Vanessa J.

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This has been a fantastic journey.   I have lost 106 pounds.   I am done to 209 and am only 25 pounds heavier than my oldest daughter.  It is so funny, no one recognizes me anymore!  My next to the oldest daughter keeps thinking I am my oldest.  It is so weird for me to see actually see myself in the full length mirror at work.  I sometimes do not recognize mysef.

It amazes me that I can buy things from regular stores without having to worry about not finding my size.  I can wear XL tops and 16/18 pants.  I can wear 2XL pants.  I feel so normal!

My year will be up on February 27 and would love to be down another 25 by then.  I think if I up the exercise and increase water/protein, I should be able to do it.

Well, gotta go for now, hopefully I will be back soon with more good progress.

Finally, I have lost 100 pounds!  I am very pleased with how the weight is coming off.  I went shopping at Macy's and bought a lot of clothes very inexpensively!  I bought over $300 worth of clothes, for about $90!  I am so excited about that.  They range in size from XL, 16 and 18.  I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I no longer wear a 28 and that I can buy XL and they fit.  My 9 year old bought me an XL dress from Target and it fits.  I was shocked and pleased.

I am working on toning and getting tight.  My daughters are going to the gym with me and we are working out together.  I would like to be able to wear a great swimsuit this summer at the beach.

I started a new job and it is nice for people to see me and not all the weight.  I probably would never have interviewed for a new job, let alone go to paralegal classes or run for a political office, if I had not lost weight..  I am so thankful for this tool!

Finally, I am back to losing again.  I have dropped another 3 pounds shich is what I wanted to do AND drumroll please:  can wear an XL from Target!!!!!   I actually bought 3 dresses from Target for less than $10 apiece.  One was an XXL (18-20) and it fits a little loose, one is an XL (16-18) and fits perfect, and one says it is an 18, but is cut very small as my daughter who wears a 14 fits it very well.  I can get that one on and fastened.  

It still seems as if the weight is not coming off as fast as the inches are dropping off.

My goals
I must increase my exercise levels to 3 days a week.
100 sit-ups per day
more water
more protein

I LOVE THIS TOOL!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been on a long plateau and I realized that I have been having difficulty with watching what I eat, so I went back to using a food journal.  This has been extremely helpful.  I also increased protein, water intake and go to the gym/exercise at least 3 times a week and low and behold I have lost 2 pounds in a week.  (It is actually more as my weight has been fluctuating between 230 and 225 - so I could say it is a loss of 7 lbs!)

But what is even better is the total inches I have been losing consistently!  I don't understand it, but it is great.  I put on a pair of corduroy pants that I thought was a 24 when in actuality they are an 18!  I AM IN THE TEENS AGAIN!! I feel like doing the happy dance.  Now, if I can just get rid of what I call the "hump" (weight around my stomach and butt) and the "cottage cheese" thighs, I will be extremely happy.

I am going to up my cardio and strength training a notch and see what happens.

GOALS: 
3 pounds gone by 11/1/07
4 days a week of exercise
100 sit-ups everynight for 2 weeks

I have been incredibly busy lately and kind of down about not losing faster.  I am down to 225 - 90 lbs after 7 months.  I would like to be down a whole lot more, but I have not been exercising nor eating protein nor drinking enough water!  So I can't blame the tool - just need to get my butt moving.  I find it wierd though, how many inches I have lost, but no poundage???   I can't understand it at all.

Ok - I have two big events on 10/27 - an important community event and a wedding.  I want to lose at least 10 pounds  by  the end of the month (10/31) which will put me at the 100 lbs gone mark. And I want to be a hot new dress - got the shoes already!

Speaking of shoes, has anyone noticed a change in their shoe size?  I love shoes and have a great many pairs - but most of them are flopping off my feet.

I will post new pictures soon!

I am back from vacation and the good news is I actually lost 1 lb!   I thought I had gained at least 10 lbs.  I wasnt as cautious with what I ate or drank, but I did not go back to my old habits.  Which is a good thing.  We went to Ocean City, MD and the weather was absolutely wonderful.  Lots of sun and heat.

I have some new pictures and I finally see the weight loss.  I have been measuring myself as well and have lost over 100 inches.  I have a 36 inch waist!  Is that crazy or what? 

Well - my goal for the rest of August is to lose a total of 100 pounds by the end of the month.  I only have 24 pounds to go, so I hope I can do it.

I have slacked off on the exercise due to being too busy.  I do at least 100 situps daily though.  I need to work in my cardio and strength training.  

I also had a WOW moment, when a man other than my husband made a nice comment about me to my husband!

I am loving this tool!!!!

I have decided I needed to refocus myself and try much harder.  I have been floating along not doing what I need to do to use this WLS tool! I feel like I have not tried hard enough, especially since I don't dump.  I have rededicated myself this week and have upped my protein to 75-95 grams, 10 glasses of water and exercising daily.  If I cannot go to the gym, then I exercise at home or go walking.

I will not fall into the trap of having this surgery and yet not really trying hard and making the most of it.

I have decided to completely change how my family eats and committ them to changing their lifestyle habits.

I think what made me come to this decision is watching Inside Brookhaven.  This show is so sad to me, to see all of these overweight people who are just struggling to survive. And here's me, given the opportunity of WLS and not taking advantage of it.  I should be ashamed of myself.

The good news is I have dropped another 3 pounds and I am down to 241.  I have decided to stop weighing myself everyday and to only do it once a week.  That is very hard as I pass the scale everyday.  I think I will move it to the kids bathroom so I do not see it.  (Plus that will make me have to go to their bathroom weekly and make them keep it clean )

Other good news, we went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg and I actually rode several rides!  I would have rode more, but I hate standing in line and I had my 2 year old who had fits everytime she couldn't ride a big ride!  We had a blast and I had a lot of energy and could keep up with the kids.

GOALS:
Lose 35 pounds by August 28
 (15 pounds by end of July - lost 3 = 12 to go)
Keep protein between 75 & 90 grams
Drink 8 - 10 glasses of water
Exercise daily (cardio or strength)

Yes - I met one of my goals - 5 more pounds!  I have lost a total of 71 pounds and almost 80 inches since February 27! 4.5 months!  WOW!  I met one of my goals - 20 grams more protein.  I am working on the others.  I really need to find time to exercise more often.

GOALS FOR THIS WEEK:
Keep protein levels at 70 - 80 grams per day
Increase water intake to 60 oz per day
Exercise 2 days in the morning (maybe make it a little easier)
Exercise 3 days in the evening

I want to lose 15 pounds by end of July.  Let's see if I can do it.

Well, 2 more pounds have come off.  Considering I have not been following my exercise plan, , but I have increased my protein intake and fluid by a little.  I set a goal of 245 by the July 4th, so I have to work to get those four pounds gone.

I plan to increase protein and fluid by more in the upcoming week and again I plan to exercise more.  I am just so busy that it is hard.  I think I am going to try and get up earlier and exercise at home and go to the gym in the evening.  

So, my goals for next week are:
Lose 4 more pounds - DONE
Increase protein by 20 grams per day - DONE
Increas fluid intake by 16 oz. - 8 oz
Exercise 3 days in the morning - 0
Exercise 4 days in the evening - 2 days

I think I can do this.  I want to say thank you to everyone on the boards that I have asked for advice.  It really helps.

Another thing - I do not dump.  That has me worried as I go into the future.  I do not eat alot of anything, but just knowing I can eat chocolate chip cookies completely scares me.  I have changed my eating habits completely which is good.  Nothing really tastes good anyway, so I try and keep that in my mind at all times.  I know I have been testing all types of foods, somethings make my pouch hurt and others makes my head hurt (just thinking about what I ate wrong!)  In the long run, I need to watch everything that I eat to make sure I use the tool to the fullest and not ever be over 300 pounds again.

OK - this is a good thing.  Another 4 pounds gone!  YEAH!! I feel great.  I was feeling a little down when the scale stopped moving for a really long time.  Now, it is moving again. All the while, I was losing inches for a total of 57.4 gone, gone, gone!

I would like to be down to 240-245 by the fourth of July.  If I can keep the increased protein and fluid intake, I think I can do it.

I am so excited to see the scale moving again!  I want to thank everyone for the advice I have gotten on this journey.