Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories

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Haven't been able (read brave enough) to do this until now ... but thought I would post before and after pictures. Not sure I am at optimal weight yet, but getting close.

Thanks so much for all the great comments on my 5 month update!!! I'm back as promised to share my video and progress photos for this month. You can find my video on YouTube here: Now for the progress photos. This first set shows the full progression from start to 5 months 5 Months Post Op by christie.co, on Flickr 5 Months Post Op by christie.co, on Flickr 5 Months Post Op by christie.co, on Flickr This set shows this month compared to last month: 4 Months vs 5 Months by christie.co, on Flickr 4 Months vs 5 Months by christie.co, on Flickr 4 Months vs 5 Months by christie.co, on Flickr This set shows this month compared to the beginning: …

Today summer started in New Zealand and for the first time I was part of it rather than a bystander. Its only 1 in the afternoon and already I have been to the Gym, been Mountain bike riding and had lunch at the beach. Its just amazing how loosing a bit of weight changes your ability to participate in fun activates. Thank you sleeve for giving me my life back.

I am 2 months out and have lost 57 lbs. I still think I am that bigger girl from before my surgery. My boss told me today to STOP wearing my old clothes because they were TOO BIG and to wear smaller ones. She knows I have a variety of sizes in my closet. She kinda yelled at me when she said it. :director: SOOO, when I got home I put several items in the goodwill basket and moved the smaller sizes to the front. I am going to take my boss' advice and wear the smaller clothes!!!! :thumb:

10 months out now. My doctor originally told me a good target I could expect to hit was 205lbs. My plans were to hit 200lbs. At the time that sounded so unreal I knew I'd be thrilled if it ever happened. When I hit 200 I was thrilled. But I went ahead and set a new goal for 185lbs. That seemed achievable at that point. Today I hit the 185 goal. Yea!!!! Now comes the strange feeling. For so long before sleeve and after I've been in constant thought mode about losing weight. If I was not losing weight then I was likely gaining weight. So my focus has been on losing, losing, losing. My reaction right now is to establish a new goal (say 175lbs) to aim for. I…

I have TriWest, and I can't get over how easy this whole process has really been. Let me first start off with letting you know my whole process. On March 3rd, I told my family doctor that I was thinking about doing the Lap-Band... she started the ball rolling for me. Also, I guess I should mention that she is my PCM, but an "off base" doctor. Had I said I wanted this on base I would of got a total different reaction. On 3/17, I had my nutrition class. On 3/27, I had my psyc eval. On 3/31, I went to a support group, met other people with the band, and made up my mind I was going to do it. On 4/16, I met Dr. Sufficool, who will be preforming my surgery. He seems …

So i made it past goal (150 now I'm 147)so that put me down for a 176 pounds in 13 months not too shabby i say. sorry guys not really liking the new layout of site too busy for me (for those who have adhd you understand) when i get the ambition i will figure out how to put my new pics up. but anyway it been a wild ride thus far and to think this new year eve (if i;m bless to see it) it wont be about weight lol. i had a aunt that died 7 weeks ago that just broke my heart she never got a chance to see me thin again and i never got a chance to show her my ring and worst of all to say i love you, goodbye, and i sorry for not calling and thanks for loving me rasing me, ect,,,(…

September 19th is my 6 month anniversery!!! To Date I have lost 79 lbs!!!!!!!! I can't believe it. I wore a 26/28 the day of surgery, today I can fit 20 pants and XL tops. I was in that size when I was 15! Having surgery is the best thing I could have done.

I am four months post banding and have been losing my hair by the handful the last few weeks. I had a fill yesterday and my doctor said I need to take Biotin supplements. I have lost 34 lbs since my banding on May 26th!

Went w husband to Vegas this weekend. I know, I am showing age bc a lot of you are like who is he? But definitely this was on my bucket list in life bc his music has meant a lot to me since high school in late 70s. When I think of all I have missed in life bc of weight it is so sad. Seemed like everywhere I looked there were super fat people. We had nose bleed seats and watched a lot of fat people struggling to get up stairs. It was like their bodies were rejecting their Desire to have fun. Knees and legs weak, breathless and having to stop and rest. Some trying to not show that it was a huge effort to keep up w their friends. It made me sad for them and hopeful…

HEY EVERYONE!!! today is my two week surgiversary and i have lost 18lbs so far!! :cheer2: Im loving my sleeve although im anxious to get on to real foods soon .... I am pretty happy with my results so far.. i want to take advantage of all of the losses as much as i can because i know there will be an inevitable stall coming my way soon... at least i hope not but i am getting mentally prepared for it!!! ... im only 2lbs away from TWENTY and it feels so good to know it will come off and then some... i just have to wait to see the results!! I hope everyone is having a great day today... i know that sometimes things may get rough but we can all Celebrate our small an…

Hay girls, maybe this may be the answer to the the thinning hair after surgery. I work for a Dentist and the otherday I had a patient that just went thru chemo therapy. All her hair was gone thru the process. Someone told her to get that shampoo that is for horses, and people. It is made to give horses a fuller mane, shine, etc. My patient swears by it, her hair came back in no time at all, thick and beautiful. I have not had my surgery yet but what the heck, I will be trying anything to keep my locks if you know what I mean. Good luck to all of you, and me. Vicki:thumbup:

No, this isn't a post about how a bathroom fixture couldn't hold my weight. My stall in the 260's finally broke. I had just about despaired of ever breaking into the 250's, and then I weighed myself this morning and I weighed 258.1. That's just over 70 pounds lost from my starting weight. It's not as fast as I want, but it's still coming off! At this rate, by the time I take my Hawaii vacation in February or March, I should be into the 230's! Swimsuit pictures FOR EVERYONE!

Have you ever noticed that most of us in our 'before pictures' look so sad? Or is it tired? I can't tell...In our 'after photos' we look more full of life, and vitality. The lapband and my hard work gave me my life back. I feel sexier, I can walk through small places, oh and I can move through the movie isles without having to apologize to other patrons because I banged into them with my girth. That is a really good feeling. I like the little things. I like to rest my head on my husband's shoulder when he hugs me. Those things are the sucesses. Hey I have other news as well...I am gearing up to get my tummy tuck after my weight loss. I write a blog called ‘I really …

I bought two new pairs of jeans two weeks ago at Kohls and they were size 12 but a tiny bit loose, I wore one and put the others up and now two weeks later I am going to have to take those back and get a size 10, I bought one new pair from Target and they were 10's also! havent been a size ten in a long time. I was wearing 14's but had gained 15 pounds in those and stretched em so I am sure I would have needed 16 if I had bought any jeans right before surgery. I am going to post the pre-op pics and my success thus far when I hit the 40 pound loss mark. I am hoping I can lose that 5 pounds in the next two weeks. It is also really awesome because the tummy tuck I had 3 …

I think sometimes we all need little reminders throughout our journeys. I challenge each of to go look at some of your before pictures, or grab a pair of jeans that you wore pre-op. Look at how far you've come, and I don't care if that's 10lbs ago, or 100lbs. We need to Celebrate in every victory regardless of how small or trivial it may seem. There is so much more to this entire process than just the physical changes, BUT those changes are the tangible ones. The changes we can see and feel. When you're feeling down, or discouraged, really look at yourself and SEE where you are today from you were be it 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 pant sizes ago! ! ! When John an…

I've got 'em. I put some clothes on today and pants are getting saggy in the crotch. I put on a favorite shirt and now my bra shows under the arms. Time for a trip to the goodwill. Hurray! Looks like I may need medium shirts now and size 10 or 8(!) pants. La dee da.

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Well, it's a strange one, but I finally tried on some smaller underwear I bought a month ago. Size large -- not XXL (where I started), not even XL, just large! -- boxer briefs now fit like a glove. Not too snug, not too baggy! And my size 42 waist jeans that I bought a month ago because my 48's that I started with were literally falling off me are now pretty baggy. I have some 40's that were hand-me-downs -- they're too long in the inseam -- and even they are starting to fit loosely. I should be in 38's before the end of the year. For me, getting below 40-inch jeans is a HUGE achievement, since I've been in 40+ inch waist jeans for more than 10 years now. Dare I d…

I'm 6 1/2 weeks out and 184 ...finally thinner than my hubby too LOL (he's been trying to lose too)! He weighed 186 today yayyyyyyyyyyyy! FEELS SOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD!

Now this is a small victory, but my BMI is finally less than 40! Many of you sleevers never had a BMI this high, so you might wonder what the heck I'm celebrating, but I have been waiting for this! When I started my pre-op diet my BMI was over 48 and at my very highest weight it was 51. I haven't seen a BMI in the 30s for years, and I'm pretty darn excited about it (maybe more than I should be!). I also have less than 100 lbs to go to a normal BMI. I'm not 100% sure I'll get there, and my personal goal is to get to 175, but it seems more attainable now than when I was over 300. I love my sleeve!

I can't belive it has been 6 weeks since I had surgery and I'm down 32 pounds. I feel so good and its only been 6 weeks so I can only imagine what I'm going to feel like in the weeks and months to come. I feel like a different person already, I have way more engery than I've ever had. I'm off of 1 of my blood pressure medications and in a few weeks I'll be off of another. I can handle that since I've been on medication since I was 21 and now that I'm 31 I'm only going to be on one. I've attached a before picture and a picture that I took a couple of days ago.

My labs were great! Fasting glucose 87, A1c 4.9, BP 120/80 and no deficiences. This is definitely worth it.

Heheh...I just had to say that. Friday, I went clothing shopping for reals (as opposed to Goodwill) and bought--drumroll--SIZE TEN JEANS!!! And, just for the heckuvit, I got a pair of ridiculously high-heeled zip-up black leather ankle boots...just because they looked so cute with the skin-tight jeans. I always had this image of myself as something of a stocky Russian babushka-woman peasant build, and suddenly I'm looking long-legged and lean(er). I have cheekbones and a jawline for the first time in YEARS, no double chin, and the other day when I was in JC Penney getting those new jeans (and boots, and a couple of shirts, and a blazer), I was sort of vaguely staring at n…

I got dressed for work today and realized that my belt, even on the tightest hole, was still too big. I went to the shoemaker during lunch hour and had him put two more holes into the belt, so it should last me a little while longer. The lady who owns the shop was really cute -- she didn't charge me and told me that if I gained weight, then she would charge me. What a great feeling! Of course, I could have gone out and bought a new belt, but I think I enjoyed adding the holes to this one even more. Especially, since it wasn't that long ago that the belt was just barely fitting me on the loosest hole and I was just about ready to move up to the next size. I truly …

Last week, I was in a bit of a snit and cursing the scale that refused to budge. My coworker suggested we check my measurements. I had lost 12 inches since surgery! So, we named every Tuesday Tape Measure Day! This week's tale of the tape: SIX inches gone! The scale may not be moving as quickly as I would like, but I KNOW I'm doing the right things and letting my sleeve work the way it is supposed to. In return, my body is rewarding me. I just had to find a different way to measure the rewards. Feel free to post your weekly Tape Measure Day successes here...I love seeing everyone doing so well. You are all such an inspiration to me.

Oh life is grand! ! ! I'm close to 16 months out, and honestly, I'm just living life. I usually forget I even had surgery, and food is just an afterthought. Some questions I get frequently: 1) What are you eating? Literally, the answer is anything and everything I want. Nothing is off limits, nothing bothers me, I do still remain mindful of white carbs, but I eat them. I do steer clear of a lot of fried foods. I didn't eat fried foods pre-op, and I still don't enjoy them post-op. 2) How often do you eat? 4-6 meals per day - I do not track my intake anymore. I eat whatever I want, and go about my day. I've been easily maintaining for about 5.5 months no…

What am i going to do with the 40 pairs of size 18/20 jeans that have been hanging in my closet for the past 8 yrs. It actually is very scary to get rid of them yet im so happy to be in a size 12/14 and all my other jeans fall off of me i am still in that sureal state of mind. I dont have 1 pair of jeans that fit me at this time so i actually walked into the young womens section at target and bought myself a pair of "hip" leggings i havent shopped in regualar depts in at least 12 yrs god it felt good good good. My husband and i went through my closet and took all the clothes that dont fit anymore out and my closet is completely empty lol yay me

Hi! I am 8 days post op and feel really good!! I went alone to Juarez to get my sleeve, and did not take any pictures... so if anyone has any and doesn't mind sharing, I would love to have them! My email is lisasynchro@hotmail.com THANKS!!!

Greetings! I am a little over three weeks out and can finally wear a belt and tuck in my shirts!!!! This is a whoo hoo moment for me. Also, I took all my smaller sized blouses, sweaters, and skirts to the cleaners this week, and it's like I have a new wardrobe. Plus my hubby told me I'm looking sexy!! Wow! Love my sleeve. I will be fit before I turn fifty. To our good health- Fit

I began my weight loss journey at 306 lbs. It may have been more, but after seeing that number I refused to step on the scale until I lost some weight. My moment of clarity was not being able to enjoy the theme parks that my friends did. The roller coasters were not designed for people "of my stature." I was embarrassed and disappointed in myself for giving up on my own health and that was when I decided to really put the effort into betting myself. I began the research into LAP-BAND® and found out that my insurance would only cover it if I maintained a 6 month diet first. This set me on my way to better health and before my surgery I had lost just under 40 lbs, bringi…

I did it! I hit goal over the weekend. In fact, I'm a little under it. I just kept staring at the scale. It hasn't moved much at all the past 3 or 4 weeks, so I was in shock. I didn't break down in tears, I didn't do a happy dance ... I just kept getting off & getting back on. I finally realized that I was standing in the bathroom totally naked getting on an off the scale so I decided to come out. I just looked at my husband and said, "I did it. I'm under 135 pounds. I haven't weighed this since I was 17". He did his best to congratulate me, but he really didn't get it - HOW COULD HE? I still don't get it. But, I MADE IT! I hit the goal that my …

Today I made it into the 140's!!! I have been stalled in the 150's for weeks so when I jumped on the scale I was dancing after I saw 149! I feel I will actually get to my goal! I may lower it once I get there! Whoda thunk that! I usually upped it LOL!! I just had to share my excitement!!!

:biggrin0:Well I had my 1st post-op appointment today and everything is healing great. From my pre-op date I was 495 (May 10th) Surgery date (May 24th) I was 477 & 1 week post op (June 1st) I?m 457. Man that?s 20 pounds in a week & 38 from pre-op that?s gone. I?m so thankful for my Lord keeping and seeing me through so far & know that it?s only the beginning of my journey. :biggrin0:

Hi everyone, I wanted to shout to the rooftops that as of today, I have met my original (although not my current) weight loss goal! My starting weight was 433 lbs. And as of today I am at 249 lbs, for a cumulative weight loss of 184 lbs. Actually, my original weight loss goal was more nebulous than this. Originally I could only vaguely visualize a conceptual goal of maybe, possibly, someday, if I'm lucky, getting into the low 200's. Later, as I started losing weight, believing that I might be able to do this, and realizing that I needed a more concrete goal to work towards, I decreed that goal to be 249 pounds, as that is the first number I could hit that would round …

As of today I have lost... 100 pounds!! EEK! I am so excited :thumbup: I have only 16 pounds to go until I am at goal, I have gone from a size 28 to a size 14/16, I am no longer hypertensive, do not have sleep apnea, blood sugars are fabulous and my hormone levels are looking better (I have severe PCOS and androgen disorder).

Today is my 5 month surgiversary. Everything is going great...I don't have really anything new to report. I'm down 67 lbs since surgery and 91 total. I haven't taken measurements in a while...need to do that soon. I'm still not exercising very much...wish I could make myself LIKE it. I did walk 2 miles tonight. I don't log my food everyday but I eat pretty much the same things over and over so I have a good idea where I am on any given day. I love my sleeve....my hubby named her Veronica. LOL Don't ask..he names everything including our houseplants. I have so much more energy now and I'm starting to like shopping again. One of my employees came over this evening …

Tomorrow is my 3 month surgiversary. To date I have lost 67.2 lbs. and a total of 44 inches!

This will be a quickie. I needed to purge my thought surrounding my first post-op shopping trip yesterday. Given my previous post and the whole emotional roller coaster thing?I think retail therapy helped a bit. I have a wedding to go to this weekend, and don?t have anything to wear that FITS *grin* liquid diet on 9/7). To try on a size 20 dress, then a size 18?? After I have been wearing a 22 or 24 (depending on the cut)?totally made my day! Im certain the size 18 dress was cut WAY big, but still?Just looking at myself in it?thinking ?wowwwwwwwwwwwwww?. I couldn?t stop smiling? I?ve even noticed that my knees & back aren?t hurting as much. I guess 30# can mak…

Good afternoon, everyone! Well, Saturday was my 8-month anniversary out of surgery, and also the day of my very first 5K run ever. I'm down about 70 lbs overall, including what I lost before surgery. Should it be more? Yeah... I think so, because I had a long stall in there and am in the middle of another one. It's my own fault, I've been eating more like I'm on maintenance rather than still in the losing phase. I still have about 18 lbs. to go in order to reach my original goal, but I think I want to go another 30 and wind up at about 148. -Ish. Something like that. I have posted a ton of before and current pics on my profile if anyone's interested, but …

Okay so I posted a lengthy number the other day, just am so excited to be in a place I have NEVER been before. Thanks again to all of you who support and encourage me! I am getting married next year and though I hope to be down another 60-70lbs my friend and I went and tried on wedding dresses! I didn't need a plus sized dress. So here I am, crazy face, but cute dress!!! Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum - wannalise's Album: On My Way! - Picture Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum - wannalise's Album: On My Way! - Picture Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum - wannalise's Album: On My Way! - Picture (Tiff I am becoming a pictur…

Ok folks, I have been down because of this stall I am in but I have realized that I need to be happy with my success to this point and Celebrate it so here is a progress picture. I am 5 months post-op as of yesterday. I have lost 46 pounds since surgery and still want to lose 25 more to get to my ideal weight. I will try to be patient a little longer with this stall, I truly hope things start moving again soon!!! Have a great week everyone!

It just dawned on me today that I haven't taken a midday nap since the first couple of weeks after my surgery on July 21. I'm a full time college student, and it used to be that I would come home from school and pass out in my dorm room/apartment for a good three hours. Now, I come home and stay up until 1:00 AM doing homework (probably ) without a nap, and feel no ill effects. It's great to have such energy. This alone, ignoring the purely cosmetic effects of the 58 lbs. lost since May, make this surgery worth it. :glare:

I am alergic to metal, I was wondering is the staples metal? Ms Lisa

is that considered a NSV? Picture this, I had on a pair of "tights". I decided to be nice to myself last week and purchased a pair of leather mid-calf boots and wore them both for the first time tonight. As I stood up I realized my tights looked a bit baggy, upon investigating I found that my crotch was at my knees. :thumbup: After tonight I have learned not to trust anything that isn't a snug against me. :001_tongue:

I'm finally able to wear XL in tops and size 14 in pants! (previously 3x and size 22) I can't believe how much cuter the clothes are when you're not limited to the big girls section! For the first time, my criteria for deciding whether to buy something is not just that it fits, but that it's cute and looks good on me. I remember in the past when I'd be so thrilled just that it fit that it didn't matter if I liked it or not, I had to get it because that's all there was to choose from. I can finally be selective about clothes...gee what concept. So long, Lane Giant!! Nice knowing you....helloooooo Macy's!!:001_tt2:

South Dakota :: P1011803.jpg picture by originalpossumtrot - Photobucket When at my heaviest I tended to stay home and do nothing. Now that I've lost a bit of weight (about half-way to goal) I'm finding I want to go out and DO things, iow, to LIVE life to it's fullest. Heck, I've even taken up hiking. Pre-weightloss possumtrot would *never* have done that. :thumbup1: This pic. is from a little while back when we took a 4,000 mile vacation out west (I drove to the top of Pike's Peak and earned my tee shirt that says "Real Women Don't Need Guardrails", lol). Man-o-man, it was *fun* after the scary part was over. It was very breezy up top of the peak and I sure was gla…

I finally posted my 4 month update with photos and video! Hope you'll come check it out! Thank you so much Health and Happiness: 4 Month Progress Update

As I sit here and try to say what the last six months has been for me it is really hard to formulate into words. A few years ago I remember watching shows where people had WLS and feeling like they took the easy way out. Mind you I would watch these shows at 200 then 250 then 300 lbs. Telling myself all along that when I was ready I would be able to buckle down and lose weight. I have since learned that weight loss surgery is not the easy way out. Many talk about this being effortless for them and that has not been my experience. I am doing it, my mind and heart and body are changing every day, but this has not been easy. It is hard to go from a life where you are able to…

So close to onderland that is..I woke up this morning and the scale said 201. Wow...I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. I bet it takes me another few weeks to lose 2 more lbs to make it there. But I can see it...it's just RIGHT there...and I'm so EXCITED!!