katesuccess

So do we all take our final pictures wearing costumes?

Your every waking thought is NOT about food for a change. You always know where the tape measure is, since you check measurements every month--and like doing it! You choose clothes you like instead of buying based on what covers you and is inoffensive. Your old cheat foods begin to lose their flavor, appeal, and their power!

Venti Iced Passion Tea for me! Takes a long time to drink, no caffeine and counts towards my Water - AND is super flavorful. Tell them no syrup (sweetener) or to add a packet of your choice. I bring my own stevia usually, or ask for Equal if i forget.

Great to reinvigorate the recipes conversation, but likely more helpful on the forum labeled for it. Scroll down in the support groups section and towards the bottom is Food and Nutrition, and it's separated by things like what stage of eating you're in and if your vegetarian, gluten-free, etc. It's a good section and I've found some great ideas there!

Today's weight is 218.5 --But I always round up just in case! So if you need a whole number, use 219 please.

Congratulations on your FABULOUS weight loss! Not that I'd presume to tell you what to say EVER, but this is essentially what I told my own mother: Dear Mum, I feel so much more determined and excited to work hard on my goals when I have positive encouragement and support! If I get to a time when my doctor or I am concerned about results or progress and I need to vent - I know you'll be there for me. But for now and in the future I need you to stay fully positive about my working so freaking hard on this goal and my weight loss, and unless you can do that - we just should not talk about it at all.

I'm later date than you if you're all mid-April (I'm the 29th) and also not as far along with weight loss as some of you, but doing okay. Surgery day I was 276 and today I"m 219 and happy. I also started taking Biotin a couple months before surgery, and I get 70 to 75 gms Protein a day with only a rare 65 day here and there. I'll sure be more diligent! Also I take the fish oil and may start adding the flax seed oil too. My dermatologist said it would help my eczema possibly, but she advocates the seeds - I just can't get those suckers down! Hard to figure out where to add them, since I don't do any breads or cereals or granola to hide them in, and I'd sooner die than add them to my fabulous coffee Protein shake each morning! Anyway, I'm starting to see some hair loss now and I can feel my ponytail is much thinner now when i gather it up for my C25k or gym workouts. I"m going to get a little bit shorter cut to hopefully hide it too. Sigh. Still, I'd rather be slim, healthy and bald than go back to pre-pre-op weight of 287! Kate

I love these challenges - I'm in! Thanks for doing this, it really helps.

I'm in Issaquah/Sammamish area, and can do any Eastside communities or Seattle, depending on the time we choose.

I had the sleeve, and I'm a true lover of sweets and sugars (okay, also bread and meat!) and I swear I never met a candy bar or baked good I didn't like. I talked to my doc about which surgery to have, and he talked through the differences and advantages/disadvantages with me. I started at 276 on surgery day, and I'm 5'5" so BMI of 46. He said if I were higher weight he'd push me towards RNY, or if I had acid reflux with regularity - same thing. He also said if I did not think I was going to manage to control sugar-eating then I should lean towards RNY as well. I decided that the pre-op diet had gone well and my mindset was shifting in a way that I thought I could handle the sugar thing. I also feared I'd be one of those who'd have no negative 'encouragement' from dumping, and still be able to eat it! Additionally, because I have a public job with 'on stage' type elements which don't allow for stepping away for an unexpected rush to the bathroom, and which means travel to places where I cannot control what food is served (only how much of it I eat), and my travel occasionally limits my access to reliable or sanitary restroom facilities, I opted for the sleeve. I'm almost four months out and have lost 55 pounds since the surgery. I have no gastric issues, no dumping, and NO regrets! I sometimes have a mild upset stomach if I eat something like a cookie, which I've done all of twice since surgery -- but Protein bars are fine, I just choose low carb ones. Sometimes I've wished I had gone with the RNY because some people have faster weight loss with it, but again - no guarantee I'd be one of them, so I'm happy with my choice. Not sure if this helps any - but good luck on your choice. You can work with whichever you choose, and work towards success.

Forgot to log yesterday - oops! I'm currently at 222.

I agree - signing up ahead is great incentive. Today I did my first 5k since my surgery three and a half months ago (the one I walked three years ago doesn't feel like it counts any more!). My time today was kinda lousy, but I met my goal of finishing in under an hour and without injury or pain. My pace was 15.17/mile and 47.02 total, so my goal for the next month is to get to 5k in under 40 minutes. Unfortunately I work on Sunday mornings, and at least half the runs out there are on Sundays -- still, that leaves the other half!

I was discharged being told to take a dulcolax every night until my bottle of them was gone (90!) and I'm not even sure it's helped much, since just taking that (before adding another remedy), I'd have a bowel movement maybe once a week tops. I told the RN and doc this, and they were quite surprised, and said I should have one more often. They told me to use Miralax but I hated the taste and so asked for an alternative (it's easier to get down if you add some flavoring like SF lemonade). They said I could try Milk of Magnesia - but it tasted worse to me. Both worked pretty well the first time I used them, but with an urgency factor in the morning. Also both worked less-well the second time, and so now I'm back to what I used pre- pre-op; Benefiber every day. It's helped and doesn't leave me wondering if i'm going to have to spend time making four rushed trips to the bathroom in a morning...but that's just me! good luck.

Mine is Rita Connolly singing The Deer's Cry - first line "I arise today..." Oh yeah. Listen on youtube, it's fantastic:

I love the idea of the sushi roll-- good boredom break! I find myself motivated to cook more than about every two days, and I find it sometime stimulate me has hunger, so I just don't feel as much as I used to. I agree about fine sleep rest or premade things from the really good healthy, but I also go through the "world according to egg face" blog and read her Bento box lunches for quick grab and go things I wouldn't have thought of. My favorite go-to treat are the little thin strips of smoked salmon that come in a 4 ounce package; two 80 calorie high-flavor fabulous lunch protein servings for me!

I knew I was losing weight when I'd cleaned out my closet before vacation, and now that I'm back I find I again have hardly anything to wear that fits! Thank goodness for thrift stores. I used to tuck my cell phone into the upper edge of my bra and use it on speaker while moving around - now if I do that even the slightest hint at bending over will topple it out - there's not enough of me in the bra cup to hold it in tight any more.

For you men who don't have the advantage of clipping Fitbit One to inside of your bra--My husband clips his to the neck of his t-shirt. It works great. LOL at the fan on the nightstand Ava!

1) Height / weight starting our wls programs: 5' 5" 287 2) Weight day of surgery: (276 on April 29th) 3) post op weight pounds lost/gained: 52 lbs! 4) Goal weight: 145 5) Your biggest success this week: finding a few good fits at thrift store in xl and 18 instead of only shopping the plus size section! Yay! 6) Your biggest struggle this week: Still having trouble getting enough water in, and hitting the gym every other day (alternating with jogging) feels like a chore these days. I'll do it though, since it's what i have to do!

Wow - some of you are like power-machines! I'm impressed. I hope to be stronger and more fit as this process goes along, and for now I'm delighted to be getting there a step at a time. Usually I work out in the evenings after work, be it cardio walk/jogging around town or strength training in the gym. Last week was a busy week and I found myself resenting every evening finding me working or working out into the later hours, with little time for other pursuits, so I tried to abandon my 'all or nothing' mindset and opted to try getting up early once or twice to workout and see how it was. Well, it's been twice now, and I find I really don't mind it. It's not a big joy or anything (yet) but i could grow to liking it. So far i've only done it on my walk/jog days where I stand stumble into clothes and out the door with the dog, but eventually i'll try it on a gym day and see. Anyway, good thread fiddleman (as usual!) and I look forward to reading more of people's posts about this.

All you folks getting those passports to Onderland are great inspiration--way to go! Today's weight for me is 226. Finally broke an 8 day stall. Yay! Kate

I"m still a few pounds larger than you, and I too find myself being the biggest (or 1st runner up) at the gym all the time. But hey - the dialogue I have in my head goes like this. If I'm afraid they think i'm the fat one, it's the only way I"m going to change that is by getting moving, working out and eating carefully. Is their opinion more important than my health? No way. DO they care, and for that matter -do I care what they think? Nope. Another thing I discovered is that if I put my earphones in on my way in from the car, it's like being in a quasi-invisible bubble! No one yacks at you with headphones on, and frankly I notice people are so busy looking at themselves they rarely even look at me. I saw a woman working really hard on Russian Twists yesterday, and doing a great job (she's slightly overweight, but clearly on her way to being fit) and I took off one earbud long enough to say, "Hey you're doing amazing with those! I hope I get there soon!" She beamed, and I was really glad I said something. I suspect most of us think GOOD things about each other's efforts, because we all have something about us that makes us self conscious or that we wish were different, even shoe size maybe. Truth is, in a place where people are hoping to get stronger and healthier, chances are they're thinking nice things instead of tacky ones (even if there ARE a few of them too). Assume the best about yourself and them - and go for it.

WOOHOO!!! Way to go Sdocforce! That's fabulous. AND it give me both hope and incentive. I"m currently 2/3 the way through a Couch-to-5K app on my phone, and surprisingly I"m liking it. I've never liked jogging before, and never thought I could do it and stick it out, but finally I'm feeling like I'm on my way. Your post is so good to read, and inspires me to feel more hopeful as I sit here at my desk wondering where I'll get the energy to get out and do it tonight - I'll get if from your success today at least! Thanks and Congratulations!

I love my Fitbit One! It's about an inch and a quarter long, half inch wide, and has a super sturdy clip that I hook onto my bra so it's unseen and secure. It measures how many steps I take each day, but also number of flights of stairs i climb, how far I go and even attempts to tell me how many calories it thinks I've burned on a given day. I love that it has an 'alert' feature on the Fitbit One (the cheaper one doesn't have this) that I can set as often or whatever time and frequency I want, and it'll vibrate just enough to let me feel it - which is my reminder twice a day to get up from my desk and take a walk around the building, so i don't stay too sedentary. All that is just on the device's little window! Then I can see a more full report on my handheld phone and on my computer (or ipad). On phone and ipad and computer I can enter the foods I eat (like using myfitnesspal - or you can even link it to your myfitnesspal account) and it calculates how much I can still eat and stay within my goals for burning calories for the day. So on a super active day it'll say i have more left to eat while still keeping a 1000 cal deficit. I don't pay any attention to that calculation really, since i typically try to eat the same calories each day. It's been really accurate when I've checked it against mapping or other calculators, but you have to set your stride length and tell it your stats for it to do that accurately. They're about $100 but I had a loyalty coupon from Best Buy that knocked off $15, so good deal. Honestly, If I lost it or wrecked it, I'd buy another one tomorrow! It's essential for me keeping track and keeping motivated. Also - (Sorry if TMI) I got one for my hubby, and my niece and I have 'friended' each other on it too, so we can all check to see who's ahead with steps or stairs - and it doesn't share anything you don't want, like weight or food or anything. Finally, I accidentally went swimming with it on once, and it dried out just fine. Others have said you can do that maybe one time, but the second time they got it soaked it died. I"m hoping NOT to do it again obviously! Good luck - go check them out.

I'm three months out, and started exercising right away - just walking at first. I get about 640 calories most days, and around 70 grams of protein. I exercise 6 days a week - three doing resistance training at the gym with warm up cardio, and three to four days a week I'm working on a Couch to 5K app on my phone, which means jogging about 25 minutes and powerwalking ten minutes. I'm 5'5" and presently 227, down from 267 on the day of surgery. I wish I were losing faster, but I'm getting better with this rate for the most part. I tried upping calories to 800 in case that was why it was slow, but for those two weeks I didn't loose an ounce! Also I'd say that I feel great - not overly tired and pretty energetic really. I still don't eat any breads or starchy carbs (no corn, potatoes, rice, grains, etc). My trainer's rule works really well in helping me feel good while working out; a carb snack (fruit for me) before a workout and a protein snack after. Usually half a quest bar, or an ounce of jerky or cheese. Hope this is helpful.

I'd forgotten where that one came from Miss Mac. For years I've used a version of it; (imagine look of surprise and feigned innocence) "Gosh, why on earth would you ask such a thing?!" Used it when my own sister asked how much our mortgage was and if I was really okay incurring dept for graduate school. Hah! Great thread - and one I needed today. I returned from 4 weeks of vacation yesterday to a rather public job. No one had noticed so much of what I'd lost before I left (really folks? You didn't spot those missing 40 pounds?!) and now i'm down another 16. One woman hugged me and as she pulled away, not whispering at all, said "You're not going to be able to hide what you had done much longer!" They all knew I took time off for surgery, and I was oblique about it being 'gastric' but that was all I said. I just smiled and said it was great to see her. Sigh. I wouldn't mind a quiet private comment to me alone, but not in a crowd thank you very much. Several people in my family have said quasi-compliments about how much i've lost or how 'skinny (at 227?) I am getting. I hate the dwell on it, since it eventually comes down to someone saying how they wish they could do WLS but don't qualify. It's said in a way that conveys how unfairly easy this route is of course. To them I've just shut it down saying, "Thank you - I"m working hard on it!" and then change of subject or side step away to someone else. On the other hand, everyone else said how healthy and well rested I looked. So i'll stay with enjoying those compliments instead!