Suzannesh

Hi, I am glad that is was helpful. You are going to do great! I am so excited for you. I know that this is a big step to take and you will never have any regrets about doing this. Your entire life is going to change and all for the BETTER. Hugs, Suzanne :rolleyes:

Hi, I just wanted to share my story about my 105 weight loss. It was a life changing event for me!! :rolleyes: It is never too late in life to consider having WLS (Weight Loss Surgery). I was 63 years old when I had the surgery. I never had a weight problem until after having two children. And then I seemed to struggle with being overweight for years. I now know all the reason why, I became less active, and ate more than I should have. I have tried most of the diets that you have tried, some with success and most no success. But, I would always manage to gain the weight back because I NEVER changed my lifestyle. My top weight was 235 lbs and I am 5’3” tall. My body hurt, my back ached and I had a pain in my leg that felt like I had a hot poker burning me most of the time. So I must have had a high tolerance for pain. Because I remained fat for many years. I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions. Then she told me about going to Dr. Aceves, MD in Mexicali during the summer. She is a nurse and I really trusted what she was telling me. She directed me to his Web Site and then to the Yahoo Support Group site. I researched WLS (Weight Loss Surgery) for about 6 months before I made a choice. I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite sometime. I read all their postings and was getting a lot of information. Now I have learned that is pretty normal for newbie’s to sit and watch for awhile. Then I was sure I wanted to have WLS and my choice was VGS –referred to as the “Sleeve.” So that is the start of my Weight loss journey. I just didn’t wake up one morning and say “oh in October 2008 I am going to have WLS.” I went through a process of getting here. I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again. If I walked very long my back and leg would hurt. I knew my head was in the right place, when I put myself ahead of everyone else. So many of us are care takers of everyone else and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves. Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends when you tell them that you want to go to Mexico and have weight loss surgery. I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is. But this is about YOU and NO one else. You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this. Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. You also can go and not tell them what you are doing. This is entirely up to you. You can bring a family member or a friend with you too if you feel you want someone to come along with you. Your room will be big enough for them to stay in it. They have some nice sofa’s that your family member or friend can sleep on. I went alone and was just fine. I also went back in April 2009 with a friend of mine who had Weight Loss Surgery after seeing how I was doing. She is at her goal now too, and is just as happy and thrilled as I am with the results. About 5 years ago I met and fell in love with the most wonderful man. I had been single for 18 years. He is an amazing man and loved me for just who I was—overweight. It didn’t matter to him that I was fat. He has been very supportive and encouraging every step of they way. I can’t begin to tell you all the beautiful and wonderful comments that he gave me then and NOW. I had the surgery because I wanted to become healthy and wanted the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Bob. Bob could have cared less if I had this surgery, it was my choice. Bob and I were married May 29, 2010 in Cannon Beach, Oregon on the beach. My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself. food is no longer my driving force. I eat to live not live to eat! When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 65 yr old body! What a thought. When I am eating I now look for the Protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein per day and then my veggies and some fruit each day. I started keeping track on line what I was actually putting in my body so I would have some idea of the number of calories I was eating each day. I started an exercise program which was just walking and to this day I do some kind of exercise at least 5 days a week. It is mostly walking. I was the person who HATED to exercise and now I actually look forward to getting up early and go walking with some of my friends. Bob and I are very active people so we are always doing all kinds of walking. I never imagined what life would be like almost 2 years later. And the new clothes that I have purchased since I am a size 8 or 10 depending on who makes the clothing. I see people who haven’t seen me in sometime almost walk right past me because they don’t recognize me. Then they figure out it is me and want to know how I lost all this weight. I have had them ask me if I have been ill and I always give them a big NO! I am more than happy to educate them about the “Sleeve” weight loss surgery. I am very proud of taking control of my life. There is NO shame in making the choice to have weight loss surgery; it takes more courage to have the surgery than to keep failing at all the diets you have tried. This is not a miracle cure where the weight just melts off you. It takes effort on your part to take this new tool you have been given (a new small stomach that only holds 6 to 8 oz) and eat healthy and exercise, but it is going to work and you will be able to maintain your weight loss because you have changed your lifestyle. I never consider myself on a diet, but that I have made a lifestyle change that is going to add years to my life. I am healthy now for the first time in many years. I am not afraid anymore that I will regain this weight. I know that it will never happen because of my restriction I have with a smaller stomach and my lifestyle change that is so easy to do day in and day out. I NEVER feel deprived when it comes to food. I listen to my head when it “says no more food I am full.” I know that I need to stop eating and it is OK to not clean your plate and it is OK to toss the food out. There are so many things to be thankful for. The first thing I am so thankful for is Dr. Aceves; there aren’t not enough adjectives to describe this wonderful gifted doctor. Dr. Aceves genuinely cares about each patient he takes care of. Dr. Aceves will answer all your questions until you are comfortable with what he is telling you. Dr. Aceves is such a talented surgeon, and if I lived closer he would be my Primary Care Physician. Dr. Aceves is down to earth, very kind, intelligent, and honest with you. You will receive the most wonderful care from Dr. Aceves and his team of doctors and nurses. Dr. Aceves comes into your room several times a day and checks on you after your surgery—where in the US will a doctor do this? Most of the staff speaks excellent English. Almater Hospital is the cleanest hospital I have ever been in. They are cleaning 24-7. The hospitals in the US could take some lessons from this private hospital in Mexicali. I would go back to Dr. Aceves in a heartbeat for anything! I still am shocked when someone calls me skinny—I thought who me skinny—no way? But, it was me they were calling skinny. This is something that you have to learn to get used to hearing. People treat you differently when you are thin. This is so unfair. We are just like everyone else when we are fat and the skinny people just don’t get it. I am so thankful for my great healthy. I only take about ¼ of the medication I used to take when I was fat. That is because I have become so healthy and I make the choice to eat healthy. Now I won’t tell you that I haven’t had and cake, Cookies or ice cream since I had Weight Loss Surgery. I have, but in small tiny amounts and not all the time. My body now craves good healthy protein; fresh veggies fixed how you want them, and a small amount of fruit. You need to watch the types of carbs that you are going to eat and keep track of what you are eating when you first start your journey in weight loss. There are quite a few places on the Internet that you can write down and track what you are eating to make sure you are keeping your calories at about 800 per day. The best part of about this weight loss surgery is that I NEVER feel hungry. Your mind tries to play tricks on you. So you have to stop and have a talk with yourself. Do I really need to eat or do I just want to eat because that is part of my old bad habits? In the past I really ate large amounts of food all in one meal. We also are given large plates of food when we go out to eat. NONE of us need to eat this much food and that is why we got fat and stayed fat. Now I eat small amounts of food, and I am satisfied and feel great. When we go out to dinner now Bob and I share one meal. We as a society also eat too fast—I feel like I used to inhale my food and really not enjoy it. I took large amounts of food and shoveled it in my mouth and inhaled it. Now I take small tiny bites and chew it a lot. Weight Loss Surgery really has changed my entire life and it is all for the better. Weight Loss Surgery is a life changing event. Hold on to your hats because this is going to be the ride of your life. You will NEVER have one regret. You will only wish you would have done this years before. I think it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I am extremely impressed with the entire experience. Dr. Aceves’s patient coordinator Nina has always been very prompt, informative, and courteous with her replies. She is there for any question that you may have. I think this lady works 24 hours a day, because I always received an answer back right away. Nina is awesome and gives you so much support and help before you go and after your surgery too. DO NOT have any fears about going to Mexico, It is VERY safe in Mexicali and they ALL take such great care of you along your Weight Loss journey. I think we all have the wrong idea of what Health Care is like in Mexico, until we go there an experience it ourselves. It is far superior over anything that they have in the United States. I feel so much better and I would like to say I feel 20 years younger. Life is fabulous, and I did this for ME and NO one else. I know I will never be fat again in my life. I thanked Dr. Aceves for what he did for me and he said “I only gave you the tool to achieve your Weight Loss, give yourself the credit for making it work.” I still want to say Dr. Aceves you are the BEST! Suzanne B Eugene, OR Sleeved 10/21/2008 225 120 125 Starting Now Goal Weight Weight

Hi Everyone, I know that you may not experience some of these things, but I thought I would share what I did experienced. I hope they will be helpful to anyone who needs them. Sometimes there are things that you may think you are the only one that this is happening to. So I thought I would write about a few things that happened to me along my journey of losing 105 pounds. My first shock was that about 2 months after having sleeve surgery I notice that when I got out of the shower I would find quite a bit of my hair in the drain screen. I thought to myself I already have thin hair what am I going to do if I keep losing more hair? Well, I did and it was difficult to try to spread my already thin hair all over my head. So I started asked question to people on this board. And guess what there were a lot of people who had lost some of their hair after surgery—not that it made me feel a whole lot better, but I wasn’t alone. I learned that this is pretty normal to loose hair with rapid weight loss or some type of surgery. Then my next question was will it grow back?????—they all assured me it would, but when you have thin hair you don’t really don’t like the bald spots on your head. So, my answer was to get 2 really cute wigs close to my own hair color. Hardly anyone knew I had a wig, because it was close to my own hair style. Lots of people on this site had all kinds of theories about how to stop the hair loss and what to do. For me I found that Nioxin Shampoo and Cream rinse worked well. Most good hair salons sell this shampoo or you can order in on line too. I felt I had a much healthier scalp after using it. I am not saying it stopped my hair loss. I am just saying I felt it gave me a healthy scalp for my hair to return. I also take the supplement Biotin. You can find it with the Vitamins and I still take it. It helps with hair and nails. Both of which I need. I don’t think there is any cure for hair loss, but just time. My hair stopped falling about 6 months after the surgery and then I noticed it started coming back in. For me; my hair had fully returned about a year from the surgery. So I wore my wigs for quite awhile—about 6 months. The most unusual part of my hair coming back in was that it was now very curly—and I had pencil straight hair before. I HATED this curly hair, and I had to learn to deal with it. I am about 19 months from surgery and finally my hair isn’t so curly and it has a lot of nice body to it and I enjoy what I have because it is much easier to manage. It feels thicker now too. So don’t panic or get scared if your hair falls out, this is normal. Not everyone will lose hair, but some of us have. My next challenge was constipation. When you eat Protein you tend to have constipation. I tried different products for this and the one I have found that works best for me is Miralax. I buy the store band at costco because it cost less. It works really well for me, and I just mix it in with my Protein Drink every morning and I have NO problems with constipation anymore. Walking also helps with constipation. I was embarrassed to ask people on the board about constipation. I thought I was the only one who was having this issue then I found out a lot of people were having these issues. I also eat Almonds and that seems to help me too. We have talked a little or a lot about “slimming or flemming” In case you missed it, when you first start eating regular food you have to re-learn how to eat again and chew. With you new stomach you will need to take small tiny bites and chew until the food in your mouth is almost liquid like. This is nothing like what you had been doing your entire life. In the past you eat and talk and put big bite in your mouth along with a few chews and then swallowing—this will NO LONGER WORK FOR YOU. This is a very difficult thing to change. So with you new stomach and just having surgery you may experience slimming or flemming. First you will feel like the food is stuck, then it comes back up in a clear liquid –your saliva. It isn’t vomit, so that is why it is called slimming or flemming. It’s a wake up call to slow down you eating and chew, and chew and chew some more. Just go to the bathroom or have a napkin ready for the slimming or flemming. If you try to overeat—which is bad you may experience this too sometimes. For me it was always about not chewing enough. When I am full I know I am, at first I wasn’t sure, but sometimes I just got tired of all the chewing, so I stopped eating. I now get the hiccups or my noise will start to run when I am full. I know that other people have said they experienced this too. For the new people or people who are thinking of having Weight Loss Surgery, I want you to know that I wouldn’t trade one of these things that happened to me for the wonderful new healthy body I now have and how happy I am. It is ALL worth it. It has made me a much better person. I have been where you are starting and I want you to know that this is the last and final thing that you will ever have to go through. If diet and exercise worked for everyone we wouldn’t consider weight loss surgery. If you want to lose the weight it will happen with good eating habits and some exercise. I will not just melt off of you. This is your new tool to allow you to get where you want to do. You have to put some effort yourself. This site is great for support and questions. So jump in and join us. We are all regular people in different stages of weight loss. Hugs Suzanne Sleeved 10/28/08 225 120 125 Start Now Goal

Hi everyone, I remember when I was thinking about having sleeve surgery, I sat back and read all these posts, until I felt comfortable enough to join in and ask my million questions. I had such great support and wonderful people who helped me along my weight loss journey. I always promised I would pay it forward. So I am here 2 1/2 years after my "sleeve" surgery. I had the most amazing experience. I am now 65 years old and thought that maybe I was too old to do this. Boy, was I wrong. I picked Dr. Aceves to do my surgery. That was the best choice I could have ever made. I happend to work with a good friend who had Dr. Aceves for her doctor and had WLS with him. She made me do lots of research and take some time to make up my mind. It took me 6 months to make this choice. What an amazing journey I have had. I started out at 225 pounds and lost a total of 105 pounds. I now weight 120 lbs and have maintained that weight loss. I now know I will always be able to maintain it. I am never on a diet, but made a life style change that will last forever. My goal is to help and support people who are just not qutie sure if they want this surgery, or if they have questions and are scared to ask anyone. I am here to listen to you, talk about your fears and help and support you in any way I can help you. You deserve to have it ALL, and there really is a way. If diet and exercise were all it took, and it worked then some of us would not need to have WLS. Most of us have lost it and gained it back many time in our lives. I believe it took more strength to have this surgery than anything I had ever done. But, I knew it had to be ALL about me and NO one else. I had earned the right to do this for myself. Life is wonderful, and I have NO regrets what so ever. My husband fell in love with me when I was fat and so now he loves me just as much when I am healthy and thin. He has even lost weight because of how we both eat--healthy. I have had great support from him all the way though my weight loss journey. So if you are just sitting there and reading this and not sure what you want to do talk to me. I will be honest and tell you the good and the bad side of all this. It takes work on your part and effort. This is NO mircle cure and you have to have your head in the right place and want this more than you want anything else in life. This is your tool to get to the goal you want. It takes making good food choices, and some exercise on your part too. I used to be the person who "hated" exercise....now I honestly look forward to it 5 or 6 days a week. My choice of exercise is pretty easy, I walk. So please feel free to ask questions, say what you are thinking. There isn't anything that we can't talk about. Take care, Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Dr. Aceves :rolleyes:

Hi, You haven't said how much weight you want to lose, your age or how long you have been overweight. If logging you food worked for you, then why are you still fat--I tell it like it is. I was fat too. If diet and exercise worked then I would have never needed weight loss surgery. What makes you think that you would not enjoy your food if you went on a vacation--that is just another excuse for not moving forward and having the weight loss surgery. I go out and eat all the time, I eat what other people are eating, I just eat a whole lot less than anyone else. I NEVER feel deprived at all. I don't sit down and eat a who bag of Cookies, I have one or two cookies and I am very satisfied. I had the sleeve 2 1/2 years ago and lost 105 pounds in 14 months and have maintained my current weight. The sleeve is a tool (a restriction) that will NOT allow you to over eat. It isn't a miracle cure--you have to put some effort and exercise in it too. If you go on the milk chocolate diet then you are NEVER going to lose the weight. Don't you feel you are worth the cost of the surgery? Why do we sell ourselves so short and do everything for everyone else? We always make ourselves come last on the list--shame on us we deserve to the it ALL. It is time you put yourself first and do something about your weight before your health becomes worse. You are going to die faster from being fat than you ever will from Weight Loss Surgery. You have to have your head in the right place before you can do this. You have to want this more than you have ever wanted anything else. Why not spend the summer losing that weight instead of having another failure and feeling bad about yourself. Wow I remember how many times I failed at a diet or just gave up and I felt like a failure--that is so wrong. You have a diease and there is a way to fix it. I know you said your insurance has ok'd you for this surgery. I didn't even try my insurance, because I knew the best Doctor for this kind of surgery was Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. I had a grood friend that Dr. Aceves did her surgery and that is how I learned about him. I started doing research for about 6 months on him and others, and every time I always came up with his name for the best in the business. I have never in my entire 65 years of life been treated so well by a doctor and his staff. The care you receive from him is 10 times better than anything you will ever get in the US. You will have to make a choice at some point and time. Do you want to continue to lose the weight and then reagain it back. I did that for a lot of years. The sleeve was my answer and my tool to allow me to gain control over my life and my eating and my weight loss. I am never on a diet, but I have made a lifestyle change, that has changed my health and my body and how I feel about food. Food does not control me, I control it. You can do this and there is NO better time than right now. You are just fooling yourself if you think you are going to lose this weight and keep it off, if you could have done that you would have ALREADY DONE IT YEARS AGO. So believe in yourself enough to want the best for yourself and have the surgery. Do you have any questions about the surgery? Please ask away, I am here to explain anything I can too you. Take care, and hugs, Suzanne Dr. Aceves sleeved me 10/21/2008 Starting weight 225 Weight now 120

Hi, I am thrilled that you now have a new goal. You can do anything you want in life because you have made the lifestyle change. Congratulations to you. Hugs, Suzanne

Hi If you are sitting out there on the fence thinking about having sleeve surgery and you aren't sure what to do I am am here to answer any of your questions and tell you about my experience. I am Suzanne age 65 and I had "Sleeve" surgery Oct 21, 2008 in Mexicalli with Dr. Aceves. I started out at 225 pounds. It has been about 2 1/2 years ago that I did this. I lost 105 pounds and have maintained my weight loss. I am excited still each day of my life about how great the "tool" that I was given has worked for me. I know without a doubt that I will always be able to maintain my weight loss. This is the BEST thing I have ever done for myself. You have to have your head in the right place for all this to work for you. I never consider myself on a diet, but that I have made a lifestyle change. I eat healthy and I eat most things that others eat. I just eat very small amounts of food and I never feel deprived at all. It does take work and effort on your part. This is not some magical cure for you, it is a tool and you have to use it to make it work. I am here for support and questions that you may have about my weight loss journey and how it can work for you too. Dr. Aceves is the ONLY person that I would ever consider having this surgery with. I am here to tell you he is excellent and his staff are so caring. You will NEVER receive the kind of care he give with any other doctor--let alone the US where it is really awful. His hospital is soooooooo VERY clean and safe. Their driver Ernesto picks you up in San Diego and it is a nice ride with others who are going to the hospital for the same kind of surgery. You are always taken care of from the time they pick you up until the time they return you to to airport. So please ask me any questions that you may have. We can talk about feeling, emotions, anything you want to know. I am here to help and answer if I can. I can only speak about my experience that I had with Dr. Aceves. I really want to pay it forward and help others. I had some wonderful people who helped and guided me along the way, and I want to help if I can. Suzanne Beaty Eugene, OR Sleeved Dr. Aceves 10/21/2008 Starting weight 225 pounds, now I am 120 for a weight loss of 105 pounds. It took me about 14 months to lose the weight.

Hey thanks, that was very nice of you to say. If you need help or have any qustions I am here for you. Hugs, and take care, Suzanne

Hey without a doubt, you will be just like me. And the first time someone calls you "skinny" you will look around and think are they really talking about me? Those are the moments you will remember. Or how people treated you when you were fat and how different they treat you now. I am glad you enjoyed my story, it means a lot that I can help or change things for other too. Hugs, Suzanne Just remember I am always her for any questions that you might have.

Life is great and yours will keep getting better. Just remember I am here for support and any questions that you may have along the way. I am glad that what I said had helped anyone on this board. Take care and hugs and congratulations on your life changing journey. Suzanne

You are going to be so happy that you are doing something that is going to change your entire life forever--and ALL FOR THE BETTER. You will never have any regrets. Just remember I am out here for any questions that you may have along the way. The closer you get the more emotions and feeling you are going to have. You are going to Dr. Aceves I hope--because he is the only one that I would trust to do this surgery. If I lived closer I would make him my primary care doctor. Everything you have heard and read about him are ALL true. He and his staff are wonderful!! I just want you to hear what I am going to say. The first molnth after surgery is the hardest month you will ever do--just tell yourself that you can do anything for 30 days. It is boring and you will be in the early stages of retraining your "OLD" brain a lot of new things. Your brain will try to play "head games." Trust me it is hard to not want to listen to the to the old brain. I remember thinking to myself "what in the world did I do to myself???" you will question what you did before and after. You will morn the loss of food--that is normal too--most of us all have done that. Your entire life is changing, but all for the good and better. I do not have one regret at all for having this surgery done. This is one of those life changing events that you will wished you would have done this sooner. You have to put a lot of effort into eating healthy small amounts of food. You should do some form of exercise too. I love to walk and so that works for me. Please know that I am here for you for support and any fears or questions you will have. My goal is to help other though this, and be able to make a difference in their life if I can. Everything you feel in the next few weeks is really normal. We have all felt all the things you are feeling, from being excited, scared, happy, second guessing yourself. I am here ask anything you can think of. Hugs, Suzanne Beaty, Eugene, OR Sleeved 10/21/2008 Starting weight 225 Weight now 120

Thanks for your comments, My mission is life is to pay it forward, and to let people know that they can have all the things they want in life, and if being healthy, losing the weight are some of the things they want, then I am here to answer questions, share my adventure and help them in any way I can. I am all about educating people to the fact this Dr. Aceves is an excellent doctor and he will give you the tool you need to achieve your goals. It does take work and effort on your part but if I can do it at my age, then you can too. We all need help and support during our weight loss, so I am here for anyone that needs it. Hugs, and take care, Suzanne

It is never too late in life to consider having WLS (Weight Loss Surgery). I was 63 years old when I had the surgery. I never had a weight problem until after having two children. And then I seemed to struggle with being overweight for years. I now know all the reason why, I became less active, and ate more than I should have. I have tried most of the diets that you have tried, some with success and most no success. But, I would always manage to gain the weight back because I NEVER changed my lifestyle. My top weight was 235 lbs and I am 5’3” tall. My body hurt, my back ached and I had a pain in my leg that felt like I had a hot poker burning me most of the time. So I must have had a high tolerance for pain. Because I remained fat for many years. I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions. Then she told me about going to Dr. Aceves, MD in Mexicali during the summer. She is a nurse and I really trusted what she was telling me. She directed me to his Web Site and then to the Yahoo Support Group site. I researched WLS (Weight Loss Surgery) for about 6 months before I made a choice. I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite sometime. I read all their postings and was getting a lot of information. Now I have learned that is pretty normal for newbie’s to sit and watch for awhile. Then I was sure I wanted to have WLS and my choice was VGS –referred to as the “Sleeve.” So that is the start of my Weight loss journey. I just didn’t wake up one morning and say “oh in October 2008 I am going to have WLS.” I went through a process of getting here. I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again. If I walked very long my back and leg would hurt. I knew my head was in the right place, when I put myself ahead of everyone else. So many of us are care takers of everyone else and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves. Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends when you tell them that you want to go to Mexico and have weight loss surgery. I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is. But this is about YOU and NO one else. You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this. Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. You also can go and not tell them what you are doing. This is entirely up to you. You can bring a family member or a friend with you too if you feel you want someone to come along with you. Your room will be big enough for them to stay in it. They have some nice sofa’s that your family member or friend can sleep on. I went alone and was just fine. I also went back in April 2009 with a friend of mine who had Weight Loss Surgery after seeing how I was doing. She is at her goal now too, and is just as happy and thrilled as I am with the results. About 5 years ago I met and fell in love with the most wonderful man. I had been single for 18 years. He is an amazing man and loved me for just who I was—overweight. It didn’t matter to him that I was fat. He has been very supportive and encouraging every step of they way. I can’t begin to tell you all the beautiful and wonderful comments that he gave me then and NOW. I had the surgery because I wanted to become healthy and wanted the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Bob. Bob could have cared less if I had this surgery, it was my choice. Bob and I were married May 29, 2010 in Cannon Beach, Oregon on the beach. My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself. food is no longer my driving force. I eat to live not live to eat! When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 65 yr old body! What a thought. When I am eating I now look for the Protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein per day and then my veggies and some fruit each day. I started keeping track on line what I was actually putting in my body so I would have some idea of the number of calories I was eating each day. I started an exercise program which was just walking and to this day I do some kind of exercise at least 5 days a week. It is mostly walking. I was the person who HATED to exercise and now I actually look forward to getting up early and go walking with some of my friends. Bob and I are very active people so we are always doing all kinds of walking. I never imagined what life would be like almost 2 years later. And the new clothes that I have purchased since I am a size 8 or 10 depending on who makes the clothing. I see people who haven’t seen me in sometime almost walk right past me because they don’t recognize me. Then they figure out it is me and want to know how I lost all this weight. I have had them ask me if I have been ill and I always give them a big NO! I am more than happy to educate them about the “Sleeve” weight loss surgery. I am very proud of taking control of my life. There is NO shame in making the choice to have weight loss surgery; it takes more courage to have the surgery than to keep failing at all the diets you have tried. This is not a miracle cure where the weight just melts off you. It takes effort on your part to take this new tool you have been given (a new small stomach that only holds 6 to 8 oz) and eat healthy and exercise, but it is going to work and you will be able to maintain your weight loss because you have changed your lifestyle. I never consider myself on a diet, but that I have made a lifestyle change that is going to add years to my life. I am healthy now for the first time in many years. I am not afraid anymore that I will regain this weight. I know that it will never happen because of my restriction I have with a smaller stomach and my lifestyle change that is so easy to do day in and day out. I NEVER feel deprived when it comes to food. I listen to my head when it “says no more food I am full.” I know that I need to stop eating and it is OK to not clean your plate and it is OK to toss the food out. There are so many things to be thankful for. The first thing I am so thankful for is Dr. Aceves; there aren’t not enough adjectives to describe this wonderful gifted doctor. Dr. Aceves genuinely cares about each patient he takes care of. Dr. Aceves will answer all your questions until you are comfortable with what he is telling you. Dr. Aceves is such a talented surgeon, and if I lived closer he would be my Primary Care Physician. Dr. Aceves is down to earth, very kind, intelligent, and honest with you. You will receive the most wonderful care from Dr. Aceves and his team of doctors and nurses. Dr. Aceves comes into your room several times a day and checks on you after your surgery—where in the US will a doctor do this? Most of the staff speaks excellent English. Almater Hospital is the cleanest hospital I have ever been in. They are cleaning 24-7. The hospitals in the US could take some lessons from this private hospital in Mexicali. I would go back to Dr. Aceves in a heartbeat for anything! I still am shocked when someone calls me skinny—I thought who me skinny—no way? But, it was me they were calling skinny. This is something that you have to learn to get used to hearing. People treat you differently when you are thin. This is so unfair. We are just like everyone else when we are fat and the skinny people just don’t get it. I am so thankful for my great healthy. I only take about ¼ of the medication I used to take when I was fat. That is because I have become so healthy and I make the choice to eat healthy. Now I won’t tell you that I haven’t had and cake, Cookies or ice cream since I had Weight Loss Surgery. I have, but in small tiny amounts and not all the time. My body now craves good healthy protein; fresh veggies fixed how you want them, and a small amount of fruit. You need to watch the types of carbs that you are going to eat and keep track of what you are eating when you first start your journey in weight loss. There are quite a few places on the Internet that you can write down and track what you are eating to make sure you are keeping your calories at about 800 per day. The best part of about this weight loss surgery is that I NEVER feel hungry. Your mind tries to play tricks on you. So you have to stop and have a talk with yourself. Do I really need to eat or do I just want to eat because that is part of my old bad habits? In the past I really ate large amounts of food all in one meal. We also are given large plates of food when we go out to eat. NONE of us need to eat this much food and that is why we got fat and stayed fat. Now I eat small amounts of food, and I am satisfied and feel great. When we go out to dinner now Bob and I share one meal. We as a society also eat too fast—I feel like I used to inhale my food and really not enjoy it. I took large amounts of food and shoveled it in my mouth and inhaled it. Now I take small tiny bites and chew it a lot. Weight Loss Surgery really has changed my entire life and it is all for the better. Weight Loss Surgery is a life changing event. Hold on to your hats because this is going to be the ride of your life. You will NEVER have one regret. You will only wish you would have done this years before. I think it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I am extremely impressed with the entire experience. Dr. Aceves’s patient coordinator Nina has always been very prompt, informative, and courteous with her replies. She is there for any question that you may have. I think this lady works 24 hours a day, because I always received an answer back right away. Nina is awesome and gives you so much support and help before you go and after your surgery too. DO NOT have any fears about going to Mexico, It is VERY safe in Mexicali and they ALL take such great care of you along your Weight Loss journey. I think we all have the wrong idea of what Health Care is like in Mexico, until we go there an experience it ourselves. It is far superior over anything that they have in the United States. I feel so much better and I would like to say I feel 20 years younger. Life is fabulous, and I did this for ME and NO one else. I know I will never be fat again in my life. I thanked Dr. Aceves for what he did for me and he said “I only gave you the tool to achieve your Weight Loss, give yourself the credit for making it work.” I still want to say Dr. Aceves you are the BEST!

It is never too late in life to consider having WLS (Weight Loss Surgery). I was 63 years old when I had the surgery. I never had a weight problem until after having two children. And then I seemed to struggle with being overweight for years. I now know all the reason why, I became less active, and ate more than I should have. I have tried most of the diets that you have tried, some with success and most no success. But, I would always manage to gain the weight back because I NEVER changed my lifestyle. My top weight was 235 lbs and I am 5’3” tall. My body hurt, my back ached and I had a pain in my leg that felt like I had a hot poker burning me most of the time. So I must have had a high tolerance for pain. Because I remained fat for many years. I worked with a friend and noticed that she had lost weight, so I started asking her questions. Then she told me about going to Dr. Aceves, MD in Mexicali during the summer. She is a nurse and I really trusted what she was telling me. She directed me to his Web Site and then to the Yahoo Support Group site. I researched WLS (Weight Loss Surgery) for about 6 months before I made a choice. I sat and watched the people on the Yahoo Support Group and never said much for quite sometime. I read all their postings and was getting a lot of information. Now I have learned that is pretty normal for newbie’s to sit and watch for awhile. Then I was sure I wanted to have WLS and my choice was VGS –referred to as the “Sleeve.” So that is the start of my Weight loss journey. I just didn’t wake up one morning and say “oh in October 2008 I am going to have WLS.” I went through a process of getting here. I believe you have to have your “head” in the right place for this to be successful. I felt awful, I hated my body, and I wanted to be healthy again. If I walked very long my back and leg would hurt. I knew my head was in the right place, when I put myself ahead of everyone else. So many of us are care takers of everyone else and we come so far down on the list of taking care of ourselves. Be prepared for the opposition that you may face from your own family and friends when you tell them that you want to go to Mexico and have weight loss surgery. I believe that we really need to educate them so that they know exactly what we are doing and how safe it is. But this is about YOU and NO one else. You have to be willing to stand up for yourself; you have earned the right to do this. Believe in yourself enough and want this enough to be successful. You also can go and not tell them what you are doing. This is entirely up to you. You can bring a family member or a friend with you too if you feel you want someone to come along with you. Your room will be big enough for them to stay in it. They have some nice sofa’s that your family member or friend can sleep on. I went alone and was just fine. I also went back in April 2009 with a friend of mine who had Weight Loss Surgery after seeing how I was doing. She is at her goal now too, and is just as happy and thrilled as I am with the results. About 5 years ago I met and fell in love with the most wonderful man. I had been single for 18 years. He is an amazing man and loved me for just who I was—overweight. It didn’t matter to him that I was fat. He has been very supportive and encouraging every step of they way. I can’t begin to tell you all the beautiful and wonderful comments that he gave me then and NOW. I had the surgery because I wanted to become healthy and wanted the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Bob. Bob could have cared less if I had this surgery, it was my choice. Bob and I were married May 29, 2010 in Cannon Beach, Oregon on the beach. My weight loss journey has been incredible, and I have learned so many things about myself. food is no longer my driving force. I eat to live not live to eat! When I eat, I actually think about putting good and healthy foods into my (new) 65 yr old body! What a thought. When I am eating I now look for the Protein first because I try to make sure I get 70 grams of protein per day and then my veggies and some fruit each day. I started keeping track on line what I was actually putting in my body so I would have some idea of the number of calories I was eating each day. I started an exercise program which was just walking and to this day I do some kind of exercise at least 5 days a week. It is mostly walking. I was the person who HATED to exercise and now I actually look forward to getting up early and go walking with some of my friends. Bob and I are very active people so we are always doing all kinds of walking. I never imagined what life would be like almost 2 years later. And the new clothes that I have purchased since I am a size 8 or 10 depending on who makes the clothing. I see people who haven’t seen me in sometime almost walk right past me because they don’t recognize me. Then they figure out it is me and want to know how I lost all this weight. I have had them ask me if I have been ill and I always give them a big NO! I am more than happy to educate them about the “Sleeve” weight loss surgery. I am very proud of taking control of my life. There is NO shame in making the choice to have weight loss surgery; it takes more courage to have the surgery than to keep failing at all the diets you have tried. This is not a miracle cure where the weight just melts off you. It takes effort on your part to take this new tool you have been given (a new small stomach that only holds 6 to 8 oz) and eat healthy and exercise, but it is going to work and you will be able to maintain your weight loss because you have changed your lifestyle. I never consider myself on a diet, but that I have made a lifestyle change that is going to add years to my life. I am healthy now for the first time in many years. I am not afraid anymore that I will regain this weight. I know that it will never happen because of my restriction I have with a smaller stomach and my lifestyle change that is so easy to do day in and day out. I NEVER feel deprived when it comes to food. I listen to my head when it “says no more food I am full.” I know that I need to stop eating and it is OK to not clean your plate and it is OK to toss the food out. There are so many things to be thankful for. The first thing I am so thankful for is Dr. Aceves; there aren’t not enough adjectives to describe this wonderful gifted doctor. Dr. Aceves genuinely cares about each patient he takes care of. Dr. Aceves will answer all your questions until you are comfortable with what he is telling you. Dr. Aceves is such a talented surgeon, and if I lived closer he would be my Primary Care Physician. Dr. Aceves is down to earth, very kind, intelligent, and honest with you. You will receive the most wonderful care from Dr. Aceves and his team of doctors and nurses. Dr. Aceves comes into your room several times a day and checks on you after your surgery—where in the US will a doctor do this? Most of the staff speaks excellent English. Almater Hospital is the cleanest hospital I have ever been in. They are cleaning 24-7. The hospitals in the US could take some lessons from this private hospital in Mexicali. I would go back to Dr. Aceves in a heartbeat for anything! I still am shocked when someone calls me skinny—I thought who me skinny—no way? But, it was me they were calling skinny. This is something that you have to learn to get used to hearing. People treat you differently when you are thin. This is so unfair. We are just like everyone else when we are fat and the skinny people just don’t get it. I am so thankful for my great healthy. I only take about ¼ of the medication I used to take when I was fat. That is because I have become so healthy and I make the choice to eat healthy. Now I won’t tell you that I haven’t had and cake, Cookies or ice cream since I had Weight Loss Surgery. I have, but in small tiny amounts and not all the time. My body now craves good healthy protein; fresh veggies fixed how you want them, and a small amount of fruit. You need to watch the types of carbs that you are going to eat and keep track of what you are eating when you first start your journey in weight loss. There are quite a few places on the Internet that you can write down and track what you are eating to make sure you are keeping your calories at about 800 per day. The best part of about this weight loss surgery is that I NEVER feel hungry. Your mind tries to play tricks on you. So you have to stop and have a talk with yourself. Do I really need to eat or do I just want to eat because that is part of my old bad habits? In the past I really ate large amounts of food all in one meal. We also are given large plates of food when we go out to eat. NONE of us need to eat this much food and that is why we got fat and stayed fat. Now I eat small amounts of food, and I am satisfied and feel great. When we go out to dinner now Bob and I share one meal. We as a society also eat too fast—I feel like I used to inhale my food and really not enjoy it. I took large amounts of food and shoveled it in my mouth and inhaled it. Now I take small tiny bites and chew it a lot. Weight Loss Surgery really has changed my entire life and it is all for the better. Weight Loss Surgery is a life changing event. Hold on to your hats because this is going to be the ride of your life. You will NEVER have one regret. You will only wish you would have done this years before. I think it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I am extremely impressed with the entire experience. Dr. Aceves’s patient coordinator Nina has always been very prompt, informative, and courteous with her replies. She is there for any question that you may have. I think this lady works 24 hours a day, because I always received an answer back right away. Nina is awesome and gives you so much support and help before you go and after your surgery too. DO NOT have any fears about going to Mexico, It is VERY safe in Mexicali and they ALL take such great care of you along your Weight Loss journey. I think we all have the wrong idea of what Health Care is like in Mexico, until we go there an experience it ourselves. It is far superior over anything that they have in the United States. I feel so much better and I would like to say I feel 20 years younger. Life is fabulous, and I did this for ME and NO one else. I know I will never be fat again in my life. I thanked Dr. Aceves for what he did for me and he said “I only gave you the tool to achieve your Weight Loss, give yourself the credit for making it work.” I still want to say Dr. Aceves you are the BEST!

Hi Everyone, You are NEVER too old to start a healthy life. I was sleeved 10/21/08 by Dr. Aceves in Mexicali and now have reached my goal of a weight loss of 100 pounds. It has been an amazing journey and I feel fantastic. Life has never been better than it is right now. You can do this too. I failed at so many 'Diets" in my life. This is NOT a diet, but a lifestyle change that I can and will do for the rest of my life. It takes effort on your part to get here, but you can do it if you want to. I used to hate the word exercise, now I honestly look forward to it. I make sure I eat healthy foods too. I want to live until I am 100 and this is my tool to allow me to do it! If you have any question please contact me, I am happy to share things with you or give you my advise from my experience. Take care, Suzanne

Hi, I think your uncles have some "Wrong" information". I think people will always try to tell you about things that they know so little about--they only know about the band. What is their source of information? Ask them to prove it--not just gossip or hear say! I am thinking that they have confused "bypass" surgery with Sleeve surgery. I had my surgery when I was 63 it is fabulous, I wouldn't trade it for a band if they gave me one for FREE:sad0:. You know what you want in your heart, trust YOUR feelings and know that you are headed in the right directions. You have educated yourself done some research and kinow this is right for you. This is about YOU and not them. NEVER forget that! As far as lack of desire for having intimate relations with your partner--I will be blunt--that is a bunch of CRAP! Who are these men talking with?? Again what is their source of information. Make them PROVE this with some written statements or real people who will share this with you who have had a sleeve. Talk to people with a sleeve NOT the band. It is like comparing oranges and apples. DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU AND NO ONE ELSE. Suzanne 225 125 125 Start Now Goal Sleeved 10/21/08

Don't you look cute! It is fun to find a great "find" like you found and have it fit. I have found that I find some amazing clothes in resale clothing places. The prices are amazing and you can get so much more. I still look at clothing and think --will I fit in that? Sure enough I do. Keep doing what you are doing!

Hi Ladies, This is normal--the scales sitting in the same place for awhile--we have all experienced it. Sometimes a different exercise will help too--like walking or swimming. Try a little more than what you have been taking of the Miralax. Each body is different. I know it took quite a bit of the Miralax for me to make it work on a daily basis. I know that walking also has helped me. I have been at this for 11 months now. Lots of times fruit juice will work with the Miralax in it too. Prunes--has anyone tried prunes? We all hit periods where the scale isn't moving and that is OK, because we haven't gained any weight either. I know it isn't fun, but keep trying.

Oh yes, I have experienced this. I know it isn't easy if you are working because you just keep thinking about you need to get to sleep so you can get up. I think I have sleep patterns and by that I mean there are times when I sleep really well, and then there are times when I go to sleep just great and then WOW wake up at 2:00 or 3:00 AM for no reason what so ever just wide awake. I have found if I don't take any naps and then use our hot tub or a nice warm bath before I go to bed that does help some. You may just have to live through them, and see how things go. I have no perfect answer for this. Suzanne

Hi, I would suggest different kinds of green salads, and then add some chicken, or almonds--other veggies that you like. A little fruit in in mixed green salad with some type of Protein works great. Put what ever dressing you are going to use in a different container and pour it on the salad before you have your salad. Salads work for me, because I get veggies, protein and then sometime fruit all in one. In the Winter time, good homemade veggie Soup is great too. Don't keep eating the same things, having something different makes a a whole lot better. Good look with trying some different things.

Hi, everyone's body is different. Are you writing down EVERYTHING that you are eating--you might be surprised at what you are really eating when it comes to carbs. It sounds like you are having too many Carbs to me. You should be eating around 800 calories a day. And you are eating less calories, so your body thinks you are trying to starve it, so it is holding onto the fat so it will survive. Add more calories and try walking a little and see if that doesn't make a difference. I hope that helps you some.

You don't mention if you have tried Prilosec. For me that worked really well. Better than Nexium that cost a lot of money. Try the OTC Prilosec and see if that makes a difference. Popsicles also were my life saving thing when it came to an upset stomach.

Hi, I loved reading all these. I wanted my back to stop hurting after walking very much, and for the pain in my leg that felt like a hot poker to stop--Guess what all those things happened. I had just retired for the local School District and I wanted retirement to be fun. Boy has it ever. I have a business where I teach First Aid & CPR classes and I had two ladies in my class who thought I was a different person than had taught the class before because I had lost so much weight they didn't recognize me they said--now that really made my day! We also have 4 Street Rods that we take to Car Shows and Cruise them. That requires a lot of walking and for the first time in many years, I can walk without my back hurting and I NO longer have that pain in my leg--I feel great! I wanted all new clothes and to be able to fit into a size 12--well I have done better than that, I fit into size 10 and sometimes depending on who makes them size 8. I still have about 20 pounds to lose. I laugh now because when I find clothes on sale sometimes it seems like all they have are the larger sizes. I found a wonderful man about 4 years ago who fell in love with me when I was fat and he loved and adored me then. He was able to see beyong the outside of my body and see who the "real me" was. Now it is fabulous seeing him look at me. He loves me just the same only I am a new version of who he fell in love with. I am still the same inside and that is who he fell in love with. I truly have it ALL. So for me this part of my life is everything I ever wanted. We are engaged and may get married one day, but we are happy with our life just the way it is now. NEVER give up on yourself and having what you want in life. I am living proof of it. I was single for 15 years after being married for 21 years, so it can happen if you don't give up on yourself. I am almost 64 years and found out what makes me happy. I did this for ME AND NO ONE ELSE. It was time to lose the weight I was ready and I found what worked best for me. I love going to buy new clothes and it feels good to put them on and be able to zip them up! When people call me skinny I am surprised "Oh that is me they are talking about." I never feel or think of myself as skinny. I like to think of myself has healthy and thin now.

Well, my answer to that is that he could see beyond your weight and loved you for who you really are. What a wonderful thing to find a man like you did!