helgaready

From size 18 on 08/17/12 to a size 14 on 09/28/12...and I even have room in those now...Size 12 coming right up...

These past few weeks have been tough as the all so sought after 199 has been so elusive..On 09/28/12 I weighted 203.4 and so was pretty confident I could hit 199 by the following week. My confidence was only heightened when on Wednesday, 10/03/12 I was 201.2..I just knew by the 10/05/12 I could shake off another 1.5lbs to finally join the 100 club...Well, I jump on the scale all excited and low and behold what pops up...199 even...Oh yeah oh yeah...So you know us scale obsessed folk, we have to double check, triple check, quadruple check...Well 199 never came back up...It kept reading 202...I was crushed...I told myself well you clearly are way close for 199 to even pop up because there was a time you were so far away from 199, the scale never gave a false read of 199..No doubt I am happy about my progess...31lbs and 21 inches and 4 sizes (and counting) all in 7 weeks..I just am panting for my first goal of 199..I will admit I was not as diligent about logging my food these past couple of weeks as I was previously so it is likely my carb intake got the best of me...So this is one thing I will commit to doing as it will be key to my success as well... But no sense of whining about that...Instead, I am focusing on things I can change...and that is increasing my cardio and strength...So this past week I started Insanity, again...I did it about two months prior to surgery and while it is still hard now, it was so much harder then...30lbs make a difference...My stretches are better...My form is better and I have an even greater motivation knowing I am helping Pedro (my sleeve) do some of the heavy lifting...I am remixing Insanity a bit...Instead of doing it 6 days a week, I am doing it 5 days a week, skipping the recovery day and instead running on the day of recovery...Still getting my heart rate up and helping out my running game...I would love to do a half marathon in April or May of 2013...And speaking of running my running game has gotten so much better...When I first started exercising after surgery, it was taking me 60 minutes to walk 3 miles...Now I am doing 3 miles in 43 minutes...As I cut down on the 5 minutes of walking at the beginning and interchange 1.5 minutes of running with 1 minute of walking, it will only get better...Currently, I walk the 1st five minutes (3.5mph)...run a minute (5.5-6.0mph) and walk for minute and half (3.5)..My goal is to get it to 30 minutes... Over the past couple of weeks, I have had increasing comments about how good I look...The folk that know about the surgery talk about how well I look losing the weight and that they can tell I am working out in the process as I am looking toned...A close friend of mine says you no longer look big...(oh the honesty) you just kinda blend in...Not big...not small..just about the size where no one notices your weight either way...Oh the honesty of a guy but I will still take it...lol...And a couple church friends talked about my saggy pants...Such a good feeling...I am slipping in pants I bought, two years ago and never could wear...Shirts I had given up on wearing because my belly fat/rolls showed too much...I havent worn my spanx (fool them to look thinner underarmour piece) but once (with a form fitting dress)in the past month...The muffin tops and the back fat is slowing fading away...It is such a good feeling. HW 232 & SW 227 (VSG 08/17/12 & 5'8) LW 203.4 (Week 6) CW 201.2 GW 155

I 3rd Susie. I was sleeved by Dr. A on 08/17/12 and coud not be more happier. As Susie has also said search his name in the forums and you will find my posts and many others telling of their experience. I will say he offered the best care hands downs of any doctor I even seen US or otherwise.

I walked for the first month and then begining at the one month mark I started running. I am not doing any weight lifting yet or any ab work...just walking/running. I plan on doing insanity at the two month mark....so I can work on muscle tone without actually lifting any weight...

Hard to be just a lil over 5 weeks ago, I was riddled with nerves wondering if I was making the right decision to have surgrey. Today, I know having the VSG was the best decision I could have made for my long-term health. It has re-engergized my motivation to work out and already so much of my confidence is being restored... Last week, I blogged about how I was bothered and now I guess I realized I am hurt that my ex-boyfriend had not acknowledged my weight loss. Well I talked to him about it and how that makes me feel. I am not sure what I expected to get out of it because I as reflect on the conversation, I am not sure he ever said he has noticed I lost weight. In fact, I do not realize much of the conversation, only that I walked away from it unsatisfied with his response. But life goes on... On the positive side, though my ex is not noticing so many other folk are noticing my weight loss and it is really a good feeling. I met up with friends over the weekend and none of them knew about the surgery and so I was worried about addressing the weight loss and not drinking. Well the not drinking never came up because I kept a cranberry juice in my hand and they only had good things to say about my weight loss...No questions as to what I was doing but just that I looked good...I also have began to see the weight loss in myself. When I was smaller, I always thought I had a long, giraffe neck so I hated my neck. Well I notice that giraffe neck coming back and I have never been happier to see it... And I am also noticing it in my midsection...It doesnt stick out under my boob like it used to...Shirts and dresses fix so much better...Yayy... Oan: Despite the warning against tomato based things because of acid issues, I thought I would give chili a try. Bad move. Other than the protein shakes that i grew tired of, it is really the only food that I have reacted bad too. Other foods have made me feel bad but more because I ate to fast and not because of the food itself. So for now, I am not doing tomato based because I already have enough issues with heartburn. I am pretty much able to eat most things. I went to our farmer's market this past weekend and ate fried noodles...It was just about a cup but still I know I was so out of line. It made me work out harder. I got mile 3 mile walk/run jog done in 43 minutes. I started out at 60 minutes... I am so happy that my stall/weight gain from last week did not carry on into this week. Last week I picked up two pounds by the time of weigh in. I actually picked up three pounds by Saturday evening. But today I am happy to report I got those pounds I gained off and then some... VSG 08/17/12 HW 232 SW 227 (5'8) Last Week 210.4 CW 205.4 ... It may be ambitious but I am going for 199.8 by Friday's weigh in. I am already down to 204 today so I gt 4.2lbs to make it happen. I am going to push the workouts and stick to high protein/low carb for the week. I want Wonderland...I want Wonderland...and with it so close it makes me go even harder for it.

No regrets. I will admit (3) weeks of liquids post op was really tough...I had so much head hunger and I missed food so bad. And there are some days still that miss food, not because I can't eat certain things per se but more so that I can't eat in the volumes I want to. But I remind myself I wanted this for that very reason. The surgery makes you deal with your relationship with food and you finally are able to see just how much you had come to depend on food to get you through hunger, happiness, sadness, boredom, pretty much in any state except sleep...For me this part has been harder then the surgery itself. I pretty much had a textbook surgery so no really issues to report of in that respect.

Good work out of you...You are so close to goal already...

I am in..... Weight before surgery - 232 Date of surgery - 08/17/12 (227 day of surgery) Current weight 205.4 Goal weight for competition 185 I weigh in every Friday.... Oh my costume is going to look super fab...Let's post before and after pics at our final posts...Post in costume if you choose to dress up...

I too love Halloween and I usually am searching for my costume in July or August...I found one that I absolutely love plus size or not but as everyone said I am going to enjoy the days when a regular size (if that is what you call them) fits me...And when the one size fit all fishnets fit. I usually order them off line too because it hard finding cute ones in just any store...I have always wanted to be a dominatrix for Halloween but you absolutely have to be rocking hot to make it work and so that is my goal next year...

I started out around your weight...227 on the day of surgery...I am 5'8. I had a stall last week at 4 weeks out...In fact, I gained three pounds..It was the week I introduced soft foods and I also did not exercise that week...But this week I kicked my workout game up a notched and I lost the three I gained and an additional 3 mo pounds...So I thus far, I have lost 27lbs including 1 week pre-op where I lost 5lbs...While the sleeve is a great tool, I am doing my darnest to help it with the weight loss by sticking to a workout regime...I started walking 3 miles at 60 minutes about 2 weeks post op...Now I walk/jog 3 miles at 46 minutes. I am working toward 30 minutes...I say all this to say I want to really maximize the first 6 mo of the sleeve loss...I want to be that non-ideal case and hit my goal 155-160lb within 6 mo. And that only happens with hard work both in being good with diet compliance and working out...I got 50lbs to drop over the next 5 months...I am going as hard for it as I did for cold stone creamery ice cream on double stamp day Mondays...

I had surgery on 08/17/12 and at one month post op had lost 17 inches and 27lbs...So super happy...so having lost twice that amount, i am gonna take a guess and say you are super duper happy...lol...Keep up the good work...

I am a lil behind on posting as I was not to encouraged as this week I gained weight. I have read plenty posts about the dreaded 3 week stall or weight gain but I was convinced I would beat it...Not... But all in all it has been a good week. I started eating soft foods and it was a welcome addition. Eggs with cheese was my first meal. I have made some othe recipes from Emily Bites andTheworldaccordingtoeggface. Most of them have turned out pretty good...I even managed to eat some shrimp and handled it okay considering I did not like shrimp pre-surgery...However at 21g of protein and only 1.5g fat and 4g carbs, it will become a frequent visitor on my menu. Still eating about 2-3 ounces of food before I get full and still adjusting to making sure I chew my food well to avoid that stuck feeling in my chest. My body still has not figured out how to resume regular bowel movements. I could probably lose a few pounds justing taking a good ole dump...lol TMI I know...My heartburn has also become more frequent over the past couple of weeks so I am resolving to taking priolsec or something of that nature with my daily vitamins. I started but stopped but realizing at least for now this is not possible. This week I hung out with my cousin who had lapband surgery in Jan 2012. She has had minimal success with it. I was so amazed at how much she could eat compared to the amount I was able to eat. Now mind you she had 7 months on me but I still thought our eating habits would be the same. I took a high protein, low carb potluck dish over it went over well but all the things she made were so high in carbs or fatty. She also tend to graze which all the reading I have done said this is a way you "eat around" your band or sleeve. I also notice that her pantry was riddled with things I would be afraid to bring in the house because all willpower would be gone...I do not say all this to judge but i do so it to say that even with the surgery we have to still exercise healthy eating habits. The surgery is only a tool and if we do not use the tool properly it is unable to perform as intended. I was careful not to judge her because I did not want to come off as a surgery eating expert after just 4 weeks of diet compliance. It was just an eye opener to be cognizant to not let my old eating habits that led to me being overweight erode the sleeve. On to the good news...I started out my journey a size 18..Well, this week I got into a size 13/14 jeans I had bought about two years ago...A phenomenal feeling that was...so despite having gained two pounds this week, I looked over it as I twirled around in the mirror 4 sizes smaller than I was a month ago...And so many folk are noticing the weight loss and that too is a really good feeling. Something that nags at me is that thought no less than 20 people have told me I lost weight, my ex-boyfriend has not acknowledged my weight loss...I know he is an ex and I should not care...Obviously there was something that put him in the ex category and it wasnt good so I should let go. Easier said then done but that is another story. I also measured today (09/16/12) and was pleasantly surprised at those numbers as well. I first measured on 08/23 so just under a full month Neck -1 in Thigh -3/4 in Hi Wasit (just below breast) -2 in Natural Waist 2 in Belly Button (Abs) -3 3/4 in Chest 1 1/2 in Hips 2 1/4 in Biceps 1 in Shoulder -2.5 in.....Total Inches Lost 16.75.. :D VSG 08/17/12 HW 232 08/13/12 SW 227 CW 210.4

The websites theworldaccordingtoeggface and emilybites offer fantastic recipes...

I plan on doing Insanity...I did Insanity at my HW of 232...I lost 11 pounds and about 10 inches and I was only 6 weeks into the program. I ended up going out of town and never picked it back up as soon after I made the decision to have surgery and so I stopped working out about 2 months before surgery and needless to say I went back up to my HW of 232. I am only 3 weeks post op now and so can't start but I am hoping to start it at 1.5 or 2 months post op depending on how my body heals. I am doing find now so I hoping it is closer to 1.5 mo...For me its not so much about losing weight fast but I loved the workout and the toning that comes with it. I love that I can do the workout at home before i leave for work...Good start to the day....I also do not want to sit around and wait on the weight to fall off...I want to help Pedro (my sleeve) to do some of the heavy lifting and by starting a regular workout regime early on I am working to make working out as much a part of my lifestyle change as it the healthy eating habits...

I was sleeved on 08/17/12 and though the last couple of weeks of liquids have been tough...have been on liquids for total of 4 weeks...I am so happy I made the decision to get sleeved...Already down 24lbs...

Wow...where do I start.... I up my workout game this week. Moved from 2.5 miles to 3 miles of walking this week. I am really loving this sleeve knowing that the fruits of my workout will reflect in my body transformation. I walked into my office yesterday and one of the ladies said I looked stunning. It did wonders for my inner self. In fact, a number of people are commenting on my weight loss. I went to a BBQ on Labor Day (dat was torture) and I girl I had not seen in a few months, told me I had lost weight and looked good...Made me feel all giddy..especially since I am still about 50lbs shy of my final goal...I can only imagine what that will look like. But back to the BBQ...There was so much food and drink...I think I missed the alcohol more than I did the food. BBQ is almost a synonym for drinking and all could have was my light pink lemonade...The compliments made it better though...lol... This week also represents the week, I put on a two pair of shorts I could not wear pre-surgery and a pair of jeans...One pair of shorts was actually loose...I have this lil dress that I wore in the day that I absolutely loved. I am not sure if I would wear it again as an outfit as it is dated but I kept it because I wanted to get back into it...The day that happens....I think I am going to hit the floor....(but I also plan on taking pics to mark that day). I told my mom about the surgery this week. I had not told her before because when I tried feeling her out about it, she had so much negative stuff to say so I left her out of one of the most important decisions of my life. I felt bad and underhanded but I needed to mentally prepare for this surgery and so could not deal with her opinions. She still had some stuff to say about it but now that it is done, I do not receive her comments as hard. This Sunday I am able to start soft foods. I am so happy...These last two weeks I have really begun to miss food. I have planned about 30 first meals...lol..My body is over the protein shakes so I need some natural protein. My stomach is upset with the protein shakes. As I begin to eat, I am hoping I can once again tolerate them as they offer a good influx of protein if you are struggling to get it in. I am still not having regular bowel movements without assistance of a stool softner. Driving me crazy as I went everyday so to be only able to go once a week with assistance gets me so out of sorts. But with all that said...where I am today...I think I am beginning to see some changes..I measure next Friday so I am excited to see what those numbers reveal. VSG 08/17/12 HT 5'8 HW 232 (08/13/12) SW 227 CW 208.8 (-23.6lbs) I will take it...I had a goal (one of many) to be 205 by 09/17. I am on target to make it happen...(Sleeve don't fail me now..lol)

Today marks my 2 week mark since surgery... I must admit this has been a rough week. My sleeve has gotten fed up with all the sweets (sweet protein drinks, pudding, jello, fudgesicle, popsicles etc). To eat anyone of them anymore caused my stomach to be upset and I threatened throwing up several times...Top that all of with heartburn and finally getting to the point where I truly miss food...I am not at all hungry but I just want to chew. Some say chew gum but last time I did, I actually swallowed it so I am staying away from gum. I am on fluids for another week and then I moved to soft foods...Boy am I looking for to some salmon. I want sushi but not sure my sleeve will tolerate it. On the flip side, I did introduce foods that I did not like pre-surgery as I thought my taste buds would appreciate them now since they hadnt had much. Both cottage cheese and yogurt are on my full liquids list. I could not stomach either one before surgery but now I am loving both of them and given they are both high in protein that is a good thing... I also got into some pants I could not wear pre-surgery...My skin is clearing up because it doesnt have all the greasy fatty foods running through me...I love water now...and my pee is so clear and lady like... My incisions are healing quite well. I had glue and steri strips on my incisions and only two of the incisions (one being the largest one) still have on the strips. The tenderness is mainly gone but if I make a wrong move, I am reminded that I did get cut on recently. I also starting walking on the treadmill. I am doing 2.5 miles or 50 minutes...so a slow place...but did not want to push it too much. I plan on adding the other half mile next week...Get the walking on down so that at month one, I can begin to alternate walking and jogging...I even managed to mow a portion of my lawn on Wednesday. I left the hills to my ex boyfriend but I felt good I was able to do that without any pain. So while I had a rough week, I am not going to complain because this surgery is truly life changing. Sure the firsts few weeks are tough and everyday represents another day to stay committed to our new lifestyle but in exchange I get the body I have wanted a long time. I also get to participate in all the fun and crazy atheletic events (i.e. Tough Mudder) without fear of being the fat girl that gets stucks as the wall. So again I cannot be a complainer. I have such a wonderful future ahead of me thanks this tool. I have no regrets...no complaints... And for the numbers VSG 08/17/12 HT 5'8 HW 232 (08/13/12) SW 227 CW 212.8 Total Weight loss 19.2

I too have my surgery in Mexico on 08/17...While I would also say consult your dr as well, I will tell you what my surgeon listed for post-op testing...I am not exactly sure what all these are but here you go.... Pro-time, INr, PTT Iron, Total Binding Capacity, Ferritin, Transferrin Comprehensive Metabolic Panel Carnitine, Folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin D, Zinc Lipid Panel: Triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, HDL, Cholesterol tota I was also directed to not eat or drink 12 hours prior to testing so as not to affect the accuracy of the tests...

I am also 10 days post op and while the I am still struggling to get all my Protein and fluids in, things are better...My lil tummy just get full so fast. I am full liquids which includes creamy Soups...I about 5 baby spoons of Soup and was out of the count...And then even after waiting 45 minutes to drink fluids, it only took a few sips to put me back on full...So tomorrow, I think I am going to stick with more liquids so I can get in my protein and more fluids...and just have a lil soup for dinner instead of lunch... My gas is mainly gone...I have walked most every day since since surgery...I starting walking for exercise yesterday and today I was able to get 2.5 miles in at 50 minutes...taking it slow yet as I still have two incisions that are still healing... I have some awful sounding noises coming from my stomach...Who would have imagine something so tiny can make so much noise...lol

Congratulations...I am sure it is a feeling you cant really put into words...Happy doesnt do it justice... What were your numbers to start...