mrsteacher

I am at 11 months post op and weigh 179.6 lbs. My total weight loss to date is 66.4 lbs. I have averaged a weight loss of approximately 6 lbs per month. I am currently purchasing size 14 pants (my 16’s are getting baggy) and L shirts (I am between a L and XL depending on the shirt). I am 5’5” tall. Last month I wrote that I was going to be doing the Paleo eating challenge for the month of Feburary at my gym (Crossfit). I credit that for this month’s weight loss which was 6.2 lbs (I had only lost 2.8 for the month of January). The diet eliminates all grains, dairy, sugar, and beans from your diet. This wasn’t too much of stretch for me since I had given up most grains and sugars after my surgery 11 months ago. I didn’t eat/drink enough dairy to miss it that much and while I enjoy beans again I didn’t eat enough of them to really miss them either. I did miss the alcohol thoughJ. As part of the challenge we were to also drink half our body weight in ounces of water. I never made it (that would have been 12 cups of water a day!) but I drank more water during the challenge then I normally do. I liked the challenge because it gave me some focus this past month (I was also teamed up with someone from the gym who was very nice and kept me motivated). I cooked a lot more (new recipes) this month then I normally do (my husband cooks most of the time) and ate a lot more fresh fruit and veggies. I had a few slip ups (minor) mostly because I wasn’t prepared in certain situations. The girl I was partnered with lost 10 lbs. I am supposed to get my after measurements taken today so I’ll see if I lost any inches. The challenge is over and I plan to keep grains and sugar out but I will most likely add small amounts of cheese and beans (i.e. chili and hummus) back in. I also upped my exercise this month. We were required to do a minimum of three workouts at the Crossfit gym during the challenge (which was what I was doing anyway) and you got extra challenge points for extra workouts. I have been averaging two extra workouts a week this month for a total of five days of working out. I reached my personal goal during the challenge of getting into the 170’s so I am happy. My next goal is to get to 176 by my 1 year post-op anniversary, which is at the end of March. That would put me at 70 lbs lost for the year (with only 30 lbs to go to my goal). My paleo challenge got me thinking about other challenges. I did a random internet search for anyone else who had done a paleo challenge for 30 days and ran across a TED talk featuring Matt Cutts (some random person who works for Google) - http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html . He has been working on trying something new for 30 days. He hasn’t done Paleo but he has done a lot of other things. This got me thinking that this would be a fun challenge for myself this year. So in the spirit of trying something new each month for 30 days I signed up to do yoga in March (I am counting my Paleo diet as something new for February). I choose yoga because I have never done it and our local studio was running a 30 days for $30 which seemed like a reasonable price. I started making a list of other challenge ideas for myself. Some of them include watching 30 documentaries in a month, reading four nonfiction books within a 30 day period (one a week), no TV, try 30 new recipes in my Vitamix, etc. I’ll report back on the yoga next month. Hope everyone is have a good start to the new year. I’ll check back in next month!

I have reached the 10 month mark post surgery at the end of January. I am finally down 60 lbs. My weekly weight loss has been a series of slow losses, never reaching the 1 lb + mark. This has led to a “will I” or “won’t I” get to a 60 lbs loss every time I have stepped on the scale this past month. Now that I have reached my short term goal of 60 lbs I am moving on to the next goal which is to get out of the 180’s (I am currently at 185.6). Since my surgery date I have averaged a loss of about .8 lbs a week (so sloooow). I am continuing to go to Crossfit three times a week. I have now been going for 6 months. I continue to have a love/hate relationship with working out but I am working on that. The routines have a lot of weight lifting so if you thought you couldn’t do any “weight lifting” after the surgery…not true. I joined the gym’s Paleo challenge for the month of February. It isn’t that much different then how I normally eat but I thought the challenge might help me through this slow weight loss period. I’m only on day one today but the biggest challenge has been to drink ½ my weight in water. My clothing sizes haven’t fluctuated much this past month. I am between a 14 and 16 in pants (mostly a 16 with some 14’s) and a L/XL top (again mostly XL). My hair is growing out nicely but I am losing more than I ever did pre-surgery. My hair went from “thick” to “medium” in weight. I am growing out a very short haircut and the fact that I can pull it back in a rather scraggly pony tail is cause for celebration. I eat pretty normally, except for smaller portions and not going back for seconds or thirds. I do try to limit carbs and sugar (the Paleo challenge should help with that). I still eat when I am bored and I have to watch that. I don’t regret my surgery and am glad I did it. I am getting lots of compliments and “how did you do it?” to which I reply “eating South Beach like diet for the most part” – which is true. I really don’t want to put “weight loss surgery” out there and have anyone undermine the effort I have put into loosing the weight. Wish me luck for the next month. Hopefully I will be in the 170’s if all goes well

I am at 9 months out from surgery. I managed to break out of the 190's thanks to the flu I am at 188.2 and now working on my next goal which is to get out of the 180's (not sure how long that will take since I am a pretty slow loser). I am hoping to be in the 170's by my 1 year anniversary in March (my goal is 145-150). Starting Weight - 246 lbs Weight Now - 188.2 lbs Height - 5 ft 5 inches Pant Size - 16 regular (I can fit into some 14's but they are tight around the stomach). I started at 22W Shirt Size - L to XL (mostly XL). I started at 2X I do not regret my surgery at all. I had a great experience with Dr. Kelly. I have not told my Primary Care Physician. I went for an OBGYN appointment the other day scared that she would notice the scars but she didn't so all is well. I only see her once a year for my OBGYN appointment so it is not like we have a close relationship. I choose not to say anything because I didn't want it noted on my file and possibly be denied some treatment as a result. My husband knows I have had the surgery so if it is necessary to say something he would. Again....I rarely get sick or find myself need of medical attention. I don't think I have met my deductable for the past 2 years (for which I am immensly grateful). My New Year's goal is to be more mindful of my eating and to preplan my eating (healthy things in the house...etc...). Happy New Year to everyone!

Week 34 and 35 (little over 8 months out – 54.6 lbs down) Last week’s weight – 191.8 This week’s weight – 191.4 Total weight lost this week – .4 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 54.6 lbs I haven’t posted anything in a while mostly because I am feeling blah about my weight loss. I seem to be jumping up and down the same few pounds and not making any headway. Headway for me means (1) getting to 55 lbs lost and (2) getting into and starting to work on getting out of the 180’s. The lack of scale movement is definitely a “me” thing. I do well for a few days and then don’t for a few days. Example – Yesterday I had a great breakfast (Chocolate Slim Fast High Protein Shake with a frozen banana) and lunch (spaghetti squash spaghetti) but then I ate a regular size Hershey’s bar. I went home and ate a small bowl of chips as a snack, My husband made french dip sandwiches on a sub roll and I ate three quarters of it (should have stopped at a half – my stomach was protesting). After that dinner settled I had three Tim Tam cookies (way too much…I should have stopped at one…they are very rich). I barely drank any water (maybe four glasses total for the day). Thanksgiving was in that time frame and I ate a good deal of pumpkin bread pudding with cream sauce and drank wine. I did make a group go out for a walk after dinner in order to help digest the food better. My stomach was feeling it. I’m still going to Crossfit 3x a week and I think that has helped keep the pounds from coming back in too drastic a fashion. On the non-scale victory side I bought a pair of size 14R Levi jeans the day before Thanksgiving. They are curvy fit jeans and I bought them at full price because I fit in them. I can get in most size 14’s (as in pull them up and button them but they are still snug everywhere so I don’t think I can say that I am a size 14 yet but moving in that direction. I am 5’5”). I am dreading our Christmas break because I tend to eat and drink alcohol when I am bored. I did buy a refurbished Vitamix and am looking forward to using it (whenever it arrives….geez it takes forever!) In an effort not to focus too much on the negative I underlined my positives over the past two weeks in this post just as a reminder to me that I am still making progress and some good choices. Today my meal plan is: Breakfast - Chocolate high protein slim fast shake with frozen banana (7 a.m.) Snack – 1 oz of plain almonds (10 a.m.) Lunch – Left over spaghetti squash spaghetti (11:30 a.m.) Snack – Atkins Bar (2 p.m.) Dinner – Half a French Dip sandwich with small amount of chips (left overs) Snack – 1 Tim Tam bar in warm milk

Week 33 Last week’s weight – 191.8 This week’s weight – 191.8 Total weight lost this week – 0 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 54.2 lbs This week I stayed the same weight wise, which I am grateful for. I’m currently recovering from a Breaking Dawn movie theater binge – small popcorn with light butter and a bag of sour gummies (ugh!). Don’t have any giant Thanksgiving plans so I should be ok next week. Hoping to get into the 180's over the holidays.

I am 5'5" and I started at 246 lbs wearing 22W pants and 2X to 3X tops. I am 33 weeks out from surgery and I am now at 191.8. I wear size 16 regular pants and XL tops.

Week 31 and 32 Last week’s weight – 193.6 This week’s weight – 191.8 Total weight lost this week – 1.8 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 54.2 lbs Sorry for the failure to post last week. My weight stayed the same from week 30 to week 31 (193.6) but dropped in week 32 by 1.8 lbs. I got my period in week 31 and had a major Halloween candy binge (for me… with the sleeve…which was nothing compared to my pre-sleeve Halloween candy binges. Thank. God.). I am a little sick (cold like symptoms) this week but I have stuck to my Crossfit gym routine. I have to say when I stepped on the scale this morning I almost fainted from shock. I was expecting to see more of the same (bouncing between 193 and 195 which I have been doing lately). So seeing 191 on the scale was super exciting. That means I am pretty close to the 180’s. Yay! My goal is 150 (with a fantasy goal of 145). I went to an evening session of Crossfit (I am normally a morning girl) and someone I met when I first joined 2 months ago was impressed by my weight loss since I joined. I haven’t loss that much since I joined Crossfit but I think I must look “toner”. That was a nice compliment to get. It made my evening. Basically I am still trucking along. It is easier to stay on track when I am busy and not as easy to stay on track when I am off schedule (we had a week off for fall break that messed up my eating habits a bit…as in I was eating more). I ran into someone from my husband’s work at the voting poll and she said that my husband had said I had lost a lot of weight….since he never brings it up at home I was surprised he had said anything. He is a great guy who will love me at any size but it is nice to hear that he has been noticing.

Week 30 Last week’s weight – 194.6 This week’s weight – 193.6 Total weight lost this week – 1 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 52.4 lbs Surprised I lost 1 lb this week mainly because I had one of those “I’m tired of constantly thinking about what goes in mouth” week and pretty much said “the heck with it!” I ate poorly the majority of the week. Maybe that shocked my system?!?! Who knows. I did A LOT of medicine ball squats at Crossfit and someone told me that a good leg workout burns more calories than any other muscle group in the body. Maybe that contributed to my loss this week? Whatever…I will take it. Bottom line is I am getting closer to getting out of the 190’s. It definitely feels like a slow process to get out of there though. I have semi shelved the vitamix idea (unless I happen to come across one that is priced really really well). I did come to the realization that week that I am officially not a huge fan of vanilla protein powder. I bought a tub from Unjury and I’m not loving it. In their defense I didn’t like the slimfast vanilla protein drink either. I made a drink the other day with oj, vanilla protein powder, and frozen berries and I am thankful I looked in the mirror before I left for school because I had seeds from the berries all over my teeth from drinking it. I do like their chocolate splendor and strawberry sorbet and I usually drink two a day (for a total of 40 grams of protein). I still avoid soda but I have indulged here and there. I drink it very slowly and I never can finish one. There isn’t one particular food I avoid because it bothers my pouch. I can pretty much eat anything at this point but in smaller amounts. I don’t experience hunger like I did prepouch which is AWESOME. I’m becoming ambivalent about food and don’t feel the need to eat until I am stuffed. At week 30 I am still very glad I had the procedure done!

Week 29 Last week’s weight – 195.8 This week’s weight – 194.6 Total weight lost this week – 1.2 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 51.4 lbs A bit surprised I lost weight this past week primarily because I spent the weekend up in the mountains for a wedding and there was a lot to eat and drink. I’m crediting the weight loss with the higher altitude and two days of hiking. I’ve been waffling between 195 – 197 for the past few weeks so it was nice to see 194.something on the scale. I tried to take a picture of my scale but the first time the flash was too bright and the second time my batteries died! I’m still doing Crossfit 3x a week and I’ve been getting a lot of compliments on how skinny I look even though I have not lost any pounds (I will have been doing Crossfit for 2 months as of next week). I haven’t checked my inches yet but will do so at the beginning of November to see what the affect of Crossfit has been on that. I do feel myself getting stronger and I can last longer and scale back less on the exercises. Right now my big obsession is with a Vitamix blender. I have been looking at them on and off since I visited my mother (who has one) this past summer. I have been saving up (they are ridiculously expensive!). My only concern is would I use it. I make shakes in the morning for breakfast and it would be nice to add some veggies into it and my current blender can’t handle it but would I use it beyond that? This is something I am struggling with. I may take a road trip to our local Costco to see a demo in the hopes it would sway me one way or the other. Does anyone have a vitamix and use it often after WLS?

Thank you for all the feedback! Definitely somethings to think about

I heard the Ninja was a cheaper alternative to the Vitamix.

Week 28 (7 months) Last week’s weight – 195.8 This week’s weight – 195.8 Total weight gained/lost this week – 0 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 50.4 lbs I need to have a serious “talk” with myself. I am not happy with this yo-yoing I am going through. Currently my weight is fluctuating between 197 – 195.8. I know this is due to a lack of focus. I hit the 50 lb mark and now I am not as motivated or as focused as I was. My worst time is after work. I am bored or avoiding house work. That is when I munch and drink. This is what I ate yesterday – 16 oz of water Slimfast ready made drink with 20 grams of protein Walked into a training where the trainer had Halloween candy. I ate 6 small twix and 3 whoppers (not hungry it was just there). Cream of Chicken soup at hand Crystal Light Lemonaid with 20 grams of protein (added strawberry protein stuff from Unjury) Dinner with friend at Outback Firefly Lemonaid Drink (had a few sips and then took home and finished later) Ceaser Salad Chicken Flatbread Pizza Appetizer (ate one slice and then took the rest home which I ate later) [*]Finished rest of flatbread pizza (shared 3 slices with husband) and drink [*]Ate a bunch of pistachio nuts (not hungry – bored while watching TV – avoiding laundry) [*]Ate a bunch of dried mangos (not hungry – bored while watching TV – avoiding laundry) I did work out in the morning – Crossfit. In hindsight I should have not ordered the drink. I should have avoided the Halloween candy. I should have had the croutons taken off my salad. I should have drunk more water. I should have avoided the pistachio and dried mangos. Ugh….I stepped on the scale this morning and yup I was up from 195.8 to 197.2 (not counting it because I only record weight on Wednesday). Need to be more mindful about my eating and drinking this week.

I'm game!

Week 26 Last week’s weight – 198.8 This week’s weight – 194.8 Total weight lost this week – 4 (happy dance!) Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 51.2 lbs Woo Hoo….I finally broke the last few weeks of yoyo’ing and hit the 50 lb mark in my weight loss (half way to goal!). I definitely did it through drinking a lot more water. I am still doing CrossFit as my main form of exercise (3x a week). I can feel myself getting stronger and more coordinated with the exercises but I definitely have to scale back a lot of the workouts. I’m ok with that mainly because I would like to be tone and stronger and not bulky. My eating hasn’t been too bad this week. The hardest part of the day, for me, is getting home from work. Usually I am either bored or trying to avoid housework or homework so eating sounds good (luckily with my sleeve I am extremely limited with what I can eat). I don’t always make the best choices though. I now officially fit into size 16 pants (from a 22W!). I bought 16’s from both the Eddie Bauer outlet and Target and they fit fine. I waffle in shirt size from a large to an XL. I bought a L from Eddie Bauer and stretched the crude out of it over the back of a large padded computer chair we have (it was tight across my belly fat). It is still a little tight across my bosom but I wore a sweater over it so it wasn’t too noticeable. Speaking of bosoms, I’ve gone from being at 42DD to a 40D (so I’ve had to buy some new bras). Until next week!

Wow! You braved a bikini?!?! I'm not sure I could. I can still see scars on my stomach from the surgery. Way to go on the 2 lbs lost. I've been to the Dominican Republic to an all inclusive resort and had a great time. My husband and I would go back for sure as well.

Week 27 Last week’s weight – 194.8 This week’s weight – 195.8 Total weight gained this week – 1 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 50.4 lbs Sorry for the late post. I’ve been PMSing most of the week and cheesed off that I gained a pound this week. In all fairness I probably deserved it. Last week I hit the long coveted 50 lb mark and instead of staying vigilant I slacked on mindful eating and drinking water. I also started my period so that wasn’t helping my mood (can you say giant bag of peanut butter m&m’s?). I’ve had to reexamine my goals. My next big weight loss goal is to get to the next and final 50 lbs off. That is too overwhelming for me to think about so I’m going to focus on just getting out of the 190’s for right now. Another thing I have been obsessing about is protein. I honestly don’t think I have been getting enough of it in so I purchased 3 tubs of protein powder from Unjury ($75…yikes!). I got their protein, vanilla, and strawberry sorbet. I like all three and each one has 20 grams of protein. My plan is to have a least two a day and get as much protein in as possible in between. Until Wednesday!

Forgot to mention in my last blog post that I got a new haircut. Here is a picture of all the sides. Note my skinner face Now I need to do something about the skin damage I have due to too much time in the sun (too many brown spots!).

You look fantastic!

So great to hear from both of you this week! J - I wouldn't listen to your 13 year old daughter (she is teenager full of righteous indignation and no idea how much weight is a struggle at this point...plus she is hard wired to push your buttons). I would shoot for your goal but perhaps not share your weight with your daughter if it is going to upset her. I am so excited that you are so close to goal at 6 months out! I am losing like a turtle compaired to you. I'm dying to get out of the 190's. I'm sure I will get there but it may take longer then I hoped. Can you post some pictures on your profile? L - How was your vacation? I think it is great that you have goal clothing. I should get a goal pair of 14 pants (dislike dresses - my thighs still rub together!) and focus on fitting into those. I am holding pretty steady with size 16 right now (I will take that over my size 22W's!). Our Burlington Coat Factory is a huge ole mess! I find it hard to find anything in it. We still haven't hit cold weather here in the south so I'm still in my summer clothes. I am going to have to find some winter clothes soon'ish so I will attempt another look at Burlington.

Congratulation!

Week 25 Last week’s weight – 197.2 This week’s weight – 198.8 Total weight gained this week – 1.6 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 47.2 lbs I am not happy in general with how my weight loss has slowed down. Honestly I thought I would be at 50 lbs by now and it is a little frustrating to see the scale go up and down like it has the past few weeks. I’ve started looking at things I can do to help by scouring the boards for ideas. My favorite is to get sick . I would think that working with a ton of students and teachers that would happen sooner than later but alas it seems my immune system is working just fine. Right now I am trying the drink lots of water approach (I am currently starting day 2). I haven’t been drinking nearly enough and I would kill two birds with one stone but adopting this habit (breaking a stall and getting the appropriate amount of water in). I have been looking at the pouch test but am going to start with water first. I shouldn’t be griping too much because 47 lbs is still a nice amount of weight to have lost and I am thrilled to: Get lots of compliments at work Shop in the regular (not plus) side of stores Not struggle to get my wedding ring on and off Be below my driver’s license weight Have enough energy to workout (walking and crossfit) Be under 200 lbs I did step on the scale this morning (something I don’t normally do but I was curious to see if the water thing was working after the first day…and about a million trips to the bathroom) and I was down to 197.6 so that gives me hope for next Wednesday’s weigh in.

Haven't been watching my salt intake. Might need to do that. I also need to probably add some more cardio to my workout. Thanks for all the advice!

I am 6 months out with Dr. Kelly and I also couldn't be happier. I paid $5,500 +airfare. I wrote about my experience in my blog here on this site.

Oooo a bikini?!?! I don't think I will ever be brave enough for that regardless of the weight loss. I am hoping the water will help budge things along. I would love to be at 50 lbs gone. Mokee - Thank you for your support!

Week 24 – 6 months post op Last week’s weight – 200.8 This week’s weight – 197.2 Total weight lost this week – 3.6 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 48.8 lbs Recovered from my gain last week with a nice loss. I was hoping to be down 50 lbs by my 6 month mark but…oh well…that’s the way it goes. Attached is a side by side picture of my weight loss from highest to current.