Molly23

Thank you so much!! I feel even better!

The best thing I can say is to get out of your head. A lot of my self sabotaging ways wanted to creep back in at moments and I had to stop myself and ask if I was really hungry. The answer was usually no but my head has been so used to telling me I'm hungry when I'm not it continued to try. I feel lucky, like a light bulb went off and my mindset now is that food is my body's fuel. I still eat things that taste good and I enjoy but I leave out anything without nutritional value. It helps a great deal and I crave those things less the longer I go without them. Just trust the plan from the nutritionist, it really does work. I feel excited that I've got the food side worked out since that has been the biggest battle my whole life. My only other advice is that if the mind game is winning to try to see a therapist. Mine was very helpful before surgery and the nutritionist has been a bit of a food therapist after. Just be honest with yourself. Best of luck with everything! Stay positive and it will come together!

Love this!! Hoping I can say the same some day. Congrats!!!

Thank you so much! Just trying to do my part so the sleeve works as best it can.

Aw, thank you!! I see you're a couple months in. I hope the sleeve has gone well for you so far! Best of luck with it!

Thank you so much! I love shopping but it's usually been helping friends or family look for things. Being able to go into a non plus size store and put things on is liberating (not so much for my wallet). I haven't been buying much, mostly pants. I've been altering a fair amount of tops with decent success. I definitely want to wait for most things until I'm more stable. Yay! Another MA sleever! Not sure if you want to share where you are and where you had surgery. I'm in the south coast and had my surgery at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton with Dr. McCluney.

Me too! I love seeing how much the sleeve helps people. It also helps cuz I don't always see progress in the mirror but I do in the pics! Can't wait for pics when I'm at goal. thank you!

Looks like you've been working hard! Congrats you look amazing!

Thank you! I'll definitely be dancing for joy once I get under 200! And when I hit goal! I'm so glad I got the sleeve!

Thank you! I did have a stall right around the 3-4 week mark for about 2 weeks. Just had to keep reminding myself that my body needs to adjust as much as I do. It was frustrating but I stuck to the diet plan and it started dropping again sure enough. Most weeks I've lost 2lbs a week which I think is a really good pace. I had another stall around 4 months for about two weeks again. I keep feeling like another one is coming but I just have to wait and see. If you do have a stall try not to panic or get too frustrated. As long as you're doing your part the scale will catch up. My nutritionist said the losses will be more like stairs rather than a steady slope. Also it helps to only weigh yourself once a week. There are natural daily fluctuations that can be discouraging if you weigh too often. Best of luck with your sleeve!!

Thank you! I had the sleeve surgery on 4/20/17. I'm definitely eager to reach my goal but trying to be patient with the process also!

Thank you!

Thank you! I'm just trying to follow the plan. I was pretty excited because I fit into a size L shirt for the first time since around middle school.

You look fantastic! I love your mermaid dress & diamond tattoo!!

Pic on the left was December 2016. Pic on the right was today 9/9/17. Surgery Date: 4/20/17 HW: 311 SW: 276 CW: 218

Thank you!!

We have similar stats! I'm about 18 weeks out and 18 lbs from ONE-derland and it seems unbelievable. Congrats on doing such a great job this far! I can only imagine that 1** on the scale will be there before we know it! It definitely helps motivate me to keep on track! Love reading stories like yours! It's always an inspiration to see someone so dedicated!

I had very mild sleep apnea before surgery. The doctor said I had about 7-8 occurrences per hour and the norm is 5. He wasn't concerned other than the fact that I was having surgery. He didn't require that I get a CPAP abut did say it could help eliminate complications to use until after surgery. I stopped using it about a week after surgery because I couldn't sleep. I saw him 2 weeks post op and he said I could return the CPAP. The doctor wanted to schedule another sleep study but insurance didn't approve the full amount, most likely because it was the second one this year. They said I would have a $400 co-pay so I declined doing it. I'm not waking up during the night so I'm assuming that the apnea has gotten better since losing 93lbs. It it all depends on how severe the apnea is, how much excess weight you still have, how you carry your weight and any other medical conditions that might be related. I definitely think another sleep study will give you a better idea of where you stand. Just find out if you should wait until you're closer to goal because it might give you a better chance of the apnea being resolved. If you need multiple tests you may need to pay out of pocket depending on your insurance. Best of luck!

I'm just over 4 months out and I feel like I've been doing fairly well so far. I'm down 93lbs from my highest weight. Down about 60 since surgery day. The last couple of days though I don't even feel like eating. I made myself have something at my normal meal times since I know I need protein. I'm wondering if anyone else has had phases when they don't have any appetite? Just having my protein shake this morning made me really hate the fact that I need to eat. Which of course I know isn't rational. I've come a long way and have really started feeling like the priority for food is to fuel my body. This is new though. I'm sure it'll pass like every other bump during this process. Just curious about anyone else's experiences. Thanks!

I rode in a pedi-cab yesterday! I didn't even think twice about it when my friend mentioned wanting to take it to our destination. I'm down 89lbs from my highest weight and back then I would have felt too guilty and embarrassed to even consider getting into a pedi-cab. When I realized that it just felt like such a relief not to think about it and just go with the flow of things!

My nutritionist required no coffee (regular or decaf) and no caffeinated tea for 3 months. I started drinking coffee as soon as I was cleared for it. Just no cream or sugar. I just have it with soy milk. I have noticed that cold brew is a lot easier on my stomach. When coffee is brewed with hot water it speeds up brewing but also draws the acid out of the coffee. Cold brewing takes longer and doesn't use high temperatures so it's much smoother. It's great considering adding acid to the sleeve can cause a lot of irritation. I'm a bit of a coffee snob and I've found great cold brews in the refrigerated section. My favorite is Stok unsweetened. Super smooth flavor! Definitely check with your surgical team to see what they say but I would absolutely recommend staying away from it for at least a few months.

Thank you for sharing! I'm just passed the halfway mark for my weight loss but I'm already about 90% sure I'll need/want an arm lift. I love seeing such great results like yours especially since it's the most visible skin removal surgery I expect to need. Congrats on all of your weight loss and success with your first round of plastics!

Congrats on hitting goal!! You look incredible!! I love your outfits!! You're an inspiration to kick up my workouts! Thank you for sharing!

I brought a toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear, loose pants and a no seem sports bra and extra loose tshirt. I was super bloated from the CO2 in surgery so I was glad I sized up on the tshirt so it wasn't snug on my incisions. I also brought a couple tampons and pads. My nurse warned me that many times surgery can cause the start of a period and I was lucky enough to have that happen so I was glad to have things ready post surgery. I've heard hospital pads are a little thick. I also brought some slip on/mule sneakers but I suppose flip flops would work as well. Also I brought wet wipes and deodorant. I didn't get to shower in the hospital so it helped me feel better to freshen up a bit. I packed a bunch of other stuff but I think the rest stayed in my bag. Best wishes for your surgery! Hope all goes well!