kimba6999

Congrats on getting here with the rest of us. It is a life changer Patrice1. Here's to rest of your journey and especially to the rest of your new life. It will be amd is worth everything you went throught to get here. Good luck to you!!

I looked into surgery in mid october. Met with the doc the beginning of november and was sleeved on dec 18th. So it was about 6 weeks from the start and my ins covered it. I have spent about $700.00 out of pocket for copays and a few blood works that werent covered.

I'm in. First challenge for me. SW 5/29 - 260lbs GW 7/3 - 245lbs

U need to keep people around u that encourage u and u need to be up and moving. Just remember why u did this and think about what the end resuots ate going to be!!

I have dieted for the better part of 20 yrs. To me i have never worked harder than i do now to lose the weight. I think its because i see the progress much more. I never went to the gym 5 days a week or paid so much attention to what i ate. Thsi may be the easier way because we have the help of not being able to stuff our faces but this has been the hardest "diet" i have ever been on. So anyone that says this is the easy way out has no room to talk unless they have walked that mile in our shoes!!

Please dont get discouraged. We all know where that can lead and we dont want unhealthy eating. I woul assume u are still on a soft diet? My first suggestion would be to really look at ur protein intake and ur water intake. If they are too low your body will go into a stall. Make sure u r getting in at least 60g of protein. If u can squeeze more i highly encourage it since it will also aid in ur healing process. Also u need to be at 64oz of water. I know that so early post it is hard to do both but all ur concentration and days should be focused.on getting those 2 things done. If u are walking that is fantastic! U shoud be walking about 15 min every hour unless u can tolerate a nice long stroll which doesnt sound like it yet. I have been super blessed and have had no issues whatsoever. I too had hernia surgery but never felt a thing. My surgeon is awesome and the support staff is outstanding!! Since about day 4 i have been taking in 80-100g od protein a day and after the first week i was able to get in all my water. I healed remarkably fast but then again i tend to be am overachiever. Lol. I was in the gym the day they said it was a go! I am just 5 months post and down 97lbs. My first major goal is 110lbs by my 6 month check up which is June 25th. I think goals are important. I have also done several smaller goals and have hit every one. Just need to stay positive. Please just stay positive and consculiously look at ur intakes and if u need to up them then work hard at it. It will happen for u. I just didnt then amd dont now baby myself. As long as i stayed within my limits i pushed myself and pushed thru the discomfort. We are all here to help and be ur supoort if thats what u need. Keep us informed as to how ur doing and i really hope these suggestions help.

To be honest, sugar is really bad for u. It is a fat maker and they strongly encourage u to cut sugar from ur diet but it doesnt make everyone sick post surgery. Everyone is different. Things u may have eaten prior to surgery u cant tolerate after. Personally sugar is not an issue for me. Dont get memwrong, i still dont eat sugar but i can do it. I stick to food that are naturally sugared with fruit or something. But when i eat my greek yogurt it does have some sugars like fructose. I too suggest u making ur own jello and popsicles and us stevia in the raw. It is the best substitute on the market right now i believe. Hou will learn to get accustomed to the new taste. Also a good whey Protein isolate is body fortress. Mix with some skim milk or Water. I also like to make a great Protein shake with some nonfat plain greek yogurt, a little skim milk, a Protein Powder and a little frozen fruit. I blend it and it tastes like an ice cream shake and its high in protein at about 300 cal. The shake is enough for 2 meals. Good luck to you.

To be honest i hated greek yogurt prior to surgery and cottage cheese and never eat fish. My staple meat on my diet has always been chicken and turkey. They are the best anyway cuz they are 2 of the highest in Protein and low in calories and fat. After surgery i have come to love greek yogurt. My taste buds have changed a bit. I also will use cottage cheese in a recipe but still cant just have it on its own. I also make Protein shakes with a little skim milk, greek yogurt. A scoop of whey isolate any flavor. And some fruit. Makes a great shake and super high in protein. I have a limited pallet but i have been able to eat a varied diet. eggs are just a good soft food but remember they are about 70 cal and only 6g of protein so dont panic. Wait a few weeks and then start trying differet things. You may be pleasantly surprised at what u may or may not like. As far as red meat, we really shojldnt be eating it till around or after 6 months cuz its hard to digest. The chicken you will just learn to make it alp kinds of different ways so theres always change. Another thing is the canned chicken. High in.protein and u can make a chicken salad and eat with crackers or put it in a Soup or just add it to some broth. Just follow the high protein plan and get plenty of fluids. Also if ur not a yogurt eater try starting with the light and fit greek 80 cal yogurts. You may just like them. Also the yoplait 100 cal ones. In my shakes though i use the plain nonfat. Lower in cals and higher in protein. Just dont be discouraged. It isnt as bad as u may think. Good luck and if you need any suggestions please feel free to ask me. Id be more than happy to help u.

If u havent had ur surgery yet i would advise u to start working on eliminating foods or toning down ur foods right away. Start working on your mind set toward food and get counseling if you feel you need that. When i finally made my choice to do this i am an all or nothing kind of person so knowing i had to quit stuff is easy for me. I had to wuit smoking so i did it and cold turkey and didnt look back. I did about a 3 wk mourn on food i know i wouldnt eat anymore or at least for the first yr or 2. I would make it and have a little and say goodbye. Sounds funny but it works. I put on a few pounds prior to my pre op diet but needed to do it. This has been ur life for so many years and just like with anything or anyone that leaves, you need to have time to say goodbye or mourn the loss. I got thru my preop with flying colors, losing 23lbs pre. After i have had no issues. Sometimes i still see things and wish i could enjoy them but then i look at what it would cost me to have that momentary taste and its just not worth all the progress. I am 5 months post and i enjoy the things i eat. There are ways to still have some of the foods u enjoy but just in a modified way, without all the grease and fat and just in a lot smaller portion size. I can eat a small plate of food and i will feel like i went to a buffet and at 3 plates full of food. My taste buds have also changed a bit and i enjoy some things i would have never eaten before surgery. But u will still enjoy food just not all the unhealthy sugar and starch packed foods u do now. I was addicted so i can attest. I wont lie, like i said u still want it sometimes but now intead of having a half a cookie for 100 calories and untold extra time at the gym i opt for a 100 cal pack of popcorn. Its all about compromises. Godd luck to you and ur upcoming journey.

If u havent had ur surgery yet i would advise u to start working on eliminating foods or toning down ur foods right away. Start working on your mind set toward food and get counseling if you feel you need that. When i finally made my choice to do this i am an all or nothing kind of person so knowing i had to quit stuff is easy for me. I had to wuit smoking so i did it and cold turkey and didnt look back. I did about a 3 wk mourn on food i know i wouldnt eat anymore or at least for the first yr or 2. I would make it and have a little and say goodbye. Sounds funny but it works. I put on a few pounds prior to my pre op diet but needed to do it. This has been ur life for so many years and just like with anything or anyone that leaves, you need to have time to say goodbye or mourn the loss. I got thru my preop with flying colors, losing 23lbs pre. After i have had no issues. Sometimes i still see things and wish i could enjoy them but then i look at what it would cost me to have that momentary taste and its just not worth all the progress. I am 5 months post and i enjoy the things i eat. There are ways to still have some of the foods u enjoy but just in a modified way, without all the grease and fat and just in a lot smaller portion size. I can eat a small plate of food and i will feel like i went to a buffet and at 3 plates full of food. My taste buds have also changed a bit and i enjoy some things i would have never eaten before surgery. But u will still enjoy food just not all the unhealthy sugar and starch packed foods u do now. I was addicted so i can attest. I wont lie, like i said u still want it sometimes but now intead of having a half a cookie for 100 calories and untold extra time at the gym i opt for a 100 cal pack of popcorn. Its all about compromises. Godd luck to you and ur upcoming journey.

When i first was considering the process i did a whole lot of research and talked to a lot of people who have had WLS in the past. I attended a couple of seminars advocating for each and ultimately i chose the sleeve. The main reason i chose it was that the sleeve does not bypass any of ur digestive system and u still get to keep some gastric juice in ur stomach. It doesnt mess with ur insides. Whereas the bypass does. It just clamps off part of ur stomach and then bypasses the whole beginning of ur digestive system and u have to take suppliments the rest of ur life to combat the malabsorption from lack of digesting. The sleeve is less invasive and healing time is better. The sleeve is however irreversable so ur stomach will forever be tiny which is fine with me. My doc said it would never really stretch back to what is was. After some time it will relax a bit and u may be able to take in a couple mote ounces than now but what i eat now is plenty. I just eat protein rich meals and if u are eating healthy then carbs and fats and sugars wont be an issue. At this point i am just 5 months post and down 97lbs. I started at 356 and am now 259. My weight loss is beginning to slow up just a bit but still losing about 2 lbs on avg. Some weeks more but so far never less than 2lbs. I feel for me it has been the best decision and the least amount of massive change to the way we were made. We need that digestion for our bodies to work properly. I personally havent had any complications since day one. I also had a hiatel hernia i had to have repaired and it has made a world of difference. Never knew i had it but for 2 yrs prior i had trouble eating. Food was always getting stuck in my throat when i ate and would have to throw it up when it wouldnt go down. I also had horrible reflux at night if i ate too late. I would wake up so often choking on the acid that came up. I felt like i was drowning sometimes. Not anymore!! The sleeve has been the best decision i have ever made. I would so encourage u to do the research amd talk to as many people as u can. Make tye best choice for u. Good luck and keep us informed.

Lol. I too am still a goodwill shopper. I have burned through sizes. And like you too i am still buying nice bras. I used to wear just my size and playtex but since losing i now wear underwire and holy cow do they look nice int he bra anyway. Lol Outside it well, thats another story as im sure a lot of u can relate. The onoy new things i have bought from a first hand store are my danskin now pants from Walmart. Thank god for spandex! With as fast as ive lost im getting a lot of loose and hanging skin so i get the semi fitted and it keeps everything in and tighter. I love them for workouts and they are fairly cheap so im not spending a ton. Anyways im loving th goodwills here and we too have a few arounf town as well as a few other local second hand stores i shop at.

So when I went to the gym today the trainer finally talked me into taking part in their memorial day week challenge to honor all those who serve. There is a whole or a mini. Well i was stupid enough to say yes finally! Lol. I said i would attempt the mini. Well be not being a quiter thought about 10 min in, what did i get myself into!! You start with a half mile run/walk on the treadmill then immediately u go to 50 pull ups, 100 push ups and 150 squats. Thank god they let me do modifies pull ups and push ups! The you finish with a half mile again. I dont think I have sweat so hard since i started going to the gym. When i got done i was shaking and my body felt like jello but i was impressed! The fastest time gets a new gym bag and a tshirt i think. Well he said no one so far has finished the mini. They start but quit. I can see why lol!! Only one man has finished the whole challenge which is double what i did. I did it in 34:16. He said that was a good time so i hope if anyone else tries it, my time will hold up. Anyway i just wanted to tell everybody cuz i am so proud of mysepf. I gave me the motivation i needed since ive been kind of lazy at the gym lately. I see what i can do when i put my mind to it. 6 months ago i would have laughed just thinking about considering it. Now im thinking that if i go tom and somebody did better im gonna try to beat it! Wish me luck. New weight this last week is 260. Down 96. 4lbs to my fist major goal! Have a great weekend all.

So glad u were able to figure it all out. Now you can start moving forward again. I think my weight is starting to slow down. I have only been losing a couple lbs a week. Not complaining by any means but it is what it is. Bet that felt good to be able to move around ur camper better! Good luck with getting back on track and hope to hear an update.

Try more ptrotein grams or change up ur exercise routine. It has helped me. They can cause a stall also ur water intake, make sure ur getting at least 64oz of water or more.

I haye working out too but i do it 5 days a week. I had a lot of knee pain but i sucked it up cuz i knew it would make it better. Eventually my body quit fighting me and now i still have some pain on hard workout days but its worth it cuz i know it will get better. I have perm. Damage so i know i will never be pain free but after 20yrs im accustomed to it but i barely need meds anymore. Good puck.

My NUT told ke sometimes its as easy as changing up ur diet a bit or ur exercise routine. It takes about 4-6wks for your body to adjust to something new. I have hit a couple stalls now and im 5 months post. The first time i just talked to a trainer and changed up my exercise regimen and Bam! the next week i was losing again. The second time it was because of what i was eating and when. I chamged up my eating and raised my protein intake and calories and i started losing again. I was eating about 7-800 cal. I raised it to 9-1000 cal and higher proteins in and lower fat. It did the trick. So either talk to ur doctor or try this out. I hope it will help u.

I feels good to run and jog. I still dont go for real long distances but i can do about a 1/4 mile right now. Its getting better but i too havent been able to run for over 20 years. It was a striggle at first and i was real nervous cuz of my injury and problems but the doc said go for it just dont overdo it. Its a dream come true. Wont be catxhing my kids lol but they think its awesome to jog next to me. Loving life!

I also have a very bad knee. I had an accident about 20 yrs ago and as a result i know have severe osteoarthritis and my left knee has no catilage and i have a displaced patella. I boke my tibia and have 2 playes and screws. Since losing the weight i feel so kuch better. I still deal with a little pain but i can now run and jog. I never thought i would ever be able to do that. I was nervous at first but i am holding up great. I am now down to 260 from 356 and loving life. It only gets better. Good luck to you!

Wow! I couldnt quit reading that cuz i couldnt believe how ridiculous she is. She is definitely not ur friend if she isnt willing to stand by u even if she doesnt agree with ur choice. Having been through this trust me when i say it is not cosmetic surgery! It is a major surgery and changes everything for you. I started at 356 and i know i will never be "thin". I just want to be healthy. I am sorry but u cannot be fat and healthy. Contrary to her point! If u were eating healthy and exercising you would never be fat! Thats a joke in and of itself! True that in order to change yourself you needto work on the inside as much as the outside. I have been in counseling. Obviously we all got this way for one reason or another and if we dont work on changing it we will just end up right back where we are now. She is just jot informed. I am not in an eating disorder. What i was doing to my body before was an eating disorder. I eat a very healthy diet and dont starve mysepf in the least. I eat a high Protein diet and still eat my fruits and vegetables every day. You tell me how im starving myself. I eat better than most everybody i know and ive motivated my friends that are also overweight to start getting healthier. I know you will miss your friend but she is a joke and you dont need that in your life. The funny thing is, i thought at 356 i was fairly healthy too. I dodnt have health problems so i thoght and i went to the gym 2-3 a week but my eating sure wasnt healthy. I was 356lbs for goodness sakes. I couldnt walk any significant distance. I surely couldnt walk up and down stairs. I could enjoy playing with my kids, or riding rides at an amusemennt park, i couldnt ride on an airplane without paying for 2 seats, nd so much more so you tell me how happy i was or any of us are when life keeps living around you and you sit and make stupid excuses for how you are. She is full of it. Just because she is happy being fat and morbidly obese im sure doesnt mean you have to be. I am behind you 150% on doing this to be healthy. Like i said, i will never be thin but i want to be healthy! Good luck to yoh and dont let anyone sway you from your desire.

I think goals are healthy and give you something to work for. You should always have a few short term goals so you wont get discouraged along the way and a couple long term goals. My first goal was 300. I started at 356. I make 2 goals cuz one is for my kids and one for myself since they too are a big part of my journey. My 300 goal was to get a new tattoo for myslef. I wanted a small tribal heart by my ankle. My kids goal was to take them paintballing. I hit my goal when it was still snowing so i got mine and then in April i took my kids paintballing. My next goal is for 250lbs. I am taking my kids to chicago for the day and we are gonna walk everywhere. They want to go to navy pere. I will be able to take part in everything. I am 10lbs away. My 200lb goal is my skin removal surgery i hope! My kids want me to do a 5k color run with them! My ultimate goal i 178lbs which is half of.my starting weight. I can wait to get there. Good luck to you and i hope u take the time to set some good goals for yourself. Keep us informed.

I too went from a 44DD to now a 38DD and i spill a little but i think its from all the sagging. I have to pull all that up into my bra. Just excess skin, i dont think its thats ive grown but shrunk with all the extras. Just my thought anyway.

Oh wendy its finally here! So excited for u! Keep us informed and hope all goes great as im sure it will. Cant waot to hear from i after. And to onedaycloser, i too dtarted my new life in dec 2013. The 18th to be exact. Weigh in was today and down 96 so far. Congrats on ur weight loss! Keep up the great work and hope to hear from u again too.

Congrats sarah!! Isnt ot wonderfilnall the things we can now do? Use it for motivation and keep up the great work! Congrats again

I too am soooo happy i had the surgery. I am mid journey being only 5 months post but with 95lbs gone i am a whole new person and its only going to get better. Do i miss the old me? No way. I see my before pic and i cant believe i ever let myself get that way. I have 4 kids and I havd been fat since i had my first child. I was big for almost 25 yrs and all i ever did was watch life happening around me. Now i am part of that life. I can now walk thru the grocery store and not feel like sleeping when i get home and i can go up and down stairs without pulling myself up with the rail or having to stop midway to breathe. I still have 84 lbs to go but i cant believe i didnt do it sooner. Honestly i do miss going to buffets and eating homemade cookies when i bake for the kids. But it has been so worth it. Like everybody else, there will always be things we miss but there are always compromises to get the things we want. Please seriously consider what you really want before you do it. This isnt something u can just quit if you dont like it. I will never regret my decision and i know that once i get my goal weight and hit maintenance there will be times when i can indulge a little and be naughty. Just remember to portion and work it off in the gym. Good luck to you.