minaleigh

First off, I just wanted to say that by looking at your signature, you and I are practically twins when it comes to stats. I'm 22 so we're similar in age, we're both 5'7" and both started at 273. Hello my dear twin! While I'm not farther along, I do know what it's like to not know how to respond to compliments. Sure, we've all gotten the backhanded compliments such as, "you're not that fat" or "but you have such a pretty face." I didn't know how to react to those either, mainly because I found them rude even if the person meant well. Lately, I've been trying to impress one of my guy friends who always paid attention to my other friend more than me, since she was "the hot one" between the two of us. He actually paid more attention to me about a month post-op, even flirting with me, so that was all around weird. I've been overweight since I was 9, so I'm really socially awkward and don't know how to take compliments well. I've noticed that I really only get compliments from my close friends or my parents. I usually brush them off, because even they say I look so different and better, I'm still obese. It makes me wonder just how bad I looked before. If I'm still fat, and they say I look so much better, how horrible was I pre-op? I don't consider myself a negative person generally, but when you're not used to compliments, it can make you start to feel weird. I'm sure the people, besides maybe the lechers , who pay you kind words just mean well. I hope things go better for you at work so you don't have to stress so much about it. I don't think you sound stuck-up just because you're experiencing compliment overload. Btw, grats on the weight loss thus far! Since we do have the same stats, I hope to be as far along as you when I get to 10 months post-op. Keep up the good work! Stay strong.

I really only take a chewable multivitamin, Centrum Silver, twice a day. I used to take a B12 supplement, but one multivitamin has at least 400% of your daily recommended B12, so my surgeon told me to stop taking the B12. I also take one 50,000 IU of vitamin D a week since my levels are atrocious.

I really only told my family and my two closest friends. I mean, I'll tell people who ask me, but I won't outright exclaim to the world that I had surgery. It's my business. I didn't announce it on my facebook or tell all my coworkers. Only person at work that really knows is one of my managers. What I hate is when someone who knows talks behind my back to other people about it. They'll comment on my weight loss and then that person will be like, "Yeah, but it's only because she had surgery." If you're really curious, just ask me! I won't feed you bullcrap about how I'm doing it with "just exercise and eating right." No need to depreciate what I went through by saying I took the "easy way out" by having surgery, or that I "didn't really have to work for it."

You've lost 12 pounds and you consider that not losing weight? That's 12 pounds in 3 weeks! I looked at your profile and it said you're 5'3". You're generally not going to lose as quickly as, say, someone who is 5'10". I'm 5'7" and I lost about 18 pounds the first 3 weeks. I actually lost 25 the first two weeks, but that's because I wasn't keeping ANYTHING down, even water. I was basically bulimic those two weeks and had actually regained 7-8 pounds after that because I was re-hospitalized and was getting actual nutrition for the first time since surgery from the IV. I think you're doing great. As many people on here will say, you didn't get heavy overnight, and it's not going to come off overnight. Just keep doing what you're doing and don't give up! Like I said, 12 pounds in 3 weeks is awesome! When else were you able to lose 4 pounds a week? You also have to realize that you are probably going through the inevitable 3 week stall. Most everyone on here has gone through it. Basically after two weeks your body adjusts and needs to level itself out. It'll pass, I promise!

I never considered plastic surgery/reconstruction before surgery. Now at almost 4 months post-op, I'm starting to think about it. My boobs have been saggy since I've developed them, due to the fact that I waited too long to wear a proper bra so they didn't grow correctly, so I'm not really worried about those. Might wait until my future hubby wants them as a gift or something. Surprisingly, I don't have much skin in the stomach area. It's a slight droop but I have a feeling it'll get better with time and exercise. My worst areas are definitely my arms and thighs/hips. My hips are so big, they almost as wide as my shoulders. Then they curve (read: BULGE) out into the most horrible saddlebags ever. They're wider than my shoulders. It looks like I have two cantaloupe-sized tumors growing out of my thighs. I've always been pear-shaped and bottom heavy, but man has this surgery emphasized that. I've been mainly losing weight up top and now I'm ridiculously ill-proportioned. My arms are also unbelievable jiggly. I'm not talking a little bit, I mean A LOT. The whole lower half of my upper arm is nothing but jiggle fat. I'm hoping exercise helps the size of my arms, but I have a feeling it won't reduce the jiggle. We can't all be as lucky as BlackBerry. I envy her determination and seemingly lucky genetics/biology! Btw D1N, I think you're one of the closest people that I found on here in regards of stats. I'm close to your age at 22, I'm 5'7" and I had surgery weighing 273. Pretty close.

My roommate brought home chocolate donut holes and I've been having one (just one, promise!) everyday since Monday. I blame it on my TOM.

I've never really thought about it, to be honest! Sure, I browsed through stores online and gazed upon their wondrous wares dreamily, but I never thought about what would be my ultimate dream outfit. Hmm... I'd have to say it's a tie between an awesome a-line style dress, preferably knee-length or a bit shorter, and a pair of high-end, superlative skinny jeans with a cute tank-top or halter.

IU, I believe, stands for International Units. It's a different way of measuring drugs and Vitamins than using mg. An example is that two different capsules, say Iron and B12, would weigh the same amount if they had the same mg. But if they were measured in IU, they'd have different weights even if they both were, say, 5,000 IU. Hope I didn't confuse you, lol. I'm taking a 50,000 IU Vitamin D pill weekly, not mg. Mg deals with the weight, IU deals with the biological aspects of it.

Ha, you're so lucky! When I went through ketosis, my mouth tasted like I hadn't brushed my teeth in a year. Wish I got the sweet taste.

Thanks for the kind words, guys! It's good to know that I'm not alone when it comes to these sort of feelings. I know I still have a ways to go, but I also know that one way or another, I will get there! Only a matter of time.

I don't want to be a downer, but I'm 22 and already noticing some excess skin. To be honest though, I think my case is because I've been overweight/obese over half my life since I was 9 and because of genetics. I have faith that once I'm closer to goal, my skin will start bouncing back. Just need to exercise more!

There are some teenagers on this board. I'm 22 myself, but I've seen people as young as 15 and 16 on here.

I knew what my Vitamin D levels were before surgery. We had to have a full blood work panel done. My surgeon was the one who prescribed the supplement to me pre-op. After that, he didn't check my levels again, and we went ahead with the surgery. I'm guessing if it's not too much of an issue, (such as maybe having extreme osteoporosis and severely low vitamin D levels?) it doesn't really affect surgery. Can't say for sure though, I just know it didn't affect whether or not I got the surgery.

My vitamin D level was 12. TWELVE. I live in a fairly sunny area, too. Mine is mainly genetics though, both my mom and uncle (her brother) have low vitamin D levels. I'm not sure how mine is doing now as I haven't had blood work done in a while. I take a weekly supplement that has something like 50,000 units of vitamin D.

Hey all. Not a very happy post, I'm afraid to say. Well, so far I've lost about 50 pounds since surgery in November. This is a good amount, but I still weigh 223, still in the "obese" range. I am down a size, maybe a size and a half, in shirts and 3 sizes in pants. I feel better than I have in a long time. It's just I've been a bit down lately. One incident occurred last night. A local bar was having a comedy night, so I went with three of my friends. We sat at a table near the front and listened to the first four comedians. The last one is the one who got to me. He was talking about how it would be to have sex with a large woman, and how it would be detrimental to his health if she ever wanted to get on top. I don't know if I was just being self-conscious but it felt like he was looking at me the whole time while he was talking about that subject. I basically just averted my eyes and could see my most supportive friend looking at me with concern. It was just a very awkward situation. Then today, another friend of mine and I went shopping. She was looking for dresses and I was sitting outside her fitting room while she tried them on. Next to me was an empty fitting room with its door open. I could see myself in its mirror and GAH. I started picking myself apart! My arms looked horrible. I lifted them up and could see how much they JIGGLE. I could see a roll going over my jeans. My thighs looked HUGE. I don't know what came over me. I'm not sure if it's because its almost my TOM, but I've just been overly critical of myself lately. People are telling me I look better and that I'm just being self-conscious when I'm complaining about a certain part of my body. I just still look and feel FAT. I'm still OBESE. I'm still considered PLUS-SIZED. Even though I'm smaller than what I used to be, strangers still see me as LARGE. Like I said, it's kind of a downer post. Just needed to air my thoughts.

Voted for you. I'll bookmark the page so I can remember to vote everyday! Good luck! You used such an awesome picture, too. Congrats on the weight loss.

Good to know your time management and people skills are being put to the test. If you didn't want to "bother" reading, why bother replying? I hope you aren't this caustic when you finish "medical school" and become a doctor. I feel sorry for your future patients.

It seems that this is a person that just doesn't want to listen to reason. They claim to be a medical student, but yet it seems they knew absolutely nothing about this surgery before committing to it. I had complications dealing with surgery. I was in the hospital three times, including an ER visit, within the first two weeks post-op. So I know this surgery isn't a magical, stress-free solution. Heck, at 3.5 months out, I still have trouble following a suitable diet plan. I overeat sometimes, and usually that makes me sick. Slowly, I'm learning. I know I have food issues, and this is a great forum to come and deal with it, whether you want to vent, inquire, or just learn from other people. Whining about the surgery because you refuse to follow the plan isn't going to solve anything. Is your surgeon frustrated with you? Or do you just act this way on the internet, and all sweet towards her and don't tell her all the problems you're having? I have a feeling karma is going to bite you in the butt once you become a doctor and you have patients who refuse to listen to you. Should this forum be all unicorns and rainbows? No, not really. People need to see the ups and downs, the pros and cons, the good and the bad of this surgery. It's a lifelong commitment. This surgery may help you with the physical aspect, but it doesn't help the emotional or mental one. You didn't get fat overnight. You didn't develop food related issues (because, really, pretty much all overweight/obese people have them) overnight. So this surgery isn't going to fix it overnight. I hope your journey goes better for you.

I hate throwing up too. I even cry as I'm doing it. Most of the time, I just sit and breathe to let it pass. Sometimes, it just gets to be too much though. I don't even have to run to the bathroom. I calmly tell my roommate I'll be right back and walk slowly to the bathroom and let it out. Feels so much better afterwards!

I hope they get better on the other side of Onederland! I have two pairs of pants waiting for me to fit in them when the time comes, one a size 16 and the other a size 18w. The 16 fits better than the 18w! I can at least get them over my hips! I wish they would just make women's clothing like they make men's, by having the size be how many inches around your waist. It might create a stigma with some women, but let's be honest, it'd be a whole lot easier to shop! Also, we already create negative views on our own with the way pants are now. Btw, the the 16's are from Old Navy, and the 18w's are from Faded Glory. I think that's Walmart's brand? Would make sense to me if they were!

First pic is from June 2011. Don't mind the creepy wizard statue. This is when I was around my highest weight of 289. Such a bad pic. >.< Second pic I just took. I'm at about 226 pounds.

I take Centrum Silver chewable tablets as my multivitamin. My nutritionist recommended them for me (even if the bottle does say for ages 50+ ) right before I had the surgery since I wouldn't have been able to take pills without crushing them. I still use the chewable kind (citrus berry flavored ) because I just hate swallowing pills! I also take a B12 supplement that my surgeon prescribed after I told him about getting insanely dizzy easily (like, grabbing my head in pain and almost falling over dizzy), as well as having no energy. I'm not sure what the brand is, but I do know they smell and taste absolutely horrible! I also take weekly Vitamin D supplement, but that's unrelated to the surgery. I started taking it months pre-op because my blood work showed that my vitamin D level was 12... and you're supposed to be in between 30 and 100. Oops.

I'm over 3 months out and I still can't stop overfilling my sleeve. Some stuff just tastes so good that I want more of it and I end up having to throw it up. I also can't stop eating too fast, especially when I'm eating with other people. I also eat too many carbs! I've always been a carbhound. I even have a home movie of me as a toddler walking around eating on a plain piece of bread!

Our surgery date is the same! You're doing so much better than me though. I've also been fluctuating between the same three pounds for two weeks. I've been exercising more, getting my Water intake in, and being more vigilant about taking my Vitamins. Not really sure what the deal is.

My surgeon never set a goal for me. At first, I had a goal of 170 because I felt it was realistic and I've always been told I'd be "sickly skinny" if I went too much lower. After some thought, I changed my goal to 150. Go big (or in this case, small ) or go home, am I right? It's a nice, even number and I'd be in the "normal" weight range instead of overweight at 170. I can't imagine myself at either weight, though. I've been overweight/obese since I was 9, so whenever I picture myself thin, I see my fat head on a stick figure! I believe I will look and feel my best at 150. It'll give me about 10 pounds of wiggle room. I can't see myself being any lighter than that. I would also love to have my pants size be a single digit!