Paul11011

Hi Jenny, Nice to meet you. I know where you are and more exciting for you,know where you're going. When I started my journey I was 492 lbs, that was last fall. I was sleeved Jan 10, 2011 and as I set here now I'm 336lbs. I have lost 120lbs post surgery. I love my sleeve for the opportunity it has provided me to learn how to eat properly. The road is not easy, but it is definitely worth the effort. There is a wealth of knowledge here on this forum so please make sure to ask any question you may have. Welcome.

This has been a great week. Monday I did my weekly weight in and discovered I'd lost another 6lbs which put me at 150 lbs lost! I'm not sure why 150 was so much more rewarding than 144, but t sure felt great. I'm now 55% of the way to my goal. Also on Monday I put on a new pair of dress pants, black ones. Well when I went to my closet to get a black belt it occured to me that the only black belt I had was from "before". Not having much of a choice I punched a new hole in the belt, about 6 inches down from the last available hole and put it on. I can only assume the extra did not look too bad wrapped half way around my left side.

Here you go: paulsbiggerpenis.com. Hope you have a wide screen monitor.

It's hard to believe that it has already been 16 weeks since I was in the hospital getting my "sleeve". What a whirlwind of changes. I feel so fortunate to have been able to get this procedure done and get on with a more healthy, more complete life. I feel so much better and have increased energy. I find myself with a renewed outlook on life. I'm now beginning to believe things are so much more possible than they were prior to my surgery. I am returning to college to finish my bachelors degree. Why do I count that as a benefit of my WLS? At nearly 500 lbs the prospect of walking around campus and fitting in seats was daunting if not a complete impossibility. Now, though I'm still larger than the average bear, I know I can meet the physical challenges that previously would have left me short of breath, sweaty and ashamed. Now all I have to contend with is the reality of being the old man in class. I am playing golf again. I had not played the game in 2 years. It's not that I had lost the love of the game, as stupid as it sounds to say I love anything that causes me such aggravation (other than my wife), but rather that I did not have the energy or motivation to do anything remotely physical. I became perfectly content to spend free time watching TV or setting on the computer. Oh and my swing, so much better without the added weight to keep in balance. My goal is to walk 9 holes every Saturday morning this spring and summer, that is if spring ever arrives in MI. So the bullet points. What's different about me in the last 4 months. Down 6 jean sizes Down 2 shirt sizes Doing 6 days of dedicated exercise a week. I've found a smile, one with dimples in fact. I realize that my weight future is in my control. I'm a more useful Husband to my Wife and Father to my children. I care to do the things needed to improve my future. I've lost 102lbs (plus another 36 pre-op) I now realize the true value in sharing mutual experiences with others. Thanks for reading and following me on my journey.

Golf has been one of the joys I've rediscovered since my surgery. I had always loved playing but the past couple of years I did not have the desire to even try and swing a club. Now I'm at the driving range at least twice a week. If weather in MI ever cooperates I'll be out walking 9 on Saturday mornings. Amazing how much better my golf swing is with so much less weight to keep balanced.

Not sure what your news source is, but they're wrong, don't make be break out the charts, graphs and spread sheets.

Thanks George. I know you'll do well. Best of luck next week and keep us posted on your progress. Oh, take plenty of "now" pictures so you can have a record of your journey.

Today when I weighted in I had to triple check to make sure I was seeing correctly. I lost 10 lbs this past week which puts me at exactly 100lbs less than I was 15 weeks ago today, my day of surgery. Holy crap was I excited to see that number. I had in the back of my mind been hoping to 100lbs lost post op by 4 months out which would be next Monday. Wow what a great day.! Next mini goal now is only 6lbs away and I'm now only 30lbs heavier than my lightest weight in 10 +/- years. Total lost since initial consultation Nov 23, 2010 is now 136lbs. I praise God for this opportunity.

Very cool, thanks for the link.

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions. Because I know that I would have typically tried to satisfy my emotional needs with food, I don't even want to try anything small. I have a real slippery slope fear. If I start out with an M&M, it could likely end up being a bag. Nope, need to learn how to find other ways to sooth. Maybe meditation or chanting....uummmmm.....ummmmm. Thanks again.

Presurgery I would use food as a stress reliever. Long day at work? Oh some ice cream will make that better. Now post Op I seem to be much more reactionary and little things really seem to get to me, especially when stressed. Anyone else notice this? Found any good quick stress relievers?

1/2% milk for me. I really like GNC Whey Isolate 28. But no matter which protein you choose one of these blender bottles is a must.My link

I am unable to add photos to my existing albums. I keep getting a pop up that says action failed. Any ideas?

Monday April 4 was 12 weeks since I had my VSG surgery. I have enjoyed every second of my journey thus far. I have found one thing that I wish I would have done differently and I wanted to share with you. I have a blue camp shirt, nothing special, blue denim button-up. I had bought this shirt back near my highest weight because it was the type of shirt that my wife had always wanted me to wear. At the time I bought the shirt I could not wear it, it was too small. It was about 4 inches away from being able to button. I told myself that I would lose enough weight to be able to wear this shirt one day, it would be a bit of motivation for me. I hung the shirt in my closet and would take it out from time to time to see if it was getting any closer to fitting. Well after enough time I no longer thought about the shirt though it continued to hang in my closet. Flash forward to this weekend. As I mentioned I'm almost 12 weeks post op and thank God I have been fortunate to lose 109lbs (73 post-op) so far. I found my shirt hanging there where I had left it in my closet. I tried it on and instead of being 4 inches from being able to button, it now overlapped by about 4 inches. I wish I would have taken a picture of myself in that blue shirt when I first bought it. In those times when the scale may not be moving as fast as i would like or I may begin to feel down about how far I have yet to go I would look at that picture and know how far I have come already. I have bought a new shirt, a shirt that does not yet quite fit. One day, hopefully soon, that shirt will fit and I'll look back to where I was and have a greater appreciation for where I am. First picture 4-7-11 Second Picture 4-22-11 Third Picture 5-4-2011 <a href='http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/gallery/image/3461-progress-shirt-5-4-11/'><img src='http://cdn.verticalsleevetalk.com/uploads/gallery/album_824/gallery_7088_824_71823.jpg' alt='Progress Shirt 5-4-11' /></a> Final Progress shirt photo

Admittedly I'm not the 5 o'clock shadow kind of guy. Normal facial hair shaving for me has always been every third day typically. I have noticed since about 6 weeks post op, I've needed to shave every other day and really could go daily now. Anyone else seeing anything like this?

This process is definitely a mental battle. The sleeve or any WLS for that matter is only a tool to cause a physical limitation while we learn how to provide our bodies with the energy source it needs. Too many of us used food to fill other voids and to deal with emotional ups and downs. Without the food there it is a reality that we will feel those emotions more than we're previously used to. Instead of eating a piece of cake to help us get past the wife's most recent aggravating action, we're going to have to learn how to deal with these situations in other ways. We can do it though, we are MEN after all.

32 for me.

Very cool! Congratulations.

Thank you all for the positive comments.

After losing 60-70 lbs I noticed that I was waking up with an unbelievably dry mouth. I went into my sleep Dr and told him what was going on. He adjusted the pressure on the machine down. He explained that with the weight loss I no longer needed that higher pressure to get down my throat so I was instinctively opening my mouth, the air would rush out and dry out my mouth. I'm now at 109 lbs off and am starting to have the same dry mouth thing, might be time to get the pressure reduced some more. Wow what a long story to summarize a point. Keep your Dr aware of the changes you're seeing. They may not require a complete sleep study and will likely have some ways to help you with the trouble you're experiencing. I would not recommend going off the CPAP without first consulting with the Dr to see if you can find a solution. I know I can not wait until I get to ditch that damn awful thing, but it needs to happen in a way that does not sacrifice health. Oh another thought, if you're not getting restful sleep, it could negatively affect your weight loss. Good luck.

Another vote for a GNC product, whey Isolate 28....strawberry. Blends well, tastes great. http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3235539 http://gnc.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pGNC1-5123376_gnclabel_pdf.pdf

Yesterday I had my 3 month (11 week actually) check up with my nutritionist, surgical PA and exercise physiologist. Everything went very well and they were all pleased with the progress I've made both on the scale and with the changes I've made to my diet and workout routines. A couple of things of note that I want to share: Weight on 11-23-2010 (initial consult): 492 Weight on 1-10-11 (Surgery day): 456 Weight on 3-28-2011 (3 Month check up): 383 Cholesterol on 10-13-2010 (Labs done with PCP before contacting surgeon): 221 Cholesterol on 3-28-2011: 170 Days of exercise per week pre surgery: Yeah right! Days of exercise per week since surgery: 6 (3 days of cardio, 3 days of strength training) Normal breakfast pre surgery: 6 scrambled eggs with cheese and 6 sausage links. Normal breakfast post surgery: 1/2 cup egg beaters with 1 oz cheese I thank God every night for the change he has brought into my life and the daily opportunities he gives me to be successful.

Sounds reasonable to me. Looks like I get to announce membership too. Since initial consult on Nov. 23. 2010 as of March 21, 2011....108lbs gone. Congradulations by the way, sorry I did not say so earlier.

I lost 36 lbs on my pre-op diet.

Ok, fill me in on the century club. Are we going post op 100 or do we count from initial consultation?