Forsythia

I had a 12 day stall 2 weeks out. Most people do stall out shortly after getting sleeved. Follow your doc's recommendations and incorporate as much walking as you can and it will start back up.

You look amazeballs!

Wait wait wait. Is the A1C rule your surgeon's or your Primary doctor's? My surgeon had a cap at 8 for HgA1C. My personal doctor was all for me having the surgery. I did have to work on getting my A1C down, but I did not have to postpone. And if it is just your doctor being a roadblock, have the surgeon refer you to someone who will write your approval letter and be done with it.

Funny thing, I'm 37 and never particularly had a fat face (at least not for a fat girl, LOL!). Now that I've lost a significant amount of weight I notice the neck/chin issue. I would say my face itself does not have wrinkles or any droop, but I just have this neck skin right underneath my chin which is disconcerting. This just might be me being hyper picky since it's my FACE. I make sure it's well moisturized and sunscreened so that it doesn't age due to sun/elemental exposure. I'm hoping that since my face was not that fat to begin with my neck/chin skin will tighten up over time.

You might recall my Labor Day goal that I posted in a blog entry awhile back. That goal was 235. As of this morning, I am 240.5. I think I can do it, kids!!! I originally thought it would be a stretch but it appears to be close at hand. Honestly anything in the 230s will make me pleased as punch. I am going back to Indiana that weekend to see my parents (It is also my Mom's birthday on the 30th) and I know they will be proud of my weight loss. They have not seen me since Memorial Day. That was only a few weeks post surgery, maybe 25 lb lost. Now I'm over 70 lbs lost. My Dad is utterly fascinated by the whole thing. He and I have always struggled with our weight. So he is really happy that I am losing so much and being so successful. He says he is too old to have such a surgery (he's 72, but I think he could do it just fine, we tend to be good healers), so I think he is living vicariously through me. Yesterday I had my belated 3 month visit. Dr. Hungness was so pleased with my progress. He actually seemed quite floored when I told him I am in the gym 5 days a week. I seem him again in three more months - so six months post op. He said they will be doing some labs. We'll find out if my vitamin D level has recovered. Although my nurse practitioner will probably be drawing for my HgA1C sooner than that since she manages my diabetes. She usually tests for Vitamin D and most of the tests he will be looking for. My daily sugar levels continue to be good. In the mornings I used to always be scary high. Now I am consistently between 85 and 110. I had an exercise related NSV while at the gym yesterday. I used to always get pins and needles when I used the elliptical after about 15 minutes. Basically it was like my feet were falling asleep. I used to struggle to do 20 minutes on it - not because I was exhausted, but because the pins and needles were so painful. Yesterday I was on the elliptical for 35 minutes. I realized about 30 minutes in that the pins and needles were not happening at all. So clearly that issue was due to me being over 300 lbs. And, I got this outfit from fabletics.com (my apologies if you cannot see it): http://www.fabletics.com/index.cfm?action=shop.viewproduct&featured_product_location_id=0&product_id=1439782&psrc=my_looks&master_product_id=1439782&original_master_product_id=1439782 I wore the tank to the gym yesterday. It was a little bit exposing. But no one looked at me strangely. No one said I was too fat for it. There was no side eye! I'm just so happy to have more choices in gym wear!

Honestly, I love shopping. Always have. Never had an issue with being addicted to it. I'm not going to spend my rent money on clothes. A girl has to have a place to put those clothes. But I might be an anomaly since I have always loved to shop, even at 300 plus lbs. I will admit it is nicer now, to be able to go into a normal store instead of into the plus size section.

Any time you work out harder or change up your routine you can expect your body to go through an adjustment period where the scale just sits there like a malevolent jerk just mocking you. I would say try tweaking your food intake. Maybe less carbs, or more carbs, or 100 more calories or more water. Not all at once, obvi. Try something like more calories for a week and see if it makes a difference. For me, once I went into beast mode at the gym the calorie boost helped a ton.

There are always pot holes in the road. You might hit a couple now and again. It's up to you to make sure you steer clear of them lest you ruin the alignment on your car, and it seems you are doing just that! Good for you Yeah I went full on with the pot hole analogy.

Yeah, it's most likely Water and temporary. Your body is all "WTF, yo, why are you doing this to me?:" It's kind of whining. It'll get over it. And once it realizes you are not going to stop working out that water weight will go away. Continue to work out and hydrate.

I specifically do not bring up my weight loss unless someone does first. I'm actually a bit uncomfortable talking about it. I've always been outgoing and sassy with a touch of diva, and that hasn't changed. I think because my perception of me hasn't changed even as the scale has gone down, I don't feel that I have changed. There is definitely a bit of body dysmorphia there that needs to be addressed.

I would rather have some loose skin than be on medications for diabetes. Or worse yet lose a foot or go blind. Yeah, I can already see loose skin and I've only lost 70 lbs and have many more to go, but I will take that. It's a reminder of the hell I've put my body through for the last 31 years. Maybe one day I will go to Mexico when I am all said and done losing and have the wings clipped, or maybe not. I don't know...

Awesome

And... we are back to poop. LOL!

@@twinmommiesrock Buona fortuna! (that's all the Italian I know, unless you count the curse words I learned from playing Assassin's Creed)

I'm a planet fitness hater. If I am going to go to a gym, I want weights, I want all the cardio, classes and a pool. I also hate the yellow purple and gray color scheme and the lunk alarm. I know its supposed to be for beginners and not intimidating but I feel like it is cheating you by not offering free weights. Because you need weights - in fact I completely disagree with the poster above who says you really only need cardio. The best way to be fit and to help tighten up the excess skin is to lift and lift heavy (I'm not saying it is going to work a miracle, but lifting will help). If you want yoga, fitness classes, and a pool you can join LA Fitness for $30 per month if you are in an LA Fitness state. They don't offer swimming lessons though. When I was a kid, my parents signed us up at the local high school in the summer. Maybe you can do that for the swimming lessons bit? Having said my hate speech, I will say that the PF in neighborhood is clean, has ample parking and is well kept.

This has never happened to me. And I've totally downed a drink mid-meal w/o even realizing more than once. So I'm not sure that it happens to everyone. But it can happen.

I do a 40/30/30 ratio. But I typically get over 40% Protein. I eat closer to 1200 calories on workout days (most days I am in there at least an hour to two, depending on what I am doing). But this is what works for me. Start tweaking - use My Fitness Pal, see what works, what doesn't. Also 30 lbs in 2 months is great. It's not going to magically drop off! It's gonna go in fits and spurts. But it will come off.

Woot. Makes you feel like a boss, right?!

Also, It might just make sense to keep a container of unflavored protein powder in a drawer in your office and just call it a day!!

LOL. You almost caused a campus-wide lockdown, girl!

My surgeon expects me to lose at least 100 lbs due to the surgery. As of this morning I've lost 69 (3.5 months post op - not to mention what I lost pre-op). I'm pretty sure I can blow past that and get down to 150. I'm in the gym 5x a week. I swim, I lift weights, do all kinds of cardio. I take a class once a week. And I track everything I eat. I am committed and will lose this weight. This is my last chance at a normal healthy, diabetes free life. I've spent too many years abusing my poor body. Now is time to own it and make amends.

Yeah but taste. And fat free cheese doesn't melt very well at all. I'll take the trade off for flavor, thanks!

My pre-op diet wasn't liquid and I still lost 18 lbs on it. It was essentially phase one atkins.