SKCUNNINGHAM

When I got that way, I would drink boullion and take a gasX strip. I always assumed my hunger feeling was partly due to excess acid - so I always treated it as though it were. GASX, TUMS, PECID - something for acid -- then drink something warm. My other go-to warm drink was hot mint tea with sweetener. Distracting yourself is definately the way to go, after you treat the acid.

I agree with Foxbins - when I am truly hungry (need food for nourishment) I feel light-headed and empty. That usually happens for me at about 4 hours after eating Protein last. If I go much past four hours without protein, I get cranky. Head hunger is anything other than the above. Example #1: The feeling I get when I am eating something I enjoy and I am full (the point I like to stop). Head hunger will say "gosh, this food is tasing great, I want another bite!". Sometimes head hunger is driven by tastse - other times it can be driven by boredom, or in response to a TV commercial or program, or a smell of food, or numerous other triggers. I had a complicated relationship with food prior to my sleeve surgery - eating was my go to response for dam near any situation. I am working every day to change that. One thing I do to see if it is head hunger or I really need to eat - I look at how long it has been since I have eaten. If it is less than four hours, I drink 16 -24 ounces of Fluid. Of course I can't drink that much fluid all at once - so I tell myself NO POSSIBLITY OF EATING UNTIL THE DRINK IS ALL GONE. (I have to be stern with myself). Then, after I finish drinking the designated amount, I re-evaluate the situation. I am always full after the liquid is done, so I will re-check in about a half an hour. Then, if my body is telling me it wants food, I will eat something (snack or meal, depending on what time it is and what the plans for the rest of the day are). Good luck.

I found out this weekend I am lactose intolerant to milk. I haven't been consuming milk since my surgery 8 months ago.. My Protein powder is whey-isolate so no dairy there. I have eaten yogurt, cottage cheese and cheese with no problem. But last weekend I mixed my Breakfast Protein Powder into sugar free cocoa mix, with warm Water and some canned milk (was out of fresh). Boy, did that tear up my stomach! I thought I came down with a stomach virus - bad diarrea. Didn't dawn on me until I did the cocoa/milk/protein mix a second day and had the same reaction that it was the milk, not a stomach bug. (sometimes I'm slow, I guess). So I will either be buying Lactaid milk, or those tables/capsules you take with regular milk, if I want to indulge in milk. Even at eight months, my sleeve still can surprise me.

You look wonderful!

When I was doing my year of research before my WLS, I knew I didn't want bypass. My insurance (at the time) didn't accept the sleeve, so I reluctantly was going to go with the band - even though I knew of the problems associated with it. Even though the sleeve has not been a stand-alone weight loss procedure for >5 years, doctors have been doing gastrecomies for a long time - as a solution for people with severe "stomach" problems. I remember my band director having one when I was in high school (I am 55 now). He lived a long, healthy and thin life - as have many other similar patients. So I don't think there are going to be major negative discoveries about long term health effects of VSG (my opinion). Everyone has to do their own risk/reward analysis - and when my insurance accepted the sleeve, I changed from a potetial band person to a potential sleeve person. Had my surgery on 2/22 and don't regret it for a minute. Sorry to hear you ran into some rude folks on-line. The anonymity of the 'net seems to promote people to sink to a level of behavior they would never have face-to-face. My experiences here (although I don't normally chat) have been very supportive. Good luck to you in your weight loss journey.

I am also 8 months out and DON'T REGRET IT FOR A SINGLE SECOND. Please see my recent post "Hundreth Pound Gone" for my update from 2 days ago to read my story. VSG is a great tool - good luck on your research and your ultimate decision.

I'm in - Actually - this is going to be my BIRTHDAY GOAL. I am one of those unfortunate people whose birthday is right at Christmas (12/29). By 12/29 - I want to weigh 140 on the doctor's scale. Screen Name SKCUNNINGHAM Starting Weight 153 Goal Weight 140 Pounds to go - 13 Not as much as some of you are striving for - but realistic, I think, for me. That will leave me a mear five pounds to go to get to my Final (I think) Goal! Happy Holidays and I good luck on your goals.

I imagine if you asked each person here individually, we could come up with a list of the things we were afraid of, before the surgery. For me, life after sleeve is SO MUCH BETTER than life before sleeve. I am happier and healthier. I will probably live to see my grandchildren grow up. I will live to retire with my husband. Yes, I have some saggy skin - which will get better over time and with exercise - but it is easily hidden with clothes. At only 8 months post-sleeve, I am still a work in process. After the first 3 months (approximately) living with the sleeve is a snap. Give me Protein, Water and some kind of healthy veggie and I have all I need. If that means I take Jerky with me for when I go hunting with my husband, I do. If that means going to a grocery store in a city when I am travelling - I do. I can always find something to order off of a menu if I am in a restaurant. I hope you overcome your fears and have the surgery. Good luck with your decision process.

I am so sorry your and your lady split up. I have heard that WLS will strengthen a strong relationship, and destroy a shaky relationship. It is awful when you didn't realize the foundation you built on was made of sand - not rock. Try not to let your grief push you into eating habits you don't want to do - that would be REALLY HARD for me. I recommend to throw yourself into other things you enjoy (like your son't football) and focus on them. Take care. Reach out hear on the site when you need a friendly ear or a shoulder to lean on.

I didn't mourn the loss of being fat, but I mourned the loss of food as my coping mechanism. It's been my crutch most of my life. I also mourned getting rid of some beautiful clothes - primarily business clothes. To compensate that, I found good homes for them. I found a charity that helps women get back into the job market - gets them "interview" clothes. The organization was in dire need of plus size clothes - so all my best stuff that was appropriate for interviewing / business world went there. The rest of my stuff that was "good" went to a consignement shop. I would let the credit build up, then go spend it on smaller clothes. I am taking my last load there in December. It is the last size I shrank through that is in their size range. Good luck!

I second the recommendation for the Isopure products - particularly the ISOPURE PLUS product. These are premixed Protein drinks that taste like crystal lite. The two flavors are punch and grape frost. They are "lightly flavored" not as strongly flavored as some others. I couldn't find them locally, so I ordered them from Amazon.com. The belching and burping will get better. I took (and still take) Famatodine or Pepcid in the morning, Prilosec in the evening and I am never without GASX or Tums. Somehow drinking broth seemed to help, too.

MeMe- I am glad you are home from your ordeal. I bet after you get over this, you will feel 100% better, and finally start getting to use your sleeve like the rest of us do. God must think A LOT of you - he has certainly given you some big challenges to overcome. I wish you the best in your recovery. Sharon

Congratulations! I hope you are doing well. I would recommend you send a personal message to Tiffykins - she knows all about preganancy after VSG. She is due to deliver her daughter any day - so it might be a few days until she answers. Take care. Sharon

As of yesterday, I have lost 100 pounds. YEA! (cue happy music to start playing loudly) Now, to lose the last 18 pounds. My target is to be done in January of 2012. I started my preop diet on February 9th of this year, and had surgery February 22nd with Dr. Nicholson in Dallas, TX. My surgery went extremely well. I had no complications and went home after one night in the hospital. My recovery went smoothly. I had no trouble drinking fluids or finding a Protein I could tolerate. Didn't have any vomiting once I got home. Didn't need much pain medicine at all - took a total of two or three pills after I left the hospital. Went back to work three weeks after surgery - I had to wait for my three weeks check-up before I could get my doctor's clearance. I have a two hour drive to the office, and the doctor was concerned about me being in a car for that long that soon. I had to stop and walk around for 5 minutes or so after an hour - to help prevent the possibility of clots. Working a twelve hour day (8 hours work, 4 hours driving) was too long at first, so I would stay in a hotel close to the office for three nights a week until I was ready for the 12 hour days. This journey so far has been a major learning experience for me. I am a very organized (obsessive?) person. I had everything mapped out for each day - what I would eat. I tracked calories, protein, carbs and ounces of Fluid. In all my dieting history I had never tracked the grams of protein or carbs in my food - so this was brand new. The other major learning experience was how to deal with life without my old "frenemy" FOOD as my coping mechanism. There are addicts in my family tree (alcohol, recreational pharmaceuticals) and that tendency is within me. Not for drugs or alcohol - why go there when there was food available? (Cocaine couldn't be any more satisfying than brownies.) So I am having to build an entire new relationship with food, and build totally different coping skills for all of the triggers that previously resulted in me choosing to use food inappropriately. I am pleased to report that this effort is going well. But it really is "one day at a time" as the AA folks say. I have to stay 100% conscious of what I am doing. On a lighter note - I have had a blast rediscovering smaller clothes. I am now in 12's and some 14's - and they are petites! Still sounds strange to even say that! I started out is 24 Womens and 3X's. I say "thank God for clothes" as it hides all the sagging wrinkled skin from the weight loss. I am also WAY HEALTHIER than I was. My PCP was talking to me prior to me starting the 6 month preop (which actually took a year for me - insurance issues) about WHEN I would have a heart attack, not IF. My father dropped dead of a massive heart attack when he was about the age I was when I started my preop diet. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea (I hated my CPAP machine and wouldn't use it). My joints ached all the time. Now, I am off all blood pressure meds, all cholesterol meds and I no longer have sleep apnea. My last labs looked good - except for borderline anemia (even with iron). That doesn't have anything to do with the sleeve, I have been that way most of my life. The only meds I take now are Vitamins and minerals, acid reducing meds, and hormones. Didn't mean to natter on for so long. Thank all of you on this site for being such a wonderful support for me. You guys are my "AA" - and, believe me, I come here every day to help me stay focused. If I can be of help to anyone here, feel free to PM me - I am happy to return to favor. I posted some before and recent pictures. The picture with the giant guitar is at the Hard Rock in Albuquerque. That was last Thursday - I was on vacation with my 86 year old energizer-bunny mother and my two sisters.

Congratulations! I am happy for your success. Somehow - having little ones will certainly motivate you to want to see them grow up. I know the birth of grandchildren really helped crystalize my motivation to change my life. Best of luck on your continued journey.

This whole process - from the studying about VSG to the 6 months prepwork, then the enormous changes after surgery are all very inward-focused. I have felt throughout the long-process that I have been very self-absorbed. I spend less time thinking about the concerns of the wider world and more time thinking about how to respond to the demands of daily life without the crutch of my old "frenemy" and crutch food. My conversations are now more likely to be about the latest interesting article I have read (concerning something to do with weight loss) than the latest scandal in the news. My joys I share are as likely to be about myself (surprising in itself) than the lastest accomplishment of my grandchildren. I feel like how I imagine an alcoholic must feel, learning to function after they have given up alcohol. I understand why they go to AA meetings every day - and why I feel compelled to come visit this site a couple of times a day. I worry I am about as annoying to be around as a college freshmen in their first psychology class, that comes home and wants to analyze all the family members and relationships. I hope my family doesn't cringe when they are around me from being tired of my focus. One of my new year resolutions is going to be to become more outwardly focused again - but not to the point I don't put myself high enough on the priority list to make sure I get what I need. Very interesting topic on conversation. I will think more on this!

What a wonderful success! Congratulations! Great way to ROCK YOUR SLEEVE. From your sleeve to mine - let it send the message through the ether that my sleeve won't like cake either. I haven't tried it yet - I am waiting until I hit goal. Best of luck on your continued LIFE AS A SKINNY PERSON

Congratulations! You are drop-dead gorgeous! Not only should you be modelling to promote your surgeon, you should be a model, period. With your looks and smile, you could sell many things. Best of luck with your continued success.

MustangAli - we are sleeve sisters, too. I just celebrated my 8th month. I agree with all of the above posts - it is never too late to start again. And, all of the above posts are right on and give good advice. The thing I would like to add is a way to get some help with the criticism you are giving yourself. I recommend hypnosis. It is the best way to "reprogram" your head to change long held beiefs about yourself. Your issues now aren't weight - they are some old tapes about yourself that you are playinging. Those are as hard to get rid of (or harder) than all the other bad habits we have had to change. If you find a trained hypnotist and tell him/her what your situation is, they can tailor a hypnosis session to address your issues. If the hypnotist is willing, he/she could make a hypnosis CD to have you listen to on your own to further reinforce your new "self-talk". I believe in hypnosis - and for a trained engineer - that was quite a leap. I have used hypnosis and was impressed with the changes it made in me. If you can't find a hypnostist - let me know - I know several and would help you out. Best of luck to you. Sharon

I am 8 months post sleeve, 99 pounds lost. I started out almost the same weight as you the day of surgery. Here are my monthly totals : 13 2 week preop diet; 18.5 Month 1; 12 Month 2; 11.5 Month 3; 12 Month 4; 10 Month 5; 7 Month 6 (sprained ankle and was in a boot cast for a month - no exercise); 9 Month 7; 6 Month 8

I have an opportunity to take early retirement with my company at the end of this year (I will be 55). In am considering all my options. If I try to get insurance on the open market, will I be insurable? Or, do insurance companies automatically deny post-VSG patients that want INDIVIDUAL coverage (not group)? I have the option now for insurance either through the company's retirement option or through COBRA, but I am looking ahead over the next 10 years until I reach 65. I wouldn't bet the company will be in existence in 10 years, so my insurance will probably go "poof" at some point. If I jump back into another corporate job, I could get insured with them, but the job market is tough for 55 year olds. My next job will likely be a contract (no benifits) one. If anyone has any experience with this, let me know. Thanks.

You look wonderful! Best of luck for your delivery.

I did contingency planning for a living for about 10 years - I guess i really am an INTJ!

Wow! Congratulations on 3 years of success, and on having your wonderful vacation. You are truly an inspiration to me. Best of luck in the future!

We had really high winds yesterday in Dallas. I stepped out of my car and a big gust of wind caught me. It made be back up two steps! Now, a gust of wind can't really blow a 154 pound person "away", but it moved me back some. That would have never happened 99 pounds ago! Also, I have jury duty on Monday. They don't have enough chairs there, and my husband told me to take one our our folding "chairs in a bag" to sit on. I smiled when he said it, and he asked what I was smiling for. I told him I realized I could sit in one of those "chairs in a bag" and not worry about having it collapse under me. He gave me a big hug - we both celebrated it. And, today, I went to my PCP. She took me off the last of my blood pressure meds! NO MORE BLOOD PRESSURE PILLS!