MrsKarenC2008

for me ... eating bad carbs is a brain thing ... not necessarily a "hunger" thing ... it's all in what we're used to ... and it's hard to get out of that habit ... We ALL know this ... But as the others say ... and trust us it's TRUE ... once you learn new ways of eating ... new ways of thinking ... and new ways of dealing with food ... all those "old" ways just go out the window ... and you don't even care about them anymore ... in the early stages you're so busy thinking of different ways to eat the same things as you used to eat .... Just in a "healthy" form ... to get away with it ... to justify it ... But ... that is the wrong path to take ... Just forget them ... put them away in the far reaches of your brain ... that is where they are best left .. Embrace the gift of your surgery and the new healthy life you're going to live ... the LONG healthy life !!!

For me ... it's ... worse Before .. I just didn't want to be seen because of the weight ... and now ... I don't want to be seen because of all the skin hanging everywhere ... Ugh. My poor husband ... he doesn't know which way to go ... Thank God he's patient ...

That seriously made me stop a mental minute and THINK about where I am right now in this very minute ... That was VERY well said! Have a wonderful time actually ENJOYING the cruise as its meant to be!

@cowboys4life The way I feel about this is ... Yes , YOU had surgery ... Yes , some may see it as the easy way out ... BUT .... you are correct in saying ... ITS NOT EASY ... Just because your insides have changed ... doesn't mean your head has changed ... or your mouth has changed ... or your cravings or taste buds change ... ( for most they do ... but there are exceptions ) ... YOU will have to fight every day of the rest of your life to keep this gift ... YOU will have to put in the effort and the time and the struggle to become a more healthy functioning person of society ... YOU will have to exercise ... YOU will have to learn a whole new way of eating ... YOU will have to change the whole way you see and think about food ... It's SUCH a new everything for you ... losing the weight is a small part of all the work that goes into this ... ( granted the best part ) As you said ... it's a TOOL .... NOT the ANSWER ... Within you ... the answer lies ... ( in my best Yoda voice ) Stay strong ... stay focused .... stay the path .... You've got this! Be Blessed!

I started losing mine around month 4 ... and it was ALOT ... I was shocked at the amount honestly ... Then around month 7 I noticed it slowing waaaay down ... I asked my NUT about taking Biotin ..,. she said no ... it was going to fall out anyway ... so don't waste my money on it ... And too ... I felt that if losing some of my hair was a side effect of losing weight and getting healthy ... BRING IT ON !!!!!!

@CHM I think you're my female soul mate

@Renkoss OMGOSH ... Love love love my Chicago-ins !!!

This has been so much fun reading ... I HAD to participate! Here's me: I've been large all my life ... so the new life I'm living now ... feels like I've been reborn! I love my fur babies .. Dudley - 15 year old Rat Terrier ... I've had him since he was 8 weeks old ... and the more he ages, the sadder I get .. Then there is Molly ... our adopted cat ... I just call her Stupid Cat ... she loves it I'm married for the 3rd time .... 3rd times a charm they say - and their right! We've been married for 8 years ... together for 11 ... I don't have children .. never wanted any ... I don't have the patience ... I let my two baby sisters have all the kids ... . I tell him if they want their children to stay breathing ... DONT bring them to Auntie Karen's house! LOL I was born and raised in upstate NY near Canada ... LOVED it ... Moved to Holland in 1998 ... moved to FL in 2002 ... moved to GA in 2005 ... seems i'll stay in GA I love the mountains ... but not the beach ... Hubby travels for work ALL the freaking time ... Seems he only comes home to get clothes washed and re-packed ... We work for the same company ... he travels to train new people ... and then travels again to make sure their doing it right ... I keep things running smoothly at our local terminal ... What a job it is keeping all these boys in line! LOL I love to read James Patterson and Harlan Coben ... I LOVE LOVE LOVE reality TV !! Can't help it .... I don't have real friends in my real life ... so I like to watch other peoples lives unfold ... it's interesting to me ... That is all I can think of right now ... though I'm SURE there is more:)

I totally get this and those feelings .... my mom told me I look "sunken in" and "anorexic" ... really?! Don't know how you go from 359 to anorexic ... but whatever. ( she's one of those that doesn't "get it" ) I feel amazing! I too am shocked at the sizes I can wear now ... even though in my mind I'm still huge... and people are starting at me still because I'm huge ... not because I might actually be "cute"

I always split with someone else at the table ... eating out definitely isn't like "before" ... But at least I can still go and enjoy peoples company

@@reachbree I proudly tell people I had surgery ... Some have been very receptive to it ... and others just say "oh" and walk away ... Sure tells you quickly who isn't going to judge you for a choice YOU made to make YOUR life better ... Some will actually ask questions and be genuinely interested ... And for those who aren't interested in my honest answer ... I say "your loss...go take your close minded self away!" As others have said ... it's your decision about telling people or not ... it's nothing to be ashamed about ... it's your private business ... Best of luck !

Maybe you could do the post op liquid diet for a week? See how your respond to that ... kinda like a reboot ... Best of luck!

For the first time in a long time ... I can honestly say ... I made a goal ... and I reached it!!! I've lost 159 lbs ! From a size 30/32 pants to a 14/16 From a size 4xl - 5xl shirt ( mostly mens ) to a Large ... ladies!!! NEVER EVER did I think when is started this journey that there would actually be a time when I'd look at the scale and it would show me what I've wanted to see so badly ... BUT IT DID!! I DID IT !!! :) Thanks to ALL here that have supported me and kicked me when I needed it ... You're all hero's to me !

Sooooo ... seems like the mind and the mouth are trying to over rule the tummy lately ... Mind and mouth are working in great harmony to try and get me to commit food felonies .... Tummy is in constant protest ... BUT ... last night mind and mouth won ... On one hand I felt so defeated this morning. On the other .. I just shrug it off and move on with a new fresh day ... I mean ... it's over ... I did it ... can't go back and un-do it ... *sigh*. I wish there were a button to push to tell mind and mouth to shut the HE(( up .... geesh. Ok. Rant over.

Wow ... This is the MOST fun I've had in months !! And all because of an Icee!!!!

So know what you are all feeling / thinking and going through !! My favorite was "when did you have your baby?" ... Here's the thing ... I had the baby ... AND I ATE IT !!!!!!!!! Ugh. Now I love this one ... "so you don't eat cake? Why not?" REALLY!?!?! Did you NOT see me "before" ? Why would I eat the biggest thing that got me where I was ?! People are stupid. ( sometimes ) Now Mom on the other hand ... last week ... "don't you want a munchkin? We have plenty" ... "No mom, I don't eat those things anymore." "Why? Don't you like them anymore?" O M G Ok. Rant over.

Don't be so hard on yourself ! Any pound gone is a good pound gone! No matter how fast or slow it goes ... We're all different ... we all lose differently and at different paces ... How boring would the world be if we were all the same?! And you said you're 21 days out? Well of course! The dreaded 3 week stall ! We all go through it .... As they say ... This too shall pass ... YOU will rock this! Be Blessed!!

@d258 Consignment shops!! And some things from Goodwill ... I feel the same way ... I don't want to pay for a lot of clothes in one particular size .... when I probably wont be that size too long ... I went from a 30/32 to a 16 in 10 months ... I'm super happy about that!! So many more cute things to pick from ...

@silverthreads For me eating too fast feels like a traffic jam in my "food tube" ... like there are 10 cars trying to get in one lane of traffic and they all getting jammed up ... it's very uncomfortable ... Lasts about 10 minutes ... and I know I'm eating too fast ... but it's an old habit ... and it's one I've just not broken yet ... I haven't eaten too much at one time yet ... Because of the traffic jam feeling ... I stop eating ... I'll get there!

@@Andrea Guadiana Yep ... it's normal ... I always tell my hubby that I'm losing my insulation ... that is why I'm always cold ... Whereas before ... I would sweat like a butcher! Now my heater at work is always on and I have it blowing on my hands/arms/upper body ... I always wear a coat ... AC? No thanks! But ... I'd rather pile on the clothes because I'm cold than sweat like I used to!

I'm not normally the type to vent in public ... but I can't stand it anymore ... I have read posts on here in the past where someone will vent about the way people type their posts ... I always just read past it ... BUT ... I have read a post in another section that literally didn't have the first punctuation mark in it ... and it was one huge paragraph ... made it VERY hard to read and even understand the person ... Ugh. Sorry. Had to vent.

@bellabeans Yes, its true ... Though my surgeon told me he removes the part of the stomach that contains ghrelin ... he explained it as the hormone that makes you crave sugar ... I was THRILLED to hear this news ... because some people have a sweet "tooth" ... I had sweet "teeth"!! And I can tell you ... what he said WAS TRUE! I haven't craved sugar AT ALL ... I haven't even cared when the office has doughnuts or cake ... or if my hubby wants an ice cream cone ... It doesn't bother me ... I don't even think it looks good anymore ... To me, it actually has a nasty smell even ... Such an amazing thing .... Should have had that nasty bit removed YEARS ago !