former_vbg

It took a lot of courage for you to come on here to talk about your experiences. I commend you for making the journey back to recovery for your health. It is scary to think about regain and I think some people who have this surgery has the misconception that the tool is going to do most of the work for them and consequently have problems. I'm not saying this was you. I hope that the Dr. and staff can help you come up with a plan to get back on track. Have you considered maybe the DS (Duodonel Switch) surgery? The sleeve is only the first step in that procedure. Maybe that is your better option. Just a thought to consider.

Oh Melissa, my heart goes out to you. I'm so sorry your husband has not been supportive and that you are essentially having to go through this alone. I am proud of you for having the strength to do this for you and know that you deserve better! Please know that we are here to support you however we can! You are on the path to a new you!!

Thanks again everyone! I have found this board so helpful throughout my entire journey. I used the posts from this board and others to help me begin my research the moment I decided WLS was what I wanted, but needed to educate myself on everything out there. I became obsessed with reading and researching, but ultimately I kept coming back to this site because by and large everyone on here is genuine and gives honest feedback. Some of the other boards, I never was sure if they were paid posters and there were more problems with posts disappearing if it referenced a Dr. that had issues. I plan to stick around well into maintenance simply because I need to be sure I am accountable and I think seeing other people post about their journey (the good/ the bad, etc) will help me remember what I had to go through to get here and hopefully be an incentive to stay on track.

Thanks so much everyone! I don't often post here looking for accolades, but this is a big milestone for me and I appreciate everyone's support! Thank you! It's been quite the ride!

Thank you for that wonderful compliment!!! I hope that the weight redistributes a bit in my face because when I smile, I don't like the lines on the side of my cheek bones, but its ok. I feel wonderful!

Thanks guys. It hasn't been easy and days when I just wanted to take a break from it all, but I set my "eye on the prize" because I was determined to make it. I am almost there!

Well, 1 year ago today almost to the hour I had my surgery starting out at 271# @ 5'3". What an amazing journey this has been. I can honestly say that I am so glad I did this and how it has improve my quality of life in more ways than I can count. I am now just 10# from my final goal and while it would have been nice to be at goal by now, I am pleased with my progress of loosing 141# in this time. I have been buying thrift store clothes almost exclusively, which honestly isn't much different from my previous shopping habits. I have been able to find some incredible deals, nice clothes at rock bottom prices that nobody at work would even suspect. I have attached a picture taken of me yesterday and that suit outfit was bought at a thrift store just 3 weeks ago for $6!!! Not a thing wrong with it. I'm now wearing size 5/6 jeans, size 8 or 10 petite business suits, size 4 slacks and it is just truly amazing when I look at clothes off the rack trying to wrap my head around this IS the size I wear. As I slide on my size 6 jeans, it still seems so surreal I can hardly believe it's me. As I look back on my journey, I recall the stalls and frustration when my weight didn't fall off consistently, and I would say it was around the 6th or 7th month when I realized I was really going to have to kick up my game to keep that momentum going. I'm not a patient person and didn't want to get frustrated and fall back into my old patterns. So, I started increasing my exercise, and really paying attention to my carb intake, and upping my dense Proteins. I really love the weight loss challenges because they really motivate me to hitting my next target. My next weight loss target will hopefully be my last. Reading through various maintenance threads, I am becoming more and more aware how I know I am going to have to continue to be diligent with maintaining my healthy eating. Do I allow myself treats once in awhile? Yes, but in very small moderation. Fortunately, the sleeve keeps me in check. But, I know it will be up to me to watch what goes into my mouth. Since surgery, I have become lactose intolerant. It happened within the 2nd month, and found out when I tried just a bite of ice cream and oh my.... cramps in the stomach and a quick trip to the bathroom with some bad diarrhea. Never having been lactose intolerant I wasn't really sure this was the sign of being lactose intolerant, so of course I had to test my stomach again and sure enough. It's been interesting learning what things my stomach can handle, what it can't. I am moderately lactose intolerant now so as long as it's not real rich in milk product and it's a small amount I am usually fine, but I am still very cautious. I really don't mind this "side effect" though because sweets/ chocolate have ALWAYS been a downfall for me and so now when I see chocolate, my first thought is the repulsive reaction my stomach will have if I eat it and that's a good thing! For anyone on the fence of whether to do the surgery, or struggling at the start of their journey, just know that it is all worth it! I am happier and more confident than I have been in years. I enjoy the way people treat me better and of course looking better and healthier is certainly a huge factor!!

Basically it is junk food. Stuff that has no protein or very little, high carbs/ sugars, etc. Things that "slide" through our new tummy and leave us with no feeling of fullness. It's best to stick to dense protein so we are eating healthy and staying full longer so we don't go looking for those sliders. Some examples of sliders might be chips, cookies, ice cream, cake, etc...

It's interesting, I am starting to read more of the maintenance related threads now that I'm so much closer to goal.... just 10# to go. I know I won't be one of those that struggles to stop losing weight. What is interesting though is that I find myself wondering about trying to go lower than 120# just to "see" if I can do it. I kind of don't want to because I have lost so much in the boobs area already. But, I see people talking about feeling guilty about eating foods that aren't really "bad" foods, but stuff they might not have eaten when in the weight loss mode. I get lots of compliments from all kinds of people even now and of course that feels good. With my compression shirt on to firm up the loose skin, I can wear form fitting sweaters and shirts and look pretty good. Just gonna have to figure out where I'm going to be happy once I reach 120#. It is a bit surreal though even getting to 130# as I haven't weighed this since junior high. Oh, and I'm 5'3 in case anyone is wondering with a medium sized frame. I have lots of loose skin on the upper arms/ thighs and tummy region. There is no money for that in the near future. I am ok for the most part as I wouldn't trade fat flabs for loose skin any day of the week.

I too am another "weigh in the buff each morning after I go to the bathroom" and then again before bed. Sometimes I will even weigh during the day just to see how different foods I eat affect my weight. I don't get upset when I know that I have been good in what I eat. But, like several others have said that when I stayed away from the scale was when I was in denial and gained the most weight. I didn't WANT to see the # because I knew it would be even higher than the last time. Now that I'm so close to maintenance, I plan to continue my weigh-in routine. At some point I might become more comfortable with weighing less, but for now this works for me and has for the past year. I also keep a calendar by my scale strictly for the purpose of marking my weight each morning. I like being able to look back to see how my weight loss journey has gone. I also plan to keep this down the road as a reminder of where I came from to get to goal.

Very interesting background Jill. Congratulations on your promotion and congratulations on crossing over to the losers bench! It sounds like you have a wonderful home of love with your family! I'm very happy for you!

Hi there, we are practically neighbors!! I live just 30 minutes south of Olathe. Welcome to the board- you are almost on the "losers bench"!! I love that you have an Australian Shepherd dog!! I lost my Border Collie mixed dog a couple months ago and think my next dog will be a Blue Healer/ Australian Shepherd mix or something like that. Those breeds are SOOO smart! Anyhow, if you need any local support- feel free to look me up!

Awesome job! Keep up the great work!!

Ditto what everyone else has said. You are beautiful and look just stunning!

Something else I would like to bring up. What everyone else has said is important, but several people pre-surgery go through what they call "food funerals". The idea being that in our head we have this perception "I will never be able to eat this food ever again.... so I'm going to indulge while I can...". I did this in a big and bad way and because I had no pre-op diet and no pre-surgery diet other than 12 hrs before surgery, I gained 20# before I had my surgery once I had my surgery date. Do I regret it? Yes and No.... Would it mean 20# less to lose once I had the surgery, yes. But, I feel like I got it out of my system enough that once I crossed the line over (having surgery), that I was ready to focus on the next chapter of my life. Now, that worked for me. The more healthier approach is to get your head straight before you go into surgery. But, bottomline I would bet that part of what you are going through is the food funeral stage. You are working with a therapist and I'm sure you will do just fine.

Well, please understand it IS INDEED impossible to gain 20, just not as fast as before surgery. We MUST remember this surgery is only a tool. If we revert back to our old ways of eating the junk, "aka slider foods", the weight will come back. I might suggest you read some posts in the Maintenance Thread pinned under General Sleeve Discussion. OregonDaisy can tell you that maintaining is not a walk in the park, it takes diligence. I don't want to be negative, I just want you to realize this surgery is a tool only. It's up to us how we use the tool.

What everyone has said is correct. In the scheme of things, not that going off plan is good- but think about what you might have eaten on a "bad day" pre-surgery? Might it have more likely included Cookies, chocolate, pizza, ice cream, etc? Focus on this being a new day. Remind yourself you are in the honeymoon phase and that you want to make the most out of this. You can do this!

I did a Zumba class for the first time last week too. And, I also felt like two left feet, but managed to hang in there. It sure does kick up the calorie burn for sure! I can't see how anyone would stay in a stall if they do Zumba classes. Unfortunately I can't go all the time due to home stuff, but I am going to go every chance I get.

We need to give him a little slack though here. To compare the difficulty of being on liquids before surgery and after surgery is almost night and day. Prior to surgery, we are relying soley on our own willpower and well, let's face it, if that's all it took- none of us would need surgery. Post surgery, our entire body has gone through shock and physically most people don't have that same sensation of hunger. I won't say everyone is like that, but I think that is most. Anyhow, just do the best you can on this and understand that if your surgeon is really strict on the pre-op diet that you risk having to reschedule your surgery. Probably not unless you really blow it, but it's something you want to look into.

One thing I would HIGHLY recommend you research is the issues with malabsorption with the GP. In short, after about 12 to 18 months, the body typically resets itself and while it might only actually absorb half the calories you are consuming for that first 12 to 18 months, steadily your body will adjust and absorb more calories until you are almost where you were prior to surgery. So, if you were used to eating say 1,500 to 2,000 calories after surgery, your body is likely going to only absorb half of that in the beginning. Eventually, your body will adjust and it will start seeing all or nearly all of those calories leading to weight gain because you won't realize what is happening with your body. This is most often what leads to re-gain for those that have the GP. Also, understand that you are signing up for frequent labwork for LIFE to be sure your body is getting the necessary Vitamins it needs to keep you from having other health issues. Just imagine if you had this surgery, started regaining weight and left with the side effects of having to take a laundry list of vitamins just to stay healthy. No thank you! Just try to research the best you can. Ultimately you have to feel comfortable with your own choice. Just sharing some of the thoughts that went into how I made my decision for the sleeve. I have absolutely no regrets except that I didn't do it sooner!

Fortunately, I didn't have to do the 2week pre-op diet, but from what I can gather, much of it depends on your surgeon. If you are having to do the liquid diet, the surgeon likely told you it is to help shrink your liver to help make your surgery easier. They say that if you shrink your liver, there is less chance of the surgeon nicking your liver during surgery (aka lessen complication issues). I know there have been plenty of people who cheated some and still were able to have their surgery. I would just find out how strict your surgeon is because I have also heard some surgeons (albeit few), that threatened to cancel their surgery if they didn't do the pre-op diet. Sorry I wasn't more help. Maybe others have other input.

Well, I just recently started reading this thread. I know it's open to everyone whether on maintenance or not, but kind of felt like it would be a milestone for me to put my first post on here. I'm not officially in maintenance just yet- have 12# to go, but I'm so close I can taste it. I haven't weighed even this amount since i was like 12 or 13 yrs old. It feels absolutely amazing!! I'm pushing really hard to get to my final goal. I'm a little nervous about reaching official maintenance because I know I won't be one of those that has to worry about losing too much. I also know that I will have to watch what I eat once I reach maintenance that it won't be all roses. Nonetheless I'm ready to embrace it with all its glory! My one year anniversary is this Thursday. I had hoped to be at goal by now, but I'm really close so all is good!

Thank you. Yes, I am proud of myself. When I get ready for work in the morning, it's almost always a new experience because I am wearing my clothes different. Doing more tucking of blouses, not afraid to show off my figure basically and its just really different.

In dress type slacks, most often it's a size 4- depends on the manufacturer. In dress suits, size 10 petites usually. In jeans, size 4's or 6's. My one year anniversary is this coming Thursday. I had hoped to be at goal by my anniversary but I'm ok with it- I'm very close to goal. I think that if I had the loose skin removed, I would be a size down in everything automatically, but financially, that isn't in the cards right now. Plus, it seems that most surgeons recommend waiting for your weight to stabilize for at least 6 plus months (prefer a year) before doing plastics to be sure you have leveled out where you are going to stay. We'll just see where I'm at then. I've had some people tell me I shouldn't loose anymore weight, but what I have learned by taking a few polls with close personal friends that I know I can trust their answers is that I look like I weigh less than I really do which really has almost always been the case. Imagine hearing, "You're not that big.... when you are 200+". I never really knew if that's what they thought or were just patronizing me. Either way, deep down I knew different. This will put me smack in the middle of the BMI range scale. Not that I hold that as golden, but I am using it as my guide. The plan is that once I reach maintenance, I will plan to monitor my weight in that if I start to exceed 125 or WORST case 130 (I tend to put on weight just by looking at bad food it seems), that I know it's time to get busy and get things under control. I have learned to "listen" to my body and when I did a 10 to 12# regain after my long trip to Europe earlier this Spring, I started having that tighteness in my body knowing my body had taken on extra weight and it didn't feel good. So, I'm hoping I experience the same feeling once I level off at goal and if any weight were to start coming back. I know that getting to goal is only half the battle, but I'm determined to make it work. I've worked too hard to get here. The bottom line in how much you decide to loose is to base it on how you know your body to be and of course suggestions from your Dr. One other thing is that I am finding that over time, my weight is somewhat redistributing. My face is a perfect example. There will be weeks or more where my face looks real gaunt, but then before I know it, it just seems like overnight, it will look more normal- thinner but not gaunt. Our bodies just have to have time to adjust.

WOW!! You know..... I never thought about it that way, you are right. That's pretty cool to think about.Thanks for making that observation! :-)