kellyw74

You WILL NOT be able to eat large quanties of food! That is what will make it better for you. I can not eat more than 2 oz of anything at a time! I was like that too, not so much with food food, but candy and Cookies. I would eat 10-12 oreos, 1/2 gallon of ice cream and 1/2 large bag of M&M's at one time. Just one of those items at once, not all of them!! But, now that I have my new tool, I am afraid to try anything sweet and at 4 months out have not ate anything sweet at all. I don't even miss it. I did not have this surgery to look better, I did it to improve my health as I was SICK!!!!!!!!!!!. I was SERIOUSLY killing myself slowly and had diabetes and high blood pressure. Looking better is just a bonus! Kelly

I started out 280lbs and 22/24 pants and tops. It seems like the first 60-70lbs I was still wearing 20's. It was crazy for me!! I didn't understand how! Now, I am 177lbs and wear an 8!! It is like these last 35lbs or so I have gone down ALOT of inches. Hang in there and keep up the good work, those inches will start melting before your eyes! Kelly

It will be fine. You can only eat what you can eat and you will learn that very quickly! I was cooking steak for my husband when I was 2 weeks out, I couldn't eat it and I knew that if I did, I would be in the hospital! I was fine with it. Now that I will be 4 months out on Monday, I pretty much eat anything, just smaller portions of it. You will do just fine. Kelly

Good for you!! Keep up the good work!! Kelly

I don't really count carbs or sugar. I do use myfitnesspal and it does calculate this for me tho. I usually get less than 24 g of sugar a day. Kelly

I was soooo very scared that this procedure would not work for me because I had failed at keeping my weight off so many other times. I really don't think the sleeve will fail you if you do what you are supposed to do. you will fail it by not working it properly. if you make poor choices and feed it garbage, sure you will gain weight. keep Protein first and you will do great. I personally can not eat much more than protein if I eat the way I am supposed to. I could snack all day and eat junk, I could see how I could cheat my sleeve and re-gain my 100lbs if I wanted to, but I can't see myself doing that! Kelly

I don't see myself at 280lbs, but I sure don't see myself "skinny" either. I know in my mind that I am super duper thinner than I was, I mean, 102lbs off my frame has to look a hell of a lot better! BUT, when I look at myself, I still see flaws. I still see fat, not HUGE, but fat. I probably always will. I think as women, we are just dispositioned to feel like something has to be wrong with us and being former heavy women makes it worse. I thought for sure losing a large amount of weight would make me feel great about myself. I mean, I do feel alot better and have more confidence, but I just don't think I will ever be satisfied. It is a horrible feeling! Kelly

I just have days where I feel like I can eat more than other days. On Monday I ate ALOT and for the past couple, I have not been able to eat much. Kelly

I am sure the only people that really starve to death are the ones in poor countries that really have nothing to eat. Kelly

You probably are NOT eating enough to compensate for the calorie burn. I know it doesn't make sense, but I went through the same thing. I was burning crazy calories 5-6 days a week and only eating like 500-700 day and losing NOTHING!! I was saddened!! I up my caloric intake to over 1,000 when I exercise. Yes, I have to snack ALOT to get those calories in and sometimes eat Protein bars, but it works! I also only exercise 2-3 days a week now instead of 6!! Try upping your calories/carbs on the days you workout. I bet you will lose! Kelly

Nice! Kelly

I used the Richmond facility!! They ROCK!! I had my orientation in October 2010, met my surgeon, Dr. Fisher, in November 2010 and had my surgery May 9, 2011. You really can set your own pace, if you are told to lose 20 lbs and you can do that in 2 months, then you can have the surgery in 2-3 months. I just took my time and made sure it was done properly and it was what I really wanted. That is why my process took so long. Kaiser will let you pick your surgeon if you want and if you get a choice, pick him! He is AWESOME!! I really can not say enough nice things about Dr. Fisher, he is a no-nonsense type of guy and the Chief Surgeon. If you are someone that wants to just skate by to get the surgery, then he is probably not the guy for you, but if you want a REAL Dr. that will tell it to you straight and care for you the way you should be cared for, then request him!! Good luck to you! Kelly

Congrats. Sounds like you are doing awesome!! Kelly

I agree with the other posters....YOU HAVE TO EAT!! You have to get those calories up for your body to burn fat! If you eat too little, your body thinks it is starving and hold on to everything you give it! I went thru this in the first couple months. I was only eating like 300-500 calories a day and not losing a thing!! I was so saddened. I was exercising an hour or more a day too! No wonder I was not losing!! I was burning more than I was taking in! Who could lose doing that??? I upped my caloric intake to 700-1000 daily and knocked the exercising down to a couple times a week and started losing again. I also find that I can NOT super-low carb. When I do, my body just won't lose. So, try mixing things up for a couple of days. Eat more and don't exercise so much and see what happens! Kelly

I had mine out when I was 30. I made them knock me out too. NO FUN. Mine were impacted and BAD!! You don't want it to get infected, then you will have BIGGER problems!! Just get it taken care of you will feel so much better! Kelly

LIke I said "Don't know, can't say." I have a dog because I hate kids!! LOL Kelly

I think it all depends on how strong of a person you are and how much you want to do for yourself. All my husband did for me was drive me home from the hospital. I did everything for myself from the minute I got home because I wanted to. I made my own drinks, took my showers alone, changed my clothes, everything. If you want to do it, you can! He did walk outside with me, just in case I fell, but that is about it. Then again, I don't have kids, that might be a little different, but all the stuff for yourself, do what you can alone. It will just make you stronger!!! Kelly

I feel so sad about cantalope! I got one and cut it up and the next day brought 1/2 cup for my snack to work. Took a chunk and spit it in the trash! I was so SAD!!! I love(D) it pre-op and now, I HATE IT!! It tasted like garbage to me. So sad!! Kelly

I have been able to drink lots too! I was worried about it and was told I am fine. The more I could drink the better off I would be. Liquids just run through and there is NO WAY it can stretch your stomach, so don't worry. It is like a funnel just runnin' through. You will be fine! Kelly

I was really tired, but able to go back on day 7 and was fine! Just sore and tired. I have a desk job and was fine, really! Kelly

I REALLY love my sleeve!!! My "real age" is 33 and I will be 37 in November!! Kelly :D :D

Hey Meggie!! I don't know why I just now seen this post, but a BIG congrats to you on your weight loss!! That is awesome!! Glad to hear your trip to Hawaii was good. Isn't it crazy that we will be four months out on Monday??? It just seems so surreal! I am doing well, but I tell ya, it seems like the closer I get to goal, the slower it goes. I have not lost much at all in the last two months. Maybe like 10 lbs. I know a loss is a loss and I am happy to be losing, but dang! I thought it would go so much faster! I work so hard and it just doesn't show. I have dropped a lot of inches tho! I am in a size 8 now and this morning I weighed 179lbs! That is CRAZY for me to weigh that little!! People are calling me skinny minny!! LOL I can pretty much eat anything and have not had any issues. I still stay away from bad carbs. I have not eaten bread, Pasta, rice, etc. I have not had any sweets or pizza, fast food, etc. I exercise a lot too. I did make some chicken sausage on the grill the other night and man were they greasy!! I ate like 2 bites and had to throw miney away. The next evening, I was paying for that grease!! My sleeve was not happy. That is the only issue I have had with somehting not agreeing with me. Keep up the good work! Hugs, Kelly

You really should ask your nut, everyone's plan is different. I was not allowed to have skinned fuit until 3 months, but I ate grapes and spit the skins in the trash! LOL Kelly

You know, me and my dr. both were worried about my GERD getting worse after surgery. However, I find that mine is MUCH MUCH better. I only had one issue since surgery in 4 months and it kinda was my own dumb fault. I took Nexium for 8 years and switched to Prilosec because it helps control my hunger better. Once night, I woke up choking on acid, which I had NEVER done before!! IT was horrilbe! Come to find out, I was only taking my Prilosec once a day and was supposed to be taking it twice!! DUAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought it was the tacos!!! That is the ONLY issue I have had!! So, your acid could get better, mine has.!! Oh and my dr. said the reason it gets worse is because the stomach is so close to the esophagus now and just flows right up. Kelly

I too have to wear nickle free earrings. Have since I was 10. WEIRD!! I never even gave that a thought. OMG, I could have killed myself!! Glad I didn't have a reaction to the staples!! LOL Kelly