obxhousewife

I completely understand where you're coming from! I'm doing a little happy dance for you! Congrats!

I hear ya and I understand completely! I wore a size 8 forever after I started to gain. I guess I've consistently been in a size 8-9 (depending on the type of shoe) for the last 8-9 years. Recently I was at the consignment shop trading in some of my size 22-18's when I ran across an adorable pair of boots. They were size 9's so I just presumed that they'd fit, but it turns out they were HUGE! I ended up returning them. I tried a couple more pair on with the same result; finally I reached for a pair of 7/12 tennis shoes and they fit like a glove! The next time I was in Target I picked up a pair of little flat "ballet" type shoes off of the girls rack! Yes! You read it right! I can wear a child's xl or a women's size 7 1/2! Who-da-thunk that I'd ever drop a size and a half in shoes just by loosing 40lbs? I sure would've thunk it that's for sure! And by the way - I've seen several others talk about not wanting to buy clothes because their loosing, but in my opinion wearing the wrong size makes us look way more unattractive than when we wear something that fits properly. My sister in law had gastric bypass a couple of years ago and she just wouldn't go get new clothes. Being the pushy person that I am I made her go through her closet while I was there visiting. We took all of her quality clothes to the local consignment store and her "not so good stuff" to the local thrift store. I introduced her to consignment store shopping! Now she's hooked because she realizes that she can get money for her clothes that are too big and replace them with thing that fit and flatter. I hope y'all will consider doing this. Yesterday I went to the consignment store and hit their sale! They're getting rid of winter things now and taking in spring and warmer weather clothes here on the coast. All of the winter clothes were 50% off. I got 3 pair of jeans and 8 tops for (drum roll......) $25! And I'm talking about nice clothes, not someone's left over junk. The jeans are Levis and Avenue, and the tops are Croft and Barrel, Avenue, Lane Bryant, Victoria Secret, Under Armor, Kim Rogers, etc. That's the difference in thrift stores and consignment stores. Thrift stores will accept all donations where as consignment stores pick and choose what they accept because they know it has to sell so that we (the consignors) make money, too. Of course 99% of the time I turn around and spend what I made off of the items of mine that sold. but it's still a lot cheaper to pick up a gently worn Victoria Secret sweater for $10-15 than it is to buy it new for $60 out of the catalog. Okay, I'll get off of my soap box now...

Come on! You know everyone has something that they do that is against the "rules"... Mine is espresso. I know that I'm not supposed to have caffine, but I haven't been able to find espresso Beans that are decaffeinated? I don't have one every day and I make it myself so that 1. I'm not spending a lot of money at the coffee shop and 2. I can control what goes in it. I would say I have maybe 3-4 per week. I grind my own beans and make it in my Kurig coffee maker. (mine has a little filter so I can use the Kcups or use my own coffee) I use about 1/8 of a cup of cold 2% milk, a splash of French vanilla coffee creamer, and one package of Equal. It's pure heaven to me! I was super proud of myself a Christmas. My mom kept sending pies, cakes, Cookies, etc. to my house, but I was really good. I would take a bite of my hubby's, and then I was satisfied. All I wanted was a bite. I stuck to my meat and veggies and I was able to only take a spoonful of the "bad" stuff like green bean casserole, stuffing, etc. I describe it as "taste everything, but eat nothing". I KNOW that if I fill up on the bad stuff then there's no room for my Protein and veggies.

Sometimes I sip (and I dooo mean sip) if something is too spicy or if it gets "stuck", but I've found that if it's "stuck" or slow to go down sipping doesn't really help. It's just a habit that I have to break. I'm working on drinking whatever I'm going to have 20-30 minutes before I eat/while I'm cooking, or I wait until 20-30 minutes AFTER I've eaten. It just doesn't seem natural, but in time I'll get used to it.

Well I just got back from the gym. I caught a cold before Christmas, so I'm just getting my "wind" back and feeling like I can breathe again. Let me tell you - missing a couple of weeks can REALLY make it hard to get back on track. Unfortunately I don't have a very good support group in my corner, so its all on me. I don't own a scale at home, so I have to rely on weighing in at the doctor's office or at the gym. Anyway - I've made it a habit to weigh in after my work out before I leave the gym. I'm soooooo excited to say that as of today (1/4/14) I am officially under the 200lb mark weighing in at 197lbs! Can I say that again - 197 pounds! I've been able to see the results in my upper body and my legs, but I still have that "spare tire" that I can't seem to loose. My sister in law (a bypass patient) promises that if I stick with the gym it will eventually melt away. I hope she's right! We're going on a cruise in May and while I know I won't be in a bikini or anything, I'd sure love to feel comfortable in a bathing suit by then. I was sleeved on October 17, 2013. The day I went in for surgery I weighed 238 lbs. I wore a pair of size 22 jeans to the hospital and came home in a pair of XXL sweat pants. I'm happy to say that I'm comfortably in a size 16 right now. My leggings were beginning to sag in the butt, so I got new ones in a size Large! I bought a pair of 14 jeans yesterday to hang on the back of my bathroom door. Right now I can't even get them zipped, but gimme another month and I'll be there... I just wanted to share cause I know y'all "get it". Like I said, I don't have a really good support group to encourage me when I miss a couple of days at the gym, and I work out alone. My husband praises me and loves my new look, but I can't get him to walk or work out with me

You are soooo right about the 18w vs an 18. TOTALLY different! I have no ass naturally, but the 16w's REALLY give me saggy ass. But when I try a regular 16 on I get major muffin top! Thank God for Spanx*!

I know the "angel choir" sound. I feel it when I fit in a bucket seat in my friends tiny sports car. (Definitely not made for fat people!) Keep it up girl.

Did you accidentally grab a pair if juniors size by mistake? I know I've done it recently. Trust me when I tell you that juniors are NOT made for hips or curves. I agree with the other poster. Go to a thrift store to get them cheap. I've been taking my "fat clothes" to the consignment store. I'm a firm believer in quality bras and panties, so I treat myself to Victorias Secret bras and panties, but I get my outer wear at the thrift or consignment store.

Congrats! I had to break down and go buy new clothes, too. I'm not ready to invest in quality clothes yet, so I'm taking my old stuff to the consignment store and picking up "new" pieces there - cheap! A couple weeks ago I got a practically brand new New Zealand lamb skin leather for $20!! Plus by taking my fat clothes in I gain credit that I can use toward purcha$e$!

I hear ya sista! You go girl. I understand completely. I was a size 8 when my hubby and I married 9 years ago, but then I hurt my back moving a patient. One thing led to another and I wound up a size 22! 2 months after my sleeve I'm down to a size 16. I'm not yet ready to "have the lights on",but hubby is. ???? I'm comfortable in my gym clothes, but I'm not ready for "neked" yet. Maybe after another 20 lbs or so.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger honey. I didn't announce my surgery either. There are some people who know like my inlaws (who are completely supportive), and a couple of close friends, but for the most part I'm like you - it's no one's business but mine. Whenever my mom mentions it to someone she gets it all wrong and tells them I had lap band or bypass surgery. (Wrong! I had the sleeve) When people ask me how I'm doing it - I don't lie, but I don't go into a lot of detail either. I tell them that I've drastically changed my eating habits and that I don't eat anything anymore (which is basically true), and that I'm working my ass off at the YMCA (which is also true). If someone came right out and asked me if I had surgery I would tell them, but you don't go around asking if someone had a vasectomy or a tubal ligation, right? I've had people imply (and even come right out and say) "Oh that's cheating." "That's the easy way to loose weight." My answer to them is - "No, it isn't easy or cheating. You try to live off of 4-5 ounces of food at a time when you're used to eating 5x that. And I'm working out, too. Oh and major surgery is no picnic either." Go to your Christmas celebration. Taste everything and eat nothing. Enjoy yourself and show them what a success you are.

That's CrAzY! It's a good thing that you had the good sense to call for help. You could've blown up the house or spilled your wine! (just kidding) I'm glad you're okay.

I joined the YMCA. I'm not a "class" type of person. I like to go in, do my work out and leave. I am the whitest white girl you've ever met - meaning I cannot dance, so I don't do Zumba or any of the classes. I normally walk a mile around the track, then I do 10 sets of 10 on most of the machines. I'm trying to concentrate on my abs, thighs and "bingo arm". Then I do 15-20 minutes on the stationary bike, then another mile or so on the track, then I treat myself to weighing in in the locker room before I go home. They have all kinds of classes, but again - I'm just not into any of it. I can feel a HUGE difference in my body. This might be a little TMI, but my husband says that my body/sex has really changed since I started working out. That thigh master is amazing!

Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited to be consistently loosing weight, but this is getting expensive! Thank God for a nice consignment store and thrift stores near by! I started out in 22-20's (238) and I'm down to a comfortable 16 (202). I bought my first pair of "skinny jeans" recently. Not because I feel like I'm skinny, but I have a FLATTTTTT BUTT! We were away at Thanksgiving visiting family for a few days. The jeans that I'd packed were falling off of me and I could feel the back of my jeans flapping in the wind because I have no a$$! Fortunately I found a Goodwill store nearby and got a few pair of jeans relatively cheap. I even got a couple pair of 14's just because they were so cheap. I figured I'd get into them in a few weeks. I had no idea how sloppy I looked wearing clothes that are too large. The big bargain that I found that I'm so excited about is a New Zealand lamb skin leather coat! I only paid $20 for it! It looks brand new and still has that "new leather" smell to it, even though it was in a thrift store! Now that I'm home and I've lost down to 200lbs - it fits GREAT! I used to be really bad about hanging on to clothes because my weight always fluctuated so much. My new goal is to take it to the consignment store once it gets too large. No more clothes hoarding for me. It's all "down hill" from here on out!