JanetteH

Hi everyone Yes, Claire I'm a little disappointed to say that I've had "bounce back" - in total I'm back up about 11 lbs. I'm exercising less (just walking the dog about 1 mile every day) so I plan to get back to the gym - swimming and the weight circuit are good for me even if I don't lose weight :-) I have decided to live with my apron - it's not so bad and recovery from the surgery sounds difficult. Good luck to everyone with more surgery in their future. Janette

Looking good!

Hi Kim Congratulations - sounds as if you will be looking fantastic! Cant wait to see some before and after pictures :-) So glad everything went fairly well - keeping you in my thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery. Janette

Congratulations Erin! You look fabulous - so smart to get the surgery when you're young - you have the whole of the rest of your life to enjoy being "skinny" I haven't reached my goal weight but I'm holding steady at about 20 lbs over (lost 105lbs) - not bad for a grandma.

Hi Erin So glad to hear you're feeling better - that was not a good way to get down to your goal weight I have been so fortunate in that I haven't had any problems so far - I will take your description of the symptoms very seriously just in case something like that happens to me. Thanks for posting. I can't believe the emergency room doctors let it go so long until things became life threatening. Horrible! Anyway, glad it's all in the past - enjoy your cruise - you deserve it so much. Janette

WOW! You guys are making great progress! So happy to hear that Claire and Deanna have their tummy tucks all set up. Good luck! Hope there are as few problems as possible. I have not investigated this surgery yet - I'm still losing very slowly (down 104 lbs now/size 18) Enjoying buying clothes in "regular" XL sizes. My "apron" can be disguised in the right clothing - may try spanks or compression shorts.

Congratulations, Dreamingbig - you look fantastic. Do you have a "before" picture? I can't even imagine you as a "fat lady" - you look so beautiful. Claire - off on another adventure! You sure don't let your mobility issues get in your way! As you know, we were in Baltimore visiting our older son and new grandson and in 10 days we're off to San Diego for a week to visit our younger son. Not quite as exciting as Italy but I'll enjoy myself - might even get to meet KimR. I think many of us are/have been suffering from the "plateau blues". I finally got the scale to move and hit my goal of losing 100 lbs by increasing my exercise over the last month - that seems to be the secret for me - and I feel better too - all those endorphins running around my system. We finally have some warmer weather here in upstate New York so its a joy to go outdoors without a coat I agree with Claire about the healthier Snacks - in addition to fruit, I keep yoghurts on hand as well as hummus with veggies. My secret treat is a digestive biscuit with my tea (for Americans this is also plain like tea biscuits - similar to Graham crackers) so nothing fancy unless I go crazy and buy chocolate digestives Good luck everyone - and keep on posting - I miss you!

Deanna, Good idea - I might buy some compression shorts Lynn, I was stuck for several months around Thanksgiving and Christmas - eating the wrong things and suffering the consequences. I decided I had to do something about it so I went back to the gym and started tracking my food on MyFitnessPal again. I swim twice a week, take a Zumba class, lift weights and have increased the distance I walk my dog to about an hour (2.5-3 miles). It's working - I'm down another 6 pounds now - and have finally hit my "mini-goal" of losing 100 pounds I'm not too rigid in watching what I eat, but the small stomach is still working for quantity control - I get full after 1.5-2 cups of food - and the exercise is making me more toned and stronger. Do you have access to a gym, exercise videos or even a Wii? Good luck!

Hi Kim, Claire & Deanna Great to hear from everyone - so glad everyone is doing well. Like you, my weight loss slowed and stopped for around three months - and I actually gained 3 lbs in Dec and Jan But I'm on a new routine of increased exercise and I'm losing again slowly (about ½ lb per week). I walk 3-4 miles, or swim for 1 hour, or take a Zumba class and lift weights almost every day. My energy level is certainly improving and my blood work is all excellent so my PCP/GP is delighted with me. Beginning to think my long-term goal of losing another 25 lbs is a long shot but I can live with that. Just need to reach my mini-goal of losing 100 lbs (2 lbs to go!) Haven't decided about skin removal - my "apron" slaps against my thighs when I'm walking - very annoying. I'm tempted to have it removed but it's more serious surgery and I'm feeling cowardly. My big news is that I became a grandma 2 weeks ago and we're spending 5 days over Easter with them - so excited. Then later in the month I'm heading to San Diego for a week to visit my other son (my birthday present). Hope to meet up with Kim while I'm there Take care everyone. Janette

Nothing is inappropriate here - I was just teasing you for thinking a negative thought on a very positive post I guess we all wish we could be where we are without surgery - but the truth is we failed before - I for one am so glad I had the surgery - pain or not! (and let me tell you, I did not feel that way for the first 3 weeks! I wished I'd never heard of bariatric surgery). Almost a year out, almost 100 pounds lighter and I'm really really happy and would recommend it to anyone who struggled like I did.

Deanna, so sorry you had a "brown out" - I've never heard of that but it doesn't sound like fun. Feel better and drink your water Claire, how are you feeling? I'm really concerned that you're either doing too much and getting run down or that there's something more serious with your hormones /electrolytes /iron /other blood work. I asked around and didn't find anyone else feeling that poorly after a year. Hope Hawaii really helped (silly me, how could Hawaii not help). Make sure Allan spoils you (even more than usual) and let us know what the doc says. As far as the food is concerned - my advice is order what you want - even if it's a main course and way too much food. You're worth it! You can always adopt the American "doggy-bag" trick. I order whatever I want and then just take the rest home (one of us has it for a lunch the next day).

Hey Layknee - just think about where you're posting this comment We're all so positive and talking about our NSV's; how wonderful we feel about ourselves after surgery etc. Why would you not want that for your friend too?

Hi everyone! Haven't posted in a while with all the holiday chaos etc. Just got back from Texas - working with refugees from Central America - what an eye-opener for this northern, upstate NY girl!! Also got to spend the week with my younger son who now lives in San Diego - he was so impressed with my weight loss and made his mum feel proud. Kim - congrats on reaching Onederland - isn't it great? I got there around Thanksgiving. Erin- you look fabulous - "skinny" even You're bound to make your goal! Deanna - glad the scale started moving again. I've been stuck several times so I know how discouraging it can be. I'm back in my eating "routine" of 3 small meals and 3 "snacks" a day - that routine helps me a lot - prevents mindless eating. Claire - have a fabulous time in Hawaii and congrats on the 5 lbs/month - that's fantastic - I've slowed down to about 3 lbs/month but as long as the numbers aren't going up, I'm content. Bless this little stomach - despite all the turkey, pies and cookies, I actually lost a pound over Christmas & New Year. My slim husband gained 7 lbs and is now on a "diet". I got a "Fitbit" for Christmas so gotta get it set up and synced with MyFitnessPal. Good luck to everyone for a successful and losing 2015!

Hi Lynn, I have the same problem. I even wish sometimes that I had more restrictions/problems to stop me from eating those treats One thing I have done is to make sure I'm still having three good healthy meals a day - menu planned, food in the house, sit down and eat etc. If I'm full, I snack less. Otherwise, my goal is to maintain my weight over the holidays and get totally back on plan in January. I also make sure I savor and really enjoy the treats I have, not just absent-mindedly swallow them. But having so many goodies lying around everyone's house is hard. Do your best and have a wonderful holiday.

Hi everyone, Glad everyone did so well - I too had a successful "first" Thanksgiving. I use MyFitnessPal to track my food and I actually ate LESS than usual - dinner at 3pm and just a half sandwich for supper. We were out of town so I exercised all 3 days - the hotel had an exercise room and a pool which I used Thursday & Friday; went for a 3 mile walk with my hubby on Saturday. I've been on a plateau for a month and then I lost 2 lbs over Thanksgiving!! LOL My husband asked me if I missed being able to eat all the food I used to, and I realized I could honestly say "no" - I tasted everything I wanted to and just stopped when I was full. I always enjoyed healthy food - just ate way too much - so this quantity limitation is the answer to my prayers. I'm not mourning the loss of food at all. In fact, now my diabetes is resolved, I allow myself tastes of things that were taboo before. Let's keep it up over the Christmas season!

Kim - what a difference! As Claire says, you were beautiful in the wedding picture too - but now you look healthier as well as beautiful! Can't believe you wear a size 14 already. I'm down to a size 18 -this darn belly gets in the way Love the new jean ad on TV where the store has labelled them "Size Strong" or "Size Confident etc. - no numbers. Just started cleaning out my closet and have a huge pile of clothes going to charity. Swore I wasn't going to buy new stuff until I got to goal, but I literally had nothing to wear this winter - and it's way too cold in upstate New York to play Lady Godiva. So I just treated myself to some pants and sweaters - so many people have paid me compliments because my weight loss is more obvious without the old baggy clothes Went back to the gym this week - got retrained on all the weight machines and signed up for my favorite aquafit class and a yoga class. I'm proud of myself for getting all that in place before the weather gets too bad for walking outdoors. Last week I got lost in a huge park near here - took a wrong turn and ended up on a different trail miles away from my car. Took me about 2½ hours to find my way out - the good news is that I had no problem walking all that time (my dog was in heaven!). Absolutely could not have done that 9 months ago NSV?

Tammy - WOW what a difference - you look fantastic. Funnily enough I have "old" pictures but no new ones Have to get my husband to take one. I was helping with the church service on Sunday so "on display" - 5 or 6 people came up to me afterwards to tell me I looked great and ask how much I'd lost. My vet on the other hand was afraid to ask - when I volunteered that I'd lost weigh,t he said he noticed but didn't say anything in case I was "sick" Kim - yes I notice I could snack more than before - have to be careful - I had one Twix on Halloween and then sent the remaining bars to work with my husband. Last night I got really angry with someone and caught myself thinking about having a frozen pizza at 10pm!! Old habits die hard - had fruit instead. But I agree it's getting harder with fewer limitations.

Wow, Claire! What a difference! Maybe now you understand why I wouldn't have known you if it hadn't been for the yellow VW Love that purple dress - it has a waist and so do you!! You look amazing. Do you have any pictures of you at your heaviest (before Slimming World)? That must be the ultimate contrast. You should use that recent close-up as your thumbnail - great picture of a lovely person. Yesterday I had a disaster - exactly what you're afraid of, Claire, suddenly happened to me. Apparently I got "dumping syndrome" and I did not quite make it back to the house in time I didn't feel normal all day - anything I ate or drank made me feel instantly full. Just had some chicken soup for dinner and went to a meeting. Felt a lot of rumbling and gas during the meeting and then began to feel hot & clammy. I left, got into my car and headed home - but I leaked on the way. (Sorry for the graphic description, ladies) I have no idea what caused it - hadn't had any abnormal amounts of fat or sugar. I've only felt like that a couple of times and that was pretty early in my recovery. For the past few months I've been able to eat just about anything ( I do stick to the guidelines for eating but have no intolerance). Who knows? Just an event to put me in my place? Maybe if I feel like that again I'll wear some Tena/Depends when I go out Non-Scale Advantage or Victory - I'll take them whatever people want to call them. This event must have been a NSD - non-scale disaster

Congratulations MissT - you look fantastic - what a difference! I will try to post a before and after picture soon. Millergirl - keep it up - you're doing great. I agree - it's hard when other people are losing faster than you are - but I just try to think of all the things I can do now that I couldn't do a year ago - walking around New York City for 6 hours; being able to cross my legs; discovering I actually have a lap; fitting easily in theatre and airplane seats (and no extension) etc. We went to a concert at Carnegie Hall in NYC last weekend - found our seats were in the middle of the row and everyone else was already seated. They all stood up and one man said "You're thin enough to slide past" WHAT?

Hi Tammy - I just wanted to let you know that we are still running parallel to each other - I too have "only" lost 90 lbs. The differences is that I'm delighted with that loss - yes it's slow but we're still moving in the right direction. What is more important to me is all the things I can do now that I couldn't do before - I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and back with my husband last weekend - couldn't have done that last year ☺ I also "only" walk 1-2 miles a day. At my speed (2 - 2.5 miles per hour) a 6 mile walk would take 2 ½ to 3 hours - no one has that amount of time every day! You'd have to be someone who was doing nothing but working on yourself - crazy. Ask your doctor if he/she has 3 hours free every day. I certainly don’t. I also still have my "apple" shape - I don't think that will ever change - I'm resigned to the idea that I'll never have a flat belly. As Claire says, we're melting downwards - I'm excited to fit size 18 pants now but it's always the waist measurement I have to watch. Don't get discouraged - you're doing fine. Your "job" taking care of 3 invalids is a lot – both physically and emotionally - and possibly not very rewarding. Try not to let those negative feelings about yourself creep back in – you’re doing fantastic. Hey, you’re doing as well as me so I have to say that ☺

Erin - so sorry to hear that you're still having some real problems with food. The good news is that you've lost a ton of weight and look fabulous. I haven't had many problems - I have to chew everything really well but if I do that I can tolerate most foods. Can't handle any overcooked or dry meats - like you I prefer my steak pretty rare; chicken has to be moist etc I had a piece of dry, overcooked steak get stuck once, and chicken another time - very unpleasant, throwing up etc although they did move through (or up) eventually - I've heard of people having to go to the hospital to have food removed I use a lot of ground beef and ground turkey too - much safer. Have you tried fish or seafood? Again I love it lightly cooked or even raw (sushi and sashimi go down really well) I have started to buy high quality (more expensive) meats - I'm eating such a small portion so it doesn't cost any more to get a 3 oz portion of fillet mignon than the 1 lb slab of steak I used to consume Another trick is to "brine" or marinate meat before cooking. I'm not big on bread either - prefer crackers and crispbread. Good luck with everything - the things you're avoiding (cream sauces, sugar etc) are "treats" anyway so not eating them will help with your weight loss - think positive You look great.

Kim I just met with my local support group (face-to-face). Most of them are way further out than us - 2-6 years. None of them received plastic surgery on their insurance. A couple decided not to have any surgery, one got turned down by her insurance and one did extensive plastic surgery but paid for it all out-of-pocket. Not good news - but they knew of others who had successfully had at least had the skin "apron" removed on insurance. My insurance requires me to be about 2 years out (i.e. all weight lost and maintained for at least one year) before they'll even consider anything. Erin Returning to your lunch/breakfast problem. I often have "leftovers" for lunch (make a little extra of a favorite dinner). Other favorites are: Shrimp salad or tuna salad wrapped in lettuce leaves or a whole-wheat tortilla Salmon on whole wheat bread w/lettuce & mayo Veggie-burger on a low-carb bun with lots of veggie toppings Hummus with red peppers, cucumber,carrots and pita chips Gem wrap or low-carb pita with cold cuts, lettuce & tomato Berries with yoghurt or cottage cheese 3 small turkey meatballs (I buy frozen) on a pita with marinara & parmesan cheese. Mixed salad with low-fat dressing - topped with roast beef, chicken, cheese etc. Half a small bagel with low-fat cream cheese, smoked salmon, cucumber & red onion. BLT - turkey bacon on low-carb bread "Pizza" - whole wheat pita with low-fat mozzarella - I love pesto instead of tomato sauce topped with grilled chicken and artichokes Any one else want to share some favorites?

Hi Erin I tend to have eggs for breakfast - a favorite of mine before WLS - I find my day gets off to a god start with some protein and veggies. I usually have them scrambled or poached with a couple of slices of low-carb toast or add veggies & 1 oz low-fat cheese instead (mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, green onions etc). Here's some other ideas I got from various WLS sites - hope they help - good luck. Egg Salad 2 boiled eggs, 1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayo, 3 Ryvita crisp-bread. Total calories = 364 Strawberry Nut Oatmeal
 Cook ¾ c dry old-fashioned quick oats with water (to desired consistency), and top with 1 c strawberries or blueberries and 2 Tbsp pecans. Total Calories = 375 Vanilla Fruit-and-Nut Parfait 
 Mix 1½ c whole grain puffed cereal with 6 oz fat-free vanilla yogurt, 1 c blueberries, and 2 Tbsp almonds. Total Calories = 354 Southwest Breakfast Tacos Fill three soft corn tortillas with the following ingredients: ½ cup egg whites, scrambled; ¼ cup sliced Hass avocado ¼ cup low-fat shredded Cheddar cheese, and ¼ cup salsa verde. Total calories: 363 Breakfast Pita
 Warm 1 multigrain pita and fill evenly with 4 scrambled egg whites or ½ c liquid egg, ½ c fresh baby spinach leaves, ¼ c salsa, and ¼ c sliced avocado. Total Calories = 329 Toast and Cheese 
Toast 2 slices sesame-sprouted whole grain bread and top with ¼ c nonfat ricotta cheese and 2 Tbsp walnuts. Serve with 1 medium apple. Total Calories = 372 Cashew Crunch 
Top 1 slice sesame-sprouted whole grain bread with 2 Tbsp cashew butter and ¼ c raisins. Total Calories = 400 Mediterranean Breakfast Wrap Fill a 100% whole wheat wrap with ½ cup egg substitute, scrambled; 1 oz feta cheese; 1 diced plum tomato; and 10 large sliced black olives. Total calories: 364 Farm Fresh Egg & Cheese Sandwich Drizzle one toasted whole wheat English muffin with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Top the muffin with one large poached egg, 1 slice reduced-fat Swiss cheese, and half of a medium vine-ripened tomato, sliced. Total calories: 387 PB&A Oatmeal
 2 Tbsp peanut butter, swirled into ¾ cup quick oatmeal, cooked, and topped with 1 medium sliced apple. Total Calories = 388