SKCUNNINGHAM

I am currently looking for a job (took an early retirement settlement at the end of December). It is certainly nicer to be looking at a size 10P, rather than a 24W. I had a job interview last Friday. I wore a beautifully tailored navy suit with a tiny shadow stripe of a paler blue. Under the jacket, I wore a blue cashmere sweater that picked up the color of the stripe. I had taken the suit skirt to the tailor and had it shortened (since I am 5'4" - this is a regular thing) to be the perfect just-below-the-knee length. If I was still morbidly obese, like a year ago, I would have either worn pants or left the skirt long - almost to my ankles. I had to buy a new pair of panty hose - in size B - the only ones I had in my lingerie drawer were size Q - and they made my legs look like elphant's legs with all the wrinkles. Cross your fingers or say a little prayer that I hear good news from the company I interviewed with!

The whole issue of sizing is crazy. I think the shine article from Yahoo was a great explanation. I remember when I was graduating highschool in the mid 1970's, I wore a size 14 when I weighed around 135. Now, I weigh 145 and am wearing either 10's. I definately agree with iegal that the 10's from the 1980's/90's are the 4's of today. I have always said my body would never be a 4, but since I starved down to a 6 - 8 back in 1987, that was probably a 2-4 by today's standards. Oh, well. I am pretty happy where I am, and will be happier when the last few pounds are gone. Shopping is much more fun now than it was - although I hate the poor quality and workmanship in some of the garments now. (a pet pieve of mine).

My sleeve was 50 weeks ago (fast approaching my 1 year mark). I have lost 108 pounds, gone from a 24W to a 10 petite and am much healthier and in better shape. I am exercising >5 times a week. I would rate my sleeve a 10.

I agree with other posters that what and who you tell anything about your weight loss is totally your business. Tell the whole truth, nothing at all, or something in between. If you want to keep it private, that is absolutely your right. I like the phrase "a lot" as people above have said - if you don't want to share. However, most people who ask us if we have lost weight already know we were fat when we started this process. Unlike us, who probably avoided looking in mirrors or shop windows or any reflective surface that would give us a view of what we looked like, other people see the real "us" all the time. They aren't hiding behind a comfortable wall of denial about how big we really are. Now, skinny people may not be able to judge how much we weigh (or even think about it), and some guys may not have a clue (because guys don't look at fat women very often - my opinion) but most other women would probably know generally how much onother woman weighs (+/- 25 pounds). Some people ask because they recognize we have accomplished something pretty amazing, and want to give us props for it. Others may be trying to do the math to find out where we started, but I think that % is a minority. Me personally, I tell people how much I lost, I'm proud of it. If they want to guess where I started out, fine with me. That person is gone for good.

I remember how I felt the first time I saw a guy checking me out - and he roughly 20 years younger than me. Made me walk on air all the way back to my office. Pasquini, I bet you have to "beat the girls off with a stick" as my grandma would say. Sharon

From what I understand, the part of the stomach that is removed is twisted in on itself, making it long and thin, and is passed through the largest incision. I have no desire to watch the entire process on you tube - but did catch a clip of that process one time.

fern - I really understand whee you are coming from. I, too, used food in the wrong way to meet all sorts of emotional needs. I really think I used food like an alcoholic uses liquor or a drug addict their drug of choice. Talking to a family member that is 20+ years clean and sober - the behaviors and the feelings that drive the behaviors are the same. I am working every day to keep from using food incorrectly. Exercise does help. You are doing great witht the running! My exercises of choice are the elliptical and Zumba. Take care. Sharon

I recently turned 55 and I'm approaching the one year anniversary of my sleeve. I have had no significant problems since surgery, have gotten off of my CPAP machine, all my blood pressure meds, and all of my cholesterol meds. I feel about 20 years younger than I was feeling! Go for it - you will feel much better and younger after your surgery. Best of luck to you.

I started eating small amounts of lettuce at six months. I could eat other salad veggies earlier (carrots, green onion, etc). I still have to severly limit raw celery and have to chop it really fine.

I did something for myself today I have never done before. I went to have a professional bra fitting at a SOMA lingerie store. Even though I have 10 pounds to go to hit my original goal (I may rethink that goal and stop for now), my breasts have quit changing size. YEA! None of my bras fit right in all places - if the cups were right, the straps wouldn't stay on my shoulder or the band didn't fit right. I have been wearing mostly Aah bras as I shrank in weight - since they were accomodating as my breasts were changing size rapidly. As much as I like those bras, I still like a traditional bra, too. I ended up being a 36C. The bra style that fit me best was their "Emma" a soft cup (rather than a molded cup) that is a minimizer. The tops of my breasts didn't fill out the top of the molded C cup well and were too much for a B cup. THe soft cup minimizer fits them perfectly. I think the "minimizer" construction is good to take all of the loose skin on my breast tissue and suck it in (like shapewear). This bra puts the girls back where they should be and I have no lumps are bulges of fat anywhere! If you have bras that you want to get rid of that are in lightly used good shape, they are taking back bras (any brand) and donating them to a women's shelter organization. THis is going on until February 26th. I am going to go through my lingerie drawer and get rid of my ill fitting bras. Wearing a bra that fits after wearing one that doesn't is like finally wearing shoes that fit after wearing shoes that are the wrong size. What a difference. I have worn one of my new bras since I was at the store (wore it out instead of putting my old one back on.) Don't think I have ever had one one that made me feel better. If you want to pamper yourself when you get at goal - give this a try!

I guess my favorite film is the original three Star Wars films. The first one came out when I was in college, and I have a lot of happy memories about seeing the three films in the theatres. Another favorite of mine is Disney's Fantasia - both the original and the second one - Fantasia 2000. My question is this - I you could go back in time to a historical event - what would it be and why? Would you be going back to watch something occur, or to talk to an historical figure?

I wish someone had told me that I would go through puberty again - at 55 and having had a hysterectomy over 20 years ago. It was a couple of months of alternating being weepy and then wanting to kill someone I would be so angry. And, I wish someone would have told me the importance of finding the magic balance of Fiber, Water and laxative/stool softener necessary to keep your system moving along at a new "normal" - during all of the phases you will pass through in your eating.

This is wonderfu- what a great image to picture! I am happy for you. One thing that surprised me - your 23 year old son didn't do the "eye-roll" catching his parents getting "frisky" with one another. Glad that he didn't do that and instead called you one of the most beautiful words in the dictionairy - "skinny".

I have been a shower taker rather than a bath taker for many years. Don't normally take the time for long, decandent soaks in the tub. Also, when we moved into our current house four years ago, I discovered I really didn't fit in our tub. Even though it was a large whirlpool tub - when I got in it with the correct amount of Water (so the water didn't go into the overflow drain) there were large (pun intended) parts of me that couldn't get under the water level. Not a relaxing expererience. And the bathroom has way to many mirrors that replicated the sight of my too large self not fitting into the tub. I think I took two baths in that tub in four years. Well, I took a long, luxurious soak this afternoon. ALL PARTS OF ME fit under the water level! It was wonderful. I loved it! Needless to say - no pictures with this NSV. :-)

I think this is a pretty common reaction. I found myself getting some really tiny plastic (Glad type) refrigerator dishes to save my leftovers. I also really try to focus cooking things that are good for more than one meal or just cooking enough for one meal. I serve myself only what I can eat on my small plate (saucer) at one time. If that means one ounce of something, I will put one ounce on the plate. If I have room for another ounce, I will serve myself another ounce. This has the benefit of slowing down my eating, and makes me very conscious of how much I am eating. I also find myself ordering things at restaurants that will be good to take home in a to-go box for another meal or two. Good Luck! Sharon

I was at an antique auction yesterday. There was a sign that said - "If we are what we eat, then I am fast, easy and cheap". I burst out laughing. Driving home, I was thinking was my sign should say: Pre-surgery: "If we are what we eat, them why am I not sinfully rich?" Post surgery: "If we are what we eat, any day I will be breaking out with gills and feathers!" I thought it would be fun to hear what other people's signs would say. Sharon

Glad to hear you are doing better. Here are a couple of pointers for you: - Drinking after eating is not OK - not because it causes you pain - because it washes the food out of your stomach before it has been there long enough for you to feel satisfied and for digestion to start. Even if it doesn't cause you pain - it is best not to drink within 30 minutes of eating. - Even if it doesn't cause you pain to eat fast, try to slow down. You should try to make your meal last 20 minutes. Again, this is to help you feel satisfied. Somehow our brains want us to be eating for 20 minutes before they think "enough!" So you may need to eat a bite or two, wait a few minutes, eat a bit or two, etc. Good Luck!

Congratulations! Are you going to post a picture of you in your stylish gear? As much as I love Jackie Gleason - I would like to put your real face with your CTFATS user name. When I no longer needed to shop in the WOMENS section of the department stores(code for PLUS SIZE) or the clothing stores that dealt strictly with Plus Size women's clothing - I had to completely re-learn where to shop for clothes. A FUN thing to do! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Kristie - I don't get hungry like I did before sleeve surgery (I am not a band revision person). But, If I go 4 hours and don't put Protein in my stomach - I get an empty feeling. If I continue longer than that, I get kind of a trembley feeling (low blood sugar). So I make sure to put some protein in every 4 hours - I eat three meals and 2 tiny Snacks. My fav snacks are beef Jerky or a baby bell (lite) cheese. I am concerned you aren't getting in your protein - which long term can be really bad for your health. Take care of yourself! Sharon

Your body is still going to go throught the same cycles as it did pre-WLS. The bounce in weight due to your cycle is normal. Do some reading of previous threads (the search feature is handy) that talk about this, and you will find you aren't alone. Every woman on here can tell you how her menstrual cycle affects her weight loss journey. It will take you a few months to identify yours. Try not to let this get you down. You are in a life-long race here. Don't let one bad step onto the scale, or a routine swing in weight depress you - it is only a tiny blip on the road to success. Good Luck. Sharon

If I could have asked for Jesus directly to heal me (like he did so many in the times talked about in the New Testament) I would have asked for him to heal me from being fat - to heal me to be a "normal weight" person. So, I did ask Jesus to heal me - be guiding the hand of my surgeon - by helping the people that were involved in my surgery in the hospital - by giving my husband patience to make it through my recovery - and for myself to have the strength and wisdom to do what was necessary to use this tool correctly and to change my life. Jesus gave me what I prayed for.

At 8 weeks out I was eating 500 calories a day. I would strive to get in my 60 grams of Protein a day. I counted everything I put in my mouth - grams of fat, carbs, and protein. I had 3 meals and 2 Snacks per day. (one mid-morning - one mid afternoon) Let me ask you some questions You aren't drinking while you eat are you? Are you waiting 30 minutes after you eat before you drink? If you eat when you drink, you can eat more than you should - and you won't get your full signal. The liquids cause the sphincter at the bottom of your sleeve to open up and release your food into your intestions earlier than it should be. Are you eating your alloted amount of protein first at the meal prior to anything else? Are you chewing everything well, and stretching what you eat out to last 20 minutes? You won't fill satisfied until you've been eating 20 minutes. Have you identified what your full signal is? When you get the full signal, do you stop eating? The goal is to eat the amount we are supposed to and stop as soon as we are full. Everyone's full signal isn't the same. If you haven't identified what yours is, you need to do that. I look forward to hearing your answers - then the "oldsters" on this site can help you more with what to do.

Wow, I hadn't thought of cooking in a tagine after WLS. My husband spent 20 months in Morrocco prior to us getting married, and I spent 10 days over there with him. I remember how great the food was that was cooked by this method. This will be my next "foodie" purchase!

It is normal to feel like "#/*!" after surgery - your body does not like to be cut on. It took me a couple of weeks to really be over the surgery - as it did with my other non-WLS surgeries. For the nausea, I drank broth (either chicken or beef or veggie) and used GASX strips. Somehow, the combination of a GASX Strip with a broth "chaser" - sipped slowly worked. Sometimes I used mint tea, warm with spenda instead of the broth with the GASX. I also used FAMOTADINE morning and evening and sometimes mid-day early in my sleeve journey. FAMOTADINE is prescription Pepcid. I also used PRILOSEC in the evenings for the first 8 or 9 months. It does get better - just give it some time. The #1 most important thing right now is to focus on getting your fluids in to keep from getting dehydrated. Dehydration will land you back in the hospital. Tiny sips throughout the day is the way to go.

Wow - that is a great NSV! You are a very beautiful woman - congratulations on all your success.