LindaS

LOL ... I know it's vanity sizing, but .... well, it appeals to my sense of vanity! :blush5:

Did my first 5K in 45 minutes today...Not bad for a couch potato! This was my New Years resolution and it's done!!! Thanks to all who INSPIRE ME EVERYDAY on this site! LOVE YA!!!!!! Also want to say IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT TOOOOO!
Special shout out to my sleeve sister Michelle who stuck it out in the pouring rain! WE DID IT GIRL!!!!

I have been waiting on this day! My BMI just dropped under 30! I weighed 174 today! Yay! This was my Christmas goal and I finally made it! Took me three extra weeks to do it but I am thrilled! In four more pounds, I will weigh less than I have weighed in 17 years! Wooop!

8.5 months post op ~ Oh yeah got my ass into some size 8 jeans wow from a 20 to a 8 single digit are you serious, I cant even remember the last time I wore that size

Well, it looks like I'm the first man to chime in here. Be gentle with me ladies.
There is a famine in this world for men who act like men. Real men are not abusive, insensitive, self-centered, and mean. That is just being stupid jerks.
Many men have the emotional maturity of a 3 year old. A real man is strong and knows he is. He doesn't have to prove it to himself by pushing a woman or kids around. His knowledge of his own worth and power frees him to be gentle and kind. He knows he's a man so he is secure enough to cry, feel love, give love, and cherish his wife and kids. He doesn't have to have phony machismo. A man isn't a man because he is an ignorant barbarian.
I have been married for over 40 years to the same sweety. We've had our hard times especially during my "mid-life crisis". But our deep love for each other and our faith in God pulled us back together. She was so loving to me during my cancer treatment and has proven herself to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
Picking on a woman because she is overweight just shows what a dredfully shallow, insecure, weak man you are. I pray that your husbands will get a good look at themselves and join the ranks of real men.
My sweety is 4 weeks out of RouxNY and is beeming because of her new body. I am crying as I write this because I a SO happy for her! I get the sleeve surgery on the 16th. We are going to live out the remainder of our days just as we started together; two very much in love, slender, healthy people walking on the beach and thanking God for the gift of our marraige.

Finally! I got to come home yesterday. I still have my pic line for another week or 2 so no food or liquids yet. I go back to see my surgeon on the 17th. They'll set up an upper gi to see if the leak has closed. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, the support here is amazing!

Hang in there! I just got word this week my leak is healed and started back on fluids today. It can be an emotional roller coaster but you will get through it! If you need to talk don't hesitate to contact me!

My wife had the RNY 4 years ago. She was extremely successful with it. My weight was manageable and I was in decent shape. My wife progressed through her post op diet and her solids was always to much for her to eat. Well she would instinctively put her remaining food on my plate to eat. I would eat it. So I was eating nearly two meals at a time. I was raised not to waste food and a happy plate is a clean plate. So I was eating 1 1/2 steaks and 1 1/2 potatoes at dinner, or an extra 4 - 7 wings, sandwiches, chicken, the list goes on. Well needless to say, 4 years later I need WLS. I was sleeved on 12/27/11. Now of course I do not blame my entire weight gain on my wife. I could have simply said no, or stopped being lazy and been more active. However, this story has made me change the way that I approach food with my son. He is no longer made to eat all of his food. He just has to eat what we thing is enough for him. This is only needed when it is not his favorite (the healthier foods) foods. pizza, and such is never a problem. Seconds was taken away if it is a high starchy meal, or unhealthy meal. NO ONE puts their remainders on the others plate. It goes in the leftover dish or trash. That was a huge lifestyle change for me but I am glad that I did it. I just want all the new sleevers out there to watch that with your spouses, not only do you lifestyle have to change but theirs have to also.

When I was going through my healthy eating class, it struck me that all the habits that we are being encouraged to adopt (smaller portions, Protein first, stop when full, etc) were things that we were routinely trying to "train" our kids NOT to do. We were fighting with them to stay at the table and finish everything on their plate, we were giving them things from the kids' menu which were fried or covered in cheese or primarily starches, we were expecting them to eat according our hectic, mismanaged schedule which frequently led to poor choices (like last-minute pizza or fast food).
My partner and I are both planning to be sleeved eventually; I ended up going first. My new diet has caused a complete revolution in our household and has totally changed the way we eat and how we treat our kids with regards to food. They are 5 and (almost) 3 so we are lucky that they still in the impressionable stage and still have time to learn better habits. They of course turn their noses up at unfamiliar foods and regularly request things like mac & cheese, but now we make mac & cheese with SmartTaste Pasta and serve it with equal quantities of broccoli, or mix in a handful of frozen peas to cool it down quickly, or maybe toss in a little leftover diced chicken.
We also invested in a couple of "Sneaky Chef" - type cookbooks. We're super lucky that our kids don't refuse to eat vegetables (in fact, my 3 year old won't eat anything but right now) but these books gave us great ideas for pumping up the nutrient and Protein quotient of everyday foods. This is helpful for sleevers as well, since it packs more nutrition in to a smaller quantity of food.< /p>
Anyway, we learn our eating habits at an early age and we unconsciously revert back to them during times of stress. There's a reason why "comfort food" exists. My parents weren't the best at healthy eating and I'm sure I picked up some bad habits during my childhood, so I am being extra vigilant to model good habits to my children. Maybe then they won't inherit my trouble with weight as well.

I don't feel the same way. I think you are referring to a thread where you stated something about the plication surgery and a lady that had the plication done disagreed with you. You felt attacked and in all honesty, I think she was very respectful. Unfortunately we can't see peoples faces and it is hard sometimes to interpret how the words are intended.
I hope you don't stop coming. Everyone here brings something different and that makes it better. If we all have the same personality and all we do is "ra ra ra" ourselves, it would be dishonest and boring. I agree it should be VERY friendly and supportive, but we don't all have to sound the same.
Having said all that, I am sorry you are feeling this way. They are your feelings and I respect them. I just don't see this forum the same way you are. Please don't stop coming. We need you here.

Yes, I definately would do this again! I am down 52 pounds in 4 months. I feel so much better and I think the thing for me is feeling so full on so little. I am one of those people that likes the full feeling and I dont feel like I have had enough until I feel it, sometimes overdoing it- presurgery. Now, I can eat my tiny portion, get the same feeling I love and loose the weight too. I dont overdo it though because I dont like to puke and dont want to ever do it. I stay away from bread and Pasta because i have heard it can make people throw up and I dont like bread enough to chance that. I said from the beginning... no puking! So far so good. When I get the full feeling, I stop. I am also learning to stop just before it so I am not miserably full. I listen to my body now and I never did before.
I am so happy with my sleeve, I would do it a hundred times over! I am trying to talk my sister into having it!

Without hesitation, yes. I'm a week shy of 3 months, but I'm down over 120 lbs overall. My quality of life has already changed so much and it only promises to get better. Life is turning back into what life is supposed to be... a game not viewed from the sidelines.

You better believe I'd do it again... and again... and again... AND again!! I have never in my life known what it's like to have true freedom from food. I'm a real addict in every sense. The sleeve has taken away my real hunger, snuffed the head hunger most of the time (except TOM) but when head hunger does strike, I cannot eat nearly as much as I could before my sleeve.
I can't eat a lot of sugar, fat or snacky type foods because it makes me sick. I cannot eat more than about .75 cups of food because if I do I'm sorry for the rest of the night. I don't feel hungry an hour after eating. I'm really satisfied after eating my small portion - I believe even more than I was pre sleeve. I was never feeling like I could get enough. Well now with my full signal I just push my plate away and I'm done. Even if there is only one bite left. I can't count how many times I've left one bite on my plate... LOL that would've NEVER happened before. I can basically eat anything I want, just not how much.
I'm MUCH happier being able to be confident and happy with what I see in the mirror. It's great knowing I can go into any clothing store and fit the clothes in it. I can dress up, dress down any time I want without feeling like I'm limited to the tiny boutiques that all seem to sell the same style clothing. I can wear cute boots this winter with confidence they'll fit on my legs. I get called skinny all the time, and I admit I like it. I can wear tights or leggings and show most of my legs and not feel self conscious and wonder if people are thinking "oh she shouldn't be wearing that!!"...
Though my marriage and my Hubby has always been great, loved me at any size I can see him admiring me more. Truthfully, I'm the largest woman he'd ever been with by far. He's always been attracted to thinner women (not sure why he chose me, but whatever! AND we got together I was already large) well now that I'm small he can't seem to get enough of me. LOL Life's sure a lot better for me now than a year ago.
So, that and a million more reasons is why absolutely yes without a doubt I'd do it again.

Oh my GOSH!! just talked to the surgeon's office, and scheduled the surgery for the 20th!!!! Now I am SCARED!!! lol. It's a happy scared, though. I am just so excited that it's all coming together!

All of my pants are falling off and I refuse to buy any until after Christmas. All of my size 10's are too big. This is great but now I look all frumpy like I did before when I was trying to hide the fat rolls.LOL! Humor is the best medicine right?
Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

I showed this post to my hubby and was going to answer that my hubby has always loved me and found me attractive and sexy, and never made me feel bad about being fat, but he does seem more affectionate more than ever...He said that's not true, in fact you are the one that has changed! Say what??? I didn't realize it until he said that.
He said that I'm happier now and more confident, and secure, now that I'm thin. He said he remembers several times where I would complain about not finding something to wear to a wedding or party and be miserable. That is true. So I guess because I've changed it seems I can be free to enjoy my hubby's love and affection in a deeper way without all the hangups that come with being insecure with myself. I believe it now...interesting.

I don't know that people "treat" me different, but I know I feel different. Whoever said making the outside match the inside hit the nail on the head. I have the same happy personality I always did (never have trouble talking to people, I'm a bit of chatty Cathy...even with strangers I will strike up conversation, etc.)
But now I feel like people get to see ME. The real me...no more second guessing, "do they think I'm fat, lazy, unmotivated, etc." all that stuff that we KNOW isn't true about obese people yet we know people are thinking it. So I probably smile more, my step is lighter, I noticed the same thing too about people not scooting their chairs in when I squeeze behind them, etc.
I've also been fortunate enough to not lose friends, but I'm a happily married woman so it's not like I need buddies to go out who would need me to be the "fat" friend so they could look better. I'm sure if I was in my 20's and going "out" that would probably be the case. Sadly.
My hubby is sleeved as well, so we both get to be on the journey to health together, and it has been a VERY good thing that we both got sleeved!

This is my first time to post here; thanks everyone for being so open and helping me sort out my own feelings about what I am about to do. I was working out with a personal trainer and he was angry I had made the decision. After losing and regaining 20 pounds three times this year I'd just had enough and knew I needed to do something different. He started to say that losing weight had to do with my character and that I needed to lose it his way to build my character. Well, then it was time for me to get angry. I said after 15 years of fighting it, it had nothing to do with my character; my character was just fine. And I fired him. I said if you aren't on my team then you are off it. Goodbye. I'm being sleeved on 12/15. Wish me luck. My goal is to lose 90 lbs.

Let's put this into perspective, I'm 5'4", 275lbs, with a BMI of 47. Ever since I told my co-workers and friends, the first thing they say is "Your not that big......other people are bigger than you. That surgery is for them." Uh....I'm dang near 300lbs and my feet and back hurt.......I'M GETTIN THE DARN SURGERY!!! My decision is NOT to suit them or ease their concerns, it is for me, my health, and my happiness.
Do what's best for YOU! Love yourself, be confident in yourself, and eventually they will come around.

i had surgery in june.. pre and post surgery weight lost total is 78 lbs (i was 248 to 250 lbs before surgery, 228 day of surgery and now I am 170). I went from a size 20W to 12 on my bottom. I am 5'6 and my weight goal is 155 or size 10 bottom.. It has been a slow and steady process, I am very happy with my weight so far. My parents don't know about the surgery and I went home for thanksgiving and I kinda played it off so they did not suspect. They are very adamant though that I shouldn't lose anymore weight, lol, oh well they'll get over it.
the pics are obviously before (at my highest weight) and after (last month, november)

I'm pre-surgery... 270, 5'9"; size 20. I think everyone has to remember that -probably every female - whether fat, skinny or in-between, is worried about their weight, and as sad as this is, when you're insecure, you always feel threatened in some way or another. I know because sometimes, when I'm feeling very VERY upset and vulnerable, it really makes me feel better to see someone heavier than me.... I'm always relieved NOT to be the fattest woman in the room.
The whole body-image thing has totally permeated society, and we're all victims of it. Some people are mean with it, others are more compassionate. I know this because I'm kind of both ways. Many of my friends are overweight, and I worry about what's going to happen to our relationships if/when I have surgery and lose 100 lbs... Will they be jealous, or awkward, uncomfortable with themselves? Will my losing weight make them feel bad about themselves? Will people who were able to lose weight though other means feel superior to me because I didn't have the self-discipline to lose weight on my own?
Will I feel superior to my overweight friends if/when I have the surgery? What will I do with my friends, socially, when so much of our time was spent involved in eating-endeavors?
I've been fat my whole life.... I have somehow defined myself as a "fat girl, woman." Who AM I if I'm not fat? If I'm not focused on food as my one source of pleasure-comfort?
I'm sorry people can be ugly about others' weightloss and have to try to make them feel bad, somehow. It's pretty nasty, but it's also a symptom of their own insecurities about their weight and their perceived "value."

Congrats, I just got there too! My starting weight was just a bit higher than yours and my surgery was the day after, so you and I are pretty much on the same track. I attribute all my early loss to exercise as well, and while I had some recent health issues that tipped me over to onederland I'm still going to take it. WAY TO GO for you and our fellow August sleevers!!!!

Congratulations!!! So now you are walking in a Winter ONEderland! Cheesy, I know!

MyFitnessPal has been promising me that in 5 weeks I would weigh below 200 pounds since September.
It was not accurate. Initially, I thought I would get below 200 before Halloween, but it didn't happen. Then, I thought it would happen before Thanksgiving, but it didn't happen either. I was beginning to think it wasn't going to happen before Christmas.
I was hovering just above Onederland. My scale kept saying things like 200.4 and 200.6 and even the very cruel 200.0, but it was not showing anything that started with a 1 until today.
I had started telling myself that I was very happy with losing 55 pounds, and I felt great and even if I never lose any more, I am happier than I was 55 pounds ago.
I have also started thinking that I don't care if I ever reach my goal of 140 pounds. I am thinking that anything below 180 is going to be gravy for me. But I don't want to change my ticker yet.
Plus, I have finally gotten below 200.
It wouldn't have happened without exercising.

MyFitnessPal has been promising me that in 5 weeks I would weigh below 200 pounds since September.
It was not accurate. Initially, I thought I would get below 200 before Halloween, but it didn't happen. Then, I thought it would happen before Thanksgiving, but it didn't happen either. I was beginning to think it wasn't going to happen before Christmas.
I was hovering just above Onederland. My scale kept saying things like 200.4 and 200.6 and even the very cruel 200.0, but it was not showing anything that started with a 1 until today.
I had started telling myself that I was very happy with losing 55 pounds, and I felt great and even if I never lose any more, I am happier than I was 55 pounds ago.
I have also started thinking that I don't care if I ever reach my goal of 140 pounds. I am thinking that anything below 180 is going to be gravy for me. But I don't want to change my ticker yet.
Plus, I have finally gotten below 200.
It wouldn't have happened without exercising.