38 Aiming to Look and Feel Great! Philadelphia, PA

hey all,

feeling great and looking better. the holidays are tough with all the carbs and alcohol, so i'm making sure to work out everyday to at least maintain and not gain. after the new year, i'll whip it back and cut down on the bad food. i'm sure that's the reason for my current stall. here are the stats and some new pics:

hw: 350
surgery weight: 330
cw: 269
gw: 150

I was cleared for all foods & exercise at my 1 month post-op appointment, but of course was coached to avoid carbs and put protein first, then veggies, then fruit. I use MyFitnessPal to keep me on track, but I admit that I'm looking more at my calories than the actual food which probably explains my slow weight loss (I'm currently down 40 lbs from my pre-op weight, but 85% of that occurred in the first 3 -4 wks).

Also, while I always had a high tolerance for alcohol, I'm surprised by how it doesn't seem to be affecting me any differently. I don't consume as much as quickly as I used to, but I've not really gotten buzzed from the drinks I've had which have ranged from champagne to wine to tequila and gin.

Lastly, I'm also surprised at how my hunger seems to be increasing (probably due to me not focusing on lean protein) and how easy it is for me to get most foods down....in fact, I wish that wasn't the case at all. I'll be making some changes to re-focus more on lean proteins and shakes as well as taking spinning classes to hopefully get over this stall. Keep you posted on my hopeful progress!

I'd been meaning to have this done a few years ago, but lost my benefits due to a layoff. Once I started a new job, I was on my way to planning this surgery again. Better late, than never! My insurance required a 6 month doctor-supervised diet, so that was a bit frustrating. It's like, why can't they just look at your medical records for the last 3 or so years and decide from that??

Anyway, after jumping through all the hoops, I'm now 2 weeks post-op and happy I made this decision. Unfortunately, I didn't get weighed on the day of surgery, but I was at 337 before my pre-op liquid diet (down from 350 back in January...not a great amount of weight lost, but at least I didn't gain!) I'm now at 312 and just entered the pureed food stage. I'm getting in a good amount of walking (about 2 miles every other day) and am looking forward to joining a gym and taking spinning classes once I'm cleared to work out.