Lissa

I can lick my big toe!!! Oh, and I must confess that I am enjoying seeing what kind of "ass I can pull". I have a 30 year old hot firefighter telling me how good I look on a regular basis...that makes me go hmmmm... I'm seeing someone who is WAY hotter than any man I've ever dated before and I'm LOVING life.

I was horribly out of shape prior to surgery and I literally started by walking up and down the hallway inside my apartment, then around the closest end of the building, then the further end of the building. About 3 weeks out I walked around the 1/4 mile perimeter of the lake at my apartment complex and I felt like Rocky!!! I did light weights, 2 pounds, for arm lifts, biceps curls, etc. I did 10 reps at a time, then built up the number of reps until I could do 100 reps without feeling anything, then I changed the weights for 5 pound weights.

From what I've seen of the scars, both are huge, so what's a little more scar? I'm not sure what I'll end up with, but I'm definitely leaning towards LBL because it will remove more skin...and I have a lot of loose skin in my tummy area.

Happy Dancing for you!!!

I had my gallbladder out two weeks ago...after suffering for 9 months with constant pain. My experience was years of pain on the right side of my back that felt like a pulled muscle, as a matter of fact, that's what I thought it was...a pulled muscle. In Jan 2012, I started experiencing internal pain just under my right ribcage in the back. My PCP said that it was caused by the weight loss and was muscle/skeletal adjustment pain. Last summer I had a horrible attack and thought I was dying, but vomiting and diarrhea followed the pain, so I assumed food poisoning until someone here on VST posted the symptoms of their GB attack. I immediately made an appointment with my surgeon to talk about my gallbladder. Since then, the pain steadily got worse, up to the point that I was taking percoset and loritab every single day. Once the gallbladder finally came out (two attempts), the surgeon told me that it looked like an overripe pear, was enlarged, and he is glad he got to it before it burst, because it was very close to bursting. Since removal, I've had no pain, been eating normally, and I feel like a million bucks. I didn't think it hurt "that bad", but I'm finding out now that I was actually in severe pain for a long time and had just mentally adjusted to the pain. If your doctor recommends taking out your gallbladder, let him! It's such a relief to be pain free!!!

I found them at Walmart with the other frozen entrees. A "whole" Atkins meal is about 6-8 ounces of food, so it's about the perfect size for a meal for me.

The best revenge is living well. Wear your medium proudly and let him see how badly it swims on you. Besides, by then you will need the bigger shirt to encompass all your muscles from lifting weights!

Very interesting article!

At 18 months post op, I can eat a whole Atkins meal. My personal favorite is the steak and broccoli with gravy. Yummy. Be careful when choosing the frozen meals, though, some of them are pretty high in sodium and msg. MSG and I are not friends.

That endorphin high is what I'm missing with being away from the gym for so long! I cannot wait to get back in there and hit that high again! Exercise is addicting, for certain! I can't run because of old knee injuries, but I can get on the elliptical and go forever it seems! Transcendental, btw. When I saw Transdental I was afraid someone had broken a tooth!

Yay!!

Normal is a setting on a dryer, so, no, you'll never be normal. But, fairly soon you'll forget that you are sleeved, at least until you go to eat something and realize that you can't eat anywhere near as much as before.

I've been very open about my surgery to friends, family and random strangers. I've had very little negative feedback from anyone. Two friends have dropped off the Lissa Bandwagon, but I haven't had any other negative feedback. As a matter of fact, I have several friends who have been inspired to lose weight, both with and without surgery, and I'm happy that I could provide that inspiration.

Webchickadee and MeasureofMe both listed most of my reasons for getting so big that my best solution was removal of 85% of my stomach. The rest of my story is an abusive childhood...the kind that made me think "Mommy Dearest" wasn't so bad. I ate because it was the only thing I could control and I never learned how to rein in my eating. As I got bigger, I used food more and more often to comfort myself rather than doing something constructive. Now, after my sleeve and over a year of pretty intense therapy, I use food as fuel (mostly). I do sometimes find myself eating something that really isn't great for me (Cheetos), and I will put that food on my restricted list. I literally will only allow myself to buy a single serving bag of Cheetos once a month and then I sit and savor them like they were Godiva chocolates. My boyfriend knows to leave me alone with my Cheetos when he sees the bag come out! LOL He says he's jealous of them!

If your doctor told you to drink protein shakes, follow his/her advice. The surgeon knows what works best for him and his patients. Every doctor's requirements are different based on their own experience. There have been several people here who reported that they didn't get surgery the first time for whatever reason, including enlarged livers. IMO, this is your part of the job...to follow the diet. Your surgeon's job can be made much easier by what you do now, so help him out.

My hair is somewhat thinner on top than it was initially, but it's not that noticeable, IMO. I've been the model VSG patient as well, getting in my protein, water, and vitamins, yet still lost hair for several months. I don't see as much loose hair in the drain these days, so I don't worry about it too much. I just follow my routine and try not to stress over anything, especially hair.

Congrats, Sleeve of Steel!!!

You look fantastic! Great job!!!

Jeni, Here's hoping that your flight doesn't get delayed, but if it does, think of it as an opportunity. You're on the liquid diet now, so just stay on it. I'm sure that you've lost weight already and you'll lose even more if you stay on it longer. For sure, your liver will be in great shape for the surgery if you continue. I know it's tough to think about now, but you'll appreciate that extra weight loss once you're sleeved.

A better choice for a new sleever is something like Egg Face's Ricotta Bake. It has all the flavor of lasagna without any pasta and it's soft enough for the puree stage. PDX is right that pasta, bread and rice expand to an uncomfortable level in our tummies. I still don't eat rice at all, and very little bread or pasta simply because all three make my tummy hurt. At most, I'll have one small tortilla or one piece of bread, but I always have to wait extra time afterwards before I drink water so that they don't absorb the water and make me hurt.

mjackson, That's stinking thinking! You made a small mistake. Grab those bootstraps, get back on track and follow through on your pre-op diet! THIS is the toughest part of this whole journey, but you WILL make it. Once you're sleeved and the pounds start melting off, this stage will be a vague memory, but the improvement in your health and your body image will be well worth this tiny struggle now.

Being able to do ANYTHING I want to do physically, from climbing stairs, climbing mountains, going up a ladder, working hours on end when necessary, getting up off the floor without help, having great sex without worrying that I'll lose my stamina (ahem!), painting walls without pain, walking the length of a mall 3 or 4 times without leg/back/hip/knee pain, lifting up my baby cousins, carrying my groceries inside without help, etc. These are a few small benefits of losing over 110 pounds. The biggest benefit is knowing that I can do anything and having the self-confidence to step up and show myself off. I sing karaoke now without fear that someone is going to call me that fat girl. If my singing sucks, so be it, but I'm having fun. I can even do the cotton eyed joe now without worrying that I'm going to be exhausted by the end!

I got comments during my recent gallbladder surgery scare about my low blood pressure and low heart rate...until they actually started physically looking at me. Despite my weight (still obese), I am extremely muscular, which the doctors believe accounts for the "symptoms". Overall, my health is fantastic, so I'll be continuing my exercise routine. I have no worries about my blood pressure or heart rate, but I'd be worried if I were experiencing the dizziness that you are all having.

I'm 18 months post op and I seldom get "hungry". I've developed a routine with my food. I eat a protein bar when I get up, another at lunch time (noonish) and a high protein dinner around 5 pm. I do add snacks, usually a mini babybel at 10 am and another around 3pm. If I don't follow this routine, I will forget to eat and then I bottom out and end up very shaky and nauseous.