Maddy

Congrats to you

I so agree with Cheri. It's time to start weighing your food again and watch your caloric intake. Drink your water and continue doing your excerise. Good luck to you and let us know how you are doing

I was a self pay. From start was march of this yr. And I was sleeved in July. 72pds later I couldn't be happier.

Thanks lilmissdiva you are so sweet to reply. Yep I can see the horizon. Keep you posted.

Hi Cathy First I want to say how brave you are to show your most venerable side to others. I know how hard if can be to want your moms approval. Being a middle child I can relate to those feelings as "acceptance". Know this and try to embrace your own feelings during this amazing process. So many things are going to change for you. Good things- your up coming surgery to name one. The battle of losing the weight will be obtainable and most of all your self worth will start to appear. I wish you much luck in your surgery and if there is anything I can do for you. Please do not hesitate in contacting me - Maddy

I to weighed the differences... On one hand I didnt like the fact the band had so many troubles. From slippage to the band being so tight. I also didn't like knowing I would have a foreign object in my body. I to was a self pay. I started off looking at the band but in the end I chose the gastric vertical sleeve. I wanted a more permanent solution to my problem. I also wanted to have more control in regards to Portion control. With the band you can eat anything with the sleeve you can't. I know foo many people now who started out with the lapband and crossed over to the vertical sleeve just for the same reasons I mentioned before. I did a ton of research on the vertical sleeve. From what I had read and the councelling I received the vertical sleeve was the best choice for me in my weight loss decision

Both my surgeon and I sat down and discussed my final goal weight. I started out at 276 I am now 206 in five months. Her goal for me is between 150-160 pds. A very obtainable goal.

Well as my other sleevers have already mentioned - yes it's the dumbest thing a person can even think. The option to have this amazing surgery is a strong useful tool. True, it does help us detour from over eating but it also does one thing better. It teaches us to be more aware on how we eat, how we see food and why we need to learn what portion control really means. Having anyone tell you to stop doing wrong - put down that fork or better starve yourself is no better than you doing it on your own. Taking charge of your life is the most important thing you can do for yourself.

Well I am one excited camper indeed. I have set certain goals for myself during my journey on the way down from the scale. Five months have passed and I am happy to report I have lost 72 pounds and my third goal is a mere 4 pounds away. I can't thank Dr Misra for all her support and guidance throughout my weight loss thus far. Not only is she an amazing gastric surgeon she is also a doctor who cares. As I reach 199 a goal I set for the end of Dec. I am thrilled to know I will obtain this goal 3 weeks early than expected. As Dr Misra explained to me reaching for obtainable goals are so important. It does indeed make your weight loss easy to handle and it gives you the drive to meet these goals. Have you obtained goals you set for yourself? Are they reasonable to achieve? How did you see your weight loss goals?

I'm sleeved now 5 months. I've lost just over 70pds. With me, I've been so strict with myself. I have stayed away from the carbs and have watched my fat content. I had the plateau issue last month. What I did was more water intake and excerise. I changed my excercise from walking to swimming and did a protein shake in the morning instead of breakfast. As of today I can say I am passed my plateau and down another 5pds. The main key is to stay focussed and not to lose faith in yourself. I wish you the best of luck. Let us know how your doing. Maddy

Thanks everyone for your input. I am five months since the surgery. It just started from nowhere. One day all was good then bam it started. I did call my surgeon today and we talked about my options. Going to do soft Mushy foods for a week, continue drinking protein drinks and stay away from firm foods. I am not vomiting liquids just foods. Dr Misra ( my excellent surgeon) feels nothing is wrong. But she is watching me closely to see how I am everyday. Tonite I was able to eat soft mash potatoes and egg beaters. Amen no vomittting. You are all so amazing thanks so much for your advice.

I so know what your going through, Its tough those 2 weeks but its well worth it. As of today I still shrug at the sight of a protein drink. I found the Lite Muscle Milk Chocolate was the easiest drink to get down. It also satisfied me the most. Try to drink your water too. That too will fill you up. Good luck to you and keep us posted and if you need any advised I would be more than happy to lend some advice.

The past couple of days I have not been able to keep any solid foods down. Seems the moment I swallow I need to rush to the bathroom and discard my food. I am ok with drinking liquids but other than that its been tough. Anyone else who has gone through this? Would love some suggestions.

Finding MEme...well good luck to you on your surgery. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me. Keep us informed on how you are doing. Maddy

BBQ Meatloaf Muffins 2 cups Corn flakes 1/4 cup Barbecue sauce, divided 1/3 cup cholesterol free egg product 3/4 lb extra lean ground turkey 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 medium green pepper, chopped 1/2 cup shredded carrots Mix cereal, 1/8 cup of the barbecue sauce and egg product in large bowl until well blended. Add remaining ingredients, mix lightly. Mound the meat mixture in 8 muffin cups sprayed with no stick cooking spray. Brush tops with remaining barbecue sauce. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Protein per serving: 21 grams (2 muffins) Enjoy!

As I flung on my gym clothes dreading the 45 min workout today. I remembered why I need to go daily and workout. I am one who weights herself daily. As I stepped on the scale and looked down I see I'm down another 2 pounds. With a smile on my face I get in my car and go merrily to the gym. It's so important to do our daily workouts. Even though we dread it, it does soooo much for our weight loss. Taking 30 to 45 mins a day out of our hectic schedules does wonders for the scale tipping down. Here are some great ideas for shedding those unwanted pounds. Swimming - doing laps for 30 mins burns over 400 calories. Walking - walking for 30 mins burns over 350 calories Bicycling - for 30 mins nonstop burns over 300 calories How do you burn off your unwanted pounds?

I am now sleeved 5 Months and doing fab. My weight loss is now over 70 pounds. Each day I strive harder than the last to eat well and do my daily exercise. Food for thought... Does eating less go a long way? After much trial and error I have found that eating less does not go a long way. Why you ask? For one simple reason " we need fuel to burn" and if we don't eat we don't burn. Drinking our 60 oz of water does indeed flush our bodies out and rids the fat. How do you find eating the correct amount of food do for you? Do you see a difference when you skip a meal? Weigh in.

Ok turkey day has come and gone. How well did you weather thru it? To my surprise I stayed focus and on track. I really thought I would feel deprived over all the foods I loved to eat during thanksgiving. But I wasn't... I felt good not binging and feeling stuffed. I ate alittle of everything and I was fine. I was worried I would over eat. How did you weather thru thanksgiving?

I have worried over this notion of stretching. I don't feel I have but I am really dwelling on it. I've done so well up till now and I am still losing weight. I am one who does measure my food intake. My Md advised me to always eat my protein first veggies 2nd fruit 3rd. Stay away from the carbs and drink the 60oz as advised.

Wow super good idea!!!

It isn’t easy coming out of the closet “so to speak”. When I decided to do the gastric sleeve the only two people who knew were my husband and daughter. It was the shame I felt to tell anyone else. The guilt I felt inside that I wasn’t able to take the weight off on my own. Recently, I ran into an old friend. Looking at me she said “Maddy you have lost so much weight how you did it?” I have to admit; I actually hesitated for a moment...and said nothing. Later, I thought to myself why did I hesitate to tell her? The only thing that came to mind was the simple word “fear”. Why do we feel the need to hide our decision to have bariatric surgery? Is it because of low self esteem? The urgency of keep this big dark secret private or is it due to the way society sees fat people? We live with the constant advertising campaigns flashing thin stick models while we the “fat people” struggle to keep the scale from tipping. The dying “to be thin attitude”. The Taboo word “bariatric” does not fit into this world… until now. Today, we have the means to achieve weight goals we never had before. Folks like me who have battled the scale for years now have alternatives. So why hide this amazing news? This week I did just that. I told my folks about my gastric sleeve. To my amazement they were supportive and very happy I took this journey. I cannot express to you how important it is to have family and friends to support you during your life changing weight loss. And it is indeed both mentally and physically a change. I now talk openly and candidly about my surgery. What amazing changes that has occurred over the last 5 months. Today, I am no longer on any medications to help me control my sugar, cholesterol or blood pressure. A MAJOR milestone in my life. I blog and chat with other people who have gone through bariatric surgery. I did an online survey asking three questions… how many people have you told? Did you tell your friends? Have you told your family? To my amazement, 73% told less than 5 people, 76% did not tell their friends and more than 79% did not tell their family. Its sad that we feel the need to hide from this. Today, bariatric surgery is a useful necessity for those like me who just could not lose the weight. It’s time we stood up and made our voices heard that bariatric surgery is no longer a shameful procedure and see it as an amazing tool to good health.

It isn’t easy coming out of the closet “so to speak”. When I decided to do the gastric sleeve the only two people who knew were my husband and daughter. It was the shame I felt to tell anyone else. The guilt I felt inside that I wasn’t able to take the weight off on my own. Recently, I ran into an old friend. Looking at me she said “Maddy you have lost so much weight how you did it?” I have to admit; I actually hesitated for a moment...and said nothing. Later, I thought to myself why did I hesitate to tell her? The only thing that came to mind was the simple word “fear”. Why do we feel the need to hide our decision to have bariatric surgery? Is it because of low self esteem? The urgency of keep this big dark secret private or is it due to the way society sees fat people? We live with the constant advertising campaigns flashing thin stick models while we the “fat people” struggle to keep the scale from tipping. The dying “to be thin attitude”. The Taboo word “bariatric” does not fit into this world… until now. Today, we have the means to achieve weight goals we never had before. Folks like me who have battled the scale for years now have alternatives. So why hide this amazing news? This week I did just that. I told my folks about my gastric sleeve. To my amazement they were supportive and very happy I took this journey. I cannot express to you how important it is to have family and friends to support you during your life changing weight loss. And it is indeed both mentally and physically a change. I now talk openly and candidly about my surgery. What amazing changes that has occurred over the last 5 months. Today, I am no longer on any medications to help me control my sugar, cholesterol or blood pressure. A MAJOR milestone in my life. I blog and chat with other people who have gone through bariatric surgery. I did an online survey asking three questions… how many people have you told? Did you tell your friends? Have you told your family? To my amazement, 73% told less than 5 people, 76% did not tell their friends and more than 79% did not tell their family. Its sad that we feel the need to hide from this. Today, bariatric surgery is a useful necessity for those like me who just could not lose the weight. It’s time we stood up and made our voices heard that bariatric surgery is no longer a shameful procedure and see it as an amazing tool to good health.

Are we not emotional eaters? Do we not turn to food for comfort? Now, this time of year where stress and being overwhelmed goes hand in hand. We tend to go to our old ways and eat. I am learning to really stop and think before I want to eat something I shouldn't. I ask myself "is this worth it? Will it make me that much happier if I eat this"? Learning these tools has really helped me stop and think before I wear my heart out on my sleeve. What do you do to take the edge off of not binging?

Awe this indeed is wonderful news and congradulations for taking this most important step. I have been a sleever since July of this year and I am happy to report I am doing wonderful on my weight loss. Keep us posted on how you are doing. Any questions please feel free to contact me.