chilo1

I can wear my wedding and engagement rings again, I haven't been able to for the last 10 years!!

Welcome!! You will love your sleeve and you are making the right desicion, especially having a family history of all those obesity related diseases. I am 41 like you, I have 3 children and have been sleeved nearly 5 months ago. Good luck on your journey, this forum has been a Godsend to me!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (or whatever other people are celebrating) everybody ! First Christmas that my focus will not be on food, and even though I'm doing the cooking on Christmas (just hubby and kids) and for New year for friends coming round I'm already enjoying spending time doing other things w my children, like decorations, watching movies, it's great and I feel fantastic, even though I can't and won't gorge on food and drink this year,I would have never thought that I would be so cool with it! Now i can truely relate to eat to live and not live to eat

I had drinks since when I was a bit more than 2 months out, a bit of white wine, to be honest the best thing for me at least that early out were fruity cocktails, just put a lot of ice in to water them down,or rum and diet coke (I let it go flat first though) you don't want too many empty calories, enjoy!

great feeling!

I love the pic, enjoying life to the fullest! Funny I used to drink red wine can't now, but the other day made red wine sangria (lots of ice, oranges and sweetners) and I enjoyed a glass of that, still loads of calories now that I still have a good few pounds to lose!

I don't feel obese anymore, just "overweight" and maybe that's only because according to my BMI I am still overweight. The first few times I saw guys looking at me i didn't think it was at me, until I realised there was no one else around. I'm still scared of looking at my whole body in the mirror, but when I do by chance catch a glimpse of myself i sometimes don't realise that it's me, and I even like what I see!

You look fantastic!!

Hey Brown Bear, I think you are a very brave man! I can understand your fears of losing your best friend-FOOD, i felt the same! The best thing about this surgery is that you won't, you'll just learn how to control your portions and in time enjoy your food in a much healthier way. Good luck on your journey!

Mine would be more exercise as well!

I went on normal mushy ffods after a bit more than a week, each doctor nutritionist have their own different way to do things, I would advise to stick w what your surgeon says, I did and even though I was a "lightweight" not so much to lose as some people, I lost steadily and continue losing. I did have stalls, and some I prob didin't even realise cause I only weigh myself about once a month. And you're right when you say it turned out to be more a mental journey than a physical one, i had an idea it would be like this for me anyway, cause I had a very unhealthy relationship with food and this is the best thing I've done!

My only advice is don't weigh yourself so often, our weight fluctuates from day to day for various reasons, You're doing the right thing and you're great! Getting stressed will only slow down your weightloss. Somebody posted a thread on that somewhere, stress releases the hormone cortisol that will slow your weight loss.

great feeling i meant

Congratulations, what a greta feeling!!

I am nearly 5 months and having the same problem, I can see my hair coming out in bunches especially when i wash it , here is the link of the thread that I started recently Hair is seriously shedding!!! Hope it helps, I've started to take zinc (as per surgeon suggestion) and added at least 1/2 Protein drink again a day, and it seems to be getting better!

I had gas pain but at nearly 5 months out I don't really remember it at all! Gas from the remaining CO2 that they use for laparoscopic suregy irritates the nerves, as someone said earlier, especially the ones that go to the shoulder blades (i did have pain between my shoulder blades for a few weeks after surgery) The other "gas" pains are the ones that you get in other surgeries in the abdomen as well because of the manipulation of guts etc which causes the bowels to slow down and creates an "ileus" (I know all this because my husband is a surgeon!) Good luck, hope you don't get that much pain!

My baby was 8 months old when I had surgery and have also 2 older ones at school. The funny thing is that after having my sleeve the 3 of them had nasty stomach flu twice (even my husband) I never caught anything! For the first time after my sleeve I've had a cold last week but nothing major, so I wouldn't let that stop me! Good luck, you will love your sleeve

I completely understand your situation and I was in a similar place as you are now. I had the operation with money that we didn't have, are paying off the credit card now. I don't regret it at all, I was like you depressedabout my weight. Having spent so much money on diet pills, personal trainers, dietitians,I even had a gastric balloon inserted a few years ago. I just regret not having had this operation before! We are tight on money now, but I love my sleeve and have no regrets whatsoever. I feel much happier, have more energy, and even though we are tight on money I feel at last at peace with myself because I know it was the right choice for me (and I haven't even reached goal yet!) Hope this helps and good luck in the desicion you make

Happy birthday Tiff, hope you had a great day!

No according to my surgeon, some foods might be a bit more difficult to eat, but in time you'll be able to eat whatever you want!

Congratulations, how exciting!

I had Nachos stuck in my head (just plain without any dips or anything), when I was allowed to eat real food again I would have 2 or 3 once in a while, now I don't even crave them anymore, I guess it's because I had some when I could and I realised it wasn't as big a deal as it was in my mind!

Most doctors allow alcohol after a few months. I started having a drink occasionally after 2 1/2 months, the main thing is the empty calories, but I do enjoy a cocktail or 2 on the weekends now that I'm nearly 5 months out. I lost my taste for wine though which is sad in a way, but my surgereon says it usually returns at some point. Each surgeon has different guidelines so you're better off asking. I'm off to have a drink now that it's friday night

I did have pain inbetween my shoulder blades until about a month after surgery, I was told that it was because of the gas that they use to inflate our tummies to do the laparoscopic surgery can irritate the nerves that go to the shoulders. Are you drinking maybe a bit too quickly and thats why your tummy hurts?

I can't believe it's been nearly 5 months, with it's ups and downs and many more to come I suposse. My husband is happy that I'm losing weight, but he doesn't want me to lose much more, he doesn't want me to be "skinny" cause he says me face is nice as it is, as for my body, well I guess plastic surgery will be the only way out (tummy tuck and boobs-not that he notices, only because I point it oout so much) But as I said on some other thread, whatever shape or form I am now or end up having I still don't regret my sleeve for a minute, never ever had buyers remorse, not once, and I'm quite sure I never will