April 16th role call - who's with me!

[mysleeveid13 100]

Ok, ok... I'll post one, too. I'm still weirded out about putting my face on here so I covered it. (Not very good at editing.) But here is before at around 260ish and a little over 5 months out around 170.

[mysleeveid13 100]

Oops...here's the picture.....

[Mschwartz924 45]

Love it!!! Woohoo! Best decision ever!

[Bluesea71 698]

Happy 6 Month Anniversary, Girls! How time flies.......

[Mschwartz924 45]

I can't believe it's been 6 months! I have no regrets. This journey has been amazing and I'm grateful everyday that I was able to do this. Almost 80lbs gone forever!! I go on the 29th for my 6 month check up and for the first time ever, I'm not afraid to step on the scale hoping to be in the 160's by then!! Hoping all is well with you all!!

[mysleeveid13 100]

Happy 6 months to you all, too!!!! Should we do a 6 month check in or is everyone over it?

[Mschwartz924 45]

I think we should :-)

[Tammylb 174]

Weight loss has really slowed down this month! I would like too lose another 20 pounds . Guess it's time to buckle down and make myself exercise !

[Bluesea71 698]

Hi ladies! Quick check in. I have been so busy with work/life and haven't been on BP much. I participate in the BP challenges which I find really helpful to stay on track. Otherwise, I'm beginning to see why a lot of veterans don't stick around long on these boards. It's gets kind of boring fishing through the same posts about stalls, Hair loss, best Protein Shakes, etc. It's the case of the "been-there-done-that." This process has been amazing. I have had ZERO complications and once I accepted that the weight would come off at its own slow rate, I was okay with the process. I am 169 today. Down 70 pounds since the beginning. I have 9 pounds until I reach my surgeon's goal of 160 and 19 pounds until I reach my goal of 150. Funny thing is the closer I get to goal, the FASTER I'm losing! I spent most of my life as an active, fit person. It was only the last 10 years I packed on 80 pounds when I let my work/life balance get out of whack. It's almost as if my body remembers where it's meant to be and wants me to be there! Don't hate me when I say this journey has been one of the easiest things I've ever done. I already ate a pretty clean diet. I don't really like junk food, so the restriction helps me with Portion Control. I don't consider myself an emotional eater, so I haven't had to struggle with a lot of the emotional issues that often come up post wls. I cut 6" off of my hair into a chic bob which helps disguise how much it has thinned. Although the hair loss seems to have slowed down a bit. I am really pleased how little saggy skin I have. I was really worried about this. My arms are really tiny! I have a small amount of saggy skin on my inner thighs and on my stomach in the area below my belly button. This area was stretched out from 2 pregnancies and only a Tummy Tuck would repair that. Otherwise everything else is snapping back into place. I'm not really doing anything special. It's likely genetics and very. Slow. Weight. Loss. How is everyone else doing? I saw mention of a check in but nobody followed up!

Edited October 26, 2014 by Bluesea71

[mysleeveid13 100]

Hey guys....just checking in. Went for my 6 month post op appt. I'm down 96 lbs since April 2014 and 115 since I really committed to having my surgery back in Oct of 2013. I'm happier than I've ever been. I basically gave my entire closet to my best friend (minus the underwear - haha but even those had to be trashed because they were way too big). I was in a 22 or 24 size pant and the biggest shirt size I could find. I am now in a size 6 or an 8 jeans and still buy XL shirts because I still have a gut from having 3 babies and 2 of them were vertical C Sections....which made my stomach hang down like a butt in the front. Surprisingly, it has tightened up enough to hide in my jeans. Everyone keeps telling me I need to stop losing but I know what I'm hiding underneath the clothes and will keep working on tightening up. Like Bluesea71 said, I don't have a lot of excess skin....just a little poochy belly, some saggy skin on my inner thigh and a tiny bit on my inner arm by my armpits but all covers nicely under my clothes. My hair still feels like it's thinning. I already had a inverted bob. I went a little shorter with it but don't want to do too much shorter. Trying to up my Protein to see if it stops thinning. My horrible heartburn/reflux went away right around 6 months just like my surgeon said. I'm still paranoid about stretching out my sleeve so I'm very careful about portions and freak out a little inside when I feel full. I don't EVER want to go back to the way I was. I was taking two blood pressure meds and I'm off of both. I take nothing but Vitamins vitamins and birth control now. My periods are still coming twice a month but again small price to pay for all the great things that have come out of my surgery. My husband has to do a sleep study and then he should be approved for his surgery. So I'm proud that I did it while he continued to eat the way he does. It was a struggle but I did it! What about you guys? Let us know how it's going.....

[Blondiecakes77 18]

I never went to my 6 month follow up, I had only switched medical groups just to get the surgery and switched back immediately after I returned to work. My highest weight was 300, and my date of surgery I was down to 239. I was down to 224 on my own but as soon as my nutrition classes ended I went a little crazy saying good bye to food. As of this morning I weigh 170lbs. I can't believe I'm in the hundreds, I'm 30lbs away from my goal. I still haven't been able to get my Water  down daily. And that makes it hard to exercise.

I have a saggy belly, inner thighs, and the back of my arms. I know I need to focus on Protein, Water, and exercise. My hair loss does seem to be slowing a bit, but I've stopped daily washing because that seemed to make it worse. I haven't kept a strict diet, I know that's something I definitely need to work on. Recently we went to a pumpkin patch and my sister took a pic of me. When I saw it, I didn't recognize my body. I'm 32 years old and have been chubby my whole life, still am lol. But to look at a picture and think wow I don't look fat, I look like a "normal" person.

I work at a company of over 5000 employees and every day I still get employees I've never spoken to coming up and saying how great I look. I wasn't open about my weight loss surgery journal with those outside my small circle. Work gossip is so ridiculous where I work I felt it was no ones business. But having lost 80lbs from just hard work in the past I always share those tips and what I used to do to be successful.

I still look in the mirror and see my huge stomach and what little things my breasts have turned into and don't really see what I want, but I'm so happy I'm where I'm at right now. I didn't want to be the "fat" mom when my daughter started school. I'm a single mom and she's not even 2, but I see from picking my nephew up from pre-k, all the moms are young and thin. Being a kid is hard enough these days. When I was young and chunky I was lucky and never had any issues. Except a nasty anonymous note in my English book one day, we kept them in the classroom. And back then it didn't even bother me.

I feel like I'm just rambling at this point, but I am sad I neglected this decision for so long. I hope at a year out I can look into a mommy makeover and be personally happy with my body. I know I need to start exercising and treating it better as well. When I went to find the thread it started me at the beginning, everyone getting their surgeries and being so excited. The pain of recovery. I think it's true, we slowly slip away from the message boards because it becomes a part of life we just slipped into. I still weigh myself every Thursday. There are stalls and amazing losses and I don't know how they happen. But this journey has been a great one. I know that some weeks of check ins I avoided out of embarrassment for not doing as well as others but it's our own individual journey and we have to realize we can get there if we just keep trying. Wishing everyone a healthy journey.

[mysleeveid13 100]

Love the pictures!!!! It is really hard to get used to our new bodies. Someone asked me yesterday at work if I saw skinny when I looked in the mirror. I explained that I saw my legs, arms, and face as skinny but not my belly. But.....it's really not that bad. I'd be happy if I didn't lose anymore. But it is so weird to be stuck in a negative body image and only see the imperfections and not the things that look great. Oh and I second the book comments. I've always had a giant butt and relatively large boobs. Both are completely gone. My tailbone hits the bottom of the chair or whatever I'm sitting on because there is absolutely no padding on it now but I'm not complaining. Soooooo much better than taking a shower only to sweat my arse off as soon as I start moving around to get dressed. I don't miss any of the side effects of being obese so I will embrace every part of my new body. Tiny flappy flat pancake boobs and all.

[ejjohn 12]

@@Bluesea71

You spoke to me on this one! you have to realize the weight will come off in it's own time. I kept thinking the fat would be so scared it would come flying off me!!

That doesn't happen. You still have to follow the plan.

Thanks guys!!

[Mschwartz924 45]

Hey guys! Today was the day my weight is finally in the overweight category and not obese!! I am so grateful everyday for this journey. Yes, I now have bat wings for arms (they were the fattest thing on my body) and some extra skin on my stomach and legs.....but not too bad! However I am SO happy that I went on this journey!! Here's to all of our hard work and for having the courage to make this change!!

[Tammylb 174]

Down 96pounds the weight loss has been slow over the past two months , but I admit to snacking more then usual . I have gotten a lot of attention ! Purchased my first medium sized shirt yesterday ( yea me ) my BMI is 31 just one point to go until I'm out of the obese side .