SleeveGirl-TX

[size=4][color=#FF0000][i][b]GOAL REACHED! 149.5 pounds on July 14, 2013, 2 years 23 days post VSG. 225 pounds total lost[/b][/i][/color][/size] -- Current maintenance range 148-152

[size=3]My name is Candy and I'm in Austin, Texas. I had a sleeve surgery in June 2011 at the age of 36 and I reached my goal to lose 225 pounds after 2 years and 23 days - not that I counted! ;) Yes, it was a lot of freaking weight (my tickers are at the very bottom of this page. I had emergency neck fusion surgery 9 months after my WLS which derailed my fitness routine for several months, but I kept losing by staying strict with my nutrition. To further make things interesting, I'm scheduled for a double lumbar fusion in late July 2013. If you scroll past my blog, you'll see my monthly and weekly numbers. Don't compare me to you, you could lose faster, you could lose slower, I also started at 375 - we are all different.[/size]

[size=3]My thoughts on weight loss: We all lose at our own pace and our own plan. I follow [b]MY[/b] Plan 100% which means that 95% of the time I make great healthy choices and stay within my calories and protein levels. But I also know that I have to make peace with food. I spent 30 years obese, hating myself and my choices and have come to know myself well enough to know that if I don't find some kind of balance with certain foods, I will binge on them. I think knowing yourself is probably the most profound part of this entire "thing".[/size]

[size=3]I also am a big believer in mental health. I never saw a counselor until right before I had surgery. I think she's probably more important than the surgery itself because she keeps me where I need to be, in my head. I had a lot of childhood issues that lead to my hiding behind the suit of fat. I'm happy to be shedding it - the fat and the issues. But it's a process. A long one - probably a lifetime of one.[/size]