kbowlin74

I invested in a personal trainer($300/mo) just because I was not familiar with all the equipment in the gym and it gave me the accountability to be there. Since I was already a member of the gym previously I never checked into any trainers outside of the gym I use. I think working with her has helped me tremendously. I do challenge myself but when I start to slack her encouragement is what pushes me to keep going. I did make sure she was aware of my surgery and my calories intake but she does not have a full understanding of the surgery. This has not been an issue. The best part of working with her is that she is always coming up with new and interesting ways to torture I mean work me out. Also we do weigh and measure every 6 weeks which gives me the small goals that keep me motivated to keep going. Good luck.

Well I went for my 2 week checkup on Thursday and they said I was doing very well. I have lost 19 pounds and am walking 2 miles a day. I cant wait to get back in the gym but I have 2 more weeks until the doctor will release me. My incisions are healing great. I am hoping that once they completely heal there will be no signs of the surgery. I am loving the comments from all the naysayers before surgery about how they can already tell I am losing weight. I just smile and think haha. I think the hardest thing has been cooking my favorite foods for my family and not licking the spoons. I made the mistake of making chicken salad and licking the spoons as I was finished with them. By the time I finished the chicken salad and cleaned up I was not even hungry. Lesson learned. Overall life has resumed back to normal. Since surgery I have been to 3 concerts, the comedy club, a company lunch and church every Sunday(All this in addition to work every day). It amazes me how much energy I already have. I am so optimistic that I even volunteered for a position on a committee at work that will include me flying to CA and TX. My goal is to be small enough to skip the seatbelt extension before the travel starts. Before surgery I would never have considered it. One other thing I have learned is that when I add a scoop of the protein shake to my yogurt it is easier to get my protein in. Also taking my vitamins is essential. I missed my vitamins one morning and thought I was going to fall asleep driving home from work. I will not do that again. I know this post has been all over the place but I wanted to make sure I posted all the things I have learned up to this point.

I know exactly how it feels to have everyone in your family totally against your decision to have this surgery. My husband had even made a comment that I would be doing this by myself with no help from him. Well now I am 2 weeks out from my surgery and the tone has changed. I did not argue with my husband or my family prior to surgery I simply listened to what they all had to say and let them know after each discussion that I loved them and I felt like this was right for me. I planned to do everything by myself so I prepared my meals after surgery and placed them in the freezer and made arrangements to have someone take me and pick me up from the hospital the day of surgery. About a week before surgery I started to see a change in attitude. My family was watching me obey the liquid diet to a T and realizing that this was not a miracle surgery. I was working hard up to surgery and not faulting any of them for their opinions. Now they are all on board and proud of me for working so hard and continuing to change my life on a daily basis. I think the fact that I was never argumentative and just silently determined and focused turned them around. My husband did take me to the hospital and even stayed with me while I was there to help. Since we have come home he has tempted me repeatedly to cheat with food I am not allowed to have but he has not said anything but positive things about the surgery and how I am doing. I say all this to let you know some of the biggest naysayers do become suporters with silent determination and prayer. You have to decide that you are doing this for yourself and stay determined. I will be praying for you and your husband.

Well I am 3 days out and it has been fairly easy. I followed the liquid diet just about to a T and it paid off. My surgeon said it was the easiest surgery he had ever done. Everything went perfectly. Even the nurses were impressed that I was doing so well. Now honestly the first night I thought I was going to die. I kept getting gas bubbles that would cause me to gag. Everytime I gagged I thought my stomach was going to explode. When they say walk they really mean it. If I had walked more earlier in the day I would not have had these issues at night. The other kicker was the morhine made me sick as well. I think if I could have avoided the gaging I would have been on top of the world. All in all I am 3 days out now and still even with the gagging I am glad I did it. I am not having any issues with getting my liquids in and have been really shocked at how excited I have been about my pureed food. The other kicker is I started today. I think this actually has caused some of the pain and bloating that I have but just think...by the time I go back to work I will be done with it all for a month. Just trying to look for the positive. And to boot I have my pain medicine for surgery so the cramps have been virtually nonexistant or at least I havent really had to deal with them . Well I need to get off here and go take another lap around the house before its time for another nap.

Congrats!!!! It will be here before you know it.

I just have to know if anyone else out there gets what I call air locked after the sleeve. Sometimes it feels like I have swallowed I giant gumball of air. I am assuming this means I took too big of a bite or too big of a drink but it seems to be happeneing more and more. Just looking for any direction. I was sleeved on 7/13 and this has really been the only ongoing nuisance so far.

Thanks for the replys. I helps just knowing I am not the only one.

I used the nutrutionist at my surgeons office, went to my PCP and had my records where I checked in at the gym at least 3 times a week. Now keep in mind my check in at the gym was never submitted and I was approved by Aetna and have already had surgery.

Thank you so much.

Well I am down to 4 days left. The liquid diet has been actually easy for me but we have been very busy at work. This has helped since I didnt really have time to take a lunch with anyone. The 4th of July potluck was hard but I just went for a walk while everyone ate. This worked. No one really knew I didnt eat since everyone was grazing and I got some exercise in to boot. My husband has tried to sabotage my liquid diet but I am amazed at the willpower I have been able to muster up. Knowing that it is only for 2 weeks helped tremendously. I have also realized the power of planning ahead. I had read someone's post about keeping a snack bag with you at all times and this was my saving grace. I always have one serving of my meal reaplacement in my purse at all times. When push comes to shove I stop and get a bottle of water, drink a little, and add the protein drink. Without that little tip I feel like I would have bombed miserably. I have also realized that just by reading the different forums and everyones experiences I am empowered. I am so very thankful I happened on this site and bookmarked it. I have found the strength and knowledge that has gotten me this far. The funniest thing that has happened is evertime I overcome food temptations I hear the Rocky theme in my head...lol.

My doctor requires that you use the bariatric advantage for 2 weeks before surgery. It is very high in protein and low in carbs. I havent found anything on the shelf that matches the protein content for the amount of carbs. It actually tastes pretty good too once you get past the fact that you are drinking chocolate water. The best thing I discovered while doing the shakes was that you can mix sugar free extracts to the vanilla to give it a coconut, banana, french vanilla, or peperment flavor. This kept the variety in actually having the same thing everyday. Also I was in such a habit of stopping at Sonic to get a drink everyday that instead of ordering a soda I ordered a glass of ice to mixx in my shake. The colder it is the better it is. I have been on the clear liquids for 1 day now and that was tough. Only one more day to go. The only way I have gotten through today is by having a little of everything that was on my clear liquid list. Also dont forget when you are on liquids, drink a shake every 3 hours. This will keep your blood sugar level andkeep the shakes away. I have low blood sugar and have not had any problems. Thank you so much for the prayers.

My surgery is Wednesday and I am still not ready. Today is the last day I can have a meal so my family and I are all going out to eat one last time. After that it is shakes for 2 days. I have to ask what have you done food wise to help your family after surgery? I have some Protein shakes but I figured that would be all they would need. I have made sure there is plenty of frozen dinners for them but I dont know what else to do to help them help me. Any suggestions?

Way to go and thanks for the link. I am about 4 weeks behind you with my surgery.

Well I went for my pre-op appt today and will start my liquid diet tomorrow. To prepare for the liquid diet, my son and I went to New Orleans and ate everything we wanted. Not only was I able to mentally prepare for the liquid diet but I also got to enjoy reconnecting with my teenage son. I thought for sure when I went for my pre-op appt I would have gained weight with everything we ate(jambalya, red beans and rice, benets, bananas foster, etc.). I actually lost 2 more pounds. I think mentally I already cut back my portions and now I dont feel a bit guilty about leaving food uneaten. This is a huge step for me and just another sign that I am ready. Only 2 more weeks and I will jump head first into the losers circle.

I love this thread!!!! Everyone is so inspirational. I cant wait to be able to post my before and after photos.

Me too!!! July 13th cant get here fast enough!!!

I am so excited. After months of jumping through hoops I finally have an official date for surgery. July 13th. Its amazing that actually having a date brings out everyones opinions. I have been told I will not lose anything with surgery, that I am making a mistake, that I will forever regret having this surgery, that I needed to research it more, that I was taking the easy way out. When someone pops off with anything negative I find solace in the fact that I have researched the sleeve for well over a year as well as have been wanting to have WLS surgery for 6 years now. I do not argue with anyone that has a negative opinion I am just going to let my success prove to them. Thanks to everyone on here for the good, bad and ugly posts about your experience with the sleeve. I will hopefully be posting more now that my date is official.

BTW I do have a new PCP who fully supports my decision. He is more personable and understanding than my previous PCP. Again more proof that everything happens for a reason.

Well here is an update so far. I figured out that I will need the 3 months attempted weight loss so I have seen my PCP and made my appt for my psychological eval and my nutritionist visit. I figure that my sleeve will be my 37th birthday present. I am good with that. These next 3 months will fly by and I will be on my way down soon. I have started to work out 3 days a week with a cardio focus. I figure that the heathier my heart is before surgery the better off I am. There is a reason for everything and I am going to make the most of these 3 months to reach my goal after surgery faster. Hopefully some of the habits I am forming now will make life after the sleeve easier. My daughter is as excited about this now as I am. We laugh when looking at clothes and she says mom you can wear this too when you loose your weight. I cant wait for that day. I am doing this for me but also for her. I want to be an example of fitness for her to follow. Up to this point she has followed me down the road of a foodie. That will change when exercise is more of a focus in all of our lives.

I have never blogged before so this is a little strange for me. I just think I need to log this journey. I have wanted to have weight loss surgery for over 4 years now but my insurance would not cover it. Recently our company changed to Aetna and they do cover the surgery. Yeah!!!! So I went to the seminar and have had my initial consultation with the surgeon. At first everyone in my family was very supportive until I started actually taking the steps needed for surgery. Now I am starting to get some negativity from my family and from my PCP which completely shocks me. My PCP thinks that since I do not have any co morbidities that I can lose 150lbs by myself. Well I want to get this taken care of before I become sick. My mom seems to think that something will go wrong since this is elective and I am not thinking this through. My husband is scared I will get sleeved, lose my weight and leave him. I am just shocked how all the support disappeared as soon as it became real. I am standing firm. I found out yesterday that I must start a 3 month weight loss attempt with my PCP which will be changing due to the negativity about my decisions. I have my appt for my psychological evaluation and am moving forward with my decision. After much research I know that the sleeve is for me.

I am just now starting my process as well. My hubby and I went to the seminar and after hearing all the health benefits my hubby went from against it totally to wanting to have it as well. Since our insurance that will cover the surgery will not go into effect until January we are in a holding pattern until then. Hopefully by this time next year we will all be much healthier.