Pictures, Scales And Mirrors!! Oh My!!!

[smellslikecoffee 43]

Alright.

Im 5'2. Started at 262 with a BMI of 52. im 23 yrs old and I have not been banded yet. Started the journey in beginning of may. waiting for insurence approval

Been off work for a week from gallbladder surgery. When i was waking up in recovery my doc was talking with my husband on how upset he was that I hadn't lost weight since day 1. It made me feel awful!! I started walking the day after even though it was painful. I'm on day 6 after surgery and I just walked 3 miles! I'm sore on my tummy because around one incision there's a knarly yellow bruise and it's right where my roll is so its always under pressure. Ouch! But I'm down 9 lbs since Saturday and drinking 2 Protein Shakes a day and one healthy meal. I've been trying something new, hoping it helps....

Every mirror I walk past in my house, I stop. Look. And really just take in how BIG I am! It hurts me to see how big I've gotten, and I hate doing it, but now everything I want to cheat on my diet I stop and see that image of me. It helps!!

Also, I changed my phones background to a HORRIBLE fat picture of me, and I ALWAYS have my phone on me, so I see that picture and it just motivates me like no other!!

Now the scale thing, i have a question about that...how often should I weigh myself!? I don't want to be the person that weighs them-self every morning and gets upset if they gained and ounce! Or do I?

Anyways, need some encouragement here..waiting for insurence approval is killing me! But can't wait to show doc next week during check up I've lost weight!!

Thanks from California

[smellslikecoffee 43]

Btw..

I just read a thread on all the people getting banded in July.. I STARTED BAWLING!! Jealous but happy for all of them at the same time!!

[Cazzy 725]

I hope u have a speedy recovery...

Well weighing ones self is a personal thing depending on how u are as a person, if by putting on a lb overnight it would motivate u to exercise more the next day be even more dilligent over what u are eating till that lb comes off then i would say weigh daily, record it weekly.. if on the other hand putting a lb opn overnight will send u into a depression or ruin your day then maybe once a week ...

I weigh myself every day, am not obsessed by it, but i got to 400lbs by not weighing myself and i wasnt going to make that mistake again, i chose to make the scales my friend and my motivator , some like to think of them as the 'enemy' its entirely up to you.

U are already doing the brave thing of using the photo as your control, see how u go with the scales, everyone fluctuates overnight with weight but i never fluctuated more a lb and i never since my first appointment in 2010 october have put on weight ... i did an excel sheet of my weight loss since being banded and there are a couple of weeks where the number lost is zero but every other week leading up to my plastic surgery i lost weight .. i am accountable to me now i am inmaintenance

[pink dahlia 2,513]

i think you're doing great ! It takes alot of courage to start a journey, and you're already off to a good start. Keep it up ! As far as the scale goes, i think it might put alot of unneccesary pressure on you right now. The scale can change daily, which might upset you until you realize it can be Water weight, hormones, digestive issues, etc. i DO weigh myself daily , but i just look the # as a general guide. I dont stress over a pound gained, but the log helps me see the progress ive made. I use my clothes as a guideline too. the bigger they get, the more im losing !!! Good luck to you !

[smellslikecoffee 43]

I think right now, since I've just started this journey, weighing myself daily might help!! Because as you said if I wake up and gained a lb now I'm ganna wanna exercise harder to not let that happen again, it would be great for motivation..but what I'm worried about is after I'm banded, have dropped lots of lbs and almost to my goal (140) and those last few lbs arnt coming off, I think then would be the time to not weigh myself daily cause it would upset me if I gained when I'm so close to my goal...does that make sense? I think it would make me crazy! I just don't want to be Regina ( rachel mcadams) from Mean Girls and be skinny beautiful and want to lose 3 lbs!!!!

Also, your AWESOME for making a spread sheet!! That's a great idea!!

[smellslikecoffee 43]

i think you're doing great ! It takes alot of courage to start a journey' date=' and you're already off to a good start. Keep it up ! As far as the scale goes, i think it might put alot of unneccesary pressure on you right now. The scale can change daily, which might upset you until you realize it can be Water weight, hormones, digestive issues, etc. i DO weigh myself daily , but i just look the # as a general guide. I dont stress over a pound gained, but the log helps me see the progress ive made. I use my clothes as a guideline too. the bigger they get, the more im losing !!! Good luck to you ![/quote']

And thank you for the support I have to be proud of myself for doing this, it's a big step at 23!!!

[smellslikecoffee 43]

Guess which one I am this is my motivator..taken 1 month ago! It's HORRIBLE!

[kmt1973 92]

The pic isn't that bad, you are beautiful! You sound like you got amazing willpower! I'm gonna try that picture thing too. I already keep one beside my bed by all my Vitamins, so I have to see it every morning. You really inspired me, I'm gonna get my booty moving!!!!!

[honk 780]

First I think your doctor needs some bedside manner lessons. Giving you a talking to at a regular appointment is much different than scolding you when you are comming out of surgery is something else!

Do I weigh myself everyday- pretty much. I do not however weight myself during TOM; or the day after a holiday meal/dinner party. Not because I've over eaten but because the foods were probably higher in salt than normal. Here's an example of a time I did weigh myself when I should'nt have. Mother's Day weekend Sat. I went to my niece's rowing competition and ate some cracker/dip/cheese/brownies (again not that much and did have chicken chili as a main course). Sunday went to Mother's Day lunch at my brother's. Monday morning I had gained 4 pounds. Considering on Sat I'd gone for a 5 mile walk, and Sun did an hour at the gym there was absolutely no way I'd eaten an excess 14000 calories. Took me 3 days to get back to normal which depressed me.

[Chela 5]

Heads up girly! It will be your turn one day soon and you will be a knockout!

[mommykristie 59]

Although my dr and nutritionist and trainer all say don't weigh but once a week, I still do. For me it is an accountability issue. If I see that the scale isn't moving for a few days, that gives me the opportunity to check out my food diary and see if there needs to be some tweaking.

[Skinny_Jill 36]

Good for you for starting now. The band can't do it alone so it is good to start good habits now and you will be closer to goal when you are banded. I was banded 4.5 years ago and I reached my goal weight about 7 months ago. I lost 90 pounds. I lost 60 and kept it off for a few years and then got serious and lost the last 30. I had a Tummy Tuck, lower body lift and breast lift 2 weeks ago. The band is great and I am a new person.

I weigh pretty much every day. I usually know the result before I step on the scale. I've learned how fun affects me. Sometimes I am surprised. Even with the band I can gain some of my weight back. I refuse to do that. Only weigh daily if you can accept that there are times that you do everything right and you still slightly gain or don't lose. There are times you will not lose but your body is adjusting and it will happen.

You are on the right track. Best of luck to you!

[HolliJ 24]

I think right now, since I've just started this journey, weighing myself daily might help!! Because as you said if I wake up and gained a lb now I'm ganna wanna exercise harder to not let that happen again, it would be great for motivation..but what I'm worried about is after I'm banded, have dropped lots of lbs and almost to my goal (140) and those last few lbs arnt coming off, I think then would be the time to not weigh myself daily cause it would upset me if I gained when I'm so close to my goal...does that make sense? I think it would make me crazy! I just don't want to be Regina ( rachel mcadams) from Mean Girls and be skinny beautiful and want to lose 3 lbs!!!!

Also, your AWESOME for making a spread sheet!! That's a great idea!!

Wow, I totally just realized reading your post that I already reached my original goal weight of 155lbs (from 263). Nearing the end, I had extended it, but didn't really register the fact that when I started this journey, my goal was 155. Now my goal is like... 130. We'll see, lol!

I weigh myself everyday. When I'm on an "off-time" and eating poorly, I may not. And yes, I have put weight back on.... since the beginning of the year, I put on 10lbs (stress from covering someone's maternity leave and doubling my responsibilities at work). In the past week, I've taken off 9lbs of that. I'll lose the next pound and then continue on with losing weight.

I try to be better, become healthier, and lose more weight (even though people tell me I shouldn't).... but I feel good now. I hit a point where I became very confident and outgoing - I felt attractive (and boy has there been a response to that). Since I put on weight, I lost that a bit, and I'm trying to re-gain it. We always worry about those small little pounds and how quickly we want them gone, especially when you've reached or gotten close to your goal weight. The thing that always grounds me is that I still have the rest of my life to improve myself. I'm only 29 years old. In one month, I will have been banded 3 years. And in that time, I've lost 110lbs.... which is great and incredible! But if you were to break it down and figure out how much weekly weight loss I had.....less than a pound a week spread out. Sometimes it was more, sometimes less, sometimes none, and sometimes I gained. But in the end, I'm no longer overweight.

[lilac025 2]

I think your a trooper! But your Dr. is a Jerk no one should talk down to people.

I HOPE AND PRAY you get your surgery soon cause it was the best thing i ever did in my life. Banded May 7th of 2012 been a life saver

Good luck my dear

[bigenuff 302]

Love the pic on the phone idea.I will do that today.I say I weigh in weekly but it's usually about twice a week.:-)