Sleevie WonderLand

have you been tested for sleep apnea? I was diagnosed with it prior to being sleeved. I'm proud to say that after losing approx 75 lbs, I'm snore free and no longer in need of my cpap machine!

Disclaimer: Before you read this, know that it was written while I'm at work answering phones and catering to people in my office, so there are probably several run on sentences and errors. No time to proofread! I was sleeved on October 18, 2011, and I still can't believe how fast the time has flown by. Initially when I got sleeved, I had a hard time adjusting to this new lifestyle because I had to re-train my thinking and control my desires to eat for no reason. Once I was able to get accustomed to "eating to live" instead of "living to eat" life became simple, the weight fell off, and I've been the happiest with myself that I've ever been. I used to say "I love me" when I was overweight, but I think I was saying it as a defense mechanism to convince everyone around me that I was happy even though I was fat. That was true to an extent - I love the person that I am, my personality, my generosity, my sense of humor, but I didnt love being fat. Now when I say "I love me" its probably 90% true. I still love who I am, but i'm finally loving the physical me because even though my new body is flawed with excess skin it still allows me to enjoy life more. I'm no longer afraid of breaking lawn chairs, or not fitting in theatre chairs, or sweating profusely because I'm so overweight. I'm willing to attempt things and activities that are more physical, and the self consciousness will rear it's ugly head, but then it quickly goes away when I remember that I am no longer grossly obese. It's amazing how much your perspective on EVERYTHING changes once you shed a massive amount of weight. It's the greatest thing ever. My life for the past 5 to 6 months has been "normal". When I say that I mean that I have stopped living like I'm sleeved and have begun living like this is my normal life. I dont get on the scale incessantly. I havent counted calories or checked in to myfitnesspal, etc. I monitor what I eat (which is usually the same things over and over) but I dont obsess about it. I havent been to the gym as much - aw hell, i havent been to the gym all summer. In my defense, I was working and just never made the effort to get there. I do have plans to get that regimen back in place, but I'm not sweating it. I'm living my new normal life. Shopping has turned into a delight. I was initially traumatized when I had to shop for my new body. I was still losing weight and just didnt know how to put things together for my slimmer thighs, but flabby tummy and arms. It took me some time to figure out that 3/4 sleeved tops are my best friend; that it was ok for me to go into the junior's section to find clothing (they have some cute clothes for the younger chicks! lol); I also realized that i didnt just have to stick to one section to get my outfits together. I was accustomed to dealing with whatever tents Lane Bryant and the Avenue offered, because those were my only options. I've been sleeved, I've been liberated....and I've been shopping! I wasnt sure how much weight I wanted to lose initially because I'm on the taller side of the scale and didnt want to appear to lanky or "sick" as people like to say. I figured that if I lost about 60 to 70 pounds, I'd be content. I've lost 75 pounds, and I'm happy with that. My weight fluctuates up and down 2 lbs depending on my time of the month, but it's been steady and consistent for the past 2 months. I dont know if I'll lose more when I get back into the gym, but if I dont, I'm totally fine with that. My social life has changed somewhat as well. I never revealed my weight loss surgery to anyone so everyone has been speculating on how I've lost the weight. I told some that I drastically changed my diet and used protein shakes to kick the weight loss off, I've even given some of them some recipes and my meal plans. Sometimes I do feel guilty for not sharing my real secret, but at the same time it's my business and I dont want to be judged based on that. So as I planned it, my secret will go to my grave with me unless my husband and kids decide to spill the beans. I havent officially lost any friends, but I do notice a distance from some people who I thought would be happy for me. Ive actually been called "skinny" amongst friends, but not in a happy way, more like if being skinny is a bad thing. go figure. this is totally random, but I hate it when people tell me not to lose anymore weight because I'll begin to look sick. I always comeback with "why didnt you tell me not to gain any more weight when I was fat? Surely I looked sick then?" that usually leads to some real uncomfortable silence. I love it! I consider myself a sleeve success story. I'm not saying it was an easy journey, but I am saying it's an easy journey once you lay the path out. Dont set up unrealistic goals for yourself based on what others are doing. I would read other people's success stories and see that they lost 75 pounds in their first 4 to 5 months of being sleeved. It didnt happen that way for me because it wasnt supposed to! Each of us have to individualize our journeys. I was not the model sleeve patient - i dont take vitamins as often as I should; I drink soda; I dont go to the gym consistently; I hardly drink water. These may be the factors for my weightloss not being in the 100s. But I'm FINE with that. My decisions, my choices, my journey. My happiness! If you aren't sleeved yet and are reading this, I suggest that you continue to do your research and know what you're in for when you have this surgery. It's life changing in every aspect - physical, mental, and social. Some of it may not be all good, but it's most certainly worth it in my opinion. I'd take 10 pounds of loose flappy skin over 75 pounds of unnecessary fat any day! Other than having my children and getting married, this has been the best thing to happen to me. I'm forever grateful to whoever came up with this procedure.

Hey guys! How's the group doing?

Hi Fallen Angel, I did get your message, just got home and logged in to the computer. I'm going to ask Alex to make you and Larae the new group leaders. thanks to both of you for stepping up to the plate!

I've already have Ms. Larae as a candidate...there was another individual who was interested...please hit me up asap!

In an effort to make this easier - would the young lady who I talked to about taking over the group respond to me via VST msg? I wanna do this fairly, and trying to go through my old msgs and posts on this phone is treacherous!

I have no preference. Someone said earlier that they would take it over, so I'm going to go back into the post and ask that person if she's still interested, maybe you two can moderate together. I'm on my phone right now but will def let you know when it all goes down. Thanks for stepping up to the plate!

The group needs someone who is more interactive and involved. There's nothing involved except you posting and welcoming new members, creating new threads, etc. There are several posts about people possibly meeting up somewhere in the NY area, but nothing has come to fruition, so if you are SERIOUS about this group and can see the potential in making it fun and beneficial to the others, PLEASE say you'll take over! I started it last year and had all intentions of doing challenges and being 100% involved, but as you can see that never happened. We need someone to make the NY group the best group on VST!!!

is anyone here interested in taking over this group? I need to give Alex a name asap so that he can remove me as the group leader.

You won't be able to finish your own food after surgery! Once the weight starts to fall off, you'll be able to run with them and you'll have to find other things to do because eating won't occupy your mind and time like it used to! I also suggest that you sign up to MyFitnessPal.com. You can use it to help you track the amount of Proteins and other nutrients you're consuming.

Hey Lisa, the best advice I can give you is to be patient, especially with your recovery and adjusting to your new relationship with food. Your brain will want to eat more than your stomach can handle. It will be hard to comprehend that only after having two bites of your meal that you are stuffed as though you've eaten Thanksgiving dinner. It takes some getting used to especially if you are like I was and used to just eat for no reason. Now you'll have to find other outlets to kill your "bored" time because you will have no desire nor ability to eat! The restriction factor of this tool is serious. I'm convinced that is the only way I would have ever been able to lose almost 70 pounds. The other bit of advice I'd give is for you not to compare your journey to others. It's cool to compare notes, but don't worry about how fast the other people are losing. You are unique and your journey may be similar, but every one is different. more advice - scour this board like crazy! see what people are saying about their post op experiences. Start reading the recipe boards because you are going to need to find ways to get Protein in. Don't go buying a whole lot of stuff just yet - your tastebuds will more than likely change on you and the things you loved before may not be as appealing as they used to be. My last bit of advice....Be realistic about this situation. Right now you have the ability to eat a massive amount of food. I'm talking seconds and possibly thirds...after your sleeve won't be able to consume more than half of a fist full. Sit and think about that for a second...crazy right? It's really mind blowing. It takes a while for you to get to the point where you can enjoy savory foods. You are going to want to have some foods and after one bite you may realize that you aren't ready for them just yet. You have to chew your food like a baby. It's annoying as hell, but after a while you get used to it. Drinking and eating together sounds like it shouldn't be a big deal....that stuff hurts like hell! (to this day I still try it every now and then...and no, can't do it!) i say all this to say that in addition to the surgery being physical, it's definitely an emotional one as well, and you have to take your time while adjusting to rapid weight loss which is also a crazy mind screw! Might I suggest you read my blog entries? I was very open and honest about my experiences. THere are other blogs and posts that will definitely help you as well. Good luck with your surgery!

I'm actually down to 184 now, and still losing inches. I'm wearing a size 10, and can fit into some 8s! I'm as happy as a lamb, saggy skin and all.

There are many adjustments that have to be made as a sleever. Depending on who you decide to tell about your decision for surgery, you may have to turn down a lot of offers for food and drink while out on the social scene. Usually when I go out I get comments on the small amount of food I eat, and I casually remind those commenters that if I want to keep my weight off, I have to eat like a bird. What Ive found is that most of the people I hang with have all cut back on the amounts of food they eat because they are actually a little embarrassed to over eat in front of me! My family knows the situation. THey've adjusted to my bird eating, and my not eating at all sometimes. Cooking hasnt changed either, except my family has been eating a lot more seafood than before because thats what I eat a lot of now. I find that seafood is easier for me to digest, and its so much quicker and easier to cook too! (but it costs). There have been slight changes to my entire family's eating habits i.e, no one eats while drinking anymore. It was a tactic I used with my young children before my surgery to get them to eat their food. I found that when I gave them a beverage with their food they would finish the beverage then not eat, so I would always encourage them to eat before drinking. It's the BEST way to get them to finish those veggies. My husband used to eat and drink, but to support me during my transition he stopped eating and drinking, and now it's the norm for him too. If you look at these changes you'll have to make as positive ones that are for your betterment, you're less likely to have a hard time making them. If you b***h and moan about them, then the adjustment will be harder. If you don't try to adjust and make changes, you'll suffer. It's as simple as that. I wish you the best of luck! If I had one suggestion for you before you go in for surgery it would be to enjoy a nice meal because it will be quite sometime before you are able to eat really savory foods again. That pre-op diet is a killer and I harbored so much resentment because it was 6 frickin weeks before I could enjoy something as simple as eggs...lol