the Cullens in the Twilight series and didn't need to sleep at night!

Venting is a good thing. Sometimes it helps just to communication how you are feeling. Today, I'm having trouble staying positivie. I have so many things I have to do and it feels like I'll never be able to catch up. I tend to spread myself too thin and try to take on too much. I need to get it under control, but my time and energy runs out before the work does! Mostly it has been the commitments I've given to family. I want to help, and sometimes it seems like I'm the only one that CAN help, but I have so little time. I can feel my anxiety levels going up. I need to calm down, make a list of what needs to be done, prioritize the list, then take care of one thing at a time. It's always been a challenge for me to keep my life in balance. But I don't think I'm alone in that. By the way, I'm impressed with the commitment you've made to exercising! Going back to your post, cool trendy clothes are the BEST! Stomach muscles? I wonder if I have some! I keep meaning to work up an easy exercise routine to tone muscles, but I never find the time! (that subject again!!!!)

Calling April Sleevers! How are you all doing? My report: I love to feel the bones in my body! I can feel my rib and hip bones! Last weekend I went to Boise to move my brother into a living assisted center and I was jumping up in the bed of my truck with NO PROBLEM! Half of that is the loss of weight and half is the exercising I've been doing. I have more strength in my legs to lift up a smaller body! My relatives there had not seen me for a while and they were amazed. My mom kept seeing me pop in and out as I was moving boxes into my brother's room, and she would have a moment of confusion because the face was me, but the body was someone else! I am still taking the stomach acid pill. Is anyone else still taking theirs? I bought a halloween outfit _off the rack!!!_ to wear while taking my grandchildren trick or treating! I have a lot of loose skin.....underarms, upper thighs, tummy, but it doesn't bother me too much. I'm still hoping some of it will tighten up with time and exercise. Anyone else want to share?

Hi Lucy! I was thinking about reviving the April Sleevers thread to see how everyone is doing! We are similar in our beginning weights and where we are now. It's ok to feel a little self doubt now and then. It's normal. I think if we had higher bmi's to start with, we would have lost more weight. But think of how much better you are feeling now....more energy....size 10 pants! You've done a GREAT job! I'm still dreaming of size 12 pants! I got my labs done recently, too, and was thrilled to see that my cholesterol was within the normal range for the first time in 20 years! I can eat 6-8 oz of salad, but I can't eat that much chicken. It depends on the density of the food. I do agree with other comments I've seen on the forum that it is good to up the calories for a couple of days, then back to low carbs. I've seen that break a stall more than once. Anytime you need a cheerleader, count me in! You are changing your life one step at a time, for the better! LIFE IS GOOD!!!

Body image is a topic my husband and I had while we were people watching recently. I pointed to someone that I thought was my size and asked hubby if I was right. He said "no, you're much smaller than that" and proceeded to find someone who was my size. When he finally found someone who had my body type and size, I was amazed! My butt was much smaller than I pictured! I think, now at 56 years old, I have less emphasis on looking good physically, and that might help me not dwell on expecting to have a perfect body. For instance, my sister said recently that my underarms were "really flabby" and I should pick shirts that have sleeves in order to hide it. I responded that I did pick clothes that had short sleeves for that reason, but I'm not going to dress too warmly and be uncomfortable just to hide it. Don't get me wrong, I'm digging my slimmer body and love to show it off and look sexy, but I don't expect to ever look young again. If I could afford boob, tummy, etc. surgery, I think I would schedule them in a heartbeat! My point is that I think my age, in my case, keeps me from focusing on my imperfections so much. I know that at 20 or 30 or even 40 years old, I would have different expectations of what I should look like....my mental image, I mean. That being said, I do have issues with trying to please people around me and I think this is tied to my history of being overweight. Correct me if I'm wrong, Tiffy, but this is not a problem you seem to have had. In my case, I try to help people to the point that I don't take care of myself. This is hard to try to put into words, but I seem to try to excel in other ways in order to gain respect from others. I rely on my intelligence, my sense of humor, my ability to tackle problems, my ability to emphasize and communicate effectively, and more I can't think of right now, to impress people or make them "like" me, since subconsciously I think that my looks are a detriment. This is really hard to try to explain, but I think I have an recent example: this last weekend, I was in Boise, ID, moving my brother, who is my ward, into an assisted living facility where I have also placed my other ward, my mom. I had purchased some fans for their rooms that required some assembly. I had my tool bag and proceeded to glance at the instructions and then put them together. My mom was very impressed that I had the mechanical ability to do that and it won her approval, which secretly pleased me. I am not my mother's favorite child. It's not my imagination; she has said it out loud. I rank AFTER a brother and sister, and only just before a obnoxious, drunken younger brother. When I was growing up, she also voiced her disapproval with my weight, and she felt it was a matter of will power. I knew I was not good enough, so I tried to develop talents or skills that WOULD earn her approval. I got good grades. I cleaned house, cooked and did the grocery shopping. I watched over the younger children. I learned to play the piano. Now that I'm older and somewhat self-aware, I can see a pattern of people pleasing that started with my parents in order to gain approval and love. NOW I am starting to try to learn to take care of myself before I take care of others. Thank heavens I have a wonderful hubby that encourages me to put myself first. This has been long-winded, but I hope like you, Tiffy, that others will explore this topic.

Hi TIffy! I've been so busy that I haven't posted much lately...."living life" as you put it! I love the pics. You are SO CUTE!!! I've said it before, but thanks for being such an important part of this group. You've helped a lot of people during your own journey!

That's almost 1/2 lb per day! Imagine 1/2 of hamburger! That's a lot per day. Maybe I just have lower expectations for myself, but I'm losing that or a little slower and I'm not dissatisfied at all. That's a healthy pace to lose weight, I think. I'm at the 180 mark but I'm not going to count that as lost until I maintain the loss for several days. Than I'm going to do a happy dance because that's the least I've weighed in at least 15 years, maybe longer! You know what's bugging me these days? Family members who are in bad moods and bitching to me about it. I feel like telling them to take their rain clouds and go stand outside a while! I want to be a sympathetic listener for the people I love, but boy! It is hard sometimes to keep positive when loved ones are down.

It's alway nice to hear from those who have reached the one year mark! I'm curious though......why did you decide to join us after so much time on your journey?

I can hardly imagine what it is going to feel like to go to the store and pick things WITH calories!!!!! Thank you for posting about this stage in your journey.

Congratulations! We have a couple of things in common: the beautiful Pacific NW, being in our 50's, and a complication free and virtually pain free surgery! Take good care of yourself now. It's time to put YOU first! Sip, walk, rest, be optimistic about the future!

I missed this thread when it started but it was so fun to read through it! Lil Miss Diva, you are so precious! It brought back memories of Dr. Aceves and my stay there. It's great that they are good memories for me! When else has surgery ever been a good memory? Today you are 2 days post-op so I bet we start seeing more posts from you soon. I love how you write about your feelings. Very expressive. And it sounds like you have a joyous outlook on life....I am always drawn to people like that. I bet your mom is taking VERY good care of you!

Welcome Bryn! Congratulations on your decision to get the sleeve. It sure made the most sense to me, too. I'm glad you found this forum. I hope "we" can help you through your journey! Breezy

I'm glad you brought this subject up. I feel the same way. I've been giving to charity the things I never liked very much, and throwing away the things that are not even good enough to give to charity (house painting shirts, work clothes, etc). But I'm left with things I really liked that are too big for me. I think I've decided to get some large storage boxes and label them for size, then put them away for a year or so. I have a close relative that got her sleeve around the same time I did. She may be able to use some of my things. If not, maybe by that time I'll have a different attitude about my "fat clothes". I also know someone who had a bypass probably 15 years ago -- she still has weight issues. So I can understand that I have some uncertainty as to where this journey will end up.

I think the head hunger will let up when you can eat normal foods again. Looking back, the liquid diet was the worst part! I remember when I first got to the mushie stage and had Kentucky Fried Chicken mashed potatoes and gravy (I was traveling, tired and on empty). It was the BEST FOOD I'VE EVER ATE!!!!!! LOL!

Congratulations on your empty closet!!!! I know exactly what you mean. The same thing is going on with me. My favorite place to shop until I get to a weight that I will maintain is Goodwill! I was surprised how many jeans they have! I go once a week and try to find seasonal clothes. Now I'm looking at long sleeve shirts/blouses. I am lucky that I don't have a job that I have to have a snazzy wardrobe for!

I'm so glad that you are past the worst of the healing! The 1st 2 weeks are the roughest. I remember feeling really great when I got to the full food stage and could exercise and lift weight again. That is when I really started feeling BETTER than I had before the surgery. I am following your progress and hoping you have as good an experience as I am having! You deserve all the best things!

One morning I weighed in, then a little later had to have a bowel movement (sorry for the indelicate subject). I weighed again because I was curious if that made a difference, and I lost .6 lbs! I no longer get upset at small gains like that. I even laugh to my hubby when I go to the bathroom that "I'm going to go lose some weight!" Even though I weigh every day, I look at it as a general direction. For instance, if I lose a pound, I don't consider it really lost until I maintain it for several days. It sounds like you are being very diligent with counting your calories. May I suggest that the best therapy for being despondent may be some aerobic exercise? It will release the good hormones into your blood stream and help you feel like you are DOING something toward your goal! You are moving in the right direction. You're doing great! :lol0:

Hey NOT SO FLUFFY!!! I think I'm seeing some hair loss now, too. It seems pretty thin around my bangs. I didn't have thick hair to begin with so I hope I don't develop bald spots! Congratulations on the blood pressure and blood sugar numbers!!! Those are amazing! I haven't noticed being able to fit more in my pouch when I'm talking about meat (dense foods). But if I'm eating slider foods and grazing, I can eat more than before. Anyone else notice being able to fit more in your pouch than last month?