Had my 6 month appts in Guelph yesterday. :)

I know a lot of people are curious about what happens at the different milestones, so I thought I'd share.  Yesterday I met with Nurse, Dietician and Social Worker for my 6 month check up.  Basically it was just 3 lovely chats.  Basically it's been smooth sailing for me since surgery.  I'm down 83 pounds and I've gone from a size 2x shirt to a Large and from size 24 jeans to size 16.  I see people on here having awesome shopping moments when they realize how small they are, but I think in my brain I was always this size, so I haven't had that big emotional moment.  I've had pretty steady weightloss but it's slowing down to an average of about 8 pounds a month instead of 12.  Still happy about it.  Recently I had a stall and of course it's right at that 200 pound mark, but this morning i was 196 and I'm hoping that those 2's are a thing of the past!  I am pretty on plan as far as eating goes.  In the last few weeks I have noticed I feel more 'hungry' and I have lot of cravings for crunchy snacks.  I keep things in check by drinking my water first, to make sure it's real hunger and then using healthy crunchy stuff like roasted chickpeas, freeze dried fruit or raw veg to satisfy my cravings.  I have had a few weak moments.  I have learned that work meetings with cookies and muffins are basically evil so now I plan ahead and bring my snack nuts or veggies and avoid the temptation.  I've also figured out that fairly innocent seeming things, like peanut butter, nuts, or protein bars can easily become bad habits so I've made some mindful adjustments there.    

I've found a place where i can take some beautiful and challenging 5-6K hikes on Saturdays and Sundays and I really look forward to it. I know that i need to add more exercise to my routine and that will be my challenge for March.  I travel for work during the week but I'll figure it out! Hotels have treadmills!  

Obviously it's not all new clothes and compliments, there is some barfing, some belching, some weird rashes and a couple saggy boobs...but I'm so happy I made this decision.  I'm so thankful that surgery was an option for me.  It sounds so cliche but some days I just feel so light I could just float!  

All of you should pat yourselves on the back for taking care of yourselves and loving yourselves and being brave enough to change your life!  YAY US!

Hey Sonja, I was in Guelph yesterday too.  I was there from 9:30-11:15, and was the one with the walker and cute husband, lol.  I also saw Dr. Agarwal at 11:40.  They were very kind Guelph and were pleased with my progress.  Glad you had a good experience.

I would have just missed you! I got there at noon!  

Thanks for the update and tips, and congrats to you!

Good for you and thank you for the tips regarding some pitfalls to avoid. I just had my 4 week follow up in Guelph this morning and all went very well. The folks I met with were awesome! Salty snacks will be my challenge at some point I think. I would be interested to know where you find roasted chickpeas??

All the best in your continuing successful journey! Kim

Apparently they are easy to make, but I buy my roasted chickpeas at Healthy Foods N More on Bridgeport in Waterloo. It's also where I buy PB2 and Freeze Dried fruits (Crispy Green Brand).  

I love their freeze dried cantaloupe.

Vincenzo's has the the crunchy roasted chickpeas in flavours like BBQ, wasabi, and salt and pepper. David's sells The Good Bean in a few flavours.

Thanks for that information. I will check it out for sure. I was also going to check out Fiddleheads and am excited that 'Goodness Me' is coming to KW. More selection will hopefully make it even easier to stick to healthy choices! ☺️

Your post is so very inspiring.  I'm only 4.5 months out, but feel much the same way as you do.  Thank goodness for this surgery!