karenmartin

My rule was that if the ingredients had any kind of sugar, corn syrup, or sugar alcohol it wasn't for me. It works.

Surgery date weight 301 lbs Today 120 lbs

Today marks 6 years since I went into surgery and came out a changed person. I am so much happier than I ever thought I'd be. Life is better. I am stronger. I am smarter. I went into the hospital 6 years ago weighing 301 lbs. This morning I got on the scale and I am 122 lbs! I have a small frame and I'm 5'2. To me, I feel perfect. I am content. I am happy. The road here wasn't easy. It was emotional. It was hard. It was even lonely. ... But today, It is no longer hard, it's not emotional and I'm never alone. Happy Re-birth to me!!!

I like to think of it like a balloon. If I take a never blown up balloon and blow it up then let all the air out of it it'll never be that once really tight balloon. It'll shrink but it won't be tight like it was in the beginning.

I am 6 years out going on 7. I went into surgery weighing 301 lbs. A year and half later I was at 120. I have stayed between 120-125 for the past 5 years. My secret is that I let myself eat what I like, but I NEVER over do it. If I want to eat candy, I'll eat candy but I won't eat a TON of candy. I have mastered the self control. I do snack through the whole day. I don't eat 3 separate meals. I just graze slowly all day...like a cow. Haha. I do weigh myself every week consistently to make sure I'm still where I want to be. .... My sister also had the surgery done 5 years ago and has gained her weight back. I feel so terrible. However, she kept up a lot of bad habits like eating fast, eating more, and drinking with all her meals... That's one rule I have never broken, I never eat and drink together. .. I don't know if there really is a secret to keeping off the weight. I know we're all different and we've all had different experiences. Just stick to what you know works, protein first, eat slowly, keep track of what is going into your body, and keep yourself motivated.

When I had the surgery done I remember during one of my check ups they asked me to set a short term goal and a long term goal. My long term goal was to be 120. The nurse smiled and said that I should do something a little more realistic and asked me to think about aiming for 160. I agreed, but in my head I promised myself I wouldn't settle for anything less than what I wanted. ... I made it! I stayed focused. I followed all the rules. Never chested. Never ate things I shouldn't. Never over did it. Never ate and drank at the same time. ...but I freakin did it! That nurse was happy for me but I so badly wanted to shout I TOLD YOU I COULD DO IT

Day of surgery: 300 lbs size 24/26 jeans and 2X-3X shirts Today: 120 lbs size 2/4 jeans and XS-S shirts

Day of surgery: 300 lbs Today: 120 lbs

I did a TON of walking. I never ate anything that had sugar in the ingredients or high fructose corn syrup. Made a huge difference for me.

Started at 301 lbs and 1 year later I was 115. I'm 5'2 so 115 looks amazing!!! I am SO happy!

That's great!!! So happy for you!

Some kind of shoes you can slip on and off with ease. You'll be doing a lot of walking when you're in "recovery". Trust me, the more you walk the better you'll feel. Take something to look at or watch too because by the second day you're not as tired and you're more bored with staying in bed and walking the halls. Make friends with a pretty nurse

I have to be honest. My recovery was easy. I was in the hospital for 2 days. I walked the halls a lot and walked a lot more than what was asked of me. It really helped me to feel better. I took some pain medication just for a week. I was a little sore and weak but other than that I came out like a champ. I had no complications whatsoever.

I'm over 5 years out and I can barely get to 1200 calories. I STILL eat 800-1000 calories a day

Just remember, those who have thicker hair won't notice if they lose. It's those who have thin hair who notice the most. I attached my pictures of my hair before surgery, during weight loss when I lost my hair and a picture of my hair growing back.

Wow!!! Great job! Keep it up!!!

I stuck to the diet and never cheated or ate anything I knew wasn't good for me. I didn't eat anything that said it had any kind of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. I walked everyday for at least 30 minutes...just walked. ... I remember when the nurse asked me to set a long term goal I said 120. She told me I should try for something more reasonable like 160. I agreed but inside I knew I wanted to be 120 ( even though the last time I was 120 I was in elementary school ). I was determined. Determination can take you as far as you want to go.

My starting weight was 301 after 1 year I was 125... Today I am 116 and I'm 5'4

I am 5 YEARS out and I still have dumping.

I have noticed that if I feel like I may have over done it or ate something too fast or whatever I've done to cause dumping syndrome that if I lay completely flat on my back and rub the center of my chest up and down it gets MUCH better. Laying down flat slows down the digestion process which slows the food from going into your intestine too quickly...which causes that nausea called dumping syndrome. The rubbing helps you relax. In my case, I can hear my stomach start to gurgle and digest at a proper rate...really weird I know, but we're all so in tune with our stomachs now it's easy to feel. ......anyway, it works really well for me

I have one. I love it!!! They came out with the pink flex bracelet for breast cancer... Super excited about it.

I have one. I love it!!! They came out with the pink flex bracelet for breast cancer... Super excited about it.

I am in Awe!!! I'm So amazed!! I'm so happy for you! What an awesome accomplishment!!! I don't even know you and I want to show you off!! Great job!!

The only thing I'd worry about is all the sugar alcohol in it... It'll give you diarrhea

How far out are you? ... Most likely you're just fine. I wouldn't worry.... But if you're a few days or a few weeks from your surgery date I might call.. No, I would call a doctor.