Holy Crap Batman!

I dropped 3 jean sizes in 2 weeks! Weight hasn't dropped much but the clothing sizes sure have. 

May 2013 - jeans plus size 36

                      - tops 5x, 6x

November 2013 - jeans plus size 20 (probably could do 18 but don't like clothing too tight)

                             - tops XL or 1X  pending on the cut

I was at Costco today and met a couple that I am good friends with but haven't seen them since June. When I first went up to them there was a brief instant of them not recognizing me. Then the "wow I didn't recognize you, you look great". 

Lots of room between the steering wheel and my body. No seat belt extenders. Can paint my toe nails. Tie my shoes. Fit into restaurant booths. Have a gap between my thighs. Cross my legs. Shave my legs. Walk faster and for a longer period of time (even with my mobility issues). My ears lay flat (this one is crazy eh? I think my earlobes were at a 45 degree angle because the fat from my neck pushed them up). I can walk away from food. Grocery bill has dropped. Learning to take an emergency snack with me at all times to avoid unhealthy choices.

Things that are still challenging: 

Working out the timing for food and liquids. Trying to get in enough liquids. Learning to take one less bite so that I am not feeling uncomfortable. I never drank a lot of liquid with my meal before the surgery but I really did enjoy a cookie with a coffee so I miss that.  Restaurants are difficult because of the quantity of food. I ask for a take away box with my meal and pack most of it to take home and that would cover about 3-4 days of meals but I almost dread going to restaurants now because of the quantity of food served - I find it overwhelming now... and why the heck to most restaurants have mostly fried appetizers?  I have more hip/knee pain than before the weight loss - not sure what that is about.

Anyway for those that are waiting those are some of the things you may experience. Don't get discouraged because the day that you get your call for surgery will be the day you will say "wow that seemed to go by fast". Hang in as there are many great things to look forward to.

WOW look at you!!!! Your doing amazing.. and feeling amazing! I'm so happy for you, your posts make it all even that more exciting for me.. You must be on cloud nine.. I cant wait to do all that.. I sure hope you are rewarding yourself with all your hard work.. you certainly deserve it. That must have felt amazing to bump into someone that didnt even recognize you right away..wow Keep it up and thank for posting and keeping us all up to date on your progress..

Excellent...it is so funny how there are things that seem to get smaller...my shoes are fitting much bigger these days...but I think my ears are the same...ha ha

Keep up the great work...the saying that he tells us all about the fact that you really only have 18 mts to make a big difference is very true...you can still lose, but not as easily....WAY TO GO....

I love your post,  I could almost cry thinking of all the things I am going to be able to do and how much better I am going to feel in a short time. Every thing I do now, I think to myself, "this is going to be so much better /easier this time next year". Thanks for sharing and I can't wait to join you on the losers bench when I start my liquid shakes the end of the month.

I post these updates because I remember the frustration of waiting and coming to this board and reading updates from people. These posts gave me something to look forward to. I also remember people telling me that "a VSG will really change your life" and I didn't believe that it could to this extent in a relatively short period of time. What they told me is true....your life really does change.

Im curious, what type of restaurants do you go to and what type of meal would you eat? Im going to need ideas.. thanks

Chinese: I was getting chicken with broccoli or beef with broccoli but now am just resorting to wonton soup (usually the house one because they usually have tons of vegs) I can eat about 1 wonton, some vegs, and about 1/2 cup broth.

Greek: one chicken or lamb souvlaki plate ( I can eat about 1\2 a skewer, a bit of salad and a couple tbsp. rice)

Homestyle Diner: usually a seniors/kids portion of turkey dinner (restaurants have been really good letting me order senior or kids portions) I still bring about 2/3 home.

A&W: the buddy burgers are great because they are almost like a slider. I have never really liked fried foods so I never order fries.

Swiss Chalet: 1/4 chicken dinner with mash or baked potato. More than 1/2 gets taken home.

Subway: only go when my son is in town. He orders his sub and we ask it to be cut into 3 with one of the ends only being about 2" (my portion). We get weird looks about that request but  it works for me.

Breakfast: I order a one egg breakfast with toast. I can eat the egg, about 1/2 piece of toast. 

Irving Restaurants: I just order whatever soup they have. 

If a restaurant offers shrimp ****tail appetizer then I order one of those. I can eat about 2 jumbo shrimp.

If the restaurant has a grilled/broiled salmon or haddock dish, I order that with rice/salad. 

If in desperation and I am really hungry when I am out shopping etc. I will run into a grocery store and pick up a greek yogurt or one of the kids snack trays with cheese/fruit/crackers.

I was in Ottawa last month and went to a buffet that had over 200 dishes. Believe it or not I liked going there because I could pick and choose my food and taste different things. What I had (about 6 tsp total of different things) really didn't justify what I paid but it was an evening out with friends and family. I felt more in control and not so overwhelmed because I could choose the portion size rather than having a huge plate of food placed in front of me.

I have a really good friend that I go out with every couple of weeks and we share a plate. Since I eat so little she gets her fill and leftovers to take home. 

Another tip that I picked up from an OH member was to ask for the take away box right with your meal. I pack away most of it so it isn't staring me in the face. Like I said seeing a huge plate of food sitting in front of me is overwhelming so I try to solve that right away.

Some others may have suggestions too. That was all I could think of at the moment.

Thank you so much for the tips... Its going to be a learning process, but if I have some good tips before I even head out to a restaurant, it will be very helpful.. You cant cut your life off from dining out with friends so I have to learn and control what i put in my mouth... It will feel amazing to be able to go out and not devour everything infront of me... thanks again for taking the time to give me/us all this info.. :)

Way to go jj.   

Our lists are similar lol.  I laughed at the thigh gap part, it's soon true!   I avoid restaurants....  Nothing about them is enjoyable at the moment and I get super anxious when it even comes up and would rather just eat at home!  lol.  

I havent been on in a while but was happy to see your update!

I have been wondering how you have been doing. Give us an update Eve!