cutie pie

i decided not to share with everyone ... just my ex-husband and best friend ... no one else knows ... my decision - i hate being judged by others who have no idea what it was like for me trying on my own to lose all this weight i have tried everything and yes i would lose some weight but always gained it back plus... i don't mind working out, but i love my sleeve THANK GOD FOR RESTRICTION AND EXERCISE OR I WOULD STILL BE 247LBS. So you're not alone yes we are made to feel ashamed, because of people who judge so harshly... but i would do it again in a heart beat and not tell a soul... it's a personal choice- to tell or not to tell- your decision : )

Amazing !!!

3 months out and still going strong and feeling great... I've lost 62 pounds and here are my pics ... ( in just 3 short months still can't believe it)
LOVE my sleeve
1st pic was a couple of months before being sleeved
the rest are as of the Oct 30th
   
I don't have very many pre op pics ... i use to hide from the camera ... now they have to hide the camera from me ... I LOVE TAKING PICS NOW.. : )

NO, I defiantly don't regret my sleeve ... I've lost over 60 lbs in less than 3 months and i feel great ... now yes i have went from a size 3x or so to now in between L and XL ( it was like every other week i was going down a size) All in LESS THAN 3 MONTHS!!! I LOVE MY SLEEVE... I was self pay with Dr Aceves and it was worth every penny ( no pain, no nausea, and no complaints : ) from me .....and i would do it again in a heart beat...)

1) Not have diabeties, high blood pressure, high cholesterol
2) Stop taking 20 pills a day
3) Lose weight and not gain it all back again plus some
4) Cross my legs
5) Not come in almost last in a 5k
6) Have control over how much I eat in one sitting
7) Not hear "You have such a pretty face"
9) Own a little black dress that isn't a tent
10) Shop off the rack
11) Be comfortable in ANY plane seat
12) Love what I see in the mirror
I could probably go on . Thanks, Ybnormal, great exercise!

Get into a booth without feeling like I'm in a fat vice. Go upstairs without breathing hard. Play with my kids and get up off the floor easier. Be at functions and feel like I am no longer the fat mom. Sit down in an outdoor chair without feeling like I'm now molded into the plastic and may never get my butt outta there! Quit worrying about if I'll fit in chairs, rides at amusement parks etc. I want to be able to see my feet when I look down. I never want to face diabetes. Tie shoes or buckle sandals without sweating. Face the uh hum...bedroom with confidence. Be in a swimsuit without feeling like my skin is crawling....and that my rubbing together thighs might start a fire!! Not feel out of control with eating or cravings. Never face the hard road of weight loss alone again...but now I will have a magnificent tool to help me stay healthy!!!! Amen! Thanks for letting me post this!!! Great exercise!!!

way .to go .....all with a broke foot you go girl.....

I have a body bug, like the ones on the biggest loser, and until I read this post, and checked out the fitbit website I loved my body bug. This fit bit seems to use different technology than the body body bug, and I am not sure if it would be as accurate as the body bug. The free website, and cheaper price make the fit bit much more attractive than the body bug. Needless to say I am thinking about switching up and going with the fit bit, the free website tools are the kicker for me, even the premium membership at fitbit is cheaper than the body bug website. I may run a side by side comparison for a week or so and see which one works best.

Ok, call me a glutton for punishment but I've been thinking that maybe putting together a Sleever's Rendezvous of sorts might be fun! What do you guys think? Stupid idea? It would be open to any sleever at any stage. Where would we do it and when? (I'm in the Florida Keys and it's pretty cool here...) Activities? How many days long? Anyone wanna help coordinate? Love to hear your thoughts and ideas...
Happy 2011!

I regretted the hell out of having mutilated my body several times since having surgery almost 12 weeks ago. It wasn't because of physical discomfort - most all surgeries bring some level of pain during the recovery period which eventually passes. My regret was not being able to eat all the yummy foods that I have always enjoyed which, in turn, brings me pleasure. The worst was immediately after surgery when I was on clears and then full liquids. I had to face the fact that although I had denied it, I was indeed a food addict, or at the very least, a sugar/carb addict.
I allowed myself a brief mourning period and then got over the sadness I felt over never again being able to enjoy the buffet at Golden Corral or my favorite Chinese place. After all, it's just food. How stupid is it that I would sacrifice my health and improved physical appearance over some stupid fried rice that would only bring momentary pleasure to my taste buds? Personally, being down 73lbs from my highest weight ever FAR outweighs my being able to eat at a buffet. It's. Just. Food.
I can still eat most of the foods I enjoyed before surgery, just not in the same quantities. Instead of 2 cups of fried rice I eat 1/2 cup. I can eat 2 crab wontons instead of 10. And I can eat 4 or 5 french fries instead of an entire super-sized order. Every now & then, my head wants more even though my stomach says I'm done. My inner 3 year old self wants to stomp and cry and do a 'take back' on the surgery so I can eat more. Fortunately, my sleeve keeps me in check until I regain my senses and put my big girl panties back on.
I have lunch with friends often, starting when I was just a week out and had to bring a bowl of broth with me to the restaurant. Yeah, I felt like an oddball then but now I just eat like a skinny person! I wouldn't give up my sleeve for all the tea in China 'cause I would have never been able to control my appetite enough to keep the weight off without it.

I wasn't referring to you, and I'm very glad it got better for you. I hope it continues to do so. I do not for one minute believe, however, that every single person who has this surgery done LOVES it, and I think it's pretty damn naive to believe that. Tamz even said in her very own post that she's still hopeful she will eventually NOT regret it, so I don't see why her opinion and feelings should be so easily discounted by those of you fortunate enough to have reached a point where you no longer regret it.
I have no idea what "entertainment" you think I am getting out of these responses, or what decision you think I've made when you claim my "mind is made up." My mind is far from made up. It's an extreme choice to make, one that is potentially fraught with complications and regret. I just want ALL the stories I can get. Glowing reviews are always easy to come by... and much like many women who have experienced labor, the further out you get from it, the easier it is to forget how awful it was at that moment, especially if the "rewards" are amazing for you. There's no way this procedure is right for everyone. I'm trying to figure out if it is for me.
Every body is unique, and every person's response to something this serious and extreme is going to differ. I'm taking EVERY story with a grain of salt because I know that if I did have the surgery, MY experience would be my very own... it might compare to some of yours, but it's still never going to be the same exact story.
For reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with my weight, the past four years of my life have been sheer hell. The last thing I want to do is rush into a decision that has the potential to make the rest of my life hell... or worse, to end it!
Furthermore, I *need* to hear the stories of people who aren't that far in, to see how challenging life is in those early months. I need to have the surgery by October, if I am having it, because I start student teaching in January. I'm planning to give myself the few months to recover and adjust, but if a lot of people experience major challenges for the first six months, I can't do this at this point. I can't risk not being healthy enough. During student teaching, we're not allowed to miss a single day of teaching. If school is in session, we MUST be there... so, perhaps you understand why these early post-op stories matter, too.

I had complications, so yes, in the beginning I had serious buyers remorse. But now that I am over a year out and have met goal, I would do it all over again even if I knew I would have the same complications. I am off all the blood pressure meds that I took for over 15 years, off the CPAP, and my knee and back pain are much less than when I was carrying around all the extra weight. Like a few others, my only regret is not doing it sooner.
We don't all lose at the same rate and we don't all adjust emotionally at the same rate. Especially when there are complications involved. No matter how much research you do, nothing can fully prepare you for what is ahead with any WLS. It's really more than adjusting, being pumped full of drugs, the trauma of surgery to your body, and having your life changed forever are things that take time to wrap your head around. As tough as it can be at times, we need to hang in there as best we can and do our best to support each other through the difficult periods.

I would like to kindly remind everyone to keep opinions of Other individuals to ourselves. Please stay on topic, as this is something that can really help others to make a final decision if this surgery is right for themselves.

This is NOT a decision to be made lightly.

Everyone's experiences will be different from another's and if someone regrets having their surgery then that is their own personal right.

I myself had buyers remorse, I believe even up to the first whole month. However today I feel completely different. I'm exactly where I'd hoped to be at the end of my journey, though I don't make THAT decision, my body does. Anyway even if I ended up right here, that's fine because right here is where I want to be. Thus, at nearly 10 months out... I have absolutely, positively ZERO REGRET!!

A few days into it I did have the fleeting thought of "What the hell did I do?!" With that being said, I got over it quickly as I healed and realized what living with the sleeve would really be like and I love it. I am not quite 4 months out and I have ZERO regret now. I can eat anything I want, but in small portions. I eat like a thin person, which requires healthy choices, but I do have the option of eating any of my old favs. I think if one has mental health issues that need to be addressed and have used food as a coping mechanism than they may find the post op life more difficult. However, as a bulk eater, not an emotional eater, I could not be happier with my decision. Best of luck to you because I know on that side of the fence it seems so scary, but once you get on this side I would be willing to bet my house that you'll be ecstatic with having the surgery

Tamz - You were over 300 pounds and really need a reality check. Everyone has bad days, but you seem to be extrememly negative about the sleeve and that is your right, but in all honesty - there isn't **** you can do about it now. So you have to embrace it and learn to love it. I fear your misery will be forever if you don't punch yourself in the face and start telling yourself that first you needed this because you couldn't do it on your own and second so what if you can't eat. FAT OR EAT? I guess you wanted to be FAT. BUT I know you didn't and you don't. SO PUT ON YOUR BIG GIRL PANTS and tell yourself you made the right choice...Because even if you didn't, again...There is no going back. I am not even 30 days out yet and my incision pain is still seriously bothering me. It feels like SCIATICA in my stomach, but OH WELL. I gotta go to work. I am dizzy everytime I get up, but I gotta push through it and drink more and figure out what I need to do. I was eating like I had lost my damn mind, but finally, no more bad fat girl thoughts...Eater's remorse. GONE. At 30 days. You have to really get it together. Because we are gonna lose our hair, our skin is going to be saggy and who knows what else is gonna happen...You have got to start getting to a positive place because the journey is long and FOREVER. Do you want to be all down forever. You post a lot of negative things on this site, and I think you need to take a break, get your nails and toes done, get a massage and LET THE **** GO. It is ok to have a bad day, but you don't seem to have any good days. Maybe you should also see someone. And I am really sorry to say this, but I have been lerking on this site for awhile and it just seems you are really bad off. Attitude really is everything.

I am happy you were able to talk to him and be at peace with your decision! The most important thing is that you feel comfortable with whatever decision you make. Best of luck to you!

Thank you for correcting the information.

Could you please talk about your own experiences only. This is not a site for idle gossip or hearsay.
I was informed from the doctors office themselves that they have not had any leaks. If you do not know the information first hand it would be appreciated if you did not gossip from the information you may have heard from others.

Go with Dr. Kelly he is a great Doctor. Someone got an embolism and died, it could have happened to anyone anywhere. That is the risk of having surgery. out of everything I was more worried about getting an embolism rather then developing a leak. The additional care you receive from Dr.Kelly made me feel I would not get a leak. Some doctor only staple the stomach, but Dr.Kelly staples and sutures. Many doctors have lost patients due to incompetence, but you should feel better to realize out of the thousands of procedure Dr.Kelly has performed he has never lost a patient due to incompetence. It is sad that someone died but those are the risks, and that is why having surgery is a major decision.

It's possible you have an irritation in your esophagus from all the reflux. I would make an appt with you surgeon.
Mine got pretty bad so they did an endoscopy and discovered I had developed an ulcer from the reflux. If that's what it is, it's easily treatable.
In the meantime, it's good idea to journal your food intake in case you can find a pattern of it happening more when you eat certain foods.