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I don't go anymore. I'm guessing half my class is dead :)
I'm stress eating right now as I read this. My weight is generally fine because I follow many of the comments above about tracking my weight and steps on MyFitnessPay, Move, Eat more food focuses on protein and fiber, and having stress eating options like fruits and teas.
Anyhow good luck. All success is built on learning from our daily failures.
I agree w White Dove .... Staying lighter means cutting calories .
For me working out an hour first thing in the morning makes all the difference. No more cravings hunger .... I guess its the endorphin release from the exercise. But I can't miss a single day or I'm in total trubble. 
I donate my clothes as soon as They get sloppy big. Salvation Army takes donations and most large churches have a thrift store. The GOOD work clothes I donate to Dress for Success, they provide help to women trying to enter the work force with coaching, interview and work clothes. They have an increased need for larger sizes. They arrange the clothes in a boutique setting and when a woman lands a job, they provide her with 5 work outfits.
VSG surgery helps you to lose about 70 pounds and that takes between a year and 18 months. Most surgeons consider your surgery a success if you lose 50% of your excess weight.
When we first have surgery, our stomach goes from being able to hold 32 to 48 ounces of food to being about to hold two or three ounces. We lose weight very quickly because we can't eat enough to keep the weight on.
By the time six months have passed, the sleeve has healed up and grown some. We start to learn how to eat enough food to keep from losing more weight. This is where we have to start planning to eat fewer calories, instead of just not being able to eat them.
By 18 months after surgery, there is no more weight loss due to the surgery. We have learned how to fill up that small stomach by eating smaller meals more often. At the end of the day the calories add up to enough to maintain our weight.
If you weigh 230 pounds, then you are taking in at least 2300 calories a day. That is a typical American diet. To lose weight you need to eat less calories. If you also burn more, you will lose even faster, but cutting calories is the only thing that will work for you.
Take a break from TOPS until you are at the weight that you want to stay at for life. Use the My Fitness Pal app. Buy a digital food scale like this one.
Weigh everything that you eat and track everything in My Fitness Pal. It really does not matter whether you get your calories from carbs or from protein. What matters for your weight is that you don't eat more calories than you need.
My goal is 136 and I can maintain that on 1400 calories a day. If I ate 2000 calories a day, I would end up weighing about 190.
If you cut to 1200 calories a day, you will see a weight loss of about 2 or 2-1/2 pounds a week. That will be about 50 pounds in 6 months and 100 pounds in a year.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
Consignment shop is a good idea. Congratulations on your weight loss!
As I continue to lose weight, part of me is afraid to get rid of my old clothes just in case I ever need them again. At the same time, I am ready to move forward and am determined to not wear most of them again. Did you donate your clothes or sell them? If donating, any recommendations besides Goodwill? If I could sew, I would consider making something creative out of the more worn items. But sewing is a talent I don't have!
I kept one pair is shorts snd o e pair of jeans , strictly as a reminder. If you keep big clothes" in case you need them again", you are, in effect, giving yourself permission to gain all the weight back .
StRt telling yourself you are NOT going to need them everagain snd then make thAt happen.
I'm struggling with some regain myself. I went from about 260, to roughly 130. Then my husband and I decided to have a baby. There were months of trying, 2 false pregnancies, then I got pregnant with my little girl who is now 1.5 years old. Anyway, I love my daughter. She's the light of my life and I'm so happy to be her mommy! But, I'm less happy with the weight I've gained. I'm in the mid 180s now.
The best advice I got was from a doctor at my surgeon's office. I started seeing him when I realized how much I was struggling. Anyway, here's what he told me.
- Focus on protein and fiber with every meal (even snacks). Rather than trying to cut foods out, try adding foods in. When I do that, the carb cravings are much easier to deal with.
- Move. Whether it's getting out for a walk or doing an exercise video, just move. The goal is 5-6 days a week. If you can't do that yet, do what you can consistently and work up to it.
- If you're a stress eater, find non-caloric things that soothe you. Herbal tea helps me. Also, doing something else. I started knitting and crocheting again because having something to do with my hands helps me a lot.
- Finally, the most important piece of advice. Take ownership. I found myself just letting things happen and not really trying to take control because honestly, having a baby at the beginning of a pandemic was pretty dang exhausting. Add in that I teach online and am responsible for most things in the house. Well I didn't really have the energy to take control of anything else. But sitting down and writing out a plan helps me a lot and it makes everything else a bit easier too.
I hope this helps!
There are a few Plastic Surgeons who will work for you to submit documentation as well as the letter of medical necessity to assist in getting your reconstructive surgery covered by your insurance. Those surgeons are few and far between, but they do exist. A couple of things to keep in mind when you start talking to offices:
- Ask if they will bill your insurance or do you have to pay for your procedure upfront? Most surgeons will want you to pay for the services out of your pocket, but provide you with the necessary billing details for you to submit it to your insurance and that is as far as they go.
- If they will bill your insurance, ask them if they do all the documenting and preparation for submission of the LOMN.
When documenting for plastic surgery, start bringing up issues you are having with the excess skin to your PCP. Issues like rashes, any pain you have from hanging panni, impacts of the excess skin that limit your day-to-day activities (not related to cosmetic purposes) Photos of any rashes you get are very helpful. If you are having back pain and your dr. suspects it is due to your excess skin make sure he notes that. These types of documentation will support any information and LOMN that your plastic surgeon will submit.
Lastly, some insurance policies will cover reconstructive surgery due to the issues above, but will not cover for cosmetic purposes. That is the goal of the surgeon and any prior documentation/photos to show the need for removal of excess skin is necessary to lead a normal pain-free.
I hope this information is helpful.
