SittingPretty

There are so many things I want to say to you right now...after I give you a big virtual hug.
The first thing I want to say is this: there are more people like the wonderful lady on your plane than there are "negative nancy's". Your new co-workers were more worried about impressing you than anything else. Believe me.
That being said....I understand how you felt.
Only another overweight person can truly understand the "prepping" it takes just to plan a trip to the mall/store/friends/park. From planning how far of a walk it is from the car to one's destination to seating to what to wear that will be comfy and not show how much I'm sweating. It's agonizing. Then to have that flight attendant ignore your request like that!! Unacceptable. The attendant allowed you to be physically harmed when she had the ability to avoid that at no cost to the airlines or you. This makes me upset.
I am so happy with the sleeve and I think you will be too. I went from a 22 to a 9 and still have about 30 lbs more to go. Before you know it you will no longer look at chair and think to yourself "will I fit" but will look at chairs and think "it needs more padding". I say this because now that the fat is gone from my bum, it gets so sore sitting!!

There are so many things I want to say to you right now...after I give you a big virtual hug.
The first thing I want to say is this: there are more people like the wonderful lady on your plane than there are "negative nancy's". Your new co-workers were more worried about impressing you than anything else. Believe me.
That being said....I understand how you felt.
Only another overweight person can truly understand the "prepping" it takes just to plan a trip to the mall/store/friends/park. From planning how far of a walk it is from the car to one's destination to seating to what to wear that will be comfy and not show how much I'm sweating. It's agonizing. Then to have that flight attendant ignore your request like that!! Unacceptable. The attendant allowed you to be physically harmed when she had the ability to avoid that at no cost to the airlines or you. This makes me upset.
I am so happy with the sleeve and I think you will be too. I went from a 22 to a 9 and still have about 30 lbs more to go. Before you know it you will no longer look at chair and think to yourself "will I fit" but will look at chairs and think "it needs more padding". I say this because now that the fat is gone from my bum, it gets so sore sitting!!

There are so many things I want to say to you right now...after I give you a big virtual hug.
The first thing I want to say is this: there are more people like the wonderful lady on your plane than there are "negative nancy's". Your new co-workers were more worried about impressing you than anything else. Believe me.
That being said....I understand how you felt.
Only another overweight person can truly understand the "prepping" it takes just to plan a trip to the mall/store/friends/park. From planning how far of a walk it is from the car to one's destination to seating to what to wear that will be comfy and not show how much I'm sweating. It's agonizing. Then to have that flight attendant ignore your request like that!! Unacceptable. The attendant allowed you to be physically harmed when she had the ability to avoid that at no cost to the airlines or you. This makes me upset.
I am so happy with the sleeve and I think you will be too. I went from a 22 to a 9 and still have about 30 lbs more to go. Before you know it you will no longer look at chair and think to yourself "will I fit" but will look at chairs and think "it needs more padding". I say this because now that the fat is gone from my bum, it gets so sore sitting!!

There are so many things I want to say to you right now...after I give you a big virtual hug.
The first thing I want to say is this: there are more people like the wonderful lady on your plane than there are "negative nancy's". Your new co-workers were more worried about impressing you than anything else. Believe me.
That being said....I understand how you felt.
Only another overweight person can truly understand the "prepping" it takes just to plan a trip to the mall/store/friends/park. From planning how far of a walk it is from the car to one's destination to seating to what to wear that will be comfy and not show how much I'm sweating. It's agonizing. Then to have that flight attendant ignore your request like that!! Unacceptable. The attendant allowed you to be physically harmed when she had the ability to avoid that at no cost to the airlines or you. This makes me upset.
I am so happy with the sleeve and I think you will be too. I went from a 22 to a 9 and still have about 30 lbs more to go. Before you know it you will no longer look at chair and think to yourself "will I fit" but will look at chairs and think "it needs more padding". I say this because now that the fat is gone from my bum, it gets so sore sitting!!

There are so many things I want to say to you right now...after I give you a big virtual hug.
The first thing I want to say is this: there are more people like the wonderful lady on your plane than there are "negative nancy's". Your new co-workers were more worried about impressing you than anything else. Believe me.
That being said....I understand how you felt.
Only another overweight person can truly understand the "prepping" it takes just to plan a trip to the mall/store/friends/park. From planning how far of a walk it is from the car to one's destination to seating to what to wear that will be comfy and not show how much I'm sweating. It's agonizing. Then to have that flight attendant ignore your request like that!! Unacceptable. The attendant allowed you to be physically harmed when she had the ability to avoid that at no cost to the airlines or you. This makes me upset.
I am so happy with the sleeve and I think you will be too. I went from a 22 to a 9 and still have about 30 lbs more to go. Before you know it you will no longer look at chair and think to yourself "will I fit" but will look at chairs and think "it needs more padding". I say this because now that the fat is gone from my bum, it gets so sore sitting!!

You are GORGEOUS!
I am so glad you got your confidence back. Congratulations

Yesterday, was my six month surgiversary from my surgery on September 1, 2011. I can’t believe how much has changed in six months. I am in a loose size 12 jeans. I can fit into 10s, but I am not ready to purchase another pair so soon. I started my journey at my highest weight of 271 and lost 41 lbs before surgery. I can’t believe I have gone from 230 lbs to 169.8 lbs, 60.2 lbs in 6 months! That is an average of 10 lbs a month! I may not be the fastest loser, but I know I will get to my goal of 120 lbs. Less than 50 lbs to go!
I will definitely say don’t get discouraged if the scale is not moving as fast as you want. Keep to the plan. I don’t exercise as much as I should, but I am still losing. I live low carb, trying to keep my carbs under 40g per day. It works for me and my boyfriend who has lost 18 lbs since I have started my journey. I am so proud of him.
I won’t say it is all a bed roses though. I definitely have loose skin issues that will not be going away, so I am considering plastics in the future after I start maintenance. I am 22, but I was morbidly obese for more than half of my life. I have learned this is not easy. It requires me to make food plans each day to make sure I am getting my Vitamins and the Protein I need. Following your surgeon’s guidelines is really important to lose weight and make sure you are getting your nutrients.
I will and have totally recommended this surgery. My mother had her VSG on November 3, 2011 and is doing great! This surgery will change your life.

Hello VST family,
I was in the gym yesterday preparing for my workout on the floor and a girlfriend of mines who sees me regularly said this to me:
"Girlllll you are getting so fine, I am going to get you a BODYGUARD"....lol
I replied -- Let me know when he is hear, so that he can do my 3hr worksouts for me...hehehehe
(She replied, no silly -- to keep all of these men off of you!)
At that moment, I was hit with a double whammy of a compliment. She has seen me every step of the way, and is very fit at 50 years old, weight 128 and mantaining.
I appreciated her more at that moment, then thoroughout our entire friendship!
Sooooo, my question is as follows:
What is the best compliment have you've gotten thus far throughout your weightloss that is sticking in your mind?
Please chime in...(Much love and success!)

My son (14) on seeing me come to the pool with out a shirt for the first time. He stops and stares and I cringe inside, then he says, "ok Dad, 1st, you have lost ALOT of weight!, 2nd, you look great!!! And then he smile this goofy im proud o my dad smile.

Okay, y'all, deep breath! :-) I know it's seriously frustrating. We just went through possibly the worst season for eating healthfully that we have. You have each lost a substantial amount of weight already.
Bodies lose weight at different rates and in different ways. You may each be experiencing a stair-step loss, like I did and like thousands of other people do, in which you lose on a pretty straight line down for a while, then level off--then you'll lose some, then level off--then lose some, then level off, etc. etc. repeat. And the further away from surgery you get and the less careful you are with your diet (smile), the longer those plateaus grow.
So here's what I suggest: Check your intake and do what you can to clean it up. Focus on Protein first, then veggies. Try to eliminate really high-carb foods (flour, sugar, fruit juice) and added fats that you don't really need. If you eat carbs, be sure they have additional nutritional value (for me, this means dairy and fruit are in). Put simply, no flour, sugar, or junk--eat real food, protein first.
Next, move a little every day. Find a sustainable exercise program, maybe even just walking, that you can do every day. Nothing radical, nothing dreadful, just moderate, get-off-the-couch moving around every day.
At some point, we will all stop losing weight because we will get to our body's ideal for our intake and energy expenditure. It's going to happen. But if you're still a ways off from your surgeon's goal, you still have opportunity for loss. Use your sleeve to best advantage! Be sure you're taking in plenty of fluid--dehydration can actually slow your loss and make you feel fatigued and icky.
HUGS, y'all. All is definitely not lost--you're just hitting a new place in the weightloss process. :-) When you hit a plateau, be sure to stay on your program and measure; that's when I lose inches as my body sort of reshapes.

I have serious height envy right now!!!! I'm barely 5'6'.... don't tell my sister.. .I've been swearing I'm an inch taller since college!!!

OMG! I thought it was just me being too fat!
I hear ya on the "hurts the ribcage". Plus, if I ever got the thing on I'd never be able to go to the bathroom ALL day! Whomever is in the stall next to me would think I'm wrestling alligators in the loo just trying to put the thing back on.

I wasn't even worried about hair loss when I had my surgery, my hair has always been one of my better features, and it just never dawned on me that I might lose a LOT of it. But somewhere between months 3 and 4 post-op, I noticed that it was noticeably thinning. I mean, you could actually see Patches of my scalp. There was hair in the drain after I showered, hair on my pillow in the morning, hair in the sink after I washed my face and brushed my teeth, hair everywhere, EXCEPT my head! I spent hours in front of the mirrow trying to arrange it to cover the bald spots before I would go to work. (I now have LOTS more sympathy for men who do a "comb over"!) Finally I thought "nuts, I am going to get a wig". And that is just what I did. I had SO many compliments on how nice my "hair" looked from co-workers. I would always say "thanks, it's a wig". Finally one of my co-workers said to me "Don't say it's a wig, just say 'thanks!' when someone compliments you on your hair!" So that's what I do now, I just say "thanks, I like the way it looks too." I now own five wigs, each one cost around $100.00. Have bought them slowly, each is a similar color, if not exactly the same as the previous one, and similar styles, just a little different from the others. I don't think anyone realizes they are wigs unless I say something.
I finally got Brave, and shaved the remaining hair off my head. I kept worrying about strands of my own hair escaping out from under the wig, so one day, I just shaved it off. My own hair is now about a 1/2 inch long, but it is to short for me to tell how thick it is coming in. But I don't care! I would rather be bald and thin than Fat and Hairy!!!

congrats! Let's party! We are successful and love our new bodies! Merry Christmas!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I too am 3 months out and half way to goal. I wanted to lose 100 pounds and I am already down 50. I had surgery September 20. 3 months and minus 50 lbs...I'll take it! Congradulations again and keep up the good work!

So happy for you! Great Job! Even though stuff is starting to sag or hang it's better to have that then having it filled with "stuffing" lol =) Merry Xmas to you also!

I can't believe it's just over 3 months and I'm already halfway there! Imagine if I actually added exercise to the program (which I will in Jan)!!
I am so excited! I am down to a 12 petite pants and had to buy new clothes
Knee pain...gone
feet hurting....nope
walk up those stairs...YES! I even spent an entire day walking and shopping and never once got winded or tired. I am real close to having prominent collarbones again. Here's the biggie....I can wear my wedding ring again!!! This was my NSV goal!
I do have real bad arms though. My arms never grew normally. They had this HUGE "u" shaped fat roll thing real close to my armpit and the rest towards my elbow was not huge. Now that it is shrinking, it is going to leave a long flap of skin I also noticed my butt is looking flat and saggy. Hopefully I can correct the butt issue in the gym.
Anyway, I am sooooo happy with the sleeve
Merry Christmas Everyone!

I thought I could avoid the hair loss, I did EVERYTHING I could-- (NIoxin, Biotin, 80 grams of protien, and all sorts of hair vitmains and regular, not chemically treating my hair.) I thought I was out of the woods then BAM at 3.5 months until now it has been falling out like crazy. I have cried at few times. It still looks good, but has half the volume. Luckily I had more hair than a wooly mammoth to begin with. But My primary doctor says its from the trauma of the surgery, the anesthesia, and the rapid weight loss. Its hard to avoid. I hope you can avoid it-- its slightly traumatizing-- esp. if your hair has been your security blanket like mine over the years.
Do what ever you can, but be prepared for the worst.... good luck!

It has been three months and one week since my surgery. I am 52 lbs lighter. I feel amazing and have gone from a 24 to an 18 (and many are getting baggy). A 3X to an XL.

OMG! I thought it was just me being too fat!
I hear ya on the "hurts the ribcage". Plus, if I ever got the thing on I'd never be able to go to the bathroom ALL day! Whomever is in the stall next to me would think I'm wrestling alligators in the loo just trying to put the thing back on.

That's definitely a NSV and by the way... CONGRATULATIONS - LOL! Seems like all of the "Bs" disappear with the weight loss... booty, boobs, bumps, and bulges. :biggrin2:

I only told my hubby and kids. Some people tell everyone, and I might do that in a few years. This is why I didn't tell...
I do not like Negative Nancys and I have been surprised in the past about who is actually a "closet" Nancy. When it comes to obesity, in my opinion, some people can be very judgmental and overly vocal. Which is hilarious when you really think about it (pot meet kettle). I also did not want the "waiting for the re-gain" syndrome to begin. This mainly applies to my Mom.
So a few months ago I started telling people I was on a diet and cut out most carbs and sugar. About a month later I said I cut out soda too. I also told everyone I would measure my food and eat only what a normal amount should be. This led to conversations about America's portion size and how out of control it is. A few friends gave me advice on eating healthy, but cautioned against a low carb diet. I told them I am not cutting them out completely, just lowering them. After my surgery I obviously ate even less. I told people that once I adjusted to eating smaller portions and actually eating Breakfast as well, I learned to stop when I was full not stuffed.
Bottom line is this is MY journey. The sleeve is a tool, it does not define me. Again, this is JMO. I support everyone who decides to or not to tell others... I just might scream,"I had the sleeve" from the rooftops in the future :smile1:

Funny to see this thread alive and well... sadly, it is still happening in my daily life. I am now 3 1/2 months out and can really pack in some slider foods. At frist I was so happy to be able to eat more than 2 bites... that was, till I realized was eating multiple serving sizes at a time. Things like crackers and dip - oh lord - I can eat a whole box of flatbread crackers with some french onion dip like no ones business. It is sad... crazy.. mostly sad, but even disappointing.
I know the rule, eat Protein first but come on... I was never a stickler for the rules before, you think one surgery is going to change my mindset overnight? (Over 3 months worth of nights? LOL) Well I try... I do. During the day I do pretty good. In fact, I don't eat much at all; a few bites here and there. But come 8pm or so and I am starving. Right for the salty comfort foods... and they slide. Darn... who knew the Sleeve had sliders... Oh wait- I knew hahah I read it before I even had the surgery. BOOO ON ME! I have fallen into this comforting pit of eating junky slider food but enjoying it because it makes me feel like I am eating a normal amount of food again. I know what I have to do... I just need to do it. MAN UP.. err WOMAN UP! LOL Yeah, easier said than done.
I will keep you posted

I only told my hubby and kids. Some people tell everyone, and I might do that in a few years. This is why I didn't tell...
I do not like Negative Nancys and I have been surprised in the past about who is actually a "closet" Nancy. When it comes to obesity, in my opinion, some people can be very judgmental and overly vocal. Which is hilarious when you really think about it (pot meet kettle). I also did not want the "waiting for the re-gain" syndrome to begin. This mainly applies to my Mom.
So a few months ago I started telling people I was on a diet and cut out most carbs and sugar. About a month later I said I cut out soda too. I also told everyone I would measure my food and eat only what a normal amount should be. This led to conversations about America's portion size and how out of control it is. A few friends gave me advice on eating healthy, but cautioned against a low carb diet. I told them I am not cutting them out completely, just lowering them. After my surgery I obviously ate even less. I told people that once I adjusted to eating smaller portions and actually eating Breakfast as well, I learned to stop when I was full not stuffed.
Bottom line is this is MY journey. The sleeve is a tool, it does not define me. Again, this is JMO. I support everyone who decides to or not to tell others... I just might scream,"I had the sleeve" from the rooftops in the future :smile1:

So, least to say, this week has been eventful, and I want to thank you all for the messages, good thoughts, prayers, and support sent our way this week. I apologize I haven't replied, it's just been hectic.

Sunday, I woke up feeling very exhausted, and feeling lots of pressure in my pelvis and back. I just kept on getting things ready for the week, checking things off the list, and hanging out at the house. I laid down for a nap around 1pm, and woke up at 4pm to lots of pressure, and general cramping, just thinking it was normal Braxton Hicks pains, I didn't reallze I was in full active LABOR.

Around, 5pm, we headed to Labor and Delivery just because I started feeling pretty weak. We get there, get hooked up, I'm having major contractions, and they checked me, dilated to 3cm, 50% efaced and already at -1 station. WHEW, I do admit I have a huge pain tolerance, and I never labored with my son so I was pretty oblivious to what all labor entailed. The doctors were amazed that I was tolerating everything so well. But, they knew I couldn't deliver vaginally so the pressure was on to get me prepped.

Now, the time crunch begins to get me to the OR. Prepped and ready to go, Csection went off without any issue, my labs looked stellar, and at 9:33pm, Tatum entered this world screaming, kicking, flailing and ready to bring joy into our little world. We just arrived home today, both of us are doing great. I've already lost about 12-13lbs of the weight gained, but I'm retaining fluids, weaning off the prednisone. Breastfeeding has been a great success except my supply is way down, and we're supplementing due to her weight dropping pretty quickly. We're doing 70/30 breast/bottle. It's what is best for both of us. I'm trying ot eat more food since they would like me to hit about 2500-3000 calories a day to support both of us, but as we all know that's pretty touch without eating pure slider foods, and junk. However, I'm doing what is working for both of us, and confident with our choices thus far. She came out rooting around, latched immediately and has made it very easy on me and her. Our nights and days are mixed up, but I've gotten good at napping with her.

30 October 2011, 9:33pm, Weight 7lb 4.9oz 19inch long Perfect in every way. So far, blonde haired, blue -eyed ! ! !
"I'M HERE"