Weight Loss Surgery Success Stories

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WOW, you gotta see this guy's videos. He goes into excruciating detail about his foods, diet post-op, etc. He went from 474 to 200 lbs thanks to VSG. Watching these has really got me excited for my surgery! Here's a 2 video summary: BEFORE: [nomedia=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96KvMMEav6s]YouTube- Optifast liquid Diet[/nomedia] AFTER: [nomedia=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6z4h21agSk]YouTube- April 2010 VSG Post Op Update!!![/nomedia] And his channel for all 80+ videos: YouTube - mark45acp's Channel

Hi everybody!! I just posted my official 3 Month Progress photos as well as a couple new non-official ones... all my stats etc!! Please come check it out on my blog! :001_rolleyes: Health and Happiness: 3 Month Progress

I had a three month post-op blood draw, and the doc said I'm in excellent health. All signs of my fatty liver have disappeared; the doc said my liver looks like the liver of a 20 year old (again what he mentioned after my surgery; I'm starting to think he has some weird liver fetish!). My kidneys are in excellent shape. My HDL/LDL are still a TINY bit off, but my overall cholesterol number (158) is excellent and improving, and my triglycerides are great. All the other numbers were excellent, which is a great improvement over the beginning of all the obesity co-morbidities that I was showing. And one real bonus, in three months, my total testosterone has gone from 35…

I have two interesting articles that I would like to share with you but they are PDF file and I don't know how to post them in here?? any ideas? One is about strategies of weight regain after VSG and the other is a very recent study 2010 ( 5 years follow up study for 26 VS patients ), the longest follow up study available in literature so far. Take care and keep up the good work:)

I haven't posted for awhile. My VSG was performed about 5 months ago. It has been a great 5 months. The surgery is continuing to change my life. For the first 3 months of that time the weight came off pretty fast. Things have slowed significantly the past two months. I'm still losing but it's taking more effort now. I think a big reason for the slow down is I have been busy at work and haven't been able to find the time to exercise regularly like I was before. That seems to be a big factor with or without surgery - becoming more active. This week I recommitted and exercised 5 times and the weight came off. I lost 3 more pounds and am now at my lowest yet - 70 l…

I didn't tell many people about my surgery when I had it on July 13th. Now that I am down about a total of 55lbs from my starting weight, about one person each day will notice and say something to me. They seem generally pretty shy about asking and always ask quietly -- have you lost some weight? I always feel like saying - "duh! only about 50 lbs", but I don't and I always just say yes and accept their compliment. No one is asking me how I've done it, so I am not discussing my surgery. I don't plan on keepng it a secret from anyone who asks, just don't see the need to advertise it right now, especially in the office. Right now, family and close friends are enough. …

First, I reached a minor milestone today -- I broke the 270 lbs barrier. 269.6, but still, I'll take it! Second, I've really started noticing that people are treating me differently. All of my life -- literally -- I've been heavy. I've sort of resigned myself to being the "fat friend;" I'm treated as comic relief by the men, and as the platonic "shoulder to cry on" by the ladies. It may not be cruel, and it's probably not always intentional, but basically I was never taken seriously as a man. If there's one phrase I would use to describe how people treated me, it would be "non-threatening" -- not that I want to be threatening, but I want men to realize that yes, I'…

Yahoo!!!!!! Finally after a 3 1/2 month stall, I'm losing again!!! What hell that was! But such is life right! Well off we go again. . . cheers!:biggrin0:

:thumbup1: Hiya, Well, 6 months after my surgery, I am 111 lbs down from pre-op. My labs are good. Cholesterol is at 157 which I think is good and maybe someone could tell me if it is a decent number. I have struggled a lot with head hunger and the need to comfort eat. Luckily, I found a great therapist and am attending OA as well. I would do the surgery again in a heartbeat but I really must stress the need to be psychologically prepared for the major, huge changes to your way of eating. Lord knows I am over the moon about my weight loss and how great I feel physically but I have also cried many times because I can no longer comfort eat and bin…

I know I'm not at goal YET but hey its only been 1 month. 1/4 sounds good. At the rate I'm going I'll be at goal in the late spring. I started out at 233 now I'm 211. Getting closer to the 100's!:confused1:

Well, as of this morning I am no longer teaching Kindergarten! This former morbidly obese girl is my school's new PHYSICAL EDUCATION teacher!!! How awesome is that?! I can now exercise all day and not feel guilty if I can't make it to the gym after work!!! Teaching PE is something I never thought I would do. A year and a half ago I would have dreaded it. This is a VSG success for sure!

Just posted some fun real-life comparison photos (i.e. not the official progress photos) on my blog - several angles of me at 12 weeks, and my hubby who is at 10 weeks. I hope you'll check it out :thumbup: Thank you! Health and Happiness: Seeing the Difference

I am officially 4 weeks out from surgery today! It has been an emotional roller coaster - the decision to do it, traveling alone and being oh so scared, learning to live a new lifestyle, my changing body. Through everything I have never regretted for one second getting my sleeve. I can see that I will not be one of those fast losers lol more of the slow and steady kind but I am okay with that. With the little amount I have lost since surgery I already feel sooooo much better and people are starting to notice, telling me that I look good and that feels awesome! I am in a losing stall right now, but I try to keep focused on where I will be one month, 6 months or even o…

To begin with I had a BMI of 40.4, so I was on a one-week Protein only low-carb diet. Very doable! Took measurements, pictures and bought a few things to drink for my return. Please don't eat after 6:00 a.m. on the day of your pre-op testing! Arrival in San Diego was a smooth process. The weekend driver (Frederico) was standing there just where they said he'd be with my name on a sign. We picked up one more couple then loaded up and headed to Mexicali which is about a 90 minute drive. Frederico took us directly to the hospital for our pre-op testing. We were met at Hospital Almater by Yolanda who was extremely helpful. I was given a shot of heparin in the tummy (d…

-So I had my nut app today and I am down to 50lb lost since surgery. I have more energy and I feel better about myself. Although looking in the mirror I still see the same person. I personally don't see the weight loss but others do. -I got into trouble with my nut because I am Not drinking enough during the day. I find it hard to make room for 64oz and eating enough food for the day. Also I have been getting nauseous and dizzy fairly often. So I need to start keeping track of when I get these feelings. To determine if its dehydration,low sugar levels or medication side effects. -I was put on nausea medication to see if it helps and I also need to add more carbs to my …

On Monday (Aug.16) will be at 5 months. and I am down 63 lbs. and my wife is down 34 lbs. We are slowly seeing the weight loss but we are not low calorie/carb counters... Between the 3 the 4 month period I lost only a few lbs. but the next month I lost about 10. I am thankful with the sleeve I am able to see weight come off (slowly) and STAY off. Other than the first month I have not had big poundage come off. I am telling my story so that some will be encouraged when they too are not loosing 30 or 40 lbs in a short time. If you loose 5 to 10 lbs per month over a period of time you will get there! Blessings Russ

Posted a new video update on my blog!!! Health and Happiness: Video Update! The "April" I mention in my video is user icurapril here on VST She is having her surgery this coming Thursday and I want to wish her all the best. XOXO

I still have a bit of comprehension (sp) in another bariatric surgery. I've had the Lap Band since 2005 and I'm considered to have a dinosaur band. What I am wondering are there any folks here who have been sleeved for over say 4 years? If so, how has things gone after the honeymoon period? Any common problems? I know a lot of times people are very active in forums then once they get fixed or lose weight they go along happily in their day to day life and the ones that mainly come here (that I've seen) are 2-3 years out at the most or pre-op like me. Thanks!

Not really a lot to report to be honest, I just wanted to share some pics. I'm 13 months out, and life is just kind of taking over. I've been maintaining now for a couple of months. I essentially have to graze to not lose. I still can't wrap my head around it, but hey, I'll take it. Life is not good, it's fabulous. I pretty much forget that I've had surgery. I just kind of go about my days, eat when my body tells me to, and I have lost that desire to eat huge amounts. I still love food, I still love to eat, and I don't think that will ever change. Making choices is more difficult now. I can eat more, but not huge amounts still. Max 8oz on mushy stuff, 3-5oz on meats.…

When I had my surgery 7/16/10 I wore size 24W pants. Today I bought a pair of capris and a pair of jeans size 18. Those 18s are not loose, but I've worn much tighter clothes before! I thought about 16s but decided not to push it, lol. So even though I haven't lost as much weight as I think I should, obviously *something* is working out right! ; D What a GREAT DAY this has been!

Whew ! ! ! Where has the time gone? ? ? It's hard to believe that this time last year I was still recovering from my revision, waiting for my husband's return from Afghanistan and gearing up for my son to start school. Life is great, and I am just living. Y'all have probably noticed I'm really not around as much, and I have no excuse other than I am just living, and I kind of feel like I've put out enough information out here that can sifted through. BUT, I log on once or twice a day, check my messages, and check in with everyone. For anyone that has questions, feel free to message me. Especially if you ask me a question in a topic started and I don't reply, it's…

One year ago today, I took the plunge and revised from the band to the sleeve. Everyone knows my story, and most of y'all have followed me for the last year. There really aren't enough words that can even remotely explain just how fabulous life is post-op, and just how amazing all the little victories make me feel day in and day out. As I've gotten further out, I noticed I started taking for granted the little things. Ya know, walking around the mall for hours without hurting or huffing and puffing, doing 4 hours of yardwork without a break and not having a coronary, sitting in the floor and not having to waddle my way up grasping for anything to support myself. All o…

It's taken 2 months but it seems things are finally settling down. Just the past few days I have felt more energetic and focused. Hopefully I am on the mend for good this time. I lost 12 lbs pre-op and post op I have lost 34.4 lbs and 39 1/2 inches. I had a really cool NSV today. I tried on the jeans I wore the day before my surgery. The last time I had them on, I had to suck in my gut to zip them. I put them on today so easily that when it was time to take them off, I just had to slide them down, and they were still zipped and buttoned.

As of Thursday, Feb 11th 2010, I was 1 year postop. I am now down about 107 pounds! The only regret I have is that I didn't do this YEARS ago. I wasted too many years being so unhappy. I feel amazing and I am so glad that I made this decision. I am only about 8 pounds from my original goal of 180 pounds. As I get closer to that though, I can see that I'm not going to be satisfied with that. My BMI doesn't fall into the normal range until 155. I didn't do this to still be considered overweight. I want to be at a healthy weight. So now that is my new goal....155. So that's about 33 more pounds. The weight is coming off much slower now but it's still coming off. Hopefully so…

Well we did it. We went in to Madigan at about 6:30am, Kathy was the first case of the day and I was #2. Felt sort of odd sitting in the staging room after she had left for her surgery. I guess everyone was telling our surgeon he was nuts for doing us both on the same day. But we assured him we had a really good support group at home. When it was my time to go into pre-op I again told them of my issue with anesthesia and how bad my nausea could be. They said they would do everything they could to keep it in check. That was my biggest concern going in, that I was going to rip something from my vomiting afterwards. After a few tries to find a good spot to put in t…

Whooppeee!!! Yahooo!!!!! It's official! As of today, I'm Normal (whatever that really means!). At 159#, my BMI is 24.9 - barely normal but I sure don't feel fat anymore! I never thought I had so many bones!!! I haven't hit my "official" goal of 150# - YET but it's coming, without a doubt. I've lost 95 pounds total since my VSG on Jan 25, just over six months!!! Only 9 more to go! Woo! by far, the best decision I've ever made for myself. Not only was this the easiest weight ever lost for me (of several hundred over the years) but I am unbelievably optimistic about the future and keeping it under control. Life is fantastic!!! If you're on the fence about this pro…

Well folks, today was officially my one year anniversary! I went for my one year check up today and I can not believe how fast this past year has gone by! There have been many changes in my life (generally, life happening) and I can't tell you that it hasn't been without some sorrow because I couldn't rely on my "good friend" food; HOWEVER, I will tell you it is a journey and YOU ALL CAN DO IT! I am amazed at how long it took me to make the decision compared to how long it has taken to get down. I still have about 15 lbs to go; however, the journey is not over...it's a bench mark and celebration for success! Now the remaining 15 is exercise and diet (according to my …

Just wanted to share with everyone that I reached my goal in 4 and 1/2 months!!! I started as a 50 y.o. lightweight with surgery weight of 213 and today I am at my goal of 145 - that's 68 lbs lost in a little over 4 months. I set my goal at 145 because it is a normal BMI (I am 5'5") and should be easy to maintain. But I think I will go for 10 more pounds to 135. This hasn't been the easy way out since I worked for every single pound lost. I did not just let the sleeve do the work - I have been exercising since surgery starting with walking 3 miles/day and then adding in biking. I am currently biking around 75-100+ miles a week along with brisk walking most days (Yes I do …

I was sleeved 7/13/10... yes less than a month ago and I am down over 50 pounds! Today I stepped on the scale and I was less then 300 pounds for the first time in a long time! Some of the weightloss was pre-op but who cares!!! I am feeling great! Next goal to be 250 by Oct 26th (my 28th birthday!).

Ok, folks. I've been waiting to be able to say this....are you ready? I am officially half way to my desired weight loss goal. I wanted to lose 100 lbs and I have hit the 50 lb loss mark. Yeah! Party! Party! My surgery was April 13th, so it took less than 4 months! I have nothing but good to say about getting the sleeve and my health: 1) Off the sleep apnea machine 2) From a 3X to 18/20 clothes. 3) Didn't lose any hair (that I noticed anyway) 4) Knees & feet not hurting so much anymore. 5) Self-confidence boosted 6) Can feel my bottom rib cage bone! 7) Can play and work harder and longer! 8) Hubby thinks he's died and gone to heaven. 9) Sleep better …

I was sleeved on July 13th and I am doing well. I am down about 23 lbs since the surgery and I generally feel really great. The one thing I am struggling with a bit is a sense of sadness that I cannot eat the things I have always enjoyed in the amounts I have always loved. I really don't have any physical hunger, but I have come to realize what a huge part of my life food has been. I was telling my sister-in-law about it today and she said -- "It's like you've lost a friend" and that really struck home for me. For a long time (probably as long as I can remember) - food has been where I have turned to calm myself down, cheer myself up, comfort me when I felt lonely or…

I've been stuck at a 50 lb wt loss from my highest weight, (30 lbs since surgery) for two weeks, but am obviously shrinking. Two weeks ago I tried on some new jeans but could not fit into a smaller size...today, I tried again and have jumped down two sizes. That does not seem possible...maybe it's the brand or something, but what ever, I bought some! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: The moral of the story is, don't worry about stalls...things are still moving along as long as we keep to the program!!!

Hi everyone. I thought I would give an update on my progress .. my surgery was three months ago today. All I can say is that it was a complete life-changing experience. I am not someone who suffered any pain or acid reflex post-op and with what I have read here, I am a rarity to some degree. To me, my weight has literally fallen off so far (82 pounds today) and with that loss comes zero desire to eat any junk (sugar/carbs were my downfall) and eating healthy is so easy. I love it. I have lost 5 sizes and my wardrobe (which was very impressive at the start of this *lol*) has diminished to almost nothing. I was sure I would have gotten about 6 months out of it …

Here's what three months looks like: 330 lbs to 270 lbs. 60 more lbs to go!

as of today i am down 162 pounds!!!!!!! i weigh in at 165 pound as of today. i can't not belive myself some days every day feel like it not real i wear a size 10 from a 26. all this and it haven't even been a year.:thumbup:

One year ago I was on my drive to the hospital to have the VSG done. I remember how nervous I was and was just hoping and praying that this would work for me. The nurses had trouble getting the IV started and I wondered if that was a sign that this procedure wasn't for me. BUT, I'm happy to report that it totally was for me:thumbup: I'm going to post my monthly weight loss stats below. I want to thank everyone here on the board for their support and am so excited to see what year two will bring. Good luck to all those contemplating taking this step, hopefully you will come to the best decision for you! Pre-op diet (1 month): -16 pounds Month 1: -21 pounds Month …

Just needed to share with people who understand! Second week post op for gastric sleeve plication surgery, and I dropped 6 lbs 2 ozs! Last week was 8 lbs 2 ozs. All this with no exercise to speak of as I was sick with a kidney stone. Total of 14lbs 4 ozs lighter, and I feel it! That would have taken me a month and a half pre surgery.............I am a happy camper today. Penny

In the Thrift Store dressing room. I fit into size 8 dress pants. Not just one pair ... but several. I could not believe it. The last (and only) time I wore a 8 was a brief moment MANY year ago when I was 17 (when I had just lost 63 pounds). I was a lot smaller then (126 pounds) compared to my ~143 pounds now, but I'm not going to even think about size differences over the years. I am just going to enjoy this. The point is ... I BOUGHT SIZE 8 PANTS AND THEY FIT ME!!!! Who would have thunk it? :001_smile: :thumbup1: :001_rolleyes: :001_smile: :thumbup1: :001_rolleyes: :001_smile: :thumbup1: :001_rolleyes: :001_smile: :thumbup1: :001_rolleyes:…

Hi everyone, I have updated my albums with some truly horrible before pics, these were the ones I had to send to my surgeon Dr Cierny in the Czech Republic at the very start of my journey to getting the VSG. There are a couple of interim pics too and some 1 year out to 14 months out. Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum - Jane_J's Albums I am this morning 1lb to go to my goal of 133lbs and I am very happy :laugh0: I hope these will help to motivate all you lovely people who are following me in your weight loss journeys with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. We can do it!!!! Hugs to you all, Jane x

Happy Saturday Morning Everyone! Got on the scale this morning (my morning ritual in my birthday suit!) and BAM! I am half way to goal!!! Monday will be 11 weeks since surgery and I have lost 35.4 pounds, 35.2 pounds to go until I reach my goal! I have started exercising so I am hoping that it will not take another 3 months to get to goal but I guess if it does, it is still weight loss and not gain! I love my decision more and more everyday. Thanks for all the support from everyone. This has truly been a lifestyle change, I have made changes in my life I never thought possible. I don't mind getting out of the house anymore (going to the pool today and actually…

:tongue_smilie: So I have been faithful to my diet and exercise. I get around 900 cals per day I get at least 60 grams of protein and around 90 grams of carbs. I work out everyday for 30mins some days 1 hour (I started about 3 weeks out) I feel that I am not meeting my doctors expectations for my weight loss-- he was not impressed with my loss. I guess that has made me more motivated which is good. I started out pre-op at 208 then got down to 190 the day of surgery. Today I am 165 and I am okay with that...kinda everyone else with this surgery has me beat with 30 and 40 pounds at 2mos. I don't really restrict my carbs as much as some people do though. It can really over …

White House Black Market is my new favorite store. I went in yesterday not even knowing what size I was down to. It felt so good when the sales rep said "I think you could go down a size". She was right. I was able to fit comfortable in a size 8 in pants and 10 in tops. I still have 10 more pounds to go. I'm so excited about my success. I woke up this morning and cleared my closet of two large trash bags of clothes. And its funny because the weight has come off so fast that I never got a chance to wear all those size 12 pants and jeans I was saving for years. I have no regrets about having this surgery. The only draw back is that I have spent almost $700 in the past few d…

So I went to my surgeon for a 2 wk check up because I won't be available at the 3rd wk mark and really it was 12 days. I was weighed and discovered ... that I had lost 20 pounds!!!! 20 pounds!!!! In 12 days!! The last time I lost 20 pounds it took 4 months! I'm excited!

:thumbup: Hello to all.. I got home last night around 8:00 p.m. It was a long day but I felt really well! I'll post my entire experience later but I just want to say I had an absolute fabulous experience with Dr. Aceves. Top notch doctor and staff. Pictures of the hospital on his website are just as you'll find it. Dr. Campos was so helpful also. What a cutie! He's on cloud nine, he and his wife are expecting a baby and he's brimming from ear to ear! I met some lovely people there as well who were also sleeved. We'd walk the halls and stop in and chat in each others rooms. A shout out to Utahgal, her sister and LapGryl, hope you're all doing well today! Af…

This time last year I was still groggy from my surgery (best sleep I've ever had, haha), and now I'm posting a quick update: I have lost a total of 112 pounds (my ticker says 114), have about 55 more to go, and have been struggling the past few months with going up a few pounds and down a few pounds with no significant loss. This is somewhat frustrating, but my measurements are shrinking and I really have hit the gym hard since the end of May and my mom, who lives in another state, thought I had lost more when I went home last week, but I guess I'm just toning up. I work out 1-2 hours a day 6 times a week (never on Sundays), and I love it. I absolutely love the gy…

Well, my stall is officially over. At the 6 weeks point, I had two weeks where I lost zero pounds, and now I've lost 3 pounds a week for two weeks, finally putting me over the 50 pounds lost mark since this journey began. And for the record, I didn't change anything -- didn't change my carbs or my Protein, didn't change my quantities, I didn't do a pouch reset. I was just patient and reminded myself that I was doing all the right things and that eventually my body WOULD lose weight again (at <1000 cals a day, it HAD to!). And... it did. YAY! 250 lbs, here I come!

Check out my new blog post for current pictures, measurements, what's new etc... including a new VIDEO update! :crying: Health and Happiness: Two Month Update

I'm at 8 weeks tomorrow. I went with my hubby to his appointment today for 6 weeks, so I got weighed too. I have lost 48 pounds :-D Hubby at 6 weeks has lost 37. We're both feeling great! My BMI has gone down 7 full points in 8 weeks. My official 2 months is still a week away so with any luck I'll drop those 2 lbs to make a nice even 50 lb loss for my first 2 months :confused1: I will have official update photos and measurements at that time! Also ~ someone wants to do a news story about us! I guess they do stories on my surgeon's patients from time to time and they inquired about us since we are a couple who did this together, and got the sleeve which is still so r…

Hello all, I had my VSG on Tuesday, July 13th at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. The day of the surgery was a little frustrating because the procedure was scheduled for 4:00 pm and I did not end up walking into the OR until around 7:00 pm. I had been warned that my doctor often runs behind schedule and given such a late scheduled hour for surgery, I was not surprised to have to wait. Other than the long delay, everything went smoothly. The anesthesiologist had some concerns about inserting my breathing tube and there was some discussion about using a camera to visualize things, but I am not really sure if they needed to resort to that. The last thing I remember a…

I have just taken my third run since I started back up running and I am feeling great to be back out there. I am taking it very slow doing 2 min jog followed by 1 min walk and repeating that pattern every 3 mins for 3 miles distance so technically I guess I run 2/3rds of the time and walk 1/3. The first time was painful and took a couple of days for the legs to be revived, second run came easier, and today it was starting to feel great again. As the weight drops and fitness builds I will add 30 sec to the run time with each increase. Will go 2:30 to 1 then 3 to 1 and so on during the building stage. Eventually I hope to get back to where I can complete a 5k non stop a…