GreginMI

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

Would you believe I actually look forward to that??

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

Wow, your story is close to mine. I too weighed 320 at surgery and now I'm stuck at 205. I got down to 198 but I've been fluctuating between 200 and 205 for about a month now. I contribute it to a couple of things. One, I graze too much. I work the midnight shift and I have snacks at work like almonds, pretzel sticks, and greek yogurt and if I have nothing going on and I'm bored I keep pulling then out of my locker and munching on them. I need to keep it to a small amount every night. Second, I'm close to goal, like 20 lbs, and I think my body just wants to hang onto these last few lbs. It's going to take some serious exercise to get to goal I think. The good thing is that I've had no trouble maintaining this weight so if I can just get to goal I believe I can stay there. Good luck to you and me both in kicking 205!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

You look awesome! Congrats on your success and thanks for sharing your pics. They really inspire me!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

A friend of mine just went to see my surgeon after seeing my results. That's the kind of reason I've been telling people.

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

Everyone's responses make me so excited! Its so hard to imagine that "there are things more exciting than eating" lol. I mean..... I can't wait to experience this!
As for the tastebud reset-- that is AMAZING! I never thought of that and I look forward to it.
Thanks for all your input!

I've tried to drink while I eat and I just can't do it. There's not enough room for food AND drink in there. I've gotten used to it, though. I tell people that is the one thing negative about this surgery. But if that's all, it's not too bad.

Sorry if this sounds harsh - but your kids are old enough to pick up after themselves, cook food, do laundry etc etc. In fact, you are doing them a disservice to continue to provide complete maid and chef services - how else will they learn if not under your wing?
I can't help but wonder if they aren't all (kids and hubby) really saying that : "I have a good deal going here and I don't want you going in and messing it up by changing!" Really, it isn't about the short time of surgical recovery, it is about the whole rest of your life. Heck, if you start feeling better about yourself you might no longer be the willing servant to the family. Many many kids at age 16 and 19 have jobs and are fairly independent. Even 13 year olds often babysit and take on other responsibilities.
It is really really hard for others to accept this kind of change, but I guess the question is - what is your health worth? What is your happiness worth? What is your ability to go out and do fun stuff without dragging around a bunch of extra weight worth?
Yes, it is great to have support, but I will tell you that the most important "support" comes from deep inside you. It is your own willingness, eagerness to change your life that will make you successful no matter what resistance you meet from others.
My final thought is this. My boys are 20 and 23. It is a bit sad and lonely when they fly the nest and start living their own lives - even though I raised them with the expectation to find their way int he world, it is still painful as the mom to be left behind. My youngest son went off to college and I had to hide my tears everytime he headed back to school after a long weekend or holiday home. It was heartbreaking as we have always been so close, but dang it, he deserves his own life - he doesn't owe it to me to stay around and keep me company! How are you going to feel over the next 5 years or so as they each take flight and leave you home - still fat, still not living the life you want, but you don't have their companionship.
I am so busy having fun these days I hardly have time to miss the kids. I am not even at goal yet, but let me tell you, losing that 100+ pounds was like a HUGE weight coming off my shoulders and now I am the one flying!

I think you have made a great decision in getting the sleeve instead of the bypass. You won't have to worry about things like dumping syndrome, nutrient deficiencies, or weight re-gain like you could experience with the bypass. I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and feel great! I can eat anything and drink anything I want to, but I choose to eat healthy and maintain my weight loss. My life is so different now and I'm so much more active and happy. It was the best thing I've ever done for myself. Good luck to you!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

I've lost over 120 lbs in a year and finally have a couple pictures to show the difference. The after shots are from my recent bike trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and the Black Hills. All I can say is I feel great!!

If you have 300 or 400 pounds to lose...ya, it might be a little slow. If you have 90 pounds to lose....not so slow. It's all relative. The fewer pounds you have to lose, the slower it might be. Not always, but usually.
Oh, and yes. You can totally stall your progress dead in the Water and not lose a pound if the right work is not being done. (Eating right, exercising..) If a person eats enough junk you can totally blow this.

Yup what Lila said. The stomach is made out of stretchy membranous stuff and has a remarkable ability to expand and contract.
Think of it this way, you USED to have a weather balloon for a stomach, able to expand to incredible proportions, now you have a small party balloon for a stomach, still able to expand but not nearly as much. You cannot possibly put that much continuous pressure on it to expand it back to previous proportions.
Now as to WHEN, seems like at about 6 months you start to notice and increase in capacity and at about 1 year you will be able to eat a good portion of food. It is important at these times to NOT fall back to old bad habits or create new bad ones. If you constantly graze high fat high caloric food then you WILL have issues with NOT losing or even gaining weight.
The sleeve is a tool, a tool that gives us remarkable control over what WAS uncontrollable: our appetites. Another organ can betray us and trick us into the same old bad eating habits: OUR BRAIN. You not only have to keep your diet in order but have to keep your mind right as well. If there is sufficient WILL, or better put insufficient WILL POWER then there is always the possibility of bypassing the benefits of the sleeve. Like I said the sleeve gives us a distinct advantage we never had but ;leave it to us as a species to STILL screw it up if we take advantage of it.
Sticking with a diet is MUCH easier with the sleeve, most of the hunger pangs are gone and you have much more control.

That would be like wanting a picture of my ex to remind me of what my major problem in life was. No thanks! I don't miss that part of my stomach one bit!

That would be like wanting a picture of my ex to remind me of what my major problem in life was. No thanks! I don't miss that part of my stomach one bit!