* VSG Post Op * Month 11 * 118 LBS DOWN! *

[@katieohara3222]

You're doing great! I started at the same surgery weight as you. It took me 14 months to get to Onederland. You'll be there by 12 months! Just watch the carbs. Have a cookie if you want it. Then do some exercises while watching TV. Keep moving if you can. I had knee replacement surgery 3 weeks ago today. I finally did my exercises at 8:45pm today. I procrastinated only because today I cleaned my downstairs bathroom, made a chicken soup, stripped my bed, wrapped a few Xmas presents, then laid down to ice my knee and wrote out 21 Xmas cards. I did rest a bit, while writing. The day flew by, but I still needed to move my knee so it can bend and work properly. You're doing great. You're right on schedule. The weight loss does slow down, but the inches keep going. You look great. I don't count anything, but I do journal everything l eat and my exercise and sometimes my mood if I'm eating too much crap. I'm 25+ months out and I still write it all down in a nice little notebook. It helps when l want to go back and see what was working if I'm stuck. Keep up the good work. The ice is calling my knee...🌞💟☺️

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much, my dear!

[@katieohara3222]

@@GraceGetsGastric you're welcome! I enjoy watching your journey. I only watch a few Utube videos, Watch Kitty Shrink, Foodie turned Sleevie, Clusie and you. You've all helped me with helpful suggestions and intelligently dealing with the good and tough times of the journey. Keep plugging along. You're doing really well🌞🙂💟

[@luvs2ski101]

I love following your videos! You're always very open about your journey. Lately it seems like you are struggling with a lot of the same issues I'm struggling with. It's somewhat good to know I'm not the only one who struggles with those issues. Thanks for always keeping it real. You've been such a great motivator for me through this journey.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much! It's always great to hear that my videos have been motivating and inspiring!

[@karihus6855]

You are inspirational.....hope I can do as well as you, my surgery is next week. Thank you for sharing with us

[@ruthcoby2425]

Kari Hus you will do well!

[@noneed4sleeve285]

Wishing you a speedy recovery. Add me and I'll add you. I'm having surgery in Jan. Going to start doing videos soon.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much! :D

[@karihus6855]

need4 sleeve we got this!

[@debradavis3935]

Kari Hus Good luck with your surgery Kari. 😊 I’m 2 months post op myself and Grace has been so helpful and inspiring for me also.👍🏻

[@noneed4sleeve285]

Congratulations on meeting your milestone! I see that Keto Krate in the background. I was thinking about joining that. Keep kickin ass girl you give us all encouragement that we can do it too!

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thanks lovely! And I didn't realize I had the krate in the background until editing! But I've got an unboxing video coming out, probably on Thursday, talking about what I got and my thoughts. :D

[@standingupforwomen71]

Your face shows your accomplishments. Don’t question how you look. You look fantastic.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thanks!

[@waistingdowntimeii3722]

When you said your age I bursted out laughing, glad you remembered. All of your accomplishments are astounding!!! I LOVE that scarf actually, very much my style too! Almost Onederland it is like a step away, 75% of excess body weight loss, you are doing soooo well! Never say "it makes me look fat" - this no longer exists for you.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Haha thanks! I was proud I remembered. :D

[@TimetoShrink]

Another great loss. Huge differences in pics girl!!!!

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thanks lovely

[@BariBabe]

I found that once I became “acceptable” in size...the driving motivation to lose was no longer driven by desperation Take it from a veteran...use your first 18 months to get off as much as possible...the honeymoon period is real. Regain is real. You want to get into Onederland, and be low enough to cushion a regain without risking going back into the 200’s. I had to have a tummy tuck until my shape changed enough for my mind to accept that I was actually smaller! But then, as you said, I didn’t get the best results. You’ve done so well...you’re just experiencing a bit of “holiday humbug!” Hang in there, kiddo! You’re doing great! Cheryl

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much! My goal is definitely to keep pushing to get as low as I can for that regain cushion! I know mostly I'm just in a bit of winter funk and I need to do my best to push through to the other side!

[@BariBabe]

Grace Gets Gastric I have every confidence that you will be very successful!

[@laurennix6179]

Go Grace, go Grace, go Grace!!! 💃 💃💃 Love watching your videos and I’m excited to see you hit onederland!!!

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much!

[@Fearfullyfree]

I feel the exact same way. It's hard to feel like you've accomplished anything when your skin keeps you from looking truly smaller. I think with a tummy tuck I'd be a size 8, a 10 at the most. But i'm in a 12 because skin. It's the lower stomach that is the problem. The pannus. Although the word pannus grosses me out so bad for some reason. It's so hard to get motivated this time of year! I'm literally 31 pounds from my surgeon's goal and I feel like i'm sort of treading water right now.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Agreed that the word pannus is gross for some reason, and also that it's my biggest mindfuck area. Definitely top of the list when it comes to skin removal. Definitely feel you on this being a hard time of year to dig for that motivation. Something about the dark and the cold just makes me want to stay inside and eat all day...

[@Fearfullyfree]

@@GraceGetsGastric Same. I've been doing chili dog in a bowl A LOT. It's keto but feels like I'm eating total garbage. We need a better word for that body part. I refuse to say pannus.

[@debradavis3935]

Congrats on the milestone achievement Grace ✨🌺✨. You’ll work through your nutrition management and exercise concerns! Try to take it one day at a time and be gentle with yourself.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much, my dear!

[@danielle010481]

You’re doing so fantastic! I feel like I can completely relate with everything you talked about. I hope you have a wonderful week.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thanks, hon! You too!

[@MegaJoyfullness]

Congrats on making another milestone! 👍🏻👏🏻😍🦋

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much!

[@Crazydude940]

You are doing So great! You are almost to Onederland!! You should be so proud of yourself! You pics are awesome! Def inches lost this month🎉🎉

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much!!

[@theadventuresofacupcake]

I’ve felt and feel those feels. I want you to know that it’s going to be okay! And I don’t mean that to say that you’re not “okay” right now, I just remember very vividly those same worries and questions about whether I live my life the way I want to or I continue to stay more strict on my eating. I can tell you that either way you’ll be okay, and of course either way you’re going to struggle at times. No one has a perfect way of doing things and always sticking to the things they do. I have not seen one person who has had WLS not struggle and not fluctuate. For me, adding in extra food a little at a time over time helped me, but I’m also struggling right now. Some people go really hardcore with their diets and then they go through a bad time and add all the foods, all at once. I would just recommend letting things progress naturally and monitor how you do and feel. You can still count your macros, watch what you eat and exercise and maybe with a bit less worrying! We have a lot of control over us but there are also a lot of things we don’t have whole control of. We control what we put in our mouths but not how our bodies are going to react. It will work out! I wish you the best of luck as always! ♥️🥰

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much, as always, my dear! I definitely think you're right that the struggle and fluctuating is just part of the process for everybody, no matter how much we might wish we were the exception to the rule!

[@moutusisantra4599]

I am in the exact same place where I have been going a *little* off plan everyday (well, almost everyday). And it is more difficult for me at work as well (My weekends are also super clean). Add to that, everybody around me thinks I look normal (I am 158 currently and 5' 4''). I have been really struggling the last few days - and it is nice to see you talking about this :)

[@GraceGetsGastric]

It's always nice to know we're not alone in this crazy journey! Though I'm sorry you're struggling a bit too!

[@HelloVsg]

Congrats on reaching your next milestone! I love the idea of negotiable and non negotiable workouts. It is natural to worry about failure especially since it is not uncommon to regain a little or unfortunately a lot of weight. I actually think it is a little healthy to think about it as long as you don't obsess over it. There is a really huge difference in your pictures this month. It looks a lot more than 8 pounds but that could be because last month, there seemed to only be a small difference in your pictures.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much! I'm very conscious of the fact that this is the longest I've ever been able to consistently workout, and I want to make sure I'm keeping things sustainable. Two workouts a week seems to be my sweet spot in terms of ALWAYS being able to commit to that. The others, well, I shoot for more, but as long as I get those two gym workouts in, I'm happy with it. And agreed that there was a huge different in photos this month as compared to last month, even with a similar lb loss. Guess my body was doing some recomp this month!

[@NuMis_Journey]

Awww loved this! You're before and after pics are incredible... even just in the past month, you absolutely can see a huge difference! I think your measuring tape is definitely broken and you need a new one! :P My gosh girl...you're SOOO close to 0nderland now...congrats on this weeks loss, but I think you're gonna be there for sure if not by next week then for sure by Christmas!!! I am so excited for you

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thanks, lovely!!

[@ruthcoby2425]

I love your transparency

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you!

[@LittleKansasKitty]

You’re so good with your goals always setting realistic ones and going for them. You are SO close to ONEderland. I wouldn’t be surprised if you hit it in your next update! I totally get the skin and plastics. My booty is on my mind daily as I need a lift bad. So much skin after gaining and losing over the years. Do you think you would be able to not track calories for a week and eat intuitively or maybe start with just a day? I can’t believe you’ve tracked for 11 solid months. I’m sure that would be mentally tiring. I bet you’ve learned so much with portion control and macros over the last year that you could wing it like a pro! You look super skinny in your current body shot video. Looking amazing lady!

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much, my dear! I've definitely been thinking about loosening the reigns a bit on tracking, but I'm not quite sure if I'm ready for that just yet. That's my ultimate goal in maintenance, but I think right now I'd find it more stressful as my weight loss is slowing a bit to not "know" for sure where my nutrition is at.

[@kimmarkert4052]

You look great! I have the same exact struggles!!!!!! I am so sick of counting but have been over what I want my calories to be for like 2 months.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

The struggles are so real! I'd love to get to a point of more intuitive eating, but I'm just not sure I'm there yet....

[@bypasstoaleanerlynn8920]

You may be over thinking all of this, I know I am. One thing I did see, is your mind set seems to be shifting and I completely understand the "I'm tired of tracking, counting calories, etc. Perhaps you need to start shifting to a more intuitive approach to eating. You know what you need to eat and how you need to eat. You know the difference between that is a good healthy food to eat and that's crap for my body that won't fuel me. You know when something's an occassional treat and when it's an over indulgence. Also, keep in mind, if you get too crazy, you'll be back to where you started. I think this is the point where a lot of WLS patients lose it, regain and then have horrible problems getting back on track and some don't ever get back on track. I don't know about you, but regain scares me and a lot of that is because I have lost substantial amounts of weight (not as much as I have now) in the past and then regained all the weight back and more. The idea that I could be back to the beginning scares me to death. I know, sooner or later, I'm going to have to loosen the reigns and try to just be normal not so much in what I eat but in the method. I know, that made soooo much sense. I weigh and measure everything, I read labels like they are the most fascinating things I've ever seen, I count everything. Some days, I just want to eat. My problem is I have no faith in being able to eat intuitively. A lot of times, I know what to eat because I DO weigh and measure everything. I'm always full but still, without weighing and measuring, will I know when to stop? Will I plop too much food on my plate. I don't know and I'm scared to try. No one will ever know how hard this is or how much of a mind game this all really is. I'm not even sure, even with as much research as I did before the decision to get weight loss surgery, whether I realized how hard this could be and that instead of getting easier, it bloody gets harder. I want to lose another 12 to 13 lbs (I'm in a major stall right now, they happen more and more) and then I guess I'll need to start figuring out where to go. A part of me does say, I'm quite satisfied with where I am, my PCP even said, you need to stop losing weight. My BMI is 26 which is still considered overweight but I feel good, look pretty good and the loose skin doesn't bother me enough to go through the surgery, besides I'm old and I'm supposed to have loose skin, LOL. But I do want to say, you look awesome! I don't know where the last "measurer" messed up but he/she for sure did. The difference between this month and last month was pretty dramatic, imo.

[@ruthcoby2425]

Bypass to a Leaner Lynn your comment hit everything I was thinking! Regain terrifies me and continues to be a motivator

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Oh, I'm definitely overthinking thing! LOL! That's kind of my thing. I would like to eventually shift to a more intuitive eating approach, but I'm honestly just not sure I'm mentally ready for that just yet. I think it would give me *more* anxiety at this point, when I'm still trying to lose weight. But you're definitely right that I wasn't prepared for how much of a mind game this would be. I mean, I knew it would be difficult, but it's one of those things I just don't think you can ever truly prepare yourself for--you just have to experience and work through it as you go!

[@myredo28]

Heyyyyy, you said your age right. See you got it. 😁, you are doing so amazing! Congrats. Onederland is around the corner!

[@GraceGetsGastric]

LOL, I did!! Thanks, my dear. :D

[@marissamills]

What mascara do you use? Your lashes always look great! I would love to hear more about your thoughts/plans for plastics as well!

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thanks! I actually get lash extensions! I love them. :) And I'll definitely share thoughts on plastics as I get closer to that point!

[@nancyjackson8690]

Pretty scarf but it made your neck disappear. Funny looking but I know how pretty you are Grace so don't take offense. Measurements are so important when wt doesn't always come. A new goal met, congrats! And clothes too big are fun.

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thanks! :D

[@AddyJoeTV]

My first thought was..”man she looks crazy”... ⚔️😎-Joe

[@GraceGetsGastric]

LOL!

[@Crazydude940]

I have never really worn spanx because as a Big girl I get So hot So easily and I sweat more than the average person. I have heard that most WLS people are cold all the time so can you tell me your experience especially about the summer months?? I would much rather be cold than hot!! I can layer up but I don't think Anyone would be happy seeing me in my bday suit lol!!😂😂

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Honestly, during the summer I wasn't cold at all. I was maybe not *quite* as hot as I would have been before surgery, but I definitely didn't feel cold at all. However, I've been FREEZING since mid-late fall, much more so than I ever was this time last year.

[@amandaathanas4027]

PIX: O! M! G! You look completely different! SUCH a major accomplishment!! Employers and their medical benefits ppl are always lamenting the costs of obesity in the workplace/medical plans, so why don’t they bother to make rules about goodies in the work environment?! Oh well. See ya, YouMan! 🤣

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thanks, lovely! And ugh, right? It's definitely one of those cultural things that I wish didn't happen, because it's hard being surrounded by so much temptation!

[@mysteryguest1948]

First of all: you look amazing!! Your body is getting slimmer amd slimmer! I hear you onthe loose skin - totally messes with my head. I look all wrinkly and strange bit my clothing size says I am average and my brain doesn't compute thw concurrance of the two. Part of the reason i beoke up with the scale is because of the blase' attitude toward my nutrition and fitness it caused me - seeing that low number, I think messed with me. I am more focused witbout it - so weird and totally just a "me" thing I think. Maybe setting a new fitness goal or creating a reward associated with reaching a certain nutrition or fitness goal would be motivating?? I was thinking of doing a virtual race to help keep me motivated - maybe we could do one together? Like one of those 50 mile goal ones and challenelge each other to reach it by the end of the month or something? Maybe?

[@GraceGetsGastric]

Thank you so much, lovely!! I honestly didn't think the loose skin would bother me as much as it does. :/ And yes, I'd totally be down for some kind of virtual race!