Kimberlina

As a Phlebotomist, I know how icky that coumadin can be. Congrats on no longer having to have your blood take 1-4x a month just to check on that medicine! That is a HUGE accomplishment!!! So proud of you!

Yesterday I had to go to the Dr. for my 9 month follow up appointment. BEST Dr. appt I have ever had. For the first time IN MY LIFE I left the office feeling great about myself! I found out that after 9 months of working my butt off, I have lost 17 inches off of my waist and 14 inches off of my hips! All together I have lost 119 pounds and here's the best part...... MY DOCTOR WANTS ME TO TRY TO STOP LOOSING WEIGHT!!! I had to have him repeat himself because I was sure I misunderstood. Never in my lifetime has a doctor told me that I DON'T need to loose weight! Oh my gosh. I'm so ecstatic that I could cry!!! He said that I still have about 20-30 pounds to play with before I start to become unhealthy (TOO SMALL?!?!?!? SAY WHAT???) but that while figuring out how to maintain I will probably loose about 10 more pounds anyhow. Wowzers........... Ok, so here's the new plan. More weight training with less cardio. Time to start working on this extra skin that keeps lingering around. The Doc told me that at my age, with more weight training my skin should tighten back up quite a bit. This is great news because I still have skin hanging under my arms and on my belly (ew, I know... you're the only people I can openly admit that to... hehe). I have extra skin on my inner thigh, but have been told in the past that there isn't much you can do about that..... So I am working those too but don't expect much change. Tonight, I am going with a friend who is working on becoming a professional photographer to take some pictures and I couldn't be more excited! Pictures are the only place that I can truly see how much weight I have lost, When I look in the mirror I still see pretty much the same thing as before. So this is pretty exciting. I feel like life has finally turned around for me. I have graduated college, have a new job lined up for me in the fall, just moved into a new house, and am SINGLE AND LOVING IT! Thank God for all the blessings He has given me. I am truly blessed!!!

I have been weight lifting for about 4 months now. I have more muscle than I know what to do with... ha.... that's why the Doc said to try to stop loosing. He said that I have less fat on my body than I seem to think I do. It's funny though, because I have been showing off my new guns to everyone who will look, just didn't realize that I was so close to goal. My arms and legs are solid muscle, so my Doc said the BMI scales will be off for me now.

So, I had the sleeve in August of 2011. The BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE IN MY LIFE. I lost a lot of lbs, as well as a lot of hair, in the first 6 months after the surgery. I struggled getting in enough calories, but mostly I made sure to hit the gym anywhere from 4-6 times a week. Every night I would go to the gym for 1.5-3 hours doing mostly cardio work (eliptical cross training to be exact) but also a lot of weight lifting on weight machines. I began to love life again and other people began to treat me better than they EVER had in my life. Since having the surgery, I have dumped my fiance (who wasn't supportive of my losing weight), graduated from college, lined up my dream job beginning this coming fall, lived in another city for field work, began vigorous hiking, and have COMPLETELY had a change in attitude. I can handle anything that comes my way. Little things that used to bother me just roll off my back now. For anyone who is considering having the surgery: DO IT. No more excuses. No more lame fears of being the "only person in the world that this won't work for". We all start out having those fears.................... but having the sleeve (if you are ready to put in the hard work that comes along with the surgery) is the best decision you could ever make. I have known a few people who have had the surgery and have not become success stories. The only thing you have to do is let the sugery work for you. You HAVE TO make life changes and stick to what the Dr. tells you to do. The good news: after the surgery, those things aren't that hard to do if you have the right mind set. Here are a few recent pix I took when I found a pair of jeans that were from before I started losing weight. I am 8 months out of surgery and down 120 lbs OFFICIALLY! I am in a normal weight for my height and more fit and active that I ever thought possible! LIVE, LOVE, LEARN.... AND LAUGH!!! The recipe to a great life. Kim-

Sooooo.... I didn't meet my goal, folks. I did not make it to onederland before the new year... I made it to onederland on 1/4/12!!! That was the day that I had officially lost 100 lbs and the day that I officially hit 199.6 lbs!! I cannot believe it. Of course the scale hasn't moved again since then, but that is ok. I now have about 20-30 more lbs to lose and then I will be at goal!! Only 5 months after surgery! I am so thankful and happy for this opportunity to enjoy life more than I ever have before. I feel better not only physically but emotionally, spiritually, romanticly..... . Smiles all around! I plan on spending the next few months hoping that my skin shrinks down and that I can lose 1 or 2 lbs a months until I hit goal. Thank you to all of you who have given me kind words and encouragement. This site has been a very big blessing and a tremendous way for me to find will power when I felt weak. I love you all like family!! Kim PS current weight is now 197.

HOLY COW! I have lost 97 pounds in 4 months and I still just can't believe it! My life is forever changed and I will NEVER go back to the way things were! August 18, 2011 was the biggest day of my life and I count my blessings every time I think about what could have happened in my life if I hadn't had my Sleeve on that day. My big goal was to reach Onederland by the first of the year, and of course you can imagine how angry I was for the last 3 weeks with the scale not moving.......... But this morning I got on the scale and WOWZERS!!!!! I AM 3 POUNDS AWAY FROM ONEDERLAND!!!!!!!!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!! AHHHHH!!!! Whew, ok, I got that out... hehe. So anyways, here are some pictures. The first ones were taken at a wedding I was in June 2011, the last few were taken just this week. I still don't believe I have lost the weight until I see pictures... What a crazy feeling to see a picture of yourself and question whether it is actually you are not! THANK YOU SLEEVE AND DR. JEFF GAWEL!!!! Kim-

So this week I went to my surgeon for my 3 month post op visit. 3 months!!! ALREADY! Wow, I cannot believe how fast the time goes when you are so focused on a goal! So, I went there and first off got weighed by the nurse. She says to me, "Wow, you are down another 26.3 pounds since the last time we saw you just over a month ago!" So I tell her about the hair loss and the little bit of worry that I have about the loose skin, and she gives me some fliers about what other Vitamins I can be taking for the hair loss (BY THE WAY, ANY ADVICE IN THIS AREA WOULD BE GREAT!!!). She then tells me to ask the Dr. about the skin and what he thinks. So the Dr. comes in a few minutes later. Says to me, "Hello, Kim. I'll tell you, you used to look like someone I would perform surgery on, but not anymore!" So I smile and turn beat red (i'm sure) and then he looks at the chart again and says, "Kim! Do you realize you have lost 90 pounds in 4 months!?! NO ONE has ever lost that much that fast in our program!" Thats when it hit me. I have officially "lost" my 12 year old niece. WOW! Now for the bad news... My hair is 1/2 gone. Thank goodness I had a really thick head of hair to start or I would be bald by now. It's horrible! Every time I touch my head I loose a whole hand full of hair. I am really starting to worry about it but don't know what kind of vitamins to invest in so that it at LEAST slows down. HELP!!!! More bad news: I'm on another stall. I wanted to start the new year off in Onederland. I haven't lost in over 2 weeks. I am 10 pounds from Onderland and am stuck. Go figure. I just hope I can be within 5 pounds of Onderland at least by the New Year. Over all, I am happy as a lark and LOVING my new life! Thanks to the surgeon, their wonderful staff, and the sleeve I am happier than I have been in a very very long time. I finally feel good about myself and therefore am able to tackle the everyday things that used to tax me to even think about. I don't have a lot of full body pictures to post but I do have just a few to share. The first two pics is from a wedding I was in this last June (5 months ago). The last three were taken just this week. I will do my best to find some full body pictures this week and get them posted. ONDERLAND HERE I COME!!!!!!

YAY!!!! Today is exactly 3 months post op for me and things are going GREAT! I lost 20 pounds in the month before surgery and now am a totaly of over 80 POUNDS DOWN! It is unbelievable and I seriously catch myself NOT believing it when I look into the mirror. Being newly single again (after breaking it off with my Fiance') it feels AMAZING to have cute guys hold open doors for me, to feel the glances when I walk into a room........... and trust me, I am NOT stuck on myself. It just really does amaze me how differently I have been treated ever since about 60 pounds down. I am no longer afraid of the camera, and when I am out with friends I no longer want to find a table to sit behind to hide me fat a$$.... lol, love it! I am the girl whose foot wiggles all the time when i am sitting down, and the girl who would rather stand that sit when we are at the bar or at karaoke......... Please, don't think I am trying to sound conceited... I still have a LOT of things about my body that I hate and I in no way think that I am the cat's meow.... but damn I feel good! I smile day in and day out. Little things that used to bother the crap out of me don't seem to matter as much anymore......... Life is good!!! I will post some new pix as soon as I take some! Kim

YAY!!!! Today is exactly 3 months post op for me and things are going GREAT! I lost 20 pounds in the month before surgery and now am a totaly of over 80 POUNDS DOWN! It is unbelievable and I seriously catch myself NOT believing it when I look into the mirror. Being newly single again (after breaking it off with my Fiance') it feels AMAZING to have cute guys hold open doors for me, to feel the glances when I walk into a room........... and trust me, I am NOT stuck on myself. It just really does amaze me how differently I have been treated ever since about 60 pounds down. I am no longer afraid of the camera, and when I am out with friends I no longer want to find a table to sit behind to hide me fat a$$.... lol, love it! I am the girl whose foot wiggles all the time when i am sitting down, and the girl who would rather stand that sit when we are at the bar or at karaoke......... Please, don't think I am trying to sound conceited... I still have a LOT of things about my body that I hate and I in no way think that I am the cat's meow.... but damn I feel good! I smile day in and day out. Little things that used to bother the crap out of me don't seem to matter as much anymore......... Life is good!!! I will post some new pix as soon as I take some! Kim

Great work! keep it up!!

THANK YOU for sharing this. I never considered that this could be possible and it is a really scary thing to think that people can be such a$$holes... The more I think about it the more I realize that this is going to be something that most of us are going to have to face soon. It's funny, because before surgery all you can think about are all the AWESOME ways this surgery will affect your life and you never once stop to think that the people you have to live around can ruin the happiness like that. Keep your head up, be proud, and keep rockin' your new, hot, little body!!!

So, even though he's not my fiance anymore, my first big goal was tied very closely to my ex. I awnted to weigh less than him... AND I MADE IT! As of this week I officially weigh less than my ex and I also weigh less than I have since my freshman year of high school. I can't believe it! I love this sleeve! I love that it has given me the confidence to be me again! To be the same ol' goofy chick who used to love life! It's a happy day! Kim

August 18, 2011 - 81 lbs GONE FOREVER!!!

So after spending the last few days enjoying having hit my first small goal, I have decided it is time to set up a new short term goal. MAKE IT TO ONEDERLAND!!! Oh. My. Gosh! I can't believe that I am already close enough to be even thinking about onederland. This is absolutely crazy and I am soooo excited and happy. Tonight I have a "blind date"... first time I am going out with a guy since breaking up with my fiance. I feel like it's kinda soon, but I am really ready for some fun and excitement! How I am going to make it to onederland: -Keep hitting the gym 5 nights a week -Keep trying to get in my Protein -Pilates once a week -Linedancing for fun I am hoping to hit onederland before the first of the year! Think I can do it?!?!??!! Kim-

OH MY GOSH! I am in the EXACT same spot. My head somehow still sees the exact same thing when I look in the mirror. I know that I have lost 74 pounds because the scale and pant size/shirt size say so but why can't I FEEL that much lighter??? Couldn't have said it better myself. Here's to hoping that we both can enjoy our weight loss soon! Kim-

I am about 2 and a half months out from surgery and haven't braved having a beer yet. I have done vodka/cranberry (because of the low cal count) and it has gone well. I love the fact that all I want or need is 2 of them and I am done for the night. I have been too scared to try beer just because I feel like if I do it and it goes well then I'm going to want to have soda..... it's just too slippery of a slope for some of us! Kim-

Two days ago I called off my wedding. How mortifying!..... BUT, here is the first time in my life that i will have the opportunity to deal with an issue instead of drowning myself in food. As sad as I am, it is a good thing that this relationship is over. It has become aparent to me lately that my fiance was not supportive of my weight loss journey and that he would never be supportive. Bad relationship, time to end it. I am proud of myself. I haven't eaten anything that I shouldn't, and I haven't over ate at all..... But I feel like I might as well have. I am still on this stall and it is really frustrating the hell out of me. I want so badly to continue on this journey and to get down to a healthy weight for my height and age........... but these stalls really mess with my head and make me wonder what the hell I must be doing wrong to deserve this. I know that stalls are normal and that they happen to everyone, but seriously.... IT'S KILLING ME! Hopeless. That's how I feel. Absolutely hopeless.

I actually just posted my own topic about this. Two days ago I broke it off with my Fiance because he is not supportive. Unfortunately, you can know your own feelings and motives but you can never really known someone else's. Please consider this situation very thoroughly before pushing it under the rug or pretending that it's not happening. You are looking into this surgery because it is a desire of your heart that probably touches you to the core like it does for the rest of us. IF SOMETHING IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU IT SHOULD BE IMPORTANT TO HIM AND HE SHOULD BE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT HOW YOU FEEL. IF HE DOESN'T DO THAT OR CANNOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT HE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE. Unfortunately sabotage is very real and it usually comes from a significant other. For me, the choice was very obvious. I AM MORE IMPORTANT AND I AM MORE VALUABLE AND I LOVE MYSELF TOO MUCH TO CONTINUE TO BE IN AN UNSUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIP. I know that I may be a bit emotional and bias about this considering my circumstances but please please please think long and hard before letting him sabotage the rest of your life...

Your Doctor didn't do a body composition for you? There is a special scale that can tell you how much of your weight is bone mass/water/things you shouldn't loose and how much more is fat. Then you calculate from there how much actual fat you have to loose before you are in a healthy/normal range for your height and weight. Hope that little information helps!!! Kim-

THE SAME DAY THAT I SET MY FIRST SHORT TERM GOAL IS THE SAME EXACT DAY THAT I STARTED MY SECOND STALL. I'm pissed. I'm more than pissed, my head is a mess over this. I'm tired of never meeting my goals and then as soon as I actually allow myself to make a goal for myself the weight loss goes caput. Not only did the number on the scale stop going down, IT WENT UP A POUND AND A HALF. #*&% So, instead I decided to try for a different goal. Last night I ran a mile in less than 10 minutes for the first time in my entire life. Back in high school I used to run a mile in over 16 minutes, so this was a huge success for me! So, I've decided to train for my first 10k. December 10, 2011. The Jingle Bell Run in GR, Michigan. I'm excited and scared all at the same time. What if I (yet again) fail at my attempt to meet a goal. MY HEAD IS GOING CRAZY!

Yesterday I went to my 6 week post op appointment (was actually more like 7 week post op) and boy oh boy did it go well! First they weighed me and the nurses tech was smiling from ear to ear to announce that I have lost just under 70lbs in 6 weeks. Then they redid the BMI calculator and IN 30 MORE LBS I WILL BE WITHIN A NORMAL WEIGHT FOR MY AGE/HEIGHT/BODY MASS!!!!! WHAT?!?!?!? NO LONGER OBESE?!?!?!?!??! I don't even know how to process that information in my head! So, then the Dr. tells me that I should be looking to loose another 30-60 lbs but that getting down to the lowest part of that might not happen because I am "no longer 18 years old". Psh, if only I could have been this small when I was 18 yrs old! That dude has NO IDEA what I can accomplish with this sleeve! NSV: Went to the gap this week. Went straight for the Clearance rack (as per usual), grabbed a whole bunch of things from the largest section of clothing (praying that maybe SOMETHING would fit and be cheap enough to buy even though it wasn't something that I really was hoping to find)went to the fitting room, tried on the first sweater and IT HUNG TO MY KNEES!!!!!!! YOWZER! So I show my sister in law who was shopping with me and she says, "Kim, you need to go at LEAST 2 sizes smaller". Which of course made my day. I feel like a million bucks. The scary thing is that when i look into the mirror I still see the same thing. I didn't get a chance to take "before" pictures, so I don't know how to compare my body now to my body then. All I know is that I have dropped almost 4 pant sizes in 7 weeks and for the first time IN MY LIFE I can buy GAP clothes and I'm not even in their biggest size! 6 months ago this was all inconcievable to me. Never have I known what kind of outfit I wanted to buy, went to the mall, found a store that sold that kind of outfit, found it on the rack, and bought it. It's always whatever the store has in stock that will fit my XXL body and hide my rolls. Lovin' life.

I was having problems with the same exact thing. I just went to costco and bought their gummy Vitamins. They are AWESOME. They even taste just like gummy bears. i would suggest to give them a shot, they haven't made my stomach hurt at all! Kim-

So it's has been 2 months and 10 days since I was sleeved. Today I updated my weight loss ticker and it SAYS I AM HALF WAY TO MY GOAL!!!! WHAT? That's amazing! I feel like I'm not even trying that hard and here I am, just about 60 lbs down! I get married in just under one year and I am so ecstatic to realize that it could very well be a dream come true that I could be a skinny girl on my wedding day! Words cannot describe how wonderful I feel today. I feel like the biggest burden I have ever had to bear has been taken from me and I cannot put in to words how freeing that is!!! HAPPY GIRL! -Kim-

1.) Today my niece said "Aunt Kim, you look soo skinny today!" 2.) In church I looked down and realized, I can see my feet without bending over!!!!!!!!!! (First time ever!) 3.) After church we took my 5 nieces and nephews to the circus, and the whole way there I was nervous because the upper bowl at our arena is always smaller seats than the lower bowl. The seats in the upper bowl and slightly too small for my large bottom. We got there, went to our seats, sat down................... AND THE SEAT WAS BIGGER THAN MY BUTT! I had at least an inch on both sides of my hips when I sat down!!! The third NSV is a very important one to me because I love going to events at the arena, but only if I can afford the expensive seats on the lower level. Now I can go to any event ANYTIME I WANT TO!!!!! YAY!!!!