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I got my surgery date for the sleeve for December 22, 2021 in Sebastian, Florida. Let's get through the pre stuff together.

So thankful for this tool!! I’ve lost 210lbs!! My life is so different. This is a great idea to check in!!

I never had to chew a specific number of times. I’ve never understood that requirement even during the first couple of months when eating purées & soft foods unless you are a speed eater & gulper of food. Cut your food into small pieces, keep it tender & moist, eat slowly & take small bites you should be fine. But Lisa, aren’t you quite a time out now? This should be even less of a consideration for you.

Don't have one yet. Will probably find out next week.

Band-to-bypass patient here. I think I may have perspective that will help you considering I've been through it myself. I never lost weight with the lap band because it didn't work for me. It never reduced my appetite and it merely felt like a road block between my esophagus and stomach. Food slid through the band pretty easily (if I chewed well enough and/or ate slider foods) and considering it was much easier and more comfortable to eat that way, that's what I did. The lap band does NOTHING to stop you from eating as much ice cream or cheesy mashed potatoes as you want. With the lap band, if it's adjusted properly, you get a hard "stop" when your pouch is full. You have to be careful with the bypass because "full" is a much more gradual feeling. Eat slowly, or else you could end up eating too much and that is painful. Restriction is there but it's a gradual feeling rather than the sudden feeling of "I can't eat anymore." Keep in mind other benefits the bypass has that the lap band doesn't: malabsorption, reduced/muted appetite, and prolonged satiety. I would get hungry pretty fast after drinking water with my lap band (I always waited the 60 minutes we were told to wait and even so, the food washed right through my pouch). With the bypass I'll stay full for several hours. I get hungry but not *famished* to the point where I'm shaky and desperate. You're just 1 month post-op but it will get better feel free to PM me if you want to chat. Having had a lap band before will make this experience different for you. I'd get so frustrated when people told me the lap band was "just a tool" but it felt like someone gave me a bent screwdriver when what I needed was a jackhammer. The bypass is a much more powerful tool. I lost 20 pounds in 6 months with my lap band and then stopped. I was so frustrated with feeling miserable that I just gave up and ate what I wanted. With the bypass I've lost 101 pounds in 5 months. It's night and day, truly. Even on days when I want to give up and eat what I want, I can't. And I really appreciate that. Try eating a couple cookies and see what happens 😂 actually, don't. For me it's really bad farts but for a lot of people it results in terrible dumping so it's just not worth it. Anyway, I hope I provided some comfort for you. It will get better and you'll lose weight!!! It's such a better tool than the lap band (or as I call it, crap band!)

I agree with throwing out the JUNK and tracking and distracting yourself. Can you go two hours without snacking? What about a day without sweets? I like distracting myself with solitaire on my phone or calling my mom or drinking hot tea. What about a hobby that keeps your hands busy? Crafting, knitting, cleaning, etc. Or get up and take a walk or do a youtube exercise video when you want to eat. You've got this!

You've lost 70+ pounds in 4 months and you don't think that's fast enough? That's FANTASTIC!!!! You're doing fine. Your weight loss is going to slow as you get smaller and that's perfectly normal. 8 pounds is still good in a month. My (unsolicited) advice is: (1) be realistic. you're doing GREAT, quit beating yourself up. (2) talk to the counselors as your surgeon's office or a private therapist about your food issues with head hunger and eating issues. But be kind to yourself. You've GOT THIS!

weight loss slows down a lot the farther out you get. My first month I lost 16 lbs. Then for the next six months or so, I lost 8-12 lbs a month. After that, I dropped down to about 5-8 lbs a month. And after the first year, it was like two lbs a month. This happens to almost everyone. The closer you get to normal weight, the slower and harder it is to lose. I remember going to Weight Watchers meetings before I had weight loss surgery. I used to mentally roll my eyes at these women who were only slightly overweight moaning about how hard it was to lose 10 lbs. Yea - right. Try losing 100+ lbs. But now I totally get it!! btw - I agree with the above poster. If you're straying too far from your clinic's plan, then get back on it. Track everything. If you're committed, you WILL continue to lose weight. I lost for 20 months.

The old is new again!!! We can in fact live our healthy life - for me it is a daily choice. I m getting it right some maybe even much of the time. You ll keep me grounded.

Hey everyone! I am 39 years old and I have been single for about two months after a six year long relationship. I have the VSG about a year and a half ago, losing about 65 pounds, dropping from 241 to 176. I would love to lose more but as hard as I have been trying, I think my body is just happy at this point. Anyhow, like I said earlier, I was in a relationship for the past six years. We have a beautiful daughter, so she has been my focus and will continue to be so. It is hard to think about dating though. I am slightly self conscious about the extra skin I have, even though it is only on my arms. I have a good amount of money saved to have it removed, but my ex doesn’t believe in paying child support (even though he makes six figures), so that money will now be spent on an attorney. It really sucks, but it is what it is. Anyhow, the thought of dating is so scary. I don’t even know where to start, lol! How do y’all meet new people?