JUNE 2011 SLEEVERS CHECK IN!! PICS!!

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday, December 6, 2011, marked my 6 month SURGIVERSARY!! I'm happy as well as pleased to report that I am now 72 pounds away from my goal weight, and 104 pounds down from my heightest weight of 377 pounds (that's definitely a lot of woman!)!!


1. How are you other June sleevers coping??

2. Have you had ANY setbacks??

3. What has changed for you??

4. Are you still eating the right foods or have you retreated back to your old  
   habits?


Please, CHECK IN!!! I pray that EVERYONE is doing well!!! I'm enjoying this journey, and I hope that you all are too!!! 

DISCLAIMER: I STILL have MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP.....but just traveling at ease now has given me so much peace!!

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k567/RobinWmson82/Robin8 2411-2.jpg

My date was 6/20 and I'm feeling great.  No setbaks to speak of.  I'm still eating the right foods after a big Halloween slip up.  I feel healthier than I have ever been, even while skinnier.  Exercise is a big part of my life now and I feel much happier and stronger.  I've lost almost 80 pounds total and started in 3X scrubs and soon I'll be in a large top and medium bottoms.  Everything is easier now and I don't have aches in my knees and back anymore!  Thanks to my surgeon and hard work and all of the OH gang for their good examples and wonderful support. 

Just looked at your pics! You are looking great in that leather dress! I love it! Pics in my profile

My surgery was 6/21.

I'm 104 pounds down total. No real setbacks, a few stalls, just kept doing what I was doing.

My diet is better now. I do indulge sometimes. For instance, today was early out for the kids at school and we have a tradition of going to McDonald's for an ice cream cone. I took them today and had one all to myself. And I counted those 150 calories I think THAT is the key for me. It's okay to not deprive myself (I think if I tried to stay totally 100% straight and narrow, I would go crazy when I did start allowing myself - but I cannot lie to myself or to my journal about it. I ate it. I enjoyed it. We sat and talked and laughed and enjoyed our ice cream. No one died.

Gosh, so many things have changed and so many have stayed the same. My clothing sizes! I basically cannot wear anything that I started in.

Overall, LOVIN' my sleeve and lovin' my life.

Im happier than ever - i love my life even though ive been through a divorce and a lot of personal stuff in the last 6 months.

I have to deal with reflux and constipation and they both drive me crazy, but id happily deal with those to be 86 lbs lighter since surgery.

Most of the changes have been mental - ive gained more self confidence, more self esteem, im getting to the point where I dont feel like I need to have a significant other to be happy, and definitely close to being over my divorce. Its a daily challenge and requires a lot of work, but it's worth it to wake up and smile when I see myself in the mirror. It's not always pleasant - i have a lot of days where I hate my body, but ive accepted it and so it's not as bad.

But on top of them, I became a triathlete! It was my little 6 mo celebration. For my 1 yr celebration, im doing another (longer) triathlon and probably a 10K. Ive become and excerise addict.

Food wise - the last month or two has been a big balancing act and i definitely still make very healthy choices, and I have not resorted to my bad habits (except a little bit of grazing). I have no eaten any of my trigger foods. Im just in a weird spot trying to balance my calories, and protein vs carb needs. Im not close to figuring it out, but my daily mantra is "fueling my body and eating to live rather than living to eat" and that helps me stay focused.

Hey June sleevers! It's so nice to have a thread going, I've been wondering how everyone is doing! This is going to be a long one, so grab your protein and get comfy. LOL I loved posts like this as a pre/new op, so I'll be as candid as possible.

My date was 6/27... I can't believe it's already been 6mos!  I'm 5'6" ish and down from 238.8 pre-op (235.8 day of surgery) to 166.4 today. That's 72.4lbs!! My goal is to hit 80lbs/80% by my 6mos. I may not get there (things have gone VERY slowly now that I'm 26lbs from goal)... but I'm going to focus on my progress and NOT feel defeated by a silly number. I started at a 2X top, and pants... who knows. I only wore elastic/yoga type pants... so usually an XXL. Today I'm a size 8 and small or maybe M top. My new yoga set is a S in pants and top. It TRIPS ME OUT to pick up these clothes... there's a part of me that still thinks the size S and 8's that I own must somehow be freakeshly bigger than usual. LOL.

As far as setbacks, none really. I had a "reality check" around thanksgiving time. I am a VERY meticulous eater, so I haven't had much experience with carbs, desserts, etc. At thanksgiving time a few sips of wine had me MORE than tipsy, which led to a few bites of non-plan foods... which led to a slice of pie on 3 occasions! I was SHOCKED to realize how EASILY the sliders (pie, brownie, ice cream) went down, how I had virtually no restriction, and how easily I was "triggered". What started as a few bites turned into several days of poor choices and while my calories were still under 1,000, I gained 5lbs of fluid from all the carbs. I struggled alot with this... I was shocked to realize how easy it would be get derailed, stop losing, fail, regain, etc. It was a big reality check, and I had to do a lot of mental work to get going again.

In years past, I would have turned this one slip into a 2month-long binge followed by guilt, remorse, self-loathing, and promises (on Jan 1st) to work harder, do better, etc.  This year, I moved on. I forgave myself for making mistakes, learned that I can't really do "moderation" at this point, and reminded myself that the world won't end if I say "no".  (I can't do moderation yet- maybe ever. I have to tell myself "no" and move on). I picked myself up, dusted off, and got back on my plan. I lost my 5lbs of fluid within a few days, and am losing again (though slowly now... around 1-1.5lbs/week).

I work out, and also am a triathlete. I did these before (was a slow, fat triathlete, LOL). I'm skipping tri season this year (to focus on weight loss) but plan to return again to racing in June with a half marathon. I am working hard at strength training, trying to preserve as much muscle as possible. Overall, I'm happy with my body. It's a smaller version of what I had before, and I don't think my skin/sagging is any worse. In many areas (like my belly) it's better. My arms are doing great (I was nervous for awhile, they were really bat-wingy!)...my butt has seen better days.

I still stick to my eating plan. Here's an example of a typical day... not every day is PERFECT, but they're all VERY GOOD. (The all-or-nothing perfectionistic attitude I've had toward diet has gotten me into trouble in the past. Thinking "I already blew it, so why not" would lead to binging, etc). I track everything, be sure to drink my water, take my vits, and get my protein.

BF: coffee, 4oz almond milk, scoop protein, vitamins and miralax. :)
Lunch: 2oz turkey/cheese, baked fish, or leftover chicken. Maybe a couple bites veggies.
snack: almonds, chai tea with almond milk, cheese, or more chicken. Sometimes jerky.
dinner: More chicken or fish (2oz), with veggies. Don't really measure veggies...
snack: protein ice cream, 2oz greek  yogurt w/ pomegranite seeds, almonds, or 1T natural PB.

I do have actual hunger... I've learned that mine feels more like a queasy feeling than what I used to associate with hunger (which I now feel is cravings). I tame it with regular timed meals/snacks, and fill up on chai tea/decaf coffee, etc between meals (and to combat cravings).

I drink water like a fish. :) I also have a few sips of wine (maybe .5 -1 ounce total) whenever I feel like it. I haven't found it affects my weight loss, but I do limit it to 1-2 times per week.

Am I missing anything? Hmmm... I'll think and come back later. I have a few pics on my profile, but need to add recent ones. My son snapped some from today, I'll add here in a few.

Congrats to all new-ops and pre-ops... you'll LOVE your sleeve!

Hi Smardeepants,
I was wondering who your primary care physician is that had WLS.  I live in the Temecula valley area.  I would love to have a primary care doctor that believes in wls.  My pcp doesn't support my surgery and I feel it every time I see him!   

My surgery was June 28, 2011 and I have been coping very well, Im down 102lbs and 35inches over my body.  The only setback that I have had is hormonal and its partially due to the birth control as well as I had never taken BC prior to the surgery I cant wait to not have to take it anymore but dot wanna risk pregnacy at this point because Im trying to get rid of weight not add to it (at least not right now).  As far as my eating I have gotten off track with tracking my meals  but I try to eat healthy and I do not deprive myself if I want something I have it because otherwise things will go downhill for me! LoL  Overall getting sleeved was one of the best decisions that I have made in my life and Im excited to see just where its going to take me!

Best of luck to you all!

Hi June Sleeve Sisters and Brothers!

I am doing and feeling AWESOME!  I have not had any set backs at all - just a few stalls, but I take them in stride knowing if I stay on track, the weight will come off!  I am now more active without really even realizing it.  I just can do more and go longer without thinking about it.  I am still eating right - but I do allow myself small treats from time to time - like a bite of apple pie on thanksgiving.  I love my sleeve and am so happy to see how well everyone else is doing since surgery!

Hi June sleevers!!!!! Thnaks again for posting this thread, I too love to hear how all the June sleevers are doing and glad to see that so far there are no real setbacks going on for anyone!!!

I myself, just hit onederland today at 198.4lbs!!!!! I am so ecstatic right now I don't want to eat for fear that those 2 lbs will creep back up and put me back into the 200's LOL!!!! But I am doing very well! 
No setbacks for me other than I was eating too much sodium and realized that this was stopping me from hitting onederland so I have decided to leave the beef jerky and sunflower seed kernels alone for now and wait until maintenance! Life has been great, eating my protein, veggies, cheese and drinking water, I have to get better at that though!!

Vitamins have been challenging for me but I am doing better and trying to remember to take them all the time like I am suppose to!!! 

My life has definitely changed, my husband is paying more attention to what I am doing and instead of saying I'll see you when you get back, he's like, "hold up" I'm going with you" that cracks me up!!!!! I can move faster, I'm smiling all the time and just loving how my sleeve and my endurance is changing my life!!!! 

My six month check up is December 12, 2011, which is 2 days after my sleeve aniversary, I am hoping that my doctor is pleased as I am with my progress!!!


Keep up the great work June sleevers!!!